I could wait an eternity for you

“Welcome back, Hero of the Wild, Kim Sunwoo,” a chipper, boyish robotic voice calls out, breaking the silence. “A lot of things have changed while you were asleep. Best get moving now, you were supposed to stop Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago!”
The boy frowns, confused. “S-Sunwoo?” he stammers, pointing a shaky finger at himself. “Is that me?”
The tablet pauses for a second, a loading symbol on the screen before it lights up in orange again.
“Y-you don’t remember a thing, do you?”

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

“Wake up.”

A dark, red spiral of energy spikes into the sky, thundering into a storm of evil as the ground shakes. Atop a small plateau and hill, a small shrine vibrates hard, ancient mechanisms falling out of its designed spot. Orange energy buzzes in the veins of the temple, lighting up the dark, cold interior. They trickle towards a central room of the shrine, revitalizing the old bunker. Inside of a glass chamber at the heart of the shrine, a boy lays asleep, almost peacefully had it not been for the earthquake that had just happened.

“It’s time.”

The shrine lights up with orange and teal energy, slowly waking up along with the body inside of the chamber. Magic shimmers on the boy’s skin, effects slowly waning as the time spell wears off. The boy opens his eyes blearily, slowly assessing his surroundings as a small trickle of wind enters the room.

“Remember. You must remember.”

The boy frowns, slowly sitting up as he tries to whirl towards the source of the wind. He instead finds a small tablet of sorts, imbued with magic and decorated with ancient technology and symbols. The boy stands up, watching as the residual magic drips off of his skin like droplets of sweat on a hot summer day. The boy blinks once, twice, trying to decide what to do before the tablet suddenly lights up. Slowly, a teal eye lights up at the center of the tablet, startling the boy.

“Welcome back, Kim Sunwoo,” a chipper, boyish robotic voice calls out, breaking the silence. “A lot of things have changed while you were asleep. Best get moving now, you were supposed to stop Calamity Ganon ten thousand years ago!”

The boy frowns, confused. “S-Sunwoo?” he stammers, pointing a shaky finger at himself. “Is that me?”

The tablet pauses for a second, a loading symbol on the screen before it lights up in orange again.

“Y-you don’t remember a thing, do you?”

The kingdom of Hyrule is a lush and beautiful place. Rolling hills, vast skies, and a beautiful landscape that greets its inhabitants every day and night; the very image of serenity and peace. Wild animals graze the many green fields, nuzzling against the ground’s soft blades as a gentle breeze whistles past.

Sitting atop one of these rolling hills are two boys, both barely at the age of maturity. One wore a simple guard’s uniform, a simple one-handed sword, and a Hylian shield on his back. The other had his head in the first boy’s lap, a lazy smile on his face. He wore noble robes, consisting of a white tunic and a teal blue cloak, held up by a golden pin.

The symbol of the Hylian Royal Family is engraved on that pin.

“I don’t want to go,” the Prince of Hyrule whispers, voice small and fragile. Sunwoo chuckles lightly, fingers habitually starting to card through his Prince’s soft, golden locks.

“You must, Your Majesty,” Sunwoo reminds him gently, knowing the Prince wants nothing to do with the ancient cycle. “The Triforce of Wisdom is within you. Working with the Beasts is the only way to unlock its power. Calamity Ganon will come soon to destroy everything we love.”

The Prince scrunches up his nose. Sunwoo’s chest constricts, ever so slightly, before he chastises himself. He’s already misconducting himself by sneaking out with the Prince. He can’t let himself slip further.

“I don’t want to leave you,” the Prince confesses, a sad look in his eyes. Sunwoo tries for a comforting smile.

“You’ll need an escort, Your Majesty. I’m sure I’ll be more than capable of winning whatever favours needed to keep you safe. I promised, didn’t I?”

The Prince smiles gently, rolling out of Sunwoo’s lap before standing up and stretching. A part of Sunwoo misses the warmth, but he stands up shortly after. The Prince turns to Sunwoo, a playful glint in his eyes.

“Then I hereby order you to do whatever it takes to convince the Captain to let you be my personal escort!” the prince decrees, a wild grin on his face. Before he can stop himself, Sunwoo surges forwards and presses a soft kiss onto the Prince’s forehead, reveling in their little height difference. The Prince makes a happy noise, burying his nose in Sunwoo’s collarbone.

“I’ll always protect you.”

“Always?”

Another kiss.

“Always.”

“Hey there, young man!” a voice calls out to Sunwoo, snapping him out of his confused daze. He had barely left the shrine, new fancy talking tablet in hand and too many questions swirling in his mind. The tablet tells him he needs to stop some crazy demon of evil named Calamity Ganon, but Sunwoo doesn’t even know what he’s going to eat for breakfast.

Speaking of breakfast…

“My, my, you look like you’re hungry. Come here, I’ve got some extra rations for you,” an old man exclaims, waving Sunwoo close. Sunwoo hesitates, wondering if there was some ulterior motive. Ultimately, his grumbling stomach takes precedence, and Sunwoo abandons his suspicion for two skewers of roasted fish. As he eats, the old man tends to a warm campfire in front of him, not saying a word. There’s a familiar touch to his features, as if Sunwoo has known him before, ten thousand years ago. Sunwoo grimaces. He wishes the memories would come a little faster.

“Where are you headed, young man?” the old man asks, voice gentle and warm. Sunwoo relaxes subconsciously, only now realizing he had his guard up in the first place.

“I need to stop Calamity Ganon from… What was it again?” Sunwoo begins, frowning as he tries to recall.

“Taking over Hyrule!” the ridiculously peppy robot pipes up from the tablet. Sunwoo nods along dumbly, suppressing an eye roll. He supposes that would be a little rude, but it’s not like the tablet had feelings.

The old man hums quietly, stroking his beard. “Do you even know where Calamity Ganon is, young man?”

Sunwoo shakes his head. The old man sighs. Slowly, he stands up and walks towards Sunwoo. Then, he points to the distance, where dark clouds swirl a mountain top; a single tower peaks above the clouds.

“That,” the old man explains, “is Hyrule Castle, also known as Calamity Ganon’s temporary prison. Our brave prince Eric imprisoned him there ten thousand years ago, but there’s been rumours Calamity Ganon will wake soon.”

The old man pauses, turning back to Sunwoo with a keen eye. “You don’t look the slightest bit prepared to take on the world’s greatest evil, young man.”

Sunwoo shrugs, gesturing at his tablet. “I was just following the tablet,” Sunwoo points out. “I… don’t remember anything from my life.”

The old man raises an eyebrow. “It’s been said that visiting old and important places can sometimes trigger memories. Besides, stopping Calamity Ganon needs powerful allies, and you’ll need to travel to find those allies.”

Sunwoo purses his lips, slowly setting his fish skewer down. “What kind of allies?”

The old man smiles. “Have you heard of the Divine Beasts, son?”

“Meet the Champions of the Beasts, Your Majesty,” a herald announces, tucking one hand behind his back and sweeping another out in a wide arc as he gestures towards the four figures in the middle of the room.

“They will be our new allies in defeating Calamity Ganon. The Divine Beasts are only controllable by them and are powerful machines,” the herald continues, “so they have come to offer their service as your escort to the Divine Beasts.”

Sunwoo’s breath hitches in his throat as he watches Eric eye him nervously out of the corner of his eyes.

“We can leave tomorrow morning,” one of the Champions, the big and tall Goron, proposes. “We don’t have much time, Your Majesty.”

Eric hesitates, glancing at Sunwoo again. Sunwoo schools his expression, remaining as emotionless as possible. His training has taught him the most important thing about having a secret relationship, after all. No one can know who you truly are. No one can know what happens behind the scenes.

Before Eric can stammer his way through an answer, the King clears his throat, standing up regally and gesturing at the Champions.

“While I am grateful for your offers, kind foreigners, Hyrule is perfectly capable of finding our prince a suitable escort.”

One of the Champions purses his lips nervously, before raising a hand. “With all due respect, Your Highness, the moment the Prince steps out of Hyrule borders, the forces of evil will swarm him. The four of us are trained in more than just fighting them, including important skills and knowledge we need to teach him ourselves.”

Sunwoo’s stomach falls. This is it. This is how he breaks his promise.

The king hums in thought. “Then we shall have to reach an agreement. I will allow you to escort my son, under the condition that you allow one of my guards to follow along to make sure nothing happens to him.”

The Champion from before sighs in defeat, but nods anyway. The king turns to the rest of the room, eyeing every guard carefully. Sunwoo straightens up, hoping to look just a little bit more appealing. The King’s gaze passes right past him, landing on a random guard nearby. He opens his mouth to say something, but Eric suddenly shoots up at the last second.

“Sunwoo,” Eric blurts out, pointing at Sunwoo by the side of the room, “I’ve seen him fight. He’ll be a good addition, I’m sure.”

The king frowns. “Sunwoo has barely reached maturity, you should choose a more experienced fighter, son. Don’t you agree, Captain Sangyeon?”

Next to the throne, the Captain of the Guards eyes Sunwoo and Eric carefully, as if finally putting the puzzle pieces together. Slowly, he smiles.

“Actually, I’d say Sunwoo is the perfect fit for the Prince’s escort.”

The old man had graciously given Sunwoo a week’s worth of supplies and pointed him in the direction of the nearest Divine Beast: Vah Ruta, in the domain of Zora. Additionally, he even gave Sunwoo a glider, after making him run a few tasks by reactivating nearby shrines with his tablet (apparently called a Sheikah Slate. Sunwoo settled on calling it Younghoon after a sudden hunch came to him). Somewhere along the way, Younghoon tells him of his tablet’s multiple functions and ancient magic; from creating a giant magnet, turning water into ice, stopping time, and even making bombs out of thin air. One time, Sunwoo calls Younghoon a slab of magic metal, and he was given the silent treatment for the entire day.

As Sunwoo reaches the edge of the Great Plateau, where he had been spending his last couple of days learning how to survive on his own with the old man’s guidance, a sense of hesitance fills him. He turns around one last time to catch the hill where he had come from, watching the wise old man stare at the afternoon sky. Streaks of purple and white clouds fill the orange skies as Sunwoo watches the old man fade away into thin air in front of his eyes. Sunwoo jumps, blinking rapidly in panic at the spot where the old man once stood. Before he can react, Younghoon hums to life in his pocket.

“Trained by the spirit of the Captain of the Hylian Guards,” Younghoon muses, “his spirit has been waiting for you for a while, you know?”

Sunwoo blinks, confused. “He’s— he’s a ghost?”

Younghoon snorts, or at least, makes a sound that sounds like either a robotic snort or a strangled chicken.

“Captain Lee Sangyeon of the Hylian Guards. You really don’t remember anything, do you?”

Sunwoo spends the next three days travelling, following the constellations in the sky and Younghoon’s map feature. His days and nights are filled with suffocating silence between Younghoon’s protested ignorance of Sunwoo’s old life and the lack of activity around him. On the fourth night of silence, Sunwoo cracks.

The crickets, stars, and Younghoon are the only ones to witness the first few tears slip, marks of frustration blending in with the cold air of the night. Sunwoo squeezes his eyes and tries to remember, trace the outline of his life back then. He remembers a golden triangle, an intricate sword, and the most beautiful boy to ever grace this world, yet he can’t even remember a name. Sunwoo holds his hands to the sky, staring at the stars between his fingers as he drowns himself trying to recall thoughts. Younghoon beeps sympathetically.

