Chapter Text
Here is our story:
Everywhere at once, all throughout time, a darkness is seeping into the monsters that inhabited the land. A Goddess, one that had given up her physical body so long ago that only a handful of statues were left to depict her, sensed this, and thought: “This will not do.”
But she could not face this evil by herself, so she turns to the only thing she can—her bound-to-fate hero.
(Despite what most people think, she had no desire for her hero’s soul to become this; to be reborn time and time again. She could see the unending burden upon each reincarnation’s soul and wept. Even for the evil that had started this so long ago now, for not even the more wicked of beings deserved this fate.)
There had been many, all who succeed, and Hylia did not wish to burden her beloved heroes anymore than she had, but in the end, it is not her that chooses them, and it brings her even the slightest relief for that choice had not been granted to her.
Look what you had allowed to happen, Nayru scolded.
You should have known better, Din turned her back to Hylia
This choice will be made by one who understands the heroes far more than you could, Farore whispered gently.
Farore had always been the most sympathetic to Hylia since her unforgivable mistake that bound the hero’s soul.
Still, Hylia knew there was only one other deity that could make such a decision. One that most mortals perhaps worshipped the most. One that was begged to, one that mortals sort blessings from to protect one another in times of illness. One that mortals desperately pleaded with not to take their beloved ones.
One the mortals had forgotten was part of a quartet, not a trio.
Death herself.
Ironic, the Light Goddess knew.
But, despite the ache that festered inside, she knew there could be no other who could pick the best of the best.
Nine individuals.
Nine heroes.
Nine that come from all sorts of backgrounds and lives but still, no matter what, striving to do what they must with the destiny burdened upon them. Even if reluctantly.
His blade sliced through hide; black blood stained the earth; pained squeals of dying monsters filled the air.
Link empaled a bokoblin, ripping the blade free and twirled to swing at another. Dusk tore into a third, aiming for the throat. He was left heavying for air, limbs trembling with the adrenaline. His body buzzed, the wind wisped by, and the Voices whispered into his ears.
(One more. Another! Over the hill! Don’t let it escape! Monsters must be eradicated!)
Link darted for the hill at the Voices’ direction, eyes locating the fleeing monster. He leapt, sword at the ready—sword embedding; the monster screeched and flailed in a desperate attempt to escape its fate, but Link just raised his sword again and brought it down, killing the beast.
It dissolved beneath him, leaving its remains that consisted of a horn and some gut.
Dusk howled his victory and Link bared a grin to reveal sharp canines; his scarred skin ached at the motion. He had long learnt to ignore it.
He inhaled, ichor thick in the air. He basked for only a moment in the slaughter before shaking his head and pushed the whispering to the back of his head. He had long grown used to Them; They had been a constant in his life since he opened his eyes to that strange room. The sometimes whispering; the intermitted yelling, sometimes They got so loud he couldn’t hear himself think.
Link doesn’t know if They are a figment of his imagination or entities that came back to the world of the living with him.
Upside: They had helped him learn when he knew nothing. Some of them less kind, some sweet and helpful, others wanted to see cool shit to quote them, of which Link could most certainly get behind.
Dusk came trotting over, (That was fun.)
Link nodded, offering his companion a smile. “Best form of stress relief.”
Dusk howled softly in agreement.
Link sheathed his blade and gazed towards the slowly sinking sun. He watched as it painted the horizon in pretty warm colours and he spotted some distant wild horses grazing, oblivious to the slaughter that had happened half a mile away.
Zelda would have loved these sights, Link mused. She had always had an eye for beauty, especially when she herself had been a sight to behold. But she wasn’t here and never would see such things again. Her last sight before fading away had been the rising sun and the devastation left behind from the monstrous fight with the Calamity, purple flames eating away at trees and grass, the ruins of the castle as the backdrop to their battle…
What a sight it must have been—after a hundred years of waiting, to finally witness that fated showdown in its full glory…
Link sighed—viciously ignoring the few Voices who perked up at the shift in his emotions—and turned back to Dusk.
“So, where should we head next?” he questioned.
Dusk perched back on his hind legs, (We’re leaving Akkala, why not go see kit’s fish friend?)
“Sidon?”
A confirmational bark and Link mulled the idea over. It had been a while since they had visited Zora’s Domain.
“Don’t see why not, good idea.”
Dusk bared his teeth in a grin.
Link whistled for Epona.
