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Chapter Text

Red eyes glowed in the darkness. 

Hello there, Chosen Hero. 

It's so good to see you. 

Electric blue eyes flew open. 

He shot straight up, breath coming in short, desperate gasps. His palms slipped on cold sweat and warm blankets. His eyes were wet. His throat constricted. A scream was ready at the tip of his tongue, but it was violently, reflexively swallowed. 

His mouth snapped shut. 

No no no no no why'd I fall asleep I can't fall asleep, someone will hear, someone will come, someone will reach her before me but I have to get to her, have to save her, have to be on time, can't be late. Need to stay awake, why didn't Fi wake me up? She knows she’s supposed to wake me up! Why didn't Fi wake me up? 

Pale, cold fingers gripped soft fabric. His chest seized up, unwilling to let his lungs expand properly. 

I am awake now I am awake now I am awake. 

Was that really ever any better than being asleep, though? 

He exhaled shakily. 

Deep breaths. 

Deep breaths and you will be able to function. 

Deep breaths and you will be able to get up. 

Deep breaths and you will be able to find her . 

Deep breaths. 

His mind wandered in that hazy in-between, the reality that was neither waking nor sleeping, but rather something else entirely. It was familiar, but he took no comfort in it. 

It was nothing more than a sign that he needed to pull himself back together. 

He clenched his hands, and the lump that was growing in the back of his throat was forced back down. 

Fabric shifted. Something pressed down on his back, applying soft pressure to his spine, but he automatically curled forward into himself, shaking the presence off as he cupped his hands over his mouth. 

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Deep breaths. 

Oh fuck something touched me is it an ally is it a monster is it Ghirahim is it Demise no not Demise, I'd be dead already. 

Deep breaths. 

What is it, what is it, please, please, please no, don't let it touch me. 

Sky, you're shaking. 

He had not thought that, he was sure of it. 

I'm shaking. That's nice. I wonder why, eh? 

But monsters couldn't talk. 

And Ghirahim would be smiling. 

So he blinked. 

Pull yourself together. You're not dreaming, and no one is going to go lightly on a so-called "Chosen Hero" who can't even wake up properly. 

He blinked again. 

It was dark. He hadn't registered how dark it was, but even with his eyes open, he could barely see his pale, shivering hands that were nothing more than a few inches in front of his face. The crackle of a fire echoed around him, coming from somewhere off to his left. 

He was not dead yet. 

That didn't exactly give him very much comfort. Or relief. 

"Sky, you're safe. You're safe here. Deep breaths." 

Someone had knelt next to him. A hand hovered over his back, almost hesitant to touch him again. 

He couldn't blame them, whoever they were. 

"Sky?" someone murmured. He assumed that it came from the person next to him - they had a deep, reassuring voice with just a slight country twang that sounded of home. 

It was familiar, but in a good way this time. A comforting way. 

He shook himself. 

Of course it's familiar, that's Twilight. That makes a lot more sense. 

"You there?" the Ordonian continued. 

"Hurgh," he grunted. Enough of that. "Yeah. Hi." 

Sky shook himself and ran one hand along the cool grass beside him, letting the blades tickle his fingertips and palm and drag him back to the waking world. 

That is what this is...right? 

Of course it is, he answered himself. It has to be. 

He looked up at the rancher, sitting back up properly and fisting the blanket that lay over his torso and legs. The one he'd nearly thrown off to the side. 

There were blankets. He realized he had been carefully tucked in. Good to know. 

Twilight was staring at him with a mixture of shock, relief, and some other third thing that Sky couldn't name. Also good to know. He could still read expressions...sort of. 

"You sure you're back with us now?" Twilight asked. 

Sky nodded and tried for a smile. "Yeah. Hi. Good to see you." 

His friend visibly relaxed. "Oh, thank the Three. You're awake." He wrapped Sky up in a giant, extraordinarily comfortable hug. "You had us all worried sick, you know." 

"Us," Sky echoed numbly, resting his head against his friend's collarbone as a cold bead of sweat trickled its way down his temple. What happened? Why is everyone worried? Why am I lying down, actually? What happened? 

As his brain woke up a little further, he began to slot the pieces into place, beginning to form a semi-cohesive picture of what was going on. 

He was tucked in his bedroll. 

He didn't tend to wake up at night when he didn't have to . 

He wasn't sure where he was. 

Then his memories began working again, and a lightning bolt of pain and anguish hit him straight in the skull. 

The cistern. 

The monsters. 

The portal. 

Wild. 

It was safe to say that Sky did not like the finished picture in the slightest. 

"Shit," he breathed, jerking out of Twilight's hold. "Shit shit shit shit shit. Wild." 

His hand began scrambling around him of its own accord, searching for the Master Sword as pure, raw terror coursed through his veins. 

Where is he, what happened to him, is he okay, he has to be okay, he must be okay, where is he- 

Twilight grabbed ahold of his hand, stopping it in place and gently pulling Sky back to the ground. 

Sky hadn't realized that he was halfway to standing, but he supposed that was the price to pay for panicking less than five minutes after waking up. 

"Calm down," Twilight whispered to the struggling Skyloftian. "We've got him, he's taken care of. Wild's safe. Wild's alright. He got that nasty head wound from the boko, knocked out instantly. He'll be okay, it's not life-threatening, but he needs a bit of time to recover. He hasn't woken up yet. It’s okay. His skull’s fine. His heart’s still working. He doesn’t actually have a concussion, we were all worried about that." He sighed. "But I think that now, all we can do is be patient." 

"But he's here? Still with us?" Sky croaked. 

"Yes." To his credit, Twilight didn't sound the least bit exasperated. "A head wound is easy to sort out, we've all gotten tons of those. He's pretty lucky, but he's going to be fine. When we got here, we all panicked, sure, but he’s stable. Speaking of, what were you thinking, Sky?” Ah. There it was. Or perhaps that was just worry concealed under a layer of annoyance. Sky hoped it was the latter. “Hurtling after him like that? Do you realize what could’ve happened? You could’ve gotten both you and Wild terribly hurt, if not worse! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but if it wasn’t for that portal, you’d probably both be dead right now.” The rancher shook his head. “Don’t you ever do that again, Sky. Scariest thing I’ve ever seen. It was like you got tunnel vision or something. Do you realize how many times you nearly got hit? You didn’t even try to dodge, just blew right past everything as if it didn’t exist. I know that we all do stupid things, but that? That is probably the stupidest, most immature, featherbrained thing that anyone in this group has ever done, and that includes all of both Wind's and Wild's crazy shenanigans combined. You could’ve been killed, Sky. You’re a knight, right? I thought you’d have something that even resembled a little something called common sense. Of all the stupid things to do, that's the one you choose? Really?" 

Sky flinched. Twilight’s acidic tone alone felt like a slap to the face, and his words were a punch to the gut. “Sorry,” he mumbled, his head falling to his chest. “It was...a sort of reflex. ‘M really sorry.” 

Reflex, my ass. It was more like a full-blown flashback than anything. 

As if I'll tell him that. He'll think I'm weak. 

Would he be wrong?  

Twilight sighed again. "It's...it's okay. Right now I'm just really glad you're alright. You are alright, aren't you?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sky nodded dully, wiggling his toes. "Don't worry about me, it's all good." A thought struck him, making his fists clench. "Where are the others? Are they all okay? Any injuries?" 

Twilight placed one hand on his shoulder. "Calm down. It'll be okay. You already know about Wild. Legend has a few bad bruises on his back, Wind got bit by a skulltula but it was one of mine, not poisonous or anything. Hyrule got a wound on his arm that's already been patched up. But for an ambush like that, in such a tight space, we got out surprisingly well." 

"And that's it?" Sky insisted. "Nothing else? You're not injured? Cursed bokoblins are never fun." Everyone knew of Twilight's tendency to hide wounds, but Sky was not about to let that happen. Not now. Not when he already felt so bad about...life. 

Twilight chuckled. "I'm all good. Goddess, Sky, I'm busy trying to chew you out!" 

"Alright." The hero shrugged. "Sure. Chew me out. I just want to know what's going on. Why am I on my bedroll?" 

Twilight's face grew more serious, his tone more sober as he began to explain. "See, uh, a funny little thing happened. The portal was probably one of the worst we've seen to date. One of the most disorienting things I've ever experienced, I swear." He shook his head. "Wild was already unconscious, but half of us ended up puking and the other half of us just passed out. Me, Time, Wars, and Wind were the ones still awake, we decided to get everyone else situated a bit more comfortably instead of leaving you on the ground. Legend, Four, and Hyrule have already woken up at least once, but they just went straight back to bed. They should be okay, just need a bit to sort themselves out. Not sure what was up with you, though." He frowned. 

Sky waved him off, trying to sound at least marginally confident. "Eh, it doesn't matter. I'm awake now, at least, right? I’m really sorry for not waking up sooner, though." 

Twilight's expression flickered for barely a moment before settling into a slight smile. "Yeah, I guess. You were out cold, though, it’s not your fault that you didn’t wake up, okay? Don’t be sorry." 

Sky was silent for a moment too long, carefully avoiding the small voice in his mind that whispered oh, he thinks it isn’t your fault. Well, won’t he be in for a rude awakening. The rest of his thoughts swirled around like fish in a rushing river: too quick to catch, too slippery to hold onto, much too unpleasant to make any sense of. 

"How long has it been?" he finally asked. 

The Ordonian shrugged. "The sun had just set when we got here, and I've been on watch for a few hours." 

"Ah." So they were waiting for you. Slowpoke. The Skyloftian nudged his friend's shoulder. "In that case, you should go to sleep. I'll take over watch, 'kay?" 

Twilight jolted. "You sure? We could share it, it'd be a lot safer with two people." 

He doesn’t trust me, does he. 

"I mean, I just woke up, I'm sure it'll be fine. It’s just one watch." Sky eyed the rancher. Though he had sounded reluctant, the dark rings around his eyes and the creases on his face were clear enough. "Stop worrying. I’m sure Wild will wake up soon, and you need to take care of yourself. I'll just take the watch for you." 

“We’re in an unknown Hyrule, we don't know what sorts of enemies there are, or how far we are from civilization, and there's no moon tonight.” 

“Exactly.” Sky nudged his side. “Just another boring watch. It’ll all be okay.” 

Twilight hesitated for a second. "Fine. You want to go over to the fire? It'll be a lot warmer o'er there." 

Sky grunted in agreement as he carefully picked out his sailcloth from the fabrics that surrounded him and threw it over his shoulders. The rancher offered a hand to help, but he simply waved it away with a smile. 

I can’t afford to be more of a liability now than I already am. If I need help during the times that it doesn’t matter, then I’ll definitely need help when it's a life or death situation. I can’t do that. 

He staggered to his feet, nearly falling back down when his vision momentarily greyed out, but he still didn’t make a move to let Twilight help him. The boys picked their way over mounds of blankets and pillows and pouches of items, stepping over fluffy heads that poked out from within nests of warmth and carefully avoiding stray twigs before stumbling over to where a fire crackled in the center of camp. As per the usual setup, several logs had been chopped down and rolled around to act as seats. Sky spied the Master Sword leaning against one of said logs, and grabbed it just to feel the comforting grip in his hands. 

He sat down heavily, placing her across his thighs, and frowned down at the glimmering embers of the fire. 

Twilight chuckled, leaning back against the log and resting his head on Sky's knee. "Are you sure you’ll be able to stay awake?" he asked quietly, a humorous lilt to his voice. It was just a joke, just a typical, harmless jab at his love for sleep. That was all it was meant to be. 

And yet Sky fought the urge to flinch. 

"Hmm? Yeah. I'm sure I've gotten enough sleep for now." 

Yeah, sleep that shouldn't have happened to begin with. It was just a portal. You shouldn't have just fallen unconscious, eh, Chosen Hero? They were waiting for you. 

"Alright, then," Twilight whispered. "You’re sure you're okay?” 

“Mmm. Why do you ask?” 

“Oh, just...in general, you and Wild seemed to be the most affected by...everything that happened. In the cistern, and all. Clearly, you have some history with the place, and I do know Wild has a problem with Malice and all. So I was just wondering...aside from the whole jumping off a cliff part, of course, how you’re faring with all that.” 

“Ah.” Sky sighed. “Nah, I’ll be fine. It isn’t really anything, just some creepy memories and the like. You understand. But go to sleep now, okay? You need your rest.”

“Fine, Fine.” Twilight shifted his position, settling comfortably close to the firepit. “Wars has the next shift, don’t forget to switch out with him. G'night, Sky. Love you." 

You shouldn’t. 

"Love you too. Night," Sky answered. 

Because that was all it really was. 

Soon, the rancher’s breaths slowed as he leaned more heavily against Sky’s leg, and a sailcloth was carefully draped around his shoulders. 

Sky shivered, his threadbare undershirt doing next to nothing to ward away the cold, but he didn’t mind. There was a fire right in front of him, and it was the very least he could do, after all. 

After a while, someone shifted behind him, grunting softly, and he glanced behind him. A head of long, messy blonde hair poked out of a nest of blankets. The sleeping wild child frowned, turning over in his sleep into a more comfortable position. His knuckles were white from gripping his blankets, and his grim expression formed faint lines on his face. 

At least he wasn't out cold anymore like Twilight had said. But Sky knew enough to recognize the telltale signs of a nightmare. Unfortunately, trapped as he was beside Twilight, he couldn't do anything about it. Not like he normally would. 

He tried to ignore the selfish part of his brain that attempted to convince him that he didn't want to help. He did, he was sure of it. 

But bright scar tissue nearly glowed in the shadows of the fire, competing for attention with pristine white bandages that had been carefully wrapped around the amnesiac's head. 

Those scars didn't stand for nothing. Sky would bet his life on it. 

I’ll bet that was all my fault, too. Somehow. 

Sky winced, his own arm sending a twinge of pain to his skull as he turned back to face forward. 

He stared into the embers before him as they echoed the crackle of flowing red hair that stood out against the darkness of demon scales. A sound that had long since been forgotten even to Four, close as he was to Sky in the timeline they'd all haphazardly thrown together, but a sound that Sky himself remembered as clear as day. 

He gazed down at the embers drifting up from the burning logs, taking their places among the stars above. 

With the Blade of Evil's Bane resting across his knees, the Hero of the Sky sat where he was for the rest of the night. 

Wide awake. 

Chapter Text

Green eyes stared at him, hopeful and endlessly tired at the same time. 

She'd asked if he remembered her. 

He bit his lip. 

Yes. No. Sort of. Maybe. Not at all. Of course. 

I don't know. I definitely do. I might. If you could just give me time… 

But there was mud on her face, and he knew where that was from. 

There was blood on her dress, and he knew that was his blood. 

He wanted to scream and cry and run away, that was all he wanted. The question haunted him. Because he didn't know the answer. 

And part of him didn't want to. 

"Do you remember me?" 

Yes. No. Sort of. Maybe. Not at all. Of course. 

"Do you remember me?" 

His mouth was drier than the Gerudo Desert, and he licked his parched lips nervously as his heart began to race. 

"Do you remember me?" 

The question echoed in his ears. 

But he didn't know the answer.  

∆∆∆

Sky gazed down at the Champion, resting his chin on his hands as the boy's face twitched in his sleep. 

I shouldn't have done that. 

Of course he shouldn't have jumped after Wild, why the hell would that ever be a good idea? 

He buried his face in his hands. Zelda appeared behind his eyelids, laughing, smiling, teasing, yelling, fighting. Falling. 

Falling again and again and again. 

And no matter how many times he replayed that scene in his head, he could never reach her. Not once in two years of imagining it. 

"Hey," someone said, jerking him back to reality. "Are you doing okay?" 

Sky looked up to see Legend standing next to him, looking forlornly at Wild. "Y-yeah," he stammered. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Are...are you okay?" 

Legend smiled lightly. "Can I sit down?" Sky agreeably scooted over, and the veteran sat down with a heavy sigh. "I, uh...I'm really sorry. For this morning. We were really hard on you with just no reason at all." 

This morning? 

Ah, right. This morning. 

The day had dawned bright and cold and beautiful and quiet. It had been one of those pictures that Sky had always seen back on Skyloft: gracefully delicate, almost too much so. 

And when the heroes had woken up...there had been... mixed responses to seeing him, completely fine and watching the sun rise. 

First, they had been so happy to see him, and he'd been so happy to see them, because they were alive. They were all alive and whole and still themselves, as far as he could see. And Four and Legend and Hyrule had all woken up, and for just a few moments, everything had been okay. 

And then Wild had let out a quiet snore, drawing everyone's attention to him. Memories had flooded back into the heroes' minds. And they'd all yelled at him instead of smiled. Sky thought that was a pretty decent reaction, though, considering the fact that he'd gotten them all ambushed and nearly got Wild killed. 

But they'd yelled and they'd yelled and he'd said he was sorry over and over and over again, even though he knew it'd never be enough to forgive what he'd done. 

Not to him, anyway. 

"Sky?" the veteran prompted, nudging his side and jolting him out of his thoughts. The Skyloftian smiled lightly at the boy. He unconsciously reached for his shoulders to wrap his sailcloth around him and Legend, before realizing that it wasn't there. Twilight still had it from last night. 

"Hey, don't worry about it," Sky promised. "I'm fine. You guys had to let out some steam, and we're all tense. You're not exactly wrong, either." 

Legend sighed, rolling his eyes. "Sure we were wrong. Still are. It was a crazy situation." 

"Mmm." Sky looked back at Wild, pondering. Was there something he could have done better? Maybe he could've grabbed Wild and then grabbed the ledge behind them, instead of sending them both tumbling off the edge. Maybe he could've done something else. Either way, he could've acted so much more rationally. If only he hadn't panicked, if only he hadn't thought too hard about it, if only he had just seen Wild instead of his Zelda. 

If only. 

"He'll be fine," Legend promised quietly, following his gaze. 

Sky shifted the weight of his head to one fist. "I know. It's just…" it's just my fault. It's just that I shouldn't have brought you all with me. It's just that you shouldn't be here to begin with. It's just that Wild should be at home, surrounded by his family and friends and laughing and- 

Nope. No. Do not go there right now. 

He's a hero. They all are. And that won't change just because I pretend they're not. 

But Sky didn't say anything aloud. Even so, Legend nodded glumly as if he understood. "I get it. You feel like it's your fault, huh?" 

Because it is. 

The veteran took a deep breath and looked away, but not before Sky caught a glimpse of crystal tears pooling in lavender-blue eyes. He cleared his throat. "I just want to say, uh, that it's not, okay? It wasn't your fault, and I'm sure you have a reason for jumping after him like you did. I get that, I'm not gonna press. And, if worse came to worst and the portal separated all of us, I think we all would've been a little bit calmer knowing that someone was still with him. And I bet that, rationally, you know you couldn't have done anything else. It's just the emotions, huh? They just convince you that you're wrong and weak and you should've been able to figure out another way and you should've been able to prevent it." He cleared his throat. "Sorry. My point is that I'm really sorry for yelling at you earlier. I shouldn't have. And, uh, if you need anything, I can always try and help." 

Sky fiddled with the delicate stitching in his collar, trying desperately to distract his racing thoughts. He's right but he's wrong but he's right but he's wrong because I should've been able to prevent it and he thinks I'm thinking about the cistern. He thinks I'm only worried about Wild because of what happened the other day. And I am! I am. 

There's more to it, but I am. 

But how does he know what it feels like?  

Sky inhaled slowly. Legend needed something. An answer to something? Did he need comfort? 

"Thanks, bun," he said quietly, leaning his head against the boy's shoulder. "I'm good." 

He could almost tell the moment that Legend realized what Sky had called him. "Shut up," the boy grumbled. Sky glanced up to see his face reddening. "I thought we had all decided to forget about that?" 

"Oh, come on, little rabbit!" Sky grinned. "Am I not allowed to give you a nickname?" 

"Not that," Legend protested. "That's stupid! I'm over here trying to make you feel better, and you're just being-" 

"My charming, cuddly, nonthreatening self?" Sky asked. 

"I was gonna say you're a bitch." 

Sky forced a smirk. "I suppose." 

They fell into a silence that seemed comfortable, but Sky could feel the tenseness in Legend's shoulders that matched the tension in his own. 

Finally, the veteran cleared his throat. "I was just gonna ask you if you wanted to spar. I don't know, it might help or something. Keep our minds occupied. Try and have fun. That sort of thing." 

Sky shrugged. "If you want to. I can probably borrow someone's sword, right?" 

Legend visibly relaxed. "Yeah. Sure. I'll go and grab my sword and find a good spot. You sure you're fine?" 

No. No, nothing is fine. 

Sky smiled. "Yeah, don't worry about me. I'm fine." 

∆∆∆ 

He ran. 

He ran and ran and ran. 

Bones scraped behind him. Growls that weren't made by vocal cords echoed around him. Eyes as bright as tower lights shone, lamplike, in the dark. 

They were all aimed straight at him. 

And they were everywhere. 

They came out from behind trees and under rocks: tall and short, fast and slow. Some note weapons, while others had nothing but their own claws, but all of them were skinless and thin and pale. Nothing more than mere shadows of their former selves. 

And that terrified him. 

So under the light of a fingernail moon and a thousand glittering stars, he ran through the forest and prayed they wouldn't catch him. 

∆∆∆ 

Sky rolled his neck, cracking all the bones in his jaw and upper spine. Silently cursing the stiffness that remained, he flipped one of Warrior's practice swords in his hand. It had taken little to no persuading to get the Captain to lend it to him, which Sky was eternally grateful for, especially since he had been one of the most outspoken that morning about his stupidity. Which, again, was pretty fair. 

Judging the weight distribution to be good enough, Sky turned to face Legend who tipped his head in a silent are you ready? Sky gave him a quick thumbs-up. 

Legend raised his own sword, and Sky tapped it with Warrior’s. A knight’s greeting. 

Then they began. 

The veteran fought with quick strikes, clearly used to being able to use an enemy’s weight against them, but Sky found it relatively easy to adapt to his speed. The two quickly fell into a rhythm of block, dodge, strike, repeat, and Sky’s mind began to wander. His mind went to Skyloft, to all of his friends that he hadn’t seen in so long. He thought about what Pipit was doing, perhaps he was eating lunch with Karane or helping Fledge work on his sword fighting technique. Maybe Stritch was out in the sky, searching for new bugs to investigate. Kukiel might be playing hide-and-seek with Batreaux, and maybe later they’d run home to Kukiel’s mother, who’d be ready with hugs and warm pumpkin muffins. Groose was helping out the Mogmas on the Surface, he knew, but perhaps, right now, he was sitting near the top of Eldin Volcano, sharing a picnic with Cobal or Ledd or Tubert. Maybe he was thinking of writing a letter to Sky or Zelda, who would be… 

He didn’t want to think about Zelda. 

Because Zelda would be sitting in their little home, cuddling with her Loftwing or tending to the garden or cleaning the Nest. She’d be worrying and wondering where they all could’ve gone, where they could’ve disappeared to, and why they hadn’t come back yet. Maybe she’d have gone back to Skyloft, or just gone flying around the clouds. 

And then a black tornado would come and sweep her away and he’d try and follow, but he wouldn’t even get close and he’d get knocked out and she’d be gone, gone, gone forever- 

The flat of Legend’s blade slipped past Sky’s knee and caught him off balance, throwing the Skyloftian to the dirt and snapping him out of his downward spiral of darkening thoughts. The veteran cried out in surprise, alerting everyone in camp. 

Someone yelled his name, but Sky was too dazed to answer. He briefly registered the fact that he had been tripped: a smart play on Legend’s part for sure. He gritted his teeth, grasping fistfuls of grass and fighting down the growing disappointment. He should’ve been paying attention. He shouldn’t have gotten lost in his thoughts. There were a million things he had just done wrong, and if any one of them had happened in a real battle, he could be killed, or worse: he could get one of the heroes killed. 

“Holy shit, are you okay?” Wind yelled, running over to the two boys. Before Sky could reply, the sailor rounded on Legend. “What did you do?” 

"Wh-what?" Legend's eyes were wide and confused as he stuttered over his words. "I didn't...I thought...I assumed he'd move! I didn't know that would hurt him or anything! Is he hurt?" 

“No,” Sky grunted, shoving himself to his feet. “Just a little bruised, I think. I’ll be fine. Good job, Legend. That was smart.” He patted the stunned boy on the back as he walked past him and back into a silent, dumbstruck camp. 

∆∆∆  

He licked his dry, parched lips, staring into the yawning darkness of the Divine Beast. It roared, stomping through the lava around them. And there was no way to go but forward. 

So he gritted his teeth and stepped into the belly of the automaton. 

The door slammed shut behind him. Almost immediately, the air cooled. He tore off his helmet and shook out his hair, reveling in the air that felt cool in comparison to the stifling heat of the volcano. 

Then he realized that it was pitch-black. There was barely a smidge of light that came through the cracks in the beast's armour. 

Instinctively, he hugged the wall, trying his best not to trip over anything unexpected. 

Soon, the wall fell away from his hand, and he scrambled back to where he could touch it, sensing the corridor open into a larger room. Carefully, carefully, he looked around the space. Because he could see something. Not everything, but something, 

And there were eyes. 

Giant yellow eyes that dripped with poison ooze were spackled onto the walls, the ceiling, the floor. Roiling violet goop poisoned the air, making him wheeze. His lungs seized up, and he gasped for breath as terror as fierce as fire coursed through his veins. 

He was completely alone. Except for the malice. The malice that meant Ganon was always, always watching. 

He coughed, trying to cover his nose with his tunic. But they noticed him. He could feel the heat of their gaze tearing into his skin. Watching him. Teasing him. Toying with him. Trying to convince him that he wanted to walk towards them, oh, yes, it looked so harmless. 

He grunted, tearing his gaze away. Because he didn't want to get closer. He wanted to walk to the end of the hall and get the map. And then rid this hellhole of malice and never come back. 

But was he sure? Was he certain he didn't want to come back? 

Yes, he was. 

But what about exploring? What about finding every secret of the world? There are secrets in this beast. Didn't he want to learn them? 

He coughed, leaning on the wall beside him for support. The material felt completely foreign, though he'd encountered it plenty of times. It was rock, but...not rock. Sheikah stone. 

But everything felt different in the dark. 

And he couldn't work, not now, not with Ganon's malevolent gaze always searing into him. So with slithering voices crawling through his head, he tapped the slate on his hip and disappeared. 

No. He didn't want to find every secret. 

Are you sure? 

∆∆∆

Sky wished there was something to do. He wished they could find a portal, or go exploring, or cook a meal, or meet new people, or anything besides simply staying in one spot. 

But there wasn't a single damn thing to do, and everyone was on edge because of it. Time kept patrolling around the camp, sometimes disappearing into the woods, but always coming right back and doing a headcount before he went off again. Hyrule kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, wandering around the camp as his ears twitched at every creak and snap. His fingers tapped nervously on his pant legs, and his eyes jumped from shadow to shadow to shadow. Four just kept on rereading the same book, occasionally scribbling into what he called his questions book. Wind fiddled nervously with a length of rope, tying it into the most intricate of knots before pulling it loose and starting all over. Legend stared at his boots, muttering to himself as he fingered a tune on his ocarina. Twilight kept looking over at Wild at every other moment, before finally rushing out of camp with his bow and murmuring something about hunting for dinner. But Sky kept all of his attention on Warrior. 

The soldier kept playing with his pocket knife, flipping it in the air and catching it neatly in his palm, spreading out his fingers and expertly playing a game of silent five finger filet, or slicing up dead leaves that fell on his clothes. 

Sky tracked that knife at every moment, watching as it nearly nicked the captain so many times, but never truly did. He suddenly felt as he used to, when he had first gotten to know the others. Locked in a state of constant terror, a feeling of oh, Hylia, when will they be hurt, when will they hurt themselves, when will they get hurt because of me?

He shook out his hands, but they only balled into fists once more, his fingernails digging into his palms. He tried to stop his leg from bouncing. He tried not to let his face twitch in fear. He tried to quell the growing dread that gnawed at his stomach whenever Time stepped back into the camp, only to leave again, or when Legend leaned back and got just a little bit too close to the fire, or when Wind let out a quiet grunt and rubbed one sore hand on his tunic. 

He pulled out his harp, trying to soothe himself, but his fingers shook much too much on the strings to pluck out any tune, no matter how simple. It had been so long since that had happened. 

It had been so long since he’d realized just how close to death this family could sometimes get. 

And it terrified him. 

Because it just wasn’t the same anymore. Not without the quicksilver smiles and kind glances and bright, cheerful voice of the Hero of the Wild that would always lighten even the worst day. 

But all anyone could do was wait. 

And Sky didn’t want to. 

But there wasn’t anything else to do. 

Something snuffled at his sleeve, and Sky looked down to see Wolfie sitting next to him, his head tipped to the side. The wolf nudged his elbow, and Sky let his canine friend wiggle under his arm. Wolfie licked his hand comfortingly, and Sky sighed quietly. “Thanks, boy. Hey, any ideas on how to be patient without going mad with irrational fear and incredible guilt?” 

The wolf’s bright blue eyes were large, and he twisted around to grab something that had been draped across his back. Sky blinked in surprise as he recognized the soft, neatly folded fabric that Wolfie held gently between his teeth. “Oh, thanks. Did Twilight tell you to give that to me?” 

Wolfie nodded eagerly, placing the sailcloth in his lap and sitting back down. 

“Oh.” Sky pulled it around his shoulders, letting the security of one of his most beloved possessions calm his thumping pulse. “Well, tell him thanks for me if you see him before I do, yeah? And thank you, too.” 

The wolf huffed contentedly and laid his head on the Skyloftian’s lap, but lingering worries still chattered at the back of Sky’s brain. 

What if there’s an ambush? 

What if someone gets hurt? 

What if Wild doesn’t wake up? 

What if, what if, what if? 

And Sky wanted to scream, because it was all his fault and he could do nothing about it. 

∆∆∆ 

“Link!” 

“Link, please! Stay awake!!!” 

He coughed weakly. There was something wrong with his entire body, but he couldn’t feel a thing. He couldn’t move. He could barely think. There was something wrong. 

Someone splashed to their knees beside him in the blood-tainted mud. He gritted his teeth painfully as they lifted him off of the ground. He was just so tired. He just wanted to sleep. 

But he opened his eyes, and there was Zelda, staring at him with tears pooling in her eyes. He didn’t understand. She was safe. She was okay. He didn’t see what there was to cry about. 

“Stay awake, Link! Please! You can’t go to sleep!” 

But he wanted to. Sleep was painless. Sleep was welcoming and calm and peaceful. He could rest, when he was asleep. Nothing bad ever happened in sleep. Not truly. 

“Please, Link!” 

But Zelda wanted him to stay awake. She was the princess, he was her protector, and he should do what he was told. But she was also his friend, wasn’t she? She wanted him to stay awake. He could do that for her. 

“Just stay with me!” 

Sleep called him. But Zelda called him, too. 

“You can’t leave me, too!” 

No, no, she was right. He couldn’t leave her. He didn’t need sleep. Not right now. He needed to help her. 

He coughed again, and tried to smile at her. Tried to move. Tried to stand. 

But his limbs were heavy, and his head was pounding, and there was something wrong with his body. 

“No!” 

And sleep called him. 

Who was he to argue? 

Link. 

Wake up, Link. 

∆∆∆ 

"GAH!" 

He shot up in his bedroll in an attempt to breathe only to smash his forehead against someone's nose. Agony erupted in his skull and he smacked his hands to his face, only for his fingers to touch bandages. 

Ow ow ow ow ow ow. 

Ow. 

He groaned softly, falling back down. His fingers lightly prodded the gauze, sending spikes of pain straight into his brain. So, yet another head injury. 

Wonderful. 

Note to self: don't hit a wound against someone else's face. It hurts. 

“Dude!” a young voice yelled back at him nasally. “Not cool!” 

Wild opened one eye curiously and immediately snapped it shut as the afternoon sunlight attacked his eyeballs. As his mind reattached itself to his body, he realized someone had sprinkled pine thingies on his face. What were they called again? Leaves? No. Twigs…no. Ah, right. Pine needles. Curse his half-asleep brain, he was tired . 

Fabric rustled and chain mail clinked around him. Voices murmured and leaves whispered, and all the while he just lay there, quietly moaning in tune with his throbbing headache. His face was warm, speckled with drips of sun and shadow.  

It was quiet. Tranquil. Peaceful. He wanted to lie there forever. 

As he slowly came back to himself, he realized that someone was calling for him. 

“Wild?” 

“Wild!” 

“You alright there, Wild?” 

“Wild!”

The amnesiac groaned, rubbing his temples. “Five more minutes. Please.” 

“Yeah, everyone,” a young voice (Wind? Maybe?) snarked. “He means back up and shut up.” 

“That was very aggressive, sailor,” another, older voice said lightly, though they did lower their volume. “And that means you have to be quiet as well. Bet I’m better at that than you.” 

“Are not!” the boy whispered furiously. Wild had to give him credit: he was close to silent. “I’m way more quiet than you! I got all the way around the Forsaken Fortress without getting caught! I can out-silent you any day of the week!” 

The agony in Wild’s head had settled down to a reasonable level of searing pain, so he took a deep breath and cracked open his eyelids. 

His vision was almost immediately obscured by a large, extraordinarily fluffy ball of fur. Wolfie panted happily at the sight of him and began to try and lick every inch of the Champion’s face. 

“Ah! Okay, okay, you big lump, I’m glad to see you too!” Wild laughed, attempting to shove the overly friendly canine off of him. “Go get Twilight, will you? You’re gonna suffocate me!” With a joyous yip and a toothy smile, Wolfie leaped off of him and tore off into the woods. Wild’s eyes fell upon Four. The smith was kneeling right next to him and cradling his reddening nose with one hand. Wild winced at the sight. “Ooh, that doesn’t look good. Sorry.” 

The boy only waved his free hand lazily. “It’s fine, I’ve had worse. I should’ve expected it anyway. It’s my own fault for waking you up from what looked like a bad dream and expecting you not to crack your skull open on my nose.” 

Wild tried to smile back, quickly changing the topic. “So, everyone’s okay? Hyrule’s fine?” 

“We’re all present and accounted for,” the traveler called from a ways away. 

The Champion let out a slow sigh of relief, lifting himself onto sore elbows. “Good.” He stared blankly at the blanket on his lap. “It shouldn’t have been there,” he whispered. 

Four hummed. “You’re…talking about the malice. Aren't you.” 

Wild nodded wordlessly. There was nothing to say. It just…shouldn’t have been there. And he could only guess at why it had been. 

But none of the implications were good. 

The two boys sat in the heavy silence that shrouded them for a few moments before Four cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “Speaking of bad things…do you want to talk about it?” 

Wild frowned at him. “Talk. Talk about what?” 

"Oh, I thought you were having a bad dream," the smithy explained quickly. "I just...I don't know, sometimes it just can help to talk about it." 

"Oh." Wild stared down at his lap again. "I, uh...Don't worry about it. I wasn't having a bad dream or anything." He twisted his blankets in his hands and let out a dry laugh. "And if I was, I can't remember it, so it's no use trying to talk about it. You know?" 

Four hesitated, but was interrupted by Twilight running through the underbrush. “Wild! I’m really glad you’re okay!” 

“Yeah, I could tell,” the amnesiac joked, and the tension broke. Four laughed along with him. “Where are we? Just out of curiosity. I do have a few questions, but I really want to know.” 

“No idea,” Time called. “We were sort of hoping you’d recognize it.” 

“Huh.” Wild slowly got to his feet, ignoring Twilight’s quiet protest. “Hmm. I’ll go check. Be right back and all that, I promise I won’t wander off, et cetera.” Before anyone could stop him, he scrambled up a nearby tree. 

All at once, everything was silent, and amazingly so. Wild’s mind cleared as he gazed out at the bright treetops and the blue sky. The sun hung low in the sky, but it had yet to touch the horizon. The rushing of a river all the way to the east soothed him. A few leaves whipped by his face in the wind. And it was peaceful, and it was calm. Among the treetops, the Hero of the Wild was at ease. His head didn’t pound. His heart didn’t thump just a bit too loud. And for a moment, Wild didn’t have a gnawing urge to keep moving. He didn’t feel a prickling on the back of his neck that told him that he couldn’t stay. Just for that moment, everything was perfect. 

It took him a second to realize that he didn’t recognize it. The scenery, he had never seen it before, and he had been all over his Hyrule. It wasn’t his world. But it could’ve fooled him. 

"Wild!" Twilight called from below. "Can you come back down now?" 

The Champion hadn't realized just how much pain he had felt until his feet touched back down on the ground. All at once, his headache returned in full force. His blood pressure rose. The back of his neck prickled, and he felt the urge to turn on the light on his Sheikah Slate as his eyes tried to adjust to the dimmer light. 

So, being the sensible person he was, Wild promptly plopped himself down where he was. 

"Hey," Twilight called, walking over. 

"Hey," Wild greeted. "I don’t recognize it. Come to yell at me about being reckless?" 

"Actually, no." The ranch hand sat down beside him, staring off into the distance. "I wanted to ask a favor that'll help the whole team." 

Wild leaned his head on his hands, which in turn were supported by his knees. "Shoot." 

Twilight tipped his head over to the campfire. "See Sky over there?" Sure enough, the Chosen Hero sat alone and silent. 

"Yes. Yes I do. I still have eyes," Wild agreed. "What about him?" 

Twilight smiled ruefully. "So. He's been moping around camp all day like a wet goat, and I'm mostly convinced that he blames himself for everything that happened. Your injury, the ambush, the clog in the cistern, all of it." 

Wild had completely forgotten about the clog, but he couldn't help but let out a bitter chuckle. "Well, that's bullshit. Just because it was his world doesn't mean it was his fault. I know that better than anyone." 

Twilight nodded. "Yup. See, I'd appreciate it if you'd explain that to him." He nodded at Sky again. "If you could explain that, and assure him that you're fine, no lasting damage or anything, I think he'd feel a lot better. You don't have to, but I think it would help, especially because you were the one that got hurt the most. Besides, you're practically best friends." 

"Aw, come on Twi, let's not bother the man," Wild said lightly. "We're stressed. We just got into an ambush. It's normal to want some time to yourself." 

"He sparred with Legend earlier to pass the time." 

"Ah." Wild nodded. "Accidentally hurt him?" 

Twilight's brow furrowed. "Cub, Legend won within minutes. He never even broke a sweat. Sky went down so fast…" he shook his head. “Legend was half-convinced that he actually hurt him.” 

Wild had to take a moment to process that. "Ah. I should go try and talk to him, then." 

"Mmm." The rancher patted him on the back. "Great idea, Wild! What an amazing, original idea that was." 

Wild frowned, opening his mouth to argue that it was not his idea and he was simply agreeing, but Twilight stopped him with a tight chuckle. "I'm messing with you." 

"You're not very good at it," Wild grumbled back. "Alrighty then. I’ll talk to him tonight. Help me up. I'm too old for this shit." 

"You're seventeen," Twilight reminded him, but pulled him to his feet nonetheless. Wild just nodded along, not even bothering to correct him. 

It’d be funny if I did, though. “Oh, Twilight, actually, I’m a hundred and seventeen. I got killed and spent a century asleep in a miracle bath while the princess fought Ganon without me.” That’d be one hell of a conversation. 

And a conversation that I never plan on having. Ever. 

Wild shook himself from his thoughts and brushed past his friend. “I gotta go see Time.” 

The old man watched him approach with his arms crossed and a small smile on his face. “It’s good to see you on your feet again. Are you feeling alright?” 

“Fine.” Wild shrugged. “But now we can get moving again, right? This isn’t my world, but I heard a river over that way, and we could-” 

Time cut him off. “Wild, any other day I’d say yes, but it would just take too long to pack up camp. We’d get going right before nightfall, only to set up camp a few yards away. There’s just no use.” 

Wild shifted on his feet, feeling the prickles on the back of his neck get sharper. He was positively itching to get on the road again, but Time laid one hand on his shoulder. 

“I get it,” he promised. “We’ll leave first thing in the morning and find that river, okay? But for now, if you want, the cooking pot’s free. You don’t have to, but maybe it’ll help.” 

Wild took a deep breath. Cooking. I like cooking. Cooking might help. “Thanks.” 

∆∆∆ 

Sky cradled the steaming bowl of soup in his hands, letting himself warm up as Wind regaled them with tales of a massive network of tunnels underneath his own private island. The sailor was proving himself once again to be a magnificent storyteller, and Sky felt any lingering tension from earlier vanish. It felt just like normal again. Or, at least, it was close. 

It was very close. 

“So there I was, sloshing through knee-deep water to get to the end,” he said with a flourish of his hand. “Still weak from my battle with the redeads, I pulled myself onto the stone and stood, trembling, on the insignia of the winds. And I knew I had to conduct. So I pulled out my Windwaker and with one tune, a massive treasure chest appeared!” 

“What was in it, sailor?” Hyrule asked curiously. “Something good, I hope.” 

Wind nodded. “I got a map that could lead me to the location of a Triforce shard! With my prize in hand, I quickly got the hell out of there, lit the fire, and haven’t gone back since!” 

“That’s fair,” Legend conceded, but with a glint in his eye he added, “But how did you get out so quickly?” 

As Wind described barred doors and giant buttons, Sky gazed up at the stars. A few were blotted out by wisps of cloud, but he could still see thousands. They twinkled down at him cheerfully, and he could just imagine the glimmering lights of Skyloft high above. Homesickness is really hitting hard today, I guess. 

“Sky?” Wild asked, bumping him lightly from where he sat. “You okay?” 

Sky blinked, turning his gaze to the Champion that sat next to him. “Yeah. No, yeah, I’m fine. Just sort of zoning out, I guess.” 

“Ah.” The boy nodded understandingly as Time cleared his throat. 

“It’s getting pretty late, guys, we should all get to bed soon. Who wants a night watch?” 

“I’ll take first,” Four volunteered. 

Wild raised one hand. “I guess I’ll take second.” 

Sky and Twilight opened their mouths at the same time and glared lightly at each other. Twilight pointed at the Skyloftian. “No.” Sky just rolled his eyes playfully. 

“I’ll be on third then,” Warrior interjected with a slight shake of his head, “since some people can’t seem to let others do their jobs.” 

“He’s talking about you,” Wild told Sky in a loud stage-whisper. “You and wolf-boy over there.” 

“Rude,” Twilight mumbled. “I can let someone else take the night watch.” 

The captain’s eyes glinted. “Prove it.” 

“Fine.” 

Wild let out a small snort of laughter, elbowing Sky’s side. The Chosen Hero rubbed at one eye and elbowed the boy back. “I know, I know,” he whispered. “I should’ve woken up Wars last night.” 

“And now you’re being forced to go to sleep!” the boy whispered back dramatically. “Oh, the horror!” 

As the heroes slowly dispersed, Sky drank the last of his soup and was about to hand the bowl to Wild, but he was stopped. 

“Actually, Sky,” the cook ventured. “I was wondering if you could help me clean up?” He gestured to the cooking equipment scattered around the fire. 

Sky readily agreed. Who would he be if he didn’t help his mistakes successors? 

∆∆∆ 

As Wild put away his last ladle, he noticed Sky sit down. Four had gone to patrol the perimeter of the campsite, clearly tactful enough to tell that Wild wanted to talk to the Chosen Hero alone. Wild reminded himself to give Four an extra muffin next time he made some. 

"Hey." Wild sat down beside his friend, resting his elbows on his knees. "What's up?" 

"Hmm?" Sky blinked, glancing at him distractedly. "Oh. Hi." 

Wild frowned. "Alright, that's it. Something's wrong. What?" 

"Nothing's wrong," Sky insisted, but his knuckles were pale as he twisted his hands together. "Nothing's...it's fine. I'm okay, it's all good." 

"Well, I'm not okay." Wild sat back, stretching. "Maybe if I talked to you a little bit, I might feel better." 

Sky snorted quietly. "Alright, spill. What do you need?" 

"I just have a question, really. Is...that okay?" Wild bit his lip. Sky could easily just shrug him off, mutter a quick "eh", and walk away. 

But the Skyloftian's face only twitched for a second before he nodded. "Shoot." 

"Why...the others said you jumped after me," Wild explained carefully. "I guess I was just wondering why." 

Sky took a deep breath and looked at the Champion. "It's...well, it's a little bit stupid, it's not anything important. Are you sure you want to know?" 

Wild nodded. "Please. If you could." 

Sky shrugged. "Well, the tale requires a little backstory. My adventure was sort of kick-started right after I won my exam, back when I was still in school, right? It’s sort of this race thing…anyway, Zelda and I were out flying to celebrate, see. It was a gorgeous day, truly." His eyes drifted off into the distance as he talked. "The sky was a pastel blue, and the sun wasn't too hot and it wasn't too cold. The clouds were all wispy, and there was a nice breeze, too. It was such a pretty day. And we were talking...and suddenly this tornado is stirred up." His head dropped to his chest. "It wasn't supposed to be there. It shouldn't have been there. But it was. It was this giant black tornado, and we were...we were caught up in it. We tried to turn around, but it was already too close, and…" 

"Never mind," Wild interrupted gently. "It's fine. You don't have to tell me." 

But Sky simply waved him off. "No, no, it's fine. You deserve to know. But, uh...Zelda fell off her Loftwing and fell straight through the cloud barrier. She was right there. I was so close . But I was thrown off my Loftwing and knocked unconscious. Bird brought me back to the Academy, but…" he sighed. "That tornado was meant to kidnap her and kill me. I'm incredibly lucky that it didn't. But she was right there. She was right in front of me and I lost her. It was one of the scariest moments of my life. I thought she had died."  

"Oh." Wild couldn't think of anything else to say. "I'm...I'm sorry. But at least she's okay now, right? We saw her, she looked just fine." 

"Yeah." Sky's mouth quirked up into a soft smile. "She's fine. It was a few years ago, anyway. I just…" He trailed off, his eyes tracing the scars that lined Wild's face with something akin to regret in his eyes before tearing his gaze away and staring down at his hands. "I don't know. I guess that when I see someone just... falling like that, especially someone who looks so much like her, I just sort of...panic. Because it's suddenly her, and I can't not get to her. Not again." He shook himself, and Wild silently leaned his head against the young man’s shoulder. 

“I have a question,” he finally said again. 

"Another one?" Sky's tone was dry, but he nodded nonetheless. 

"Yeah. Well, it’s more like I want a second opinion. What's wrong with this place?" 

Sky was silent for a moment. "It...it's quiet. It wasn't this morning. There's no birds." 

"Mmm." Wild nodded. "This place reminds me of my own world, but it's not. My Hyrule is alive. This one's...I don't want to say dead, but it's holding its breath. Waiting." He closed his eyes, feeling the pale sun on his face. "There's no wind. Not even a breath. No monsters. It's just...silent. It's really weird. Makes you feel like…" 

"Like something is about to happen," Sky agreed. "Something big. Not an ambush, not yet." 

"Not yet. But something." Wild turned towards his friend. "How many secrets do you have, Sky? I know I've got a few that I'd prefer to keep hidden." 

The Chosen Hero of the Goddess flinched minutely. "Let's hope they don't come out, then." 

Wild nodded, letting his fingers trail across the bumpy scars that lined his face. Vague flashes of light and fire and screams flicked across his vision. "Yeah. Let's hope." His hand dropped to his lap, and he stood. "Sorry. Never mind. I'm just a little...worried." He forced a grin. "Hey, I think Four’s coming back. We should really both get to bed. Early to bed, early to rise, and all that.” 

“Except when it’s me,” Sky joked. Wild knew he was only trying to lighten the mood, so he laughed along. 

“G’night, Sky. Listen, uh…” Wild hesitated. “You know you can talk to me whenever, right? If you want. You don’t have to. I’m just saying…I’m always here.” 

The Skyloftian smiled vaguely at him. “The same goes for you, you know. Good night.” 

∆∆∆ 

Falling. 

He shouldn't have panicked, but it wasn't like falling off of Skyloft. It wasn't like falling out of free will. He was falling in an endless black void, the air around him crushing his lungs and building pressure in his head. He fumbled desperately for the sailcloth around his neck, but at his touch, it crumbled into dust, filling his mouth with soot and making him cough. 

Sky had never died. But he imagined that this was what it felt like. 

And then his feet touched down on burning, bloodstained earth. 

Chapter Text

Four yawned, glancing up at the sky as he stretched out his arms and shook a bit of feeling back into his legs. It was almost time for Wild to take over watch, he figured. Standing up, he rolled his neck and grabbed his bag from the ground. The night was calm and quiet, but he just needed to stay awake a bit longer. 

The smith took a quick stroll around the outskirts of camp, his ears and eyes alert, but nothing jumped out at him. Satisfied, he dropped his bag in between a snoring Hyrule and a silent Sky, before reaching over to shake Wild’s shoulder. The boy snorted softly at the contact, before sitting up and glaring lightly at him. 

“Sorry,” Four whispered. “But it’s your turn for watch.” 

The Champion reluctantly got out of his mound of blankets, grabbing his slate and a random, beaten-up sword. Four winced at the sight. “Remind me to make you a new sword when we get to a proper forge.” 

“It’s fine!” Wild protested softly. “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, really!” 

“Nonsense. My gift to you.” Four smirked. “Good night.” 

He curled up in his bedroll, pulling the blankets to his chin and closing his eyes. 

It was silent. 

Until Sky began to scream. 

∆∆∆ 

Flames licked at his boots, but he could not feel them. He walked past trees that had been splintered by something dark, menacing, powerful. And wrong. Something that had hid for centuries and didn’t need to anymore. He climbed over automatons that crackled with fading light, covered in heavy wounds that broke through metal armour, and full of gears that slowly ground to a stop. The grass burned around him. Blood stained the earth red, mixing together with viscous pools of pure hatred. His sword glowed bright in his hand as he strolled through the battleground. Swarms of darkness scrambled past him and buffeted his clothes, but they ignored him, chasing after the far end of the field instead. 

But he was confused as to why . 

So he followed. 

The sky should’ve been dark. It had been dark, and the chill of the night was still present. But now the clouds were stained a deep, bloody maroon that hid the graceful moonlight, and the stars were blinking out. One by one, they evaporated into nothingness. 

He crested a hill to see the silhouette of a wall standing stark against the violent sky. Half-dead soldiers stood along the parapets, trying and failing to fend off the oncoming, hopelessly unstoppable horde that scrambled over the fort’s meager defenses. Even from where he stood, he could hear screams as the soldiers were overwhelmed. It was too obvious. There was no way to win, and no way to run. 

They were all going to die. All of them, they would die. 

A beam of light shot through the field, illuminating two small figures that stood on the path, shielding a gate in the wall. They looked…familiar, somehow. He watched as the one in blue fought with an unmatched fury, ducking and dodging and weaving and hacking at the metal monsters with a wild, uncontrolled rage in his eyes. He watched as the blue one pulled the one in white towards him mere milliseconds before a laser blasted the spot where she’d been standing. 

And then he screamed. It was a violent, unhinged scream that echoed through the valley. A scream that the spectator recognized all too well. 

A scream that said "how dare you." 

"How dare you try to catch me off guard." 

"How dare you try to hurt her." 

The spectator watched in sudden shock as the boy lashed out once more with the force and fury of a god. He hacked metal legs from heavy iron bodies, slicing glowing gashes in hardened armour. He slew monster after monster, barely stopping to breathe even as pure liquified hatred was spattered on his bare skin and began to eat away at him. The boy took hit after hit, always returning twice the damage and always, always keeping himself between the monsters and his companion. 

Until he couldn’t. 

Until he made one mistake. Until he blinked once. Until he forgot, for barely a moment. 

Until he couldn’t dodge one beam. 

And suddenly the enemy surged forward, and they were firing with everything they had. The boy was hit once, twice, thrice. Again and again and again he was struck, being pushed back and back and pounded down and down. 

The watcher saw, and couldn’t move. He was completely helpless as the boy finally, finally stumbled and fell to one knee. One eye was dark. His clothes were stained with blood. His hair dripped with malice. His bare skin was seared off his face, but the spectator couldn’t look away. 

The world held its breath, knowing that he couldn’t get back up. The boy was completely spent. 

That was it. 

But the boy's companion - the one he had protected with everything - yelled something, her voice broken and cracked, and the spectator watched the most unimaginable thing happen. 

He stood back up. 

Slamming his sword - the Master Sword - into the ground, he pushed himself to his feet, putting all of his weight on the blade. The girl ran over to him, shaking him, begging him to leave, to go, to save himself, but he didn't move. 

One brilliant blue eye flashed in the fiery lighting, and suddenly the boy looked so, so, so painfully familiar. The raw flesh that glistened on the side of his face…the color of the tunic that, despite being soiled by mud and garish purple ooze, was still as bright as ever...the dark blond hair that was certain to become bleached by the sun eventually. 

It was him. 

And from where he stood, the sole spectator gagged. Because it couldn't be. But it was. 

Those raw burns that traced the boy's side were so, so clear and so obvious and so unnatural and he'd seen them on another boy before. 

But it couldn't be. 

It felt real , this scene of nightmares that played out before him. 

It was real. 

But it couldn’t be. 

Caught up in contradictions, he watched unseeing as one guardian, a supposed protector, focused its sight on the boy. He barely registered the kid shove his friend behind him, ready to give up everything and become nothing more than a shield. 

He almost didn’t watch when she ducked under his arm, pushed him back, and screamed.  

And all at once, light erupted through the field, turning everything to a blinding white. It looked like a miracle. 

To the watcher, it felt like a blaze. 

The light was gone as quickly as it appeared, dispersing into the night sky that slowly faded to grey. Machines broke down where they stood. Fires crackled softly, eating up the trampled grass. The remaining soldiers on the wall stared. 

The girl gasped quietly, gazing around in wonder before turning around and hurrying to her friend’s side. He grunted in near-silent agony as she lifted him into her lap. She whispered something panicked, but the observer couldn’t hear. He didn’t need to. Goddess, he didn’t want to. 

But he couldn’t look away as the Champion Hero, because that was definitely him, coughed weakly. He looked at the girl for barely a moment before falling limp. 

She froze up, completely silent, and his body thumped to the bloodstained, burning earth. 

The earth let out the breath it had been holding. The Hylian Champion was gone. 

And suddenly the watcher on the hill was screaming, and pain tore through his soul and he couldn't figure it out but that boy was so familiar because it was him and he could only clutch his ears and scream and scream and scream. 

The world's ending. 

Oh, dear Goddesses above, the world must be ending. 

∆∆∆

"NO!" 

For the second time in as many nights, Sky’s eyes flew open, and he shot bolt upright in his bedroll. His head pounded with the roars of a thousand soldiers, and he curled in on himself as his vision darkened and his brain fizzled. His heart beat wildly against his ribs; erratic, painful, entirely too fast, impossible to control. 

“No. No, no, no no no, no no,” he muttered in between desperate gasps. He clutched at his hair, pulling his head forward and letting a tiny, painful groan escape his lips as hot, salty tears squeezed from the corners of his eyes. “No, no no no. It’s not. It can't be. It’s not. It’s not, it’s not, it’s not. He’s fine. He’s fine. It’s not real. He’s fine. Just a dream. It’s not.” 

A small hand brushed his shoulder, and he flinched back, his breath catching in his throat. It’s not real, it’s not real, none of it’s real, it was a dream. A dream. A dream and nothing more. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” someone said softly, and Sky looked up to see Four’s wide amber eyes before him. The smithy reached up and carefully unwound his hands from his hair as slowly as possible as he spoke. “Sky, please calm down. Deep breaths, okay? What - never mind. It doesn’t matter. But you’re safe here, I promise. You’re okay here. We’re all here. You’re okay here.” 

Sky gulped heavily, his shaking hands wiping at his wet cheeks as he tried fruitlessly to focus. Just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, just a dream and that’s it. “Wild,” he croaked. “Where’s…where’s Wild?” 

“Over here.” 

Sky whipped his head towards the sullen voice. The amnesiac sat on his heels a few feet away, staring at him in shock. He’s an amnesiac. Oh shit , he’s an amnesiac. Is that why…no. It was a dream , just a dream, only a dream. His eyes drifted across the scars that wound down the side of his friend’s face. It’s a coincidence, totally a coincidence, not real, not real, not real . Can’t be real. My mind’s just stressing out. It’s taking facts and throwing them into a mixing bowl full of gravel and ice and making a horror story to freak me out. Sky knocked one fist against his skull. He's alive, he's alive, he's alive, he's not dead, he never was. He's completely fine and he’s right there and it’s okay. 

Just a dream. 

“What - what happened?” he asked Four shakily. “J-just now.” 

The smith frowned in worry. “It doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you’re fine, okay? You were just having a nightmare, but you’re here with us. You’re not on your adventure. No one’s dead.” 

Sky glanced around the camp, doing a rapid headcount. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. No one’s dead, no one’s dead, they’re all here and alive, they shouldn’t have to be here but no one’s dead and it was just a nightmare. Grunts and murmurs came from the sleeping bags as heroes tossed and turned, beginning to wake up. 

“You…you were yelling things,” Wild said softly. “About…someone.” A thin layer of panic lay under his words. 

“Wh-what?” the Skyloftian stammered, gripping his blankets tight to muffle his shaking. “What did I say?” 

Four and Wild exchanged an uneasy glance, and the former winced. “You were, uh, you were saying, and I quote, 'Please, no, why him, keep him safe, Wild doesn't deserve this, Hylia, why'd you kill him, keep him safe, no.'" 

Sky's breath hitched as he glanced back at Wild's scars. "It was...just a dream," he murmured, unsure as to whether he was trying to convince himself or the boys around him. "That's all. Just a bad dream, don't worry." 

"Sky…" Four tried, but Wild interrupted him. 

“I…I have to leave. Sorry.” Without another word, the Champion grabbed his cloak and swept out of the clearing, leaving the other two boys speechless. 

Twilight sat up as he walked into the forest. The rancher blearily took in the campsite for a moment before his eyes landed on Sky and Four. “Where’s Wild going?” 

Four pulled himself together first. “He just needed to blow off some steam,” he answered shortly, turning his attention back to Sky. He wrapped a blanket around Sky's shoulders as a clear gesture of comfort, but that didn't make him feel much better. "What can I do for you?" 

Sky shook his head shakily. "I-I'm fine." His voice cracked. It was just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream. Not real. Not a vision. Not true. Wild's alive. Clearly. He saved Hyrule. It's all okay. He didn't die. It was just a dream. It was just a dream. 

"You're not fine," the smithy murmured softly, hugging Sky. "But you're safe now. It was just a dream." 

"Just a dream," Sky echoed hollowly. "Just a dream?" 

Four nodded. "It was just a bad dream. You're awake now, see?" 

Legend eyed Sky sympathetically. “Bad dream, huh? Is there anything I can do for you? Do you want anything?” 

Sky shook his head jerkily again, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders. "N-no. I'm s-sorry for waking everyone." 

"Nonsense," Warrior said softly. "We all get it. It's fine to have nightmares. Especially now." 

No, no, no, no, no, wasn't a nightmare, couldn't have been a vision, just a nightmare, that's right, just stress and worry, just a nightmare, everyone gets nightmares, but I shouldn't have woken them all, they need their rest, but now there's only eight people in camp. 

“Wild,” he muttered. “He - I need to go after him.” 

“What?” Hyrule yawned quietly. “Sky, don’t worry, one of us will go and find him later. If he needs some time to himself, we should probably just leave him alone for now. Besides, right now, you have to take care of yourself.” 

“N-no, but this is important,” Sky insisted. He attempted to get to his feet, but Four placed his hand on his shoulder, keeping him down. “Pl-please, I need to talk to him!” 

For a split second, no one moved, but Twilight sighed tiredly, apparently coming to a decision. “Let him go, Smithy. If he needs to go, let him. We all know how nightmares work. I think Sky knows best how he can feel better.” 

“Twilight’s right,” Time agreed. “Sky, just come back soon, okay?” 

The Skyloftian nodded jerkily, shivering as he pulled his beloved sailcloth around his shoulders and stumbled out of camp without another word. 

∆∆∆

Wild dashed between trees and bushes and more trees, running and leaping and sprinting as far and as fast as his legs would take him. Voices whispered in his head, almost too quiet to hear and too loud to ignore. They bashed at the inside of his skull, battering him with questions and truths and pure panic. 

He knows. 

He can’t know. 

Does he know? 

Holy Hylia, he knows. Somehow, he knows . 

How does he know? How can he know? He can’t know! Why does he know? 

I’ve been so careful, but he knows! 

He shouldn’t know! 

He just ran. 

Too late, he noticed the tree that was mere feet from him. His heels dug into the dirt, but he couldn’t stop, and he smashed into it head-on, falling to the dusty ground. His nose stung, and tears sprang to his eyes unbidden. 

He knew. 

He must know. 

He couldn’t know. 

If there was anyone Wild didn’t want to know about his failure , it was Sky. 

Sky, the man who Wild looked up to. Sky, the hero who had quite possibly been one of Wild’s best friends. Sky, the one who always treated everyone with compassion. Sky, the boy who had done everything first. For Hylia’s sake, he was the damn founder of Hyrule. 

His fists tightened, and before he knew it, he was screaming. He sprang to his feet and punched the bark of the tree in front of him with every ounce of strength he possessed. The skin on his knuckles began to split and bleed, but he ignored it. He just kept on slamming his fists against the rough bark. Tears ran down his cheeks freely, but he ignored that, too. 

Because 

He 

Knew. 

A shock wave ran through his arm, and he stopped. He gasped for breath, and fell to his knees. And he cried. Sobs wracked his body as scenario after scenario after scenario ran through his brain, each one worse than the last. 

Sky could tell everyone. He could tell everyone. They’d hate him, they’d look down at him and tell him just how much of a hero he was. 

It was never going to be the same, travelling with the other heroes. 

It would always be different, because they would know. They would know what he did and what he didn’t do and they would know that he didn’t save everyone. Not like they all had. 

He didn’t deserve to even be with the rest of them. 

No. Stop Stop Stop Stop Stop it. 

He shook himself out of his thoughts, trying to catch his breath. It wasn’t becoming of a supposed Champion of Hyrule to just sit around and let it all happen. He needed to fix it. That was what he always did. He fixed problems. Or he tried to. 

Maybe…maybe he doesn’t actually know. 

Yeah. Maybe he was just having a nightmare about dying in some random way. Like a fall. 

That makes sense. 

Maybe it was just nothing. 

Yes. That’s it. It was nothing. 

I’m jumping to conclusions. I’m making wild assumptions. He can’t just have a dream that I actually died. That’s not real. 

Right? 

Of course not. 

I’m overreacting. And he knows nothing. 

Wild let out a watery chuckle, trying to pull himself back together. Wiping his eyes, he looked around. He could get back to camp and laugh it off and claim he was fine, it was all good, he just needed a second. No one would bat an eye. It would be okay. They could get moving in the morning, and everyone would forget. 

But as he turned around, a splotch of moonlight caught his attention. The trees were thinner to the left, and he wandered curiously over to the light. The trees gradually disappeared until Wild stood at the edge of a grassy outcrop of rock. The uneven cliff ran on either side of him, and he could just see the edge of the other side in the dark. A dark river rushed in between the rocks far below, reflecting specks of stardust. 

Wild took a deep breath of the fresh, cool night air, and settled down, his feet dangling high above the water. Pulling out a roll of bandages from his slate, he began to wrap his bloody knuckles. A tiny chickadee hopped up to his side, and Wild slowly ran one finger over its soft feathers. He closed his eyes, drinking in the moonlight and the quiet, comforting solitude. He could wait to go back. He had time. And it was quiet. 

“H-hey.” 

Wild shook himself out of his daze at the sound of Sky’s voice, letting the chickadee fly off. “Oh. Hey.” 

The Skyloftian walked up beside him. “Can…can I sit down?” 

Wild scooted over wordlessly, letting him sit beside him. 

The Skyloftian gulped quietly, twisting his fists in his sailcloth. “It’s, uh, pretty here.” 

“Yeah.” Wild closed his eyes, listening to the rushing river far below. “It is. It’s…well, I wouldn’t call it familiar. But it reminds me of my own world, I guess.” 

“Yeah, I suppose.” Sky chuckled quietly. “Reminds me a bit of Skyloft, too.” 

The pair was silent for a tense moment. 

“Bad dreams, huh?” the amnesiac said awkwardly. “Are you, you know, doing okay?” 

“Yeah.” Sky pulled his knees to his chest, staring down at the river below. “I’m fine.” 

Wild fidgeted with the hem of his tunic. “Uh…do you want to talk about it?” 

The man shivered. “Eh. It wasn’t anything, uh, extraordinary. It was a nightmare. Lots of…lots of guardians. Lots of malice. Lots of…bad things. Normal nightmare stuff, I guess.” 

“Ah.” Wild squinted at a squirrel that scampered around the woods on the other side of the river as he turned the words over in his mind. They were loaded, poorly concealing worries and possibilities and terror that the Skyloftian didn’t seem to want to show. 

“It’s fine,” the Skyloftian muttered. “You’re fine. It’s okay. Everyone’s fine, it’s great. No one’s dead. No one’s too badly hurt. It’s all fine.” 

Wild pursed his lips, almost afraid to ask. “Sky?” 

“Hmm?” The man looked over, tearing his gaze from the rushing river below. “Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah, hi.” His eyes flickered uncomfortably over Wild’s scar tissue for a moment. “Hi. What?” 

“Do…do you want a hug or something?” the Champion wondered cautiously. 

He shrugged. “I’m fine. I’ll be okay. It’s…it’s fine. Thank you. It was just a dream. Clearly. It couldn’t have been anything else. Right? You’re…here.” 

Wild nodded numbly. "Yeah. Just a dream. Of course. I'm not dead. Clearly." 

The Skyloftian let out a shaky laugh. "Y-yeah. Of course not." 

"Yeah." Wild nodded again, twisting his fingers together. "Of course not." Guardians and malice and my death. 

It’s not what it sounds like . It is nothing. 

Is it? 

Yes. It is. 

They were silent, and Wild was about to suggest going back to camp. 

Then Sky sat straight up with a gasp. “No.” 

"No?" Wild blinked. 

"No. No, no, please no." Sky stared at him blankly. "It was so long ago. You were joking.  Tell me you were joking." At the Champion's blank gaze, he took a shuddering breath. "A l-long time ago. We joked about being older than everyone else. I s-said it was because I c-came first. You s-said...you were a h-hundred and seventeen or something." 

The moment came back in full force. 

“How old are all of you?” 

“I’m a hundred and sixteen. Roughly. That’s all you get to know.” 

It took a second for Wild to understand the implications, but he slowly cupped one hand around his mouth and curled in on himself, shaking uncontrollably. Idiot. You did this to yourself. You said it. You forgot about it. You fucked around and you found out. “Fuck,” he breathed. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.” 

“It’s true, isn’t it,” Sky remarked hollowly. “It’s…it’s true . You’re…oh my goddess.” 

Wild squeezed his eyes shut. “How?” he whispered. “How? How , Sky, how do you know?” 

The Skyloftian didn’t move. “I…I don’t know how to explain it. It doesn’t exactly go over well in conversation, but…I see things. Sometimes, when I sleep. I can see things. Things that haven’t happened yet, at least to me. It’s…it’s not helpful. It’s not cool. And sometimes…sometimes I wake up and I think the world’s ending. And then I wake up. And later…it does, just like I knew it would.” 

Wild buried his face in his knees. He knows. He really does know. He knows and I don’t want him to know. But he knows anyway. 

“Wild, I…” Sky’s voice trailed off. 

He scoffed quietly, blinking back fresh tears. “Y-you can say it.” 

“Say what?” 

“D-don’t you want to yell at me?” Wild could feel the tension in the air as he sniffed. "To tell me I'm not good enough, to say I'm weird and unnatural and, I don't know, inhuman? You've dealt with the undead before. You know they're not exactly normal . And I'm not good enough either, am I? I couldn't stop the Calamity the first time. I couldn't save everyone like you guys did. I'm the Hero that lost, the Hero that fell when the world needed him the most. I failed." 

He spat the word with bitterness. 

Sky was silent. 

"So aren't you going to yell at me for not being as good as everyone else?" 

“No.” Sky rested his chin on his knees. “Wild, no. I’d never yell at you. Why would you think I’d…” he sighed softly. “No. I’m not going to yell at you. I just…argh! I don’t know. I don’t know what to think! I’m not mad at you in any way, but I’m mad at something! Ganon? Fate? Me? Not you, Wild. Never you.” His voice cracked. “Oh, goddess. How am I supposed to react to this?” 

