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Chapter Text

They were set up for failure, Legend realized.

For starters, they were in Hyrule's era, which already was bad for them. Secondly, they were ambushed in a ravine area, high, steep slopes on two sides and monsters closing in on all four.

"Get a vantage point!" Warriors yelled. Legend whipped out his switch hook, hissed at Hyrule to swing at him, then shot at one of the archers overhead.

He switched places, only disoriented for a moment before he was drawing the first blood with Hyrule carving his switched monster apart.

Wild scaled the other side of the ravine, Legend trusted him to handle it.

He whipped out his fire rod and sent a strong blast along the ridge and at least knocking over a dozen monsters. With his general area cleared, he drew his bow and shot down a monster running down the bottom of the ridge.

They had a strong start.

He heard Four scream, he saw the smithy get thrown into the wall of the ridge. Rocks crumbled toward him and it was a pure shot of instinct that had him throwing a hand out and shooting as much magic as he could.

With the intention to protect, a magic shield formed above Four, and the rocks bounced off it.

He'd never done that before, but quickly jerked the shield larger, over the whole group, and angled it before the rocks fell again.

A few boulders crushed the incoming swarm of monsters.

"Thanks Vet!" Four called.

"Don’t make me do it again!" He called back, drawing back his bow and shooting one of the lizalfos on Wild's ridge.

A wizzro appeared across from Legend and set a magic sphere at him. It wasn't the basic elements, but it crackled with dark magic.

Alright new shield magic don’t fail now-- he pulled it up and the sphere slammed into it. Instead of bouncing off, however, it pressed further and Legend had to pour more magic to maintain the shield.

Then it exploded and the magic, though it didn't touch him, the force sent him flying back into the ravine.

"VET!" Someone screamed, Hyrule, he was pretty sure.

Thankfully, he wasn't dazed. He twisted and landed... still very badly, but not awful. He managed to roll, which sucked on rocky ground, and as a result only his shoulder was screaming in pain. He got back up as quick as he could, forcing his shoulder back into position then drawing his sword.

He heard something slam--metal crunched and Twilight screaming.

Time was injured. He looked over and sure enough, a daira had gotten to the old man. An axe had sunk into his side. Legend saw him slice off the daira's head with that giant sword of his, but he lost vision of them.

Hyrule pressed against his back. "I can't get to them!"

Legend dug out his switch hook again, his best and favorite option at getting through thick hordes of enemies, and shoved it into Hyrule's chest.

"Switches places with the target! Do what you have to."

Hyrule startled, then he nodded and launched the switch hook.

Next thing Legend knew, beside him was a lizalfos and he was cutting it down.

"CUB LOOK OUT!"

A sinking pit formed in Legend's chest, he chanced a glance up and saw Wild dodging an arrow only to get caught in the ribs by a flying javelin.

"NO!" Twilight cried.

Legend cursed. Sky was already hookshotting up and defending Wild.

We're not winning this, Legend realized. Even if we do kill them all.

He had to put distance between himself and the group. He had to pull out his stronger items and abilities, this could go much more quickly if he could.

The Bombos Medallion and Quake were just out of the question, Ether would do just fine.

The temperature dropped several degrees as ice exploded ahead of Legend.

An arrow whizzed past his ear, slicing it open. He hissed, covering the bleeding with a hand and slashing his frigid blade ahead of him.

He heard a yell. "CHOSEN'S DOWN!"

How?! He was--That's Time, Wild, and Sky. Oh goddesses, he really had to pick up the slack, and he had to do it now.

A whole minute passed before Legend forgone any option of holding back. Right before he made that decision, he heard Hyrule call out for the Captain, and then the Smithy cried out in pain.

Five down. That left the Sailor, Traveler, and the Rancher.

That's when he dropped any bars, newly discovered shield forming behind him, he released a pure explosion of flame and force in front of him.

The ravine shuddered, he staggered from using two medallions but still turned around and tried to take out the monsters he'd protected in efforts of saving his brothers from the explosion.

"SAILOR GET--" Twilight's voice cut out and was covered by a scream.

Legend actually could see the blood now. Four was unmoving with a huge, moblin-wielded mace on his chest. Warriors was trying to get up with four arrows in his back and a fifth in his chest, Legend couldn't even react fast enough before a sword impaled his stomach and he watched the light dim from the captain's eyes. Time was unmoving not far from Hyrule, who was yet untouched, thank the goddesses. Legend wasn't sure if Time had been healed or he was dead. Wild was crumbled on the ground, the spear still in his chest and Legend could see his blank eyes.

