Chapter Text

Part 1: Strangers

Thumbnail Art (foxyfenniken): The Hero and The Trickster

Ren’s POV

The bumpiness of the train tracks strewn about had started to make Joker’s butt sore. Sure, he was trying his best to maneuver around them, but it was nearly impossible to avoid them at every intersection that crossed their path.

They had been driving around the dim tunnels of Mementos for a while now, seeking the special room housing the Shadow of their current target— Kazuya Makigami, a member of the restaurant burglars posing under the Phantom Thieves’ name. Along the way, they’ve encountered Shadows similar to the ones found in Madarame’s Palace, though their past experience with such foes has made the ordeal quite the breeze.

“Katana maintenance or brush maintenance… What to prioritize?” Fox asked, observing a sliver of his katana’s blade peeking out of its sheath.

“Uh, katana please?” Joker could hear Skull say from behind. “I better not see you fightin’ Shadows with a goddamn paintbrush.”

“Shhh!” Mona’s voice hissed. The boys suddenly went quiet and Joker jerked the bus to a stop.

“What’s wrong, Mona?” Panther asked, leaning a bit on the back of the front seat.

“I think our target’s close. They should be somewhere in the area below us.”

Skull let out a sigh of relief. “Geez… For a second there, I thought something shitty came up.”

Fox nodded. “We must find the platform quickly, then. Let us continue onwards.”

A few twists in the tunnels and a chest later, the bus came up to a large metal door sealed with iron chains. Mona made short work of it— a single strike with the fender caused the chain to snap, releasing the door with a rattle. The sight of the train tracks’ end greeted them.

“Nice! Now we can go down lower!” Skull exclaimed.

The four Phantom Thieves descended down the broken escalator, Mona following behind after reverting to his original form. He nodded as they reached the next platform. “I can sense our target somewhere in this area.” With a leap and a puff of smoke, the Monamobile was back on the tracks. “Come on. Let’s scour the floor for them.”

It wasn’t long before the atmosphere began to feel different. Joker could feel his hair on his neck rise as they came around a bend. ‘The target must be close,’ he thought.

Mona swiftly struck the chain around the door in front of them and revealed a portal swirling with red and black energy. Two rails curled in front of it, almost as if they were trying to bar the way, though there was plenty of room for the bus to squeeze through underneath the cross.

The Monamobile screeched to a halt and Joker jumped out, using the momentum to dive into a roll. Totally unnecessary, but a Phantom Thief’s got to have flair, right?

Mona and the others came up behind him. “That must be Kazuya Makigami’s Shadow.”

“He looks so… bad,” Skull said. Joker did notice that the Shadow looked quite haggard, almost to the point of being pitiful.

“He’s a part of a burglary ring targeting restaurants,” Fox reminded him. “He’s also used violence against his brother.”

Panther nodded. “We have to do something about this. Let’s go talk to him.”

They approached the Shadow standing at the end of the dim tunnel, right to where the train tracks seemed to end. The brown-haired teen was staring at the red roots above him, muttering something to himself. He flinched when they approached him.

“M-me? Am I the one behind the burglary ring?” He straightened up. “Yeah, that’s right! I convinced my friends to do some ‘part-time work’ for me. But I’m not in the wrong!”

Fox scoffed. “Trying to make excuses now? You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“No! I just meant it as a way to have a little fun, but those idiots got cocky!” He beat his chest with his fist. “And now I’m the one who’s in trouble! Dammit! Why do bad things always happen to me!?”

“Bad things?” Panther asked. “What are you talking about?”

“Yeah, ever since I was a kid! School, society… everyone treated me like I was dirt!” The Shadow shifted his gaze to the floor, anger laced in his voice. “My little brother was the smart one. Mom and Dad’s favorite. They could care less about me…”

The Shadow then glared at them. “How can you expect me to live a normal life! I’m rebelling against this shitty society!”

“You think violence and crime is rebellion?” Skull said. “Don’t be stupid.”

“What did you say?!” He pointed a finger at them with a scowl. “You guys are thieves too! Don’t think that you’re better than me, idiots!” Black and red energy began to bubble underneath him. “Go away!”

The Shadow’s humanoid shape burst into red wisps that flowed into the bubbling mass on the floor. Joker whipped out his dagger as an arm emerged from the liquid.

Another arm shot out of the floor and the two limbs helped pull out a humanoid figure with the bottom half encased in a large round boulder. He flipped his long blonde hair back and a dagger flashed into his right hand. “Such a condescending gaze… I’ll crush you!”

The group rushed on him as the Shadow waved his hand, summoning an Onmoraki and a large demonic-looking Shadow Joker couldn’t recognize. The Onmoraki should be easy enough since they know its weaknesses; the other, though, seemed tougher than anything they’ve seen so far. ‘Things just got more complicated,’ Joker thought with a scowl.

Joker snapped his pistol into his hand and fired three shots at the Shadows, the first one bringing the Onmoraki to its knees while the others barely scratching the two. “No gun weakness,” Joker shouted to the others as he pulled off his mask, summoning a Genbu. He ordered it to cast Tarunda on Shadow Makigami before blocking a blow coming from the demonic-looking Shadow.

A yell from above revealed Fox coming in with a vertical slash, surprising the demonic-looking Shadow but otherwise doing minimal damage to it. “Go!” he said, pulling off his mask and summoning Goemon. “I will handle this one. Shadow Makigami must fall first!”

He felt the effects of Sukukaja kick in as he sprinted towards Shadow Makigami. Joker noticed that Skull and Mona had already tried their multi-target elemental attacks, but nothing seemed to phase the other two shadows. Panther had run off to help Fox, shouthing “Tarunda!” at the demonic-looking Shadow.

Joker was so distracted by his teammates that he barely had time to dodge Shadow Makigami’s swipe at him. The shadow snickered as he snapped his finger, green light flashing around the figure of the Onmoraki before disappearing. ‘Shit. He knows Sukukaja!’ Joker thought.

His fears were confirmed when the Onmoraki managed to down Mona with a successful Mudo. Enraged, Skull summoned his Persona and boosted his strength before wailing his mace at the cackling onion-chicken-thing.

Still trying to find a weakness, Joker summoned Genbu again and casted Bufu, the ice damaging Shadow Makigami but otherwise still allowing him to stand. The Shadow parried Joker’s knife with his own and snapped his fingers, this time giving the demonic-looking Shadow a boost. That Shadow already looked a bit well-worn, but thanks to the agility buff brought by Sukukaja it was able to dodge more of Fox’s relentless attacks.

‘I don’t usually use this, but maybe this’ll work!’ He pulled off his mask and yelled “Koppa Tengu!” A humanoid with large bird wings emerged from the blue fire of his mask. “Ravage them!” At the flick of his wrist, Koppa Tengu cupped its hands together and casted Eiha on Shadow Makigami.

The curse magic seemed to do the trick as Shadow Makigami was knocked to the ground. Joker whipped around to see who was available. The other two Shadows his teammates were dealing with soon fell right afterwards, Skull beating the Onmoraki to a pulp and Panther managing to cripple one of the demonic-looking Shadow’s legs. “Ready?” Joker called to the others. The three that were still conscious nodded and they all leaped away from their opponents.

Faster than a blink of an eye, the Phantom Thieves tore into the two remaining Shadows. At the end of the mad dash, Joker smirked and pulled his sleeve, Shadow essence suddenly spraying from their foes’ necks.

The demonic-looking shadow disintegrated, leaving no trace of it behind. Shadow Makigami coughed and reverted back to its original form. He was on his knees, noticeably more haggard than before. “Just what are you Phantom Thieves, anyway?”

He casted his glance at the floor. “This is impossible… How did you…?” A pause. “Ah… I get it now. You must have heard from my brother…”

Joker gave him a curt nod. “Now think about what you’ve done.”

“You just realized that now?” Skull asked, surprised. “Wait, you already know how your brother feels then!”

The Shadow sniffled. “He did this… for me…” He collapsed on the ground and broke out into sobs, wailing as the guilt of his actions fully washed over him.

Panther bit her lip but said nothing. Skull crossed his arms and glanced at Joker, raising an eyebrow at him. Fox had gone off to help Mona.

The Shadow’s sobs soon quieted, grabbing the attention of the group. He pulled an old key from his pocket and handed it to Joker. “That’s the key to the chest in my room. Give it to my brother… You’re supposed to be the good kind of thieves, right?”

“What?” Skull said. “Why would we do something like that for y—” A pause. “Psh, fine. Anything you want to tell him?”

“Well…” He chuckled. “‘Burn whatever’s inside or throw it away,’ I guess.”

Shimmers of light surrounded him as he smiled, tears still streaming down his face. The key itself started glowing as the Shadow disappeared in a flash of light.

“Oh, so that must be the Treasure!” Mona said as he and Fox neared the group. Mona seemed to be as good as new.

“What’re we gonna do about that Treasure?” Skull asked.

“We’ll give it to his brother,” Joker said, pocketing it. ‘Another target saved,’ he thought to himself with a small smile.

“Yeah, it’s no use to us anyway,” Panther replied.

“What will we do?” Fox asked. “I can give it to him since he goes to my school.”

Mona shook his head. “No, I’ll just sneak it into his house. I think that’s the best way…”

Mona transformed back into the Monamobile and everyone started piling in. “I hope everything resolves itself,” Panther said with a sigh.

Skull snickered. “In any case, we pretty much succeeded with our mission!”

“Indeed,” Fox said as he climbed into the passenger seat.

Joker was about to shift the gear when the ground started rumbling. “Whoa! What’s happening?” Skull exclaimed.

A pungent scent suddenly hit Joker’s nose. “I don’t know, but I don’t think that’s good!” Mona’s voice said.

Joker barely had time to grab onto the gear stick when strange ooze rushed into the tunnel. “Brace yourselves!” Joker managed to say before the wave of ooze slammed into the bus.

Joker groaned and held his head, his brain a bit rattled from the impact. “Everyone okay?” he asked. Groans of approval eased his worries a little.

“Grrgh…! Ghhk…!” Mona tsked. “It’s no use. I can’t get out of this stuff.” A sizzling noise caused Mona to yelp. “Ow, ow, ow! Now it’s digging into my paint!”

Skull peeked his head out the window and stared at the magenta and black ooze. “Shit, shit, shit! What the hell is this stuff?!”

A groan from deep within the tunnel caught their attention. Joker gripped the wheel as he squinted, trying to see deeper into the darkness.

“Po… wer…” the voice groaned, sending chills down his spine. Whatever that thing was… they definitely should not face it right now.

“We gotta go,” Mona said. His wheels squealed as Joker tried reversing through the goo. No matter how much power Mona put into it, however, the viscous substance clung onto the Monamobile like a chain.

“I… need… po… wer…” the voice groaned again, definitely closer now. Panther shoved her face closer to the front window.

“Joker, any time now!” she hissed, clearly distressed. Fox was also at the edge of his seat, his hand firmly clasped onto the handle of his katana.

Skull banged his fist on the roof of the bus. “Dammit, Mona, punch it!”

“I’m trying!”

“Give… me… your… power!” the voice roared. A massive wave of the ooze rolled out of the tunnel and swallowed them whole.

Chapter Text

Link’s POV

Link hated leaving Princess Zelda’s side, but unfortunately she was quite insistent on getting Link outside of the house. “For the love of Hylia, get some fresh air!” she had told him a few days ago. “It is difficult to work while you are hovering over me.”

She had to go as far as to send him on a quest to get him out of Hateno Village. And now, the quiet hero was surly making his way over to the Research Lab in Akkala to pick up some of Robbie’s research for the princess.

Link peeked at the sky from under the tarp of the South Akkala Stable. He would’ve been able to reach Robbies’ lab a little after nightfall, but unfortunately he was forced to seek shelter from the thunderstorm that rolled in during his ride. Normal rain would’ve been fine— a quick pull on his hood would keep his head dry enough. But riding during a thunderstorm was dangerous with metal weapons equipped, and Link was not keen on the idea of putting the Master Sword away.

To his relief, the storm was letting up. A glance at the clock revealed that it was almost seven o’clock. After talking to Dmitri at the front desk, Link saddled up Epona and took off, hoping to get to the next stable before midnight.

As he descended the sloped path towards Torin Wetland, however, he heard the Master Sword activate in his sheath. Startled, he reined in Epona.

Link took out the Master Sword and observed its ethereal glow with cautious curiosity. The Master Sword never glowed, unless…

The knight spurred Epona to a trot, eying the blade of evil’s bane to see its reaction to his shifting location. The blade dimmed as he went further down the slope, but when going back up the blade would brighten again. He looked around to the height that the sword shone the brightest, its glow leading him near the edge of the cliff. He dismounted and carefully picked his way over to the edge. What he saw made his eyes widen.

“Epona, come!” Link commanded as he started running down the slope. As Epona came up next to him, he swung himself into the saddle and spurred her into a gallop, bolting towards the wetlands. He made a sharp turn at the base of the slope and kept to the wall of the cliff before he came to the site of the carnage.

Tucked into a corner created by two cliffs, four figures and a ball of fur laid sprawled next to pools of Malice. Fearing for the worst, Link dismounted and rushed up to the dark-haired figure with glasses.

Thankfully, the person was still breathing, but still very much in pain. Burns from the purplish ooze covered the victim’s body, and the victim’s face was scrunched up in silent agony. Link popped the cork of a bottle of Fairy Tonic and poured the bright pink liquid over the person’s wounds. He stopped when the burns started to fade and the person’s face relaxed.

He checked on the other three individuals, healing their wounds whenever he came across any. The ball of fur—which by now Link could tell was an animal—had the worst luck. Almost all of its fur was marred and patches of pink skin could be seen with nasty burns eating at it.

Link wasn’t sure if the Fairy Tonic would work on it, but since he had no other option he poured the remaining potion onto the most serious burns. He gently picked up the mysterious animal and moved it closer to the other unconscious individuals.

Thinking they seemed secured enough with Epona on guard, Link looked around to try and find the source of the Malice. He unsheathed his sword again and held it at the ready, creeping around the pools of the acidic ooze. He followed some tendrils of Malice to a tall but thin fissure crawling up the face of the cliff. Link tilted his head. ‘What the… Why is there Malice leaking out of there? Wait, why is there Malice in the first place?’

Upon closer inspection, Link noticed that there was a weird black and red mist wafting out of the fissure as well. Puzzled, he glanced around the area to find any Eyes of Malice but found none. ‘Where could the core of this Malice be?’

He was about to turn and head back when a coil of black and red smoke wrapped around his face. He tried waving it out of the way but the strange smog kept swirling around his head. ‘Ack! What is up with this smoke?!’

He covered his nose with his sleeve and tried swiping it with the Master Sword in his right hand. Nothing. He shook his head and stumbled forward, thinking that getting away from the crevice might do something about the smoke. Sure enough, the dark veil thinned with each step and eventually dissipated from his view. ‘Phew… It’s gone.’ His expression darkened. ‘For now, at least.’

His gaze drifted back to the crack surrounded by Malice. ‘I must report this to Princess Zelda immediately. The presence of Malice might mean…’ His grip on the Master Sword tightened. ‘No, I’m sure it can’t be. But we can’t be too sure.’

The silent hero glanced at the people lying on the ground, still unconscious. ‘What were they doing here? And how did they come in contact with so much Malice?’

Now that he thought about it, something seemed off about this group. He was so distracted with treating their wounds that his mind skimmed over the fact that they all had round ears. Link had seen round-eared humans before during diplomacy trips with Princess Zelda, but he had never encountered any of them so deep within Hyrule. And their attire! Outsiders did experiment a lot with their clothing, sure, but never had he seen fabrics twisted in such ways before.

For starters, the dark-haired boy with glasses had what appeared to be a black long-sleeved jerkin with an odd texture to it. Under that was a white undershirt that was similar to the one in his Hylian Tunic set and a pair of dark plaid pants. The pair of black shoes fitted on his feet were made of stiff leather.

The blonde boy next to him had a similar jerkin and a pair of pants, but instead of a white shirt he had on a bright yellow shirt with a low neck and a strange star design. This one had a pair of shoes made of white cloth and—to Link’s surprise—bits of rubber. Link could also see the straps of two suspenders hanging out of the boy’s pants.

The jerkin was also donned by the light blonde girl; however, she had what appeared to be a white dress over a dark skirt that had the same plaid patterns as the boys. She also had on red tights and a pair of brown boots.

The other dark-haired boy’s attire was rather simple compared to his companions— a white long sleeved shirt with black pants. His shoes seemed to be made of the same material as the other dark-haired boy’s shoes. Curiously, a metal ring full of keys also hung on the boy’s pants.

The furry creature that was lying next to them was also peculiar. He thought it was a small black dog when he first arrived at the scene, but when he neared the creature earlier he noticed that the creature’s physique did not match any canine he had ever seen. The only reason why he hadn’t attacked it up until now was because something in the back of his mind told him that it wasn’t dangerous— at least, as long as he was bigger than it. Questioning that line of reasoning only brought him a headache, so he figured it was some “hero shenanigans” that happened in the past and left it at that.

He shook his head and sighed. ‘No use in trying to puzzle it out now.’ A drop of water fell right on his nose, signaling that rain may be coming soon. He frowned. ‘The stable’s too far up the cliff, and Epona won’t be able to carry more than two people… not to mention the possibility that riding might aggravate their wounds.’ He scanned the area for a suitable clearing and sheathed the Master Sword. ‘Guess we’re camping down here tonight. Once they wake up, I’ll drop them off at the inn and ride straight back to Hateno.’