“I don’t know,” Wild said sullenly. “Laugh?” 

“That’s not funny,” Sky retorted shakily. “That’s horrible . Goddess, Wild, I am so, so sorry. That’s-” he cut himself off abruptly. “I’m so sorry.” 

Wild shook his head. “You didn’t do anything.” What am I supposed to say? Oh, Sky, yeah, you were totally there and you could’ve helped me kill all these guardians? Sure. 

But he knows. 

“Have you seen anything about us?” he asked softly. “Before now?” 

Sky hesitated. “I-I don’t know. Nothing important. At least, I don’t think so. Goddess, you…oh, shit.” Wild watched him put pressure on his forehead. “Fuck, Wild. I-I-I can’t process this correctly.” 

“Yeah, no, it’s fine,” the Champion muttered. “Take all the time you need.” Might take a second. Might take a minute. Just let him realize he’s sitting next to a living corpse. And then watch everything break down around you. Monster. Weakling. You’re not a hero, and now everyone else will know, too. 

Shut up. 

After what felt like an eternity, Sky finally shook his head. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry, Wild. Can…can I do anything for you?” 

That was the last thing he had expected Sky to say. Wild’s breath caught. Can he do anything? Anything at all? 

Do I want him to do anything? 

“Don’t tell them,” he finally whispered, burying his face in his knees. “Please. No one has to know.” 

No one. 

No one has to know. Please say yes. Please. 

Sky was silent, and Wild thought it was over. 

“Okay,” the Skyloftian agreed. “I won’t.” 

“Promise?” 

“Yeah. I promise.” 

Chapter Text

Goddesses above. 

It really is true. 

He’s dead. Or, he died. But he came back. 

A hundred years . 

And he died . 

Is it my fault? Did I do something? Probably. When did I ever not fuck things up for them all? 

Sky’s hands shook as they trudged back to camp, and he kept his eyes fixed firmly on the forest floor. He didn’t trust himself to look at the Champion that walked alongside him as his thoughts cascaded into nothingness. He couldn’t feel the breeze, or the patches of silvery moonlight that made their way through the treetops. The chill night air blew through his tunic, but he couldn’t even shiver. His brain felt stuffed, as though it was covered in fluff as he tried to process everything. It took a few solid minutes before he finally came to one certainty. One fact that was, without a doubt, completely true. 

Bird was right. 

Oh, goddesses above, Bird was right. 

They said Wild was Dead. They knew, and they tried to tell me. 

I didn’t listen, but they tried to tell me. 

Sky knew it was a stupid thing to fixate on, but it kept his mind from wandering any further. It was concrete. It was true, no matter how much he wished it wasn’t. 

This entire time. They’d known and they’d cared. They tried to tell me in order to help Wild. 

Rule one of living on Skyloft. 

Trust your Loftwing. Listen to your Loftwing. 

They know what they’re doing, probably more than you do. 

Sky had lived by that rule all his life. And then he’d just ignored it. 

He should’ve realized that Bird meant something deeper. Not just that Wild had been injured, but that he was truly Dead. Bird had never been one to use figures of speech. They liked to be very literal. Sky knew that. 

Why hadn’t he just stopped to think, just for a moment? There had been every possibility that Wild had been killed. There was so much evidence. The way he spoke about the Champions. The reason he’d been chosen to save Hyrule. The fact he knew his Zelda so well. 

The Goddess-damned scars from wounds that no one should be able to survive. 

Bird had known. They’d told Sky. And he didn’t even think twice about it, writing it off as his own nerves tuning to his beloved Loftwing’s. 

Oh, hindsight, he lamented, why must you be so fucking obvious? 

“Um,” Wild said softly, cutting into Sky’s train of thought, “Sky?” 

The Skyloftian glanced over at the boy, but a beam of moonlight fell through the trees and onto his face, highlighting the twisted bumps of flesh that clung to the side of his face. Sky’s eyes began to water, and he gazed up at the dark treetops instead. “What?” 

“I…I don’t know. You’re taking this better than I thought you would.” The Champion’s voice was as quiet as a breath of wind. “So…thanks.” 

Fix your face. Don’t let anyone see you falling apart like this. 

Sky took a deep breath and gave Wild a thumbs-up. “No problem. We’ve all got wacky pasts. Stands to reason that one of us must’ve died at least once, right?” 

Wild let out a watery chuckle. “Y-yeah, I guess. And, uh, please don’t tell anyone. For real.” 

“Hey, I already promised that, right?” As he walked through a shadow, Sky discreetly wiped some of the fresh tears from his face. “You know I won’t break a promise.” 

“Yeah.” Wild sounded uncertain nonetheless, but Sky had no intention of telling anyone. He didn’t care if someone wanted to know. If Wild wanted Sky to keep quiet, then he’d be taking the secret to his grave. 

Sky flinched at his figure of speech. 

Before he could ponder any longer, he caught snatches of soft chatter coming from just ahead of him. Any other time, Sky would’ve exchanged a quick nod with Wild. Any other time, he’d have smiled, or mentioned the sound to the other boy. He didn’t trust himself to talk. Hell, he didn’t trust himself to even look at the Champion. 

He just forged on, ready to collapse back in his bedroll and succumb to sleep and forget everything. Dreams be damned. 

As the two boys walked into the campsite, everyone was quiet. 

“You better now, Sky?” Wind asked softly. 

The Skyloftian nodded. “Just…tired.” Wild nodded in agreement. 

“I see you found our runaway. Anything we should know about?” Time raised one eyebrow, and Sky nearly crumbled under his gaze. A scream bubbled up in his throat, just begging to be set loose. He’s dead, Time, he’s dead and I shouldn’t know and I don’t want to know and he’s dead and I’m sure I have something to do with it because I always do, because everything that’s happened to any of you can be traced back to me, and he’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead. 

No. You promised. 

He took a shuddering breath and flashed a quick smile. “Nope. I think we’re all good now. Don’t worry.” 

Wild stared at him, his eyes widening, but Sky shrugged minutely with another smile. I did promise. 

The Champion looked almost unreasonably surprised, however. His gaze sharpened as Sky yawned and began to meander over to his bedroll. He glanced over at Wild once more. The boy looked like he’d just seen a ghost. 

Sky winced at the analogy, forcing his gaze to his blankets. 

“Alright, well, it’s still your shift, Wild. We’re all going to get some sleep.” Time clapped quietly. “Good night, everyone.” 

As Wild chose a log to sit down and everyone else got back to bed, Sky shivered and folded his blankets tighter around himself. Flashes of the nightmare replayed again and again, Wild’s silent sobs punctuating each image. A woman’s scream, full of bright light, sent him reeling. 

Malice. 

Guardians. 

Lasers and lightning and hair bright as flame. 

Sky stared up at the patches of stars in between the leaves above. 

Oh my goddess. 

Ganon killed him. 

In the weirdest, most logical sense in the world, it’s my fault he died. 

No I didn’t. 

Yes I did. 

∆∆∆ 

The haze of sleep slowly abandoned Sky, and he mumbled lightly as he curled up tighter in his bedroll. His brain felt full of fluff again, and he sighed quietly as he listened to the blurry, light-drenched commotion around him. 

Couldn’t he just sleep for once 

Just for a moment he was back at the Knight Academy. No confusing portals, no injuries, no crushing sense of guilt that swallowed him whole, and no dead heroes. 

Fuck. Not right now, please. 

Sky grumbled quietly as he stumbled to his feet, squinting around at the campsite. Almost immediately, he tripped over his feet, bumped into someone, and nearly fell back down. 

“Woah there!” Someone grabbed his arm, keeping the Skyloftian from getting a faceful of dirt and leaves. “Careful, Sky, don’t want to have ground for breakfast!” 

“Hmm.” Sky rubbed the sleep from his eyes and let his vision adjust, realizing that he’d been caught by Four. “Sorry. Didn’t see you, are you okay?” 

“I’m fine,” the smith promised. “I just didn’t want to see you fall. C’mon, sit down for a sec.” 

The two boys made their way past piles of items and laundry, ducking as people threw things at each other. The laughter was still uneasy, but Sky was just grateful that there was laughter at all. 

Took his mind off it all 

He dropped down on a nearby log with a huff, and Four sat beside him. “You sure you’re okay? Anything I can do?” 

Sky just waved him off. “Nah, nah, I’m just tired. I’ve fallen miles and not been sure if I would ever land, this was nothing!” 

Legend laughed, ruffling Sky’s hair as he passed by. “Oh, sure, airhead, totally!” 

Hyrule snickered as Sky shot the veteran a playful glare. “What if I’m right?” 

“Then I’ll make sure to apologize.” Legend dropped into the most dramatic bow Sky had ever seen as he picked up a stray bottle. “Whose is this?” 

Wind smirked from where he was rolling up his blankets. “I think it’s Wars’.” 

“Oh, who?” Legend shot a shit-eating grin at said Captain as he pocketed it. “I guess I’ll keep it then, I have no idea who you’re talking about.” 

Warrior just rolled his eyes and went back to talking to Twilight. 

“Huh.” Hyrule frowned. “That was…weirdly anticlimactic.” 

Sky couldn’t agree more. 

“It’s also time for breakfast,” Four piped up. “Wild, are you done yet?” 

As soon as Wild was mentioned, Sky froze up for a split second, but he forced himself to relax just as quickly. Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about him and what you did to him. 

Wild evidently picked up some of his vibes, because the cook was stuttering. “I, uh, almost d-done, gimme a sec.” 

“There’s no rush or anything, I was just curious,” Four assured, stretching. 

Sky reflexively glanced up at the amnesiac. His gaze landed on the boy’s shaking, scarred hand, and he forced his gaze to his boots. No, no, stop it, stop it, don’t think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it. 

There was a shout, and Wild hissed in sudden pain as his ladle rolled on the ground and came to a stop at Sky’s feet. 

“Woah!” Hyrule yelped, springing to his feet. “Wild, lemme see that burn!” 

As the traveler fussed, Sky scooped the ladle from the ground, wordlessly handing it to the Champion with his eyes trained on the ground. 

"Thanks," Wild murmured, and Sky nodded, not looking at his hand and no, he was not looking at his hand, the hand that was full of scars that shouldn't have been there and that he shouldn't have had because he should be alive - 

No. Stop. He is alive. Just…alive again. 

Sky gulped. “No problem,” he murmured. “Please be careful, don’t want to see you get too hurt, right?” 

The Champion hummed in agreement as Sky retook his place next to Four. “Don’t worry about me. I can bounce back from a lot, you know?” 

Sky weighed the words carefully and fought the overwhelming urge to bolt. “Yeah. I know.” 

I wish I didn’t 

Wild began scooping breakfast into bowls with a practiced hand, the familiar motions seeming to calm him. The other heroes gradually wandered over to the fire, and quiet morning banter ensued. Sky did his best to follow the conversation, catching snippets of “east,” “river,” and “mountains,” but as he stared into his own bowl, his train of thought spiraled. 

Me, it was me, it was all my fault, Wild’s dead, people died, countries burned, Ganon killed him, Wild’s dead and it’s my fault- 

“Alright!” Time suddenly clapped, drawing everyone’s attention and giving Sky a way out of his thoughts. “I believe we’re all done here. Let’s get going!” 

∆∆∆ 

Wild was avoiding him. 

That was the first thing Sky noticed. The Champion was definitely avoiding him: purposefully walking at the very front of the group and chatting with Time, not looking backwards, and when he did, his eyes skipped over the Skyloftian like he wasn’t there. 

Sky tried to stop himself from doing the same. 

He figured it was just like before. Everything was fine, everything was okay, it was all completely normal. He was still happy all the time of course, and thoughts of guilt and terror and self-hatred didn’t beat him into the dirt at every moment, waking or not. No secrets were being kept, no life-altering tidbits of information were being held back from the ears of his friends. Friends. Yes. They were all friends, and they were all brothers, and they all loved each other, and nothing could change that. 

Yeah. Definitely. 

And everything was okay. 

As the group walked through the quiet woods, laughing and chattering along just as they normally did, Sky pretended he was listening and fought to keep a smile on his face. It was…hard. Difficult. Nigh impossible. 

Logically, he understood that they were finally on the road again! Everyone was happy to be moving! Nothing had changed at all, not to them, there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. There was reason to be cheerful, and every hero was soaking that up for all that it was worth. They all had extremely high and low moments, and they’d all learned to take advantage of every good second. 

He understood that. 

Nothing had changed. 

But everything had changed. 

People had died. Lives had been broken. Walls had burned down and entire worlds were ruined. 

Their friend had died . 

And it was all because of him because he’d fucked it up, he’d failed, he’d done everything wrong but no one knew that, not even Wild, and they were all acting so normal and it wasn’t normal anymore, but what even was normal, if that had always been true? 

Wild had been dead before they’d met him, and it had always been Sky’s fault. 

And everyone thought he was okay. 

“Sky?” 

No, no, that wasn’t right. They didn’t just think he was okay. 

He was okay. 

It was all fine. 

Everything was just fine. 

Nothing was wrong, and everything was fine. They were all still happy and alive- 

They were all still happy and uninjured and it was all okay. 

“Sky, are you okay?” 

Sky let out a long breath as he completed his internal mantra and opened his eyes to see Four frowning worriedly at him. He realized he had fallen quietly against a nearby tree, and he straightened, brushing off his tunic and smiling quickly. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” his mouth said. “Just tired, right?” 

“Yeah.” The smithy grinned back. “But we’ve got to catch up to everyone, they’re just up ahead.” 

The two boys jogged through the brush, reaching the back of the group in just a couple seconds. 

Legend smiled at them. “Where’ve you two been? Sky dozed off again?” he teased. 

Four let out a chuckle as Sky rubbed the back of his neck. “Maybe. Anyone know where we’re going yet?” 

“Nope.” The veteran shrugged. “There’s not really a rush, though, right? We’re just sort of wandering. Twi went ahead to scout around. It’s real nice to be in the open air again.” 

“Yeah,” Sky agreed, looking up at the patches of sky that he could see in between the tree leaves. He hopped over a tangle of bushes, nearly losing his balance in the process. “Heh! I’d fly around right now, if I could. I’d just grab Bird and away we’d go.” He listened for a bird call, but sighed lightly when he heard nothing. “But I guess that’s one way to tell that this isn’t my Hyrule, huh?” 

“Sorry, Sky.” Four bumped his arm like a friendly cat. “Bird’s your Loftwing, right? Sort of a pet, I'm guessing?” 

The Skyloftian laughed. “No, they’re not a pet. I can talk to them, in my head. They’re a different species, but they’re still my best friend. We’ve been together since I was a child. Think, like, Epona, but different.” 

“Wow.” Legend fiddled with the rings on his fingers. “And so when we’re in your Hyrule, you can just talk to them whenever you want, no matter how far apart? Just ‘oh, hey, we’re on the other side of the world, how are you over there?’ ‘Oh, we’re making pie with your Zelda!’ Like that?” 

Sky opened his mouth, then closed it again. Can we do that? “I-I don’t know! That’s a good point, I’ve never tried anything like that! I've only ever called him to me, and then we talked. But…I guess it might be possible?" 

"An experiment, then!" Four decided, his purple three eyes bright. "Next time we're in your Hyrule, which might be a while, all things considered, and we'll try it! Sound good?" 

Legend gave a thumbs-up, and Sky nodded. “It’ll be fun,” he agreed. “It’ll be fun. Where’s everyone else?” 

The three boys glanced around at the quiet forest nervously for a second before Wind burst through the undergrowth, his bright blue tunic nearly catching on several different branches. “There you are!” he yelped, skidding to a stop on the leaf mold and grass. “We found a portal, come on!” 

Legend shouldered his bag and the heroes jogged, rolled, and jumped past stray rocks and old stumps until they came to a halt. The other five watched them scramble to a halt just in front of the dark, malevolent gateway. Sky ducked his head, murmuring a quick apology, but he was just smiled at as people began to chatter about who wanted to go first. 

Wild pushed himself to his feet from where he had been leaning against the trunk of a slender tree. “I’ll go first, ‘kay?” He held out one hand to Warrior, leaving no room for argument, and they walked through without another word. 

Sky watched, unseeing, as the other Links walked into a new time in twos and threes, trying to shake the now familiar uneasiness of the portal. Normally, it was fine. Normally, he could handle it. But it was just too close to the malice in the Ancient Cistern, or the crystals of pure evil that he carried in his own pockets. 

Or the goo in Wild’s guardians. 

It wasn’t exact, but it felt furious, somehow. 

It felt like it hated him , as if he had done something to hurt it. 

He wanted to say that wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. 

Sky wanted to say that normally, normally , portals weren’t like that. But he wasn’t entirely sure. 

And he couldn’t remember what normal was anymore. 

“Sky?” 

Hyrule was the only person that hadn’t gone through the portal. His eyes were wide and empathetic, and he stretched out one hand. “Are you ready? I don’t like how they feel, either.” 

Sky stammered. “How did you-” 

The traveler just shrugged. “It was in your gaze. Your body language. I don’t know. I could just…tell. Let’s go find everyone, though, okay?” 

Sky took a deep breath and together, they walked through the doorway. 

∆∆∆ 

The new time period led to a lot of groans, yells, and assorted headaches. The suddenness of the switch between the dimmer, shadowy coolness of the woods and the aggressively cheerful sunshine on the field hit with the force of a cannon, and Wild’s own eyes snapped shut as a migraine began building up behind his eyes. 

He slowly opened them back up, letting his eyes adjust as everyone else began to function once more. Sky and Hyrule were the last to stumble through the portal, grunting in annoyance as it closed with a snap behind them. 

For a moment, the Skyloftian and the amnesiac locked eyes. 

Wild looked away. Not now. He could say something at any moment. 

But he hasn’t yet. 

He’s been lying. He’s so good at lying. He shouldn’t be that good at deceiving people. 

Has he been lying about something else before this? We wouldn't have caught it. 

Doesn’t matter. 

“Alright,” Time grumbled, shading his good eye. “Where are we now?” 

The Champion surveyed their surroundings, and his blood went cold. The little group of heroes stood on a small, grassy hill, with nothing but plains stretching far around. The castle stood in the distance - Wild’s Hyrule Castle, but it lacked any damage at all. It was…perfect, for lack of a better word. Whole. It wasn’t Wild’s Hyrule Castle, but it was . He was sure of it. But not a single shrine or tower could be seen on the horizon. 

It was his Hyrule, but it wasn’t . 

And yet…it felt like they’d barely moved at all. Now, he could feel the faint memories of forests that stretched as far as the eye could see. He hopped onto an old tree stump that stood right beside him, just where a young, healthy oak had been minutes ago. "Right where we were before." 

Warrior hummed. "We haven't moved position at all, we just have more visibility. We’re further along on the timeline, maybe? There’s stumps where the trees used to be. Maybe woodcutters. But hey, at least we can see where we’re going.” 

Sky cleared his throat. “I…I think we've been going the wrong way, guys. Or at least, something wants us to go the other way. Look." He pointed to a tall rock spire in the opposite direction. "I'm pretty sure that's where I found Wild last night. I might be wrong, but I think that's where we're supposed to be heading. Why else would the portals bring us to somewhere we can see?" 

“Oh.” Wild thought for a moment, tuning out the chatter that slowly built up around him. That’s a fair point. Assuming the portals can even think. And assuming we were in the right spot yesterday. And assuming…. 

I hate logic. 

“It can’t hurt,” Time finally decided. “We’re not sure where to go right now, and we can always leave if we want to. Unless anyone objects?” 

No one spoke. 

“It looks interesting,” Four volunteered. The poor smithy dragged himself to his feet, looking disorientated. “Gah. Sunspots. It’ll be fun. I’ll go, if people want to stay behind.” 

“Hell no!” Wind chimed in. “I’m going.” 

As the other heroes murmured their assent, Wild sneezed. “Sorry. I should probably say that this looks like my Hyrule, but before the Calamity. I, uh, it’s recognizable, but there’s no Sheikah Towers or anything, and the castle’s not damaged at all, see?” He pointed, and the realization hit him. 

They could be roughly a hundred years before his world. 

This could be right before the Calamity. 

No , he told himself sharply. No, no, no, it’s not. 

It’s not. 

How do you know? 

There’s no Divine Beasts anywhere, it can’t be a century before. 

It isn’t. 

“A-anyway,” he continued, regaining control over his voice. “In my world, it’s not too dangerous, if you’re worried. It’ll be fine.” 

In my world. 

But this isn’t my world. 

But everyone shrugged and picked themselves off of the ground and ran away through the long, feathery grass. It was good enough for them. 

Wild didn’t know why it wasn’t good enough for him. 

But he watched them run from atop his stump, trying to make himself follow. It was a nice day, and there shouldn’t be any danger, not here, in his world. 

But it wasn’t his world. 

His gaze flickered over to where Sky stood, unmoving, watching the heroes as well. The Skyloftian looked…scared. Sad. Regretful. 

Wild jumped off of the tree stump and ran down the hill. 

∆∆∆ 

As they walked across the open, sun-drenched plains, Sky shivered. 

I don’t want to go there. 

It occurred to him that perhaps the strange, foreboding feeling he could somehow sense from the cliff in the distance might not be a good thing. It occurred to him that he mightn’t have mentioned it at all, or at least warned them away from the exact place they were now headed. It occurred to him that maybe he could’ve gone to check on it himself when they set up camp later; it would keep the other Links safe and sound, and it was more than likely that he could handle it alone. 

Sky was regretting his choices. If he could go back in time, he would, just to fix that. 

Well, if I had time travel, I’d want to fix a lot more of the things I’ve done. 

Or not done. 

“Sky!” someone called. 

Aaaand it is not time to think about that now. 

He ran through the grass to see Wind and Four crouched together, looking intently at something in the sailor’s cupped hands. At the sight of Sky, Four waved him over. 

“Look!” he said brightly. “Wind’s found a bug!” 

“It’s really neat,” Wind wondered, angling himself so Sky could see. 

“Oh!” Sky grinned. “It’s a grasshopper! There’s a bunch of those in my world, though this one’s quite a bit greener. See, mine usually have bits of brown spots along here and here.” He gently poked the insect’s body. 

“You might want to be careful, though!” Twilight called, jogging up beside them. “They’re not poisonous, but they do bite. Is that it?” 

“Yeah!” Wind showed the rancher. 

“Do you have grasshoppers in your world, Twi?” Four asked, his eyes gleaming a strange, pretty mix of green and purple. “We know you’re a bit of an animal whisperer, do they have something interesting to say?” 

“I do have guys like these back home, actually!” Twilight laughed. “But no, they don’t tend to say much. Mine are a lot more sparkly, they just sort of twinkle and hop around. I always end up giving them away as gifts. I think I like this one better, though.” 

“It’s very pretty,” Sky agreed. “I like to catch bugs, too, so this is pretty neat!” 

“Ooh, what do you do with them?” Wind asked. 

Sky smirked. They’re going to love this one. “Well, I like to keep them sometimes, but I tend to upgrade weapons and items and potions and stuff with them.” 

Four’s eyes widened, but a yell from a certain army captain that they were about to be left behind got them all up and walking again. Wind let the grasshopper go with a small wave. 

They reached their destination within just a few hours, and Sky had to admit that the ravine was a lot more impressive in broad daylight. Huge, rough, pitted spikes of rock jutted out above a road a decent ways below them. From the top of the claw they were at, Sky could see for miles around. The wind was stronger, and it whipped around him, tugging playfully at his hair and sailcloth. 

It reminded him of the sky, and it was almost enough to distract him from the weirdly ominous feeling that now made him want to throw up. 

I don’t want to be here at all. 

Legend wandered up to the tip of the spire, making his way to stand next to Sky. “Careful,” he said softly. “Don’t want you to fall.” 

“Yeah, uh, I have a question,” Warrior said as he fiddled with his scarf. “Now what? Down? Across? Do we take that road down there, or do we want to keep going?” 

From his place on an oddly decorated stump next to a pinwheel, Hyrule cleared his throat. “Do we want to go towards the creepy dark-magic feeling, or away?” 

Sky felt his eyebrow shoot up into his bangs. “You feel it, too.” 

“Of course I do.” The traveler tipped his head curiously. “But I wouldn't have thought that you could. I thought you didn’t have magic.” 

“Uh, well, I don’t.” He scratched the back of his neck. 

“Wait, so the rest of you were feeling that, too?” Twilight asked. All the heroes nodded. “And no one said anything?” 

“You didn’t, either, Twilight,” Time reminded his pup. 

“And also, I kind of just assumed that we wanted to go to the bad feeling?” Wild said, tapping his fingers against his pant leg. “Isn’t that what we always do?” 

His reply was met with various murmurs of agreement and head bobs. Sky nodded along. 

Not that they should have to do that 

“Let’s just go down,” Wind volunteered. “See what happens.” 

“How?” Warrior questioned, crossing his arms. “By jumping?” 

Sky pursed his lips, pushing back the rest of his thoughts as he tried to repress a smile. 

“Yeah.” 

He, Wild, and Wind had spoken in unison, and the other two had taken out a paraglider and a giant leaf, respectively, because apparently Heroes were nothing if not ready to prove a point. 

Time snickered at Warrior’s clear surprise. “I’m not entirely certain what you expected, Captain.” 

The man squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Can anyone else jump semi-safely, or are the rest of us just going to find the beginning of that road?” 

“Me.” Hyrule snapped his fingers, summoning a burst of pink sparkles. 

Twilight chuckled regrettably. “I’ll just use my clawshots. No jumping for me.” 

Time was already pulling out a pair of winged boots, and Legend just smirked as he dug through his bag. “Well, wouldn’t you like to know, pretty boy?” 

“I have a cool hood,” Four blurted out in the most matter-of-fact voice Sky had ever heard. “And physics is my friend.” 

Warrior took a deep breath. “Okay then. I also have clawshots. We go down to where we’re all feeling the ominous magic, then?” 

“Alright.” Without another word, Wild and Wind hopped off the cliff. 

“That wasn’t an executive decision!” The Captain yelled after them, but Sky didn’t wait around. Turning around, he shrugged innocently and fell off the spire of rock. For a moment, he tumbled around, completely out of control, before he managed to spread out his limbs and see the ground come rushing up to meet him. His body went completely on autopilot, and before he knew it, he was grabbing at the corners of his sailcloth and touching down gently on the rocky path. Wild and Wind landed beside him, and they watched as the other Links used their various forms of temporary flight to meet them. Four floated down, his hood billowing out like his own little sailcloth, and Time simply walked off the edge and caught himself on the air a solid foot before he hit the ground. Hyrule was there in just a few moments as well, flying down as a tiny fairy and reappearing along with Legend, who was stuffing things back into his bag before Sky could see. Warrior and Twilight were the last ones to reach the ground, lowering themselves with their clawshots before they jumped to the dirt. 

“Well that’s not fair, is it?” Sky murmured to Wind. “I can’t do that. Maybe we could get Four to make my clawshots do that.” 

The boy snickered. “It wouldn’t be that hard to get him to say yes, if you asked him. He likes you a lot, you know.” 

Wait, really? Sky looked over to where the young smithy stood, chatting with Time about his boots. “Oh! Are you sure?” 

“Yeah! You’ve really not noticed?” Wind smirked. “You’re, like, his hero. Which I suppose makes sense, given that he’s probably right after you in our whole little timeline. Oh, hey, look at that, everyone’s leaving.” 

The sailor ran ahead, leaving Sky to catch up and ponder about what he had just learned. 

∆∆∆ 

The crawling feeling only grew as the heroes continued along down the ravine, and Sky fought to not scratch at the prickles on the back of his neck. Hyrule wriggled his shoulders uncomfortably, and several other heroes kept glancing from side to side, waiting for something to jump out at them. Nothing ever did. 

In Sky’s opinion, that was worse. So, so, so much worse. 

Wild trotted along in front of the group, jogging from rock to tree to pool of water. He seemed to be the only hero truly at ease with his surroundings, not even minding the shadows of the giant rock spires that made everyone else shiver. 

It made sense, Sky supposed. Wild had been here before. 

That means he knows it will be fine. Nothing bad will happen. 

It’s just a creepy feeling. Those happen all the time. 

We’re in a ravine, not a prison. 

It felt like a prison. 

"What's this place called, exactly?" Warrior questioned, looking curiously at the rocks. 

Wild turned around, and his brow furrowed for a moment. "This is the Breach of Demise. I'm not sure why, it's kinda a menacing name for somewhere that isn't. I mean, there's a monster camp, but that's really it." He shrugged. "Maybe there’s some old historical reason, but if there is, I don’t know it. Weird, huh?" 

Sky stumbled for a second, choking on air. “ Shit ,” he swore, not even realizing he’d moved his mouth. 

Time looked back at him, raising one eyebrow. “Something wrong, Sky?” 

Yes. Yes, everything’s wrong, we’re at the Breach of Demise, we can’t be here, something’s gonna happen, people will just get hurt, people always get hurt, we can’t fight him, he shouldn’t even be alive anymore, and Wild’s already died once, no one can be hurt, we can’t fight him, everything is wrong, we can’t be here. 

At the mere mention of the god’s name, Sky felt like his windpipe was being crushed. His heart rate was suddenly much too fast to be healthy, and he gasped for air like a drowning man. And all the while, Time just stared at him, barely moving. 

Deep breaths. 

Time asked a question. What was it? 

“N-no.” Sky shook himself. Keep it together. “I’m fine. The name’s just kinda creepy, is all. Freaked me out a little.” 

We can’t fight him. 

He can’t be alive . I killed him. 

Demise is dead. 

He’s not here. 

“Are you sure? We can pause for a moment, I’m sure,” the older man fretted, clearly concerned. 

“Yeah.” Deep breaths. “I’m sure. I’ll be fine. Just a bit freaky that we’re in a canyon that’s called ‘fracture of death’.” Sky laughed, trying to play it off as a bit of humor. “But I’ll be fine.” 

Yeah. It’s fine. 

I’m fine. 

He’s not here. He’s not here, he’s not here, he’s trapped and rotting away, he’s gone, it’s just a name. That’s it. 

Time reached out for a moment, clearly about to pat Sky’s back, but evidently decided against it. He retracted his hand awkwardly, though Sky really wouldn’t have minded. “Alright. Well. You can tell me if you need anything, but you know that, right?” The Skyloftian nodded. “Good. Good. Uh…yeah. Let’s go.” 

Sky walked along the small path, running his hand against the pale rock around them. His fingers floated over massive gouges in the rock face. They were much too large and rough to be natural, and they were everywhere. Glancing around, he noticed at least ten others of varying sizes and depths, but all made with the same intensity, the same rage. Hatred. Malice. 

Stop, stop, stop, stop , this has nothing to do with him. 

"What happened here?" Hyrule murmured, looking around as well. "Some Lynel have a temper tantrum or something?" 

Wild frowned. "I don't know. I've never seen cuts like this before." He shrugged helplessly. "Maybe?" 

Sky’s hand drifted over the deep scores in the rock, and he shivered. They reminded him of long, jagged sword swipes that could tear through flesh and bone like putty. 

He had a lot of scars from that. 

No. NO. It's not him. It is not him. He's not here. He's dead. Demise is dead. 

Ghirahim is dead. 

They're both gone and they're never coming back. 

Neither of them have ever been here. 

It's not him. 

No one even knows about him. It has nothing to do with him. Nothing. It’s a coincidence. All of it. Everything. The dreams and the weird feeling and - and Wild , and this, and all of it. 

A coincidence. 

“It’s a coincidence.” 

“Sky?” 

The Chosen Hero blinked, realizing that he’d spoken aloud again. “What?” 

Perhaps that had come out a tad harsher than he had realized, because everyone turned to look at him. 

“What’s a coincidence?” Legend asked. “Sky, you’re acting really off. What’s up?” 

“Nothing! Nothing, nothing, don’t worry about it.” It is nothing. “Just thinking, you know? It’s fine. It’s really nothing. Just nervous.” He chuckled weakly. “Jumping to impossible conclusions. You know how it is.” 

“Of course we do,” someone agreed. “You’re jumpy.” 

Any other day, Sky would've passed the voice off as one of the other heroes. Any other day, he wouldn't have given it a second thought. It was close enough to Four's voice, it was probably just him. 

Four's mouth hadn't moved. 

Sky watched everyone scan their little cluster of heroes and come to the same conclusion at the same time. I don’t know that voice. 

“Who said that?” Warrior called. “C’mon, guys, who said that?” 

“None of us said that,” Four murmured, violet eyes flashing in disbelief. “No.”  

Everyone turned towards the smithy, but before anyone could say another word, silt drizzled down onto Sky. “Wha-” 

“ROCKSLIDE!” Hyrule yelled, grabbing his shield. The spires of rock were groaning under their own weight, and even from far below, huge fractures were visible. 

And the sky began to crumble. 

Adrenaline coursed through Sky’s veins as he threw his own shield above his head, attempting to not get crushed. A huge boulder hit the ground just a few feet away, and he was thrown backwards by the force of it. The dusty dirt billowed up around him, turning his visibility to zero and attacking his nose and mouth. He coughed harshly, holding his shield with one hand and covering his mouth and nose with his sailcloth as his eardrums pounded with the deafening beating of stone against ground. 

Legend was barely a few feet away, grunting as he deflected rock after rock, nearly tumbling again and again. Sky reached out to help, but a cobble the size of Bird’s head came down on his shield. He could only watch as Legend tripped, sprawling to the dirt and cowering under his mirror shield. 

And everything went silent. Rocks stopped falling. The dust began to settle. 

It was over. Just like that. 

The back of Sky’s neck was prickling more than ever. Something was terribly wrong. 

"Is everyone okay?" Time yelled. "Sound off!" 

"Warrior." 

"Wind." The boy hacked for a moment. 

"Twilight!" 

"Legend," the veteran groaned beside Sky, rubbing his forehead. 

The Chosen Hero shoved the stones off of himself. "Sky." 

"Four." 

"Hyrule." 

Everyone was quiet, until Twilight audibly gritted his teeth. “Wild? Wild, where are you?” 

“Wild?” 

“Wild!” 

“Here. I’m…not hurt.” 

The Champion's voice was quiet, and Sky had to strain to hear him. As his vision cleared, he noticed Wild standing right where he was before, completely unharmed from what he could tell. But right in front of him, right where the path had been moments before, there was a massive wall of rock reaching up to the top of the canyon. Sky whirled around, only to see a similarly impenetrable wall a ways away. 

They were trapped. 

And, just for a split second, Sky couldn’t see the sun. 

We’re trapped. 

We’re trapped and someone’s here. 

We’re trapped. 

We’re trapped. 

Before he could help himself, Sky was scrambling over the rubble to the unmoving Champion along with everyone else. Wild stared up at the rocks, his face tight with confusion and worry. “This shouldn’t happen,” he murmured. “This shouldn’t happen, the rock’s so strong… what? How could this…”

“We’ll get out. We can get out, it’s just one wall. We’re all fine,” Time told the boy. Sky nodded and bumped Wild’s shoulder, trying to ease the tension in his frame, but the Champion flinched almost violently. Startled, Sky took a good few steps back as everyone stared at the boy. 

“Woah, you’re not scared of Sky, are you?” Warrior chuckled to break the awkward quiet, throwing one arm around the Skyloftian’s shoulders. “What’s up, Wild? He’s Sky. Sky’s fine! He’s not gonna try and stab you in the back, right?” 

Sky locked eyes with Wild, giving him the most comforting smile he could. “Yeah. I’m not about to betray you or anything, promise!” 

I already did 

No. No, stop. Stop it. That isn’t right . 

Wild scoffed softly, breaking eye contact and running one hand through his hair. “Yeah. Y-yeah, of course not. Sorry, I’m just a little…on edge. You know? I feel like we’re about to get jumped or something. I don’t know. I just want something to happen.” 

“I’ll pay you if something doesn’t,” Wind grumbled. “That wasn’t normal, that’s for damn sure. And have we all forgotten about the weird voice?” 

Sky ground his teeth. It sounded like us, but not. There’s someone here, there has to be. 

Hyrule raised a hand. “Okay, I know I’m probably the last person to suggest not exploring, but we should regroup and search around later. You could all get hurt.” 

The traveler’s wording was weirdly specific. You could all get hurt. Not Hyrule himself. Either he didn’t care, or he trusted his abilities. Sky figured it was a sort of mix of the two. All he knew is that his friend had just put his own feelings into words. None of these boys were going to get hurt. That was all Sky knew, but it was enough to shove his worry and panic to the edges of his waking mind. He would not be fucking it all up again. 

“Sounds good to me,” Warrior agreed, placing one hand on the traveler’s shoulder. One by one, the other Links nodded, all coming to the same unanimous decision. They’d get out and come back later. 

“Hold on,” Twilight called, fastening his clawashots and aiming for the top of the canyon. “Lemme see if I can just-” 

The chain flew through the air, but it was stopped moments before it could latch on to the rock. Sky stared in wonder as Twilight retracted it, then tried again. 

It stopped again. 

“This doesn’t make sense,” the rancher murmured. “It could get there, easy. It’s not just the reach of the chain. I don’t - That should’ve worked!” 

“But that’s cheating,” someone called. 

Everyone snapped to attention, drawing their weapons and backing into a defensive circle. 

“Who’s there?” Warrior yelled, swapping out his sword for his borrowed fire rod. “Show yourself!” 

Sky felt his breath quicken as his eyes darted from shadow to flickering shadow. Something was watching them. He could feel it. 

“What was that?” Legend asked quietly. 

“What?” Sky glanced over to the veteran, who shook his head. 

“N-nothing, anymore. I just thought I saw…something.” 

“Great,” Hyrule said dryly. “We do love invisible enemies, huh?” 

“You’re feeling salty today, huh?” Wind muttered. “The one time that you’re a barrel of snark and we’re in a ravine with no way out. You’ve been holding out on me, you fucker.” 

“Doesn’t matter,” Twilight interrupted. “Shut up.” 

From the corner of his eye, Sky noticed Wind’s head bob. “Fair.” 

“Looks like we’re staying here for the time being, then,” Wild whispered from right next to Sky. His soft voice, thick with confusion, echoed through the canyon. 

Sky swept his gaze around, trying desperately to pinpoint wherever anyone could hide, but all he could see were rocks and dirt and the slowly clearing haze of dust. 

“There!” Four gasped, pointing into the shadows around them with the tip of his sword. “Something moved. I-I didn’t get a good look.” 

“Love that,” Warrior grunted, sighing. 

Sky turned back to look right in front of him, and he locked his gaze on a pair of crimson eyes that shone in the darkness. 

“Why, hello, Chosen Hero.” 

All at once, Sky's thoughts flooded back into his brain. Malice writhed and bright light flashed, all in his head. Children screamed. Darkness closed in around his memories, leaving only that pair of burning eyes from two nights before (had it truly been two nights? Two nights, that was it? It felt like so long ago). 

He stumbled back. “N-no.” 

“Oh, what?” the voice asked curiously. “You recognize me? Really, for real? Or did you just have a dream about me? I don’t think that should count, really.” 

Beside him, Wild twitched, grabbing his hand and squeezing it to calm him, but Sky’s mind went blank. Shit shit shit shit shit it was a dream, just a dream, it wasn’t important, that had just been a nightmare- 

“What do you mean?” he demanded instead, brandishing the Master Sword. “Show yourself!” 

“Mean by what?” A lanky figure stepped out from the darkness, coalescing into a more Hylian shape that looked uncannily similar to Sky himself. Skin turned pale and grey. Its tunic was dark, matching the inky black of its hair. The only pop of color came from its eyes, which burned that bright, fiery red. It grinned, revealing pointed teeth. “Hello.” 

A solid third of the heroes gave shouts of alarm and anger. Four seemingly choked on his own spit. 

"H-hi," Wild greeted, subtly shifting his stance. "New hero? Shadow hero? What's going on here?" 

"Heh." It chuckled, shaking its head. "No, I'm not a new hero to add to our little group here. I'm quite an old addition. Been here since the beginning, though I wouldn't really call myself a hero." 

"Damn right," Time growled. "No one engage. It'll just copy your every move." 

"What is it?" Wild asked. 

"Dark Link." Warrior laughed dangerously, his fire rod beginning to glow. "Oh, I have wanted a rematch for a long time, you fucker." 

The Dark Link snorted a laugh, and from the corner of his eye, Sky saw Four's eyes widen even further. "Dark Link. That's not my name. I'm not a Link in your little chain here. I'm just a guy. Just a guy that's been fucked over one too many times. Oh, I was your Shadow though, right, Rainbow?" 

Four inhaled sharply. "I'm right. No, no, no, no, I'm right , aren't I? It is you." 

The Dark simply smiled as all eyes turned to the smith. 

“Four, you…know this fellow?” Legend wondered, holding one of Hyrule’s arms in a carefully tight grip. The traveler looked like he wanted to run. Or charge. Or both. 

“Please tell me you recognized it as a dark immediately, right?” Hyrule asked. 

“O-of course I did!” Four protested. “It’s a Dark, it’s r-right there, but - no .” 

“Yes.” The Dark’s eyes glittered. “Yes indeed. It’s been so long, Rainbow. Millions of years. I’ll be honest, I’d nearly forgotten you. That would have been horrible, wouldn’t it?” 

The boy’s face fell into a look of despair. “You shouldn’t be here. I-I shouldn’t see you again. This - what’s going on? You’re dead!” 

It just laughed bitterly. “Yeah. Many, many times over. But I think you should know by now that death just can’t stop some people. There’s always a way. I’m just different now.” 

“Shadow…” Four hesitated, his entire frame tensing up. He took a step backwards. “D-different how? Shadow, if it’s anything bad, anything at all, I-” 

The figure’s shoulders hunched a little, but it regained its composure quickly. “It’s been a few million years, Rainbow. What do you expect, you want a little kiss when I’ve watched you die three different times? That was a long time ago. It doesn’t matter anymore, okay? Any of it.” 

Four gulped. “Shadow, it hasn’t been that long for me, okay? So please, just tell us what’s going on and how to fix it. We can help you.” 

“Yep.” It lit up, shaking itself and popping the last “p” of the word. “That’s why you’re all here. To help me. I figured that it was time to talk to you all, right? You’ve already helped me so much. But I’m in the middle of executing a very well-organized plan, Rainbow, so please stay out of the way.” 

“Wait,” Time interrupted, unsheathing his Biggoron Sword. “Dark - Shadow, whoever you are - what do you mean we’ve helped you already?” 

“I noticed that, too,” Warrior noted, shifting his stance. “You’re doing all this? The black-blooded monsters, the portals? Why? To waste our time? What’s your motive?” 

“It doesn’t have one,” Hyrule said coldly. “It’s just a Dark. It just wreaks havoc, that’s all it ever does.” 

“Hmm.” The Shadow smirked. “I never thought I’d like you so much, Traveler. That’s what they’re calling you, right? I’m sorry, I just don’t pay attention to a lot of you. The sailor, the ranch hand, the captain, the old man…” it ticked the names off on its fingers. “Yeah, I don’t care about most of you at all. You’re just here because I need people.” 

“We’re not your people,” Legend growled. 

“I never said you were!” It laughed. “Oh, you’ve done so much, Legend. Veteran. That’s very fitting. You’ve done a lot for one lifetime, especially for one as short as yours. I’ve done more, of course, but I’ve had a lot of time that I didn’t want. But you’re not one of my people. You’re just…a person. I never said anything about you being my person. That used to be reserved for Four over there.” It winked at the boy. “But no one’s my person anymore. Listen, I’m just trying to get a little revenge. I don’t want to hurt most of you. I don’t have any positive or negative feelings towards a lot of you whatsoever.” It grinned, but its emotions seemed…muted. 

“Are…how have you been?” Four said softly, leaning slightly towards Wild. “Are you okay?” 

The Shadow laughed again. “I’ve lived for millions of years. I wouldn’t even call it living anymore. I’ve seen everything, Four. I know so much, and I always forget all the little details. I’ve killed myself and gotten killed by myself - and a few of you, huh?” It tipped its head at Time, Warrior, and Hyrule. “I’ve watched my only friends in the world die right before my eyes and I’ve wanted to join them, but no matter what happens to me, I always come back. No, no, I’m doing great.” 

“Shadow-” Four started, but the Captain interrupted. 

"Why did you bring us here? You still haven’t answered. Not really," he demanded. 

The Shadow scoffed. "You act as if I have some ulterior motive. You being here is already helping so much. Besides, am I not allowed to want to talk to something organic that has a brain?" 

"No," Legend said plainly. He unsheathed his sword, examining the edge of the blade. "No you are not." 

"Ah, well, that's very unfortunate." It examined its nails, looking bored. "Because it's not a lie, I do want to talk to something that doesn't just want to kill everything in sight. But if you really have to know, I was simply wondering how much you all know about each other." 

“I think we all know plenty,” Wild muttered. 

Sky was tempted to agree. And sometimes, he didn’t particularly want to know more. 

The Shadow’s face stretched into a grin at the sight of the Champion, making Sky edge just a little closer to the boy. “Hey! It’s my friend! I’m sure you’ve been doing well, right? You look great, especially compared to the last time I saw you!” 

“I’ve never seen you before,” Wild warned. “I don’t even know who you are.” 

“Mmm. What if you have and you just don’t remember?” it mused. 

Wild flinched back, and Sky wanted to scream. He wanted to attack the monster who knew so much about them all. 

But he didn’t, and it snapped its fingers. 

“You’ve got a point, though! Most of you have never even seen me before.” It vanished, swirling into the darkness around them and the nine heroes huddled closer together with their backs against each other, only for it to reappear in midair, doing a slow little dance. “Oh, I’m trying so hard not to blurt anything out. Anyway, as you’ve most likely noticed, I look like all of you. I’m the Shadow of the Hero’s Spirit. I’ve been there this entire time, and I don’t get to fucking die. I don’t know if I can yet. Maybe. But I’m living in fucking hell right now. Actually, I think hell might be preferable.” It took a deep breath. “Yeah. It’s great. Anyway, back to Wild! I never got to thank you! You’re one of my favorites, you know that? You let me go! You set me free! I’m not the Hero’s Shadow anymore! You know what? I can’t wait to die!” It clapped its hands. “Can you tell me what it’s like? What can I look forward to?” 

Oh shit. 

Oh, shit . 

Sky spared a glace over at Wild to see that all the blood had drained from his face. Still, the boy shrugged. “Uh… I-I don’t know. It’ll probably hurt?” 

“Wh-why would he know?” Sky interrupted. He couldn’t just let Wild take all the pressure. 

Besides. He had promised. 

The Shadow just locked eyes with him, slowly shaking its head. “Oh, honey. I know you’re stupid, but I didn’t think you were that dumb. I wasn’t going to push, I don’t care about his secrets. I think Wild’s cool. We both know that the question you just asked is useless. But that’s fine. I’m fine with that. Maybe a better question, though, is ‘oh my goodness, are you making the portals? Did you infect the monsters with black blood? Have you been the one teleporting us across time and space? Why did that one portal hate me today?’ Because the answers are yes, yes, yes, and I do know about that portal. It’s because I hate you.” It snarled. “I was in a bit of a bad mood. I don’t control the monsters or anything, I just needed a bit of help. But they’re just so mindless all the time. In any other circumstance, clogging the pipe in the cistern to draw you in would’ve been a stroke of brilliance on their parts, but it interfered with what I wanted. I wanted you all to rest up a bit before I ripped you away from your girlfriend, Sky! Did a lynel have a temper tantrum? No! I did!” It traced the outline of a slice in the rock face. “And then, just when I thought it was all on track, you all went the wrong way . Thank you for correcting their course, honey. I appreciate it.” 

Sky shrank backwards, his mind reeling. 

I helped it. 

It wanted to take me away from my world, from my Zelda. 

It hates me. 

It made those gashes. How is it that powerful? 

It hates me. 

It’s been making all the portals. And the black-blooded monsters. 

I helped it. 

It’s just throwing information at us. Why is it doing that? 

It hates me. Why does it hate me? What did I do to it? I’ve never even met it before, what did I do? 

“Woah, there,” Twilight murmured in his ear. “Calm down, Sky. Deep breaths, remember?” 

Deep breaths. 

Calm down, but I can’t calm down, there’s too much to think about and it’s all bad, it’s all terrible, what did I do to it? What did I do to it? Why does it hate me? 

His heart racing, Sky blinked to see everyone staring at him. What are they waiting for? he thought hysterically. What do they want me to do? 

Do they want me to say something? 

He gulped, gasping for a breath. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait,” he croaked. “Wait. You said you wanted our help. F-for what? Are you another guy who wants the world? The Triforce? You think we can’t fight you?” 

He didn’t expect the Shadow to answer. It hadn’t even given Warrior a clear answer: Warrior , with all his confident demeanor and experience and fearsome, well-crafted voice. 

“I don’t care. That’s not my place, and I don’t want that anyway,” the Shadow shot back. “I do not care about the world, because I’m not looking for power, believe it or not. I do not want to take over Hyrule and get the Triforce and all that melodramatic bullshit. If I did, I could just take it right now, but I’m not going to, hmm?” It winked at Hyrule, who flinched. “Anyway, my goal has nothing to do with Hyrule. The country.” It turned to Sky and smiled. “Nah, this is personal. I’m more focused on you guys than anything else. Not like that, don’t worry,” it called over to Warrior, who had paled. “No, not like that. I just hate you , Chosen Hero. So...can’t really do much about that.” It shrugged. “Think of it more as a revenge mission than anything else. I’m sure you all understand that.” 

“But why?” Sky pleaded. “You say you hate me, but why?” 

The Shadow ignored him. “This is the Breach of Demise, you know that. Wild, I do know where that’s from.” It waved one arm around. “It’s a lovely place, don’t you think? Very nice. Very pretty. It's great! But our Chosen Hero here goes pale at the very mention of it! Very interesting. Tell me you weren’t wondering about that, right?” 

Sky felt the blood drain out of his face. What ? 

“In fact,” it continued, heedless of the confused looks from every hero, “I want an honest answer for once, Sky. How does this place make you feel? Scared? Angry that somewhere so nice is named after your worst enemy? He isn't gonna come back out of the ground here, if that's what you're worried about." 

Sky wanted to make a joke. He wanted to say that it made him tired, he wanted to laugh a little and stab the Shadow through the heart and run. 

But he didn’t. He shrugged instead. “I-I don’t know.” 

“Sky?” Four shook his arm, but the Skyloftian ignored him. 

“Is that really an honest answer?” the Shadow teased. “Really? It doesn’t sound like it.” 

“It is.” And it was. There was no way Sky could put the terror he felt into words. It just was. 

“Why should I believe you though?” it demanded. “How many times have you lied? How many times have you said that you’re okay, or that everything’s fine, or that no one should worry? And, tell me, how many times have they all believed you? Hmm? I’m only being honest because I have nothing to gain from lying. You, on the other hand…” it chuckled darkly. “Oh, you have everything . You get to keep this little family of yours, if you keep lying. The family that I set up for you . But why would I let you keep a nice little family like this? Descendants and successors and friends?” 

Sky wanted to say that it was out of the goodness of the Shadow’s heart. 

That would be a lie. 

He shrugged. “Why do you expect me to know?” 

“I don’t.” It grinned dangerously. “I want to see what you think. I want to see how your brain works, Hero .” 

Sky stopped. What? 

Then he realized that he really shouldn’t have dropped his guard. 

Before he could recover, the Shadow dashed behind him and broke through the heroes’ little circle. Sky was thrown backwards, and he tumbled across the rubble in the canyon to the chorus of several screams. He heard Four yell for the Shadow to stop, and Warrior called for everyone to regroup around him. Sky tried to get up, but he grunted as his shoulder was sliced by a jagged stone. 

The Shadow walked impassively up to him, watching as he staggered up onto one knee. A dark sword appeared in its grip. Sky was barely able to register that typically wasn’t the best sign before he was kicked in the ribs. The Skyloftian tumbled even further away from his friends, scrambling to his feet and facing his adversary. 

Focus, dammit! Sky tightened his grip around the Master Sword until his knuckles were white. Keep your cool. Keep your cool, keep yourself under control, you’ve been in worse situations, so much worse , you’ve gotten out of them all, just keep it all under control. 

“What do you want?” he demanded. “What’s your deal? H-how much do you know about us?” 

It was a stupid question, Sky realized as soon as it had left his mouth. If the Shadow was truly the Shadow of the Hero, then in theory…there wasn’t anything that it didn’t know. Right? 

Indeed, the Shadow stepped forward until it was nearly nose to nose with Sky. It grinned maliciously, revealing sharp, pointed teeth. Its red eyes burned bright, but blue fire burned brighter. 

"Honey," it told Sky, grabbing his chin to keep him from moving, "I know everything about you." Its fingernails dug into his skin, and the hero wrenched himself from its grip and threw himself backwards. 

“S-stop calling me that!” 

“What? Honey? But it fits you so well!” 

“H-how so?” Sky’s back hit the rocks behind him, and the Shadow smirked, spreading its hands. 

“Well, think about it! It’s sticky, so it gets attached to people, it’s almost obnoxiously sweet sometimes, and besides! It kills children! Don’t you do that, too?” 

“N-no. No, I don’t.” Sky scrambled to one side, trying to get back to the other heroes. “I-I love kids, I w-wouldn’t - I wouldn’t ever -” 

“Oh, but you would.” The Shadow grinned, moving to block his path. “Oh, oh, oh, you would . Maybe it was just an accident , but you would.” A dark sword coalesced in its hand, and it swung leisurely at Sky, forcing him to dodge. 

“When, then? I have never -” 

“Wild’s little sister.” 

Sky froze, and everything was still. His gaze darted over to the others, who stared at him in shock and confusion. 

“Wild has a sister?” Hyrule whispered. 

“He did.” The Shadow smiled. “He did. Not that he can remember her, but he did.” 

“N-No, that’s not-” Wild interrupted, making all eyes turn towards him. His hands jumped to his ears. “N-no, I do remember her. I do. She was…argh!” He cried out, making everyone jump. The Shadow just kept smiling that cruel, sickening smile. “We-we liked playing tag, right? A-and she liked flowers, Liza liked flowers. There was a field. I told her everything, all the time.” 

“That’s right!” The Shadow’s demeanor had completely flipped, and now it sounded…genuinely delighted. “You’re right, you’re remembering! You’re right, Liza did like flowers! You know what her favorite was, right?” 

“D-daisies.” Wild choked on the words like they were edged in thorns. “She l-liked them ‘cuz they looked like sunshine.” 

“Wild…” Twilight said softly, but he didn’t move. 

“Daisies were her favorite,” the Champion whispered. “We made flower crowns sometimes. I braided her hair. She…She could make me smile when I didn’t want to, right?” He looked up, and the Shadow was in front of him in the blink of an eye. Sky nearly screamed, but it would be no use. 

But it merely put its hands on the boy’s shoulders lightly and seemed to ground him. “Yeah,” it whispered. “That’s right. She was like the daisies, wasn’t she? A ray of sunshine.” 

Wild nodded wordlessly, locking eyes with the Shadow. 

“What else?” 

The boy took a shuddering breath. “She h-had…dark hair. Dark like yours. And green eyes. And she really l-liked…she always liked to see baby Sidon, right?” 

“Yeah.” The Shadow smiled again, and if Sky didn’t know any better, he would’ve said it looked comforting. 

Wild blinked once, then twice, then three times. “I miss her.” 

“So do I, kid.” Its smile wavered. “So do I.” 

The Champion seemed to come back to himself all at once, and he yanked himself out of the Shadow’s grasp. “Get away from me! What the fuck?” 

“Sorry, sorry, sorry.” As the other Links swarmed around Wild, the Shadow was quiet. “Huh. I do miss her. I should know not to do that by now. Why do I miss her? She’s dead now anyway.” 

“What do you mean?” Legend yelled. 

“I already told you.” The Shadow sighed, running his hands over his hair and taking a deep breath. “She’s dead. Why do you think that your little zombie over there never mentioned any family, never took you to see them? Hmm? They’re all long, long dead. So is he, but he got ‘lucky.’” It put the word in little air quotes, scoffing. “I wouldn’t call it that, but the Princess certainly would. Lucky, lucky, lucky to be alive. Sky killed him and his sister and his parents and friends. They’re all dead. And they have been for a little more than a century. Kind of crazy, when you think about it. It’s been a century since we last saw them.” 

“W-we?” Wild stammered, but Wind’s voice was louder. 

“But Wild’s not dead! Sky clearly hasn’t killed him, why would Sky hurt any of us? Why would he cause any of us pain? He’s Sky!” 

“Saying that ‘he’s Sky so of course he can’t do anything bad’ is a bit stupid, especially for someone as smart as you, sailor. But why?” The Shadow gestured to the Skyloftian that still stood a few yards away, unable to get to the others. “I don’t know. I’m not a mind reader. Ask him yourself.” 

Twilight stayed with Wild, but six other pairs of eyes were fixed on Sky, who fought to keep his heart rate steady. Legend took a step closer. “Sky? Do you want to tell us something?” 

“N-no!” The Skyloftian tried for a laugh. “No, no, it’s fine. I-I don’t know what it’s talking about, I didn’t kill anyone! We already know I’m farther away from Wild than anyone else, timewise, a-and I don’t know how I would even do that! It must be lying, I-I’d never do anything like that!” 

His protests must’ve seemed feeble, because the other Links wore expressions of shock, horror, and plain old confusion. Sky himself couldn’t figure out why the Shadow would think he had killed Wild’s family, but he stumbled backwards on instinct, all of his muscles tensed to run. 

“W-wait.” Wild’s voice was shaky, but he drew everyone’s attention. “Wait, Sky didn’t kill us. Sky wasn’t there, and he wouldn’t do that. Guardians killed us, guardians that were under Ganon’s control. It was Ganon, how could it be Sky?” 

Ganon . 

Sky’s heart stopped. 

Ganon killed them all. 

The Shadow’s right, then. It was me. I didn’t just kill Wild, I killed everyone . 

His agonizing realization must’ve been shown on his face, because the Shadow giggled like a little kid. “Oh, what did you figure out now?” 

Sky shook his head wordlessly, backing up further. 

That’s what it’s talking about. 

It knows . 

“No,” he whispered, locking eyes with the Shadow. “What - how do you - why - no, please . They don’t have to know.” 

“Yes, they do , Chosen Hero,” it retorted angrily. “They deserve to know. They deserve to have you stop lying all the time. They should know why they exist.” 

“How do you know ?” Sky stammered wildly. “I-I-I’ve never told anyone, how do you know? How can you know? How do you know? Y-you shouldn’t know! No one should know! But you know, don’t you? How do you know?” 

It just sneered. “I’m the Shadow of the Hero . You’re acting like I wasn’t even there. You act like I haven’t been following your courageous little heart for what feels like eons. I was there. I heard it just as clearly as you. How do you think I’m here right now, do you think I’m just some magic monster? I’m not able to die because of you. I’m fucking immortal , but that’s not living forever, that’s just watching everyone that you love die and not being able to join them, okay? So go on. Tell them what you did.” 

Sky’s mind went blank. “What?” 

“ Tell them,” it repeated. “Goddessdammit! TELL THEM OR I WILL! Do you want me to? I will!” 

“Tell us what?” Four insisted. 

Sky opened his mouth, but he couldn’t make a sound. 

“Actually, maybe I should tell them myself, right?” it mused. “You’ll just lie to them again. That’s all you ever do, lie. You lie and lie and pretend that everything’s okay and you’re a perfect little angel, you’re completely blameless, all so that they never know what you did. Really, when was the last time you said one sentence that wasn't coated in lies?" 

Liar. Betrayer. Killer. 

Failure. 

“Because the fact of the matter is that you failed. That wasn’t supposed to happen. You were supposed to make it perfect. You were supposed to send us all home free, not damn us all more . They shouldn't be here right now and you know it. None of us should. I should be dead, fuck you! Aren't you supposed to be Hylia's Chosen Hero, the boy with the unbreakable spirit, the kid destined to save the world once and for all? Isn't that you?" 

That had been the original plan, hadn't it. 

"And then I screwed it up," he said aloud. 

"And then you fucked it all up, " the Shadow echoed, its voice dripping with malice. “So tell them. Tell them what you did to us.” 

“There’s no ‘us,’” Warrior spat, turning his sword on the Shadow, but it simply waved him off. 

“Tell them. Show them your bravery, why you claim to be a Hero of Courage. Show that for once . Just tell them.” 

Can't tell can't tell they can't know they must not know everything would fall apart if they knew. They cannot know. I cannot tell them. 

He opened his mouth. 

No sound came out. 

The Shadow seemed to take this as a sort of confirmation. "Well, that's that, then, isn't it." It nodded in mock sympathy. "At least it wasn't your fault. At least you didn't dig your own grave by swearing not to tell them. Oh, wait." Its mouth curled upwards, and it laughed. "You did. Haha." 

"Sky," Wild said. His tone was uncertain. "Sky, please. What's it talking about? Is it talking about...y'know." 

Sky's eyes flew open. 

He knows. 

"Tell me. Make me understand. This is important, Sky. I can tell."

"I can't. Not all of it. Any of it. I swore an oath to myself. I swore that none of you - none of you - would ever know. I will stand by it. You know what it means to keep a promise.” 

Sky swallowed the lump in his throat. 

Don't react. 

React, and you'll lose everything. 

He stayed where he was. 

The Shadow laughed. “Oh, this feels so much better than I thought it would. Yeah, fuck you, Chosen Hero! Now I can tell them what you did! Now I can show them just how much of a failure you are!” 

Sky gritted his teeth. Don't react don't react don't react. 

It turned to the other heroes, a strange fractured light gleaming in its eyes. “You thought your beloved Chosen Hero really did everything perfectly? You really thought he was just as good as you? No, no, he had to go and get himself cursed .” It spat the word like a swear. 

DON'T REACT DON'T REACT DON'T REACT. 

“Why are you doing this?” Time demanded. “Half of us are cursed, that’s not anything new.” 

The Shadow smirked. “Because this one ruined our lives, all of us.” They gestured at Sky. “He let himself be cursed to reincarnate , unable to do anything but follow fucking Demise’s hatred for him for all time. Oh, gee, sounds like a pretty sad existence for whoever that is, huh? Then take a look at your own lives! What do you all have in common? Come on, guys, think .” The Shadow knocked its fist against Wild’s forehead. “It’s not that hard. What is the source of all your problems? Why are you adventurers ? Who made you this way? Come ON already, I’m SPELLING IT OUT FOR YOU,” it yelled. “THINK. WHO MADE YOU START YOUR ADVENTURES? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU ALL HAVE IN COMMON? And by the Goddesses above, WHO DID OUR PERFECT LITTLE CHOSEN HERO NOT NOT KNOW OF?”  

No one spoke, and it sighed. 

“Take your time. You know what? Take all the time you need. I don’t care. I just want you to understand.” 

Sky’s heart pounded in his eardrums. He barely registered the Shadow’s words. His tongue was heavy in his mouth, and all he could do was keep himself breathing. 

Someone was going to say it. 

And if they didn’t, it would. 

But before he could, Time shakily gulped. “Ganon. Ganon…he…w-we all know him. We all had to fight him. He just keeps coming back. Ganon’s reincarnating. And…” 

“So are we,” Wind finished hollowly. “We’ve all got the Hero’s Spirit. For the most part. We’re reincarnating, too. But I thought we already knew that?” 

The Shadow smiled. “Yeah. Good job. You’re all cursed . The Hero’s Spirit. The blood of the Goddess. And the shadows that accompany them. Doomed to wander through a sea of darkness forever, fighting an endless battle that will never be won. Because of him. Because he cursed us.” 

Everything was silent, but Sky knew there was one more sentence left. The knife had to be twisted just a little more. 

“And he failed to protect us.” 

That was that. 

There it was. 

The Chosen Hero’s entire body relaxed like a bowstring being let go. 

Because the secret was out. 

Chapter Text

No one moved. The Shadow simply stood there with a smile on its face. Sky’s legs shook. 

Because everyone in the chasm knew now. There was no more use in hiding it. He couldn’t save it. 

“Sky,” Twilight stuttered, his voice cutting through the haze of dust. “Sky, it-it’s lying.” 

Right? 

From his place beside a horrified Wind, Legend locked eyes with the Skyloftian. “Sky. Please. Is that the truth?” His eyes were visibly wet, but he kept the tears from spilling over. For now. 

Sky swept his gaze over his friends, his comrades, his successors. They all stared back, their faces betraying their shock, bewilderment, anger, and their pain. They didn’t believe it. They didn’t want to believe it all. It occurred to him that he could use that. 

He could save it. They’d believe him. 

Right? 

Then his eyes caught on the Shadow, who tipped its head in a silent question. Will you keep lying? 

The last of his strength ebbed from his body. His vision blurred. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered softly, not even caring if anyone heard him or not. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…” 

His knees buckled. 

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry 

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry 

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry I wasn’t smart enough 

I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough 

I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough 

I’m sorry that it was all my fault. 

His knees hit the rocks below him, the jagged edges ripping through his trousers and slicing into his legs. But Sky couldn’t feel it anymore. 

"It...it was your fault?" Time finally asked. He sounded so scared, so betrayed, so heartbroken, so much more fragile than the strong leader Sky had known him as. "Everything…we're all here...because of you?"

Sky couldn’t even find it in himself to nod. 

“W-wait!” someone interrupted, their voice shaking. Wild shoved himself away from Twilight, his gaze darting from hero to shadow to hero. “Wait, can’t you guys see? Th-this doesn’t make any sense! Why are we believing some random guy who clearly has it in for us? We’re talking about Sky! Sk-Sky would never hurt us!” 

The outright denial in the Champion’s voice was resounding. Sky wanted to laugh, but all he could muster was a bitter wheeze as he watched Warrior step towards Wild, his face intensely painful. 

“Wild…” the Captain hesitated, clearly trying to keep his composure. “We used to know Sky wouldn’t ever hurt us. But it’s just…I don’t even know anymore, goddesses above . You’re one to talk about making sense, though. You died. That does make sense, no matter how much I wish it didn’t.” He inhaled sharply, straightening his posture. 

“Warrior,” Wind warned, his own breaths coming short and quick. The young sailor clutched the hilt of his Phantom Sword like a lifeline. “We can’t do this right now. We have to get out.” 

“He’s right,” the Shadow piped up, smirking as every weapon was turned toward it. “As much as I’d like to watch this now…well, these are just gut reactions. You need to understand it. Your wonderful little featherhead here, it’s his fault. You need to get that. And half of you are all mad at, what, the Master Sword?” The shadow sneered. “I was torn apart because of that sword. I was ripped into three separate timelines and smushed back together again. It felt like I had gone through a shredder, and my very soul was being torn to atoms because our Hero of Time here pulled that sword and got put to sleep. I don’t give a shit about whether or not you hate that sword, any of you. But let me tell you something that I realized, myself. It wasn’t just that good old Time here pulled the Master Sword. It wasn’t just that she put him to sleep and ripped space-time like a sheet of paper, which she did. But if Ganon didn’t threaten your beloved country, you wouldn’t have even thought to pull it, right?” It leveled its glare on the Old Man. “But you did. You pulled the Master Sword from her pedestal because of Ganon. You wouldn’t even have the ability to pull it without him. All those Spiritual Stones…and since Sky here made Ganon…” It shrugged. “Heh. Everything is connected, that’s what I’ve learned. Everything can be traced back to a catalyst. And, in our own sorry cases, everyone’s been left behind with nothing, scrambling to pick up the pieces before everything inevitably falls down again. You can hate her all you want and I won’t do shit. I’d just like to mention that she panicked. She has seen Demise himself, and she saw what happened to him, and the cost. She made a decision that she thought was right. I used to hate her, too. Then I talked to her. I realized that she’s like me. She got fucked over because of Sky, her beloved Master. He was the one she gave everything for, only for him to do this . I’ve talked to her. Being associated with the Hero…it breaks people. But hey, out of everyone else, at least you get to live your lives, right?” The Shadow let out an almost manic laugh. “You all get to live a life like everyone else! One each! You can’t remember the thousands of years in between each other, and none of you can remember being each other! Good for you! You get to die!” 

“Shadow,” Four whispered. “ Please, Shadow, stop it.” 

