My OC Stash #94 - Again by Drich (LegendofZelda:BreathoftheWild)

-Never-ending you're finally awake meme but it's actually wake up, Link~

Synopsis:

Link wakes up. Journeys across the world. Defeats Ganon.

Link wakes up.

Again. And Again. And Again.

Rated: ???

Words: 67K

Posted on: https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/again-legend-of-zelda-breath-of-the-wild.883292/ (Drich)

PS: If you're not able to copy/paste the link, you have everything in here to find it, by simply searching the author and the story title. It sucks that you can't copy links on mobile (´ー｀)

-I'll be putting the chapter ones of all the fanfics/originals mentioned, to give you guys a sample if you wan't more please do go to the website and support the author! (And maybe even convince them to start uploading chapters in here as well!)

Chapter 1-3 (exceptional)

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"Wake up, Link."

These are the words that begin a lengthy tale.

It is a tale of a Hero, awoken, without memory or identity, in a strange, ancient cave, with naught but a voice to guide him.

It is a tale of triumph. It is a tale of melancholy. It is a tale with an unfortunate beginning, but also a happy ending.

It goes something like this:

"Wake up, Link.", says the voice, and so the Hero does. He knows, in these early moments, very little, and it is only thanks to the voice that he regains his name so quickly.

He wakes, lying in a strange bed, blue liquid draining away from his body. He feels... not weak, but certainly drained. The room is sealed, and appears to be fashioned entirely from black and brown stone. There is light, and it comes from the stone, pulsing with shining blue.

He stands, and he sees not too far away a pedestal. It glows with blue light, and Link moves over to it. As he approaches, the pedestal shifts, and offers up to him a strange, rectangular device, also glowing with blue light. Lines of orange light pulse their way across it.

"That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber." The voice directs, and Link does so shortly. He cannot remember ever having seen it before, but it takes only a moment before he's able to activate it.

A series of columns shift, and rise into the ceiling. A passage, opened.

Link moves. Two stone chests, and he finds a few tattered, threadbare clothes. Better than the undergarments he had been wearing, but not by much.

Another pedestal at the end of the next room, and the voice directs him to hold the Sheikah Slate up to it. He does so, of course, and the door opens. Sunlight shines into the room.

"Link..." The voice says, slowly. "You are the light -our light- that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now go..."

And so he does.

Outside is a picturesque view, lush green land, mountains in the distance, snowy peaks and an angry volcano both. A castle is also present, but it stands in stark contrast to the beauty of the world around it. There is a strange, dark, pink swirl surrounding it, and just looking at it brings a chill to everything that is good and right.

Evil.

The word cements itself in his mind as he sees it. It's a fact, one that he is as sure of as his own name.

He turns away.

The ground slopes downwards and to the right, from the entrance to the cave he'd emerged from. Not too far down is a fire, and a large, old man with a lantern and a cloak. He's unfamiliar, but he looks at Link with something a bit too intense to be curiosity.

The voice gives him more directions. The Sheikah Slate provides him a place to go to.

He goes.

There are creatures, monsters, on the way. They are cruel, malicious creatures, armed with wooden clubs, brittle swords, and bows and arrows. He has a few tree branches that he's picked off of the ground, by then. They try to trouble him.

The ease with which he ends them ought to feel confusing, but somehow, only feels right. The tree branches break, so he takes their weapons, stronger and more durable, and fights his way through. The act of fighting is so intimately familiar he doesn't even need to think about it.

He finds another pedestal, near-hidden under some large rocks. The Sheikah Slate activates it, and a tower rises under his feet. A splash of blue liquid, so similar to what he'd woken up in, and suddenly, the Slate has part of a map. Convenient and useful.

The old man appears after he descends the tower. The old man tells him a story: Calamity Ganon. A creature that had appeared, suddenly, and destroyed everything in its path. It is contained within the castle, but not for too much longer.

Link needs to go there, but the only way off the plateau is the Paraglider that the old man carries. The old man offers it to him, in exchange for treasure; specifically the treasure of a shrine that, now that the tower has risen, glows with orange light.

Link goes. The monsters on the way there are no challenge. It opens with the Sheikah Slate, and he descends into its depths.

A splash of blue liquid, and the Sheikah Slate can control metal objects. Magnesis. Useful. At the end of the shrine is a Monk, aged and decrepit. They do not move as they speak, with a voice that echoes within his mind rather than in the air, gifting him a treasure. A Spirit Orb, just what the old man was after.

Link wonders, then, who the old man was, that he knows precisely what awaited Link within the Shrine. He asks, eventually, but the old man deflects and doesn't answer.

The old man reveals more knowledge. The Slate can transport Link to the Shrine and Tower that he's been to. He goes to the Tower, appearing at its peak.

The old man is waiting for him, somehow. Here before him, somehow. He deflects, yet again, on answering why.

The old man then directs him to other shrines. It isn't the deal they made, but Link goes anyway. The closest shrine is guarded by old, damaged stone, but then that old, damaged stone comes to life in front of him, blue and orange and malevolent pink. Ice fills his veins at the sight, and he goes around, choosing to climb over the walls rather than chance a fight with it.

The shrine gives the Slate the ability to create bombs. Link spends several minutes tossing them over the wall at the not-dead contraption. It makes a loud, piercing whine as it explodes, and that fills Link with a strange feeling.

The statue's remains, he picks over. There are screws, and gears, and the burnt out husk of something that still has a fading orange glow to it when he picks it up. The Slate, it turns out, can store the things he picks up, which is fortunate, and he puts them all away before making his way back to the monster camps he'd already wiped out and acquires a few extra weapons and shields.

He moves on.

The old man has a cabin in the woods. It's fairly run-down, overgrown with moss. It seems as old as the old man. Did he really live there?

The old man lets him have an axe. He talks about a meal, whose ingredients he's forgotten. Link's stomach grumbles, and he spends some time hunting and fishing.

After a short time throwing wooden Bokoblin spears into a pond, he swaps to bombs. The spears work, but the concussive blast wave is significantly more effective.

Hyrule Bass, Spicy Peppers, and meat, the ingredients turn out to be. It's delicious, and he makes some more for the old man, who awards him with a thick, warm doublet. Hunger now sorted, and a protection from the cold of the plateau's mountains now attained, he moves on. There's a direct and easy way up, but he chooses to go through the other, more dense forest, now that he knows the Slate can store things. He hunts a few boars, keeps wandering around, and finds a plain with a series of rocks in the middle.

The rocks get up. It's a big thing, but it's slow, and not very smart, either. Another, smaller rock on its back is the weak point, and he whacks it a few times with a club he's borrowed from the monsters before jumping off when it tries to shake him off, only to then throw the club at it.

It takes a while, and most of the weapons he's gathered thus far, but it dies. It explodes, leaving behind a few glittering gems. They're shiny, and they seem useful, so he takes them.

He gets a few more weapons from a camp not too far behind it. There's arrows that set things on fire there, too. A trip worth the effort, in his opinion.

Eventually, he gets to the shrines.

One shrine gives him the ability to stop objects in time. Stasis. If he hits them, then when it releases, they go flying. He considers trying to catch a ride on them, but, not having any way to land softly, chooses to wait until after he acquires the Paraglider.

The other gives him the ability to create pillars of ice that aren't very cold. They're not slick. They don't melt, even in the sun, nor do they move upon the river, or do they fall as they stretch sideways out of the waterfall. Ice isn't meant to be anything like any of those things, but it's convenient, so he doesn't question it.

The old man appears, and then disappears into thin air, telling him to make his way to the midpoint of all those shrines. Draw a line between them all, and the X will mark the spot.

At least now he knows how the old man made it to the top of the tower before him.

Link goes, of course. The old man is waiting at the top of the temple, run-down and decayed.

The old man is a King. King Rhoam, who lost his life to Calamity Ganon, and who knew Link. King Rhoam tells Link the story, and then begs him:

Save Zelda.

He will. His name is Link, Calamity is Evil, and he will Save Zelda. A third fact.

King Rhoam hands over the Paraglider, but encourages Link not to head directly to the castle. His slumber has left him in a much weakened state, and he will need to recover, first. Rhoam advises him eastwards, towards the Sheikah village of Kakariko.

The King is haunted by his own past actions as much as he haunts the world, and Link listens. He can't save Zelda if he's dead, after all.

Kakariko is nearly a week of travel away. He meets, on the way there, a stable full of people, a man with an affection towards beetles, and a creature three times his size, named Hetsu, who has lost his Maracas to a trio of Bokoblins. He retrieves them, but it turns out the Maracas have also lost their Korok Seeds. Hetsu tells him the children of the forest love their pranks.

He finds two of them on the road to Kakariko, and then heads back. Hetsu is ecstatic, and expands his weapon inventory with a loud, wild dance that ends with a pop.

Link had been happy to help, really, but now he's suddenly quite invested. He promises to keep an eye out.

Kakariko is as old as the traditions it embodies. Most of the people there are old, and there's only a few children. Two guards let him into the main building when they see the Sheikah Slate. There's a young, embarrassed girl cleaning the floor. Paya is her name, and she directs him inside after forgetting how to speak. It's cute, but he should definitely get something that covers a bit more than his threadbare clothes.

Impa is inside. She is old and unfamiliar. Happy to see him awake, greeting him with a smile that fades a little when she realizes that he doesn't know her.

From her, he receives quite a bit of information. She tells him a more ancient story, of the Calamity that had risen and then fallen ten thousand years ago. Divine Beasts, controlled now by Ganon, but which he might be able to do something about. Another Sheikah, in Hateno, who might be able to help.

There's a shrine, just above Kakariko. The Monk inside instructs him on combat, and he faces a smaller not-dead statue, a Guardian. He's quick to prove he remembers how to fight, and the Monk disintegrates as they pass on their blessing, the Spirit Orb.

An idol in the centre of the village feels familiar. He goes to it. A voice speaks, but it isn't Zelda's. The Goddess offers him strength in exchange for Spirit Orbs.

He feels better as he leaves.

