Chapter Text
Someone was screaming, begging in his ear to stay awake, to cling to life, that they needed him; and Yusei badly wanted to assure them he would. Yusei felt sick to his stomach as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. His strength was failing, and he faltered. He needed to help, but how could he? He was powerless against this horror… and then he remembered nothing. A golden light filled his vision, so brilliant that it was both comforting and horrifying. That same person who was begging him to stay awake was now asking him to open his eyes, and he had the gut feeling he would do anything this person asked of him.
His eyes slowly opened, a pulsing blue light replacing the gold. He could feel a strange liquid around him, one that he wanted to call water but did not feel quite right to call it that. A mechanism above him pulsated blue light as well, and he heard her properly for the first time. “Wake up, Yusei,” she said, so gently that he had a feeling that whoever she was, she was important to him. As he pushs himself up, he looks around the room. It is dark, except for the small amounts of light around him. A clicking noise drew his attention, and a strange object was ejected from a pedestal. As far he could tell, he was trapped in this room. He might as well take whatever had been ejected from that pedestal.
Yusei surged forward, finding it awkward and clumsy to move now. It felt as if he had not moved in ages. The woman then remarks, “That is a Sheikah Slate.” As he steps in front of it, she then says, “Go on, take it.”
Surprised by this encouragement, he grabs the slate and fully examines it. It lights up, and there is very little on it. “It will guide you after your long restorative slumber,” the woman says, and Yusei tries to imagine how that might be the case. He then looks down, noting that he is wearing, well, next to nothing. “Now go.”
A door opens, revealing the way forward. Yusei spots two chests, and opens the first one to his left. In it, he finds a pair of pants that seemed rather ancient and yet… they fit him perfectly. Where they once his, he wonders as he opens the other chest to reveal a worn shirt. The pedestal near the door glowed the same way his newly acquired Sheikah Slate did. With no other options, Yusei presses the slate to the pedestal and discovers it opens the door. A bright light pours in, and Yusei squints as his eyes adjust to the new light. The woman’s voice speaks again to him, calling him “the light,” and Yusei marvels at the new smells that flow in. He hadn’t noticed how stale the air was until the door had opened.
A slew of senses nearly overload him, barely noting that the woman declared the land to be named Hyrule. It was part of the background information at this point. He is forced to climb to make his way to the exit, and as he surges forward, he can’t help himself. He has to stop and admire the view - an impossible, beautiful view that caused words to fail. It knocked his breath out as he examined the land sprawling out in front of him: to his left, large, towering mountains and a strange creature flying high above; directly in front, a towering castle that seemed to call to him; and to his right, a volcano that seemed to be actively exploding.
The land in front of him seemed almost endless, and called to him. Yusei felt as if he’d known this land his whole life, even if it connected to nothing in his head. In fact, strangely, Yusei had no name for anything in front of him. All he had was instincts and gut feelings and the overwhelming feeling of loneliness. Some part of Yusei told him that being this alone was not his default state, that he’d had companions before. He had no name for what he was missing. Words failed him, but thankfully, he did not have to explain himself. There was no one around to talk to, no one to tell him where to go next.
This feeling would not last long, as he finally spotted an old man to his left. The old man seemed to know him, and Yusei got a gut feeling he should recognize this man. No name connected to him, however, and his face did not feel familiar. It was frustrating to have no names for anything, nor memories to at least guide him. Yet if he was not alone, it would be wise to at least go speak to the man. He makes his way to the old man, pushing through the feeling of sensory overload. He couldn’t let the birds chirping distracting, the sound of crickets chirping, or the rustle of the wind in the trees. The smell of wood, rust, and dust was everywhere. “You,” Yusei said, surprised by how deep his own voice was despite the feeling of long term disuse, pointing to the old man. “Who are you?”
“It’s quite rude to point,” the old man says, as if he was speaking with an old friend rather than a rude stranger he’d just met. Again, Yusei falters. Is he supposed to know this man? “I’m no one, just an old fool.” The old man’s eyes alight with a twinkle, and Yusei feels a strange tug of emotion in his heart. An emotion for which he has no name; just that he had the strangest feeling that not only did he know this man, he once held very complicated feelings towards him. “I’ll spare you my life story. However… what brings a bright eyed young man such as yourself to a place like this?”