“Did I have a lover?” Sunwoo asks no one in particular, begging for the stars to return something Sunwoo isn’t even sure exists. Younghoon hums robotically.

“It sounds like you do.”

Sunwoo sighs in defeat. He glances at his hand, tracing his eyes over the peculiar golden triangle tattooed on it. The bottom right one is glowing faintly, indicating… something . Sunwoo grimaces.

“I can feel magic inside,” Sunwoo whispers, his voice small. “But I can’t tap into it. I can’t… I can’t tap into anything.”

Younghoon beeps a non-committal noise.

“Perhaps you need a strong surge of emotions. That’s typically how most magic is awoken. Might I suggest… finding this supposed lover of yours?”

Sunwoo knits his eyebrows together. “I don’t even know if he was… a lover. I… I don’t even remember what love is supposed to feel like, let alone who I loved.”

Younghoon beeps again. “Others can teach you a great deal, Sunwoo,” Younghoon says mysteriously, “perhaps it’s worth meeting the locals before trying to fight the Divine Beast itself.”

“Sun! Look!” Eric exclaims, running down into the sprawling flower meadow as he pulls out his Sheikah Slate, aka Younghoon. Excitedly, Eric starts snapping photos and registering them on Younghoon’s database, pointing out specific blooms. Sunwoo follows him from plant to plant, attentively listening to Eric ramble about the endangered, undomesticated species of Silent Princess, which hang like a beautiful bell on thin stems. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sunwoo meets the gaze of one of their Champion companions, a Rito (or, according to Sunwoo, giant bird man) by the name of Kevin Moon. Kevin smiles cheekily at him, wiggling his eyebrows as pink dusts Sunwoo’s cheeks.

“Oh my god, Sun, look!” Eric exclaims, pulling Sunwoo back to attention as he dives into the flowers to catch something. Sunwoo flinches, somewhat apprehensive as Eric squeals in delight. Sunwoo leans over to check Eric’s catch, only to widen his eyes in mild fear as he meets the two beady yellow pupils of a Hot-Footed Frog.

“This is such a peculiar and rare creature we can barely study back at the castle. Some of the researchers theorize it has a connection with granting temporary magic boons, while others say it increases regeneration. But then again, nothing is confirmed as we simply don't have enough of them and—“ Eric rambles, waving the frog around in front of Sunwoo’s face while Sunwoo tries his best not to get hit. Eric suddenly stops and purses his lips, as if considering something. A chill runs down Sunwoo’s spine.

“I don’t like that look,” Sunwoo says cautiously. Eric grins brightly.

“If there’s one thing the researchers all agreed on, it’s that the frog needs to be consumed by a boring old human without magic in his blood to see the proper effects. You’d be the perfect candidate!” Eric exclaims, shoving the frog towards Sunwoo. Sunwoo yelps, swatting him away as Eric tries to push it towards him.

“I’m not eating that!” Sunwoo yells, much to Eric’s dismay.

“Go on!” Eric insists, “taste it!”

“This is Zora’s Domain, stranger,” a cranky old Zora named Muzu sneers, eyeing Sunwoo up and down. “You are not welcome here.”

Sunwoo frowns, scrunching his eyebrows together. He turns to his new friend, Ji Changmin, who found him trying to scale the mountains around Zora’s domain. Zoras live for thousands of years, meaning Changmin had recognized Sunwoo from the last time he showed up, ten thousand years ago. Sunwoo had tried to pry for more information from the helpful Zora, but Changmin refused to tell him what he knew about Sunwoo unless Sunwoo can prove he’s the fabled hero who has returned to save Hyrule.

Sunwoo’s life simply does not want to be remembered, it seems.

Changmin had agreed to take him into Zora’s Domain, however, to meet with the King and get his permission to travel into Reservoir Lake. Problem is, they have to face the cranky advisor of the king, some old geezer named Muzu. Sunwoo wants to strangle him but keeps his hands steady for the time being.

“We need to meet the king,” Changmin explains, trying to scoot past Muzu. Muzu just growls and steps to block him, ticking Sunwoo off.

“The King will only meet the Hero of the Wild,” Muzu sneers, “and unless you’re him, I suggest you best get lost.”

Changmin opens his mouth to speak again, only to be interrupted by a sudden beep. Sunwoo jumps, pulling Younghoon out of his pocket. Muzu’s face falls as he recognizes the tablet, folding his body in half.

“That’s His Majesty’s tablet,” Muzu says, dumbfounded, “you must be the Hero of the Wild. Apologies, Hero, please come right this way,” Muzu smiles with saccharine, twisting Sunwoo’s gut in disgust.

“I can take him to the king now, thanks,” Changmin steps in, walking fast past Muzu as he leads Sunwoo by the hand. He glances down at Younghoon in Sunwoo’s hand and bites his bottom lip, before looking back at Sunwoo worriedly.

“There’s… something you should know about what happened. Someone, actually. He goes by the name of Choi Chanhee.”

“Life is about enjoying the beautiful things, like cliff-diving!” Chanhee announces, gesturing his arms at the glistening surface of Reservoir Lake. Sunwoo watches from behind as Chanhee shifts from his Hylian disguise into his normal fish form and falls backwards. Eric scrambles forwards, palm wrapped around Sunwoo’s wrist as he pulls Sunwoo along. They reach the edge of the cliff overlooking the lake as Chanhee splashes into the water, embracing his true aquatic form. Eric looks at Sunwoo with an excited grin.

“We should—“

“No,” Sunwoo deadpans. Eric ignores him, grabbing Sunwoo’s other wrist as he pulls him into a hug and throws them both off the cliff. He pulls Sunwoo into a kiss midair, as if they’re not about to fall to their deaths. Sunwoo grunts, fumbling for Younghoon in Eric’s pack. He activates Cryosis to make a soft ice slide onto the surface of the lake as Eric tries to pull him in for another kiss. They fall into the water with a soft splash as if they were just two small otters diving under the water. Eric wins as they slip underwater, pulling Sunwoo in for a hungry kiss before resurfacing. They’re drenched to the bone, but Sunwoo can’t find it in himself to care. The dark blue, cloudy sky is inherently sombre. Chanhee splashes a wave of water over the lovers, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Sunwoo turns to him with a bright smile, only to be greeted with another fishy face. Chanhee smiles.

“This is Changmin,” Chanhee explains, gesturing at the new fish, “absolute demon and my twin brother.”

A loud smack on the arm. Sunwoo laughs.

Eric smiles his beautiful grin and swims towards Changmin. Sticking out a hand, Eric struggles to keep himself afloat while Changmin smiles, somewhat amused.

“Nice to meet you!” Eric exclaims. Changmin shakes his hand gingerly, looking like he was physically restraining himself from coddling the Prince of Hyrule.

“A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty,” Changmin greets, “we’ve been awaiting your arrival.”

Zora’s Domain is beautiful, to say the least. Nestled in the embrace of the Lanayru mountain ranges, the domain’s towering blue spirals and cascading waterfalls create an element of mysticism to the place. Drifting along the slow currents that swirl around the domain, Sunwoo traces the wisps of clouds that duck in and out of the Domain’s large towers. Beside him, Chanhee and Changmin are engaged in some kind of hushed conversation, the contents of which Sunwoo can only catch glimpses of. ‘Father’ and ‘flood’ is all Sunwoo catches, but it’s enough to tie a gentle knot of worry in Sunwoo’s stomach.

“We have to protect this place,” Eric whispers in Sunwoo’s ear, paddling over to drift with Sunwoo. Sunwoo nods slightly, instinctively wrapping an arm around Eric’s waist as if he’d float away with the current otherwise. Eric leans into his touch, a worried expression on his face.

“What if I don’t make it?” Eric whispers, voice small, “what if my powers never unlock?”

Sunwoo nuzzles his nose into Eric’s hair, gripping his waist gently.

“You’ll make it. I know you will.”

“So I met you here?” Sunwoo asks, sticking his fingers into the clear and cold Reservoir water as he coasts along the lake’s surface of Changmin’s fishy back. The sky is pouring rain, a side effect from Divine Beast Vah Ruta’s temperamental magic. The reservoir is on the verge of flooding, destroying everything in its path—including Zora’s Domain. Sunwoo’s task is simple: Find out what’s wrong, and fix it. The first part Younghoon so helpfully answered too: the Beast has simply been corrupted. Sunwoo had to defeat Ganon’s corruption and free the spirit of the Zora Champion.

Easier said than done.

“Yeah,” Changmin says, tone almost wistful, “when Hee introduced us.”

Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, knowing it’s a sensitive topic. “May I ask… what happened to Chanhee? Freeing the beast isn’t enough, we need him too.”

Changmin grimaces, picking up speed to try and end the conversation. Sunwoo purses his lips and sits back, not wanting to pry. He turns his attention to Reservoir lake, watching as dark energy from the corrupted Divine Beast pollutes the waterways. The water rises slowly with every second, leaking past the lake’s natural borders. Zora’s domain is just a little further south, barely protected by a fracturing dam. Something settles in Sunwoo’s stomach, a nagging urge in his mind to protect this place with his life. As if he had made a promise once, but Sunwoo can’t recall.

Silence didn’t last long, offering mere seconds before a giant block of ice flies at Sunwoo. Sunwoo flinches, scrambling to pull out Younghoon as he reverse-engineers the ice attacks into water. Changmin circles around the Beast, dodging flying icicles of death left and right.

“We need to decommission it temporarily!” Changmin shouts, “Use your shock arrows to shoot its power cores!”

Sunwoo growls, trying to steady himself as he pulls out his bow. He nocks a shock arrow previously obtained from helping the locals with their Lynel problem. Changmin had called him insane for even attempting to steal shock arrows from the giant centaur-like monster, but desperate times calls for desperate measures. Changmin takes him close to the mechanical elephant, reaching one of the waterfalls on the machine’s back. Sunwoo grits his teeth, holding on for dear life as he’s taken upwards. At the last possible second, Changmin tosses him into the sky. Sunwoo draws his bowstring back and fires, blasting a bolt of pure electricity onto one of the four cores on the Divine beast’s back. The sheer force of the explosion sends Sunwoo flying into the water. Changmin swims to him, grabbing Sunwoo at the last moment before an icy mine sets off nearby.

“You better not be injured!” Changmin yells, swimming to the next target, “Hee was the healer between the two of us.”

Sunwoo grits his teeth, his gaze hardening as they prepare to go again. He won’t get injured.

“Does it ever get lonely, spending all your time cooped up in this thing?” Sunwoo asks, glancing around at the innards of Vah Ruta’s black and bronze operating room. Overby the control terminal, Chanhee purses his lips, gazing out into the bright blue sky as his fingers drum on the terminal’s movement orb.

“Sometimes, yes,” Chanhee says, voice small. “But it’s my sacred duty. I can’t abandon my post.”