Pulling his hood up, he whistled for Epona and started scouring the wetlands for branches.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

The gentle smell of wet leaves and damp soil greeted Ren as he slipped into consciousness. It was only when he realized that he was listening to the sound of rustling leaves that it occurred to him that they were definitely not in Mementos anymore.

He groaned as he opened his eyes, his whole body sore from both the battle and… well, whatever the hell happened after that. His mind jolted awake when he finally processed what he saw.

He was under some sort of tarp, the fabric tied to three trees and a strange ruin that looked like an upturned urn with tentacles. Just outside of the shade of the tarp was an open glade, trees and more of the ruins peppering the surrounding area. Past the glade were tall mountains lying beneath a bright blue sky full of fluffy white clouds. The position of the sun suggested that it was well past midday; probably somewhere between two to four in the afternoon, by Ren’s best guess. A groan from his side turned his attention back to his immediate surroundings.

Ryuji sat up and scratched his head. “Dammit, my head’s all sore…” His eyes popped open and he gasped. “Whoa! Where the hell are we?”

“Ngh…” Ann and Yusuke were also coming to, the prior rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes and the latter shaking his head. Morgana was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s Morgana?” Ren asked, looking around. Ryuji’s eyes widened and he began to scan the area as well.

“MEYOUCH!” a familiar voice shouted from above. Ren whipped around and caught sight of the ruin propping up one of the edges of the tarp. Despite the protest of his muscles, he rushed out from under the tarp and looked at the top of the ruin.

A boy who looked to be his age was sitting cross-legged on top of the ruin, wrangling a very displeased Morgana in his lap. His attire looked like something straight out of a fantasy video game— a bright blue tunic, patterned arm wraps, beige pants, and brown boots. His dark blue hood was pulled down, revealing his long dirty-blonde hair and… pointed ears? ‘An elf?’ Ren found himself thinking.

“Unhand me you stupid elf!” Morgana mewed, trying to pull his paw away from the elf’s grasp. The elf gave the cat a nervous smile and said something Ren couldn’t understand, pouring a bottle of red liquid on the wriggling creature. The cat yelped at the impact.

Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke ran out from under the tarp. “Hey!” Ryuji called. “What’re you doing to our cat?!”

The elf looked at him with his sharp blue eyes, slightly tilting his head. Ren noticed that the elf looked more stoic than he was just moments earlier.

“Doing…?” the elf said, the word sounding foreign in his mouth. “Ah, I see. You speak Common,” he said in Japanese, a heavy European-sounding accent laced in his words. He gave them a polite smile. “I am glad to see that you all are awake.”

“As for your… ‘cat’… I was just trying to help it get back on its feet.” He resealed the bottle and released his grip on his paw, the cat gladly taking the chance to leap out of his lap and back to the group.

Morgana shook his front leg. “Whoa, he’s right. It feels better already!”

Ann eased a little. “Phew, that’s a relief.” She smiled at the elf. “Sorry about our friend’s reaction over here. We’re just a little on edge.”

The elf nodded. “Understandable, as you have just survived an encounter with Malice.”

“Malice?” Yusuke asked.

The elf pointed at a cliff nearby. A thin crack ran vertically across its face, leaking a dark substance. “That purple… stuff I found you all in.” The elf’s expression darkened. “Which reminds me… what were you outsiders doing so close to so much Malice?”

The sharpness of his voice put Ren on guard again. He hadn’t noticed it before, but slung on the elf’s back was a sword, a shield, and a bow. Ren was quite sure that if they even showed themselves to be the slightest bit of a threat, the elf would cut them down without another word.

“We were attacked,” Ren said, carefully picking his words. “That ‘Malice’ thing crashed into us and we woke up here.”

There was a pause as the elf considered his words. “Do you know where the Malice came from?”

“No, sir.” Ren thought he saw the elf twitch when he addressed him as sir. “It came out of nowhere, taking us by surprise.”

“I see.” The elf laced his fingers and narrowed his eyes. “All right, I have one question left for you all: Why are you outsiders so deep into Hyrule?”

Ren was at a loss on what to say. To begin with, Ren didn’t even know where they were, much less where Hyrule was on the map. Hell, he didn’t even know if they were still on Earth anymore, considering that he was staring right at the face of an elf. And though he couldn’t place his finger on the reason yet, he was quite certain that the person sitting in front of them was a real elf and not some lost cosplayer looking for their next LARPing group.

Searching his friends’ faces for answers didn’t help. Ryuji just shrugged; Ann was fidgeting with her fingers. Yusuke avoided his gaze, his mouth set to a firm line.

“Just tell him the truth,” Morgana said. “Nothing more than that, though. I still don’t think we can trust him.”

‘Right.’ “We honestly don’t know, sir. It’s just like we said— we were attacked by that ‘Malice’ thing and we woke up here.”

The elf studied his face for a while before sighing. “Though your words sound odd… I do believe you are telling the truth. I have more questions now, however.” He shook his head. “They are difficult to ask in your language, though,  and I am not the best at speaking Common.”

“You speak it better than Ryuji,” Morgana said with a smirk. Ryuji scowled at the cat.

“If you do not mind, I wish to bring you all before the Princess for further questioning,” the elf said, rising from his seat. He leaped from his perch atop the ruin and landed without a sound. ‘Yep. Definitely don’t want to get on his bad side,’ Ren thought.

“Uh… can we talk about it among ourselves first?” Ren asked. The elf nodded and walked to one of the trees, most likely to take down the tarp.

“Duuude, we’re going to see a princess!” Ryuji whispered after they huddled up. “I bet she’s, like, suuuper hot.”

“Do you only think about girls?” Ann whispered back, an annoyed look on her face.

“I do not think we have the luxury of making jokes right now,” Yusuke said. Morgana mewed in agreement.

“Yusuke is right. We don’t have a clue on where we are, or why we ended up here when we were attacked by that ‘Malice’ stuff.”

“Are ya sure we’re not in some dude’s Palace?” Ryuji asked. Morgana shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t feel like it. And besides, you guys are in your normal clothes and I’m, well…” He huffed. “A cat.”

“Well, we sure ain’t back in Shibuya,” Ryuji said. He glanced around. “Are we even in Japan anymore?”

Yusuke also looked around. “If we truly are still in Japan, we are in a place I have never seen before.”

Ryuji scoffed. “Yusuke, have you ever been outside of Tokyo?”

“Ghk!”

“All right guys, settle down,” Morgana butted in. “What’s important now is that we don’t know the details of our current situation.” The cat glanced at the ground. “I hate to say this, but I think following that elf is our best bet.”

Silence filled the air as the weight of Morgana’s words settled in. Sure, the elf was probably the one who treated their wounds, but how sure were they that the elf wouldn’t attack them next? Ren also didn’t like how familiar the elf seemed with their predicament. Could the elf have been the one that sent that ‘Malice’ stuff their way?

“I mean, he seemed nice enough,” Ann piped. That didn’t ease any of Ren’s worries.

“I believe his coldness is only a result of caution,” Yusuke said. “Much like how we are suspicious of him.” He looked at Ren. “What do you think?”

“Come on, dude! It’s a princess we’re talking about!” Ryuji reminded Ren. “This is, like, the shit of dreams!”

Morgana looked at the frizzled-haired boy. “It’s your call. Are we going to follow the elf?”

Ren shrugged. “It’s not like we have much of a choice.”

“Awright! We’re gonna see a princess!”

Link’s POV

It took them roughly two hours to get back to the stable. Link felt terrible for making the group climb up the slope with all of their injuries, but to his surprise they actually held up on their own. At least, until he told them that they would rest here for the night.

“Ugh, finally!” the blonde-haired boy said in Common, hanging his head low as he gasped for breath. “I was beginning to think we were gonna walk all the way there without any pit stops.”

“How much… further… until the… castle…?” the light blonde girl breathed, her hands on her knees.

‘If only we were going to the castle…’ “Our destination should be roughly three days’ ride from here,” Link replied. “However, at the pace we are going at, I fear it may take longer than that.”

Their collective groan made Link chuckle to himself. It reminded him of his time in the barracks of the Royal Guard, where even grown men complained about his training regimens. The implications of his status, though, soon soured the memory.

“Stay here. I will arrange your lodging,” he said towards the group. In a quieter voice, he turned to Epona and whispered to her in Hylian. “Keep an eye on them for me, okay?” The horse whinnied. “Thanks, girl.”

He strolled up to the front desk and greeted Dimitri with a wave. “Back already, Master Link?” the stable master asked in their native tongue.

“Ah, yes.” He scratched the back of his neck. “I thought I told you to stop being so formal around me.”

Dimitri chuckled. “Sorry, sir. Just a slip of the tongue. Though it does feel odd to refer to you as anything else, after everything you’ve done.”

Link sighed. “Thank you for the kind words, truly. But I am a bit pressed for time here.”

“My apologies.” He gestured towards Epona. “So… are you planning on boarding her for the night?”

“Yes, that too. But I was wondering if you could lodge a few of my companions here as well?”

Dimitri’s eyes widened. “The great swordsman Link… in my humble stable?”

Link was about to protest his title before deciding against it. ‘Things never really change, huh.’ “Yes, and four other companions.”

Dimitri tapped his finger on the wooden counter. “Eugh… Four other people?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, no! Not at all. We just need to pull out some spare cots.” The stable master leaned against the counter away from him. “Oiii! Jana!”

A woman hunched over the nearby flowerbed glanced at Dimitri. “Bring in some spare cots, will you? Master Link has brought some guests!”

“‘Kayyyy.” The lady placed her bucket down and slipped inside.

“They should be ready in a few minutes, Master Link. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

‘Well, maybe stop calling me Master, please?’ “Not at the moment, sir.”

“All right then. I’ll just go register you lot in the books and it’ll be as good as done.”

Link dipped his head in acknowledgement and turned to leave, but suddenly stopped. “Wait, right. Payment.” He knocked on the counter to get Dimitri’s attention. “How much will it cost?”

The stable master tilted his head. “Cost? Master Link, I can assure you—”

Link held up his hand. “I appreciate the sentiment, but let me pay for our beds. Please.”

Dimitri pulled at his mustache before sighing. “If you insist. Renting out all of our beds plus a cot will cost you… hmmm… 110 rupees.”

‘Twenty for normal, and there’s three of them… plus the soft one, which is forty…’ “Does the cot only cost ten rupees, then?”

“Yes, considering that it’s less comfortable than the normal beds.” His eyes narrowed. “You aren’t thinking of using the cot, now, are you?”

“What bed I sleep in is up to me, sir,” the swordsman shot back rather pointedly. His expression softened. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—”

“No, no, I should be the one to apologize, Master Link,” the stable master said with a nervous chuckle. His reaction made Link wince internally.

“So, uh… Here’s the payment.” Link dropped one silver and two blue rupees onto the counter. “I’ll swing by later to show my companions around.” He dipped his head in farewell and shuffled back to the odd group, mentally scolding himself for breaking his cool.

“Oh, you’re back,” the light blonde girl said in Common. The quartet had made themselves comfortable next to some pile of crates and a covered wagon nearby.

“I have secured some lodging for you all,” he said. He would rather talk to them in a less formal-sounding way, but unfortunately he hadn’t practiced his Common all too much. The times he did use it were during formal matters anyway, so definitely no ‘dudes’ or ‘whatevs’ were in his Common vocabulary.

“Sweet,” the bright blonde boy replied. “Hey, ya got something to eat?”

The black ‘cat’ next to him hissed. “What, but I’m hungry!” the boy whined.

Link pulled an apple from his magic pouch on the back of his belt and tossed it to the blonde boy. “Will that suffice?”

He stared at the apple in disbelief. “U-uh, yeah.” He then looked at Link with his wide eyes. “You don’t mind me asking, but um… where did you store this?”

“Magic pouch,” was all he said. He didn’t know how else to explain it— even he didn’t know how it worked.

“Riiight.” Despite the absurdity of his response, the boy seemed to accept his answer since he started munching on the apple. Either that, or he was just that hungry.

‘Shoot, I completely forgot about dinner!’ “I will see to it that you are all fed before night falls,” Link said to the group.

“Oh… thanks,” the light blonde girl replied.

The awkward silence that befell the group was so heavy that it almost seemed tangible. Link turned to leave before the blonde girl’s voice stopped him.

“Hey, uh… Thank you. For everything.” Link turned back to the group again. “We’ve barely just met, but you have been nothing but helpful to us the whole time. So, I just wanted to say thank you. We really appreciate it.”

Link nodded, still feeling a bit awkward. “It is my pleasure,” he said in their native tongue. He really wished that he knew the Common equivalent of ‘It’s cool’ or ‘No biggie.’

The girl extended a hand towards him. “The name’s Ann. Ann Takamaki.” The girl smiled. “We’ll be spending some time on the road, so we should get to know each other a bit, right?”

The dark-haired boy next to her chuckled. “I suppose so.” He placed a hand over his heart and dipped his head. “I am Yusuke Kitagawa.”

“Ryuji Sakamoto,” the bright blonde boy said between mouthfuls. “Nice to meet’cha.”

The other dark-haired boy pushed up his glasses. “Ren Amamiya.” Though he didn’t say anything else, Link could tell that the boy seemed a bit more relaxed than before.

“And this is Morgana,” Takamaki said, gesturing to their ‘cat’. The fuzzy little creature mewed in response. ‘Awwww. How cute.’

“Takamaki-san, Kitagawa-san, Sakamoto-san, Amamiya-san, and Morgana-san,” Link said slowly, nearly stumbling over his words. Takamaki laughed.

“No need to be so formal! You’re about our age, aren’t you?”

Chronologically? No way. But biologically… “Er… yes?”

“Then you need not refer to us as -san,” Kitagawa said.

“Yeah, it’s weird hearing my last name from someone other than my teachers,” Sakamoto said, wiping some juice off his mouth.

Kitagawa gestured towards Link. “Well? What about you?”

The swordsman hesitated. It was true that not many around Hyrule—or the world, for that matter—knew his face. His name, however, had been used to inspire fear in the kingdom’s foes and caution to their allies. Who knows what they would think after he revealed his name?

But these strangers were generous enough to share their names, and that meant that they were warming up to him. ‘And in order to figure out what’s going on, I must gain their trust,’ Link thought to himself. Something told him that wasn’t the only reason, but he pushed those sentiments aside.

“Link,” he said softly. Realizing his low volume, he cleared his throat. “My name… is Link.”

Sakamoto tilted his head. “No first name?” Takamaki elbowed his side.

“That is my first name.”

“For real?” Link nodded. “Huh. Still, no last name?”

“I am afraid that information cannot be disclosed at the moment,” Link said. In all honesty, though, Link wasn’t prepared to reveal his knightly status to them. For a while, at least.

Sakamoto shrugged. “Fine by me. Link it is.”

Takamaki beamed at him. “Nice to meet you, Link-kun!”

“It is nice to meet all of you as well,” Link replied, traces of a smile starting to form on his lips.

A sudden sense of vulnerability snapped him out of his stupor. ‘Too close,’ a voice told him in his head. ‘You’re getting too close again.’

Link’s expression darkened. He clasped his hands behind his back, a cold edge creeping into his voice again. “I expect all of you to retire before sundown,” he said. “Do not wander too far, as monsters roam these areas at night.” Before anyone could reply, Link spun on his heel and marched off, flickers of old heartaches stubbornly clinging to his mind.

‘Too close. You can’t get too close again.’

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

Ren collapsed on his bed, exhausted both physically and mentally. He hadn’t felt this tired since he had awoken his Persona all those months ago.

Ryuji and Yusuke had taken the other two regular beds, leaving the supposed soft bed for Ann after losing a bet to the feisty girl. The stable was filled with Ryuji’s snores as Ren pulled the sheets over his chest.

Ren could make out the shape of an empty cot amidst the dim lighting of the stable’s lanterns. They had not seen Link after he abruptly left their conversation earlier.

Morgana leaped onto the nightstand. “Going to sleep already?”

‘Well, it’s not like I can do anything else,’ Ren thought. “Did you find Link?”

“It was easy with my sneaking skills,” Morgana said with a smirk. “Though I was surprised to find him high up in some random tree.”

“Why was he in a tree?”

Morgana shrugged. “Beats me. Maybe he’s just the loner type.”

‘Maybe.’ Ren furrowed his brows. ‘But he seemed to enjoy talking to us… Why did he run off all of a sudden?’

“Morgana…”

“Hrm?”

“What are your thoughts on Link?”

A soft thump could be heard as Morgana flicked his tail. “He doesn’t seem to be that bad of a guy. Though I wouldn’t underestimate him.” He pawed at his ear. “You saw those weapons hanging on his back, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.” ‘I wonder why someone as young as him has to carry that many weapons.’

The cat glanced at the floor, narrowing his eyes. “What’s more important now is figuring out a way to get back home before things get complicated here. Best case scenario, you’ll get locked up in a dungeon. Worst case scenario, they find out what we are and kill us on the spot.”

“Do you think people here know about the Phantom Thieves?”

Morgana went silent for a while. “No. To be honest, I don’t think we’re even on Earth anymore.”

“Why do you think so?”