Once upon a time, Dusk had told him many moons ago, he had been an aspect of a former hero. The Hero of Twilight to be exact. But the hero had died as is the way of all things and the Twili part of him, the magic he had spent decades harbouring within him, had allowed that part of him to continue. Twilis worked differently than Hylians, he had learnt. They were largely made up of magic; they relied on it to live. Dusk, upon their splinter, had simply returned to the Twilight Realm to continue living. Dusk had admitted the Twilight Realm worked far stranger than that of the Light Realm.
(Dusk, something very few Twilis could do, had the unique ability to traverse between the two Realms which allowed him to keep up with Link when they, so often did, get separated. Dusk had told Link it was because of how he came to be—he was born from the hero, someone from the Light Realm, it meant his makeup was different than the average Twili; part Light, part Twilight.
The Twilight Realm was beautiful, Link had learnt from his first and only visit with taloned feet and feathery wings. Had met some inhabitants when Dusk had taken him. Had met the queen of the Twilis, who was a good friend of Dusk and had been pleased to meet Link, even if perhaps a little sad to see him. The original pathway between the Light Realm and the Twilight Realm had been shattered by the queen during the life of the Hero of Twilight. To keep both worlds safe, she lamented, missing the hero—her friend—still so deeply, even epochs after his death. Link simply reminded her of him.
Link supposed that was fair enough, considering he was his reincarnation. Midna got a good laugh out of that comment.
While Link wasn’t able to spend forever within the Twilight Realm or else it would bring him true change, he had interacted with Twili magic enough to gain a few new additions. Harmless additions, Midna had smiled, tracing a few symbols that would otherwise be meaningless to Hylians but told other Twilis one’s relationships. Between his brows, in the same place as Dusk, Link had a sort of wing-like shaped symbol with a diamond in the centre. On his right cheek beside his eye was another wing with two flicks, this one Midna’s.
Both represent a form of familial relationship. It was hard to put into words because the symbols had no direct translation—they just were. The Twili magic worked strangely, embedded into the symbols and gave impressions to all that saw them.
Midna’s symbol for Link was the exact same in the same exact spot. Dusk’s was across his back, spanning shoulder to shoulder and just as simplistic.)
Much like Dusk, Link was different from the norm of their own kind; he had died and been brought back. His soul had spent a segment of time beginning to move on, that had repercussions, his soul leaving left rips and tears that allowed Old Magick to seep into him and fill those gaps.
He had become more than simply Hylian.
(An abomination.)
Now to top it off with the fact he wasn’t only the holder of the Triforce of Courage but also Wisdom meant…well, Link was not some average joe—even with his hero status. He was a literal one of a kind. Hylians with Old Magick had died off a long, long, long time ago when they ascended to live above the clouds. Those with magic had volunteered to stay behind and continue fighting with the Shiekah while others rose to freedom and lived lives away from the carnage that Demise and his demons had wrought upon the world.
Other magic, that had evolved over time to be something different to Old Magick, had died off slowly. The only magic was natural magic, a type of Old Magick, from the earth; it brought life to the world—the Deku Tree, the Koroks and other magical beings that lived on this planet, even monsters to an extent. There were no sorcerers or wizards, not truly, not anymore. Only Zelda, whose family were descended from the incarnation of Hylia in mortal form, had traces of magic.
…but even that had come to an end.
Link wonders what that meant for the future.
Link wonders what that meant for him. He had no plans to ever have any biological kids of his own—the thought of sex made him scrunch his nose in distaste, that was something Link had remembered quickly—so he had no plans to ‘continue the family line’ so to speak. If a hero was needed, the Hero’s spirit would be reborn in a time of need but—there would be no Zelda. He wonders what that meant.
(That would have to be something he spoke to Impa about.)
Link shook himself of those thoughts—later. If something was to happen, he would know.
Link greeted Epona as she whinnied and swung himself onto her back.
Undeniably, Zora’s Domain was one of the most tranquil places in all of Hyrule.
Link enjoyed it here when he sought to relax and rest his feet (but it could never be home, not anymore, not when Mipha was dead). Sidon was great company and Link liked to spar with the Zoras who knew the old him. But at this very moment, he was watching the sunset up beside Vah Ruta.
The great mechanical beast had gone silent and still once she completed her task and Mipha had finally been able to move on. Now Ruta would sit and gather dust, a sign of what had happened to Hyrule and how even with defeat, not even a supposed great evil was forever.
Link found it bittersweet.
The Divine Beasts were the final resting places of his friends, there had been no bodies to recover in the end, the Calamity infestation having absorbed them.
