Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Their camp was filled with idle chatter, a fire crackling away as the sun dipped completely under the horizon. Wild hummed lightly as he cooked. Carrot stew is what he was making, along with some apple pie for dessert, as they had been traveling on foot for a week now— between Hyrules, too— only stopping to make camp.

They had ended up in one of their forests, days after a portal shift. They speculated pretty quickly just hours before that this was Twilight's Faron woods, and hopefully, they would reach Ordon by tomorrow night.

The champion could feel that the entire group was exhausted, even if Wind and Sky were the only ones visibly exhausted by the constant traveling; he could tell that everyone, including himself, needed a bit of uplifting. Dessert sounded like the best way to do just that.

As the sound of numerous conversations washed over Wild, he sighed happily. It's now such a familiar sound to him that he couldn't fathom how he had acted when he first joined, that uncomfortable feeling of being overwhelmed by the large group now a sense of ease settling in his heart.

The stew simmered as he heard the beginnings of a new argument between Warriors and Legend. Sky was attempting the role of mediator to settle the bickering duo.

After only a few minutes, one of them approaches him. “How's supper turnin’ out, Champ?” Twilight asks, “It's smellin’ good over here.” The older man observes, which makes Wild grin.

“It's almost done, just a little longer.” The champion then turns to the other, “Could you pass out the bowls?” He could only ask politely. To which the rancher agreed.

Dinner was served soon after, and it was just like every other one. At first, it was quiet after the ‘thanks for the meals’ were uttered and a chaotic unison, but chatter formed once more. Small stories from their own individual adventures, quite dramatized as Wind gestured with the wooden spoon on how he challenged a large bird with a hammer thrice his size.

Wind nearly made a mess of his food while scarfing it down, nearly lectured for it. Compliments were passed to the cook just like every other meal. However, what was not said were the highest of compliments; Wind's excitement, the conversations, and sometimes arguments were his favorite parts of cooking for these heroes.

The bowls were nearly licked clean as he gathered up the now-emptied bowls.

The chain cheered as the cook brought out the apple pie. Even if they seemed full after eating, their stomachs— especially Wind’s— seemed to empty at the dessert. It couldn't have made Wild happier.

They had all gathered around the fire, with different conversations happening as the group split into smaller groups to have a more focused conversation with others.

Four, Warriors, and Time were having some sort of conversation that Wild couldn’t specifically make out, but he could assume they were talking about weapons in some manner. Wind was pelting questions about Legend’s and Twilight’s adventures, Twilight laughing along, answering some of the kid’s questions while the veteran remained as closed-off and sassy as ever. 

Wild stared at the burning fire, eating his share of the apple pie with a smile. Hyrule had come over to him and started up a conversation as well.

“Your cooking is as good as ever!” Hyrule enthusiastically praised, stuffing his face with the pie, “Do you think you could teach me someday? I… Know my cooking isn’t that great.” The traveler’s face flushed with embarrassment, to which Wild laughed.

“That’s an understatement!” He gestured with his spoon, teasing, “I’m still surprised you all weren’t sick when we met, that pot of inedible goo still haunts me!” The champion gasps in dramatics.

Another person hummed, having walked over after Hyrule, “Just the pure luck of us heroes,” Sky sighed. Hyrule chuckled sheepishly, sitting down beside Wild. The cook bumped the other with his elbow.

“I could still try to teach you, maybe for breakfast tomorrow. But, ” He emphasized, “You have to listen to me; I fear that one wrong thing, and we won’t have a good day!”

The conversation continued, and Sky came to sit on the other side of Wild. As their talk became less about cooking and more settled, he smiled while watching the two enjoy their pies. He looked down at his half-finished dessert and continued to eat.

However, as he went for another bite, he heard something whizzing through the air. Wild looked up at the sound, confused. That sounded like…

Thunk!

His grip tightened on the plate as he felt a sharp impact on it, causing his eyes to fly right toward it. An arrow had landed on his plate.

One moment, he’s disappointed about the ruined dessert. The next, he’s dropping his plate and leaping to his feet.

“We’re under attack!” Wild shouts to the others, grabbing his bow from his side. The others also armed themselves just as quickly, assuming defensive positions. 

It’s a tense silence, only the sound of the crackling flame and the rustling leaves from the chilly evening wind.

Before anyone could think to say anything, the ground beneath them tremored. Two tall moblins burst through the trees on opposite sides, armed with large clubs, their skin silver and black individually.

These are his Hyrule’s monsters, adrenaline pulsed through him as he notched an arrow and pulled into a safer backline to aim. In quick succession, Warriors rushed to attack the silver moblin, shortly joined by Wind. On the other end, the dark-skinned moblin rushed with its club, countered by Four’s swiftness.

A loud horn pierced the air, and a crowd of various colored bokoblins stumbled from the dark forest, followed by a menacing, larger , bokoblin.

“What is THAT!?” Legend yelled as he cut down a bokoblin. Wild pulled his bow back and fired at the bokoblins that outnumbered even their group.

Chaos quickly descended upon the camp. Their members were spread out. His eyes darted around, aiming his bow towards the larger bokoblin, shooting arrows at it as it settled into an offensive position.

Twilight and Hyrule were focused on the bigger bokoblin. Time had started to assist Four with his brute force. Sky, along with Legend, were rushing to slay the horde. Yet, they were all still overwhelmed…

Time alerted the rest as his sword was stained with the black moblin's blood, “There's black blood!” 

Arrows flew into the camp, narrowly missing most of them. One of them wasn't so lucky as a pained shout rang out.

“Captain!” He heard Wind’s frantic screech. Time and Warriors both began yelling out coordination plans, the captain and Hyrule pulling back.

Wild pulled his gaze from the injured captain, this time towards the source of the arrows. The forest was dark, and he couldn't tell from a distance where exactly the archers were.

“I'm taking care of those guys!” He didn't wait for a response before running off. They all knew and trusted him, he was certain as he pushed himself through the chaos.

Whoosh! An arrow zipped past him as he ran deeper into the foliage, striking the grass below. the heartbeat in his ears was nearly deafening as he climbed one of the trees.

Taking a brief pause, he finally saw the monsters with bows. More bokoblins from his Hyrule, two of them. He jumped off the tree, pulling back three arrows on his bow, and released. He landed on his feet as he watched one of the archers fall to the ground.

He shot at the second one. This arrow hit the monster’s side. Wild fumbled to put another arrow in the bow, hands sweating, and the bokoblin shot back just as quickly as he aimed. The arrow pierced his shoulder.

He hissed from the striking pain, shooting his arrow at the bokoblin, bringing it down at last.

Wild wasted no time to linger. Staring one moment at the dead monsters to make certain they were dead before rushing back in the direction of the invaded camp.

CLANG! A sword went. Wild could hear the screams of effort pooling into the noise.

“You cursed ‘blins!” Shouted Twilight, a shing , then a clank from the man's claw shot aimed for the unusual bokoblin's legs.

Another yell rang out, Four was pushed away from the black moblin, losing his balance. Some bokoblins were rushing to pile the small man.

Wild whistled and shot a few arrows at the monsters, rushing to pull the smith up. “Thanks!” Four called before joining the fray once more. The champion climbed another tree for the vantage point, shooting carefully into the crowd.

Eventually, they were able to dwindle the enemy numbers. Wild could hear his body screaming for a break, the painful arrow wound digging into his shoulder. Still, he couldn't stop just yet, ripping the arrow out with gritted teeth.

Time was able to deliver the ending blow to the darker moblin with a huff. That old man never seemed to get exhausted from a battle, no matter how long it went on. The sigh of relief, however, could wait, as their attentions were redirected to the remaining two oversized monsters.

Three arrows were released from Wild's bow, only two striking the silver moblin's abdomen. Even so, it was enough for Wind to jump around in acrobatics and pierce the second moblin's head.

They all could see how injured each of them were, Hyrule now focused on pulling the more injured ones back from the fight to tend to their wounds.

Finally, after who knows how long, the big bokoblin was toppled by Twilight and Legend's combined efforts with the claw shot. Sky rushed forward and plunged the sacred sword into this monster's chest.

The ambush was unexpected, but they made it out alive. The tension of battle seemed to rush away just as they confirmed individually they were safe.

The chain was exhausted as they accepted their healer's pestering over their wounds, whether it be severe or ‘just a scratch.’

They never would have expected it. Wild wouldn't have.

The sailor groaned, “Where did those guys even come from?” Hyrule hummed thoughtfully as he cleaned one of the kid's cuts.

It was Legend who spoke up next, kicking at one of the corpses littered around their ruined camp, “They came outta nowhere, that's for sure.” The veteran grimaced at the black blood.

“They were monsters from… My Hyrule,” Wild pointed out, pressing a cloth to his arrow wound that Hyrule would get to after tending to the worst of their group. He continued, “Did any of you recognize that… Bigger one? It looked like some kind of bokoblin but…”

The group shook their heads. This was a new monster none of them had encountered, especially not of that look. Even if their monsters were larger, that one looked pretty different in comparison.

Time stood up, his arms crossed, “It seemed to be leading the rest of the horde,” The older man observed, “There was that loud horn before they came running in.” Twilight crouched down near the said monster's corpse.

“D'ya think it could be something with the black blood?” He wondered aloud, “If this… Infection. Whatever it is, could strengthen these ‘blins, does it change its appearance?”

The group went silent at that. They were all thinking of it.

“But we haven't encountered anything like that so far! So why now?” Sky argued, “Those other monsters still looked the same, right, Champ?”

The champion nodded, “The moblins were the same ones I encountered later in my adventure. They follow this color system, it seems, silver being the strongest and blue or red being the weakest.” He put his free hand to his forehead.

The air around them changed. Wild felt goosebumps rise all along his arms and his hair raising. This was a sign, he snapped his head up to the night sky.

Blood red.

But… They weren't even in his Hyrule. How could a blood moon be happening!? Wild got to his feet before he could even think about it.

He could feel the presence of evil that he came to know every full moon. The clouds rushing above.

Four screamed, “What's going on now!?” The group had tensed, standing up once more. Wild could barely hear their panicked and confused conversation as his hearing became muddled.

No, nononono… No. Not here . With all of these dead monsters, they'll resurrect, and they have to fight again .

Why is there a blood moon? It wasn't a full moon.

It wasn't a full moon tonight.

Right?

“Cub?” The rancher's concerned voice broke through his haze.

Wild was frantic, eyes scanning the area, “Time. Is tonight a full moon?”

The question seemed to bewilder the man, but he answered anyway, “No… What's going on, Wild? Do you know what this is?” Yet the champion opened his mouth, unsure of how to explain it.

He looked down at the corpses. They have to run. They have to get away .

They were in Twilight's Hyrule, though. Why is there something like this happening?

Everything in him wanted to run. Run run run run.

“I—” He choked, fumbled with his speech, “Blood moon, we have to go ,” Wild pulled his gaze up to the rest. Yet, he was met with widened, fearful eyes.

“WATCH OUT!” He couldn't hear who said it. Was it Warriors? Time? Hyrule? Wild watched as Twilight reached towards him.

But the warning was too late.

Something grabbed him. Something big . It constricted his torso and he felt that he no longer had anything underneath him. The wind violently slapped his face and the world spun around him. He heard a scream, his own scream.

Wild couldn't see any light of their dying campfire. He couldn't hear anyone. It was dark, and all he could hear was something . Blood red was all he could see from the sky above.

It sounded like something was rushing through the grass. He struggled against its grasp. It only screeched in anger and gripped tighter.

He felt his strength draining from him. The blood from his wound dripping down his tunic, he followed the trail with his eyes to see what was holding him.

Red . A deep red he was very familiar with. Malice.

Ganon.

Ganon .

The champion's struggle continued anew, his anger made his vision go blurry. He pushed against this… Monstrous, malice-infested hand. He noticed quickly that it wasn't just one hand, it was a group.

Was he going to die here?

Black dots filled his sight, the monster holding him constricting his torso further, like a snake strangling its prey.

Then all is dark.

— - —

No blood skies. No sound.

“..-ild!”

“Li-...!”

“.....-amp!”

Nothing.

…

Nothing…?

Splash! Rushing water filled his ears. He's awake. Where…?

The water threatens that he will sink, and he flails. It's too dark. Where is up? Where is down? He pushes forward. There's a blinding light, only drowned by the water's deepness. He swims towards it, towards the light.

It's not dissimilar to when he first awoke. The light draws closer and closer.

Wild gasped for air as the wind assaulted his soaked face and hair. Coughing up whatever water he swallowed. How did he end up in the water?

Where was he? As far as he knew, there was no body of water near their camp.

He's opening his eyes to…

Bright, yellow sunlight.

Sunlight?

There were the sound of birds and wildlife all around. Then, the sound of a horse's snort and whinny. A cart, or a wagon being pushed. Wild looked around and pushed himself to the closest shore. He was in a lake. A pretty deep one.

“Link!” He hears. A voice he hasn't heard in a long time.

“Zelda?” Wild turns, and he's greeted by his Zelda. His princess. She's in her expedition outfit, most likely doing more research with Purah, her long hair flowing behind her.

His princess runs up to him, taking him by his hand, pure worry but relief filling her eyes. “Do you know how much you have worried me? You've sent letters explaining such things but it's still unacceptable to… Wait—!” She interrupts herself.

