Blank picked up the Sigma Shard and fumbled it about in his hands like a curious child. To him, it was like a priceless gem. Despite having no use at the time, he could not help but admire the fact that he had found it. As ridiculous as it sounded, he felt like a kid who had found some sort of trinket while adventuring in the woods. Of course, not many kids find themselves in the position of letting another person destroy a shadowy creature, and then snatch the spoils before the victor is able to. He had half a mind to hand the Shard over to Dogura, the one responsible for killing the Shade in the first place. Hmm.... Nope. He chuckled secretly, and smiled at the samurai before placing his hand on Tayro's back yet again.

Pyre watched the slight diversion with interest. He gave the shard a long look before turning his attention back to Tayro. It was interesting, for it obviously had some value or use. Who knew what kind of powers the shard had, or what it could unlock. For now the ranger decided not to worry about it. The most pressing thing at the moment was Alpha, and although the shard may come in handy, it had no immediate use, and thus it had not enough importance to dwell over. At least thats how the hylian saw it. The fairy or Tayro may have some special interest in the shard, but that didn't concern him. It was time to save Alpha.

kasei also glanced the shard,m but did't register it as important...so he turned his attention to alpha, wanting to help, kasei just stood there, brooding, staring at his once good freind..

[Blank got Sigma Shard x 1]

(OoC: Ba-da-da-daaaa xD)

The slight pause taken care of, and everyone placing their own hand on Tayro's back, it was back to the main track. As soon as the last member was ready, Elenina immediately continued with instructions. "Now, Master Tayro, place your right hand on your pearl." - she commanded, the boy obeying without question. As soon as that was done, perhaps as a reaction to the Nightmare Crest, or the position they were on, the pearl once again regained its warm, blue glow. "Now, place your left index finger right at the center of Nightmare Crest. Everyone, brace yourselves!" - she added. The boy nodded. Gulping ever so slightly, the young teenager moved his left hand towards the mage's forehead and stretched his index finger, as pointing to the jewel. Just a small movement, and the connection was established. The Hylian didn't have a moment to breathe after what happened. His Dream Pearl, which normally glowed dimly, giving off a warm presence, and could be considered relaxing, suddenly let out an outburst of intense blue light, so bright that the boy wanted to shield his eyes, yet his hands could not move from their location. Tayro simply closed his eyes, as a sucking sensation could be felt... were the others feeling the same? That was unknown to the mage apprentice, but in a way, it didn't matter much. said feeling didn't last long, and suddenly the Hylian could now move his hands freely. "Are we... in?" - he asked, his eyes still closed.

Anxious to know if it had worked, the boy opened his eyes, only to marvel at what lied ahead of him... though there was not much to describe. The boy seemed to be standing on an elevated floor, possibly made of marble because of it glittery shine. A few steps down, and there was normal floor... filled with a gray mist, impossibilitating the view to whatever was below it. It was somewhat scary, not knowing what they would be stepping on... for all they knew, it could be brain mass, or other slushy things... though it was rather preferable that he didn't think of that. Around the area, various gigantic DNA sequences swirled from the floor up to infinity. Yes, no-one could see what was the extent up, nor any way, in fact. Looking around, one could only see an immensity of this scenery, and no hill or anything of the kind. Like it was infinite. He looked at his friends as to check if they had all made it through... it seemed like it. "Well, guess we're in... Now what?" - the boy inquired. It was rather strange... that they were inside the mind of a person... of a friend, in fact. What wonders could they observe here? Would they find out more about Alpha's past? "Over there." - Elenina replies, pointing towards a door ahead of them. It's silver-coloured, with a purple amethyst on top of it. It is very carefully adorned, and possesses two golden doorknobs, thus leading to the fact that it's two separate parts that can be opened.

The boy sighed, and, very slowly, tried placing his foot on the misty area. To his surprise, he didn't find anything unusual - it seemed just like regular flooring. The boy sighed of relief before placing his other foot on the ground. Looking towards his friends, the boy nodded. "Right. Let's go. To save Alpha." - he said, as he approached the door himself, the Faera following right behind them. As he neared the place, the Hylian couldn't stop noticing that there was no wall, so it was strange how the door could have two sides... normal reasoning would say that opening the door would merely lead to the other side, the continuation of this infinity... but they were on a person's mind... could they be sure? The teenager decided, just in case, to go around the door to the other side, revealing nothing unusual. He came back to the original side. "Feel like trying?" - Tayro asked.