Another pause. “I… don’t know. I just have this strange feeling about this place. Like we weren’t meant to be here.”

Ren felt the same way. For some reason, ever since he woke up in the glade, he’s had this weird feeling of discomfort haunting him at the back of his mind. Something felt off about this place. But like Morgana suggested, he couldn’t explain why.

“Also, do you actually believe that elves exist in our world?” Morgana said with a scoff. “You might just be spending too much time in the Metaverse.”

‘The Metaverse…’ Ren sat up. “Wait— that might be it.”

“Hrm?”

“We were going around Mementos when that thing attacked us, right?”

Realization dawned on the cat’s face. “And if we go back to Mementos, we might find a way back to Earth!” He snickered. “Heh, I knew I was right when I pegged you as the smart one.”

His face fell. “But wait… can we even access Mementos here?” Morgana asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like I said, I don’t think we’re on Earth anymore. And if Mementos is the collective subconscious of humans…” He shook his head. “Well, only one way to find out. Let’s search it up on that app of yours.”

Ren reached into his right pocket but stopped when he felt nothing inside. ‘What?’

Morgana titled his head. “Hrm? What’s the hold up?”

The boy checked his other pocket. “My phone—” Nothing.

Morgana’s eyes grew wide. “Don’t tell me you lost it!”

Ren was about to protest before another thought crossed his mind. “Could Link have taken it?”

“Hrm… I guess we can’t rule that out.” He glanced at their companions. “If that elf took your phone, then theirs might be confiscated as well…”

Ren sighed and plopped his head back onto his pillow. “I guess we’ll just have to see tomorrow.”

“Right.” Morgana scratched his ear. “If Link really did confiscate your phones, then he might be more familiar with humans than we thought. I mean, who would think that a shiny black rectangle is dangerous unless they knew how it was used?” He yawned. “I wouldn’t even give it a second glance.”

The boy turned away from the cat and settled into bed. “Night, Morgana.”

“Yeah, yeah, sweet dreams and all that.”

~~~

All that Ren could see was a blue velvet haze when he opened his eyes. He heard the clinking of chains when he sat up, causing him to look at his wrists. Sure enough, they were cuffed together, though to his surprise he found another chain linked to the cuff’s center that spanned all the way past the fringes of the horizon.

His clothes also shifted between his familiar prison attire and his tattered school uniform. ‘What is going on with the Velvet Room?’ Ren thought to himself.

“Ah. It would appear that I can still contact you, albeit with some difficulty,” a deep voice said. It was faint, but Ren recognized those cryptic messages.

“Igor? Is that you?” Ren called. “What’s going on here?”

Realizing his mistake, he braced himself to be berated by the prison guards. But the sharp voice of Justine nor the level voice of Caroline never came.

“It seems that the game has taken quite the turn,” Igor’s voice said. “Even I cannot foresee what lies ahead in this adventure.”

‘What?’ “Did you know this was going to happen?”

A pause. “A game is always riddled with obstacles,” he said. “Not all can be predicted, nor can everything be avoided. But every challenge provides an opportunity for growth.”

‘Confusing as always, huh.’ “Opportunity for growth?”

“Make most of your time here. Learn from this world’s inhabitants, and apply that knowledge to whatever obstacles may come your way. Only then can you find a way to return to your world.”

“But where do I start?”

“Do as you have always done. Your path to rehabilitation has not led you wrong yet.” Another pause. “On the subject of your rehabilitation… It would seem that the strength you have obtained has not made it with you.”

Ren’s eyes widened. “My Personas are gone?”

“Do not lose heart. Their essence still dwells within your being, though you will not be able to use their powers in this world.”

‘I… see? Actually, no, I still don’t get it.’ “Wait, what about my friends then? Are their Personas locked away as well?”

The brief silence that followed implied that Igor was thinking. “Your allies will be able to use the power of their Personas, that I can assure you.”

‘Does that mean I’m the only one that can’t use Personas?’ “But why can’t I use my Personas?”

“Due to the… nature of your case. You are a wild card— a blank slate, if you will. Your Personas are the proof of your bonds with the people around you. If you do not have access to these bonds, then…”

‘I won’t be able to use their powers.’ “Is there anything I can do, then?”

Even though he couldn’t see his face, Ren could swear that the old man’s smile had widened. “Of course. I will allow you to form a contract with one of your previous bonds. That is all I can offer to you for now.”

“Who is it?”

“Your bond… with the world.”

As Igor said this, a familiar laugh rang in Ren’s ears. “I told you we would meet again… Though the circumstances of our reunion were not what I was expecting.”

Ren whipped around and found a tall, winged figure clad in red and black. “Arsène!”

“Do you find this arrangement acceptable?” Igor’s voice asked.

Ren nodded. “Yes, I do.”

“Then the pact is sealed,” Arsène said. His taunting laughter filled the air as blue fire engulfed his form, leaving behind a white mask with black markings. The mask disappeared as Ren felt warmth bloom in his chest.

“The time of your waking draws near.” Igor’s voice was noticeably fainter than before. “Take caution. It would be most unfortunate for you to meet your demise in a world not of your own.”

“Return to your slumber…”

~~~

“Ren… Ren…!”

“Ngh…”

“Hey, Ren!” Ren’s eyes fluttered open, revealing the slender figure of Ann standing beside his bed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, fumbling for his glasses.

His body was telling him that it was way too early to be up. “What time is it?” he mumbled.

“It’s four in the morning,” Ann said with a yawn. “Link wanted to get us on the road as soon as possible so we’ll cover as much ground as we can before sundown.” She pointed at the bed behind her. “As you might’ve guessed, Ryuji isn’t having any of it. He falls back asleep as soon as we wake him up.”

“I’ll… be up… in’a minute or… so…” the blonde boy murmured in the adjacent bed.

Morgana pounced on his chest, jolting him awake. “No, you need to be up now! Get going!”

As Morgana pushed Ryuji out of bed, Ren noticed that Yusuke was nowhere to be found. “Where’s Yusuke?”

“He’s out drawing sketches of things outside,” Ann replied. She turned towards the door. “Come on. Link’s waiting for us.”

Strangers - END

Chapter Text

Part 2: On the Road

[Thumbnail Coming Soon!]

Link’s POV

Embarrassed as he was to borrow it, Link still felt thankful towards Dimitri for lending one of his covered wagons to him on his journey back to Hateno Village. Not only did it cut down their travel time, it made his travel companions comfortable enough to talk amongst themselves. And to Link’s luck, it looked like they didn’t realize that his pointed ears were just more than for show.

It wasn’t as if he enjoyed eavesdropping on people. He knew that privacy was valuable, especially if you wanted to build the other person’s trust. But a knight must be able to identify threats to the kingdom, and Link knew that interrogations can only go so far. Besides, it wasn’t like there was much to do on the ride back.

“Damn, this stuff is so good,” Sakamoto’s voice said in Common behind him. He had taken one of the many meaty rice balls Link had prepared for breakfast.

“Did you say Link prepared all of this?” he heard Kitagawa say. The mews of their cat followed his question, almost as if the furry little creature was trying to respond to him.

“Well, I’m glad you liked your trout,” Takamaki’s voice said. “But seriously, I have never thought mushroom rice balls could ever taste this good.”

The gang wouldn’t have been able to see Link’s smile from their angle. The captain of the Royal Guard might seem too busy to perfect his recipes, but those who were in the know knew that his creations rivaled the cooking of the best chefs in Hyrule.

The cat mewed again, but this time its voice was much quieter than before. Link’s ears perked up when he noticed the group had lowered their voice as well.

“Yeah, I still have mine on me,” Takamaki’s voice said. He heard the rustling of cloth behind him, so he inferred that they had taken out the object they were talking about.

“Shit… no bars,” Sakamoto’s voice said. A pause. “Looks like we can still access the ‘other world navi’ though.”

A very artificial-sounding voice suddenly spoke. “Candidate found.”

“It appears that ‘Mementos’ is still registered in the ‘nav’ as well,” Kitagawa’s voice said. The cat meowed.

“But why was Ren’s ‘sumaho’ taken away then?” Takamaki’s voice asked.

‘Sumaho? What is that?’ Link thought. ‘Was it that broken Sheikah Slate-looking thing that was lying next to him?’

“Beats me,” Sakamoto’s voice said.

“It seems odd that only your ‘sumaho’ was taken away,” Kitagawa’s voice said. “There must have been a reason why he only grabbed yours.”

“We don’t even know if he grabbed it anyway,” Takamaki’s voice said. “You could’ve dropped it on the way here.”

The cat purred behind him. ‘I should probably give it back to him, then,’ Link thought. ‘Not right now, of course— they’ll know that I’ve been listening in to their conversation. I’ll give it to Amamiya when we get back to Hateno.’

He glanced at the covered wagon hitched to the back of Epona. ‘I wonder why it’s so important? And what exactly do they mean by “other world navi”?’

“Hey, maybe we should try calling it,” Sakamoto’s voice said. “If Link really does have it, then we’ll be able to hear it, right?”

“No bars, remember?” Takamaki’s voice said. “Also, we shouldn’t be wasting ‘denchi’ on minor things. I have a feeling that my ‘juden-ki’ won’t work here…”

‘Crap… now they’re using words I don’t understand.’ Link shrugged. ‘Oh well. There were bound to be some things I don’t know in their language.’

‘But still, why is that device so important to them? Could it have similar powers to the Sheikah Slate?’ He frowned. ‘If it does, then the outside world is advancing more quickly than we thought… And here we are, with Purah and Robbie still trying to figure out how to recreate the basic functions of the Slate.’

He reached for his magic pouch but paused. ‘I should probably show it to Princess Zelda before messing with it… She knows this type of techy stuff more than I do. And anyway, I feel bad for messing with Amamiya’s stuff when they haven’t shown any outright hostility towards me. Takamaki even defended me in their conversation.’

He sighed. ‘They don’t seem like bad people. They really don’t. But a knight must think of all possibilities, and currently they are the only connection I have to that crack pouring with Malice. I’d rather not jump to conclusions, but…’ He glanced back at the covered wagon.

‘I really hope they were just at the wrong place at the wrong time.’

Ren’s POV

The gentle rocking and rhythmic creaking of the wagon had started to lull Ren to sleep. Apart from lunch and a few bathroom breaks, Link had pushed his horse (and consequently their wagon) on a steady but quick pace towards the castle. Yusuke had pointed it out on one of their breaks earlier this morning— the distant silhouettes of what appeared to be pointed towers were peeking between two mountains they were passing by. When asked, Link only scowled and pulled himself back onto the saddle. They haven’t heard a word from him since.

“Oh, look!” Ann suddenly exclaimed. Ryuji scooted closer to the small opening at the back of the wagon and peered past the draping canvas.

“Holy shit! It’s huge!” the blonde boy said. Ren popped his head outside of the wagon and widened his eyes in shock.

The castle stood solemnly amidst a loose ring of large black pillars, its defining details lost to the shadows of the clouds sprawled across the sky. The large palace reminded him of the castle at Destinyland, though this one actually had a fairytale charm to it that shone even without the use of heavily saturated lights. That definitely seemed like a place an elven princess would reside in.

They all stared at it for a while before Yusuke broke the silence. “Wait… doesn’t it seem like we’re moving away from the castle?”

Upon closer observation, it did seem like the castle was slowly slipping away from them. “You’re right,” Morgana said. “Why is Link taking us away from the castle?”

“Yo, Link!” Ren turned and found that Ryuji had moved to the front of the wagon. “I thought we were going to the Princess?”

“We are,” Link replied without glancing back at them. His level tone didn’t hint at anything less than that, but Ren had a feeling that he wasn’t willing to share anything past that in regards to the Princess.

“Then why are we moving away from the castle?” Ryuji asked. Link remained silent, but he definitely seemed more tense than before.

“Does the Princess live somewhere else?” Yusuke piped in. Still more silence.

Ann sighed. “Guys, just drop it already. He probably doesn’t want to talk about it.”

Ryuji scratched his head. “Damn… And I thought we’ll be stayn’ in some fancy rooms with those huge fluffy beds…”

“Considering the reason for your audience with the Princess, I don’t think you would’ve been treated to such lavish quarters,” Morgana said. “What matters is that we’re meeting the princess of this land. I’d rather not get on her bad side, no matter what accommodations they give us.”

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right…” Ryuji stuck his head out of the wagon again. “Hey, are we almost there?”

“Not quite,” Link replied, still looking forward. “There is a stable up ahead. We will rest—”

A gurgly cry cut through their conversation, causing Link’s horse to rear and jolt the wagon to a stop. Ren and the others were tossed off-balance inside.

Ryuji groaned. “What the hell was—?!

An arrow suddenly tore through the canvas and embedded itself into a wooden beam mere inches from Ryuji’s face. The blonde boy stumbled back in shock.

The thumping of hooves and gurgling cries got closer to their covered wagon. “Nam amor Hyliae, ” Link grumbled, most likely cursing in his native tongue. Ren heard the crack of reins and the wagon jolted to a start again, this time moving at twice the speed than before.

Ren struggled to get a better view of the battle as he stumbled towards the opening at the back of the wagon. He popped his head out but quickly drew it back in when an arrow whizzed towards his face. After catching his breath, he steeled his nerves and peeked his head out of the opening again, trying to find their attackers. His eyes landed on two monstrous figures gunning for their wagon on horseback.

The monsters looked like a goblin from a fantasy game with their droopy ears and rough skin. The orange-colored goblinoid was charging towards the front of the wagon, flailing a sword in its right hand and spurring its horse with its left. The blue-colored goblinoid barred its fangs at Ren and notched another arrow in its wooden bow. Ren did not stick around to see what would happen to that arrow, wisely ducking back inside the wagon.

“Holyshitholyshitholyshiiiiit!” Ann screeched as the wagon veered right, flinging her and Ryuji towards the right side of the wagon. She fell into Yusuke’s arms while Ryuji slammed into Morgana, earning him a surprised yelp from the cat.

The wagon righted itself with a rattle, nearly knocking them off balance again. A howl of pain erupted outside of the wagon’s left wall and was soon followed by a loud thump. Through the wagon’s back opening, the gang could see the body of the orange goblinoid explode into a puff of dark purple smoke as they sped away from it.

The twang of a bowstring was answered by another howl of pain. There were a few more gurgled cries before another twang silenced them completely. The cart once again jolted to a halt, Link’s horse braying against the sudden stop.

Everyone took a moment to catch their breath, Ren’s mind spinning from the motion of the wagon. Link popped into the view from the back of the wagon. “Is everyone all right?”

Yusuke groaned as he sat up. “More or less.”

“I’m okay,” Ann said, wincing as she dusted herself off.

“All good here,” Ryuji said. Morgana stumbled into Ryuji’s lap. “Oh, and Morgana seems fine too.”

“Mer-rowr…” Morgana held a paw to his mouth. “Urp!”

Ren only nodded in response. Link’s expression softened. “Thank goodness you all are all right. I apologize for my sudden erratic driving.”

“Dude, what the hell just happened?” Ryuji said.

“Monsters,” Link explained. “They attack supply wagons a lot. They are weak though, so do not worry about them too much.”

‘The way he talks about them makes it seem like monster attacks are common…’ “Do you usually get attacked by monsters?” Ren asked.

Link rubbed the back of his neck. “You could say that.” He shook his head. “Anyway, we should get going. I believe there are no more monsters in this area, but we should get to the stable soon just in case.”

“R-right.” As Link moved out of view, Ryuji turned to Ren. “What the hell! Monsters? In the real world?!”

“I must say, it was quite terrifying to find ourselves in battle without our Personas,” Yusuke said.

Ann’s gaze drifted to the floor. “Yeah… I seriously thought we were going to die when the cart started swaying.”

Ryuji slammed his fist against one of the wooden beams. “Dammit… Are we really this useless outside of the Metaverse?”

The wagon fell silent as it jerked into motion. Morgana scowled at them. “Don’t you dare say something like that. You guys do a lot of important things outside of Palaces.”

“Unfortunately, none of them translate well into actual battles,” Yusuke muttered.

Morgana opened his mouth to say something, but after a moment he sighed. “Anyway, that encounter at least gave us some more information about our situation.”

“How so?” Ann asked.

“Well, we know for sure that we’re not in our world anymore.” The group’s dubious faces made his eyes widen. “What, do you guys seriously believe that monsters that disappear into puffs of smoke exist in our world? Not to mention an elf with a magic pouch is literally leading us to a princess.”

Yusuke held his chin. “He does have a point.”

Ann crossed her legs. “But if we’re really in another world, how on earth did we get stuck here?”

“I’m… not really sure. But Ren and I have a theory that we might find the answer in Mementos.”

Yusuke nodded. “Then we should head into Mementos as soon as possible.” He glanced at the front of the wagon. “The only problem is, how will we avoid Link’s surveillance?”

They all thought for a while before Ann snapped her fingers. “Ooh, I know! We’ll go out when he goes to sleep!”

“But I thought elves don’t have to sleep,” Ryuji said.

“I don’t know where you got that info from, but this guy does sleep,” Morgana said. He flicked his tail. “I saw him climb into bed about an hour after you all fell asleep. He was knocked out in five minutes.”

“Then we should go to bed early so we can explore as much of Mementos as we can,” Ann said. 

