My muscles ache, my head is pounding, my throat is dry, my joints are locked, and I have the worst burning sensation across my entire body.

“Neri, thank the Goddesses!” Link says, and brushes a stray lock of my brown hair out of my eyes.

“That must have been really hard on you, huh, Neri?” Midna asks from beside me. I can barely nod without my neck tightening.

Link smiles down at me, from my place on his lap. He holds me upright with his arms, and my bare legs dangle off his. My bikini is pretty much garbage now with all the stains that it has, unless I pray that the blood smears and dirt splotches come out. I should probably put on my clothes... But I’d probably lose consciousness before I get my sock on. Midna runs over and hands me the Goddess Sword and the moment I touch it, it glows and out pops the Servant of the Goddesses.

“I am grateful that you have returned, Mistress,” Fi congratulates. I give her a look, and she corrects herself. “I am grateful you have returned, Friend.”

Midna hugs my waist, and I bite my cheek so I don’t groan in pain. How could she not see the giant purple and green suction cup-shaped bruises across my body? Anyways, was everyone really this worried about me? I was gone longer than necessary, obviously, but to think they’d get this anxious?

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” Link beams at me. Picking me up, he gently carries me out of the hollowed tunnel behind the waterfall, and sets me on a patch of light green grass. Midna carries my hoodie, jeans, socks, and sneakers, and Fi...is just Fi.

When I first came out of the cave pool and collapsed, Link didn’t make it to me in time so I have a lump on my right temple. But after a few minutes, I gained consciousness about approximately a minute ago.

For the next week straight, I was on strict bed rest. Link and Midna constantly catered to my every need, all while I recovered from my extremely sore muscles. All I did was watch the falls of Lake Floria and doodle, so I was about to go insane about forty minutes into my bed rest period. How I mainly passed the time was by thinking, pondering—whatever you want to call it—about Link. Lately he’s been acting strangely. Ever since Castle Town when he gave me my bow, he’s been acting different around me. He hugged me on numerous occasions, he’s calmed me when I panic, taken care of me when I’m injured and almost cries when I get hurt, and even kissed me. We’re like best friends. Whenever Link does dangerous things I always get protective, too.

On the second day, I really needed some alone time. Link and Midna went hunting, and I told Fi to go with them so they didn’t get lost. That same day, I realized that...I think I had a major crush on Link. But we could never be together. After making sure that everyone was out of earshot, I rolled over, hugged my knees to my chest, and cried. For maybe even an hour straight, probably more, I just let myself cry. When they came back my tears were dry and I looked fine, but I was pretty depressed and solemn for the rest of the day and didn’t say a word. That was yesterday, and right now I’m pulling on socks.

Midna saunters over to me while staring at the Water Crystal in my hand. It’s the exact same as the others, but this one’s tinted a light blue and has an air bubble where water spirals around and splashes in the small orb. It’s breathtaking, just like the others.

“So Neri, are you going to do that ritual yourself?” She stretches out her frail arms.

“I don’t know...” I tap my chin. “Am I supposed to pledge something to myself? Well, whatever. I’ll just wing it!” I give her my daring half smile, and she rolls her eyes.

“Fine, but when it backfires, I won’t be there to catch you.” Oh, Midna. Always so thoughtful.

“There’s only one way to find out,” Link pipes up from beside me.

Standing up, I straighten out my Cabela’s hoodie (which I’ve always loved because it hugs my figure) and throw the crystal into the air, then catch it in my palm. Rolling my shoulders, I whisper, “Here goes everything.”

Link and Midna both have their eyes on me, and Fi has come out to spectate the event as well. I have stage fright, so hopefully I don’t have an anxiety attack just because they’re watching me. My hand grasps the cool crystal in my hand, and I hold it over my heart. My eyes close, and I feel myself start to shift when Midna presses the twilight crystal to the top of my spine. Too soon, I’m a wolf.

I focus my thoughts after a moment and begin.