Sunwoo grimaces, glancing back at the doorway to the rest of the beast. Eric had vanished earlier, absolutely enthralled with the inner workings of the Beast. He’s always happiest exploring, and Sunwoo could never keep up with that zooming mind of his. Eric simply had an infinite supply of energy for these kinds of things. Sunwoo would be a fool to deny him the little pockets of joy in-between their journey to the Shrines and fine-tuning the Divine Beasts.

“Doesn’t Changmin visit?” Sunwoo asks, “you seem close to your brother.”

Chanhee shrugs, walking up to the glass window at the front of the operating room. The room carries a suffocating atmosphere filled up only with Vah Ruta’s mechanical whirring. Sunwoo holds his breath, wondering if it’s appropriate to speak.

“Do you know what makes the Beasts so hard to control?” Chanhee asks, turning around to face Sunwoo. Sunwoo bites his bottom lip nervously, shaking his head. Chanhee sighs.

“Emotions make the Beasts go wild,” Chanhee explains, returning to his control node, “so it’s best to leave me in solitude. Quiet frustration stirs Vah Ruta much less than excitement. Minnie visits occasionally, but he can’t stay for long. Really, he’s the only one who bothers to visit, nowadays. The only one I have left, you could say.”

Sunwoo’s gut drops, sympathy filling his expression as he debates comforting Chanhee. He seems almost… accepting of his fate. A part of Sunwoo just wants to give him a big hug.

“No one ever makes it alone,” Sunwoo points out, “you’ll need help someday.”
Chanhee smiles sadly.

“I know. I trust Minnie to know what to do by then.”

Sunwoo inhales sharply as he tucks his head into a roll, slipping past Vah Ruta’s defenses and inside the Beast. He lands with barely a sound, save for the soft clink of his newly acquired trident (stolen from Muzu, but Changmin insists the old geezer won’t miss it). Moments later, another body lands next to his, startling Sunwoo ever so slightly. Changmin grins at his surprise.

“I surveyed the surroundings,” Changmin reports. “The operating room seems to be on fire. We need to douse it somehow.”

Sunwoo nods, glancing around at the maze-like interiors of the Beast. “We can use Vah Ruta’s own trunk to blast water back at the room,” Sunwoo suggests, “but I don’t know where to control that.”

Changmin grins, pointing down a hallway where Ganon’s corrupted Guardians number by dozens. “When in doubt,” Changmin proclaims, “follow the fight.”

Changmin is a reliable fighter, to say the least, proficient with a trident and an expert at dodging the Guardian’s deadly fire. Sunwoo’s own reflexes take over before his mind can even think, ten thousand years doing little to dull the ingrained skills in Sunwoo. They beat the Guardians easily, reaching the minor control terminal to redirect Vah Ruta’s water stream. As soon as the familiar hiss of steam fill the air, Changmin grins excitedly.

“I’ve been waiting for forever to beat Ganon, lesser form or not.”

They find the control terminal after a few wrong turns, slightly out of breath from running around. Sunwoo bends over, trying to catch his breath before a sudden glowing spear hurls at him. Sunwoo jumps, barely dodging the attack as he turns to the room. Sunwoo grits his teeth.

“Waterblight Ganon,” Changmin growls, “the scourge of Divine Beast Vah Ruta.”

As if it could hear Changmin, the swirling dark energy in the room solidifies to form a horrid-looking flesh monster. Sunwoo unsheathes his blade, looted from the Beast itself earlier. He charges in, hopping from side to side to dodge Ganon’s attacks. The Beast roars, slamming its spear into the ground. Sunwoo hardens his gaze, jumping upwards powerfully as he grips onto one of the decorations on the wall. The entire room shakes under the force of the attack, nearly throwing Sunwoo out of balance as Ganon hurls another glowing energy spear at him. Sunwoo raises his sword and slices the spear in half, jumping off of the wall to draw his bow. Changmin charges at Ganon, parrying attacks with his trident and blasting Ganon with his own ice magic. Sunwoo takes the opportunity to nock another shock arrow, firing it into Ganon’s chest.

The demon wails in pain, clutching the arrow and ripping it out. Sunwoo grits his teeth, preparing to run again as the demon clenches its half-deformed fist. Ice spikes rise out of the ground, threatening to impale Sunwoo as he barely twists out of the way to dodge them. Changmin seems to have more trouble, staggering around as Ganon zeroes in on the easier prey. A red gash zigzags on his left leg, impairing movement for the Zora. He can barely move, it seems. Sunwoo yells for Changmin, charging towards his ally as Ganon raises his arm to strike. Sunwoo’s stomach drops. He’s too far. He can’t make it.

Mere seconds before the spear makes contact, Changmin’s eyes suddenly light up with teal energy, magic spreading down his body as it knits the wound on his leg. Sunwoo’s eyes widen as he spots a shape taking form in the glowing teal energy around Changmin. Chanhee’s soft hair and gentle features peak out behind Changmin, raising a trident of his own as renewed Changmin copies. They trap Ganon’s spear between the tridents, holding it firmly in place. The demon roars in anger, trying to pull its weapon back. Changmin looks over to Sunwoo, gaze hard.

“Quick! Get him!” Changmin yells. Sunwoo nods, rolling under another ice spike that came out of the wall as he draws his sword. Sunwoo impales it into the demon’s chest, exploding the demon with a furious cry. Dark energy envelops the room, threatening to drown and suffocate them. Chanhee’s teal ghost form soars into the air, glowing like a beacon as he expels the darkness. The beast roars in response to the cleanse, shuddering as steam hisses and ice cracks from the sudden movement. Sunwoo lurches forwards, barely keeping his balance as Chanhee’s glowing form finally dies down a little.

Silence.

Chanhee’s form flickers, slowly setting him down. He’s still very much dead, Sunwoo realizes, but his expression is anything but.

Changmin makes a strangled noise at the back of his throat, a relieved smile on his face. The air feels sweet, almost sentimental as Chanhee floats down. As soon as he settles onto the floor, Changmin tackles him in a tight hug, burying his face in his twin’s collarbone.

“You should’ve called for help,” Changmin chastises, voice shaky with tears. Chanhee smiles sadly, hugging his brother back.

“I didn’t want to put you in harm’s way,” Chanhee whispers back. “Older twin duties.”

Changmin huffs, blinking tears out of his eyes as he grips Chanhee’s glowing ceremonial garment. “I hate you,” Changmin announces, “you’re the most annoying, ridiculous, and snobby twin ever .”

Chanhee grins. “Love you too. Now, I need help running this stupid elephant and I was hoping to have someone to watch my back this time around.”

“Happy birthday!” Changmin yells at the top of his lungs, charging at Chanhee. Behind him, Sunwoo struggles to balance the giant cake Changmin had made him carry all the way up the cliff. Chanhee startles from his perch on top of the waterfall, mere seconds from jumping off on his daily training session. Changmin crashes into him, littering kisses all over Chanhee’s face while Chanhee’s strangled cries for help go unanswered. As Chanhee finally manages to shove Changmin off, another overexcited body barrels into him, knocking Chanhee back into the stream again. Sunwoo stifles a laugh as Chanhee squawks, trying to shove a clingy Eric off. He sets the cake onto a nearby flat stone, running over to join the others. Chanhee finally manages to pry Eric’s grubby hands off, only to receive an armful of Sunwoo instead.

“Get off!” Chanhee screams, wrinkling his nose. In contrast to the royals, Sunwoo’s lifetime of training gives him the upper hand over Chanhee, pinning him onto the river floor as Changmin cackles from the side.

“Happy birthday!” Eric and Changmin chorus, bringing over the cake. Chanhee grumbles as Sunwoo finally allows him to sit up, although there’s a fond smile on his face.

“Happy birthday to you, too,” Chanhee hums, beckoning for Changmin to join him. Changmin grins, waddling over and plopping down right in front of Chanhee.

“You thought I’d forget, didn’t you?” Changmin teases. Chanhee purses his lips, cheeks dusting pink.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Changmin says pointedly, poking at Chanhee’s chest. Chanhee rolls his eyes, shoving Changmin lightly. Sneaking between them, Eric pulls out his Sheikah Slate and activates its fire function, lighting the candle on the cake. Chanhee makes a small noise of surprise, but it’s quickly cut off as Changmin starts clapping his hands.

“Make a wish!” Changmin exclaims, to which Chanhee nods eagerly. The twins close their eyes, leaving the cliffside with silence as wind from the mountains whistles in their ears. Eric inches closer to Sunwoo, tugging his arm lightly to step out of the stream. Sunwoo follows, his ankles barely coming out of the water as Chanhee and Changmin’s eyes open again.

“What’d you wish for?” Changmin asks eagerly. Chanhee rolls his eyes, blowing out the candles and startling Changmin.

“Hey! We’re supposed to do that together!” Changmin complains. Chanhee smiles cheekily.

“And you’re not supposed to ask me what my wish is, dummy! Come on, let’s eat before the cake gets colder.”

“Brothers,” Eric sighs, almost wistful, “wish I had a brother like them. Always bickering, but always there.”

Sunwoo hums, a fond smile pulling at the corners of his lips. “Aren’t we basically brothers?”

A smile tugs at the corners of Eric’s lips, spreading like a drizzle of rain on an open field.

“Nah, you’re my soulmate.”

Sunwoo sighs, unsheathing his blade as he faces the four bokoblins in front of him. They all share a clementine complexion, aside from one with blue skin, who Sunwoo suspects is the leader of the raiding party. Seeing him reveal the largest weapon confirms his suspicions. Younghoon beeps in Sunwoo’s pocket, currently in time bomb mode. Sunwoo narrows his eyes, considering the best course of action. Before he can finish the thought, the blue bokoblin yells something, and suddenly all four are charging at him. Sunwoo rolls out of the way, pulling Younghoon out as he launches a timed-sticky bomb at the nearest bokoblin. Having caught on, the other three scramble for cover as the stuck bokoblin vaporizes into dust. Sunwoo grins, pulling out his blade once again.

Charging at the nearest bokoblin, Sunwoo heaves his sword and swings in a wide arc, decapitating it entirely. He hears the soft pitter-patter of feet on his left side, the perfect indents for a bokoblin. He quickly pivots and rasies his shield. The bokoblin’s club smashes down onto his shield, only to bounce off and smack itself in the face. Sunwoo takes the initiative to step closer, stabbing his blade into the bokoblin’s stomach. The creature evaporates on contact, dispelled as Sunwoo blows a strand of hair out of his eyes. He turns around to the last blue leader bokoblin, who’s backing up with slow, shaky steps.

Without another word, Sunwoo charges at the poor creature and puts it out of its misery, sighing afterwards as he moves to collect their teeth. As much as Sunwoo despised bokoblins, he can’t deny their teeths’ healing abilities.

“Quite the impressive display,” a voice calls out, startling Sunwoo. He blinks, staring at the boy coming up to him. He looks like a normal, boring old human, probably from a nearby village. Sunwoo peers a little closer, only to notice the slightly pointed ears in contrast to the boy’s plain looks. Sunwoo’s eyes widen.

“Are you a Hylian too?” Sunwoo asks. The boy’s hands immediately fly up to cover his ears. Sunwoo stares even further, noticing the boy’s translucent skin.

“Shh!” The boy grimaces, fervently glancing around their surroundings. “Ganon has ears everywhere, and he’s been watching you. If you want to make it up Death Mountain and to the next Divine Beast alive , follow me. We need to hide!”

