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Chapter Text

As the torchlight from farther up the caverns began to dwindle, Zelda held up her own torch higher, its fire casting enough light for her to watch her step. Contrary to intuition, the tunnels seemed to grow more sophisticated as they made their descent. They began to walk down staircases as strange egg-shaped lights adorned the wall, clearly man-made. And what was even stranger was the air around them. "The gloom... it seems to have receded in these parts, somehow," she spoke her thoughts aloud, the purple wafts of smoke and flame breezing past her.

Link, at Zelda's side, turned to her with a small (yet clearly cheeky) grin. "By the end of this, we really need to find a better name for this besides 'gloom'," he suggested.

Zelda's eyes narrowed. "Do you have a better name for it? It's a substance that seems to suck on the lifeforce of living things, and those afflicted by it cannot make a full recovery without plenty of rest. I say 'gloom' is the perfect way to describe it." She held the torch to the ground as they reached an area of flatter terrain. Strange carvings and faces etched in the stones on either side greeted her as she waved the torch around, relics of a time long past. "At any rate, I find it more fitting than 'proto-malice' or 'the Soul-Sucker-Precursor'", she said, a chuckle escaping her as she remembered Robbie's opinions on the matter.

Link chuckled as well, falling into step with her. "Point taken, Your Highness. And at any rate, once this is all over, the choice of name will hopefully be the biggest of our worries," he said.

Zelda sighed. "Hopefully..." she replied. She lowered her torch as the pair crossed a small sort of bridge. Luminous stones lined the way, their green hues faintly lighting a path through a narrow corridor. She mused over in her mind the kinds of figures they'd seen so far in their descent. Efforts to make sketches reconstructing what the Zonai must have looked like had mostly been for naught, as they varied widely between each person's interpretation of the relics they've thus uncovered. But the texts consistently mentioned a unique power among the Zonai that apparently still remains in what they'd left behind. Hopefully, they'd eventually be able to discover and master this power to help rebuild Hyrule.

Lost in her thoughts, Zelda paused as she saw Link start, and then still. As she watched him unsheath his sword, her eyes widened as she understood why he'd stopped. "The Master Sword!" she cried, her torch pointing forward as Link held it in his hands.

He stared at the blade for a while, as if he was in a silent conversation with it, before looking up at Zelda with a grim nod. "It's activated. We're close to something...whatever it is," Link said.

Zelda let out a breath. "I knew we had cause for concern," she said, looking towards the way they came. The tunnels seemed to build upward and upward, and Hyrule Castle as they knew it seemed so far away.

Link, following her gaze, looked back at her. "Do you think we should request some help, Princess?" he asked.

Zelda paused, then firmly shook her head. "There's no sense in it now. If there is a great danger lurking at the end of this path, Goddesses forbid, then it would be unwise to bring them into peril as well. And besides..." a warm smile grew on her face as she turned to her knight, "...I know I'll be fine with you, Link."

Link didn't seem to have any witty reply to that, apart from another small chuckle and a polite nod. Zelda felt the air instantly grow more stifling, and she knew she couldn't blame it on the gloom. She turned away from him, her eyes fixed on the ground as they continued their descent.

These bouts of awkward silence were all too common for them. Zelda could not pretend she didn't understand why, of course. An entire century had passed before they could meet again, and she knew for a fact that Link couldn't recall all of his memories, despite his attempts to dodge the question whenever it came up. She wanted to help him as much as she could, but Link had a habit of putting the needs of anything and everything over himself. Although, she thought, her head bowing deeper, it's not like I have any room to judge. It could take another lifetime for both of them to come to terms on their own about the Calamity, and even longer for them to talk about it with each other.

To both their fortunes, however, the tunnel seemed to hold more interesting secrets, giving them a break from the tension. Zelda mused to herself aloud as she took pictures of various Zonai artifacts, practically sprinting over when she found full-body replicas of what appeared to be the Zonai people. And they were all still intact! Her fingers flew over the screen of the Purah Pad to capture these archaeological miracles, filling up her album with snapshots to share with the Zonai Survey Team later.

Eventually, after Link easily took down a couple of Keese nesting on the ceiling above, Zelda slowly spun around as she realized where they were. In this room, giant murals spanned the walls, grand enough so that each figure etched in the wall was about the size of themselves. As Zelda darted around, she realized with an excited jolt that she recognized the events being shown. The Zonai descending from the heavens, the marriage between a Zonai king and a Hyrulean queen, a man leading a conquest against the kingdom...it all lined up! Somehow, inexplicably, they'd found a mural depicting the Imprisoning War and the events that led up to it!

"Link! This is a huge discovery!" Zelda cheered, her voice wavering in excitement as she turned to him. As she pulled out the Purah Pad, Link wordlessly motioned for her torch. As she gave it to him, she held the device in both her hands, trying to take as comprehensive of a picture as she could for each mural. "What we've found here revolutionizes the field of history as we know it," she continued eagerly, bouncing up and down on he toes. "All we have known about the War has come from hearsay and legends, but now we have an authentic account of what happened! If we can figure out how to translate almost everything on these murals, we can completely shape our understanding of Zonai history and culture for the better!" She continued to take pictures as she spoke, quickly making her way towards the other end of the room until she stopped at the last mural. She zoomed in on the photo to see the mural in detail, but realized with a start that Link stood in the corner of it, a warm smile on his face that made her heart flutter. She looked up to see that same smile still affixed to his face. Zelda huffed. "If you have a problem with the name 'Imprisoning War', Link, you're free to mock it as much as you want."

Link shook his head, his smile growing. "I'm just happy to see you enjoy yourself, Princess," he simply said.

Zelda, ignoring how her heart skipped a beat once more, looked away with an effort, turning back towards the murals. Maybe they were both just terrible at receiving compliments. She frowned as she realized the rest of the murals were caved in, rocks and boulders having accumulated over time to obscure how the story of the Imprisoning War had ended. "It looks like that is all we can uncover for now."

Link's eyes narrowed as he peered over at the Purah Pad. "It's a shame we can't use it to blow up the debris anymore. Why did they have to get rid of the runes, anyway?"

"Apparently, Purah and Robbie had been working on new features for the device," Zelda said. "They said they had to get rid of the runes because they were taking too much processing power."

Link sighed. "Well, it's a shame regardless."

"I would say it's for the best," replied Zelda. "We wouldn't want to risk damaging the mural. To get rid of that debris, we would have to rely on a slow, careful excavation of the–"

She suddenly stopped as she gasped, bending forward as if she were punched in the gut. Her eyes widened as her hands clawed towards her stomach, the Purah Pad slipping out of her hands. Sucking in a hollow breath, she looked up in dismay as she saw Link staggering backward, a similar expression on his face. The Master Sword, shaking in Link's grasp, seemed to grow stronger than ever, its usually soft hum rising to a high-pitched ring. "Are you alright?" she whispered out, only when the pain in her ribs grew to be somewhat bearable.

Link leaned his body against the wall, giving her a weak nod. "You felt that too?" He asked, more as a statement than anything, as he looked around the room, searching for the source of their sudden torment. "What was that?"

Zelda steadied herself, picking up the Purah Pad. "I'm not sure," she said. "It was like I was hit with a wave of Malice. But...different to that, somehow," she explained. Link and she knew better than most what Malice does to the body: it rips at life, tearing frantically as it tried to submerge anything that gets under its clutches into its murky depths. This pain felt less volatile, but somehow even more sinister. It was as if it chose to linger, confident that sooner or later, it would eventually pull them under. She shuddered, pulling her cloak up. "We need to keep going," she said, as they both turned reluctantly to the open corridor, descending ever still into murky blackness.

Link looked at her warily for a moment, and then nodded. "Alright. But be careful," he said, his tone almost pleading. Holding out his sword like how Zelda was holding up her torch, the two continued downward. The corridor turned into a tunnel, the rough ground forcing them to steady themselves on its walls. After what seemed like an eternity in this black void, the tunnel parted once more, its end adorned with the entrance to an open area.

The green lights caught their eyes as the two looked up. The lights spun in a wide arc around a large pillar, sometimes condensing to form scribbles of words and phrases in a language that had long since been used in Hyrule. The lights spiraled closer and closer farther down the pillar, until joining together as one great column of light, seeming to drift off from a green hand that lay motionless in midair. And it was there that they saw it.