“No!” The shade scowled. “No, I won’t! I’m right, and you know that, don’t you? You just can’t accept that! Why can’t you accept that, Four?” The cliffsides rumbled, making Sky’s heart rate spike. “I am right! It’s all his fault! No one else’s! If he had just killed Demise like he should’ve, if he wasn’t incompetent, I wouldn’t be right, and I would be glad for it.” 

Sky’s eyes drifted towards the huge rock walls that blocked their exit. The boulders were shifting, ever so slightly. 

That probably wasn’t great. 

He snorted, tears springing to his eyes as his head dropped back to his chest. Oh, I am losing it. 

“You know what, Four?” the Shadow snarled. “Fuck this. Go away. Screw off. I thought you were smart. Of all the people here, I thought you were the one who would actually use their head. Clearly, I’m wrong. Again. So just fuck off.” 

The stone barrier shifted again, drawing everyone’s attention. Rocks tumbled down the steep slopes. The Shadow snapped its fingers, summoning a portal that opened up behind it. Four leaped towards it, one hand outstretched, but the Shadow stepped backwards and disappeared, the portal closing with a sharp snap. 

Sky watched, completely detached, as he watched his world crumble around him. His successors dodged pebble after rock after boulder in a desperate attempt to keep themselves alive. The barriers imploded on themselves, and huge gaps opened up for the heroes to escape through. Legend screamed through the dust, yelling something about leaving. 

Sky blinked the dirt out of his eyes, only just realizing that he had to move. It was a miracle that he hadn’t been hit yet. He stabbed the Master Sword into the ground, doing his best to regain control of his legs. He staggered to his feet, just barely missing being hit with a chunk the size of his head. 

It’s wrong, it’s all wrong, everything’s falling apart. 

Everything’s literally falling apart. Move. 

Through the demolition, Sky picked out the silhouettes of Wild and Twilight. The Champion darted to and fro, deflecting rocks with his shield with a strength that could’ve convinced Sky that he was still alive. 

He is. 

The moment Wild noticed Sky stumbling towards him, his eyes widened. “Twi!” he yelled. “Twi, I found him, grab him!” 

The rancher barrelled through the dust, but Sky waved him off weakly. “Go!” he coughed. “I’ll be fine. I’m always fine. Just go.” 

"No," Twilight demanded with unexpected sternness. "We're not allowed to leave you behind, and you'll only slow us down." 

Sky flinched hard at the retort, letting his guard drop for just a moment, and Twilight took advantage of the millisecond to scoop him up in his arms, bridal style, jostling Sky and making him yell. 

Twilight didn't bother to apologize. That was pretty fair, all things considered. 

The two boys raced through the rubble with Sky in hand, weaving through the destruction. They reached the broken wall - barely more than a pile of stone now - and leaped through without any further hesitation. 

As they fled, the Shadow’s voice echoed in Sky’s ears. 

"So it begins, Chosen Hero!" it yelled gleefully. "Let's see what happens now!" 

∆∆∆ 

Twilight ran up a hill and came to a stop, panting heavily as he set Sky down in the grass. The Skyloftian sat up shakily, his entire body rebelling the movement, and looked back at where they had come from. Huge dust clouds had billowed up from the chasm, able to be seen from miles around. That won’t attract any attention at all. 

His attention turned to his companions. Twilight had doubled over, his breath coming in short, hard gasps as Wild tried to get him to sit down. The rancher only shook him off. “I - I can see - the others. Down there. Go get them.” 

Wild looked like he wanted to argue, but Twilight cut him off before he could start. 

“ Now. ” 

As the Champion raced away, Sky tugged his knees closer to himself and buried his face in them, trying to pretend that it would help. It always helped. Every single time he curled in on himself and ran away from everything, it was okay in the end. Goddess, he was a liar, but it was fine. 

Twilight cleared his throat, and Sky felt his heart shatter when he heard his friend, dare he say his brother, sniff and cough quietly, each little huff sharp as shattered glass in his ears. 

Sky blinked away tears, himself. 

Twilight never cried. Not if he could help it. 

Sky laid back down in the grass and looked up at the late afternoon sky. His lip trembled. 

He just gripped tight to fistfuls of grass and waited. For what, he couldn’t be sure. 

∆∆∆ 

Sky was silent that night. He sat on the opposite side of the fire from everyone else, staring blankly at his hands and giving one last attempt at melting into the dark, starry night sky, away from the agonizingly quiet stares of the other Links. Twilight had deemed it safe to start a campfire, and the nine boys were camped out on the quiet Hyrule Field. The Breach of Demise was still visible in the distance. 

Wild now quietly stirred dinner, hunching in on himself whenever he noticed someone casting a look his way. Sky could only think that the young man didn’t deserve those looks. It wasn’t his fault that he had…died. 

It was Sky’s fault, and everyone knew it now. 

As the night wore on, Hyrule - wonderful, resourceful, kind Hyrule - ventured over to Sky tentatively, as if he was some rare disease. But he held a roll of bandages in one hand, and Sky couldn’t bring himself to make the traveler go away. The kid nodded to his wounded shoulder and Sky agreeably stripped off his shirt. 

The moment his right arm was exposed, Hyrule let out a soft gasp. His fingers hovered over the lightning feathers that spread from Sky’s fingertips all the way to his shoulder and chest, but he never touched them. “Where’d you get these?” 

Sky looked at his boots. “They’re just old scars. It doesn’t matter.” 

He had screamed so loud as that cursed, horrible electricity had struck the Master Sword. Lightning had crackled down across his body, searing their permanent fingerprints on his body, and he lashed out, desperate just to get rid of it, and all the while Demise had just laughed and laughed and laughed… 

“H-how do I know it doesn’t matter?” Hyrule asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty and regret. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” 

Sky cracked, forcing himself to swallow back sudden tears. Your fault, your consequences . “They’re old. What, two, three years old? Just…Just a reminder for me. Really. Leave it, please.” 

“Leave it,” Hyrule echoed uncertainly, but he didn't push Sky any further. He just quietly finished wrapping his shoulder and scurried away, letting Sky pull his tunic back over his head. 

He scanned his comrades. Half of them - Four, Legend, Twilight, even Time - sat with their heads buried in their hands. Warrior sat straight-backed and staring off blankly into the distance, as if the only thing between himself and a total breakdown was perfect posture. Wild just kept stirring dinner robotically, his hands shaking. Hyrule leaned against Wind, tiredly burying his face in the grim sailor’s neck. Wind himself just kept pinching his own arm like he was trying to wake up.  

No one spoke for a long, long time. 

But finally, finally, Legend took a deep breath and pushed his hair back from his eyes. His face was set, though Sky noticed his lower lip tremble, just for a moment. 

“We can’t just sit here forever,” he said, his voice icier than Sky had ever heard it. “We can’t just shut down. We’ve had our time doing that.” He stood up and marched across the camp, coming to a stop right before the Skyloftian. 

Sky looked to the left of Legend’s head, doing his best not to make eye contact. "Yeah?" he muttered listlessly. “Yeah.” 

Legend inhaled sharply, and a watery chuckle escaped his lips. “Is it really true, Sky? Is it really true? I-I just want to hear it from you, okay?” 

Sky took a deep, shuddering breath, not trusting himself to speak. 

“Sky! Goddessdammit, is it true?” the veteran suddenly screamed. “I need to know! Was it really your fault that we had to fight and be hurt and lose so much? Did you actually create Ganon? Don't even try to lie. If you ever even tolerated us before, you have to tell the truth right fucking now!" 

Sky wanted to say no. He wanted so badly to deny it, to say that no, he didn't, the Shadow had been lying, all was fine. 

That’s what he always did. 

But it wasn’t going to work anymore, was it? They’d always doubt him after this, if he lied. They’d always be second-guessing him. They’d always wonder. They’d figure it out, eventually. There’d be no coming back from that. 

They’d never trust him again. 

Sitting right there, with the weight of his friends’ gazes on him and the stars as his only light, Sky felt like he stood before a cliff without a sailcloth or a Loftwing. There was no one to catch him when he would fall. No way around it. He would fall. All of the I’m fine’s, all of the it’s okay’s, all of the don’t worry’s… they all pushed at his back, egging him on, urging him to jump. Because that hadn’t ever been the truth, not for a long time. He wasn’t fine. It wasn’t okay. Everyone should’ve been worried. 

It didn’t matter anymore. One more lie, one more truth…he’d lose it all anyway. There was no quick way out. 

The Shadow was right about one thing. They deserved the truth for once. 

His head dropped to his chest. “It was a mistake,” he mumbled. 

“A mistake,” Legend whispered, his voice layered with so many emotions Sky couldn’t distinguish. “A mistake, huh? It was your little mistake that is the reason that every single person whom I have ever encountered has suffered and lost so much?” His tone grew steadily louder as his entire body began to tremble. “It was a mistake that cost millions of innocent lives? That made it so kids who should be breathing right now are dead? It was a mistake that made it so that every single grave in my world isn't a private little hole in the ground, but mass graves filled with tens, maybe even hundreds of bodies because there wasn't enough space to fit them? A mistake made so many of us orphans? You expect me to just accept that 'oop, you made a mistake' cost me EVERYTHING I HAVE EVER LOVED?" 

“Vet,” Wind said shakily, clutching one of Hyrule’s pale hands. “Calm down, please. W-we’re all tired, and scared, and most of us are injured, clearly none of us are thinking straight-” 

“Wind, you’ve got to admit, he’s got a point,” Warrior said, his face smoothing into a calm, smooth mask. His captain’s facade. Sky had seen it enough to recognize it. The Captain had forced down any emotions, leaving them to deal with later. “If Sky hadn’t made that ‘mistake’, if he could’ve stopped that curse thing the Shadow was talking about, none…none of us would even be here right now, right? We wouldn’t be heroes. We’d be people. We’d have lives, we’d be able to do what we want, and we’d have grown up with other kids, and we’d be happy and not comparing death counts and attack rates.” He hesitated for a moment, before slamming his hands against the dirt. “You know what? Fuck this. I'm just throwing this out here, but did we honestly expect that Sky, of all people, the peaceful sleepy featherbrained hero, would be able to stop a bad guy like the ones we've faced if he didn't get a good night's rest?" The soldier's face was twisted into a disgusted mask as he looked at Sky. "I have a feeling any one of us could do better." 

Sky flinched back, the words he had told himself over and over cycling back once more through his head. You're not a hero. They could've done better. You weren't good enough. It's all your fault they're here. It's your fault that they had to fight. You deserve their hatred. 

A voice split through the night, and for a split second, Sky expected Time’s mature baritone. But the old man was still curled up and staring at nothing, his head resting against the palms of his hands. No, it was a higher, trembling voice that spoke instead. 

“Th-that’s enough, guys,” Wild insisted. “You’ve had your go at him, now we have to actually process. For now, let’s just say that if Sky wasn’t able to stop…whatever happened, then he wasn’t able to stop it. All of us have made terrible mistakes in the past, we have no right to judge each other on how bad we fucked up, okay? We barely know anything about what happened for the curse thing to be cast. He doesn't deserve us whaling on him like this, at least not yet." 

"You're one to talk, Zombie Boy," Legend sneered. "I'm guessing that was true too, then, huh?" 

Wild winced, falling silent. 

Legend huffed. “Yeah. We’ll get to that later, right? Yeah.” 

Sky wrapped his arms around his legs and pulled them closer to himself. “Anything else?” he whispered, exhaustion washing over him. 

“Y-yeah!” Legend turned back towards him, and Sky vaguely noted that his balled-up fists were shaking. “Yes, actually! I wanna know why! I want to know why you thought it was all well and fine to curse everything! I wanna know why the Demise guy cursed you or whatever! Why the fuck did that happen, Sky?” 

“He, uh, he kind of hated me,” Sky stammered weakly, giving a weak shrug and wiping at the tear-tracks on his cheeks. “It-it’s all ancient history now, though, he’s dead, it doesn’t really-” 

“ STOP IT! ” Legend screamed, sniffing back tears. “I swear, Sky, if you say that it doesn’t fucking matter, I will actually punch you. I will do it without hesitation, and no one here will stop me. Stop running away from this! You can’t just avoid it, Sky, you can’t just close your eyes and pretend that it doesn’t exist!” 

Sky felt his core crumble, and he slowly let himself bury his head in his knees. His body wracked with silent sobs, but he couldn’t get them to stop. 

Legend just stared at him, before shaking his head. “Y-you know, for a Hero of Courage, I hadn’t realized how much of a coward you are, you know that? You’re a fucking coward. I thought….Sky, I looked up to you. We all did, I think, unless anyone wants to disagree.” No one else spoke up, and the veteran sighed, his voice cracking. “But you’re a coward, Sky. You’re a coward and a liar. I-I don’t know what to do with myself, Sky! I don’t know what to do with this information! I don’t understand, and I don’t get it! I just want you to tell me why!” 

Sky let his gaze sweep over the camp. Twilight locked eyes with him, his face full of betrayal and confusion. Four was smacking his palm against his skull, blind to the world. Wind and Hyrule were both trembling, their faces scared and uncertain. Warrior’s lower lip quivered. Time didn’t move. Wild… 

Wild held his ladle so tightly his knuckles were white in the firelight. His gaze kept flickering from Legend to Sky and back, his scarred face so conflicted that it hurt. It really did. 

Because I couldn’t stop it. I couldn’t save him. 

Legend’s entire body shook. “Why?” 

Sky clutched at his sailcloth, drawing it as tight as possible around himself, but it offered him little comfort. “I didn’t-I didn’t mean for this t-to happen, I swear.” 

“Then why?” 

The question rang through the night. 

Sky could only sob. 

Chapter Text

Sky was left there in the grass, and camp life rushed around without him. But he wasn’t invisible. Not like he wanted to be. He watched as the heroes all shot uncertain glances at him, as they tiptoed around his small circle of grass and gave him such a wide berth, but what is this, a pandemic, no wait they just hate me, can’t stand me, that’s fine, that’s logical, that’s fucking expected, I expected that, and who can blame them? Who can blame them when they’re so, so right? Not me, I get it, can’t blame them and won’t blame them, not when they’re so justified in hating me, not when I fucked their lives, not when I want to do the same exact thing to myself, just to show myself how terrible I really am. 

He watched as they skirted around Wild, too, all of them less conscious of the subtle shift. But Sky could see in their postures how uncomfortable they all were around the Champion, how awkward they felt, how nervous they were around the kid. He could see they way Wild subconsciously shrank into himself, trying to escape all of the eyes of his allies, his comrades, his friends, and it made Sky want to scream. Not at his successors, never at them, he could never ever in all of eternity bring himself to be angry at any of them. No, he wanted to scream at the Shadow, at Hylia and Demise and all the thrice-cursed shit they brought into the world with them. Mostly, though, he wanted to yell at himself more than ever - to bellow at his own face and tug at his own hair and dig his nails into his skin just to get rid of this terrible, aching, boiling bubbling exploding fury. 

He’d almost forgotten just how that felt. 

It just wasn’t fucking fair to them, it wasn’t fair to the heroes that they had to be heroes, it wasn’t fair to any Hylian or Goron or Zora or Gerudo or Mogma or anyone else to have a place this shitty to live. It wasn’t even fair to Ganondorf really, who, from what little information Sky could ever glean, might have been a fantastic leader of the people whom, according to Wind, he cared for so dearly. 

And it really wasn’t fair to Wild, to have all those looks thrown his way and to feel estranged from a group that should understand - a group that Sky was sure he had begun to feel at ease in. It wasn’t fair to him, that he was looked at like this for needing a second chance to save everyone. It wasn’t Wild’s fault, it had never been Wild’s fault, it had always been Sky’s, been Demise’s. It had always been their fault, their conjoined efforts and pure, staggering hatred for each other but Demise was dead now so it was really Sky that was left to shoulder the blame - Sky, the beloved Chosen Hero of fucking Hylia, the one born to fix her mistakes, the one who tried and cared and still failed anyway, the one who survived and won when even Hylia couldn’t. It was his motherfucking fault. 

It wasn’t Wild’s fault he had died. Not at all, not ever. 

He did so much better than you, Sky’s brain murmured. Stood straight, did his duty, even to his last breath, never wavered, always came back and saved everyone, never truly failed like you did. 

I know, he whispered back. I know, I know, I understand, I get it, I get it, I get it I get it okay? Please please I get it stop it please. 

Sky curled in on himself, tuning out the quiet rustles of the camp as the other heroes uneasily settled down for the night  - no, no, he didn’t count, they were the heroes. Not him. They had kept dealing with his mistakes without complaint, they had all saved so many lives, even at the cost of their own. 

Right on cue, Sky heard Wild’s voice mutter something behind him. Hyrule responded in an equally low voice. Boots crunched the grass near him, and he cracked one eye open to see the two teens settle beside each other with their weapons on their knees. Hyrule’s normally tan complexion was still white as a sheet, and Wild looked like he was about to lose his lunch, but they sat to protect everyone through the night anyway. 

There they were, two teens, casually putting everyone else before themselves like they always did. It was such a normal fucking occurence to them, not even thinking twice before helping someone else. Sky knew too many kids back on Skyloft that were the exact opposite at their ages. 

Selfless fucking heroes. That’s what Groose would’ve said. 

Sky pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. He shouldn’t be thinking about Groose right now. He shouldn’t be allowed to think of Groose right now, because that led to the memories of strong arms and bright smiles and laughs and the feeling that he was a good person. He didn’t feel like lying to himself even more. 

No, he should be trying to fix things. That was what he always did, right? That was why he was here? He needed to fix things? He couldn’t remember anymore. 

Slowly, snores began to echo through the camp. That was good, at least. That was important, sleep. His successors should be allowed to sleep. 

The Skyloftian exhaled softly, trying to pretend that he was asleep, too. His brain was fuzzy, though he couldn’t even remember how to fall asleep. That was his thing, right? He was the sleepy one in the group, right? He laughed about it and cried about it and let the others curl up around him and stack twigs on his head until they weren’t sad anymore. 

He pulled his sailcloth tighter around himself, trying to ignore the hostility simply oozing out of the camp. Do I even have a role? Am I not just expendable? 

Pretty sure I am, right? 

He gritted his teeth, trying to keep the tears at bay. He couldn’t cry again. 

Any of us could do better. 

Yeah, he thought bitterly. Yeah, I know. I don’t belong here. I shouldn’t be here. 

No, that’s not right. 

They shouldn’t be here. None of them. They should all be at home, living actual lives instead of taking care of everyone else. If all of this is my fault, then I should be the one to at least try and fix it, right? Not them. 

And it’s got something to do with the Shadow. My Shadow, the Hero’s Shadow. 

Sky rolled onto his back, staring up at the empty sky above the Hyrule Field. The moon gleamed back at him like a malicious eye, judging his every move from the center of the sky. It was midnight. Oh. 

Sky wished he could fly again. He wished for his Loftwing, his Bird. He wished he could just whistle for his best friend and fly through the wisps of cloud and try to reach that moon. He just wanted to feel the wind in his hair and forget everything.
But here he was, stuck with his back firmly on the ground. Here he was, surrounded by eight young boys who he loved so much and felt so guilty about. 

None of them want men though. 

None of them want me. None of them care. None of them want me around. 

Fair. 

I don’t have to be around. They would like that, right? That would make them happy. I don’t have to be around. 

Sky shot up. Wild and Hyrule had their backs to him, and the traveler’s head rested on the Champion’s shoulder. The other six heroes were all asleep. Time had curled up next to Wind, who had slung one arm around the bigger man. Four had fallen asleep where he sat, his brow creased and a frown on his lips. One hand laced through his hair like he had been tugging at his scalp. 

Everyone was asleep. All of them. No one was watching. No one was listening. 

Sky could be as impulsive as he wanted. 

Good. 

He took a deep breath, shouldering the Master Sword and walking past the sleeping heroes. He just kept his eyesight forward and tried to ignore the weakness in his legs. 

They don't want me. 

They can't stand me. 

They hate me. 

And they have every reason to. 

My incompetence ruined their lives, after all. 

They all want me gone. 

Okay. Me too. 

He walked out of the camp. 

But the watchman’s ears pricked up behind him. 

∆∆∆ 

Wild frowned as the Skyloftian walked off through the grass. It wasn’t really weird for anyone to go off alone at night. It usually happened after a nightmare, or something bad, or generally just…when someone needed to take a walk. It helped clear the head. 

The Champion wasn’t particularly surprised that Sky walked away. The day had…well, it had certainly been something. But Wild scanned the little camp and couldn’t find Sky’s bedroll. That was weird. 

Curiosity and caution both tugged at the Champion, but curiosity won out. He nudged Hyrule off his shoulder, jolting the little traveler awake. “Hey.” 

“Hrm - huh?” Hyrule blinked at him, yawning widely. “What?” 

Looking at his friend’s tired expression, Wild regretted waking him up. “Sorry. But, uh, can you keep watch without me for a bit? I just saw something I need to check out.” 

“What, did you see a blupee or something?” Hyrule let out a little laugh. “No problem, yeah.” 

The Champion winced. “No, uh…Sky.” 

That was all he needed to say. The traveler straightened, his eyes alert and suddenly filled with pain. “Yeah. I’ll hold down the fort. Go check on him.” 

Wild nodded in thanks. “I owe you.” 

“No you don’t.” Hyrule waved him off. “This needs to be sorted out, because our little team isn’t going to function well if this whole…thing goes on for much longer. You’re, like, his best friend. Seriously, go.” 

“...’kay.” The Champion nodded again, grabbed the nearest sword, and silently jogged after the Chosen Hero. 

The Skyloftian had been rugged listlessly through the field, his feet trampling a path through the field. Wild frowned, crouching down and creeping after the man. He just kept walking on and on, never once turning back to camp. The tip of the Master Sword’s sheath dragged along the dirt, something that Sky never would’ve done. 

The night was waning, but Wild steeled himself. He pushed back any thoughts about Sky, because something wasn’t okay. In that one moment, no curse or Demise or shadow mattered, because there was something wrong with Sky. Wild scoffed quietly. It wasn’t hard to see that something was up. He’d just been bashed by his own friends, he’d had his deepest secret exposed, and he’d clearly been carrying it around for too long. Besides, Wild did owe him for keeping the whole…death thing quiet. 

Not that it really mattered anymore. Everyone knew that Wild fucked up, too. They all knew he hadn’t won. They knew what actually happened. He was technically undead. 

Yay, science. 

Ahead of him, Sky perked up, and Wild peeked over the grass to see where he was heading. A silvery river cut through the landscape, meandering past hills and giant boulders less than a quarter mile away. Wild wondered how either of them had missed it. But the Skyloftian had picked up his pace and Wild didn’t have much time to berate himself lest he get left behind. 

Sky jogged over a hill, disappearing from sight, and Wild gritted his teeth to follow. His friend had been completely swallowed by the field. Wild crept through the grass, trying to pinpoint the Skyloftian’s location. His hand slipped for a moment as the dirt gave way to sand, and he pulled back sharply. Someone was stumbling along the shoreline of the river, and Wild heard them collapse. 

Sky, probably. 

Wild hoped it was Sky. 

He parted the grass in front of him and peered around at the shore of the calm, smooth river. Indeed, the Chosen Hero had fallen to his knees along the riverbank. His shoulders shook uncontrollably, and his hands shook as he splashed the shining water on his face. Wild felt a stab of empathy, listening to the quiet sobs that rent the air. He scanned the poor man, and then it hit him. 

Sky really was packed. Completely packed. His shield was on his back, his harp hung on his belt, his adventure pouch was situated on his waist. Everything he had brought on the adventure was on his person. All of the denial that Wild had built up, all of the simple lies he’d told himself during the walk burned away. 

This really isn’t a moonlight stroll. 

Every nerve in his body screamed at him to stay hidden, but Wild stood and cleared his throat. “It’s, uh, dangerous, you know. To go alone. Thought you might want someone to watch your back on your little…walk.” 

Sky jerked violently at the sound of his voice, spinning around to stare at him. He stumbled to his feet, hastily scrubbing at his face with one sleeve, but Wild had already caught sight of the fresh tear tracks. “W-Wild! Hey, hey, what - what are you doing here?” His tone was shaky and friendly (friendly? Were they really friends? Really? ), but Wild understood. You shouldn’t be here. 

He shrugged, letting his brow crease with his worried smile. “I could ask you the same thing. You look ready to go somewhere with all that stuff, eh?” 

“Heh.” Sky’s mouth twitched in the ghost of a smile as he sniffed. “I-I guess. Yeah. L-listen, about the whole-” 

“Hey, hey, hey! It’s fine, yeah?” Is it? “So you didn’t completely manage to stop Ganon, right? Or Demise, or whatever. But Ganon’s never not left any mark on Hyrule. We’re all just a little shaken.” Is that really it? “Sorry that Legend lashed out so hard.” Am I? “Just…come back to camp. Give it some time. But you’re not going to just leave.” Right? 

Sky stared at him for just a second too long before he dropped his gaze to the beach. Wild’s heart plummeted. “L-listen, Wild…it’s not just stopping Ganon again. That’s not the point. The curse…if I had just managed to stop it, Ganon wouldn’t have terrorized Hyrule like he has. No one would have to fight him. You wouldn’t have died. Goddesses above, I was right there… he was right in front of me, Wild.” Sky shuddered. “He was right in front of me… but I let him fucking talk.” 

For the first time that night, Wild felt a true scream well up inside him. He couldn’t decide whether he was angry, annoyed, hurt…but it was one of those stupidly terrible emotions that made him want to go walk to the front of the castle with no armour and just get shot and shot and shot until he couldn’t fucking feel anything. “Alright, we get it. You keep blaming yourself for our worst enemy, you didn’t stop him from existing, oh no, how terrible and stuff. Yeah, oh no, I died, we get it, Sky. We all hate losing, we all despise not being…not being able to save everyone. But it’s already happened. You can’t change shit, okay? You’ll never be able to fix it. Oh well. You regret the past, and I get that so much.” Wild straightened, only just realizing how honest he was being. He did get it. How many times had he stayed awake until four o’clock in the morning, dwelling on the few things he did know and could remember and regretting every second of it? “Let’s just get back to camp now and find shit we can fix. I’m so fucking tired, Sky! We were walking for, like, two hours! We gotta go back now!” 

“ You need to go back. I’m…not coming with you.” 

Wild froze, his mind grinding to a halt. “Excuse me?” 

Sky softly kicked the sand. “I’m gonna go find the Shadow. Alone. I can travel fast alone. I’ll find it. I’m the one it wants. All you guys can go home or whatever you want, live your own lives. It’s my turn. And…” he scoffed. “Let’s face it, Wild. No one wants me anymore, anyways. You won’t miss me, don’t worry.” 

Fuck. 

The Champion’s breath hitched, and he let out a nervous little chuckle. He could feel his hands shaking. I can’t lose someone else. Not right now. None of us can. 

Alright, game plan. Bring Sky back to camp. Sort out complicated friendships later. 

“Sky,” he laughed anxiously. “Sky, that’s not funny. Th-that’s not even close to humorous. We all need each other right now. No one needs you?/ Oh, come on, that’s bullshit, surely you know-” 

“SHUT UP!” 

Wild’s adrenaline spiked, and his hand instinctively flew to his sword. Sky so rarely yelled, and his voice commanded obedience. The Chosen Hero of Hylia had balled his fists, and his eyes widened at Wild’s movements. Shame flooded through him, and he lowered his hand back to his side. “Shit, I didn’t - I didn’t mean to - I’m so sorry -” 

“It’s fine.” The man’s voice was too quick, too sharp, like broken glass in sunlight. “I just needed to…but no. You can’t stop me if you try. Both of us know that. But…I love you, and all of them. Just…you should know that. I never wanted this.”  

Wild’s breath caught at the quiet words, so full of pained honesty and completely unfiltered compassion. He wasn’t a completely different person just because of one spilled secret. He was still Sky. 

And he couldn’t just leave. 

“Sky, I’m so sorry. I’m so, so sorry. But I can stop you.” Wild steeled himself, forcing himself to unclip his Sheikah Slate from his belt. An idea had begun to form, but he hesitated. “Sky, you’re not leaving here. Just come back with me. We all just need time, seriously. We’ll all calm down, but you have to be there, too. You’re running away from the problem.” 

“I’m being productive.” Under the stars, the Skyloftian’s eyes were too bright, too sharp. Wild saw a fractured hopelessness there mixed with a diamond-hard determination. That alone should’ve scared him, but his attention was diverted to the bright electric-blue glow of the whip at the man’s side. “Please don’t try and stop me, Wild. This is my fault. My journey. You won’t be able to stop me. You’ll just get hurt.” 

Wild flinched at the pain in Sky’s voice, but he could not let him wander off. “Sky-” 

The Skyloftian turned and began to walk away, and that was the tipping point. Before Wild could second-guess himself, he aimed his Sheikah Slate and clicked a button. Sky froze in place, suddenly stopped by the glowing yellow chains of stasis. Wild sprinted towards him, but the rune broke too soon. Sky rolled forwards from his own forward momentum, shaking his head in confusion and nearly tumbling into the water. Wild reached out one hand, ready to drag his friend back to camp if need be, but his hand was smacked aside. Sky scrambled to his feet, his breath coming in short gasps. He unsteadily readied his whip, and Wild instinctively stepped back. 

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t let Sky disappear. He couldn’t lose him. He could not fail again. 

In his moment of hesitation, Sky made a dash for the Master Sword that still lay on the sand. The Champion frantically glanced at the recharge on the golden rune, but it wouldn’t be ready in time. 

An idea struck him. Fi was Sky’s most precious possession. He wouldn’t leave without her. 

Just as Sky’s fingers closed around the sheath of the Blade of Evil’s Bane, Wild activated magnesis. The glowing scarlet tendrils yanked the sword from his friend’s grasp and pulled it to him, but Sky didn’t miss a beat. He lashed out with his whip, the end catching hold of the weapon before Wild could grasp it. 

Both parties stood there, digging their heels into the sand and pulling with all their might, neither managing to sway the other. The ribbons of magnesis flickered, and Wild gulped. That…that typically wasn’t a good sign. “Sky,” he called. “Sky, I swear on the soul of my sister, if you leave-” 

“You’re gonna what?” the Skyloftian yelled back, his voice cracking. “Kill me? Bash me on the head and drag me back to camp? Scream at me? I can deal with that.” 

Wild saw what was about to happen a millisecond too late. With a monumental yank, Sky tore the tendrils of magnesis that snaked across the Master Sword. The sudden lack of tension threw Wild off-balance, and Sky snatched up the sword, tossing the strap over his shoulder. 

The Champion bounced back up, his heart racing. No, no, no, no, no, please don’t leave, he’s gonna leave, I can’t make him stay. “Please, Sky. Please don’t go. Please.” 

The Skyloftian looked sorrowful, and his eyes darkened in the starlight. But still he took a step back. “I-I’m sorry, Wild. I can’t stay. I think…I don’t think I can let myself stay, after all.” His voice hitched. “I really am sorry. But now you can all go back home.” 

Wild’s jaw clenched, his fingernails digging into his palms as he silently ran through every single fact he knew about Sky, finally landing on one that sent a stab of guilt slicing through him. But it had a chance at working, and he was ready and willing to take every chance he had. “I…I hate to pull this shit, Sky, but…if you can’t stay for yourself, can you stay…for the rest of us?” 

The Chosen Hero was silent for a beat, and Wild was almost ready, almost foolish enough to believe he’d won. 

Then a broken chuckle echoed over the water. “The rest of us, huh?” Sky smiled painfully. “Who’s ‘the rest of us’, Wild? You? Far as I can tell, you’re the only person who wants me to stay.” 

The next few moments were too fast. 

Sky backed up. Wild’s ears popped, and his body reacted to the familiar drop in pressure before his mind could catch up. He sprinted towards his friend, because that really was his friend, and reached one hand out as a portal expanded behind the Skyloftian. 

Sky didn’t notice in time. His foot slipped on the sand and the edge of the doorway, and he tumbled backwards. 

Wild leaped forward, his hand snagging on the golden harp on Sky’s belt, but the man’s momentum was too great. The cord connecting the instrument to the belt snapped with a quiet snip that echoed in Wild’s ears like thunder. 

Just like that, the Chosen Hero of Hylia was swallowed by the dark gateway that closed with a decisive snap. 

Wild stumbled onto the sand, clutching the harp close and trying to process what had just happened. 

Sky was…gone. Well and truly gone. 

No. 

No no no no no, he left me, no. 

Please. 

The devastating reality of the fact hit him like a stab to the back - or a hundred red spots on his chest, a hundred beams of searing light racing towards him - and the young amnesiac fell to his knees, his heartbeat thundering loud as drums in his ears, pulse rushing unevenly in his wrists. The soft tides edged closer, the chill water soaking through the knees of his trousers as if trying to comfort him but he didn’t want comfort he didn’t want it not now and not ever because Sky was gone. His arms shook around the golden harp, but he only pressed it tighter into his chest and let the tears fall. He wailed until his teeth chattered pitifully, and gasped for breath, his mind stumbling, faltering, jittering, jolting, rumbling and slipping and falling into that void of nothing, no one, just him, he lost another person, are you happy now, are you HAPPY now, you all pushed him away but he’s SKY so why? Why would you ever, ever, ever do that you FUCKING IDIOT, YOU LITTLE BITCH, HE’S GONE JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE AND HE LEFT YOU AND WHO CAN BLAME HIM, REALLY? 

WHO CAN FUCKING BLAME HIM?

The night grew lighter, paler, brighter with the new dawn, but Wild was still shaking on the moonlit riverbank, and he screamed, his voice hoarse and damaged and his face blotchy but he just didn’t care anymore. His carefully woven filter had disintegrated completely, and he felt too much but he couldn’t stop it because he was gone, he was gone, he was gone, he was taken and he left, he’s gone gone gone gone long gone long gone never coming back. 

It was a new dawn. A new day. 

And it was a day without his best friend - his brother, dammit - in it. 

Chapter Text

The fuzzy haze of sleep folded around Twilight, letting him float weightlessly through the midnight of his unconsciousness. His muscles were loose for the first time in…years? Decades? Hours? 

It didn’t matter, because he was relaxed for once. 

The stars glinted behind his eyelids, and he stared up at them, watched them float lazily back and forth - or was that him moving? He couldn’t tell. But his face was slack because he couldn’t think. There were no lines on his face because there was nothing to worry about, and he relished the lack of feeling. He was alone, he was fine, he was calm and there was no one to hurt and to be hurt by. 

It was tranquil, so he stared up at the stars as they changed and shifted, expanded, swam between each other. Nebulas of green and purple folded through space, shimmering and clouding and dispersing and reforming around those stars. There were so many of them, as numerous as the thin holes in a loose linen shirt, the kind that Uli so loved to weave. He always adored wearing them - they were always so soft, so sturdy, so perfectly wonderful for everything he would ever need to do. No matter how old, no matter how many times they had been washed, those linen shirts would always fit snugly on his chest and they would always smell like his mother. Like home. 

Twilight looked back to the stars that swam on his eyelids, watched numbly as they shifted and turned from red to green to purple to blue to hazel. He didn’t move when they drifted closer to him, glowing brighter than ever and coalescing into a more solid shape. 

A more familiar form. 

A body that reached out, shook his shoulder, brows creased and jaw set in worry, hazel eyes full of uncertainty and dark hair falling in front of their face. 

Twilight faintly caught the notion that he should probably be concerned to see a familiar face and not be able to place it. But he didn’t want tooo, he was so quiet and calm and waaarm, he didn’t see why he couldn’t just stay asleep. The sun wasn’t even up yet, Uli and Rusl knew that was his sun, they knew that he would always wake when the sun woke up again, and he was sure Colin knew too, but maybe Gingur didn’t. Maybe Gingur had woken up, maybe she wanted him up, but he didn’t want to get up right now. 

He wanted to sleep and stay numb and forget. It was way too early, anyway. The sun wasn’t up. 

“-light, you idiot, sorry, but the sun’s basically touching the horizon, I think that should count-” 

Well, that was just bullshit, wasn’t it? Twilight thought he’d know when his sun came up. He always did. 

“-know what, fine, so it’s not visible, but it’s not dark anymore so I need you to-” 

Nah, no one needed him yet, the goats always woke later and he’d put Gingur to bed for Uli, and he’d done the dishes last night, right? Twilight tried to think back, but his brain felt full to bursting with absolutely nothing. Did he not wash the dishes? Weird, he usually did. Maybe he forgot to put them away. Ohhh, so that's why he was being woken up at o'dark thirty then? Uli came downstairs to see a bunch of crystal clean dishes just sitting on her counters gathering dust, no wonder she's annoyed. 

"-my Goddess, you're not normally this bad to wake up! We've got an actual problem and Time won't do anything at all-" 

Well, that made sense. You can't just wait around and expect the dishes to put themselves away, that just wasn't how that worked. Time didn't always solve everything, no matter what the therapist at Castle Town said. 

Twilight really regretted sharing that tidbit of bullshit with Uli now. 

"-ait I'm not Uli, I don't even know who that is, but we've got actual problems right now and I really do need you-" 

Actual problems didn't sound too bad. He could deal with actual problems, he always had. There was always a little bit of time before the world collapsed in on itself, and that was where Twilight always enjoyed operating. Call him a procrastinator, but he always worked best under intense life-threatening pressure, so he could give himself five more minutes, right? 

"-you serious right now? I'm trying not to wake the whole camp yet, but it's kinda hard to stay composed right now, so I will if I have to, okay? Dude, I just need you to wake up-" 

And there it was, the sharp-but-not-too-sharp sting of a trembling hand on his cheek, snapping Twilight out of his beloved numbness. He struggled out of the depths of the dream (oh, he was dreaming, that made so much more sense) and blinked blearily at a panicked-looking Hyrule. 

Hyrule. What was Hyrule doing in Twilight's house? 

He caught a glimpse of the greyish-blue sky above them, and everything flooded back. 

The chasm. 

The Shadow. 

Wild. 

Sky. 

The rancher let out a groan, feeling all of his exhaustion return to him like a punch to the gut. "What?" he bit out with more harshness than he had wanted to use. 

Hyrule sat back on his heels, his teeth worrying at his bottom lip. "So. Long story, but, uh…Sky kinda left camp while me and Wild were on watch, so Wild followed him and told me he'd be back soon, but that was at, like midnight and neither of them are back yet." 

Another layer of dread and general tiredness at his complicated-as-fuck life settled on Twilight. "Last question," he grunted. "What about Time?" 

The traveler grimaced and tipped his head towards the silent man. "He just…won't do anything. He's definitely awake, he just won't respond. That's…well, that's why I went to you." 

"Great." Twilight rubbed his eyes and tried to settle his brain into something just a bit more functioning. It didn't work, and he just kept floating back to horrible screams and yells and tears, he wouldn't stop them and he couldn't stop them, because he couldn't decide who was right and who was wrong, who was the good guy and who was not, who deserved what and who just didn't manage to win completely and why. 

But I'm the leader now, he thought with maybe a twinge of bitterness. My job is to care for everyone now, huh? All of them. 

"Can you, uh, wake up Legend? And Wars? I've got to, um, talk to them." Screams and yells and tears and are they actually justified in doing so, maybe maybe maybe- 

No, of course they're not, he reprimanded immediately, they may be right but you can't just kick the shit out of our brother like that when he's already on the ground. That's just heartless. 

He regretted his word choice immediately. Not heartless, none of these kids are heartless, we all just care too much. 

As Twilight stewed in his thoughts, all of them too controversial to be dealt with at o'dark thirty in the morning, Hyrule nodded and raced away towards the other heroes. 

So Sky walked out, he mused, feeling his brow crease and letting it. No one was around to see him, anyway. Wild followed him. They're both still out there somewhere. 

It made perfect, terrible sense that neither boy would want to even be near camp at the moment. Hell, Twilight had wandered on his own for days after Four had found out about Wolfie, but he'd always stayed within about half a mile from everyone else - close enough to run if anyone needed help, far enough to just be alone. Assuming both Wild and Sky were similarly inclined- 

Ohhh, they are they are they are, whispered the dark, nasty, snarling, rageful place in his mind that Twilight tried so, so hard to silence. You know how similar you all are, you understand just what having the Hero's Spirit means, you get it because you've all got the same fuck-up in your head somewhere in your bones your fault his fault and there's some of him in you- 

Twilight slammed a wall of solid ice over those thoughts, covered them in cement, poured lava over that and wreathed it in barbed wire for good measure. Not the time. 

Assuming that Wild and Sky were similarly inclined because of their individual kindness and ties to the group, the rancher figured it wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to sniff them out, make sure they were okay, and report back to the others on their hopefully good status. 

He rubbed his fingers into his temples, sighing as another wave of bone-crushing tiredness washed over him, and he belatedly wondered if he’d gotten any rest at all. The amount of mental gymnastics he was having to do… 

It really was too early for this. He needed coffee. 

Twilight raked through his bag for about thirty wasted seconds before remembering that not only did Wild have all of the coffee grounds, he was also the caretaker of everyone’s coffee beans. Making a mental note to stock some for himself later, he instead scrounged up a bag of tea leaves that he hoped to Ordona above had some amount of caffeine in them and went hunting for a teapot. 

He scanned the still camp, instinctively searching for Wild’s bag from which to steal the aforementioned cooking appliance and letting his unconscious habit of counting heads take over as well. There was Hyrule, moving from a sour-looking Legend to a snoring Warrior. Four was right there, he should get his hand untangled from his hair lest he pulled some of it out. There was Wind, spread out like always, but now his normally bright face was drawn and weary. Time sat quietly with his head in his hands, just as the traveler had said. A stab of worry flashed through Twilight, and he made another mental note to check up on the heroes’ surrogate father. Over there was Wild’s stuff piled neatly together, and Twilight began to walk towards it, hoping that- 

Wait. 

Hyrule, Legend who was now stalking towards him, Warrior, Wind, Four, Time, Wild’s stuff, and Twilight himself, but there was no… 

He turned around once more in helpless desperation, praying that his eyes had missed something, but they hadn’t and he knew that they hadn’t, and that really was a problem. Sky’s belongings were nowhere to be seen. All trace that the Skyloftian had been there was gone. 

That lying, backstabbing, weak little- 

Not the fucking time. Up went a few more foot-thick stone walls, some more lava, blast-proof glass, and double the barbed wire. This is not good. 

Someone snorted in agreement, and Twilight realized he’d spoken that last bit aloud. He whirled around and came face-to-face to Legend, who glared sleepily at him. Dark bags hung under the veteran’s eyes, and Twilight briefly wondered if he had gotten any sleep last night. 

“You just summed up this entire fucking week,” the kid grouched. “What do you want?” 

Twilight forced himself to relax before he hit something. “I was going to talk to you and Warrior about…last night.” He saw the moment when Legend stiffened, and knew he’d hit on something. 

“So?” Legend’s eyes flicked to the side, breaking eye contact. “He had it coming, you know he did.” 

You fucking bitch, how can you just say that when you saw what you did to him and what he did to you, but you kicked a beaten opponent, how disgraceful can you- Twilight dug his nails into his palms. “Listen, Sky and Wild aren’t in camp. I need to go find them both. Time’s out of it right now, and as much as we both hate it, I need you to hold down the fort.” He pressed the bag of tea leaves into the veteran’s chest, making him grab it on instinct. “While you’re at it, can you brew some of this? Thanks much.” 

“W-wait, hold on, why me, dipshit?” Legend’s voice stopped him before he could turn away. “What, you’re gonna go sniff out a zombie and a fucking little bitch and making me your little chef, dog boy?” 

Twilight clenched his jaw. Don’t react, don’t react, don’t fucking react. “You don’t think that.” 

Legend’s eyesight wavered, and he jerked his head away again. “You don’t know shit, dumbass,” he muttered, but it carried no heat. 

Twilight sighed. It’s so fucking early for this. “Hyrule’s waking Warrior, you’re both gonna take care of camp, right? You seem to be a really good team, beating people into the ground-” Deep breath, don’t lose it, do that later, it’s too early for this, “Sorry,” he bit out. “Keep an eye on Time. That’s…yeah.” 

Twilight walked away before Legend could protest, making a beeline for the Old Man. 

“Hey,” he said softly, putting one hand on Time’s shoulder. “You there?” 

“Hmmm.” He barely moved. “I just don’t understand it, I don’t get it…” his voice trailed off, and Twilight watched as their leader, their strong fearless sturdy leader, ran his hands further into his hair and hunched further in on himself. He wanted to help, to do anything to make Time stand, smile, actually move around, but the man wouldn’t respond to anything else after that. 

The rancher ran one hand through his hair as a headache built up behind his eyes. His fingers itched to fix something, anything that would make him feel more normal. 

But it wasn’t normal anymore. They knew things now, no matter how much he wanted to forget. 

Burning blue eyes so full of rage he wanted to shrink into a ball and disappear, smiling sapphire eyes that carefully, lovingly laid his pelt out to dry, broken eyes that pleaded for him to please help, please do something, please stop it, but does he deserve it, does he deserve it, does he deserve it- 

Stop. Twilight gritted his teeth, shoving those thoughts back to the pit where they came from. Not right FUCKING NOW, I’m BUSY. 

He took a deep breath, turning to look back at Legend. The veteran’s expressions shut down immediately, and he raised one eyebrow. Leaving now? 

Twilight sighed and nodded woodenly. May as well. 

Not like we should split up, especially right now. 

Once out of sight of the camp, the rancher let the black shadows of twilight wrap around him and pull him to the ground. His eyesight sharpened immediately, and he caught the feather-light, forestry scent of Sky and the more flowery, slightly charred scent of Wild. Easy enough. 

He had expected a fifteen-minute run, but both trails led through the sun-dried grass for hours. As he went farther from camp, Twilight found himself gradually breaking into a run as worry infested his thoughts like weeds. What were they doing this far from camp? Neither Sky nor Wild were so stupid as to explore after something so monumental had occurred. Had they lost track of time? Why was Sky’s stuff missing? 

By the name of Farore above, what was going on? 

Twilight streaked through the fields, steadily becoming more and more determined to find the two heroes, and nearly missed them completely. He skidded to a halt when the trail banked sharply to the right and down to a river, transforming back to a human before he could scare anyone. 

Someone was curled up on the riverbank, and Twilight exhaled when he recognized the blond hair of the Hylian Champion. He pushed through the grass and nearly slipped on the sand, catching himself just in time. 

“Wild!” he said with a little more cheer than strictly necessary. “Thank Ordona, I’ve been looking for you guys for ages, everyone’s gonna be worried. Where’s Sky? You were following him, right? Let’s just grab him and get back, okay?” 

Wild didn’t reply, didn’t even move, and Twilight frowned as that same worry crept back through him, lacing around his arms and slowly wrapping itself around his throat. “Wild?” he prompted, wincing as his voice cracked. “Wild, are…are you okay? Where’s Sky?” 

The Champion’s shoulders shook at the mention of the Skyloftian, and Twilight’s protective instinct, that primal urge he had to just protect, bubbled to the surface. “Wild?” he said quietly, cautiously, hesitating before he asked because he might not want to know. “What’s…what’s wrong?” 

Wild just curled further in on himself, a choked sob escaping his lips. 

“What’s wrong?” he repeated, his adrenaline spiking. “Are you scared, hurt, lost? What’s going on? Where on earth is Sky?” 

Twilight put one hand on the boy’s shoulder to spin him around, and Wild let him. His arms were clutched tight over his chest, his face covered in nicks and scratches and tears, his eyes red and dark and puffy. Before Twilight could say a word, his eyes locked on to the glint of gold from within Wild’s grip. 

His breath caught, the worry ensnaring him morphing into panic that trapped him, strangled him, pulled his head underwater until he couldn’t breathe. He stumbled back, his head clogging with fuzz and fear. 

“No,” he heard himself whisper. “No, no, no, that isn’t-” 

“It is,” Wild responded, his even voice a harsh contrast to the agony on his face. He revealed more of the lyre calmly, his brow scrunching up in emotions that Twilight couldn’t place. “You’re right.” 

Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fucking hell, noooo, this is not real, just a prank, a joke, a terrible motherfucking joke, Sky wouldn’t just leave his harp, that’s such a joke, this can’t possibly be real. 

“What happened?” he heard himself plead. 

Wild just looked away, and boiling rage bubbled up from his stomach, searing his brain back to life. “Goddessdammit, Wild, WHAT HAPPENED?” 

The boy flinched back as though struck, and Twilight’s breath caught. His hands flew up to his mouth. “I...I’m sorry. I just...I need to know.” 

“Yeah,” Wild agreed much too calmly. “You do. So, basically, Sky left.” 

“What?” Twilight snapped accidentally, his mind reeling because Sky wouldn’t leave them, that was just stupid, and he knew people would be so worried, unless he thought that- 

“He’s gone,” Wild reiterated. “He has left us. He is no longer a part of our heroic little troupe. He’s in some random portal that’ll spit him out Hylia-knows-where, okay? I had woken up and I realized that he wasn’t at camp, so I went to find him, and he...well, then he left.” 

Twilight’s mouth was uncomfortably dry. “Left. Of his own accord?” 

“No, the Shadow was kind enough to pack his bags for him. Yes, of his own accord!” 

Sky’s gone. 

Sky. Gone. 

But he was the one who cursed us all, that mother fucking bastard- 

But it’s SKY. 

And he’s gone. 

For the first time all day, the nasty dark thoughts of Twilight had no answer. 

“Why?” he whispered, and in that one word was a million different questions. 

Why would he leave? Why didn’t you stop him? Why did he leave his harp? Why did he want to leave us? 

Wild met his eyes, and he didn’t have to say anything. 

Wild had been crying, and that was a fact. 

And the look in his eyes was all Twilight needed. 

He’d tried to stop him. 

He didn’t mean to leave his harp. 

He wanted to leave…

Because of us. 

Twilight’s breath hitched in his throat as Wild stood up. He moved slowly, as if his joints would snap if he made one wrong move, but he just walked towards the rancher and paused, resting one hand on his shoulder for a moment. 

I know. 

I understand. 

I’m sorry. 

I’m here. 

Then he was gone, and Twilight transformed into the tearless beast of his namesake so no one could see him cry. 

∆∆∆ 

The long walk to camp was silent. Twilight dropped to the ground to follow the trail backwards, and Wild clung unsteadily to his fur. The poor kid looked ready to drop, both physically, mentally, and emotionally spent, but he still soldiered on with one arm wrapped tight around the golden harp. 

Twilight wanted so, so badly to comfort him, to help, to protect and always protect. But there was nothing to be done about it, not when he was so close to slipping away himself. It was all Twilight could do to keep his jaw clenched and his eyes and nose on the stale, heathery scent of Wild. It was all he could do to ignore the cloud-wisps of light and forest and freedom that clung to the same path. So it was just Twilight bent low to the ground and one scarred, trembling hand clutching his back and silence. 

The sun beat down from its zenith when they caught sight of the camp. Twilight softly shook his friend’s hand off of him, ready to change back, but Wild just looked at him with dull blue eyes. 

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?” he whispered. “Any of it. It’s all coming to light anyway.” 

Secrets and lies and curses, secrets and secrets and secrets all the way through but they saved each other anyway. They all understood secrets. 

Twilight stood back up, suddenly human again, and he just grimaced softly. “They can’t take anything else right now.” And it was painfully, achingly true. None of the kids in that camp could handle learning any more secrets, not at that moment. 

Wild just stared at him for a moment, but his head slowly bobbed in understanding. “O-okay,” he creaked. 

A rush of sympathy made Twilight cautiously wrap one arm around the amnesiac’s shoulders, and he leaned into the contact like he could just disappear into the rancher’s tunic. 

The two walked into camp, and everyone fell silent. Six pairs of eyes looked over at them, counting one, two… and some looked behind them, craning their necks to check for a third but seeing no one. 

Legend’s face was a clean slate of nothingness, and he crossed his arms. It was a familiar gesture, one that the veteran had done many times, but now it was real. Now it was genuine. What now, it asked. What more have you brought upon us? What is going on? I need an explanation, you owe me an explanation. 

“What took you so long?” he asked instead, his tone cold and level. No more teasing, poorly-concealed layer of warmth, just business and formalities. “It’s been hours.” 

Wild leaned in closer to Twilight, away from all the curious eyes, and Twilight let him. “Sky’s…not here anymore. He, um, left. Because of-” The Champion dissolved into a coughing fit that had him leaning completely into Twilight. 

The rancher took the hint, no matter how much he didn’t want to. The words were lead on his tongue - heavy, poisonous, choking. Much too easy to spit out. 

“Because we pushed him to.” 

A hush fell over the camp as Wild held out the harp. Time’s eyes grew sharper, more jagged. Four clutched the hem of his tunic like it was about to unravel, like he was about to unravel. Wind inhaled sharply, his finger sliding wrong on the knife he was sharpening. Hyrule and Warrior wore twin masks of nonchalance, but both pairs of eyes betrayed deep chasms of panic that ran to the core. 

Legend’s face cracked, and he stared openly at the harp. “What?” 

Funny, Twilight wanted to yell. Funny how you’re so surprised, after what you did. 

But no one stopped it. 

Silence is always a language in and of itself. 

Funny how we’re all so surprised, after what we did. 

All morning, Twilight had been dangling from the edge of an abyss, clinging to the rock above him with every fiber of his being. But now, looking at the faces of his brothers and missing one, the rock crumbled, and he let himself fall. 

They all looked at him, and he didn’t know what to do next. 

Chapter Text

Three days. 

That’s a long time. And yet, in the same vein… 

No time at all. 

For three days, eight heroes sat in the long, sunlit grass of Hyrule Field. Blades of gold and green rustled past their feet - some bare, some only covered by socks. But everyone was silent. Some of them made halfhearted attempts to get everyone up again. Each of them only tried once. All of them dragged their feet as they trudged through the necessary steps to survive, only to slump back down into their small plots of trampled grass. 

Then the camp fell silent again. 

It was a mindless routine, something that could be repeated day in and day out by the most broken people in the world. People who had just gotten the rug and the floor and the very ground beneath them ripped out from under their feet. People who had just learned earth-shattering secrets that could shake the Sun itself to its core. People who had just lost a friend. 

These were the people that sat in the sunlit Hyrule Field. Sailors, soldiers, farmers, smiths, veterans of the highest degree, yes. But there was another version of these people that had been buried far away under layers of bedrock and chains, and that version rose to the surface of every single person in that camp. 

They were broken people. 

They were broken people who had gotten up again and again after being shoved back down, but they didn’t get up anymore. They wouldn’t get up anymore. 

They were tired of it. 

And that wouldn’t do at all. 

∆∆∆

It wasn’t really his fault. 

That was what Legend was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He’s the best of us, the most loyal of us all. 

That was what Warrior was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He had an impossible choice, and he chose the lesser of two evils. 

That was what Time was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He couldn’t stop any curse, that’s not how that works. 

That was what Hyrule was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He did the best he could, and we’re in no position to ask any more of him. 

That was what Wind was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He cared more for his friends than himself. 

That was what Twilight was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

He shouldn’t have won, but he did, and that makes him the best of us. 

That was what Four was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

I couldn’t have stopped him. 

That was what Wild was supposed to say. 

He didn’t. 

I’m sorry, they should’ve been able to say, but the simple words scratched at their throats until they swallowed them back and left them to fester in their heads until they were true. 

Besides, they didn’t mean anything if he wasn’t there to hear it. 

∆∆∆

“Link…take my sword and shield…rescue the Princess…” 

“No! U-uncle, what’re you…get up! Uncle!” 

One. 

Dust swirled around his feet. The animals cried out for water. Plants crumbled into nothing as he passed. 

Two. 

Flames swirled on either side of him in their giant braziers, sorrow and agony rolling in waves from their embers. It crushed him until he couldn’t breathe, made him want to curl up and press his face against the cracked tiles and let himself be flattened until his heart burst. But there were people outside that door waiting for him to walk back out victorious. So he stumbled forward another step. 

Three. 

Lightning flashed. He fought desperately against the wind, come on come on come on, pulled on ropes with all his strength and drew everything else from bracelets and earrings and rings, but thunder crashed against his ears and his adrenaline spiked as he watched cracks splinter down the mast. The raft exploded, and then he woke up at the bottom of the ocean. 

Four. 

He stared up at the garishly painted face of the sorcerer, clutching the stitch in his side with one hand and shakily held up his sword in the other. He had known he was so woefully underprepared, but he had managed to convince himself that hubris was enough, just like always. But he wasn’t going to make it out this time. (Did he want to?). He gritted his teeth as the sorcerer raised his staff, and he felt gravity shift to the wall behind him. 

Five. 

He’d never meant to leave them, he really hadn’t. He should’ve been there, he should’ve stayed by them. He should’ve kept to his allies’ sides. But now he screamed from across the battlefield, his vision tunneling as he met Pepper’s wide, panicked eyes. The kid stood unsteadily before the entire horde of enemies, doing his best to protect Chai. The blue hero lay loosely on the rocky ground, and the only thing Link could see was the blood that stained the side of his tunic purple. The boy wasn’t moving. And it was all Link’s fault. 

Six. 

Sky-blue eyes stared up at him hopelessly, hanging onto his every word even though he shouldn’t, he should disregard everything and go with it and bounce back up and give him a hug because that’s what always happened. But every syllable that spewed from his mouth made the owner of the sky-blue eyes hunch lower and lower into himself. Distantly, he wondered if it was too much, if he was digging too deep, but all he could feel was rage and pain and pure fucking betrayal. How could he- 

Legend’s head snapped down from where he had been twisting the rings on his fingers more and more savagely. His digits had been rubbed red and raw, and they stung as he sighed and let his hands hang to his side. He’d been doing that more and more often recently - the spacing out, the ring twisting, the anger. 

But what else was there to do? 

The eight heroes hadn’t done shit for days. No one wanted to pack up and travel. Where would they go? Castletown? Wild the redead thought that Castletown was too dangerous, thought that he could be recognized or they could be driven out or some bullshit, and Twilight stuck to the kid’s side with every word he said. And apparently Twilight was the leader now, because Time was doing absolutely fucking nothing at all. 

That’s unfair to them all, rational Legend reasoned. You can’t just call Wild a redead, he’s clearly not one. Twilight’s just trying to keep everyone together. Time’s clearly got some problems there, maybe trauma, and you’ve just gotta be patient. 

Legend was angry. But he wasn’t sure who he was angry at. 

Probably himself. That was always a good bet. That was always a safe place to put his rage. 

Legend sank lower on the ground, catching Wild’s gaze for just a moment before looking away. The Champion had been so quiet since…since Sky had left. His eyes had been dark. He just cooked for everyone when he needed to, slept when he could, and read for the rest of the time. But Legend noticed the stiffness in his every motion, the quiet accusations in his gaze that were directed at every single person in camp. 

Why would you do this? How could you do this? Regret what you did. 

Legend let out a quiet scoff. How can I regret what I said? he wanted to scream. What if I don’t? What if I was right? How can I possibly regret being honest? 

How do I do that? 

What would it accomplish anymore? 

He’s gone. 

And it was my fault, it was my fault, I screamed, I pushed him away, I was the bad g- no, no, that isn’t right. It was my fault but it was his fault too, he fucked up and I can be mad at him for that. I can be mad about that. I can be mad at Ganon and I can be mad at Sky and I can be mad at myself. Yes. 

No. 

Wait, yes. Yes. That’s right. Yes. Is that right? Is it my fault? Is it his fault? Is it the Shadow’s fault? What the fuck is going up with that anywa- I don’t know. I don’t get it. 

Legend’s fingers ached where they pressed against the dirt, and he faintly recognized that he should wrap them. His knuckles ached like he was trying to shove a puzzle piece in the wrong puzzle box. They stung like he was grappling with a fire spirit - his skin being seared off of his bones as he struggled to keep himself from burning up. They hung at his sides, the heaviness of his jewelry weighing him down, and if he closed his eyes, he could feel the golden cuffs chaining him to the ground. His emotions sat deep in his chest, a roiling ball of molten lead that was constantly morphing too fast. Anger, sorrow, confusion, betrayal, anger, turmoil. 

And a little thread of something, paper-thin and just as fragile, hard to notice and near-impossible to identify. But maybe that was regret. 

Someone fucked up. 

And I don’t know who. 

Legend needed to punch a tree. It was a damn shame they were in a field. 

∆∆∆

Day one was loud. Too loud. Screaming and gasping and frustrated grunts and some more screaming. That sounded about right. 

Day two was silent, lidded glares full of distrust and anger that yelled more profanity than words ever could. That sounded about right, too. 

Day three is quiet, too, but it was too quiet. There was something threateningly tranquil about the silence, as if impending doom were hanging right above their heads and no one could do jackshit about it. 

Time didn’t dare to look up. He wasn’t sure if he could anymore. 

That was probably fine. If it wasn’t, well, there wasn’t much he could do about anything anymore. 

Because blue eyes had darted around in panic and landed right on him. Firelight refracted a million times in tears, and those eyes had silently pleaded with him to step in, do something, take control please. 

But he hadn’t. He hadn’t taken control. Control had slipped from his fingers the moment rocks had begun to fall around him. No, no, it hadn’t slipped away. It had snapped. Control had snapped in half the moment he had laid eyes on that fucking bitch of a shadow. 

He couldn’t regain shit anymore. 

And his little group - his boys, dammit - was missing a member. 

And that member was the reason they had a little group to begin with. 

Yeah, control was long gone. 

And so was Sky. 

∆∆∆

The Hero of Warriors sat in his darkened tent, focusing solely on his breathing and the candle before him. In two three four- 

Flashes and screams, blood spattering the ground beside him as one, two, three, four soldiers fell around him but he had to hold the line because that was his job, that was why he was alive, to watch these heroes die and die and die- 

Out two three four. In two three four- 

The rage that flooded his system turned his veins to fire, and he rushed forward with his sword glinting in the light because there could be no more, no more, this was his job and not theirs- 

Out two three four. In two three four- 

The crystal before him bathed him in sapphire light, and he grinned maniacally, because blood dripped from his blade and his clothes and his hands and his teeth, but it wasn’t his - he was untouchable, this was his place, he was meant to kill and fight and slaughter and he would enjoy it- 

Out two three four. In two three four- 

But there were his comrades, the soldiers that he saved, cowering in the corner and surrounded by the garish corpses of their enemies - those were the beasts that had wanted to rip them to shreds, but not anymore - and he had thought they’d cheer, or offer a thank you, or do anything other than stare at him like he was the monster, he was the beast that wanted to tear them limb from limb, but that wasn’t right because he had saved them, why did they not get that- 

Out two three four. 

Was he really that scary? 

The candle flame flickered, and the Hero of Warriors jolted back to the present. The tent flap behind him rustled softly, and soft bootsteps entered his sanctuary. He didn’t move, but his hand tensed on the hilt of the sword that lay in his lap. 

“What do you want?” 

He hadn’t meant it to sound so hostile. 

“Link, I’m…I’m so sorry.” 

The Hero of Warriors spun around and laid his eyes on his beloved friend. Years of memories flashed behind his eyes - jokes in the school locker rooms, snores in the barracks, spars in the courtyard and daisy chains in the fields. 

The Hero of Warriors slammed down a wall of solid stone. His beloved friend slowly trudged forward, unable to meet his gaze. A hint of metal gleamed in the soft candlelight, and the Hero’s senses sharpened. Oh.  

His beloved friend - no, no, not anymore, he couldn’t afford to think like that - finally brought his eyes to his. “I really am sorry,” he whispered. 

“It was a mistake.” 

Traitor assassin murderer traitor traitor traitor 

The Hero of Warriors looked up at his beloved friend with his sword in one hand, knowing exactly what he had to do. He blinked once, and green eyes blinked to blue. Black hair bled to windswept brown, and the blue and white uniform changed to forest green. 

His beloved friend. It was a different friend. 

But they still wore the same expression. And they said the same words. 

The Hero looked back at the sword in his hand, knowing the next motion that would come. The next necessary move to take. 

Warrior gasped awake, his heart pounding in his ears. His blood roared, and he gritted his teeth tight together before he could scream. Or cry. No one could take that at the moment. 

It’s fine. It’s fine. He’s gone. They’re both gone, gone, gone, long gone one way or another. They’re both fucking gone. 

He’s fucking gone. He can’t hurt me, neither of them can hurt me and I can’t hurt him so it’s fine, it’s fine, it’s really fine and I’m fine. 

He’s fucking gone gone gone gone gone. 

“Warrior?” someone whispered, and the Captain whipped his head around. Wind sat quietly by the dying embers of the fire, his sword across his lap and dark circles under his eyes. The little sailor had taken watch more and more as of late, and whether it was voluntary or not, it was clearly taking its toll. Still, the boy frowned at Warrior sympathetically, almost understandingly, and that alone made him want to scream. “Bad dreams, huh?” 

Yes yes yes but you don’t get it and you don’t understand I’ve done so many things and you don’t get that you don’t understand that and I don’t want your sympathy and your attempt at empathy because you don’t get it and that’s good. 

“Mmm,” he hummed instead. “Why?” 

“Oh, I don’t know.” Wind stared up at the stars above. “Everyone’s been having more of them these past few days, that’s all. Can I help?” 

No no no no you can’t help and I don’t want you to help and I don’t need your help because I’m doing just fine don’t worry about me. 

“Nah,” he murmured instead. “I’ll be fine. You want me to take over watch?” 

“I-I’m fine here, if that’s okay,” the sailor stammered quickly. “It’s fine. Try and get some sleep, ‘kay? We all need our strength.” 

Hmm, yeah? Strength for what? What are we even doing anymore?

Warrior sighed and laid back down, tracing the constellations. He followed the slight, almost imperceptible pulsing of the stars, letting them calm him. 

In two three four- 

Any one of us could have done better 

-out two three four. 

∆∆∆

The wind tousled Wind’s hair, playing with it like an old friend, and his brain went on autopilot at the feeling. He leaned back and began to absentmindedly calculate the average speed, direction, and steadiness of the wind. He let himself be pulled into a bright red boat on the ocean with nothing but miles and miles of water around them, and began to tug at the ropes. The sail would have to be let out a bit, the wind was pushing it too much to keep the boom so centered. A smile tickled his lips as he worked, and he could almost feel the ropes run against his calloused fingers, because it really was such a beautiful day to go sailing- 

“Breakfast.” 

But he wasn’t in the Great Sea, racing the wind and chasing the horizon just because he could. Life could never be that simple on land. 

Wind yawned widely and squinted against the bright morning sunlight as he accepted a bowl of soup from a silent Wild. The quality of the meals had been steadily decreasing, but no one complained and no one argued. They’d all had much, much worse. Wild had been spoiling them, anyway. 

“You good there, sailor?” Twilight murmured, and Wind fought back a flinch. Of all the heroes in the camp, of course he’d be the one to notice. 

Someone else would’ve noticed, too, but-

Wind fought back that thought with tooth and nail, giving the awaiting rancher a tight smile. “Fine. Slept on a root last night is all.” 

Warrior’s eyes narrowed, and he sent a silent prayer up to the goddesses that the captain wouldn’t say anything. So, technically, he had been supposed to wake someone for watch, and maybe technically he had decided against it. Maybe technically he’d been doing the exact thing for the past three days and letting the others assume that he’d woken up someone else. But those were all technicalities, really, not terribly important. 

It was barely doing anything for his problems, anyway. But like hell was he going to let anyone else see that. He was not about to start bawling his heart out to anyone, not at the moment. No one needed his emotional baggage along with their own. Besides, he needed to be strong. He could do that. He needed to step up when no one else would. Twilight had stepped up to lead for the time being, but he was clearly floundering and everyone knew it. 

Wind was willing to be his big brother. He knew how to do that. He could shove away his own aches, his own tiredness, his own problems, and his own terrors. Twilight really fucking needed someone right now. 

He’d been that someone for Wind often enough. 

In the heat of the bright morning, the sailor’s train of thought began to wander again, but not to being on the water. Big brother, that was him. Big brother to Arryl, good steady grandson to his grandma, brother to all these schmucks. He’d always figured that he could fit the big brother description for the group of heroes, but he’d never gotten the chance, really. They’d already had Twilight, and Warrior sort of fit the role, and of course Sky was the real big brother. He always knew how to cheer them up, he was always ready for cuddles, and he was definitely a good teacher. He knew so much about fighting and the clouds and animals and all sorts of other things, something that probably came with going to actual school. Sure, he was protective of Wind, but he was protective of everyone, even Time. There was no special treatment when it came to Sky, because he treated them all special. The Skyloftian was so strong, and Wind wasn’t ever sure if anyone could see just how deep that strength was. He certainly couldn’t. He just knew it was all there, along with his love and care. He’d always stand up before anyone else. He’d always take a hit for someone else, no matter who that was. It went without saying that everyone would do that, but it always felt different with Sky. He always seemed to act in desperation, as if he couldn’t bear to see even a scratch on any one of them, and Wind wasn’t ever sure why, but if he really thought about it- 

Stop. Stop. The sailor came back to himself just in time, effectively shutting down that thread. Because Sky wasn’t there anymore, Sky wasn’t with them any longer, he was gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, long gone. Gone. He had apparently made a mistake and made Ganon reincarnate and shit and now he was gone. 