There's a shop, and it fortunately has clothes he can buy. He doesn't have many Rupees, but when he takes out the jewels he received from the Stone Talus, the shopkeep smiles.

He walks away with a Sheikah outfit that is deathly quiet in addition to new Hylian garments.

A story about Kakariko's guardian leads him back up to the shrine, and then into the forest behind it. Small, ethereal creatures, Blupees, dart away from him when they see.

There is... something, in the forest. Big, orange, glowing with faded power, with a number of small pink lights flitting around it. Some instinct has him wearing the Sheikah clothes, and he acquires a few of the small creatures.

The thing speaks to him. Asks him to listen to a tale. He does. It requests Rupees. Not many, but he doesn't have many. He can, however, get more, so gives what he has.

The Great Fairy Cotera is a vision of beauty, incredibly large and just as flirty, covered by jewels and not much else.

With some materials he has on hand from the monsters he's defeated thus far, she can upgrade his clothes. Give them a bit more strength, or enhance their effects. She can't do much with her current power, so she tells him to keep an eye out for her sisters, and then sends him off with a wink after blowing a magic infused kiss at him.

He heads to Hateno.

There's more people in Hateno than there are in Kakariko. Not by too much, though. That thought leaves a ill feeling in his stomach.

A bit of asking around gets him directed to the tech lab. It's on top of a hill, of course, and he enters to find a small child and an older man. The child directs him to the man. The man directs him to the child.

Purah is a child. She's also Impa's sister. She directs him back down and out in order to relight the lab's furnace with a blue flame. Down the hill he goes, and then back up.

The Slate has pictures stored on it. Zelda has taken them. They might be the key to his memories. Purah also tells him to come back with ancient materials and Rupees, and she can upgrade his Slate's Runes. He also learns that there is another tech lab run by another Sheikah, Robbie, in Akkala.

Find the places the pictures were taken, maybe get his memories back. Sounds like a plan to him.

The Slate proves its worth very quickly when it transports him back to Kakariko in only a few moments. It was a long trip on foot, but he's crossed that entire distance for the sole price of some mild discomfort. He'll have to keep an eye out for shrines. This travel method was just too convenient to not make use of it.

He heads north from Kakariko, towards the Lanaryu Wetlands. It is very wet.

An unpleasant surprise he finds there is a Guardian, not one of its old and broken-down compatriots, but a fully-functioning one. He puts an arrow in its eye, and then attacks the legs. He still has a sword from the Guardian Scout at Kakariko's shrine. It makes fairly quick work of them, rendering it immobile. It also breaks when he cuts into the head, but fortunately, it was the last strike he needed. Guardian materials acquired, and there's a shrine and tower nearby, too.

Up the tower is a Zora. The fish-man seemed scared of heights, but also didn't seem to be able to stop himself from looking over the edge. The Zora tells him that their Prince is looking for a Hylian, and points down at a bridge.

Link goes.

Prince Sidon is incredibly tall and equally friendly. He shouts encouragements and radiates sincerity. Link likes him.

One of the guards of Zora's domain recognizes him. He's happy to see Link. He's also surprised Link is alive. He advises Link to avoid the more elderly Zora.

There's a statue, carved from beautiful blue stone, in the domain. He lingers on it, looking at it, before moving on.

King Dorephan is massive. Even sitting down, he towers over Link. He also recognizes Link. Seems happy to see him, even. He's sad when Link relays that he has no memories of him, or anyone else.

Link gets an explanation. The Divine Beast, Vah Ruta, is going wild, constantly creating a massive deluge of rain and water. Not a problem for the Zora, no, but if it keeps going, Vah Ruta will break the dam, wash away the Domain, and probably a large portion of Hyrule with it.

He agrees to help. King Dorephan hands him a piece of Zora armor. King Dorephan's advisor is not happy.

Zora armor is crafted by Zora to give to those they love, and intend to marry.

The advisor leaves, seeing it as a betrayal of Mipha's memory that he receive that armor. Sidon goes to speak with him.

The advisor, Muzu, was in charge of finding the lightning arrows they'd need in order to halt Ruta's rampage. King Dorephan sends him after Muzu and Sidon.

Muzu refuses to help. Sidon claims that Mipha had loved Link.

He looks upon the statue.

"I was thinking... this reminds me of the time we first met."

How could he have forgotten her?

Muzu is not impressed. He refuses to believe it.

The Zora Armor fits him perfectly.

Sidon points that out to Muzu, and Muzu is shocked. Mipha had loved Link.

The Shock Arrows are up a mountain. They're guarded by a Lynel.

Link could sneak around. It wouldn't be difficult, with the Sheikah armor.

Link does not do that. What he does is go to the cooking pot, prepare a large, hearty meal that uses many of the Hearty Truffles he's picked up thus far.

And then he goes and fights a Lynel. It's probably not the best decision he's ever made, but he makes it for one reason.

It only takes a single Shock Arrow to kill a Zora.

The fight actually goes pretty well. Link is agile, and Lynels are big. Not slow, but they are big. It swings its sword, and he flips over it. Time itself slows down as he rushes in, unleashing a flurry of blows in a moment. It roars, charges, and Link swings his shield so hard that the Lynel bounces back. He stabs it with a spear as it recovers. It breathes fire at him, but in the heavy rain, it's not nearly as dangerous as it might otherwise be. It grabs a bow and nocks a Shock Arrow, but he's a much quicker and much more accurate archer, and it receives an arrow to the eye for the trouble.

He comes back to Sidon with more than the arrows they need.

Vah Ruta is... not as troubling as he was expecting. It reacts when they get close, summoning blocks of ice that shoot after them. Link shoots one with an arrow, and then realizes that they look similar to the ice blocks produced by the Cryonis Rune. Cryonis, it turns out, also breaks the ice blocks produced by Vah Ruta.

Easy. Link breaks them, Sidon takes him waterfalls, and then Link sends Shock Arrows into the machinery, shutting them off.

Repeat.

Easy.

Vah Ruta dips into the water. He gets aboard. Sidon wishes him luck.

Mipha's voice speaks to him. She sounds so happy, and it's like Link is being stabbed with a dagger that freezes all the blood in his veins. She's still here, in this thing corrupted by Calamity's Malice.

It doesn't take too long to activate Vah Ruta's terminals.

Pink and black and Evil swirl from the Main Control Unit. Lines of blue Sheikah light swirl together behind him. The thing that appears is an abomination.

"Please be careful." Mipha says. It's one of Ganon's creations, and it took her life a hundred years ago. "I have faith in you."

Waterblight is anger and fury and hate, and it stands no chance whatsoever against him. So large, so slow, every movement telegraphed. It swipes, and he dodges. It lunges, and he moves in, letting it's spear go past. It flings ice, and he freezes them in place before hitting them enough times that when Stasis breaks, they knock Waterblight to the ground.

It charges energy like a Guardian, and he holds still. If he has the strength to knock a Lynel down with a shield bash, then this will be nothing.

The beam lances out. Fast.

But he's prepared. He swings, and it makes an odd noise, and the beam just about kills Waterblight.

Link stabs.

Waterblight shrieks as it dies.

Mipha appears to him. She's so happy.

Her Grace settles against his soul.

He had not realized how much he'd missed her until that moment.

Vah Ruta calms. Submerges into the water, and travels along the river, following tunnels that none other than the Zora even knew existed. Vah Ruta emerges at a mountain lake, and settles, facing towards Hyrule Castle.

A beam of red light, so similar to the Guardians but so much more dangerous, tracked its way to the castle. Vah Ruta did not fire. Not yet.

Link appears with a flash of golden light in front of the Domain.

King Dorephan is happy. The other elders, also happy. There's a feast, and at the end of it, Dorephan gifts him with Mipha's own Lightscale Trident.

He sets off the next day.

Mipha isn't the only Champion, after all, that was felled inside their Divine Beast.

The closest Divine Beast is Vah Rudania, in Death Mountain. Link doesn't head straight there, as between the Zora's Domain and Death Mountain is Akkala. There's probably a score of shrines to find, too.

Of course, he visits Impa to tell her about Vah Ruta, first.

She's happy. She also figured as much, considering she could see the red line of Vah Ruta's targeting laser.

Off to Akkala he goes.

The tower is surrounded by flying Guardians. It's good, because he now has a lot of materials. Navigating the infectious, corrosive Malice that's materialized around it is difficult, but not impossible.

After that, he heads north-east, towards the tech lab.

This time, he takes a look around before he climbs all the way up. There's another furnace, and he's glad he did, since he now only has to make the one trip.

Robbie is... enthusiastic. Spry, and just as small as Purah, but while she looks young, he looks old. Cherry is another Ancient machine, mostly repaired and mostly helpful.

Goodbye Rupees. Hello Ancient equipment.

Over the cliff and across the water is a massive maze. Getting there is not easy, but he manages. Another shrine.

He heads back south-east. A spring, and a memory with it. Zelda prays, and prays, and prays, and never gets any answers. Is the Goddess truly so cruel?

A string of shrines make for easy transportation points. He stops at the stable at the base of the mountain, and picks up a few elixirs that will get him up the mountain without burning alive.

Even with the elixirs, the heat is a killer.

He doesn't have enough elixirs to use them the entire time in Goron City, but fortunately, they sell armor that contains the same effect.

Boss Bludo is shorter than Sidon, taller than Link, and weighs more than both of the latter put together by several times over. He's not fat. He's a Goron, which means he's made mostly of rock, muscle, rock, and grit.

Boss Bludo is old, though. He has a bad back. Rudania is causing problems, and Bludo normally shoots it with a cannon to get it to go away. Yunobu, another Goron, was sent to get his medicine.

Yunobu hasn't come back yet.

Link finds him trapped inside of a room by boulders. Yunobu is happy, and rolls off.

Link follows.

Boss Bludo's back is bad enough that he wants to call off the hitting Rudania with a cannon plan, but, fortunately, Link is there.

Yunobu, apparently, is a descendent of Daruk. Bludo points out the mountain that's been carved in Daruk's image.

"Hey, little guy!"

