Chapter 17, Revelations

I punched Naga across the face before I even realized what I was doing, dumbfounded with myself as the Eternal Dragon was laid out, spinning thrice through the air before crumpling into a heap on the non-existent ground.

Oh crap, I just decked a goddess.

Then she floated upright, her kind smile timeless.

"Has this act abated thy anger, Champion?" Naga asked.

"To be honest … I think I got over my hatred of you a while ago," I confessed.

"Truly? Then what motive drove thy actions?"

I shrugged. "Double checking?"

Naga allowed herself a laugh. Looking closely, I saw the Eternal Dragon wasn't even injured at all. Hell, there wasn't a mark on her anywhere, and I'd decked her with everything I had. She wasn't upset about the punch either, as she continued to exude a sense of endless patience.

"Did you heal me?"

"Indeed."

"Well, thanks for that, I was pretty messed up. But where is this? Why am I here?" I asked, deciding to get to the heart of the matter. While I might not want to wring my dimensional kidnapper's neck, I wasn't about to get on my knees and pretend to be polite.

"Thou and I now inhabit the Inbetween, the silent void between dimensions," Naga replied.

"Where are my friends? Where's Robin?" I demanded.

"Safe," Naga assured, and I believed her. "I did request an Anna of the Outrealm to guide thy companions to a quiet realm of recuperation, where they anxiously await thy return."

"Are Nowi and Laurent okay?"

"Thou needn't worry, for Ashera's lesser antics were easily undone."

A goddess summing up another's extinction magic as "lesser antics"? There was totally a zing in there somewhere. Hold the phone, I might be forgetting more and more of the finer details about Fire Emblem Awakening as the years went by, but I distinctly recalled the scene where Naga told Chrom that neither she nor Grima were actual gods.

"I thought you weren't a god. Just a really powerful dragon," I said.

"Thou art not incorrect. The Naga of thy world doth indeed lack true divinity, but I am not she. You stand before the Naga, the Eternal Dragon, watcher and protector of this humble corner in this endless sea of stars, which thou knowest as the multiverse."

The idea of the multiverse, an infinite number of universes with infinite possibilities, didn't surprise me as much as I thought it would, likely because I'd already spent the last decade in an entirely different world.

However … "You said 'corner' of the multiverse? How much are we talking?"

"My domain doth encompass the many worlds thou knowest as Fire Emblem."

So in a way, this entity before me was so much more than a simple god. My hallucination likely wasn't a fanciful figment of my imagination after all, as I doubted Ashera—a goddess of one world—was a match for someone responsible for infinite worlds. Even if she called her little slice of the multiverse a "humble corner," 1% of infinity was still infinity.

"So you're definitely a god, or something greater. I believe it," I chuckled, glad Naga wasn't in a smiting mood after my abrupt knuckle sandwich. "You've even got the old timey dialect going."

"Does my diction trouble thee? If so … I am more than happy to speak in a manner you are more familiar with," Naga kindly offered.

"It's fine," I assured. "Stick with whatever you're comfortable with."

"I thank thee."

"So you've answered 'where' we are, but haven't gotten to the 'why'."

"I wished to speak with thee, my Champion," Naga said. "When thou mistakenly brought life to thy world's Outrealm Gate, it did transpose thee upon another realm by piercing the veil between dimensions. 'Twas through this wound in reality that thou entered my sight once more."

"… there's so much I want to ask I don't even know where to start."

"I too believe our meeting will be a lengthy one. Worry not, for I shall indulge thy every curiosity, regardless of the time thou requirest."

Sure, I'd love to get the answers to questions I'd been harboring for years, but … "I don't want to take too long. You said my friends are waiting for me."

"The river of time doth flow differently in the Inbetween. Years spent here would only take seconds elsewhere."

"This talk won't take years, will it?"

"Nay, Champion, it shalt not."

"Then let's get to it."

Naga nodded, and a pair of ornate chairs made from … I actually don't know. These seats looked like they were forged from galaxies, and were giving me a headache just from staring at them. Naga noticed this, and switched them out for simple wooden rocking chairs with a flick of her finger.

"Apologies," she said as she took her seat.

I shook the stars lingering from my vision as I staggered to mine; it was deceptively comfortable. "Do I want to know?"

Naga quirked a smile. "That explanation would require years."

"Right, no talking about the infinity chairs." I took a breath, holding it in far longer than I initially planned. My mind was ablaze with so many questions, I didn't know where to start. Ultimately, I could do little more than sigh as I summed up the totality of my feelings with a single word: "Why?"

Nevertheless, the Eternal Dragon understood the full weight of my inquiry.

"Thou first requirest context, the foundation upon which mine answers shall stand upon. Unlike many of my fellow Celestials, I cannot assuage myself with the role of but a mere observer. My love for my children doth not allow me to disregard their pain, so should a world underneath mine aegis be destined for destruction I guide it away from its path of ruin."

"That's … really nice of you," I admitted. "So you snap your fingers and make everything better?"

"Different worlds doth require different methods. Many needn't mine intervention, their destined heroes more than valorous enough to combat evil in all its wretched forms. They are not dissimilar to the 'games' thou art familiar with. Then there are the worlds which need but the gentlest touch: a prophetic dream to Prince Marth, warning him of the poisoned blades used by the pirates befouling Talys; a gust of wind to save Prince Ephraim from the bite of a stray arrow; a cloudy day, discouraging Queen Elincia from her morning walk and sparing her an opportunistic assassin's bodkin. And finally there are the uncommon few: the hopeless worlds, where events doth conspire to smother all embers of hope 'til there is naught but inevitable demise."

Her sorrowful gaze met mine. "Thy world is one such place."

I felt my hands clench into fists. "How?"