Yusei glanced around, looking up at the stone of the structure they were under. It seemed like a natural formation and yet… he could spot it. The obvious scrap of tool against stone. Someone had purposefully shaped the stone in this shape, with the intent of it being shelter. And it was ancient. It must have been long abandoned, and the old man was merely taking advantage of its existence. “I don’t know what a place like this is,” Yusei confessed, taking a seat next to the fire the old man had started. How much did he tell this old man? How close had they been before Yusei had lost his memories? Was this a trap? Now why would he think that? “I… seem to have simply woken up here.”
“I see,” the old man said, and again, Yusei found he had no name for the emotion that passed over the man’s face. “We are in what legend claims to be the birthplace of Hyrule,” the old man said, standing up and motioning for Yusei to join him. The man gestured to a crumbling structure that time seems to have forgotten, a strange look on his face. “That temple you see there was once the center of ceremonies. The decline of the kingdom one hundred years ago had left the temple to rot.” As Yusei took in the structure, he couldn't help but get the feeling something more than abandonment had led to the temple’s state. “Do you have any questions that need answering, courageous one?”
Yusei frowned. “May I borrow your torch?”
The old man turned to him, a light hearted grin on his face. “But of course,” he said, gesturing to the torch. “However, I truly recommend you take the ax as well. There are monsters out there, dangerous ones. I would say some of the sticks around seem well balanced enough, too. A flimsy weapon, to be sure, but a sharpened stick is better than nothing against the creatures.”
Yusei nodded, taking the ax and torch. As he backtracked up the hill to retrieve a branch he’d seen earlier, he couldn’t help but wonder exactly what the wilds would have in store for him. He’d been dumped into the world with hardly any memories, and nothing to his name. Surely someone had to have thought to leave him a map at least. Then again, if he’d been left without any weapons, perhaps whoever left him here did not expect him to survive. He examined the branch in front of him, noting the weight to it. It felt familiar enough, like an extension of himself, but it was flimsy and sure to break. Not only that, he only had an offense. While he might not remember much, he had the strangest feeling that he knew how to fight and he’d need a shield. The strange structure in the distance had a strange pull for him, and he furrowed his brow, trying to remember why it would seem familiar to him.
He was musing this as the woman’s voice entered his head again. “Yusei,” she said, and it tugged at something primal inside him. As if this was a voice he’d do anything for. The urge ran so deep, his knees buckled as if ready to submit. “Yusei, head for the point marked on your Sheikah Slate.” Yusei frowned as he pulled out the Slate, confused. When he’d examined the Slate earlier, there had been no point marked on there. But now there the mark was, pulsating yellow. A mark of where to go next, as if answering his questions of what he was supposed to be doing. “I believe in you.”
Immediately, he spurred into action, following the point as if it were the guiding star. It was strange what he remembered, Yusei supposed. He couldn’t explain it if someone asked him about it. He just knew certain things, and other were as if he was trying to open a locked door. Despite the voice giving him a warm feeling, he couldn’t name the feelings attached nor could he pin the name of the person who the voice belonged to nor could he say what his relationship to her was. It was just a voice, one that warmed him and one he’d trust with his life. He was lost in thought when a creature actively lunged at him, and all Yusei knew was that it was ugly and mean.
His instincts kicked in before his thoughts did, dodging the monster’s attack and attacking back as if time had slowed down. It was as if this is what he was born to do. Whatever he’d been before, it must have required him to be skilled in combat. As Yusei examined the monster’s remains, he felt almost sick. Still, he took what it left behind, a strange feeling that it’d be useful later. Another action he could not fully explain the reasoning behind. He stuck close to the man-made path, noting the rot of it. Again, Yusei is stunned by the age of it, and the sheer scale of obvious destruction. Something had ripped this up, he thought as he stared at the fountain that clearly was once splendid. The massive temple in front of him was missing its entire right side, and Yusei could feel it in his gut: something bad happened here.
Whatever happened here, it was bad and it was on a scale that Yusei could not fully wrap his head around. As he pressed forward, he couldn’t help but notice the camps of the creatures just laying around the temple. Was this their home now? Did he have any right to simply barge in, and attack them? It was better to leave them be, he supposed. Not until they declared an attack first. Some part of him didn’t feel right attacking. Unfortunately, as he arrived in front of the point marked on the Sheikah Slate, a creature decided to lunge first. Yusei was surprised by his own efficiency. He’d stripped the monster of its shield and its sword long before the monster could even land a hit on him. Surely this meant something about who he was before this, right?