“Zelda, I can—”

“You're bleeding! What have you been doing?! What happened? I'll be patching you right up before you even think of running off again!” She scolds. Of course she would, Wild sighs fondly, she was worried.

But… He looks around. There's no sign of any portal. He was alone coming back.

Time, Wind, Four, Sky, Hyrule, Legend, Warriors, Twilight…

He worries about them as Zelda pulls him back onto the path and sits him down to bandage him. He somehow ended up back here, with no sight of the monster that had grabbed him.

He could only hope they were okay.

Explaining the situation to Zelda was… A little difficult. She asked questions every sentence about the heroes of old, wondering what they were like. The history of Hyrule had long been lost with the Calamity, her enthusiasm was not at all unfounded.

Wild was Link once more.

Months passed. A year flew by, maybe two, he's lost track as he busies himself with Zelda and the Hyrule that they were rebuilding. So much time had passed and Zelda eventually decided to cut her hair short. Then, the reason he was truly sent back finally made itself known.

A soldier had rushed into Lookout Landing, reporting strange illnesses. The next day, a dark mist poured from beneath the ground near the castle.

Gloom, they called it. A substance similar to malice, but even more devastating as it rusted weapons and made people sick with seemingly untreatable symptoms.

The princess and her knight investigate after retrieving the Master Sword from its pedestal.

The knight would return without the princess days after a region-wide devastation. Thus, another adventure had begun.

The knight must find his princess. Find Zelda.

Chapter Text

Even if it was his Hyrule, the bloodied sky couldn't have been more unfamiliar. The tension washed over the group just by the atmosphere as all he could think was evil surrounded them. Twilight has felt this constant dread in a realm where darkness only grew.

However, staring at the bloodied sky, saying he was scared was an understatement.

Is his Hyrule in danger? Is his next thought. Turning to look at the group, bewilderment and anxiety seemed to have similarly swept over the group. But, their champion seemed terrified , not even listening to what the rest were trying to figure out.

“Cub?” He worried, getting to his feet from where he was examining the larger monster.

Something was wrong . Wild seemed to know something, as he demanded the moon phase from Time. Although, even the rancher could tell there was no time to explain.

Wild stumbled, “Blood moon, we have to go .” His emphasis nearly pushed Twilight into action immediately. Suddenly, a shadow moved from behind his protege.

A large, monstrous, hand made itself known, barely lit by the light of a red moon. 

A glowing yellow eye focused solely on Wild as if he were prey.

Warriors and Time warned in unison, “WATCH OUT!” The rush to reach towards the champion and protect him overflowing Twilight. He tried to push and grab Wild to protect him.

But he wasn't fast enough.

The clawed hand gripped the younger man, raising him into the air. A demonic screech echoed through the forest during the same moment as the younger man shouted. Pure terror is all Twilight could feel, all he could hear.

“WILD!” Wind called out, having picked up his bow and shot at this thing .

It only swerved out of the way, pulling back into the dark forest with Wild in its grip.

“Hylia damn it!” The veteran yelled out, beginning to give chase. Pulled out of their shocked-still state, the rest took hold of their weapons to run after the monster.

Twilight growled, taking hold of the shadow crystal dangling from his neck. A familiar darkness washed over him as his being shaped into a wolf.

His four legs pushed him much further than his human legs could. The rage was blinding, and he could only hope whatever they were facing wasn't faster.

A pool of deep red came into view as the chain entered a clearing. It wasn't just one hand rising from the earth, but a group. Twilight felt sick as the one in the middle of them all raised a limp Wild into the air.

It was celebrating . 

He didn't even care to assess the situation, leaping to grab a hold of one of the hands. He bit and mauled the eye in its palm as it screeched helplessly. Disgusting .

It didn't take long before it smacked him away. Twilight gagged the evil red substance out of his mouth. Hyrule rushed towards the wolf, inspecting him for wounds.

“A portal!?” Four yelped as a portal swirled into existence right before their eyes, like it was summoned from the presence of the heroes.

Time slashed at one of the corpse-like hands with his large sword, “Focus on Wild!” He called. Sky took one step into the weird pool and fell back immediately.

“What is this stuff!?” The hero yelled, hitting and wrapping his whip around another hand to pull it down. Warriors stabbed it right in the eye.

“How's Wild doing?!” Warriors questioned, concerned at the champion's unmoving body. The younger man was still injured as blood dripped, nearly blending into the monster's red-tinged body.

“Link!” Time yelled suddenly. Just as suddenly, the hands— aside from the one holding Wild— retreated into its red pool. The hand holding the champion pulled back towards the portal.

The chain was locked in fear, unable to just attack the thing together without somehow hitting Wild as well.

Legend threw his sword toward the stem of the monstrous hand. The sword piercing the hand's body made it scream. However, it still held onto Wild. “Champ!” The veteran yelled.

The sword fell to the forest ground, the hand retreating into the portal.

“Oh hell no!” Wind cursed, rushing towards the portal. Twilight followed suit. Hylia, or whatever made this portal be damned if this was the end.

If it wasn't already disorienting being pulled through a portal, it was even more dizzying as that feeling never came. The scenery didn't even change as the two fell to the ground. 

What?

He turned around to see the portal. Sky ran through next and stumbled over Wind's fallen body, landing on the ground.

“What the?” The chosen hero was just as bewildered as the other two. The three stared at the portal.

Swoosh .

It snapped close, as if it were never there.

Dread washed over Twilight so rapidly that he could only stare at the rest of the group, who were also planning to join them through the portal.

“What just happened?” The smith broke their collective shocked silence. No one had a clue. The portal had closed.

Just as true as the once bloody sky now turning back to normal in the seconds afterward, the portal had closed.

The realization had hit the chain as well, they went silent.

“...Where's Wild?..” Wind asked, more like a murmur. The answer was obvious, but no one could believe that Wild was taken from them so easily and quickly.

No one wanted to believe, Twilight realizes.

Legend picked up his sword, his glare directed at the ground. “He's…” Even the veteran himself was unsure of what to say to this situation.

Time exhaled heavily, “...He may be back at his Hyrule,” He theorized. To which Four crossed his arms and looked down solemnly.

“Do you think it's another adventure?” He stubs the toe of his shoe into the grass. “That Hylia needs him?”

Twilight pulled himself to his feet. Sickness pooled into him at the idea. “He's went through enough …” The rancher gritted out, fists clenched. He's almost pleading with the goddess and the light spirits in his head.

Please . Don't make him suffer more than he has.

The other two had also got to their feet. Sky, dazedly looking at the Master Sword. Wind had his arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed, but uncharacteristically silent, just like the rest of the chain.

If he had been faster , Wild would still be here.

None of them could stop whatever it was that took him away. Whether it be the goddess needing him or the shadow that they had to defeat.

Nothing .

Time cleared his throat, capturing the chain's attention.

“Let us… Go back to the camp.”

It was just another nail in his heart. There was nothing he could do. Nothing any of them could do to help the situation. They just had to go back to camp and act like nothing had happened.

It made him angry, he would take mauling many ‘blins with his teeth over this terrible feeling. It was another familiar feeling of loss, grief, dread, sadness.

Like the day the children of Ordon were taken. The time he realized Ilia didn't recognize him.

And Midna…

Twilight huffed, vaguely a growl, remaining a wolf as he followed behind them, lingering further away to take one last look at the clearing.

Nothing.

Just the same as before he even met these heroes.

Ordona , he wished for that to be different. For once.

— - —

When they returned to camp, all of them were silent. Unable to sleep, unwilling to talk, and tired. Hyrule quietly tended to the rest of their wounds while Warriors and Twilight cleaned up the camp and the veteran was sewing up the tears in their clothing.

The camp was a mess. Plates of dessert everywhere, bowls, weaponry, and of course, dead monsters.

In hindsight, the amount of monsters from Wild's Hyrule should've tipped him off that something wasn't right. The monsters were there just to tire them out so the one lurking in the shadows could take Wild.

After cleaning up, Twilight packed up everything of Wild's stuff. Thankfully, as a wolf, his expression was nearly unreadable. If he were human right now, he'd most likely not be able to even muster up the strength to walk.

None of them wanted to even think about what to do with the champion's things. Throw them out, or keep them. Both options would hurt.

Twilight decided to carry his cub's belongings. If only for the idea that he would come back.

He curled up at his bed roll. Looking up at the dark night sky.

It's quiet. The fire had been stoked once more.

The overwhelming scent of the champion is too upsetting to think about, knowing that scent leads to nothing but an empty clearing mixed with the smell of his blood.

The smith was cleaning his sword carefully from the layers of dark blood. Wind had laid on his side with his back to the rest. Sky was once more communicating with the sacred sword spirit.

The old man was looking at the moon above them, it was a crescent. Midnight. The only sound from anyone that wasn't breathing or grunts of effort was from Hyrule’s sniffles.

None of them knew what to say or do.

They've all faced some kind of loss themselves, but what do you say to someone else? It seems even Time doesn't know.

They would still head to Ordon tomorrow, unless some portal decides to take them too.

However, for tonight, eight sat beneath a white moon. Even though no one slept.

Chapter Text

Wind was utterly frustrated. Totally infuriated.

The moment the sun rose, the chain had set off to Ordon. Packed up, stomped out the remaining embers of their campfire, and just went off.

It was infuriating how silent it was. Even if they all looked at the cooking pot longingly, craving to be awoken by the smell of breakfast, it was silent. No one was going to talk about him .

Hyrule's stomach had growled as they ventured but laughed it off with a crooked smile. Legend had stared for a while, but continued to walk. Their conversations were as usual as they could be, mostly comparing their different forests. Wind didn't bother as he fiddled with the charm in his hand.

Twilight— Wolfie— ruffed, alerting the rest as he ran ahead. It was a curious reaction, until a collective feeling of that familiar pull washed over them.

Four sighed, “Already?” He huffed, disappointed, “We couldn't even reach the village…” Even though he complained, he went on to follow the wolf man.

And, just as routine, the chain also followed with very little, actually, no resistance.

The sailor took a moment to stop instead of following behind, directing a glare to the backs of those who should be his brothers in arms.

They were all brothers. Brothers, but they left him behind.

They don't even want to talk about him, just keep moving with this mission of theirs. How could they?

They lost one of their heroes. They were all important in different ways, but their champion was their cook. How could they just forget the person who made their meals every day? Wind couldn't fucking understand.

Why does their mission matter if a hero is no longer here?

“Sailor!” Warriors called. The young pirate sighed and rushed to catch up. He remained at the end of their group.

He hates this.

— - —

Even if Wind was completely done with the portal bullshit— he could hear the Time in his head scold, ‘Language!’— he still felt relief pull some of the weight off his shoulders when he saw a very familiar ranch.

He watched as the group lit up at the sight that rises on the horizon. The sun rose on the new day, and they could hear the morning birds come to life with chirps and calls. Yet, as the light shone, the sailor couldn't help but feel his feelings darken at the reminder of their lost brother.

His brother, since the others didn't care.

The chain approached Lon Lon Ranch, excited chatter now routine as Malon opened the door with a smile.

“Boys! Y'all're back again!” She greeted, accepting clingy hugs from a few of them, and when she looked them over, she noticed, “Where's-?” The woman turned to her husband.

For a moment, Wind had hope. Yet, Time seemed to make a face that he couldn't see, and Malon stopped.

Hylia, Farore, Din, Nayru, dammit! What the fuck !

Why?

He quickly went to do his chores the very second they were assigned. It distracted him from the pure rage he had boiling within him. Thankfully, no one was really interacting with each other, quietly taking care of their chores, yet to Wind they looked so unbothered.

He hated it.

He hated everything about this. He wanted to cry.

But he had to be strong, he realized. They still see him as a child. A fucking child. Children cry about losing things, children throw tantrums and are angry.

From what he's seen, heroes, these heroes, are calm, collected, and only get mad in serious situations.

To them, what happened to the champion wasn't serious. It was something that just happens regularly. They didn't care.

Deep breaths, deep breaths… Wind pulled the bucket up from the well carefully. He carried the bucket of water slowly towards the watering trough, pouring the well’s water into it. A few more trips back and forth took a bit, but he wasn't bothered.

By the time his chores were finished, a high-pitched whistle echoed through the ranch. When he turned to look, Malon was waving high, a signal that dinner was ready. Her husband moved around behind her, most likely setting the table.

The ones doing the outside chores, including Wind, had rushed up to join the rest inside for dinner. The sun was still shining, yet the sky turned orange on the horizon. It was very lively to see, a chatter settled among them as they all sat and ate their food.

The sailor picked at the plate in front of him. It… Doesn't taste the same. The number of times they've visited the ranch and the food always had that distinct taste.

No matter how many bites he forced into his mouth, that familiar taste of the champion’s cooking never came. He ate and ate until his plate was half empty, yet it was not there.

…

He's not here.

Even though he knew this since the evening before, it's like lightning strikes him right then and there.

Laughter poured from somewhere around the table. Why are they laughing?

No one should be laughing.

Stop. Stop… “Stop,” He mutters.

Beside him, “Wind?” Four reaches out and touches his shoulder. It feels like a static shock through his heart as he shoves the other away instinctively.

All eyes are on their side of the table as Four gasps and drops his silverware. Their echoed and worried murmurs sounding muffled in his ears.

He can't do this. He can't handle this.