Gone and not coming back, so Wind had to get a fucking grip. 

As everyone slowly dispersed to where they had been sitting for the past three fucking days, Wind gritted his teeth and walked over to where Twilight was untangling the chains on his clawshots. Again. For the tenth time in three days. 

These kids, Wind inwardly sighed, but he cleared his throat before he could talk himself out of it. 

Twilight glanced up for just a moment. “Yeah, what do you need?” It was an automatic response, Wind knew that. It still grated on his nerves, but he swallowed it back. 

“I was, uh, just wondering if you could use some help,” he blurted out softly. “With anything at all. I’m, uh, pretty good at a lot, and you, well, you’re not exactly used to leading this group, heh!” Get a grip. Focus. “Anyway, I just thought you could use, you know, some help. Someone to bounce ideas off of, or help with anything, or to talk to, you know? I’ve, heh, got some practice being that person for someone. Just…if you need someone. I’m here. Uh…yeah.” 

Twilight’s fingers stilled, and he stared down at the trampled grass around him. “That’s, uh…thanks, Wind. That’s very kind of you. But, I mean, I’m not the leader, really, right?” 

“You are,” Wind interrupted. “Just saying.” And it was true, because over the past few days, Twilight had been the one telling people to go and do laundry, or to wash the dishes, or to get ready for lunch. He’d been giving the orders, and everyone listened. 

But Twilight just shrugged one shoulder. “If you say so. I mean, I’m just sorta helpin’ out until Time decides to function again.” He glanced over at the unmoving man, but there was no venom in his tone. “But, I think I’m okay, I’ll be alright. I think…I’ll be…” He trailed off, his gaze fixed on something behind Wind, and it was then that the sailor realized that the camp had gone completely silent. He spun around to see a dark little doorway suspended in the middle of the camp. Every single hero stared at it expectantly, as if waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. 

It was then that Wind realized exactly who they were waiting for. But Sky did not stumble out of the portal, his hair blown randomly on his head and his eyes gleaming with a smile. He didn’t come out of the portal at all. 

But still, the heroes waited for a beat too long. 

These fucking bitches, Wind griped silently without any real feeling behind it. It’s not for him, it's for us. 

He clapped loudly, and seven pairs of eyes fell upon him. Anxiety built up at the base of his neck, but he forced it down. “What are you guys waiting for?” he demanded instead. “Chop chop, get all your shit together! We haven’t been moving for ages, let’s get going! If the fucking Shadow wants a show, then it’ll get one by transporting us to somewhere better! We’ve not been very entertaining, I gotta say.” 

Wind’s words snapped everyone into action, and even Time sluggishly stuffed his loose items into a bag. The sailor exhaled, quietly praising the Golden Three above that had worked. 

It would’ve been terribly awkward if it hadn’t. 

He turned back around to see Twilight staring up at him with the most flabbergasted expression on his face, and Wind realized he fucked up. “Oh! Sorry, that was your call, huh. Sorry.” 

“No, no, it’s fine,” the rancher reassured him quickly, turning his attention swiftly back to his bag. “I was just, uh…so. I might take you up on your offer. If that’s alright?” 

Wind snorted. “Why would it not be okay? I offered first.” 

“Yeah. Yeah. Uh…yeah.” Twilight stuffed his clawshots back into his adventure pouch and stood up, clapping one hand to Wind’s shoulder. “Thank you, really. I mean it.” 

The two boys stood like that for a few seconds, and just as the moment edged into awkwardness, Wind nodded slowly. “Okay. So…I need to go get my stuff.” 

“Oh! Sorry,” Twilight apologized, snatching his hand back quickly, but Wind just waved him off and jogged to his little patch of grass, cheering silently. 

We’re going to do something. 

And I can be a big brother. That’s good, I’m good at that. 

And we’re going to do something. Finally. 

∆∆∆

Everything’s gone to shit. 

Not a very surprising statement, perhaps, but a very accurate one. 

Hyrule frowned down at the dusty ground, focusing every ounce of his outward attention to the rock he was kicking along the path. He kicked it with just a little bit more force than necessary, and it bounced off the thick leather of the veteran’s boots. 

Legend’s being a piece of shit. 

The portal had been surprisingly easy to travel through, which had thrown the traveler off. Usually, portals seemed to hate him. He had a theory that the magic creating the portal reacted poorly with his own magic or something, but the dark aura that those portals were soaked in was ridiculously unobtrusive, especially compared to before. 

So Hyrule had a new theory. The vibes he got from the Shadow were exactly the same as the ones from the portal, which made sense, given that it had been proven that it was the shade that was making the portals. However, the Shadow clearly despised a certain Skyloftian, and every single time he had trouble with portals, the same certain Skyloftian had been near. 

Hyrule fucking hated his new theory. 

He kicked the rock again, making it skitter into the grass alongside the path. That was fine. 

They had stumbled from Hyrule Field into a denser forest, which had immediately calmed Hyrule’s nerves. In a forest, there were more places for monsters and bandits and whatever else to hide, but that meant he could hide, too. He had hated the exposed position of Hyrule Field with a burning passion. 

Wind had scrambled up a tree and reported a small town to the east, leaving Twilight to make the obvious, already unanimous decision. We go there. 

It had been more than a little jarring to see every single person look over at Twilight for the decision, even though the same thing had been happening for the past three days. Time was on his feet, sure, but he just kept his head down and his mouth shut. Hyrule worried about him, but he was moving, and that was something, he supposed. 

So the eight heroes had set off. 

Eight. Eight heroes. It just felt so wrong, so empty. A year ago, Hyrule would’ve felt suffocated by the amount of people, but now there was a hole that he felt needed to be filled. There weren't enough people anymore, and that fact alone felt alien. Hyrule always traveled alone, that was a fact of life, and he hated having people slow him down. Now that wasn’t true anymore. 

And Sky wasn’t with them anymore, because of a curse. 

Curses, curses, curses. Ganon sure loves his unbreakable curses, he thought wryly. But he wasn’t sure what to think about it. Sure, Sky apparently made Ganon reincarnate and he apparently bound their roles in life to stopping him. But Hyrule understood not being able to stop a curse. He got that. That was something that made sense to him, because he had done the exact same thing. 

Hyrule looked down at his shaking hands, tracing the veins that pulsed gently under his palms. Sky was shackled with a spirit curse - Hyrule was chained by the curse on his own blood. Both had their own contingencies, but the gist was the same. Ganon comes back. Sky’s was definitely more extreme - Ganon keeps on coming back forever and ever, and you have to keep fighting him until the end of time. But the gist was still the same. 

Hyrule already felt anxious, bogged down, and completely and utterly guilty about his own curse. If he got captured and killed, that was it. Game over. Ganon comes back and he wasn’t there to save them. It already occupied his every waking moment, always hovering at the edge of his mind. Don’t get caught. Don’t get hurt. Don’t get killed and let no one get your blood. 

But Sky’s situation…Hylia, it was so much worse. After carrying such a heavy burden alone for so long…His mind must be a fucking mess. 

Hyrule was jolted out of his thoughts by a sharp whistle from Twilight. He jerked his head up, realizing they’d come to the town already. 

The heroes trudged to the nearest inn, renting out two adjoining rooms. Hyrule frowned as Twilight dished out payment for almost a week’s rent, but no one said anything about it. Probably missed something in conversation, he reasoned to himself, stumbling up the stairs alongside a silent Wild. 

Yeah, that was another thing. Wild. The bitch had died. 

Rather jarring, honestly. Still, he was Hyrule’s buddy. They’d explored together and done chores together and Hyrule had attempted to cook with the Champion laughing right next to him. Wild had been so quiet, and Hyrule could read him well enough to pick up on the basis of what was going on. 

He figured he’d failed and no one else had. 

Hyrule scoffed to himself, images of red blood spattering the walls and the shadow of a massive, nightmarishly huge pig flashing behind his eyes. As if none of them had fucked up before. 

Twilight cleared his throat softly, coming to a stop beside two doors. “Four to a room, guys. Grab your roommates, let’s settle down and then debrief. We still have to keep people safe from those black-blooded monsters, remember that. Things have happened, and we need to talk about it.” 

Hyrule let himself grab Wild’s hand, and the Champion jumped a little, staring at him in shock. The traveler just shrugged and gave him a little smile before dragging him over to where Four stood, unresponsive next to Time. Still your friend. Still with you. 

The rancher unlocked the doors, and Hyrule gently shoved all three heroes into one room. Four and Time immediately took to one of the two beds in the room, the former flopping down and pressing his palms to his face and the latter just sitting on the edge and sighing heavily. Wild’s grip on Hyrule’s hand steadily grew stronger, and the Champion’s eyes slowly gained back a little bit of their sparkle as he pulled the traveler over to the other bed. 

“Alright, alright,” Hyrule grinned, flopping down and letting out a soft oof! as Wild flopped right on top of his stomach like a cat. “Twilight was right, though. Get your shit together, guys, take the armour and stuff off if you can, we’ll go to the other room to talk.” 

Reluctantly, Wild got off him and the two boys took off their boots and unbuckled all of the weapons that were slung across their backs. Four needed a couple prods to get up, and he muttered an apology about headaches and warring thoughts as he pulled off his dusty colored tunic. 

Time was the real problem, though. The poor guy didn’t make any acknowledgement he had heard any of them, he just shed his plate armour in slow, robotic movements and sat back down on the bed. As Wild knocked on the door that led to the other room, Hyrule tried to get the Old Man to stand up, shake his limbs, do anything, but nothing worked. Four groaned in poorly concealed pain, butting his head lightly against Hyrule’s side, and the traveler had to give up and leave Time there as he guided the smith over to the door. 

Everything’s really gone to shit. 

Legend was pacing when the three other heroes entered, and he stopped abruptly upon noticing them. Twilight’s brow was creased deeply, and Wind sat beside him, squeezing his hand lightly in support. Warrior was lying down on one of the beds, running his hands through his hair. 

“Alright then,” the rancher said quietly, capturing the attention of everyone in the room. “Alright. Let’s keep that door open, by the way, so we can talk to each other easier. Yeah? Cool. So. Now we have to get into the, uh, the nitty gritty.” 

“You did not just say ‘nitty gritty,’” Warrior said in a weak attempt at humor. 

“You did not just say that we’re any better than our brother,” Twilight shot right back, a thin layer of control just barely holding back his rage from completely taking over his voice. 

“Deck him and Legend later,” Wind cut in softly, but sharply. “Twilight’s right, guys. We need to talk and form a course of action.” 

“Fine,” Legend grunted, his arms crossed tight against his chest. 

Hyrule frowned at his predecessor. "What's going on with you?" 

Legend sneered. "I mean, I learned the reason why I had to go on six goddessdamn adventures and lose or hurt everyone I care about. That's what's going on with me, what's going on with you?" 

"Oh my goddess, shut the fuck up, Legend," Wind griped. "We need to have a conversation here." 

Twilight nodded in thanks to the sailor. "We're staying here for a while, guys, just as a heads up. I've already prepaid for about a weeks' worth of lodging." 

Shouts and protests arose almost immediately, and Hyrule watched in concern as Four flattened his hands against his ears. 

"SHUT UP!" Wind yelled again. "It makes fucking sense, and none of you seem to be in any state to make smart decisions. We're all hungry, angry, and tired, so let him finish his sentence." 

Everyone fell silent. 

Twilight hummed. "We need time. Proper time to recover and to plan. Not time in the wilderness. So yeah, we're staying right here for a week, and that's final. Now, that brings us to what we're gonna do after this week. As I see it, there's two ways this can go, and if I'm missing any, feel free to tell me. We can continue what we were originally doing, fighting the black blooded monsters and everything, or - and this is the real kicker - we can go try and track down the Shadow, and by that same idea, Sky." 

Hyrule froze. 

We could do that. We could just put this whole thing to rest, couldn't we? 

We could… 

He glanced around the room, eyeing the other heroes' expressions. 

…Not. They'd never agree to that. 

He locked eyes with Twilight, and knew that the rancher understood. They’d never go for that. 

But he was throwing the choice onto the table anyway. 

The room was silent, until Warrior finally coughed. “Can…can I recap everything a bit differently?” Twilight nodded to him, and the Captain sat up, suddenly every bit of him the fearsome, controlled, smart, official soldier that he was supposed to be. “It’s been months of the same thing. We’ve been the equivalent of fucking exterminators , right? Kill this nest of baddies, go through the portal, find another nest and kill them, rinse and repeat. But now we know who’s making us fucking do this, and Sk- we’ve already got one person going after them. With the assumption that he alone would be able to stop them, we’re still needed to keep civilians safe. However, assuming that the Shadow’s getting entertainment from us, the most logical conclusion would be to stop this adventure completely, and that includes going after the Shadow. But if we do that, it’s more than likely that we will cross paths with…with Sky. I don’t know about you guys, but…I’m not exactly ready to see him face-to-face again. But if we keep going after monsters, then we’re trusting that he will stop everything by himself. I…I don’t know how ready I am to do that, either.” 

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Listen, we’re still staying here for about a week, so we can think about it for all that time. We’re not making a decision right now. I just wanted to lay out the options. Also wanted to talk about…something else, but I have a feeling we’re not ready to do that yet. We can’t afford to split up anymore right now. Uh…yeah, I think that’s it for now. Go get some sleep, everyone.” 

And that was that, huh. 

Four slowly staggered to his feet, shuffling over to the door as Hyrule pulled Wild up from where he had sunk to the floor. With a muttered goodnight, he lightly shoved them through the door and collapsed onto the vacant bed, Wild falling down right beside him. 

Four to a room, Twilight had said. 

It was a completely even split, with two to each bed and no one sleeping on the floor or squishing in with someone else. 

And that made the empty space feel so much bigger. 

∆∆∆

Wild stared up at the dark ceiling of the room, trying to make sense of his jumbled thoughts. Hyrule snored softly into the pillows beside him, which he just had to smile at. The traveler had been so comforting earlier, acting like there was nothing weird or wrong with him - which Wild didn’t feel like he deserved, but he still appreciated it more than the entire fucking world. 

But they weren’t going after Sky. They weren’t even going to try to help their motherfucking brother who clearly needed help. Logically, Wild understood two things. The first one was that he was jumping to conclusions. Twilight had said they’d figure it out later, and Warrior had just been putting more points on the table. The second thing was that he got why they wouldn’t be ready to talk to Sky yet. He got that, he understood that, and goddesses above, he felt that. But even with everything, it still felt overly cruel to let him take on such a gigantic job by himself. 

Is that what the monarchs of Hyrule thought every time they saw a little kid in green slaying all the monsters? he pondered. Doesn’t mean it’s okay. Doesn’t mean it’s fair. Doesn’t mean it’s not cruel. 

“Sky?” a small voice whispered, shaking Wild from his stupor. Four was tossing around beside a snoring Time, and the Champion sat bolt upright. What the fuck? 

“Sky?” the smithy muttered again, grunting as he nearly kicked himself off of the bed. “Sky, where‘re you?” 

Oh. Wild smiled sadly and slid out of the bed, careful not to jostle Hyrule. His bare feet slipped on the hardwood floors as he walked over to the boy. Four rolled again, slipping out from between the sheets and nearly hitting the ground, but Wild just scooped him up and lowered both of them to the ground. 

“Sky?” the smith asked softly, curling into Wild’s chest. 

“N-no,” he admitted quietly, hugging the kid lightly. “No, I-I’m not Sky. He’s not here, remember? He’s not right here right now.” 

“M’oh.” Four clutched Wild's tunic. "When will he come back?" 

“Heh.” Wild winced, cuddling the smith closer. “I, uh, I don’t know. C’mere, okay? It’s not time to wake up yet.” 

Four yawned, falling farther into Wild's lap and curling up comfortably, his presence a comfortable weight on Wild's chest. "I wanna wait for Sky," he murmured, holding Wild's hand close with both of his own. "Wake me up when he comes back." 

"Mmm." Wild gently carded his hand through Four's hair, letting the boy fall back asleep. "I wish," he whispered. "I wish.” 

∆∆∆

Sky hit the ground with a solid thump. He groaned, every muscle in his body sore and aching. He’d been falling through portal after portal for days, unable to pull out his sailcloth and unable to think, his body surging with terror that wore on him more than anything. He had just fallen through the darkness, not knowing when he would hit solid ground, not knowing if he would just keep falling forever. 

But he’d felt like that before, the first time he had jumped to the Surface of the World. He’d stared down at the massive hole in the clouds below as Bird slowed to give him a chance to aim properly. He’d hesitated, anxiety frying his brain because no one had been there for centuries, what would it be like, what if it wasn’t real at all and just a mirage in the clouds and he’d keep on falling forever and ever and never hit anything? He’d been told there was nothing below the clouds, what if that was true? If it wasn’t, he’d be the first person to be down there since Skyloft rose, except for Zelda, of course, and that was what made him jump. Zelda was down there somewhere, and he had to chase her. 

That’s what it was. It was a chase. He was good at chasing. He’d had plenty of practice at it. 

And that’s what made him stagger to his feet, his lungs protesting at the hard impact. He was committed now. It was a chase, and maybe he had a different aim now than before, but it was still a chase. 

He stumbled once. Casting a look around his new surroundings, the reality of his situation hit him like a punch to the gut. 

I left. I left them. 

Wild tried to fucking stop me but I left. 

Panic and shame washed over him, and he stumbled again. 

He fucked up again. 

I shouldn’t have done that I shouldn’t have done that I should not have done that, why did I do that you stupid little fucker, WHY? 

Suddenly, Sky couldn’t stay where he had fallen any longer. 

Just run. Just…just run. There’s nothing left. 

I’m gone now. I’ve left them. 

I’m alone. 

The realization gave the Skyloftian pause, but only for a moment. 

Good. They’ll be fine. They’re all smart. They’ll be safe. I can work alone. 

But I just need to run. 

With the feeling like he was walking from a house on fire weighing down on his back, Sky shoved himself to his feet and dashed away from everything. 

Run away, little hero. Avoid everything. 

No. Run away, because there’s nothing else to avoid. 

Run away and know that they understand everything you have done. 

Chapter Text

"They’re all long, long dead. So is he, but he got ‘lucky'." 

"Sky killed him and his sister and his parents and friends. They’re all dead." 

"He got lucky." 

They're all dead, but he got lucky. 

Long, long, dead. 

Sky killed him, but he got lucky. 

That happened. No one knew what to make of it, so they ignored it. The best use of it was for a few well-placed jabs at the boy concerned, but no one really knew what to make of that information. 

Because there was none. Not enough, anyway. 

Wild had died and so had his family, his friends - everyone. That was clear. Ganon killed him. 

So technically, in the most twisted-up, roundabout, glaringly terrible sense that discredited the fact that humans have limits, it really, truly, without a doubt was Sky's fault that Wild was dead. 

No one liked to think that way, though, because he was still Sky and all eight heroes had been cared for by the Skyloftian. 

But either way, Wild was dead. No one knew what to do with that. They weren't sure if they should mourn. They weren't sure if they should be afraid or cautious or even worried for the Champion. The answer should be simple - they should grieve over the loss of their cook, their brother, and their friend. 

But the problem was that he was alive. 

No one knew what to make of that. Because that just made it all worse. 

∆∆∆ 

For the past two days, Wild had done his best to stay out of trouble - a first for him, maybe to some people, but he didn't think he was so irresponsible that the only way to make him behave was to tell him that his friend created the guy who killed him, while also revealing that small fact about himself to the people who didn't treat him weird. The fact that he had died and come back. 

And fuck if it didn't hurt to see the glances they all cast at him, even if they didn't realize they were doing it. All of the heroes walked on glass around him, as if a single word or a single touch would make him crack. It was infuriating and scary and absolutely devastating all at the same time, because these were his friends. These were the people who carried the same spirit he had. They should understand what they were doing to him. They should realize that it was just another daily occurrence in their lives. After everything they'd all been through - talking shadows and giant pigs trying to take over the world, why not add resurrection to the list? 

He just wanted Sky back. 

But now he walked through the small town with a golden harp on his belt, trying to find something to do. There was Wind and Twilight over by the market stalls. They'd become inseparable over the past few days, always looking for the other's opinion on what was best. Wild supposed that was good - it was better than how those two used to be, anyway. They seemed to be debating over whether to buy cucumbers or carrots. Wild would've said to just buy both - they had enough rupees for it, anyway. But he wasn't going to intrude. They'd just give him a hesitant smile and agree, not even give him an argument about it. 

He needed an argument, or at least some resistance, but no one would give it to him. He knew that already, so he wasn't even going to try. 

He moved on. 

Wild passed Hyrule and Four, who were strolling down the sidewalk and into a cafe. The latter was still a bit out of it, but Wild was glad to see that he was looking at least a little better. It was always good to see Four back on his feet after a migraine. Hyrule noticed him and gave him a wave, and Wild held up one hand in return. The traveler had been so strangely normal to him the past few days, but Wild wasn't about to complain. Still, those two looked preoccupied, so he moved on and left them to their business. 

Eventually, he found himself under a large weeping willow tree on the hill at the edge of town with harp in hand. As far as he remembered, he'd never really played a musical instrument, but he cradled Sky's beloved harp with one arm and settled at the base of the tree. His fingers hesitantly plucked note after note, and he gradually grew more confident as pitches and rhythms came naturally to his fingertips and out of the strings. 

He wasn't sure how long he'd just sat there, plucking note after note, letting a long-forgotten melody wind through the warm air. Half-asleep and sucked deep inside his head, he watched as birds fluttered through the branches of his tree. He didn't move as squirrels skittered around his ankles, pausing to listen to his tune. Rabbits hopped closer, their ears pricked as he strummed a light octave into his song. A robin landed hesitantly on the top of the harp, and he let it, just humming lightly and listening to it twitter back. 

But the song was over too fast, or too slow, and he slowly lowered the instrument to his lap, coming back to himself and looking down at the little audience he'd amassed. Chipmunks, little mice, rabbits, and all the tiny songbirds looked up from around his feet. A singular fairy hovered by his ear curiously. The robin hopped lightly from the harp to his hair, and he heard a quiet, content chirp. Aww. 

Someone cleared their throat from behind him, and Time walked into the Champion's field of view. "What are you doing?" the older man asked softly, careful not to startle the animals. 

Wild carefully looked up at the sweeping branches, letting the robin's little feet move closer to his forehead so it didn't fall. "I don't know." 

"Well, it was pretty," Time murmured. "What's it called?" 

Wild stared up at the man. "I don't know." 

Time gestured to the harp in his lap. "I didn't know you could play." 

Wild glanced down at the instrument. "I can't remember how." 

"And yet you did. I'm sure there's some philosophical moral in there somewhere." Time shrugged. "May I sit?" 

Wild scooched over, and Time carefully settled among the wildlife that had accumulated. The man always seemed to be able to calm animals and such, but Wild had never been sure as to why. He figured that it was as good a time as any to find out. 

"Animals really like you," he observed, watching a sparrow hop around them. "Fairies, too." 

"Fairies are animals," Time answered. "So are Hylians. They all like things they can recognize." 

"I guess, yeah." Wild bobbed his head. "So how do they all recognize you?" 

Time smiled. "I grew up in a forest, Wild. I've lived with these creatures basically since I was born. There's no way they wouldn't recognize me." 

"Mmm. What are you doing here?" Wild asked. 

"Heard the music," Time admitted. "It was pretty. So I investigated." 

"Thank you," the Champion whispered. He looked out at the little town that spread out before him. "How-" 

"I have a question for you," Time said quickly. "Sorry. I interrupted." 

"It's fine." Wild shrugged. "Just going to say that it's good to see you doing better with…everything. But yeah, by all means, shoot." 

"Thanks." The man rubbed one hand over the back of his neck and leaned back against the trunk of the willow. "I don't want to be insensitive, or pushy, or cross any boundaries, do you don't have to answer. That is completely up to you. But…I've noticed how everyone looks at you. I know you've noticed as well. I know that none of them mean it, and I might have been doing the same thing, so I'm sorry." 

"That's okay, I've barely seen you anyway lately. It's fine," Wild reassured his companion awkwardly. 

"It's not." Time sighed. "Listen, I know that what Legend called you probably really hurt. I won't make any excuses for him." 

"Really, it's fine! I've had worse than 'zombie boy', and we're all stressed, he just reacted immediately. I get it." 

"Stop," Time ordered softly. Wild shut up. "You're making excuses for him. You may be right about him reacting, but that doesn't excuse anything. But that's not what I want to talk about right now. Wild, I want to help you." 

Wild blinked. "Oh. Well, thank you, I guess. I really am fine though. I would think that I might be able to help you more. Get you out of your head and all. Your mental state is really important, and I can help with that, you don't have to-" 

Time shrugged. "I'll get over it. I have to. Twilight and Wind took charge, and both of them are scrambling to stay there. I need to help them, too. But I'm here for you right now. That's something I can control. Listen, I want to understand. I get it if you don't want me to know any more than I do already, and I will shut everyone else down as well. But I also know that as a child and a teenager, I didn't talk to anyone until Malon. I told her what happened to me, and it just…it made me feel better, you know? I just want-" 

"Stop." Wild pursed his lips. "You want to know how I died. And you want to help me with the others as well, but you really want to know how I died." 

Time shrugged. "You don't have to tell me. I honestly do not think that my life will change all that much." 

"Fair." He flicked a pebble that rested near his boot. "Maybe…maybe I will tell you. I've talked to people about it all before. There aren't many real therapists in my Hyrule, but there's people willing to listen. And there's Zelda, it's nice to have someone who went through something similar." He heard Time take a sharp breath, which made him chuckle. "Don't worry, she's okay too. She didn't die, per se, but she did spend a hundred years in magic stasis while holding back a hell of a lot of malice. I honestly think I got it easy.” He huffed a soft laugh. “You know what? I think I should tell you. I think that at least one of you should know, and it's not really a secret. It just…I don't know. I never told any of you because of the way you might or might not treat me. You all saved the world the first go-round. You didn't need a second chance. I…I did. But I guess there's no point in keeping much of that hidden anymore. This is…what I never wanted. But I'll tell you, Time. I'll tell you. I don't know if you actually want to hear it, but I'll tell you." 

Wild picked at his nails for a moment. "A hundred years ago, we thought that Ganon was going to come back. Ten thousand years before that, he'd been thwarted with the help of a hell of a lot of machines made by Sheikah. Four big mechanical Divine Beasts, and an army of spider things called Guardians." Time shuddered for a split second, but Wild continued. "So, of course, the king and the Sheikah started digging them up again. We appointed four 'Champions', each of whom were tasked to pilot a specific Divine Beast. I was chosen to protect the Princess and to be the Hero that killed Ganon or some shit. So I guess that made me a Champion, too. I, uh, don't remember most of what happened then, just snippets here and there, so this is mostly stories and stuff. Anyway, Ganon did come back, but he took control of the Divine Beasts and all the Guardians. Our entire army of ancient spider things? Poof. Gone in a second. They turned on us. Killed everyone. All the Champions died. They were good people, I remember that. King of Hyrule? Dead. Most of the Sheikah researchers? Dead. Pretty much everyone in Castle Town and the surrounding areas? Dead. That's where my family lived, I think." He frowned as a flash of a bright, happy smile was brought to the forefront of his vision. "Me and Zelda ran as far as we could. We were the main targets. Ganon knew what he was doing. Uh…yeah. They caught up. I kept her safe for a while. Not long enough, but I stayed up for a bit." He pulled his knees up to his chest and sighed. "My entire job was to keep her safe and be this undefeatable warrior. You know, like the rest of you. I should've been able to do it. I know I should've. But, uh, yeah. I didn't. You remember the guardian from a while ago, they’re not that hard if you know what you’re doing. I…well, I suppose I was tired. Took a solid fifty-some-odd lasers to the chest, head, side…everywhere, actually. There were just too many. I couldn't fight anymore, so I just pushed Zelda behind me, she gets mad and starts doing her whole spirit magic mumbo jumbo, and poof. All the Guardians around us are dead. I'm dead. So what does she do? She just goes and tosses me in the shrine and runs off to stop the Calamity and save the world and wait for me to wait up from magic stasis because I'm so fucking dead. And I take a hundred fucking years to wake up. You think, what, Sky's a heavy fucking sleeper sometimes? Try leaving your only friend to battle Ganon for a century because you're too tired to go to work. It fucking sucks, Time. I just get so frustrated at myself for it." 

"I'm sorry," Time said softly when Wild cut off his story. "This shouldn't have happened. Not to anyone, and least of all to you. If there's anything I can do-"

"It's actually fine, I don't really care much nowadays," Wild insisted. "I've accepted it and everything, I've done all the things and started a new life - and honestly? Not that hard of a task, since I don't remember shit. I…I don't know, the only real reason I didn't tell any of you was just because you're…you're all heroes. Proper heroes. You did your jobs, you didn't need a second chance. You didn't leave the one person who you were supposed to protect at the hour of her greatest need. We were supposed to be partners, Time, and we each had a job. I…I failed my job. I left her to handle everything all on her own. And she still managed to get me to the Shrine of Resurrection in time with everything else happening. The entire world was falling apart at the seams, Time. I didn't do my job properly, and the entire world nearly fell apart. I just…" he buried his face in his knees, tangling one hand in his hair. "I guess I didn't want any of you to know I'm not as good as everyone else." 

Time hummed softly, flicking a pebble from his leg. "Well, that's just not true. At least you came back." 

"I - what?" Wild nearly got whiplash for how fast he turned to look at the older man. "What does that mean?" 

"I, uh, heh." Time smiled regretfully. "Legend's told me about what happened to his world before. He told me that the, uh, the Hero of Time, in his timeline at least, had tried to stop Ganon and that he had…failed. Ganon killed him." 

"Oh." Wild looked down at the harp in his lap. "But that wasn't you, you're right here. That's timeline shit. You didn't feel it." 

"What? Death?" Time leaned backwards. "I have. I went to this place called Termina, three days before the moon fell right on top of it. Worst three days of my life. I had to keep resetting those days before I could actually stop it from happening. I think I created hundreds of alternate timelines from that one nightmare of an adventure. All of them were destroyed, most likely. Crushed by the weight of the moon. I abandoned every single version of that place, except for one. That's the one I did manage to save. But…I couldn't reset fast enough, sometimes. And then…well, I was still there when the moon crashed. I watched the world dissolve. I died. And then I was back to a brand-new Termina, one that hadn't imploded." 

Wild twisted his hands together. "...oh." 

Time shrugged beside him. "Listen, Wild, I haven't been okay recently. I'm trying to be better, because I know I just completely disappeared from myself. A lot happened up here." He tapped his temple. "Hey, I know you haven't been around a lot of the others recently. But…please give us all another chance. Okay? We have to stay together, and who knows? Our experiences, the ones so ugly that we keep them hidden from the rest of the world, may not be as uncommon around here as you think. Ask Hyrule about his dolls, I'm sure there's a story there." 

With a grunt, Time stood and offered a hand to the Champion. The wildlife scattered at the movement. "You're not any less of a hero than the rest of us, Champ. Honestly? I think we all tell ourselves the same thing you've been telling yourself. I know I have. It's not just you that's got some really badass people around you. It's easy to feel the impostor syndrome." 

"But you're the Hero of Time," Wild stressed with a well-placed eye roll. "Idiot." 

"Yeah, and you're the Hero of the Wild," Time stressed back with a smirk. "Dumbass. I'm surrounded by the extraordinary on a daily basis, and you know who that includes?" 

Wild stared up at the man. 

"I'm talking about you," Time told him with a smile, "and if you asked anyone else, they'd say the exact same thing. Come on, hero. It's almost lunchtime." 

Wild grabbed the man's hand and pulled himself to his feet, clipping the golden harp back onto his belt and feeling a rising in his chest he hadn't felt in oh so long. "Come on, then," he grinned back. "I'm gonna steal all of it!" 

"What?" Time yelled playfully as the amnesiac took off. "Keep your mitts off my food, your lunch will be mine!" 

With that, the man followed, and the two heroes raced out of the shade and down the hill like the children they were meant to be. 

∆∆∆

Four had woken up that morning to a pounding headache that was slowly making its way to the spot behind his eyeballs. He groaned quietly as he pressed his palms to his eyes, trying to block out the morning sunlight that came streaming in from the window. It was too intensely bright, which really didn't help his headache. It had been the exact same way for the past three days that the group of heroes had been staying at the inn. 

It had been a week since the Breach of Demise, and Four had not been doing very well. 

Neither was anyone else, it seemed, but Four was more than angry and sad and betrayed. He was confused. 

Why would Sky purposefully curse anyone with what he had? Why would he purposefully create Ganon? The answer seemed pretty simple, of course. It wasn't on purpose. It was just an accident. A mistake, he had said. That made more sense to Four. It fit with what he knew about Sky. 

But no one else really seemed to understand that, and if they did, no one showed it. It confused Four to no end. Had none of them ever had their hand slip while hanging onto the edge of a cliff? 

But there was something else that was haunting him, and no one cared about it. 

What made Shadow - his Shadow, his best friend, the one he loved like he loved the stars and the one he'd lost just as he'd realized that - form a group like this just to tear it apart? 

They'd nearly forgotten him. Four could tell in their gaze. They'd nearly forgotten him, and he wasn't sure how long he could dwell on that fact alone before it completely wiped his brain. His own Shadow had nearly forgotten him. 

And that just went to show how long it had been for them. And that wasn’t okay for Four. It made him want to find his Shadow and stomp him into the ground and then hug him for the rest of his life. They had said that they’d been alive since Sky’s time. 

From what the Shadow had said, Four did think that sounded like hell. 

But he wasn’t sure about anything anymore. It all seemed to circle around and back to Sky. Something happened with Demise, and he got cursed. And that was why Sky was gone. That was why Ganon existed. That was why Wild had died, apparently, and that was why Shadow lived for as long as they did. It seemed to be the reason for absolutely everything, and Four just couldn’t wrap his head around that. 

And then Sky had lied about it? That’s what Shadow said. Shadow was never a liar. Never had been. They'd always been clear with what they wanted and how they would go about achieving it. 

But it had been thousands, maybe even millions of years. Anyone is capable of change. 

And Four didn’t understand any of it. 

His mind flashed back to the other night. He’d been curled up beside Hyrule, trying to block out all of the noise as his headache spiked. Legend, Warrior and Wild had all gotten into another shouting match, digging their figurative claws into each other relentlessly. And of course they’d been yelling about Sky. That was all those three ever seemed to talk about recently. 

“Don’t you understand?” Legend had seethed. “We wouldn’t have gotten the chance to fuck up if Sky hadn’t!” 

“Oh no,” Wild sniped back. “Oh, how terrible, he’s a Hylian and not a fucking god, what a tragedy.” 

“Come on! It’s not like that!” Warrior had shot at the Champion. “But there’s a point where you have to stop and realize that there are things that heroes have to be able to do! And there’s a point when you have to be held accountable for what you’ve done wrong!” 

“In case you haven’t noticed,” Wild had spat venomously, “he is gone. I think he already gets that. And whose fault is that?” 

“And I suppose you’re saying it’s ours?” the Captain had yelled. “Of course you can do no wrong, you didn’t do anything at all, did you? Of course! We were the ones that let him go, aren’t we?” 

Wild had flinched back violently, and Four had buried his face deeper into Hyrule’s tunic as a new voice entered the mesh of noise. 

“That’s enough,” Twilight called firmly. “Stop it, you three. We can’t keep doing this. It’s time to go to bed.” 

“Of course, dad,” Legend had sneered. “Because you’re so disappointed in us.” The intent was all too clear. You’re not the leader. Stop trying so hard. 

“Legend, Warrior, Wild, shut the fuck up. Now,” said a different voice. “Leg, Wars, you went too far. Wild, you’re just provoking them. Stop picking fights.” The past few days, Wind had changed almost completely. There was a new air around the sailor, and it was one that Four recognized from Green. He had completely dropped his more carefree, adolescent attitude towards life and grown up in seconds. He was acting like a big brother, and it was incredibly effective. Four had figured out immediately that this was not his first family he had to keep together. 

That’s what’s happening. We're falling apart. 

He nearly giggled. 

We're falling apart and no one knows how to stop it. 

They don't understand. No one does. 

They're all like "oh, tell the truth, lying is bad", and no one ever realizes that lies exist for a reason. 

Because look at what's happened now. 

He had snickered, making Hyrule shift beside him. “You’re still awake?” the traveler had asked softly. 

It wasn’t like he could fall asleep when his brothers were verbally bashing each other’s brains out. But he couldn’t really form sentences while his head was pounding so terribly, so he groaned lightly. 

“You said we would figure something out,” the veteran had accused the rancher. “So far, we have been walking around town and doing nothing but spending money and exploring. What is there to do at this point?” 

“Legend, we’re here because we need a break,” Twilight had said. “We will figure something out, but you have to give everyone time. Including yourself. Then we can keep going.” 

“Well, what the fuck do you want to do about any of it?” Legend screamed right back. “Track down the Shadow? FIND SKY? What would that accomplish? What the hell would that accomplish? He’s already going after the Shadow, right?” 

Wild nodded silently. 

“Exactly. He’s got it covered. All good.” The veteran’s face cracked. “There is nothing else for us to do. I want to go home, okay? You guys are cool or whatever, but I-I want to go home. I was going to retire and live with Ravio and I had all these plans. We’re doing no good in some fuck-off timeline when we could be doing things for the people we care about.” 

Twilight locked eyes with Legend, and the two boys stood nose-to-nose for what felt like an eternity. “Get some sleep,” he repeated evenly.

“But-” 

“Get some sleep, Legend.” Twilight stared the young man down, leaving no room for argument. Finally, the veteran relented and slunk off to his room. 

Four had blacked out that night from the pain in his skull. 

He was not having a good time. 

The smith sat up in his bed now, resting his elbows on his knees and trying to calm himself down. Everything around him was so bright and so quiet, he briefly wondered if he was still dreaming. But no, the bedsheets under him and the relentless brightness coming from the window were very uncomfortably, unfortunately real. 

"You all there?" someone asked softly. Four jerked his head up, locking eyes with Hyrule. The traveler had been leaning against the wall across from him with his arms crossed in front of his chest, apparently waiting for him. 

The smith nodded tightly. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm here." He glanced around at the empty room. He and Hyrule were the only two people in either of the adjoining rooms. "Where…where's everyone else?" 

"Out and about." Hyrule shrugged. "I wanted to make sure someone was there when you woke up. You sure you're okay?" 

Four may have been used to staring into boiling water and painfully bright sparks, but he still noticed his friend's sympathetic look. "Fine," he muttered, turning his gaze sharply towards the small window. "I'll be fine. There's just…I don't know. Everyone's being stupid. Everyone." 

"Yeah." Hyrule nodded. "There's a lot of that going around. It's nearly been a week, and we're all so out of it. I did see Time moving around, though. I think he's getting a grip." 

"Mmm." Four hummed, gritting his teeth as another bolt of pain laced its way from the back of his brain to his eyes. 

Hyrule seemed to notice. 

"I wanted to talk to you, actually," the traveler said casually. "There's a cafe just a ways down the street, let's go there. They make a damn good iced tea, you'd like it." 

"Talk. About what, exactly?" Four asked skeptically. 

"Stuff. Listen, I'll pay, okay? Just…I want to talk to you. Deal?" 

The smith hesitated. On the one hand, there wasn't much else for him to do. On the other, none of him liked the way Hyrule was being so vague. "Do they make scones?" 

Hyrule huffed. "Maybe? I didn't check, but it's a cafe, so probably." 

That was the seller. "Fine." Four hopped down from the bed. "Gimme a second to change." 

Five minutes later, they were sitting at the bar in the cafe, each hero cradling a drink and sharing a plate of cranberry-chocolate scones. True to his word, Hyrule had paid for them, and Four honestly couldn't argue with the pastries full of pure joy and the sweet, refreshing teas. Even if he had to talk about the heaviest of topics or the darkest of secrets, this would still be a morning well spent. 

"Sooo…" Hyrule murmured, stirring the ice in his drink lazily. "How have you been holding up?" 

"With what?" The smith mumbled, though he knew full well what his friend was talking about. He was talking about the Shadow. About Wild. But mostly about Sky. 

Still, Hyrule screwed up his face. "I'm trying to be subtle, Four. I'm not good at social interaction. You know what I mean." 

Four shot him a glare, but there wasn't much heat behind it. "You know how I've been holding up. Not well." 

"Yeah. I think that's pretty common." The traveler nodded. "Same for me. But you're smart. Not that everyone else isn't, but you have a specific brand of intelligence. I have a question for you, and a proposition." 

Four carefully kept a straight face, but amethyst curiosity perked up inside his brain. "Go on." 

"It's just…it's weird, isn't it?" Hyrule asked. "I feel like there's something off. I know that no one wants to talk about…any of it, but I really, really need to. None of it adds up. I know we know that the Shadow was telling the truth, but it just feels like there's something missing. I think that we're missing just a few too many puzzle pieces, and the pieces we need are scrambled up with some other hundred different puzzles and so we're just getting angry and sad at an incomplete picture. I don't think we know everything we need to. But I don't know how to get the information." 

Four blinked at his friend. For all his social anxiety, the kid had just described the jumbled-up mess in his brain with perfect clarity. It was a broken picture. "Exactly," he breathed. "Exactly. We're so angry and sad and betrayed about the fact that, uh, that he somehow got cursed, but it's not like he's a god or anything, right? What could he possibly do now that he hasn't already tried, and what could he do then, either?" 

"Yeah!" Hyrule replied. "Everyone's gotten so hung up about Sky's curse that they're forgetting things. I mean, I completely understand where they're coming from and I feel the same way, to an extent. That's a pretty big thing to drop on us all. This is, it's nearly been a week and they've still all forgotten two things that I think are kind of important. First off, this is Sky we're talking about, and I know that's kinda stupid to hear out loud, but he's the best swordsman of all of us, and we all know he cares about everything so much. And we know that he deals with his own problems alone while he helps us with ours. That's just how he is. It makes sense he wouldn't tell us. Second off, we're all fucking human! He's not perfect, we're not perfect, we've all made mistakes. We've all been pushed to our limits and then some, and we all know there's a point when there's just nothing else you can do. Call me insensitive, but I know you've probably fucked something up, and you're doing fine. I've fucked up so much but I'm doing okay. And, like, half of us are cursed with something! I get why he wouldn't have told us. Telling anyone that type of thing can be dangerous! I've lived it! I got cursed by Ganon too, in his last breaths, and I know I've had to be so much more careful now. I couldn't help it. It wasn't my fault, I don't think. But it's just…you tell one guy who you thought you could trust that your blood can resurrect Ganon and suddenly you're being run out of every town you visit." 

Four choked on his drink. "Pardon?" 

Hyrule froze, clearly wanting to rewind time and erase everything from existence. He sighed heavily, pressing his fingertips to his forehead. "Shiiit," he groaned. "Fuck. Please forget it, Four. Don't tell anyone. I can't do the whole thing again, especially right now, okay? I know how to handle it, I know what to do and everything. Nothing is gonna happen, I promise. It's - it's not that I don't trust you, but…" he shrugged, his voice lowering to a mumble. "Thought I could trust him, too, so…" 

"What?" Four shook his head. "No, no, sorry. I wasn't reacting to the curse bit. I, uh, I am sorry that happened to you, but you're clearly still alive and I have no doubt you do know how to take care of yourself. I promise I won't tell anyone. But you get driven out of towns?" His gut roiled with sapphire fury and utter disgust - not at Hyrule, but at the fucking idiots who would dare to keep him away. 

Freak. 

He gripped his glass with both hands, staring down into the depths of it. 

Insane. Dangerous. 

His feet looped around the legs of the barstool. 

Get out of our town. Get away from us. 

"No one should ever have to go through that, least of all you," he growled. Not strong, sweet, smart Hyrule, who could wield his magic with deadly accuracy and awe-inspiring skill. Of all the people he had met, Four never once would've thought that the traveler was forced away just like he had been. 

Four looked over at his friend, who was staring at him with a mix of wonder and shock. "Pray we don't ever get to your Hyrule ever again, because if we do…" he couldn't think of a good enough thing to do. 

"Holy shit, Four." Hyrule blinked at him. "Calm down, I promise it's not a big deal! Thank you, I appreciate the gesture, but I was just trying to make a point, really! I can handle it, I've gotten used to it, it's really not a big deal." 

That's exactly what Four used to say every time he walked home from his trip into town without any of the groceries he needed. His grandfather's furious words came back to him immediately. "Just because you've gotten used to it doesn't mean their behavior is acceptable," he said sternly. "You've saved all of them multiple times - that shouldn't be how they treat their hero." 

Hyrule stared at him for just a moment more before looking down at the bar with a whispered thanks. 

The two heroes sat in silence for a while, but the tension had completely dissipated from between them. It was comfortable, Four decided, to just sit with a friend with scones and tea and sunshine streaming through the windows at your back. 

He dunked the last bit of a pastry in his drink. "Hey, you said you had a question for me. Have I answered it now?" 

Hyrule simply raised one eyebrow. "Oh! Right. Uh, nope, haven't even asked it yet." 

"Oh." Four popped the scone piece into his mouth. "Thought the question was a 'do you blame Sky' thing. 'Kay, whaddya need?" 

The traveler shrugged. "I was just curious about something, since you're probably closest to Sky, timewise. Have you ever even heard of Demise before now? Know anything about who he is? I know I've never heard of him, but let's be completely honest, that means nothing. I just wanted to see how close he actually is to the Ganon we all know." 

The smith stilled for probably a moment too long, wracking his brain for any mention of the villain before a week ago. He tried to dredge up any folktales, mythology, urban legends, anything. 

But nothing came up. The only first time he could ever remember even a whisper of some entity named Demise was the moment Wild identified the Breach of Demise. And something that was big enough to have a gorge of that magnitude named after it? 

Four honestly didn't want to ever meet it, even if it was just a tall tale. 

"Hmm," he muttered. "That's…that's weird. That's fucking interesting, that is. You've brought up a really good point. Even before Ganon became a problem, I think you've all heard of him from legends of some type." He stared at his friend. "I've never heard of Demise in my life." 

Hyrule's eyebrows shot into his curly bangs. "Really?" 

"Yeah. Huh." Four drained the rest of his cup. "You've got me hooked on this now. Guess I know where I'm spending the rest of the day. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day." 

The traveler blinked. "Where?" 

"Library, a couple blocks down from here." He grabbed the last scone from the plate and hopped down from his barstool. "I'll tell you if I find anything, I promise." 

He was out the door before Hyrule could say another word. 

∆∆∆ 

Four jogged down the road, chewing on the pastry he'd taken as he searched for the large building. He'd always loved libraries. It was possible to chalk up his love of knowledge to nothing but how he was raised, but he never really liked to define his love of something solely by one thing. Yes, his grandfather had often dragged him to the town library every week when he was a child. But Four figured that his love for knowledge was just a part of himself. That's just how he was. And places full of all kinds of books that didn't have to be paid for? 

Well, for any broke kid searching for something to read, that sounded pretty much like heaven. 

Even after he'd officially finished his travels and essentially became a member of the upper class, Four preferred to spend his time at the local library, curled up on a chair with a bottle of water and a good book. It just made sense to him. If he wasn't working in the forge or baking some type of pastry or bread product, it was likely that he had run into town and was searching the bin full of new releases. 

It just made sense for him to be in the library, Four would claim. That was one of his safe spaces. It was calm, tranquil, and stuffed full of books. He could think in the library. His mind was quiet when he was in the library. 

it just made sense. 

The smith rounded the corner of a building, finishing off his scone and running towards his destination. The library towered above him, and he nudged one of the oakwood doors open to slip inside. 

The library in this town was fantastic, especially compared to a few that he'd been in before. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of books lined the walls in neat rows. Racks of folders and loose papers covered in notes, research, and information on any subject a student could need lined the walls. Tables were tastefully scattered in the center of rooms, in the corners of hallways, and all around the middle of the main lobby, each one of them equipped with fresh, unmarked paper and ink. 

Four had found the place the first time he'd gone out and explored the town. 

He quietly made his way over to the back of the main lobby. Card catalogs took up an entire back room, and that was exactly where he wanted to start. Within thirty minutes, Four had grabbed a desk in the corner of the lobby and started to look for the call numbers he'd written down. 

He looked through what felt like hundreds of books. Research papers and theses were scattered across his table. Books ranging in size, thickness, and age gradually built up in stacks around him. Eleven o' clock passed him by without a single speck of information. Noon came and went. He searched through everything from dictionaries to fantasy books, trying to find even a hint of the villain called Demise. One o' clock slid past. Shiny new encyclopedias and thin mythology compilations spoke only of the creation of the country of Hyrule and nothing before it. Four was speedwalking through the aisles of encyclopedias and running his fingertips along the spines of the books he passed when two o' clock hit. He groaned inwardly, partially regretting his lack of a proper lunch. 

But like hell was he going to give up, because now he was more than curious. He was confused. 

How does such an important person in history - practically an equivalent to Ganon, for fuck's sake - disappear so completely? He had found various references to Sky, Skyloft, Zelda, several different structures like the Ancient Cistern, as well as Ganon himself, but Demise was nowhere to be found. Nothing, not even mentions of a great evil or anything vague like that. Not a word that would alert anyone to the presence of a Ganon equivalent before Ganon. Nothing! 

That just didn't happen. 

How could Ganon be deleted from history that thoroughly? 

He pulled out another dictionary that he didn't think he'd looked in yet and flipped to the D's. There was nothing there about any ancient mage. Just death and termination and extinction and synonyms, just like every single other book ever, apparently. It made Four want to scream. 

He placed the book back and headed back to the card catalogs. Ten minutes later, he strode to the shelves to load up on another stack of books. He was looking for any keyword at all at this point, and his options were starting to run thin. 

Making his way back to his desk, Four set the books down and grabbed the one at the very top. It was part of a set of encyclopedias, unsurprisingly, but this set was substantially older than the others, with soft yellowed pages and a fraying cover. He'd figured that he would have a much better chance at finding something there than anywhere else, but he couldn't rule anything out. 

He pursed his lips, curled up in his chair, and began to flip to the word he wanted, already thinking of the next keyword he could try. Maybe he should use 'gerudo', in case he was anything like Ganondorf in that way.  

"Hmm," Four hummed to himself as he ran his fingers over the yellowed pages. "Demise. Demise, Demise, Demise, Demise, Demise. Demise." 

He made a little popping sound with his mouth as he found the word and began to actually read the entries. There was demise from a perspective in law, Demise from religion, demise as in death, the normal stuff… 

Four sighed, settling the book against his knees and resting his head on the back of his chair. He was getting nowhere, having given up on any systematic way of looking for what he wanted. He was essentially brute-forcing it at this point, but he wasn't even sure if the library had anything about the man he wanted! He'd found nothing, not even a trace, and it was beginning to get to him. 

The smith skimmed the section one more time. Law, religion, death and synonyms…just like literally everything else. 

But… 

Four shook himself. Nope. Wait. What was that? I didn't catch that the first time? What? How am I so blind? 

The entry included death and law, just like everything else. But it also said 'religion'. Demise from religion. 

Four sat straighter, gathering the book closer. He had yet to see anything mentioned about religion before now. 

That bit of the section was almost disappointingly short. Almost. It had no definite facts, having been written with such uncertain words. It was barely more than a rumor that one would hear on the street. 

But even so, Four read it, his spirits rising to a foolish height. After all, he'd take a rumor over nothing at all. 

It was a simple entry, without much to it. 

Demise (religion, mythology): 

The supposed God of Evil from times long before the kingdom of Hyrule. According to legend, he was slain by the first Chosen Hero of Hylia. Said to have been unstoppable, it was rumored that Hylia herself attempted to stop him and failed. 

Four found himself frozen in his seat, his fingers pale and shaking as he copied the entry onto a blank piece of paper for later. It was almost impossible for him to understand. 

It couldn't be true. It couldn't possibly be true. It was just a rumor in an outdated book. That was all there was to it. There was no way it was true. It was three sentences in one book out of an entire library. 

It wasn't true. Sky hadn't killed a god. 

Right? 

Four pressed his palms to his forehead in an attempt to prevent a steadily growing headache. 

He wanted another opinion. 

No. That wasn't quite it. He needed another opinion. But he couldn't tell any of the heroes. Not yet. Not even Hyrule, as much as it pained him. He had said he'd tell the traveler everything. And he would! He would, he said he would. 

But he had to tell his friend about it all later. He couldn't be certain that the entry was factual. He couldn't be sure how much of the information was intact, if at all. The thing about anything like this was that it was so long ago. The information could have easily been warped or exaggerated or just made up. 

The fact that he'd found one vague entry in an entire library wasn't exactly reassuring either. 

Whatever the case, no one was there, except for Sky, and he wasn't really available at the moment. It wouldn't do at all to feed his friends information that could be fake. He couldn't give any of them false hope. 

He needed something else. Someone else. 

Four sank deeper into his chair, kneading his forehead with his fingertips and trying to think of someone that would want to help. It couldn't be anyone after his own era, and even that was sketchy at best. He needed an eyewitness, or a firsthand account. He needed someone who actually knew what they were talking about. 

The thought came to him almost immediately. Zelda. Sky's Zelda. It made such perfect sense. She would know. She would help. The only problem was that they most likely wouldn't be seeing her again for some time. He needed answers quickly. 

Four sat back up, sweeping a few books aside and checking the time on the wall as he grabbed a pristine sheet of paper from a small rack beside him. Two forty-five. He prayed silently as he wrote, hoping desperately that he'd be able to catch the mailman on time. 

∆∆∆

Dear Miss Zelda, 

I know this is probably pretty unexpected, but I really need to talk to you about something and this is very urgent to me. I should fill you in about what's been happening to us recently. As a preamble, please do not hesitate to correct me if I am even remotely wrong. If there is even a letter out of place, I would appreciate knowing. I want to keep the story as intact and correct as possible. 

We had a run-in with my Sky's shadow, who told us that he had some sort of role in the creation of a curse that created Ganon and made him and the Hero's Spirit reincarnate. Sky confirmed this. I'm ashamed to say that no one acted calmly or correctly. And I am so, so sorry, but you have a right to know that Sky isn't with us right now. There is no easy way to put it. He left in the night. We have no idea where he is. 

Everyone is still riled up about the information we learned and the apparent fact that Sky had a hand in the making of the creature of our nightmares, but I have been looking for information that might help this. It just seems more than a little bit wrong that Sky, of all people, would even think about hurting us. It doesn't add up. 

However, the Shadow said that Sky, instead of fighting Ganon like the rest of us, stood against someone named Demise. We were already aware that he didn't fight Ganon, but no one thought to ask who he did fight before now. Before he left, Sky also confirmed that he did fight Demise. The thing is, we've all assumed that he is or was just like Ganon. 

But no one has bothered to elaborate to us whether this is true or not. 

I found an entry in a singular encyclopedia that may possibly hold some truth to it. Maybe. If you could, I'd appreciate it if you could shed some light on it and tell me what, if anything, is actually true and what has been made up. It states just a few things, all of which seem highly unlikely, and some are too outlandish to not maybe be true. It states that Demise was the God of Evil. It states that he was slain, not just defeated, by the first Chosen Hero of Hylia. It also states that he was otherwise unstoppable, and that Hylia herself tried to defeat him and failed. I am paraphrasing, but I have used some precise word choices from the entry itself. 

Again, I would greatly appreciate it if you could fact check this entry and the entire letter as a whole. I need to get the story set straight and correct. I am, again, so, so sorry about Sky and am praying he is safe. But I do not know. 

Above all, I would like an answer to the biggest question in my mind. 

Who was Demise? 

Many thanks and much love, 

Four 

Chapter Text

Sky was tired. 

It was an undeniable fact that he had not been doing well recently. There was a certain fear around flailing through an endless void and not knowing when he'd exit, where he would end up, or how long he had until another portal dropped him back into the void. Needless to say, it was not the best experience he'd had by far.  

But the cherry on top of the proverbial ice cream came when Sky opened his eyes, only to realize that he was falling. 

Falling through empty space, as he'd done for the past week, was a lot different than falling through the atmosphere, the main difference being that there was no atmosphere. Nothing tugged at his hair and his cape. Nothing pushed at his face as he tumbled around. There was nothing to fall through and nothing at the bottom of the pit that he could hit. There was just a relentless force of gravity that didn't exist, pulling him down and down and down forever. 

That had pretty much been the extent of his life lately. There was nothing but darkness and the occasional harsh drop back into reality that gave him the opportunity for a drink, a bathroom break, and if he was lucky, food. But he was typically dumped rather roughly onto the ground. 

But he'd yet to be dropped into thin air from several hundred meters up. 

He flailed for a millisecond, his senses discombobulated as he tumbled through wispy clouds and blue sky. The wind whipped his hair into his face and howled in an earsplitting shriek past his ears. The shock of actual sensations fucked with him longer than they should've, making him less than proud of the time it took for him to straighten out into a spread-eagle position to control his fall. 

It was strange, he noticed vaguely as he fell to his possible death, to suddenly go from nothing to everything. He felt the wind pull at the skin on his face now, whereas before the wind hadn't existed. His sailcloth hadn't worked at all in the void, he had quickly learned. There was nothing for it to catch on. 

Speaking of his sailcloth, he realized he should probably get it out before he was pushed into the side of a mountain and flattened. As he fumbled with the clasp around his neck, his fingers stiff and confused, he fell through another cloud and got his first glimpse of where he was most likely going to die. 

A massive, crumbling stone bridge sat to his left. Hills and mountains and plains stretched out to infinity on his right. 

And below him sat a giant lake, its smooth water reflecting the sky above. 

The Chosen Hero gave up on his sailcloth, opting to keep his descent more controlled. He had fallen into a lake on his face before. And from this high up? 

He probably wouldn't survive that. 

There was no Loftwing to catch him. No chance he would open his sailcloth in time. There was only one part of his mind that wasn’t screaming incoherently with panic, and it laughed sourly from its safe little hidey-hole. What an utterly ridiculously ironic way for the Hero of the Skies to die. Falling from a height. 

But Sky wasn’t here for no reason. He couldn’t do much, but he could fall. So he did his best to control his breathing. He wasn't sure how deep the water went, and just prayed that it was deep enough to dive in. If it wasn’t… 

There wasn’t much else he could do. 

He lost control for a millisecond before flattening his hands out before him in a dive. He pointed his body straight down, feeling the relentless pull of the wind turn into something more, something stronger. But he couldn't give up his posture, because if he hit the water in any way other than a dive, he'd be nothing more than a grease stain. 

That didn't mean a dive would necessarily save him, but it had more of a chance of not killing him on impact. 

He tucked his head down as the water rushed to meet him. 

The Hero of the Skies dove into the depths of the lake with a splash. 

Water enveloped his form and immediately filled his ears, muffling the sound of his impact. He kept his chin tucked as he dove down, down, down, but in just a couple seconds, his momentum wore off, and he floated gently among the newly formed bubbles and the ghostly bluish-green water. His head spun, and he flexed his throbbing fingers. His arms and legs instinctively began to tread water, keeping him from sinking further or rising too far up. His necklace, the one with the water dragon's scale attached, had escaped from underneath his chainmail, and it floated on its string around his neck, glowing soft and bright. 

It would keep him safe, and he trusted that. He could breathe comfortably, for now. 

It was always the first breath that was the hardest when he was underwater. His instincts always screamed at him to keep his mouth shut, blow air through his nose, and do not drown. It was always a struggle to take that first deep breath underwater, to pry his jaws open and force himself to let go of the breath he was holding. But it got easier over time, and now, he took a deep gasp with barely a thought behind it, trying to steady his heart rate as the dragon scale worked its magic. 

He was alive. His fingers were alight with pain, but he was still alive, and that was enough for now. Now, he needed to think. 

So he just floated. He floated and looked around at his new environment. The surface lay above him. The depths of the lake lay below, and even Sky could not pick out what lay in the darkness under his feet. 

He rolled into a little somersault, just for fun. He missed moving around in the water. He hadn't grown up around much of it, but there was something soothing about being submerged in a substance that was so much heavier than air. He knew some people hated it, but he'd never found much reason to. It was hard to maneuver, yes, but the water cushioned every fall and pushed him to the surface at every chance it could get, until he himself decided to go deeper. 

Sky closed his eyes and let the lake carry him, his head pounding. He should be able to relax. He should be able to relax. 

But his muscles were tense in the midst of the quiet that surrounded him. He had to do something. He couldn't possibly be alone. He had to make sure Hyrule and Wild were okay, since neither of them were the strongest swimmers, and - 

Dammit, he was tired. And he was alone. That was the whole point. That was why he was spending most of his time falling through absolute nothingness. It was because a ny one of us could do better, and isn't that just a punch to the gut? Didn't it just sting to have heard his words, the words he'd never said aloud, tossed back into his own face so maliciously? 

Sky's chest seized at the thought, his breaths coming in gasps. Even now, a week later, it sent a shock through his spine when he heard it in Warrior's voice instead of his own. He watched in a dazed panic as his dragon scale pulsed more rapidly. Its magic would give out soon. 

He needed to get to land to have a panic attack before his lungs actually filled with water and he drowned. 

His body moved on instinct, beginning to paddle with strong strokes towards the shore, which Sky was nothing less than grateful for. He wasn't sure if he could pull himself together enough to make himself move, so he sank into the depths of his mind as muscle memory swam him to the sandy shore in the distance. 

By the time he reached the edge of the lake and felt his feet touch down on waterlogged pebbles, he had come back to himself, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay that way. His body ached at the exercise after doing absolutely nothing for so long. Sky pulled himself from the waves, staggering up the beach a few paces and flopping back down into the sand with his heavy clothes weighing on his back like too many bricks. Water. I need fresh water and food. He'd gotten into a bit of a routine over the past week or so. It felt like a week, but it was becoming hard to keep track, with the portals throwing him from one time to another with absolutely no care for his sleep schedule. Sometimes he would fall and finally reach solid ground and fresh air, only to have it disappear from under him in a minute or so. He'd quickly realized that the best things to do in those few breaths were to drink something, take a piss, and if he had time, get something to eat. He could go on for so much longer without food than without water or a bathroom break, and the Shadow seemed to know that as well. It was intentionally keeping him alive, but never giving him enough time to actually do anything. 

In hindsight, though, it was probably a bad sign that he knew how far he could go without any sustenance. 

…Eh. He'd be fine. 

The hero groaned, every muscle in his body rejecting the idea of movement. The sand was warm, and for just a moment he considered just…staying there. Fuck everything else. Fuck the curse. Fuck his life. Fuck the Shadow. 

He wanted to rest. Couldn't he be allowed that for once? 

"HEY!" someone yelled. He heard footsteps kicking against the loose sand, rapidly growing louder, but he only groaned again. There was the answer to his question, he supposed. Such was his lot in life. 

"Sir!" the voice cried, just a few yards away. "Sir, are you okay?" 

Sky lifted his dripping head reluctantly to see a pair of boots skid to a halt a few feet away. They were very nice boots, like something Zelda might wear. Thick leather was layered over and over, and dark metal shod the toes and heels of the boots. They were clearly stylish, while still being sturdy enough to travel and adventure in - a far cry from some of the extravagant footwear Sky had seen in other eras. He had often found those types of shoes rather ridiculous, but he quite liked these. 

It occurred to him that he was fixating on a pair of boots. That was a problem, most likely. But to be fair, they were an excellent pair of boots. 

The owner of the aforementioned footwear crouched beside him, and Sky craned his neck just a little farther to see the face connected both to the voice and the boots. She was a young woman, maybe a year or two younger than Sky himself, with short, choppy blonde hair and a gleam in her bright eyes - one of them shone green, while the other glowed bright blue. However, the first thing he really took note of was her posture. She was clearly concerned, but her entire body was tense and ready to run if it came down to it. She was reaching one hand out to him in apparent support, but the other subtly rested on the hilt of the sword at her belt - a rather plain sword that had clearly been used, and been used well. It was not there for decoration. If Sky hadn't trained for most of his life and gotten used to being threatened on the road, he never would've spotted it. 

This lady did not mess around, and his respect for her immediately skyrocketed. 

"Hi," he grunted, hoping she'd just get bored and leave him alone. "How're you?" 

She studied his face carefully, her eyes narrowing. "Fine," she told him hesitantly. Sky recognized the lift and accent to her voice. Wild had mimicked it a few times when he was telling stories about his travels. "However, I'm not the one who just fell from the sky. Who are you, and are you alright?" 

Sky wanted to groan yet again. She was not giving this up. "I'll be fiiine," he said, rolling himself onto his back to look at her without getting a crick in his neck. "Don't worry 'bout me, miss, I'll be just fine. Day in the life and all. Name's Sky, I guess. Bit of a traveler of sorts. Nothing much to it." 

The woman's demeanor changed in an instant and she scoffed a incredulous laugh, standing up and drawing her sword. "That's what I thought. I would love to be wrong for just once. Ah well. You aren't very good at this part of the job, are you? I would tell you to get better at it, but I'm afraid you won't ever get a second chance. I am going to squash you like a bug." 

Sky wanted to scream. He'd just been dunked in a lake and now he was in front of someone else who hated him and wanted to crush him. Yup, a day in the life. "You don't want to do that." 

She arched one aristocratic brow, casting a glance around them. "And why, pray tell, would I not want to, given who you are?" 

Who am...A traveler? Sky? Huh? 

With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself to his feet and drew the Master Sword, letting her tip rest against the sand. "I'm tired," he complained. "Why do we have to do this right now?" 

The young woman sneered, readying her own sword. "I don't want another murderer following me around." 

Murderer. Failure. 

Sky stumbled back at the words, which might have saved his neck. The woman's blade sliced the air where he had been a split second before, and adrenaline rushed through Sky's system at the close call. At her next swing, he brought up the Master Sword and caught the blade with his own, brushing her away. His eyesight sharpened, picking out minor movements and the barest of flinches immediately, interpreting them and blocking each upcoming attack almost before it happened. The girl was good, no doubt about it. Really good. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she was confident enough to keep attacking. 

But Sky killed a god. Even against an opponent like this girl, who was fighting with vicious strength and deadly speed, fighting to kill, only half of his mind was actually engaged in the duel. 

Because goddesses above, he was tired. 

For about ten seconds, it was fine. The woman kept striking, but Sky just kept blocking. 

Then Sky went in with a jab of his own. 

Fi erupted in flames and Sky swore viciously, dropping her just in time to dodge the young woman's blade. "You're actually fucking kidding me right now!" he growled. "You are fucking joking!" 

I'm so screwed I'm screwed I'm screwed, he sang silently to himself, trying to think of something. 

But he was tired. 

Sky finally decided to just screw weapons. Screw swords. Screw items, because he wouldn't be able to get them out quick enough anyway. He backflipped away from the woman's next strike, and she stuttered to a halt for just a moment, eyes fixed on the burning-hot handle of the Master Sword. 

Sky decided to try something a bit…unorthodox. It had been so long since he had actually tried it, he wasn’t sure if he remembered how. He decided to think of it as a fun test and not a life-threatening mistake. 

In the woman's moment of confusion, Sky darted in, grabbed her hand and twisted with ease, making her drop the sword. He locked one of his ankles around one of hers and threw her to the sand before she could recover, placing one boot firmly on her abdomen to keep her down. 

Sky was pissed. He was alone, abandoned, and he had spent most of the week falling indefinitely. He was hungry and dehydrated and Hylia above, he was tired. He did not need another fucking person trying to give him divine retribution. He knew what he did wrong and he already felt like absolute shit. Could no one get that? 

The woman stared up at him in utter confusion and terror, panting heavily. "You're not Yiga," she stated. 

Sky blinked, rubbing at one eye. You're fucking kidding. Those are the guys from Wild's Hyrule. "No, I'm not Yiga!" he agreed, nowhere close to regretting the annoyance that laced his tone. "Why would I be fucking Yiga? What? You're over here trying to kill me, and you care whether or not I'm some random-ass assassin?" 

