Chapter Text
Wary chatter filled the dimly lit town hall. Speculations on the meeting’s purpose were flying about rapidly; Sora thought the reason was rather obvious and didn’t feel the need to participate in the conjecture of her clansmen. It only seemed to add fuel to the fire that was the village’s unease, and the hall was already stifling as it was.
Sora sat kneeling by herself near the back, fidgeting absentmindedly. Almost immediately after the tremors and the appearance of the towers, Lady Impa had summoned the clan to the town hall. That had been well over an hour ago, and she had yet to make an appearance. Neither had her friend Paya, whom she usually sat with during such events. If she hadn’t shown yet, it was likely that the timid girl would have a role to play in the meeting that her grandmother had called.
Her father stood stoically at the front of the hall, spear in hand; his expression was unreadable. Shigo Hitomi was the captain of the sentry, and thus would act as council on all matters discussed during town hall, along with the other councilmen. Though he didn’t tend to speak much, preferring to instead listen aptly and carry out orders. The man had a head for combat and not much else. Her older brother, though similar in this regard, at least had freewill – something her father decidedly did not.
Shai was another face absent from the gathering, likely out on patrol. He’d get a recap from their father later tonight, though there would be much lost in translation. Usually, she would be envious that he got to skip out on another town gathering, not deeming discussions regarding crop yields and precipitation levels worth her time. But given the serious undertone of this particular meeting, left with little want to be elsewhere.
The group came to an abrupt hush. Sora dropped her head into a low bow along with the rest of her clansmen, but dared to lift her gaze, tracking as Lady Impa slowly walked to the head of the hall, followed by an apprehensive looking Paya.
“You may rise.” Lady Impa’s voice cut through the silence. Though well over a century old, her voice still held command. The hall echoed with various sounds of shuffling as everyone raised their heads, still knelt. The elderly women was now sat kneeling atop a large cushion, facing her people regally. Her expression just as unreadable as her father’s had been. Sora’s eyes found Paya, her friend’s expression was an open book.
Paya’s eyes were shifty, and she was chewing her bottom lip near bleeding. It was plain to see that she was worried.
“As many of you may already have guessed what this meeting is about, I shall waste no time getting into it. The shrines and towers are nothing to be worried over.” Though, her granddaughter’s face said otherwise. “They are a good omen, relics of our people.”
“So, it is Sheikah technology?” A farmer seated near the front spoke out. Lady Impa nodded, her headdress jingling with the movement. “What if Ganon takes control of these structures too? We could be forced to live through perpetual quaking of the land.”
“I assure you all, that it is unlikely Ganon will be able to seize control of anything more while he is being held at bay by Princess Zelda. We must place our faith in her hands, and in the hands of the hero. We are-”
“The hero?” A middle-aged women interrupted from a couple rows ahead of Sora, “There has been no sign of the hero in over a century. This could just be a ploy of Ganon’s, to lure us into a false sense of security and finish what he started.”
Murmurs broke out once more, people were getting restless, and Sora was getting irate. Just let the woman speak, she had thought bitterly.
The end of her father’s spear was slammed into the ground harshly. “Enough!” An uneasy silence took hold once more, all who were present startled by the man’s booming voice.
“As I was saying. We are living in unprecedented times, but we need not worry. The hero has been revived; the towers indicate as much.” Now Sora had questions she wanted to ask, but would not dare voice them so soon after her father’s intervention. “Most of you born post Calamity, do not know the true events that unfolded during that troubling time, but I will explain so that you may too, understand.”
Sora sat up straighter, training her apt attention on the Sheikah leader, was there really more to the story than what she already knew? “Shortly after the Calamity hit, the hero was grievously injured by rogue guardians while protecting the princess.” This much she knew, it had always been said that the hero had died in the battle, before even getting the opportunity to face Ganon head on. Blame had been pointed at the Sheikah for our technology being turned against us, killing thousands, the hero among them.
“The hero, however, did not perish, like many believe. We, the Sheikah, had brought him to the Great Plateau. This is where a the Sheikah Shine of Resurrection is located. It took the course of the past century to heal the wound, given its severity.”