“Hey, what's-” Someone starts, but by whatever possesses him— anger, fear, panic, rage, sadness, or maybe all of them— he shouts over them while pushing himself up and away from the dining table.

“Why are we DOING this!?” He feels lightheaded, “Why are you all laughing?” His voice cracks, “Do you not care!?”

Time slowly gets up to approach him, “Wind-” “You don't care!” Wind glares at the older man.

He continues, he feels trapped as it comes tumbling out of his mouth, “He's gone! He's not here! He's not cooking! He's not telling us anything because he's GONE !” Weak. Heroes are better at shoving things down. “But you don't care ! None of you do!” His vision blurs.

“What heroes are we!? What's the point of this mission!?” He screeches, stepping further away from the others who even try to get closer.

He can't even stop himself in the moment, “He was never a hero to you, was he!?” He accuses, “Well I'm not one either!” Wind spins on his heels and sprints out the door, leaving the rest behind.

Damn them.

As he runs through the field, he finally slows to a walk and then stops at the well. His lungs heave for air even though he knows he traveled the same distance just a while ago with no sweat.

Wind feels something rolling off his cheeks and down his chin before dripping down. He's crying. His legs collapse as he tries to pull himself to hide behind the well. Hopefully, no one would find him for a while.

And… He just cries.

He misses his friend. His brother. The hero who died and still came back to save his Hyrule.

Wild listened to him tell his stories, and he shared some of his own, even if most were from his own Zelda—Flora, they called her. Wild cared .

The champion had constantly listened to what they all liked, even figuring out almost all of their favorite foods. Even if Grandma's soup will never be topped in Wind's book, Wild still tried to replicate the soup for Wind multiple times when the sailor felt sad.

Yet, just as true, Wild couldn't be replaced by any good meal, either. He was as essential as the rest of them. Another hero just like them, but also unique as well for the amount of things he went through in one adventure.

And now another?

Wind hated it. He wants Wild to come back.

He cried for Wild. However selfish it may be to want the champion to return, he didn't care.

The sky was dark when Malon eventually found him. He wasn't crying anymore, all wrung out of his tears. Nevertheless, the redness in his eyes gave it all away.

Shame washed over him very quickly. He had yelled at Time, shoved Four, blamed them all for it, and accused them of hating one of their own. Perhaps he truly was an immature child.

“Oh… Honey…” The rancher sighed, her voice sounding heartbroken at how pitiful he looked. How pathetic he really was. Wind braced himself for a scolding, or something .

Arms slowly wrapped around him and all that tension slipped away. The warmth of Malon holding him was gentle and so tender. It was nostalgic.

He's not sure what to do with his hands as he's pulled closer into the hug. No words were shared, and somehow, he no longer felt alone.

…Sorry…

“I'm sorry…” He croaked, voice strained from his earlier sobs. “Sorry… Sorry… Sorry…” Even though his throat hurt, he repeated his apologies.

Sorry for everything he's done today.

“Shh…” The red-haired woman hushed, “It's okay,” It was all she had to say, and Wind felt just a little bit better, relieved someone had found him. That someone understood.

Yet still, “Sorry… Sorry, I'm sorry…” He continued, it was the only thing he could even say.

Sorry . He's sorry.

After a while, he had tired out. Dazed, he could only vaguely feel Malon picking him up and holding him close.

He closed his eyes. He's still ashamed of his outburst, he doesn't want to see the others’ faces right now.

Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep to the humming of a tune that had become ingrained in each of the heroes. A reminder that this place will always be their home away from home.

— - —

The outburst from Wind was unexpected. A complete surprise after the others had tried to settle into some form of normalcy. However, Time felt as though the weight in his heart had made itself clear.

Of course, he couldn't ignore it forever. This facade they all put on. A collective lie among heroes.

The room was silenced, no one dared to speak. Even Hyrule was conflicted. The oldest hero knew they couldn't accept the truth, yet even he couldn't muster that oh-so-familiar courage here.

He couldn't fall apart now.

It was Malon who shreds the blanket of silence. “Boys,” She called and the heroes looked to her as she instructed clearly, “Clean up, we'll talk later.” Her voice was stern, but wavering as she glanced among the seven, her eyes stopping on Time.

“Love, come here,” Her voice softened, and like a moth to flame, he followed. That comfort he settled down to finally accept after years of denying himself, he only felt like pushing away even as he’s led outside.

Click. The back door shuts behind them.

Hoo… Echoes the owls as the sun sets.

His wife. His love. Time stares at her. He knows what she's going to say. He knows her like she knows him, yet he doesn't want to know.

Not right now. Just a little longer. Until this goddess-forsaken mission is over.

She takes his hand, oh how he loves her touch. Oh, how he wishes to recoil. Something still freezes him in place.

A calloused hand is placed on his cheek.

“Fairy boy,” Malon huffs, “When will you let yourself stop for once? A break?” She asks. She knows his turmoil.

He can't. He thinks.

“I can't.” His voice cracks. He can't stop. If he stops, he will fail. If he stops, he will die.

They will all die.

The woman shakes her head, “Link,” She says, a finger grazing the scar on his eye. “Listen.” Then, quiet.

And the sound of nature is overwhelming, the sound of the wind as it weaves through their figures. The leaves dancing with the wind's whispered song. Birds chirp and fly. Horses’ hooves navigate the large field and the clucking cuccoos in the distance.

Oh, how he missed the carefree days. The days when he could listen endlessly to the sounds of life around. Now, the sound of a clock of doom only ticks louder.

“You're hurting them,” Malon bluntly talks above the noise after the long silence. “You can take a break, Link. Rest, even if for a little bit. It will only hurt more if you don't.” It's so obvious to say.

Time finally speaks up again, trying to argue. “Malon- I- We can't stop. What will happen if we do? We can't just-!” A finger is jabbed over his lips, silencing him.

She frowns at him, “I may be an idiot farm gal who is too weak to be involved, fairy boy ,” Her finger that hushed him pushed further as he tries to protest again. “But, I know very well how y'all work.”

The man mimics the frown, tilting his head away. He's ashamed. He knows it hurts them all more. He may be leader in age, but he doesn't feel much of a leader of a group here.

Malon only continues, “You have to let them grieve. Talk about it. They shouldn't be silenced forever.” Her finger lowers now, the hand wrapping around his waist, “That means you as well, love. At least talk to me about it,” She pleads, “ Please .”

And he could only hold her back. Time buries his head into her shoulders, his nose suffocating almost by her hair. He could almost get lost in her presence. He wishes he could.

“It was… Wild…” He murmurs. A ‘hm’ from his wife vibrated against him spurs him onwards. Opening his mouth, his throat gets caught but he pushes the words out, “Another… Another journey .” A second one.

He doesn't want to imagine what may be happening to Wild.

A hand smoothing his hair down. Deep breaths that he mimicked.

“I understand,” She only whispers. He knows she does. He doesn't talk much when he's being completely vulnerable like this, he doesn't even cry now. But, she still knows.

And, “I love you, Malon.” The one thing he could muster. He doesn't want to let go.

He doesn't want to lose her too. Whether it be to fate, monsters, or the damned sacred sword, whatever . He should've held on tighter.

He should've held a tighter hold on the heroes he's come to know. He wouldn't have lost the champion if he did. Only Hylia and the Three know the horror his fellow hero could be experiencing. Time tries not to think the worst, however it always comes back to that.

The terror in the young man's eyes. The pain. The scream when he was dragged away.

He hopes it wasn't a final goodbye.

“I love you too, Link.” Malon lightly kisses his forehead.

They stand for an hour there, the sky darkening above, just holding each other. Neither wants to let go, but it's inevitable, and Time swears to hold her closer later.

He's ushered back inside the house by her, reassuring words to not worry and that she will bring the sailor back. That everything will be okay, it just takes a little while, some time.

It's almost ironic, as he sits in the now-emptied living room. The dining table was clean. Obviously, the others did their thing; he could hear the wood creak above. Just a little while. A moment to process.

Humming a childhood tune, he neither prays nor hopes to the ones high in the sky this time. He's certain that he'll find Wild again. He vows to the flames that he burns to life in the fireplace. With his hands—with his courage—he holds that vow close to his heart.

— - —

A numb feeling had overwhelmed Twilight with the sailor's harsh words in the middle of supper. In hindsight, as he's dragged away from his seat—murmurs from someone about washing the dishes together— it was very obvious that this would've happened anyway. The stress simmering within him threatened to pour over.

Plates were gently placed in his hands. He looks up and sees a head of brown, Hyrule, standing with him in the kitchen. The clinking of cups and silverware is the only sound between them.

Slowly, he picked up a rag and began to scrub the dirtied dish. Any leftovers must've been taken care of by someone else— Hyrule or whoever, it didn't really matter— and he was left with cleaning the usual remains.

This silence lets him get lost in thought. Even if Wind was the youngest, deep down, the rancher knew he had a point. It hurts to acknowledge that.

Had he truly abandoned his protege? Physically, no. The champion was forcefully taken away from all of them. Emotionally? Twilight didn't want to answer that, not even to himself in the safety of his mind.

Perhaps he did. When the one ruling over the twilight had left, no way to see her again, Twilight could barely leave his bed after returning from the desert. Both adults and children asked after him desperately, even Colin built up the courage to yell up at his window.

Even after that pathetic time, he only forced himself to move through the day. The sadness lingered on him like a foul stench, and it bothered everyone around him.

The want for a normal life again weighed heavily, a monotonous routine he went through daily. It still didn't help.

Finally, a long, private talk with his Zelda— which was pretty one-sided, he barely talked as the princess-now-queen tried to pull him out of the grief-stricken shell he had made— and it relieved him at least a little bit. He enjoyed a bit more of life afterward. Although the weight of loss remained.

Now it's happening all over again. He wishes to turn into a wolf and disappear into his own shadows. He wants to run away from it all. Loss was too damn much.

He's mad at himself for thinking about it. His grip tightens on the plate. He's pissed . He couldn't stop it from happening and now all he wants to do is wallow in his own sadness.

What about Wild? He thinks. Did he ever consider him ? He could be hurting, in pain, maybe even dead , and Twilight’s over here thinking about himself.

If he had gotten to say goodbye. If he knew, maybe he could have helped prepare the man for the harsh reality of being a hero. He could have trained him with all sorts of items, given him things.

The fact he didn't before, was absolutely selfish on his part.

CRACK! Crash!

The plate in his hands suddenly breaks. It forcefully shakes him from the spiral he was going down. He must've gripped too hard, he distantly wonders.

“Twi!” A voice beside him grabs his attention. Hyrule was staring at him, horrified at the sight and staring down at the broken plate.

His hands hurt. His hands were bleeding steadily from the sharp edges of the broken plate’s shards. Twilight's shocked still, staring at the bloodied hands before they're pulled away by the healer.

Hyrule sighs, gently cleaning the wounds with a nearby clean rag. “You're too strong for these plates,” He says lightly, hoping to lighten the tenseness that no doubt surrounded them. The traveler was now hovering his hands, as if to use his magic.

“You don't-!” The rancher quickly reacted, but the other hero glared, instantly shutting down the loud protest. Silence returned, overpowering the room like a dense fog.

Despite having been born and raised in a quiet little village— with the exceptions of certain loud children— Twilight has grown to hate silence. Every aspect of his life long after he had grown was full of noise; people and the life of Hyrule, no matter the era, had been a constant. Now, silence again, and he couldn't stand it.

It was way too quiet. He missed being frustrated with someone. A weird thought, but exactly how he feels at that. All he was now was frustrated at himself.

Once the traveler had huffed, and wrapped the twilight hero's injured hand despite clearly being healed, Hyrule had slumped. “...I miss him, too, you know.” The man spoke suddenly, finally breaking the silence, “His first adventure was too much, I can't…” He broke off, closing his eyes tightly.

His heart sank all of a sudden. Even if he knew that their champion was not here, Twilight nearly reeled backward at the force he suddenly felt in his chest. His head dropped, staring at the floor.

There was nothing to really say. At least, he wasn't sure what to say at all.

Drip… Drip…

He sees the tears fall before he feels them on his numbed face. Warm arms wrapped around his broad body, and light sobs he can hear as the traveler shares his cries. Nothing to say, as he tightly begins to hold the other hero back in an awkward hug.

Their differences may be apparent, Twilight doesn't make a single sound, while Hyrule's sobs are only muffled within the rancher's clothes, but they're all heroes. For a moment, that isn't their core, their spirit. For this moment, they could grieve.

And grief is a familiar acquaintance of his. For now, he both feels absolutely powerless, but also supported, and understood. Their champion was gone. None of them knew what he was going through. Twilight understood at that moment that they all felt the pain of loss.

One more thing he understood was that this mutual empty feeling wouldn't be going away anytime soon. He knew this, and these emotions were something he couldn't stop from pummeling into him.

He could only hope that they wouldn't drown.

Chapter Text

The moon rose, then fell. Then, the sun rose on a new day. The morning sky was covered in overcast, a veil of clouds dimming the sun's brightness. It was a dreary day.

Despite the morning fog feeling so sleep-inducing in the atmosphere, Sky was the first one awake. In fact, he never really went to sleep. The dread bubbling within him kept his thoughts running in circles as he sat at the window.

There was one thing he adored about Skyloft. No clouds to cry or hide the sun away. On the surface, he could barely fathom the idea of rain. He loved the sun, and he missed it today. There, he wonders if this is a message from Hylia. Do bad things only come when the bright light is gone?