"There are many factors, most of which thou art intimately familiar with. Thou recalls Plegia's hiring of dastards and knaves to slay and pillage swaths of Ylissean lands? With Emmeryn yet endeavoring to bring stability to the halidom her father so nearly destroyed, her Ylissean knights would not yet subdue this threat 'til the damage was irreversible. Soon after, the treachery of the courts would conduct an act of social sabotage upon Emmeryn, further given aid by Gangrel's shadowed men. The malcontents within Ylisse's own nobility would descend upon her weakness, akin to vultures flocking upon fresh carrion. When they are done, Emmeryn is Exalt in but name alone, kept as only a visible figurehead for her people to openly despise. Once the war with Plegia is sparked, Ylisse's military is divided amongst the degenerates of her nobility, all of whom placing their personal safety high above the future of their halidom.

"And while Ylisse is at her weakest, Plegia hath never been stronger. The abominable use of their Risen doth allow Gangrel to fill his treasury with gold, and war stores with weaponry. Many of the desecrated dead are used as shock troops against Ylisse, sowing fear and chaos across many a battlefields. Then there are the Deadlords, uncovered and resurrected years before their original discovery, alongside the 12 Holy Weapons of Jugdral. They are Plegia's greatest war assets, claiming victory upon every battlefield they bloody. Those thou knowest as Shepards are felled, one by one, upon every engagement 'til none remain. The conflict between Ylisse and Plegia is not war, but a massacre.

"Yet worst of all would be the Heart of Grima." I tensed. Naga was painting one damn bleak picture for me, so how the hell could things possibly get worse? "As thou knowest, they were brought unto this world as twins; a male and female. Both were strong in the Fell Blood, yet did so fail to manifest the Brand of the Fell Dragon by the barest of margins. The blackheart Validar's vile ritual did more than alter thy Robin into a suitable Vessel; it did fortify her bond with Grima to a frightening degree. Upon her capture by the Grimleal, soon after the razing of Ylisstol, she is brought to the Dragon's Table and Awakened, and the Fell Dragon is revived in its most powerful Vessel yet, eclipsing even thy world's Divine Dragon in might. With naught but its Fell magic alone, Grima did shatter the entirety of Longfort before sweeping across the fields of Regna Ferox, bringing annihilation to all underneath the night of their wings. The kingdom of the Khans is razed in but seven days, and all by Grima's lonesome hand. Unopposed, the Wings of Despair doth cast their shadow upon the entirety of the world, dooming all life to inescapable extinction.

"That is the original fate of the world thou inhabits."

My jaw dropped underneath my mask. When I first awoke in this world, I thought there was nothing for me to do, because the protagonists would handle everything. I was wrong, so very, very wrong. I'd thought this world was a one-for-one duplicate of the Awakening game, but now knew it was a multiversal variant; one where the difficulty was cranked up to Lunatic+.

"And that's where I come in," I murmured, understanding where Naga was going with this. "You probably tried to make little changes here and there, only for shit to hit the fan time and time again. So you kidnapped some random shmuck—me—to save this world for you."

I felt like I should be angry, outraged that some hoity-toity higher being ripped me from my life to save one of her messed up worlds because she couldn't be bothered to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty … but I wasn't. Instead, I felt weirdly calm, accepting.

What's done was done, and bitching about it wouldn't change anything.

Instead, I ran a hand through my hair and asked, "Aren't you way more powerful than a typical god? I'm pretty sure I saw you pancake Ashera with your bare knuckles. Why not do the same with Plegia? You could drop a meteor on Validar and the rest of his fanatical Grimleal and call it a day."

Naga smiled sadly. "Near omnipotent I might be, but perfect I am not. My mistakes may very well outnumber the stars in every galaxy. 'Tis a harsh lesson I learned after many a millennium: the fate of humanity is best left in the hands of humankind. Too many times has my overt intervention hurt more than healed. 'Tis why I chose thou, a Champion blessed by my grace, to act in my stead."

I tilted my head. "Wait, what do you mean 'blessed' by your grace?"

Naga merely snapped her fingers.

[Ding!]

I flinched at the sound I thought I might never hear again.

[SYSTEM rebooting!]

[Receiving patch software! Updating to Version 2.0!]

[Installing firewall to prevent future malicious third-party access!]

[Update in progress!]

[1%...]

[… 2% …]

[… 3% …]

"It was you," I breathed, brushing aside the notifications. "You gave me the SYSTEM." In retrospect, this should've been blindingly obvious. Naga had already admitted she was responsible for bringing me to a Fire Emblem world in the first place, so it stood to reason the creator of the SYTSEM would be the same person. "I … well, thanks. It's been a bit of a pain, but the … your SYSTEM's saved my butt a fair number of times."

Yet the Eternal Dragon's response wasn't what I expected. Her smile vanished, eaten away by such guilt-ridden sorrow I was afraid tears might soon follow.

"What's wrong?"

"I … am thankful my blessing did serve thou well this time."

Alarms were going off like fireworks in my head.

"This time? What do you mean 'this time'?" I demanded.

While I was sure Naga didn't need to breathe, she took in a long and fortifying puff of air as she readied her response. "When I did first bring thou to my world, I delivered thee to the very field where the Prince and Princess of Ylisse would meet the Heart of Grima, at the start of which thou wouldst describe as 'cannon'. I did believe that would be the time and place where thou couldst accomplish the greatest good, yet instead my erroneous actions have aggrieved thee greatly, more than thou wilt ever realize."

"Wait … that's not …" My thoughts were racing faster than a Zora swimming up a waterfall. "That's not when I woke up! When I first opened my eyes, I was 10 years in the past!"

"Indeed," Naga readily admitted. "Thy voyage into the yesteryears were the resulting machinations of another."

I gripped the arms of my rocking chair so hard I was amazed they didn't explode into splinters; as expected of deity-worthy craftsmanship. The puzzle pieces were starting to come together, one at a time, with each of the Eternal Dragon's revelations.

She'd initially dropped me off in Timeline A, in the Doomed Timeline Laurent came from. I don't know how, but my Future-Self managed to fight his way through all the crazy trials and tribulations this bullshit Lunatic+ world threw at him, righting a plethora of wrongs until it damn near resembled the cannon timeline from the game. I'm sure he damn near succeeded in saving it to, right up until Grima's surprise revival. But even after he was mauled, disfigured, and cursed, Future-Me brought together the Shepard's future children, trained them, gave them the Legend of Zelda items he'd amassed, and successfully sent them into the past with the Divine Dragon's time traveling ritual.