I oath on my life as a Goddess, as the incarnation of Hylia, to govern over this land. I will give respect to all inhabitants and life forms. I will show mercy, reward the contributors and chastise the criminals. Every perspective will viewed and taken into thought with level discretion. My land will be seen for what it is, not what it appears to be. I pledge to respect the populace and take on the role as the Goddess’ embodiment.

My blue-gray eyes open, and I lower my...paw. The crystal, amazingly, has disappeared. I guess that pledge was good enough. Considering that I just made up the whole ‘respect’ thing on the spot, I think I did pretty darn good. I really don’t feel any different, so I’m not exactly sure of the point of these crystals. But Zelda told us to get them, so that’s good enough for me.

“Did it work?” Midna breaks the silence. I nod and lope over to her, and nuzzle her the way she hates. She laughs, and pushes me off.

Trotting over to Link instead, I pad down some grass after walking in circles and then plop down next to him and rest my head in his lap. He chuckles, and strokes behind my ears. My foot starts thumping against the ground, and he laughs harder. The green grass flattens when I fall onto it, and Link starts to tickle and pet my albino belly. I laugh as much as a wolf can, as his hands massage and tickle me. Dogs don’t realize how lucky it is to be a house pet. Heck, I would live this way forever if I could.

“Neri, we should probably focus on that very last riddle. We only have one to go,” Link says, and stops brushing my stomach and neck. Right, just one more.

From a distance Midna hears us and extracts the crystal, and my limbs stretch out until I’m lying on the ground. Sitting up, I hand the parchment to Link and blow hair out of my face while I comb out the twigs and leaves.

“In a place opposite of the last,

You will find the Air Crystal far in the past.”

Link and I just stare at the paper in silence, like always. Midna has taken Link’s bug net and is currently chasing a purple butterfly with a stick that weighs twice as much as her. She looks pretty hilarious trying to keep her balance with the huge thing, but she stops and drops it when she hears us go quiet.

“Whatcha doing?” Midna floats over, and levitates over my shoulder.

“Stuff,” I answer.

She rolls her eyes. “What kind of stuff?”

“Thinking stuff,” I smartly reply.

Midna gives up and lounges on my back.

Link moves his hand from under his chin, and quirks his eyebrows in confusion. “In a place opposite of the last?”

“Like a desert? That’s the opposite of an oasis,” I say. ”Oh, do you think it’s Arbiter’s Grounds?”

Midna peers over my shoulder and scans the page. “But for the last place, it said In a place with no sky. Maybe it doesn’t relate to the water, but the sky part instead,” Midna adds.

“Maybe...” Link echoes. “So this place would have a sky, then?”

“If it’s the opposite, then yeah,” I respond.

“So this place has a sky. And it’s...in the past?” Link murmurs. “How can we get to it, then?”

Something about that key words ‘past’ and ‘sky’ ring a bell, but I can’t put my finger on it. Link also has a point, which is how can we find it if it’s supposedly in the past?

“Sky...” Midna whispers. “Wait, what if it’s close to the sky? Like a mountain?”

We consider it, but I ask, “What is something closer to the sky?”

“Something in the sky,” Link replies.

I gasp and jump up, and my back cracks but I ignore it. “In the sky... Skyloft!”

“Skyloft?” Link and Midna repeat, dumbfounded.

Fi raises her voice, “Known as the Goddess’ Island, it was originally part of the rumored ‘Surface’ and rose to the sky at the end of the Era of the Goddess Hylia when an evil force known as Demise began to invade. Hylia hid the portals to the three fragments of the Triforce in the Sky Keep, to protect it from Demise’s wrath. Skyloft remained isolated above the clouds, with all facts and knowledge containing the Surface considered a legend. The citizens of Skyloft were loyal to their Goddess and believed she guarded them, unaware she was living amongst them in her mortal form, who was given the name ‘Zelda’,” Fi relays. I can picture Skyward Sword’s Zelda.