Sky held the young sacred sword close to his chest. He begged inwardly for guidance. What was he to do? With no answer, not even a chime of that static voice. 

Is this how Wild felt? To know there was a voice within the sword, but to never hear it himself? The chosen hero feels his lightning scars ache.

If he had just… Stopped Demise. Stopped that monster from reciting that curse, perhaps the Master Sword wouldn't need to be so old. And perhaps the sword wouldn't need a new master.

He couldn't understand her now. He doesn't even know if she feels sad, or upset, to be unable to guide her masters with her voice.

She wouldn't tell him, despite his questioning through numerous late nights. That emotion he heard once was there, no regrets, only pure gratitude.

And he didn't understand .

Logically, he knows that the spirit within this sword will forever love her masters. No matter their age, or their personality, she lets them wield her, and she cares.

At the same time, it was confusing. Why did she not hate him for dragging these heroes through this time, and time again? The curse weighs on him, that last laugh from the demon king.

Sky could hear the echoes of his laugh when he watched the many successors of the sword stumble to bed in various states of disarray. With Legend, uncharacteristically quiet but that heavy glare just as constant. Warriors, silently combing his hair, and his eyes staring beyond the mirror he used.

The clashing of a demonic blade and blessed sword rang in his mind. Twilight, alongside Hyrule, trudging up the stairs as if moving forward was the worst thing to do. Wind was asleep, carried by Malon up the stairs, but Sky could see the wrinkled forehead of even the kid's restless sleep.

He was not sure where Four had gone for a while, but the small hero eventually returned later with a light wave toward the hero of the sky. Time had no reason to come into the guest room, so he could only assume that the old man had retired for the night.

Adjusting his hold on the sword, he rises from the chair. The ranchers must be awake, although he doubts Twilight is, given how exhausting last night was. For all of them, in many different ways, it was difficult.

Sky quietly leaves the room, leaving the sounds of snoring heroes behind. He felt lost even when he stepped one by one down the stairs. Usually, he would be told or guided to his next step, but right now, his path is covered in fog and all he knows is to keep walking.

Hylia . He prays quietly. The private prayer he shares with the goddess settles deep within his heart. He clings to it, desperate for an answer.

A warm voice answers, it's not Hylia, “Oh! One of y'all is up early!” Malon exclaims, a soft smile gracing her face, “Good mornin’, darlin’! Wasn't expectin’ you to be up this early.”

The chosen hero responds back with a smile of his own, “Good morning, Miss Malon,” he realizes a second too late his tone must be off, and the rancher places her hand on his head. The smell of fresh bread filled his senses. “Are you… Making breakfast?” He asked.

She huffed first, “I swear, if I have to tell you one more time to call me just ‘Malon’...” Although her complaint fell short, already familiar that Sky wouldn't just throw the formality away. Malon ruffled his hair gently, “Yes, breakfast, my husband is out feedin’ Epona. Go sit at the table!” She pushes him along towards the dining table.

He does sit, the sacred sword lying in his lap. The weight upon his legs is a heavy reminder of the silence within. Another reminder of the thing all of the heroes must confront today.

Thunk . A cup filled with milk is placed in front of him. Malon looks down at him, her expression knowing, as if she can read his thoughts.

“Don't push yourself too hard, now,” She advises gently. “If I know you heroes well enough, you all have the weight of the world bearing down on y'all. But, don't let that keep you down, you hear?” Her voice is kind. Even if she may never have experienced the horrors of their journeys, she still cares .

He can only nod. The words in his throat are buried deep within him, he knows that what they are facing is a challenge itself. The loss is almost unbearable, and yet knowing they're not alone, it's not as suffocating.

Sky gently lays his hand on the sword. It's a blade viewed as either blessed or cursed, depending on who you asked. “Ma'am…” He begins with a deep breath, “Do you think they…” The sentence trails off. He's not sure what he wants to say, at least not in a terrible way, however, he still wonders.

“I… Forged this sword.” The chosen hero continues on, “She has good intentions for her masters but,” he takes a breath, “Heroes are still… Hurt, by her.” It's painful to admit. A sword he took part in creating into what it is today being one of the reasons this odd cycle continues.

Malon's hand lands on his shoulder, “You're asking if they blame you for what the blade's done, hm?” She asks with a tilt of her head. “I can only speak for my husband. His life was pulled out from under him by the sword,” her statement is matter-of-fact.

“ But,” she continues, “I doubt any of the others blame you, or hate you for it.” The lady pulls her hand away, “It ain't your fault, for what happened. Link told me all about it, and, as terrible as it is, no one here is to blame, ya hear?”

Her insistence bears down on him and he's once again unsure of what to say. Sky holds his face in his hands, oh if only he could believe that so easily.

The farmhand huffs, “Think on it. Now, drink up,” she taps the cup of milk, “Y’all can talk ‘bout that too, after breakfast, hun.” Malon walks away back towards the kitchen to continue preparing their morning food.

He heard the cracking of an egg and then sizzling. The milk he drank was refreshing and delicious. Although, he does want to go back up the stairs and sleep for a long while.

Malon was humming, filling the quiet between them and the noise of her cooking. Sky exhaled and relaxed. This time, he doesn't feel weighed down completely, and he realizes that this feels familiar to the days before his own adventure. Getting used to living on the surface was difficult, and he still longs for the wind in his hair, but this ranch feels similar to… Home.

It doesn't take very long when the front door creaks open. The old, scarred, hero walked right in, his hair ruffled and dirtied clothes. Malon glared and wordlessly pointed Time to go clean up. The man trudged up the stairs with a shrug, waving to Sky as he passed by.

His milk was half-way gone by the time the older hero came back down. Time and Malon whispered in the kitchen as they began to finish prepping breakfast. The scene was heartwarming to watch, and Sky couldn't help but dream for his future to be something like that .

When the dishes were placed out, the early-rising heroes gradually came down the stairs with yawns cascading among them contagiously. The yawn bounced around the heroes and even reached Sky, who leaned back to stretch.

Legend huffed and was the first to speak, “Look who's up bright and early!” He teased with a smirk, lightly laughing. The veteran clapped a hand on Sky's shoulder while he went to sit down at the table. The remark brought attention to the chosen hero's presence, to which Sky only smiled at them.

The rest of the few awoken heroes, currently Twilight and Warriors, made their way towards the table to sit down. The captain rolled his eyes with a small smile, in contrast to the heavy expression the Ordonian wore.

Seeing that solemn face made Sky remember what they should be doing, and his heart plummeted into that pool of seething regret. Dammit, he nearly swore aloud. He hated the reminder, however necessary it was in their harsh reality.

It was not long before the fresh, warm, and very delicious-looking breakfast was placed before them. Sky noticed that Malon had quietly slipped away after the heroes began picking out the things they'd want to eat from the array of food. He figured that she was going to wake up the rest.

Even though he was absolutely starving for food, he picked at the bits of egg on his plate. The looming tension had made them all quiet, it seems, only the clanking of silverware while they each filled their plates and cups filling the air. It was awkward , to say the least.

Sky couldn't help feeling terrible, and he understood the others were too. Even though he wasn't at fault, their cook's disappearance weighed him down to the point he didn't want to eat.

Not even considering the way they had all pretended it hadn't happened. That was truly the worst thing he's done, and after Wind pointed it out so blatantly, it was painful . He couldn't help but feel angry at himself.

He felt like he stomped on someone's grave, at least what felt like a grave. The journey the champion must be going through at this moment might be the young man’s grave . It made him sick to think about that possibility, he nearly lost his appetite, whatever of it was left.

Silence ruled over them all, no one seemed to touch their food. Hyrule and Four quietly came down the stairs, the traveler looking absolutely hopeless , and the smithy glaring at his shoes. A long moment later, Malon returned with Wind shuffling behind her.

It wasn't exactly shocking to realize that every single one of them looked completely disordered. Even then, Sky shut his eyes tightly. For a moment, he wished this never happened.

To say that the group looked broken felt like an understatement. He felt broken.

The silence felt oppressive.

A soft thunk of something on the table made him reopen his eyes. The sailor had placed the odd charm of his on the table for all of them to see, his shaking hands obvious.

Wind inhaled loudly, his eyes shined with tears. “I can't… He's not responding to me…” His voice broken and dull, “Do… We even know if he's alive? ” The question is something that Sky didn't even want to think about, the possibility of a ‘no’ is too much.

SMACK! The plates clattered with the force.

“Of course he is!” Legend proclaims loudly, his teeth bared and eyes glued on the amulet. “He wouldn't go down that easily!” Wind curled in on himself at the angered man.

Four piped up then, crossing his arms, “We don't know that for sure, though,” surprisingly, the younger hero's voice was calm, almost pessimistic. “Let's go over what we do know.” He walked up to the table and tapped his finger on the surface, pointing his gaze to Time.

The old man's distant look was much more terrifying than the usual furrowed brow. “There must have been a reason we couldn't go through the portal,” he reasoned, “Out of every portal we've seen, we could all enter through it.” His tone was almost like he was reading a book, repeating information to hide behind a logical shield from emotions.

But they already knew this. For a moment, the chosen hero felt a rush of anger.

“But…” Wind began, but trailed off just as quickly. Sky placed the Master Sword to lean on his chair and stood, making his way towards the kid hero.

His heart almost shattered at seeing the sailor's red-rimmed eyes up close. He wrapped his arms around Wind with very little thought, holding the boy close.

It seems to have broken the tension in the sailor, “But what do we do!?” He cried. “He's gone! He's gone! What if he doesn't come back!?” Every cry hurt to hear, Sky could feel his own tears as Wind continued, “I want him back! He shouldn't have to do that again!”

Hylia…   Sky prayed. “I'm sorry,” he could only croak out. Please keep your Champion safe , he begged. Again, “I'm sorry…”

He felt Wind's arms wrap around him as they both cried, either quietly or loudly. A warm hand touched his shoulder, he glanced up for a brief moment to see Twilight, guilt plaguing the young rancher's eyes.. The sailor holding onto him continued to cry into his tunic.

After Wind had stopped crying, reduced to vulnerable sniffles, Malon guided the three back to the table with a gentle hand. The sailor clung to him, so she allowed a little bit of shuffling around for them to sit closer together with reassuring murmurs to eat at least a bit of breakfast.

The raw moment had definitely made them all break, Sky could tell. Hyrule had sat at the table with his head down and hair covering his face. Four had sat on the floor, hand covering his face. Even if some weren't so obvious, like Legend biting his inner cheek, Warriors’ battle-worn expression, or Time fiddling with his wedding band.

With a quiet prayer in his mind, he internally thanked Hylia and Malon, the cook herself, for the food. Even though the sweet warmth of fresh food had already diminished, he let himself eat. At times, he was gently nudging food to Wind's plate. It was depressingly quiet.

How does one mourn? They've had many close calls leading up to now, but nothing that led to an actual loss. Some of them have already faced loss, but it's not something any of them will get used to.

The meal ended quickly, but the food couldn't fill that very obvious void which settled further inwards as the seconds ticked by. It wasn't surprising none of them knew what to say at first. Fifty seconds, Sky counted.

Time stood up from his seat, clearing his throat, “I… I'm sorry, I was too focused on our mission that I didn't think to stop after-” His voice cracked, surprisingly but also not that much, considering the situation, “-after Wild was taken.” The old man exhaled, tired eyes graced over them all. He continued on, “I shouldn’t have been so selfish, ignoring the hurt you all felt, thinking it would get better if it wasn't talked about. As the eldest, I should have recognized that it wouldn't.”

It was a pretty reasonable thing to feel, Sky thinks, none of them really know how to tackle grief. But even then, as it's said, he also feels like ignoring it definitely wasn't the best thing.

Warriors spoke up with a raised hand to ask for attention, “It wasn't just your fault, Time.” He placed his hand down, crossing his arms together, “This isn't an easy thing to talk about, it's only natural for some of us to want to avoid it entirely,” The captain sighed, looking at Wind, “I'm sorry, too. Ignoring it just made it worse. Looking back, it really did look like we didn't care at all.”

The silence at Warriors providing the hindsight rolled over the group in waves. Of course , they all just went on after it happened. Sky wraps one of his arms around their sailor.

“We all miss him… He was one of our own,” Sky said quietly, but it was audible all around the table. “He was a brother to us, it's alright to feel the way we all do.” It was painful . Despite however they displayed it, he could tell it was affecting them all. It hurt .

And there was nothing they could do. No one wanted to say it, but it was true.

If Wild had truly been sent back to his Hyrule, they had no way of finding him unless a portal opened up to send them there— or maybe send him over to wherever they were. For a long moment, they just sat with the comfort of not being alone. Sky, however, felt like something like a ray of light shined upon him as a thought crossed his mind.

“Hey…” He said aloud, hoping to get all eyes on him, “How- What about the postman?” The suggestion made at least a few of the heroes’ eyes widen. “If that postman can go across Hyrules then—!” And all at once, the young sailor bounced up along with Hyrule.

Wind shouted, all the energy nearly restored at the hope of even a letter, “We can mail out a letter!”

“And maybe he can mail us one back?” Hyrule joined in.

Legend piped up, “Hold on,” he started, “Let's not get our hopes up.” Of course, they couldn't know if the postman could get into their Champion's Hyrule. 