The hand glowed bright green, clenching tightly at a figure that lay back. It looked like it was frozen in place while it was tumbling over. Its bony arms hung limply from its elbows, its fingers still clenched. It wore nothing but a simple cloth around its loins, and various other earrings and ornaments.

Seeing the figure, Zelda and Link both nodded. Link drew his sword, readying his stance as the two crept forward. As they inched closer, they saw that its face was tilted upwards, away from them. Its face was gaunt and stretched, and long locks of hair flowed from its scalp, dry like cobwebs and almost reaching the floor.

Then, suddenly, as if they had tripped an invisible wire, the air shifted. The almost tranquil nature of the whole scene quickly shifted, as an invisible malevolence began to fill the room. Suddenly, the arm slipped off the creature, falling to the floor. A stone dropped from its hand, rolling towards Zelda. Tentatively, she picked it up. It was shaped like a droplet of water and shined with a bright radiance. As she held it in her hand, this radiance gained a golden hue. When she clenched it, she felt the power within herself surge, as if amplified by the stone. But she didn't have any time to ponder, as she suddenly stepped back, clenching the stone tightly in her free hand. The creature had awakened.

Without warning, it tried to haul itself up, its bones crackling and popping horribly as it struggled against the hole lodged in its chest. The princess and her knight stood still, transfixed at the ghastly sight, watching as it worked to claw its arms upward. Then, the creature suddenly stilled. It turned its neck towards the two Hylian the best it could, the gaunt look on its face morphing into something more aggressive.

When its eyes popped out, pupils like the eyestalks of Calamity Ganon's Malice, Zelda felt her stomach clench as the puzzles finally fell into place.

Ganon is here.

Zelda couldn't move, shocked into place as the eyes bored into her, contempt flaring in Ganon's face. He then turned to her knight, and his contempt morphed into absolute hatred. "You..." he croaked, his voice raspy but still filled to the brim with rage. "You still persist... to trouble me even now..."

Those words spurred Link into action, returning his own glare at the Dark Lord. Terror had shot through his body when he recognized the evil that lay before him, but Link refused to give this form of Ganon that satisfaction. Saying nothing, he leaped up into the air, swinging his sword down with a battle cry. But then a tendril of gloom shot out of the Demon King, wrapping itself around the sword. It pulled and pulled, until the sword gave way, splintering into fragments. The head of the sword shot toward Ganon, narrowly missing his head and only lightly grazing his cheek.

He cocked his head at the knight. A low chuckle rasped its way from his mouth, before growing into a full cackle. "That was all your Master Sword could muster? You bring your sword that seals the darkness against me... and that was the best you could do!?" Ganon stepped forward, his body lurching. "It seems you have failed, boy. Rauru's ploy has finally given way, and now..." He held up his arms, spreading them wide. "My hour has come!"

The stone still glowed in Zelda's hand, but that was far from what was on her mind as she gazed frantically back and forth between the two, trying to find a means of escape. The Master Sword was broken–a fact that Zelda couldn't even begin to process–so they had no choice but to flee. It didn't matter where, but she had to use the Purah Pad to warp them both out of this place. But if she couldn't get to him in time then–

Ganon then put his hands together, releasing a dark power. Its tendrils swept at the ground, tiles splintering as they gave way. The trail of devastation spiraled round and round until it suddenly charged straight towards Link, knocking him off his feet.

Ganon remained where he was, the tendrils of gloom from his chest pouring into the pillar above where he stood. His face morphed into a grin of malice, relishing the sight–not just for the fall of his opponent, but for the act of taking life itself. "You will escape me no more. Begone!" Ganon snarled, a branch of dark tendrils snaking off and charging toward Link.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for Zelda. All plans of escape cast aside, she ran to protect Link. She wouldn't let him fall again for her sake, not like last time, she won't let the Calamity take root once more, she can't, this couldn't be possible, they won, their quest was over, Ganon was banished by her hand, they were supposed to be free of him at last–

"NO!" She screamed, throwing her hand towards Link. The stone's light in her fist shined ever brighter, pushing back the darkness for an instant. It spun from her hand, charged with power, before slamming into Link's chest. He was thrown back, and then his body vanished with the stone in a pillar of light.

Zelda stared at the empty space where Link was, dumbfounded. All thoughts on her mind had been on saving Link, and now they were trying to figure out where he could have gone and what she'd done to him. Even if she was aware of the attack still hurtling towards her, she wouldn't have had the time to dodge it.

She didn't feel it hit her as much as she felt it hurt her–the agony of the wound on her back was almost a blessing compared to the all-invading sensation of the darkness. It clouded her mind and soul, filling her with a sense of despair, as if everything she'd ever known had been swept away from her and all that was left was the blackness of the void. The power vested within her was the only thing keeping her from succumbing, as she struggled to pull herself up from the ground.

"That power... and that stone...!" Ganon growled, realizing the weight of his enemies' actions. "This whole time! It was you that brought him to my era!"

Not that any of this meant anything to Zelda, who was trying desperately to fend off the gloom. She felt as if her soul was being both violently rendered apart and quickly healed, and it hurt her beyond all thoughts worth thinking.

As Ganon watched her struggle, his anger dimmed, as he came to terms with what happened. "Well...there is nothing to be done about it now." He cocked his head at the princess. "You carry the royal blood of Hyrule, do you not? Then that makes you...Zelda," he declared, a sick grin growing on his face as he tasted the name. "Not even the power of your Goddess can save you. Now, you will be buried under the weight of your own Castle, and your own hubris," he snarled with delight. "A fitting end for you and your lineage!"

Zelda groped blindly at the ground until she found what felt like a sword hilt. She tucked in her knees, holding it close to her chest as she lay there on the ground, waiting and hoping for the end. Ganon continued to unleash his dark energy into the pillar, as it crawled up out of the castle and began to seep into the fields of Hyrule. But Zelda saw none of it. She held the hilt closer, trying to hold on to all the light and hope she could before the darkness overtook it all.

But then, the arm fell into her lap. It shined an even brighter green than it did before, as if it were begging the princess to fight off her curse. With a renewed last bout of strength, she reached toward the arm and grasped its fingers tightly. It filled her eyes with a dazzling light, and finally, Zelda found the peace she was looking for.

Chapter Text

Despite everything, when Zelda woke up, she felt more well-rested than she had in years. Over a century, if she were counting the Calamity. She shifted to her side and yawned, covering her mouth as she closed her eyes again, trying to retain that feeling of enjoying a good sleep. Whatever responsibilities she'd taken upon herself for the day, she'd accomplish them better if she was completely well-rested. It was basic health, after all.

But as she tried not to open her eyes, she realized in between blinks that the ceiling looked a lot less flat than it normally was. And the walls as well. The ground was cold and flat under her, and she felt a strange humming in her left arm as if she'd slept on it all through the night. Begrudgingly, she sat up, holding up her arm as she tried to force herself awake. But as she put one hand on another, she blinked the sleep away, and her eyes widened.

That wasn't her arm.

That wasn't even a Hylian arm. It was black, with white fingernails. It was comparatively longer than her other arm, and it was adorned in a strange casing of golden ornaments. She quickly sat up in alarm, feeling the arm connect to her still very-much Hylian elbow. As she was questioning herself frantically about how this had happened to her, a calm voice seemed to split the silence.

"Ah, Zelda. You wake at last!"

Zelda jumped up with a cry, looking around frantically for the source of the voice. She wasn't any stranger to this kind of power–she herself had used it to reach Link when he'd awakened from the Shrine of Resurrection. But the power in the speaker's voice felt unfamiliar, more so than that of the Goddess or the Shiekah monks. "Who are you?" she asked, her voice echoing around the cavern.

"I am a friend of Link's, Princess Zelda. I sense that is what you want to know first and foremost," the voice replied. He spoke kindly as if he were at the bedside of someone he cared for.

"Link?" Zelda asked, confused. His name had jostled something in her head, threatening to release a torrent of memories at any point. As she looked around the cavern, a faint glint caught her eye. As she moved towards it, she saw the blue hilt of a sword.

And then everything came rushing back.

She reeled backward as if she'd been pushed, her eyes darting wildly as the events from before played out again through her mind, reliving their expedition and their discoveries and finding that horrible demon-

She held a hand to a nearby branch to hold herself up, her normal hand on her face as she continued to remember. In the depths of her turmoil, she realized that at least one good thing had come out of this: whatever she'd done with the stone had brought Link to safety. She steadied herself, letting go of the branch. "Is he okay? Link, I mean?" she asked, trying to sound as composed as she could.