OoC: Anyone that was present in ASoSM, feel free to reply as if you had been present the whole time.

Dogura opened his eyes, only to see the abyss that lay before him. Immediately Dogura's senses went crazy, and he knew something was wrong with the place. For the first time in a long time, Dogura put his sneses to rest, relying ony on the main five senses. "Who would have thought Alpha's mind would be so... hollow?" The samurai chuckled, and looked around. Suddenly a thought occured to the samurai. "Tayro... Are we visual manifestations of our own minds? Are our bodies still outside in the forest?" Dogura didn't immediately getb a response, but the door standing before them posed a bigger question than all of the questions gathering in Dogura's mind: What sat on the other side of Alpha's mind?...

Blank wondered almost exactly what was on Dogura's mind, but with a simple addition. I bet Alpha's mind is a trove of spoils. The nomad played with the Sigma Shard in his pocket and grinned. He rubbed his hands together and glanced around the room for anything interesting that he could add to his day's wealth. The thought crossed his mind, however, that aside from treasure, the mind of the mysterious Sheikah would be plagued with all sorts of horrible images and incarnations of nightmares.

Careful not to let his guard down, Blank stepped forward towards the silver door, as if drawn to it by the amethyst crystal set in place above it. The nomad shuddered and prepared to step on something awful as he waded through the mist, but was glad when there was nothing to be found. He looked back at his comrades with a grim look on his face, as if to say "Let's just get moving and go home as quickly as possible." The fact that he was standing in the mind of an actual person was bewildering, and somewhat nauseating.

Hearing Dogura, Blank too pondered on whether or not their bodies had remained outside - it seemed to be the more sensible explanation. If so, it would probably baffle travelers when they saw a group of unconscious adventurers gathered around an equally paralyzed Sheikah. Alarming, even, to the casual observer. Despite the fearful situation at hand, the Hylian could not help but chuckle, picturing his own reaction to such a scene as he stepped through the double-door after Tayro, prepared for the worst.

As the pearl gave off intense light, Pyre shut his eyes immediately. The huge amount of visual information was a little overwhelming. Soon he felt himself being sucked in, and then everything stopped. He kept his eyes closed for a moment, but when he could here the breathing of the others over his own heartbeat, he opened them slowly.

The group had ended up in strange chamber. It all seemed... ethreal. Aside from the tower double helixes, the only landmarks of interest was the door. The hylian watched as Tayro stepped around it, but it didn't seem as if there was anything on the otherside.

The ranger nodded to Tayro's question. Opening the door seemed the only course of action. The real question was: "How should we prepare for what is on the other side." Pyre had no answer to this. All of them were probably in the dark about the nature of Alpha's mind.

He knew one thing for certain. Things here wouldn't follow the same rules they do in Hyrule. Nothing could be taken for granted. Not the sharpness of their blades, or even the natural law of the goddesses. Did that mean that the travellers could themselves deny these rules? He had no clue, but had a feeling that they were going to find out a lot of things on this trip into Alpha's mind.

A bright light emerges as the doorway is cracked open, and it seems to force the misty room's sole fixture open as the brightness sweeps across the travelers, once again forcing their eyes closed unless they wish to be blinded. A rushing wind blows outward, threatening to carry away each adventurer unless they can stand fast . . . and then, with light still shining, the hurricane wind succeeds in storming around each traveler, and they feel the ground no more. And yet, it never feels like the wind is carrying them anywhere, just that it is blowing around them.

The wind suddenly begins to die down, and each of Alpha's companions feel as if they are slowly being lowered downward again. The light starts dimming, though not enough to allow them to see, and a trickle of words echo past each one's ears, all in Alpha's voice:

The ability to psychically control water and make it float in midair . . . and then swimming inside it. Clever way to allow a Zora to fly . . .
Aw, man . . . I was hoping for light. But I guess the fire element is the next best thing . . .
My scar . . . it hasn't done anything at all so far! Master!