Wind protested, slightly dwindling down now that the veteran had pointed it out, “But we should still try!” He bounced on the balls of his feet, “Let's write one! And many more! Maybe one would reach him, we have to try!”

The insistence made the veteran back down, “Alright, alright,” he had his hands up in surrender. Malon clapped her hands for attention that she got in an instant.

“Boys, settle down,” her smile showed she was relieved with their new idea. “I have something else, Twi-boy, d'ya have Champion's stuff?” At the Ordonian's nod, she hummed, “Mn… How about you boys set up a… Sorta memorial? When he gets back here, I wanna see him piled with all the stuff y'all gave him.”

It was the best idea. Wild wasn't dead by any means, but they couldn't really send anything big in their letters that had only a chance to reach him. Once they found their missing hero, he'll get everything back and more.

At the suggestion, the entire chain immediately went to work. A few arguments here and there about the location, how it would look. They teased each other about what they were putting down as ”offerings”— for lack of a better word— and maybe a few tears shed that no one brought instant attention to.

The memorial was set up by one of the trees, a cover over it to avoid getting rained on. A variety of things they had and what Wild had left behind were there. Their Champion had left behind a couple of his bows, a few bags of whatever he got his hands on, his journal which no one dared to open, and other random things.

Four had gone out and forged a whole new sword. Time placed a few bird— owl, the old man specified— feathers. Twilight had placed his horse charm, surprisingly something so personal, but the man only said, “Maybe it'll be his guide, just like it had been for a friend of mine.”

Wind gladly placed many pictographs and a few of his own written letters. Hyrule had left a bunch of flowers, a lot of flowers, that he got from his side adventures with the Champion. Malon had also quietly promised to feed him “‘till he's stuffed” when he returned.

Finally, Legend, Warriors, and Sky had worked together through the day to make a well-crafted and masterfully carved bow. Most of the reason it took so long was the two's bickering, but Sky didn’t really mind. He felt quite proud of it, even though he only did the carved designs.

They shared stories about Wild until the sun’s light had fully diminished. Remembering him, missing him, and they all vowed to do their absolute best to see him again.

That night, they all crowded together to make a letter, Malon too, with her own choice words. It was heartwarming, and beautiful to see, as Sky slipped out after he said his piece of the letter with quiet permission from Time.

He kneeled at the memorial, clasping his hands together. Another prayer, as the moon rose. Surprisingly, a few fairies had gathered at the sight, bouncing and jingling around, not even fleeing at Sky's presence.

Hylia . He prayed, pleaded, and begged on his knees. Keep your hero safe .

And he vowed to his beloved goddess, with the moon as his witness. He vowed that they won't stop searching for their hero. He vowed that he will keep the others safe.

Please, guide that man, Hylia.

Returning to the house and the guest room felt much easier. Even if the weight of it was heavy, he somehow felt lighter as he walked.

If the heroes talked through the night in that room— even Time had joined their semi-sleepover— with only a candle lighting up their faces, sharing stories about Wild, making their promises to each other, and maybe a few more hugs…

Well, Sky thought, it was between them and the goddesses.

Chapter Text

The man gazed down the side of the tall cliff. No matter how many times he looked, the drop still gave him unease.

Even then, Hyrule, from the view of the plateau, was still just as jaw-dropping as ever. He was far from the rebuilding areas, but it still felt full of life. Link couldn't fathom how big the world was, even after so many years of exploring it all.

His eyes trained on a new gathering of monsters, residual enemies from the many years malice and gloom had seeped into their lands. The century of the Calamity along with however many years Ganondorf was sealed underground, peace still hadn't been achieved.

It angered him, yet it was also exhausting to be angry. Blood moons still happened despite it being two years after that demonic dragon was finally annihilated. They had to send at least two knights with the constriction teams to make any sort of decent progress. All he wanted was to settle down. He and Zelda have already faced the consequences of what has happened, why must Hyrule suffer more?

He had already cleared the Great Plateau for what felt like the hundredth time. It probably was.

However, he still had his duties. As a hero, Zelda told him. As a knight, he told himself. A knight with a long-passed king's arm. Although, the powers that came with the arm were pretty cool.

Watching the monsters, he saw a boss bokoblin with their usual group of regular bokoblins with varying colors. Not too many, but those two moblins—silver and black individually— would be an annoyance.

The wild hero smirked to himself, this would be easy. He doesn't even need to activate the sage avatars. A piece of cake… And now he wants cake, later though. For now, he'll just wipe these ones out.

After tying his long hair back, he took a few paces away from the edge. With a running start, he leaped, releasing his paraglider to float slowly downwards toward the enemies. Closer, and closer he got, one of the bokoblins seemed to look up and scream.

Time seemed to slow as Link maneuvered his bow out, releasing multiple bomb arrows—some hastily made after his supply had begun to drain quickly— towards the crowd below. As he dropped to the ground carefully, the smoke quickly settled and the damage revealed.

Most of the weaker bokoblins were already on the floor, the boss bokoblin struggling to get back to its feet, and the two moblins quickly recovering and rushing at their attacker. Very typical, very predictable, just as it was every other day, he could only think while he readied himself with a soldier’s sword/

Once more, as he jumped away from one of their attacks, he felt adrenaline rush through him as he rushed forward to the darker moblin. Slashing and slashing with the sword until it shattered on the last hit.

The silver moblin raised its club to swing, but with a shield, he parried. This would be too easy. Maybe he should've let one of the monster crews handle them instead. But Zelda would've scolded him.

A horn pierced the air the moment he stabbed through the dark moblin. Damn . The boss bokoblin was up, commanding the small amount of remaining bokoblins with incomprehensible grunts and groans.

Link backed off from the moblins to shoot a fire arrow at them. The grass lit in succession around them and an updraft of wind carried up above. As the black moblin fell with disgustingly very dark blood pooling out, he launched himself with the updraft.

Raining another set of bomb arrows upon the bokoblins, big and small, he reached for his quiver to send an arrow flying right to the silver moblin’s head. The one-sided battle settled as he plunged through the boss bokoblin’s head from above. The fire burned away at the corpses as he rode the big bokoblin’s body down to the ground safely.

There's that! 

Link lets out a ‘hah!’ while he dusted his hands off. Pulling his sword out of the bokoblin sprayed dark blood in front of him. Deep, black blood.

It still made him sick. The monsters, ever since Ganondorf was released, had been completely full of black blood. It reeked of a terrible stench. At first he cried and nearly vomited at the sight when he finally left the Great Sky Island and saw it.

At first, he thought that the shadow was here, in his Hyrule.

Then, he thought he would see them . Now it's been years. Link would say he's lost hope, but that's not a good look for a “hero.”

So, he clings to the small sliver of hope he could see his brothers. Yet seeing the blood still after so long makes him even more upset.

Storing his equipment and newly looted treasures from the monsters into his Purah Pad—he was so glad Purah got him so much better storage with it, for what she called “hoarding,” which, very rude— Link pulled a meat skewer from his bag and chewed it down quickly.

He couldn't wait to get home to Zelda.

He's making her a cake. A cake that will also be for him. He had to think of what to make for dinner, though. Zelda would be very upset with royal duties, maybe he will make her something she absolutely adores, even though she already seems to love his cooking. 

She may be so different now, in appearance and personality…

But he still loves her. Her smile. The weird way she still follows some royal dining etiquette after all this time of only being Princess in terms of address.

Link basically inhales the rest of his skewer. He wants to get home .

His first thought is that Hylia must hate him when something starts trembling, shaking. The ground below him isn't but as he looks towards the ancient walls of the plateau, he sees a large portion begin to fall. Right beside him .

Needless to say, he quickly runs. And runs. Into the nearby forest to at least not be buried by the collapsing wall.

He wonders for that long moment of hiding within the trees if using bombs was really necessary there… Maybe he could have used Recall with a boomerang or something.

When the noise settled down, he slowly made his way out from behind his shield of trees. A part of the plateau’s wall had fallen apart.

Oh, Zelda is going to kill him. This was part of the beginning era of their Kingdom, it was so long ago now, but it had just been only a short time in comparison for her .

Oh no… Maybe he will have to go run to Eventide Island now. After leaving her very favorite dishes very fresh and perfect on the table.

The dust settled, but it seems that the darkness only goes further. A cave. But not really. As he steps closer and over the debris, he sees that the cave is more a grand entrance to something .

What is with everything interesting being underground ? He sighs aloud.

Maybe he should tell Zelda, she's never told him anything about this . A structure underneath the plateau? She would have immediately said something, even dug up this entrance herself, definitely.

But something also compels him to go inside first. He could secure the area of possible monsters. He could make Zelda’s expedition smoother by already knowing the area. Decisions, and he's impulsive.

He grabs a piece of wood nearby and lights the end with a fire fruit just as quickly as he makes every single excuse to go in first. Before he could think about actual arguments to his thoughts, he holds the torch high and goes into the weirdly intricate entrance.

…

Down, and down the stairs... The slight curve of the walls seems like a deliberate choice, but perhaps this was an alternate route built to… Wherever this leads. Each step was wide and took nearly three steps of his own feet to reach the next one.

He wishes that he hadn't thrown out all of his torches, using a stick wasn't exactly reliable. However, he did have alternatives. He just hopes that this way leads to somewhere with more light.

As if it couldn't get worse, Link stops in his tracks when the walls start shaking again. Looking behind him, the light from outside this odd tunnel is shining, which in just a few seconds gets covered by another landslide of debris.

While inconvenient, he shrugged it off. He may be trapped, but now he's thankful that Zelda or anyone else wasn't with him now.

The Purah Pad could still only transport one person after all, which the creator was working on, she promised. However, deconstructing thousands and thousands of years-old technology was not really on their priority list after the Upheaval and the Demon King's defeat. Especially since Hyrule's ecosystem had adapted to gloom and malice, research that was much higher on the list aside from rebuilding. Technological advancements would have to wait.

Link wasn't worried at all. He could still teleport himself out if he needed to. But now he had to explore this new area before they got an excavation and survey team here. The walk may talk a long while though.

He decided to throw the burning stick down the winding staircase. He heard the stick of thunk and thud all the way down until the sound stopped abruptly, echoing up to him. He wasn't too far away from where these stairs led.

The light of the Purah Pad lit up in his face as he pulled it out. Clicking a few buttons, he retrieved the miner’s set. It glowed in the dark for nearly an infinite amount of time, the bioluminescence never seemed to die out no matter how much he used it. Zelda was astonished by how he looked when he showed her, but she also very obviously held back her giggling.

The rusted chains clinked together as he suited up. The stairs lit around him as well as the walls. The architecture seemed familiar but also worn despite not being documented or even seen in a long while.

Familiar was an understatement when he glanced upwards. Constellations. Sheikah? It didn't make sense, but it also did. Underneath the plateau that housed quite a bit of Sheikah technology, it made sense for other places to be here, however the lack of actual technology was a bit baffling. Wouldn't this have been recorded somewhere if it was by the Sheikah tribe? Or perhaps that was lost to the Calamity.

It was intriguing. Zelda would adore this place already.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, the burning torch already burnt away into a lingering foul smell, large double doors loomed over him. It reminds him of the same doors from the Magnesis shrine so long ago, from what he can see, these doors were made of metal, too.

There was no way he would be able to push the doors open. Lifting his right hand, illuminating the walls with now a blue, then green light, his grunt echoed as the doors swung open in front of him.

The late king’s abilities were pretty handy .

…

He's told that joke to Zelda. She didn't laugh.

The next room was large. Ominously large to the point he couldn't even see the walls. The only light around him was the lamps from his clothes. The only thing he could hear was his breathing through the mask. 

Eerie. He felt the hair on his neck rise, pulling out one of his swords, he cautiously walked ahead.

He almost wished he had the Master Sword. Yet, he felt he couldn't trust himself with it now.

Sticking to staying near the walls, he found this place almost empty. He did find a few doors, but either they weren't going to budge, or locked, he couldn't find a different way out of the room.

He made his way around the room, finding nothing useful. Perhaps he could come back, with better equipment and other people to break down the doors. Taking out the Purah Pad, he navigated towards the map.

CRASH!

A loud sound reverberated throughout the large room. Startling him to the point of dropping the slate out of his hands. Alarms blared in his mind as the echo of the slam faded into an unsettling silence. 

Looking around, the sound was so loud that he couldn't tell where it came from. When he went to pick up the slate, he froze in his steps.

No matter where he looked, he couldn't find the Purah Pad anywhere on the floor. 

This was when he panicked. Frantically searching the ground with the little amount of light he had, he couldn't tell where it had fallen. He had to get out of here.

A blue light glows dimly in front of him. Link lunged toward it, desperately trying to grab a hold of the slate.

Looking up from the floor, he found that darkness wasn't the only thing that met his eyes.

One eye stared at him. Then another.

A bright yellow eye. Multiple yellow eyes rimmed with red.

Oh shit.

Scrambling to his feet, he held the Purah Pad close. That uneasy feeling and pure panic set in. Gloom? Here? Or malice?

A screech echoed through the room, sending a jolt of fear down his spine. Gloom.

He turned away and sprinted from the pursuing hands. The sound of squirming gloom chasing after him.

Fumbling with the slate, he tried to reach the map once more. Glancing up, he's once again interrupted from even initiating a teleport by the sudden sight of a hand in front of him.

One second, he's staring right at the yellow demonic eye. Then, he's grabbed .