The voice paused a bit before replying, and that pause felt like an entire century to her. "You brought Link out of great peril, Zelda. It was thanks to you that we were able to find him," the voice finally replied.

Zelda could see the voice was clearly choosing his words carefully, and she sighed. Fine. She can figure out the particulars about his rescue later. All that mattered was that he was safe for now. Letting the relief flow over her, she held up her hand, flexing her fingers in awe.

"Your wounds were severe. I am relieved to see you still standing," the voice continued. "But even with your sacred power, Ganondorf's strike had brought your arm beyond saving. I had to replace it to keep his malevolence from doing you more harm. My apologies."

Zelda felt a rough soreness in her back, close to her left elbow. She nodded, wincing as she put her other hand behind her to massage it. "I understand. If that was what you needed to do...then I am grateful for your aid."

"I would do nothing less, Zelda," the voice responded, with a hint of pride. "Now...find your way out of the cavern. You'll have to walk a bit of a path afterward, but then I'll be able to give you some answers."

Zelda nodded, steadying herself. Eyeing the hilt of the Master Sword, she picked it up, cradling it in her hands. She pocketed it and continued on, using what was left of the blade to cut through the brambles and weeds.

In the next room, she came across a strange device, a ring with a sort of hologram glowing from it. It showed empty space where a hand was meant to be.

Looking at her new hand, she stuck it out, placing it where the ring indicated. The entire room seemed to rumble, cogs and gears turning as the entire cavern seemed to hum with the workings of technology. A familiar sound caused Zelda to wheel around, staring at the ground. It was a symbol of Shiekah tech, glowing a bright blue. Zelda immediately reached for her Purah Pad, feeling a second wave of relief to see that she still had it. The map, which before was completely empty due to Purah and Robbie's tampering, now showed a single landmark. When she tapped on it, the text "Shrine of Resurrection" appeared. Pocketing the device, she smiled, having at least one thing that wasn't either irrevocably damaged or entirely unfamiliar to her.

Zelda explored the rest of the cavern. She found shirts and legwear in some of the chests, pocketing them for later. She still had her traveling outfit, but it was better to have more functional clothing than none at all. Finally, at the end, there was a long platform, with daylight shining out the other side. Quickening her pace, she made her way to the platform, but immediately jumped back.

They were high above Hyrule, almost high above the clouds. The platform stood towering over a large lake, but she could still cup the lake with her hands from this height. And the mainland seemed to remain in stasis over the clouds, just floating there! She took a step back in fright but then stopped.

It was obvious that many things had changed since she'd last been conscious. The sea of clouds drifting beneath her blocked any view of the lands below. Zelda knew that even if Link was safe, whatever was unleashed in the depths of Hyrule Castle likely had its sights elsewhere. The world had been put into great danger again by Ganon's cunning. But this time, she thought, her hands balling into fists, I won't allow Hyrule to burn again.

And with that, she took a running leap off the platform, diving headfirst into the waters below.

Zelda made her way up the steps of the Temple, a stick in her hand and various foods and materials shoved in a bag she'd found while she was exploring. She eyed the top of the stairs for any more Soldier Constructs, wanting to avoid confronting them as much as she could for now.

After she'd dived into the lake, the friendlier Constructs had soon caught up with her and began pointing her in the right direction. From them, she learned about the two general types of Constructs, and how she could tell which was which. She found them all incredibly fascinating. Even though they weren't as imposing or powerful individually as the Guardians, Zelda could tell that they were made with much more sophisticated hands, and were capable of a much wider berth of activities than just shooting to kill. Some were message-bearers and miners, others were expert cooks–despite having no function to eat–but they all followed their instructions to the letter. It was this dedication to their designed tasks that helped Zelda differentiate them from being something human. It also made her feel a bit better about potentially fighting them.

Not that she could, the way things stood. Zelda's power had waned since the Calamity, most likely due to her role in the prophecy being fulfilled. But she could still feel it course through her veins, a tranquil humming that always reminded her of who she was and the responsibilities she bore in helping to rebuild Hyrule. But after being struck by that horrid gloom, Zelda could no longer feel that sacred power course through her. Thus, with no special powers nor weapons she could competently use apart from sticks, she resorted to sneaking around the Soldier Constructs, time-consuming as it was. As much as she wanted to rush to the door and reunite with Link, she knew she had to be cautious.

Finally, she made her way up the last flight of stairs and found herself at the entrance to the Temple of Time. A set of double doors towered high above her, with circular engravings marked into it. At her height was a green circle similar to the hologram in the Shrine of Awakening. She put her hand to the door like before, but soon jerked it away. The circle flashed a bright red, the device beeping as a giant X formed over the entire door. Zelda backed away, looking at her hand in dismay, wondering what was wrong with it.

"The door was meant to open only to a select few Zonai, I am afraid," the voice spoke once more. Zelda spun around, finally finding the source of the voice.

It was a man similar in form to the statues they'd found under Hyrule Castle. He was one of the Zonai, with black skin and pointed, wooly ears that slanted downwards like a sheep's. He floated a few inches above the ground, and his body glowed with the hue of a spirit. He smiled warmly at her. "I am Rauru. The arm you now have was originally mine." He held out his left arm,

Zelda looked at the arm in a newfound light. "Rauru..." she murmured, before looking up at the Zonai. "Ganon had mentioned your name. Were you the one holding him down this whole time?"

Rauru nodded solemnly. "That I am, Princess Zelda."

"Then that means..." Zelda thought to herself for a moment before her eyes lighted up. "Are you the one who ended the Imprisoning War? The first king of Hyrule!?" she said, wonder filling her voice.

Rauru nodded again with a chuckle. "You're well-versed in your history! I'm delighted to see it. And I, in turn, am happy to see my descendants continue where we could not," he replied. "You are right, Princess. In a last effort, I used the last of my power to entomb Ganondorf and halt his reign of destruction. But my power could not keep him at bay forever, as much as I'd wished it could. I am deeply sorry for this to have happened in your lifetime, but please believe me when I say I did all that I could to stave off his release," he confessed, his eyes shining with sincerity and regret.

Zelda nodded, understanding his pain all too well. She turned again towards the door. "So how exactly does this door work?"

"The door is the entrance to the Temple of Time, as you already have learned. However, to keep monsters and other interlopers from breaking through the gates and desecrating the inside, we selected some particular Zonai to control who can go in," Rauru explained as he stepped forward. "These guards were typically blessed with the powers of our society, bestowed upon those of us mature enough to understand both their uses and their responsibilities for wielding them. I myself had obtained all these powers, but it seems that Ganondorf's power has even taken that away from me as well," he continued, disgust seeping into his voice at the mention of that name. He put a hand to the door, closing his eyes. "Our people had made items to help reverse the effects of such evils, filled with sacred light." He put his other hand to his chin as he talked, thinking deeply. Then, suddenly, his ears perked up as he turned back to Zelda. "Ah, I know! You can visit the shrines on this island. They'll have the power you need to help free your own power from the malice that still ails you."

Zelda looked to where Rauru was pointing. She saw a structure similar to the shrines of the Shiekah, except seeming to be made uniformly from stone. A green column of spiraling light shined out from the top, similar to the light they'd seen from Rauru's arm. "Those shrines... they're remarkably similar to the ones of the ancient Shiekah," she remarked, taking out her Purah Pad to mark where it was.

Rauru nodded, smiling in fondness for his fellow Hylians. "I imagine they took inspiration from our work." He laughed, and then sighed a little. "To see the world changed so vastly, yet be so similar...it's a wonderful thing." He snapped himself out of his train of thought, looking back at Zelda. "Ah, apologies. I was just lost in thought. Well, if you need anything or have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. I would be happy to answer."

Zelda took a step back, looking at the Zonai once more. For all she read in her history books, it was hard to imagine the people that lived their lives through these events. So many barriers separated her from the distant past, and now the first king of Hyrule was standing before her! It was a lot to take in, and given any other circumstance, she'd be eager to know everything about what life was like at the time of his rule. But time was of the essence now. She had to reunite with Link and get back to her own kingdom. She picked up her pack and readied her weapon, nodding to the spirit. She made her way down the steps of the Temple of Time, making her way to the nearest shrine.

Besides the shrines, there was a lot that Zelda had to take in and a lot that she wanted to learn more about.

