fifth dream 🌱 wake up

[multidisciplinary]

Sender: Zelda
To: Everyone
Subject: Passive dream recording (and optional log prompt)
Warnings: Some gruesome imagery (mostly in linked image). Final boss Calamity Ganon is kind of nightmare fuel.



It's dark in this dream, the specific sort of dark that one sees when they close their eyes. Zelda is asleep—dreaming, it seems, of being asleep. It's such a deep sleep that her body feels both heavy and weightless at the same time, as though she's floating on her back in a pool of tranquil water.

"Save her, Link. Save the princess..."

"Good luck, little guy! And give my regards to the princess."

Zelda stirs. The darkness lightens just slightly as she tries to open her eyes, but her eyelids feel so heavy that they fall shut again. She's too tired to wake up. She's only just fallen asleep.

"Your job is far from finished, you know. The princess has been waiting an awful long time."

The voices sound muffled and far away, as though she's hearing them from under the water. She tries to lift her head so the water can drain out of her ears. She recognizes these voices—Mipha, Daruk, and Revali, Champions of Hyrule. It's been so long since she's heard their voices. But who are they talking to?

"Both you and the princess... I know you have suffered much regarding what happened to us Champions. But this is how things had to happen. No one need carry the blame. So please, make it clear so she understands that. Tell her to shed any worries. And let her know... I couldn't be more proud of her."

Urbosa. Zelda tries again to lift her head above water, but the weight of her waterlogged hair pulls her back down again. It's too hard to wake up. She's been awake for so long, decades upon decades, struggling all alone. The last of her strength is just about spent. All she wants to do is rest.

"Open your eyes..."

That... that's her voice. Zelda's voice. But how?

"Please, wake up..."

Zelda can hear the exhaustion in her voice, exhaustion that runs bone deep and permeates every part of her body. It's the same exhaustion she feels right now, that she doesn't want to wake up from.

But she has to wake up. She can't sleep now. She has to maintain the seal holding back Calamity Ganon. Just a little bit longer. Every day, every minute she holds the seal is another minute for Link to free the Divine Beasts so they can finally beat the Calamity once and for all.

With excruciating difficulty, Zelda forces her tired eyes open and the darkness of the dream finally gives way.

At first, everything just looks lumpy and indistinguishable, lit with a murky reddish glowing light. Zelda blinks and rubs her eyes to bring them into focus.

A gruesome face stares quietly back at her, rising and falling as it drags in slow, ragged breaths through a mouth with jagged teeth growing out at all different angles. Its two glowing eyes staring vacantly through Zelda, as though the monster is in some kind of daze. A low, rumbling growl comes from somewhere in the monster's throat as Calamity Ganon begins to stir.


[ Optional log option ]

[ Following the dream, Zelda is making a midnight trip to the Observatory. She's looking frazzled and out of sorts, and for once, the Sheikah Slate is conspicuously missing from its usual place on her hip. The dream sits ill in her mind. It didn't feel like a dream at all, nor was it a memory. She can't shake this terrible feeling that something might be wrong with the seal, the prison in which her real body and Calamity Ganon are trapped within. The princess won't be able to rest until she looks for herself. ]

Comments

log

[luciing]

[ Somnus has, historically, never been one to check or comment on entries made in the journal. This past week has been different, given that he himself has been considering making an entry for the very first time. As he browses the latest entries, he happens to come across one made by none other than the young princess...

He promptly closes the journal. How cruel of this world, to make one's dreams open for all to see. It is for this very same reason that Somnus rarely chooses to sleep here, save for practicing exercises in dreamotion. And because he has not chosen to sleep this night, either, he instead strolls outside the smithy as he often does. It seems he's not the only one wandering the town at night, for when he spots a figure hurrying towards the Observatory, he recognizes her immediately.

Somnus watches her as she enters, making no move to greet her. Silence falls upon the town as soon as the doors shut behind her, sleepy and serene in a blanket of shadows. He takes a single step in the opposite direction.

But then he pivots, looking back in the direction of the Observatory. A moment passes, then another. Finally, he turns, following her into the building.