“Wait.” I hold up my hand, “So Hylia created Din, Nayru, and Farore, and then managed to create her own race. When Demise assaulted them, she protected her people and dwindled her soul into to a mortal’s, and then lived on Skyloft?” I ask. “So when you told me that Hylia wasn’t able to create much life but then faded away, you actually meant to say that she kind of possessed a mortal. So Zelda was the first incarnation, making me the reincarnation?”

“Precisely,” Fi nods. I feel like I’m in history class all over again. “Unfortunately, Skyloft fell from the heavens centuries ago. It has since then eroded, and become dormant ruins. It is needless to say, useless.”

My face falls. “Then how do we get there? Doesn’t it need to be in the sky like the riddle says?”

Unexpectedly, the ground around us starts shaking and we fall to our knees. Link regains his footing, but my aching thighs take longer for me to rise up. We grasp trees around us and the rocks surrounding the lake like walls, and just as suddenly, it stops.

A bright blue light appears on the ground, similar to the ones that you step into whenever you finish a boss in any Legend of Zelda game. It glows and ripples, and the light shoots into the sky like a beam.

“Heroes...” Voices echo through the air. They aren’t voices of enemies or even Ghirahim. They’re female, and all of them are speaking as one.

“Chosen by us...we have recreated Skyloft, in another dimension...that rests in a time different from now...” the voices ring. It’s the Goddesses.

“But beware, heroes... We have created it in another realm, as well...the Silent Realm... Exercise caution...not all that go in come back out...” they warn, and their voices start to fade. “Step through the portal together...or someone will be left behind... Our power limits to creating two portals... One for going to the Silent Realm, and one for returning... If anyone neglects to return at the same time, they will be stuck in the realm, forever hunted by the Guardians… Remember your powers, Lively One... Healing the injured, and giving life to what once lived...premonitions, and other abilities of the unknown... There is no limit to your power...you are our equal. Take heed, Lively One...Hero...Twilight Princess...Goddess Sword...”

Their voices dim, and soon all that is heard is the water crashing to the rocks and the wind whistling through the bushes. To recap, we have to take this one-way portal to the Silent Realm (yippee), and do it together or someone gets left behind. We have to find the crystal somewhere on Skyloft, and avoid Guardians or we’re dead—simple enough. But we’ll have to make sure to come back together. That’s the biggest problem.

Link glances at me and I nod, Midna nods, and Fi does too. We’re ready. We all join hands and step forward towards the blue light. I take Fi’s cloak in my right hand and Link’s in my left, who is clutching Midna’s small turquoise hand. With one last prayer, we step into the blue light of the portal, and feel our souls being lifted to another realm.

When we open our eyes, we are all taken by surprise. We stand at the base of the Light Tower, on Skyloft. The Bazaar is ahead, and I can make out the Knight Academy behind it. The Graveyard is hidden by the houses, but the Statue of the Goddess Hylia towers above everything else. We’ve made it. The whole area, as far as I can see, is shrouded in a calm, blue glow. There small ghost-like beings floating around—Watchers—that cast light onto the blue ground. Everything is so...calm. But I know what we’re in for, and I’m more than ready. This realm may be silent, but it isn’t as serene as it appears.

Our hands fall, and we look at each other. We all appear to be glowing, with shifting white luminous splotches covering our bodies like a disease. I feel a warm sensation across my torso, and then feel something...emerge. My hands grasp my chest, and out of it comes a vessel. It looks like a hollowed divine fruit, but I know the purpose—it represents our souls.

“So...” Link says, and his voice echoes. “What now?”

“Well, this is pretty straightforward, but I’ll say it anyway. The Air Crystal is Fi’s, so she has to find it. We’ve all gotten ours, so now it’s her turn. Finding it is the only—”

“Found it!” Midna yells, and points. How can she already have found the Air Crystal? I whip around, and see her pointing at a small crystal that is a fair ways away, next to a bench.