Daruk was a good friend. Big and boisterous in a way that only the Gorons could be. Solid as the rocks they ate and ten times as dependable.

Link heads up to Yunobu, and finds him menaced by Moblins. The Moblins shortly find themselves being menaced by Link.

Link fires Yunobu out of a cannon. He's unharmed, thanks to Daruk's Protection, and it gets the bridge to drop.

Link fires Yunobu out of a cannon three more times. The target for each one is Vah Rudania, which makes its way up the mountain as they continue. It releases some kind of Ancient Sentry that scans for them. There's a bunch of metal boxes around the place, though, and Magnesis lets him use them as bludgeoning tools against the Sentries. They're not bothered.

Rudania drops into the caldera of Death Mountain, standing atop the lava that flows out. Link jumps in. He is admittedly kind of curious why his Paraglider isn't bursting into flames despite being made of wood and cloth, but he's not going to question it. It's probably ghost magic, or something.

Another set of terminals, and then the Main Control Unit, and just like with Vah Ruta, an abomination appears.

"Watch yourself, now." Daruk rumbles. Another of Ganon's monsters, and another that took a Champion's life. "Go get 'im!"

Anger, fury, and hate. Fireblight isn't as large as Waterblight, but if anything, it's even slower.

The only trouble it gives him is when it surrounds itself with a barrier. That's a problem that solves itself when it starts drawing in energy, a vortex of air rushing in. Link tosses a bomb, which gets sucked in, and when it detonates, Fireblight comes crashing to the ground.

Repeat.

Fireblight dies.

Daruk grins.

His Protection settles alongside Mipha's Grace.

Goddess, but it's good to be with friends.

Vah Rudania crawls to the edge of the caldera. It's face opens, and another targeting beam marks Hyrule Castle.

Halfway there.

Bludo is happy that Rudania has calmed down. Yunobu is a bit more confident. Daruk's Boulder Breaker is a massive, heavy thing, but Link is strong enough to wield it.

Vah Medoh is the next closest Divine Beast. Getting near it, however, isn't as easy. Heading west from Death Mountain would take him into Hebra, which is incredibly cold. The warm doublet he'd received from King Rhoam wouldn't be enough to deal with that, which meant he would need elixirs, or more warm clothes.

Asking around the stable, however, told him the best place to get more warm clothes was inside Rito Village, which was precisely where he was heading in the first place.

The other way to get there, other than going through Hebra, was to cross through Hyrule Field. Hyrule Field, which housed dozens, maybe hundreds, of Guardians.

A daunting, but not impossible, prospect. He was hardly likely to encounter them all, after all. Maybe a dozen along the path, at best.

There was a Sheikah Tower, west of Death Mountain, before Hebra, however. Link ended up going towards it.

On the way, he stumbled upon a familiar spot. One of the photos in the Slate matched it.

"That cut doesn't look too bad, actually."

Oh. He'd fought four Lynels and a hoard of Bokoblins, here. Zelda had been as much concerned as she was scolding. He'd taken a hit, then. Just the one, though. The Master Sword had ever-

Ah. Right. The Master Sword.

Link looks out, seeing the curtains of fog that covered the nearby forest.

The Master Sword had been lost. He'd have to search to find it, wouldn't he?

Link goes on.

The Tower is activated, and then a few nearby shrines, before he goes to the forest.

He finds his way through, of course. Laying within is, as it happens, exactly the sword he had been looking for.

He reaches out to it-

"Link. You are our final hope. The fate of Hyrule rests with you!"

A tree yawns, and greets him.

The Great Deku Tree is another old being who remembers him. It tells him about the Master Sword, and offers a warning. He would be tested, if he tries to wield it.

His hand reaches out. The handle is smooth and warm.

He lets go. He knows that he isn't ready yet.

Another goal is added to the list. Regaining the Master Sword is an important goal, and there are still regions he hasn't been to.

Link goes back to Kakariko. Impa gives him a tunic, old and light blue and obviously cared-for. Zelda had made it for him, a hundred years ago.

Link goes east. Lanayru mountain beckons, but Link heads a bit north of it, first, upon seeing a Sheikah platform.

He meets, then, a Rito by the name of Kass. A musician, who sings for him a song about the platform. The puzzle contained within reveals a shrine when solved. It's the first of many such meetings.

Two more shrines afterwards, and he heads back to the mountain. It's cold, but a Flameblade is warm against his back, and the warm doublet takes the rest of the edge off.

A memory, at its base. Him, the Champions, the Princess, the moments before the disaster. Zelda, so sad, so disappointed in herself, but it's never been her fault, has it?

A Dragon is enchained upon the peak of the mountain by Malice. Link wastes no time freeing the spirit. Another shrine is revealed when he offers Naydra's scale to the waters of the spring.

He goes down the other side of the mountain. Another shrine, and then he heads back towards Necluda, following the edge of the sea.

Eventually, he makes his way into Faron, shrine after shrine after shrine opened in his wake.

Another Dragon, but Farosh is free of corruption. Another scale, and one of Kass' song leads him to the spring.

Back to Kakariko. He has Spirit Orbs. The Goddess gives him strength. It seems she has no trouble speaking to him. Why had her own blood gone unanswered for so long?

To Korok Forest.

The Master Sword drains him severely. It feels like he's about to collapse, right before the blade comes free of the stone. The handle feels like an old friend in his grip.

The Deku Tree congratulates him.

Zelda, then, tells him of trials. The Master Sword does not have its full power, quite yet. The Deku Tree elaborates a bit more.

Link takes the trials. It's... not as difficult as he was expecting. Fighting monsters in bad conditions? He's been doing that since the beginning. They give him the tools he needs to survive, and all he needs is patience, then.

Three trials, and the Master Sword shines brilliantly.

There are still many shrines left. And there are still memories to unveil.

A painter in Kakariko is able to shed light on the locations of a few pictures. Link heads to the Dueling Peaks, finding a pair of shrines that each contain the other's answer. From the southern, taller peak, he can see the flooded ruins of what was once Deya village.

Another memory, underneath a tree. Rain, and Zelda, feeling the weight of her responsibilities.

The next memory isn't too far away. Across the river, down the road, near to a lake. A bright, sunny day, as Zelda talks about Vah Rudania. Created by people, something that could be understood. She asks Link if he has heard the voice that supposedly belongs to the Master Sword.

It is warm and comforting, in his hands. But if the blade speaks, he hears nothing.

He continues, of course. Hyrule Field is significantly less threatening, now, compared to how it was before. Daruk's Protection is ever-ready, but it proves unnecessary as Link cleaves the Guardians apart. Past the tower and in front of the ruins of Castle Town is a broken stone stage and another memory.

A ceremony. Zelda cites statements of ascendance and blessing. The Champions watch on. The air is somber, and Zelda falters slightly before continuing. The Champions talk, and Link can't help but overhear. To the Zelda of then, Link is a reminder of her own failures.

It occurs to him that in all these memories, he's not seen her smile.

The Castle is just ahead. Link will have to go there, eventually. One of the pictures, however, was taken from within it.

Will she be smiling, in it? In her home?

There is no harm in investigating the castle, even if he isn't ready to fight Calamity just yet, he decides.

The Castle is overrun with Malice, corrupted Guardians, and monsters. The rest of Hyrule has healed, but not this place. This place is dead, and Calamity is stubbornly keeping it that way.

There's a shrine, under the castle. A good place to enter from. The memory is up near Zelda's study.

She is smiling. A Guardian follows directions, uncorrupted. Zelda is happy, and excited, talking to Link about it. Then her father, King Rhoam, enters, and suddenly, she isn't happy anymore.

He heads west, after the castle. The Ridgelands are not easy or pleasant terrain, but they're far from the worst. Thundra plateau is unpleasantly wet and dangerously stormy, but he handles the challenge.

North-east of the tower is one memory, and far south is another. The first, and Zelda is excited, showing Link flowers and plants, talking about their uses. The Silent Princess, which she loves, but which refuses to be tamed. Then she sees a frog and tries to feed it to him.

The second, and they're riding on horses. Mount Lanayru towers in the distance, and Zelda tells him she plans to travel there in order to pray at the third and final spring. She hopes it will awaken her power.

But Link already knows it doesn't.

He heads towards Tabantha.

The canyon is massive, and it is late as he crosses the bridge. A wall of heat and power, and the third Dragon, Dinraal, sweeps underneath. Another scale to offer.

Fortunately, there's a shrine nearby, just up a ridge. Even more fortunately, a memory lays with it.

Zelda is... frustrated. She insists on not needing an escort. She does not like the him-of-then. He follows, even though she snaps at him for it. They eventually become friends, he knows, but it still hurts.

Two memories left.

He takes a brief detour to the Spring of Power to offer Dinraal's scale, and then continues from the previous shrine.

Tabantha tower is ringed with Malice.

Rito Village is north of it. Vah Medoh circles above.

"Impressive, I know."

Revali... had been kind of a jerk, actually.

Perhaps unfair. Revali was, in a word, prideful, but that pride had been earned. Not a leader, not royalty, no special blood, just an unending determination to be better. The Rito's greatest warrior.

There's a shop, selling warm clothes. Rito feathers are amazingly warm. Hebra will be no challenge, now.

He eventually finds his way to the Flight Range. Teba, a white-feathered Rito, is practicing there, preparing to attack Vah Medoh and bring it down. Link offers his help, and after proving his skill, Teba allows him to join.

Vah Medoh has a barrier that's ringed with cannons. Link destroys them, but Teba takes a hit to his leg and must leave.

Going alone, again.

But he isn't alone, of course, as Revali is quick to direct him.

Terminals. Main Control Unit. Vah Medoh is larger than Vah Rudania or Vah Ruta by far, but Link makes his way through.

The third abomination materializes.

"Good luck." Revali says. It killed him, but Revali assures it was only because he was winging it. "I can't believe I'm actually saying this... But, you must avenge me, Link!"

And so he does.

Windblight is accurate, with a weapon that fires fast. Link, however, is agile, and he still has quite a number of Bomb Arrows left over from destroying Vah Medoh's cannons.