"What did I do in the original timeline? How'd I fail to stop Grima's revival? What happened to me?" I asked Naga.

"I know not," the Eternal Dragon said mournfully.

I almost scoffed. "How's that possible? You're a multiverse-traveling deity that squashes regular gods like cockroaches. How do you not know?"

"When I delivered thee to my world, I trusted that thou wouldst herald its salvation; implicitly. Thus, I averted my gaze onto other worlds that needed my touch. 'Twas only after my lesser counterpart opened the time portal to the past did I sense the designs of another. Foreign energy not of mine own flooded thy world, altering the Divine Dragon's ritual. Rest assured, the children were unharmed, for they were not the target: thou were. The anonymous powers traversed the river of time, found the moment I placed thee in the world, and sent thee a decade further down the stream, resulting in the new timeline thou now lives in. Ever since, the foreign power hath obscured both worlds from my sight while scattering them across the endless labyrinth that is the multiverse. I have been searching for thee ever since. I ask thee for thy forgiveness, for I cannot tell thee what I do not know."

I needed a second, maybe a whole damn minute, to properly digest what I'd learned. The Naga in front of me might've been responsible for dropping me into one of her Fire Emblem Awakening worlds, but it was some other asshole that took advantage of the Divine Dragon's time portal to kick me a decade down the timeline.

Who? And why?

"Do you know who's responsible for this?" I asked.

Naga shook her head.

I slumped into my seat. "Well that's just great." I only hoped that whoever was guilty of this clusterfuck had done so for benevolent reasons. "So basically, because of … let's call them Manipulative-Bastard-X, you lost track of both my future self and me, and only recently found me because the Outrealm Gate spat us across the multiverse and into a Radiant Dawn world, thus catching your attention."

"Verily," Naga confirmed.

Ugh, what a mess. Have I mentioned how much I hate time travel? Because I do.

But this did explain why Laurent was unfamiliar with the fanciful titles the kingdoms had given me: because of the mysterious third party affecting my placement in this world, I was given 10 whole extra years to mess around with Timeline B. Ho boy, I kind of felt sorry for the future kids. Based on how reticent Laurent was with his knowledge of future events, it was obvious they'd made plans to best utilize said information in saving the world … except now their info was rendered redundant after all the changes I'd already made.

Whoops?

Still, I mustered up a tired laugh as I said, "At least there's one world out there that's grateful for your 'overt' intervention. Taking care of Ashera like that? You ended their big bad before Ike even got a swing at them." Then I saw how Naga flinched. "Uh oh, what's wrong now?"

The Eternal Dragon sighed. "Ashera was to be defeated by the Radiant Hero, so she and Yune could reunite and once more watch over Tellius as the goddess Ashunera. Yet mine actions have eradicated the Goddess of Order from reality, thus dooming their world to a slow and quiet, but ultimately unfortunate end. 'Tis a mistake I must rectify."

Yeah, that didn't sound good for Ike's world. I think I was starting to see what the Eternal Dragon meant by worlds being better off without her randomly smiting things.

At least it brought up another topic I wanted some clarity on.

"Why did the Outrealm Gate react the way it did? Sending us to a Radiant Dawn world?" I asked.

"As thou art aware, the Outrealm Gate is a portal connecting to a vast array of Outrealms, pocket dimensions each serving a singular purpose. Many of my worlds possess such a gate; some are operational, while others slumber. Their purpose is to lend aid to worthy heroes, leading them to Outrealms where they would receive the training, skills, and weaponry they might require to face the challenges ahead. The one thou and thy companions approached slumbered, and was to be awakened upon the chosen time."

"The start of cannon," I surmised.

"Indeed. There were times when its magic would malfunction, indiscriminately transporting random travelers to arbitrary Outrealms."

I recalled how Robin said those who vanished into the Outrealm Gate were never seen or heard from again, so it felt safe to assume those unlucky few were stranded in the Outrealms they'd landed in.

"So the gate glitched and sent us to Ashera's front door?" I asked.

"Nay, the fault lies with thee," Naga said simply, much to my shock. "As their creator, the Outrealm Gates are activated and deactivated by mineself. Thou, however, art an unforeseen exception. As a bearer of my grace, the Gate mistook thy magic as mine own and was forcibly made operational. Because thou knew not what thou wast doing, the Gate malfunctioned and did catapult thee and thy companions beyond the Outrealms and into the multiverse."

My head slumped into one hand. I was the reason we'd all ended up in the Tower of Guidance? Good thing everyone was alright, or I'd be seriously kicking myself over this massive flop.

And this would've never happened if Manipulative-Bastard-X hadn't booted me into the past, increasing the likelihood of me stumbling across the Outrealm Gate while it was in sleep mode.

Still, while our talk so far had definitely been enlightening, it didn't answer my biggest question of all.

"But why me?" I asked the Eternal Dragon. "Out of all the people you could've chosen to help you save this world, why me? What exactly was your criteria? 'Must have played Fire Emblem Awakening'? Honestly, you could've picked a Navy SEAL, or a Fire Emblem fan that actually wanted to come here. It's the multiverse, I'm sure a gaming SEAL or Fire Emblem fan that knows how to kick ass exists out there somewhere. Please don't say you picked me at random."

"Nay," Naga refuted. "In truth, thou wast a most phenomenal discovery, a miracle I was most fortunate to find."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Um, have you met me? Back on Earth, the most 'phenomenal' thing I'd done was eat a ghost pepper on a dare. 0 out of 10, by the way, never doing that again."

Naga's smile was everlasting. "I have never met thee personally, not 'til now, but my fellow Celestial would sing ballads about thy valor and deeds with much enthusiasm, thou and all thy variants. I know thee almost as well as mine own children."

Okay …? I was getting confused.