From the shrines, Rauru was able to awaken in his–her?–arm various abilities. Her favorite by far was Ultrahand. As Zelda moved great slabs and carts with the flick of her wrist, she began to understand why the Zonai were considered godlike in their time. Even now, their powers opened a world of opportunities that one couldn't even consider without having these powers at their disposal. She could see the value in the Fuse power, and the Ascend ability helped her through numerous close calls, but it was the Ultrahand ability she found herself using the most. And for good reason: it was just so versatile. Right now, she was aiding a Korok to reunite with their friend. She'd attached a hook to a cart and coaxed the little Korok into it before sending the cart off its way, careening down the rail to their friend's campfire. She put her hands on her hips, smiling as she admired her handiwork.

"You seem to be having a lot of fun with these abilities," Rauru remarked, sitting on a log near her. He moved his own arm as he talked, a smile of endearment on his face.

Zelda started, putting her own hand to her face. She really did have a lot to recover if she couldn't sense spirits like she used to anymore. "I am, thank you! The technology that your people have at your disposal is simply incredible!"

Rauru shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "We are certainly proud of it. I had hoped to share this technology with all the people of Hyrule, when Sonia and I had ruled. You'd all be able to find plenty more uses for it than we can. Alas, a lot has happened between then and now," he said, bowing his head slightly and closing his eyes, his ears drooping. He suddenly snapped open his eyes, looking again at Zelda. "Your arm...how does it feel now?"

That question gave Zelda pause, as she stretched her Zonai arm, putting another hand on it to feel the casing on it. "It feels natural, strange as it sounds. I have to look at it to remind myself it's not my own arm."

Rauru nodded, a relieved smile on his face. "That is good to hear, Zelda," he said. He then stood up, dusting himself off on instinct. "I will meet you at the Temple of Time. This all should be enough for you to open the entrance," he said, gesturing to the shrines and back to Zelda's arm. He then faded back into the air, whisking himself away to the Temple.

Zelda, meanwhile, took out her Purah Pad. She set a course for the Fuse shrine to save the effort of walking across all of Great Sky Island again. She closed her eyes as she felt herself being transported, the blue tendrils of Shiekah tech that held all that she was flying through the air at impossible speeds. After she touched down at the shrine, she carefully made her way down the plateau it was on and climbed the steps of the temple. After fusing spikes to her stick to create a makeshift spiked club, she decided to deal with the Soldier Constructs as she made her way up.

Once again, Zelda found herself at the entrance to the Temple. The device at the bottom glowed the same as it did when she first approached. Taking a deep breath, she put her arm where the device instructed her to and concentrated.

Soon after, the device beeped cheerfully, and the stone doors parted, their rumbles shaking the ground as they moved apart. Zelda marveled at the strips of metal trailing after the two doors, likely intricate locking mechanisms to keep the door from being opened by force. All such thoughts left her mind, however, as she looked at what floated in front of her.

It was the same stone she'd found when Ganondorf had awakened. Only it was much larger, floating above a white altar. Hesitantly, Zelda stepped towards the stone. Like before, there was something about it that was calling it to her. As she got closer, she began to reach her own hand towards the stone. The stone seemed to only shine even brighter...and brighter...

As her fingers were just about to grasp the stone, the stone engulfed the room in a blinding light.

Wincing, Zelda stopped covering her hand with her eyes as the light faded. A dense fog had now filled the room, and strange symbols formed and dissolved among the clouds. But she didn't notice any of it. She couldn't, after seeing who was in front of her.

"Link?" she asked, surprise filling her voice. She at first felt a crushing wave of relief to see him safe, and apparently unharmed. That relief, however, gave way to confusion and concern, as she took a better look at him.

Link didn't seem to acknowledge her presence. He wasn't wearing his Tunic anymore, instead wearing a set of armor similar in design to the clothing Zelda had found in her exploration. His eyes were closed, and he almost looked like he was sleeping. His brow was furrowed though, in a manner that Zelda recognized from her own training in prayer.

Zelda nearly ran towards Link, her footsteps making no sound on the floor. As she got close to him, she stopped as Link suddenly opened a hand to her. She stared at it for a good moment, before taking it. She squeezed, and she was brought back to memories of better days, both before and after the Calamity. Times where it was just the two of them against the world and whatever it brought their way, Ganon or otherwise. She smiled, reveling in the memories.

Zelda was just about to say something when she opened her eyes, realizing Link was holding something else in his other hand. Shining through it was the golden stone that had started this whole mess. As it glowed, she felt a familiar hum in her left arm. Holding it up, she watched in wonder as her entire arm glowed feverishly with a golden hue. When it was done, she turned it over and saw a symbol on the back of her hand. Her eyes widened. Another rune? But just when she was about to ask what he was doing, he vanished into thin air. And the room was enveloped in a blinding light once more.

Zelda squinted her eyes as she adjusted to the normal Temple of Time. She looked at her arm once more, noting the new band that had formed in the center of the back of her hand. But more than that, she was thoroughly confused with what Link was doing–and a small pit in her stomach began to fill with dread.

Putting her doubts aside, she looked at the gears in a new light. Almost on instinct, she used her new power to reverse the gears, allowing her to make it up to the next platform. She found a statue of Hylia standing before her, arms crossed in eternal vigilance. Zelda curtseyed automatically in custom and looked behind it to see Rauru standing by another great door. "So you've finally unlocked your power," he said, a growing smile on his face.

Zelda looked at her arm and back at Rauru again. "I guess...? How much do you know about what just happened?"

Rauru put a hand to his chin and nodded, deep in thought. "To be honest, your guess is as good as mine. By all accounts it shouldn't be possible–but I suppose with enough willpower, and given your birthright, it could happen. And fortunately for the both of us, Link has willpower in spades."

 "'Birthright?'" Zelda repeated, tilting her head. "What do you mean by that?"

"The sacred power you have comes, in part, from me," Rauru said, tapping the back of his hand. "In my reign, I had made powerful artifacts that could bolster the inborn power of certain people–sages, we called them. I wielded the Light Stone, and my wife, Sonia, wielded the Time Stone, golden in color." He drew back, closing his eyes as fond memories came back to him. "In other words, Zelda...those of royal blood like yourself can draw on the power to harness both light and time."

"Time powers?" Zelda asked incredulously. She looked back at the white altar, and then back at her own hand.

Rauru nodded. "Indeed. But it seems, unfortunately, that the gloom that ails you had sapped you of those powers as well. My guess is that the Time Stone awakened your powers, hence your ability to rewind objects."

Zelda nodded weakly. She didn't really understand what was going on, but she trusted that she'd figure it out as she learned more. "So... where is Link, then? He vanished along with the stone," she explained, gesturing back to the altar.

Rauru took a moment to answer, stepping away from the wall. He looked at the ground, and back at Zelda again. "Right, of course. Zelda...Link is right past this door-WAIT!" he suddenly cried, as Zelda rushed to the gate. Seeing two handprints, she put her own arms where indicated and pushed. But the door didn't budge. She suddenly felt herself grow faint, her vision becoming more bleary. She pushed herself to look up as the door seemed to suck on her lifeforce, and saw two green strands rise up in an arc to meet each other. She pushed and pushed, trying to get those arcs to meet. She was almost there–just a little more, and-!

She was thrust backward by Rauru at the last second, falling back on the floor. She gasped for air as her hands burned, her heart beating frantically in her ribcage. When she found the strength, she glared up at the spirit, who hovered right next to her. "Why did you do that!?" she yelled. "I almost had it!"

"These gates are not something you can hope to just force open, Zelda," he replied, but his voice was tinged with panic. "I was just about to tell you. These gates require a test of vitality from those who wish to open them."

Zelda sat up as her fatigue passed, wondering if she'd just not heard him right. "Why would you put a gate that kills you in a public temple?" she asked, more irate than anything.

Rauru shrugged his shoulders, sighing. "That I do not know. Forgive me, but I was never completely aware of all the secrets this temple holds. I'm sure its creators had a reason that made sense at the time. But yes, you are right," he conceded, turning back to the gate. "At this moment, it stands as an obstacle in your way. Please do not try to open the gate again. You simply cannot do so as you are now. However..." he turned to the statue of the Goddess, an idea in his mind. "There is one other shrine that you can access. I'm sure that with the blessings of all four shrines, you can make an offering to the goddess and ease your weakened state." His gaze then became less stern, and his eyes crinkled, smiling sadly. "I understand, Zelda. You are anxious to return to your people. I cannot fault you for that. Let me share something I've observed from Link in the time he'd spent with us," he said, sitting on the floor. "You were always on his mind, Zelda. He was a fiercely loyal friend to us, yet every decision he took was motivated by the desire to help you in any way he could, big or small. And I know that loyalty will remain true, even across distant lands and ages long past. So take this into heart–he is fighting to reunite with you, just as you strive to see him again."