"Yes, I care!" the young woman shot back. "I wouldn't have tried to kill you if I knew you weren't Yiga! Can you hardly blame me? I have never seen you before in my life, you appeared out of thin air and landed in the lake, and then you introduced yourself as a traveler! It isn't terribly hard to assume from there, is it? Why would I try to kill you if you weren't Yiga?" 

Sky opened his mouth to retort, but stopped himself. "You - you don't want to kill me?" 

"No, I don't want to kill you now!" she said. "You're not trying to kill me! Unless you are," she added, her eyes narrowing. "I am on the ground right now." 

"You tried to stab me!" Sky protested. "It was purely self-defense!" His head spun for a second, and he shook himself. 

"You don't look good," the young woman told him. "If you could kindly let me up, I may be able to help." 

"Thanks so much for that observation," Sky grouched, but his vision was darkening around the edges. He stepped back and sat heavily on the sand, trying to get his vision back under control. The woman sat up beside him, crossing her legs neatly and looking out at the lake. She silently held out a waterskin, but Sky frowned at it. 

She laughed softly, taking a swig to show him that she wasn't going to drop dead. "Oh, come on. I won't try to poison you now. Your fighting style is like nothing I've ever seen before, and it's certainly not Yiga. I'm certain there's some explanation for your appearance." 

"Mmm. My fighting style, huh? That's what tipped you off?" Sky gratefully took the waterskin and drank for a moment, relishing the feeling of the cool, refreshing liquid rushing down his throat. "Not the fact I have the literal Master Sword? Because you looked a bit startled at the fact she's with me." 

She smirked. "Yeah. Well, that, too. Speaking of, why do you have it? How? And what on earth happened that burned you?" 

Right on cue, Sky's right hand twinged. He winced, cradling it gently. "Can I…" he mimed pouring the water over his hand. 

"Of course!" She waved him off. "I have many more, and it isn't that hard to get fresh water, especially here." 

"Thanks. Just can't be too sure - uh!" He pulled his singed glove off with his teeth, revealing reddened and irritated skin. "-what's in the lake water." 

"Good call," the young woman said warmly. Her eyes lit up. "That's a good point you make! Stay here!" 

Sky had no real plans of going anywhere else, so he bit his lip and let the water relieve some of the pain from his hand as his new companion ran down closer to the lake. She took out a few small vials from her belt, filling them each with lake water and trotting back up to him. 

"Science?" he guessed. 

She nodded, looking satisfied with herself. "Indeed. How is your hand?" 

"Better." He flexed the digits. "I'll be fine. I've had much worse." 

"I can tell," she noted, her eyes tracing the lightning feathers on his skin. Thankfully, she said nothing, though she was clearly dying to. "So. I would like to know about the sword. How? I hardly believe you can steal it from the Champion. She would not let you run off with her. So why do you have her?" 

Sky laid back, looking up at his namesake. "I…I don't know if I can trust you, and I don't know if you can handle it. I don't even know your name." 

"You make a good point," the young woman admitted. She fiddled with something in her hands. "My name is Zelda." 

Sky felt a smile come to his lips. "Of course it is." I should've guessed. 

"What was that?" Zelda asked. 

"Makes sense," he said louder. "Fi burned me because you're Wild's Zelda. I should've figured." 

"Ah. I suppose. Does this mean you'll tell me who you are and how you're here?" 

"Mm." He shrugged. "If you want." 

"Yes." She grinned at him. "Yes, I do want to know, please." 

Sky had to laugh at her eagerness. "Alright. Name's Sky, but that's just a nickname. I'm the Hero of the Sky. Please don't cut me off, I know you want to," he added. "My real name is Link. I'm a Hero of Courage." He winced. "The first Hero of Courage. I, uh, I've been traveling through time using these portals that appear. That's why I was falling." He bit his lip, debating how to tell her. "I used to be with a bunch of other heroes. You mentioned the Champion. I know him. We call him Wild. Great guy you've got." 

Zelda's eyes went wide. "You know where he is! You've been traveling with him, really?" 

Not anymore. Sky couldn't find it in himself to speak as his new friend searched the lake and the beach for a man who wouldn't appear. 

"Where is he?" she asked, a frown creasing her face. 

"Not here." Sky ran a hand through his hair and looked down at his boots, not wanting to see Zelda's face fall. "I, uh, I'm not with him right now. Or any of them - there's eight heroes, besides me. My own fault, really, there wasn't much I can do now, it's not like they want me around…" he realized he was mumbling, and he cleared his throat. "I'm - you're taking this whole 'time-travel-and-I'm-a-Chosen-Hero-from-the-past' thing really well." 

Zelda shrugged. "You carry the Master Sword. You fell out of the sky. You fight like a demon and you look like Link. I've heard a lot of different stories of ancient heroes, and there were only vague, hard-to-find bits about the Hero of the Skies, all of which have been destroyed along with the castle library, so you wouldn't know those stories. Besides, your tale does, for the most part, match up with the few letters I've gotten from Link. Other than the part about you traveling alone, of course. He hasn't told me anything about that." 

Sky could feel the inquisitive look she sent his way, and it only made him slump more into himself. "This was recent," he said heavily. "It's complicated." 

"Everything's complicated nowadays." Zelda leaned lightly against him for a moment in silent support, then drew back again. "I'm technically one hundred and eighteen." 

Sky shook himself. Of course. Of course she is. Makes sense. "And you trust me with that knowledge?" 

"I suppose. Link trusts you. As far as I know, he's really very fond of you. And if he trusts you, I don't see why I shouldn't." 

She's a Zelda. She's part of the curse, not just the heroes. It's the heroes and the blood of the Goddess and the vessel of Demise's hatred. 

If they all deserved to know, then she does, too. 

"It's my fault," he blurted out before he could realize what he was saying. "It's all my fault. Ganon, your bloodline, the Spirit of the Hero. It's my fault. That's why I'm alone." 

"Excuse me?" Zelda coughed. "Ganon can't possibly be your fault, that's not how that works. You can't possibly blame yourself for Ganon. Those things just happen." 

"No, they don't," Sky insisted. "Maybe that's what it looks like, but it's not true. I…I got cursed, okay?" As soon as he said those few lines, the rest just came rushing out. He told her about his journey, and his home, and Hylia's plan and his own Zelda and her sacrifice, and he told her about Ghirahim and Fi and Demise, and how he'd been millimeters from death when he struck the final lightning-filled blow, and how with his final, aching breaths, Demise had sworn revenge on him and cursed his spirit to reincarnate, following the god's hatred for all time. It felt…strangely relieving to spill it all of his own accord. It didn't feel good, not exactly, but it felt right. Nothing was being forced out of him. No words were put in his mouth. He just talked, and talked, and Zelda simply sat there and let him speak. He wanted to share. He wanted to tell her what was wrong with himself and the world and why her champion had died and why she had to fight the long-forgotten malice of a dead god. She had a right to know, and so he told her. He told her about his house and the Nest and the portals and the Shadow and how everyone had reacted to his deepest, darkest, most devastating secret and how it made so much sense that they did so. He told her about the pain he'd felt leaving and why he had to and how Wild had tried to stop him. Zelda just…sat there quietly through it all, listening with her ears pricked and her eyes focused on his face. She clearly wanted to hear, and Sky thought that was part of the reason it was so easy to talk about something so heavy to her. She listened, and she thought about every word that came out of his mouth. 

It was…nice, just to talk to her. 

When he finished, Sky let his remaining breath go with a sigh, and flopped completely down on the beach. "M'sorry," he whispered, coming back to himself more fully and realizing that he was sitting beside a person who had been directly affected by the curse. His anxiety spiked. He'd just released his darkest secret from its safe vault in his chest with no thought as to any consequences. That shouldn't have been possible for him to do. He should've thought it through, especially considering everything that the other heroes had done. This was worse. Zelda knew so, so much more than any of the Links, and they'd all completely blown up at him - a fair and more than well-deserved reaction. But no, Zelda knew everything. And now that everything sat between them like a huge dark cloud, pressing down on Sky's lungs and making his breaths come short. "M'sorry." He tensed up, already accepting the screams and probable blows that were sure to come. 

Zelda was silent, just staring out at the lake. The silence grew louder. 

"You look a bit starved," she finally stated. "Hungry? I have food." 

"No," Sky said abruptly, completely thrown off. He pushed himself back up on his elbows, his eyes wide. "No, that's not - that's not what you're supposed to say, that's irrelevant. You - you have questions." 

Zelda threw up her hands. "Of course I have questions! I have hundreds of questions about everything you just said! That's just part of my nature, really. But seriously, are you hungry? It's good food, promise. I cook for myself, so I know what I'm talking about. I learnt from the castle cooks and Link! So are you hungry?" 

Sky hesitated, debating with himself. On the one hand, he really just wanted to get the conversation completely over and done with and out of the way, no matter how much it would hurt, but…okay, so perhaps it had been just a few days too many since he'd eaten properly, and maybe he wouldn't physically be able to carry on much longer if he didn't find something to eat, and this was a guaranteed meal, essentially, and Sky would be loath to admit it, but the relentless stabbing pains in his side were very annoying and probably not the best sign. 

"...Yeah," the Skyloftian mumbled, letting himself give in to the promise of food. "Yeah, a bit." 

Minutes later, the two had set up one of Zelda's picnic blankets and were feasting on a wide assortment of snacks, sandwiches, and a premade, carefully packed pasta salad. Everything was as delicious as Zelda had said, and Sky had to force himself to eat slowly or risk getting sick. It was the best food he'd had since he'd left his friends, which wasn't saying much in his circumstances, but it was a really damn good meal. 

Finally, he set his bowl down and looked out once again to the lake, trying to steel himself the best he could for whatever came next. Nerves roiled in his gut, and he clenched the sandy blanket with shaky hands. 

He didn't want to do this again. Not ever again. Not after so little time. 

But it was his own fault, after all. 

Fire flickered at the edge of his vision, and his attention snapped to a small camp of monsters at the very center of the bridge before them. He gritted his teeth. Old memories that had been far too close to the surface for far too long breached the top of his mind once again, full of flaming hair and fearsome smiles and bright, fiery eyes full of pure hatred. 

And Sky hated him, hated him so much, he could see the fucking bastard standing right in front of him, towering so high above and sneering down at him because you're so small and weak so insignificant you're nothing nothing at all you can't defeat me even Hylia couldn't defeat me I am eternal and you are nothing I will squash you like a bug like the pathetic little gnat you are 

Sky felt a soft nudge on his shoulder. He was here. That was nothing more than a monster camp, too far away for either party to do any harm to the other. He was here, with the wind blowing in from the lake and the sand in his hair and a friend beside him. 

Not anymore, his mind whispered back. Just you wait until the yelling starts again. She'll hate you, too. 

Sky shook himself. "What's that bridge?" 

"Hmm?" Zelda looked up from her sandwich and followed his gaze. "That's the Bridge of Hylia. It's so old and it's been through so much. It's been repaired and rebuilt and relocated so many times, I'm not certain where it was originally. There's just so much history around it, it's one of my favorite landmarks in Hyrule." She sighed in contentment. "That's why I'm here. I've been studying it more. So much knowledge in general was lost because of the Calamity. I'm hoping I can restore even a fraction of it." 

"Cool." Sky bobbed his head vaguely. "That's very neat." 

"Thanks." The girl set down her lunch. "Can I ask you something?" 

There it is. Sky winced. "Figured you would, so there's not really a way to say no, is there?" 

"Oh." Zelda was silent for a moment. "Well, I had a question about your…girlfriend? Partner? Your Zelda?" 

"Girlfriend," Sky replied listlessly. 

"Yes. So when you say she is Hylia reincarnated, and the Hero's Spirit reincarnates…" 

The Skyloftian looked over at his new friend in a panic to see her staring at her own tight fists. "You're not Hylia, if that's what you're thinking," he said quickly. "That's only my girlfriend. You just have the blood of the goddess, so you’re her descendant. You are completely separate from the Goddess and any of her endeavors." 

Zelda visibly relaxed. "Oh, thank goodness. I'm sorry, I just had a slight panic there. I, um, I was supposed to have these powers to seal Ganon and it took very extreme lengths to activate them, I would've felt even worse if I just so happened to be the reincarnation of Hylia herself. Thank you. I did have another question, though. Are you planning to marry her?" 

Sky choked on his own spit. "Excuse me?" 

Zelda had the dignity to look surprised at herself. "That was…a bit unnecessarily blunt." 

Sky nodded. "Maybe a little, yeah. But, uh, I don't know. Haven't really thought that far ahead. Hopefully. I think that'd be really…really nice. Why?" 

The young woman was staring at him with wide eyes. "Very good," she told him. " Excellent, even. This is fantastic!" 

Sky scratched the back of his neck. "Okay? Why?" 

"Oh! I was just thinking about my bloodline, and how if I have the 'blood of the goddess' or whatever, then I'm related in some way, shape, or form to your Zelda, and I just think it would be really, really cool if you ended up being my great-great many times removed grandfather or something!" 

Oh. Sky pressed one fist to his mouth, attempting to process what she had just said. "Holy shit," he murmured, falling back onto the picnic blanket. "Holy fuck. Ohhh, that's so weird. You're my fucking granddaughter?" His voice cracked. "Holy…that's wild. That feels so weird, fucking hell. Wait, you said you're a hundred and eighteen?" Zelda snickered, nodding, and he covered his eyes with both palms. "Fuuuuck. You're a century older than me and I'm your fucking grandfather? Even without the century, I'm only a year older than you, what the fuck?" 

"I…I must admit, I didn't think about that," Zelda laughed. "Oh my gosh. That's so weird! Not that I'm not happy to talk to you or anything, but…" 

"I get it," Sky agreed. "I'm the one freaking out about this. What the fuck? Okay. Why not? Let's say I am your ancestor - oh that feels so weird to say. Then what?" 

Zelda shrugged. "Then you're my ancestor and I got to meet a piece of living history! A firsthand account from the creation of Hyrule - and before! And you're my ancestor!" She flopped down beside him. "Good to meet you, I suppose. I'm certainly glad it's you and not someone else." 

"Nice to meet you as well." Sky chuckled. "That's not going to get any easier. This is…fuck! This is great and also really nerve-wracking, I'll admit. Haven't been the best role model so far." 

"That's fine." She shrugged. "I mean, you are only a year older than I am. And what, you broke a chandelier once? I got grounded for a month once because I wanted to see, what was my excuse again? I think I wanted to see the effects of permanent ink on different types of clothing. It just so happened that those clothes belonged to one of my father's advisors," she added with a snicker. "I didn't like her very much." 

And Sky just had to laugh at that. "She probably deserved it." 

"I can't even remember what she did to me anymore! I just know that I hated her for something!" Zelda laughed, too. 

"Okay, then," the Skyloftian wheezed. "Good to know you're a shit ton of trouble. If I'm your ancestor, then I will rest easy knowing my legacy has been passed along through the millennia." 

"Very true." She laughed again, but her expression became more sober. "Listen, um, I did have another question." 

There it is. Sky closed up immediately, sitting up and staring at the patterns on the picnic blanket. "Yeah, I know. Yeah. I'm sorry." 

"I don't think you have to apologize," the scholar said thoughtfully. “Not to me. Not to anyone, really. You did your best, and that’s all anyone can ask of you. You did a lot more than anyone else could ever do. You said Demise was the God of Evil. That’s scary. Terrifying, really. Honestly, though? I find you even scarier. You killed a god. The god. And I don’t think anyone should expect for you to do anything else. They should be expecting less than that. This is one of those accomplishments that you should be shouting from rooftops, you know? That’s amazing.” 

Sky stared at his friend. That's…that's not right. "What?" 

Zelda shrugged. "What? You're just one person." 

"A-and I'm the Hero," Sky hissed back. "That - that doesn't -" 

She just raised one eyebrow. "Is that 'not what I'm supposed to say' or something? Trust me. I've heard it all from myself." 

The Skyloftian couldn't move. She was right, though - this was not how he had expected this to go. 

He wasn't sure whether or not this was how he wanted it to go. Because, at the end of the day, it was still his fault. His opponent didn't matter, because he should've been able to defeat them completely. 

But Zelda scooched over to his side, leaning against him comfortably. "Sky," she ventured, "I just want to be objective about this. You said that the other heroes hate you. You say that they don't trust you. You say that it's all your fault. But...hold on a moment, let me try to logic this out quickly. You said Demise was a god, and I have every reason to believe you. So in that same vein, how can we expect you to clean up everything by yourself? How can we expect you to take on something like that and do everything perfectly?"

His head dropped. "Everyone else was able to." 

"That’s simply not true, and they knew it was possible to win, not to mention they just fought the remnants of your curse," Zelda retorted. "Everyone else had heard of others before them doing the same things. Someone else went first, not knowing what would happen. That's you. And besides, they all had help from their princesses, didn't they?" 

"So did I!" Sky shot to his feet and rounded on the girl, only for her to do the same. "My girlfriend willingly spent thousands of years trapped in a prison that she made for herself just to give me a chance! My best friend used every brain cell he has to create a fucking catapult just to help me do my job! My literal sword helped guide me, she told me what to do and where to go, she's the one who truly sealed the last bits of Demise away! Impa protected my Zelda for me because I was too slow to get to her in time! Without her, everything would've been lost! I had so much help that I didn't deserve and that I shouldn't have needed, okay? They all sacrificed so much, and when it came down to it, I didn't do my job properly. I failed." He spat the word out. "And just look at your world. Clearly you remember it in its heyday. It wouldn't have been destroyed if I just did my job. All these ruins would still be standing. The Guardians would be allies. Wild wouldn't have died." 

Zelda flinched back, just barely regaining her composure in time. "I...Listen, Sky, armies couldn't stop Ganon." 

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" he retorted, too caught up in self-hatred to care anymore. 

"You're just...some guy," Zelda continued, gesturing vaguely to him. "You're not a decorated hero, you weren't a fully fledged knight when you had your adventure, were you? You're not some kind of one-man army." 

Failure failure failure murderer failure you did this

Sky turned away and clenched his fists by his sides, hunching his shoulders. "I should be," he whispered. 

"No, you shouldn't," she told him, her voice full of surprising force. "You're a Hylian teenager who was unlucky enough to be played with by a million different deities. That's it, and that's all you should be talking about." 

You did this your fault failure your fault do your job DO YOUR JOB- 

"ZELDA!" Sky spun on his heel, turning to face her. His jaw clenched. 

She gulped quietly, taking a step back. Her hand drifted to the sword at her waist. 

Her green-and-blue eyes were bright, scared, stubborn, and determined all at the same time, and suddenly he saw the resemblance perfectly. 

It was all from his Zelda. She was his girlfriend's kid, and there was no doubt about that. 

Sky took a deep breath, his knees buckling underneath him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." 

She only hesitated for a moment before walking forward and placing a hand on his shoulder. "It's…it's alright. Please don't apologize. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. If it's any consolation, I know how you feel, to an extent." 

Sky just looked up at her, confused. Impossible. She caught his glance and snorted lightly. "Can I sit again? Is that alright?" 

He shrugged, pulling his legs to his chest. 

The scholar sat back on the beach, and either she didn't notice the sand that got on her boots or she didn't care. Sky could respect that. "Back then, a hundred years ago...we may have had armies and Champions and Divine Beasts, but in the end, it was all going to come down to me and Link. And then I messed up. And I let him die. And I couldn't save them all." She looked away from the bridge, staring at her hands instead. "And oh, Goddess, I can remember it so clearly and I hate it. I see his body every time I close my eyes and I see the guardians that he killed to protect me every time I look around. It's been a hundred years and I can still remember it like it happened a few mere moments ago. If I had just managed to unlock this cursed power I hold sooner, he wouldn't be like this. He'd still be who he used to be. The Champions would be alive. My father would still be alive. Everyone in Hyrule was counting on me and I let every single one of them down." Her hands slammed into the sand. "It was just...so much pressure. Back then, I was training since I was a child, just like Link. But he actually got somewhere with his training. I was just that one useless little girl who was expected to start glowing." She sighed. "By the time I did...it was already too late. I failed them. And I don't know if it was my fault or not, but it feels like my fault. Clearly, I was able to use my power. I just…didn't unlock it in time. And it hurts, it really does. If I'd unlocked it a few hours before I did, we could've won, and that is the indisputable truth." 

Without a second thought, Sky wrapped one arm around Zelda, letting his sailcloth drape around her shoulders. The words that spilled from her mouth were so familiar to him because they were his own words. Too late. Too weak. Failure, failure, failure. But they didn't come from anger. It didn't strike him like the words from the other heroes. She felt the same as he did. 

It was strangely comforting. 

Huh. 

She smiled palely at the gesture, pulling the sailcloth tighter around herself. "Thank you. You know...sometimes I wonder. I look at Link, so happy and free, and so different from how he used to be, and I wonder if dying was the best thing to ever happen to him. That sounds so weird. But back then, he was never truly happy. He was always sturdy, always strong, always there to help me, but he was never happy. He was under just as much pressure as me, and forgetting all of that, without people who remember, let him leave that part of himself behind. And now, he's so different!" She let out a watery chuckle. "It's a good different, definitely. But it makes me look at myself, and my circumstances. Without my father, without Ganon, I can be the quirky, crazy little field researcher that I have always wanted to be. I can set things on fire to see if they explode. I can take things apart and see if I can put them back together again. I can catapult myself halfway across Hyrule and claim that I was taking measurements or something. I get a second chance at life. I'll always miss the Champions and the King, and I'll always regret that I couldn't save everyone, but it's over. We still managed to save some people, otherwise there wouldn't be anyone left! All that we can do now is look forward. We have to take the good with the bad and let it balance out. Yes, we're in bad times, and yes, life isn't fair, but we can still laugh and smile and make others do the same. That's what I try to focus on, more than anything. And…I think that you should focus on that, too. Give it time, and just think about that, okay?" 

Sky fell silent. It was a concept he was familiar with, and something he had felt before, at the end of his adventure, when spikes of gut-wrenching anxiety and terrible, unthinking rage had speared into his chest at every moment. Those had been the days, weeks, months, where he had to stumble blindly through dark hallways with his heart pounding and his mind consumed by a single thought that please please please let her be here, let her be asleep and safe, let her be where she's supposed to be, let her stay, don't make me lose her again, only to knock on a door and have it swing open in an instant, his vision filled with wide, tired blue eyes that clearly hadn't gotten much sleep either. Because every night, he would wake up screaming and panicked, afraid that everything was real and his friends were gone, gone, gone forever and he was alone without them. Every waking moment was filled with sick laughter and red-gold diamonds and wild, flaming hair. He had been inseparable from Zelda and Groose, keeping them both in his line of sight and clutching their hands tightly to be sure that they were real and here and alive. 

But Sky had been just Link then. He had been painfully oblivious to everything he had just done. 

If he had known what Demise had meant…if he had known what he had let happen…

Sky didn't want to think of what his mind would have looked like back then, with the weight of every world on his shoulders. 

"I…I'll think about that," he murmured. "I'll do my best. But I don't think I'll ever really forgive myself. A lot has happened up here for a while." He tapped his knuckles to his temple. "You're a very smart young lady, though. Thank you for listening." 

"Of course." The scholar tipped her head. "Thank you for sharing. It's…it's just nice to know that there are people out there who understand you. Everyone's different, but…thank you." She smiled, her eyes sharpening maniacally for a moment. "Thank you, Grandfather." 

"Oh, fuck off!" Sky laughed, shoving her away and into the sand, and the jovial mood from before came back in a flash. Zelda sputtered indignantly, shaking sand from her choppy blonde locks and trying to push Sky back, but he just dodged. 

Zelda froze, and Sky took the opportunity to hop further away. "Um…" she muttered. 

The Skyloftian frowned, concern flashing through him. "Are you okay?" 

She gestured behind him. "Is that for you?" 

He swung around to see a swirling portal sitting complacently at the edge of the beach, and his heart dropped. It wasn't that he had expected to stay in one place for the rest of his life, and it wasn't that he had expected to stay where he was any longer than a couple hours at most. But…

He just wished he could stay a bit longer. 

Not that life ever gave him what he wanted, of course. 

But there was no point in wasting any time anymore. Sky loped over to where the Master Sword still sat in the sand. 

"Sorry for leaving you," he whispered ruefully to the spirit inside, wiping the blade off and sheathing it. 

He turned towards Zelda, who was still staring at the dark gateway. "I think that's it. I have to go now. It was good to meet you and talk, and thank you so much for the meal. Thanks for everything. Um, yeah. Bye." 

"Wait." Zelda's hand snapped out and grabbed his wrist before he could enter the portal. "Please. I just want…stay safe. For me at the very least. I don't think I'd want anyone else to be one of my ancestors, okay? Stay safe. Stay alive. Please take care of yourself." 

Sky smiled at his friend. "Listen, you've been nothing but kind to me." 

"Except when I tried to kill you." 

"Except when you tried to kill me," he agreed. "Thank you for that. But I have a job to do now. I'm going to do what I can." 

The girl nodded hesitantly, and before Sky could move away, she pulled him into a hug. 

It had been too long since he'd been hugged. 

Sky's eyes stung with sudden tears, and he buried his face in her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Seconds turned into what felt like ages, and he wasn't going to complain. Tension evaporated from his shoulders almost immediately, and for those few blissful moments, nothing mattered except the comforting arms around him. 

The moment was shattered when he felt a tug on his back. 

But he didn't want to let go. 

Zelda was the first to step back. She gave him a watery smile. "It was good to talk to you. You'd better write to me, and be better at it than Link!" 

Sky nodded. "Of course. I'll do my best. It, uh, it's been fun. I haven't known you for long at all, but…yeah." 

"It's weird, isn't it?" the scholar said, hushed. "I've never met you before today and yet…I feel like I've known you forever." 

"Yeah." Sky felt a stab of sorrow. "See you later?" 

"Yeah." Zelda nodded firmly. "Definitely. Don't you dare die." 

"Not planning on it," he promised, looking back to the portal. "I, uh, I guess I have to go now." 

"I guess you do." Zelda laughed. "I'm going to write to Link. Wild. If you're okay with that." 

"Sure." Sky shrugged. "It's, um, completely up to you. Whatever you want. It was really nice meeting you." 

"The same goes for you," the young woman said. "You're stalling." 

Sky supposed he was, but staring up at the dark doorway, he felt a certain reluctance to enter. He didn't want to go back through there. He didn't want to go back to the pitch-black abyss and the absolute nothingness. He wanted to stay where he could see, with the open sky above him and a friend beside him. 

But he had a job to do, after all. Realistically, it made sense that he wouldn't find the Shadow. Hell, Sky knew that it would never let him find it unless they wanted to be found. 

But the answer to this seemed both simple and obvious. He would just keep looking until it gave up and let him have his way. The Shadow may have been patient for millennia, but Sky could outlast his own reflection. 

After all, he was nothing if not stubborn. 

He took a deep breath, knowing it would be the last taste of fresh air he got for a while. 

"Bye." 

Sky stepped through the portal. 

Chapter Text

That morning had dawned grey and rainy, because of course it had. Looking back on it, Wild would think it was the most fitting thing in the world for that day in particular to be rainy. It just made sense, in the grand scheme of things. 

It was a wonder he hadn't thought anything would turn his world upside down that day. 

But there he had been, packing up his equipment as silently as possible as some of the others argued in the other room about where they were going to go. They really had been procrastinating, but as long as they went somewhere, Wild had decided that he really didn't care. 

Four was the only other one in the room with him, and the little hero was a giant ball of nervous energy. For the past few days, he had acted so anxious and out of sorts, unable to sit still and always glancing out the windows of wherever he was. Now, he paced and muttered to himself rapidly. Wild let him be - the few times he had tried to calm the smith, he'd nearly gotten his head bitten off. Legend had tried to touch him once and he still had the teeth marks to show for it. 

It was the day that they were meant to leave town, finally. 

Wild was just a little bit sick of staying in one place. 

He eventually flicked his pack closed, looked over his area one last time to see if he'd missed anything, and began to situate his various belts, quivers, and weaponry on his person when Wind knocked on the wall. 

"Hey guys!" the sailor grinned cheerfully. Four didn't look up, but Wild touched two fingers to his forehead in a casual salute. "You two got mail, you want it now?" 

Four's head jerked up and he stared wildly at the kid. Wild just shrugged, confused. "Sure?" He rarely ever got mail, and he only ever got anything after he sent something first. 

The thing was, he hadn't sent a letter in weeks. 

But that was his name written in a scrawl that looked like an attempt at neatness. The poor sender failed miserably on that front, but that still definitely said "Link", with "Wild" in parentheses beside it. 

He didn't need anything more than that to tell who it was from, because only one person knew his nickname and only one person's handwriting was that poor. But he hadn't written to Zelda in ages. It made no sense. 

Four snatched the other letter from the sailor with unnecessary aggression, and Wild took his own letter as if it was a bomb, which it very well could be. As Wind looked on curiously, he carefully tore the envelope open, partially dreading what was inside. 

Dear Link (Wild, I think that's what your friends call you, right?) 

You and your friends have all proven to be ignorant, hotheaded, rash little demons that - 

You know what? No. I'll make an exception this time. 

You're full of shit, all of you. Fuck you. 

Wild blinked. Was that the most interesting thing he had ever read? Certainly. Zelda never swore. She had told him once, point-blank, that she hated it and considered it to be a part of her moral code that she didn't swear. 

That meant that something was really wrong. 

I met your friend. Sky.

Ah. So that's why. 

Wild roughly swallowed back the bile that steadily rose in his throat. 

He told me a lot. I think he told me everything. 

Yes, he was cursed, but when your friend is inches from death and conducting lightning with his sword and managing to kill the God of Evil, especially after fighting a few hundred enemies and a demon sword, you should realize that it wasn't remotely his fault. It was Demise's because he was a sore loser and, again, the God of Evil. What did we fight, a malice spider-pig? That is a mere fragment of Demise's hatred for Sky. Think of what he went through. 

I never blamed you for your death. You did everything you possibly could, and you helped me awaken my powers. Please do everything in your power to apply the same logic to this situation, please and thank you. 

Your friend misses you a lot, and he's not doing very well with anything right now. I believe he's planning to outlast the Shadow and as such, find it. He is being run ragged. Find him as soon as possible. He can handle a lot, but he is still human. 

I may not be able to do much about the rest of your troupe, but please do your best to knock some sense into the rest of them as well. Next time I see you, you will be getting hit, and that is a certainty. You did try to stop him, though, and for that I thank you. 

Still, you will not be able to avoid me. 

Find him. 

I hope you are doing well. 

Cheers, 

Zelda 

Wild liked to pride himself as being difficult to catch off guard. After all, all he knew was the outdoors, and when living as a traveler, he had to be ready for anything. He was always quick to shake himself from shock, always ready to grab whatever he needed. 

The past few weeks had proven to him that he was not nearly as unshakable as he had thought. 

He forced himself to read his letter again. There was no way that it wasn't sent by Zelda - he recognized her distinct handwriting as easily as breathing. He hadn't told her anything about their recent problems with Sky, and yet she knew everything about it. 

Which meant it was real. 

Wild didn't want it to be. 

He looked over at Four, wanting to at least see the smith smile at whatever news he got from home, but he grew paler than ever as the Champion watched. He was scanning his own paper with wide eyes, and Wild couldn't help but notice that his fingers were shaking. 

The smith's head snapped up and locked eyes with Wild, clearly seeking comfort as well and not finding it. The two boys, wearing mirroring expressions of pain, shock, and horror, locked eyes for a few seconds too long, and Wild would've thought it was funny when they broke eye contact at the same time and turned away with an unspoken agreement to not ask about the news of the other. Yes, he would've found it funny, if not for the letter that he squeezed in one hand until his fingers were numb. 

And for the life of him, he couldn't understand what would make the smith so shaky. 

But before he could think too hard, one of his fingernails dug into his palm and he was snapped back to the horrible, much more pressing problem at hand. They were the same problems that had been plaguing him all week, but he still had no answers. If anything, he had more questions than ever. 

And for one traitorous moment, Wild wondered if it would've been easier to hate Sky than to know what happened to him and how fucked up it really was that they pushed him away. 

Gods. Goddess fucking dammit. He couldn't deal with this properly. He just… 

It was all so stupid. It was so idiotic to be angry about Demise, just in general. He just missed Sky. He just wanted his friend back. Was that too much to ask? 

(Apparently so, huh? Sky had left him, after all. He had willingly left, and that just stung a little bit too much.)  

One phrase stuck with him, though. Zelda mentioned that Sky had been conducting lightning with his sword. Wild’s mind flashed to the brutal scarring he had once seen on his friend’s arm, and his jaw clenched. Of course. Of course he had gotten those scars from Demise. Why not? Why fucking not? Sure. 

He blinked back a few wayward tears, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to walk to the door. His hand rested on the doorknob, but as he pulled it open, Twilight grunted at him, effectively stopping all chatter. 

"Ay!" the rancher called. "Where are you going?" 

"Out," Wild replied listlessly, too tired to care much about the fact that he didn't know where he was going. "It's fine." 

"Are you at least packed?" Twilight persisted. 

"Sure." Maybe it was a bit rude to walk out while the Ordonian was trying to ask him questions, but maybe Wild couldn't bring himself to care if he hurt his feelings a little. So he let the door swing closed as he walked down the steps that led to the main area of the inn. 

It had been a week and three days since Sky had left. 

And Wild was just so tired. 

∆∆∆ 

Warrior regretted a lot of things. 

There were a lot of things that he wished he had never done. Some had been unavoidable (visions of his comrades, his soldiers, his friends raising their weapons and turning on their own allies flashed through his mind). 

But he still wished he had never done it. 

Some things had been unavoidable (or he told himself that. Anything to help him sleep at night. Warrior shoved that thought away quickly). But some things were completely his fault. 

It was a hard pill to swallow. 

(“Hard” was an understatement. Sometimes, late at night, Warrior could feel his own throat closing up, and he always clawed at his own neck, muffling his own whimpers and taking as many desperate sips of air as he could. But no one could know, because it would break them all more. 

He couldn’t do that to them. He’d already done enough.) 

When Wild had stormed out of the room, he had been startled. So had everyone else, but he should’ve said something. Done something. And yet Warrior hadn’t done shit. 

He wasn’t sure he knew how to, after yelling at the cook for the past few days. 

(Another regret to add to the tally. But there wasn’t much he could do about it.) 

But Wild worried him. Maybe it was the look on his face that made him worry. He had only gotten a brief glimpse of him, but that had been enough. The kid looked reserved. Dull. Empty, drained, and oh so tired. 

Probably tired of their bullshit. 

Because that’s what it was. Pure and utter bullshit. Warrior knew that. He didn’t know what drove him to condemn Sky so harshly recently. He wasn’t sure why he was trying so desperately to defend himself, and his own actions. He wasn’t sure if he was trying to justify it to himself or everyone else. 

But it was all still bullshit, and he knew it wasn’t good. He did it anyway, to his eternal disappointment. The words just spewed from his lips, unbidden, as blue eyes flashed with anger and filled with tears. 

It was all bullshit. And Wild had been the one it had all been targeted at. He was the one who had to deal with it. 

As soon as the door slammed, Warrior was on his feet and about to follow, only to bump into a glaring Time. The man was definitely doing better than a week ago, recently. He was actually aware of things, and he was moving and talking and in touch with reality. 

“Where are you going?” the man questioned. 

“I’m not going to fight him,” Warrior promised quickly. “I’ll be careful.” 

Time’s frown only deepened. “He needs space, Wars.” 

The captain gritted his teeth. “Yeah, and he doesn’t need you to protect him.” Time flinched back for a moment, and Warrior knew his words hit their mark. He pushed past the guy, leaving him - as well as the other heroes in the room - speechless. 

(He knew he was going to regret that later, when he was tucked into his bedroll and listening to Legend hum a soft melody in time with the crackling of the fire. He was going to regret using the words that had been honed into thorns after years of diplomacy and politics. But at that moment, he just needed to talk to the Champion. That was it.) 

Warrior was purposefully loud as he walked down the stairs, hoping to not surprise the kid. Wild had found himself an out-of-the-way table in the lobby of the inn, and as he caught sight of Warrior, he just folded further into himself, his expression growing darker. 

The captain was not shaken in the slightest. He just pulled up a chair and sat on the other side of the cook. 

“I don’t want to talk to you,” Wild said abruptly. 

Warrior pushed down all the nameless emotions that rose in his throat and shrugged nonchalantly. “Okay.” 

“Go away.” 

“No.” 

“Why not?” Wild sneered. “I don’t want to talk to you.” 

Warrior let a faint smirk grace his lips, but only for a moment. “Yeah, I got that bit.” 

“So leave.” 

“No.” 

Wild took a sharp, short-tempered breath. "I-I don't see how you don't get this," he snapped. "Do I have to spell it out? I don't want to fight about Sky right now." 

"Okay. Neither do I," Warrior said lightly, leaning back in his chair. "C'mon, man, you freaked out Twi just now. I just wanted to make sure you're okay." 

The Champion's eyes flashed dangerously for a moment. "I'm fine," he bit out. "Goddess, why won't anyone believe me, I'm not fragile, I won't break, fuck off. Treat me normal already." He snapped his mouth shut suddenly, his eyesight focused completely on the wall next to Warrior. 

Oh. 

Oh. 

Well, shit. 

Everything clicked into place. Wild was angry at everyone about a lot of things. And one of those things was the fact that they had been treating him wrong, hadn't they? Warrior wanted to deny it, but they had all been walking on eggshells around him, as if one wrong move would cause him to crack and break and fall limply to the ground. 

But it wasn't going to happen. Just because they had only now learned that the Champion had died didn't mean he was freshly resurrected. He would've broken long ago if he was going to. 

So Warrior kept his posture relaxed and leaned back further, kicking his feet up on the table and ignoring the look he got from the innkeeper. He'd pay the man healthily later for it, anyway. "Eh. If you were Hyrule, I'd be down here asking what's wrong, too. But you're so special, eh? Guess a captain can only care about one soldier then," he ribbed, keeping his voice light and playful and praying for the kid to relax just a little. 

Wild’s frown deepened, but his shoulders dropped a few increments. “Not a soldier,” he muttered. 

Warrior shrugged. “True. But you’re my friend.” Is he really, anymore? Have I fucked that up? 

“Hmm.” Wild’s frown stayed stuck on his face. “So what do you want?” 

“Honesty.” Warrior shrugged, leaning back a little more. “I want to know if you’re okay.” 

“You’re gonna fall if you keep tilting,” the cook observed cooly. 

“Nah. I’m good.” Warrior grinned, tipping a little bit more just for the hell of it. Was he being cocky? Yeah. But if it diffused the tension even a little bit, then he’d keep doing it. “But are you okay?” 

“I’m fine.” 

Sure. Warrior definitely believed that. “Okay. We’ve - I’ve been giving you a lot of shit.” 

“Yeah, you have,” Wild snapped. 

“I regret it.” Warrior didn’t like to admit weakness. But this wasn’t a meeting. He wasn’t negotiating anything. He was just talking with Wild. And Wild wasn’t an enemy. “It’s not a good thing, but it is a defense mechanism. I’m trying to stop it. It’s not working. And that’s not an excuse, but I just thought you should know. You don’t deserve it.” 

“Hm.” Wild stood up, walking quickly around the table and behind Warrior’s chair. The captain didn’t move. He felt hands grip the back of his chair, and he tensed, but Wild just pulled his feet off their table and put all four legs of his chair back on the ground. He didn’t make him fall, though Warrior thought it would have been well-deserved. 

Huh. 

The Champion cleared his throat awkwardly. “You were gonna fall. Anyway, uh…yeah. Should probably get back to the others, right? For what it’s worth, um…I don’t forgive you. Not yet. Not Legend either. But I, uh, get that. The defense thing. If you try to stop, I’ll stop, too. Yeah?” 

Warrior lit up. It wasn’t forgiveness. It was a long way from forgiveness. But it was something. “Yeah. Yeah, sounds like a plan.” 

Wild nodded quickly and turned towards the stairs, but looked back. “By the way? I still don’t agree with you. About Sky. I’m right, and I know I am. I just…I understand you, but I don’t at the same time. And, I mean…” he hesitated, then swallowed harshly. “It’s Sky, you know?” 

He didn’t wait for Warrior to answer. He just walked back upstairs. 

And for the second time, Warrior didn’t say shit. Because, honestly? 

Wild probably was right. 

And maybe Warrior wasn’t as angry at the Skyloftian as he thought. But he wasn’t sure. 

Emotions were way too confusing. 

His throat was beginning to close up again. He just dropped several rupees onto the table and followed the cook. 

They all needed to get back on the road again. 

∆∆∆ 

Four generally enjoyed being right. It was a mark of honor for him, and he just really liked the feeling of it. He liked knowing things, and being able to fix whatever was wrong. Something bright and amethyst and proud seemed to leak into his bloodstream with every right answer, making his back straighten and his smile a little bit more genuine. Being right was usually a distinct pleasure for him. 

Usually. 

Because there were times when he wanted to be dead wrong. There were times when he hated the conclusion that he had drawn, and those were the times when he prayed he had missed something, or followed a red herring, or just picked the wrong answer out of a few perfectly valid others. Those times were few and far between, and even more scarce were the times when he was wrong about something that he hated could have been true. 

The letter that rested in his hands should've been one of those times. It should have, because that was what Four wanted. He wanted to open the letter and be faced with a few lines that laughed at him and a couple that reassured him and several paragraphs that explained to him why his conclusion was faulty and how folktales worked and that they were rarely ever true. 

Four had begged to be wrong, because he was scared. He could admit that. The moment he saw the letter in Wind's hand, a fresh bolt of fear had struck him, and for barely a moment, he had wondered if he wanted to read it at all. 

But he had grabbed it, and he had read it. 

He hadn't wanted it to be true. 

Golden Three above, he hadn't wanted it to be true. 

But there the words sat, clear as day on the page, confirming everything he hoped for and despised in shaky lettering. 

Dear Four, 

This is…this is hard to process. I'm glad to know you're all okay, though. I'm just I don't know what to do I can't do anything My fault 

Everything you said was correct. 

And I don't know how you learned, and I don't understand how everything is so right, but it is. Sky fought Demise. Demise was the God of Evil. Was. He's dead now. Sky did kill him. I couldn't Hylia couldn't. I don't know what you expected. I'm not going to coddle you about this. That's not how I approach things. You're right. About everything. 

This is hard to understand, and I don't know how to feel. It makes sense that he would leave. I can't do anything and it is fucking killing me. But please, please keep him safe. Before you all left, he promised me that he'd be okay. Please help him keep to that. 

He keeps his promises. Help him keep this one. 

I hope this helped. 

Love, Zelda 

Four collapsed onto the bed beside him, rereading the letter again and tracing the tear stains on the crinkled page with one calloused finger. All of the tension and worry seeped out of him, leaving him feeling empty and dull. He would have cried. 

But he couldn't. 

His eyes swept over the ink on the letter. Each word was clearly chosen with painstakingly careful thought and made the text feel intentionally guarded, but Four felt a stab of guilt and pain when he looked at the paper itself. 

The crinkles and little dried circles of discolouration were self-evident enough. 

Zelda was hurting. 

And it was his fault that she was in so much pain. He was the one who told her. He was the one who- 

Enough. He shut down that train of thought before he could spiral too far. Everyone has been playing the blame game with themselves. It's not the time. She would find out anyway. It's Shadow's fault, if anything. 

And that was just another thing to add to his plate. Shadow. His Shadow. Hurting his Sky. His predecessor. His hero. 

He had been doing his very best to ignore the fact that his Shadow was the one to hurt his family so much. 

It didn't make sense. He didn't want it to make sense. 

Why? Why? Why would they do this? his thoughts murmured in a jagged, tortured rythmn. Why? Why? Why? Why the fuck would they do this? 

But he knew why. 

He already knew why, and that's what hurt the most. That was the thing that made him gasp like he had been shot every time he thought of it. Shadow had already explained. 

They were tired. They had lost too much. They had seen too much. 

They wanted to finally fall asleep and they couldn't. 

And they blamed Sky. Just like the rest of the heroes. His Shadow blamed Sky because after thousands of years, it made sense to do so. Hell, after two seconds, it made sense to do so, and the reminder made Four flinch. 

But it wasn't Sky's fault. It was never Sky's fault when Demise was the one who had cursed him. 

But Demise was dead. Sky had killed him, and he wasn't coming back. 

Revenge was the name of the Shadow's game, and Four understood that. But thousands of lifetime's worth of pent-up rage and bitterness couldn't be taken out on a dead man. 

It could be taken out on the victim, though. 

Four wanted to believe that he knew his Shadow well enough to be correct. The logic was flawed, but he wanted to believe he was right. And yet, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone… 

Four didn't actually know if he knew his Shadow anymore. 

The twisted, fucked-up, bitter, manic version of his best friend wasn't his best friend anymore. 

Shadow had never scared him before. 

It was a novel experience, and one he wished he never needed to have. 

Shut the fuck up, he hissed silently. He wasn't thinking properly. He needed to focus on Sky, not his fucked-up relationship with his dead, immortal, vengeful shadow from another world. 

Four was certain that he would top any competition about who had loved the weirdest person. 

And it really wasn't the time to make jokes. 

Wild had stormed out of the room a while ago, thankfully, but that just meant that the smith was left alone with his steadily darkening thoughts, which wasn't really a good thing for anyone. Just as the realization crossed his mind, though, Hyrule quietly knocked on the wall. Four just sank in on himself further, and the traveler seemed to notice, because the smith heard footsteps before the bed sank unevenly to his left. 

"You okay?" the traveler asked softly. He was the only one Four would talk to the past few days, if only because he didn't have to hide anything. 

But now, Four didn't even have the energy to grunt. He just pulled out the encyclopedia entry and a copy of his letter to Zelda from his pocket and shoved the papers at his friend, along with Zelda's crinkled letter. 

He heard the exact moment Hyrule understood. His companion sucked in a sharp breath and made a soft whimper at the back of his throat, and Four pressed his palms to his eyes until tiny starbursts blinked in and out of existence in the blackness behind his eyelids. 

"Oh," the traveler whispered. 

"Yeah," the smithy agreed bleakly. " Oh. Fucking god-killer. Have you done that? I haven't done that. I doubt anyone else has. I guess I know why none of us know who Demise is, now." He huffed a dry, stressed laugh. 

"Yeah." Hyrule gently grabbed his wrist and pulled his hand from his eye. "Careful. We still need you. Now what?" 

Now what? 

Four froze. Now what? What was there to do? How could they possibly fucking do anything? What was there to do at all? What could he possibly do to fix this? 

The answer was simple enough. Nothing. There was nothing he could possibly do to fix this. He didn't know where Sky was. It didn't matter whether or not everyone else was regretting their absolutely shit behavior. Because even if they did, even if they missed him, which he was pretty sure, deep down, they did, they couldn't find Sky. It wasn't going to happen. 

So now what? 

He didn't fucking know. 

"Maybe you should tell everyone else," Hyrule whispered. 

"No," Four said immediately. "No. I can't. It won't work. That'll tear us apart even more." 

"How so?" 

"Guilt." 

"...oh. So we just keep it a secret?" 

"For now. Yeah. I guess. I don't know. Let's just get on the road." Four sighed.

He was just so tired.   

Chapter Text

They were on the road again. 

Of course they were. They were heroes. They moved from place to place, town to village to city, plains to forests to lakes, always moving, never stopping. They adventured to the corners of Hyrule and beyond, searching for problems to solve. They were heroes. That was how they worked. 

Four had been using that excuse more and more often recently. We're heroes, he told himself, as if it made anything better. We're heroes, and that's why we do this or that. That's why we react to things like we do. That's why we don't back down from fights and that's why we feel the need to save everyone even though we never will. 

We're heroes. 

And that still made nothing better. 

He tried not to be bitter, he really did, but it was strange, looking at the other Links and watching them dance around the subject of their lost teammate while talking, or joking, or fighting. Sentences were stumbled over regularly as someone had to bite back the word "nine", only to replace it with "eight" as everyone cast nervous glances at the painfully fake smile on Wild's face, or Warrior's passive mask that nearly covered a grimace, or Legend's stony, unresponsive expression. 

Legend. 

That was another strange thing. 

The veteran had begun acting like his old self again, snapping witty jabs at Warrior and grinning brightly as he torched bokoblins. But it was in the quiet moments during dinner, under the stars, in the very early morning when it was darker than ever before as the world waited for the sun to welcome everyone back to waking that Four noticed…things. It was in the way his friend's eyes darkened, leaving nothing but hollow pits. It was in the way he curled up, cradling his head as if he was preparing to take a blow and not fight back. 

Four didn't understand it. 

But he knew that in daylight, surrounded by the Links, he was bright and lively and guarded, of course, but he always was, so there was no difference. 

It was only when he thought no one was watching that the veteran became a shell of whatever the world knew him as. 

Some nights, Four would fiddle with the edges of the paper in his pocket and wonder if it would help to tell Legend what had truly happened to Sky. He wondered if it would make it better to say "it's alright. It wasn't anyone's fault. Sky is just Sky. That's all." 

Because it couldn't get much worse. 

Then he would have to remind himself that it could get worse. It could and would get so much worse. Because now, at least people were pretending to hold it together. Maybe that was unhealthy, and maybe that was a bad thing to be grateful for. But he knew he was grateful for it. 

He had enough in his own head to deal with. 

Loud azure thoughts often clashed with fuzzy clouds of ruby, only to be shot through with amethyst and jade that twined together in similar yet so conflicting shades that fought and buzzed and scratched and tore each other apart. 

It was more than just exhausting to try and hold himself together. Four didn't want to even attempt to patch up whatever bitter brokenness their traveling group had become. 

And with every passing day, he felt it get worse. 

There were some secrets that had to be shared, and those were often the ones that he should never tell. 

He could feel every nerve under his skin fraying at his own helplessness as he watched Wild growl at whoever drew within a few yards, only being reined in by Time's quiet voice and quick reminders. He had to grit his teeth when boiling tension grew between every single hero, stifling and smoky and absolutely insufferable. He caught himself fingering the creases of the papers in his pocket, snapping back to himself in time to notice his gaze drifting longingly out into the trees. The wilderness called to him temptingly, as if he could find Sky and bring him back if he only tried.

Hyrule had stopped exploring as much. Four could occasionally see the traveler straying towards the edges of the group and near to the roadside, likely more out of habit than anything, only to shake himself and veer back to the center of the path, hurriedly striking up a conversation with whoever was nearby. It was like the traveler was afraid that if he stepped too far away from the rest of the group, he might never come back. 

He hadn't been able to talk to his friend recently. He should. 

But there wasn't anything to talk about. Not really. There was nothing new. 

They both wanted to find Sky so badly, and Four knew how obvious it was if someone were to just take a second and look at the pair of them. It counted as both a blessing and a curse, then, that both of them seemed to be overlooked more often than not. Logically, Four knew it was better to be in the background, offering his two cents where he could and letting everyone else talk and argue. Better for his secret, better for himself. But sometimes…sometimes it just made him want to scream. 

"Here I am! There is something wrong with me! Notice it, for Farore's sake!" 

The cry sat on the very tip of his tongue, tantalizing and excitable, but he swallowed it back down every time, shoving his fists into his pockets and curling them until his nails bit into his own skin. 

Because he couldn't. 

He knew he couldn't, and that was why he couldn't tell the others what Sky had truly managed to do. It was pure torture, physically and mentally, to be unable to step in while his brother was somewhere out there, slighted and betrayed and alone, and the possibility of him getting hurt was much too big and much too worrying. 

No, it wasn't worrying. That was the wrong word. 

As much as Four hated to admit it, it was scary. 

But it wasn't like he could do shit about it. 

The eight Links had been at a loss when they had first left the village. They just needed to go somewhere, anywhere. But it seemed like everyone had forgotten why they were in some random period of time, missing a brother and close to tearing each other apart. 

Their problem had been solved pretty quickly when they watched a bokoblin leap through a portal in the trees. All they had to do was follow it. 

They fell into their old, familiar routine quickly, every single one of them heaving a sigh and muttering a thank fuck for the distraction from their thoughts. That's exactly what it was - all they were doing was chasing monsters through time, hoping to keep them from hurting others. It was a distraction. If Four didn't know any better, he would've thought that maybe someone wanted to keep them out of the way. 

Of course, he did know better, which is why he understood that it wasn't that someone might have been trying to keep them too distracted to go after Sky. The Shadow was definitely trying to distract them. And it was working. 

Jumping through portals had always been…demanding for Four. It seemed to tear at the already-fraying threads that held his mind together. Now, it just made him want to curl up and hide. He recognized that magic, and he wanted to kick himself for ignoring it. Yes, it was warped and tainted by resentment and millennia-old pain, but if that wasn't his Shadow's magic, Four would gladly eat his socks. It was that simple. And goddessdammit, he hated himself for it. He should've said something. He should've done something. He should have realized it. 

But no, he had ignored it. 

And now he couldn’t. Because now he knew what happened to his shade, and the knowledge kept fucking stabbing at his insides. 

But there wasn’t anything that he could do about it. It was just like how there wasn’t anything he could do about knowing that Sky was out there alone somewhere, believing that he was the worst of all of them. 

Four was a hero. He didn’t like inaction. He didn’t like helplessness. 

But there was nothing he could do about it. So he just followed everyone else. He stayed quiet and solemn and hung at the back of the group where Sky would normally be strolling, chattering and pointing out the different birds of insects or plants that he found noteworthy. The Skyloftian didn't notice things scientifically. He just saw the beautiful ones, the unique ones, the strange ones. He pointed out their imperfections and then praised them for it. 

Four missed him. 

As they walked along paths and through trees and across rivers, he often found himself wondering why they were traveling. What was there to do? 

If they weren't going after Sky, what was the point? 

The others felt the same. He could tell, even if they didn't say it out loud. It was obvious in the way they talked, spoke, and acted. It was in the slope of their shoulders and the little divots that were forming between their eyebrows. Everyone was wondering, somewhere in their minds, why they kept going. 

But no one knew the answer. They were all rats running through the maze, slowly being burned out of it without knowing which way to go. They all wandered in the same dark, smoky halls, disoriented and confused and completely aware of the eyes on the other side of the glass that watched them struggle to find their way. But if they didn't know where to go, they couldn't do anything about it. 

And they'd either find the right path to escape into the waiting hands of their captors, or they'd go up in flames because of their own inability to see the big picture. 

Four saw the big picture. So did Hyrule. 

But if anyone else did, then they'd fall apart anyway. They'd never make it out, because they'd be too busy looking for the fire. 

Four knew he couldn't do that to them. They had to find the way out on their own or not at all. 

So he kept his mouth shut. 

Was it killing him? Yeah. It was. But goddessdammit, he kept his mouth shut. He had already lost one brother. 

He was not about to lose the rest of them, too. 

It was strange, really. Four was no stranger to grief. He didn't think that any of his companions were. But grief and loss were two different things. Yes, they often went hand in hand, but that didn't make them synonymous. It was a different feeling than mourning a death, to know that the person (people) you miss is still out there somewhere. It hurt more, and for longer, even though the emptiness in his chest would never really go away. Not really. But Sky's disappearance still felt fresh and raw, because Four knew he was out there. He was still alive. But it hurt to know, because that meant that he was making the decision not to come back. 

Four didn't blame him. He couldn't. 

It still hurt, though.  

Four couldn't blame him for that, either. 

But it was…nice, in a way, to go back to their roots. They wandered aimlessly, hopping from village to village, clearing monsters and saving travelers. It was what they had done before everything. Every single one of the heroes had started their adventures because they wished to help someone in some way. That was how they all started out. They saved those who could not save themselves. This was their beginning. Their origins. 

Sometimes Four wondered if their hearts were too big for their own good. 

So there wasn't much talk of Shadows. Not much talk about Sky. The eight of them travelled and found people in danger and saved them. They found monsters that terrorized towns and got rid of them, just like before. 

Before. 

Four could have laughed. Ah, yes, how simple life was before…before what? Before he got zapped into another time? Before he learned his best friend was still alive? Before his brother left him and he learned the truth of what happened during his adventure? 

The papers - his encyclopedia entry and Zelda's letter - were burning a hole in his pocket. They were an uncomfortable weight, because he knew what they contained. He knew what truths they held. 

And no one else did. 

His fingers often slipped into his pocket and fiddled with the folded documents, as if reminding him that they were still there. Still secret. Still only his. 

And Hyrule's, he supposed.

But Hyrule wouldn't say anything either. 

It was funny how much he trusted the traveler, when all this was happening. But really, why couldn't he just- 

“Four? Bud? You there?” 

“Heh?” Four recoiled, blinking fiercely as Legend waved his hand in front of his face. He rolled his neck and shook himself a little, curling and uncurling his fingers and toes to help them regain their feeling. “Hi. Yeah. What?” 

Warrior clicked his tongue, and Four’s attention swung over to where the captain was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. The smith felt his mouth turn up in the beginnings of a sneer and a biting retort about mental health and how perfect the captain was settling on his tongue, but then he clocked the kindness in the man’s - his friend’s - gaze. There was no malice or sick satisfaction in his eyes, just warm understanding with a hint of worry. 

Four’s gaze dropped as he swallowed back his words, mentally kicking himself. He was acting way too irrationally. He was too high-strung, they all were. It was the Captain he was talking about. Not some rich idiot from Hyrule Town. Warrior knew what he was doing, and Four knew he had experience with mental issues. He knew that. Warrior was grounding him, pulling him the rest of the way out of his head and keeping him steady. 

Warrior wasn’t even from his Hyrule. He was just Warrior. 

Hyrule nudged his shoulder, and Four grabbed onto his hand, real and warm and calloused, as the fuzz cleared from his head. There he was. He was here, with Hyrule to one side of him and a worried Legend in front of him. The other Links had strewn themselves around in a vague semblance of a circle, looking like they had been having a discussion. 

Now all seven pairs of eyes were firmly fixed on him. 

Right. Okay. 

“Did you hear Twi?” the traveler asked quietly. He clearly hadn’t registered it yet, why Four had nearly snapped at Warrior, but that was okay. Hyrule’s voice was soft, and if it were almost anyone else, Four would have scowled and insisted he was fine, but the hero was just naturally soft-spoken. There was no pity in his voice, he wasn’t treating him like glass. He was just worried. 

Four made a mental note to stop being so damn irritable. 

“You were talking,” he stuttered out. “Mm-hmm. Yep. Saying things…about…words.” 

“We were talking about the area we’re in,” Twilight explained patiently. “A bunch of us wanted to go check out those ruins we saw a while back, did you see those?” 

Of course Four had seen them. The old, crumbled stone buildings had been strewn across a woodsy field, and it had taken every bit of self-control he had in his body to force his eyesight back forward and to not run away and never come back. But Hyrule hadn't run off, and the smith knew he couldn't run off, and no one else had mentioned it. So he hadn't said a word, and they had passed the ruins with barely more than a glance, despite his want to stare at them forever. 

So, yes. Four had seen them. 

At his nod, the rancher smiled a little more, his tattoos crinkling. “We were wondering if you wanted to go look at them, too, since you’re into history and everything.” 

Four nearly scoffed. If you only knew. 

Then he realized what the man had said. “Oh. Oh, yeah, I think that’d be…fun. It’d be everyone, right?” Hyrule squeezed his hand comfortingly, knowing what he was really asking. There’ll be people to keep me from running?

Time shrugged. “Well, we’d all go back there, yeah.” 

Any remaining tension bled from his frame. “Alright. Alright, yeah. Sounds good to me. Right now?” 

“Tomorrow,” Wild spoke up. “Too late right now.” He pointed, and indeed, the sun shone golden and low through the trees. 

It made sense. 

But Four frowned at the Champion anyway. He wasn’t blind. Wild wriggled his shoulders uncomfortably, his gaze flickering towards the occasional gaps in the trees around them. Possessions from all the heroes had been piled up and thrown around haphazardly, but Wild’s things were in a neat stack next to his ankle as opposed to his normally, well, wild organization. 

Four didn’t know what to make of it. But he could see. 

He’d think about it later. 

For now, he just smiled. “Sounds good. A little adventure for the soul, eh? We could all use it.” 

Legend’s lips twisted into a sort of smile, and Wind snorted quietly. 

Time just nodded sagely. “Indeed we do,” he agreed. “Indeed we do.” 

∆∆∆

Maybe if Four had been paying more attention, he'd have realized that it wasn't just Hyrule who had been holding himself back from dashing away into the forest. 

Maybe he'd have noticed that Hyrule only stayed because Four, the one other person who knew the same things, was almost always at the edges of his vision, reminding him that he wasn't alone. 

Maybe Four would have known that there was another boy in their group whose shoulders kept slumping under some invisible weight. Maybe he would have seen that the boy kept straying closer to the edges of the road, instead of pulling himself back. 

Maybe he would have understood that there was no one in the corner of that boy's eye, reminding him that he didn't have to bear the burden by himself. Maybe he would have understood that Wild was slipping further away than anyone thought. 

Four hadn't been paying attention. 

Maybe he should have been. 

But maybe he couldn't. 

Because, at the end of the day, one kid can't do everything. One kid shouldn't do everything. 

And there's a lot of people that haven't learned that yet. 

∆∆∆ 

The smith shot straight up, sweat and tears dripping off his chin and streaking his face. His lungs seized, and he clutched at his own shirt collar as he panted for air. A wet nose nuzzled at his cheek, and from beside him, Wolfie whined out a whimper full of concern-love-safe-calm. 

Four forced himself to reach up and run one of his trembling hands over Wolfie's head. He was fine. He was safe. He tried to remember what his mind had conjured up, but all he could think of was burning eyes full of tears and dark hair that dissolved into light. His free hand found its way into his pocket, rubbing against the soft edges of wrinkled parchment in a nervous habit. 

Wolfie whined again and pushed his nose against Four's cheek once more, as if asking for an answer. 

"I'm fine, buddy," the smith choked out quietly. But he buried his face in the soft wolf fur anyway, cuddling closer to his friend and attempting to match his racing heartbeat with that of the wolf. "Th-thanks." He heard a soft huff in his ear, one that he knew to be a soft "okay? Need to talk?" 

"I'll be fine," he murmured into his friend's thick fur. "I'll be fine. Just - just a bad dream. I'll be fi-ine." 

Neither of them were sure about that one. He couldn't remember the dream, but a deep hopelessness had sunk its way into Four's soul and rooted there, only making it harder to keep the tears at bay. He wanted to whisper his troubles to his friend, to tell him about everything that had been happening with Sky and the letter and Hyrule. He needed to pour out his soul to someone before the pressure in his skull built up too much and he popped. Before he had learned that Twilight was Wolfie, the beast had been a perfect subject to vent to. 

But Four kept his mouth shut, threading his fingers tighter through the wolf's pelt to keep his hands from rubbing harshly at his own face. 

Goddess, I'm such a useless fucking weakling. 

"'M need a walk," he mumbled, shoving himself to his feet. One hand stayed in his pocket, protecting the most precious documents he owned. "You need a walk? I need a walk." 

Wolfie yipped lightly, pressing against Four's side in support. Leaning all of his weight against Wolfie, the young smith staggered over to where Legend was sitting on watch. The veteran frowned at him with worry, but Four just waved him off. "Going on a walk," he murmured, his voice cracking. "I'll be back." 

"Okay," Legend agreed quietly. Before they could fully left earshot, Four heard a quick, "Take care of him," from Legend to Wolfie. The beast flicked his tail in agreement, brushing against the back of the smith's knees. 

He shivered. 

Away from the flickering embers of the campfire, the darkness wrapped around Four like a cloak. The shadows of the trees were indistinct and confused, and he could see no moon. Only the pressure of Wolfie against his leg and the hand that was entangled in the wolf's fur kept the two heroes from losing each other. 

Four was silent, unwilling to break the natural nighttime bliss. For once, all of his questions and thoughts were quiet, hushed by the chirping of the crickets and the crunch of leaves on grass.  

It was peaceful, and that was something Four hadn't gotten a lot of recently. 

Gradually, his heart rate slowed down, as did his panic, and he scratched the back of Wolfie's neck to alert him. "I'm better now," he whispered, still careful to not disturb the forest. "Let's get back, okay?" 

Wolfie yipped with agreement, and they turned back around. They had walked decently far away from camp, so they started on the trek to their friends. 

But Four was tired, and though Wolfie's hair began to stand on end, though he started growling low in his chest, the smith didn't realize anything was wrong. 

Maybe he should have. 

But maybe he couldn't. 

Four rounded the trunk of the tree just as something came around the other side, and suddenly the tip of an arrow was pointed between his eyes. Adrenaline shot its way through his body, shocking him into reality, and it was only then that he realized it might not have been a great idea to take a walk through unfamiliar woods unarmed. 

He yelped softly, backpedaling with his hands hastily thrown up as Wolfie growled threateningly. Goddessdammit, I don't have the time or the money to get mugged right now.  

But the bow was lowered as quickly as it appeared. "Four?" Wild blinked in surprise as he scratched behind Wolfie's ears to calm him. The wolf still growled, but it was now more in annoyance than aggression. "What are you doing out here?" 

"What are you doing?" Four shook himself, rubbing his tired eyes as he tried to regain his composure. "Thought I was getting robbed, asshole!" 

"Sorry." The Champion at least had the decency to look a little bit ashamed. "I, uh, I've been hunting, thought you were an animal." 

"Hunting," the smith deadpanned. Sure enough, Wild did have all of his gear on him, but still. At this time of night? "Y'know what? I'm not even going to ask. Good night, Wild." 

"G'night," he muttered back, and Four continued his walk back to camp. Legend was waiting there, and when he saw him, the veteran gave a small thumbs-up. Four returned it, yawning. 

It had been a long night. 

∆∆∆ 

Okay, so it wasn't Twilight's fault. It really wasn't. Out of context, it sounded like he was in the wrong, but he really wasn't, okay? He hadn't been snooping or anything. That was something he just wouldn't do, least of all to Wild. When your little brother is so high-strung that he's just about ready to blow up anyone who touches his shit, you're not exactly going to go through his shit. 

So it hadn't been intentional. Really. 

Got that? Yes? 

Good. 

(Of course, if it wasn't his fault, then why did he feel such a need to justify it to himself?)

So, just to be clear, it wasn't snooping or anything. But before the Links had begun setting up camp for the night, Twilight had noticed a paper that Wild had dropped. It wasn't particularly notable, just a crumpled-up letter with a broken blue seal, but Twilight had picked it up anyway. He had meant to give it back immediately, but Wild was already walking away, snapping at anyone who got in his way, and how could that be Twilight's fault? It's not! So the rancher just pocketed it and made a mental note to give it back later, before promptly forgetting about it. 

Well. 

Until that night, when Twilight was on first watch. He had shoved his hands into his pockets to ward away the incoming chill of the night when his fingers had met paper, and he remembered. So he had pulled it out, just to see who it was from, really. 

Sue him, he was curious. 

So he had opened it, his eyes just barely skimming as he checked the bottom of the note. It was from Wild's Zelda. Okay then. 

He'd been folding the letter back up when Sky's name caught his eye. 

For all intents and purposes, Twilight should not have actually read his friend's private mail. Sure. He was in the wrong there. 

But Zelda didn't know Sky, or she shouldn't. 

So why was she writing to Wild about him? 

Twilight hadn't expected two things. 

The first thing was that Sky had met with Wild's Zelda, and was doing absolutely terrible. A stab of worry and fear shot through the rancher, but his attention was quickly diverted to the second thing he hadn't expected. 

Wild had been scribbling all over the letter, and he'd both underlined and boxed in a certain phrase. 

God of Evil. 

Twilight wasn't sure what to make of that. 

Because it couldn't possibly be true, could it? Sky couldn't really have killed a god, right? Gods couldn't be killed, and Demise was just the first incarnation of Ganon. Not a god. Probably. After all, if he was a god, then he couldn't be killed by Sky, the guy who got winded after running up a hill and who fought like a fucking demon in any regular battle, never mind when someone he cared about was…in danger…

Twilight thought about the very, very few times that Sky had ever scared him. 

It occurred to him that maybe, just maybe, if looks could kill, the Chosen Hero could probably murder a god when he was angry. 

Actually, looks didn't need to kill. Sky would absolutely murder a god anyway, especially for someone he loves. 

It's not true though. It can't be true, right? It doesn't…that isn't possible. It's not possible. It can't be possible. 