Anger, fury, hate. Doesn't help it.

The Bomb Arrows bring it down. The Master Sword parts the Malice that is its flesh with ease. It dies.

Revali is flamboyant.

His Gale settles in place.

Revali acknowledges him. It had only taken both of them dying.

Vah Medoh settles on the spire of Rito Village. The third red targeting laser marks the throne room.

The last Divine Beast, Vah Naboris, is in the desert. Link does not head directly there, not just yet. There's only two pictures left, and one of them is an oasis in that desert, but the other is a forest.

Pikango the painter directs him to the latter.

That memory is... hard to bear. It's raining heavily. Link has the Master Sword in one hand, and clutches Zelda's hand with his other. They're both filthy, covered in mud. She falls to her knees in despair, and he kneels in front of her. She blames herself for everything that's happened.

Link can only hold her as she cries.

It takes a few hours, before he gets moving, again. He's so close to ending it, anyway.

To the desert, he goes.

Kara Kara Bazaar holds the final memory. Zelda, chased by assassins. The red-clad Yiga, come to claim her life when she left the safety of Gerudo Town. They came so close before Link arrived. One assassin drops. The other two leave, in fear of their lives.

It had been after that that she'd truly tried to make friends with him.

He heads to Gerudo Town.

Men, Voe, are not allowed in Gerudo Town.

He ends up back in the Bazaar, wearing Gerudo clothes that are... perhaps too familiar on his skin. It isn't quite memory that makes Link shift his body language, but he realizes that he's worn this before. Why? Who had taught him? For what reason?

Who could answer?

Back to Gerudo Town. The guards don't bat an eye. Nor do the shopkeepers. The only one that realizes that there Link is not a Vai is the young Chief, Riju, a small child.

Riju sends him after a Gerudo artifact, the Thunder Helm, which was stolen. Guards and soldiers end up informing him that it was the Yiga, and from there, he tracks the Yiga down to a hideout in a nearby canyon.

Sheikah clothes come in useful inside the hideout. There's a captured Gerudo soldier, who provides him with some useful information. The Yiga are assassins, but he is apparently better at it than they are. The moment they turn their back to him, they get a blade in it.

Bananas, it turns out, are their weakness. Throw one in front of them, and they just can't resist going after it.

There's plenty of chests and precious gems, but the Thunder Helm isn't inside the hideout. A fake wall opens out into a wide area with a deep pit.

The Yiga Clan's leader appears, then. He's... odd. Not at all what Link is expecting. Fat and silly. Still a murderer, and woefully unprepared to deal with Link.

The Thunder Helm is retrieved. Riju puts it on.

"Ah, well... You certainly got here fast."

Urbosa. Tall and strong. Furiously dangerous, and yet, she cared. For Zelda, so young, yet bearing so much weight. The daughter of a dear friend, who she wouldn't have hesitated to take as her own if she could.

Riju and Link ride out the next morning. The Thunder Helm shields them from the lightning strikes of Vah Naboris, and Link sends Bomb Arrows into the legs.

Terminals. Control Unit. Repeat.

The fourth abomination takes form.

"Stay on your edge, Link!" Urbosa proclaims, announcing her killer. "Fight for your life... And its death!"

Thunderblight is larger than Link but smaller than the rest of its kin. It is a devilishly fast creature, jumping around so quickly that it blurs.

Link is grateful, then, that he came here last. It's fast enough that it troubles him, and it's only finely honed instinct that allows him to parry its lightning-quick attacks. It gets worse when it draws upon Naboris' lightning, and he's quite grateful that he came prepared with shock elixirs.

The battle is not long, but it is definitely the most furious. Neither allow the other a moment of respite, but Link is the one who emerges victorious as the Master Sword bites into Thunderblight's neck.

Urbosa congratulates him.

Her Fury settles in place.

Calm, steady- until the moment came, and then everything was unleashed. Just like Urbosa.

Vah Naboris climbs the cliffs, and the fourth laser marks its target.

There are still shrines to find. Hebra has yet to be really explored, and the Gerudo Highlands are much the same. Zelda's voice rings in his ears, and she tells him to head back to where it began, the Shrine of Resurrection.

He will, but first, he travels to Kakariko.

Impa gives him one final destination. One last memory. The Ash Swamp, which he had been past multiple times before.

He goes.

The last memory is... His last memory. He is exhausted, wounded horrifically, surrounded by Guardians, the Master Sword chipped rusted and broken, but still, he doesn't give up. Zelda is right behind him, and he will protect her. She begs him to run, to save himself. A Guardian approaches.

She pushes him out of the way, so desperate. There's a flash, of beautiful golden light, and the Guardians all collapse, purged of Calamity's influence. Safe.

But with nothing to fight, Link can't keep on. He collapses, and Zelda rushes to his side, cradling him. He'll be okay, she insists, even though he knows that he's already on the edge of death.

His eyes close. He doesn't have the strength to move. A pulse at his side, and he hears the barest whisper of a voice. A man shouts for the Princess, and he hears a final order before he truly falls unconscious.

The Sheikah are entrusted with his life. They will take him to the Shrine of Resurrection.

And so Zelda approached Calamity all on her own.

He had been prepared to give his life for her.

And, really, he had given his life for her.

Link doesn't remember moving, after that. Doesn't remember going to sleep. He wakes up in the nearby stable, at dawn.

He is so, so close to saving her. Soon.

He goes back to the Shrine of resurrection.

Another set of trials await. A Sheikah Monk announces themself, Maz Koshia. A weapon is presented, and it sucks the life out of him when he picks it up.

One hit, one kill. Both for himself, and for his enemies.

They don't stand a chance.

More shrines, different, taller, appear. Four of them, and the weapon is replaced. A new set of challenges; four locations marked on his Slate.

Kass meets him at every one of them, somehow. His presence activates the new platforms, and each one in turn activates three shrines. He completes them, and gains emblems of the Divine Beasts. With all three, he's allowed to challenge the Blights again.

Proving himself against them, Maz Koshia summons him back to the Shrine of Resurrection. It descends into the ground, revealing even more Sheikah constructions. Another set of puzzles, and in solving them, he can open the door that awaits.

Maz Koshia is on the other side, inside the same stasis cubes that surrounded all the other monks.

Then his finger twitches. A hand clenches into a fist. None of the Sheikah Monks had ever moved, but Maz Koshia stands up with a smooth movement that sends chills down Link's spine.

The Final Trial, the Sheikah Monk announces, is a battle with Maz Koshia.

It is by far the hardest battle he's faced, so far. Maz Koshia is skilled, powerful, agile, and has a pile of Sheikah techniques to deploy. He makes clones, tilts the battlefield, grows to immense size and strength, summons a wall of spiked balls, creates tornadoes, disappears and reappears freely, and even charges power in exactly the same way as a Guardian does.

Link wins. It's the nearest battle he's ever faced.

Maz Koshia presents him with an Ancient contraption for the victory.

There's only a few more Shrines left. The moment is approaching. The Master Cycle Zero is more than up to the task of getting him to where he needs to go.

In an ancient temple, he completes the last shrine. The Monks reward him for the effort, gifting him clothes that he's never worn but which are so familiar that it almost hurts.

The moment is here.

Link goes to the Castle.

There's a mass of Malice in the throne room, pink and red and black, that pulsates like a heart.

Calamity Ganon bursts free. It's a hideous thing, malformed, spider-like and oozing.

Link is ready.

So are the Champions.

Blue light streams from above. Calamity Ganon looks up as Sheikah energy concentrates, and then bursts, raining down upon him with all the righteous fury the Divine Beasts can muster.

Calamity Ganon collapses, but it isn't dead. Not yet. It draws itself back up, howling.

Link draws the Master Sword.

Calamity had, clearly, learned nothing from its Blights. All the same powers and abilities, but it was still large, and still too cumbersome. Link, too agile.

It's not a long battle, weakened as Calamity Ganon. It screeches as it dissolves, pink Malice rushing up, out of the chamber they find themselves in. Zelda's power concentrates, and Link appears with a flash of golden light in front of a storm of swirling evil.

Ganon has given up on becoming anything more than a beast. It's a massive, terrible thing, but devoid of anything other than rage and power.

Zelda sends him the Bow of Light. Her power rends open the Malice that surrounds his body, and Link fires arrows into the gaps, weakening it.

Finally, they reach the final moment. Zelda forces open the core of the Dark Beast's being.

Link breathes in. Time slows. The arrow of light is loosed.

Ganon disintegrates, again.

Zelda appears, haloed with golden light and the Goddess' power. Calamity swirls around, trying, one last time, to attack.

Zelda holds up her hand, resolute, determined. A golden sun blooms, and Ganon howls as it is banished from the world.

Zelda stands, and Link, slowly, approaches.

"May I ask... Do you really remember me?"

Link smiles and laughs so hard he cries. Zelda does the same as the sheer relief hits her.

Where do they go from there? Onwards, of course. Zelda is filthy, and hungry, and so very tired, but Link will help. He takes her to a river, and with a Great Flameblade to heat the water, she bathes while he cooks. He gives her some of his clothes and she burns that filthy white dress that she's hated for a hundred years. She can barely stay awake, so Link encourages her to get what rest she can while they ride to Kakariko.

It takes a day or so. Kakariko is quite far. Link doesn't push the horse past what it can take.

So they ride into Kakariko. Everybody already knows, of course. Nobody could miss the light that the Divine Beasts had unleashed upon Hyrule Castle. Everybody can see that the Malice is well and truly gone. Everybody saw that shining golden light banished the darkness.

The Princess and the Hero are greeted with cheers, and utter, beautiful relief.

Three days after it is all done, Link and Zelda converse, quietly, under a tree. There's a long future ahead of them. A people scattered, word to be given out. Things to be rebuilt.

Difficult, but nothing compared to what they've already faced. Link promises that he will be with her every step of the way, and Zelda hugs him close.

They sleep.

When they wake, the next day, it's with a bright smile and hope in their hearts.

That is the tale.