It wasn’t something he cared to dwell on as he moved forward towards the pedestal that was marked off. It spoke to him, telling him to place the Shiekah Slate on it. With nothing better to do, he did so only to be immediately warned to “watch out for falling rocks,” and then he was knocked flat on his back from the ground shaking. His eyes went wide, rolling to avoid debris hitting him - again, before he even had the thought to move. The ground under him continued to rumble for a few seconds, and he could hear terrified birds fleeing trees. Eventually, the ground stabilized enough for him to stand.
When he stood up, he instantly stumbled back, woozy from the realization that he was now thousands of feet in the air compared to where he started. The view of Hyrule as he looked around was impossible. Large snowcapped mountains in the distance, the view of the massive mountain near where he exited from, and the strange mountain with a straight line between it all were sights to behold, and Yusei took them in. He wondered if he was the first to ever see this view, as it seemed to be linked to this strange tower that had sprung out of the ground. As far as he could tell, several of them had sprung out of the ground around Hyrule. He frowned - certainly wasn’t exactly what he was expecting to see. The stone spoke again, informing him it was distilling “local information.” A map, Yusei thought idly. Isn’t that what he was hoping for? And the strange voice had guided him to one.
His hopes were dashed, however, when the Slate was returned to him. It rendered only part of the map. Yusei’s frown deepened as he examined the scaling of the map and it occurred to him that the entirety of the map would be… massive. If this tower only distilled this portion of the map, he thought as he glanced up, eyeing the towers then back to the empty map. Then the rest of the map must come from those towers. How irksome. He put the Slate away, but out of the corner of his eye, something horrific seemed to be emerging from the castle. Words failed Yusei trying to describe it. Even “horrific” felt too soft a word to explain what he was witnessing. Whatever the eldritch monster swarming the castle was, it inspired an ancient fear etched so deep in his bones that no amount of amnesia could make him forget it.
It was a fear as primal as the fear of the unknown, and it was a fear that evolution kept no matter what. The being of pure horror seemed to be coming for him, and Yusei backed up without a second thought. A golden light, the same light that had awakened him, glared from the castle, yanking the horror back. It settled, but there were still trails of the horror left that the light could not seem to contain. It seemed to be made of hatred, longing for the death of those who gaze upon it. “Try, try to remember,” the voice called out to him, a desperate edge to her tone now. Yusei badly wanted to do as she asked, but he could not seem to unlock whatever door held the key to his memory. “You have been asleep for the past one hundred years.”
The beast was starting to break free again, and again, all Yusei felt was terror. He had no name for this monster that clearly wanted to ravage him, pick him apart, and leave him for dead. This wasn’t like the petty monsters he’d faced earlier; none of them had left him with the feeling of dread this one did. “The beast,” the voice said, seeming to refer to the eldritch horror that spread before him. The best felt too kind of a descriptor for it. “When the beast regains its true power, this world will face its end.” A feeling of deja vu swept over him, as if he’d heard all this before. A sinking feeling entered his gut, feeling as if he’d already lost to it once before. Or maybe twice. In fact, the sensation felt more like he’d faced this creature several times already, as if he was born to face this monster. A bleak thought, to be sure.
“Now then,” the voice instructed, taking a deep breath, as if steadying herself. “You must hurry, Yusei. Before it’s too late.” The monster was yanked back into the castle a final time, and the castle loomed over him. Despite his fear, Yusei knew one true fact about himself: he would, in fact, head to the castle. He would answer the call of the voice, and aid her in the defeat of this horrific beast. It was as if he’d done it before, over the course of at least a dozen lifetimes. Still, it would be reckless to jump off the platform as if he might sprout wings to fly to the castle. Instead, he started his descent down slowly, avoiding as many reckless moves as possible. Whoever designed the tower seemed well aware of how steep of a fall he could take before it’d hurt him, with each step one he could easily jump to.
He was lost in thought about this when the old man returned, descending in front of him on a paraglider with a light laugh. “Strange towers like this one have popped up all over the land,” the old man remarked, gazing past Yusei and upward at the structure behind him. “It’s as if a long dormant power has awakened from its slumber.” The words felt pointed at Yusei, as if he was accusing him of something. Or perhaps he wasn’t accusing Yusei of anything at all. Perhaps the tensing Yusei felt was from something else. “Tell me, young man, did anything strange happen while you were atop that tower?”