Link exhaled and laid back, using his flesh arm as a pillow. Beside him, Dusk stretched and yawned. Link watched the stars above them twinkle away and he squinted suddenly when he noted that the stars looked…off. Not in the way of physically, no—the stars above them, which covered the sky and were guided by three of golden goddesses looked almost…different. Almost like—something was going to happen, Link wanted to say but wasn’t sure. This wasn’t the first time the stars above them had changed yet hadn’t.
Midna had told him the Goddesses watched over them from above, told him that gifted people could read them, could tell when something was happening because the Goddesses would manipulate them in ways only they could see. A trick of the eye, Midna had tried to explain it simply as.
Link can’t help but wonder if that was true. Again, this wasn’t the first time. It happened his first night off the plateau and other times just before major events happened to him. Each night before a Divine Beast, the nights of Blood Moons…
There were lots of things Link had barely scratched the surface of. But he had plenty of time to learn; he had the entirety of his life ahead of him to dedicate to learning all about the mysteries left behind by those that came before.
A gentle swoosh and Midna unexpectedly joined them.
Dusk greeted her with a chuff, and she chuckled. “Hello dear friend.”
Link tilted his head back to look at the Twili, meeting her magenta eyes. Said eyes narrowed suddenly and before Link could react, Midna had knelt and brushed a finger across his cheek, just below his eye.
“When was the last time you slept?”
Uh. When was the last time he had slept?
(Two days ago,) Dusk oh-so helpfully supplied.
Link gulped as he watched Midna gain that glint in her eyes he was, unfortunately, getting used to. Link found himself wrapped up in her arms before he could even think of protesting. Not that he would—when he was already in her embrace anyway, there was no point arguing at that point—and lay limply in her grasp as she gently began to run her clawed fingers through his hair and untangling knots and pulling leaves or other peculiar objects from his birds' nest of a hair. He wasn’t even sorry about the acorn she pulled out, albeit Midna was by now most used to finding strange and random items that managed to work their way into his hair. Probably didn’t help he didn’t brush his hair nearly as often as he should.
But his grooming habits aside, Link knew Midna was the best to talk to about the stars. The night was her domain after all.
“The stars are different again tonight; I think something is happening the Goddesses wish me to prepare for.”
Midna hummed curiously, following his gaze skyward. “I hope it is not overtly dangerous for you then, whatever it is.”
Link frowned, trying to ignore the gentle lull Midna was putting him under with her work and added: “I have the strangest feeling I’m not going to like it.”
She chuckled. “You don’t like a lot of sudden and unexpected things, little bird.”
Grumbling, Link bat at her hand in weak protest. “I have my reasons.”
“You do.” She nodded along, and Link knew she was doing so to help lull him further and not stir him. Not when he was falling more and more asleep the longer she kept going. Link couldn’t even bring himself to be mad, he struggled to sleep at the best of times, her affection was something Link appreciated and found himself at ease with.
A heavy sigh that felt amazing to let out escaped.
(Sleep kit, you need your rest,) Dusk crooned.
Link hummed deeply and allowed himself to succumb to the siren's call to sleep.
The morning’s arrival brought Link an anticipation he really didn’t want squirming inside his chest. He scolded the stupid feeling but no matter what he did, it persisted against his wishes. Whatever was going to happen was serious, he thought with astonishment and dread, what could be so important?
Dusk and Link left Zora’s Domain early with an interest in heading to Kakariko Village to pay Impa and Paya a visit. It had been more than two months since they had last visited the quaint village nestled in the mountains.
They made it out of the mountain valley path, crossing Inogo bridge and debated if they wanted to cross through the Lanaryu Wetlands to cut their journey down.
(Might as well take care of the Monsters, kit,) Dusk offered. (I know you want to take that feeling out on something.)
Link grinned, and Dusk mirrored it.
“Let’s do this.”
And thus, wandering through the Lanaryu Wetland led Link to a group of impossible people he really didn’t want anything to do. The sight, the very prospect, of them had alarm bells ringing inside his head—or maybe it was the Voices that squawked and squealed and bemoaned the sight of these unfamiliar—yet so, so familiar—people.
It had been an accidental meeting, one that Link loathed the idea of—and realistically, he knew he could leave it to them, they were clearly capable fighters, and he had no need to insert himself into the situation. But—
(Let’s do it! Fight! Fight! Fight! I can’t believe this is happening! BOO! Leave them to it! Let’s go find other stuff to kill! I can’t believe we’re witnessing this first-hand! Who knew! From paper to reality! But totally, like, an au or something.)