"Your fellow who?"

"Fellow Celestial. Like I, she overseeth her own branch of the greater multiverse. One of my selves is chatting with her at this very moment." So this Naga could be in multiple places at once? Handy. "She was, and still is, quite cross when she discovered what I had done."

Now the Eternal Dragon was losing me entirely. "You're really going to have to explain what you're talking about, because I'm totally lost right now."

Naga watched me studiously. Any other day and I might've squirmed a bit under a multi-dimensional entity's unblinking stare. Not today. I was weirdly mellow, and simply waited for her to speak.

"In truth, I thought we would have broached this subject sooner."

"What subject?"

"Thy appearance."

My … oh, the body I was using. I glanced down at the palms of my hands; thick, rugged, and callused from a decade of Fire Emblem life, a far cry from the slender fingers and smooth skin that only wielded a pen, pencil, and computer keyboard.

"I'd almost forgotten," I admitted quietly, flexing my hands. "I've been using this body for so long I almost started thinking it was my own. But it's not. It belongs to Link, the Hero of Hyrule. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful and all that, since there's no way regular me would've survived those damn bandits that razed Chelsea's village, but I'm curious: why Link? Is it because I'm a Legend of Zelda fan? Love the series, sure, but I also liked other games too. You weren't planning on turning me into Kirby and sending me here as the pink devourer of stars, were you?"

"I was not, nor was my hand involved in thy appearance. When I ferried thy soul to my world, it sensed the growing presence of evil threatening the land and thus granted thee the form to best combat it."

I blinked once.

Then twice.

"So what you're saying," I said slowly, "is that deep, deep down, I'm such a hardcore Zelda fan I turned myself into Link by coming here?"

"Nay," Naga said with the boundless patience of a benevolent deity. "I am saying that the Curse of Demise doth work both ways. While the hatred of the Demon King is reborn time and time again to haunt the Spirit of the Hero, the opposite doth hold true as well: the Hero will always reappear during eras of chaos to counter the blight of evil."

My brain shut down, before involuntarily restarting on its own.

My mouth became drier than Plegia's deserts.

I understood what Naga was inferring, but couldn't accept it.

Because there was absolutely no way that could possibly be true!

I glared down at the Eternal Dragon, desperately hunting for a hint of falsehood in those jade eyes, only to find myself reflected in her twin pools of honesty.

"… I …" My mouth refused to cooperate, unable to find the words. " … I'm not …"

"Thou knowest as well as I," Naga pressed on, "that the Spirit of the Hero reincarnates over and over again, always emerging when his land hath need of him, and in the infinite multiverse there are countless incarnations of the Hero of Hyrule. Yet infinite worlds equates to infinite possibilities, and despite Hylia's vigilance 'twas inevitable that the Golden Eternal would make a mistake: a certain Hero of Hyrule, upon perishing in a great battle for his kingdom and queen, did slip through the circle of reincarnation, allowing his soul to aimlessly wander the greater multiverse until it arrived at a certain dimension, at a plant thou knowest as Earth. There, he was reborn as a normal child, to a normal family, and given the name Lloyd Jackson."

That name hit me harder than Mjölnir's lightning.

A name I'd been running from for nearly 10 years.

Lloyd Jackson.

My name.

Hearing it again, after so long … it felt like someone ripped the world out from underneath my feet. I staggered, not knowing when I'd stood up.

"I could never entrust the fate of one of my worlds to a random individual, but thou were far from random. Although thy spirit slumbered in the absence of evil, thou were undoubtedly the Champion I sought."

I wanted to shout, to deny everything I'd heard, but caught myself. I wanted to get angry, but to what end? With tremendous effort, I let my tension bleed away as I slumped back into my rocking chair, almost tipping all the way backwards.

"You're saying …" I needed absolute confirmation, "… I'm Link?"

"Yes."

I exhaled, very slowly. "I don't believe you."

"I have not told thee a single falsehood."

"But Link and I … we're like night and day. I'm nothing like him. So how can I be him?"

"In what manners doth thou differ?"

"He's a mute for starters."

"I believe, in thy terms, he is often portrayed in thy media as a 'silent protagonist'. 'Tis very different from being incapable of speech. As but a character in a game, the Link thou is familiar with doth not speak for the sake of immersion, correct? In Hylia's sea of worlds, quite a number of her favored heroes are chatterboxes."

"I-I … I cuss. Like, all the damn time. I'm pretty sure that's not something Link does."

"Pirate Link would beg to differ."

I wanted to move onto my next argument, but the image Naga conjured was too much for me to ignore. "Pirate Link?"

Naga waved a hand, and a holographic monitor—the size of a theater screen—appeared behind her. Displayed on it was an open ocean, in the center of which was a scarlet galleon greatly resembling the King of Red Lions from Wind Waker, only massively scaled up. Its trio of masts were catching the wind in their sails, letting the ship cut through the ocean's waves. Its Jolly Roger displayed a skull, swallowing the Triforce, above a pair of crossed Master Swords. Scurrying across its deck were pointed-eared Hylians, all-female Gerudos, several aquatic Zoras, and even a lone Goron! What was a walking boulder doing out in the middle of sea?!

But my eyes were quickly drawn to the figure fearlessly balancing atop of the galleon's dragon figurehead. He stood with the pride of a man who'd conquered every sea, wore green pirate regalia and a black eye patch over his right eye, and had replaced their missing right hand with an attachable Clawshot.

"Faster, ya flaccid sack of Mobins!" Pirate Link roared at his crew with his unyielding smirk. "I've seen fuckin' ReDead shuffle faster than the lot of ya! What in Hylia's name is with that weak grip, Toto?! Get your bitch ass together and tie that rigging down before I feed yer guts to a Molgera! Didja exhaust yerself squeezin' yer two-inch pecker last night? Pick up that slack, Nelar! I know yer ma was a bokoblin that screwed a chuchu and shit you out a day later, but that's no reason ya've got to be as dumb as an Armos too! Leleisa! Stop wobblin' like ya've got a fuckin' Floormaster strokin' yer desert-dry cunt and get back to work!"