There are few reasons why one might enter the Observatory, but he can guess at which one is hers. For now, he doesn't interrupt her. ]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda is completely unaware of Somnus as she heads inside the Observatory. She isn't always completely aware of her surroundings on the best of days, and today is certainly not the best of days.

When she enters, she's expecting to find the Observatory quiet and nearly empty. (It's the middle of the night, after all.) But the scene she walks in on is the exact opposite—an absolute madhouse, busier than Zelda has ever seen it. The researchers (all of them, by the looks of it) are rushing here and there, hauling books and papers and all manner of instruments all over the place. No one even spares her a second glance as she walks inside. ]

Um, excuse me? I need to use the telescope. Can anyone assist me?

[ Zelda tries to wave down a researcher for help, but everyone hurries past without even looking at her, not hearing her (or pretending not to). It's not like she doesn't know how to use the telescope, but you're not supposed to use it unaccompanied. (Aren't you?) ]

[luciing]

[ The Observatory is rather busy this night. The researches seem rather preoccupied with something, too. Perhaps they’re on the brink of some sort of discovery. That, or they’re stressed. Scientists can be rather difficult to read.

But her asking for assisting is his cue. He steps into view, looking very much a timeless specter in a setting of buzzing, frantic productivity. ] Hail, Daughter of Hyrule.

[ Passing through a researcher whose nose remains buried in paperwork as they walk, Somnus practically glides over to her and the telescope. If it’s as straightforward as using the bauble in the Wishing Well, utilizing one to power the telescope should be fairly intuitive. ]

…Let us leave them to their work. I shall assist.

1/2

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda turns just in time to watch Somnus pass right through one of the researchers. The fact that he's a spirit and not a living person is something she has known for a long time, but sometimes these reminders of it take her by surprise. Are you sure it's okay to just walk through someone like that? Zelda glances with concern to the researcher, but they remain oblivious to what happened. No harm, now foul, apparently. ]

2/2

[multidisciplinary]

Are you sure?

[ Zelda fidgets, casting dubious looks around at the bustling researchers. She's pretty sure that "the rules" prohibit a dreamwalker from using the telescope without the supervision of one of the observatory's staff. A part of her fears that some sort of alarm will go off if she touches the telescope without permission.

But of course, she actually has nothing to be worried about. The telescope is not alarmed in any way. She's also used it enough times in the past that she knows exactly how it works. ]

All right. [ She eventually nods in answer to her own question. It's fine. She's already snuck into the sealed room in the library; it's a little late to be worried about obeying the rules.

Zelda rummages around in her belt pouch for a bauble. ]

You have used this machine before?

[luciing]

[ He is a man who had the position in which many people moved for him. Wielding the authority of a sovereign means he hadn't needed to ask. Death has only made him more untouchable, literally, as a specter. Because of this, he easily crosses the atrium of the observatory to where she stands near the telescope. ]

From my understanding, it is not unlike the wishing well. One uses the bauble.

[ He gestures to what appears to be... some sort of control panel? It appears fairly straightforward. Insert bauble charged with the wish of a vision, get vision in return.

But before that, he casts his gaze on her. ] However, are you certain you wish to see?

[multidisciplinary]

I must. If something is amiss, I cannot simply ignore it.

[ There is a look of firm resolve on Zelda's face as she steps up to the panel.

She retrieves the bauble from her pouch and inserts it into the receptacle, much in the same manner as one would insert a coin into a vending machine. There is a small screen set in the panel and a ten-key, where one punches in the coordinates corresponding to their world. Normally, one of the Observatory's technicians would input the coordinates here, but Zelda has memorized them. She swiftly keys in the coordinates. There's a loud rumble as the telescope's mighty gears begin to crank and align the device to the desired coordinates.

As the telescope moves into position, it occurs to Zelda that she hasn't actually told Somnus why she's here. Granted, it's basically a given that anyone using the telescope is doing so to look in on their own world, but Somnus's choice of words suggest that he knows more specifically what Zelda is looking for. ]

You know what I am looking for, then.