“For a place called ‘Death Mountain’, the volcano seems kind of…” Eric mumbles under his breath as they scale the ridiculous amount of stairs towards Goron City. Sunwoo turns his gaze up to the dormant volcano, humming softly.

“Peaceful?” Sunwoo proposes, to which their companion Haknyeon snorts at.

“Only on the outside,” Haknyeon proclaims. “The inside of the volcano is literally pure hell. Only Gorons and Goron hybrids have the skin to survive it, unless you’ve got some Fire Elixirs handy.”

Sunwoo nods, thoroughly impressed. Haknyeon’s a hybrid, retaining most of the Goron’s physical strength and fire-proof skin, along with their huge appetite. Still, his skin glowed with a distinctly human colour, being able to pass off easily as they’re travelling. Eric finds him absolutely fascinating, always guessing which genes he inherited from his Goton father and which ones he didn’t. Apparently, Haknyeon doesn’t eat rocks like the other Gorons do.

“How’s Vah Rudania holding up for you?” Eric chimes in, ever the dutiful Prince that he is. Haknyeon hums, shrugging lightly as he shifts his broadsword from side to side on his back.

“She’s a tough cookie, I’ll give you that,” Haknyeon summarizes, “but I’ve got a friend to help me figure her out. He’s a Hylian too. Your age, actually.”

Sunwoo glances backward, watching Eric’s aura shift into a low buzz. A fond smile stretches on Sunwoo’s lip at the sight. Being the Prince and all, Eric didn’t have many friends. So, he always seemed so excited about meeting new people. A part of Sunwoo caves in a little, wanting to reach out and give Eric the world. He is Sunwoo’s world, after all.

“What’s his name?” Eric asks, sounding like an excited puppy. Cute.

Haknyeon grins, sharing Sunwoo’s observation. Eric is objectively the most adorable puppy in the world.

“Hyunjun! He’s a little cold at first, but he’s like a little brother to me.”

“Hello, Hylian!” A burly Goron shouts, snapping Sunwoo to attention. He smiles, waving his arms as he ventures back into Goron City.

“My, my! How many fire lizards have you got there, friend? Planning an expedition into the mountain?” The Goron asks, peering into Sunwoo’s overflowing pouch. Sunwoo smiles sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He glances at his new ghostly friend, who’s apparently called Hyunjun and is only visible to Sunwoo, gaze silently calling for help fibbing a story. Hyunjun shrugs, gesturing at the bag and mouthing ‘tell him something.’ Sunwoo grimaces, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Hyunjun told him they were close friends before Hyunjun died in the struggle for possession of the Divine Beast between the old Goron Champion and Ganon. Hyunjun has seemed… touchy about the subject, only insisting Sunwoo help him free the old Champion from Vah Rudania. There’s a wistful look in his eyes when talking about the Champion though, as if they were close. Problem is, Hyunjun won’t even tell Sunwoo the Champion’s name, let alone what they were in terms of labels. Hyunjun isn’t the sharing type.

“Um, yes?” Sunwoo tries, “got some, ah, rocks I wanted to find. Yes. For a research project. Very, um, sciency things. Secret sciency things having to do with, uh, hot-footed toad.”

The Goron hums, stroking its long, white beard as it contemplates Sunwoo’s answer. sunwoo bites his bottom lip nervously, praying the Goron doesn’t pick apart his words.

“That does sound very important,” the Goron points out before shrugging, “so I’ll leave you to it then, friend. Just be careful of the volcano. Ever since the Great Calamity ten thousand ago, the volcano’s been unstable. Chief Bludo’s the only one keeping that hell of a Divine Beast sane up there, making sure it doesn't spew lava all over the city. Your little Hylian bones won’t make it, friend.”

Sunwoo purses his lips, nodding tentatively as he slips past the Goron. As soon as they’re out of earshot, Sunwoo sighs, knees buckling as he sits onto a nearby rock.

“No amount of elixir is going to prevent lava from burning me alive, Jun.”

Hyunjun shrugs, seemingly his favourite action. “Your old boyfriend figured it out. Didn’t your Sheikah Slate used to belong to him?”

Sunwoo narrows his eyes at Hyunjun. “I can’t even remember who my boyfriend is. This ‘Eric’ might’ve just been a friend.”

Hyunjun smiles cheekily. “Oh no, trust me. You two were the ultimate couple.”

“I’m telling you I know how to drive this thing! You can’t be in the engines and driving the Beast at the same time, so let me help!” a voice argues, loud and full of frustration as it echoes down the corridors of Vah Rudania. Sunwoo flinches, wondering if he’s imposing. The soft glow of lava-tinted moonlight envelops the Divine Beast’s insides with a light red, a sign of how late the night is. Sunwoo’s other indication is Eric’s sleeping form in his arms, curled up against his chest like a fairy. He looks ethereal like this, not a single furrow of stress from trying to save the world on his lithe shoulders. Sunwoo wishes that someday, he could bring a little peace to Eric while he’s awake. Sunwoo had meant to ask Haknyeon if there was space on board for them to camp out, but it seems Haknyeon is little occupied.

“You shouldn’t be on board during the actual fight, Junnie! I can teach you how to keep the damn thing upright, but you’re practically defenseless if Ganon’s minions show up!” Haknyeon’s voice rises above the previous one, exasperated. Sunwoo purses his lips, knowing it’s impolite to eavesdrop. Still, he can’t exactly go anywhere right now. Sighing, Sunwoo takes a tentative step into the operating room.

“I’m not helpless! I volunteered for this knowing full well what might become of me!” a boy in front of Haknyeon yells. His ears are pointed, the telltale features of a Hylian very much not prepared for long days in Death Mountain. There’s a soft red glow in his eyes, the mark of the fire elixir in his veins to keep the boy from bursting into flames because of the mountain heat.

“I won’t let you stay here when the time comes,” Haknyeon states firmly, gaze hard, “it’s just not safe. You could—”

“Die?” The boy throws his hands into the air, exasperated. “At least that way, I’ll die saving Hyrule. You can’t do this alone, Haknyeon, let me help.”

Haknyeon shakes his head, crossing his arms with a stone-cold ‘this discussion is over’ look settles on his face. The other boy growls, turning on his heels and storming out. He passes Sunwoo on his way out, startled. His eyes drift to Eric, who’s somehow still passed out in Sunwoo’s arms, and widens his eyes.

“I wasn’t aware his Majesty was coming to check in today,” the boy mumbles, before pausing. “Please tell me he gets where I’m coming from.” Sunwoo purses his lips, glancing at Haknyeon. He’s silently fuming but avoids Sunwoo’s gaze entirely. Sunwoo glances back at the boy, hesitating. Eric would most likely take Haknyeon’s side, always the one to push those he loves out of harm’s way. Sunwoo knows it, and yet all he can think about is Chanhee and his lonely struggle against himself. Haknyeon has someone to share the burden with, but he refuses in a stubborn bout of chivalry. No great warrior can truly stand alone.

Still…

Sunwoo sighs.

“His Majesty agrees with Haknyeon,” Sunwoo replies in defeat, watching the boy’s features fall, “it’s not safe to involve civilians in the struggle against Calamity.”

“What was he like?” Sunwoo asks between controlled pants in his rocky hike up Death Mountain. Hyunjun floats with ease beside Sunwoo, the perks of being a dead spirit evident in the lack of tension on his face.

“Haknyeon? Or Eric?” Hyunjun asks, confused. Sunwoo purses his lips. Hyunjun claims to have met Eric and Sunwoo before, but a part of Sunwoo wants to remember his supposed lover the way his past self viewed him. Somehow, it feels wrong to learn about him any other way.

“Haknyeon,” Sunwoo decides on, searching his brain for something to ask, “you came here to help him run the Beast, right? But something happened, and now you’re stuck in Hyrule instead of floating off like any other dead spirit.”

Hyunjun clenches his jaw, carefully picking out his response. They continue in silence for a short while, only the quiet crackling of the lava inside the mountain and the hum of the earth to keep them company.

“When we were little,” Hyunjun begins slowly, drawing out his words. “Haknyeon saved me from a horde of wild foxes. Ever since then, I just… naturally gravitated towards him, if you know what I mean.”

Sunwoo nods encouragingly, a seed of memory blooming in his mind. There’s him and someone who Sunwoo has learnt to recognize as Eric, sat in the middle of a forest while Bokoblins surround them. They’re no more than little children in this one, yet Eric had picked up a nearby stone and chucked it at the nearest Bokoblin, startling them for long enough to grab Sunwoo’s wrist and break into a run. They made it out of that one relatively unscathed, but Sunwoo had learnt to trust Eric with his life. He’s not helpless, after all.

“So when he was chosen to try and control Vah Rudania, I knew I wanted to follow him. Try to pay him back for a lifetime of protection, you know?” Hyunjun explains. Sunwoo nods, a grimace on his lips.

“He didn’t let you?” Sunwoo guesses, bits of memory returning to him. Hyunjun smiles sadly.

“I’m not helpless,” Hyunjun mutters, more to himself than anything. “But he wouldn’t let me help and… well you know what ended up happening. I can’t leave Hyrule until I get the chance to see his ugly mug again and tell the stupid bastard how wrong he was.”

Sunwoo smiles at Hyunjun sympathetically.

“Well, no time like the present, am I right?”

“You’re not going to make it,” Sunwoo notes, staring at Haknyeon fiddling with Vah Rudania’s controls. Haknyeon stops, hands hovering above the movement console as his fingers curl into a soft fist.

“I know,” Haknyeon sighs, “but I’ll have enough time to blast Ganon once. I’ve only got one shot, right? The rest is up to the Hero, whenever he’s found.”

Sunwoo frowns. “You’re just going to sacrifice yourself like that?” Sunwoo asks, confused. Haknyeon purses his lips, shrugging lightly.

“Yeah? I can’t restabilize Vah Rudania’s core and rebalance the beast back onto the mountain at the same time,” Haknyeon points out, to which Sunwoo can only sigh.

“Hyunjun could help,” Sunwoo argues, “I’ve seen him pilot this thing with ease.”

Haknyeon scowls, turning to Sunwoo with a sharp gaze. “I am not letting Junnie stay. Ganon will inevitably try to attack. The risk is too high.”

“He can fight,” Sunwoo points out. “Even whooped my ass a couple of times, if you gave him a bow.”

Haknyeon shakes his head. “The arrows burn up in the heat. Junnie’s practically a sitting duck here. I can’t let him become a casualty.”

“You don’t know that,” Sunwoo tries, even though he knows it’s futile. “He’s in this mess as much as you are. Don’t push the people you love away, Haknyeon.”

Haknyeon shakes his head, turning back to his console. Sunwoo sighs, admitting defeat. He turns to the doorway and glances out into the rest of the Divine Beast. Out of the corner of his vision, Sunwoo spots Eric and Hyunjun playing some kind of game with a poor Smotherwing Butterfly. In the back of Sunwoo’s mind, he knows why Haknyeon’s so hesitant. It’s practically ingrained in Sunwoo’s reflexes to push civilians and possible casualties out of the way.

But therein lies the exception.