Despite the constant influx of derogatory mockery, none of his colorful crew seemed to mind the least. If anything, they moved with extra gusto, laughing all the while.

Naga closed the screen with another wave of her hand.

"… there's a pirate Link," I mumbled, awed.

"Multiverse, my Champion," the Eternal Dragon teased.

"Well, he's never getting his own game," I tried to jest, before returning to our initial topic. "I've cried before, you know. Sobbed my damn heart out several times."

"And? Dost thou truly believe one's tears invalidate whom they are? The Hero of Time spilt his grief as thou did when his dearest father, the Great Deku Tree, did wither and perish before his very eyes."

"I've killed. I've killed hundreds, if not thousands, of people."

"Many Links hath slain sentients for a myriad of reasons: duty, protecting those that hold their hearts, in the name of revenge. The list is endless."

I scowled, leaning into my rocking chair as I realized my arguments were getting me nowhere. Nevertheless, I still threw out, "I've got feelings for Robin. Took me too damn long to notice them, but they're there. Isn't my soulmate's name supposed to start with a Z and end with an A?"

"Zora?" Naga jested.

"You're hilarious," I deadpanned.

"While many Links hath and will form romantic attachments to a Princess of Hyrule, their bonding 'tis not a decree of destiny. Numerous Links developed amorous feelings for women other than Hylia's reincarnation. Many a Heroes of Twilight elected to join hands with the Twilight Princess, Midna."

[Ding!]

I twitched at the notification sound, and a familiar holographic screen popped up in front of me.

[Update Complete! SYSTEM v2.0 is now ready for use! Displaying current attributes and skills!]

NAME: ???

AGE: 26

CLASS: ???

LEVEL: 20

EXP: 95 / 100

HIT POINTS: 61 / 61

STRENGTH:32

MAGIC: 28

SKILL: 30

SPEED: 31

LUCK: 0

DEFENSE: 29

RESISTANCE: 28

Defeating the Black Knight pushed me to Level 20, but something was unmistakably off. There was no way a single level up should've boosted all my stats by so much, especially when several of those stats were capped!

"Naga, I think your SYSTEM's still broken," I said.

The Eternal Dragon continued smiling as she beckoned for me to keep reading.

PERSONAL SKILL 1: Projection, Trace Version

PERSONAL SKILL 2: Inventory of the Wild Hero

PERSONAL SKILL 3: Triforce of Courage

SKILL 1: Too Angry To Die!

SKILL 2: Reinforcement

SKILL 3: Poison Immunity

SKILL 4: Spin Attack

SKILL 5: N/A

My heart nearly got caught in my throat. I squeezed my eyes shut, vainly hoping it would somehow refresh them, and stared at the screen again.

But it was still there.

[PERSONAL SKILL 3: Triforce of Courage]

My focus snapped onto the back of my left hand, and as if detecting my intentions, it appeared: three triangles; two were empty silhouettes while the bottom right shone with a serene radiance.

A screen popped up above it.

[Triforce of Courage]

[One of the three pieces of the legendary Triforce. Embodying the essence of Farore, the Goddess of Courage, this mythical force has awakened from within you once more. So long as you remain brave in the face of fear there is no adversary you cannot overcome, for your courage makes you limitless.]

Limitless.

Then the reason my stats suddenly smashed through their previously ceilings … was because I'd actually been growing stronger, faster, and tougher during my clash with Zelgius?

"Did …" I swallowed, "… did you give me this?"

"Nay. The Triforce of Courage hath always been a part of thee, ferried within thy soul even as thou wandered the multiverse. Recall, when did thou first noticed the issue with my blessing?"

When? It was … was years ago. I couldn't say with absolute certainty, but was comfortable assuming it likely happened when we were battling Aversa and her Deadlords.

[Which was why, in the face of my fears, I bravely stood my ground, no matter what my enemies threw my way.]

My head snapped to Naga, eyes wide in comprehension.

"Thou hast realized," the Eternal Dragon said softly.

I gripped my left hand. "But … then … then what was with the ERROR message? I thought something was wrong with the SYSTEM, like it was about to crash!"

"Thy worries art not unfounded. While thou did not recall thy heroic origins, the Triforce did. 'Tis why when it began to stir all those years ago, it sought out the destruction of my grace."

"Why?"

"While thy soul was that of Hyrule's Hero, thy mind was of Lloyd Jackson, a peaceful but unbloodied resident of Earth; not of the warrior thou once were. Thus, I did draw inspiration from the genres thou commonly perused on Earth and fashioned together what thou refers to as the SYSTEM. 'Twas meant to be a means of aiding thy transition in my world, yet my grace unknowingly served as thy blinders. Although thou cast away thy name of Lloyd Jackson, my SYSTEM enforced thy bias—thy belief—that thou were still but an unfortunate soul whisked away at random by the whims of a higher being, blinding thyself to the possibility that thou were more. The relic of Farore understood this, and thus sought to eliminate the veil over thy eyes."

My hands were trembling. Naga was hitting me with so many revelations my eyes would've started spinning if I lost focus for even a second. At least this explained why the SYSTEM—or the Eternal Dragon's divine blessing, as it turned out—so closely resembled Fire Emblem's game mechanics, not counting the Milestone Rewards …

The epiphany hit me like a punch to the face.

"The Milestones …" I began.

"… another means by which I hoped to reawaken thy heroic spirit," Naga finished for me. "All the items in thy possession once belonged to thee, in lives long forgotten."

A memory flitted to the surface of my mind.

[I couldn't contain the nostalgia bursting from my heart, as the Hylian Shield felt at home in my hands.]

"And the sudden cap to my stats?"

"A deliberate bulwark meant to wean thee off thy reliance of my blessing so thou couldst rediscover thy inner strength."

A strangled laugh clawed its way out of my throat. "It's just … this all feels so convoluted. You said you needed a hero? Then why not nab a real Link from … Hylia, was it?"