Zelda remained silent a long moment, staring at the statue of the Goddess, and then beyond that. But after that, she turned to Rauru, fierce determination in her eyes. "I understand. Thank you, King Rauru," she said firmly. She couldn't say more, and he didn't push for it. He nodded in silent understanding, leaving her to her own devices. Zelda sighed, resting her back against the gates.

How did it come to this?

Just yesterday, or the day before they made their fateful investigation, just about everything seemed like it was going on track. Efforts and projects across the land had sprung up to help rebuild and renovate what was lost. The Divine Beasts and the Guardians had at last been completely retired, and efforts instead were focused on improving Shiekah technology and learning more about the mysterious Zonai. Well, she thought with a bitter chuckle, at least she got that part of her wish fulfilled.

But as much as Zelda wanted to wallow in the injustice of it all, she knew she couldn't. Even though the entire kingdom would have to once more brace itself against the whims of a power that sought only absolute conquest and destruction, she knew that this had to have happened eventually. It just so happened that this "Ganondorf's" return happened within her lifetime. But it was not her choice to decide. All that she could do now was to fend off this evil and bring Hyrule to peace once more. And if Link was doing all he could, then she'll follow his example, just as she had done before.

And with that bout of resolve, Zelda took out her Purah Pad, scanning the map for the last shrine. She paused, seeing it was actually very close to the Shrine of Awakening. Closing her eyes, she let herself be transported, ready to leave this haven among the clouds and find her way back home.

Chapter Text

Zelda made her way through the final shrine without much incident. She solved its puzzles, learning from them the versatility of her new power, ideas springing to mind that she would've liked to test once she got the shrine's blessing. The statues of Rauru and his wife smiled upon her as she felt the orb of light surge through her body, clearing away the gloom that inhabited her by just a bit.

She wondered who made these shrines, and what purpose they served. The shrines that the Shiekah built were for training the hero in his quest, providing him with both the experience and the ingenuity needed to confront whatever tactics the Calamity and its hosts. But these shrines evidently served a different purpose, housing blessings of light that worked to chip away at whatever malevolent forces inhibited its visitor. Why such a boon would be locked behind impressively creative deathtraps, Zelda could only guess.

Well, maybe I could, she thought rather sullenly, trudging up the steps of the Temple for the third time. It probably was to instill the message that evil could not be driven back by the indolent; you had to sacrifice a little bit of yourself in the battle against it. The Shiekah monks understood that, locking their own spirits within on the off-chance the hero would visit their resting spot, even if they'd condemned themselves to eternity. Zelda and Link had certainly learned that message as well. But as she stood before the statue of Hylia once more, hands clasped in prayer as she humbly supplicated the Goddess for something to strengthen her vitality, a small voice in the back of her mind lamented why this fight had to be so hard.

Throughout her lonely childhood of praying to the Goddesses and learning all her kingdom's myths, she knew about the greater war at play, where she, Link, and even Ganon were all pieces of. But what forces had led to them and their kingdom having to fight through not one, but two reincarnations of this villain? Was it some divine fluke on the part of Hylia, that Demise was eagerly pursuing to attain a checkmate or last? Even if that was the case, Zelda would have at least liked to know.

But she knew that such an answer was well out of her reach. As she clasped an ethereal red heart in her hands that descended from the heavens, feeling it strengthen her body and spirit, she realized what she had to do. Zelda had to make the best out of what she was given, and now that meant she needed to understand better the history behind the Zonai, and the Imprisoning War that led to the fine mess they'd found themselves in. Zelda walked slowly up to the door, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. She held up both hands to the door, gritting her teeth as she focused all her effort on powering its mechanism. It wasn't unlike her sessions at the Springs, where she'd pray until every ounce of her will was ground into its rivers. Finally, when the great ring glowed fully, she pushed, dragging her legs forward. The stone doors rumbled as they parted aside, and Zelda stumbled forward into the open air. She doubled over and recovered her breath, as she enjoyed the cool wind blowing past her face. Then, she felt her right arm throb, glowing light green. She looked up and saw King Rauru standing next to her.

"Ah...good. I see you've managed to open the door," he said, nodding to her. "I've summoned up all the other shrines I could find while you were busy. You can find them across Hyrule," he continued, holding out a hand as he gestured to the sky, still covered with a sea of clouds. "I'm sure you're already aware of this, but your spirit is in a weakened state. Ganondorf finds power in consuming the light of others–at first, I had feared you were beyond saving," Rauru confessed, clenching a fist to his heart as he recalled the memory. "But with the power of the shrines' blessings, however, I'm sure you'll be able to fight off the corruption's effects and restore your power to its full strength." Then, he looked up, beaming a smile as his eyes watered. "I am so glad we finally met, Zelda. I can rest easy knowing that our kingdom is in your capable hands." He looked out into the distance. "You are exactly as Link had said."

Zelda looked into the distance, squinting her eyes. The wind grew stronger as she did, but she saw a chain of islands, with a faint light glowing from the island at the end. She looked back at the First King, wanting to say something, but no words could come out of her mouth. Despite what little she knew, she was aware that something great was happening, and she wanted to see it happen as it should.

King Rauru's smile faded just a little as it became more wan. "He is waiting for you at the end," he said, pointing to the last island. He chuckled, closing his eyes. "I've done everything I can for him...but my time here is at an end." He turned to Zelda, bowing deeply. "I must leave it up to you. May light guide your path forevermore, Princess." The winds grew stronger and stronger, and suddenly Rauru vanished, and the First King of Hyrule was finally laid to rest.

Zelda let out a shuddering breath. Even if she'd only known him for less than a day, he had already left a great impression on her. She regretted not asking him earlier of everything that she wanted answers to, but more than that she was glad that he could finally be put to rest. Taking a deep breath to compose herself, she started forward, beginning to cross the bridge. She had to use her abilities as she crossed, which frustrated her greatly when all that she wanted to do was to rush across the bridge and find her knight. But as she shot through the ground to reach the last island on the bridge, she realized that it wouldn't be that easy. Her heart sank as she saw an orb of golden light resting on an altar. As she slowly held out her Zonai arm, though, she realized that it was glowing the same golden hue. She then heard a familiar beep from her pack. Reaching into it, she pulled out the remnants of the Master Sword, still shining defiantly as if it were fully restored. Zelda looked at the hilt blankly until it beeped again, and she held it out to the light in front of her. A moment passed as all was still. Then, the "Rewind" symbol on her Zonai arm suddenly shined on the back of her hand. Seconds later, her entire arm was burning in this golden light. It reached for something inside her, attaching to a well of power she'd never accessed, and pulled. Zelda invoked that power with all she could, holding the sword tighter and tighter, and then–!

A flash of light blinded her, and the island faded.

When she opened her eyes once more, Link was facing her. He didn't see her but stared in shock at his sword as it hovered in the air, before settling gently in his arms. Holding his broken blade, he slowly put both hands on the hilt, holding it upright. He took a deep breath, and his eyes flashed open, with piercing determination that made Zelda catch her breath.

But the vision fled her too soon, and she found herself back on the edge of the Temple of Time. Zelda looked at her Zonai arm in wonder, already theorizing what had just occurred. She knew that she was using the power to revert objects during her vision. She'd used it on the sword, so did that mean–?

Her thoughts were jolted as she heard the loud roar of a dragon piercing through the sky. But as she looked up, she saw no dragon in sight. All that she saw was a humanoid figure, leaping to the top of a chain of islands that seemed to stack on top of each other like building blocks. Taking out her Purah Pad, she zoomed in, the scope focusing on the figure in more detail. It appeared to be a knight of some sort, donning an unfamiliar set of armor. Zelda couldn't discern much from this distance, but she could make out three prongs on the armor's helmet, the two prongs on its sides almost looking like horns. It held a shield in one hand and a sword in the other. She wasn't able to see the wearer's face. She watched in awe as the figure made its way up, seeming to flutter with each jump. Then, when it reached the top, it stood still. If she didn't know better, she would've thought it was watching her.