Eric jumps up, catching the poor butterfly in his palm as Hyunjun complains about him cheating. A fond smile worms onto Sunwoo’s face at the sight, heart squeezing at Eric’s excited grin. Eric’s never been someone for Sunwoo to just protect, as if he was just a damsel in distress in need of a hero. In more cases than not, Eric’s the leader between them, whether it be something as silly as pulling pranks on the castle staff or as life-threatening as sweet-talking their way out of being eaten alive by the assassin-filled Yiga Clan.

In short, Sunwoo trusts Eric with his life, and vice versa.

“You’re going to need him one day,” Sunwoo tries one last time, hoping to stir something. Haknyeon only shakes his head.

“I already do. Just not like this.”

“Get to the canons!” Sunwoo yells, ducking out of the blast radius of a magma bomb. Hyunjun pauses mid-float, turning back to Sunwoo with wide eyes.

“But what about you?” Hyunjun yells. Sunwoo growls, turning back to the possessed Guardians of the Beast.

“I’ll hold them off for now, but you need to find a way to blast us up to that stupid thing!” Sunwoo yells. Hyunjun nods, phasing into the mountain to ghost his way up to one of the cliffside cannons. Sunwoo draws his shield, holding it up towards one of the Guardians as it starts to rev up a massive laser. With a grunt, Sunwoo deflects the blast right back at the Guardian, exploding it into smithereens before drawing his sledgehammer. Sunwoo dodges a beam of red hot energy and runs towards the source of the blast. At the last minute, Sunwoo drops into a crouch, dodging the Guardian’s wild swing before swinging his sledgehammer into the Guardian’s side and knocking it into the lava. Sunwoo pants, turning back to the ocean of Guardians in front of him. He grits his teeth, ready to fight again when a loud explosion booms on the tip of Death Mountain. Sunwoo flinches, whipping his head upwards to find a rain of Guardian bodies all falling into the lava, followed by Hyunjun’s shit-eating grin as he hangs off the cannon.

“Up for a magic fireball ride, darling?” Hyunjun shouts. Sunwoo grins, turning back to the Guardians. He readies his shield, holding his breath as a Guardian's laser blasts against his shield, creating a fire as Sunwoo deflects it towards the ground. An updraft swells into the air, pushing Sunwoo upwards as he pulls out his glider. Hyunjun fires off another giant cannonball, this one aimed towards Vah Rudania itself, and clamours onto the object. Sunwoo drops onto the fireball as it flies by in a perfect intercept, gripping onto the boulder as it soars towards the main operating room of the giant mechanical spider.

“Now!” Hyunjun yells, floating off towards the broken window as Sunwoo jumps, pushing himself towards the Divine Beast. He barely hangs on, struggling to push himself into the Beast while Hyunjun floats around the outskirts of the room.

With one last heave, Sunwoo pushes himself up and into the room, panting lightly.

“A moment to catch your breath?” Hyunjun asks, already halfway towards the control terminal. Before Sunwoo can even shake his head, Vah Rudania shudders, groaning and creaking as it crackles to life. Sunwoo yelps, nearly thrown off-balance as he watches dark energy seep through the walls and into the center of the room. Gritting his teeth, Sunwoo draws his sword, balancing himself on the wobbly floor. The dark energy funnels into a single entity, much like the half-rotten flesh monster he slew a few days ago back in Zora’s domain.

Ganon.

Or at least, a lesser form of him.

“Or not,” Hyunjun mutters. Sunwoo charges, ducking in and out of fallen debris to avoid the monster’s fireballs. He grits his teeth and rolls under Ganon’s swipe, sliding into the monster’s underbelly. Sunwoo swings his blade in a wide arc, cutting off the monster’s underside. Ganon screams in pain, imploding its surrounding areas in fire. Sunwoo jumps, trying to avoid the burning licks of fire up his body. Before he can worry about how much the Fire Elixir can save him, an arrow flies from across the room and impales Ganon in the eye. Sunwoo jumps back into action and hacks away at the monster. Arrows continue to impale the monster, Hyunjun’s deadly precision even managing to knock Ganon’s blade out of his grip.

Of course, just as Sunwoo dared to believe he had the upper hand for a moment, Ganon roared and stretched its arms towards Hyunjun. Sunwoo turns to him, eyes wide in panic as a blade hurls towards Hyunjun. Hyunjun can’t react fast enough, only recognizing the start of the blade’s path when it's mere inches in front of him. Before the tip could collide, though, a red cocoon enveloped around Hyunjun, like a layer of rock-hard protection. The spear bounced off harmlessly, and Sunwoo sucks in a breath.

Hyunjun whirls around, meeting Haknyeon’s teal spirit form. Shock and relief colours his expression as Hyunjun flinches, not knowing how to react. Haknyeon smiles at him fondly, before gesturing back at Ganon.

“I’ve never been an offensive attacker, Junnie,” Haknyeon yells, slamming his palms together to create a shield around Sunwoo and Hyunjun, “this one’s up to you!”

Hyunjun nods numbly, knocking an arrow into his ghostly bow as he takes aim towards Ganon. Sunwoo jumps onto the monster’s back, slashing wildly to hack away at its armour. As soon as a tiny crack formed between the bronze plating covering Ganon’s chest, Hyunjun let his arrow fly, piercing straight into Ganon’s chest.

Sunwoo jumps off and scurries to find cover. He glances up at the last moment to find Haknyeon standing in front of the monster, hands outstretched as a red barrier flickers around Ganon’s half-dead body. With a guttural scream, the monster explodes, expelling its essence into the red barrier as it becomes a giant glowing ball of dark energy. Grunting softly, Haknyeon turns to the broken window and tosses the ball outside, letting Death Mountain’s lava take care of the lesser demon. The volcano roars at the sudden influx of food, bubbling as its lava slowly rises. Sunwoo widens his eyes, turning back to Haknyeon.

“Get us out of here!” Sunwoo yells. Hyunjun is three steps ahead, already floating to the control terminal and yanking on a joystick of sorts, pulling the mechanical spider upwards. They race against the volcano, barely scratching a hint of ash-free fresh air on the mountain’s summit. The mountain boils over, threatening to erupt and destroy Goron City. Sunwoo grits his teeth, running over to the edge of the operating room for a clearer view when he suddenly doubles over, bright light filling his vision.

“Sunwoo, use your Triforce!” Haknyeon yells at him, trying to help Sunwoo stand. Sunwoo clenches his fist as he holds it towards the lava. Bright barriers of light surround the lava, holding it back as more magic seeps into the side of the mountain. Vah Rudania groans under the sudden influx of magic, practically vibrating as Hyunjun drives it to face the inside of the mountain. With a loud whir, the Beast sticks four of its mechanical pegs into the spillover and sucks it up. With its other legs, the Beast expels the lava back into the mountain, stopping the crisis in the nick of time. Sunwoo cries out in pain, collapsing onto the floor as the sudden rush of magic ends. Death Mountain roars at his feet, hunger satiated while its Divine Beast stood precariously on its lava-covered summit.

“We did it,” Sunwoo breathes, panting hard between each word. He looks up towards his teammates, who seem to be in equal states of disarray.

“Yeah, you guys did it,” Haknyeon replies, a smile on his face. Hyunjun scowls, floating over menacingly towards Haknyeon. He slaps him square on the cheek, anger in his cheeks.

“That’s for making me stay put while you die,” Hyunjun hisses, watching Haknyeon’s eyes shift from shock to guilt. Then, he balls up the front of Haknyeon’s tunic and pulls him in, pressing their lips together.

“And that,” Hyunjun breathes, “is for saving me earlier.”

Haknyeon exhales, relieved as a small smile worms onto his face. He looks happy, as if all was right in the world once again, even if there is still a giant murderous demon running around. Somehow, he even looks relieved, as if Hyunjun was enough for Haknyeon, no matter what. “Love you too, Junnie.”

Under any other circumstances, Sunwoo might’ve cringed. This time, a small part of him feels sad. He had someone to love, once upon a time. Now, Sunwoo can barely remember him.

And perhaps, that’s the final straw that makes Sunwoo crack.

“They say that somewhere in the Lost Woods lies the Master Sword, waiting for its true owner to find it,” Eric rambles, three steps in front of Sunwoo as he navigates the maze-like woods with practiced ease. Sunwoo follows behind him, a soft smile on his face as he makes a non-committal noise.

“The Hero?” Sunwoo guesses, “the one who’s supposed to defeat Calamity Ganon?”

Eric purses his lips, venturing deeper into the forest. “The one who wields the Triforce of Courage, yes. The one we’ve yet to find.”

Sunwoo cocks his head, trying to read Eric’s stiff body language from a few feet behind. His shoulders are tense, full of burden as his steps grow heavier by the second. The broadsword on Sunwoo’s back feels heavy, as if simulating the same weight Eric is forced to carry every day. Not only is he the crown Prince, something much more fateful courses through his veins.

Suddenly, Eric stops in his tracks, dropping his Sheikah Slate to his side. Sunwoo stops too, still a comfortable distance away. The forest air is eerily quiet as a light breeze ruffles Eric’s hair.

“Do you think I’m a failure?” Eric asks, voice small. Sunwoo scowls, ready to retort when he spots Eric holding up the back of his hand. The symbol of the Triforce of Wisdom glares at him, the mark of Eric’s supposed fate, although it refused to cooperate. Supposedly, some ancient power lived within him, capable of sealing Calamity Ganon away once the Hero had slain him.

The problem, however, is the fact that the power refused to wake, and now the deadline is practically breathing down Eric’s neck.

“You’re not a failure,” Sunwoo says gently, taking a tentative step towards Eric. Eric whirls around, eyes glassy and fists balled up.

“Everyone’s fulfilling their part, and yet here I am, utterly useless,” Eric whispers, voice shaky and raw. Sunwoo shakes his head, taking three big steps towards Eric and wrapping him in a big hug.

“You’re not useless,” Sunwoo argues. “You’ve helped calibrate two Divine Beasts, made a major breakthrough in controlling the Guardians, found the location of the Master Sword and now you’re here to retrieve it. You’re the absolute opposite of useless.”

Eric bites his bottom lip, shoulders shaking as he hiccups lightly. “What use will all of that be,” Eric counters, choking back a sob, “if I can’t find a way to seal Ganon? All of this will be for nothing. I could lose everything. I… I could lose you.”

Sunwoo squeezes Eric’s shoulders, burying his nose in his lover’s neck. Tears stains Sunwoo’s other shoulder, mixed in with Eric’s shaking body and hot breath, colliding in a mixture of heartbreak and soul-crushing sucker punches in the pit of Sunwoo’s stomach. Eric deserves to be happy, not stressed out of his damn mind. Sunwoo squeezes harder, trying to imprint a part of himself onto Eric. Trying to let Eric know he will walk to Hell and back for him, and that he’ll never leave. Not a single thing in the world is allowed to separate them.

“As long as you keep trying, everything will work out,” Sunwoo promises. “I’ll always be there for you.”

Eric sniffles, drawing a shaky breath. “Always is a hard promise to keep,” he mumbles, struggling to believe Sunwoo. Sunwoo presses a soft kiss onto Eric’s earlobe, smiling softly against the kiss.

“It’s one I will keep to my dying breath.”