It's a good one.

...

But this is not that tale. This differs... just a bit. Most everything is the same, except for the ending.

It goes something like this:

Three days after it is all done, Link and Zelda converse, quietly, under a tree. There's a long future ahead of them. A people scattered, word to be given out. Things to be rebuilt.

Difficult, but nothing compared to what they've already faced. Link promises that he will be with her every step of the way, and Zelda hugs him close.

They sleep.

Then-

"Wake up, Link."

These are the words that begin a lengthy tale.

It is a tale of a Hero, awoken, in a strange, ancient cave, with naught but a voice to guide him.

It is a tale of triumph. It is a tale of melancholy. It is a tale with an unfortunate beginning.

"Wake up, Link.", says the voice, and so the Hero does. He is so very confused, in these early moments, and it is only thanks to the voice that he's able to do anything at all.

He wakes, lying in a strange bed, blue liquid draining away from his body. He feels... not weak, but certainly drained. The room is sealed, and appears to be fashioned entirely from black and brown stone. There is light, and it comes from the stone, pulsing with shining blue.

He stands, and he sees not too far away a pedestal. It glows with blue light, and Link moves over to it. As he approaches, the pedestal shifts, and offers up to him a strange, rectangular device, also glowing with blue light. Lines of orange light pulse their way across it.

"That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber." The voice directs, and Link does so shortly. It takes only a moment before he's able to activate it.

A series of columns shift, and rise into the ceiling. A passage, opened.

Link moves. Two stone chests, and he finds a few tattered, threadbare clothes. Better than the undergarments he had been wearing, but not by much.

Another pedestal at the end of the next room, and the voice directs him to hold the Sheikah Slate up to it. He does so, of course, and the door opens. Sunlight shines into the room.

"Link..." The voice says, slowly. "You are the light -our light- that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now go..."

And so he does.

Outside is a picturesque view, lush green land, mountains in the distance, snowy peaks and an angry volcano both. A castle is also present, but it stands in stark contrast to the beauty of the world around it. There is a strange, dark, pink swirl surrounding it, and just looking at it brings a chill to everything that is good and right.

Evil.

The word cements itself in his mind as he sees it. It's a fact, one that he is as sure of as his own name.

He turns away.

The ground slopes downwards and to the right, from the entrance to the cave he'd emerged from. Not too far down is a fire, and a large, old man with a lantern and a cloak.

Link stares at him, and he may as well have swallowed Malice for how his stomach feels. It's only now, when he can feel the heat of the fire against his skin, the wind in his hair, his hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles were white, that he can think through the confused dread that's filled him since he woke up in that blue pool.

"Are you alright?" The old man asks, head tilting minutely as he directs a slightly worried gaze at Link.

Link swallows, and, slowly, sits down. He opens his mouth, and the sound that comes out is hoarse.

The old man quickly offers him a waterskin. Link, slowly, takes it.

"Drink." The old man says, carefully. "Slowly."

Link does.

It takes effort to swallow.

He takes three gulps.

Wordlessly, he hands the waterskin back, looking at the fire. He breathes in, shakily, and then out, still shakily.

"I-" His voice cracks. Link massages his throat, slowly. "I..."

"Take your time." The old man says, voice kind and steady.

Link sucks in another breath.

"King Rhoam." He says, and the old man jerks back in surprise, eyes widening beneath the hood. "Haven't we been here before?"

Chapter 2

The King blinks. Barely visible under the hood, but Link is short and that does rather help.

"You remember?" King Rhoam asks, slowly. "That is... good. Yes, good."

He straightens, and the old man vanishes with a burst of teal flame. King Rhoam, in his full regalia, now sits.

"Yes." King Rhoam nods. "You have been here before, Link. Not too often, I believe, but you did come up to this plateau a few times when you were in our family's service. Zelda personally brought you up here once, if I remember correctly."

Rhoam turns towards the castle, which means he misses the look that Link directs at him.

"You gave your life for my daughter." Rhoam spoke. "And she is giving hers for all of Hyrule. That monster is trapped within the castle by her power. I am afraid to say, but it has been one hundred years since Calamity appeared."

He turns back. Link seems horrified. Rhoam tries to give an encouraging look, but it comes out like a grimace, instead.

"I have no right to ask anything of you." Rhoam says. "You have already given so much. But, please-"

"I'll save her." Link says.

Rhoam blinks, and, tentatively, smiles. "You are a good man, Link. Hyrule doesn't deserve you." Rhoam stands up, and holds a hand out to the Hero. "Come. I can't help you very much, but I will do everything in my power to ease your journey."

And so Rhoam does. He gives Link food. He gives Link weapons. He gives Link shields. He provides bows and arrows, and a warm doublet for the colder areas. He shows Link how to use the Sheikah Slate, praising him on how quickly he picks things up.

"How did you learn how to use this?" Link asks, and this time, he gets an answer.

"I have been a spirit for one hundred years." Rhoam says. "I spent much of my time searching for ways to help Zelda. What I know now is the result of all that time. She'd have done better, I think. Zelda was always intrigued by such things. Yet another mistake I made..."

Rhoam directs him to the tower. Link activates it, again. It rises, just like how he remembered.

"It would be reckless to head directly to the castle at this point." Rhoam says, as the map appears on the slate. "Your slumber has taken a lot from you. We all thought it would take your memories, too..."

Link remembers when it did.

"See that shrine?" Rhoam points over the edge of the tower. "If my research was correct, then the shrines on this plateau are special. Supposedly, they contain runes for the Sheikah Slate. There are also Ancient Sheikah Monks inside. They have been waiting for ten thousand years for a Hero of Courage to appear. If you complete their trials, they should give you the Spirit Orbs they have held for so long. Those will help you regain your strength."

Link nods.

"Take this." Rhoam hands the Paraglider. "You have more use for it than I do."

It's a departure from before. Link... feels grateful for that.

The shrines are the same. The decayed Guardian is the same. The Talus, the same. The Monsters, the same. But with King helping so much more, it's accomplished far quicker.

"Go to Kakariko." The King says. "Impa is much older, now, but she still lives. She will be able to help you."

Link nods.

The King smiles. A tinge of melancholy enters his expression, and he turns back to the castle. "There is much I wish I could say. Much, I wish I had said. In the castle library, there is a false shelf. Behind it is my private study. I am not certain if my diary has survived all this time, but, if it has, then, when all of this over, please give it to my daughter."

"I will." Link agrees.

The King fades away.

Link looks at the castle.

"I must ask..." Zelda's voice says, slowly. "Do you really remember me?"

"Yes." Link answers.

"I am... very glad to hear that." Zelda sighs in pure relief. "Don't rush here, Link. Calamity is a terrible beast. Take your time. Find the shrines. Free the Divine Beasts. I will hold for as long as you need."

"I'll be there as soon as I can."

Zelda laughs.

Link goes to the statue in the temple. The Goddess' voice echoes. She gives the same greeting as he remembers. The same offer.

Link... pauses.

"Did you send me back, Goddess?" He asks. "Did I do something wrong, before?"

The Goddess doesn't answer.

Several minutes and several questions, and no closer to answers.

But she's obviously still listening, because Link offers the Spirit Orbs and she takes them.

Why?

There is no way to get an answer.

Link goes to Kakariko.

"You're finally awake." Impa smiles. Her eyes trace up and down his form, before meeting his own gaze. "You know who I am, don't you?"

"Yes." Link answers. He then takes a seat, crossing his legs underneath him in that particular way that those who learned from the Sheikah were taught.

Impa's smile widens at the sight. "We had worried that the Shrine of Resurrection would take your memories, but it appears you went through it intact."

"The King said something similar." Link agrees.

One of Impa's eyebrows raises. "Rhoam?"

"His spirit lingered." Link explained.

Impa's eyes closed. "Hmm. Of course it did. Rhoam had many regrets, before his death." She sighs, and then hops off of her pillows. "Come. Let's get you something more intact than those ratty clothes."

Paya squeaks as they walk out the door. Dorian and Cado snap to attention, both looking startled. Lasli the greeter stumbles her way through the greeting. Claree the shopkeep startles badly.

"Everybody seems terrified of you." Link can't help but note.

"Nothing of the sort." Impa scoffs. "I simply don't get out very much these days."

Impa then proceeds to command Claree's assistance with a new outfit. The way the younger Sheikah woman instantly jumps to assist casts doubt on Impa's words.

"No need for the tunic." Impa says. "I have your Champion's Tunic."

"Throw it in anyway." Link requests from Claree, before pulling out several gems that the Talus had kindly donated to his cause. "And the Sheikah set, too."

Claree smiles.

Impa scoffs, again, at the sight of the gems, but this time it's filled with that particular mix of exasperation and fondness that she used to reserve solely for Zelda. "Somehow, your hoarding tendency is even worse than it used to be."

Link escorts her back to her house. Impa gives him the light blue Champion Tunic. She tells him to head to Hateno, and visit Purah.

He does, but not before first visiting Cotera.

Having learned from last time, he acquires a torch and lights a blue flame before he goes up the hill.

Purah is... significantly less restrained, this time. She greets him with a happy 'Linky!', before immediately pivoting to ask him if he lit the furnace with the blue flame.

"You must've come out of the Slumber of Restoration in good shape!" Purah says.

"Yes." Link says, before asking a question he didn't get an answer to, last time. "Purah, why are you six?"

Symin exhaled, hiding a chuckle in the corner of the room.

Purah waved her hands, as if such a small thing like why a woman over a hundred years old looked like a young child was completely irrelevant. "Oh, there was a small accident with anti-aging runes, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, you remember?!"

Link leans back, a little, in the face of her enthusiasm. "Yes."

"Hmm. Interesting." Purah pulled a book from the table, and scribbled in it. "Contrary... to expectations... the subject... maintains... memories... after... Slumber of Restoration. I could have sworn I read the warnings right, you know. It explicitly mentioned the loss of memories."

"Maybe something went weird." He said, because sometimes, the only method of distracting Purah's technological enthusiasm was to direct it. "Purah, Impa sent me here to get help with the Slate."