And yet the words were sitting calmly on the page in front of him, taunting him. 

Goddessdammit. Goddess fucking dammit. There's no way. 

This should not make as much sense as it does. 

When Twilight woke Legend for second watch, his face was as pale as the moon above. Then he had wordlessly transformed into Wolfie and curled up beside Four with his tail tucked over his nose. 

The veteran had the sense to not ask questions. 

But then Four had woken up shaking and scared, and Twilight had other things to worry about. 

He had not been expecting to see Wild, of all people, hanging around in the shadows of the forest with all of his gear. 

All of it. 

Even the items that weren't his.

Maybe Four hadn't spotted it, but Twilight wasn't the one recovering from a night terror. He was the protector. He noticed everything because if he didn't, something could happen to the smith. As far as he was concerned, something would happen to the smith. 

So maybe Wild's hunting story held up in Four's mind, but Twilight wasn't Four. He wasn't tired, weak, hungry, and quite a bit despondent, nor was he giving himself a respite after weeks of clear stress (and yes, that was something Twilight had noticed. Though he didn't know why, he knew with absolute certainty that Four was incredibly stressed about something). If Wild was going hunting, the rancher would not have caught the glint of a golden harp hanging from his belt. It was that simple. 

There was no earthly reason why the Champion would bring his best friend's prized instrument on a hunting trip when he'd be back at camp later anyway. It was loud, it was reflective, it was pretty clunky, it was unnecessary. 

Wild didn't do unnecessary things, nor did he carry them. That wasn't how he worked, no matter if he was handling Sky's disappearance poorly. 

("Poorly" was an understatement. "Poorly" implied a slight amount of sadness. "Poorly" didn't mention the full-on breakdown Twilight had witnessed from the boy mere weeks ago, nor did it insinuate a complete moral crisis and a world-crushing guilt that they had let Sky leave when he had killed a fucking god.) 

Once he had gotten Four back to sleep at camp, a full half an hour had passed since he had seen Wild, so Twilight had slinked back into the woods under the curious gaze of Legend. 

Probably should just check on him, he reasoned. He needs sleep, and if he can't, then at least I can help him hunt. 

Simple, elegant, straight to the point. Just the kind of plans he liked. So off he went. 

Time to find his Cub. 

Wild wasn't too far away from where Four had found him, luckily. 

The only problem was that he had gotten farther from camp. 

Twilight had snuck up behind the Champion somehow, but Wild seemed occupied in his own mind. 

Never a good place to be left alone. Twilight knew that from experience. 

"Hello," he said directly into his ear. 

"Gah!" Wild jumped, spinning in midair rather ungainly. "Twilight! Don't do that!" 

"Sorry," Twilight said, though he wasn't very sorry at all. Everyone needed a little humor once in a while. "Need some help hunting?" 

"No." The Champion's face immediately fell. "Go away." 

"Nah. You need company." 

"I think I know what I need, thanks," Wild snapped. "I'm fine." 

"Sure you are. So!" The rancher clapped his hands quietly. "Where are we going?" 

"Nowhere with you." 

"Aww, c'mon, we're not gonna find anything good to hunt here. If you're gonna hunt, you're gonna go somewhere." 

The Champion gazed dully at him for a second too long before shaking his head. "It's fine. I'll be back in the morning." 

"Yes, we will," Twilight agreed. "So where are you thinking we should go?" He pretended that the frustrated snarl on his friend's face didn't exist. He had all night to keep annoying him until he got an answer. 

What that answer would be, he wasn't sure. 

"We shouldn't go anywhere," Wild said through gritted teeth. "Go back to camp." 

"Only if you do," the rancher shot back. "Can't believe you're actually declining the offer to hunt with a wolf." He shook his head with a small grin. 

Wild stared blankly at Twilight. "Are we really doing this right now?" 

"Absolutely. Where are you going?" 

"Nowhere." 

"Well, that's just bullshit." Twilight crossed his arms on his chest. "You've got Sky's harp." 

The Champion visibly winced, moving one arm to block the instrument from view. "Yeah. That's true. Doesn't mean I'm lying." 

"So we're doing this, then." Twilight groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose until it ached. How stubborn can one kid be, he internally complained, though he already knew the answer. It was the same answer for Malo and Talo and Beth and Colin, and it was the same for Wild, too. 

Very, very stubborn. "Wild. I'm tired, let's go to bed. C'mon, please. I don't care what you're doing, let's just go." 

"What're you gonna do about it, huh, Twi?" Wild suddenly snarked. "You won't just toss me around. I'm missing something. You're gonna go back to camp and I'm gonna go get back what I've lost. Yeah?" 

Oh. Twilight stalled, his fingers straying to the letter in his pocket. "Um. Well. I, uh, I might have what you're looking for." 

The amnesiac laughed, but his voice was cold without his usual humor. "No you don't. You won't even care." 

"Well, that's just not true, Cub." Wild twitched at the nickname, but Twilight forged on before he could yell back. He ignored the tingling voice at the back of his head that was screaming for him to stop poking the snake, to leave the can of worms alone, to just back off. 

Before he could talk himself out of it, Twilight had pulled Zelda's letter from his pocket. "Is this it?" Wild startled at the sight of the paper, and he figured he hit on something. "You want it back? Are you gonna explain all this?" 

"I'm not an animal," Wild snarled, "and I'm not your son, so don't talk to me like that. And you're not nearly as smart as you think you are." 

Oh shit. "Wild, I didn't-" 

But before Twilight could finish, Wild had snatched the letter from his hand and turned away. "This is my mail, dick. So kind of you to return it. But if we're gonna talk, then I'm gonna fucking talk. I don't give a shit about this. I wasn't talking about this worthless piece of paper. I could throw this into the ocean and walk away smiling. This isn't what I fucking lost." He threw the paper carelessly into the darkness, and Twilight scrambled to catch it. Sure, he knew what was on it, but it felt so important, so monumental, that he just had to keep it safe. 

Wild eyed him. "What're you doing, Twi?" he said dully. "It's just a piece of paper. That's it. Just a paper." 

"Wha- no," Twilight insisted. "No, no it's not, it's got answers, it's got facts and truth-" 

"And you know that truth now," Wild interrupted. He tapped his temple lightly. "And now it's up here, eating away at you, and you're never, ever going to forget it. Yeah?" 

Twilight swallowed back the lump in his throat. "Yeah," he agreed hesitantly. 

"Okay!" The Champion shrugged. "So that letter doesn't matter anymore. You're trying to give meaning to something that has none. Stop trying to cling to a symbol. It doesn't matter." He sniffed. "I don't know about you, but I lost something a lot more precious to me than a paper. And I'm gonna get him back." 

It clicked then. 

Lava is hot. Goats are rambunctious. Two plus two is four. 

Wild was talking about Sky. 

Twilight stumbled forward. "Wild, that won't solve anything, you won't find him, I don't-" 

"You don't fucking get it," Wild mumbled. 

"What was that?" 

"I said you DON'T FUCKING GET IT!" The Champion threw his fists in the air, eyes wild. "I don't care if you know Sky killed a god. You don't get the gravity of this situation. You don't understand why I'm so fucking scared. I am. I-I'm terrified and you're not. Did I not tell you how self-destructive Sky is?" 

Twilight's heart dropped. 

That's not - that can't be true. Sky's fine. He wouldn't - no, he's fine, he's fine. He's Sky, he isn't - he's Sky. 

And we all need to stop pretending that's a reasonable excuse. 

He stuttered for a moment, keeping his friend focused on him. "Um, no. No you didn't. What do you mean?" 

"Oh my goddess, I didn't." Wild laughed a little hysterically, beginning to pace. "Why do you think I'm so scared for him? He's gonna run himself into the fucking ground and not care at all! That's how he is, that's how he works. He valued - values our supposed happiness more than his own life." Wild's breath hitched at the slip of tenses, and Twilight found his own breathing to be shallower. 

The amnesiac pressed his eyes shut as he stilled. His voice had gone quiet, and Twilight strained to listen. "You didn't hear him, Twi. You didn't hear him when he left." Wild's voice broke, but his volume just kept rising. "I don't care if no one else wants him back. He is borderline suicidal, if not worse, and I'm pretty sure he has been for a while and we just never noticed. I need to find him so he doesn't fucking kill himself. Do you get that? Do you even care? He never wanted us to know anything about his fucking curse. He wanted to leave us out of it, and frankly? I don't blame him. But Twi, this has been eating away at him for so long, only to have it come out at his most vulnerable point. Remember when he got struck by fucking lightning in Faron Woods? He had so many fucking scars already, Twilight. This isn't anything new. He told me he wouldn't ever tell us anything about this bullshit. Of course he wouldn't fucking defend himself. Yeah?" Wild gritted his teeth. "So you don't fucking get it. But I'm gonna go get him back." 

Oh, dear spirits of light. No, please, no. 

Twilight stumbled back. His head spun. Wild's figure blurred. He was saying something. Twilight didn't bother to hear it. 

No no no no no no no no no Ordona NO. 

"Twilight?" Wild's hand came down on his arm, but the rancher just grabbed his hand and pulled it to his face. 

He felt numb. "Go back to camp, Wild." 

"No, Twi, that's the entire point!" the Champion shot back. "I need to go find-" 

"Go back to the FUCKING CAMP, WILD!" the rancher bellowed. The boy choked on his words, his eyes widening as he fiddled silently with his blue tunic. 

Twilight squeezed his eyes shut, pretending that no tears were squeezing out. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Calm down. "We'll figure something out," he said, his own words weighing him down. "But not tonight. Go back to camp, please." 

"Twilight, I-" 

"I'm not going to lose someone else." The words shoved their way past the lump in his throat. "This is priority number one, I promise. We'll figure something out together, when we've both gotten a little sleep and a bit of food, and if our only option is to leave together, then we will. But we look for something else first. Okay? I promise to you, we will find him. We will find Sky, and we will save him." 

∆∆∆

And Wild believed him. 

He believed it, because he was sick and tired of being so alone in this. 

He believed it, because he was a fool and he knew it, but even after everything, he would always believe his friends. His family. 

He believed it, because something about the way Twilight stared at him so intensely reminded him of another time, another place, another person holding his gaze. 

He believed it because he couldn't stand to not to. 

∆∆∆

Wild was standing still, silent, just staring with wide eyes at the rancher. So Twilight sighed softly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Listen, just try and get some sleep. Go check in with Legend, too. He's bound to be worried about all this shouting. I'll be right along in a second." 

"Um…" Wild's brow furrowed. All of the fight seemed to have leached out of the kid, and now the bags under his eyes seemed even more prominent. "But I was gonna-" 

Twilight just stared him down and watched his shoulders fall. 

"Fine," the Champion muttered. "But you're coming back too. If I'm not leaving, then neither are you." 

"I wasn't planning on it," Twilight said lightly, pretending that he wasn't ready to absolutely murder an entire camp of monsters with his bare hands. It was fine. He was fine. He was fine, but Sky fucking wasn't, and he had never noticed, and- 

Wild was frowning at his face, as if trying to read his very soul. 

Right. 

Twilight gave his best attempt at a smile. "I'll be right behind you, I promise. Just…gimme a sec." 

"Oh." The amnesiac's eyes widened even further, apparently understanding precisely what he meant. "Yeah. Alright. Just…you gotta get some sleep as well. Deal?" 

"Deal." Twilight watched Wild walk into the darkness. He waited for what felt like eternity, but eventually he could hear nothing but the soothing, familiar sounds of the nighttime forest. 

It was too much. 

There had been a pressure slowly building in his skull, making him want to grind his teeth and punch everything in sight. 

He was just so fucking angry. 

And for once, all of his thoughts weren't directed at his best friends. It was just himself and the Shadow and fucking Demise. 

Because Sky was fucking self-destructive. He was going to fucking hurt himself because of how many people have fucking tormented him about it. 

And Demise cursed him because he was a sore fucking loser. 

Twilight was supposed to be the big brother. He was supposed to take care of everyone. 

He had failed. 

He had fucking failed. Sky was gone because Twilight fucking failed. 

Twilight's nails were digging into his own palms, but he didn't care much anymore. A scream built up in his throat, blocking up behind his tongue. His jaw clenched, and he was no longer in the forest. He couldn't find it in himself to hear the nighttime birds and the crickets. All there was was him and the agony in his throat that begged to be cried to the world. 

He blindly threw out a fist, and it connected with air. 

He was alone. 

Just like Sky. 

Twilight screamed. 

∆∆∆ 

Half an hour later, a veteran hero was staring into the fire. 

He had heard yelling, but a sleepy Wild had waved him off, telling him that everything was fine before proceeding to flop onto his bedroll and immediately start snoring. 

It had been so long since the Champion had been able to do that. Legend decided not to push the matter. 

“Don’t do that,” someone mumbled sleepily. “Your eyes’ll be fucked.” 

Legend snorted softly, recognizing the voice but barely registering the words. He blinked as dark spots appeared in his vision. “Go to sleep.” 

“Can’t.” Twilight pulled himself through the treeline and stumbled over to the man. He flopped back down beside him, too tired to do much else. 

“Why not?” Legend asked quietly, though he figured he knew the answer already. 

Twilight just waved a hand abstractly through the air. “Thoughts.” He didn’t elaborate. Legend didn’t push him to. He completely understood. 

“Stop staring at the fire.” 

Legend smirked. “No.” 

“I’ll put it out,” the rancher warned, his words slurring a little. 

“No you wouldn’t.” 

“No, I wouldn’t,” he agreed. One hand found its way into Legend's hair, ruffling it gently. “What’s goin' on up there?” 

The veteran shrugged. “Thoughts.” 

“Mmm.” Twilight leaned back. “Sky?” 

The silence said enough. 

"D'ya think…I don't know, that we were too hard on him?" Twilight asked softly, uncertainty lacing his tone as he finally voiced the forbidden thoughts that had been eating at him for so long. "I mean, none of our journeys were all bad, right? I saw some amazing things, met some fantastic people, got to explore the world. I'm really glad I got the chance to travel at all, even if some circumstances weren't exactly…ideal." 

"Yeah," Legend whispered, not moving his gaze away from the rings he twisted on his fingers. "I think about it every day now. It…wasn't all bad. It was…it was fun, most of the time. And we - I - tch, Goddess." His gaze flickered to Twilight for just a split second. "I wouldn't have met all of you." He ran one hand through his hair. "Don't make me regret saying that. Please." 

“Hmm.” Twilight huffed, his eyes drooping. It wasn't a promise, not by a long shot, but Legend got the feeling that his words would not be blurted back out in the morning and subject him to ridicule. The rancher wouldn't do that. Not about this. Instead, he yawned. “I miss him.” 

Legend didn’t say a word as Twilight's head dropped onto his shoulder. He didn’t make a sound until he could hear the soft snores coming from his friend. 

“Yeah,” he whispered, hardly daring to move as he breathed his truth into the quiet of the night. “I miss him, too.” 

∆∆∆ 

The sun shone through the ruins, and Four felt himself relax a little as light brushed his shoulders and his face. He walked with Wind, genuinely smiling for the first time in what felt like forever as the sailor pulled him from stone to fence to crumbling building. 

The moment everyone had woken up, they’d pulled each other back through the forest the way they’d come, intent on seeing those ruins they’d passed. Really, it wasn’t like there was anything else they could do at the moment. Four had wanted to talk to Hyrule more about the Sky situation, but the traveler had been herded away with Legend, Warrior, and Time as Four was tugged along by Wind. Twilight and Wild had disappeared, but for once, no one seemed very worried about them. They could handle themselves anyway. 

But Time had told the sailor and the smith to go have fun, so Four pushed all of his thoughts out of his mind for the time being and focused on keeping up with Wind. 

“Four, Four!” the sailor suddenly gasped, waving him over. “Check it out!” 

Four crouched next to his friend and noticed a large bullfrog squatting on a spotted mushroom, croaking happily as it basked in the sunlight. 

“Aww,” he said lightly, not even trying to fight the fond smile that crept onto his face. “Look at it! It’s got a little home!” 

“Yeah, and look right there!” Wind carefully pointed towards a littler, lighter green shoot with a greenish-yellow caterpillar climbing up it. “I think that’s an Apricot Sulphur caterpillar! We have them sometimes on Outset, they can be all pretty and yellow when they become butterflies. Y’know yellow butterflies symbolize hope?” 

“Huh.” Four gazed at the tiny bug as it struggled up the grass. “Cool.” Hope. I like that. “Know any other butterfly facts?” 

Wind snickered. “Thought you were supposed to be the smart one.” 

Four shrugged with a smile. “Don’t know everything. I just like learning things, I guess.” 

Yeah, learning things like the fact that you all shunned a god-killer- 

He cut off that train of thought. Happy. Time to enjoy life. 

(For once). 

“-and the white ones are supposed to mean comfort, or purity and innocence,” Wind was saying. Four forced himself to focus only on his friend as he explained the meaning of different colors of insects. For now, he could be content with sitting in the long grass, listening to his friend's excited voice as he chattered on about bugs he loved. It was interesting, though, so there was that. 

But that also meant that he hadn’t noticed the bokoblin that snuck up behind them until it grabbed onto his shoulder. 

“Oh, SHIT!” Four yelled, diving to one side as the monster’s club came down on the mushroom in front of them, where his head used to be. The frog hopped away at the disturbance, and Wind leaped to his feet, too, but the boko was firmly focused on Four. He scrambled to his feet as it approached, shaking his head to get rid of the stupid fucking fuzz that had him so focused on Wind. 

Four stumbled backwards onto the edge of what must have been a small outcropping or something, because the ground suddenly disappeared from behind him. But as Wind dispatched the bokoblin, something hissed in the smith’s ear. The feeling of dark magic - Shadow’s dark magic - seeped into his bones, and that was when he knew. 

He was on the brink of a portal. 

He was about to fall into a portal alone. 

But it wasn't a demand. There was nothing that said that he had to let himself fall into the portal. He teetered at the threshold of the nothingness behind him, his heels wobbling on the very edge of a light suggestion. 

It wouldn't be the hardest thing in the world to catch his balance. Go help Wind. Continue on with everyone else. 

And yet, just at the back of his mind, there was a niggling little voice that urged him to just…let gravity take its course. Let him stumble. Let him fall. 

Let him follow. 

His hand curled around the ball of paper in his pocket. 

I… could just fall…and…maybe I could…go after Sky myself…maybe… 

Suddenly there was a hand wrapped around the collar of his tunic, and Four found himself being tugged away from the abyss behind him. He was thrown to the ground with a grunt, skidding for a few inches before he found his thoughts again. He shook his head to clear it from both the magic of the portal and the vague ache that accompanied the fall. Fucking shit. His throat ached because of the pure force applied to the neck of his tunic. That wasn’t very fun at all. Rubbing his face with one hand, he looked up, only to be greeted by wide, terrified green eyes. 

"Four," Wind breathed, panting hard. His golden power bracelets glinted in the sun. "what the fuck was that?" 

And just like that, Four’s good mood was gone. His anger came back in a flash, and he shoved himself to his feet. "It doesn't matter," he hissed through gritted teeth. He wasn't an idiot - he knew what his hesitation had looked like. He knew that it looked like what it was. 

But Wind was a hero. He was stubborn. He wasn't about to let it go that easily. "Four! You've been an idiot recently, which is weird in and of itself, but that's too far, don't you think?" 

The smith felt a hand on his arm, and he wrenched himself away with a quiet growl, but Wind just spun him around to face him. His face was stony, and he gripped Four's upper arms tight so he couldn't move. 

Four hated the fact he had to look up at the thirteen-year-old. 

"It's not funny, Four," Wind hissed angrily, but his eyes betrayed just how scared he was. Four felt a twinge of guilt at that - he was a kid, he was a friend, and now he was scared and it was Four's fault - but he shoved it to the side. Anger was so much more useful, so much more understandable. He could be angry. It was easier than feeling guilty. 

“No, it’s not,” Four agreed sharply. “So stop bothering me about it.” 

“Fucking excuse me? No!” Wind’s jaw dropped. “I’m not fucking losing you! Just tell me what’s wrong!” 

"I just - ugh!" Four threw up his hands in exasperation. "Let's just keep going, okay? It doesn't matter. Let's just go." 

He swept past the sailor, ignoring the way the kid called his name, and tromped back to the piles of rubble. His fingers made their way into his pockets, already curling around the place he knew his wad of papers would be, and- 

Nothing. 

The smith's callouses weren't brushing against the worn edges of parchment. There was nothing in his pocket. 

Shit. Shit, no, no, no, no.  

Four spun around, his eyes darting to and fro as he searched for any sign of the crinkled ball of papers. He could deal with a lot. But he was not losing those papers. 

Wind had stooped low to the ground, and his fingers tightened on the crumpled-up notes. "Um, Four, I think you dropped…" His voice faded away, and Four's heart lurched. He started towards the sailor, already knowing that he would be too late, but he moved forward anyway. Quadruple threads of panic laced through his bones. His fingers twitched, aching to tear the papers away from the boy. 

But he didn't. 

Instead, he watched as Wind's face paled, catching onto one of the visible words. He watched as small, calloused hands carefully unfolded the papers. He watched as bright green eyes flickered across the pages, soaking in every piece of information there was. 

Wind locked eyes with him, jade green focusing on slate grey. 

"Four…" he whispered. "What the fuck is this?" 

The smith gritted his teeth and forced himself into motion. He snatched the papers from the kid's hand, folding them up and stuffing them back into his pocket. "Nothing." 

"Nothing?" Wind's voice rose. "You're calling that nothing? Are you serious, Four?" 

"Yeah, it's fine. Forget about it." 

"No! You know I can't forget that! And I won't leave this alone, you know that, so don't you dare try to tell me that it's nothing!" 

"Fuck off, Wind!" Four shot back, rage searing his veins. "So I wrote a letter to Miss Zelda, big deal! You're getting so worked up about it, cool off!" 

"I-I'm allowed to be angry about this, Four!" Wind yelled. "Fucking - depths below! I knew something was up, I knew you were hiding something, but seriously? This? Why would you keep this quiet? I thought you were smarter than this! I thought - I thought you would talk to someone! What are you doing?" 

"You don't understand," Four hissed. "You don't understand what I've had to go through recently." 

"No, I don't!" Wind agreed. "Which is why I thought you would tell someone - anyone - that Demise was a fucking god! Why wouldn't you tell everyone what a badass Sky is? He's your fucking predecessor, I thought you'd love to get the chance to brag about how cool he is!" 

Four ground his teeth, trying to formulate a good response. Because Wind…wasn't exactly wrong. But he wasn't right. 

Four was right. The sailor had no business lecturing him about things he didn't understand. 

"I want you to leave this alone," he said carefully, measured. Quiet. "I don't want you to tell anyone about this. No one has to know. It'll all be fine. It'll blow over and everyone will calm down eventually and we'll get Sky back in our own time. But if anyone else finds out, do you know how much that will tear them all apart? I won't let that happen. Not any more than it already has." 

The two children were silent, and they stared each other down. 

Wind sighed. "I think I know what it will do. But at least…at least it'll be better than this." He gestured vaguely to Four. "Secrets. Distrust. Dammit, Four, you were so close to just… letting yourself fall through that portal. You're not acting like yourself, and it scares me, okay? This whole thing changed you, and I don't like it. I want to help you." 

"You can help me by leaving this alone," the smith snapped. 

"I can't do that," the sailor murmured. "I'm sorry, Four, I really am. But I can't just stand by and watch." 

Four sighed heavily, trying to keep himself calm. "I know," he said simply, softly. "I don't expect you to. But I'm telling you now that in just a few days, if you let this out, you'll see why I never said anything. I just hope you'll listen to reason." 

Wind regarded him for a long moment, head tilted to the side. "I hope you'll listen to it, too." 

Four walked away without another word, heading back to camp and hopefully the others. 

It looked like the others had gotten back before them, and the heroes were just laying around. Waiting for them, goddessdammit. But the moment Four reached camp, he stalked towards Hyrule and grabbed his arm, ignoring the eyes on him. The traveler let out a small yelp, but let himself be dragged away. 

"Wind knows." That was the first thing out of his mouth as soon as they were far enough away from camp. 

Hyrule's face dropped. "What?" 

"Shh, shh, shh!" he whispered hurriedly. They weren't that far from camp, after all. "But yeah. He knows." 

"Well, that's not good," the traveler observed quietly. "He's not a quiet person." 

Four tipped his head. "Yeah. He's not stupid, but he doesn't get it, a-and I’m not sure why. But he doesn’t, and that’s just so frustrating. Something’s gonna get fucked up.” He groaned loudly, pressing his palms to his eyes. “We’re gonna fucking fall apart, aren’t we? This is exactly what I didn’t want.” 

“Yeah.” Hyrule furrowed his brow. “So we’re screwed.” 

“Looks like it.” 

“...Shit.” 

∆∆∆ 

Something was off ever since Four and Wind had found their way back to camp. The smith had immediately stalked past everyone and pulled Hyrule away into the woods, but Wind silently watched him go, his face betraying his worry. As soon as the two had disappeared, the sailor had turned towards Twilight and pulled him away as well. 

"I need to talk to you," was the only explanation he gave. 

Lovely, the rancher had thought, but he let himself be led through the trees. After spending all morning with Wild trying to find some plan to find Sky that didn’t include completely abandoning everyone else, he wasn’t in a great mood. They had thought of absolutely nothing. But Twilight was still reluctant to just leave, despite Wild’s insistence that it was the only way. There was a good chance that they’d be lost in the sheer size of the history of Hyrule, not to mention they’d have to find a single person and then get back to a few other people before anyone died. 

It was like finding a straw-colored needle in a field full of haystacks, except the needle wasn’t a needle at all and they were looking for a pebble that happened to be in the eye of the needle when it was first hidden. 

Yeah. Twilight doubted he could feel much worse. 

Of course, as soon as Wind opened his mouth, he knew he was mistaken. 

"So, it wasn't my fault," Wind blurted out. "I didn't mean to, I promise, but Four's been acting weird and he just nearly fell into - well, I caught him and then he dropped the papers and I didn't mean to read them, I swear, but I looked at them and you can't exactly look at words and not read them, right? And-" 

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down, bud," Twilight said quickly, gently grabbing Wind's wrists and pulling his hands away from his hair. "Just take a deep breath and then talk. You're fine. You're okay. I believe you. You didn't do anything wrong. Ya just gotta breathe." 

The sailor nodded jerkily, taking a shaky inhale. His heaving chest settled, and Twilight sighed in quiet relief. 

"Alright, you wanted to tell me something?" 

"Yeah, yeah," Wind said fervently. He was fidgeting, his fingers jumping from his tunic to his belt to his collar to his bracelets and back again. The boy was a ball of nerves, and it made Twilight uneasy. 

Despite his age, he knew for a fact that it was difficult to shake Wind. 

Whatever had done this, Twilight immediately wanted to put as much distance as he could between it and his brothers. 

“Alright,” he said, trying to smile. “Well, I’m right here. What’s going on, something to do with Four?” 

Wind nodded quickly. “We were just, y’know, just fucking around, and then a bokoblin snuck up on us. And, um…” the boy trailed off, pursing his lips nervously. “So. He had some papers in his pocket, and they fell out. Um…I kinda, sorta…read them?” 

“Okay,” Twilight told him. “That it, or is this about what you read?” 

"I-I think that Four was collecting evidence," the sailor blurted out. 

"Evidence?" 

"Yeah. He had a bunch of stuff, and all of it is - okay, you're gonna think I'm crazy, or guilt-tripping you, but I'm not, okay? But I think that, um, Sky maybe kinda was - well, I think that Demise was sorta a god?" 

Twilight blinked once. 

Twice. 

"Excuse me, what the fuck? Four knows, too?" 

Wind's head spun back towards him so fast, the kid nearly got whiplash. "Wait, whaddya mean?" 

The rancher groaned, running both of his hands through his hair. "This is such a mess. First Wild, now Four? You gotta be kidding me." 

"Wild knows?" the sailor demanded. "Why haven't you told me that? Why haven't either of them told anyone else that Sky's a fucking God-killer? Why haven't you said anything?" 

Twilight winced. “Okay, yeah, fair point. But I only learned last night, really. Wild’s got a letter from his Zelda, ‘cuz apparently she met Sky and he told her everything, so she told him. That’s kinda how I found out, too.” He groaned. “I just…I know I should’ve said something, but we’ve got no clue where he is or how to find him, a-and the thing is, if we tell anyone, they’re gonna fucking hate themselves. I mean, we…we watched him fall apart and be fucking… tormented, and we didn't do shit." 

"No, you didn't do shit," Wind said sharply. "Maybe you were mad at him. But you can't just say that everyone else feels like that. Maybe you are part of the problem, but don't tell me that I am. I never wanted him gone. All I've wanted is Sky back." 

Twilight blanched. He's right. That's why he doesn't understand why it's a secret. He doesn't get it. He can't possibly understand what we're all going through, he's just a kid after all- 

No. That wasn't right. Wind was a kid, but he was also incredibly smart. He knew what he was talking about. He understood concepts that most adults couldn't bear to cope with. The only reason the answer hadn't made itself apparent to him was because he was a good person who didn't hold an unfair grudge, even when he thought it was right. He was quick to empathize and fast to forgive. He didn't jump to conclusions. 

Not like the rest of them - no, wait, only a few of them - had. 

And didn't it just sting to realize that a solid half of their little group had never truly blamed Sky in the first place? Didn't it hurt to know that Four and Hyrule and Wind and Wild had never really thought of Sky as supposedly incompetent, or weak, but were only scared and panicking and fearful of the Shadow and danger and each other, and no one helped them because they were all focused on how Sky had supposedly fucked up. Didn't it feel like a punch to the gut when he remembered that Sky was panicking too? The Chosen Hero had been panicking and self-destructive and had a dangerously severe case of imposter syndrome for a long time, and Twilight had never noticed. 

He could say he was impulsive. But that didn't justify or excuse anything. 

Not when he had hurt his brothers. 

“We need to tell everyone else,” Wind demanded when Twilight didn’t respond. “If Four and Wild won’t do it, then we need to. C’mon, Twi, stop fucking victim blaming yourself and let’s go tell them all.” 

The rancher choked on air, his head spinning. “Victim blaming?” 

“Sky isn’t the only one who has to deal with this bullshit,” Wind said bluntly. He crossed his arms. “Isn’t the entire point that we keep being forced to fight Ganon, and that’s why we’re angry? You’re a victim just like everyone else. And now you’re blaming yourself when it wasn’t your fucking fault. So are you done with that and can we get a move on so we can tell people?” 

Twilight stared wonderingly at the little sailor. Even after so long, he never ceased to amaze him. 

Wind raised an eyebrow. “You coming?” 

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” The rancher shook himself and set his face. “Let’s do this. And then we have to figure out a way to find Sky.” 

“We find Sky,” Wind agreed. “Now let’s get back to camp!” 

∆∆∆ 

When Four and Hyrule walked back into camp, everyone was still sitting around, but Wind and Twilight stood roughly in the center of everyone. Six pairs of eyes swiveled to the smith and the traveler, but Four was more worried about how Wind immediately pinned him down with his gaze. 

So here it was. The exact thing he had been avoiding. 

Four couldn’t help but listen to the feeling in the back of his head that insisted that everything was about to go to shit. 

“Sit down,” Twilight invited, and although his gaze wasn’t nearly as intense as Wind, he still looked at the smith with some shade of curiosity that Four didn’t like at all. 

Welp, he told himself as he sat down cross-legged on one side of camp. Hyrule settled behind him, and everyone’s attention thankfully turned back to the two standing heroes. Now four of us know who Demise is, and no one’s slicing anyone who gets near yet. I feel like I’m ready to, but that doesn’t count. But still, four is half the current team. If we include Sky, that’s five and more than half. Maybe that’s a good sign? Maybe? 

“So!” Warrior finally broke the tense silence from where he was cleaning a knife. “Now that everyone’s here, what did you guys need?” 

"We-ell," Wind spoke up. His fingers twitched, but his face stayed firm. "I think Four has something he might want to share with us." 

He locked eyes with the smith, and Four just forced himself to hold his gaze. Go on, he wanted to call. Try it. I'm not saying a thing. If you want them to know, tell them yourself. A slight sneer found its way into his lips. 

He'd always been good at staring contests. 

But they’d only made it ten seconds before Twilight butted in. “Okay, this is stupid. He won’t say anything, Wind.” 

“Be better if he did,” the kid grumbled, but he looked away anyway. “Fine. You wanna start or should I?” 

“Boys,” Time said cautiously. “What’s going on?” 

Twilight sighed, and Four’s nerves spiked. He opened his mouth, but the rancher still beat him to it. “We need to talk about Sky.” 

The effect was instantaneous. Every single hero flinched, averting their gazes or clamming up immediately, some more than others. Hyrule grabbed his hand tightly, Wild’s eyes widened, and with a flash of blue, Four felt like drop-kicking both Twilight and Wind. Well, not really. Only a little. But he wouldn’t actually do that. 

He just needed them to shut up. 

“Wrong wording,” Wind said quickly before everything fell apart, which Four knew it would do, because there was no way everyone would be okay with each other after this. “We wanna talk about Demise.” 

Nope, Four felt like kicking himself, actually. He rested his elbows on his knees and pressed his hands together, putting his forehead to his fingertips in preparation for the sheer amount of people who were about to blow up. 

But everything was silent, hanging onto Wind’s every word. 

They wanted to hear what he was about to say. 

Somehow, that was worse. 

“So,” the sailor said, and if his voice wavered a little, no one mentioned it. “In case you don’t remember, that’s who we’ve been told that Sky fought, and I’m pretty sure we’ve all thought he was like Ganon, right?” 

“An equivalent enemy,” Twilight supplied. 

“Mm-hmm,” Wind continued. “I know I thought that he was some crazy mage who wanted the Triforce and the world or something. Either way, he’s definitely not, according to both Four and Wild-” 

Four’s head shot up. “Excuse me, what?” He stared at the Champion, who was just as equally bemused as he was. 

“There’s no fucking way,” Wild said urgently with his voice betraying worry and fear and echoing confusion . His eyes bored into Four. “You’re fucking kidding.” 

Twilight and Wind, along with everyone else, were staring at the two. 

“You two…both know who Demise is,” Warrior said slowly. 

“Was,” Four corrected him quickly. “Thank Farore.” 

“Thank Sky,” Hyrule told him. “Also, I know as well.” 

Time looked faintly ill. “Right okay. What’s going on?” 

Twilight cast his gaze over the three boys. “Who wants to share?” 

“Preferably both of you,” Wind added. 

Hyrule nudged Four’s side, and that was pretty much the moment that the smith’s resolve broke. There was no way to stop an earthquake, anyway. It would just happen anyway. 

So slowly, he reached into his pocket, withdrawing his papers and watching as Wild did the same. Huh. 

“Are we really doing this?” Four asked. 

“Yes,” Legend answered quickly, leaning forward with his brow furrowed and his hands clenched. “Tell us what the fuck is going on. We’re still in the dark here.” 

“Okay.” The smith sighed heavily, sifting through what he had. “I’m not sure how to say this to you softly or whatever. Um. So. It’s, uh. Yeah.” 

“Spit it out,” Warrior told him bluntly. “We can take it.” 

“No, I don’t think you can,” Four retorted. “If I thought you could, I probably would have told you, Mr. ‘we could do better’.” Warrior physically recoiled like he’d been struck, and Four thought he’d gone a little far. “Sorry, but not really. See, you feel bad about it now. If I tell you, it’ll get worse.” 

“There’s no way it can get worse,” the captain muttered. 

Four stared at him for a moment. “I am so fucking sorry for this, Wars. You too, Ledge.” He felt nothing but regret as he began to speak. “I found this entry from an old encyclopedia about Demise, from religion and mythology. It says that, uh, he was the supposed God of Evil from times long before the kingdom of Hyrule. According to legend, he was slain by the first Chosen Hero of Hylia. Said to have been unstoppable, it was rumored that Hylia herself attempted to stop him and failed.” He shrugged. “Just reading what’s on there. Then I wrote to Sky’s Zelda to confirm, and um, yeah. No, that’s all true. Sky killed the God of Evil. Somehow. I don’t really understand it.” 

Silence. 

Time had paled until he was as white as a sheet. Legend’s head was in his hands. Warrior just stared blankly at Four as he finished speaking. 

“Yup, you were right,” he said softly. “It got worse.” 

“Yeah,” Four agreed, shrinking slightly. 

And this was why I didn’t tell you anything. 

“So,” Wild finally spoke up. “That’s better than what I’ve got.” 

Legend seemed to come back to himself, and he turned slowly to look at the Champion. “What have you got, Wild?” he asked tiredly. 

“Eh.” Wild rolled his shoulders uncomfortably, but Twilight motioned for him to continue. “My Zelda found him.” 

“WHAT?” Four and Hyrule both shot to their feet as Legend actually lifted his head and Time’s head jerked towards the boy. 

“Guys, guys!” Wild yelled. “He’s gone. He left before dinnertime. But he did tell her everything, and she didn’t put all that in the letter, but she definitely said that he killed the God of Evil, and he conducted lightning with the Master Sword somehow, which is fucking badass but also really bad, yeah? I’d also like to say that we need to fucking go after him. He’s currently out there somewhere, alone, exhausted, and probably not taking care of himself at all. Okay? I-” his voice suddenly broke, and Twilight stepped forward. 

“Wild’s right. He’s incredibly self-destructive, he’ll be running himself into the dirt to find the Shadow. I know we’re all so used to relying on each other, but he’s alone and tired and almost suicidal. There’s a huge chance that he could die.” 

A hush fell over the camp. 

Legend let out a broken, wet chuckle. “This is stupid,” he said quietly. “Sky’s a god-killer, but what can kill him will be a stray chuchu. Of course. Of course. And he’s only out there because we wouldn’t fucking listen to him.” 

“He wouldn’t have said anything,” Wild told him. “It doesn’t matter to him who Demise was. He just cares that he didn’t completely take care of him.” 

“I still should've known." Legend let out a bitter chuckle. "I should've known, I should've looked, I should know. I should know not to lead with my emotions. I know that. So why did I?" 

“As if you’re the only one at fault,” Warrior interrupted quickly. “Shut the fuck up, you didn’t compare some guy to a fucking deity. And now we’re all here because of a curse made by a dying god?” He shook his head. ”What a sick fucking joke.” 

Everything was falling apart. And that was exactly what Four had been scared of.  

"Then does it matter?" he suddenly blurted out. 

Every head in camp swiveled to face him. Hyrule squeezed his hand. 

"What was that?" Time asked. 

The smith took a deep, steadying breath and did his best to ignore the way his hands shook. "Does it matter?" he repeated. "The way I see it, there isn't anything we can do to fix it, and if it wasn't Sky's fault, then it was Demise's, and we already knew that. Besides, he's dead, so we can't do much to him. It happened, yes. We all got cursed. Sky got cursed. And that's it. What's done is done and cannot be undone. It's in the past, which means it's out of our hands. Plus, we've been so quick to throw blame every which way, but nobody really needs to be blamed for this. We just have to do the best we can and make sure everyone else is okay. Right?" 

Everyone stared at him for a long moment. 

Time slowly nodded. “Yeah,” he agreed. “Yeah. You’re right.” 

“Good.” Four nodded, and Hyrule cleared his throat. 

“Um, guys?” the traveler said. “I don’t know about you, but what I’m interested in is the fact that one of our good friends and a god-killer to boot is somewhere out there. We’ve got no clue where, and he’s in danger. Yeah? We gonna focus on that one?” 

Everyone snapped to attention, the gravity of the situation finally kicking in. 

“We gotta find him,” Wind yelled. 

“We gotta find him,” Twilight nodded. 

“We gotta find him,” Warrior agreed, a new steeliness entering his gaze. 

"Alright, we get it, we need to find Sky," Wild interrupted, already picking up all his things. "So are we gonna do this or not?" 

As all the heroes began fastening on their belts and weapons and bags, Four crumpled the letter in his palm and held it close to his chest. Tears formed small wet circles on his tunic. 

I'll find you, Sky. 

No matter how long it takes. 

"Hold on," he realized. Everyone paused for a moment, looking at him. 

Four frowned. "So, how are we gonna find Sky?" 

Chapter Text

Sky was Chosen for a reason. 

That's what he had been told. 

He had been Chosen for his heart, or his bravery, or his dedication, or something. But more than anything, it was because he was apparently unbreakable. Time after time, he had been told that he would be fine, he would win, he would survive and excel because he could take anything and not shatter to pieces. 

Sure he hadn't shattered, but he felt like he was pretty damn close.  

Every day was a blurry mess in his mind. He couldn't recall how long it had been since he had fallen into Lake Hylia and met his long-distant granddaughter. He couldn't even remember when the last time he had eaten was, or what he had. But that didn’t matter, because after meeting Wild’s Zelda, every day dragged on forever. Every night, Sky's body ached to just lie down in the grass and sleep. But he couldn't let himself, because he knew that as soon as he stopped, something would happen. There would be an ambush, or a storm (and his body tingled with phantom pains at the thought), and the Shadow would get even farther away as Sky struggled to pick himself back up. 

It was self-destructive and he knew it. 

And he knew he had promised Zelda that he would stay alive. He had said that. He wanted to be her ancestor (and wasn’t that just weirdly wonderful to think about?). But as he kept walking, the lack of people wore on him. It was something that he had noticed before, and something that was altogether too clear now. 

He thrived off of human interaction. He knew that. 

He had been fine before meeting Zelda. It had been fine. Now, he was wasting away even more, and he was feeling it. He had gotten that taste of comfort that he so desperately needed. But now, he felt the absence of people around him, and it just made him feel…empty. Some days were more of a haze than anything. 

All he could do about it was just to keep walking 

And walking 

And walking. 

But the portals had been less frequent, so now he trudged on, alone in the wilderness with nowhere else to go. He knew that if he kept this up, he would probably die in a ditch somewhere, slowly shriveling from starvation and rotting from infection far from his home and his family. 

It wasn't like he could do much about it anymore, though. So it wasn't like he cared. 

And it wasn't the first time he'd been in such a condition. 

He felt like the exact same kid he was two years ago when he had gone on his adventure. He was tired and starving and completely numb to life, only forcing himself forward because someone needed him. 

Anyone else would have been scared at such a relapse. 

Sky only found himself vaguely disappointed. 

All of his progress, all of his efforts to push past what determined, apathetic, hopelessly driven hell his mind had been in when Zelda had been stolen…gone in an instant of weakness. 

He had sent two years of healing down the drain the moment he had sailed down into the Breach of Demise. 

He was back to square one - an exhausted, starving, broken child slowly going insane as he wandered a dangerously unfamiliar land, looking for a single person. 

Maybe if he could find Zelda the Shadow, it would all make sense. Maybe if he could find her them, everything would be all better again. If he could only talk to her them, if he could look at her them once just to know that she they exist, the world would be as it once was. 

Pure childhood bliss. 

That made sense, right? That sequence of events was pretty logical. 

He imagined what Fi would tell him. No, Master Link, there is a 99.5% chance that your brain is addled beyond comprehension. I suggest sitting down for a moment and regaining your strength and wits. There is a high probability that you will be of no help to Zelda in this state. 

He found himself giggling a little, though his eyes stung from the memory of his forever-sleeping friend. At least she had been with him during his journey. At least he had someone by his side. 

Now she slept, and he had no one. 

He was alone, and he felt weaker than ever before. 

How stupid. A Chosen Hero that couldn’t even travel without the presence of someone to talk to. 

The words of Wild’s Zelda floated their way to the surface of his mind, but he couldn’t find it in himself to consider their value anymore. Maybe it worked for her, the acceptance. But there was a reason that Sky hadn’t been able to stop Demise from speaking his curse. It wasn't the coincidental lack of a supernatural power. It wasn't something out of his control. 

He had to take one step forward, and he could have kept him from ever speaking again. 

But he hadn't. 

Zelda had figured out her life, and he was glad for her. He was proud. 

But it wasn't the same. 

It was still his fault, and no words could change the fact that he hadn't just shut Demise up when he had the chance. 

He should've. He really should have. 

But he didn't. 

It was almost humorously fitting for this to be his…his punishment of sorts for not finishing the job immediately. His divine retribution. The very cosmos themselves telling him that he failed. He should have done something. He could have done something. 

That was the thing that made the difference, in his mind. He could have done something. But he didn't. Whether that was because of his leg that had been fucked up or the gash in his torso or the raw lightning burns all along his body, or if it had just been the aching, all-encompassing tiredness that had been cutting him to his very core, he wasn't sure. 

But it had been something, some weakness that had stopped him from taking a step forward and raising his sword to Demise's neck. 

Sky panted as he started up a hill, his lungs rattling as he forced his aching feet forward. The sun beat down on his back relentlessly, and even the sweet-smelling summer wildflowers around him seemed overwhelming. His legs burned, and he gazed up at the endless expanse of cloudless blue sky above him. That was where he belonged. He wasn't made for walking, and everyone knew it. They had always known how weak he was when traveling. But they had never said anything about it, so neither had he. 

And yet here he was, feet firmly planted on the ground as he struggled to even walk up a hill. 

Maybe he should have gone around. 

Maybe that would have been a smart idea. It wasn't like there was anything blocking him - he was walking across a plain, for Hylia's sake. 

He should have gone around, even if to save the little energy he had left. 

Sky finally crested the knoll and stood for a moment, hands on shaky knees as he attempted to catch his breath. Funnily enough, his thoughts drifted back to a similar hill full of laughter and banter and carefree fun as little boys shrieked and were able to be children. He had learned that a dragon had once made a stockpile of indestructible shields, not just one, and they weren’t very indestructible when they were millennia old. 

That was so long ago. 

But now, it was quiet. 

Sky found that he missed all the noise.  

It had been comforting to know that someone cared, back then. 

It's not like anyone does now.   

The thought made the Skyloftian's breath disappear for a moment, and with a heaving chest, he took a sloppy step forward. His foot slipped, and he skidded down the hill, just barely managing to keep his feet. He stumbled over the grass, his arms splaying out wildly to catch his balance. 

He wondered why he even tried anymore. 

Because what was the point? 

His knees buckled, and Sky collapsed. 

He wanted to sleep. He wanted to drift away into dreams that didn't mean anything for once. He wanted to stop trying so hard, because it would only make things more difficult for the actual heroes. 

He would do nothing but get in their way. 

Sky just wanted to rest. 

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, facedown in the long grass as the sun moved across the sky and little birds gathered around his form, twittering gently. 

Groose had loved those birds. 

He wanted to see Groose again. He wanted to see Zelda again, his wonderful girlfriend. 

He wanted to be loved again, even though he didn't deserve it. 

The grass beside him rustled, and he almost felt the brush of a gossamer dress against his pant leg. Almost. 

But he knew no one was there, not really. 

Fingertips trailed along his shoulder, featherlight and barely more pressure than the tiniest breath of air. 

Hello, She murmured, Her voice the hushing of the long grass that tickled his ears. 

He didn't want to talk to Her. He didn't want Her to be there at all. 

He thought that had been abundantly clear. 

And it was. 

She had come anyway. Of course She had. 

It was a seemingly normal thing now, for Her to try and talk to him at the absolute worst times. After he killed the Imprisoned a second time. Directly after he had killed Demise. While he was beginning to dig his and Zelda’s garden. He could have sworn he had once heard Her while he was bathing, but all Zelda had ever heard was him screaming at the empty room to leave him the fuck alone. Her attempted visits were few and far between, and it was always at a terrible time. 

She had no sense of a good moment, probably because there wasn’t one. But no matter how much Sky tried to drill into Her head that he didn’t want to ever talk to Her, She would always come back eventually. She was infuriating. She knew how much he hated Her, and yet She wasn't leaving. Even when everyone else had, She stayed annoyingly by his side. 

Why wasn't She leaving? 

You need someone to talk to, She told him, answering the question that he hadn't asked aloud. He hadn't needed to. 

That was the point, wasn’t it? There was something to be said for having someone who knows you, knows you inside and out, knows your tells and your worst fears and your experiences and can predict every word that's about to fall out of your mouth. 

But when you know that person cares for you wholeheartedly, and you despise them, it becomes…strange. One side pushes forward and the other pulls away. Sky and his companion were sun and moon, yin and yang, the very tides of the ocean itself. 

But Sky didn’t want someone to talk to, least of all Her. He was alone. He was meant to be alone, and that was fine. 

He just wanted Her to leave. 

She knew why. 

For what it's worth, She whispered to him, I am truly sorry. 

But it wasn't worth anything, and She knew it without needing to be told. 

She spoke again anyway. I do not regret it. But I will forever wish there was another way, if only to keep my Heroes safe. I chose you. 

Indeed She did, but Sky wished She never had to. 

I chose you, and I will care for your spirit for eternity, no matter if you forgive me or not. You shouldn't. I do not want nor deserve your forgiveness. But I will care for you anyway. This means that I will keep your Heroes safe, as best I can. 

They both knew how little help She could give. 

And yet they pray to me anyway, and I still answer. I answer and I guide and I listen. You know this. 

Sky knew this. That was true. 

You do not have to believe in my help. 

Sky didn't. That was also true. 

But I think we know each other well enough to know when the other is in need. 

And Sky wished that he could say it was untrue. 

But it wasn't. And She was right. 

"What do you want me to do?" he whispered into the dirt, gravelly and tired. His throat ached in a way he couldn't describe, tight and closed off as he fought to keep his eyes from stinging. The birds that hopped around him twittered softly, and he knew their bright colors that swept across the glorious blue skies, from the dawn of time to the very end. They were fragments of his home, his people, his culture, all of which had been lost to the wind or twisted on sturdy, earthbound rock. 

And yet Hylia was still worshipped like she had always been, even after her humans, her first beloved people, had been replaced by the people of Hyrule. 

Hm. 

I want you to do nothing for me, She whispered to him, voice as light and calming as the tweets of the chickadee beside him. I want you to live now. You have done all I have asked and more. You succeeded where even I failed. You do not owe me service, nor do you owe me forgiveness. But I do owe you my thanks and my apologies for all of time. I am forever in your debt. Understand that I can ask nothing of you, and I wish only for you to live your life as happily and prosperous as you can, though I took so much of that away for too long. But if I may speak as a worried bystander, I believe it would be beneficial if you stood and kept walking. 

But there was no point. There was no reason for him to keep going. He had been born, he had lived for a while, he had played his part, so now he could die. 

Besides, he wasn't about to do anything for Her, of all people. Not even if She insisted She was simply a concerned citizen. 

A breath of wind tugged on his sailcloth. Do not forget why you are here, his only, unwanted companion murmured. Do not forget that you were not put up to this task by anyone but yourself. Do not forget that you are not doing this for the fate of the world. Your brothers miss you. 

No they don't. 

They do. The Smith and the Champion especially. No one told them how powerful Demise was. They figured it out on their own because they cared enough about you to wonder what truly happened. 

Good for them. But they weren't here, and it was better that way. 

Your other brothers have learned of Demise's power as well. They will try to find you. Be aware. They are still your family. 

Maybe so, but they still screamed. They still spat insults at him. And they were still right in every shape and form. 

You are not mad at them. 

That was true. Sky could never be mad at the other heroes. Never in his nineteen years would he ever be able to find it in himself to be angry at them. But he was just so angry, and he didn't understand. 

You are angry at yourself. 

He wished he could say it was untrue, but it wasn't. She was completely right once again. 

He wished She couldn't read him as well as She could. 

It was never your fault. It was mine. 

But that didn't mean much, coming from Her. It should've. He should have been so joyful that She was owning up to Her own mistakes. 

But he wasn't. He wasn't much of anything anymore. 

You're Link. 

Was he really? Was he really Link? Link was the name of heroes, of little boys that had sacrificed everything they had known before to save everyone else. 

He didn't think he deserved that title, when he was the one who made it to be so. 

It isn't your fault. 

That wasn't true. 

Yes it is. 

But it wasn't. 

You don't want to believe it, but it is true. 

No it wasn't. No one believes that. 

No one believes that Loftwings talk, that was your saying once. And yet… 

And yet they do anyway. We just don't understand what they say. 

It wasn't your fault. 

But if you are not Link, then you are Sky. 

His breath caught. 

It was barely more than a moment, his exhale rattling in his chest, but She noticed. Of course She did. 

That is the name they gave you. You are still their brother. 

He nearly said he wasn't. But he couldn't bring himself to voice the words. 

You don't get to make the decision of who they choose as a family. They chose you. They will never change that. Just as you will never not choose them. 

He was so tired. 

They love you. 

Maybe they did. But he was tired. 

You chose this journey. I ask nothing of you. You do not have to get up, not if you don't want to. No one will force you to regain your feet. 

Maybe he wasn't going to. Maybe he would stay where he was, with the grass beneath him and the sky watching over him and his beloved birds fluttering all around. Maybe he would die here. Maybe that was fine with him. 

Maybe this all felt like a dare. 

No one will force you, She told him. 

Maybe he wanted to see if that was true. How long would it take before She was tugging him up again by those invisible strings that seemed to dangle from him and right into Her hand? How long would it be until She grew impatient with him and forced him to survive? To keep going? To see the journey through? 

You have a choice, Chosen Hero. 

You deserved one before, and I never gave it to you. But if you choose to stay here, I will let you rest. And I will watch over you. 

And if you would like me to leave and never speak to you again, I will do my best to fulfill your desire. I cannot promise you will never hear from me again, and perhaps that is for the best. Humans are fluid creatures, their wants and their needs fluctuating like the tide against the shoreline. I know you wish for me to order you to obey me. 

Maybe he did. Then he could force himself to get back up, if only because someone else had something they needed him to do. 

But I will not. 

You control this situation, Sky. 

You do not have to get up. Not if you do not want to. 

This is not my story any longer. This is your life. 

It's time you control the narrative. 

Sky came back to himself in a blink and he gasped a deep, shuddering breath, realizing that he had been forgetting to breathe. His lungs burned with every gasp. 

It occurred to him that it had been two years since he had last done that. But Zelda had needed him then, and that was why he had kept taking shaky inhales. 

But technically, no one needed him. Not anymore. 

And so he was left wondering why Her words startled him so, and attempting to puzzle out with his foggy brain what had made him breathe again. 

Shall I leave you to your decisions, or do you wish me to stay? 

It was clear She knew what his answer would be. Because it didn't matter if her actions had been necessary, it didn't matter that it had been years since he had learned the truth, and it didn't matter how much She cared about Her Hero. 

Because Her choices impacted him even now. 

And in anyone's eyes, it was unforgivable. 

But Sky was Chosen for a reason. He was unbreakable, yes. He could be forced forward by a simple command or a scrap of bait on a string. He was a knight and a soldier and a good man. But even more than that, he was more unpredictable than any human had any right to be. 

Maybe, in another life, he'd have been strong enough to push her away again. 

But maybe, just maybe, any companionship was better than none. 

One hand flicked out from the grass, grasping blindly for where the memory of an intangible gossamer skirt had settled beside him, and somehow, the dirty, calloused fingers wrapped around the delicate fabric that didn't exist. 

"Please," he croaked, his voice near-silent. But he knew She could hear him. "Please. Stay." 

If She was the most startled She had ever been, She hid it well. Her soft, gentle hand, light as a thought, brushed over his hand, wrapping sunlight-fingers around it in as much silent comfort at She knew he would allow, and squeezed gently. 

He squeezed back. 

In an era lost to time, a Goddess sat in a field of flowers and gently twittering songbirds, keeping watch over her Chosen Hero as he finally rested. 

He realized, if he were to stay here, he might very well die where he laid. 

Maybe he didn't want to die yet. 

After a few long minutes, Sky finally heaved a great sigh. "So." 

Yes? 

"You're not leaving. Are you." 

Most likely not.  

"Right. Okay." He sighed again. He hoped She knew that he really disliked Her sometimes. 

She chuckled a little. You've made this abundantly clear. 

Good. He grunted, pushing himself onto his elbows. "Just making sure. Welp, if you're not gonna leave, then you can at least be useful." 

Are you really ordering a god around, Hero? A tinge of humor colored her voice. 

Sky didn't share the same sentiment. He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to muster the strength to push himself back to his feet. "Are you really trying to test me right now?" he growled back, his throat aching from talking so much. Of course, She could predict his thoughts uncannily well, so there was no point in actually talking, but…maybe it felt like an act of spite. A way, however small, to say fuck you, I'm still alive. Because he was. He was still breathing. He still had things to do. He wasn't going to die yet. 

There was a beat, and then, What do you need from me? 

As much as he hated to ask for it, what he really needed was advice. He gritted his teeth, resting one arm on his knee. She knew a lot, and besides, he was getting nowhere with his method of searching. "I need a way…I need a way to find the Shadow." 

Ah. 

For a while, the glade was silent save for the chirping of birds and the labored breath of the Skyloftian as he just tried to get up. 

"So?" he finally grunted. "Please tell me you actually have something." 

His companion's heavy sigh gusted through the grass. I…know of a way to get something of the sort. You will not enjoy it, though. 

Lovely. That's exactly what he wanted to hear. 

There was another moment of silence until Sky spoke up again. "So…you gonna tell me how to get the thing?" 

The sunlit grip on his hand grew tighter for just a split second. I'm not sure if you would want me to. 

But he did want Her to tell him, so he could actually do something, and, as a bonus, get away from Her quicker. 

I really do not think you wish to know. 

"Just tell me already." 

Fine. He could hear Her eyeroll. You'll be angry at me, though I have no control over it. 

One hand curled into a fist. "I'll be angry if you keep stalling." 

There's a way to be given a gift, She spoke. To work for a goal and be deemed worthy. If it were up to me, I would merely give you the gift without the trial, for you have proven yourself time and time again. 

A flash of determination ran through him. Now he was getting somewhere. "I don't care what you would do, just tell me about the trial." 

There is a Silent Realm you have not yet completed. 

Sky stilled. 

For a moment, the world was silent. 

"You're joking." 

I wish I was. 

"I did them all already." 

This one is…unorthodox. It was unnecessary to your quest to find Zelda, especially given that you had your dowsing ability. 

"Then I wake Fi again." 

Impossible. 

"I'm not doing this." 

I merely offer a way to succeed in your goal. 

"There's another way." Sky felt tears form in his eyes, and he snickered. Goddess, I'm pathetic. "There has to be another way, there is another way." 

You know as well as I that is not always the case. 

In one great show of defiance, Sky shoved himself to his feet. His legs shook and he stumbled, but he wasn't about to fall again. 

Not when life was this fucking unfair. "Absolutely not. I did Farore's, Din's, Nayru's, yours. I'm not doing another, I don't care what you fucking say! There isn't even a god left to make one!" 

As I said, this Silent Realm is unorthodox, made by an unorthodox goddess.  

"And you still haven't even told me what that me-ans!" His voice cracked, but he couldn't bring himself to care. "This isn't an option." 

You do not wish to know what I mean by unorthodox. And if it is not an option, then why are you considering it? 

He wasn't. 

So you say. 

He wasn't. 

Very well. It was clear She didn't believe him. Maybe She was right. 

Sky would never admit it, though. 

"So what does 'unorthodox' mean?" he asked instead. "Any specifics?" 

No. You would not wish it on others, if you knew. 

"You know, that doesn't make it any better," Sky snarled. "You're real fucking nice to me. Spew all that shit about regret and not wanting to hurt me, and now you're just like 'oh, go do another Silent Realm and get your soul irreparably damaged again. And by the way, this one's worse!' Real nice of you, Your Grace." He spat those last few words with as much malice as his burning throat could muster. "Fuck off." 

I…never said that this Silent Realm is worse than the others you have completed, She ventured. 

"Because you meant that it's any better?" he hissed. 

Not necessarily. I will admit, I am not sure what it looks like. I have never been there, nor did I help to create it. I have only heard rumors and gossip. That is the only reason I say you would not wish it on others. It is a foreign area within a land in which you have no experience. I cannot prepare you. You have experienced the truly unknown before, down on the Surface. This is why I did not wish to tell you. 

No. No way was he going to a Silent Realm unknown to a goddess. The moment he entered that damned place, there was no way out until he completed his task. And if She didn't know what to expect...well, that sounded like the best way to be trapped in eternal torment with no way out. He was thinking logically here, look at that, and the risk was far greater than the reward. 

He'd find a different way, no matter how long it took him. 

But the moment Sky tried to take a step forward, he stumbled, only to be caught by a gentle gust that lowered him back to the ground. 

"Stop fucking trying to help," he growled, shakily unsheathing the Master Sword and stabbing it into the ground. He forced himself to his feet once more, leaning most of his weight on the sacred blade. "I don't want it. I don't need it." 

If She cared even a fraction less about him, Sky knew She would have snapped back with a scathing retort about how he did need Her help, he had asked Her for advice, and he just so happened to be supporting himself with his very first gift from Her, which was designed to help. 

But She said nothing, and for a moment, Sky was grateful for the quiet. 

He took a step forward, gritting his teeth, but no featherlight touch kept him upright. His knees buckled, but no one was there to catch him. 

It was shocking. It was abrupt. 

It was all too eerie. 

He crumpled to the ground, a sudden sense of loss encompassing him. He was alone again.  

Had She left? No, She can't have just left, that wasn't how She worked. And besides, it was fine if She did, because he had told Her to already, and he hated both her and her company anyway, and it shouldn't make a difference to him because before she came along, he'd already been alone for so long… 

"Hello?" he whispered. 

There was pressure on his shoulder immediately, and Sky pretended he didn't relax into Her touch. 

I am still here, She reassured him. I merely took a step back. You wished for me to not help. 

"Fuck you," Sky muttered. "I-I don't want you around me." 

And yet…what? 

He felt pathetic, really. First he needed to be talked out of letting himself die, then he was childishly refusing an opportunity simply because he didn't want to take it, and now, after weeks of travelling alone perfectly well (and that was a lie, that was a lie, if She hadn't come, he'd be dead), all it took was a brief chat with his fucking regretful manipulator and suddenly he couldn't do shit without someone else by his side. 

What a hero. What a pathetic fucking unbreakable hero. 

That's not true in the slightest, She said suddenly, breaking Sky out of his train of thought. You are the best hero I could possibly ask for. Do not sell yourself short, and do not think for a moment that you are pathetic in any way. 

He sneered. "I fucking hate you. I don't want you here." 

I am aware. 

"And you really won't leave." 

If you wish to actually find your Shadow, I do think it would be best if I stayed, yes. 

"Yeah, if I want to take a step forward, you have to stay." Sky shook his head. "This is stupid. I hate you. Just…don't annoy me." 

That will be difficult, as you are annoyed by my very presence. 

"Now you're getting it." He scowled. "I don't want you here at all. But you have to show me how to get to that fucking Silent Realm." 

I thought you had said no? She asked lightly, but Sky knew better. She was completely unsurprised, but if She wasn't worried then he would actually eat an amber relic. 

He hated how well he knew Her. 

"I'm not going to help the others in any way if I can't do this shit because I'm too fucking stubborn," he said instead. "It's fine. It's fine. I've done these things so many times…it's fine." 

Sky, I don't believe that's stubbornness- She began, but he cut her off. 

"Shut the fuck up. You're being annoying." He took another step forward, pulling the Master Sword from the ground and sheathing it once more. He coughed roughly, his vocal cords dry and raw. Fuck. 

Stop talking, She insisted. 

Stop trying to help me, he wanted to shoot back. 

She knew what he meant anyway. 

I am keeping you from falling over, She mentioned flatly. And She was - as Sky struggled to walk forward, little puffs of wind kept him standing, straightening his posture and giving him something to lean on. 

There is a village only a little ways from here, She told him. You can get food and drink and rest there. 

He didn't want rest. He wanted to find the Shadow. 

You need rest. 

He didn't. It was fine. He could go to the village and stock up on water, food, and potions. That was smart. But he just needed enough food to keep his body from shaking uncontrollably and enough water to keep his throat from feeling as dry and parched and fiery as it did now. 

He could rest later. 

Three days without water, three weeks without food, about ten days without sleep. 

All he had to do was stay in those parameters. 

He could feel his companion's disapproving gaze on his back, but She wouldn't say anything. That was fine with him. 

Sky took another step forward, held up by spite and Hylia Herself.

Chapter Text

Slight bursts had turned to steady gusts, and now wind blew through the cobbled streets of the little town, converging on the starving young man who trudged slowly into the village. He was silent, and his silence spread to the townspeople as he walked past. Conversations slowed and grinded to a halt as eyes caught on the man. Fathers and mothers frowned with worry at the sight of him, while teenagers stared with wide eyes at someone who should be like them and yet…wasn't. Merchants quieted their yells in favor of eyeing the dusty stranger who dragged his feet and looked ready to collapse the moment someone bumped into him. 

And behind him, the chatter picked back up, but it was paired with strange glances and furrowed brows. 

The man was too deep in his own head to notice anything other than the cobbles under his feet and the voice that only spoke to him. 

He didn't realize how he looked. 

But no one stepped up to help him, no matter how much they thought they should. 

∆∆∆ 

Sunlight beat down on Sky's back as he wandered through the streets. He wasn't quite sure what he was looking for - he was pretty sure he was in a suburb of some sort, but that wasn't much to go off of. 

His feet ached on the worn cobbles of the path. His legs and back felt stiff and numb. His stomach felt tiny, and he struggled to keep his eyes open as a headache pounded at his forehead. His vision kept swimming, making everything around him sway strangely. 

He had never been used to traveling on foot. 

And goddesses, he was hungry. 

The warm smell of grease and dough wafted by, thick and overbearing, and Sky near-blindly stumbled through the streets to find where it came from. 

The small road opened up into a bustling square full of colorful banners and stands. The afternoon sunlight illuminated the crowds of people yelling and pushing past each other. They smiled familiarly at each other and waved at friends and acquaintances. 

It was a community. It was a family he wasn't a part of. 

But that was okay. 

As he shuffled forward, the smell of food became sickeningly rich, weighing down the air and clogging his windpipe. Sky stumbled backwards, hot tears burning his eyes as he choked on nothing. His stomach grumbled at the thought of any food, but even the hints of heavy pastries and products made him gag. 

A nonexistent hand rested on his back, keeping him upright. Careful, Hylia murmured worriedly. 

Sky gritted his teeth, forgoing a biting retort in favor of making sure he didn't puke. He swallowed the bitter taste at the back of his throat and sighed lightly - he didn't have enough energy to do much else. 

You've been living off of potions and scraps for weeks, She worried. You cannot just eat hearty foods immediately. 

"Yeah, no shit," he mumbled, doing his best not to upset the orderly chaos of the town square too much. But people shifted out of his way as he wandered through the square, making it so he didn't bump into anyone, so he would take small mercies. 

A bell began to toll, and Sky raised his sunken, tired eyes to see a steeple rise above the orderly houses and shops. He squinted at the reflected light from a birdlike crest at the very top, trying to see while not succumbing to the dark spots that grew in his vision. 

He squinted harder. That was Hylia's crest. 

"Damn," he muttered, his throat closing on his words. "How much more self-obsessed can you get?" 

I never asked for a temple, his companion objected. 

"But you like it," he pointed out. Sure, She knew everything about him, but that didn't mean he didn't know Her. Sure enough, She was silent for just a moment too long. "That's what I thought." 

I do not like it, She tried to explain. But both of them knew She was clearly lying through her nonexistent teeth. I find it unnecessary. And stop talking, you will only tear your throat more. 

He absentmindedly picked at the dirt that was caked onto his fingernails. She wasn't wrong, but it felt like an act of defiance to ignore her. He'd get a drink of water later. 

Yeah. He'd be fine then. 

Then he could…

Do something… 

Yeah… 

Blinking slowly, Sky checked his pouch for any more potions. 

Six empty bottles stared back at him. 

One of them was Warrior's. Where had that come from? 

Did it matter? 

He needed more potions. 

…

There’s an inn to your left. 

Sky blinked, shaking his head to clear the fuzz that surrounded his thoughts. 

He looked up from the health and stamina potions he was buying, pointedly ignoring the worried looks the tanned merchant was giving him. There was an inn to his left, yeah. 

You should go stay for a night. Or two. 

He snorted derisively as he counted out rupees. As if. 

You need to sleep. 

Well, he didn’t want to, so it was fine. 

Why on earth will you not just go to sleep? 

Other than the fact that as soon as he went to sleep, something always went wrong? Not to mention the nightmares that always tended to come true? Sky shrugged. Sleeping took time. It wasted time that he could have spent travelling. It made him late. 

Never again. 