Morgana looked at all of them. “So? Do we all agree to go to Mementos tonight?” All of them nodded. “Then it's decided. We’ll head out for Mementos once Link falls asleep.”

Once they got to the stable, they all ate their dinner in relative silence, occasionally making small talk to deflect suspicion and learn more about Link. They didn’t get much out of him, but he did disclose his recipe for his meaty rice balls.

“Bro, how did you learn how to make all of this stuff?” Ryuji asked between mouthfuls of food.

Link flipped over some thin slices of meat on the pot he was cooking over. “I pick up recipes on my travels.” He peeked at the rice boiling in a separate pot set up next to his feet. “I would make other dishes, but rice balls are the quickest thing I can currently make in large batches.”

“So you know other dishes than rice balls?” Ann inquired.

“A lot of other dishes, actually. I hope you all could try some someday.” Ren noticed the tips of his ears reddened. “Of course, if you all do not mind.”

“We’d love to!” Ann said.

Yusuke nodded. “If they are as good as these rice balls, then I would gladly partake in any meals you give us.”

“I bet you would eat anything given to you, Yusuke,” Ryuji jabbed. “I can’t remember how many times you’ve nearly passed out ‘cuz you forgot to eat the day before.”

“I do not abstain from food because I forget my hunger! I forgo eating because my artistic drive dictates so.”

“Dude, you can’t skip meals just because you’re ‘arting’ or whatever.”

“How dare you—!” Yusuke was about to stand up before Morgana swiped at his arm.

“Stop it you two! You’re acting like children!” Morgana hissed. Yusuke rubbed his arm.

“My apologies, Morgana.” He sighed. “Alas, what a poor artist must endure for his beauties… Sacrifices must be made in order to create true art.”

“Whatever.” Morgana curled into a ball. “Just don’t forget our mission. We’re not here to make friends, remember?”

Ren’s face fell. ‘Right. We have to get back home.’ “Sorry, but I think I’m going to head to bed early,” he said, rising from his seat. He dipped his head at Link. “Thanks for the meal.”

The elf looked up at him. “Oh. It is my pleasure.” He waved towards the interior of the stable. “Your bed should be ready inside the stable. We shall be heading out quite early tomorrow.”

Ann yawned and stretched her arms. “Whew… I’m feeling pretty sleepy myself. I think I’ll turn in for the night too.”

General phrases of agreement came from Ryuji and Yusuke as well. Link didn’t seem too phased by all of them going to bed already— Ren figured that the elf understood their tiredness to some extent. He glanced at Morgana one last time before slipping into the stable.

Ren couldn’t help but drift to sleep while waiting for Morgana’s signal. He felt as if he had just closed his eyes when a large mass suddenly weighed down on him.

“Hey. Hey! Get up!” He blinked his eyes open to find Morgana whispering on top of him. “He’s asleep. We need to go now!”

Morgana scrambled towards Ryuji’s bed as Ren fumbled for his glasses. He managed to get out of bed without much noise right when Ryuji was coming to.

“Wha—” Morgana shoved a paw in front of his mouth and shushed him. Ryuji looked at him quizzically before realization dawned on his face.

“Yusuke and Ann are already at the meeting site,” Morgana whispered. “Come on. I’ll lead you there.”

The two crept through the sleeping stable, careful not to wake the stable hands or Link. That was when Ren noticed that there were other guests in the stable; however, the lights were dimmed so much that he couldn’t tell who—or what—was sleeping in the other cots propped up near the far wall. Morgana’s prodding pushed him away from those thoughts and back to the mission at hand.

They managed to slip out of the hut and past the sleeping horses that were boarded near the cooking pot. They then picked their way down a hill and towards the wagon ruins laying by the riverbed. Ann waved at them in greeting, her smartphone in her left hand.

“Okay, we’re all here,” Morgana said. “Are you guys ready?” They nodded.

A robotic voice chimed from Ann’s phone. “Beginning navigation.” A familiar headache flashed through Ren’s head as the scenery shifted around them.

Chapter Text

Ren’s POV

The headache eventually subsided, allowing Ren to fully register the scenery around him. Everyone else seemed to be in their normal (albeit tattered) clothes, though he could definitely tell that they were in the Metaverse because Morgana had reverted back to his true form. That, and the whole world appeared to be bathed in a sinister light, causing the surrounding landscape to be tinted in harsh reds and blacks.

The trees that laid just across the river were dried and gnarled, black ash drifting between the branches. The river itself had disappeared, puddles of grimy liquid scattered along its previous path. Above them, a large red moon hung in the dull ruby sky.

“Holy shit… Is this what the public thinks about this world?” Ryuji asked. Morgana frowned.

“No… This place…” He closed his eyes. “All of this feels wrong. It doesn’t feel like Mementos at all.”

“Where are we then?” Ann asked.

Morgana opened his eyes. “I’m not entirely sure. But…” He turned towards Ren. “I’m sure we can figure this out. Right, Joker?”

Ren nodded. Morgana smiled at his response. “Right, then… Aside from all this shriveled wildlife, it doesn’t seem like the topography changed. Not to mention that all of you are still in your regular clothes.” He tapped his chin. “With all of that in mind, I can safely say that we aren’t near the source of the distortion in this world.”

Yusuke tilted his head. “So then where—”

As if on cue, a bloodcurdling roar cut through the night and shook every bone in Ren’s body. It took a moment for him to fully clear the ringing in his head.

“What the hell was that?” Ryuji asked, his head whipping around to find the source of the noise.

“I think it came from over there.” Ann pointed at the glade of dead trees across the dried river. Ryuji climbed back up the hill to get a better vantage point.

“Uh… guys? Where the hell did the castle go?”

Ren clambered up the hill and stared in the direction of Ryuji’s gaze. Sure enough, the area where the castle would’ve been was now occupied by a large gaping hole, sharp jagged rocks forming a ring around the massive chasm. Black and magenta smoke curled inside the crater, hiding the contents of its depths from outside observers.

“That must be where the distortions are,” Morgana said.

“The only problem is that it is quite the distance away.” Yusuke held out one of his sketching pencils. “I’d say… about a good few kilometers walk from here.”

“Heh… don’t worry about the transportation,” Morgana said. A puff of smoke and boom, the Monamobile was back for another joyride. “Come on. We don’t have time to waste.”

Driving on the dirt path was easier on Ren’s rear end than those stupid tracks in Shibuya’s Mementos. They began to pick up speed after Morgana’s tires hit cobblestone, using the old roads as a guide towards the jagged rocks. They soon arrived at the ruins of a large stone wall.

The Monamobile slowed as they drove through a gap in the wall, Ren staring at the surrounding wreckage in stunned silence. Buildings were reduced to rubble, support beams and bits of brick wall clinging to what was left of their stone floors. Wooden stakes fashioned into crude fences were stuck haphazardly around plots of land— at least, what remained of such plots. The shallow ditches that they drove past definitely didn’t seem like an intentional design choice.

“You’ve got to be shittin’ me…” Ryuji mumbled.

“What… What in the world happened to this place?” Ann said, a small tremble in her voice.

Ren’s eyes started aching as his vision shifted from the red-tinted world to a moonlit version of the ruins. Everything looked exactly the same, save for the clear water sitting in the surrounding ditches and some of those weird upturned urn ruins they saw the day before. The pain in his eyes faded as the distorted world shifted back into view.

“Don’t tell me… Are these ruins present in the real world?” Yusuke muttered.

“No wonder why Link didn’t want to go to the castle,” Ann said. “He probably knew what happened here.”

“If the town surrounding the castle looks like this, then I can only imagine what went down in the castle,” Yusuke reasoned. “That may be why the Princess does not reside here anymore.”

“Speaking of the castle,” Morgana interjected, “we should get going. We don’t have time to dwell on things like that right now.”

As they drove down two flights of short stairs, the Monamobile stopped. “Wait… I think I feel a safe room nearby.” His eye headlights pointed to the left. “It’s faint, but it’s down that road.”

Ren pulled past the fountain decorating the ruined plaza and drove towards what seemed to be the main entrance to the town. It was the only archway left intact, though it looked as if it could crumble at any minute.

Outside of the town’s walls laid a glade of dry trees, nearly obscuring the dirt path that led deeper into the small forest. The Monamobile stopped again. “In there. The distortion feels significantly weaker in that glade.”

Everyone climbed out of the Monamobile and with a puff of smoke, Morgana was back to his original form. The monster-cat-thing then ran off into the glade. “Hey, wait up!” Ann called.

As they chased Morgana into the glade, a subtle whooshing sound filled Ren’s ears. The sound ended with a pop as he came into a clearing.

The dirt path led to a narrow stone bridge, stretched over a shallow pond and connecting the path to an island on the pond. The island had a circular stone pool decorated with pillars and arches. They all focused on the round platform at the center of the pool, which was now being scrutinized by Morgana.

Ren watched his step as he passed over another gap of water encircling a smaller raised platform. Morgana was bent over a strange design etched on the floor, tracing the faintly glowing shape with his paw.

“Three triangles stacked on each other, huh…” He got up and looked at Ren. “The power radiating from this symbol is incredible. I think it’s the reason why this area isn’t affected by distortion.”

Yusuke stared at the architecture with artistic precision. “This masonry… It reminds me of an altar, or some sort of holy fountain.”

Ann tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Clearly they wanted to emphasize the center of the pond. As you near the platform with the symbol on it, the ground becomes more elevated. Not to mention the symmetry of this place.” He crossed his arms. “Perfect shapes for perfect beings. What is more perfect than a benevolent god?”

“But can’t it be just a regular fountain?” Ryuji groaned.

“I can assure you that this place is more than just a leisure spot,” Yusuke replied rather pointedly.

“Quiet down guys,” Morgana said. “It’s not like it matters to us anyway. Holy or not, this place will definitely serve as a good safe spot for us to patch up. Let’s save this location to the Nav.”

Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke pulled out their phones and calibrated the Nav. ‘Damn, I really need my phone back,’ Ren thought.

“Location registered.”

“Awright,” Ryuji said. “Now we don’t hafta drive all the way out here anymore.”

Morgana started climbing down the stairs. “Come on. We gotta at least see what we’re dealing with before we head back.”

Back in the Monamobile, the gang made their way towards the plaza and up the cobblestone road leading to the ring of jagged rocks. This was where the road started to change, the grey cobblestone soon being overtaken by a mysterious material that could only be described as jet black stone. Thin red lines ran across the surface of the road, forming intricate designs that were so complex that even Ren couldn’t wrap his head around them. The walls bordering the road also underwent a similar change as they neared a large, contorted archway. The archway was composed of rough onyx spirals that haphazardly curved and met at the center of the structure.

Ren stopped the car and the gang filed out of the Monamobile, allowing Morgana to revert back to his original form. The gang could see that the hole full of strange smoke was right past the ominous archway.

“This seems like the only way in for us,” Morgana said. “I’m opposed to using front doors, but, well… What choice do we have at this point?”

He turned back to the group. “Once we enter the hole, the Shadows in this area are bound to notice you. Be careful.”

As soon as they passed under the doorway, a quick flash of blue fire washed over them, transforming them into their Phantoms Thieves costumes. Joker noticed that their clothes had somehow been repaired since their last encounter in the Metaverse.

Fox sighed, a look of relief on his face. “It seems that our Personas managed to make it with us.”

“Your Personas are a part of you,” Mona said. “Of course you wouldn’t lose them that easily.”

The mouth of the hole was lined with that weird goopy substance that attacked them on their last trip to Mementos— Malice, if Joker recalled correctly. Some of it had crystallized and formed sharp spikes strewn with webs of the viscous liquid. As they neared the Malice, one of the large bumps in the web in front of them started squirming.

Mona raised his cutlass in front of him. “Be on your guard. It could be a Shadow.”

A slit appeared on the bump and the two flaps retracted, revealing a black eye with a thin yellow iris. The Phantom Thieves stayed in their ready stances for a while before they realized that nothing else was happening.

“It seems like no other Shadows are attacking,” Mona said. “And it looks like this thing can’t attack us.”

He turned to Joker. “The Shadows below us are getting restless. Let’s take care of this eyeball before it causes us any more trouble.”

Joker pulled out his pistol, noticing that it felt lighter than before. He aimed at the eyeball and pulled the trigger, but instead of a bullet running straight into the lump a clicking sound echoed from it.

‘What?’ Joker pulled the trigger a few more times but to no avail. He pulled out the magazine and found that there were no bullets in it. ‘Usually it’s fully loaded when we enter the Metaverse… Why is it empty?’ He checked the magazines stored underneath his jacket but they too were missing bullets.

“I don’t have any ammo,” he said, snapping the magazine back on. Mona looked at him quizzically.

“What do you mean you don’t have any ammo?”

Skull checked his own ammo as well. “What the hell? Mine’s out too!”

Fox studied his assault rifle. “Wait a minute… Do the guns look a little more fake than usual to you all as well?”

Joker examined his own firearm. The gun seemed real enough; however, Joker noticed the weight of the gun and the tension of the trigger didn’t feel right. It was almost as if the pistol was just—

“A model gun,” Fox said gravely. “It appears that the Shadows have seen through our clever illusion. They do not perceive our firearms as much of a threat.”

“Or maybe they haven’t seen a gun before,” Panther said. “I mean, we are in another world. I don’t think the locals are advanced enough to make guns like these.”

Mona pulled on the band of his slingshot. “Well, my slingshot seems to work well enough.” He snickered. “Leave this to me, amateurs.”

With a quick snap of his slingshot, the large eyeball twitched and closed shut, vanishing with a puff of foul smoke. The Malice covering their path also vanished as well. “I see. We can get rid of the goop by shooting those eyeballs.” Mona beckoned them to continue. “Let’s keep moving. There are Shadows up ahead, so be careful.”

At the end of the path stood a narrow staircase spiraling down into the depths of the hole. Joker noticed that there was no railing on the left side of the stairs to prevent them from falling to their deaths. “I don’t think we can take the Monamobile down there,” Panther said, a worried look on her face.

Mona nodded. “We’ll have to descend single-file, then. Make sure to watch your step.”

The Phantom Thieves crept down the stairs, careful not to make too much noise. They held their breath as they passed through the black and magenta smoke, the dubious gas stinging Joker’s eyes. The smoke soon thinned and dispersed completely, allowing the group to catch their breath.

Despite passing the layer of smoke, a faint musk of rotting flesh still hung in the air as they continued to descend the stairs. The stairs soon leveled out to a slightly wider walkway that ran along the right wall. Rooms that appeared to be prison cells were built into the dark stone wall, sending chills down Joker’s spine as he was reminded of his own cell in the Velvet Room.

Most of the cells were empty, but some of them housed cognitions that resembled humanoids composed of pale light. Joker noticed that the listless cognitions were dimmer than their restless counterparts. Whenever he approached a cell, however, the cognition in the cell flinched and retreated to the shadows of their chamber.

“They’re afraid of us,” Fox observed.

“Considering their looks, they must think we’re Shadows,” Mona concluded.

“Aren’t these the Shadows of the public?” Panther asked.

Mona snickered. “Hmph, you amateurs… The figures in the cell aren’t Shadows. They’re cognitions, like the ones you guys saw in Kamoshida’s Palace.”

Looks of disgust crossed Panther and Skull’s faces. They didn’t need to be reminded of the countless life-like atrocities Shadow Kamoshida conjured in his Palace.

“I am a bit lost on that part,” Fox said. ‘Oh right. He wasn’t with us when we went through Kamoshida’s Palace,’ Joker thought.

“It’s kinda like the paintings in Madarame’s Palace,” Mona said. “They’re how the owner of a Palace perceives the people around them.”

Skull scratched his head. “But if the people in here aren’t Shadows, then where—?”

A roar once again interrupted their conversation. The gang’s attention landed on a tall beast that stood at the center of the walkway a few meters away from them.

The creature looked to be a centaur with the head of a lion, its entire body covered in Malice. The beast clanked the two massive blades in its hands over its head and started charging at them.

“Crap! We took too long!” Mona pulled out his cutlass. “Too late for stealth. Hit it with all you’ve got!”

The chasm was filled with shouts as the Phantom Thieves called their Personas, blue fire erupting behind their backs. Joker could hear the rustle of feathers as Arsène manifested next to him. “Be cautious. This foe may prove to be too much to handle at your current strength.”

“Wait, what?” As he said this, the beast brought down one of its blades on Joker, barely giving him any time to react. The blade caught his right arm as he sidestepped the slice, driblets of blood dripping from the cut. ‘Shit!’

He could hear Skull yell “Zio!” behind him as a bolt of lightning crashed onto the beast. The bolt didn’t even seem to faze the beast as it took another swipe at Joker, this time nicking his shoulder.

A burst of fire exploded in front of the beast’s face, distracting it long enough for Joker to hop out of its immediate range. Mona followed up with a slash at its knee, but to his dismay the cutlass bounced right off its Malice-ridden leg.

“Joker! Are you alright?” Fox asked, casting Sukukaja on the injured teen. He felt his senses sharpen and the weight of his body lessened a little.

“Yes!” He kicked Fox out of the way as the beast’s blade crashed down on them. Rolling to his feet, Fox shouted “Goemon, strike!” and shards of ice erupted from the beast’s side.

That, too, did not slow the beast down. With a kick of its hind legs, it flung Mona towards the edge of the walkway, the cat-monster-thing narrowly grabbing the ridge with his free hand. “Mona!”