Sky was getting back to his feet, tearing a blade from his chest. He raised his blade upward and Legend watched him let out a battle cry as lightning split from the heavens and in a similar display of his own, blasted the monsters that had come from the other side of the ravine.

He collapsed right after. Legend finally spotted Wind, who had a huge gash almost bisecting him from his shoulder to his hip.

Twilight didn't last a minute later than the sailor. Legend was caught off guard by a pair of bright gold lizalfos, taking a spear to the side and barely dodging the sharp tongue. At that moment, from the corner of his eye he spotted Twilight get caught by a ball and chain, sent into the rocky wall, and he didn't get back up.

Legend blinked and Hyrule replaced the lizalfos beside him, spinning and slashing through a nearing moblin.

Their backs met.

"Just us still standin'?" Hyrule asked and Legend noticed the blood seeping down his head and how quickly his tunic was becoming soaked, a deep gash in it. He must've just been hit.

Legend nodded. "If any of the others are, I haven't seen or heard them."

"Well--I got your back."

"I got yours."

He wanted to get to Twilight, cover him until he got back up, but that was just not an option. Even with his and Sky's powerful attacks, monsters still flooded in. It was an army in the ten thousands, and Legend didn't know how many he had killed, but it was in the single thousands now, and he was matching his total kill counts from each adventure.

Hyrule must be used to unending battles like this too, and considering they were in his era, most of the monsters were ones both of them were well familiar with. 

Legend didn't know how they were the last ones left, luck or what, skill? Maybe, but he knew the other heroes should've been right beside them still too.

Maybe the other heroes were more used to different battle styles, now that he thought about it. If any of them ever had to fight such a large horde, they probably had companions and therefore trusted someone to have their back and to cover their missteps. The only exception was Sky, but Legend didn't even know what took the Chosen down the first time, and he'd seen him collapse after his display of power, which had been a last ditch effort to help. Warriors was used to companions, Wild probably wasn't but he had admitted to depending on stealth to handle large masses, the Sailor and Rancher definitely weren't used to this, nor was the Smithy, and Time? Legend never knew anything about Time, but he knew the old man had been hit early, so considering how well he'd noticed his defense was, Time was probably targeted off the bat.

The difference between Legend and Hyrule, and the rest of the heroes, was first, they'd all agreed their monsters were just generally stronger, faster, and more dangerous. It came from the saturation of darkness because of Ganon's victory and reign. Wild was the same. The second difference was that, for Hyrule, he didn't have any companions so fighting to this extent alone was his usual, and for Legend, he had the experience. He hadn't fought a battle to this level, not this many opponents, but similar enough that it was like he was doing the smaller group over and over again. That, he was familiar with.

Legend lost count, he lost track of how many monsters he cut down. Just that he and Hyrule had to move before they were stuck atop a pile of dead bodies.

He grew exhausted soon enough, then he lost track of his brother.

He took an arrow to the arm at some point.

The battle went on for so long his magic had replenished enough for him to use a fire rod.

Eventually, he sliced through a monster and staggered. He expected another one to follow and yet...

Yet it was done.

Hyrule was still standing too, Legend wondered how they'd survived.

He pulled the arrow from his bicep as he staggered toward Hyrule, who was swaying.

"Rulie?" He called.

Hyrule turned, and with blood soaking his features, he smiled. "Hey... hey Vet."

"Hey--RULIE!" He dove forward and caught him as he collapsed. "No, no--come on, hold on. You’re not supposed to die before me, that's not how being my successor works."

"I'm sorry," Hyrule breathed softly. "I couldn't save the old man... Had to stop to keep fighting... I'd be surprised if any of them survived at this point."

Legend would be to. He'd also be surprised if either of the two of them survived their wounds, especially since the group had ran out of potions two days ago.

"But..."

He raised his hand to Legend's face and Legend froze as he felt his magic.

"Don’t you--No!" His wounds healed, faster than Hyrule usually could heal which meant-- No. his hand was glowing gold.

Hyrule caught his hand. "I... I choose my path, right? No maps make me do anything."

How dare he use Legend's teases against him?! Now?!

"J-Just make sure my body's burned, kid."

"You're barely a year older than me you jerk! Don't do this!" Legend begged.

His body flashed gold and Legend could feel the divinity that always encased his successor fade, the Triforce released from its protector to wherever the goddesses wanted it.

Hyrule was gone.

Legend was unhurt, he realized as he got up, standing over the whole massacre.

He looked around, monster bodies were finally just about gone... and he could see the bodies of his brothers, all dead... all gone.

How--goddesses how--was he the last man standing?

"I can fix it for you," a voice spoke up from behind him and he spun. He drew his sword out and held it at their throat. "For a price." 