Yusei had no reason to trust this man. And for the first time, Yusei was suddenly very aware that he had been far too trusting at first. He’d been desperate for a connection with another person and hadn’t thought about the potential of danger. The old man gave a good natured chuckle at Yusei’s lack of response. “I see you do not fully trust me,” the man said, as if he expected this guarded nature. “I understand. Times like these, trust is dangerous to freely give. However, it is not necessary to guard the truth of what you saw up there from me. I saw you react, as if you heard something from the direction of the castle.”
“Then why ask,” Yusei said before he could stop himself. More to the point, Yusei was now concerned that if the old man could see his reactions, then someone else might have as well. It was kick starting something, an old reaction that he had no reason for. He felt the urge to hide his emotions, hide his reactions, guard them close to his chest as if they might be used against him. He had no reasoning for this desire. “Wait, how could you see me? I was high up.”
“In due time, courageous one,” the old man replied, and Yusei felt frustrated. The old man had claimed he’d answer any of Yusei’s questions but seemed to pick and choose which ones were worth answering. “For now, a more pressing concern. Did you recognize the voice?” Yusei shook his head, turning his gaze back to the castle. It was honest enough that he did not know who the voice belonged to, but there was something deep in him that reacted to the voice. Whoever she was, she was ingrained into his very soul. He wished he remembered her name. The old man gave a great sigh, as if the answer disappointed him. “That is very unfortunate.” He looked over towards the castle, a strange look passing over his face. “Have you seen the atrocity surrounding the castle?”
Yusei looked back over at the castle. The monster that had made his heart clench up and inspired a sense of fear was no longer swirling around, but a strange mist remained. “Yeah,” Yusei replied, surprised by how easy it was to hide the fear he felt. It was as if he’d done this his whole life. “I saw it.”
“It is called Calamity Ganon. One hundred years ago, that monster brought Hyrule to ruin,” the old man said, a faraway look in his eyes. Yusei could almost believe the man had witnessed it happen by how haunted he looked. “Many innocent lives were lost the day that evil appeared. For the past one hundred years, Hyrule Castle has contained that evil, but only just.” The old man paused, letting those words sink in. Or perhaps he wanted to see if Yusei would respond. Yusei wanted to inquire about the staff of the castle, of what happened to them. However, he had a sinking feeling he already knew. “The Calamity’s power has grown in the past one hundred years. Tell me, do you intend to make your way to the castle?”
It was a non question. “Of course,” Yusei replied, glancing away from the castle. Despite the fact he knew he would make his way there, it still brought a sense of terror to him. “I have to help.”
“It seems you haven’t changed one bit in the past one hundred years.” He did not react to Yusei’s mouth dropping open. Yusei wanted to ask how he knew him, but the old man had already turned away from him. The old man then gestured to the walls of the plateau that they were on, a meaningful look on his face. “On this plateau, we are surrounded by walls on all sides with no way down. No death would be more foolish than the one you would face if you jumped off,” the old man explained, and then a small smirk appeared on his face. “Additionally, a strange malefic mist surrounds us. It would make your grip on the walls less sure, and you will find yourself falling to your death before long. Then again, if you had a paraglider like mine, that would be a different story.”
“Paraglider,” Yusei asked, attempting to keep his features neutral. “Would you be willing to give it to me?”
The old man laughed. “Of course,” he said. “But nothing in this world comes for free. How about I trade it for some treasure that slumbers nearby? Follow me.” It wasn’t like Yusei had many options. If the old man was right, then there was no way for Yusei to merely rush towards the castle. Moreover, Yusei knew he was ill prepared to take on any threat. He’d only just managed to get a proper sword from one of the fallen monsters, and the shield he’d obtained was flimsy. As he followed, all he could think was that he was unable to do anything but rely on meager directions, none of which fully helped. He was still just as confused as to how he ended up here as ever.
He was even more confused when he stared at the glowing structure the old man had led him to. He recognized the structure, but it wasn’t glowing when he’d passed it early. “This structure began glowing when that tower did,” the old man remarked. “I would think that would be a good place to hide treasure, don’t you think?” Yusei said nothing, but he certainly agreed. “How about I trade you the paraglider for the treasure inside that shrine?”
Well, at least now he had a new thing to do.