"Snap!" Purah flicked her hands up. "She sent you to the right place!"

In short order, she fixed the Slate up. Not too different from last time.

Except...

"Also-" He says, activating the Slate and scrolling to its inventory. "- I picked up a few things. Can you do anything with them?"

Ancient Screws, Gears, Springs, and Power Cores materialize alongside a pile of glittering golden Rupees. This time, he knew she could make use of them.

Purah grins. "Linky, you are a darling."

Link heads back to Kakariko.

"Did you know that Purah is six, now?" He asks, because he honestly hadn't thought to ask this, last time.

Impa sets down her tea, slowly. "Purah is what?"

That would be a no, then.

"Impa asked if you still have the anti-aging rune research." He informs Purah, who cackles.

Last time, Link headed up to Zora's Domain.

This time, he doesn't. This time, he sweeps south of Hateno, travelling across Necluda before heading west into Faron. He did similar, last time, but in a different order, and the journey he took then meandered much more.

This time, he can go off of his memories of where and how the shrines are hidden. What had taken more than a month last time is cut down to two weeks, this time.

Link makes a point of dropping by Lurelin and picking up the Shock Arrows they have on sale there. He makes another point of acquiring the Hearty Durians near Faron Tower.

After that, though, he does head back up to Zora's Domain. The threat of the East Reservoir Dam breaking and creating a flood is a rather considerable one, he feels, and he's already more prepared now than he was before.

Shrines, tower, Gruve the Zora who is scared of heights, bridge.

Sidon is a welcome sight. But nothing changes until he meets King Dorephan.

"You've done well to arrive here..." Dorephan's eyes flick to his side, over the Sheikah Slate, and then dart back up to his face. Link shifts his stance, slightly, straightening his back and bringing his heels closer together. Dorephan inhales sharply.

"Your Majesty-" His head tips in respect, before he looks back up and allows the barest ghost of a smile to cross his face as he finishes the sentence. "- Mipha's Dad."

Sidon's jaw drops, a little. Dorephan looks stunned, before he grins and erupts into uproarious laughter.

"Link!" Dorephan leans forwards, holding out a hand. Link takes one finger, which is all he can considering the sheer size difference. "The last time you said that, you were five."

Link nods.

"Wait." Sidon says. "You're the Hylian Champion!"

"Did you not tell him?" Dorephan asks.

Link shakes his head. "It's a little unbelievable."

Dorephan leans back, still smiling but now more subdued. "Yes. It is good to see you returned to us. From what I was told... you fell in combat, many years ago." His eyes flick over Link, again. "And you haven't aged a day, despite the hundred years between then and now. How is that possible?"

"The Shrine of Resurrection." Link says, and Dorephan's eyes widen before he lets out a sigh.

"You did truly fall, then..."

"I'm not... sure if I truly died." Link prefers not to think about it at all, actually. "But I would be dead without it."

King Dorephan nods, slowly. A few seconds pass in silence as Dorephan closes his eyes and rests his head against his throne. "I regret to ask this, but your timing is fortuitous, Link. Do you remember Vah Ruta?"

"About that..." Link begins.

Link explains.

"Zelda is alive?!" Dorephan exclaims.

"In Hyrule Castle." Link frowns. "She has been trapped with Calamity all this time. Her power is the only thing that has held the beast back."

Dorephan gives a considering hum. "All this time... And she has sent you to us. I am sorry to ask, but I must request you lend us your strength."

Finally, Muzu can't take it. He's been silent so far, but this, then, is enough to break it. Muzu repeats much of what he said, last time. But...

"It is their fault-" Muzu begins-

"No." Dorephan interrupts, sharply, and Muzu shrinks under the tone. "The blame lies solely and completely upon the Calamity."

"Nobody wanted this." Link said.

"Easy for you to say!" Muzu snaps. "You're not the one who is dead!"

"Muzu-" Dorephan rumbled.

"Mipha was my friend too." Link spoke, straightening. "Do you think I'm happy about this? I'm not. The last time I was in the Domain, Sidon came up to my thighs, his head fin dragged along the ground, and he was still terrified of diving from waterfalls."

Muzu scowls. "And how would you know-"

"Mipha told him." Sidon interrupted, and Muzu looked at the Prince. "I remember that. He and my sister... were often together."

Muzu scowls, but directs a look to Dorephan, who nods.

"I'll help with Vah Ruta." Link says. "Not just for Zelda, but for Mipha, too."

Dorephan smiles in thanks.

"And how do you intend to do that?" Muzu bites, only slightly less vitriolic than before.

Link turns towards the dam. His eyes trace the water that continues to spew upwards, and he looks up the mountain.

Shatterback Point is dark, against the rain, but still visible.

"I have a glider, now." Link said, eyeing the ridge. "Shatterback Point has the right kind of angle for it. If I dove off, I'd be able to hit all four of the mechanisms that control Vah Ruta's water generation in one volley."

"That's quite dangerous." Sidon says.

"There's another Lynel, there." King Dorephan interjects.

"Is it a red-mane like last time?" He asks. He already knows the answer, of course.

King Dorephan hums. It's a deep noise, coming from the massive Zora. "Yes." He agrees, slowly. "I do believe it is."

Muzu shifts, uncomfortably.

"Mipha was with me the last time I went up there." Link notes. "But I can handle a Lynel."

"It is a long trip up." Sidon said. "And in this rain, it would be very difficult for a Hylian to climb the rocks."

"There's a solution to that." King Dorephan stated.

Dorephan retrieved something behind him, and held it out to Link. The Zora Armor was tiny, in his grip.

"To give him that!" Muzu growled. "My King, that is too much! It was intended for-"

"Yes." Dorephan spoke. "And now, it reaches the one it was intended for. Put it on, Link."

Link does so. The Champion Tunic and Hylian hood vanish into blue light, stored in the Slate. The Zora Armor slid over him smoothly.

"A perfect fit?" Muzu questioned, before turning confused eyes to Dorephan.

"I trust that you understand the implications of this?" Dorephan asked Link.

"She never told me... that she was making something like this." He said. The White Heart Scale glittered in the light. After a moment, he looks up. "And there weren't any Zora I knew with my build."

"I was too young to understand, then, but I do, now." Sidon said, slowly. "Mipha loved you. Truly. This armor is proof."

Muzu slumps. "I..."

"Muzu." Sidon turns to the elderly Zora. "We still need Shock Arrows. You can see with your own eyes Mipha's feelings, so, please..."

Muzu sighs. "The Lynel."

Link goes and kills a Lynel. Link comes back with scores of Shock Arrows.

Vah Ruta hides underwater, unfortunately, so the jumping-off-Shatterback-Point plan is a bust.

Everything else goes like last time, except Link is even more efficient about it.

"Mipha." He says, just before she can give him her Grace yet again. "I... Do you have anything you want me to tell your family?"

Mipha smiles at him, sad and loving. "Tell them that I love them."

Her smile tinges with something sharp, a moment later. "And tell Sidon I saw his last triple backflip."

He's in front of the Domain.

Sidon collapses to his knees, hunching over. It's highly concerning, and the surrounding Zora stare blatantly.

"She saw?" Sidon whispers, horrified. "I'll never be able to show my face again..."

"It must have been a very bad flop." Dorephan observes, and Sidon lets out a sound that is either a deflating balloon, or his soul leaving his body.

Link awkwardly pats him on the back.

There's a feast, like last time. Unlike last time, this time, Sidon gives him a hug that is bone-creakingly tight. Dorephan thanks Link, sincerely, for conveying Mipha's words. Muzu apologizes, and begs his forgiveness. Link accepts.

Link goes to Akkala.

Link does not go to Death Mountain, unlike last time. This time, he's been to Faron, Necluda, Lanayru, and Akkala, and between them all, he's found more than enough shrines. He goes around and past it, into Korok Forest.

The Master Sword comes free of its pedestal, and the Great Deku Tree yawns.

"You're back." The Deku Tree says, and Link nods. "It is good to see you again."

"It's been a while." Link takes a seat. The Koroks swarm in, curious and playful and mischievous, and Link has to keep an eye on them to make sure they don't run off with anything.

"One hundred years since that day..." The Deku Tree agrees. "You remember us, Link?"

"Yes." Link says, and the Deku Tree smiles.

Three trials. The Master Sword shines brightly.

Death Mountain.

It doesn't change too much. Neither Yunobu or Bludo know him, and neither have any reason to check his own memories.

Vah Rudania. Fireblight.

"Can you tell the youngster I'm proud of him?" Daruk asks, and Link agrees without hesitation.

"I think I saw Daruk." Yunobu says, afterwards. "He waved at me."

"You did." Link nods. "He's proud of you."

"You're an amazing person, aren't you, Link?"

Link goes to Tabantha. Rito Village.

Much the same could be said about Rito Village as Goron City.

Vah Medoh. Windblight.

"There's a target on the wrong angle." Revali says.

Link raises an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me like that!" Revali snaps. "It's been annoying me for years, now. I set the range up to challenge my skills, not let it teach bad habits!"

Link goes to Gerudo Desert.

He doesn't actually make it into the desert itself before there's a swirl of paper or laughter. The Yiga assassin is easily dealt with, but it reminds him about the whole sequence of events.

Link has arrived at the desert weeks earlier than he had last time. Link isn't entirely sure when the Thunder Helm had been stolen, last time, but it will be needed.

Link heads towards the hideout.

Barta the captive Gerudo is not there, but there are more than a few Yiga, and Link does end up acquiring the Helm regardless.

Link goes to the Bazaar, and then heads to Gerudo Town.

"Sav'aaq, vator sas qou'vasa shivaka." Link greets. It's an older and more formal greeting than would be used in this day and age, and that catches Riju's attention because not only is the Gerudo language not particularly well-known by outsiders, that particular greeting was even rarer.

"You're no simple traveler, are you?" Riju's eyes flick over Link. She stares at the Sheikah Slate for a moment, and then stares longer at the hilt of the Master Sword, peeking over his shoulder. Her eyes come then to his face, what little of it is visible through the Gerudo Veil, and she scans with intent curiosity.