Skull and Panther rushed toward their dangling friend, the former providing cover with his mace and the latter trying to pull Mona up. Skull managed to block a downwards slice from both of the beast’s blades as Panther swung their companion back onto the walkway.

“Dammit! Its armor is too tough!” With a flick of his wrist, Mona commanded Zorro to cast Dia on Joker, healing his wounds. “We need to retreat for now!”

Fox managed to pull the beast’s attention away from Skull as the rest of the group started running back the way they came. After Fox dodged a few strikes, slingshot pellets drew the aggro back on Mona, allowing Fox to slip back to the group. That was when Mona found that the beast was also resistant to wind attacks, and with a curse Mona dismissed Zorro to conserve energy.

“Um, Mona! The Monamobile would be pretty good right about now!” Panther hollered.

“What about the stairs? I can’t drive over that!”

“Well put some distance between us and that thing at least!”

The floor cracked behind Mona as the beast’s heavy blade fell on the spot he was at just moments ago. “If I stop I’m dead!” he howled.

Dodging a swing from the beast’s other blade, Panther snatched Mona by the scarf and chucked him way ahead of them. Mona screeched in complaint before transforming and landing perfectly on his tires.

The back of the Monamobile warped into a large, gaping hole with pink cushions as the Phantom Thieves dove head-first into the bus. Joker found himself being flung into the driver’s seat. “Go go go go go!” Mona’s voice shouted.

Joker floored the pedal, his adrenaline and the effects of Sukukaja temporarily overriding his fear of accidentally veering off the edge of the walkway. The few seconds they were in motion felt like a blink of an eye before Mona yelled “Stairs!” and manually hit his own brakes, causing the bus to spin out. Mona managed to fling the group out of his butt end again before reverting back to his original form.

That short burst of speed definitely put some distance between the Phantom Thieves and the beast, though it soon dawned to Joker that the reason why it did was because the beast had stopped chasing them to gather dark energy into its jaws.

“RUN!” Without looking back, Joker grabbed Mona and bolted up the stairs, the rest of the Phantom Thieves following close behind. He stumbled a bit as the stairs shook from the impact of the beast’s breath weapon. The beast’s roar soon grew fainter and fainter until it fully disappeared at the edge of the smoke layer. Joker was tempted to catch his breath, but a hefty whiff of the foul gas made him reconsider his decision.

Despite the protest of his lungs, Joker managed to pass the layer of smoke. He drew in a gasp of air the moment the odor became manageable.

They didn’t stop running until they reached the peak of the stairs back on the surface. Joker placed his hands on his knees, his chest heaving as he gulped for air.

“Hah… Hah… Man… I never… ran that… that many stairs… since track,” Skull wheezed.

Panther managed a shaky chuckle. “Why… would you… you… run up stairs… for track?”

“Sha… Shaddup!”

Yusuke gulped some saliva. “I know… we just stopped running… But we will be more… more comfortable… inside the Safe Room.”

The group begrudgingly stumbled out of the twisted gate, their attires reverting back to the tattered uniforms they arrived in. Not wanting to walk all the way to the fountain, they checked to see if they could fast travel to the Safe Room. Thankfully the distortion around them was tame enough to let them teleport.

A loud whirring sound filled Ren’s ears and poof, he found himself and his friends back on the round platform with the weird glowing symbol on it. Everyone proceeded to promptly collapse on the stone floor.

“Holy shit,” Ryuji said. “We almost died. Again. ”

Ann huffed. “Ugh, tell me about it. It’s like this world hates us or something.”

Morgana’s sudden spring to his feet caught Ren’s eye. Yusuke had noticed as well. “Morgana? What’s wrong?”

“The answer has to be down there,” the cat-monster-thing mumbled, his brow furrowed as he paced away. “I just know it. But we aren’t strong enough—”

Ann crossed her legs. “Hey, slow down. We made it out alive, and that’s all that matters.”

Ren observed Morgana’s agitated face. “You’ve been on edge lately,” he said.

“Of course I’ve been on edge!” Morgana snapped. “We’ve been transported to another world with no clue on how we got here— much less how we can even get back. And yet you all act as if this is no big deal!”

“Of course it’s a big deal,” Ann retorted. “We all know that we don’t belong here, and we’re trying everything we can to find a way home. But getting frustrated over everything won’t do us any good.”

Morgana’s glare hardened. “No, you don't understand: all of this is wrong.” His gaze drifted to the floor. “Back when we were dragged away by Malice, I heard a voice. I’m not sure who it was, but her voice… Her desperation told me that this was never supposed to happen.”

He looked up at the group again. “Something terrible is going to happen the longer we stay here. I can feel it. But the only lead we have is blocked by tough foes, and I have a sneaking suspicion that things are only going to get more difficult from there.”

Yusuke’s expression grimmed. “We need to get stronger.”

Ryuji scratched his head. “Yeah, but how? It’s not like there’s any Palaces we can infiltrate to fight Shadows.”

Morgana’s eyes lit up. “Wait. That’s it.”

Ann tilted her head. “What is?”

“Palaces host Shadows, right? What better way to get stronger than fighting a bunch of goons of a Palace’s Shadow?”

“But aren’t we, like, in another world or something?” Ryuji said. “Can Palaces even form here?”

“Well, some form of Mementos exists in this world, and we know that the Palaces back in our world are closely connected to our Mementos,” Morgana pointed out. “As long as there are people with corrupted desires around, a Palace is sure to pop up.”

“But how will we find such rotten people?” Yusuke asked.

That seemed to get everyone’s gears turning as the whole group fell silent. Suddenly, an idea crossed Ren’s mind. “We could ask the Princess.”

Morgana tilted his head towards the frizzy-haired teen, his ears perked up attentively. “Oh?”

“We’re being led to the princess of this region. If she’s royalty, she’s bound to know some things about the political and economic climate of the world,” Ren explained. “At the very least, we might be able to gather clues that could help start our investigations.”

The cat-thing snickered. “Now that’s thinking like a Phantom Thief.” He turned towards the rest of the group. “It looks like we know where to go from here. Let’s discuss it more once we get back to the real world.”

“Right!”

Chapter Text

Link’s POV

The rest of the trip to the Necluda region was mostly uneventful. Thankfully no other monsters roamed the area nearby, having been cleared out long ago by the newly-formed Monster Control Crew. Without the power of the Blood Moon to revive them, the Crew’s relentless assaults on monster camps had nearly wiped out all of Ganon’s forces. A number of stragglers still roamed about, of course, but they were so few and far between that travelling has been mostly opened up now, provided that travellers voyaged in groups during the day and had at least a handful of able-bodied fighters.

They were making good time, passing the northeastern wall of the Great Plateau early in the afternoon. At this rate, they could make it to the Dueling Peaks Stable before it got too dark outside.

“Such massive walls…” Link heard Kitagawa mutter as the wagon pulled away from the Great Plateau.

He then heard the rustle of a canvas flap being pushed aside. “Link?” Takamaki's voice asked, the proximity of it suggesting that she had moved to the front of the wagon. “How much further are we from the Princess?”

‘Normally I would’ve gotten there by now, but at the pace we’re going at…’ After pondering for a moment, he unlatched the Sheikah Slate from his belt and pulled up the map. ‘An entire day from the South Akkala Stable to the Wetland Stable, and possibly an entire day to Dueling Peaks…’ He traced his finger along a road illustrated on the map. ‘That would mean…’

“Potentially another day of travel,” he concluded, “with a stay at another stable for tonight.”

“Oh.”

Link took a chance to glance back at the wagon. Sure enough, Takamaki was leaning out of the front opening of the wagon. She had a bored look on her face.

“Are you not used to long trips?”

“No.” She blew some hair out of her face. “Normally I’d take the ‘densha’ when going somewhere far, and those trips take only a few hours tops. I mean, I guess I used to go on overseas ‘hikōki’ trips too… But those also take up probably half a day, and I had a bunch of gadgets to keep me company when I was bored.”

‘More words I don’t know the meaning of…’ “What exactly is a ‘densha’ and a ‘hikōki’?”

Takamaki scratched her head. “Right, forgot we’re in some sort of old-timey fantasy…”

“Wait, for real? You’ve been overseas before?” Sakamoto suddenly spurted, popping his head through the opening.

“Uh, duh. You knew this since I moved in during ‘average school.’”

‘Average school?’ Link turned away and shook his head as Takamaki and Sakamoto closed the conversation to themselves. ‘Things are slowly starting to make less and less sense the more I try listening to their conversations. I really need to get them to Princess Zelda before I overload my brain trying to understand them.’

After the brief spat between both of the blondes, Link heard his name called by Kitagawa. “How do you know ‘Nihongo’ anyway?”

“Ni-hon-go?” Link parroted, the meaning nearly lost to him. A flicker of recognition flashed through Link’s head as he remembered one of the language lessons Princess Zelda taught him. ‘The suffix -go could imply that he’s talking about a language… Is that what they call Common in their world?’

“If you are asking about my proficiency with your language…” He paused, thinking over his next words carefully. “You could say that I needed them for my travels outside of Hyrule.”

“You must travel a lot,” Takamaki said. “You don’t seem phased by any of this.”

“I have had my fair share of strange experiences.” He winced as hazy images of previous eras flicked into his consciousness. ‘And much more in the eyes of others.’

“Like?”

“That, I am afraid, cannot be disclosed at this moment,” Link replied rather quickly. “I cannot share any additional information about myself until your audience with the Princess.” Something in his heart told him that wasn’t the true reason, but—as he had found himself doing so often these days—he stubbornly pushed those nagging sentiments away and set his eyes on the path ahead.

The sun continued to set as they neared Dueling Peaks. Though they did not state it to him directly, Link could hear his companions murmuring in awe at the sheer expanse of the split mountain. A grin began to stretch on his lips before his gaze landed on a lone Hylian guarding the entrance to Proxim Bridge. Recognizing the man, he pulled over his hood to try and hide his face from the makeshift guard.

“A bit late, isn’t it?” the man said to him in Hylian. Link had not slowed down the brisk trot he had Epona at, so the man was lightly jogging next to the cart to keep up.

“I’m sorry. We’re in a bit of a hurry, so I can’t chat right now,” Link replied in his native language. “We’re trying to reach the stable before it gets too late.”

“I see, I see…” He glanced at the setting sun. “Might want to pick up the pace, then. Of course, if you want, you can camp out under my awning if you feel like it. I won’t have beds as comfy as a stable, but you’re sure to be clear from monster attacks until sunrise.”

“I appreciate the offer, but like I said we’re in a hurry.” ‘Also, I’d rather not have rumors spreading about my, er, strange companions until Zelda sees them.’

“If you say so.” The man squinted at Link’s face— or at least, in the general area of it, as his defining features were (hopefully) lost under the hood’s shadow. “Say, I think I’ve heard your voice somewhere before…”

Link sighed. ‘So much for going through undetected.’ He pulled off his hood. “Hello, Brigo.”

“Mister Link!” Brigo exclaimed. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to be back so soon. I thought you said that you were going to Akkala?”

“I was, but plans have changed.” He gestured to the wagon with his head. “I’ve got a few folks who have lost their way, so I’m leading them back home.”

“I see.” Brigo slowed, almost as if to approach the back of the wagon. “Maybe I can—”

“No!” With a yank of the reins, Epona jerked to a stop. Brigo backed away from the horse’s stutter before looking at the rider quizzically. “I mean… No thank you, Brigo. They’re very tired, and I don’t think they want to be bothered now.”

“Hey! What was that for?” Takamaki called from the wagon in Common.

“Sorry,” he called back in her tongue. He turned back to Brigo and spoke in Hylian once more. “It was great chatting with you again, but we really need to get going.”

“Right. Sorry about that.” He dipped his head in farewell. “See you around, then. I’ll tell you if any of those Guardians wake up around here.”

Link was about to nudge Epona back into motion before Brigo grabbed his wrist. Confused, Link lowered the reins. “Okay, look, I know you said they shouldn’t be roaming around anymore, but I get the feeling that something bad’s gonna happen soon anyway. I’ve been seeing omens practically everywhere lately.”

“Omens?”

“Yeah.” He pointed at the Guardian ruin sitting on one of the nearby riverbanks. “Last night, I was dreaming that I was being chased by that very same Guardian lying there. Boy, was it terrifying!” He sighed. “It felt so real, even up to the heat coming off of that thing’s death beam. I was nearly shot to death until I woke up in a cold sweat this morning.”

“That just sounds more like a nightmare than an omen,” Link said with a twinge of apprehension, though secretly he sympathised with him. Those lasers were scary.

“You would think, but I’ve been having dreams like that since last week. They weren’t as bad as last night, but they’ve been unsettling nonetheless.” He patted Link’s leg. “Be careful out there, you hear? You’ve managed to survive this long. It’ll be sad not seeing your face around these parts if you get yourself killed out there.”

Before Link could move to leave, Brigo swung his bag off his shoulder and started fishing for something inside it. “Oh, and before I forget…” He pulled out a strange metal ring threaded with twine, lines of feathers and beads attached to the bottom section of the ring. “Got this weird thing from a passing stranger a day or so ago. Called it a dreamcatcher. It’s supposed to catch bad dreams and give you only the good ones, but I think it’s broken considering the nightmare I had last night.” He handed it to Link. “I know the Princess is into stuff like this, so I was thinking you could hand it off to someone close to her.”

‘And you’ve just handed it to her personal knight. Don’t know who’s closer to her than that,’ Link mused to himself, albeit with a pang of grim sarcasm. He opened up his magic pouch and the lip of the bag stretched to the diameter of the ring. He tucked the dreamcatcher away with his mess of other things. “I will see to it that this… thing makes it to the Princess. Thank you, Brigo.”

“No problem.”

Link held up the reins once more, thankful that this attempt was not stopped by more dialogue. Brigo waved to the retreating wagon. “And good luck out there!”

Though his outward expression didn’t change, Link felt a small glow of appreciation towards the simple remark. “You too.”

Ren’s POV

The lull of sleep gradually slipped from Ren as someone gently shook him awake. He was greeted to the sight of Link rocking his arm, his striking blue eyes staring at him. “We have arrived.”

The rest of the gang filed out of the wagon, conveying their sleepiness with yawns and stretches. Link had already arranged their lodging like always— Morgana had complimented his foresight and tact by questioning why the Phantom Thieves couldn’t be as competent as he was. Ryuji, lacking any snappy retorts, simply told the cat to shut up.

Unfortunately, every single bed that was there was already filled with sleeping travelers, so all of them were forced to sleep in cots all propped up against each other (save for Ann, who had stubbornly moved hers a little ways away from the boys as to discourage any weird behavior from them). Ren was tempted to fall back asleep with the rest of the group, but Link’s continued absence had started to bug the frizzy-haired teen.

After struggling to ask around for Link’s location, he was eventually pointed to a patch of ruins that lay west of the stable. He could hear the swoosh of a blade and thud of footwork as the blonde swordsman popped into view.

Link had set aside his shield, bow, and quiver, his scabbard the only thing left slung over his shoulder. Each swing was calculated yet firm, his form sturdy enough to land an impact while also being limber enough to flow into the next step with little wear. The fierce look in Link’s eyes reminded Ren of his own gaze— something so harsh that even adults were unnerved by a temporary glance.

He suddenly became aware of how much he was fiddling with his glasses. Mentally cursing himself, he pulled his hand away from the thin metal frame.

The elf finished with a downwards swing, slowly releasing a breath through his mouth. “Can you not sleep?” he said without looking in Ren’s direction.

‘Damn, he’s good,’ Ren thought as he stepped out of the shadows and through the archway. Link had sheathed his sword. “I was just wondering why you weren’t heading to bed yet.”

“Just… needed to clear my head,” he mumbled, picking up the rest of his gear. He cleared his throat and spoke up. “You should sleep soon. I will allow your group to sleep in a little, but we are departing the stable before midmorning.”

Ren held his chin as Link walked past him. His voice stopped the elf in his tracks. “Do you happen to have another weapon?”

The elf turned towards him. “Pardon?”

“I was wondering if I could spar with you.” Ren stretched his arms as he moved deeper into the ruin. “I don’t know how good I’ll be at wielding a sword, but you gotta try everything at least once, right? Besides, it looks like you could use a partner.”

He could see the gears turning behind Link’s eyes as the elf pondered his words. “Are you absolutely serious about your offer?”

“One hundred percent.” Ren had already decided to request a spar once he figured out why Link had run off. ‘Since straight up talking doesn’t seem to work, maybe dueling might be a way to get through to him. And anyway, it’ll also help me get stronger.’

Link grew silent for a while before crossing his arms. “All right. But I will refrain from using the… my personal blade against you.”

The blonde teen had set his gear down again and reentered the ruins, reaching for something deep within that magic pouch of his. He glanced up at Ren. “Do you have a preference?”

“Something dagger-like, if that’s okay.” ‘Just how many things does he carry in that pouch?’

Link eventually tossed two weapons his way. “Lizal Boomerang and Gerudo Scimitar. Those are the only weapons I have that resemble a dagger.”

Ren thought he’d seen his fair share of strange weapons, but these certainly rank high on the weirdness factor. For one, the supposed boomerang was a haphazardly-bent piece of sharpened metal fastened to a handle carved out of a very big bone. The green ribbon wrapped around the handle didn’t provide much grip, but it weighed quite nicely in his hands.