“But how do you know it was the hero who triggered the towers to rise?” The same woman interrupted once more. If she wasn’t careful, she’d be removed from the meeting, though the same question had been on Sora’s own mind. The wave of nods that circled around the hall told her that she was not alone in this line of thinking.
“We had left him with a piece of technology that would activate the structures upon his awakening. It is for this reason that we know the hero is awake. He will need to visit the shrines to restore his strength to face Ganon once more.”
“Restore his strength? Was that not the purpose of the resurrection shrine?” This time it was Sora’s own voice that rang out, surprising even herself. Her father shot her a warning look from beside Lady Impa, as if telling her not to speak out of turn again.
“No.” Lady Impa shook her head, her headdress clanging once more. “The shrine only restored his waning life force; upon waking he would have found himself in a very weakened state,” Lady Impa had explained.
“Then we must send assistance right away!” Sora insisted, shocked by the information.
“No, Sora, this is the hero’s journey to make, and his alone. We must not interfere,” Lady Impa had replied firmly.
Her brows furrowed. Was she really suggesting they leave him alone in his weakened state? What if he was disoriented from waking up a hundred years into the future? Surely everyone he knew was dead – except for maybe Lady Impa herself, if they had been acquainted. “What happens if he is injured once more? We cannot be saved by a dead hero.” Sora stood up, affronted.
“Sora.” Her father snapped but she paid him no mind.
“We cannot be saved by an incapable hero. He is chosen by Hylia herself; he should be able to persevere.”
“It is our duty to aid him. We cannot abandon him in his time of need, not when we ask so much of him.”
“Sora.” Her dad called her name again, she continued to ignore him.
“He abandoned us in our time of need! We ask only what is expected of him.” Impa responded harshly. Sora was shocked by their leader’s words. She couldn’t genuinely mean that, could she?
“Grandmother, please be mindful. It is not the champion’s fault.” Paya interjected.
“It is our duty-”
“Our duty is to the royal family, that is all!” Sora had never heard Impa’s voice so stern before.
She looked around at her clansmen around her, hoping to find an ally. “Do you all not have any input? We must send aid. Even if he is the chosen hero, he is still a person. How would you all feel in his situation? Waking up weakened, everyone dead, the world completely unrecognizable to the one you used to know?” Her people only looked away, avoiding eye contact. Even Paya refused to look at her. Cowards.
“Sora!” Her father shouted. “That is quite enough. Leave, or you will be escorted out.”
Sora set her jaw, fine, she thought, I’ll do it myself. Saying nothing more, she marched out of the town hall, head held high, slamming the door shut behind her.
The journey to the Great Plateau was long, spanning many days and stretching across regions she had never before travelled. But the climb up felt even longer. Though only a mere few hours in comparison to the long sweltering days she had previously spent on horseback, each minute ticked by like years, and she was grateful to be nearing the top. With one final grunt of exertion, Sora used her blistered hands to pull herself up and over the edge, muscles burning.
She lay there for a moment, panting heavily, pressing her flushed cheek against cold stone, a brief relief. She was proud to have made it this far, having previously doubted her ability to accomplish the task she had set for herself.
In Kakariko, the post-calamity generation lived very sheltered lives, most having never left the village. Sora was one of the few who had ventured beyond its confines, although she had never crossed the border of Necluda, despite her dreams of traveling across the whole of Hyrule.
It felt redundant to train and study in the ways of combat, magic, and technology, yet never put these skills to proper use. Spending years harnessing these abilities only to end up farming crops felt like a waste. Sora longed to find purpose and had always believed it lay somewhere outside her village.
She pushed herself up from the stone slowly despite the overwhelming urge to rest, and scanned the area ahead of her, looking for any signs that the hero had passed through. Though there were none outwardly apparent. She frowned; it would be difficult to find him, the expanse of the Great Plateau was vast, more so than she had anticipated. The only signs of life seemed to be the birds chirping overhead and Ganon’s abominable creations, which she preferred to avoid altogether.
Though a skilled combatant, Sora wasn’t eager to test her skills here. Getting injured in such an isolated place without immediate medical attention was risky. But if asked, she would claim that she had been following the traditional Sheikah teachings, which prioritized stealth over direct combat.