The blinding factor suddenly vanishes completely, allowing the group to open their eyes to a rather surprising scene. The landscape is most likely familiar to all of the adventurers present: the base of the great Ruto Mountain Range, with Ruto Town off to the west and the path up to New Peaktop immediately before them. The sun is shining brightly - and then he is suddenly before them:

Alpha. The Sheikah leaps backwards and comes directly into their range of sight. His staff is held at the ready, as if he is engaged in some monumental battle. One glance behind the group would reveal this to be the truth, for there, behind them, lies a literal sea of warriors, stretching out as far as the eye can see: the Hakiems Tribe. And they are pouring forward, straight for both Alpha and the group . . .

Only once before has such a massive force been faced by Alpha the Sheikah Mage. And though no one in this party had been present at the time, anyone who had heard of the tale would know that the adventurers have been dropped directly into the middle of the Golden Battle.

OOC: Hiyo, everybody! This is your friendly mental guide, ready to take you through the danger and DOOM that is the mind of everyone's favorite Sheikah. What will you find here? What will you see? What will you learn? WHAT WILL I REVEAL TO YOU?!?!?!?

Good questions. Maybe by the time we reach the end of all this, I'll have decided that myself . . . well, onward to said end!

Yeah, basically Tayro and I have split up the job of GMing this dungeon. We've made a lot of plans for this place, the majority of which . . . we haven't told each other. So this promises to be quite interesting!

Blank gasped as the shocking light enveloped the "lobby" of Alpha's mind. So surprising was the sudden flash of the bright energy that Blank was forced to step back in bewilderment. He felt his left foot slide forward, and was quick to fall backwards, eyes still sealed to prevent an assured blindness. What he expected was to hit the ground and for everything to be as normal again - or at least, as normal as this odd place could be. Unexpectedly, this usual procedure seemed delayed by the roaring wind that swept him into the air before impact with the round could be made.

Hearing Alpha's voice, Blank jumps - although, in midair this was more of a kick of the legs than an actual hop of surprise. He doubted the Zora in question was anyone but Zaboorak. The very notion of the clever means of flight intrigued the Hylian and actually caused him to picture a floating pool of water in midair, with a Zora swimming inside. The thought made him chuckle, although he knew that an airborne Golden Zora - especially one such as Zaboorak - would be a fearsome sight to see.

Suddenly, as the light vanished and the rocky terrain of Ruto came into sight, Blank raised an eyebrow and contemplated just what had happened. Are we... out of Alpha's mind? Or is this... some kind of memory? thought the nomad as he gazed about. In his confusion he almost forgot to take note of the fact that he was still laying on his back. Apparently, the wind had not returned him to his standing position. "Better on the rugged ground of the Highlands than on that vile, mist-ridden mind scene," he mumbled to himself.

Blank stood and brushed a few pebbles and dirt clods from his jerkin and glanced at what was happening. Despite his best intentions to not panic, he found himself breaking a sweat. Here was an historic event that he had only heard of once, and only briefly. He almost completely ignored the arrival of Alpha, and instead looked forward at the rushing masses of Sheikah, jaw dropped.

The light... The blinding light that seemed to work it's way past the samurai's eyelids, seemed to sweep the man off os his feet. In fact, in cruel reality, it had, as he was soaring through what seemed like a massive pool of wind and light. Dogura managed to open his eyes for a spilt second, and the only way he would be able to describe what he saw was a massive colorful brush stroke of a paint brush running over him as if he himself were a canvas on the eizel that was Alpha's mind. And just as the noise reached the peak of of a sonic boom- Silence... Time seemed to stop its continuous flow as the samurai lowered his arms which shielded his face from the annhialation that his body had just suffered. He found himself on his back, as he pulled himself up, glancing around for his comrades.

Still far too dizzy to see straight, he found his footing by leaning against a rough structure which Dogura thought to be a rock. Everything was too blurry to clearly tell. His thoughts, his sight, and even the hands that he held in front of his face at a pathetic attempt to focus. After what seemed like three whole eternities, Dogura could see clearly. At that very moment, he dearly wished he hadn't. Dozens, hundreds, thousands of what Dogura had come to hate: Hakiem warriors stretched across the horizon. "My Din..." Dogura muttered, his eyes narrowing. It was at that very moment that Dogura considered that fact that he was still trapped in Alpha's mind.