Naga nodded. "The Golden Eternal, watcher and protector of the Zelda-verse. 'Tis considered crass to interfere in the domain of another Celestial, and my fellow Eternal doth guard her most favored heroes quite zealously. 'Tis why thy discovery in a neutral universe wast such an unbelievable stroke of good fortune."

A marrow-deep exhaustion took root in my bones. This all felt like one crazy cosmic joke. I remembered how reluctant I was to tell Robin about her future because it would involve revealing her origin as a video game character, and now Karma came knocking and hit me with this sucker punch.

Just who was I really?

Was I actually a Link, as the Eternal Dragon continued to insist? What did that mean for Lloyd Jackson, the specter of who I once was? Did my life on Earth have any meaning? Any purpose? Even now, despite everything Naga had told me, I couldn't imagine myself as the Hero of Hyrule. I was flawed, I'd made so many mistakes, I—

["MY NAME IS ROBIN NIRVID!"]

Her words pierced through the maelstrom threatening to set ruin to my mind. I wasn't in Naga's Inbetween anymore; I stood atop of Basilio's castle alongside Robin, witnessing the moment she asserted herself to this world.

["THIS IS MY LIFE, MY FUTURE, AND I REFUSE TO LET THEM, MY FEAR, OR ANYONE ELSE CONTROL WHAT I DO ANY LONGER! THIS IS MY CHOICE!!!"]

My life.

My future.

Without noticing, I sat a little straighter.

In the end, the answer was simple: it didn't matter.

Because before my friends and I had been rescued by Naga, before she'd dropped bombshell after bombshell on my lap, my heart was already set.

I'd already made my choice.

Noticing my shift in demeanor, the Eternal Dragon's visage brightened. "Hast thou found thy answer?"

"I have," I said. "To be honest, I'm still not 100% sold on this whole 'you're Link' thing, but that's fine."

"Thou hast placed thy image of thyself upon a pedestal for paragons, yet never forget: many Links were but young men of humble origins. The Hero of the Winds but a boy, not even of age; the Hero of Twilight, a mere ranch hand; the Hero of the Sky, a knight yet to finish his training. All were but boys, riddled with the flaws of mankind, yet 'tis when they discovered a cause worth fighting for, whether it be family, duty, or even love, did they become heroes. If thou wishest not to take up the name of 'Link' then that is thy choice, for what is a name but a legacy of thy life's choices?"

A legacy, huh?

With all we'd already discussed, I felt our conversation winding down. Still, there was one last topic I needed to broach. If I didn't, I knew it'd become a regret that would forever fester for the rest of my life.

"Naga."

"Yes?"

"If I ask you to return me to my Earth, could you?"

Naga flinched, and I saw the war brewing within the windows of her immortal soul. The Eternal Dragon grasped the hem of her flawless robes to steady her trembling hands.

She was afraid.

"If … thou dost wish it," Naga said slowly, her reluctance dragging down each and every word, " 'twould not be an impossible task."

My heart stilled.

So it was possible.

To see my mother and father again, Natasha and Nicholas Jackson; to see my friends, Jake, Josh, Ryan, and Luke; to see my lovable husky, Samwise.

To return to my old home, my old life, in San Francisco.

I was tempted, oh so very tempted.

But if Naga returned me to Earth, the person who went back wouldn't be Lloyd Jackson; he died alongside Chelsea in her small village of Suncrest 10 years ago. On top of that, I couldn't pretend as though the last decade never happened. I'd become invested in this world and all its craziness.

Even fallen in love.

There were people here worth fighting for, worth dying for, and I wasn't going to turn my back on them now.

"Dost thou wish for me to spirit thee away to Earth?"

I took a deep breath, and chose my path.

"… no," I quietly proclaimed. "I was just curious."

Naga's shoulders sagged in utmost relief. So much so, she needed a minute to gather herself before saying, "I thank thee for thy sacrifice."

"How's my family doing?"

"They miss thee, and grieve for thy passing."

That … wasn't a response I was expecting. "I definitely need more information."

Naga acquiesced. "When I discovered thee on thy Earth I was overjoyed, yet not callous enough to rip thee away from the life thou already had. I was more than willing to wait for thee to pass on, naturally or otherwise, so I could abscond with thy soul when it entered the Cycle. I am regretful to say … 'twas not a lengthy wait."

I braced myself. "What happened?"

"Thou were transporting thyself in a four-wheeled vehicle to thy educational facility, eager to be done with the exams thou called 'finals'. There was another vehicle, whose operator was asleep, which did collide into thy own. Thy death wast instantaneous."

I inhaled slowly, and exhaled for just as long.

"If I died, how would you have sent me back?"

" 'Twould be easy to ensure thou survived the accident."

I nodded. "Could you send a message to my family? Tell them that I'm doing okay?"

"A simple request. Thou hast my word."

I wondered how the Eternal Dragon would pass my message along. Would she send them a cake saying "Congratulations! Your son's alive and in another world!" Actually, that'd kind of be in poor taste. Maybe a personal visit? Hope they don't freak out when a multi-dimensional god drops by. Heck, she might just pass my message along in the form of a dream.

However she chose to do it, I was grateful nonetheless.

I stood from my chair, and Naga did the same; the seats vanished behind us.

"Thanks for everything, but I think it's time for me to return to my friends."

"And once more, I thank thee for choosing to save this world," Naga said with an earnest smile.

"Robin loves Ylisse, and I love Robin," I replied honestly. "So I'll fight for her sake, to give her the happiness she damn well deserves, even if I have to beat the crap out of the Fell Dragon with nothing but my bare fists."

"I ask for nothing more," Naga said as she snapped her fingers.

[Ding!]

[Thank you for all your hard work until now, Champion. You have reached your fourth and final milestone. As the Eternal Dragon, I now bequeath you the reward for your deeds.]

[Receive FIVE gifts of your choice from across Hylia's domain.]

"You're letting me keep the SYSTEM?" I asked, mildly surprised. "I thought it was supposed to be my training wheels?"