Then, with another roar, they leaped even higher, launching themselves downwards like a rocket and shooting through the mass of clouds. The hole they left behind grew only wider, and soon enough the entire bed of clouds was parted, allowing Zelda to see the ground for the first time. But as she gazed upon Lookout Landing, she heard another voice that jolted everything else from her mind.

"My Princess..." Link called faintly, his voice cutting through her like a cold wind. "Find me...Please..."

Purah had worked a lot to force her body out of its childlike state, but the way things were going, she wasn't going to enjoy her new form for long before dying from stress.

She paused her work for a bit, allowing herself a chuckle. A Shiekah, dying from stress? That would certainly be a sight! She thought, her fingers fiddling with the inner workings of the periscope. But Purah was seriously at her limit. Ever since the Upheaval, Purah and the rest of Hyrule woke up to see the entire landscape for their home changed–chains of islands somehow drifted in the sky all by themselves, far too high for anyone but the Rito to reach. What was worse was that Hyrule Castle had been affected the most, the gloom coming from beneath it now seeping out in full force as the castle rose into the sky, and the Princess was still nowhere to be seen. Adding onto that the fact that all their weapons were ravaged, new kinds of monsters were popping up, and the other kingdoms were locked in regional disasters of their own and couldn't reach back to the Lookout, Purah really felt thrown in for a loop.

She didn't look back as she heard the hatch fly open, as somebody rushed up the ladder and threw themselves onto the top. "Purah! Purah!" Josha cried, her arms flailing. "C'mon! You gotta see this!"

Purah sighed, not looking back as she continued to fiddle with the controls. "Look, Josha, I'm sure you've found something really important from the Depths, but whatever it is, I'm busy." She hummed with satisfaction as the periscope trilled with approval, and looked through the eyeglass. She zoomed in on Hyrule Castle first, marveling at how it was nearly untouched by the gloom and corruption that ravaged the ground beneath it.

"It's not about the Depths! Something's coming from the sky and it's headed this way!" Josha cried, running to her teacher's side.

Purah looked back at her assistant, seeing the worry that lined her face. "Is it a monster? Like an Aerocuda?" she asked, turning her attention back to the periscope. She wheeled it around, frantically searching the skies for anything that flew. The Aerocudas were trouble enough, but an entire swarm of them flying around like Keese? Even if their bows were relatively untouched by the gloom, she didn't even want to think about the hassle needed to clear them up.

"It's not an Aerocuda! It's big, but it's not flapping its wings! It's somehow gliding in the air, and it's headed straight for us!" Josha explained, running around the tower to see it for herself. Then, she ran back to Purah, shaking her shoulder. "Point it over here! This way!"

Purah gripped the handlebars, and with an effort, she turned the periscope to the direction that Josha was pointing. She scanned the skies, moving the scope along until she found it. "Is that what you're talking about?" she asked, steadying the periscope.

Josha nodded rapidly. "What do you think it is? What do you see?" She leaned towards the periscope, wanting to see it for herself.

Purah pushed her aside and rotated the handlebars, zooming in. "It's not a monster! I don't think it's even alive," she reported. "It looks like one of those devices made by the Zonai...wait, there's somebody riding it! It's–" Purah broke off, her jaw hanging open as the periscope's image cleared, giving her a clear view of who was coming to meet them. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Purah said flatly, knowing full well that she was bound to die in the next fifteen years.

And thus, after Zelda successfully landed her contraption–she counted not killing anything during her descent a success–a little ways off from the Lookout, having successfully lived through the most terrifying few minutes of her life. That included everything that happened after the Calamity's emergence, and even the revival of the "Ganondorf" that haunted the castle's underground.

She stumbled her way towards the Lookout, waving a hand in the attempt of a cheerful greeting as the guards rushed to meet her. As she half-walked/was half-carried to the front entrance, she waved off the townspeople's concern, a childhood of royal etiquette being the only thing preventing her from just collasping sprawled on the grass. Zelda didn't think anyone would blame her if she did, but she really had to get to Purah. Zelda made her way over to the main tower, heading up into the floor where the periscope was.

Purah, for her part, took her departure rather well. Of course, she was furious that Zelda would be so reckless, and it took quite a while for Zelda to get her to understand that she didn't have much other choice. At Purah's insistence, Zelda told her everything that had happened as she knew it from when she and Link went on their expedition. This calmed down Purah enough, and when she swore that she wouldn't tell Impa about this, Zelda lounged in her chair just a bit more, relief washing over her shoulders.

Zelda pulled herself forward, clasping her hands together. "Now that all that is out of the way, it's your turn to fill me in. What have I missed?" she asked.

But Purah's face became firm, and she stood up from her own chair. "No. Not now. You need sleep, Princess."

Zelda sucked in a breath of frustration, knowing deep inside that it was going to come to this. "I appreciate your concern, but from what I've heard, all of Hyrule has been turned into disarray since our absence," she tried to explain patiently. "I can't just sit back and-"

"-No offense, Princess, but have you taken a look at yourself in the past couple of days?" Purah cut her off. "On a dark night, I'd be hard-pressed to tell you apart from a Stalfos. You'll only exhaust yourself further," she said. Purah pushed up her glasses, sighing. "Take it from me. I've been working my butt off the past few weeks trying to get everything in order, and the only reason I haven't withered away is because I'm well aware of my limits," she said, with a sudden rush of firmness in her voice, as if she were rallying up troops for war.

Zelda stood up suddenly as well. "We've been gone for weeks!?" she exclaimed. She shrank hearing Purah's nod, and slowly sank back into her chair. "Oh, Hylia...forgive me, Purah. I would've come sooner if I could–"

Purah shushed her firmly. "Don't worry about that. You're here with us, and that's already a good enough victory for the day." She turned to where the rest of the Lookout lay with a proud smile. "I'm sure they're slacking off on their duties today. Whatever. I'll lay off of them for now."

Zelda let out a long sigh, putting a hand to her head, before jolting and switching to her normal hand. Now that all the excitement had passed, she felt exhaustion weigh her down, and she clutched her hand at the place where her head had started to throb. "You're right, Purah. I do need to rest."

Purah perked up, surprised that Zelda would give in so easily but grateful nonetheless. "Oh, thank the Goddesses, you're actually listening to reason!" She made her way across the room. "We have a lot of spare resources in the shelter. It'd take us some time to set up another bed, but–"

"No, no!" Zelda waved the idea off with her hands. "A pillow would do just fine!"

Purah's eyes narrowed, before giving in as well. Zelda was already willing to comply thus far, and Purah wasn't about to risk it further. She'd follow the wishes of the sovereign of Hyrule, even if said sovereign wanted to camp out the night in the corner of her study room. "Alright, fine. I'll go and get them for you." She turned to the hatch and tossed it open, but gave Zelda one last queer look before she went down. "You know that you're not burdening anyone here, right? We're happy to have you back, you know."

Zelda looked up, confused and a bit insulted. "Of course I know that," she said, crossing her arms.

But Purah saw Zelda's hesitation before answering, and she noticed her averting her gaze. A pang of pity shot through Purah. Soverign or not, the girl was barely an adult. She shouldn't have to live through life with so much responsibility on her shoulders. But the Shiekah part of her knew immediately that it wasn't for her to decide. This was the life that she was given, and Purah and everyone else could only do their part to protect the kingdom and ease the burdens she carried any way she can. But Purah didn't show any of this. Instead, she just shrugged her arms, letting Zelda off the hook for now. Purah then slipped down the ladder, closing the hatch with a firm clang. She opened the door to the front of the tower, making her way to the emergency shelter.

The Princess had a long day ahead of her. They all did. And at the rate things were going, that was going to be the norm for a long while.

Chapter Text

When Zelda woke up, she took a peek at the periscope to get a sense of the time. She saw that the sky had darkened, and a glance at her Purah Pad confirmed that it was the middle of the night. She felt rested enough to begin her work, but she knew that nobody else in the Lookout was up, save for the night guards. But she had plenty of distractions to pass the time, not least of which was the sight that greeted her when she pointed the periscope towards the north.