“Trying to draw the sword, Hero?” a deep, brooding voice grumbles with all the characteristics of an old and tired grandfather. Sunwoo flinches, flicking his gaze away from the gleaming sword stuck in stone that had caught his attention earlier. He meets the carved face of the Great Deku Tree in all of its kind and gentle wisdom, the cogs in the back of his brains spinning at a million miles an hour.

“I need the Master Sword,” Sunwoo states carefully, taking a tentative step towards the blade. The Deku Tree has never been known for being a monster, if the little scraps of memory and rumours Sunwoo has heard around are any indication. Still, Sunwoo prefers to be safer than sorry.

“Only those worthy can draw the blade,” the Great Deku Tree booms, deep thumps of his voice echoing through the woods. “Are you still worthy?”

Sunwoo bites his bottom lip. “I think I am.”

The Great Deku Tree smiles, resembling a kind old sage as he ruffles his thick branches. Sunwoo glances up towards the branch over his head, widening his eyes as he meets the leaf-faced plant sprites known as the Koroks. They whisper among themselves and wave their leaves, resembling rustling foliage in the wind. One jumps off of the branch and floats down gently, using its leaf to sway downwards. Instinctively, Sunwoo holds out his palms, catching the notably tiny sprite.

“Hello there,” Sunwoo greets the sprite with a gentle smile. The sprite beams at him before rummaging into a tiny satchel on its side.

“A pretty boy told us to give this to you, Mr. Hero! He also told us to pass on a message,” the sprite chirps, pulling out a small bundle of cloth from its bag. Apparently, there was more space than meets the eye.

Sunwoo accepts the gift graciously, unfurling the little clump of cloth only to realize it’s some kind of handkerchief. Despite the pungent smell of nature around him, a soft tickle of lavender greets Sunwoo’s nose, like a gentle poke on the side. He inhales sharply, the cogs in his brain turning again as another scrap of memory comes back. He’s sitting in a field of lavenders in this one, with a beautiful boy curled up on his side. They’re half-asleep, drowning in the soothing scent of lavenders and the cool coo of the wind. The boy in Sunwoo’s arms turns over to meet his eyes, hooded and lazy. The boy opens his mouth, a pretty smile on his features.

“‘I love you’,” Past-Eric mutters at the same time as the sprite in Sunwoo’s hand. Tears prick at the corners of Sunwoo’s eyes as his knees buckle, slumping down onto the ground. The memories aren’t all back, no, but there’s enough for Sunwoo to feel his world shatter. Somehow, Sunwoo had failed to keep the promise he made ten thousand years ago. Sobs wrack through his body as he kneels before the Master Sword, the supposed weapon he was supposed to draw a ten thousand years ago.

“I love you,” Sunwoo whispers, broken and silent as those three heavy words melt into the winds. He stays there, sobbing silently while the Korok watches over him, allowing one simple moment of vulnerability.

I love you too , the wind whispers back.

“Welcome to Rito Village,” Kevin announces, spreading his wings and gesturing to the spiralling rock formations riddled with houses and swirling staircases. Sunwoo’s jaw drops open at the view, from the towering peaks of the Hebra Mountains to the crystal clear river that swirled under their feet. Each of the giant rock spires seem to touch the sky, connected by rope bridges for the wing-less baby Ritos. Sunwoo gapes as he watches a Rito fly past with a small baby bird on its back, soaring through the sky. Another zooms past with a kind of lyre in his wings. He lands in front of them, a bright smile on his face in contrast to the sombre navy blue colour of his feathers. Next to Kevin, whose feathers are a pristine white to resemble the moonlight, this Rito looks like the depths of twilight.

“Your Majesty,” the Rito bows, a polite smile on his face as he greets Eric. Sunwoo quickly closes his mouth and straightens, trying to return to his proper guard stance. Eric flashes him a nervous look, as if internally debating how to react.

“Hi there, uh…” Eric begins hesitantly, scratching the back of his head.

“Jacob,” Kevin supplies, stepping in and resting a wing on the Rito’s back, “this is Eric and Sunwoo. They’ll be helping me calibrate Vah Medoh for the next week or so.”

Jacob smiles a little brighter, straightening up. Sunwoo’s eyes catch a soft glint of silver on Jacob’s back, the hidden handle of a one-handed blade peeking through its holster. Sunwoo’s gaze drifts to Kevin’s wing around Jacob, holding onto him in a way that can’t possibly be platonic. Sunwoo raises an eyebrow, wondering if there’s something else. Kevin avoids his gaze.

“First things first, then,” Jacob announces, clapping his wings together, “you’ll need to learn some gliding. I hope you’ve brought some warm clothes, Your Majesty.”

Without warning, Jacob pulls Eric into a hug and jumps off the side of the cliff, soaring downwards. Sunwoo startles, running to the edge with panic before a blur of navy-blue feathers zip straight up and past Sunwoo’s vision. Eric’s yelps echo in the wind, an undertone of excitement to his voice as Jacob spins in the air, tossing Eric onto his back. Sunwoo stares at them with concern, a knot of worry in the pit of his stomach.

“Don’t worry,” Kevin breaks into Sunwoo’s train of thought, an amused smile on his lips, “Cobbie’s not going to steal your boyfriend.”

Sunwoo snorts, half in disbelief at Kevin’s terrible joke and half to soothe his own worry.

“Because he’s got one of his own?” Sunwoo counters, turning to Kevin with an eyebrow raised. Kevin simply smiles.

“Something like that,” Kevin mutters back, a fond look in his eyes.

Sunwoo wonders if he has that look in his eyes too, whenever Eric’s in his vision.

“Vah Medoh?” the Rito Chieftain hums in contemplation, scratching his chin, “you wish to tame the Divine Beast? The last Rito to even set foot aboard the Beast died ten thousand ago, my boy.”

Sunwoo purses his lips. He knows Ritos have relatively short life spans, and this chieftain is really only in his early 30’s or so. The Rito don’t keep a written record of things, meaning absolutely no one here even knows of the struggle outside of their peaceful village. A small part of Sunwoo irks at it, but he can’t fault them. They don’t live for long enough to feel the responsibility of the world anyway.

“Well, I do suppose there is the Champion’s Ballad, which rumours the Beast answering to the call of its lost lover, but that’s all it is. A song,” the chieftain summarizes sadly, scratching his chin again. Sunwoo grimaces, sighing in defeat.

“Then that’ll be my lead,” Sunwoo decides, “any ideas on where I could find this supposed ‘lost lover’?” Sunwoo asks hopefully. The chieftain hums, scaling Sunwoo up silently.

“‘Follow the song of your heart’,” the chief recites, scrunching up his face in thought, “perhaps it’s worth trying to scour the Hebra Mountains. Legend tells of many Rito who’ve lost their lives there, save for the former Champion himself. Perhaps you can find his ghost there.”

Sunwoo sighs, a pained smile on his face as he bows to the Chieftain out of respect.

“Thank you, O Rito Chieftain,” Sunwoo concludes, about to leave when the chieftain snaps his wing-fingers to grab Sunwoo’s attention again.

“By the way, why do you want to tame the Beast anyway? She’s nothing but trouble,” the chieftain asks. Sunwoo smiles sadly, eyes drifting to the wild, snow-covered scenery outside.

“I’ve got a lover to find too,” Sunwoo says simply, “taking Vah Medoh is just a part of my quest.”

Sunwoo closes his eyes, swaying gently to the sound of Vah Medoh’s engine and Jacob’s lyre. Of all the Beasts he’s camped out on so far, Vah Medoh is by far the most peaceful. The roaring winds outside are basically mute through the thick walls of the operating room, the only indication of their existence coming in their light tap on the glass window in front of the operating room. Sunwoo sighs, losing himself in the melodic plucks of Jacob’s lyre and Kevin’s singing voice, meeting in a beautiful harmony. Eric is laid on Sunwoo’s shoulder, gently swaying to the music as well. The Hylians knew music, sure, but nowhere to the level of these two. There was a kind of touch to their craft even seasoned bards at local taverns can’t replicate that makes Kevin and Jacob’s music so special.

To put it simply, Kevin and Jacob’s song feels like home.

“Cold winds rest in my bones,” Kevin sings, eyes closed as he mimes out the notes in the air. Sunwoo watches him in awe, amazed at how beautifully Vah Medoh has become in-tune with Kevin. The mechanical bird seems to flap its mechanical wings in time, gliding with each nuance of Kevin’s singing.

“I freeze, wishing for home,” Kevin continues, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he opens his eyes and meets Sunwoo’s curious gaze. Kevin’s irises drop down towards Eric, who’s silently drawing patterns into Sunwoo’s palm, their fingers otherwise tangled together. Sunwoo smiles instinctively, swivelling his head to plant a soft kiss on the crown of Eric’s head.

“But waiting for you,” Kevin smiles, turning to look at Jacob. There’s a silent conversation exchanged between them, as soft as the tinkle of the wind chimes Kevin brought from the village hanging over their heads. Jacob smiles too, impossibly soft and loving as he takes a breath.

“Makes this place wonderland,” Kevin and Jacob harmonize, gaze locked on each other as Sunwoo resists the urge to cringe. He supposes it’d be a little hypocritical of him, considering the fact that he has a pretty boy trying to nuzzle his way into the crook of Sunwoo’s neck.

“Can you believe,” Eric whispers, a sad smile on his lips as he gestures to Kevin and Jacob “that that could’ve been us?”

Sunwoo hums, a mix of sad agreement and hopeful denial in his tone.

“When this is all over, that will be us. I don’t care if you’re the crown Prince, I’ll still love you forever,” Sunwoo whispers back, free hand reaching up to start playing with the silky strands of Eric’s two-tone brown and beige hair. A warm smile replaces the sad one on Eric’s face as he leans a little closer into Sunwoo’s touch.

“Love you too, Sun.”

Sunwoo freezes in place as he enters the cave, eyes wide as his lungs fill with cold, dry air. Blue and purple crystals line the dark, stone walls, glowing with a faint pulse of magic. Gulping, Sunwoo pulls out Younghoon and holds it up to the cave. There’s a soft beep before the screen lights up.

“Qukah Nata Shrine,” Younghoon’s robotic voice reads, flashing with various weather readings, “the Song of the Storm.”

Sunwoo allows himself a small smile, gripping his Master Sword tightly as he descends the depths of the shrine. After asking around and convincing Younghoon to finally help him, Sunwoo had discovered that the old Champion of the Rito was a musician. He had a boyfriend, apparently, but they both died in the struggle against one of Ganon’s lesser forms. Apparently, they were separated too, and to find one meant he could find the other.

“How’d the song go again?” Sunwoo asks, stepping down the rocky tunnel carefully. Younghoon makes a soft whirring sound, before the soft melody of an accordion fills the room.

“ When a lost hero calls down lightning from the sky, The monk responds from a giant mound on high, ” Younghoon replies, singing in his robotic glory. He’s surprisingly good at it for a piece of metal, Sunwoo notes, wondering if there’s yet another secret in his Sheikah Slate. Maybe Younghoon is some kind of ghost, too, given Sunwoo’s luck.

“Well we got the lightning earlier,” Sunwoo mutters, dusting off small pieces of ash from his tunic. He had to stand over a random hill with a metal sledgehammer earlier, half-terrified as he tried to attract the storm’s rage. A giant hole had blasted in the ground, although Sunwoo’s bore gloves got burnt right off too. Younghoon, ever the traitor, snapped a pic of his frazzled hair and refused to delete it. The bastard.