The door of a nearby tavern slammed closed as if Hylia was pounding Her forehead against the wood. She probably was. 

Sky smirked. 

Go to sleep. 

No. 

Go to sleep. 

It wasn’t like She could make him. She could go fuck Herself. 

You’ll collapse in the middle of a battle. You’ll get yourself killed. 

That’s what adrenaline was for. 

A frustrated gust of wind ruffled his hair, and the middle-aged merchant patiently ran a hand through their own short salt-and-pepper hair. You can already barely walk as it is. Just get one good night’s sleep, that’s all I ask. 

His hand tightened on his rupees, letting the harsh edges of the gems cut into his skin. It wasn’t Her place to tell him what to do. She had said She wouldn’t dictate his goddessdamned life anymore. 

I’m not telling you what to do. I’m simply trying to take care of you. 

“You don’t get to take care of me,” he growled under his breath. “You don’t get to pretend like I matter to you. Not after everything.” 

And I’ve already apologized for that! It was necessary, and that does not make it right, and I understand that. Let me help you! 

Of course She would act like one apology would suddenly make everything better again. Sky knew it didn’t work like that. It never did. 

Someone cleared their throat, and Sky’s head jerked up to look at the merchant in front of him. “What?” he croaked. 

“Um, sir, you’ve been staring at your rupees for an awfully long time,” the potion-seller chuckled nervously. “If you could just hand ‘em to me…yeah, thanks…” they trailed off as Sky shakily dropped the now slightly bloodstained rupees into the awaiting palm. He sighed internally. Just another couple scratches that he had to keep clean until they healed. 

“Have a good day,” the Skyloftian said quietly, trying to muster up a fake little smile. “Thank you for the potions.” 

“Of course…you too,” the merchant replied, clearly a bit confused. Probably wondering why an emaciated corpse was wandering around their market stall. 

Sky’s lips twitched up into a smirk. Funny. 

It's not funny if you're going to die, Hylia sighed. 

She was wrong, of course. Everything was funny when you were tired and your muscles were burning. 

"Excuse me, sir," the merchant called. "Do you need a place to stay?" 

"What?" Sky spun around. 

"Just for the night or something," they said quickly. "I've got a spare room in my house, and I know we haven't met before or anything, but you look like you could use a rest." 

"I'm good, thank you," he said quickly. 

"I believe that," the potion-seller said, sarcasm dripping from their voice. They ran a hand through their short dark hair. "Listen, I'm just trying to help, okay? Ya hear stories about these big grand heroes all the time, and you hear about them helping everyone they meet, yeah? But no one helps each other, even when something is clearly wrong. But all those heroes started out by helping someone random, right? They’re remembered cuz they were good people. I can at least help some guy who’s gonna fall over.” 

His lips twitched into a genuine smile for a moment. “I appreciate it, but there are others that need help more. I’m fine.” 

Just take their damned help, Hylia hissed. 

“Are you kidding me?” they asked. “You’re kidding. All you did was buy a couple potions, and I can see how badly ya need them.” 

"You don't know me," Sky told them, and they shrugged. 

"That's true, but I do have eyes and a guest room. And please move a bit, you’re blocking everyone’s way.” 

The Skyloftian blinked, realizing that the people in the streets had been just barely parting around him. “Shit,” he hissed, stumbling forward and back towards the market stall. A tall man walked past, casting him an odd look, but Sky was just grateful he hadn’t gotten squished. “Listen, I’m sorry,” he told the potion-seller. He realized he had begun to lean heavily on their counter, and pulled himself away, blinking away the starbursts that appeared in the air. “I’m in a little bit of a rough patch, but I’m fine. Promise.” 

No you’re not. They’re right to worry, Hylia reprimanded. 

Sky wished She’d stop talking. 

Not when you’re going to get yourself killed, She retorted. I won’t be able to help you forever, and frankly, I still think that your own wellbeing should be your first priority. 

Why, though? Why would he care, when there were things he needed to do for everyone else? It felt…selfish, really. 

It’s not selfish, She told him sharply. It’s realistic. You can’t do this forever. You need to rest, please. It’s fine to help people when you’re able to. Not when you’re on the brink of death. 

As if he needed life advice from one of the people who fucked his life over. No thanks. 

You will never accept my apology, and I can live with that, She told him. But I cannot simply stand by and watch as you tear yourself apart like this. Let me help. 

"I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF, THANK YOU VERY FUCKING MUCH!" he exploded. He didn't know who he was yelling at, he wasn't sure what had pissed him off so badly, but he was just so angry. 

The potion maker took a step back, their eyes hardening. Sky wanted to laugh at the sight. He always fucked something up, didn’t he? He always pushed people away and made them angry and then he left. That’s just what seemed to keep on fucking happening. What was the last thing he had done right? Who was the last person he had made happy? Wasn’t that his entire job? To help people? 

Hylia be actually fucking damned, he was such a miserable little pest. Goddesses above. 

“Sorry,” he croaked out. “Really. I am. I wasn’t talking to you, I didn’t mean to yell. I’ll, um…I’ll just be going now. Sorry again. Um…bye. Have a good day.” 

He turned away, ready to be swallowed up by the foot traffic, but they cleared their throat. “Um…if you don’t mind me asking…what’s that?” 

“Hmm?” He frowned, looking to where they pointed. His fingers found the handle of the Master Sword. “This?” 

“Yeah.” They pursed their lips. “Is that actually…you know…the legendary blade?” 

“Maybe,” Sky said slowly. “Why?” 

“Oh, I heard an old story once,” they admitted, still wary. “Said that if any other than the Chosen Heroes wielded it, they’d go mad. I don’t know if it’s true, but…if it is…pardon my bluntness, but I don’t think you should have it.” 

He forced a smile onto his face. “Thanks for the concern. But she’s not the issue. She never was. I’m sorry for disrupting your business so much. I really will be going now.” 

“Where?” they asked. 

“What?” 

“Where are you going?” 

He shrugged. “Somewhere. I like to wander.” He carefully refrained from calling himself a traveler - heavens knew how that had gone last time. 

But the potion-seller frowned anyway, and Sky briefly wondered how badly he fucked up this time. “There’s an inn right there, you know.” 

Yeah, no shit, he thought dryly. 

Hylia’s snicker came in the form of the quiet coo of a tiny bird a few feet away. Sky preferred it if She crawled into a hole somewhere and died. 

“My wife runs it,” the potion-seller told him. “Free breakfast in the mornings.” They frowned for a moment, before smirking a little. “She’ll be disappointed when I tell her I let a customer slip away.” 

Sky stalled. Hylia, damn you and all you stand for. Goddess- fucking -dammit. 

Because he was a hero. And he did like to make people happy. Even the smallest guilt-trip could make him cave, and everyone knew it. 

And goddessdammit, he was tired and the sun was almost comfortingly close to the horizon, making shadows lengthen and bathing the cobbled streets in gold. 

But the weirdest part? He wasn't really angry about it. To be honest, he was kind of… relieved. 

"Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly. "I don't even know your name." 

The potion-seller smiled at him. "You're right, huh? My name's Onith. And why do I need a reason to help you? Besides, I told you already. The only way the heroes ever got famous was because they helped people. You're - how old are you, eighteen?" 

"Nineteen," Sky muttered. 

Onith nodded. "Only nineteen years old. Life hasn't really been good to you. Dear Three, you're just a kid. You need someone to help you." 

"I have someone already," he explained, but it sounded more like a question. 

"Yeah? Who?" Onith looked around, as if trying to spot Sky's invisible friend. 

"The voice in my head," he deadpanned. 

Onith gave him an odd look and Hylia sighed. 

It occurred to Sky that he probably wasn't in a position to make jokes like that. "Sorry," he murmured as he looked at his scuffed, dirty boots. "I got, fucking, Hylia looking over my shoulder. She's annoying." 

He wasn’t even lying, but Onith just shook their head. "We're getting off topic here. Go check into the inn." 

He sighed slowly, letting his eyes close as he thought. He wasn’t… technically in a rush, and he wasn’t even sure where the Silent Realm was, not to mention who made it. And he could always get his thoughts in order if he spent a night in a bed instead of passing out in the branches of some tree so the monsters couldn’t get to him… 

But it was slow… 

But what would he be late for this time? 

He reluctantly nodded. “Fine. Fine, okay, I get it. I need a little rest. One night, that’s all.” 

The colorful banners hanging up in the streets fluttered as Hylia sighed in relief. Finally. 

“I’m not doing this for you,” he muttered under his breath. It wasn’t the first time he regretted not letting Her follow him. For a supposed concerned citizen, She was awfully pushy with him. The only reason She had yet to get what She wanted was that She had no leverage to make him actually do what She wanted. Sky snickered at the thought, growing a little woozy. His head spun a little, but lately, when had it not? 

Eh. That probably wasn’t worrying, even if he were to add that to the stabbing pains in his stomach, his fuzzy brain, and the limbs that felt like they were encased in lead. 

Onith, Hylia reminded him gently. 

Sky snapped his head up to meet Onith's eyes, wincing a bit at the rigid little ache in his neck. "Thank you!" he said quickly. "Yes, uh, thanks for the suggestion, I will do that now, okay. Cool. Yeah. Thanks for the potions and everything." 

"Of course…" They trailed off questioningly. 

There was an awkward pause, before Sky realized he was supposed to say something. 

They want your name. 

"Oh!" He rubbed one eye. "Sky. I'm Sky." Dammit, I'm so fucking stupid. 

But before he could travel farther along that train of thought, Onith smiled at him. "Alright, Sky. Just tell my wife that I sent you, and I'm sure you can get yourself a discount. Have a good day!" 

Sky smiled back, holding back a yawn. He wouldn't be using that discount - he didn't really need to. Just because he was alone and tired and maybe a little hungry didn't mean that he couldn't pay full price. He was still plenty rich, after all - who said adventuring didn't pay well? “Bye,” he said softly, trying to save his voice a little. “Thank you.” 

“Of course,” Onith told him. “I’ll see you later then!” 

Sky started to walk away towards the inn, and for once, it took no effort to keep the small smile on his face. 

∆∆∆

A small bell jingled somewhere as he pushed open the door to the inn. Sky blinked a little at the beams of sunlight that streamed through the clear windows. The entire place was empty, though there were plenty of tables, chairs, and a bar against one wall. Honestly, it looked more like a tavern than an inn, but it was clean, inviting, and had rooms for the night, so it was just fine by him. Besides, taverns sold food. 

Really hearty food. 

Eh. He didn't have to get anything. 

"Be right with you!" someone called from a doorway behind the bar, and Sky took the opportunity to actually look around. Besides the furniture, natural lighting, and the staircase that led to the second floor, the walls had been plastered with pictures, newspaper articles, signs, and art. He smiled at a particularly well-done drawing of Onith holding up a small cat and grinning. 

"Sorry for the wait," a short Sheikah woman said breathlessly, wiping her hands with a towel as she walked through the doorway and behind the bar with her long silver braid swinging. She couldn't have been younger than forty, and she busied herself with a few papers, not looking up at him as she spoke. "Albert really doesn't like baths, he always fusses so much-" Her red eyes flicked up to him for a moment, and she did a double take. "Oh. Good afternoon…sir." 

He nodded. "G'afternoon. Who’s Albert?” 

She smiled a little. “He’s my cat. Nasty little furball, he is, but we love him anyway. Now, what can I help you with?”

Oh, right. He was here to sleep. “I, uh, I'd like to book a room for one night?" 

"Of course you can," she agreed. "But one night will cost about 30 rupees. Is that alright?" 

"Yeah, that's fine," Sky said. "Yeah. That'll work. Thanks." 

As he counted out rupees, she wrote something down. "Alright, there we go. I do need a name, though." 

"Huh? Oh!" Sky grimaced. He wasn't doing great with the whole "human interaction" thing. "Yeah. Uh…just Sky." 

"Sky." She smiled, the corners of her eyes wrinkling. "I'm Esa. We have a bunch of empty rooms, but I was just going to put you in room 204. It's the one closest to the stairs on the second floor. That okay?" 

A smile slipped across his face without him meaning to. "Thank you for the room, Ms. Esa," he told her. "That's great." 

"Good!" She nodded. "The mailman comes at about seven o'clock, if you need to send anything." 

He nodded and headed up the stairs. Room 204 was just where Esa had told him it was, beside the stairs on the second floor. He opened the door and just took a second to admire it. The room was small but cozy, with the bed in one corner and a small deck and chair in another. The curtains on the window had been pushed to the sides, letting the golden sunshine warm the room. There was a tree just outside, and he watched as it swayed lightly in the breeze. 

Sky sat lightly on the edge of his bed as he pulled off his boots and set them beside the bed frame next to Fi. The mattress was soft and comfortable, and he laid down with his hands behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. He idly wondered who could possibly have made the Silent Realm. How many gods did he even know of? There was Farore, Nayru, Din, Hylia…

Demise…

He shivered despite the sun on his back. Demise never made a Silent Realm. There was no way he had made a trial. 

It is not a creation of Demise, his companion told him, already knowing what he was contemplating. How much do you know about the Goddess of Time? 

Absolutely nothing. 

Sky shook his head, immediately regretting it as his vision swam with dizziness. 

I have never met Her myself, She murmured thoughtfully. She existed long before any of the Golden Three or myself. There are still people who worship Her, of course, but they are spread few and far between. She may be ancient, but She does not care about the separation between mortals and deities. When She is Called, She will answer every time, though She is not Called often. When She is, some of the most noteworthy points in history happen. 

No shit, Sky wanted to say, but he kept his mouth shut. Perhaps he should have called her during his adventure somehow. 

Her laugh was dozens of tweeting birds just outside his window sill. He wished they'd go away. You are noteworthy by yourself. You have no need of Her help when you are as powerful as you are.  

Sky didn't feel all that powerful. 

Neither do I, but here we are. Your friend Time once Called upon Her, however. I have always found it interesting how people Call Her, it is so specific. Not only do you need a prayer, but you also need an instrument and a song. And you cannot just have the musical aspect, you must know who it is you are praying to. That is why She appears so few times. She does not have a massive following, just a few people here and there, and it is very rare when they can pass on their knowledge of Her to a younger generation. They hardly have any need of Her anyway, for most of Her followers are woodsmen and farmers. 

But Time needed Her help. 

Yes, he was a very special case, his companion mused. It was, strangely enough, the combined effort of both him and his fairy that completed his Call. With Her help, he spent three days saving a place called Termina. It is curious, of course, because he just kept redoing those days. Everyone else experienced life as normal, but he must have gone through months of adventure. I've never known how long it took - I experienced three days, just like everyone else. The Goddess was the only one who could possibly track his progress, and She refuses to tell anyone what occurred. But I do know that Time saved all of the townsfolk from the moon, the mask, and their individual struggles. He's a kind man. 

Sky coughed in surprise. So Time actually had fought the moon. 

Indeed he did. Hylia chuckled. He has done a lot in his life. All of my heroes have. And they are my heroes, before you try to interrupt, She added quickly. They are my heroes, because you are my Hero, not just in title, but in action. You saved the world. You saved me. 

No. Sky frowned. He saved Zelda. There was a distinction there. 

And in saving Zelda, you saved me. That is simply something you must face. But it does not matter now. What is done is done and cannot be undone. I was merely going to say that they do so much, and that is at least partially because they carry your spirit. You are an amazing person. You are an anomaly in the best way possible. I think that your ability to care makes you kind, and your innate kindness makes you a rarity. I think that you are protective, and you love quickly. You are slow to anger unless someone threatens your loved ones, in which case you will unleash all of your fury on the person who dares to touch them. I think that you are shoved mercilessly into these situations where you build up all of this anger, and it makes you selfless because you are unable to do anything else with your rage. I think your selflessness makes you powerful, because no one else would do so much and hurt so terribly if they could simply leave the matter alone. I may be wrong. I am not mortal. But you know I was. From my brief experience of it, no matter how cliche this may seem, I do believe that it is your relentless protectiveness that makes you so incredibly powerful. Am I correct? 

Sky found himself smirking. His parched lips cracked with the motion. “Well, I think you’re a bitch. Am I correct?” She did not answer, so he just pursed his lips and snorted. “I wouldn’t call it protectiveness. I don’t think that’s right.” He vaguely wondered how they had gotten onto the topic of his supposed power. 

I have been thinking about it for a long time, She admitted. Though you could not like me less, I still care. You know that. I have always tried to understand you better. I have always known what you would do and how. I have simply never understood the why. I am also not the greatest at staying on a single topic. 

Huh. Sky figured he could respect that. 

But it wasn’t about him. It was about finding the fucking Shadow, and he did want to know more about the Silent Realm. 

My apologies, She whispered. I just find the topic of the Goddess of Time curious, and you needed to be educated. I believe I can teach you Her song, and I believe I can help you to find the trial gate. However, you do not have an instrument. 

Oh fuck. He didn’t have an instrument. 

Sky startled at that, bolting upright and holding his head in his hands as his vision fuzzed out for a second. But She was right. That was true. Wild had his harp now, he was pretty sure, and without his harp, he couldn’t play the song. Without the song, he couldn’t open the trial gate, and without the trial, his chances of actually doing his job would plummet- 

Calm down, Hylia murmured quickly, but Sky shook his head roughly. 

“Shut the fuck up,” he muttered. “Shut the fuck up. You’re not helpful.” 

I’m right, She insisted. You must think of something. You either go through with this, or you attempt to find the other heroes again. It is always your decision, but if you really must complete this Silent Realm, you do need an instrument. 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know,” he grunted, rubbing his palms into his eyes and running a hand into his messy hair. “I know, I know, I get it, I-I-I’ll find something… it can’t be that hard t-to find an instrument, I could buy something here, right?” It was a legitimate question - but it had to work. It had to. 

I…I’m unsure, Hylia told him reluctantly. I think it must be the Goddess’s Harp, however. I do not believe any other instrument is capable of opening the gate to a Silent Realm, or else everyone would find them, simply by playing the correct song around it. 

“No. No fucking way.” Sky shook his head, laughing sourly to himself. “You think. You think it has to be my harp. You can’t be serious. You’re the one who’s meant to have all the answers. You’re literally the expert on these things. They’re your trials for me. This is under your jurisdiction. How do you not know this for certain?” 

I…will admit, we never attempted to open a gate with a different instrument, She admitted. It did not occur to us. 

“Great.” Sky scoffed, annoyance coating his voice in an attempt to cover his panic. It was useless, of course, but it comforted him to pretend no one knew how scared he was. “Great. So you’ve always been pretentious. Good to know. I’m not surprised, but really, you couldn’t do this one thing? Really? You had to use the fancy golden harp every time?” 

It wasn’t necessary, She retorted. You were always going to have the harp. It was always going to work perfectly well. 

“Well, I don’t have it now,” he gritted out. “Thanks for that. I…what am I supposed to do here? It has to be literally centuries away by now!” And so were the heroes. There was no way to get to them. There was no point in backtracking. He could try to find a new instrument to use, but due to Hylia's utter incompetence, he doubted it would work, anyway. 

This was his journey. It was meant for him, and the other Links had been dragged along for the ride. 

And now he couldn't fucking finish it. 

It was his job to find the Shadow, and now he couldn't. 

Sky let out a choked, watery laugh. What a good hero he was. What an awesome fucking hero. He couldn't even find his own shadow properly, let alone dodge a malicious curse that was born out of pure spite and hatred. 

No one blames you for that, Hylia insisted. 

The Shadow did. 

Well, the Shadow got their life turned upside down because of Demise, not you. She sighed. They were there, too. They should know that. 

"Okay," he mumbled. "Yeah, sure. The only two people who came out of that fight were the Shadow and I. We're the only people who were actually there, and we both blame me. Think that means anything?" 

Yes, I do, She replied. I think it means that you have a hero complex, and the Shadow has been alive for so long that their memory has holes and inconsistencies. So does their perception of life. That's not their fault, but they could at least realize that you couldn't have done anything more than what you did. 

"Well, now I can't do anything at all," he groaned miserably, letting his head fall onto his pillow. 

There was a long silence. 

You could always simply ask the Champion for the harp. 

"What?" he snapped. 

Esa said the mailman comes at seven, Hylia reasoned. You could send a letter. 

"No." Sky shut Her down. "No, we can't just - I can't just do that! That's-" 

Smart? She finished. 

"Stupid," he deadpanned. "I can't just rely on him to finish this. He's supposed to not worry about this whole time travel thing anymore. I'll figure something else out." 

He would say yes, She told him. He and the other heroes are looking for you. They will help. If your goal was for them to stop worrying, then you have achieved exactly the opposite. 

"You fucking liar," he snorted. "They don't want me. We've been over this." 

I wouldn't lie- 

"Finish that sentence," he interrupted coldly. "Finish that sentence. I dare you." 

She wisely didn't. 

She said something worse. 

Zelda might want her harp back. 

Sky shot straight up, snarling. "Fuck you," he hissed. "Fuck you. You told me you wouldn't push me to do anything I didn't want to do. You said you'd stop this…this manipulation. I won't do what you want! What about that do you not understand? You've apologized for doing it before, but now you're doing it again!" 

I'm not manipulating you, She said quietly. 

"That's just bullshit," he growled. 

I'm not, She insisted. I am altering your thinking so that you don't hold yourself back. You want this, and we both know it. You want to talk to them again. You want to be there with them. 

"And they don't want me!" Sky yelled. Tears burned his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "I'm fine with that! That's what they want! I'm not gonna force myself into their lives when I don't deserve it!" 

And you call me the liar, Hylia whispered. 

He wouldn't tell Her that She was right. He wouldn't. He wasn't going to give Her that satisfaction. 

Just write to him, She pleaded. He will send you the harp. 

Just once. All he had to do was ask for help one time. And then he could disappear for good. 

It was simple enough. 

One more time, and then he could stop bugging everyone. 

Sky shoved himself to his feet and walked unsteadily over to the desk. He rifled through the drawers for a second, succeeding in his small quest to find paper, a pen, and some ink. It was simple enough to set up the ink and get ready to write. 

The pen was nearly touching the page when he faltered. He wasn't quite sure what to write. 

That was a little bit of a problem. 

He fiddled with the pen in his hands. He needed to be short, concise, but really polite. Really, really polite. Couldn’t have them hating him any more than they already did, if he wanted this to work. 

You’re overthinking this too much. They don’t hate you, Hylia insisted. None of them do. They’re all incredibly worried. 

And if the fucking bitch in his ear could shut up, maybe Sky would be able to figure out what to say. He couldn’t say anything about his…condition either, then they might feel bad and be obligated to do something, even if they didn’t want to. He couldn’t rule that out - they were heroes, after all. It would be unfair to them to do that. 

He was fine, anyway.  

Either way, they couldn't go looking for him, they didn't deserve that. So he had to make it simple and completely normal, so they didn't try to follow the mailman or something- 

You're so paranoid. 

-and if a CERTAIN FUCKING BITCH could GET the HELL out of his THOUGHTS, then he could figure out what to write. 

Also, it wasn't paranoia if it was possible. Sky hadn't actually… tried to follow the postman, but he was sure it could probably happen. 

Maybe he was being stupid, though. Why would Wild - or any of the heroes, for that matter - try to find him? What could they possibly gain from that? Why would they even want to see him again? 

They care about you, Hylia said quietly. The ink pot rattled, as if She was fidgeting with it. She was. They really do. They don’t blame you. 

Sure they didn’t. And She could go tell that to the eight rightfully angry boys who had already yelled at him. He had known they hated him, and that was why he had removed himself from the equation. It had just made sense to do so. 

They don’t, She insisted. They’re looking for you. 

That was just a lie. 

She sighed, frustrated as he laid his head on the cool wood of the desk. 

There came a knock on his door, and Sky pulled his head up slowly. Ink stained his fingertips, but recently he had become so dirty that he couldn't find it in himself to care. 

"Come in," he grumbled. 

The door cracked open, and Esa popped her head inside. "You doing alright there?" she asked quietly. "Onith just told me what's going on. Do you need anything? Food, clothes, anything?" 

Sky shook his head slowly, closing his eyes as a dull ache built up at the back of his skull. He sighed, resting his head back on the desk. "Fine," he croaked. "Just here to get some sleep." 

"Oh. Well," the innkeeper ventured, "you're not exactly sleeping right now. What's keeping you up?" 

Sky was silent. She didn't really have to know, after all. It didn't concern her, even if she was nice enough to let such a dirty, travel-worn guy stay in one of her nice, clean rooms. 

Just tell her, Hylia urged. 

Sky didn't see why he had to. 

It's good for you, She insisted. You can't bottle up everything. She's a good person. She can help you. It's not a burden if she's the one asking you. 

That wasn't true at all, but Sky still sighed heavily and sank deeper into his chair. "I-I'm trying to write a letter," he ventured slowly. 

Esa hummed quietly, like she had just been waiting for him to talk. She actually had. "To whom?" 

"To…to my friend?" The word "friend" came out more like a question than a statement. Sky wasn't entirely certain that was the right word. Maybe "brother." He wasn't sure anymore, though. "He's got my harp. I need it." 

"What's got you so worked up about this letter, then?" she asked, a tinge of humor coloring her voice. 

Sky hesitated, but he felt a slight push on his back from a hand that didn't exist. 

Tell her.  

"I don't want to worry him," he mumbled into his arms. "He doesn't deserve that." 

"Ah." 

The room was silent, but not wholly uncomfortable. The late afternoon sunlight still spilled through the windowpane, and a Sheikah descendant considered the problems of a hero. 

"Would you like some advice?" she finally asked. 

Sky felt his eyelids droop. He nodded. 

"Well…" Esa ventured, "I don't know you all that well yet, but I think you should tell him the truth. I think that if he wants to worry, then he will, and there isn't anything wrong with that." She huffed a kind laugh. "You need people to worry about you…Sky, right?" At his slight nod, she continued. "He's your friend, and he probably cares about you a lot. Onith and I care, and we've only just met you. I think you need more than just your harp right now. But I also think that any friend would appreciate you telling the truth, especially when you need help. Do you think he would want you to lie?" 

Sky deflated. He thought about all the times he had said I'm fine, or everything's alright, or don't worry. He thought about the Shadow's grin. He thought about flaming hair and golden diamonds. He thought about tears in green and blue and mismatched eyes. 

"No," he admitted quietly into the wood of the desk. "Not really." 

"There's your answer, then," Esa told him. He heard her footsteps come up behind him, and a glass of water was placed in his line of sight. "You've got the whole village in a tizzy, you know. We don't get travelers like you often. You're all the buzz right now, and you've only been here for a couple hours." 

"Love that," the Skyloftian mumbled. He took a gulp of the water, and his burning throat calmed. Suddenly, his parched mouth was begging for more, so he just downed the rest of the glass. "Love being 'the buzz'. That always ends well." 

Esa chuckled. "Yeah, well. I'm just letting you know. Oh! By the way, I forgot to tell you that we start serving dinner at seven. If you want something, just come down. Onith's closing up their stall right now. You can talk to them if you need anything, too. Everyone's eager to meet you. We don't get a lot of variety here." 

"Thanks," he sighed. 

She chuckled. “It’s not a bad thing. Alright, I have to go downstairs to set up for tonight, but you know where to find me!” The door started creaking as she closed it. 

“Why are you and your partner so nice to me?” Sky asked suddenly. The creaking stopped. “I mean, I’m some stranger that walked into your nice, peaceful village and, I mean, I’m dangerous, and you don’t know who I am or why I’m here, and now I’m getting dirt all over your inn. I just…I don’t understand.” 

“I don’t think you’re dangerous,” Esa said softly. Sadness soaked through her voice, and Sky frowned at the sound of it. What was there to be sad about? "I think you're a kid that needs help. I can help. So I will. Some people around here don't agree with how I run my business. They want me to stop being so nosy. But I've stopped caring about that. If people didn't actually appreciate it, I wouldn't be able to keep the inn open. Besides!" She laughed lightly. "You might've disrupted the peace, but now it isn't boring here. I prefer interesting to boring." 

He nodded slowly. "Oh. Um…thanks. I mean, I-I'm not sure what else to say, but…yeah. Thanks." 

"Of course, Sky," Esa said quietly. "Need anything else?" 

"Nah. I just…" He paused. "Hold on." Struck with inspiration, he scribbled down a note that he hoped was legible and blew on it to set the ink, before folding it up and facing the woman. "Can you, um, send this for me when the mail gets here? I'm…kind of afraid I'll back out of sending it." He laughed awkwardly. 

“Sure I can. I’m happy to help.” She took the letter with a gentle smile, and goddesses above, something must have cracked in his chest. These damned wonderful people were absolutely going to make the Chosen Hero of the Sky (not Hylia, because he was Sky now) shatter. 

It had been so long since someone had actually looked at him with that much genuine kindness, and tears sprang to his eyes. But he blinked them away and ignored the heavy sharpness right next to his heart. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. “Really. For everything.” 

Esa’s eyes crinkled. “Of course, Sky. Onith and I have got you. We’ll be downstairs if you need anything else.” 

He nodded numbly, and she closed the door as she walked out. 

He found himself staring blankly at the wall. He had barely met these people. They didn’t know what he had done. They barely knew his name, and yet they were so kind to him. 

They cared so much. Even if they did know about his curse…for once, he thought they might not care about it. 

Something had definitely broken inside him. 

But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Not this time. 

A hand rested lightly on his shoulder, and for once, his skin didn’t crawl with the immediate urge to shake it off. Sky stumbled up from the desk chair, his legs full of pins and needles, and flopped onto the bed. 

Nothing was okay. But he was tired

And maybe that was okay. Maybe that was allowed. 

Maybe he just didn’t care about the rules anymore. 

Maybe he was too tired to give a shit. 

Sky let his eyes slip closed, and he drifted. 

It was dark. 

It was silent. 

It was bliss. 

Then he stepped forward. 

He walked carefully through the darkness, careful not to stumble too much over the uneven ground that he couldn’t see. As he walked, everything began to lighten, bit by bit, until he was trudging across sandy rocks under a russet sky. Dark shadows of mountains stood tall in the distance. Perhaps that was where he was trying to go. 

He wasn’t quite sure. 

He climbed up a couple larger rocks, hopping from the top of one to the top of the next like stepping stones. They began to get higher, but still, he jumped. He pushed himself uphill, gravity pulling him down while sheer force of will kept him up. 

He crested the tip of the tallest one, and his breath caught. 

Bodies were strewn across the rocks, spattered with blood and covered with grime. Bones jutted out from corpses. Limbs were twisted together in odd ways. Metal blades glinted from far away, catching even his attention. If he squinted, he thought he might have caught a few familiar faces. A wolf pelt there. A blue hat over there, next to a bloodied scarf. There might have been more, but he decided to stop looking. 

Goddesses above. There was so much death. 

He moved to walk forward, but someone grabbed his ankle. He stumbled, just barely catching his balance before he could tumble down and join the bodies below the rocks. He spun around in surprise, ready to kick the offender away. 

The Hylian Champion was lying in front of him, his hand wrapped around the dreamer’s ankle in an iron grip. But his mismatched eyes were glassy and dull. He wasn’t breathing. The pinkish scar tissue that laced his side had been ripped open, and his blood stained the stones around them. 

There was so much blood. 

How had he not noticed all the blood? 

Something creaked, and the dreamer’s wide-eyed gaze snapped back to the mutilated Champion. He met his eyes, but an insane, tormented grin had appeared on his face. 

Sky tried to tug his foot out of the boy's grip reflexively, but the dead man only held on tighter. 

"You...did...this," he rasped, still grinning that terrible grin. "You… made us like this. Weakling. Murderer. You didn't kill him in time. And he killed thousands. He killed me." The corpse let out a horrific, gurgling sound, and the dreamer realized with a bolt of horror that the amnesiac was laughing at his own death. “We will never help you.” 

“No,” the dreamer whispered. Below him, the bodies of the fallen whispered a perfect echo of his pleas. 

“No.”

“No, this can’t be real.” 

“No, this can’t be real.” 

This isn’t real. 

“This isn’t real.” 

This won't be real. 

“This won’t be real.” 

No, no, no, no, no, no, no please, let me save you- 

Something chimed, bell-like, behind him. 

Something pounded on his door. 

Sky’s eyes flew open. He gasped for breath, scrambling for the Master Sword and unsheathing her from her scabbard. She gleamed in the moonlight that streamed from his window as the pounding became even more frantic. 

Forgoing any armour, he slipped out of his bed and made his way to the door of the dark room, Master Sword at the ready. He swung open the door, ready to attack, only to come face to face with a pale Esa. Her silver hair was in a messy braid, and she clutched a lit candle in one shaking hand. Sky immediately sheathed his sword, and her brow furrowed at the sight of him, but she apparently let whatever was bothering her go. 

"We need to leave," she whispered. "Grab your stuff. Everyone else is in the cellar, it's safest right now." 

Sky gritted his teeth and began to throw his stuff into a bag. Organization didn't really matter, not when something was happening at fuck-all in the morning. He wasn’t even sure how much sleep he had gotten. "What's going on?" 

"Monsters," the innkeeper replied. "A whole hoard of them, getting closer to the village. No one knows why, this has never happened before, everyone's confused. We've got a couple warriors ready to head them off…but there's just so many…" she trailed off hopelessly. 

It was like a slap to the face. Sky's head shot straight up. These people didn't have a clue what they were doing. These poor people were about to get overrun, and they didn't know what to do. 

But he did. 

He dumped the contents of his bag out onto the floor. 

Esa's eyes widened. "What are you doing?" she hissed. 

Sky had to squint in the dim lighting to pick out individual items. He slipped into his chainmail easily, though it probably wouldn't do a whole ton. His boots would be useful, so he tugged those on as well. On went his belts, and on those went his adventure pouch, whip, and bow for easy access, though he probably wouldn’t use it. He fastened Fi's strap on properly, grabbing his shield as a final thought. Nothing else really mattered to him at the moment - he'd come back to his room later. 

"Sky!" The innkeeper insisted. "What are you - no." Her eyes sparked with understanding. "No. Absolutely not. You're not going to try to help. You're going to go downstairs with us, where it's safe." 

Sky strode over to the door and out into the hallway, looking up at Esa for a second. She looked terrified as she looked at him, with her pale face and wide eyes, but he smiled a little. "I'll be fine, I promise," he reassured her. "I grew up being pushed off cliffs. My life has never been safe. You have to get to the cellar." 

Esa frowned, but she followed him down the stairs. "You'd better make good on that promise," she threatened. 

They hurried their way downstairs on quiet feet, one after the other, and Sky moved towards the front door as Esa walked behind the counter. "Sky, I'm being serious," she said. "Be careful." 

Sky smiled a little and nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry." 

Onith had pushed a small trapdoor up from under the floor, and they sighed with relief when they saw their wife. "Oh, thank the Three. Your brother got down here already, and I know it was a slow night for guests, but - Sky? Where're ya going?" 

Esa grimaced, and the Skyloftian looked away. "He's going to help," the innkeeper said hesitantly. 

"No," Onith immediately retorted. "No, no, absolutely not!" 

"That's what I said, too," sighed Esa. 

"I'll be fine, I promise," Sky mumbled. "You need help. I can help." 

"Can you?" Onith asked doubtfully. 

"Yes, I can," Sky insisted, huffing a breath through his nose. "I can do this. You guys stay safe." 

He closed the front door behind him before they could say anything else. 

The cobbled streets were dark, silent, and empty, illuminated only by the pale light of the moon above. It was eerie, how dead the town square was, especially in comparison to the lively action it had seen in broad daylight. 

“Damn, how early is it?” he muttered, squinting in the darkness. It was hard to tell, but he was going to guess that it was about…two in the morning? Three o’clock, maybe? Hmm. Odd. 

A tiny group of fighters stood at the entrance to one of the streets, and Sky walked over to them. They were holding their swords with a distinct lack of confidence, and he realized that they were so screwed. 

They would be dead the moment they met one of his lizalfos. 

The thought made him walk faster. 

“Hey, what are you doing?” someone hissed at him as he shouldered his way through the back line of people. He just waved them away, pushing his way in front of everyone else. 

“Hey, kid-” Some guy tried, placing a hand on his bony shoulder. Sky shook him off. 

“Shut up,” he muttered. To his surprise, everyone did. For a second. 

“Get inside somewhere,” someone attempted to order. 

“Oh my goddess.” Sky swore under his breath. Instead of giving anyone the satisfaction of an actual answer, he just unsheathed the Master Sword. Even asleep, Fi was radiant in the night, casting a holy light around him and almost seeming to pulse gently. He felt a soft smile flicker across his face. Fuck Hylia. Fi had been his constant companion - always a comforting weight on his back and a steady help that he could always count on. Sure, he couldn’t speak with her, but she was there, with him, and he’d be forever grateful. She was Hylia’s creation, but he could never hold that against her. She was his friend. 

The folks behind him hushed as he stepped closer to the entrance of the town. No one tried to stop him anymore. He was grateful for that. 

Are you sure about this? Hylia asked. Sky realized it was the first thing She had said all night. He vaguely appreciated Her self-control. 

"Yeah," he snapped anyway. "Did you expect me to run away?" 

Frankly, no. I thought you'd already be running towards the monsters, She told him. But would you like any help? 

"I have all your help I need," he growled, his hand tightening on the Master Sword. She glowed in the darkness, a beacon of light that was probably drawing enemies right towards him. 

Good. 

The bell on the tower began to toll the hour. It was three o’clock in the morning, and he was about to fight a horde. 

Sky rolled his aching muscles and blinked the last remnants of sleep from his eyes. He could do this. He had done this, in a far worse condition. At least now he was a little more rested. So it could always be worse. 

And he would not be the one to fail this village. Goddessdammit, he wouldn’t let any of them be hurt. 

He probably got attached to people way too quickly. 

It reminded him of the gods’ bullshit about his so-called “unbreakable spirit.” There was no fucking way they were right. 

Are you so certain? 

Of course, Hylia knew him completely. And yet she still believed in that bullshit. 

He was still just a guy, at the end of the day. 

He just happened to be very- 

A screech ripped through the still air of the night, shaking Sky out of his thoughts. As the other makeshift soldiers behind him raised their shields, unsure and nervous, Sky took a deep breath and closed his eyes. In through the nose, out through the mouth. 

"Back up," he called behind him. His mind quieted, all except for one thought. Here we go. 

A bokoblin leapt out of the darkness. Sky cut it down with one swipe, and it dissolved, leaving flecks of dark blood on the ground. He couldn’t see what color it was. 

He prayed it wasn’t black. 

You don’t pray. 

And goddesses above, if the bitch in his mind could stop correcting him and making him distracted, maybe everyone would survive the night. 

I offered my help. You could always stop being so stubborn and simply take it. 

Sky sneered. A chuchu glommed in front of him, and he heard someone yelp in surprise. He just slashed it in half and left it to seep back into the earth. He didn’t need Her help. Never. 

A slow, long-suffering sigh blew through the streets, but She didn’t reply. He took that as a win. 

The dark street began to rumble under his feet. A couple of the makeshift soldiers yelled in sudden fear. Sky didn't blame them. The adrenaline had just hit, and his eyesight and hearing had sharpened. He picked out the miniscule changes in the void before him - a scale glinted in the moonlight for a split second, a wooden club thunked against stone. 

The monsters were there, waiting in the shadows. They hissed and spat, but neither they nor he moved. 

For a moment, Sky wanted them to stay there. 

But if he didn't take the first step, then he would be the one scrambling to pick up the pieces afterwards. 

"Back up," he growled. Judging by the hurried clink of shifting metal behind him, he figured the townsfolk had finally done what he wanted. Good. 

He raised the Master Sword in front of him, letting the holy light bathe the streets in silver. Bokoblins, lizalfos, stalfos, keese, and even a tall, gangly moblin or two from Wild's world snapped their heads towards him, pupils dilated painfully. Sky almost felt sorry for them. Almost. 

But now they were enraged. They attacked. 

Sky ran to meet them in the narrow street. 

Almost immediately, his vision was clouded with dark violet dust and shimmering blood. The Master Sword sliced through flesh and bone like paper, cutting the guttural screams of beasts short. It felt like the monsters were essentially running themselves onto Sky's blade, letting it tear them apart with little resistance. But maybe that was just due to the fact that they were slow. It was almost laughable, how easily they were slain. But that wasn't the point of mass attacks. The point was to overwhelm the enemy from sheer numbers. 

That wasn't going to happen. 

Sky found himself smiling ferally as he shoved his shield against the club of something that was probably a bokoblin while sticking his sword out to the side to keep the other monsters from passing. Keese flew from the sky, but he cut them down with quick slices in the air. The Master Sword flashed in his hands, illuminated the wide-eyed faces of his enemies as they were cut down. 

A moblin lumbered up to him, raising its claymore to swing, but the windup was comical. Sky slid between its legs and dug the Blade of Evil's Bane into the small of its back. With an agonized scream, it collapsed. Sky planted one foot on its back and ripped his sword from the wound, and for a moment, his vision was nothing but smoke and ash. 

But he caught the glint of a steel armguard as it sped past him, no longer interested in the prey that kept killing its allies. 

The lizalfos was making a beeline for the townspeople who thought they could help. 

"RUN!" Sky bellowed, already jumping over the decomposing corpse in front of him and sprinting towards the monsters. Some of the makeshift soldiers backed up, shields raised in terror. Some had begun to run in the other direction. But the lizalfos wasn't interested in any of them. It had already chosen its opponent - a tall broad man who grunted as his wooden shield was knocked away by a sharp swipe from an armoured hand. A determined, hopeless fire shone in his eyes, but it wouldn't be enough. 

The lizard was winding its tail up. Sky wasn't going to get there in time. He threw the Master Sword blindly behind him as he tugged the whip from his belt. Judging from the pained screams behind him, the toss hadn't been all in vain. 

The lizalfos spun its spiked tail at the man, who stumbled backward and grunted. Sky would have to be blind to not see the dark red stain already forming on the man's pants. He fell to the ground, but before the lizal could keep advancing, Sky hooked it with his whip and pulled it back towards him. It spun on the cobbles, landing face-up at his feet. He stomped his heel into where its solar plexus would have been, making it screech. Sky just pulled out his bow and shot it between the eyes. His foot fell through its dusty body, and he spun around, now at the ready. 

The Master Sword had fallen at the entrance to the street, and the monsters all hissed in pain when they got near her. That was useful. 

He ran back to pick her up, and slashed upwards at the remaining beasts. The numbers had begun to dwindle already - or was it finally? Sky had lost track of time. 

But the stragglers that were stupid enough to not run away after witnessing a massacre were still there, so Sky raised the Master Sword to the heavens with the little time he had. She glowed even brighter than before, like a comet in his hand. 

The remaining monsters approached, and Sky swung at them. The beam of light cut through them all like a knife through loaves of warm butter and continued on to the end of the street. Sky watched it go until it faded with a small pop, hazy through all of the monster ashes and the small pools of blood that had formed. 

He couldn't see any more monsters. It was over. 

Just like that. 

The town was silent once again. 

"Oh, dear Hylia," someone behind him whispered. 

Sky sheathed his sword and looked behind him. The fighters had gathered around the wounded man. They all stared at him, wide-eyed and tense. Sky's eyes fell to meet those of the man in question. He could have sworn that was the guy he had nearly bumped into while talking to Onith. And now he was hurt. 

Goddessdammit. 

He should have gotten to that lizalfos. His entire point of existing was to help others. And he couldn't even keep them safe. 

His spiraling train of thought was interrupted by the sudden slamming of multiple doors. People began to flood the square, looking around in confusion or hurrying towards the warriors. Onith themself was running out with a bag clinking with potions and stuffed with bandages. 

Sky was content to fade into the shadows between two of the buildings and let the townspeople celebrate. 

He watched as a little boy burst out of one of the doors, running up to the injured man and babbling excitedly about something or other. The man laughed lightly, patting him on the back and pulling him into a hug. He said something, and the little boy pulled away, his eyes roaming the square. The man directed the boy away and pointed over to where Sky stood. 

Oh, shit. 

But before he could disappear, the boy had spotted him and began running straight at him. He couldn't get away now. 

So as the kid ran up, Sky squatted, hiding his wince as his legs cried out in pain. His back was beginning to ache a little, too. “Hello there,” he said softly. 

The kid shifted nervously on his feet, looking away every now and then. “You beat up all the monsters,” he finally said. 

“Yup,” the Skyloftian said, smiling. "I did." 

The little boy pointed. “That’s my dad. It's been me and him since I was born.” Sky followed his gaze and looked closer at the middle-aged man who had gotten hit on the leg. He was now being fussed over by about 3 different healers, one of whom was Onith, unsurprisingly. Even from so far away, Sky could see his tired, strained smile. He winced as he caught sight of the injury. Damn. That has to hurt. I should have stopped that lizalfos from getting past so quickly- 

A tug on his sleeve interrupted his thoughts. The kid was staring up at him with something akin to admiration. Sky couldn’t be sure. “He said you saved his life,” he said with childish wonder that was directed at him. 

Sky  swallowed the growing lump in his throat. “Really?” He would say the opposite, honestly. He had nearly gotten this boy’s father killed. 

“Yeah.” The boy nodded emphatically. “He said you saved everyone.” 

Sky barely kept his composure. “Oh. I-I…thanks.” 

For a moment, the two just looked at each other in silence: one with tears in his eyes, and the other with nothing but pure worship. A hero looked at an innocent soul with poorly concealed grief. A child gazed up at a starved young man like he had never done anything wrong. 

Two kids looked at each other in the aftermath of a miracle, though one of them would never see it as such. 

Maybe, if things were different, they would have grown up together. Maybe, in another universe, they had been brothers. 

But not in this world. In this world, one of them had lost his family long ago, and the other had come much too close. In this world, one of them was a living legend and the other very well might be one day, because his life had been turned upside down in the best way possible. 

Only Time could tell, and She loved Her secrets. 

“I wanted to give this to you,” the boy said quietly. He looked away as he pushed his hands towards Sky. "And you have to take it, or you're a butt." 

"Oh," he whispered. In the kid's hands was a cord with a little seashell threaded onto it. The shell's spirals shone in the moonlight, making the pinkish lines glow. "It's beautiful. Are you sure you don't want it?" 

The boy nodded emphatically. "I went to a lake once with Dad and Glori and Nichi. And there was a bunch of skullfish in the water, and I swam out too far. But this crazy zora came out of nowhere and killed all the skullfish! It was awesome!" He threw his hands up in the air with excitement, caught up in the fervor of storytelling. "And - and then, I went and I found this shell and there used to be a crab in it named Dani, but he's gone now, so I made it a necklace and I want you to have it." 

"I…" Sky tried to say something, but words failed him. "Thank you," he said instead, carefully slipping the cord around his neck. 

"No, thank you, mister!" the kid called. "Bye!" Without another word, he ran off across the street and jumped into his father's arms. Onith and the other healers moved around in a flurry, startled but kind. The kid's grin was clear as he chattered to the man, and Sky felt his face soften at the scene. 

The man caught his eye, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. 

Then the man beckoned him over. 

Sky took a step back, shaking his head. That just made him beckon more. Onith’s head snapped up, and they shot a withering glare at the Skyloftian. Anyone could read it from a mile away: You. Here. Now. 

Despite everything, Sky wasn't so much of an idiot that he'd go up against an angry Onith. Reluctantly, he trudged over to the potion-seller. 

"Hi, Onith," he mumbled, hanging his head and preparing for backlash. He had run out of a safe place, after all. Most people didn't appreciate that very much. 

But instead of yelling, Onith wrapped their arms around him and pulled him close. Sky froze. 

Oh. They were hugging him. 

That was…probably fine. 

"Don't do that," they hissed, pulling back and staring fiercely into his eyes. "I don't care what your explanation was. That was scary." 

"Sorry." He grimaced. That was fair. He figured that made perfect sense. He could argue that it worked. All the monsters were gone, after all. But…looking at Onith's worry-creased face, he couldn't bring himself to say his thoughts. 

"Sky!" Esa ran over to him, throwing her arms around him without hesitation. "Damn it all, kid, don't do that! Are you okay? Are you hurt? There were so many, and you were fine with it…" She frowned, tipping his head down to meet her eyes. "What's happened?" 

He got the feeling that she wasn't talking about the monster attack. 

But the injured man, ever his saving grace, barked a laugh. "Don't suffocate him, Esa! He's got enough going on!" 

Sky chuckled awkwardly as well, nodding a little. "Yeah. I, uh, I'm really sorry about your leg, sir." 

"Ah, just call me Feire," the man replied, waving him off. He gave his son one last hug. "Go find Nichi, okay, mate?" he asked, and the little boy sped off with a smile. Feire watched him go with a smile filled with the most love Sky had ever seen. It reminded him of how Headmaster Gaepora looked at Zelda, or how Time looked at Twilight. 

It stabbed at something fragile in his chest, the thing that had already cracked before he had gone to bed. 

"So!" The man laughed a little more. He was a very smiley person, Sky realized. He had been grinning ever since his son had found him, albeit a bit strained at times. "Sky, right?" 

The hero nodded, fiddling with his tunic. 

“I hear you’re nineteen,” Feire stated, though not unkindly. 

Sky focused on a point just to the left of the man's head. His fingers laced through the hair on the back of his head as he nodded. "I…am, sir. Why?" 

"You just brutally murdered what must've been dozens of monsters," Esa cut in incredulously, throwing her hands in the air, "and you saved the entire village! Normal kids don't do that!" 

Sky smiled a little. "I'm not a kid." 

"Fine. Teenager, then," Feire cut in. "Either way, you're not even a full-grown adult, yet you're more mature, more powerful, and more exhausted than any grown-up I've actually met. That's…that's not a good thing, young man." 

It didn't make sense. It didn't make sense. Sky frowned, trying to understand what they were all getting at. It was getting a little harder to follow the conversation, now that the adrenaline had faded from his system. "Oh! Haha." He chuckled a little, but it was fake, and everyone knew it. "Don't worry. Where I come from, adulthood officially starts at seventeen. It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm really sorry about your wound-" 

"Excuse me?" Onith interrupted, hands on their hips. "Excuse me? You're sorry? For making sure that the worst injury is a nonlethal slash to the leg? You're actually apologizing for that? Come to think of it, you need to sit down and let me help you with your injuries, you must have some after all that, and if you say you don't then I'll set the little kids on you, and you don't want that. They're feral as mini little wolfos sometimes." 

Sky jerked his head to one side, rubbing his heavy eyes with one hand. Gods, he was still so tired. What time even was it, again? When had he even fallen asleep in the first place? How many hours of sleep had he even gotten? Was he dreaming? That would honestly make sense, with everything that had been happening. No one in their right mind would give an obviously deranged man a reservation in their own inn. He probably had fallen asleep in that flower field, actually. There was no way this was real. This village? Another Silent Realm?  It just made no sense.

Onith was still talking about something, but their voice had fuzzed out into white noise, and Esa was pulling them back with a hand on their shoulder. Sky frowned deeper, tapping at his forehead. He was forgetting something. There was something about the monsters. 

What was it? 

He found himself wandering back to where the monsters had appeared. Pools of blood still stained the cobbles, shining like oil in the dim starlight. He lowered his candle closer, squinting. 

Oh, gods. 

That was not normal blood. There was no way that could be red. The village had just been attacked by black-blooded monsters. 

The implications hit Sky like a sack of bricks. Oh gods. The monsters had all gathered the night he had decided to rest there. He and the other heroes had been fighting them since before the entire quest started. 

They had come for him. This was his wake-up call - this was how someone told him to keep moving. But he had ignored it. 

And he had put everyone in danger. 

Sky gagged at the thought, just barely keeping the vile taste at the back of his throat from escaping. 

Fuck. This was his fault, again. 

Every time he got something good, he would fuck it up. He would put people in danger. He was the catalyst for everything, and he knew that. He had always known that. That was why Wild died. That was why Legend and Hyrule scrambled to survive in their own worlds. That was why Time was jaded and Twilight was so fiercely protective and Warrior couldn't trust easily. That was why Four mumbled to himself. He was the reason people died and kingdoms burned. He knew that. 

The Shadow was focused on tormenting him for his mistakes. 

Gods, he should have known it was a bad idea to stay in one spot for so long. 

He was the reason these innocent people had just been attacked. 

Fuck. 

He walked numbly through the growing crowds and chatter, ignoring the shouts for his attention and the hands that reached out to make him notice them. He didn't understand why they didn't want him to disappear. This was his fault. 

He quietly closed the front door of the inn, blindly fumbling up the stairs and into his room. His items were still scattered around the floor, and he tossed them into his bag. He just needed to leave, and they would all be safe. That was the solution. 

He never should have stayed for the night. 

As he crawled around, looking for his clawshots, someone slid down the wall behind him. He didn't bother looking at the source of the sound. He wouldn't see anything. 

But he could imagine Hylia cradling Her knees to Her chest as She sat on the floor, Her gossamer dress flowing around Her and Her hair drifting around Her face. 

I'm sorry, She whispered in the dark. 

He didn't care. 

This is my fault. 

Yeah, it probably was. It was also his fault, though, so maybe they could share the blame. 

I pressured you into staying here. You never did anything wrong. 

He did a lot that he was angry at himself for, but if he kept focusing too much on hating himself because he didn't do anything, then he'd never be able to get anything done. He could hate himself on the go. At least then he'd be doing something. That was the theory, anyway. The application of it was still a work in progress. 

You should be hating me, not yourself. 

And he did. He hated Her a lot. She had been nothing but cruel and manipulative towards him ever since Zelda had been born. She could say She was sorry as many times as She wanted, and She could mean it when She told him She cared about him. But actions had always spoken louder than words. And he would never not hate Her. 

The problem was that his hate could be directed in multiple directions at once. 

He sniffed a little as he pulled his clawshots from underneath the bed and stuffed them into his bag. That was the last thing he had needed to pack. Sky tossed his tunic over his chainmail and buckled his belts properly. He pinned his sailcloth to his shoulders, just like it should be. The comfortable weight made him relax his shoulders just a little bit. 

He bumped into Onith on his way out of his room. They did a double-take at all his gear. 

"I was gonna check up on you," they told him. 

He nodded silently. 

"You're leaving," they murmured. 

He nodded again. 

There was no yelling in their goodbye. There were no messy sobs. That was okay. They had barely known him for a day, after all. 

(That didn't mean he would ever forget them. They wouldn't forget him, either.) 

"Take care of yourself," they told him. "Please. Just for my peace of mind. Use those potions well. Do…whatever you need to do, but please just take care of yourself. You're a hero, Sky. You really are. Don't forget that." 

That made him smile a bit, but it was sad. "I know. I've been a hero for a while. But I still manage to mess it up anyway. It's funny, huh? I was born to save people, but I always make it worse." 

Onith's eyes widened, but before they could give a good retort, Sky had walked down the stairs and pushed the door open. 

Now, everyone in the square was silent. They just stared in confusion at him, but he ignored them. 

He had his rest. 

And now it was time to leave. 

The Chosen Hero of the Sky walked out of the village and into the darkness, unable to understand that no one in that town would ever forget what he had done for them. 

Heroes weren’t born. They didn’t have some predetermined destiny. Even Heroes of Courage could choose to not step up to help. But the point was that they still chose to help. 

The Hero’s Spirit would always choose to help. 

Sky would always choose to help. 

That wasn’t some fluke of nature. That was his nature. That was what made him a legend. 

And that was something he simply couldn’t wrap his head around. He was just too crushed by the few accusations and criticisms to hear the praise that people would shout from rooftops for millenia to come. 

No. He didn’t understand that. 

Chapter Text

Dear goddesses above. 

Warrior didn’t usually pray. 

I’m not sure if you’re up there. 

After a lifetime of carnage, war, and anguish — a lifetime of seeing the worst of humanity — he wasn’t quite sure he could truly believe in any all-powerful gods anymore. 

Farore, Din, Nayru… 

Sure, he had always known they were real, but he’d never liked the idea that they helped people. They had always been separate from the rest of the world. That’s what he’d always seen. If the gods actually cared, then maybe they would have done something to keep people safe. 

Hylia…

They made the universe, and then they left. That was the story, and he was fine with that. 

I don’t know if you can hear me. 

Maybe that was why Sky’s and Wild’s idea of Hylia, a goddess that answered people’s calls and directly affected their worlds, had struck him so much. Ever since he had first learned about her, he’d been thinking about the idea. 

But if you can… 

He wasn’t sure if he liked that idea or not. 

…then you know that I figure this is worth a shot. 

But that was how most of his thoughts were, anyway, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that he was so indecisive. He knew how much of a leader he could be, how sure of himself he always seemed. 

Yeah. I have no clue if this is even doing anything. 

But then he had jumped into the Breach of Demise, and suddenly he thought that everything made sense. There was a reason that everything had always been so fucked up around him. 

But it never hurts to try. 

He knew what his nightmares were about. He knew what he had seen in the Skyloftian. He knew he was wrong. 

So, here we go. Again. 

And he knew he had used his leadership the exact wrong way. If there was a singular worst possible decision to make at that moment, when Sky had been crying on his goddamn knees with his past so clearly crushing him into the ground, then Warrior had made it. 

I never know how to start. Dear whatever deity happens to be listening, I guess? 

Sky was no traitor. Warrior knew that. He knew it and yet he let the foolish thought cloud his mind anyway. 

Maybe I should just pick one. I need to do my research on this. 

Back at the village, he’d felt like shit. He’d gotten into arguments. He’d stewed in his own confused mind, trying to discern what was true and what was bullshit that the Shadow had twisted to fit their own narrative. 

Now, that would be a book title: A Soldier’s Guide to 100 Different Deities and What They Control. It could be written like a protocol handbook, and everyone who reads it would be so angry about that. 

He knew not to trust a Shadow. He knew that. He had learned that from a demented sorceress and a dark magical being of her creation and his likeness. The thin scar on his ribs was a permanent reminder of that lesson. 

Goddess, I hate protocol handbooks. 

At least the shouting matches with Wild, as stupid and damaging and hurtful as they were, helped with that distinction. The Champion had his head on properly. He kept poking obvious holes in all of Warrior’s paper-thin arguments that he was attempting to convince himself with. 

Anyway, I’m not entirely sure who I’m talking to. If I’m talking to anyone at all. 

If he somehow managed to believe that Sky was the one in the wrong, then maybe he wouldn’t have to feel the crushing weight of his own guilt. 

So, dear whoever’s up there. 

One day after they had left that small town, Warrior had been staring up at the stars in the night sky. The excuses that had protected him from the truth had been torn to shreds. Something was eating at him, and he couldn’t tell what. He couldn’t even feel his own fingers. 

Hope you’re doing well. I heard politeness works wonders. 

He’d coughed out a broken sob, and he wasn’t sure where it was from. 

Um, if you’ve been listening to me, then you know what I want. 

Then it hit him. 

Well, what I need. 

During the war, Time had always loved to use that Fierce Deity’s Mask of his. Once, he couldn’t control it. 

He had wiped out troops on both sides of the war. 

Goddessdammit, answer my prayer. Please. 

Warrior had never blamed him for it. He was a kid who had been tasked with saving the world. There was no way he could have controlled that hellish mask forever. And he never used it again. 

If you have ever once cared about your creations, then care now. 

Warrior had been twenty-one when he had been called to stop the plagueish forces that infected Hyrule. Sky had been seventeen. 

I ask you, with all of the might of the Hero’s Spirit, to hear my plea. 

Sky had defeated a great evil who was ready to destroy the world. That was all Warrior knew. That was all he needed to know. 

Please. The Hero’s Spirit is the most powerful thing I can think of. Answer me. 

Why had he ever expected anything more than that? Why, when he had escaped his own battle with Ganon exhausted and half dead? The only reason he had won — the only reason he had survived was because his allies had been there to help. 

Please. Keep Sky safe. I beg you, keep him alive. 

He had cried himself to sleep that night, his pillow muffling the sound of his sobs. 

Bring him back to us. 

He had never felt so helpless. But there was nothing he could do about it. 

Keep him safe. 

All he could do was shoulder the weight of his own mistakes and his own guilt and hope that they would all do something about it. 

Be with him. 

For too long, no one did. 

Just…yeah. Please. Make sure that he’s alright. 

The night after that, he began to pray. 

Keep an eye on him for me. 

And then, one day, the eight Links had passed by some old ruins. And then Wind had gathered them all for what he called “a much-needed sit-down.” 

Take care of him. 

Warrior hadn’t realized that he could feel worse than he already did. Four, Wild, Twilight, and Wind smashed that expectation to smithereens. 

Do everything in your power to keep him alive. 

Of course Demise was a god. Of course Sky killed him. The facts checked out in a way that Warrior never thought they would. It just made sense. 

I mean everything. 

Of course Sky was a godslayer. 

Take care of him. I beg you. 

Of course Warrior would be the one to claim that anyone could be able to stand against a deity. 

That is all I need of you. Keep your Chosen Hero safe. 

And of course he could do nothing about it. 

So he kept praying. 

Good night. 

∆∆∆ 

The falling leaves draped the Minish Woods in a glowing autumnal light. The coolness of the season brushed cheeks and ruffled hair, teasing mice and birds alike to come play. Crackling leaves crunched under worn boots and rested on golden-brown locks, and a cloudless, brilliantly blue expanse stretched over the world. As the late morning sun lit everything in hues of gold and carnelian, the eight Links were arguing. 

Because they couldn't ever get anything right.  

Maybe that was a bit harsh. It was probably a little bit of an overstatement. But that was how it felt sometimes. 

Four rolled his eyes. "We need to split up! Seriously! It's a good idea, and I know this place like the back of my hand. You guys all know this. This is one of the most peaceful Hyrules right now, and it always has been. If there's anywhere we can split up to search, it's here." 

Twilight's brow furrowed further. "It's still not a good idea. Actually, I have never heard a worse idea. We don't need more people disappearing, and we wouldn't even be able to contact each other!" 

"That's not true," Wind pointed out quickly. "Me and Wild could talk to each other easily." He waved around his glowing blue stone for emphasis. 

"Fine, but that's just you two!" Warrior explained. "There's n- eight of us. How about we split into two groups, with each communicator in a group?" 

"Rrgh," Wild muttered. "Not enough. We need to find him. We're all capable, and if Four trusts his world, that's good enough for me. Let's go." He attempted to stalk off into the trees, with Hyrule ready to do the same thing, but Legend stuck out a hand and pulled the Champion back by his waist. Time simply picked up Hyrule, ignoring the half-hearted struggles that the traveler attempted. Four wanted to scream. We all want to find Sky, he thought bitterly, but without him, we can't even function well enough to do so. 

"Cool it, champ," Legend said with a light frown. "We're going to find Sky, but we still have to be able to find each other. Do you want the rancher to go crazy with all his big-brother instincts screaming at him?" 

"Like you wouldn't be worried," Twilight mumbled, but Wild deflated in the veteran's hold. 

"Fine," he sighed. "But we're a group of eight. We can still afford to split up." 

"Yes, we can," Time agreed, still holding an irate Hyrule. "As much as I'd love to keep an eye on all of you at every moment, we would still have less of a chance to find Sky. And while we should still not go off alone," he emphasized, his words making Hyrule slump in his grasp, "we can definitely afford to make more than two groups." 

"Thank you," Four and Wild groaned in unison. They were finally getting somewhere. 

"But what about food?" Twilight fretted. "And what if people get lost, or hurt, and we can't help?" 

The other heroes sent uneasy glances to each other. Twilight had a fair point, admittedly. 

No one had any answer. 

Warrior frowned, glancing up at the sun high above. "Lunch break?" he suggested. 

Time sighed. "Good idea. Let's decide on something after lunch. We're all tired, hungry, and discouraged. Come on, everyone. We have to keep our strength!" 

Twilight frowned, but nodded. Everyone else gradually murmured their own assent. 

Four’s jaw dropped, and he heard Wild growl angrily as the Champion begrudgingly walked off without another word. They were going to wait longer. 

What the fuck. 

It made sense. It did. Everyone was tired and hungry, and that did affect decision-making. 

But goddessdammit, of everything Four had been ready to hear, he hadn’t been ready to wait, much less have everyone around him nodding like it was the right idea. 

They couldn’t put this off forever. Not with Sky’s life on the line. 

Do you just not care about him as much as I do?

That wasn’t true. It wasn’t. Every hero in their group cared plenty about their Skyloftian. 

Just not enough to care about his life. 

No, they were being smart. No one could help Sky without being at least half-healthy. They needed to be strong enough to find him, strong enough to help him, and strong enough to protect him, never mind the amount of emotions they would all have to sort through. 

It still burned. 

Fine. Fine. They could get lunch ready, and Four could go do something. Minish Woods wasn’t all that big — he reckoned he could get to Minish Village and check if they knew anything about a tired brunette with a white cape and the Master Sword. Word got around quickly, when it came to the Minish. It couldn’t hurt to try, and Festari was always ready to answer questions. 

As the other heroes filtered off to where Wild had begun to set up, Four caught sight of Twilight walking away into the woods. He snorted to himself — of course the rancher would be the one to advocate for sticking together and then immediately go see if Sky had been nearby recently. He had noticed Wolfie sniffing around more often, searching for a scent that he probably wouldn’t find. 

It was good to have a focus, though. 

Four set his face and took a step forward. Maybe if he slipped away now, he wouldn't be noticed. He wouldn't be questioned. His jaw ached with how hard he was clenching it. There was too much going on, but never enough. 

They needed to do more. He could do more. 

"Where are you off to, smithy?" Warrior called softly. His smooth words and lightly rough timbre grated against Four's eardrums. 

He should have been soothed. 

"I'm gonna go help Twi," Four said shortly. "See you." He brushed past the Captain, ignoring how his beloved scarf shifted closer to the ground. But Warrior paid it no attention, either, so it probably didn't matter all that much at that moment. 

But after what must have been weeks of inaction, he needed to do something. 

He just couldn't deal with anyone else right now. 

"Wait." 

A large, scarred, calloused hand caught ahold of his wrist, preventing him from moving any farther. 

"I'm worried, Four," Warrior said softly, his blue eyes wide and unerring. "I'm allowed to worry." 

Four opened his mouth to reply. His mind was already thinking of four separate responses, but he choked on his own words. A lump was forming in the back of his throat, attention-seeking and painful. It expanded in his windpipe, clogging his throat as it sat uncomfortably behind his tongue. He tried to swallow it down, but it didn't budge. 

His eyes stung a little. He told himself it was from the glaring light of the sun. Still, Four didn't trust himself to speak. 

Slowly, he flattened his left hand out and traced an arc up through the air in front of him and above his head. It was a simple sign, one that even some babies learned because of how entranced they could become at the sight of the endless dome above them. 

Never had the sign for the word sky been so carefully expressed. 

Warrior tracked his motions, clocking the loaded meaning behind the simple gesture immediately. There was no way to remain oblivious to the true meaning. His eyes slipped closed, and he exhaled slowly. His shoulders folded further into his chest, and Four belatedly realized how long it had been since Warrior had stood with his perfect, military-straight posture. 

It had been weeks. 

It had been weeks that no one had noticed go by, because they were all too busy with themselves. 

Warrior pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand, and Four let himself actually examine the captain. It was painfully odd how much he had missed. His hair no longer shined in the bright hues of the morning. It was mussed and messy, full of dustiness and dirt. His tunic was similarly rumpled, a little bit discolored here and there from old stains and new grime from their recent, more urgent travels. 

Four wondered when that had happened. 

And instead of being in their ramrod-straight line, Warrior's shoulders kept rising and then sinking lower than before. With every breath he took, he seemed to be dragged closer to the ground by a weight that wasn't truly there. Four took in the dark shadows that cut his face into segments, a stark contrast to the excitement of the pristine, bright blue sky. Here he was, the perfect Hylian soldier, hunched over like a gnarled tree root as he tried to push himself back up. 

He was losing his own battle. 

That was when the realization came to Four. 

It only occurred to him then and there, weeks after the disappearance of his hero, staring into Warrior's pinched and tired face and the way his entire body crushed itself at the mere mention of their missing member while the grass whispered its condolences. The thought wasn't anything new - it had been simmering just on the surface of his unconsciousness, but he had never noticed it. He had never wanted to. 

He realized that he had been resenting Warrior ever since he had opened his mouth against Sky. He had been resenting Legend, too. Despite their best efforts to keep the team whole - which the two of them had been trying to do - the ugly feeling curled up in Four's throat had been anger. 

It wasn't a glowing, freeing azure, like it normally was. 