The scimitar appeared to be a much more believable weapon, though still foreign to him nonetheless. The thick curved blade was engraved with swirly designs, and the handle was silver adorned with gold fastenings and wrapped with red cord. A single red ruby was fixed onto the guard of the sword as well. It definitely won style points and surely provided enough grip to stay in his hand, but unfortunately it still didn’t feel right because of how heavy it was.

He decided to take his chances with the boomerang. It’ll be easier to make quick maneuvers with a light blade, plus its weird shape inspired a few new moves he wanted to try out. He placed his glasses next to Link’s gear and handed the scimitar back to the elf.

“Ready when you are,” Ren said. He tossed the boomerang up in the air before catching it with a grin on his face.

Link’s POV

Link couldn’t help but feel surprised at Amamiya’s lax attitude towards their duel. He knew that the frizzy-haired teen was watching him for quite a while during his sword training, and he hadn't pegged Amamiya as someone who was needlessly reckless. Either the human was hiding something from him or that the teen was so mentally drained that he had deluded himself into thinking that he was invincible.

He pulled out the Forest Dweller’s Sword he got from completing a trial at Korok Forest. The edges have been blunted already, but it was very sturdy and lightweight due to it being made entirely out of wood. Perfect for practice spars.

Link refastened the magic pouch to his belt and held his sword in front of him. Amamiya assumed a crouched position. ‘I know I shouldn’t underestimate him, but is this really okay?’ “Would you like me to place any handicaps on myself?” he found himself asking.

“Nope.” In a blink of an eye, Amamiya was upon him. “Just don’t sell me short!”

Link blocked the slash with a quick raise of his sword, stumbling a bit from shock. His brow furrowed as he focused on the battle, fending each swing with a little maneuvering of his sword.

‘He’s not half bad,’ Link thought to himself as he deflected a jab and swung into a counterattack. Amamiya dodged and swiped at him twice, reversing his grip midway to ensure the pointed end of the boomerang matched the blade’s trajectory. ‘He’s not as good as a trained knight, but considering his fighting style he does have some skills on-par with a Yiga Footsoldier.’

He managed to get a solid whack at Amamiya’s ribs with the flat end of his sword. The human winced in pain, but after sucking in a quick breath the teen steeled himself and continued his assault. ‘Granted, he seems more inexperienced and less powerful than those assassins, but his tenacity and quick thinking make up for it.’

They went at it for a little while, Link staying more on the defensive side to gauge the extent of Amamiya’s current skill. A loud thunk rang through the ruins as the curved blade dug into the wooden sword. He could see that the teen was tiring. “Have you had enough?”

Despite the sweat beading down his face, Amamiya gave him the same grin he gave him earlier. “Hardly.”

The two broke away from the lock, Link shaking off a stray sliver of wood that had managed to chip off. A smirk began to tug at his own mouth. ‘All right then… Let’s see what you got!’

The swordsman leaned into his own strikes, taking a more proactive approach this time. Amamiya noticed the shift in the flow of battle and adjusted his strategy in turn. Although he fought as vigorously as he had from the start, the cracks in the human’s form had started to show.

‘A little more to the left.’ He could see Amamiya grit his teeth as Link deflected his blade again. ‘Cross, then step.’ A dive caused him to tsk. ‘No, that’s a nasty habit—’ He moved to whack him in the ribs again, but this time Amamiya seemed to read the attack and wisely leaped away. ‘There, now do it again!’

He knew Amamiya was at his limit, but the teen didn’t seem keen on ending the fight any time soon. At this rate, the human was going to harm himself by overexerting his body. ‘Sorry about this next one, Amamiya, but we need to end it here!’

Link parried one of his blows and kicked him in the stomach, pushing him back quite a bit and forcing him to his knees. He thought that this would be the end of their spar before Amamiya glared at him and suddenly sprinted at him at full speed.

Link’s eyes glowed blue as time slowed down, his body instinctively moving to disarm the teen. With a flick of the wrist, the blade was dislodged from Amamiya’s grip and was flung into the ground as time resumed at its normal pace.

Both of the boys stood there for a moment, Amamiya breathing heavily and Link staring in disbelief. ‘That look in his eyes just now… Was he planning on killing me?!’

Amamiya collapsed on the ground, panting. “Okay. You got me. I’m beat.”

Link sat next to his opponent, watching him wipe the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. He stared at his dark grey eyes. “I do not understand you.” Definitely sounds more awkward than “I don't get you,” but beggars can’t be choosers when you’re not proficient in a language.

“Same here,” Amamiya replied. He swallowed some saliva. “How can someone as young as you be so good with a sword? Or any weapon, for that matter.”

Link avoided Amamiya’s gaze. “That… is complicated. Let us just say that I was trained at a very young age.”

The swordsman’s tenure with the Royal Guards reminded him of his earlier assessment. ‘They couldn’t be a part of the Yiga, now, can they?’ “That look in your eyes earlier—”

“Oh, that?” Amamiya hastily pushed himself to his feet and jogged towards Link’s equipment. Link saw him pushing his glasses on as he settled back down next to him. “Sorry about that. People say that I have a really intense gaze, so I try to hide them behind these things,” he explained, tapping the frame of his glasses. “I also get carried away rather easily. I hope I didn’t up the ante too much.”

“I… see.” ‘He isn’t wrong though. The glasses really soften his entire look.’ Link drummed his fingers on his knees. “So… random question. Do you like bananas?”

Amamiya blinked. “What? Uh… No, not really. They’re okay I guess.”

Link internally sighed with relief. ‘Okay. Definitely not a Yiga member.’

The frizzy-haired teen suddenly flinched, as if he was hit by something. He held a hand out in front of him and looked up at the sky. “Looks like rain’s coming. You want to turn in for the night?”

“Sure.” The Hylian stood and helped Amamiya get to his feet. “The stable hands might be getting restless at this point.” Amamiya smiled humorously in response.

A light drizzle had started to sprinkle on them as they walked back to the large tent. Silence hung over the two, but it wasn’t like the silence Link was so used to experiencing. It was usually so cold, so empty— but after that whole interaction with Amamiya, the gentle quiet between them felt warm and alive. For once in a long time, Link actually felt…

“Amamiya-kun?”

The frizzy-haired boy glanced down at him.

“Thank you. For sparring with me.”

Amamiya shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

Rain buzzed between the two, clinging to their clothes and hair. The tall teen glanced back at Link.

“Hey Link?”

“Yes?”

He smiled. “You can call me Ren if you’d like.”

… companionship.

Chapter Text

??? POV

“I present to you… Finn Paulus.”

He stared at the lush red carpet, kneeling as his father had taught him to. Murmurs bubbled from the fringes of the throne room.

“For what reason do you present this boy, Sir Russell?” a lofty voice asked them. It came from somewhere in front of him, right where the throne of the king would stand. He didn’t dare look up to check.

“He is… my son.”

The murmurs exploded into full-on pandemonium. 

“The peasant knight had a child?”

“Why in the world did he bring him here?”

“I bet some rat interloped with him to take advantage of his position—”

“Hah, did he think that his boy could become the Hero of Legend?”

“Silence, everyone.” The force of the voice’s words were so powerful that the whole room became still. He felt so compelled to find the source of such a commanding presence that he risked a glance towards the tall balcony.

A woman with a large hat was standing a little ways from the king’s left side, her defining features lost to a bleary haze. Though strained with age, her voice carried well throughout the large room. “As you all have heard, harbingers of the Calamity’s return have been plaguing the visions of our seers. It is vital, then, to find the wielder of the Master Sword as soon as possible.” He averted his gaze back to the floor as he felt the eyes of the old woman land on him. “Prophecy states that the Hero of this time will be born to the knights who serve the Goddess’ descendants. Therefore, it would be wise to train all that are sired by those in the Royal Guard.”

“Even those that come from such base origins?” he heard one of the court nobles spat.

“Even them.”

Another roar of complaints broke out in the throne room.

“Preposterous!”

“This is absurd!”

“How could the fate of the world ever rest in such unworthy hands?”

“Be still!” That got the court to shut up again. “Do you question the will of the Goddess? Her works? Her ways? Shame on all who dare blaspheme against her!”

A heavy silence descended upon the royal court. He felt as if the stern edge in the woman’s voice could cut through stone. “Chosen or not, we will need all the help we can get to fend off such a malevolent force. It would be folly to turn down strength purely based on its origins.”

Murmurs of resigned agreement drifted through the room. The king cleared his throat.

“In that case… Finn Paulus, son of Sir Russell Paulus. From now on, you shall serve the Kingdom of Hyrule as an official Link in training. Rise, and acknowledge your king.”

His legs wobbled as he shifted to his feet, tired from kneeling for an extended period of time. The king’s face was also blurred with haze, but something in the back of his mind told him who he was.

King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule.

The last king… of Hyrule.

“Fall.”

The king had spoken, but something was wrong with it. It felt cold. Distant.

“Fall.”

He could see his eyes now. Orbs of blackened pitch, slitted pupils lined with gold boring deep into his soul.

“Fall.”

And his body obeyed.

Wind roared in his ears as he plummeted. Darkness enveloped him, making him blind to everything but himself.

A sudden pain stabbed at his heart. He looked down. A blood red tendril had pierced his chest.

More tendrils swarmed him, wrapping him in their grasp. The Master Sword was gone. His voice was gone.

Squeezing, suffocating, writhing in pain. He screamed, but no sound escaped his lips.

A seagull flew by.

A voice called out to him.