Chapter Text

"J-Just make sure my body's burned, kid."

"You're barely a year older than me you jerk! Don't do this!"

Hyrule heard Legend's voice fade out, and he wasn't wrong. Hyrule was barely older than him, but he still was older and he was considered an adult in every era unlike his predecessor, so he thought that was a win for him.

When he released his last breath, he didn't expect to inhale again and not feel the pain continue.

He shot up and the rocky terrain of his home era was gone, replaced by lush greens, tall trees, and bright colors in flowers and fruits.

Was he dead? Was this the afterlife?

If it was, then the others only just died too. Or time worked a bit differently, because the seven other heroes were also shooting up, gasping and grabbing at wherever their fatal blow had been.

"What the--Is this heaven?" Wind wondered.

"I was expecting hell," Four deadpanned, his tone not showing the clear disarray his mind and emotions were in.

"I... don't know," Sky breathed. "It doesn't feel like... it's not like the Sacred Realm, it doesn't feel like a different plane at all."

Someone else murmured their agreement. Hyrule stood.

"There you guys are."

Legend pushed a branch aside as he entered the clearing and immediately Hyrule could tell something was wrong. There was something off about his magic, about his eyes, about him.

"Vet?" Hyrule questioned. Did his spell fail? Did Legend still die? Was there a follow-up ambush?

"And you're all together, good..." he trailed off, frowning. His eyes flicked between them, clearly confused. "You guys alright? What'd I miss?"

Hyrule glanced back and, rightfully, they all did seem a little disturbed, most likely at their own deaths.

"What do you mean?" Hyrule asked. "I... Didn't we die?"

Legend stared at him, weirded but still, even the way he looked at him felt wrong. It felt like bugs crawling under his skin, it caused his ears to pop, his teeth to ache, it was like he was getting goosebumps eternally. It felt wrong.

"You... died--What?" Legend made a genuinely confused face. "Okay, clearly something happened since the last switch, so someone walk me through it. We left Champion's era, got split in the portal, I found a village and got potions. So... what'd I miss, since clearly none of you are dead despite what traveler's saying."

"Clearly," Wind said, rubbing his chest where Hyrule vividly remembered seeing a huge gash that nearly went clean through the Sailor.

Legend... didn't remember that? He'd gone so pale when Hyrule had noticed him see the scenes of their brother's deaths.

And the champion's--They'd gone to Hyrule's era right after the Champion's. Was this a... reset or something? Divine interference? Did Hyrule accidentally wish on the Triforce instead of channeling its power to save his predecessor?

Why didn't Legend remember then? And why was he so... Wrong?

"It... It's doesn't matter," Hyrule managed to say, grabbing Legend's arm and pulling him away from the others by a step. He'd protect his younger brother from those memories if that's what this was. "Just... where's the town?"

Legend gave him an odd look, and Hyrule noticed how wrong his eyes looked, they were still red, still that soft, warm scarlet, but something was just... wrong.

He couldn't think of another word, wrong was the only one that worked in the situation.

"Fine, keep your secrets," Legend finally said, pulling his arm free. "Town's this way."

Hyrule looked at the others once Legend's back was turned, his eyes wide and he rapidly cut along his throat.

They all nodded at the same time and quickly followed, some looking more pale than the others.

Wild and Twilight tucked close to each other, Warriors tugged Wind and Time close and Sky was hovering right beside Four.

Hyrule kept up with Legend, trying not to be sick himself as he recalled the gruesome images of their deaths.

He didn't know what was wrong, but something was and he didn't know what.

They got rooms at the inn and with Hyrule and Wild sharing a room with Legend, both were able to sneak out in the night to meet with the others in Time, Twilight, and Four's room.

"Okay, what happened cause last I remember I was..." Wind trailed out. "Dead."

"Yeah," Warriors agreed. "That... That was a definite death."

Time shook his head, pale and clearly upset.

"I... I don't know," Sky admitted.

"We won," Hyrule spoke up. "I... I lost track, but at some point, it was just the Vet and me left, then it was just... just fighting. I took hits but--We managed to finish them off in the end. As soon as it was over, I remember struggling to stay balanced... and I remember the Veteran calling out to me."

"You won?" Warriors breathed.

"Between the explosion and the lightning blast, there was only a third left and we managed to pull it off. Don't ask me how, I can't even remember." Hyrule stared down as he clenched his fist. "I used the last of my magic and energy to heal him, the Vet. Someone had to survive to finish this whole thing, and if I hadn't we both were going to die. Between the two of us, he was the better option."

Nobody said a word.