The samurai stood in serene silence, as the masses of Hakiems advanced toward him. While the many thoughts clouded his mind, one single solitary word managed to cross his lips, even if in a whisper: "Run..." Although he knew the course of action he had to take, his legs would not co-operate with his body. The Vagabond searched desperately for anything out of the ordinary, when at that very moment he noticed something indeed out of the ordinary. Was it in fact possible to exist in one's own mind? Or was it just a clever manifestation of his own conscience? If in fact there was a logical answer to the man's question, it stood tall before him, for Alpha had decided to grace them with his presence at the moment. For some reason, none of Dogura's normal body functions agreed with him at the moment. There was no doubt about it. After all he had studied and read. He was in fact, somewhere back in time. Back during a historical event that was commonly refered to as: The Golden Battle...

OOC: Behold! My long awaited post!

Back up a little ways…

IC:: Nogare shot his head up when Elenina spoke the word…

“Night Crest…” He knew instantly that this would mean another of his renowned adventures that so many thought were lies.

Though Nogare had never heard of such a thing, he knew that it was not good. And even more the revealing that they had to actually enter Alpha’s mind was even more devastating.

He rose to his feet, but said nothing. Though, in his thoughts, he said, “I don’t like the idea of entering another person’s mind; it’s not mine to enter…” but he understood very thoroughly that he must in order to save his friend who he had known for a very long time, and had no interest in throwing him away. If naught should become of it, then at the least he had attempted to save him. He was interested, though, in how they would enter his mind. He looked upon Alpha for a long moment, in thought. He was about to ask about how they would possibly enter his it when shockingly the Shades showed up out of nowhere! He only stepped back, for he instantly kept in mind the Code of Chivalry, and showed no fear. Though, knowing his friends, he knew that they were all eager to get into battle, and he could instantly tell that these were simple foes, so he did not want to appear as a glutton. He only held his spear at the ready, and did not interfere with what his comrades were doing.

To his surprise, he saw that no Nightmares came for him. He then he remember that they were not those of the damned caverns, and thought no more of them, though his heart was still beating hard. He took sighing breaths. He was slightly surprised that Elenina spoke afterwards as though nothing had happened. But it mattered not to him any longer; he needed to save the Sheikah whom he had befriended what seemed like a time long ago. He was told that this may mean the end of his life, but seemed to take mild note of that. All that mattered to him was saving his friend. And at Tayro’s nod, he held fast to the younger mage in order to enter Alpha’s mind.

But when they took note of the other Nightmare Crest, he knew that the glow meant the form living nightmares. This meant that Alpha indeed had living nightmares in his mind, and they needed to be destroyed no matter what. He awaited the others, and when they were ready, it began…

And when Elenina told them to brace themselves, and Nogare’s brace was strong enough to have crushed rock, it is said, but of course that is not the case, for he would have killed Tayro if that were true. The sensation was so intense Nogare’s frowned face shook and his eyes were held closed as hard as they could be, trying not to relax in case it was a trap from the Nightmares that which he could not trust in the slightest. He held his breath for a short time until he was aware that it was safe, and when the ride was over, he shot open his eyes to see where they were.

At first he believed that he was in North Castle itself, but he knew right away that it was not so, for he understood quickly enough that this was the hideout of the Haikems that they had been captives at, and understood that this indeed was a nightmare, for it was probably even worse for Alpha than the rest of them in a way he did not know. Then they reached the gray mist, and Nogare tightened his stomach muscles when he saw the blob of… whatever it was, be it the brain or something else. So did that mean that they were outside of the brain right now? He didn’t care - as long as those nightmares were somewhere close enough to kill soon.

Then he saw it; the door knobs, and the purple amethyst. He had a strong feeling that they needed to get there in order to battle the nightmares, for that indeed was the stone, and possibly the source of the Nightmares itself. But they were in his mind… so much about Alpha’s mind was so clouded, as he knew, but he did not want to be the one to observe it. When Tayro asked him if they wanted to try, Nogare just nodded, almost too astonished that this was in fact possible to speak. He knew that much magic was possible, but not this.

It was then that the doorway shot open with the blinding light. And the wind! It was so powerful that he had to remind himself not to stab Belegcam into the ground, being Alpha’s mind, and instead leaned forward, strongly enough and balanced enough to not blow away.

Suddenly when the wind dies off, Nogare falls down, but catches himself with his left hand before planting his face down. But his eyes were locked closed when they fell, as though he could hardly stand any more flying around. His stomach turned.