It’s a yellowish crystal and has golden wind, as crazy as that sounds, blowing around in a small tornado inside the crystal.

“There’s another one!” Link points, and surely there is one, on the stairs leading up to the Bazaar. Okay, I get it now.

“Guys, those aren’t the real crystals,” I say, and everybody stops.

“What?” Midna asks incredulously.

“They’re fakes. There are fifteen, and we have to get them all to fill up this.” I hold up the vessel. “It represents our souls. Also, avoid those things.” I point at the Watchers, who have yet to notice us. “If you get caught under their light, it’ll wake the Guardians.” Now I point to one of the many seized statues surrounding the whole island. “Once they wake up, they’ll kill you. They’ll find you wherever you are.”

Everyone except Fi looks surprised, because she’s already gone through this with another of hero, centuries ago. “One more thing. Every time you get one of the crystals, the Guardians will stop for a short time, so we have to hurry. They’ll only stop if we’re all in here.” I motion around us. “The safe zone. Otherwise, we’re screwed.”

“Whoa... This is the Silent Realm?” Link asks. I nod grimly. “You’ve been through here though, in the games, right?” I nod again.

“You died a few times, but...I eventually did it.” I shrug, and he looks appalled.

“Since there’s fifteen, let’s just divide it. So...three people will find four, and one person will find three. That’ll make our fifteen,” Link says. “Midna, you find three. Neri, Fi, and I will look for four.”

“Aw...” Midna groans, and crosses her arms. She stomps over to Fi, and looks her in the eye. “I’m not doing this for you, Sword Robot. I’m doing this to get Neri back to her world, and get back the Twilight Mirror Ghirahim that took. Don’t get any ideas!”

“Once we’ve found our portions, everyone meet up back here. Whomever isn’t in the safe zone will be chased by the Guardians, and we have to get back through the portal together. Is everyone ready?” I ask, and everyone nods. “Also, we don’t have weapons so everyone, watch your backs... Or else there’ll be a sword in them before you know it.”

After successfully scaring the wits out of Link and Midna, I believe I’m ready. I smile and say, “Here, I’ll get the first crystal—to help you guys understand how it all works.” Wow, what did I just volunteer to do “You guys will be safe, but watch carefully.”

Link and Midna gulp and nod, and I steady myself. At my school, I was one of the fastest endurance runners. I was no track athlete, but whenever we had our annual endurance run, I was always in the last three at least. Running, swimming, volleyball, and badminton are my best sports.

I hand Midna the vessel and walk to the edge of the safe zone. Rolling my shoulders, I try to regulate my breathing as I get down. I lower myself to the floor, putting my left leg forward so I can push off with my right; and put my hands on the ground. Here I go.

I push off, and instantaneously the sky changes from a relaxing blue to an adrenaline-pumping orange. The Guardians wake up, their eyes shining red and start running after me with their weapons. I can see a flying one coming from my right, and a sprinting one coming from dead ahead.

I can only imagine how terrified Link is right now, and I run faster. My legs pump and for a moment, I guess being thin and short isn’t that bad. It makes me more streamlined. The Guardian swings its halberd at me, and I barely duck in time. Midna screams from far behind me, but I keep running, low to the ground. It pivots around and swings down again, so I leap at the fake Air Crystal. If I can just get to it...

My hand comes into contact with the crystal as soon as the halberd is half a foot away from my back, and everything reverts to normal. The skies turn blue, the Guardians disappear and reappear in their dormant spots, and the Watchers swing around their clanking lanterns. I trip and fall forward, doing about three shoulder-rolls until I manage to control myself and stand up with the realization that I’ve successfully done it—now I have three left. The crystal fades into a shower of sparks in my hand, and one small bud in the vessel lights up. I smile to myself and turn around to face the guys by the Light Tower.

Cupping my hands around my mouth, I yell, “C’mon guys, we don’t have very long until the Guardians wake up—now let’s go get those crystals!”