“Get away from me!” Link yells, struggling to free himself from the gloom hand. As if sensing his struggle, it yanks him from side to side.

Then he feels it release, and air whizzes past him. It just threw him. With a sickening thud, he feels himself hit something hard, a wall or a pillar, he can't tell. The impact made him dizzy, and the lamps’ lights blurred in front of him.

Pulling his sword up, his other hand scrambles around, looking for the slate. Only to come up empty. Being thrown must have made it slip out of his hands. He slowly stood up to face the gloom hands.

The dizziness and throbbing of his head didn't cease. He briefly wonders if he had a concussion before taking off running from the gloom-manifested monster.

He was at a severe disadvantage. He can barely see in front of him, even worse now that he's dizzy and everything is blurry. He doesn't have the Purah Pad or any other way to escape. Plus, he's in a large room with no sense of direction to where he came in from.

Dammit. His thoughts whirl as he hears Ganondorf’s demonic spawn rush after him. He's out of options and he's limited on what he can do without the slate. Hylia dammit! He curses inwardly.

Link spins around on his feet and throws the sword right towards one of the hands. The sword flies right past the group of hands, and it stares as if mocking him, he could almost hear a laugh from the monster.

He's not out of options.

Raising his hand, he sees the faint glow of gold that is the silhouette of the sword. Recalling the sword back, it does hit one of the hands. He catches it and begins sprinting away again just as he hears the monster scream in agony.

Before he could feel even a hint of success, Link felt his blood run cold. He looks ahead, and he sees multiple of the same colored eyes.

They're everywhere . The malice-gloom eyes stared at him from every angle. They covered the walls and ceiling, staring him down unblinking. It made him feel sick and frozen in place.

Suddenly, a cold, dreadful feeling rushes through him faster than ever.

He's not going to make it out of here, is he?

His heart thuds in his chest and his ears are ringing. The slimy, disgusting noise of the moving gloom pool— No, pools, he realizes— sends shivers down his spine.

Then, he's terrified. He's never felt so trapped before, not even when facing the Demon King himself.

Link turns to face the moving hands.

But, he can't see them . 

Just eyes. Eyes everywhere.

Yellow, red-tinted, eyes.

He can't tell the difference between what may be the attacking hands or the stalking eyes on every surface around him.

Suddenly a burning substance wraps around him from behind him. Snatching him up and into the air effortlessly.

His throat hurts from his scream. The gloom burns . It's constricting his ribs.

It's hard to breathe .

Link swings out with his arms, trying to escape. “Go away! Get away!” He screams to only deaf ears, the sound of his hoarse voice echoing around the chamber.

One of the hands from the group slithers in front of him. Direct eye contact with these eyes has never scared him before, but he was horrified .

Instinctively, he reaches out to smack the gloom hand. He grabs a hold of it, surprisingly. Yet, instead of feeling the satisfaction of being able to fight back, his arm begins to burn in excruciating pain.

It's as if he's being burned from the inside out. He tries to keep his grip on the hand, but…

He hears a laugh.

It's a wispy, quiet laugh. But he hears it, and it pulls at the farthest depths of his mind. The laugh is invasive. Intruding and trampling upon his fear.

Now, he tries to pull his hand back, and he's reminded then.

This arm used to be the seal for that demon .

And he had to use the shrines to cleanse it.

His arm isn't budging from the monstrous hand. The laughter grows louder while he loses his ability to even move .

Is this where it ends?

A voice enters his mind.

Quiet, hero… Be quiet. Close your eyes.

It's a soft, gentle voice, the sound of a lullaby. The sound of a monster .

Pathetic. He's not sure if that voice was his own or the hallucination—maybe it's not even a hallucination.

Failure. A failure of a hero.

He begs to the goddess for mercy.

Please , Link begs as he watches his vision fade away. Please don't let it end like this.

He wants to throw up from the feeling inside him as the gloom seems to infect him. It's disgusting. It hurts. He would rather die.

He would rather die.

Not just yet. Someone tells him. Some thing .

…

Not yet? He wonders, just as his consciousness leaves him.

Then, his eyes… Close.

Chapter Text

“Are you fucking kidding me!?” Someone shouted.

“Why is it so dark!” Another person yelled, confused and disoriented.

Then, “Who's stepping on my— OW!”

“Hold on, hold y'all's horses for five seconds!” A distinct voice sternly yet calmly called above the chaos. Just a moment later, a lantern was lit and revealed their predicament.

Sky was being suffocated under the pile of heroes. Time had somehow made his way out along with Twilight, but everyone else had fallen victim to the chaos of darkness. Warriors and Legend were haphazardly wrapped around each other, Warrior's hand crushed under the veteran's boot whereas Wind and Four were lucky to only be caught above those two bickering. Poor Hyrule was wedged within them, sandwiched between his fellow heroes. 

They all scrambled to get to their feet in their usual disorganized manner. The chosen hero took a long second before pulling himself up with a loud grunt, a dull ache in his limbs. He hopes he didn't break anything.

Time speaks up casually, as if the chaos hadn't happened at all, “Does anyone recognize this room?” He pointed out, which prompted the rest to look around.

Hyrule shook his head before scrutinizing the walls around them. Twilight huffed a quiet ‘no’ before setting his lantern down to look around. Legend groaned, an obvious no. Warriors didn't even need to answer, given his lack of experience with dungeon-like structures, and Wind walked over to the nearby door, waiting to move on.

Of course, they get dropped off at a random location. Not just a random location, but what looks to be a dungeon of some kind. With no lighting, too. However, Sky didn't blame Hylia for their unfortunate luck.

“Hylia dammit, of course we never know!” Legend huffed and puffed, annoyed.

Time gently shushed everyone as Hyrule spoke up. “This place looks old but it also doesn't seem to be touched at all…” Which was a little odd. Usually, places like this would be crawling with monsters. “It's like nothing has ever been here.”

Twilight joined their sailor by the door, “Let's move on an’ find us a way outta here.” With silent permission from the oldest hero in their group, Twilight opened the door to the next room.

The chain huddled into the next area, glancing around cautiously. Even if they haven't heard or seen anything yet doesn't mean they're safe. Sky keeps the sacred sword in hand, ready to unsheath.

This room was also weirdly empty. No monsters, just pillars and walls. However, no other doors.

Wind piped up, “Maybe there's a mechanism around here? And it'll open something up?” He wonders aloud, hopeful but also uncertain at the same time.

After checking the room's emptiness, the group scattered around for something . They couldn't just be stuck here forever, right?

It took quite a while to even find something. The room was big, and looking through every nook and cranny was exhausting. Sky’s muscles ached from the tension, and his thoughts wandered to the comforts of Time and Malon’s ranch—the soft beds, the warmth of a fire. By now, it had been months since they had the comfy ranch guest beds.

“Oh!” Four called, “There's something up there!” The smithy pointed upwards towards the ceiling. There is what looks to be a small gap, an unmoving eye looking down at them. Creepy.

Legend shouts, “I've got it!” He notched an arrow without hesitation and let it fly. The arrow hit true, and the eye closed with an unsettling click, disappearing into the darkness.

Before anyone could ask what changed, a loud creaking noise was heard. The ground shook under them, the walls and ceiling pouring dirt and dust all around. It was such a strong tremor that they paired together to hold onto each other.

The motions made Sky nearly puke. Not even the Imprisoned made such strong tremors, or perhaps it was because he was… Moving?

The room was moving!

Eventually, after a long, grueling moment, the motion finally stopped. Sky collapsed onto his knees, gasping for breaths he forgot to breathe. Warriors gently patted his back through the nausea.

Time, “Has anything changed?” He asked immediately after getting his bearings—faster than Sky was able to, unsurprisingly. The standing heroes slowly took a look around.

Wind called out this time, “A chest!” Before anyone could stop him, the kid was holding up something shiny for everyone to see in the lantern's light.

“A key, nice!” Legend reacted after squinting his eyes, “Where do you think it'll be used?” He wonders absent-mindedly.

Twilight whistled, capturing the others’ attention, “Here?” He says, pointing at a very conveniently locked door on the opposite side of the room. The sailor rushed over to give the rancher the key just as Sky got to his feet.

Warriors asked gently, “You okay?” And he only nodded in reply. As best as he could be after that .

“Woah!” Four shouted, pointing at Sky, “Did it always do that?” The smithy wasn't pointed at the other hero, but at his blade. A frantic look showed a glowing sword.

The bewildered look on all of their faces said it all, yet the sword's creator had to answer. “It… Never glowed like this on its own…” He murmurs, but his voice echoed through the room.

The only conclusion he could think of was that it was a message of danger. A warning — a plea to tread carefully.

Clearing his throat, Time announced, “We should be cautious, whatever that sword is telling us, it can't be a good sign.” Despite hearing the subtle disdain, Sky could only agree with the old man. The sacred blade still hasn't uttered a word in a long, long, time, but the glow had to be a message.

“Keep your weapons on the ready, everyone!” Warriors directed as they prepared to unlock the door.

A jangle of the key, then a clunk of the chains, the door was unlocked. With a groaning from the door, Twilight easily moved the heavy door to open.

What they were met with was an even larger room . Another one without any kind of lighting. Wind groaned and threw his hands up into the air, “Again!? What kind of dungeon is this?” He complained.

Twilight quickly shushed him, the sailor glared and opened his mouth to argue, but a glare silenced the younger hero. It silenced all of them to only bated breaths.

The silence gave way to an unnatural unease. Dread pricked at his skin along with the unnerving raising of his body hair. Sky could feel something, but he wasn't sure if he was just uneasy, it felt like the shadows were alive. Alive and watching their every move.

At Time's silent hand signal, they pushed closer to each other to form a circle. Sky held the glowing blade up, readied, and on the defensive. The tension was so tight that if a rat made a squeak , they would all jump out of their skins.

A light shuffling around by the sailor, who was obviously uncomfortable. The battle-hardened captain focused and slow breaths swept over them like a calm blanket in comparison.

Calm, but not warm or safe.

“There,” Hyrule whispered, pointing towards one end of this large room. There was another light within the shadows, to their left. It wasn't any ordinary kind of light though. Not a torch or even a lantern.

In fact, squinting his eyes, it looked more like a person . Or perhaps, a thing, a monster.

Shhhnk! Something scrapes across the floor, and rattles. Chains? The figure before them moved. 

Thump. Thump. Thump . The rhythmic steps echoed through the dark yet spacious area. Sky could hear his heart almost stop beating as they stood there, ready for anything. This fear, one that lies right under his flesh waiting to burst into full-blown panic, feels just like staring down Demise himself.

The smell of a flame reached his nose before he saw the light of a small fire rising up. At this distance, it was difficult to tell what that meant.

However, Twilight seemed to understand right away. “SCATTER!” His order pierced the air just as a fire arrow was released towards them. Barely avoiding it, the heroes ducked or dived away from their formation.

Yet, just as it was aimed for them, it also hit the wall behind them, lighting up a torch. Then another torch lit, another, and another. Until the whole chamber was lit to full brightness by the countless torches.

Instead of worn-down stone, the walls were covered in something dark. Deep and staring at it for a long moment felt like staring into a void of unending darkness. What wasn't covered with the evil substance was intricate stone designs, yet what also said nothing right away. To his right, opposite of the figure, stood a large metal door, one that loomed over him. This door didn't look like it would budge even with Twilight's near-inhuman strength.

Heavy, dark breathing was the loudest noise in the chamber, returning Sky's and the rest of their attention to their assailant. A face had been revealed, more like a mask, actually. A mask that vaguely resembled the mogmas from his era and cows from others.

This… Thing rattled the chains upon their odd outfit, which was littered with glowing lamps from head to toe. Its skin pale and dead, the visible hair disheveled and colored red. Its demeanor looked sadistic, just from its stance. However, Sky knew better than to think this was a person and let his guard down.

Whoever, or whatever this was, took another step forward. Its body limping like dead weight. The individual pointed at the heroes lazily.

“You should not be here,” It said, tone unallowing but light. Stepping forward, the muffled mix with an evil distortion only continued in that weirdly calm voice, “There is no way in. No way out.” The enunciation of every syllable is uncanny to the ear.

Legend is the one to raise and talk back, “No shit! And somehow, we're here!” He rolled his eyes, looking laid-back. But Sky saw the concentration and calculation within the veteran's eyes; none of them were going to underestimate this thing. He wasn't the only one completely creeped out by the darkness it radiated.

Thump. Thump. It stepped forward, head tilted towards the eight of them individually. “Ignorance will be your end.” On cue, the darkness on the walls grew, blinked, and revealed an uncountable amount of eyes staring at them.

Pure terror ran through Sky, rushing alongside his blood and beating heart.

The eyes watched them. Stared, like they watched their every move, then dissected it. The chosen hero physically recoils as he makes direct eye contact with one of these eyes.

Menacing, intimidating to the core, this figure raised its hand. It was dark, with a few intricate elements it seemed. However, this odd movement was a call to action as the eyes— yellow, tinted with red— revealed its true form of a deep dark red. A numerous amount of boney-shaped arms clawed their way out from the pools of evil. The eyes stared from the palms of their individual limbs.

It was disturbing, yet Sky didn't even have a moment to breathe through his terror as one of these hands began to reach out toward him.