"I... I died. I know I did. He was... Honestly?" He looked up from his hands, clutching them to his chest as he met their eyes. "The battlefield once the monsters were gone was gruesome. Your bodies were gruesome, and I... I can't imagine how awful it must've been for him when he realized he was the last one. I know I forced that onto him, but frankly, if it had to reset or whatever, I'm glad he doesn't remember."

There was a long moment of silence.

"But that begs the question," Time spoke up, "how are we alive?"

Nobody answered. Hyrule though about it, he didn't make any conscious wish, not even anything that could've been mistaken for one, and it had to of happened when or after he died so...

"The only one who would know is the Veteran," Wild said. "He's the only one who saw the aftermath."

Hyrule felt a pit grow in his stomach. Suddenly that feeling of wrongwrongwrong he had around Legend wasn't something he could ignore.

Legend did something, Hyrule was sure of it. And whatever he did? It was... Whatever he did wasn't right.

He didn't know how he was going to figure it out though, if Legend didn't even remember the fact that they'd died then how could he remember how he brought them back alive?

He wouldn't figure it out, not for a while.

Hyrule took to keeping a close eye on their resident Veteran, he made notes of the things that were just off.

First off, Legend was spacey. He would stare at any single one of the heroes and just... check out, something pained glazing behind his eyes, and then he'd come back as if nothing had happened. It was... more worrying than anything.

Second, he ate less. More often than not, he would poke at his dinners, eat maybe half of it, before pawning the last of it into Wind's bowl. Wind always scarfed it down, the kid still growing and it showed, but Hyrule was noticing that Legend ate less and less of his dinners until this past day he didn't eat anything but maybe a third of his dinner.

Third, he hardly slept. It was hard to tell, but Hyrule had learned to notice a while ago. Legend was his younger brother after all, he eventually figured out how to tell that he wasn't sleeping and now that he did... every watch he had, Legend was awake, even if he had his own watch before or after. Even so, he didn't seem to get more tired during the days.

Then there was just his magic. His magic felt different, weird, it wasn't wrong, it didn't have that feeling of wrongness to it, but it... it wasn't right. It was stronger, to start with, Hyrule could feel it strengthening, but it also was... softening. It was becoming more... more Legend in a way magic straight up shouldn't. There was a clear difference between one's magic and their soul, but slowly, Hyrule was watching that line blur for his predecessor.

It was wrong. Something was wrong and he didn't know what.

In the end, it was another battle gone south that revealed it.

This time, they were in Time's era, but in a forest and monsters closing in on all directions.

It went south fast, Time barely blocked a spear from impaling him, Four was barely missed by an arrow that was probably supposed to hit his head, Sky was stabbed in the stomach and he shoved his attacker off and kept fighting.

A magic shield formed around Sky.

"Heal!" Legend ordered him. Hyrule wasn't sure when he learned to make shields like that, but it drew his attention to him and... well, it distracted him.

Maybe it was irony, that he survived so long last time the odds were stacked against them, and this time...

Hyrule stared at the blade sunk into his chest, the daira that chittered above him.

Oh.

Then the ground split open, it tore apart and swallowed the monsters whole. Hyrule fell but someone caught him, Legend, who threw a hand out at the remainders of the horde.

His eyes flashed pure white.

"Die," the hero snarled as the monsters exploded into smoke.

Hyrule wheezed, that was not normal. That was not--

He gasped, Legend's gaze snapping it him and his gash healing with a glance.

"Holy shit," he heard Wind whisper.

"Don't you dare die on me again," Legend snarled at him, Hyrule gasping heavily. "None of you."

His glare landed on the others.

"Wait--You remember that?!" Warriors exclaimed.

Legend didn't respond. Hyrule reached for his hand and he looked down as he squeezed it, sitting up better.

"Link?"

Legend met his eyes, for now they were amethyst and cold... but Hyrule wanted to know why they turned pure white moments ago.

"What happened to you?" He asked softly. "How are we alive?"

Legend didn't respond for a long moment, just staring into his eyes like he could see through them. A part of Hyrule whispered, the logical part of Hyrule said that Legend couldn't do that, but in that moment, he couldn't believe that. There was too much in his eyes, something different, but he couldn't quite call it wrong anymore. It was Legend, just... more, different, changed.

"Lives can be traded," is what the veteran finally said. "They can be bought back."

Time was the first to ask. "What was the cost?"

Legend stayed silent.

"Vet. What did it cost?" Time demanded, his voice growing sharp and panicked.

Hyrule couldn't help but agree with that panic. He had never known anything powerful enough to revive people to be kind, not ones that outright gave prices, not ones that made deals.

"Nothing I wasn't more than willing to pay," Legend said as he stood up, eyes flashing that new, dangerous flare. He looked over his shoulder at Time. "Nothing I wouldn't pay a thousand times over."