"Verily, thou hast outgrown thy reliance on my blessing, and I have every confidence thou wilt now flourish without it. 'Tis why I know it doth rest in worthy hands."

"Do I have to worry about it clashing with the Triforce again?"

"Nay, these two sources of divinity now belong solely to thee, and are in harmony."

I had a feeling that'd be the case, but confirmation was always nice. I redirected my attention to the SYSTEM's holographic screen before me.

The Final Milestone. Five gifts of my choice.

I knew what I wanted more than anything else, yet still wasn't sure if something so convenient existed somewhere within the Zelda-verse. While I had plenty of time to think here in the Inbetween, I'd no plans on agonizing over my final selection over the course of years.

So I asked for advice.

"Naga, does it exist? An item that can protect Robin from Grima?" I asked.

"It does," the Eternal Dragon confirmed, and I damn near floated with how fast my hopes buoyed. "Thy eyes were blinded by regrets and fears, thus the solution thou hast sought eluded thy sight. Calm thyself," Naga said when she noticed I was hurriedly compiling a list of possibilities. "Often, the most byzantine riddles doth require but the simplest solutions."

Taking Naga's words to heart, I forced myself to calm down.

The simplest solution? How simple were we talking? I needed something that could protect Robin from future Grima's evil clutches, so perhaps a protective talisman of sorts? Like an anti-evil charm that—

My thoughts ground to an immediate halt.

I stared at Naga, conveying my desperate but wordless inquiry with every fiber of my soul: Would that actually work?

Naga nodded kindly.

Without wasting a second more, I made my first request.

It appeared before me in a flash of light: a peerless double-sided blade so pristine I could see my own reflection on its surface, which bore the mark of the Triforce near its base; its cross-guard resembled dark violet wings, and its handle adorned with a pine lattice design.

The Sacred Sword.

The Blade of Evil's Bane.

The Sword that Seals the Darkness.

The Master Sword.

The emotions churning throughout me were aplenty: nostalgia, hesitation, longing, worry. It was well known the Master Sword held a will of its own, choosing its wielder while rejecting the unworthy. Perhaps that's why requesting this iconic weapon from the SYSTEM never once crossed my mind: because I refused to believe I was deserving of such a sword.

Not anymore.

There was no fear.

Only conviction.

Slowly but surely, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around the Sacred Sword's handle.

And I felt its acceptance.

I knew, beyond the shadow of doubt, that this was my sword.

[Master Sword, Rank: S]

The legendary sword of the Spirit of the Hero. Originally crafted by the Goddess Hylia as the Goddess Sword, this blade was later forged into the Master Sword by the Skyward Hero using the three Sacred Flames. It is the antithesis of all that is evil, and houses the slumbering spirit of Fi, aid and companion of the Skyward Hero. The Master Sword is the light that dispels the dark, and the seal which contains all that is evil. The darker the shadows, the greater its light.

Might: 15

Hit Rate: 95%

Critical: 10%

Durability: ∞

Magic Cost: 5

[<Master Sword, Rank: S> has been added to the SYSTEM's Catalogue!]

The Master Sword fit perfectly in my hand, more so than any other weapon I wielded to date. Holding it, feeling the divine thrum in its steel beating in tandem with my own heart, felt like I was truly whole for the first time.

"Thank you," I whispered to the Eternal Dragon with utmost sincerity. "Thank you so much."

Naga accepted my heartfelt gratitude with a gentle tilt of her head, then beckoned for me to continue. That's right, I could still ask for four more gifts from the Eternal Dragon.

So I made my second selection.

Then my third.

Fourth.

And finally, the fifth.

After everything was said and done, I noticed Naga's form was starting to shimmer, and then gradually fade. Our time together had reached its end.

" 'Tis the last thou and I shalt ever see each other," Naga said as she dissolved into particles from the feet up. "Please, protect this world."

"I will," I swore.

Naga smiled for the final time. "Farewell, my Champion. May thy courage never waver."

The Eternal Dragon burst, reduced to a storm of jade essence. Yet the motes of energy didn't disperse. Instead, they gathered around me, placing me in the eye of an emerald hurricane as I felt myself absorb a shard of the Celestial's power, her final gift to me.

[Ding!]

[Promotion Available! Do you wish to change CLASS?]

"Yes."

~

Robin admitted: today had been one heck of a day! Their final adventure together turned into a life-or-death situation faster than she could shout "Checkmate!" By the Divine Dragon, they'd been teleported so far into the past they encountered a long forgotten goddess who promptly labeled them as her enemies.

["Every beat of your pulse is an insult."]

Yup, definitely Robin's second-least favorite deity.

Thankfully, all was well in the end. Even without his divine blessing (and wasn't that a surprise to hear) the Guardian triumphed over Ashera's knight by utilizing techniques and magic she'd never seen him use before. Once again, he never failed to pull through in their time of need.

["Besides, I can't let you kill the idiot I'm in love with."]

Robin's face became hotter than the hot springs she was relaxing in, making her dunk it into the heated water to cool off. She was cringing so hard she could twist herself into a bow! Of all the places and ways to confess, that had to rank as the absolute worst!

In her defense, the situation was pretty tense. She'd been trying to maintain a brave face while threatening a foe who made light work of her Guardian, the strongest warrior she knew. In that moment, it took all her nerve just to keep her knees from knocking, so maybe it was inevitable a few feelings she'd been deeply harboring managed to slip out.

But it was still the least romantic confession in Ylissean history!

She was sure all her favorite romance protagonist were looking down on her in shame!

Oh merciful Naga, she'd confessed! No matter how horrendous, a confession was still a confession! How would he respond? What if he didn't like her that way, and saw them as simply friends? What if she'd completely ruined their preexisting relationship?

Calm down, calm down! She'd freak out after hearing the Guardian's reply, not before. There was no point in fretting over what she couldn't change now, so she wouldn't. Instead, she'd enjoy this luxurious moment to its fullest.