She saw Hyrule Castle–her home, even after so long–floated on a landmass above the ground. All of the castle areas up to the first gatehouse had been left behind, and the rest had been lifted onto a platform that teetered above a gaping abyss. A lone pillar shot down from the center into this pit, and torrents of gloom seeped out. Zelda oddly didn't feel much of a strong reaction to the sight. Even if everybody else had been evacuated because of the gloom long before the Upheaval besides herself and Link, she felt like she should be feeling at least some measure of despair. As she stared at the castle, she wondered if Link had seen a similar sight when he was fighting to destroy Ganon. Zelda didn't have much of an idea what the whole ordeal of containing Ganon within the castle had looked like from the outside. Truthfully, she didn't remember much of the ordeal at all–it passed her like a dream, frustrating and embarrassing as it was for her to admit later on. It certainly matched the description of a dark, malevolent force, but in their stories, it was restlessly encircling the castle as if it were waiting for a chance to strike. The gloom that she saw wafted out of the abyss slowly but surely, more calculated and less volatile. It still made her shudder after staring at it for too long.

Tearing her eyes away from the castle, she slowly wheeled the periscope around to see in all directions. A great stormy cyclone arose in the northeast near the Hebra region, reaching into the sky well beyond even the clouds. A vicious sandstorm ravaged the southwest, creating a giant dust cloud that nearly obscured the entire desert from sight. She was deciding which region-devastating natural disaster to observe in greater depth, which kept her from hearing the hatch open as someone climbed up. Zelda heard Purah gasp, and so she stepped away. "Oh, Purah! What are you doing up at this hour?" Zelda asked, turning to her with one hand still on the periscope. She tilted her head when she saw Purah staring at her, a stricken look on her face. But when Zelda followed Purah's gaze to her new arm, which she was resting on the periscope, she understood the reaction. "Oh..." she put the arm down rather sheepishly. "I suppose I forgot to tell you about this..."

"What do you mean, you forgot!?" Purah cried, dropping the research she was carrying, her scream echoing throughout the Lookout. She took Zelda's arm in her own arms, cradling it gently. "What happened!?" Purah whispered, clearly distraught.

Zelda averted her eyes from Purah's panicked glare, a confused look on her face. "It was after King Rauru was able to save me. My arm was too damaged, so he replaced it with his own. Don't worry–it doesn't hurt at all. In fact, this arm's how I have the new powers I was talking to you about!"

Purah's face was still blanched. "You had to get your arm amputated?" her eyes widened even more in horror as she whispered.

A moment passed, as Zelda considered what to say to get this whole issue resolved as soon as possible. "That's a rather unfair summary, but...yes," Zelda finally admitted.

Purah shook her head, putting a hand on her forehead. "Oh, Zelda, that's... I'm so sorry," she said, holding Zelda's hand with her own. She tried not to show how odd the Zonai arm felt to the touch.

Zelda withdrew her arm all the same, shaking her head. "It's fine. Please do not worry about it too much. If some mishap happens related to it, Hylia forbid, I'll let you know."

"What do you mean, 'it's fine'!?" Purah hissed. She tried to find words in her mind that could express how utterly messed up this was, and the best way to phrase her thoughts to the princess. Eventually, after a moment, all she could do was sputter, "You're missing your arm!", gesturing with her arms frantically to the black hand.

"I get what you mean, Purah. Truly. But I don't have the time to deal with that right now," Zelda responded, a pleading sort of urgency in her voice. "I can process all this after we've destroyed whatever evil the thing under the castle has brought to Hyrule. So please, just let it be for now."

For a moment neither of them moved, a battle of wills raging between the Princess of Hyrule and one of her most trusted advisors. Now, Purah wanted more than anything to keep Zelda out of further harm's way and give her the chance to recover she needed but was so stubbornly refusing. With Hylia as her witness, Purah would've locked her in her own tower to give Zelda this chance. But in all her years of wisdom, Purah knew that the royal blood of Hyrule was unyielding whenever a chance to help their people arose, no matter how much pain their actions brought upon themselves. With a defeated sigh, Purah conceded, stepping back. "Fine. Fine," Purah muttered, rubbing her temples. "Because we're fighting against the literal end of days here, I'll let you off the hook for now. But just promise me that you'll be alright through all of this."

Zelda didn't answer for a while. But eventually, she found the courage to meet Purah's gaze, nodding firmly. "I've held my own against worse, Purah. You can trust me to not falter."

Purah took a deep breath, and then finally nodded. "Alright," she said begrudgingly. "You're right. I trust you," she said with a small smile. The Shiekah bent over, picking up the loose leaflets and artifacts she had carried with her and putting them on her desk. "I was planning on looking more into all this while you slept, but...yeah, I'm not gonna be able to concentrate on that now." She suddenly turned around, pulling her chair with her. "You wanted me to fill you in, right? Well, we've got the whole night." Purah gestured to the chair, ready once again to get down to business. "You're gonna want to sit down. There's a lot you gotta catch up on."

The night sky passed, and the residents of Lookout Landing began to stir, ready to begin another day's work. But their spirits were lightened, and they went about their tasks more eagerly. The news of the princess's return had spread throughout the base of operations during the night, and when she had left at Purah's side, the Lookout erupted in cheers. Zelda was among those helping to direct operations, giving advice and strategizing about the most optimal routes they could take for the overall well-being of the Lookout.

"Tell the Monster Control Crews to begin to draw back for now," Zelda ordered one of the soldiers, a young boy just barely of age to fight. He looked over to his superior, who stepped forward in protest.

"But, your Highness, monster sightings have skyrocketed since the upheaval!" The captain protested, putting his hand on the wooden desk, flattening the parchment on top of it.

"Precisely my point," Zelda replied, "But our weapons supply has been compromised somehow due to the gloom. Sending out what little forces we have will only bring us disaster," she pointed out. "We need to find some way to reverse or make our weapons immune to this power. At the very least, we must wait until we have the materials to forge new weapons." She tapped her pen to the map of Hyrule as she traced out lines among the many markers. "You can keep the archers if they're skilled enough to survive on their own. But for now, let us bring the rest of them here."

The captain looked over the map for a long while before nodding begrudgingly. "That does seem like our best course of action," he admitted. "But what can we do to serve Hyrule if we cannot fight?"

"That's where we come in!" Josha chirped, running to the table. It was right outside her and Robbie's workspace at the bottom of Purah's tower, so she was able to hear every word of the conference. "The Zonai Survey Team is setting its sights on the chasms now. You can help us with expeditions and the like! There's actually one right outside the Lookout that we're trying to explore!"

The captain recoiled as if he was ordered to stick his head in a Like-Like. "You mean those massive bottomless pits of gloom!?" he cried, taking a step back.

Josha waved a hand aside, still smiling all the while. "Aw, don't worry about that! You just have to jump through the center. And what's more, these pits aren't actually bottomless!" she said, putting her arms on the table as she bent toward the group, her eyes shining in excitement. "From what our scouts can tell, there's actually an entire world down there! It's got its own plants and beasts, too. And what's more–we've found structures and carvings that resemble the architecture of the Zonai!"

The captain listened and nodded, beginning to consider the idea. "Well...if that's how we can help Hyrule best, then we'll be glad to do so," he reluctantly conceded, much to his charge's dismay. "It will obviously be quite perilous to navigate around the gloom."

"Oh, no doubt about that," Josha nodded, her tone now serious. "Luckily, we've stockpiled all the sundelions we can find to make food to help fight off the gloom. And even Goggles is helping you guys out!"

"Fair disclaimer, though, I'm only taking part in this because I still have to get my hot-air balloon fixed," the goggle-eyed man added as he held up a hand. Robbie stepped up to the table as his head just barely peeked above it. "That said, there's bound to be some great ancient tech down there if the Zonai are involved!" He peered up at the captain, squinting his eyes beneath his goggles. "I'll try to keep an eye out for you lot, as best as I can."

"You guys also make sure he doesn't leave your sight, 'kay?" Purah called, as she joined the table from the field outdoors. "Robbie here tends to have a habit of wandering off," she teased, lightly punching her colleague on the shoulder.

Robbie scoffed, crossing his arms. "I'm a Shiekah, Purah, not a stray dog. I know how to find my way back," he said flatly. But even as he did so, a grin crossed his face. "Now come on!" he called to the two soldiers, waving a hand over at them. "Tell your squad they're invited to a one-on-one Crash Course on the Depths! After that, tell them to meet me outside the lookout!"

"Would you mind if I came along?" Zelda asked rather meekly, mentally chastising herself for not taking on a more assertive tone.