[luciing]

[ A pause, and then a slow nod. Although he tries to respect others' privacy when it pertains to dreams, he had happened to find hers. It would have been simple enough to shut his journal then and there, but it seems that she is one of the few that he's... grown some concern about. And although she might already know, he still feels it necessary to say: ]

Knowing may not grant you peace of mind.

[ If her world is as terrible as it had been in her nightmare, then she is powerless to stop its progression while she remains here. None have truly awoken of their own accord. He wishes to make certain that this is not an impulsive move to use a bauble on her part, but instead, something she has prepared to handle, should it instead confirm her fears.

But she's already inserted the bauble. So. ] Pray that it does.

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda purses her lips. So her nightmare was shared with everyone. Wonderful. Zelda hadn't even bothered to check her journal after she woke up—just threw on the nearest set of clothes and hurried to the observatory. ]

I would rather know the truth than remain blissful in ignorance.

[ She's spent too long allowing herself to live in blissful ignorance here in Songerein. Perhaps the spate of nightmares she has experienced this spring are proof of her negligence in her duty.

The telescope continues to turn. It will take a minute or so to align to a point in time and space that does not exactly match the soul of the associated dreamwalker. ]

Or do you speak from experience?

[ She can't help but wonder why he would come here if only to discourage her from checking in on her world. Has he looked in on his own world since arriving here in Songerein? ]

action, pre-observatory, i do what i want

[skyglider]

[Is this a dream? Those voices, those moments...those are real. He remembers those things. Save her, Link. It's his own name, the unmistakable softness of Mipha's voice, that makes him question where he is, whether this is a dream or a memory. Has his mind reached out to someone else? Is his memory intruding on a dream? And if so...whose?

It's the glowing eyes of Calamity Ganon that finally force his eyes open, but the feeling that weighs on his heart is the loneliness; the solitary struggle of someone whose power is all but spent. He remains unmoving for a moment, the memory of that piercing stare burned into the back of his eyes. When the fog of the dream lifts, when he realizes where he is, he comes to understand that his questions are unnecessary; his memory and her dream...they're one and the same, aren't they? Somehow, she's dreaming of things that have already happened to him.

He stirs in the next moment, wordlessly leaves his room and moves down the hallway toward her door.

Are her memories lining up with his, or has something gone wrong with her sealing of the creature...? He hesitates for only a moment, but the dull roar of Calamity Ganon seems to have fused to his heartbeat, thudding soundly in his chest, reverberating through him like a warning that something is deeply wrong. He knocks softly on her door.]

go off, short king

[multidisciplinary]

[ To say Zelda is unsettled by this most recent nightmare about Calamity Ganon would be an understatement. She's practically shaking as she pulls on the nearest set of clothes, unconcerned with whether they look nice or if they're even clean. That awful face... She hasn't seen it for well over a year now. The monster she normally dreams about is an almost indiscernible mass of hatred, always swirling Hyrule Castle like it did on the day of the Calamity. Its true form, this disfigured beast, was one she only met when she went back to face it on her own. Why is she seeing it now, after more than a year in Songerein?

And the voices of the Champions... And her own voice. They didn't sound like they were talking to Zelda at all.

This doesn't feel like the usual nightmare. Something feels wrong.

So she'll make a trip to the Dream Observatory and use the telescope to look in on things in Hyrule. Zelda has done it a few times in the past, whenever worries about the condition of the seal took root in her mind and refused to let go. Seeing the seal intact always calms her down. Once she sees that everything is fine, she'll be able to relax.

Shirt, pants, check. Zelda is just about to pull on her boots when she hears a knock on her door. Is that...?

She gets up and opens the door. ]

Link?

[skyglider]

[The fact that Princess Zelda is awake confirms his thought that the dream might have been hers. The fact that she's already dressed, on the other hand, makes him keenly aware that he trundled over in his pajamas; he didn't even bother to brush or pull back his hair. He fights back a faint tinge of red at the corners of his ears at the realization, focusing instead on what he came to ask.

... What did he come to ask...?

He pauses a moment, collecting his thoughts, tracing back to a beginning to start from.]