"My name is Link." He says. Riju's eyebrows knit together a moment before she puts together the clues offered, and she leans forwards with delighted intrigue. "And I come to return something stolen from the Gerudo."

Link takes one step. Fifteen paces is the respectful distance, and he reaches it as he kneels and presents the Thunder Helm.

Her expression doesn't change, but only because she's too shocked to realize it should be changing. Buliara tenses, but Link has been respectful, with greetings offered in their own tongue using words that are not taught to outsiders.

Buliara approaches, but Link doesn't move. She takes the Thunder Helm, examines it, and then presents it to Riju.

She holds it up, and the Thunder Helm shines.

Her eyes flick back to him. "You must have quite the story."

"It's a bit of a long one." He warns.

Riju releases her guards, and she, Link, and Buliara head upstairs.

Link tells a story.

"And in the end, you found this, hidden by the Yiga." She holds up the Thunder Helm.

"I've seen Urbosa wear it, once or twice." He says. "It wasn't hard to recognize. There's nothing quite like it."

"No." Riju agrees. She examines it closely. "It truly can protect against Naboris' lightning?"

"Urbosa's, too." He states.

She directs a look at him. "I can't be what you expected."

"Riju." He began. "I respected Urbosa greatly. I also once saw her challenge Daruk to a drinking contest, lose badly, ride a sand seal into a patch of voltfruit, declare war on cactus spines, claim to be the strongest Vai who ever lived, then headbutt a brick. The brick won."

Riju stares at him, enraptured.

"You are doing great." Link says.

"You are my favorite person." Riju declares with a smile.

Vah Naboris. Thunderblight.

"Of all the stories you could have given to encourage her..." Urbosa looks away, face flushed. "Did it have to be that one?"

"Would you have preferred the Molduga?" He asks.

Urbosa blanches. "I'd like at least some of my reputation intact. That one was fine."

Kakariko. The plateau. The Divine Beast Tamer Trials. Maz Koshia. The Master Cycle Zero. The last of the shrines.

The Castle.

The library, where one of the bookshelves can be moved. The King's private retreat. An old diary, filled with regrets and unspoken thoughts and intentions that were brought to an end through death before they could ever see the light of day.

Ganon.

Zelda.

She steps towards him, reaching out, and he takes her hand. His thumb rubs over her palm.

She sniffles, and Link draws her into a hug. His Tunic grows wet.

"I've missed you." She says.

"I've missed you." He says.

She giggles, and snorts, and it's so far from the ladylike demeanour always forced upon her that he can't help but chuckle.

"It's not funny." She says, but she begins to laugh all the same.

Her eyes are red, but she's smiling.

There's a lot they both want to say. Sagas of words, meaningful and regal in their weight.

"I'm filthy." Is what Zelda actually says.

"You haven't had a bath in a hundred years." Link agrees, and she huffs.

"Don't say it like that!"

"It's true." Link insists. "River is this way. You can wash up, and then we can head to Kakariko."

"It'll be freezing." She replies.

He holds out a Flameblade.

"You're absurd." She tells him.

A half-day, and they're at Kakariko. Even The rumbling roar of the Master Cycle's machinery can't wake her, it turns out.

One day.

Two.

Night of the third.

"Are you sure you want to stay? It will be quite cold." Zelda asks, yawning.

"I think... I will stay awake a while longer." He says. Zelda tilts her head at him, curious, and he shrugs, gesturing at the stars.

Her eyes soften. "Of course. There's always tomorrow, after all."

He smiles, nods, and definitely doesn't show how those words freeze the blood in his veins.

"Good night, Link." She leaves.

Link waits a while, and then checks the Sheikah Slate.

9:30.

Link looks at the stars. They are indeed quite beautiful.

10:30.

It's calm. Pretty. Serene.

11:00

He forces himself to relax.

11:30.

He's so tense he'll be feeling it in the morning.

11:55

Nothing.

11:59

Then-

"Wake up, Link."

These are the words that begin a lengthy tale.

It is a tale of a Hero, awoken, in a strange, ancient cave, with naught but a voice to guide him.

It is a tale of triumph. It is a tale of melancholy. It is a tale with an unfortunate beginning.

"Wake up, Link.", says the voice, and so the Hero does. He is so very terrified, in these early moments, and it is only thanks to the voice that he's able to do anything at all.

He wakes, lying in a strange bed, blue liquid draining away from his body. He feels... not weak, but certainly drained. The room is sealed, and appears to be fashioned entirely from black and brown stone. There is light, and it comes from the stone, pulsing with shining blue.

He stands, and he sees not too far away a pedestal. It glows with blue light, and Link moves over to it. As he approaches, the pedestal shifts, and offers up to him a strange, rectangular device, also glowing with blue light. Lines of orange light pulse their way across it.

"That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it. It will help guide you after your long slumber." The voice directs, and Link does so shortly. It takes only a moment before he's able to activate it.

A series of columns shift, and rise into the ceiling. A passage, opened.

Link swallows.

"Zelda?" He asks, and there is a notable pause before the Princess responds.

"Do you know who I am, Link?"

"Yes." Link agrees.

"... Forgive me, but I must ask... Do you really remember me?"

"Yes. Princess."

There's a brief pause. A noise, like she just took a breath. "I am... very glad to hear that." She sighs in relief.

'Oh.' Link thinks. 'Oh no.'

Chapter 3

Link kneels at the statue of the Goddess. "Please!"

Link begs for guidance, but the Goddess only repeats her offer. Never any words other than those.

"At least a sign..." His head falls. He wants answers.

But, Zelda. Link can't stay there forever, and Calamity needs to fall. Again.

Last time, clearly, hadn't put an end to this. An exact repetition wouldn't solve anything. Link goes to Kakariko, and then to Hateno, and then through Necluda and Faron.

He's faster than either of the times before.

Link does not go to Zora's Domain. He goes to Akkala, and then Hyrule Field, and then to Korok Forest.

The Master Sword. Trials.

Then, Zora's Domain.

"You arrived just in time." King Dorephan says. "Any later, and it would have been a disaster."

Link nods. He already knew. He'd made damn certain he would arrive before the problem boiled over into something disastrous.

Vah Ruta.

"Mipha's spirit still lingers." He says to Dorephan. "I'd like to stay, but the other Champions need to be freed too."

Dorephan nods, accepting that. He wishes Link well. Link leaves, even though he wants to stay, but he's done this before and doing it yet again feels... wrong.

Death Mountain. Vah Rudania.

Rito Village. Vah Medoh.

Gerudo Town. Vah Naboris.

Divine Beast Tamer Trials. Maz Koshia. The shrines.

Castle. Ganon. Zelda.

One day.

"You went straight to her." Zelda says, looking at the Master Sword. "Well- not straight to her, because you went to shrines, first, but you went right to her after you had the strength to wield her. Was she calling for you?"

"No." Link shakes his head, but pauses, afterwards, to amend that. "Or if she was, I couldn't hear anything."

He looks at her for a moment, before drawing the Master Sword. Zelda looks up at him, in curiosity, before he gestures to the blade again.

"Can you still hear her?"

Zelda's lips purse as she considers the question. She reaches out with a hand, resting it upon the blade. "Are you still there?"

The Master Sword pulses, a wave of light running down the blade. Link hears... something oddly like the harmonic tones the Guardians occasionally make, but he can't make out any words.

Or perhaps, it's the Guardians that sound like it.

Zelda frowns. "I can't- I could hear you before, but your voice is muffled to me, now. I'm sorry."

Another pulsing wave of light.

"That's not too surprising, I suppose." Zelda thinks aloud. "After so much time with Calamity, it's only natural that my powers have faded."

She looks up to find Link staring at her. It's an oddly intense gaze, and Zelda blushes under it. "Is something the matter?"

"No." Link says, and looks away.

Is that the sign he's asked for? Is that the answer? Zelda's power has faded.

"There is nothing to be done about it, Link." Zelda says.

For her?

No.

He's gone back twice, now.

Does he just need to be quicker, so her powers drain less?

"Of course, Princess."

If that was the case, then the Goddess could have just told him that.

Two days.

Three.

Then-

"Wake up, Link."

Fourth time.

Link needs to be fast, apparently. So he is. He hurries. He stops taking the time to appreciate nature, stops gathering so much extra material that he doesn't need.

Kakariko, Hateno, Necluda, Faron, Zora's Domain, Akkala, Korok Forest, Death Mountain, Rito Village, Gerudo Town, Tamer Trials, Castle, Ganon, Zelda.

"Wake up, Link."

Link tries again. Faster. Less sleep. He's operated on worse, before. He's the Hero, regardless, and he can take more than most people can. Staying awake for nights on end is... not ideal, but he gets used to it.

"Wake up, Link."

There are a number of people who Link has helped. So much time that has been used, offering his assistance, finding materials, slaying monsters. He enjoyed it, to be honest. Helping people. A fairly common trait, for Heroes, but something he likes to think he'd do regardless.

Maybe... Maybe some of the longer tasks could wait.

"Wake up, Link."

Link talks to a few less people. Kilton is a strange person with useful items, but Link doesn't need those, really. Finley can swim the Bank of Wishes herself. Sophia doesn't need him proving his skill with shield surfing.

"Wake up, Link."

The bandit, Misko, stole a series of relics and ancient items from the castle. Link had made a point of retrieving them, before, since they belonged to the Royal Family, and Zelda had been interested in more than a few of them. Some of them even proved useful for himself, but Link supposes he can always retrieve them later.

"Wake up, Link."

Tarrey Town is an endeavour that made him very, very happy. To see life and people flourish after the Calamity was a reward that filled his heart with joy, but it took... so long. So many people to convince, so many trees to cut down, so much time waiting for Hudson to actually build the new homes, and then the marriage...

Always later.

"Wake up, Link."

He didn't really need to go to all the shrines, did he? Sure, he'd be at his best, but Ganon is a familiar opponent, by now, and he doesn't need it, so long as he was careful.