Time grabbed his shoulder. "What did you give them? Who did you give it to?"

Legend sort of just stared at him, Hyrule noted it was with that blank stare he's had more often lately. The silence was long, and it unnerved them all. The way he stared was... pensive, thoughtful, he was studying Time on a deeper level and Hyrule didn't like it. He had just been on the receiving end of that stare and it... It didn't feel violating, like he felt it should have, he trusted Legend, but it had been a deep feeling of being seen and not quite in a good way.

"Humanity," he finally said. "I gave them my humanity."

Hyrule felt his blood run cold. "No--Scholar, hey," Legend looked over at him, "who--Who did you give it to?"

"The goddesses," he answered easily.

As if... As if the goddesses got involved, as if the goddesses stepped in like that; as if the goddesses would care to make such a trade. Eight souls for one? Heroes too? That couldn't have been the goddesses, Hyrule was certain of that, but that meant something took a likeness that Legend associated with one of the goddesses or all of them, and when he was in a moment of weakness and desperation...

Something had taken advantage of his little brother, something had taken advantage of and taken the humanity of his little brother. Absolutely not.

He could not just let that stand.

"I can fix it for you. For a price." 

Legend startled, whipping around with his sword drawn on the... young woman who stood behind him. Green hair, elegant clothing, but a bit of wildness to her. She was hard to perceive, magic wise, her soul did not end where her magic began, it was one in the same.

"Farore," he realized, and he was certain of it. She had the aura as her Oracle, the same power and air, but infinitely more powerful.

She smiled, striding to him and he lowered his blade. She brushed a hand--warm, unexpectedly, it wasn't quite feverish warm, more like she spent the whole day in the sunlight--against his cheek.

"You've grown so much," she murmured softly, her eyes meeting his in a searching stare that went straight to his soul. "You have so much more to grow into... But I'm here to give you the choice of loss."

He stared at her. How was he supposed to respond to that? Was he meant to shove her away or what? What was the choice she was giving him?

"I can bring them back," she nodded to the heroes, their bodies, the blood. "I can take you all to a new era and you can continue as you normally would... In exchange for something you give me."

Legend inhaled sharply. He glanced to the side, at Hyrule's bloodied form, at Wind's nearly bisecting body...

"What do you want?" He asked, voice shaking as he looked at her. He wasn't sure but how was his life worth enough to exchange for eight others? He didn't know what else she'd ask for--

"Your humanity."

"Deal," he said before he put any thought to it. Why she'd ask for that? He wouldn't say no, of course. He'd give anything to bring them back. But why? What did she mean by that?

"All questions would be answered in due time," Farore told him softly, he wondered if she could read minds. "But just so you know, you will never be the same and those attuned to you will notice. You will lose your humanity slowly, you will feel it slipping away from you gradually, then at some point, your decisions will begin to fall into categories and it will be decided."

"What will?" He asked.

"What you will become. A deity, a demon, a protector, a warrior, a guide... it all depends."

A deity--or a demon? She...

"I am glad you accepted though," Farore said and he froze as she placed her hand on his forehead. "Breathe, my dear. Exhale the life I gave you and let's see you forge one of your own."

Legend raised an eyebrow at Time, whose hand still gripped his wrist tightly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" The man asked. "Making deals like that-- How do you even know it was the goddesses?"

"You'd be surprised how well acquainted I am with the golden three's magic, first of all. Secondly, because I didn't want to. Things were fixed, it was easier to feign ignorance than to come up with an explanation that wouldn't be blown out of proportion with such high emotions, and I can deal with the consequences of my actions myself."

"Consequences--" Hyrule grabbed his shoulder and all but forced him to look at him, jostling Time's hand off him. "You traded away your humanity! Do you even realize--Vet, you’re not human anymore."

Legend brushed his hands away. "Actually, I am, for now. It's a gradual loss. I'm less human than I was before, and I will continue to be less until it's all gone."

"That's not okay!"

"How."

"It's--You can't just trade lives like that!"

"And you didn't?!" Legend snarled and he felt his magic--now more volatile and harder to control than he was used to--lash out. "I choose my path, Traveler."

Hyrule reeled back as if struck.

"T-That's not the same thing!"

"Isn't it?! You traded your life for mine, and that's fine, but when I do it for all of you it's not alright?!"

Nobody spoke, they were all shaken by the revealed information, but to be honest? Legend couldn't care.

He cared about the fact that they were alive, consequences to his own life be damned. He may become a demon, or a deity of some sort, he honestly couldn't care about that right now. What he cared about was making sure his brothers were alive and keeping it that way.