After they were rescued from the Tower of Guidance by an unknown power, Robin and an unpetrified Nowi and Laurent found themselves greeted by an Anna with royal-blue hair. The mysterious merchant greeted them like a professional salesman, informing them that they were in an Outrealm famous for its deluxe hot springs, dubbed by many as the "Bathrealm". Before the blue-haired Anna dragged them away to the nearest hot spring the Guardian appeared a second later, though they almost didn't recognize him.

His attire had taken a massive change. It started with the white long-sleeved undershirt and pants that comfortably hugged his well-defined limbs like a second skin. Atop of those was a golden chain mail granting his torso a measure of protection, while his outermost layer was a forest-green tunic embellished with gilded patterns sewn into the vibrant fabric: roiling fire stretched across the bottom hem, golden wings encompassed the sleeves, an across the back was a single circle embraced by two crescent moons (when she asked, the Guardian said it was the insignia of a different goddess: Farore). Then there was the armor: silver-white pauldrons clasped atop both his shoulders, a light breastplate around his upper torso, fingerless gauntlets on both hands, cuisses for his thighs, and a set of greaves protecting his feet. All appeared light in weight, yet sturdy enough to withstand a Berserker's axe with ease.

Topping it all off was the strange green cap he wore on his head.

All in all, he looked like he was dressed for war.

The Guardian said his new armor was a gift from a benefactor (the one who'd rescued them from the Tower of Guidance), and that he'd explain in detail later. For now, he accepted the Anna's invitation to the Bathrealm on their behalf, saying it was an excellent way to unwind after their close shave with Ashera. Hearing that, the Anna merrily whisked them away to separate hot springs and told them to stay for as long as they liked.

Which is how Robin found herself luxuriating in one of the many basins of heated water, the wide spring surrounded by a wall of bamboo to prevent peepers. She'd always enjoyed the Guardian's oil drum baths, but a hot spring was so much more. Not only did the sheer quantity of hot water astound her, but the blue-haired Anna said the geothermal waters were chock-full of special minerals that helped promote health. Robin didn't know whether the Anna was trying to sell them a wingless Pegasus or not, as she was well aware their family was brimming with notorious scammers, but she could hardly protest when the heavenly spring sapped the aches, pains, and exhaustion from her bones, leaving her feeling wonderfully refreshed.

She felt like she was living the life, lying blissfully in the hot spring's buoyant waters while losing herself in the night sky with its unfamiliar constellations.

Then she heard the door to her spring slide open, along with the patter of feet as someone walked in.

"O-Occu—!" Robin nearly choked on a mouthful of hot water, but managed to spit it out. "Cough! O-O-Occupied! This spring's occupied!"

She couldn't see who the intruder was due to the heavy mist the heated spring was emitting, but judging from their outline they were undoubtedly male. Was it a peeper here to sneak a glimpse, or someone worse: a scoundrel who sought to take advantage of her while she was unclothed. Robin had been surprised to learn their party wasn't Anna's only visitors, as the shopkeep said her Bathrealm frequently entertained guests from other realms.

No matter. If her intruder thought she was an easy target, they had another thing coming. Robin had a plan: she'd play up the distressed and demure damsel to make her voyeur drop their guard, then entrap them in a headlock the Guardian taught her before drowning the cad in the hot spring's waters.

The invader continued to approach, emerging from the hot spring's haze. He was handsome, with sharp features and the clearest blue eyes she'd ever seen. His golden hair was oddly familiar, but she couldn't place it with that face. His body was muscular, which might make overpowering him difficult, and riddled with scars of varying lengths. Only the towel wrapped around his waist preserved his modesty.

Still, being visually appealing was no excuse for crass behavior. As soon as the creep made his move, Robin would—

"Robin?"

She stilled, causing all the ripples in the hot spring to vanish. She knew that voice, that assuring baritone that never failed to make her heart flutter. There was no way she'd mistake it for another, not after all the time they'd spent together.

"G-Guardian?" Robin squeaked, her face now flushing for an entirely different reason.

At long, LONG last, she was treated to the Guardian's unobstructed visage …

… and he was hot.

Naga preserve her.

The Guardian sighed, muttering incomprehensibly about "that damned Anna" and "stupid hot spring cliché."

Her friend said something, but Robin was too busy staring at his face with every iota of concentration her considerable mind could bring to bear for her to hear anything. This might simply be a one-in-a-million mistake, where the Guardian forgot to put on his mask, so she seized this rare opportunity to engrave his features into her permanent memory.

He began waving a hand to get her attention. "—ening to me, Robin?"

"Huh?" was all she could manage.

C'mon, get it together, Robin!

"I said I'm sorry about barging in," the Guardian apologized, rummaging a hand through his hair. "The sign said this hot spring was for mixed bathing, but that damn Anna promised there was no one else inside. Should've known that annoying swindler would pull something like this. Her whole family loves gossip about half as much as gold, and believe me: that's saying something."

"I-It's a-a-alright, Guardian! I'm—!"

"Link."

Robin froze so hard her heart nearly stopped. "P-Pardon?"

The Guardian smiled, and it was so beautiful Robin felt her legs turn to jelly.

"My name is Link."

~Current Stats~

NAME: Link

AGE: 26

CLASS: Hero of the Emblem

LEVEL: 1

EXP: 0 / 100

HIT POINTS: 68 / 68­ (+16)

STRENGTH:36­ (+11)

MAGIC: 31­ (+9)

SKILL: 33­ (+9)

SPEED: 34­ (+10)

LUCK: 0

DEFENSE: 33­ (+12)

RESISTANCE: 31­ (+7)

~Current Skills~

PERSONAL SKILL 1: Projection, Trace Version

PERSONAL SKILL 2: Inventory of the Wild Hero

PERSONAL SKILL 3: Triforce of Courage (NEW!)

SKILL 1: Too Angry To Die!

SKILL 2: Reinforcement

SKILL 3: Poison Immunity

SKILL 4: Spin Attack (NEW!)

SKILL 5: N/A

~Fire Emblem~

LOCKED