I...think you might have just shared a dream, Princess.

[It comes out clumsy, but still somewhat gentle. It's not easy to realize someone else has been privy to your private thoughts...even if some of those are his own memories.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Fortunately for Link, Zelda is too preoccupied to notice his pajamas. (She hasn't bothered to brush her hair either and the lopsided way it rests on her head makes it look like she just rolled out of bed.)

It takes a minute for his words to pierce her distracted thoughts. Shared a dream?

Oh...

Oh.

The surprised look that briefly graced her features fades into a grim expression. ]

You saw it?

[ It. Ganon. The Calamity's true face. ]

[skyglider]

[Her changing expression says all he needs to know about how real it was, about what was real and what the dream might have made up... His mouth sets in a somber line, and after a moment, he nods.

So, that's what it truly looks like.]

... I heard their voices, too.

[The Champions, the repeated moments that he remembers seeing firsthand. Has she experienced them now, as well? Or is something far more strange at work here?]

[multidisciplinary]

And mine as well.

[ That's the part that's sticking with her the most. Zelda has had dreams about the Champions before, but never like this—and never has she dreamt about herself in the third person.

Zelda pushes the door the rest of the way open and heads back to her bed, an unspoken invitation for Link to enter. The princess sits down on the edge of her bed and grabs her boots. ]

I know it is the prerogative of dreams to be esoteric, but this one felt especially so. The Champions... [ She frowns at her left boot as she yanks it on. ] Why am I dreaming about them talking to you about me? If not for Ganon, I would have guessed that I saw your dream shared through the lanterns, not my own.

[skyglider]

[A slight nod. Indeed, that was what had him so confused, at first. He follows her into the room, quietly taking a chair nearby as he thinks on her words. He can guess, in a somewhat vague way, how she is dreaming about that, but as for why...he's not sure.

Well. Let's begin with how, then.]

The things you dreamed about have happened to me. Your voice woke me in the Shrine of Resurrection. The Champions... [He pauses thoughtfully, replaying their words in his mind.] Their spirits spoke to me after I freed the Divine Beasts.

[That, however, is as much as he knows. He did have the impression that she was aware of his journey, in his time...that she could see what he was doing. But he hasn't the faintest idea why she might be dreaming about that now.]

[multidisciplinary]

[ Zelda nods along as she listens to Link, although her gaze stays on her boots. Yes, she remembers him telling her these things before: about Zelda's voice waking him in the Shrine of Resurrection one hundred years after the Calamity and freeing the spirits of the Champions from where they had been imprisoned within their Divine Beasts.

But it was all broad strokes. He didn't tell her the finer details. ]

They all... asked after me. [ Said more of her right boot than to Link. ] Even though I was the reason for their deaths.

optional log option

[sleepsalot]

[ Sleeping had always come easy to Noctis back on Eos, his energy constantly being drained by the burdens he carried as part of the line of Lucis, but he's found that sleep eludes him here... Which could be a good thing, considering dreams are broadcast to anybody and everybody whether you want them to or not. This was one of those sleepless nights, one where he didn't want to simply lay in the bed, staring at the ceiling of his treehouse, thinking about everything he'd done wrong, everything he hadn't done, everything he needed to do.

Instead, he decided to take a walk in some sort of half-hearted attempt to clear his head and wear himself out. Walking about like this at night is strange, to say the least, without the constant threat of a daemon bubbling up from the dirt. It makes him think about the nights he spent under the stars with Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis, about walking the streets of Altissia or Lestallum and taking in the sights, or sitting on the rooftop of the rest stop at Longwythe... All of the times that he was able to enjoy their company before...

He sighs, closing his eyes and dragging a hand across his face. The split second he closed his eyes is all it took for things to go south, as he turns a corner and immediately finds himself running into somebody. ]

Shit—

[ Oh. ]

You... okay?

[multidisciplinary]

[ Noctis isn't the only one who isn't watching where he's going. Although Zelda is hurrying with purpose towards the Dream Observatory, her attention is anywhere but the path in front of her. The only thing she sees is the gruesome visage of Ganon stirring from its slumber, becoming alert—

—and vanishing from her mind's eye as she rounds a corner and bumps right into someone. ]

Oof!