And there stood Alpha! Nogare spoke his name to himself, astonished. Then he considered that perhaps he was having a vision of himself. But what was this place? … This was a building close to Ruto, but he could not identify it’s name. He considered it to be, perhaps, someplace that Alpha had been. He did not pay attention anymore to those feature of the location. Now his attention went to what Alpha was doing. … What was he doing. What was he looking at…? Behind them?

Nogare’s eyes shrunk in surprise when he caught a glimpse of the massive flow of Haikems come running at them. Why do the Haikems only show up when Alpha’s around…? He did not care; he prepared himself, in case they were as real as the Shades were before. And he was certain that he would have a chance to get into this fight.

Then he remembered hearing of a massive battle outside of Ruto Town. He had thought they had been referring to the Battle for Ruto, which is where they assassinated his uncle, Dual. But this was definitely not the Battle for Ruto…

Would he be thrown into the battle? He hoped so; anything he could to get the nightmares out of Alpha’s system. He let go of Belegcam with his left and, and spun it once with his right, and caught it again with his left, showing that he was ready. He said to them, “Do any of you have a plan to defeat all of these?”

OOC: Okay, that has got to be the longest post I've ever made!

EDIT: Guys, can this hurry up?

Disgust.

That's the feeling the boy felt in the main room, the main peripheral hall that seemed to extend infinitely, farther than his eyes could see. Stepping on something he could not see - though a probability could be brain mass, even if the floor was completely solid - swirling DNA chains that also went up to a place that he could not see... it all gave him the feeling he was inside another living being... in flesh. Although he was partially correct, as the former idea was true... though a better description would be logged in inside Alpha's memories and thoughts. Vomiting didn't seem an impossibility, but out of fright of what he could do to the Sheikah, he tried to restrict his stomach from expelling unneeded content. As he heard Dogura's question, the boy shrugged. "I have absolutely no idea" - came the truthful reply. The Faeran Fairy, upon hearing said reply, came to the aid of her Master, moving in front of him. "That's right. We aren't here physically. We're currently a manifestation of our minds - an hologram, if you might. However, don't be fooled by it: any injuries you get here are transferred to your external body, so do be careful." - she answered.

Surprise.

As the large double-door was opened, and an intense light shone forth, the teenager had no choice but to shield his eyes, placing his left arm protectively in front of them. Eventually, the brightness was overwhelming, and the junior mage had no choice but to fully close his eyes. A pity - it was a spectacle he'd desire to see. Reminiscent of his magical spells, a sharp, though not as razor wind started swirling around him and past him, coming from where the youngster expected the door to be. Suddenly, he can no longer feel the ground. Strange. I didn't feel myself floating upwards... it was more like the floor itself vanished... - Tayro thought, as he continued to be enveloped in a mixture of light and air. A few moments later, the intense illumination seemed to dim, as he no longer felt that slightly burning sensation over his eyelids, and the wind also started to calm down. The floor had now returned as well. He wondered what had happened, but the mage apprentice decided to keep his eyes closed for a little while longer, as to guarantee there would be no problem.

Shock.

That is, until he heard a familiar voice ringing inside of him. It was weird, as his own thoughts had united with the voice. Upon hearing words about a flying Zora - which Tayro immediately associated with Zaboorak, as he was the Zora he had most heard about. Quickly, he opened his eyelids, observing Alpha as he stood there, in front of him, apparently flesh and bone. However, the Sheikah seemed far more concerned with the Hylian... or was it someone behind him? Looking backwards - and seeing everyone had also come - he observed what could be counted as millions of Hakiem Fighters, stretching in numbers far outnumbering their own. However, they also seemed to have other allies. The boy was sure he had seen Shada, Victor the bard, that thief... Raven, and two other characters he didn't recognize at all. A Deku and another bard. Confused, he faced Alpha. "Alpha? What's wrong? What's happening?" - he inquired.

Fear?

Alpha's intent stare penetrates any of the newcomers and straight into the heart of the Hakiem force charging towards them at full speed. He allows himself a solitary glance in the direction of the cliffs, and suddenly a feeling of annoyance falls on the group, followed quickly by more words in Alpha's voice . . . though any who are paying attention will note with shock that, although the words ring quite loudly in their ears, the Sheikah never moves his lips.
Darn it . . . Shada's caught up fighting Karunik . . . well, at least the others are here now.