It was a disgusting type of anger that didn't feel right. It didn't feel good, or justified. It wasn't proper, productive anger that urged him to fix things. It was just anger. It made him cast dark looks at his traveling companion's without realizing what he was doing. It was the thing that made him sarcastic and irritable, that put biting words into his mouth that should have been tinged with humor, except they weren't - they were said to hurt, instead. 

Four realized that it was an unjust anger pointed at two victims of the same thing he was going through. 

Anger at his brothers. 

His face suddenly flushed in shame as Warrior tried to find the correct words that wouldn't piss him off. 

Four wasn't sure if he could be pissed off anymore. Not with the heavy shame and cloaking guilt that seemed to weigh down his entire body. 

He watched, his head numb and dazed, as Warrior fiddled with the edge of his scarf. "I can worry about him, too," he finally whispered. "I know what I did. I…" he cut himself off, and Four thought he knew why. The captain couldn't say that he hadn't meant what he had told Sky - in that moment, he did. 

But when he took a second to actually breathe, he had realized how terrible he had sounded, and he realized that it didn't matter to him. 

Any one of us could do better. 

He hadn't understood what he had insinuated. 

He didn't know what the fuck was going on at that moment. 

But he had probably regretted it the moment he had woken up that morning, only to find Sky gone. 

Warrior didn't mean it anymore. He never truly had. But all it ever took was a moment - a split second - for a weakness to be tugged at. For a crack to form. 

"I worry about him, too," Warrior finally settled on, his gaze fixed blankly on his own hand. "We're going to find him, and we'll make it right." 

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else. But Four let it go. 

What else would he do, after all? Call him out on it? 

Not when he needed to believe it. Four needed to believe it, too. 

They would do all they could. And they would get Sky back. 

They had to. 

Four wasn't sure what would happen if they didn't. 

"Yeah," he whispered. "Yeah, I know. That's why I have to go help Twi. These are my woods. I have people to talk to, places to look for clues. I have to do this." 

Warrior searched his face, blue eyes narrowed and concerned, but he released Four's wrist. "Fine. Don't stay out too late, okay?" 

"Of course." Four nodded. "I'll be back before you know it." Warrior's eyes were piercing in the shadows from the sun above, and he forced his gaze away. 

The captain hummed quietly. “Okay. I’ll be keeping an eye out for you. Be quick, or someone’s going to freak out.” He punctuated the sentence with a sharp laugh, but neither of them truly felt the joke. It wasn’t a joke at all, really, not after Twilight and Legend had flown into a state of nervous panic at missing Hyrule and Wild, only for the two to show up behind them asking what was wrong. 

It was humorous in hindsight. It hadn’t been very funny then. 

"Yeah," Four agreed. He swallowed heavily. "Um…thanks." 

He spun on his heel and marched deeper into the Minish Woods, effectively cutting off their conversation. 

His head spun as he stumbled blindly through golden trees and around leaf-coated corners, muscle memory being the only thing keeping him from falling flat on his face. He knew these woods like the back of his hand, after all — he'd grown up in these woods. He'd explored every nook and cranny as a bright-eyed child with a new sword made by his grandfather, ready to find a tribe of magical mice-like creatures to save his best friend. 

These were his beloved woods. If he had been anywhere else, he would've collided with a million different obstacles. 

Lost in torrential thought, he treaded the path he so dearly loved. 

I've been wrong. All this time, I've been terrible to him. 

Or was I? Was it all in my head? 

His mind clogged with fuzz and cotton, Four couldn’t quite recall how he had acted around…any of the other heroes. In fact, ever since Sky had left, his memory had become a mindless blur intermixed with mere snapshots of clarity. He couldn’t remember at all. 

He barely registered jumping up onto a Minish portal and muttering the spell. He vaguely noticed warm magic that wrapped him like a blanket and compressed him into the crack in the tree stump. He numbly bounced on mushroom caps that broke his fall, scampering out of the base of the tree and staring up at the mountainous blades of sun-drenched grass and twigs. 

He trudged towards the Minish village. 

The dandelions that leaned down to him seemed to glow in the sunlight. As he reached the entrance to the village, Four’s ears twitched, and he picked up the gentle chatter of his small friends’ daily lives. Something in his chest softened. A soft smile grew on his face; it had been so long since he had last seen everyone. 

He missed it. 

He walked through the flowery gate that marked the entrance, and someone caught sight of him almost immediately.

“LINK!” they squeaked. 

The cheer was quickly taken up. “Link!” “Link?” “Wait, Link?” “Where?” “Check it out, it’s Link!” “Lemme see!” “Link!” “How’re you doing, Link?” 

The last voice had some from an excitable Minish who was running towards him, tripping on their own feet in their haste. 

“Hey, Laavi!” he grinned at his friend. He’d met him the first time he had been to the village, and the two of them had gotten along like a house on fire. That was, to say, phenomenally. If Four had to pick a best friend out of all the Minish, other than Ezlo, he’d choose Laavi every time. 

The Minish smiled back brightly, fiddling with the kinstone necklace he wore. It bore an odd, uniquely mismatched kinstone pair - a green kinstone half fit perfectly with a red piece. They had never disappeared after the two boys had matched them, so Laavi had kept them, proclaiming that it was just like the two of them — so different, but still best friends. His huge dark eyes gleamed, and his orangey feathery tail waved in time with some song that only he could hear. Laavi's nose twitched as a small gust of wind nearly blew his hat away. “You haven’t been around in so long!” he yelped. “What’s been going on with you?” 

"Oh, you're going to love this one." Four leaned forward conspiratorially to whisper in his little friend’s ear. “I’ve been time travelling,” he said. 

“WHAT?” Laavi shrieked. His paws flapped in front of him, unable to keep still. “Seriously? That’s so cool, Link!” 

“Yeah, isn’t it?” Four agreed. “Listen, I have to go talk to Festari, okay? Do you know where I can find him?” 

“Oh, sure! He’s with the elder right now!” Laavi said. “C’mon, I’ll take you!” 

The smith followed his friend through the grassy paths of the village, admiring the familiarly comforting scenery. Minish waved from doorways and called to him, making Four smile and wave back at them. Minish children scampered around in their small leaf tunics, giggling as they spun cartwheels around him. Just for fun, Four did a backflip and spun into a front handspring, much to the delight of the kids. All the while, Laavi kept peppering him with questions about where he had gone, why he had come to say hello, and who he was travelling with. 

A quiet mumbling was coming from the elder’s house, and when Four looked at Laavi, the Minish just shrugged and pulled him forward and into the mushroom house. Inside, Festari and the elder were sitting on cottonball floor pillows and talking idly. 

“Hey, Festari!” Laavi interrupted, turning both older Minishes’ attention towards the two kids. His hands shook excitedly. “Link wanted to talk to you!” 

“Link?” Festari adjusted his glasses. “Ah, good to see you. Do you need me alone?” 

Four shook his head. “Actually, I have a question for both of you.” 

Laavi began to back out of the house, sensing the lighthearted mood dissipate, but Four grabbed his wrist. “You don’t have to eavesdrop outside,” he told his friend. He knew he would. “You can stay. It’s not exactly a secret or anything. It’s just important to me.” 

“Okay,” Laavi nodded. “If you’re sure?” 

“Of course.” The smith bumped their shoulders together before turning back to the elders. “Have you guys heard of a young human man passing by these woods lately?” 

The elder chuckled. “There’s a lot of humans that come this way, lad. You’ll have to be more specific.” 

Four nodded. “Yeah. Me and my friends are looking for another friend that we…lost. He’s got brown hair, a green tunic, and a white cape. Have you seen anyone like that?” 

Both older Minish frowned. 

“He’s got the legendary Blade of Evil’s Bane?” he tried. 

“Won’t people go crazy if they touch it?” Laavi whispered. “Or they’ll die or something?” Still, all three Minish stared blankly at the idea of someone actually wielding it. 

“He has the Hero’s Spirit?” Four attempted. 

“The only person in these woods with the Hero’s Spirit is you, my friend,” Festari stated kindly. Four deflated, but the elder cut him off. 

“That’s not entirely true.” The smith looked up, hardly daring to hope as the elder closed his eyes to search the magical woods with his senses. “There’s seven other people with the Hero’s Spirit in these woods right now, in fact.” 

And just like that, Four felt his hopes get crushed. 

Festari squinted through his glasses at the elder, and Laavi gasped with wide eyes. “Seriously?” he yelped. “Seven more?” 

“Indeed,” the elder murmured. “Are they who you seek, Link?” 

“No.” Four’s gaze fell to his boots. For barely a moment, he had believed that they would find Sky. That it was possible. He should have known better. “No, I know them already. There’s nine of us. We’re looking for our last member. I should get back to them anyway. Thank you, guys.” He smiled tiredly, feeling more dejected than ever. 

“Wait, Link,” Festari called as he turned towards the door. “We’ll keep a lookout, okay? We can send messages to the other Minish, too. We’ll do our best to help you find your friend.” 

“Thanks,” Four muttered. “It was nice seeing you guys again.” 

He walked out without another word, trying not to feel too disappointed. Festari and the elder weren’t at fault. It was a long shot, anyway. 

The disappointment was still difficult to shake. 

As he walked into the autumn sunshine and began to climb down the ladder to the paths below, Laavi raced after him. “Where’re you going, Link?” he asked. 

“Back,” Four told him blankly. 

“So — so that’s it?” the Minish questioned, hurt confusion filling his eyes. “You’re just gonna leave again?” 

Four forced himself to keep walking. “Laavi, I have to, okay? It’s important.” 

They had reached the entrance to the village. “How important?” Laavi insisted. “Like, giving eggs to the neighbors type of important, or world-saving important?” 

“My friend might die, Laavi.” Four spun around, stopping in place to meet his friend’s eyes. “Okay? He might die, and that’s assuming that he’s still…” 

Assuming that he’s still alive. 

His eyes widened. That…was a thought he hadn’t entertained before. Sky could be dead. For all intents and purposes, he could be dead already, before they had the chance to save him. 

He could be dead. 

No. No, he wasn’t. Sky was alive. He had to be. 

Four looked up to see Laavi’s hands shaking again. The Minish was worrying his bottom lip with his teeth. “Don’t do that,” the smith said gently. “You’ll hurt yourself.” 

Laavi frowned, but he moved to fidgeting with his necklace. “You’ll hurt yourself too, you know,” he muttered. “You’re being…” He hummed, snapping his small fingers. “You’re being fatalistic. That’s the word.” 

Four shook his head. “No, I’m not. Something…something really bad happened. We have to find him. I’ll be back, I promise, but I do have to go for now.” 

Laavi fell silent, but Four knew his friend too well to ignore the signs that he was holding something in. “What is it?” 

“Take me with you!” he blurted out. 

“Absolutely not,” Four immediately retorted before his brain could even catch up with his mouth. “It’s too dangerous.” 

"We-well, if it's too dangerous for me, it's too dangerous for you!" the Minish yelled. 

"That's not how that works," Four frowned. Images flashed through his mind, each more horrible than the one before: Laavi bleeding, or alone, or unconscious, sick, on fire, squished, barely breathing, dead. "I'm a hero! I'm used to this kind of danger, and you're not!" 

"But I can help you! A-and I can fit in your pocket when you're big! Seriously, just let me help!" Laavi was gritting his teeth now. 

"Hey, hey, calm down," the smith interrupted. "It isn't a big deal, I promise. I'll be back before you know it. Okay?" 

"No!" Laavi's nose twitched. "Either you bring me with you, or I follow you! You can't stop me!" 

"You're staying here," Four told his friend. 

"You're not my dad," he retorted. "I'm coming, whether you like it or not. I want to help." 

"You can't," Four muttered. "It's personal." 

"It doesn't seem personal to me!" Laavi chittered. "You just asked the elder and Festari for help, and your friend has the Hero's Spirit and the Blade of Evil's Bane. That seems pretty important!" 

Four closed his eyes. In for two. Out for two. Golden Three above, he often forgot how annoyingly persistent Laavi could get. Sure, he loved the guy, but he could be so difficult. "You're going to get hurt," he stressed. "We won't be anywhere near here, we'll be decades away!" 

"Good," Laavi said sternly. "You know I've always wanted an adventure." 

Four knew that. 

"You know that I can take care of myself." 

Four knew that, too. 

"You know that I can pick locks. I'm small enough to fit in your pocket. No one else could see me." 

"That's not true," the smith interrupted. "I have two friends who can see you." 

"Okay, but they can probably keep a secret!" Laavi chirped. "C'mon, I could be a secret to everybody! I'll be your secret weapon!" 

"No, Laavi!" the smith yelled. The Minish flinched backwards. "No, you won't! You're staying here where it's safe and you're home. I don't even know if you're able to go through a portal!" 

Laavi's dark Minish eyes were wide and…scared, almost. Four felt yet another stab of familiar guilt at the sight. 

"I wanna help you help your friend," he murmured. "He sounds like he needs help." 

"He does. But we'll find him. Just…stay here," Four murmured. "Keep an eye out for him. And stay out of danger, please. For my own peace of mind. I don't need another missing friend, okay?" 

Laavi hesitated, but Four frowned a little deeper. 

"Please," he whispered, probably sounding as hollow as he felt. Stunned, the Minish nodded. A new understanding had begun to shine in his eyes. 

"Fine," he muttered. "I'll keep a lookout here, then. I'll just…miss you, I guess." 

"And I'll miss you, too," the smith agreed. "C'mere." He opened his arms, and his friend pulled him in for a fierce hug. 

"He's got brown hair, a white cape, and the Blade of Evil's Bane, right?" Laavi mumbled into his shoulder. 

"Yup," Four confirmed. He hugged his friend a little tighter before releasing him. "Thank you, really. It means a lot." 

"It's not a problem," the Minish replied, stepping away. "Go help your friend. Who even is he?" 

It wasn't a question meant to be mean, but the innocent knowledge-seeking still made Four flinch a little. Laavi eyed him with worry, but he waved him off with one hand. Laavi deserved at least that much of an explanation. 

His thoughts flitted to an old memory — the two of them had once gone stargazing, when they were young and unafraid, and they could disregard Festari's warnings instead of heeding them. "He's…well, he's the man in the stars. Remember, I showed you him one time?" 

The Minish's eyes widened. "You're kidding," he breathed. 

"I'm not," Four told him, forcing a strained grin onto his face. "But he's also a really, really good friend of ours. And we need him back." 

"Yeah!" Laavi yelped. "Go! I'm holding you up now, aren't I?" 

The smith felt his face soften. Concern for his friend had steadily risen through the course of his short visit to the village: concern for Sky, of course — always — but also concern for the friend standing right in front of him. Looking at Laavi's sternly settled gaze, juxtaposed with his nervously twitching ears and the fingers that fiddled with the kinstone pieces around his neck (their kinstones, he reminded himself), he realized he'd seen the same picture before. 

Laavi had always been there when Four had run into and out of Minish Woods, jumping and scampering away with a childish eagerness to save Dot. That was where he had first met the Minish — that was where they had first found those kinstones together. He had been there when Four raced away periodically, not to be seen for weeks at a time. And when he did come back, he pretended like nothing had changed. 

Laavi had tried to pretend that, too. He always did. And then Four would leave again. 

How long had they known each other? Years. They’d known each other for years, and Four just kept leaving him. 

Loneliness was something he had never really thought about. Four had never been alone. 

He wondered what it felt like to have a friend leave when he just wanted them to stay. 

Oh. 

Oh, Golden Three above. 

Four’s heart dropped. Laavi was looking at him quizzically, his hands fidgeting with his necklace. 

“Four?” the Minish asked. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Oh, Golden Three above.” 

I guess I’m more like Sky than I thought. 

“I will be back,” he said firmly, trying to get himself back under control. “I will be back as soon as I can. We will take a trip somewhere, I promise. It’ll be fun. And I will be back. You’d like Hyrule Town, and you can meet Zelda, too! We can go to the Castor Wilds, too, and anywhere else you want to go. Promise.” 

Laavi still looked confused, but Four saw a small, genuine smile creeping up on his face. “That sounds r-really good. But you have to leave now, okay?” 

“Yeah,” Four sighed. “Yeah, I know. I will. But we will take that trip!” 

Laavi chuckled and shoved him with one hand. The smith took that as a win. “Go, idiot!” 

“I’m going, I’m going!” he yelped, throwing his hands up in surrender and beginning to walk backwards. “I’ll see you later for sure!” 

“Yeah, you’d better!” Laavi yelled back. “Now go away and save people, hero!” 

Four walked away with a smile on his face, but he couldn’t shake the heaviness in his chest that grew with every step. The blades of grass towered over him, feeling more concealing than majestic. The white-puffed dandelions reached above him like they were trying to hide his roiling guilt. 

He appreciated the gesture, though it was useless. 

What is going on with me? 

Sky wasn’t at fault for leaving. Of course not. It was a different situation entirely, and though it wasn’t the right choice, it had probably made sense to him. 

But Four still knew how it felt for a dear friend to disappear one day. 

To not know if he was okay, or hurt, or even alive. 

To feel abandoned. 

He numbly reached the Minish portal, and jumped back up to full size with barely a thought. The trees whispered their consolations and their judgements. 

What is wrong with me? 

Why can't I fix everything? 

When did I not notice? 

Those weren't good questions. They did nothing but dig himself a grave of self-pity and self-hatred. 

How do I help fix it? 

That was a little better. That was something he could work with. 

All they could do was find Sky, and then he could do something about it. The thought of leaving his friend alone for longer was painful, but Four had to trust that Laavi understood. If he didn’t, the smith wasn’t quite sure how he could live with the pit in his stomach. 

He idly kicked the golden leaves around him, trying to enjoy the autumnal woods while he could. They hadn’t been getting many different seasons recently, in their time-hopping shenanigans. 

He wondered if Laavi would like Sky’s Faron Woods. He’d definitely like Lon Lon Ranch, and he might find Ordon Village comforting. Or perhaps he would prefer one of the many Hyrule Fields that Four had seen. He’d always wanted to go to Hyrule Town — imagine if he got into one of the castles! Or maybe Wild's Kakariko Village? Four wasn't even sure if his friend had seen snow before. 

Someone snapped a twig behind him, making his ear twitch. Suddenly, every rustle of grass and breath of wind seemed sharper. Colors shifted into more vivid hues, and quiet birdsong became closer to a screech in his ears. His mind still swamped with memories of far-off places, Four found himself cataloging every minute nick and scratch in the tree trunks around him, as if something other than a chuchu was about to jump out at him. 

But he knew whose eyes stared piercingly into his back. 

He took a deep breath. 

"Why are you doing this?" 

"You already know why." 

He whirled around. His heart pounded in his chest, reaching up uncomfortably to the base of his throat. 

Slate-grey eyes met burning red-orange. 

Shadow. 

Four couldn't help the hand that subtly reached towards his sword as he gave the shade - his shade - a once-over. They stared numbly back at him from beneath the safe, dark shadows of a tree, holding a broken stick. With their shoulders relaxed and ashy face blankly unamused, they leaned against the tree trunk and crossed their arms. The snapped pieces of the twig fell to the ground, crunching in the leaf mold, but no one paid any attention. Despite the aggressive daylight that shone through the leaves and separated them, Four caught the Shadow's red-eyed glance towards his hand. 

He dropped it to his side. But he wasn't about to let his guard down. 

No one could blame him. It didn't matter if they were his Shadow. They weren't anymore, anyway. So he shouldn't care. And yet- 

Either way, the last time he had seen them was the goddess-damned Breach of Demise. Four felt a shiver wrack his body at the thought as images of Sky's limp body flashed behind his eyelids. 

"Where's Sky?" he demanded. 

The Shadow shrugged. 

He gritted his teeth. "Why are you here?" 

"I wanted to talk to you." The Shadow shrugged nonchalantly, and a burst of raging white-blue rapids exploded in his chest. Four silently thanked the gods for the color that came with the emotion. 

It made him stand just a little bit taller and glare harder at the shade. 

He swallowed harshly, trying to erase the dryness from his mouth. "Thanks," he croaked. "I'm feeling really special." 

The Shadow’s face twitched. “Okay. Good. How’re you doing?” 

“Excuse me?” Four laughed incredulously. “You think I want to talk to you? You died years ago, and now you’ve taken my fucking hero away from me. My friend. I should kill you where you stand.” 

“But you won’t,” Shadow stated. “You won’t, because you’re curious. You want to hear me out.” 

“No I don’t,” the smith muttered. “You’re a piece of shit. Give me Sky, and then go to hell.” 

They fell silent. For a long moment of eternity, a sun-showered hero glared at a tired, leaf-dappled shade of a person. 

"I was there," Shadow said quietly. "I was there in the lake. With the lightning. I watched it happen. Did you know that?” 

Four jerked backwards, confused. That was…not how he had intended the conversation to go. "Watched what happened?" he demanded. "What lake?" 

"There's a lot of things I can't remember," they said airily instead of answering the question. "I don't remember this conversation at all, but that doesn't mean I can't have it. There's just a lot of fuzziness at this point. I remember the big things. Between here and later, though? No clue. I'll do something. It's not like anything will be fucked up. I know that. I've seen it all happen eight times already. There's no changing something you've seen eight times. That's the thing with time travel, isn't it?" They laughed softly. "You see things you don't ever want to see, and then you have to deal with the consequences.” 

“Wh-why are you even here?” Four insisted, despite his mind whirling with confusion at the non-answer. “Where’s Sky?” 

“Now, there’s a question,” the Shadow snorted. “Where is he? He’s certainly moving. He’s on his way somewhere. He doesn’t know where he’s going. He’s just trying to convince himself he’s doing something. But he’s useless. Always has been. He fucks everything up, haven’t you noticed? He can’t save shit, no matter how much he says he wants to. That something about your friend that you need to learn.” 

“What, this is a lesson for me now?” the smith scowled. “Stop talking in riddles.” 

“Well, technically, none of this has anything to do with you.” The shade frowned at something beyond Four's realm of comprehension. "It has to do with Sky. You hurt him, because you knew the truth, and I thank you for that. He made me — all of us this way. He's the reason for the death toll. He deserves this. I think we all deserve a little revenge.” They hissed the last word with a feral ecstasy, as if it tasted delicious. 

The sheer amount of wrongness that emanated from the Shadow's voice made Four squirm. There was something so distinctly off about them, in comparison to how they used to be. Who they were. 

"Why?" he breathed. It was the only thing he could think of to say. "What happened to you?" 

They just glared at him. "I have been alone for centuries. All I have done is follow all of you around and think about what I did to deserve this." They sneered. "I did nothing. It wasn't my fault, it was Sky's. He fucked me over. He is the reason I have watched everyone I have ever loved die. I think I'm allowed to change a little bit in a few millennia! You certainly have." 

"Dear Three," Four muttered. He pinched the bridge of his nose, as if that was the fuse that kept him from exploding. Lake Hylia — nope. "Give me a goddess-damned fucking point. You — you should be dead, and yet here we are. What do you want?" 

“I want an answer," they hissed. "You're looking for him now. You can’t hide that from me. I want to know how you can just... forgive him when he doesn't deserve you. His entire being is made of lies and half-truths. And you’re okay with that?” the Shadow asked incredulously, their expression a weird mix of betrayal, confusion, and anger as their wide eyes bored into Four’s soul. 

But the smithy pursed his lips, frowning. It was a pretty simple answer, really. “Yeah, I am.” He cocked an eyebrow. “We all have our secrets.”  

“Yeah? Yeah?” Shadow hissed, their eyes narrowing. “What about your secrets, huh? Your parts? Would your friends be okay with that?” 

Four flinched back at the mention of his colors. Blue waves raged in his chest as red fire raced anxiously through his veins. Green gusts of wind nearly knocked him off his feet with their confusion, but his violet feet grounded him back to the present. And yet, for one traitorous moment, he wasn’t sure of the answer. But then he remembered Hyrule, sullen and worried as he confessed to a blood curse. Warrior’s and Legend’s tortured faces even before they learned the full truth about Sky. Wild’s unerring faith. Wind’s determination and Time’s devastation at Sky’s disappearance. Twilight’s beast form that everyone loved. They had all proved that they could be okay with a secret like that. If they could love a wolf without even realizing he was one of their own, then they could love a shattered soul. If they could all love Sky, they’d be fine with Four. “Yeah. They’d be okay with it.” 

“Hmmm.” Shadow tipped their head. “You seem so sure about that. So how come you haven’t shown them?” 

“Not the right time,” the smith drawled. “But I’m sure they won’t really care. Now, you, on the other hand…you’re a secret I intend to keep very well. You can disappear as quickly as you appeared.” 

The Shadow stared at Four for a long moment. They finally shook their head with a chuckle. 

"I really messed up, Rainbow," they whispered. "I messed up with you. I hadn't learned yet. Got too attached to you. That's still something I need to work on. You and Lila and Arryl — even Twilight and his little friends. He gave me a companion once. But I'm sorry." 

Four jerked his head to the side, breaking their eye contact as he pretended to not be blinking away tears. "Grief is the price we pay for love," he said simply, as if he hadn't forced the words past the lump in his throat. "Someone said that once. Can't remember who." 

"Yeah. Me neither." His Shadow hummed thoughtfully. "It's weird, huh? All this? You're dead." 

Four didn't flinch, because it wasn't an insult. It wasn't a threat. It was just a bittersweet fact. "Yeah. So are you." 

"Yeah." The Shadow lowered their own gaze. "I really am sorry." 

The smith opened his mouth, but choked down the words he nearly said out of instinct. You have nothing to be sorry for. 

That's what he was going to say. 

That was a lie. 

"Sorry for what?" he found himself asking instead. There was a right answer, and he knew the Shadow wouldn't choose it. 

"I'm sorry for getting so involved in your life," they told him simply. 

And that was the answer that Four didn't want. 

Spurts of raw, crimson, burning emotions flared up, sputtering and flaming and painful. Waves of anger and anguish washed over everything, and thin emerald breezes of control just barely held everything together. Just barely. 

He pretended he didn't flinch when walls of solid amethyst came slamming down, blocking out everything else and focusing on nothing but his shade. 

His. 

His Shadow. His problem. 

"You can't be sorry for that." He cocked his head to one side. "You didn't purposefully 'get involved' with me. And you know what? I believe that even if you tried to avoid me, it wouldn't have worked. So no, you don't get to apologize for that." He met his Shadow's eyes, locking brilliant violet with glowing red. "You can't possibly think that staying away from me would have worked, anyway. Not with Vaati there." 

It almost hurt to see the muted hope in his Shadow's eyes. Almost. But it only would have hurt before the memory of teary sky-blue eyes and windswept brown hair had permanently burned itself into his retinas. "Is that…forgiveness, then?" they breathed. 

Four kept his face open and clear. No traces of the raging conflict inside him bubbled to the surface. "No. No, not forgiveness. That was me telling you to get your fucking priorities straight." 

The Shadow reeled back, stunned, and Four took a step forward. "That's just sad. You can't even admit what you did wrong. Whatever happened to us doesn't matter, because you're blaming the wrong fucking person. There's someone else you need to apologize to, and it's not me. Sky didn't do anything wrong, he killed a god. I don't understand how that won't get through your thick skull. He did all he could to make sure the world was safe. You can't ask him for anything more than that." 

The Shadow sneered faintly. "You weren't there. You didn't see it. All he had to do was take one step forward, and his sword would have reached the bastard's neck easily. I was there, begging - begging, mind you - for your Sky to just chop his head off right there. A single step would have accomplished that. His speech would have ended. He never would have spoken that curse. All your hero had to do was step forward, and yet he didn't." 

"He is still human," Four said softly. "He can only take so much before he breaks." 

"He's unbreakable," the Shadow snarled. 

"No, he isn't," the smith said calmly. "He's just human. And I know you don't get that - I fucking know you don't get that - but you'd never understand anyway. And neither did Hylia, if she thought he was unbreakable. He's not. Any human will tell you that. He's just human." 

"So what is it?" the Shadow whispered, suddenly hushed. "Why is he so special? What makes him so different from anyone else?" 

Four just shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure why you're asking me. I think the only person who knows that is Sky himself. I think you should ask him yourself, and then give him the fuck back. That seems pretty simple to me.” 

“Simple?” They scoffed. “You think that I’ll just give him up to you? Just because I was your Shadow millions of years ago does not mean that I’ll do anything for you.” 

"Tell me how to find him," Four demanded. 

Shadow just scoffed. "What makes you think even for a second, Rainbow, that I would help you after I just separated him from you? What makes you think I would possibly be that stupid?" 

“Would you like a list?” 

The Shadow sneered at him, and he sighed. 

"I just…you’re wrong. You’re wrong about Sky, and you’re wrong about life. He deserves a good life. You aren’t the person to dole out punishment. And I will keep him safe, as much as I can. But the truth of the matter is…we will never know. We will never understand how it felt to face down Demise. We can pretend we do, but we don't." Four huffed in frustration, beginning to walk away. 

The Shadow was silent for a moment. 

Then, quietly, they mumbled out, "Would you like to?" 

"What?" The smith swung his head back around to stare at the shade. They - there was no way - they couldn't possibly be serious. Right? They had misheard him or something. They couldn’t read minds. They couldn’t actually show him what Sky went through — it was impossible. "I-I don't…what?" 

“Did I stutter?” Shadow asked lightly. “Would you like to see?” 

Four’s head spun. He had thought he heard wrong. He had wanted to hear wrong. “Y-you’re lying. You can’t do that. Go preach about Sky, but you’re the same as… whoever you think he is. Don’t…don’t lie to me about this. I’ll get the others, and they will end you,” he warned. 

"Fine!" the Shadow yelled. "You want to go and get the other heroes? You want something new? Okay! Here!" They snapped their fingers, and a dark portal swirled into existence behind them. "There you go! Here's your chance! Go find out exactly what you've been missing!" 

"S-seriously?" Four stuttered. He looked from the portal to its maker and back again. That couldn't be real. It had to be a ruse, or a trap, or at least some kind of prank. There was no way that Shadow actually meant what they said. 

No one could just go back to the creation of Hyrule. 

Right? 

He searched every inch of Shadow's stony face for even a hint of vicious humor, but they stayed as stoic as ever. 

Oh, dear goddesses. Holy fucking shit. I’m not equipped for this at all. Maybe we shouldn’t have tested them like that. 

We? 

A spike of pain shot through his forehead, making him grimace. He could feel the little strings that held his heart together tearing, but he shoved them back together again. There wasn’t any time to fall apart. 

He needed to get to the others — his brothers — his friends. 

This was something he wasn’t going to handle alone. 

Dismissing the Shadow of his future self, Four bolted into the woods. 

∆∆∆

Time had called for a lunch break barely ten minutes ago. 

That was exactly how long it had taken Wild to gather his own firewood, nurture a small fire into a blazing glory, and begin boiling a large pot of water. Soup had never taken long. They could get back on the road quickly, with full stomachs and a fiercer determination. Besides, if he made extra, all he had to do was store it in his slate, and then it could be dinner, too. 

He had noticed the surprised, worried stares that the others had shot him - it was hard to be oblivious, what with their gazes prickling his back and making his shoulders rise to his ears. He took a deep breath as he watched steam rise from his cooking pot. It was fine. He was completely fine with his companions standing around uselessly while he just tried his best to get them on the road again- 

That wasn't what was happening. He knew that. Logically, he knew that. They would start moving eventually, and then they would find some clue, some hint, something that would point them in the right direction. So far, the best idea they had was to wander aimlessly until they found a portal. With no leads as to the location of Sky, that was also their only idea. 

So they were doing next to nothing. 

But it was all they could do, really. And none of the heroes would be of any use to Sky — or anyone else — if they weren't able to keep up their strength. 

The thought didn't help dispel the jitters that still forced Wild's knees to bounce and his hands to shake as he sloppily chopped up endura carrots. It was the need to move, to travel and find something new and to save someone. 

Everyone felt it. It was obvious in the way they moved, the way they spoke, the way dust caked everyone's clothes and blades were kept shiny and sharp. It was clear in the way Legend had pulled Wind off to a nearby pond to teach him to fish under the pretense that they needed more food, the way Time scribbled notes like it would kill him if he didn't, the way Twilight, Hyrule, and Four had all straight-up disappeared for the time being. He hadn’t panicked for a second when he had realized that. He hadn’t. They would come back. They always did. (So had Sky, until he didn’t.) 

And it fucking infuriated him. 

Something about the entire situation just seemed to rub him the wrong way. It grated his nerves like sandpaper. Why was it that they all collectively decided to find Sky only after they learned that he killed a god? He gritted his teeth, swiping the carrots from his cutting board to the pot. Why is that the catalyst of our search, rather than, oh, I don't know, Sky leaving? Why is that not enough? Why can't we just want Sky back, not for his skill or accomplishments, but because he's Sky? Why couldn't we just try to find him? Why couldn't I just run away in the first place? Why do we need a goddessdamned "executive decision" or whatever the fuck? Why is working with a group so difficult? 

Why do I have to care so much? 

Wild stalled, staring down at his cutting board. Huh. He belatedly realized that he had taken out some meat and begun cubing it, only to slice one of his fingers. He watched his own blood drop onto the wood. The pain was numb, almost nonexistent. He'd had worse, after all. He'd had much worse. The pinkish scar tissue that lined his hand and snaked up his arm was a testament to that. Now, his blood stood out on the wrinkled flesh, making it a stark contrast. 

Why do I care so much? We're going to find Sky. 

We have to. 

So why am I so mad? 

He couldn't find an answer. 

"Wild?" Warrior was looking at him. "You okay, kid?" 

The Champion nodded slowly, still transfixed by the blood that had begun to run down his palm. There was a time where that same blood had been spattered on stones and gears and rubble. 

Screams, echoing blasts, blood and fire- 

But that didn't matter anymore, because he was here, and he needed to make lunch so that the eight heroes could get a move on and find their missing friend. Their missing brother. Their prodigal son. 

Wild wanted to snort a laugh. He'd once heard a story about that, he was sure. 

The clash of blades, a pounding pressure on his lungs, blond hair in a courtyard that was now nothing more than the smoke that drifted through the atmosphere and the ashes that rested on the cobbles- 

He blinked, and suddenly Warrior was right in front of him, holding his hand gently as he wrapped a bandage around the damaged finger. The knife had been laid to one side, but Wild couldn't ever remember releasing it. "Easy there," the captain murmured. "You have to be careful. If you need some help, you can always ask me." 

"Wh-what are you doing?" Wild finally asked, shaken from his stupor. 

Warrior's eyes flicked up. "What does it look like?" he asked lightly. "I'm patching you up. Everyone wants you to be safe, Wild. We want each other safe, and you're part of that." 

"Where was this energy when Sky wasn't a god-killer?" Wild mumbled, unable to stop himself. The words had been stewing in his mind, feeding on the dark spiral he had fallen into - and he hadn't just fallen into it. Ever since Sky left, his thoughts had become more caustic, more derogatory. He noticed the worried, confused, hurt glances that were cast his way every time he opened his mouth (or did they exist at all? Was he imagining those looks? Did they actually really care about h-) . Now, the moment the last syllable passed his lips, he snapped his mouth shut, grimacing. 

Fuck. Fuck. Nice going, Wild. 

Of all the things he could've said, that was what he had chosen. Of course it was. Of course his dumb, stupid mouth would spit out exactly what his dumb, stupid brain had conjured up. That was the best way to push everyone away again. This was why he liked to travel alone so much. 

Because when he visited people, at least he could prepare himself to not blurt out the most idiotic things possible. 

The worst part was that he meant it. 

Why had no one wanted to do anything to find Sky? Why had they all sat around like a bunch of useless idiots, completely uncaring as to what the hell their goddessdamned brother was doing? 

Why didn't anyone want him to be safe? 

Warrior froze. Wild just kept his gaze on his now-bloodstained cutting board and squeezed his eyes shut, feeling distinctly like he was about to swallow his own tongue. 

"You think I haven't been wanting to run after him the moment I realized he had disappeared?" the captain suddenly shot back, though his voice was quiet. "Is this what this is about? I…" he took a quiet breath, and Wild risked a glance up. Warrior was staring at nothing at all, his eyes just a bit dull and a bit too glossy. "I…I will readily admit that I fucked up. Majorly. Okay? I was a coward, and I wasn't thinking properly. What we were told about Sky…it brought up some bad memories. That's not an excuse. I'm just explaining that I — goddesses, Wild, I get what you mean. But I don’t think anyone ever stopped caring about him.” He huffed a tired, strained laugh. “We’re all a mess, aren’t we?” 

Wild choked on his own cough. “Y-yeah, I guess. Nothing’s been…right, recently.” 

“No, it hasn’t,” Warrior agreed quietly. “But we can fix it. We will fix it. Okay?” 

Wild felt his face drop into a deep frown. It’s always possible to succeed. It’s always able to be done. 

And it’s much too easy to fail. His eyesight caught on his scarred hand again. Nine heroes, and one of them lost. 

At least Sky managed to kill Demise in the first place. He didn’t just give up and die. 

“Wild?” Warrior asked, snapping the Champion’s gaze back to him. The captain’s brow was furrowed and tense, as if he was worried about something. Or he wanted some type of approval. 

Odd. 

“What?” he croaked out. 

Warrior’s frown deepened. “I said I’ll try to make it up to you and Sky and…everyone, really. Is that okay?” 

“Excuse me?” Wild swallowed his own spit. “You’re trying to apologize to me? Seriously?” 

“What?” The captain’s expression morphed into one of confusion, and Wild didn’t understand it. “Yeah, I fucked up and it affected you and everyone else. You’re mad at me, and I’m…frankly, I’m angry at myself. Of course I’m trying to apologize. It’s about time, right?” 

“You’re apologizing to me,” Wild explained slowly. “The one guy who died and literally came back with the sole purpose of fixing what he broke. I let my own country fall, and you’re asking for my forgiveness about a mistake that affected nine people.” He chuckled humorlessly. “Why the hell do you care what I think?” 

Warrior’s eyes widened. “Because I value your goddessdamned opinion, you idiot,” he said softly, his voice shaking minutely. “Any of us could get stabbed or-or shot or killed at any moment. After everything that’s been going on, you think that’s going to make you less of an important member of this group?” He scoffed. “I made the worst possible error in judgment. But I’m not going to do the same again. I’ve had a lot of time to think. Maybe a little too much. But you think that dying and somehow coming back to life is going to make you less of a hero?” 

“Well, maybe if I did my job in the first place, we wouldn’t be having this conversation,” Wild scowled. 

“Mm-hm, and I highly doubt that you would be the Wild we all know and love,” Warrior retorted. “Now, can I help with lunch?” 

The Champion stared at him for a long moment, searching his face to see if he was lying. But the blue-scarfed hero was completely open and sincere. Damn it, he thought dryly. And here I was, ready to accidentally ruin the tentative peace. A spark of quiet relief zipped through him. 

“No,” he muttered, though he probably could use the help. “Go…polish your armour or some shit. I’ll be fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Warrior worried, glancing down at the reddish stain on the cutting board. 

“Yes, I’m fine,” he insisted. “Promise. Lunch’ll be ready before you know it.” 

“Hmm,” the captain hummed skeptically, but he still stepped back to grab his sword and a whetstone. As he sat beside Time, who was still miraculously concentrating on his writing, and began chatting quietly, Wild let out a quiet exhale and felt his shoulders relax. He finished chopping up the veggies and meats, tossing it all into the boiling pot beside him and beginning to stir. 

Sometimes traveling alone was nice. Then he didn’t have to deal with this shit. 

While he worked, a wolf was wandering the woods, trying to sniff out a scent that didn’t exist there. A soldier talked the ear off of his younger brother while sharpening a blade like his life depended on it. That same sprite was journaling in an attempt to stay present for his boys. A sailor was trying to fish, and a young veteran was teaching him, if only to get a distraction from real life. A traveler was talking to his small, glittering relatives, only to find no clues. A smith was having a conversation with someone who he knew he shouldn’t be talking to. And a tired young man, somewhere, some way, had defended a village with the power of his least favorite deity and promptly walked away. 

Wild stirred the soup a little more. 

The repetition was soothing, really. His body naturally fell into doing everything he needed it to do. He found himself completely enveloped in his cooking, rather than letting his body be on autopilot. He needed to add a pinch of salt, just a bit more pepper, and some more milk, too. And he stirred. The fire crackled, lively, and he found himself smiling at the sound. 

Smiling. He couldn't smile. He had to work. The sooner they started moving, the sooner they could find Sky. The sooner they found Sky, the faster they could repair this broken mess of a team. 

He stirred the soup a little more. 

"Hey, guys?" Wild called. "I think it's done." 

Time's head snapped up as Warrior stood, and Wild watched the old man smile for the first time in what felt like forever. 

"Woo-whee!" Legend called, walking over with Wind in tow. The two boys were carrying three fish each, their scales flashing in the sunlight. "So Champ," the veteran said with a smile. "Are these any good for food?" 

Despite himself, Wild felt a small smile creep onto his face with the perfect comeback on his tongue. “Well, that depends on who caught them. I bet Wind’s are great. The others might be a little bit salty.” 

Legend barked a laugh, making the Links around them chuckle as well. For the first time in weeks, the air felt lighter, and Wild felt like he could breathe again. He could’ve sworn that the little flicker in his chest was hope. 

Maybe they weren't so broken. Not anymore. 

Maybe they all still cared about each other, with no way to say it. 

Wild didn't think they were as broken as everyone thought they were. Everything could be fixed. 

A vase shattered into nine shards could become whole again. They just needed a little glue. 

“There you are, Twi!” Wind called to the approaching Ordonian. “Check it out! We caught some fish, and Wild’s got soup!” 

“That’s great, sailor.” 

Wild looked over at Twilight, who had just walked into camp. The flicker in his chest had grown just a little more. “Find anything?” 

He hadn’t needed to ask. One look from the tired rancher was enough. 

The little flicker began to die, just a bit. “Oh.” 

“Have some soup,” Time spoke up. “Have you seen Hyrule or Four?” 

“What?” Twilight’s head shot up. Wild felt the tense air surge back into the group. “No, I haven’t, where’d they-” 

“Sorry!” Hyrule called, running towards them from between two bushy trees, uncaring of the autumn leaves that adorned his hair. “Sorry, I’m here! There was a cave back there, and I was just checking it out. I’m here. Wild, I could smell that soup from underground!” 

The heroes relaxed somewhat, but Legend still frowned. “Wait, so where’s Four?” 

“I’m sure he’s fine, guys,” Warrior replied easily. “I watched him go. He said he knew some people who could help, so I figured it would be okay. I…” He trailed off, wriggling his shoulders uncomfortably. “I trust that he’ll be fine.” 

Wild frowned. What the hell happened with Four? 

“I think we should look for him,” Twilight suggested immediately, but Time stared him down. 

“Stop, Pup,” he ordered. “Four knows his way around better than we do. He’s fine. He’ll be back.” 

He might not. 

Wild blinked down at the soup pot. He will be back. He will be back. He’s Four. He won’t leave. He’s smarter than that. He knows what would happen if he didn’t come back. He will be back, he’s Sky- 

No. He gritted his teeth. It’s fine. He’ll be back. He has no reason to disappear. He’ll be back. 

“I can find him!” Twilight was glaring desperately at Time. “I can find him, you know I can! Just let me-” 

Someone was running towards them. Wild’s head snapped up towards the pounding, reaching for the ladle that laid in the soup. The others had frozen, too, realizing that something was heading towards them. They didn’t know what that something was. 

Four rounded a sharp corner, skidding on foliage and dead leaves. He beelined towards the small group, slowing to a stop and panting heavily. 

“Portal — that way — hurry —” he gasped. 

That was all he had to say. 

Suddenly, heroes of all sizes were dashing around, dousing the fire, and packing up. Wild tossed the soup and pot into his slate as fast as he could. He had to duck as some sort of cape was tossed over his head to Legend, who caught it and stuffed it hastily in his bag. 

"We can never catch a break, can we, zombie boy?" the veteran joked dryly, nudging Wild's arm with his shoulder. 

Amidst the chaos, the Champion froze. The last time he had heard that nickname, it had been from the same person. But it was odd now — instead of frustrated, betrayed, overwhelmed anger, the term seemed to hold an unspeakable affection, like when Legend ruffled Wind's hair and called him "squirt," or when he always muttered a muffled "prick," when he melted into a hug. 

Pure, unadulterated love. 

Or the closest Legend tended to get to showing it. Sure, he could have his moments of adoration, but those moments were few and far between. They'd been non-existent after Sky left. 

Something restarted in Wild's brain with a click. 

That couldn't be true. 

Nooo, that wasn't possible, that couldn't be the answer, right? He was mishearing something. He had mistaken affection for…indifference or something. 

Since when would Legend want a dead man as a brother? 

Maybe since Warrior valued a dead man's opinion. Since he cared about my existence. 

Gods above. Wild squinted a little harder at the nothing he was staring at. That dark corner of his mind screamed at him that he was mistaken, that the veteran's love was false, but half of him — no, not half, all of him — wanted it to be true. 

"Hey, you okay, champ?" the veteran was asking. Wild watched as his eyes widened as he thought over what he said. "Oh, goddess, I'm so sorry. I…it just slipped out, I didn't mean to…" For once, he seemed at a loss for words. 

Wild found himself snorting, his frame relaxing. He couldn't find it in himself to be offended. Instead, he felt…warm. "It's fine, vet. I…I don't care." And wasn't that a thought. 

But it was true. 

Legend stared at him for a long moment. "You sure?" he finally asked. 

Wild nodded jerkily. He felt a sort-of smile creep onto his face. "Yeah. Yeah. Don't worry about it." 

"Hmm." Legend's brow furrowed for a split second before his face cleared. He clapped Wild's shoulder with one hand. "Well, c'mon then, we can't stand around all day, or you'll be hit with a flying sand rod, yeah?" 

Wild nodded as the pink-haired hero moved past, deciding against asking what a sand rod was. Was it able to erode rocks or something? And maybe it could move sand around wherever the wielder wanted it? 

He tried not to think too hard about it. 

“Wild!” Four yelled, shocking him from his thoughts. The smith’s voice was stressed and thin, too much in disarray to be normal. "We gotta go!" 

Right. Portal. 

Wild thought he understood his friend's stress. The same worry was spiking in his throat. Every time they came across a portal, he found himself silently praying that Sky would fall through, right into their arms. Back where he belonged. 

He never did. 

But the idea was still there. There was still that little voice in his head that whispered that Sky would find them again, or he was just on the other side. He couldn't help deluding himself that Sky might be so close to the other heroes, if only they were fast enough to find him. 

It didn't matter. It never did. He could be as fast and strong and desperate as he wanted, but it wouldn't change anything. 

His best wasn't always good enough. 

Fire, smoke, bright burning light- 

Wild gritted his teeth. Somehow, the weight of one man's life weighed as heavily as the future of an entire kingdom. 

There weren't any other options. He had to be good enough now. 

Chapter Text

Hyrule had always loved caves. 

Where other heroes had proper towns and stables and inns, Hyrule had the caverns and cave systems that spiderwebbed beneath the surface of his home in every direction. Overworld monsters liked all the pale sunlight they could get. Dungeon-crawling monsters always preferred to stick to a certain room, and that was their turf; their home. 

An empty cave meant a safe spot, a rest stop, a moment to breathe. He didn't get very many of those. 

So when Hyrule had said he had been exploring that cave under the tree roots, he hadn’t lied. 

Technically. 

He had explored it. He had searched each crack and crevice with a distinct curiosity, wondering why it was here, who had made it, how convenient it would be to get to if he was in terrible shape: all the questions that he usually wondered. With each second spent in the darkness, he felt his heartbeat slow down from its thunderous pace. 

Okay, so contrary to what he told the heroes, his focus on the cave beneath the tree roots was more than just a habit or an interest. 

It was almost like a home. 

And maybe that was a little unhealthy, when he considered any enclosed, underground space to be safer than being surrounded by allies — comrades, friends, brothers — but at least he could breathe, in a cave. At least he could know that when he huddled himself up in the corner of the dark room, the hard rock pressed against his back and told him that nothing else was behind him. There would be no knives in his shoulder blades, no hands pushing him away or pulling him too close. There would be no claws ripping into his flesh and pouring his blood onto the earth. At least he could see the only entryway to the darkened alcove and know with full certainty that if anyone tried to come in, he would see them first. 

And it wasn’t that he didn’t trust any of the other heroes: that was just wrong. He trusted them with his life, and coming from the teenager with the blood curse, that was saying quite a bit. 

But there was a certain tension in the air around the group of travellers that had been there for weeks now. It wasn't exactly a secret as to why — they all knew why. 

Sky was gone. They needed him back. 

And they didn't know how to get him. 

But Hyrule found himself worrying his lip until it bled. He noticed his shoulders rising up to his ears. The tension in his frame. His locked jaw and the sudden snappiness that he kept swallowing. 

So the moment they stopped, he ran and hid in the safest place he could think of. Hiding was what he was best at, after all. 

It was what he had always done to escape. 

But it was quiet, down there in the dark. It was still and silent and maybe even peaceful. He was alone, if only for a moment, and that was what he was used to. Maybe he liked being around other people — well, that was a lie. He craved their presence like a bee craves nectar. It was soothing in a way that nothing else could be, when you had a comrade at your side in battle and a friend next to you at dinnertime. 

But the lonesome cave was familiar, despite the completely foreign territory they had all been treading since they'd first entered the Breach of Demise. 

It was familiar to sit, back pressed against the rough cave rocks, and just breathe. 

He imagined that he was home again. He was alone in his travels. He had no one to look after and no one to look after him. 

He didn’t have a missing brother. 

The bittersweetness of the illusion tasted wrong. It wasn’t something he could just magically go back to. Not after everything. But it was close enough, and that was all he needed. Just for a moment. Just until he had to turn on the lights again. 

Someone called his name. Not his birth name, not the name that everyone in his world connected with a curse and a bloodstained future reminiscent of a bloodstained past. No. That wasn’t what he heard. 

“Hyrule!” someone yelled. 

His allies — friends, brothers, family — were looking for him. 

He’d never had much of a family before. 

He couldn’t let this one fall apart. 

∆∆∆

It hadn’t taken too long for the heroes to pack up, but Hyrule wasn’t entirely sure that Four saw it that way. In fact, the little smith seemed even antsier than usual; bouncing up and down, shifting his weight from foot to foot, fiddling with the little stones on his belt. He had packed up all his things in an instant, and stood on the edge of their makeshift little camp, clearly attempting to hold himself back from sprinting back the way he had come. But none of the heroes were slackers when it came to portal-finding, and they all knew it. 

Hyrule still thought there was something wrong, though. Well, more than the usual. It wasn’t just the fact that a portal had been found. There was something else. As soon as everyone had looked marginally ready to go, the small smith had promptly forged into the forest, leaving the other heroes standing around uncertainly for just a moment too long. 

Wind was the one who started to follow, snapping everyone back into existence. One by one, the Links began filing through the trees to catch up to the smith. 

Usually, Hyrule would let himself breathe in the sweet, fresh autumn air. He’d be looking around to find anything unusual or interesting that caught his eye — things that he wouldn’t be able to find anything else. 

But Four marched ahead of everyone else, looking to all like a man on some kind of a desperate mission that would never go as planned. It was just a little bit terrifying, and altogether worrying, if Hyrule was being honest. The other heroes looked on with furrowed brows and worried looks, determined to keep the smith in their sights. They all seemed to have the sense that something was wrong. Something was bothering Four, but they all silently and unanimously decided that he could use a little space. 

Hyrule had no such qualms. Not after the past few weeks. Not after watching Four bury his face in his tunic to escape the overwhelming noise. Not after venting to him about the unfairness of the world. Not after trying to help him fit the puzzle pieces of Sky’s story together. Not after spilling his darkest secret and expecting yelling, only to find the smith full of anger on his behalf. 

Was that one of the weirder experiences he’d had in his life? Yeah. 

He jogged up beside his friend, trying to step on as many twigs as possible so he didn’t accidentally sneak up on him, but when he nudged Four’s shoulder lightly, the smith still flinched violently, as if he had just returned to himself in an instant. 

“H-hey, Hyrule,” he muttered, returning his gaze back to the forest ahead. The traveler had to do a little jog to keep up. “What’s up?” 

“The sky,” Hyrule tried to joke, but it fell flat. Four didn’t even twitch. He sighed. “Listen, what’s going on?” he murmured, letting his face fall into what he hoped could be classified as a concerned frown. “You’re upset.” 

"Of course I'm upset," Four bit back at him, but it lacked any real anger. "We should've been there already. We needed to start moving immediately. It could disappear or something, and we'll never go through! But we shouldn't, we should be going the other way — no. No, we need to do this." 

Portals…didn’t usually disappear before the Links could get to them, but it seemed like a moot point at the moment. It certainly wouldn’t help Four, at least. 

“Can…can I do anything?” the traveler asked instead, reaching over to move a low-hanging branch away from Four’s face. But the smith just shook his head. 

“We’re close now,” he murmured. “What’s done is done. We’ll see.” 

How close? 

Hyrule wasn’t quite sure he wanted to get there anymore. 

But it didn’t matter, because the two boys rounded a boulder covered in golden leaves, and there stood a dark gateway beneath the shadows of a fiery autumn tree. 

Hyrule numbly registered the other heroes gathering around the portal. Legend walked past him, carefully patting his shoulder, and he barely remembered to acknowledge the veteran. Just looking at the portal made the traveler feel lightheaded and floaty, like something was trying to push him out of his own body. It was almost like…it was weird, but he could swear it was as if something was warning them. He had a feeling that they weren’t going to like what was on the other side. 

“What are we getting into?” Hyrule whispered, not even trying to stifle the nervous tapping of his fingers on the side of his leg. There was something so distinctly off about the portal in front of them; the traveler had never liked them in the first place, but now it seemed to emanate some sort of pulse. Instead of a mindless malice or blind hatred, Hyrule thought he could feel a sense of something other washing over him. It was more than just mindless anger — something intelligent and complex and earnest. 

He supposed that made sense, in a weird sort of way. The Shadow was the one making the portals, after all, and as odd as it was to think of them as a person, that was what they were. Sure, he had first met them as a silent mirror of himself, but they were still sentient. They still had thoughts and ideas and goals and opinions. 

He snorted. As if that isn’t clear, after everything they’ve done. 

Wait a second. 

A hand waved in front of his face, and he blinked, realizing he had been staring at the dark doorway. “Hyrule?” Four was hissing intensely, trying to get his attention. 

“What are they trying to tell us?” Hyrule wondered idly to his companion. He wasn't quite sure what made him speak, but it was a legitimate question. 

Goddesses, he just wanted to know what was going on. 

"The Shadow. Why…why do they care what we do? I don't understand." Hyrule mused. It wasn't exactly an interesting question, but Four flinched violently. The smith curled even further into himself, hugging his arms around himself and staring at his boots. 

All of Hyrule’s alarms were going off now. His friend wasn’t just bothered by the portal itself. There was something else going for sure — something that he wasn’t able to see. 

“Four, what’s wrong with this portal?” the traveler insisted. He tried to keep his voice steady, but his worry was still much too audible to be as comforting as he wanted to sound. "You're acting really off. What's going on?" An idea struck him, and he paused. "Do…you know what's on the other side?" 

Four’s wide, swirling eyes stayed locked on the ground. His arms tightened around his own abdomen. 

"Four?" Hyrule whispered. "Talk to me." 

"I…have a guess," the smith whispered. "I don't want to be right." 

A gust of wind blew through the trees, taking a few golden–orange leaves with it, and Hyrule watched the little smithy shiver, though it wasn't that cold.

“Okay,” he agreed softly, trying to fight through the feeling of helplessness that threatened to overtake him. Four was his friend. He was supposed to be able to help his friends. 

But he couldn’t. Not right now. Not with this. 

“Hey,” someone called, and the two boys snapped their attention towards Twilight. All of the Links had been looking at them with worry, but the rancher was the one to move forward. “Everything okay?” he asked softly, kneeling down to see Four’s eyes. 

The smith just nodded, his face a smooth and impassive mask. “We…we need to get going. You guys go on ahead. I’ll be just a moment.” 

Over Twilight’s shoulder, Wind shot a worried glance at Hyrule. The traveler just nodded, shaking off the remaining dizziness. His feet were on the ground. His fingers were resting in his pockets. He was here. And he’d make sure they both followed everyone else. 

The two boys watched as their friends entered the portal in twos — first Twilight and Warrior, leading the way as they always did, then Legend and Wild, and finally Time and Wind bringing up the rear. 

But Four’s gaze was glassy, focused on nothing. It was something that Hyrule had become far too familiar with ever since he had first found the heroes. He didn’t mind. Something had clearly shaken the smith, and though Hyrule was burning with a desire to know what, he knew better than to just interrogate his friend. 

Instead, he sat down among the fallen leaves, fiddling with a few twigs he found on the ground. 

He only had to wait a moment before Four shook himself. “Ah, damn,” he murmured. 

Hyrule scrambled to his feet, ignoring how his eyesight fuzzed into black at the edges for a second. “You okay? We can wait a little more if you need. The others are already through, but they can take care of themselves.” I hope. 

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Four muttered. “I was just…thinking. But we need to go. Now. I can’t be right. I’m…I’m not right. Right?” 

Hyrule just shrugged. If I knew what you were talking about, maybe I could help. But he kept his mouth shut. Four didn’t need anything else on his plate. 

“Let’s go.” The smith’s eyes darkened with a sort of fearful determination, as if he was walking to his own grave. But he still strode forward to the edge of the dark, abyssal gateway, stopping just in front of it. It was like he couldn’t move forward. 

Hyrule wasn’t great at social cues, but he didn’t think he could go through the portal alone, either. 

But they didn’t really have to. 

He stepped up beside his friend and held out a hand. Four took it without hesitation, gripping onto him like a lifeline. The traveler was sure his own grip was just as tight. His knuckles were turning white. 

Here we go, I guess. 

The two boys walked into the darkness. 

∆∆∆ 

Hyrule fucking hated portals. They sucked. After everything he had gone through, it felt more than unfair that he couldn’t handle dark magic. That was just stupid. He should be able to be fine with it. 

But instead, he was hit with an immediate migraine as soon as he took one step. A pained grunt made it up his throat, but it was swallowed by the silence in the portal itself. His head swam as an unending pounding crawled up the base of his neck. 

Four tugged on his hand, and Hyrule could do nothing but blindly follow with the trust that his friend knew where he was going. 

He stumbled out of the darkness, expecting some sort of respite from the pounding headache that the portal had instilled in him. Shadow magic didn't mix with natural magic in the slightest, and that was the end of that. Hyrule wanted sunlight and flowers, or the fresh rain that didn't exist in his world. He would've even taken a camp of monsters, if he had to. The adrenaline rush would be sure to clear his head, at least for a bit. That was the good part about time travel: he could actually understand what a thriving world looked like. 

He had a template to use because of this journey. He had an idea of what a healthy country looked like. 

But none of that met him on the other side. 

There was no respite. Instead of taking a deep breath of fresh, sweet air, Hyrule inhaled a choking cough full of dust and sooty embers. He gagged violently, blind to the world around him as his legs buckled and he fell heavily to the ground. 

Unending, pounding, pulsing waves of relentless evil washed over him, pushing him further and further into the dirt. The pressure between his ears had spiked, as if his head was about to pop. He couldn’t move. His limbs buzzed with a detached, heavy hum, like they were just unfeeling deadweights connected to the rest of him. He couldn’t even feel his fingers, though they were a hazy vision in his woozy eyesight. His feet didn’t seem to exist. 

Hyrule felt a tiny whine escape his mouth, and he squeezed his eyes closed, fighting back the spinning nausea that was overtaking him. A heaviness pressed on his throat, nearly making him vomit. For the first time, he woozily thought he might prefer the portals. 

Someone was shaking him, but they weren’t saying anything. Why was the world silent? Why couldn’t he hear the birds? Why were his companions not chattering away with no concern for any ambushes? 

His hazy vision still wavered, but Hyrule forced his eyesight to the thing in front of him, and the fuzzy shapes condensed into Four. The smith’s eyes were wide and panicked, and his grip on Hyrule’s shoulders was just a little bit too tight. 

"Four," Hyrule whispered, barely able to speak around the useless weight of his tongue. Bile was rising in his throat, making his throat scorched and taste like acid. But the smith shushed him frantically. “Wha–” 

Then he felt it. 

Goosebumps were crawling up his spine and down his arms. Despite the bitter soot in the air, there was no fire. 

“Oh my goddess,” Four breathed beside him. Fighting back a second gut-wrenching gag, Hyrule followed the smith’s eyesight above them. Another wave of agony washed over him from the movement, but it was accompanied by a shock of pure horror. 

He wasn’t even sure where they were, but the shadows that wrapped around him seemed to clear for just a moment. 

They were in a nightmare. 

There wasn’t any other way to describe it. Nothing Hyrule could have expected would ever be close to where they were now. 

The pitch-black sky, usually so full of stars, was now streaked with violent purple that echoed the strange malice that Hyrule had seen in the Ancient Cistern weeks ago (had that only been a few weeks ago? It felt like years). Instead of being comforting, the air itself was heavy and oppressive. It pushed down on his lungs, nearly making him gasp for breath, if he had been able to breathe anyway. 

They had somehow travelled to the bottom of a spiraling pit. Bare and rocky, save for sparse sticklike, dried-up husks of what used to be greenery, the shadowy chasm stretched hundreds of feet above them. Not for the first time, Hyrule felt his tiny, insignificant size against the force of the universe. There was nothing he could do. There was no way his tiny hands could do… anything worthwhile. He could do some magic, he could place a few building blocks and pray that someone else would continue his project when he was gone. But that was all. He couldn’t make a big enough difference to fix his world alone. He couldn’t always avoid or beat every monster in fear that his worst enemy (their worst enemy) would return without him there to help. 

He couldn’t even keep this new, strange family together, even when he knew he couldn’t stand to lose it. 

I can’t do this. I can’t do any of this. I don’t belong here. I’m not able to fix anything. I’m not powerful. I’m not a hero. Temporary lives don’t mean anything, do they? 

I’m just a speck. 

He was usually fine with that. 

It was the first time that the notion actually bothered him. 

His eyelids were getting heavier. 

Hyrule gritted his teeth until they ached. He snapped his head back down to the ground. His fingers dug into the dusty earth, making the grit stick under beds of his nails. The sweat on his face was a burning sort of uncomfortable, and he found himself panting for a breath that he couldn’t seem to catch. Farore, he couldn’t breathe. 

Another wave of dark magic shoved the little dust mite down, but someone caught him. Instead of burying his face in the dirt, his fevered forehead pressed against sturdy fabric. Oh. Right. Four was right in front of him. The smith was huffing, too, but he held up Hyrule’s entire body weight without a complaint. 

“We gotta get up,” came Four’s shaky, strained voice from right beside his ear. “Please, Roolie, c’mon, please get up.” He sounded…scared. 

Hyrule tried to blink away the blur in his eyes. He was right, after all. They had to keep moving. They had to keep on walking. They needed to get away from the magic and the silence that still seemed to envelop everything like a muffle. Even Four, right next to him, sounded too far away. 

In one great motion, Hyrule forced himself to his feet, trying to bite back a whimper, but it still escaped his throat. His legs gave out, and he squeezed his eyes shut as his head spun. Everything was blurry. Everything was dark. He could barely see his own hands. 

But Four kept him steady, kept him balanced. It was all Hyrule could do to lean into his friend’s comforting pressure amid the dark sea of turmoil that was shoving him back down. But Four’s heartbeat was still too fast, too irregular, and too panicky. Despite how grounded he was, the smith felt almost fundamentally unstable, like he would crack at any moment. 

But his heartbeat was the only thing that Hyrule could hear through the cotton in his head. He latched onto the broken rhythm like a lifeline. 

One-and-two-and-three-and-four-and-five- 

That wasn’t a calm heartbeat. 

And-six-and-seven-and-eight-and-nine-and- 

He didn’t want to throw up on Four’s nice tunic. 

Ten-and-eleven-twelve-and-thirteen- 

His legs were shaking. 

And-fourteen-and-fifteen-and-sixteen-seventeen-eighteen- 

He needed to find the others. 

Hyrule’s head jerked up, garnering another wave of nausea and a soft gasp from Four. His vision spinning wildly now, he just barely managed to register the shapes of his six other companions near them. 

Wind was already situated on a ghostly Twilight's back, his tan complexion looking sickly and his face clenched with nausea. Time had one arm slung around Warrior's shoulders, and the captain kept him close despite his obvious determination to not get bogged down by the festering darkness around them. Legend was being held up by Wild, his legs visibly shaking and his face as white as a sheet. Actually, none of the adventurers were looking even reasonably okay. They could all feel the press of dark magic. The garish purple light that bounced around the cavern was casting deep shadows on their faces and seemed to sap the life from their skins, leaving them ghastly and nervous. Their jaws were all locked. Sweat was glistening on foreheads. There was a haunted sort of look to all of his friends that turned them into pictures of starvation and death. Those were pictures that Hyrule knew all too well. 

His body convulsed in a dry heave at the sight. None of them should look like that. They were all bright and happy and alive. They shouldn’t be looking so ghostlike. 

Legend’s feverishly pale eyes shot to Hyrule in half a second, and he opened his mouth to say something, but to the traveler, he looked…lost. And his jaw finally snapped shut. 

The click echoed through the entire pit, bouncing from wall to wall and back again, completely unobstructed. It pounded Hyrule’s ears, making him groan silently. Such a tiny sound shouldn’t be able to do that. Such a tiny sound shouldn’t take up so much space. It shouldn’t be so loud. 

Then he realized. 

It wasn’t that he couldn’t hear anything that was there. His ears weren’t damaged. The cotton in his head was painfully uncomfortable, but it wasn’t stopping him from hearing anything. 

The entire cavern was completely, eerily silent. 

The birds weren’t singing, because there was nothing to sing about. 

The wind wasn’t blowing, because there was nothing playful about this place. There was nothing joyful. There was nothing uplifting. 

The silence that encompassed the pit and its visitors was a sacred, evil, all-encompassing thing. It was holy in the worst way possible. It was anticipatory. It was holding its breath. 

It was waiting, as if its fate was hanging by a single, thin green thread that was strained to its breaking point. It was still, as if one twitch would send everything tumbling to the abyss. It was helpless, like its hands were tied as someone else fought a desperate war that no one could see. 

None of the Links could break the spell. Hyrule felt his own lips pressed together, as if a single breath would end it all. 

Not just the silence. 

It might end everything. 

Another wave of dark magic pushed against his back, folding him forward. Hyrule bit his cheek and tasted blood. A scream threatened to escape him, but he gritted his teeth and swallowed the acid in his throat. His legs still shook. The other heroes slumped over one another as well, their tight grips on one another being the only thing keeping them from collapsing. 

They could not collapse here. 

Shaking brief tears from his eyes (cannot cry cannot cry cannot cry right now-), Hyrule let Four help him spin around. He wasn’t sure what he expected. He didn’t know what could have made the world fall so still. 

Maybe he just couldn’t fathom it. 

Because there was no giant, laughing pig behind him. There was no maniacal wizard, no conniving witch. There were no monsters, no Hylians with pitchforks and a desperate fire in their eyes (what was the difference?). 

There was no one real in the pit with them. 

But in the very center, amid dark sigils on the ground and grey dust, a portal was swirling. It wasn’t like the onyx doorways he was used to. It wasn’t like the semi-sentient annoyance that he had come to expect, or even the anger that he had learned of. 

Violet and black swirled together in a column of pure magic over an unreal hole in the ground. Dark, sinister, stronger hatred pulsed like the heartbeat of some god, over and over again, washing over the walls and then retreating once more. The portal almost glowed with a dark sort of light, but it seemed to suck the life out of everything in the same breath. Colors grew sharper and duller at the same time. Dark splotches on the ground seemed simultaneously crimson and russet, making an unsteady path toward the column. 

Hyrule felt his entire body heave with repulsion as a new wave of loathing washed over him — loathing for him. Hated aimed towards his hair, his eyes, his sword, his very soul. He shook harder, feeling like nothing but skin stretched over thin, brittle bones. 

But he grabbed Four's hand and stumbled forward. 

That’s where they needed to go. It was the only thing that made sense. 

Besides, where there was trouble, where there was a problem, where there was evil, someone was needed. It didn’t matter who it was. But the eight heroes were the only people there. 

Four was limping along with him, supporting the traveler without so much as a grimace. Hyrule assumed that he agreed.