“Awaken.”

~~~

Link’s POV

Link gasped, his hand clutching his chest as his body swung forward. The dim lights of the lanterns illuminated the cozy interior of a slumbering stable. ‘Another dream…’

Ever since he met Amamiya—er, Ren—and his companions, he’s been haunted by hazy memories full of disturbing signs whenever he sleeps. Link has had his fair share of unpleasant dreams for as long as he could remember, but something about those crimson tendrils and that sonorous voice shook him to his very core. It didn’t help that his chest ached every time he woke from his slumber.

Apart from a twitch from Ren, his startled reaction didn’t cause much of a stir. Because of his familiarity with bad dreams, Link had gotten good at stifling any quick breaths and immediately slowing any jerks he might experience. Perhaps that was why his chest hurt when he got up.

He glanced at the clock. A little past four. With a sigh, he slid out of his cot and made his way to a cooking pot.

The swordsman sat down on one of the stools and began to methodically pull out travel kitchenware and various ingredients. Though the pot had already been scrubbed by the stable hands, Link gave it another thorough cleaning in order to get rid of any old residue that might affect the taste of his dishes. Satisfied, he removed his fingerless gloves and rinsed his hands with some water he bottled a while ago. ‘Time to get to work.’

Link had always loved cooking. Apart from the fact that he was a big foodie, the intricacies of the culinary arts kept his hands busy and his mind engaged in something other than stabbing things. Travel plans, quest objectives, time limits— all of that was pushed to the side once Link settled in front of a cooking pot. The most pressing thing at that moment became the temperature of the pot, the balance of flavors, or determining if the vegetables he bought last week were still good to use. (Especially that last one. Even though he had the stomach of a Goron, he couldn’t count how many times Princess Zelda fell ill to some of his more dubious works.)

There was another reason, though. The symphony of sizzles and mouth-watering smells brought him back to simpler times, even if the memories themselves were fuzzy and full of holes. It was a way to honor what little he remembered of his biological family, before… well…

The Sheikah Slate chimed. Snapping out of his stupor, the Hylian flipped a few pieces of meat and continued peeling carrots. The bright veggie would be used in a different meal, but Link wanted to get all the prep work done while he was preparing another batch of rice balls for lunch.

The sun bathed the valley with a warm glow as morning progressed. Stablehands and travelers crawled in and out of the colorful tent like ants, greeting each other with gentle smiles or friendly waves. Darton and Shibo, children of one of the stablehands, had somehow gotten their hands on some honeyed apples after hovering near the cooking pot for too long. Link didn’t mind being watched by kids, but their constant questioning about his travel companions left him no choice but to distract them with a tasty treat.

Takamaki was the first to exit the stable. She yawned and stretched her arms.  “Mmmmph… ‘morning.” The blonde girl sniffed. “Is that curry I smell?”

The rich aroma of Goron Spice must’ve woken up the rest of the quartet as Morgana, Kitagawa, and Amamiya came out of the stable. They too were pleasantly surprised by the hearty stew and gladly took the plates that were offered to them. Link could’ve sworn that Morgana was looking wistfully at Amamiya’s plate before chowing on the raw salmon laid out in front of him.

It was nearly nine in the morning when Sakamoto finally showed up. “Hey guys, is it just me or—” The blonde boy’s eyes widened. “Holy shit, it is curry!” He grabbed the plate Link handed him and immediately began scarfing it down. Link noticed him wince at the initial kick of spiciness, but soon his apprehensive expression melted into one of surprise and intrigue as the sweet aftertaste settled in.

Ren, however, seemed a little more downcast than before. The frizzy-haired teen had a sort of far-away look in his eyes as he ladled the sauce. ‘I wonder what’s up with him?’

He didn’t have time to wonder as a glance at the Sheikah Slate reminded him of the time. ‘Din’s Fire, we need to get going soon!’ “You may leave your plates with me. Relieve yourselves before we go.”

Ren’s POV

Rain drummed on the wagon’s canvas roof as a heavy downpour descended upon the valley. The torrent drenched more of the weird urn-like ruins that were scattered around the massive field, puddles pooling under the ruins’ sleek surface. Tentacles would sometimes jut out of the ruin and into the ground, positioned almost as if the urns were carried by such thin, bendy arms. Unlike the ruins in the area where they met Link, however, the upturned urn-things were surrounded by scores of scaffolding and tarp-covered crates marked with a strange symbol that resembled an eye crying. Yet another thing to puzzle out once they finally got to the Princess.

Apart from the drone of rainfall and the rattle of the wagon, the valley was encased in cold silence as wildlife sought shelter from the storm. Even Link had withdrawn to himself, his reserved demeanor tainted with an even grimmer mood compared to before. Something about the valley didn’t sit well with the swordsman. What it was, exactly, Ren couldn’t begin to guess.

The aching of his ribs pushed his thoughts to last night. Thinking back on it now, he was surprised that Link agreed to spar with him— the blonde elf was in a league of his own, and it seemed like he was well aware of the gap between them. The quick disarming of Ren’s blade reminded the teen that Link had allowed him to get so close.

Yet even still, Link gently pushed him on, maneuvering his blade in such a way that forced him to rethink his approach. The elf wasn’t simply sparring with him. He was actively trying to help Ren improve his fighting style.

That clued in Ren to two things. One, Link was skilled enough to turn battles to his own advantage. It wasn’t necessarily a new discovery, but rather a reevaluation of his strength (or threat level, if things ever went awry).

The second was the fact that Link was familiar enough with fighting against dagger-wielders that he could give Ren an impromptu lesson without breaking a sweat. Hell, he wouldn’t be surprised if Link knew how to wield a dagger himself, considering that he packed the blade Ren was using in his magic pouch. Well, technically it was a boomerang and not a proper dagger, but Ren’s point still stood— Link was quite familiar with short-ranged melee weapons, and the frizzy-haired teen had a feeling that that wasn’t the only other specialized weapon the elf knew how to wield.

In a similar vein, he was stunned at how well Link could mentor in action. More often than not, Ren’s “mentors” in school would jab at him with criticisms from a distance, never bothering to stoop down to his level to show him how it’s properly done. Link, on the other hand, had the humility and expertise to get his hands dirty and literally push him in the right direction. Something you’d expect from a wise old sage, sure, but not some guy that looks like he could still be in high school.

That made him wonder about Link’s occupation. He was definitely a knight, given his skill with various weapons and his familiarity with the Princess. His continued deflection of questions that probed into his life implied that he may even hold a very high position— one that was so close to the Princess that he had to be all secretive about it.

Speaking of the Princess, why were they meeting her specifically? If Link deemed them as some sort of foreign threat (which may have been reinforced by the lapse in control Ren had last night, but that’s beside the point), wouldn’t they meet someone higher up or more specialized in foreign diplomacy instead? Why risk having a bunch of strangers meet with the next heir to the throne? Or the soon-to-be-bride to another powerful individual, given that men usually ruled in eras akin to this one.

The frizzy-haired teen groaned and rubbed his temples. ‘So many questions, yet never enough answers… It’s frustrating being this lost.’ He glanced up at the rest of the group, hoping to find someone to bounce his thoughts off of.

To his right, Ann appeared to be drifting off, her head slowly sagging as her eyelids sunk. Opposite to her, Ryuji sat strangely poised towards Yusuke, who was busy sketching away at some parchment a stablehand gave him earlier. Morgana instinctively purred in his lap as Ren scratched the little critter’s head.

“Mmm, that feels— GRAH!” Morgana shook his head and shooed Ren’s hand away. “Okay, what do you want?”

“Was it that obvious?”

He huffed. “You never pet me unless you’re stressed. Now what’s up?”

Ren continued to scrub Morgana’s head, searching for something to say. The cat didn’t protest this time. “Just… this entire thing. The more I think about anything, the less things make sense.”

Morgana’s tail thumped on his leg. “Seems like you finally realize the gravity of our situation.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Our location? Unknown. Our guide? Tentatively trustworthy. Our information? Next to nothing.” He dipped his head. “We got caught up in something even I don’t entirely understand, and now we’re in too deep to back out.”

He couldn’t help but feel his spirits sinking as Morgana’s words sunk in. ‘Even our most reliable Navigator doesn’t know what’s going on… The situation really is dire.’

Morgana’s firm voice snapped him out of ruminations. “But we need to press on. Because a good Phantom Thief never skirts from danger, right?” He snickered. “Besides, I’ve figured out the tricks to the Metaverse all by myself, and you guys aren’t too shabby with investigating things either. I’m sure we can sort out all of these mysteries soon enough.”

Ren smiled. “I guess so.” The cat purred once more as the teen scratched the back of his ear. “Thanks Morgana, I really needed—”

The wagon suddenly lurched to a stop, causing the cart to skew off-balance. Yusuke fell into Ryuji and Ann jerked awake, clearly surprised. They all bolted from the thin walls of cream canvas and huddled next to each other to avoid being punctured by any stray arrows. Thankfully, no gurgly shrieks or snapping bowstrings were heard— just the grumbling of a very dour Link and the squelch of boots on mud.

“Phew,” Ann breathed as she settled back in her seat. “I thought it was another monster attack…”

“Yeah…” The blonde glanced at the drawing Yusuke had made. “Wait a minute… Where am I?”

The dark-haired boy looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“You said you were going to draw me! That’s why you told me to sit near the exit!”

Yusuke shrugged. “I never proposed such a thing. I only asked you to sit near the opening of the wagon to protect my drawings from the rain. Your broad shoulders provide ample cover.”

“Aw, you think my shoulders are broad? ‘Cuz I’ve been working out and—” Realization dawned on him. “Hey, wait! I ain’t no human umbrella!”

The two continued to bicker as Ann rolled her eyes. “Boys.” She yawned. “Welp. If we aren’t being chased by more of those ugly pigheads, I’m going to take a nap. Night.”

The tension in the air had faded completely by the time Ann dozed off. Yusuke and Ryuji had engaged in a keep-away battle like children, the former trying very hard to snatch his drawing pencil back from the latter. The random shifts in the floor’s angle due to one of the corners being lifted and dropped made the task even harder than usual. Ren inferred that one of the wheels of the wagon had gotten stuck in the mud, and Link was trying his hardest not to stub his toes from accidentally dropping it on his foot.

“Uh, Link?” Ren called. “Do you need help?”

“S’all good,” Link grunted as the cart started lifting. Yusuke’s lunge towards Ryuji caused the wagon to jolt back down. “But if you all could stay still for a moment, that would be highly appreciated.”

Fresh claw marks bloomed across Yusuke and Ryuji’s faces as Morgana swatted at them. “For the last time, stop acting like children! If you guys haven’t been paying attention to what’s happening, Link’s been trying to lift the wagon to get us unstuck.”

“Wait, for real?” Yusuke managed to snag his pencil back at his pause, but Ryuji was too busy being flushed with embarrassment. “Shit… Hey, Link! Let me help ya with that!”

“I do not think—” But Ryuji had already climbed out of the wagon and into the pouring rain.

Yusuke neared the edge of the wagon as well. “I do apologize for our behavior, Link. Perhaps I can be of assistance as well?”

Ryuji’s head popped back into view. “What can you do? You’re all skin and bones cuz ya don’t eat properly.”

“How dare—” Yusuke was thrown off balance from another sudden lift. Ryuji ran out of sight once more, most likely to help Link hoist the wheel all the way. The dark-haired boy shook his fist in the air. “This isn’t over, I’m telling you!”

Ren sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to hide his smile. No matter what strange circumstances they may find themselves in, his friends always cheered him up in some way. Just being there with them was enough to ease his nerves.

With a grunt, the wagon jerked forward and landed on nearly even ground. “Postremo!” Ren could hear Link exhale in exasperation. “I thank you for your help, Sakamoto-kun.”

“Don’t… mention it…” the blonde replied, sounding very much out of breath. Ren’s theory was confirmed when Ryuji collapsed into the wagon, drenched and very much drained from the effort.

Ann rubbed her eyes. “Geez… can you guys keep it down?” Her eyes landed on Ryuji. “Whoa. What happened to you?”

“The wagon… is much heavier… than it looks.”

Ren could hear Link shuffling back into the driver’s seat as their conversation droned on. Morgana’s tail thumped on Ren again. “He concerns me too, you know,” Morgana said out of the blue.

“What, Ryuji?”

“Oh, him? I’m concerned about that knucklehead every day of the week.” He shook his head. “No, I mean Link. He’s quite reserved for a guy his age.”

Ren's mind flashed back to his interaction with the elf last night. “He seems friendly enough.”

“Which makes it all the more strange as to why he’s grim all the time.” A pause. “He kind of reminds me of you when we first met.”

The frizzy-haired teen tilted his head at the cat in confusion. “You used to sulk around more often back then, you know. Probably because of your probation. It must’ve been hard making friends with all of those rumors floating around about you.” Morgana stretched. “Good thing I came along, then.”

Ren chuckled. “And why is that, exactly?”

“Well, you would have never survived that first Palace and established the Phantom Thieves without my help, now, would you?”

The wagon jerked back in motion as the teen shrugged. “Mm, yeah… I guess you’re right.”

“Hmph! Like I could ever be wrong.” Ren thought he could see a faint smile cross Morgana’s maw as he looked at the group bickering yet again. “But seriously… Keep your comrades close, okay? You guys really have something special between all of you. And me, of course.”

Ren ruffled Morgana’s head, causing him to yip. “I already know that, you doofus.”

A sudden jolt and a squelching noise tilted the wagon at another odd angle. “Nam amor… Ugh.”

“Wagon’s stuck,” Ren informed the group.

“Ugh, again?” Ann crossed her arms. “We’re never getting to the Princess at this rate…”

Ryuji snorted. “If you’re cranky about it, just imagine how Link’s feeling right now.”

“Are you going to help him lift the cart again?” Yusuke asked.

“No way! That thing weighed, like, a million tons!” He wrung out a part of his jacket. “Plus, I got super soaked last time. Not that I’m cold or anything, it’s just shitty wearing wet clothes.”

“I’ll go check it out then,” Ren offered, standing up. Morgana leaped out of his lap. “Just don’t move too much like last time, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, we know. We ain’t children or nothin’.”

Ren climbed out of the wagon and flinched when the rain quickly seeped into garb. He was already feeling a bit heavier than usual by the time he jogged up to where Link was.

It was the front left wheel that had sunken this time. Link already had his hands under the wooden frame, getting ready to hoist the cart purely with his strength alone. Ren quickly rushed up beside him. “Hold on, you might throw out your back that way—”

“Ama— er, Ren?!” Link said in surprise, nearly dropping the wagon. Ren’s knees buckled when he tried to help Link slow its descent. Ryuji was right. This thing was heavier than it looked.

Noticing the strain on the teen, the swordsman brushed him aside. “No no, just— Allow me to do it.” Ren gladly released his hold on the cart, and the elf set it down with a slight grunt. The look on his face suggested that he was merely setting down something as heavy as, say, a large bookshelf.

Ren scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry.”

“You do not need to be. I was merely surprised by your presence.”

“Still, you could’ve injured yourself if that wheel dropped on your foot.”

Link raised an eyebrow. “I could say the same about you in regards to the strain of this task.”

“Touché.” The frizzy-haired teen glanced at the stuck wheel. “So… What’re we going to do with the wagon?”

“The road is currently too wet to traverse without getting stuck, so I believe that it may be in our best interest to wait out the storm,” Link replied, though he didn’t seem all too happy about it. “I know of an establishment nearby. We can take shelter there.”

“Sounds like a plan.” ‘Geez, he must really want to get to the Princess if he looks this unhappy about stopping.’ “How far is it to the shelter?”

Link glanced at the road ahead, and Ren followed his gaze. A few meters away from them, a torn wall stretched between two cliffs that shadowed the valley. The gate stood solemnly amongst a sea of the urn ruins. “Past… there.”

Things were starting to click. The broken wall, the weird urn ruins, Link’s mood. Something terrible happened here like at the castle, and Link knew what it was. And Ren was pretty sure that the upturned-urn-things might’ve had something to do with it.

“Link—”

“The shelter is right beyond the gate,” the swordsman said. The firmness in his voice told Ren all he needed to know. He wasn’t going to talk about it.

“… Okay.”

Link turned back to Ren, his expression softening. “You should probably head back into the wagon. You and Sakamoto-kun can dry off once we get there.”

That made him aware of how soaked he was. Even his shoes had started taking water. ‘Shit.’

“I think I’ll do that,” Ren said quickly. With a small dip of his head, he zipped towards the entrance at the back of the wagon and hastily clambered inside.

Chapter Text

Link’s POV

Rain. Link always hated rain.

There wasn’t necessarily anything wrong with the concept of rain. In small amounts, the showers of cold, crisp water were relaxing— refreshing, even. But for some reason the goddesses were always keen on having it rain at the most inconvenient times, like during a steep mountain climb or when he desperately needed to ride home.

Plus, rain could mean thunderstorms. He did not need to get hit by lightning to know that that crap hurts.

He already took a risk by pushing on despite reading the rainy forecast on the Sheikah Slate. He figured that it was going to be a mild shower like the one he and Amamiya—er, Ren—were walking through the night before.

Of course, like most things in his life, he could not be farther from the truth.

Epona nuzzled Link’s face. He had resorted to walking next to her to try and test the ground before the cart rolled over it. “Aw. Thanks girl,” the Hylian whispered in his native tongue.

Despite the reassurance from his loyal steed, Link still felt anxious passing through Blatchery Plain. Too many bad memories were associated with this place. He would sometimes find himself wishing to forget all of it, but the amount of lives that were lost that day encouraged him to stubbornly cling onto the memories, no matter how painful they were. But his noble sentiments could never erase the pain that was associated with them.

His personal loss was the one that got to him the most. This was the place he failed as a knight. This was the place he failed to protect the Princess.

This was the place… he failed his friends.

And now he was stuck here until the storm blew over.

The Guardians really did a number on Fort Hateno’s walls. Chunks of stonemasonry had crumbled onto the ground below, now rife with grass and small creepers growing between the cracks. Some of the larger holes that were torn during the assault were patched with makeshift wooden palisades. The Ancient Tech Cleanup Crew had already dismantled the Guardians closest to the gate, but many of the decommissioned murder robots still littered the surrounding site.

Link nudged Epona to continue further as he stalled in front of the looming gateway. He glanced at a nearby stone tablet before he heard another squelch from the cart and winced. ‘For the love of… Damn it.’

No one from Ren’s group helped him this time. Which was understandable, as the wagon was pretty heavy for a normal person— not to mention it was bogged down because of the rain-soaked canvas and the additional human weight that would occasionally shift on the inside. But Link was able to shrug off even the heaviest of Lynel blows, so lifting a cart like this didn’t require too much effort from him.

It was the mud that was the problem. Not only did it make the ground slick under him, the suction from the displaced mud would sometimes work against him while he was trying to lift the wheel up. Thankfully, the wheel wasn’t too deep into the mud this time, so with one good yank the cart was free once more.

“Let’s get going, girl. Don’t want to keep our companions waiting.”

The torrent continued to pelt at Link’s thick clothes as they neared Doctor Calip’s hut. A handful of large, multi-layered tents were set up right next to the wooden cabin. All of them were empty, save for a white-haired Sheikah researcher who was still tending to her chores despite the incessant downpour. Link vaguely remembered the cleanup crew preparing to go on a supply run to Kakariko Village the last time he passed by this place. That would explain why the road was more uneven than usual.

A voice stopped Link from knocking on the cabin door. “The captain of the Ancient Tech Cleanup Crew isn’t here right now,” the voice said in a matter-of-factly manner. Link looked for the voice’s source and found another Sheikah picking apples high up in a tree.

“Oh. Well, who’s currently in charge of the camp?”

“Mister Calip is. Sorry, Doctor Calip is.” The man harrumphed. “He’s in over his head, that’s what he is…”

‘That might make things easier actually…’ “Is he currently in his cabin?”

“See for yourself. Though I don’t think he’s keen on seeing visitors right now.”

Taking his chances, the swordsman rasped his knuckles on the wooden door. He was greeted to the sight of a well-aged Hylian man with grey hair and stern eyes. The man sighed and pushed up his thin glasses, barely glancing up from a book he was reading. “For the last time, Melan, I don’t know if we’re allowed to move the bigger cores yet, so just wait until Symin gets back!”

Link cleared his throat. Confused at the rather masculine noise, the doctor looked up from his notes and his eyes widened. “Oh, Link! What a pleasant surprise.” He gestured towards the interior of the cabin. “Please, come inside. I’m sure the rain is dreadful to be in right now.”

Link dipped his head in thanks and slipped inside. The cabin was more cramped than Link remembered it. Most of the furniture has been pushed to the far corner of the room, the open space being dedicated to mounds of neatly-stacked books and tarps strewn with disassembled Guardian parts. Sketches of blueprints were scattered across the floor, in which Doctor Calip quickly scooped up and moved to his cluttered desk. He could barely see the doctor’s bed and a lone futon propped up against the wall closest to the door. Unlike the futon, which was wrinkled and worn from well use, the bed’s neat covers were blanketed with a thin layer of fine dust.

Doctor Calip clapped his hands together. “So! What brings you into my humble abode-turned-research lab? Any other ‘special requests’ from the Princess?”

“Nothing like that this time, no. I’m actually here to make a personal request.”