Sunwoo sighs, letting his thoughts drift as instinct takes over. His feet move by themselves, jumping from barely stable perches to unstable rock ledges. He expects to slip at any moment, but his mind is anywhere but the rocky tunnel right now.

“How much have you remembered?” Younghoon beeps, a curious lilt to his tone. Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, trying to concentrate.

“Still just bits,” Sunwoo confesses, “mostly about the places we’ve travelled. Some skills and stuff, too, I guess.”

Younghoon makes a contemplative booping noise. “And people?”

Sunwoo purses his lips. “I miss him,” Sunwoo whispers gently, placing his hands on the wall to steady his perch. A bright smile and pretty, dainty fingers fills his vision, almost attached to Sunwoo’s hair. There’s a glint of fondness in Dream-Eric’s gaze as he leans over and pecks Sunwoo’s lips.

“Love you.”

Younghoon beeps again, ruining the daydream.

“We're here,” Younghoon points out and Sunwoo sighs. The rocky tunnel opens into a large cave with a singular sliver of ground over a lake. Above them is a giant wind tunnel, threatening to rip Sunwoo off of the ground and eject him. Sunwoo frowns.

“Didn’t you say the challenge was over?” Sunwoo asks, trying to find a way across to the center of the bridge. There seems to be a glowing teal spirit there, just sitting as it strums on what looks like a lyre.

“I assume you’ve just found the lost lover,” Younghoon beeps back pointedly, shining a laser at the teal spirit. Sunwoo flinches, trying to angle the tablet away before the spirit tries to chop their heads off. The spirit looks up, gaze sharp as it charges towards Sunwoo, a sword in hand. Reflexively, Sunwoo draws the Master sword and parries his strike, dropping into a low crouch before rolling away. He expects the spirit to charge again, maybe even stab him, but all the spirit does is stare with wide eyes.

“Sunwoo?” the spirit asks, confused, “how are you… alive?”

Sunwoo frowns. “What do you mean?”

The spirit bites his bottom lip. “Ganon… attacked us. Killed all of the champions. T-the one who took over Vah Medoh said you— I mean, the hero of Hyrule was dead.”

Sunwoo shrugs, gesturing to himself. “I don’t think I’m, uh, dead at the moment.”

The spirit furrows his brows. “You fought Ganon and… neither died? Unless…” the spirit mutters, before widening his eyes in realization. His gaze drifts to the tablet at Sunwoo’s side, Younghoon’s sleek design glinting in the crystal light.

“What?” Sunwoo asks, suddenly nervous. The spirit purses his lips.

“Eric fought Ganon, and you… must’ve been intercepted,” the spirit rationalizes, “he was the one that died then, while you… were saved. He died, while you survived.”

“Why’d you choose to stay up here?” Sunwoo asks, staring at Jacob tinkering with the weapon module on Vah Medoh’s beak. Eric was helping Kevin fix the navigation module after a particularly bad storm wrecked it last night. Sunwoo doesn’t know shit about these Divine Beasts, but figured he’d make himself useful by helping to carry the tools to Jacob.

“What do you mean?” Jacob asks, although he has a wrench in his beak so it sounds more like ‘weer derr yerrr meerrr’. Sunwoo scratches the back of his head.

“I mean, don’t Ritos value freedom?” Sunwoo asks, “Being cooped up in a giant mechanical bird for the rest of your life isn’t exactly… free.”

Jacob takes the wrench out from his mouth and whacks it over a glowing orange core. Sunwoo winces, wondering if this is the proper way of fixing stuff. Nevertheless, the weapons module hums back to life, glowing blue and orange.

“Free is relative,” Jacob points out, “and I feel free with Kevin. It’s like Hylians and your search for a purpose, no? What’s your purpose?”

Sunwoo bites his bottom lip, slowly turning to gaze towards the operating room. “To protect,” Sunwoo states confidently. “It’s to protect him with my life.”

Jacob smiles, borderline cooing as Sunwoo rolls his eyes at the ridiculous action.

“You guys are heading to the desert next, right?” Jacob asks after coming down from his teasing spree. Sunwoo shakes his head, helping Jacob pack up his tools.

“We’re dudes,” Sunwoo points out, “The Gerudos would throw us out immediately. The king arranged for some handmaidens to tend to them instead.”

Jacob nods, humming in agreement. “So you’re home-free?”

Sunwoo bites his bottom lip. “Yeah,” he says, voice small. “I guess we are.”

A sympathetic look passes over Jacob’s eyes. “They’re not gonna let you two hang out much, are they?”

Sunwoo shakes his head, sighing lightly. “The only person who even has a chance to be close to him is the Hero of Hyrule, wherever that useless coward is. Our work is done, sadly.”

Jacob shoots Sunwoo a sympathetic smile, pulling him into a light hug.

“You will find a way. You’ll have him one day, in broad daylight.”

As Sunwoo would find out, the spirit was the lost lover he was supposed to find. Jacob had been trapped in the wind tunnel ever since his death, thrown out of the sky while Kevin struggled with Ganon’s lesser form. He agrees to help Sunwoo fly back up, learning that spirits can still interact with things given enough determination. Vah Medoh is in the middle of a snowstorm, its mechanically possessed beak trying to shoot them out of the sky with lasers. Sunwoo squeezes his eyes shut, trying to hang on for dear life as Jacob soars between the sky expertly.

“I can only drop you off in the control room!” Jacob yells, struggling to gain altitude. “The rest is up to you!”

Sunwoo nods, gripping his sword tightly. They approach Vah Medoh, narrowly avoiding lightning strikes before reaching the bird’s head. Before Sunwoo can even jump into the room, a loud screech fills the air. Sunwoo staggers, covering his ears as he stares at a swirl of dark energy forming on top of the Beast. This time, it seems Ganon is coming to him. It holds up its bow, a giant arrow notched and takes aim.

“Dive!” Sunwoo yells, gripping onto Jacob’s spirit feathers as they dive down and under the Beast. The arrow explodes a few meters behind them, narrowly dodged as Jacob flies back up. Sunwoo grips his sword and jumps off at the last second, diving towards the lesser form of Ganon. It takes aim for him again, firing before Sunwoo can even blink. Sunwoo’s eyes widen. He can’t dodge in time—

Whoosh .

Sunwoo yelps, trying to stabilize himself as he’s knocked up and out of the way of the arrow by a strong updraft. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sunwoo spots yet another transparent spirit, wings flapping aggressively as it boosts Sunwoo out of the way. Sunwoo gasps. It must be Kevin!

As Sunwoo starts to fall again. Kevin and Jacob’s spirits fly around Ganon, redirecting the wind into him as the demon tries and fails to shoot them. The arrows fall off course, falling down to the ground below as Sunwoo dives at Ganon from above. The demon is too distracted by the two Rito spirits to notice Sunwoo’s steady approach. Sunwoo takes aim with his Master Sword and lands, slowly slicing the demon in half. Ganon screams, disintegrating with the storm as he twitches uncontrollably. Feathery spirit wings catch him, and Kevin’s proud grin comes into view.

“I knew you couldn’t be dead!” Kevin yells, flying them out of the way of the disintegrating demon. Sunwoo grins right back, feeling a rush of energy as more of his memories start to return. He’s soaring through the sky with Kevin again, whooping on top his lungs out of exhilaration.

It felt perfect.

Naturally, that’s when it started to go wrong.

Boom .

Sunwoo whips his head in the direction of the sound.

“What was that?!” Sunwoo yells, panicked. Kevin scowls, flying back towards the Divine Beast.

“Ganon’s true form is stirring,” Kevin explains in a hurry, dropping Sunwoo off on top of the Beast. He turns to Sunwoo and drifts his gaze towards the tablet on Sunwoo’s hip, putting two and two together.

“You need to go, now,” Kevin mutters, turning towards the Gerudo Desert to the South. “And you need to kill him. I can get in contact with the other Champions, get them ready and everything, but you don’t have time to waste anymore. Cobbie?” Kevin yells. Moments later, Jacob lands on Vah Medoh’s head, a grimace on his face.

“What’s happening?” Jacob asks, confused. Kevin frowns in the direction of Hyrule Castle.

“My best guess? Eric only sealed him away temporarily, before he died. And now?”

Sunwoo gulps, catching on.

“He’s waking up again.”

“Calamity Ganon is coming! Your Highness, it’s not s—” a guard pleads, trying to grab Eric’s wrist and take him away, Eric growls, kicking him away as he runs out of the castle

“I don’t care!” Eric yells back, “I can help! I need to help!”
Sunwoo rounds the corner, skidding to a halt as he watches Eric’s personal guards trying to pull him back.

“Your father gave us orders—” the guard begins, tugging particularly hard. Eric’s eyes light up in fury.

“Well, now, he’s dead!” Eric argues, breaking free of the guard’s hold. “Aand Hyrule is going to die, too, if I don’t do something!”

The guard looks at him nervously. “The Hero will come. He’ll be the one to slay—”
“Well he sure is taking his sweet time, isn’t he?” Eric yells, tears streaming down his cheeks. The back of his hand starts to glow, the mark of the Triforce of Wisdom etched into his skin points South, towards the Gerudo Desert. With a start, Sunwoo realizes that’s where Ganon is right now. The King had led a squadron out to fight him there, but recent reports from scouts say he failed. The Champions and their Divine Beasts were supposed to help, but Ganon had… possessed them, somehow. Allies turned enemies. Even the guardians that once protected Hyrule are now threatening to kill everyone on sight.

“Sunwoo!” Eric yells, spotting him. Sunwoo snaps back to attention. “We need to go, now! The Hero isn’t going to come!”

Sunwoo hesitates, glancing at the pleading guard trailing behind Eric. He’s staring at Sunwoo with pleading eyes, trying to tell him something. Sunwoo sighs, making up his mind.

“It’s not—”

“Watch out!” the guard yells, grabbing Eric and pulling him behind cover as Sunwoo turns around. A guardian charges at him, threatening to trample over Sunwoo. Reflexively, Sunwoo ducks and slides under the guardian. He grabs his shield off of his back, Hyrule’s symbol gleaming despite the gray clouds.

The guardian turns around and glows red, focusing its energy into a laser-like attack. Sunwoo raises his shield and deflects the attack right back at the Guardian, exploding it into a million fragments. The sheer force of the blast sendshim back into a nearby tree, slamming into it with a sickening crack. Sunwoo groans, trying to push himself up. The guards have been fighting the Guardians for days, ever since the possession took over. Sunwoo barely had time to catch a moment of rest, but he knew he couldn't. There’s too much at stake.

Sunwoo looks up, trying to catch a glimpse of Eric by the doorway. He’s greeted with a shocked expression, halfway between concern and disbelief.

“Y-You—” Eric stutters, pointing a shaky finger at Sunwoo. Sunwoo cocks his head, confused. Eric jabs at his left hand, still stuttering. Sunwoo looks down, wondering what he meant when he sees it.

Drawn on the back of his hand, ever so faintly, is the Triforce of Courage. The mark of the Hero of Hyrule.

In a cruel twist of fate, the hero was right under their noses the entire time.