Warriors began in his commands, “Spread out! Take these things out as fast as you can! Don't let them corner you!” He swung his own sword at one of the hands’ eyes. Screeches began to echo throughout the large room as chaos ensued.

Closest to Sky was Four, who ducked and weaved away from the disgusting hands, landing a few hits himself. The chosen hero cuts seamlessly through the hands as easily as trimming grass. The almost-holy gleam from the blade shined brighter at the deep evil.

Time bashed down a nearby hand with his large sword, “Make way for the sword! Take care of that masked guy, Sky!” He directs the group with a loud call. It didn't take much explaining that they should take care of what seemed to be the source.

“I've got it! Wind, with me!” Twilight's voice called, before a howl rang through. Sky rushed through the crowd of enemies toward the wolf's call, cutting down as many as he could along the way.

It was overwhelming. Disgusting. The substance seemed to pool and act like thickened blood, the sound worse to his ears than the feeling of his clothes being dirtied with it. He winced at the uncomfortable feeling of a light burn all over as he made direct contact with it.

What an evil, unholy creature this is. Sky felt anger mix with his terror.

A young voice shouted to him, “Watch out!” The young sailor appeared next to him after maneuvering his way over and cutting down an incoming monstrous hand heading for the chosen hero's flank.

“Thanks!” Sky was grateful for the help, to which the boy nodded and helped the older hero clear the way through. Then, a familiar wolf jumped onto one of the hands in front of them, chewing it apart as it squirmed and screamed.

Hyrule then yelled, controlling his end with his magic prowess, “We've got it handled here!” At his side were Legend and Warriors covering each other's backs, with the traveler acting as support.

It was intense. Sky felt a headache coming on as he along with the other two heroes— older and young— cleared a path towards the true monster behind this chaotic battle.

Quickly, an opening appeared, and he saw that thing standing there. Arms crossed, lazily rolling its neck before craning its gaze to him.

A brief trickle of darkness beside him, “Get on it, Sky!” Twilight, now in his human form, shot an arrow from his bow toward the figure. Now, Sky didn't hesitate.

Rushing through this slim chance of getting through, he heard the arrow swish past him. The monstrous being used its arm as a shield for its masked face from the incoming arrow.

Now is his chance.

Swinging the sacred blade true, he aimed the bright blade to slice through this thing's human-like neck. Just once, he didn't want to give any mercy to such a foul being.

Yet, it didn't land.

His heart trudged heavily in his chest, his head felt like it was splitting in two at just that moment. His sword arm had frozen.

The glowing blade wasn't even an inch away from this being's neck. But, his sudden stop wasn't caused by this monster.

Not even a monster, is his realization, when he sees the foggy yet very visible blue eyes through the mask. Eyes unseeing, but familiar.

Link .

That familiar voice he hadn't heard in so long called in his ears. It would have made him freeze in place if he wasn't already.

Fi… ?

That calling of a shared name was not meant for him.

A loud scream burst from the… The man in front of him. Before Sky could try to avoid it, the figure spun around and kicked the chosen hero down to the cold floor.

“Sky!” Someone called, or maybe multiple of them called.

Looking at the person, a pure monster of one of the heroes, he could see the human as his headache began to fade. The pale skin, almost gray, but Sky could see the ribs sticking out from his body.

A disturbing sight. Yet as the man stood over him, he felt an overwhelming grief within him.

This man was a hero .

Just as the figure raised his hand, an odd, inhuman arm there instead, a larger figure appeared behind him. Time raised his sword to land a blow, this corrupted hero grunted as he turned to… Completely stop the sword right then.

However, unlike with Sky's sacred blade, Time's sword and this unnamed hero had glowed a bright green-blue light. The urge to protect their attacker was terrifying, killing one of their fellow heroes felt like a sin in the pits of his gut.

“Get back!” He yelled to the older man. Almost by instinct, Time obliged and jumped back from the figure.

Holding up the blade of evil's bane, he shined it towards the attacking hero. The man in front of him screamed and cried, the devil-sounding distortion ripping into his ears.

The sword's light had always been a pillar to him, but now it was a very physical one. It shined above and the cries multiplied .  The looming group of hands around the chamber shrank and cried with pain, echoing their source, before being eliminated as quickly as they came.

The cries ceased. Almost. The raging hero backed away from the sacred light, covering his eyes, before regaining himself again.

The hero yelled, losing the coolness from before, “Pathetic! Pathetic heroes! Courage will be your demise! Your courage will never save you!” The ramblings continued as his voice shook.

The captain called, “Gather! Stick close now!” The standing heroes returned to their usual formation near each other. Time had to lift Sky by the arm to pull him back to their group, Sky was completely out of breath.

Gasping through the burning feeling in his chest, he tried to get his words out, “Don't… Don't kill him .” Sky felt like passing out, barely caring when the other heroes passed him the most bewildered looks he's seen, “That's…” He couldn't believe it himself.

“What's wrong?” Legend pestered, “If we don't, it'll be the one doing the killing.” Well, that wasn't exactly wrong . But Sky felt it was also wrong to kill this man.

Twilight hunched to look at him, “What's up, Sky?” He asked softly, “‘Ya definitely could've hit it there.”

Warriors uncharacteristically barked, “Spit it out!”

The chosen hero couldn't even fathom the information himself, he wasn't even sure he would be believed here. However, “I can't use the Master Sword against him,” might suffice here.

And it was. The shocked silence between them was very telling that they understood .

Then, more laughter. Laughter, and laughter. The being in front of them laughed and laughed like he didn't want to stop, or maybe he couldn't.

The lost hero laughed until his voice was rough. He cleared his throat, but the tone was scratchy still, “You heroes -” the word was dripping with disdain and hatred, “-never fail to surprise me!” He laughed. “It's entertaining to see your delicate resolve be crushed by such a pathetic presence before you!” His rambling continues mockingly, “A hero! One who will never bathe in the light again!” 

And his laughter just…

Continues.

Sky glares, gripping the sacred sword like a vice. Even if this hero was once more laughing like they were defeated, he could tell it was all talk. The others knew, too, given their readied stances.

Legend pointed his sword towards the figure. “So we're not killing him…” He hummed, yet his serious tone slipped through, “Let's just tire him out, then.” He nodded to the others.

Raising the fire rod the veteran let him borrow, Warriors directed them, “Those weird hands are gone now! Overwhelm him at every angle that you can, but watch your back! We don't know what else he has up his sleeve!” With that, he charged forward with a fireball up front.

The oldest hero lifted his heavy sword with a grunt, “Sky, hang back until you find another opening, that sword's light still somehow affected him!” He called over his armored shoulder as he joined the captain.

Four and Wind went along with Twilight in an uncharacteristically quiet manner, serious and following the direction of the others. Hyrule stayed back along with Sky for support from behind with his magic.

Sky watched carefully, scanning each moment of the chaos. He listened to the jeers and mocking laughter of this hero. Yet he couldn't understand him in the slightest.

How come the Master Sword burned away darkness but she didn't hurt the hero ?

It's obvious she didn't want her wielder to hurt another one of her masters, yet her light shined as bright as ever. Even now, as the other heroes fought to drive this beast of a hero down bit by bit.

“Four! Behind you!” Captain shouted quickly when the sword that the nameless hero had thrown was bathed in a golden light. Then, it traveled back on the same exact path as it was thrown. The blade slit the smithy’s shoulder, leaving him backing off from the crowd and towards Hyrule for healing.

Sky heard a ‘dammit!’ from someone, but he wasn't sure who.

Just as he was thinking of all the clues to answer something— if they knew this hero, how he could help him, amongst many others— Four grumbled, “That guy's fast. We're not making any progress fighting him up close. He just keeps backing away to shoot at us with a bow.” Weirdly enough, the chosen hero felt something click in his mind.

He heard something click , too.

Right as he opened his mouth, an explosion went off, leaving even the ones behind the fighting's ears ringing incessantly. Thankfully, it seems the others had escaped the large blast with their or another person's shield. But it only made his realization run ever so colder in his body.

It can't be. He refused.

“Is that all it takes you to run behind your pesky shields, heroes? I thought better of you!” The corrupted hero coughed out a laugh once more while the smoke settled. By then, Wind had rushed behind the man and swung the blunt side of his sword.

CRACK! Something snapped, then fell to the ground.

Sky sees the vague outline of it from afar, the mask.

“You're—!” Wind can't even get a word in before this hero's hand grips his throat.

The sight is sickening. A familiar sight they didn't think to see now.

The pale skin gave way to oddly shaped scars, burnt or otherwise. The blue eyes rimmed with red. The long dirt-blond hair that was stained with both deeply-colored blood mixed with visible crimson red.

A face they longed to see, but not like this.

“...Wild?” Twilight's voice had dropped from husky tenseness, to a low, disbelieving tone. The face of their lost brethren was right there .

The man stilled. Wild stilled. His eyes glared with an angry red so similar to the eyes of the horde of hands from before. And, of course , Sky realizes, those hands were from Wild's era.

Wild's voice, no longer muffled by a mask, but still filled to the brim with discontent, “One look at a familiar face and you're not going to fight!?” He yells, then dissolves into a fit of coughing. To the point that his grip on their sailor had loosened, which Wind used to get far away from the man.

“Get back here you—!” Wild grunts and coughs out a long heave of deep, dark blood. This wasn't Wild—they all are reminded right then— but something else. 

Something evil, Sky's mind supplies.

The hero's body moved in jerked motions as he recovered from his fit. His eyes shook when he stared at each of them, but also didn't see them at the same time. With black blood dripping down his chin, the grin he wore was unnatural, like the very muscles in his face were being pulled around. It was like watching a puppet on the strings.

Suddenly, even Time had a visceral reaction to the sight, “What a wicked being you are, you're using his body as a vessel,” his voice a low growl. Sky had never seen the older man so angered and disgusted, but he shared the feeling.

The vessel only responded lightly, “What will you do? Hurting this body will just hurt your precious hero!” He mocked, the way this monster used Wild's voice was unnerving. Sky wondered how the world could even allow such a being to exist.

The veteran scoffed, “You're just a parasite using his body!” Legend spat with venom, “Hiding behind his face is just a cowardly move from a monster like you!” He raised one of his magical rods up, pointing towards Wild.

Darkness pooled around them, made from the shadows of the many flames lighting the room. The corrupted hero only smiled, “And yet, you're not attacking me.” His statement is matter-of-fact, “His heart beats through me , and his courage dwindles as each moment passes!” He raised his hands outward, “Just accept that his fate was sealed the moment he came within my grasp, pathetic heroes!”

Right then, a rope with a hook attached to it wrapped around Wild’s flesh arm, pulling the puppet body forward suddenly. Wind was at the other end, his mouth cringing and eyes staring down the puppeteer. “The scars prove he's survived much worse than whatever you are!” The sailor glared, “Just because you steal and use his body doesn't mean we can't stop you!”

“Well said, sailor!” Warriors praised, joining the young hero at his side. The venomous monster within Wild growled and fought against the grappling hook, Twilight also rushed up and helped the Wind hold back the grappling hook.

“Keep this guy from moving, y'all!” The rancher shoved out through his gritted teeth, “Gotta get that monster out of ‘em first!”

A few more demonic hands crept their way out of the growing shadows, raging with the red color that pulsed through their icky limbs, rushing towards the two with the hook. Warriors quickly slashed at them, keeping them at bay, “Don't underestimate him! We don't know what else he's capable of!” He shouted as he side-stepped the evil pools of dark red.

Rushing forward after getting the ‘okay’ from Hyrule, the short smith held up his Four Sword. A light shined and just as quickly, four identical… Fours appeared.

Even knowing all they found out through their mission together, Sky could hardly fathom that. The red one jumped right on the possessed Wild, the blue one following shortly after to push the man to the ground.

An inhuman growl released from Wild as he stumbled around. “You pests!” He shouted, grabbing the red Four and throwing him off. The green one was revealed right behind his red counterpart with a sword pointed to Wild's face. Behind him, the red one had landed gracefully on his feet, having expected the retaliation.

“We may be fighting against one of us, but Wild would be doing the same if it were any of us in this position!” The green Four said in a direct tone, staring the monster through those same blue eyes of Wild's.

The blue tunic-wearing Four was smashing creeping hands with a hammer alongside the violet one watching his back with arrows flying out of his bow. The red Four joined in waving a magic rod around to keep the others focused on Wild from being overwhelmed on all sides.

“Coming down!” Hyrule yelled, rushing away from Sky and jumping quite high into the air. He drops down and lands right next to the corrupted Wild, grabbing his free arm, pulling it back to basically incapacitate the man from fighting back using his hands.

Their former champion glared, his eyes burning with a mixture of rage and something else. His dark right arm tensed under Hyrule's desperate hold, he bit out towards the rope on his left, trying to tear apart his restraints, only to be met by Green Four's sword. Wild snarled, showing teeth, “It's useless, stupid heroes! This weakling is far too gone to be a hero ever again, your optimism is just false hopes waiting to be crushed!” Laughter escaped the man's body, an uncontrollable, crazed laugh.

Sky had rushed ahead, waiting patiently for his moment to leap in as he cut through the growing numbers of the murderous limbs. He hoped that they all knew what they were going to do, as he was still trying to think, but he couldn't properly think with the overwhelming presence of darkness.

The presence only grew stronger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the dark evil gathering around Wild's inhuman arm.