Sometimes Link didn’t understand half of what They even meant—but he shook Them off, attention snatched when the youngest of the group slipped in the mud. Link didn’t hesitate to dart in, shield raised to block the Lizalfos’ next blow.
The kid gasped at his sudden appearance and Link thrust his blade forward into the Lizalfos’ chest. It hit the shallow water with a dull splash.
Link did one quick scan before turning to the boy—he couldn’t be anything other than a year or two older than Link—and offered a hand.
“Thanks,” he muttered and took the offered hand where Link pulled him to his feet.
Link took a moment to look the boy over, a Hero—not from his Timeline, however. Sometimes Link is thankful for the Triforce of Wisdom and the knowledge Nayru gifts him.
(Damnit Zelda, why did you have to die?)
The boy gasped suddenly, and it put Link on edge but—
“You’re arm!”
Link clenched his robotic fingers.
“I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s wicked!”
Before either could say anything else, a voice called: “Wind!”
Both Link and the newly dubbed Wind turned to see an older blond man—mid-twenties perhaps?—baring a modified armour Link was familiar with—a Hyrule’s knight armour, he had his own set in the slate, but he never wore it again after remembering his time as a knight—and a royal blue scarf that made the back of his brain itch strangely. Wind beamed.
“I’m fine, this guy helped me, Warrior,” Wind reassured.
Warrior? Wind? Link could tell they were nicknames, and he wonders if it was because they were all named Link. He certainly knew the Hero of Twilight was called Link via Dusk and Midna. Knew the hero a few years prior to him was also Link, considering he had been named after his father, who was said hero.
(Link knows he’s a disgrace to his father—to the heroes—name but dreads the idea of ever having to come face to face with him and seeing that look on his face if he ever found out.)
Oh Goddess, Link just had the thought of—is the Hero of Twilight among them?
Link slipped his sword away and followed shortly with his shield. He left his left arm to hang at his side and let it be obscured mostly by his poncho. He wasn’t ashamed of it and sometimes what remained of his arm throbbed with phantom pain, but he didn’t like too much attention drawn to it—he just didn’t like the pitying looks it got at the realisation people had that the reason he had it to begin with was because he lost said arm.
Warriors gave him a once over, eyes lingering on his facial scarring (anyone would be freaked out by the burn scarring, the missing skin revealing a handful of teeth and gum) with visible concern but not fear, thank the goddesses, before he nodded. “Thanks.”
Link shrugged. “No problem.”
Slowly the other members of their group trickled over, and Link spotted the Hero of Twilight immediately by his markings—Dusk bore the same ones after all. The Hero of Twilight gave him a look of momentary confusion—likely sensing the Twili influence—but Link had already turned his attention elsewhere, saving their faces at the back of his brain. The one with pink in his hair gave Link a hard look, but Link’s not surprised, he was surrounded by magic too.
Link practically exhales it.
(Yoo, dude’s got pink in his hair! The shortest is adorable! One-eyed has [REDACTED]’s markings! I wonder what’s gonna happen next? Link? What do you have in mind?)
The brunette gave off fairy magic…? Curious.
“Thank you for your help,” the one with a deity’s markings spoke up and again Link shrugged.
“Like I told him.” Link waved a hand in Warriors’ direction. “It’s no problem.”
The one bearing the Mastersword on his back gave off blessing magic. It was clear to Link he had been blessed by Hylia which must mean he was the First.
(Seriously? I was expecting…more? He just looks like a total cutie!)
Not exactly a thought Link wanted floating in his head whenever he looked at the First. The Voices laughed. Why must he suffer like this?
“Not many people cross the Lanaryu Wetlands,” he continued, cocking a hip and resting his fist on said hip. “What brings you out this way.”
“We were wanting a shortcut.” The one with pink in his hair crossed his arms, eyeing Link critically. “What about you?”
“Same reason.”
Absently, Link wondered where Dusk went and pondered if he was staying back because he knew who these people were too. That would be hard to explain, he mused.
“Where were you heading?”
Please don’t say Kakariko. Please don’t say Kakariko. Please don’t say Kakariko.
“Kakariko,” Warrior answered with a friendly smile.
Damnit.
Playing along, Link raised his brows in fake surprise. “Mm, I was heading that way too. Mind if I tag along?”
“I don’t see no problem with that.” The one with a deity’s marking nodded. “I’m Time.”
“I’m Wind but you already knew that!” Wind grinned. “And Warrior too!” Said man’s lips quirked upwards into a grin.
The fairy magic brunet smiled softly. “Hyrule.”
The First raised a hand in greeting. “Sky.”