His eyes shoot back down to approaching ocean of assassins.
Which means I get to take all these guys on. Master, where are you?!
His staff appears in his hands, twirling through the air and his fingers as he spins it around in a rather impressive show of expertise with the weapon. A mighty battle cry erupting from his lips, the Sheikah sprints forward without warning, staff held at his side. He dashes straight towards the rest of the group, not even bothering to move to the side so as to not run into any of the group members. Moving as quick as lightning, the Sheikah closes the distance between himself and the group in a flash, so quickly that the child lying directly in his path has no chance of getting out of the way.

And then the impossible happens. Never stopping, Alpha steps directly through Tayro.

He still doesn't stop, and emerges from the other side of the young Mage as if he doesn't even recognize the fact that they are there. But really, are they there? If this is one of Alpha's memories . . . one that they did not participate in . . . should anything less be expected than for them to be there only as bystanders? As Alpha darts forward and hurls his staff around, smashing through the first line of the Hakiems and hurling many of the Grunts to the ground, then leaps up above them and forms a massive sphere of flaming energy in his hands, the thought must dawn on those present that as far as Alpha and the other participants in the Golden Battle are concerned . . . they really aren't present.

The fiery Elemental Explosion lunges downward as the Sheikah hurls it towards his enemies, the brilliant crimson orb erupting magnificently on impact with the ground and absorbing all the Hakiems nearby. Alpha lands in the direct center of the charred and smoking bodies that have abruptly piled up, staff held out in front of him. Standing on the edge of the blast radius, the group get one last look of their ally before he is once again surrounded by the Hakiems, obstructing their view with brown cloaks, red or purple handkerchiefs, and overwhelming desire to drive their blades through the Sheikah standing in their center.

Dogura could do nothing but stare as Alpha not only passed straight through Tayro, but killed off a percentage of an entire army! The samurai knew in his heart that Alpha housed power, but never such power that passed his own comprehension. Such energy... Is Alpha perhaps more than meets the eye? Then, something happened that alarmed Dogura. The pack of Hakiems closed in on Alpha, each seeming to want a piece of him to take home with them. Suddenly, it all hit the samurai like a Goron in mid roll. Sword out of his sheath, Dogura was already on his way down the hill. Mental manifestation or not, he had to help his friend if at all possible...

This must be that battle... the one with all those Sheikah... so, they were Hakiems. Blank recalled hearing from an old man in Ruto who had been sitting quietly at home at the time about a great battle which pitted few against many. It now appeared to him that this “Golden Battle,” as the man had mentioned, was one of the earlier experiences with Hakiems in Hyrule, or at least from an adventurer's viewpoint. He gazed at Alpha, and prepared to speak to him.

Until, of course, he hears the Sheikah's voice ring out in his head. Alpha was no master of telepathy; the only person with such a mystical ability like that was Dogura. Blank winced in unparalleled confusion and tried to decipher some meaning out of the situation. “Okay. We're back in time, but we're also in Alpha's mind. So we're in one of Alpha's memories. There's a huge army of Hakiems charging at us, and Alpha's... Sweet goddesses!”

Blank ducked and covered his head as Alpha's fiery chaos obliterates a sizable of the oncoming Hakiems onslaught. Never mind the fact that he had stepped through Tayro. Of course, that small technicality caught his attention after a moment. Even Blank could understand the implications of the apparent transparency of the mind-wanderers, as he was beginning to refer to the group as. Simply enough, the adventurers weren't really there; they were in no danger! Blank took this knowledge to heart and began to wave to the masses while making strange, insulting gestures and facial expressions. He laughed to himself, likely being the only one to find it amusing. “Idiot Hakiems,” he said boldly, a statement he would probably never have uttered if the Sheikah forces could actually hear him.

“Dogura!” he called out to the samurai, who was making his way quickly towards the Hakiems in Alpha's stead. “I doubt we can harm them if we can't even touch Alpha! Dogura!” He stopped, and shook his head in hopes that his friend had heard his shouting and would return to the group. The nomad turned to Tayro. “This is your quest, Tayro. Why are we here, Elenina? Are we supposed to...” He gulped audibly just then. “Fight them?”