Robbie's proud stance faltered. He put a hand to his chin and hummed in thought. "Well, it's not like we're short on supplies. What's one more?" He looked up, beaming at the princess. "Sure, come along! The more the merrier!"

Purah stepped in between the two of them, holding out her arms. "If you're gonna be doing that, Princess," Purah interjected, "then I have something I need to give to you." And without another word, she rushed back into her room in the tower, the door still left wide open after her.

Moments later, she returned, carrying something triumphantly in her hands. "Here it is!" she said, giving it to Zelda. Zelda looked over the strange bundle of cloth, with sticks attached to its corners and along the edges. Maybe the early morning was messing with her brain, but she didn't figure out what it was until she unfurled it fully, the royal insignia of Hyrule shining golden on the cover of the paraglider. "This is..." Zelda said, swallowing down a wave of emotion that hit her.

Purah nodded, her eyes creasing in sympathy. "I know. I'd gotten it patched up when Link gave it to me, and I was planning on returning it after–the next time we'll see him," she said, suddenly cutting herself off midway. Even days after the Upheaval, the Princess and Link's disappearance still hit her hard. "For now, I think you're the best person to use it–if you want to that is," Purah quickly added, her eyes looking away.

Zelda said nothing, her fingers still tracing the red cloth around its design. She suddenly perked up, registering the question. "Of course. I'd be happy to," she said, her voice not quite matching in enthusiasm to what she just said.

Robbie then clapped his hands, grinning excitedly. "Right! Now all that's settled, let's get to work! Those ruins underground aren't gonna go and explore themselves!" And with that, after the captain had rallied up his squad and explained the change in plans, the new division of the Zonai Survey Team set its sights upon the local chasm.

When Zelda got to the chasm, she weighed the hope that the alleged ruins underground would indeed go and explore themselves.

As she stared down the pit, which stretched down impossibly until it seemed to reach the bottom of the earth, she began to wonder if there were any ruins at all. Either way, it was impossible to see from this height. Even if you were to illuminate the entirety of whatever ground floor lay below this pit, the light wouldn't reach back up to the surface.

Zelda listened to the halfhearted conversations of the knights, who had switched out their armor for more freeing clothing fit for scouting expeditions. They were trying to muster up encouragement between themselves to dive into the chasm, each nervously fiddling with their paraglider as they waited for someone to take the lead.

Robbie might've done so. However, he'd apparently already dived down the chasm, as a nearby onlooker had informed them. Said onlooker was also incapacitated by the gloom, which didn't help morale much among the now thoroughly intimidated group. Zelda regretted not keeping up with him when she had the chance. But even if she did, she would still have to dive down this chasm.

Taking a deep breath, Zelda unfurled the paraglider. She was aware of the eyes watching her as she held the glider above her head. With a silent prayer to the goddess, she took a running leap and jumped down into the abyss.

Zelda intended to fully open up the paraglider the moment she started to dive, but as she descended, she found that she couldn't move her fingers. They stood frozen in place as she recoiled back in horror in midair. The gloom didn't just extend out of the chasms, they lined its walls like a waterfall of molasses. It gleamed almost hungrily at her, and she felt like she was diving down the esophagus of a great and vile beast's throat.

Her fingers trembled as she clutched the paraglider more tightly, as the unbidden image started to cloud her reasoning. What if they were all terribly wrong? What if this wasn't a hole, and it was a throat, and they were diving straight into the monster's stomach? It certainly felt like it, the air was getting hotter and hotter, and she felt like she'd collapse at any second–

Suddenly, a cool updraft blew from below. The tunnel of gloom ended, and she could faintly make out small pinpricks of light. Zelda, after a moment, drew out fully the paraglider, stopping her free fall as she glided slowly to the ground.

Zelda landed on shaky feet, falling to her knees as she rolled away from the blightbloom seed that had been planted there. Now on her back, she checked the paraglider and saw, to her relief, that it was undamaged. It was a royal paraglider and was thus tough to wear down, even after being placed in Link's delicate yet demanding care. She packed the paraglider and stood up. Somebody was already coming to her. "Hey there!" she yelled, waving an arm in greeting. "You finally worked up the nerve to dive down here, right? About time, too! Robbie told me he got a whole batch of rookies for this expedition, but so far nobody's come down expect for you–" the proud member of the Zonai Survey Team stopped midsentence as she realized just exactly who he was talking to. She yelped and quickly knelt down on one knee. "D-deepest apologies, Your Majesty!" she stammered out, her voice rising in pitch.

Zelda laughed a little and held out a hand to pardon him, her shoulders sagging as she allowed herself to relax. "Do you know where Robbie is? I'd like to speak with him," she said.

The researcher's own shoulders sagged as she sighed with great relief. "I came with him to set things up," she explained, gesturing over to his campsite. Robbie's balloon lay unmanned beside the campfire, its strings all tangled up. "He said he was going to wait for you, Your Majesty. But then he caught sight of something and started walking over there." She turned to point at a tangled mess of branches. Actually, on second thought, they weren't a tangled mess at all. They flowed up to form the trunk of a tree which extended high up into the earth. The branches glowed a light orange, like an unused Shiekah device. Zelda's eyes widened when she saw the green spiral reaching downward from the center of the trunk, the telltale workings of the Zonai. Zelda clenched and unclenched the hand of Rauru, pondering.

"Yeah, I wanted to check it out myself." the researcher carried on. She evidently hadn't yet noticed the Princess's new arm. "But then he just started going..." She pointed off to the side of the great root to an area littered with blightbloom seeds. A stream ran along the way. "...and going..." The researcher traced out Robbie's path as her finger followed the stream. "...and then he turned around this corner and just up and vanished," she said, standing up on tiptoes as she gestured to an area leading behind the bottom of a cliff that cut off from the stream.

Zelda sighed. At the very least, once they got out of this, she had a good story to tell Purah. "Well, alright. I'll go after him. Thank you for your time."

But as the Princess made her way first to the great tree's underside, the researcher squawked in protest. "W-wait, Your Highness! What should I tell the others-"

"Tell them that the Princess is alive and well, and will be with them shortly, please!" Zelda called back over her shoulder as she continued to make her way through the dark and oppressive terrain.

As the Princess faded away, the researcher could do nothing but groan deeply with a whimper. All she wanted was to explore the strange land underneath and see the cool ruins that laid buried there. She didn't want to be held responsible for both a renowned Shiekah and the Princess of Hyrule! But even the researcher's enthusiasm for Zonai artifacts was beginning to waver. The Depths flourish with life, no doubt, but not life that was meant to see the light of day. Although strange yet harmless bugs and other creatures lived here, she knew that with great gloom or malice came great amounts of monsters. The researcher shivered as she drew in on herself, huddling closer to the slowly dimming fire.

Suddenly, a great light overtook the entire area. The researcher yelped as she ducked and rolled, her hands on her head. Adjusting her eyes to the source, she looked again at the tree. It now glowed with an ethereal, golden light. Standing beneath it was none other than the Princess. Maybe it was the poet within her, but when the researcher stood before her, she felt like she was standing before a goddess. The researcher watched as she took some slate out from her bag and looked closely at it. With the space now enlightened, the researcher saw with a start that one of the Princess's arms was more...furry than the other.

Then, the Princess outstretched her hand. It took the researcher an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize that Princess Zelda was waving to her. Not knowing what sort of noble conduct to follow, she tentatively raised her hand in response.

That response seemed to be good enough for the Princess, who then pocketed the slate and proceeded to walk alongside the stream.

The researcher reached out, wanting to ask what she should do. But then, her stomach sank as she heard her answer from high above where the chasm opened.

"Did you see that? The big flash of light?"

"It's not just a flash! You can barely see it from here, but the light's almost taking up the whole place!"

"You think it's the Princess's doing?"

"Who else!? She's paved the way, brother, just as of old!–now let us lead the charge!"

"For the Princess! For the glory of the Monster Control Crew!"

"But that's not our job anymore!"

"...for the glory of the Monster-Control-Crew-Turned-Zonai-Survey-Squad!"

And with a series of defiant yells and whoops, various knights and scientists began to dive into the chasm, flying around like bats as they made their descent.

The researcher took one last desperate look behind her, but to her dismay, the Princess was nowhere to be found. She's already made the bend around the cliff face.

And so, with the weight of being the last witness to the Princess of Hyrule before her possible untimely demise on her shoulders, the humble researcher trudged to meet her fate.