The shortest one wearing a bandanna to keep his hair from his face, nodded. “Four.”
Four? Link thought incredulously but said nothing, the Voices were already having a field day as it was.
“Twilight.” The Hero of Twilight nodded also.
“I’m Legend,” pink in hair said.
Don’t say Link, don’t say Link, don’t say Link—
“Link,” He answered. Like an idiot. Like an utter fool.
Damnit.
(Bruuh, you’d think he’d be good at this after all the Yiga Clan shit. Yiga Clan? More like yoga clan, cause they so flexible ! That was absolutely rubbish, go find a hole and die in it, bitch. Y eah, that was traaash . But we’re already dead??? Poor Link ☹ .)
Even if Link was somewhat incapable of not blurting out the truth, he was skilled in the art of acting as if nothing was wrong and so his face never once gave away the fact he was dying on the inside. Again, why him?
Instead, to distract himself from the besiege of Voices, Link watched their faces. Most were good at controlling their expressions, but their curiosity peaked through. Link wonders how long had they been travelling together then?
“I have a companion who's around here somewhere who goes by Dusk.” Link glanced over his shoulder in the direction he had come from. Seriously, where had Dusk vanished too? Had he decided to chase down some other stray monsters nearby he had missed?
“Dusk?” Hyrule perked up. “Who is that?”
Link’s lips twitched. “He’s—”
A howl shattered the air and Link hummed. “There he is.”
“A wolf?” Wind also perked up looking excited.
Link nodded and turned his head to see Dusk come rushing toward them.
Someone muttered a quiet, confused: “Wolfie?”
Is that what they were calling Twilight’s other form? Link bit back a snicker but also realised, did they not know Twilight and the wolf were one in the same?
(Kit, kit, kit!) Dusk greeted happily when he was close enough, bouncing up close before perching his backside on the ground, tail wagging excitedly.
Twilight was as stiff as a board, Time eyed Dusk with an unreadable expression.
Dusk wasn’t quite what he used to be—Dusk’s words not his—he was generally larger, and his colours had changed, the grey-black was now a deep grey teal and cream to meld with his other realmly origins.
“This is Dusk,” Link introduced with a slight wave of a hand.
(That’s me!) Dusk chimed, but they were unlikely to be actually able to understand him—minus Twilight and maybe more magic inclined? Link would keep an eye on them to see if they react to Dusk’s non-verbal communication.
A moment of awkwardness before Hyrule broke it with a smile. “Hi Dusk.”
Dusk barked wordlessly and grinned, flashing them his teeth.
“Kakariko then?” Link asked.
A beat and Time nodded.
The plan Link is slowly piecing together as they draw closer to Kakariko village is as such:
Upon arrival, Link will climb the stairs to visit Impa and Paya as quickly as he can after pointing the group to the inn. Then Link will not tell Impa a word of what he had met knowing—just knowing—she could push for him to join when Link has no plan to do so. But once he had caught up with the grandmother and granddaughter duo, Link would leave swiftly and likely by teleport.
But why? One might ask.
(Of which a few Voices did; questioning why he was choosing to avoid them when they were clearly here for a reason.)
Simple.
Link did not want to join this band of heroes for whatever reason that they were being pulled together for.
Don’t take that as Link dissing these people. He’s sure they nice but, you see, Link just doesn’t get along with people all that well. Mostly because he can come off as standoffish and because he’s just an antisocial person.
Also because he just doesn’t want to join them on whatever quest brought them to his Hyrule.
Reasonable? Link thinks so because you don’t need a reason to not want to do something other than having no desire whatsoever so do it. See? Perfect reasoning.
Exhaling, Link snagged a glance down at Dusk. Dusk returns to the glance and Link winks. Dusk rumbles wordlessly in return.
Link just hopes they hold off on the supposed grand reveal of who they are until Kakariko Village. If not, well… he and Dusk could run off and cover a good amount of ground, or even teleport away and Dusk could easily meet up with him elsewhere…
If it came to that, guess he’ll wing it, so to speak. He really hopes it doesn’t though.
Although…Impa may be a problem—no doubt Impa would be able to tell who they were also and give away possible locations he liked to visit if they went to her…but he would be long gone before they could even make it halfway.
Decisions, decisions.
He could give them an endless chase if that was the case.
Link withheld a snicker at the thought of a game of cat and mouse.
(He listens for a long moment as the Voices offer ideas too.)
Well then, let’s see where this leads him. If this is going to turn into a chase, there wasn’t any reason he couldn’t have some fun with it.