Without another word, Sunwoo runs towards Eric and grabs his wrist, pulling him towards the stables. Eric follows immediately, having barely recovered from his shock. Sunwoo winces, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his side.

“W-we need to get the Master Sword,” Eric yells, “it’s in the throne room. Ganon will be here any minute and—”

Boom.

Sunwoo skids to a stop, staring up at the giant cloud of red and black energy in the distance, mere hours away from Hyrule Castle. Sunwoo grits his teeth.

“Let’s g—” Sunwoo starts, interrupted when a sudden flare of pain shoots up his side. Eric halts, barely catching Sunwoo in time before he could slump over.

“You can’t fight like this,” Eric whispers, tears streaming down his cheeks as Sunwoo catches shallow breaths. Everything is red now, his brain full of pain. He wants nothing more than to just lie down and concede, but Sunwoo can’t. He has to protect, has to keep fighting and—

“Sun? Sun?! Sunwoo!” Eric exclaims, trying to hold him up. Sunwoo blinks, trying to clear the dark spots out of his vision.

“You!” Eric yells at someone, but Sunwoo is too weak to lift his head. Everything hurts.

“Take him to the Shrine of Restoration, and make haste! He cannot die, do you understand?” Eric yells, although his voice is nothing more but a blur in the screaming storm trying to take over Sunwoo’s brain. It hurts. Everything hurts. Is this what dying feels like?

“What about Ganon?” a voice yells back, muffled and faraway. Sunwoo blearily peeks his eyes open, trying to catch a glimpse at Eric. Eric stares at Sunwoo, conflicted before pulling him up. A soft kiss presses against his lips, like a soft graze of sweetness before Sunwoo’s senses fill with overwhelming bitterness. He had one mission, and that was to protect the beautiful smile on Eric’s face.

And he failed.

“I love you,” Eric whispers, low and quiet in Sunwoo’s ears and Sunwoo’s world comes crashing down. He knows he can’t make it. Knows that Eric can’t make it, no matter how strong he is. Still, as Sunwoo grasps for the last strands of life, he finds the strength to surge upwards and meet Eric’s lips again in a chaste, light kiss.

“You can’t go,” Sunwoo croaks, voice hoarse and raw, “I can’t lose you.”

Eric bumps their foreheads together, tears on his cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Eric whispers, “but I have to.”

Sunwoo grunts, clutching his side as he feels blood pool into his hand. He grits his teeth, glaring at Calamity Ganon—Ganon’s true demon form. He’s wordless, only angry roars as Ganon charges at Sunwoo, nothing but a swirling storm of dark energy.

You will never win , Ganon booms, sounding monstrous and evil inside of Sunwoo’s head. Sunwoo growls, refusing to give in to the corruption. He stands up and raises his sword to the sky.

“No, you will never win,” Sunwoo yells, gathering energy in his hands as he thrusts the Master Sword upwards. A beacon flies into the sky, the signal gleaming in the sky. Almost instantly, three large beams of energy explode in the sky, zooming towards the castle as it strikes down onto Ganon. A monstrous screech fills the air as Ganon is struck down, staggering backwards slowly. Sunwoo doesn’t waste another moment, charging in for the kill as he drives his sword into Ganon’s chest. The humanoid demon screams, glowing bright red as he grips the Master Sword in response. Glaring at Sunwoo, Ganon’s eyes glow bright red.

You will never win! Ganon bellows, exploding in a giant burst of light. Sunwoo yells, the sheer force of the explosion knocking him out of the castle. The dark energy from the explosion swirls together, forming some kind of shape over Hyrule Castle as it threatens to crush the stone towers. Sunwoo grits his teeth, landing peacefully on the ground. The Champions have done all they could in that blast, and Sunwoo knows he won’t be getting anymore help for the next part. Ganon reforms, this time in the shape of a giant boar as red lightning strikes down from the sky. Sunwoo stares in disbelief.

Before despair can settle in, a loud beeping sound snaps Sunwoo out of his daze. He picks up Younghoon from the ground, where he had dropped during the explosion. His screen is cracked, the tablet seeming in pieces as Sunwoo realized what had happened. Younghoon was… broken, smashed into pieces. Sunwoo didn’t even have a magic tablet on his side anymore. No weapon, no aid, no… nothing.

“Not nothing,” a voice calls out behind Sunwoo, snapping him to attention. Sunwoo whirls around, spotting a small group of spirits and a singular Zora approaching him, weapons ready. With a start, Sunwoo recognizes them. His old friends, all ready to fight. Chanhee and Changmin are wielding a trident each, ice swirling around them. Haknyeon has a giant sledgehammer on his shoulder, a wild grin on his face and fire all along his body. Hyunjun wields a bow, three fire-covered arrows notched as he glares at Ganon. Kevin and Jacob swirl overhead, weapons ready for the attack. Sunwoo felt like he could cry.

There’s two other figures too, one of which instantly recognizable to Sunwoo.

“You’re the old man!” Sunwoo cries, jabbing his fingers at the bulkier of the figures. Sangyeon grins at him proudly, drawing a large broadsword from his belt. Next to him, a skinnier figure stood tall, the Master Sword in his hand as he grins at Sunwoo.

“Time to fight, Hero,” the figure announces, stepping forwards to hand Sunwoo the sword. Sunwoo widens his eyes, ears perking up in recognition.

“Younghoon?” Sunwoo asks, confused, “but y-you—”

“I was the creator of that Sheikah Slate,” Younghoon explains quickly. “You’ve simply set my soul free. Now hurry, there’s no time!”
Sunwoo nods, finally letting his thoughts catch up as the other Champions crouch into a ready stance. Sunwoo turns around, sword in hand as he levels his gaze with Calamity Ganon. He won’t fail this time, Sunwoo thinks, he’ll finish what Eric started, ten thousand years ago.

He owes Eric that much, at least.

With a roar, Sunwoo charges at Ganon, sword raised. A rain of arrows whiz past his ear, Kevin and Hyunjoon’s arrows lodges into Ganon’s side and forces him to stagger ever so slightly. Ganon roars, slamming his feet into the ground as an earthquake ripples through the dirt. Sunwoo jumps, feeling a pair of wings wrap around him as Jacob takes him up. Sunwoo grits his teeth, aiming his swords as Jacob launches him like a cannonball at Ganon. Sunwoo strikes, managing to stab into Ganon’s side before he’s violently thrown off. The scar starts to spill, bleeding dark energy that could somehow reform. Before Sunwoo can react, a blinding flash of light envelopes the scar as it explodes, destroying the dark energy. Sunwoo whips his head in mid air to find Younghoon with a large circle of light energy around him, ready to blast Ganon off the face of Hyrule. Sunwoo grins, righting himself midair as he lands, panting slightly. A hand rests on his shoulders, warm energy filling Sunwoo’s tired muscles. Sunwoo looks up to find Chanhee grinning at him trident raised.

“Again?” Chanhee proposes. Sunwoo grins.

“Of course.”

Chanhee slams his trident into the ground, creating a slide upwards made of ice. Sunwoo braces himself as another body slams into him, snatching Sunwoo as they fly up the icy ramp. They leap off at the last minute, Sunwoo drawing his sword and Changmin drawing his trident, scratching giant wound after giant wound on the boar’s back. Younghoon helps them blast away the residue after each strike, making sure Ganon can’t reform. The process is as slow as its painful, Sunwoo’s sword arm slowly growing tired as the battle wears on.

Ganon roars again, calling down a giant lightning strike. Sunwoo twists, trying to dodge it when a nearly transparent red barrier forms around him, blocking the strike. Sunwoo turns around to meet Hakneyon’s fiery gaze as Haknyeon charges. He swings his sledgehammer down onto Ganon’s snout, knocking the demon to his knees out of sheer force. Peering closer, Sunwoo spots Sangyeon’s glowing figure helping Haknyeon slam the hammer down, reducing Calamity Ganon to nothing more than a playtoy. Sunwoo jumps to his feet, charging back in. This is it, he can do it!

With one last guttural roar, Sunwoo drives his sword into the boar’s exposed chest, slicing his blade wildly to expand the wound. Light energy envelope around Sunwoo’s blade as he drives it deeper, losing his hand in the dark energy. A glowing hand rests over Sunwoo’s as it helps Sunwoo drive the blade deeper, touch almost gentle. Sunwoo stifles a gasp, recognizing the feeling almost instantly. The Master Sword glows bright inside of Ganon, exploding him from the inside as the giant mass of dark energy devolves into energy form once again. Before it can try to gather again, a figure jumps up towards it, glowing like a comet. Sunwoo gapes, not believing his eyes as he recognizes the boy inside of that very comet. Light pulses from him in waves, tangling the dark energy together like a lasso, before crushing it together. A loud, monstrous roar fills the air one last time, before the energy explodes in a giant blast.

Silence.

Sunwoo’s knees give out as Sunwoo falls to the ground on his knees, staring at the sky in disbelief. All around him, the faint smell of burnt grass and remnants of destruction linger, but Sunwoo can’t pay them any attention. Teal spirit energy flickers around him, all pooling towards the sky as Sunwoo watches his old friends start to leave the world. Their purpose is fulfilled, with the Calamity finally slayed.

And yet, there Sunwoo is, still alive.

Somehow, it feels impossible.

“And then there were three,” Changmin sighs, cutting through Sunwoo’s disbelief. Changmin’s the only other person alive after this… mess. They did it, and they lost everything during it. Sunwoo wants to cry, wants to finally give into his emotions and let the loss hit in full effect. Changmin would understand. He’s the only who can understand at this—

Wait.

“Three?” Sunwoo asks, confused. He stands up and turns to Changmin, only to stop short as he spots another figure on the grassy field. Sunwoo’s jaw drops open as he meets the gaze of someone who’s very much not dead .

“Hi,” Eric whispers, a pretty grin on his sheepish expression. The nerve of him. Sunwoo sighs, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips. He runs to Eric and pulls him into a kiss in lieu of a response, chasing after the taste of sweetness he lost ten thousand years ago.

“How?” Sunwoo sobs when they finally part, dropping his head onto Eric’s shoulder. Eric kisses the crown of his head again, wrapping Sunwoo in a tight hug.

“Younghoon froze me in time,” Eric explains quietly, “after I put ganon in a temporary seal. He… he said I could wait here until you came back and…”

Another kiss.

“You came back,” Eric whispers again, voice starting to tremble with tears. Sunwoo smiles with relief, crushing Eric in a tight hug. Fondness explodes in his chest, heart feeling like it could beat right out of his ribcage. Everything he thought was impossible had somehow become possible, as if fate lined up for the first time ever to allow Sunwoo to hold the one person he loved most in the world in his arms. Tears slip past his cheeks, the rising sun on his back as it warms Sunwoo’s cold and lonely bones up. He feels like a comet, soaring through the sky without any restrictions at last.

Sunwoo looks up, cupping Eric’s face in his hands as he smiles fondly.

“I promised I would always be here for you, didn’t I?” Sunwoo whispers. “Sorry I took so long.”

Eric darks a laugh, shuddering into Sunwoo’s arms. Beautiful. He’s absolutely beautiful.

“I could wait an eternity for you.”

Notes:

yell at me on twitter if u want i guess

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