"Wake up, Link."

He didn't really need to go to all the Fairy Fountains, did he? Their blessings and enchantments were useful, but he was skilled enough to not really need them, right? He could always come around and get Kayasa, Mija, and Tera the Rupees they needed, afterwards.

"Wake up, Link."

He didn't really need to do the Tamer Trials, did he? The Master Cycle Zero was useful, certainly, and the strengthening of the Champion's Gifts were the same, but he could get by without, surely?

"Wake up, Link."

"You're as taciturn as ever." King Dorephan comments.

"I'm sorry." Link apologizes. He is subdued, but this is the thirteenth loop, and he's repeated heartfelt conversations so much that...

They're not fake. They're never fake. Goddess willing, they will never be fake.

But they are beginning to feel less real.

Done, over and over again. The first time for them, but it's adding up for him. It's hurting, more and more, and so he's becoming more... like he used to be.

Really, 'subdued' was... quite normal, back before the hundred years had passed. He had spoken so rarely, with so many expectations laid upon his shoulders when he was still so unprepared to deal with it. He'd needed to appear strong, so that people could rely upon him. Hiding his emotions and feelings was something he'd had a lot of practice in.

And, honestly, nobody else needed to know... this. They'd be happier, not knowing about something they couldn't help with anyway. If he succeeded, it wouldn't matter, and if he didn't-

If he didn't, it still wouldn't matter.

Two months.

"Wake up, Link."

Link drops a set of shrines from the list.

One week less.

"Wake up, Link."

Link drops even more shrines from the list. There's no real need to go to Gerudo Highlands, or to Hebra. He feels sorry for Naydra, enchained upon the mountain by Malice, but he can free the Dragon afterwards.

Another week less.

"Wake up, Link."

Link works out that he only needs twenty six shrines before his power is enough to recover the Master Sword, so long as the Divine Beasts are freed first.

Two weeks less.

"Wake up, Link."

Link does not do the Trial of the Master Sword.

A few hours less.

It's not much.

Every second is precious.

"Wake up, Link."

There's not a lot left that he can stop doing. He's following the shortest and easiest paths he can think of. He's on a schedule that would kill anybody that didn't have a Hero's endurance. He's fought Calamity Ganon seventeen times, and the sheer efficiency with which he now dispatches the monster is...

Something. Awe-inspiring? Horrific?

What else can he not do?

Do the Divine Beasts need to be freed beforehand?

So much time is devoted to them. Travelling, preparing to travel, to their locations. The actual Divine Beasts themselves are not arduous to deal with, and the Blights by now die in less than a minute, each. The Champions are shocked at his skill, now with even Revali acknowledging it.

But the Divine Beasts can't just be ignored. Vah Ruta is a short-term danger to Zora's Domain, and a much longer-term danger to all of Hyrule with the endless water it spills. Vah Rudania and Vah Naboris are lesser dangers, but the former still threatens everything in the vicinity of Death Mountain and the latter is slowly choking Gerudo Town with the sandstorm its presence stirs. Vah Medoh...

Vah Medoh usually has to be provoked. A danger mostly to the Rito that fly too high, rather than the land or its people.

If he was quick enough with Calamity, Vah Medoh could be freed afterwards.

It would mean leaving Revali's spirit alone, and while the thought leaves him feeling ill, it would let him save Zelda faster.

Ruta, Rudania, Naboris, Master Sword, castle.

Windblight materializes in the chamber, and while Link wasn't expecting that, he handles it regardless.

Ruta, Rudania, and Naboris all offer their assistance. Without Medoh, Calamity is less wounded, but Link has fought Calamity Ganon seventeen times now, and it changes nothing.

"You couldn't wait?" Zelda asks. "Not... that I'm ungrateful, of course. I'm really quite happy."

"I had to save you." His voice is soft. Every time he goes back, it feels like it takes more and more effort to just... speak. "Quickly."

She smiles, and shakes her head. "I could have held longer. Still, thank you, Link."

She hugs him.

He hugs back.

"It seems as though defeating Ganon freed Vah Medoh anyway." Zelda notes, pulling away.

Far in the distance, Vah Medoh's silhouette rested atop the spire of Rito Village.

"Good to know." She says.

He agrees. It assuages the guilt of leaving Revali behind.

It still hurts.

"Wake up, Link."

But still not enough for the Goddess, apparently.

Naboris can wait, certainly. Link wants to go there and settle Riju's fears, return the Thunder Helm to its rightful place, but Zelda...

It can wait.

Ruta. Rudania. Master Sword. Ganon. Zelda.

"Wake up, Link."

Still not enough.

Gorons are a hardy people. Yunobu's confidence can be built later.

Ruta. Master Sword. Ganon. Zelda.

"Wake up, Link."

Still not enough.

Sidon has family. He can apologize for all of his failures afterwards.

He feels like throwing up.

Master Sword. Ganon. Zelda.

"You're ridiculous." Zelda informs him. "I've always been holding you back, haven't I?"

"No!" His voice wavers. It's not very loud, but still louder than he's been in... several times. "I... couldn't do this without you."

She offers him a sad smile. "If I-"

"It isn't worth thinking about." He takes her hand.

Her mouth opens. Closes.

"No." She agrees. "No it is not."

Three weeks of travel. That's all it takes.

"Wake up, Link."

Link, for a dark, terrible moment, just wants to lie there. The stone of the Shrine of Resurrection is uncomfortable but it's better than this reality where he wakes up over and over and over and over again, and everybody meets him for the first time, over and over and over and over again.

But, Zelda.

...

There's only one thing left to leave behind. He's already leaving behind the other Champions, his friends, and all the people of Hyrule that he's met and who he wants to help but can't because it would just take too much time.

Can he leave behind the Sword that's bound to his very soul?

Link retrieves the sword. And then, doesn't use it.

"Why?" Zelda asks, staring at the hilt.

Link opens his mouth, but nothing comes out.

He looks down, hides his face, and shrugs.

The Master Sword itself isn't necessary.

"Wake up, Link."

It takes real effort to pull himself from the bed of the shrine. His body feels heavy and slow, and Link...

Link isn't sure how many more times he can take Zelda waking him up and not realizing that he's done this before. That he's saved her... what, twenty two times, now? That he's fought and killed the beast that ended the world, over and over and over and over, and that he doesn't know why the Goddess just won't let him stop?

This will not, however, be the last time that Zelda wakes him.

This is not the time where he makes the attempt. This is the time where he prepares to make the attempt. Link gets a few shrines, and then gets to testing.

"Wake up, Link."

Link exits the Shrine of Resurrection feeling... He doesn't even know what. Determination? Confidence? Anything at all?

He's half in a trance as he greets King Rhoam. He doesn't say much more than two or three word sentences, and barely even listens to what he's saying at all. Link honestly couldn't tell anybody what the King said, despite having a mostly one-sided conversation with him.

Link does the first shrine. Rhoam hands him the warm doublet. It's faster to acquire that than it is to properly prepare the food he'd need to raise his body temperature for the higher areas of the plateau.

Link does the second shrine. He runs past the decayed Guardian, because that's faster than fighting the thing, or climbing the walls to avoid it, so long as he rolls underneath the beam that traces its way after him.

Link does the third shrine. A boulder nearby is hit with Stasis, and Link climbs on to ride it up the cliff. He's worked out the exact amount of force he needs to go far, but not far enough that the fall will hurt him.

Link does the fourth shrine, and then warps back to the plateau's tower. Rhoam has already given him the paraglider, and Link, from the last time, knows what he's looking for already. Link acquires an axe, cuts down a tree, and then drags the trunk over to a slightly hilly part of the plateau, then goes to acquire what he needs from the monster camps.

"Link..." King Rhoam begins, slowly, as he stares at the pile of explosive barrels that Link is piling up next to the tree trunk. "What are you doing?"

Link points at the castle.

Rhoam stares at it a bit, confused, before his head snaps towards Link. "It would be reckless-"

Link looks up. Whatever Rhoam sees in his eyes silences him in an instant. The King takes a step back as he sucks in a breath, a half aborted curse leaving his lips. "What in the name of Hylia-"

The trunk flashes golden. Link tosses a Sheikah Bomb of his own, and the barrels detonate with a thunderous rumble. Link runs through the dust, and grabs onto the trunk.

The Stasis breaks, and the trunk goes flying off at such a speed that it's like being hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. Link wheezes and his vision blurs, but he holds tight because he'd been expecting it and he can't fail here and now.

The trunk won't make it to the castle, but it will take him most of the way there. He can use the Glider to cross the rest of the distance.

Guardian beams flash, but Link has a pot lid, a traveller's shield, and a few pieces of wood that used to belong to some Bokoblins. The Guardians die.

Monsters try to attack, but Link knows exactly where they are, where all the weapons in the castle are hidden, and, really, he's been through so much worse than them. The monsters die.

Link enters the throne room with a tattered shirt, trousers that have ripped completely, a pile of weapons, and desperate determination.

Ganon dies.

The fight blends with all the others. Moments after it's over, and he can barely remember it. Zelda turns, slowly, from where she had banished Ganon, and stares at him where he's kneeling on the ground. She's giving him a look that combines confusion, happiness, delight, and the shine of intrigue she gets whenever she finds a new subject to research.

It's been only a few hours since she woke him up. Most of it was set up, and Zelda saw everything.

"Link..." She opens her mouth, closes it, opens it again, pauses, closes it, and considers her words. She's a scientist, a philosopher, a scholar, the smartest person Link knows, with the royal upbringing that's left her with a gift for expansive language. Link can see on her face the storm of thoughts that run through her mind.

There are no words for this, he clearly reads, so Zelda opens her mouth and simply says: ���What?"

Link tries to breathe, but his throat is so tight that it feels like a golden Lynel is wringing his neck.

'Goddess, please.' He thinks. 'Please let that be it.'

And no matter how good he is at hiding his emotions, something must slip through the cracks, because Zelda's eyes fill with worry, and she takes a step-

Arms wrap around him. Warm.

Link collapses, and cries.