[ Zelda stumbles back a pace, daze broken. Oh shoot, she just walked right into someone, didn't she? ]

Forgive me, I was not— [ She looks up and realizes who she just walked into. Oh. ] Noctis?

[ Goodness, she's just predisposed to cause problems for him, isn't she? ]

[sleepsalot]

The one and only.

[ That was... the opposite of smooth. In fact, his own response makes him cringe a little bit, but he's not going to dwell on it or backtrack. At least he recognizes that he's a loser underneath the Lucian royalty most others see when they look at him.

When he takes a step back from Zelda, he notices that she looks a bit unsettled, not at all the confident person he met when he was stuck in a maze that looked every bit of the Costlemark Tower he came to hate. That and he's shocked to see somebody out at this hour as well. Running into somebody (quite literally) wasn't on his to-do list.

He gives her a half-smile. ]

...Everything okay?

[multidisciplinary]

[ Any other time, Noctis's remark probably would've gotten a reaction out of Zelda—an amused smile, maybe even a bit of a laugh. Lame or not, she'd appreciate his attempt at humor.

But tonight, it passes her by unnoticed, doing nothing to lessen the intense look on her face.

Zelda hesitates. It's tempting to lie, insist that she's fine, so as not to inconvenience Noctis in some way. It wouldn't be appropriate to burden him with her problems or the problems of her kingdom. Doesn't he already have enough to deal with, with the problems of his own kingdom? But if she's being honest with herself, she doesn't want to lie and keep this to herself. ]

... No. [ She shakes her head. ] No, I think something might be terribly wrong.

[sleepsalot]

[ He’s never been one to give advice… or take the advice of others, really, but he’s always provided an ear to listen to when one of his friends needed it (train to Tenebrae after leaving Altissia not included). Noctis can see the distress on Zelda’s face, in her posture and the moment of hesitation when responding to his simple question.

This definitely wasn’t the same person he met in the garden turned Costlemark maze. He recalls having seen her dream, and it felt so incredibly invasive watching something that is generally for that person and that person only, and wonders if that’s the cause of her current state…

But they’re out in the middle of the night and it’s probably not the best place to have a conversation. ]

Let’s get inside somewhere. [ A pause ] There has to be a better place to talk than the middle of the street after midnight.

[multidisciplinary]

[ Once again, Zelda visibly hesitates. She's in a hurry to get to the Dream Observatory and use the telescope to check on her seal back in Hyrule. She can't shake the sense that something is wrong with it.

But on the other hand, Noctis's invitation is tempting and she really doesn't want to be alone right now. ]

All right. [ A single nod. She rubs her arm with one hand. ] But only for a few minutes. I don't think I should tarry long.

[sleepsalot]

Were you heading somewhere at this hour?

[ Because she does look like she was going somewhere, even this late, and Noctis can tell that she's uneasy by her body language alone. He may not be the best people-person, or really in tune with others's feelings if he doesn't know them well, but even Noctis can tell that isn't the same girl he argued with in the Costlemark-inspired maze. ]

It's not like I have anything to do, I'll gladly come with you.

[multidisciplinary]

[ She's definitely not the same girl he argued with in the maze. That girl has shriveled up, curled up her leaves and drawn in on herself like a plant shrinking away from a biting frost. The weight of failing her royal duty always burdens Zelda, but tonight, it's much heavier than usual.

Zelda searches Noctis's expression. Surely he does have better things to do in the middle of the night, like going back to sleep. Do the kings of Lucis have a predilection for insomnia, or is it just a coincidence that Noctis seems to sleep as little as his ancestor? The idle musing manages to escape the mire of anxiety that is Zelda's mind, but goes ignored. ]

If that is what you wish.

[ No, that's not how she feels. Zelda grimaces at the words that escaped her mouth. She heaves a sigh. ]

I will be glad for your company, Noctis. Truly. I am on my way to the Dream Observatory to look in on my homeland.

[ A trip she's clearly thrilled about /s ]