Any satisfaction she had previously felt at summiting the plateau was quickly becoming overshadowed by her fatigue and a growing feeling of uncertainty. For what if the hero had left the area, having already started his quest? What if he was still in the area but she was unable to locate his whereabouts? The possibility of missing him in a stroke of bad luck was very real. Perhaps her people had been right in telling her not to leave the village.
It was naïve of her to come without a solid plan to locate the hero once she arrived. To be perfectly honest, Sora hadn’t planned much beyond the route she would take.
Acting without thinking was her fatal flaw, or so she was told. Once again, she was guilty of such. Letting her anger and indignation fuel her actions, she had left the shortly after the meeting, only a destination in mind. If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with thoughts of the angry clansmen she would return to, she failed to realize that she wouldn’t simply stumble upon the hero by chance.
Sighing deeply, she packed away her climbing gear. Without many options at her disposal, she started to make her way towards the Sheikah tower. Exhausted as she was, she wasn’t keen on the idea, but she figured it would be best to climb to the top of the structure to get a holistic view of the area. Though it did feel wrong to take advantage of her ancestor’s technology to guide her on her journey when her people had been so against her taking it from the beginning. Still, she persisted onward, spurred by the need of finding the hero fast.
As the tower came closer into view, the sun had begun to set, the sky a muddle of orange and pink hues, casting the land in a soft glow. Sora would’ve believed it beautiful if not for the darkness that followed. It was notoriously dangerous to be out during the night, it was the time the skeletal beasts roamed the land in much greater numbers than their diurnal counterparts. It was a dangerous game to stay our past dark – one that did not have many winners. She would need to find a place to hide away until morning light. Otherwise, she ran the risk of being overwhelmed by the nocturnal beasts coming out to hunt.
Looking at the tall structure in front of her, Sora toyed with the idea of camping out on the Sheikah construct. There were many small platforms that spiralled up and around the outside of the tower, culminating to a much larger platform near the top – that would ideally be the place she rested for the evening. She imagined it wouldn’t be too difficult to scale the tower given the amount of hand- and footholds. Even in the dark, the soft blue light emitting from the structure would illuminate her path sufficiently enough to make it to the top without much issues. Its height would leave her invulnerable to stalfos, which couldn’t climb as far as she was aware – what a shock it would be if they could. Of course, there were still flocks of keese to watch for, but they were relatively easy to dispatch.
All in all, it was a fine idea. The only obstacle being the small horde of bokoblins that set up an encampment at the base of the structure. She had passed by many bokoblins since reaching the plateau. They roamed in twos and threes harassing the wildlife, and were easily avoided. The group ahead, however, would not be as straightforward. There were many more eyes that ran the risk of detecting her.
Sora sat crouched, hidden from view by lush long grass. Her gaze followed the movements of the monsters, looking for any openings that didn’t seem to come. Deciding that she would just need to make her own, Sora grabbed her bow off her back, knocking an elemental arrow. She took a steadying breathe, her target in sight - an elevated wooden structure acting as a watch tower of sorts. She let the arrow loose, watching as the structure erupted into flames.
The bokoblins all gathered, shrieking at the sight. This was her opportunity.
With swift movements and silent footsteps, she stealthily made her way to the base tower, as quickly as she dared. Thankfully, none of the beasts looked in her direction, too preoccupied with the fire that had spread beyond her original target; she made it to the base of the tower without a hitch. The distraction was very much needed, if she had been forced to engage, it was unlikely she would have made it out unscathed. She placed the bow back in its holster, and mounted the side of the tower, climbing it as quickly as she could with her aching muscles.
Sora reached the top platform just as the sun finished sinking over the horizon. She dumped her gear on the ground, sighing in relief at the lightened load. Hopefully she’d be able to get some sleep tonight. She was utterly exhausted both mentally and physically.
She walked to the edge of the tower, looking out over the land. Hyrule Castle caught her eye. The once proud structure was in total disarray. The sight of it shrouded in Ganon’s malice left her with a distinct feeling of dread. She had never seen the ruined castle so clearly before.
A high-pitched whirring sound rang out, drawing her attention. She spun around to see the tower emitting a bright blue light. A shadowy figure appeared before her. She gasped in shock, stumbling backward. Her foot caught on the ledge, sending her heart racing. Her breath hitched in her throat. She was falling.