An old voice shouted above the noise, “Pin him! Now!” Time hacked down a demonic limb in front of him and rushed towards Wild with some kind of renewed strength. The others joined in, abandoning their positions to topple their fellow hero to the ground and hold him down.

Twilight, now a wolf pressing down on his protege's torso, let out a bark towards Sky. A signal. He saw the opening to the odd right arm, and he rushed forward. 

Hylia . He begged once more, just as he's done many times by now since they lost their champion. Please eradicate this evil from your hero!

Leaping forward and above the others, his feet landing below the monster's arm. The glowing blade stabbed mere inches above the man's arm into the hard floor. With a strengthening gleam, he watched Wild's face distort in impossible ways.

He's in pain. No, this monster is in pain.

The scream that followed the gaping jaw, however, resembled Wild in way too many ways. It's a sound that no doubt will haunt him. He shuts his eyes, yet the cries continue.

A sharp pain radiated in his gut. Opening his eyes, he saw the darkness being dispelled by the sword. He clung to it as if letting go would be his end.

It was like an eternity. The screams that turned into a demon's roaring, then back to neverending sobs from this young hero.

Eventually. And oh-so slowly, it stopped.

Sky heard voices around him, but it felt like he was underwater. Glancing at the hero's face, Wild's face, it clicked.

It was over.

The evil was gone again. Yet, the pain within is still radiating. He tried to use the sword to pull himself up, but darkness spotted in his vision. The voices shouted.

Looking down at where he felt the pain, blood soaked out from his abdomen. Ah , Sky wonders right then, that must have been the last desperate act of that monster who was controlling the champion's body.

At least… His thoughts trail off; arms have surrounded him by now, a soothing light appeared in his peripherals.

…

At least his blood was still very red, he thinks just as his vision goes dark.

Chapter Text

Exhaustion rained over him. The voices… Have stopped.

You should not be here. They are not real. Even when he saw familiar faces, he would not give in to the gloom's trickery.

No way out.

No way out. He kept reminding himself. No one would be able to find him.

Link felt like he was floating as what little he could see slowly faded away. Was he dying? He had to be. He was being suffocated by Ganondorf's hatred from the inside.

He felt his body convulsing. He was dying , he tiredly thinks as he sees a flash of deep, black blood pouring out of his mouth. And he was powerless in the confines of his mind while the gloom destroyed him.

It wasn't even Ganondorf who was doing him in.

Just like before. The century that was now so long ago.

How pathetic.

He was just a failure of a hero, it seems. Not even dying doing his heroic duties. Perhaps, that was why he was so different from his brothers.

He fell once. Broke their sacred blade. Now, dying alone in a chamber. No one will find his body.

He should just accept it.

A bright light shined. It wasn't gold this time; it wasn't Zelda waking him up; Zelda wouldn't be there to speak her gentle words to him. He could only hope she would be alright without him.

She would, he reassured himself, she survived a century holding back the calamity. She's survived so long without him. She survived in the distant past.

Perhaps—

The light brightened. It took over all his thoughts. It was a graceful light, almost holy.

Perhaps…

— - —

First, someone was shuffling around. Silence reigned over, yet soft breathing could still be heard. A clink.

A warm light passed over. The soft cushions upon his head and body. He ached, yet he wasn't in pain.

The smell of medicine clued him into his first thought.

Was he dead?

He opened his eyes. Not to the sight of the afterlife, but wood. Life, living. He was alive .

An attempt to crane his head sent a shock down his spine. He wanted to see. He wanted to know that he was alive. Someone found him. A groan released itself from his chapped lips.

The shuffling stopped.

“You're—!” A familiar voice yelped, before stopping and quieting down, “You're awake… ” He murmured.

Life. Living. Healing. Those words came to his mind when he heard the voice.

Hyrule?

“I…” Link's voice was rough from misuse. He coughed to try and clear out the harshness. “You—” A cup of water was pushed against his lips. Someone's face came into view.

Hyrule’s eyes stared down at him, “Drink, you've been asleep for a while,” a smile graced his face, “you even made Legend worried!” He huffed out a laugh, but not too loudly. 

The champion looked around. He tried to sit up, but the traveler grabbed his shoulder with one hand. The intense look from the healer made him immediately lay back down, so he took a few sips of the water, which relieved his sore throat quite a bit. Turning his head, he saw the others.

A disbelieving sight, really. It's been so long that he nearly bursts into tears right there.

Twilight had turned into his wolf form, lying on the floor, fast asleep. Right next to him was Time sitting on a chair, eyes closed, also asleep. Beside the bed Link laid, Wind was bent down, head lulled on the blanket. The champion smiled at the sight.

Hyrule joined in the smile, “I think I'm the only one awake,” he rolled his eyes, “Everyone stayed up so late, trying to take care of you the best they could.”

“...How long was I…?”

The traveler pulled away the cup once he was done with it, “Asleep?” Link nodded, and Hyrule answered, “Barely a week. Do you… Remember what happened to you?”

Drawing deep into his memories, it was foggy; he almost panicked when he couldn't find anything, but when he was assaulted and burnt on the inside by gloom. Link stared at the ceiling, “I… Remember being underground, and those gloom hands— ah, a substance that Ganondorf made… Um…” He didn't want to recall such a horrible memory to his friend.

Yet, his friend shook his head, “That's all I need to know. We… Found you, and helped you,” he said, a somber tone taking over his voice, “We were able to get out of there and take you to this… Ah… Lookout? They called it Lookout Landing. It was a long ride, though.” 

Lookout Landing? That's where he was?

Relief washed over him, and exhaustion settled. He was alive.

“You…” Link began quietly, “You are real… Right?” He could still barely believe he was staring at the faces of the heroes. After so long…

A shocked look from Hyrule, but then a nod. Link closed his eyes. Thank you, Hylia.

Hyrule then asked, “How long has it been?” A whisper, as he sat on the bed beside the champion, “Since… Since you left?” A dreadful tone, and Link wonders if it hasn't been years upon years for them.

“...I've lost count of how many years it's been…” He blinked open his eyes to a blurry face, liquid slowly rolling down his cheeks. A gasp from the healer, “I'm… I'm so glad… ” Link yawned, even when tears fell from his eyes down the side of his head.

Something warm grabbed his hand, “Rest…” Hyrule said, reaching over to wipe the tears with a cloth, “We'll all be here for you when you wake up, just get your energy back.” Link could hear the smile in the traveler's voice.

It was soothing, the other man's voice. Familiar and warm.

He decided to close his eyes once again.

— - —

Warmth radiated down his face as the sun came up higher and higher. It was that familiar grace of light that woke him this time. A normal day, he thinks.

But then, he realizes it's not . Link squints his eyes open, the sun beaming down unhelpful for trying to wake up. With a sore that traveled down every single limb he had, he slowly pulled himself up. He would've liked to sleep more, in the very comfy bed, but his heart begins to race when he knows he can't.

Not until he sees it for himself.

Swinging his legs off the bed, he hastily stands. An intense rush of dizziness passes through and he grabs the nearby wall to steady himself. He can't fall now, not now.

The sound of voices filtered into his ears as he stumbled towards the archway covered by a curtain. The dizziness seems to disappear the closer he gets to the group of voices. All of them sound so familiar. Pushing the curtain out of his way, the scene that greets him nearly makes him topple to the ground.

A large group of people. Familiar people. They're all talking in separate, small, groups. All out in this common area of the encompassing buildings of this Landing. He's been here before, many times both in and out of his journey, but never has it been so full and warm.

“—be up soon, I hope,” Hyrule.

“If this guy sleeps for another week, I might just pour water over his face.” Legend.

“Don't do that.” Four. Then, laughter.

It's terrifying to see. Link wonders if he's hallucinating. A room full of faces he hasn't seen in so long? Sounds like a reality that would never be true. Yet, as a blond-haired kid makes eye contact with him, he knows it to be real.

This is real .

Wind runs over to him first, crashing into him with a hug. The noise alerts the others to his appearance. “You're awake!” The sailor grins up at him, “I thought—!” He choked, “You're here…!” To Link, the words sound like a replica of his mind's turmoil.

Looking up, the others are also staring at him while walking towards him. Usually, he never did well with crowds. But this very specific crowd was very welcome.

The emotions hit him all at once. His legs nearly collapsed under himself and he might have completely fallen to the floor had Warriors not grabbed his arm in time.

“Woah there,” the captain eases the other man back up, “take it easy.” However, Link only shakes his head.

He feels his eyes burn as he closes them, “I just… It's been so long …” His whispers still carry the weight he feels, “I never thought I would… That I would see any of you again.” He smiled, Hylia , he's so happy . Even as he held back tears and arms trembled as they wrapped around the young hero, he was relieved.

A hand rests itself on top of his head, “We've missed ‘ya too, Champ,” Twilight said softly. His hand was so warm as it ruffled his hair.

This feeling… Link has felt it before. Pure relief and joy, just like when he watched Zelda open her eyes from where she laid in the grass, when it was all over.

The feeling, finally.

Finally, after all this time. It's a feeling that starts small, as he slowly realizes it, then hits him harder than any wagon ever could.

When he looked up, the heroes were all gathered together around. Wiping his eyes from the tears that threatened to spill, he chuckled, “It's… Um, a little cramped, guys…” The champion murmurs, it was very warm. Very overwhelming, too.

Light laughter poured out in the air around them. Soon enough, they all dispersed around the room, sitting around with each other. It reminded him of the nights they spent around their fire, even a bit sad to say it felt nostalgic.

Legend speaks up first, “So, you really did go on another journey…” An unusually sad tone covered the veteran's voice. Yet, Link wasn't surprised, either. Out of everyone, Legend knows the fear of another hero's journey. He only shared a resigned smile in response.

With a huff, Warriors leaned on the wall, “A lot has changed…” A murmur, “Not just with this Hyrule.” His gaze fell to Link, drawing everyone else’s attention to the unspoken issue in the room.

Wind, quickly and almost thoughtlessly, “Your arm…” He stares. Time is almost just as quick to scold the sailor for the bluntness, but Link raises his odd right arm. Truly, he was once self-conscious of how different it was, how it would never be normal.

Now?

“It's a gift,” He smiles, “From an old king.” Link looks around the room, “and a very long story.” His relaxed demeanor seems to diminish the tension around all of them.

Four laughs, “You definitely have plenty of more stories to tell!” He points at the Champion, “Maybe the captain and Legend will finally stop arguing! Peace for us all!” The laughs and chuckles rippled over each other like a wave. Very warm.

Hyrule, having not been in the conversation for a minute or so, clears his throat. “First!” He calls, “ You need to eat,” The traveler places a plate of food right in Link's hands. To add on to that, “No, I did not cook it. One of the… Ah, assistants brought it over.” Still, warming huffs of light laughter emerged at the reassuring comment.

“I keep telling them I can cook for myself,” the champion muttered, but gratefully accepted the food. He still ate the food as Legend let out a ‘hah!’ at his grumbling. Eventually, the conversation settled into the usual.

It was like he was never gone. Even though he's changed so much, and he knows this, the way they still see him as one of their own… It warms his heart and soul all over. Maybe, his unheard pleas to a goddess were finally answered.

The day ran away as their conversations went on and on. He still had so much to tell them, so much to show. Everything has changed, but it feels… Normal again.

Not completely, though. That faraway gaze from Time. Twilight's constant gaze and presence as if he would be taken again. Wind and Hyrule's uninhibited stares of curiosity at his right arm. Legend glaring at him, and Link wasn't even sure why, Four also had his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. Warriors’ way-too-obviously worried stare on him.

Sky… Was the most obvious. Avoiding eye contact, clutching his side. Hyrule had said in passing that the chosen hero was injured, but Link wasn't told anything else aside that he was healed up now. At first, it was weird, but Link hoped it wasn't his fault.

…

Perhaps it wasn't the same. It would never be; what happened has happened now; there was no changing the past. But, he was finally back, he could talk to them again, and perhaps, he could join them again, to fight by their side.

Telling Purah everything after he ate breakfast led to an hour-long poking session of his arm. Again. She declared that he rested for as long as he could and that she and Zelda, along with a survey team, would investigate the underground structure further.

At first, he insisted he go with them, but he got a very intense look from the heroes and Purah. He wasn't going to even poke that fire.

That evening, as they gather to eat Wild's cooking, no one mentions the tears shed from a few of the heroes. Even Legend had to step out for a long moment. But, it was normal, and they still enjoyed his cooking. Hyrule was standing by his side, listening to him talk about the way he cooked. The traveler was very attentive to the first lessons he went through, even though the ending result had to be thrown out.

Conversations washed over him as he ate his food. He had missed this. He could hear the variety of topics that never seemed to run out with these heroes.

After he swallowed a mouthful of food, someone gently patted his back. Twilight's sharp grin emerged when he looked up, and the rancher raised a cup to the champion's.

“Welcome back, Wild!” He said, and as if attention was still so centered on him, all of the heroes raised their cups with various exclamations of joy.

“Yeah!”

“Woooh!”

Even if the last time he saw them, the last time he cooked for them, was now in the depths of his memory, he smiled. Perhaps, not even time would break them apart completely, nor would fate. That fact was reassuring. Relieving a worry he's held for a long, long time. Wild laughed at their noise. He raised his glass alongside them.

“Glad to be back!” Then, the room descended into a chaotic yet joyful chorus of conversation and banter over their dinner.

Despite everything, it was enough.