“Why, then, request away! I’d do nearly anything for the lad who recommended my expertise to the Princess herself.” His eyes narrowed. “Nearly,” he emphasized. “I’m not letting you take my cabin or my research notes. And don’t even think about borrowing my position as Vice Captain.”

‘O… kay…?’ “I was wondering if me and a few companions could stay at camp for a bit? Not for too long— we’ll be back on the road once the storm rolls over.”

Doctor Calip’s expression lightened. “Oh. Well that seems simple enough to grant.” He cleared his throat. “All right… By the power invested in me by Head Researcher Miss Purah and our gracious benefactor Princess Zelda; I, Doctor Calip, Vice President of the Ancient Tech Cleanup Crew, grant thee and your companions the right to reside in our camp until the storm passes over.”

His pompous announcement was met with Link’s awkward stare. “What? It’s not often I get to exercise my powers as Vice Captain.”

Link resisted the urge to sigh. “I thank you for your kind hospitality, Doctor. Really.” He remembered the two boys that helped him earlier. “Um, if you don’t mind, could you also allow some of them to warm up here? They got into the rain trying to help me lift the wagon out of the mud.”

Doctor Calip glanced around the cluttered room. “Hmm… How many of them are there?”

“Two that need to be warmed up. Four people in total.” He snapped his fingers. “Five, if you count their animal companion.”

The doctor held his chin for a while before sighing. “Oh, all right. The two that’re soaked can stay in here. But tell them to stay far away from the tarps, okay? I don’t need them dripping rainwater all over my hard work.”

Nodding in understanding, he turned back to the door before a thought occurred to him. “Don’t freak out too much, but my companions may be a little… round around the ears.”

“Come again?”

“My companions, they’re… human.”

Doctor Calip blinked. “Hu… humans?! In Hyrule?”

He wasn’t sure if the doctor was freaking out because there were humans in Hyrule or because he had the opportunity to probe said humans. Reasons aside, he needed to come up with an excuse for their presence before the doctor went on a full-on question spree. “Well, it shouldn’t be too surprising, considering the Princess is planning on opening the borders of Hyrule once more.”

That seemed to calm the doctor down, albeit only by a little. “I guess that makes sense… Are these humans diplomats, then?”

‘You know what? Let’s just go with that.’ “Yup. Totally.”

He straightened his back. “Oh. Well then. Please tell them that the Vice Captain of the Ancient Tech Cleanup Crew—Doctor Calip—gives them a warm welcome to Hyrule.” He waved Link off. “Now hurry up and grab them! We don’t want to seem rude to our foreign guests.”

Link couldn’t help but roll his eyes as he pushed the cabin door open. A brisk wind reminded him of Amamiya—shoot, Ren—and Sakamoto’s predicament. He shuffled over to the opening at the end of the wagon.

He lifted the flap and found that all of them were still there, tensed up like sheep amongst a pack of wolves. Amamiya and Sakamoto had begun to shiver in their damp clothes. ‘Shoot!’ “The current leader of this camp has agreed to take us in for now,” Link said in Common. “Amamiya, Sakamoto, you may come with me to Calip… er… Calip-san’s cabin to warm up. The rest of you must stay in the outside tents.”

“Finally,” Sakamoto groaned as they filed out of the wagon. The canopy of leaves from the trees surrounding the cabin provided ample enough cover to keep the rest of the members relatively dry as they made their way to the tents. The other two were still soaked to their feet, and despite their best efforts to hide it the wind was chilling them to the bone.

Their cat stood a little ways away from the drenched duo, wary of the rainwater dripping from their clothes. He could’ve sworn that the meow the little critter made was directed towards the two, as the boys didn’t stop the cat when he strolled away in the opposite direction.

“Will he be all right?” the swordsman found himself asking out loud.

“Yeah,” Amamiya—Ren—said. “He’s a tough cat.” He rubbed his hands. “So about that cabin…”

‘Crap—’ “Please follow me.”

The fragrant smell of roasted pine cones drifted out of the cabin as Doctor Calip opened the door. “Welcome, esteemed guests!” he chirped in Hylian. “Please, do come in…. Mind the tarps, though.”

Ren glanced at his blonde friend, who just shrugged in response. Link could practically hear the silent conversation they were having.

“Do you know what he just said?”

“Nope.”

… or at least something along those lines, as the next thing Ren proceeded to do was look to Link for help.

“I forgot to mention, doctor, but these two can’t speak Hylian,” Link explained in his native language.

“Oh. Well then…” He moved a bit further into the cabin and held the door open, beckoning them to come in. Ren raised an eyebrow at Link. The swordsman nodded in reassurance.

A gentle wave of warmth washed over him as Link followed the two inside. He could see the tension easing out of Amamiya and Sakamoto’s bodies as they wandered around the cluttered room.

The doctor scrutinized the two boys before leaning closer to Link. “Are you sure these two are diplomats? They seem pretty young to me…”

He shrugged. “Don’t look at me. I’m not the one who sent them here.”

Well, he wasn’t lying. Something—or someone—had sent them into Hyrule, and in a way the group represented their home country (which was definitely outside of Hyrule’s borders) through their language and actions. Unfortunately for Link, though, it seemed that the doctor’s typical skepticism was starting to encroach on the goodwill the swordsman had earned from him.

Doctor Calip’s sharp gaze was beginning to wear on Link’s nerves before something past the swordsman caught his attention. “Wait, no no no—!”

Sakamoto stumbled a bit in surprise as the doctor wedged himself between the boy and one of the various tarps sprawled on the floor. “These are very delicate samples! Please keep at an arm’s length away from these.”

The blonde boy held up his hands. “Sorry man. I just wanted a peek,” he replied in Common.

Doctor Calip glared at him through narrowed eyes as Sakamoto shuffled over to the fireplace, joining his frizzy-haired friend who had already settled in front of the hearth. Their happy yet travel-worn looks reminded him of the other two that were sent to the tent and the Sheikah woman he saw earlier. ‘I completely forgot to explain the situation to the other researchers!’ “Do you think you can handle them on your own?” he asked the doctor in Hylian.

“Hm? Oh yes!” Doctor Calip pushed up his glasses. “I’ll figure out a way to communicate the weight of our work in some way or another.”

“Should you really be telling foreigners about Hyrule’s ancient technology?”

“Mm, well, a little won’t hurt, won’t it?” He held his chin as he murmured to himself. “And if I impress them enough with the thoroughness of my research and the detail in my notes… maybe then… yes…”

‘Yup. He’s definitely doing it for attention.’ He edged away from the mumbling doctor and slipped towards the boys sitting near the blazing fireplace. ‘Remind me not to hand any critical documents to him…’

The scent of pine cones was particularly strong near the burning logs. “I must warn you, Calip-san is planning on talking to you for an extended period of time,” Link told them in Common.

Ren snorted. “I can tell. He kinda reminds me of a certain blue-haired… never mind.”

Sakamoto seemed to pick up on it though. “Oh, you mean him. Yeah, if he’s anything like that ‘Thief-ch’ nerd, we’ll know how to handle him.”

Though not fully understanding what the heck a ‘Thief-ch’ was, the casual tone of their voice somehow assured Link that they’ll be fine. “Well then, I will be right outside if you need me.”

He could see the doctor closing in on the humans as soon as Link stepped out of the door. ‘Let the slaughter begin, then,’ the swordsman mused to himself.

A voice at the back of his head grumbled at his insensitive joke, which quickly soured whatever levity he managed to muster up. ‘Don’t get distracted. You do realize where you are, right?’

“How could I forget?” he mumbled under his breath, trudging towards the tents that stood stubbornly against the rain’s relentless assaults.

A sliver of light slipped through the flaps of one of the tents, the murmur of conversation drifting to his ears as Link neared it. He pushed back the flap and found Kitagawa, Takamaki, and the Sheikah woman sitting in the middle of what appeared to be temporary living quarters. Futons and low tables were spread across a raised wooden floor, the tent’s support poles jutting from holes placed in evenly-spaced intervals from each other. Link reasoned that the small chests lounging at the fringes of the elevated floor were probably full of the Sheikah researchers’ personal belongings or unused research materials. A lone lantern sitting on one of the tables bathed the whole room in a soft yellow light.

Around the same table, the two humans and the Sheikah woman had settled on some maroon pillows. Apparently they’ve already been talking for a while, as the Sheikah woman was shirking away from a very inquisitive Kitagawa.

“I just cannot comprehend it— how is it that your clothing bears a striking resemblance to ‘wafuku’?” the dark-haired teen asked her in Common.

The Sheikah woman found it difficult to utter an answer with Kitagawa’s face being mere inches away from her own. She had already leaned as far back as she could, propping herself up with her arms behind her.

“Yusuke, for the last time— she doesn’t understand what you’re saying,” Takamaki huffed. She had wrapped her hands around a hot cup of tea to warm them up. “Now can you please stop bothering our host? You’re clearly making her uncomfortable right now.”

That seemed to snap him out of his artistic trance. “Oh. My apologies.” He retreated back to his own seat. “It just baffles me, though. We’re in another world, and yet…”

Whatever he was thinking of was cut off, as that was when he noticed Link staring at their strange behavior from the entrance of the tent. “Link! Thank goodness you’re here. Could you help us communicate with our pleasant hostess?”

The other two girls followed his gaze and appeared relieved at his presence. Takamaki recognizing him was understandable, but he was confused with the Sheikah woman’s reaction since he didn’t recognize her himself. That was when he remembered the embarrassing announcement Symin made the last time Link visited the camp. Kinda hard to forget someone when the camp director literally proclaimed how they saved the world with the very technology the camp was researching.

He moved to head inside before he noticed the pairs of shoes at the foot of the step. Link slipped his boots off and winced at the smell that wafted to his nose. You’d expect someone who’s been adventuring for years to get used to it, but as Princess Zelda pointed out, he had the nose of a wild beast. Good for things like advanced tracking, sure, but boy was it terrible for any sort of strong scent. He’ll definitely have to change his socks later.

By the time he neared the low table, the Sheikah woman had gathered her wits. She bowed as he scurried past him, excusing herself to get some more tea and snacks for him. He tried waving it off but her anxious insistence made him relent. He was kind of hungry anyway.

“So,” the swordsman said in Common as he plopped himself onto one of the floor pillows, “what exactly did you two do to make her so nervous?”

“I was merely asking her about her clothing,” Kitagawa said with a sip of his tea.

Takamaki rolled her eyes. “Yeah, while you were a few centimeters away from her face.”

“Why do you want to ask about her clothing?” Link asked.

The humans glanced at each other, hesitation plaguing their gazes. Takamaki was the one to break the silence. “Well… It just doesn’t make sense. All of the stuff we’ve seen so far looks like things from the ‘western middle generation’, but…”

“Where we come from, our old traditional clothing bears a striking resemblance to what that woman was wearing,” Kitagawa continued in her place. “There are some minor differences, but I am sure that she was wearing an amigasa on her head and an obi was wrapped around her waist.” He held his chin. “The robe could be some sort of modified haori, but I could be wrong… Fashion was never my strong suit…”

The blonde girl shook her head. “Anyway, we were just curious about the similarities between where we come from and this place, especially since—”

She suddenly held her mouth, her eyes growing wide. Link raised an eyebrow. “As you were saying?”

“Uh— Um—” She quickly popped a sweet into her mouth. “Mhmm! These things taste so good with the tea that lady brought in for us!”

Link’s gaze landed on Kitagawa. He quickly stuffed a sweet into his mouth as well. “Mmph… Mmm…! Yes, how exquisite!” He gestured to the plate in front of them. “You must try one for yourself, Link.”

Something was up. Link was sure of it. But the mention of food had put his mind in a frenzy of hunger, and despite his brain yelling at him to chase the lead his stomach was guiding his hand to the plate of sweets.

‘Food food food food food food FOOD—’

“Um, Link?” Takamaki said. “You might wanna slow down a little…”

He glanced at his hands. They were caked with fine powder and bits of sweet paste. He could feel his cheeks were extended like one of those Tabantha chipmunks.

He swallowed as his face reddened. “I do apologize, I did not realize—”

The two humans burst out laughing, their anxious expressions melting back into cheerful ones. He couldn’t help but chuckle with them.

“You know, I really thought I would beat Yusuke in eating the most sweets,” Takamaki said, wiping an eye. “I have a bit of a sweet tooth myself, and I wasn’t lying when I said I really liked them.”

“You all should stop betting on my capacity to eat,” Kitagawa shot back. “Though I will admit that you were two samples ahead of me.” He chuckled as he sipped his tea. “If Ryuji was with us right now, he would remind you of the ‘karorī’ you are packing.”

Takamaki huffed and crossed her arms, but Link could see in her eyes that she was only teasing the dark-haired boy. She turned her attention back to Link. “Speaking of Ryuji, how are the others?”

“Amamiya and Sakamoto are doing just fine in Calip-san’s cabin,” he replied. “I do not know where Morgana went, but Amamiya said that he should be fine on his own.”

“That is good to hear,” Kitagawa said. He looked around a bit absent-mindedly before a flash of realization crossed his face. “Where has our hostess gone off to?”

“She said she would grab some tea for me,” Link answered. But now that he mentioned it, why was she taking such a long time?

He stood and dusted his hands off. “I will go and search for her. Once she returns, please refrain from scaring her off again.” They nodded, and the swordsman went to the entrance of the tent and slipped his boots back on.

The storm still hadn’t let up, so his hood was once again thoroughly soaked as he wandered around the rest of the camp. Apparently the Sheikah woman was busy cooking up the batch of sweets for him and was too put-off by the humans to return to the tent before they were done. (Her name, Link found, was Melan— the very same woman the doctor was grumbling earlier at the entrance to his cabin. He questioned the doctor’s annoyance at her, to which she bashfully responded with a rant about her excitement towards a new discovery she found.)

After leaving Melan to her devices, he was heading back to the temporary quarters tent to tell the two before he heard a flapping noise above him. Puzzled, he searched the dreary skies before his eyes landed on a Rito buffeting against the harsh storm winds.

His eyes widened as the avian humanoid suddenly dove into the forest, crashing through the canopy of branches. He ran over to where he thought they landed and found the Rito groaning and shaking the leaves out of their bright purple wings.

“Are you all right?” Link asked in Hylian as he rushed to the Rito’s side. Thankfully, it didn’t seem like anything was broken, and apart from a few scrapes and bruises the Rito didn’t sustain any major injuries.

“Y-yes… Oh dear, I am terribly sorry for crashing down like this,” the Rito replied. Its chirpy voice carried the tones of a female macaw.

“Don’t be. It looked pretty rough up there.” He glanced up at the rain falling through the break in the canopy. ‘A bit too rough for flying…’ “Why are you flying during this storm, anyway?”

The Rito shimmied out of some straps and rustled through the waterproof leather bag attached to the back. It bore the insignia of the Rito Delivery Service. “I’m supposed to deliver some high-priority mail to someone in the Akkala Tech Lab… I hope I didn’t lose it in the— Aha!” She pulled out the letter in question. “Phew! Seems like my first delivery won’t end in disaster after all!”

Link glanced at the seal and his heart dropped. He grabbed the letter from the Rito’s feathery fingers. “Wait— Hey mister, I don’t think you’re allowed—”

He tore it open with his teeth and quickly scanned through the parchment. It was definitely the Princess’ handwriting.

- - -

Dear Robbie,

I must inform you that Link is currently on his way to the tech lab, and he is expecting to collect some research from you. Whatever you do, do not let him leave the tech lab.

Lucius has finally landed in Hateno Bay, and preparations for the matrimony have begun in earnest. I am well aware of Link’s dislike of the prince, and I fear that he may do something if things get out of hand. That is why you must keep him in Akkala for as long as possible. Perhaps if the plans for the ceremony are well underway, he may relent and allow me to wed the prince with minimal fuss.

This matrimony is key to solidifying our bond with the kingdom of Hytopia. Due to the nature of this request, I ask that you keep this letter from Link and burn it as soon as you can. You have my eternal thanks.

Sincerely,

Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule R.

P.S. If you really do have any new research results, please send them my way. Purah is waiting anxiously for any sort of breakthrough on the new project she is working on. What it is, I am not entirely sure… But she has informed me that you are aware of it.

- - -

Link stumbled back, his knees buckling from shock. That slimy wretch of a man was at Hateno right now, and he was going to marry the Princess. And Link wasn’t there to protect her from his insidious advances.

But what really made his head spin was the fact that the Princess lied to him.

He stood. The Rito flinched as he snatched the envelope from the ground. He jabbed a finger at the nervous avian humanoid. “Continue to the tech lab and inform Robbie that the Princess is asking for research. If you are questioned about your failed delivery, say that I, Link, have pardoned you. Have I made myself clear?” The Rito nodded.

‘Now that that’s settled…’ He looked back at the cabin. Through the window, the drenched boys and the frazzled doctor could be seen arguing about something around the warm glow of the fireplace. He scowled.

‘No more breaks. No more stops. We are going to Hateno Village now.’

He glanced at the letter in his hands. ‘There has to be an explanation for all of this… But we won’t get any answers waiting around.’

The parchment wrinkled as he squeezed the letter. ‘Please wait for me, Zelda. Because I will never forgive myself…’

‘… if I ever let you sell your soul to a wretch like Lucius.’

On the Road - END

Chapter Text

Part 3: Outsiders

Thumbnail Art (vblu6): Snake Eyes

Ren‘s POV

Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak.

You’d think that Ren would be used to sleeping in the wagon by now, what with all the naps he took during their three day trip to… well, wherever the hell they were going. But despite the weight of weariness permeating his body, the comfort of sleep did not come easy to the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

His restlessness could be attributed to a number of things. For one, his clothes were still a bit damp from when he helped Link lift the wagon. Their short stop at Calip’s cabin dried out the worst of it, but hanging out near a fire for half an hour could never dry anything bigger than a washcloth. At least the rain had mellowed out to a mild drizzle.

Additionally, wagons were not known for their outstanding accommodations when it comes to hitting the hay. There was only so much room for the four of them to stretch their legs, plus the stiff wooden benches weren’t very comfortable to sit on for an extended period of time. It didn’t help that Morgana had decided that the best seat in the cart was his lap. He didn’t take up much space, but damn was the little furball heavy.

Third—and most importantly—the trove of new information that was sprung on him made his mind buzz incessantly. After the sudden interruption of their equally sudden stop, the gang relayed what they learned from the different people they interacted with.

Yusuke and Ann had uncovered a strange incongruency with their “other world” theory— for some reason, the white-haired woman they were hosted by wore traditional Japanese clothing and offered them matcha and daifuku as snacks. A weird thing to find in a predominantly European middle age-inspired fantasy realm, but wracking their brains on it brought nothing but renewed frustration with how lost they were.

Ren and Ryuji, on the other hand, had been bombarded with diagrams of the complicated contraptions Mr. Calip and his crew were researching. From what they could gather, it seemed that the weird urn ruins they’ve been seeing were actually some sort of sophisticated machinery powered by something other than electricity. Ren also shared his theory that the urn ruins were probably linked to the destruction they saw at the castle and the wall near the camp— how the machines were connected, though, still eluded him. Ryuji had joked that they probably shot lasers out of their eye (for the diagrams Mr. Calip showed them depicted only one lens on its “head”), but that thought was quickly shut down as Morgana pointed out that it would be nigh impossible for a medieval society to figure out lasers before steam engines.

However, the most relevant observation to their current conundrum came from Morgana. Nothing interesting seemed to happen on his end before the cat heard something large crashing through the trees. Morgana begrudgingly admitted that he couldn’t see what was happening very well; despite his reduced perception, though, he was able to deduce that Link’s current hastiness was caused by whatever was written in a letter he tore open.

There was also the odd point of the appearance of the stranger that Link snatched the letter from. Morgana thought that it looked like a humanoid bird, but he figured that their peculiar silhouette was due to them wearing very baggy clothes. Since no one else was with the sleuthy cat, they just had to take his word for it.

And now here Ren was, mulling over everything they went over just to see if he could find some sort of breakthrough on the situation they were currently in. The team had already given up puzzling it out as a group— they couldn’t even agree on what time period they were stuck in given the blatant mismatch of technology. Seeing that butting their heads together repeatedly only ended up in a frustrating dead end, Morgana advised that they should just get as much sleep as they could. If only words could put an uneasy mind to sleep.

Hours crawled by, the patter of rain fading as the wagon lurched stubbornly through the mud. Frogs croaked from unknown ponds, pierced by the occasional hoot of a nocturnal bird. Link’s horse snorted as it clopped along the path.

Ren was going to go insane from boredom if he didn’t do something fast.

He opened his eyes. It didn’t make much of a difference since it was still very dim in the wagon, but he could at least make out the silhouettes of his teammates. They were all slumped over in the most comfortable position they could manage.

“Anyone else awake?”

Three different hands plus a paw rose in the air. ‘Figures.’

Ren grunted as he heaved himself upright. ‘No point in sleeping if everyone else is already up.’

The sounds of rustling cloth told him that the others had given up on sleep as well. Ryuji was the one to break the silence. “Man… this sucks.”

“You can say that again,” Ann grumbled. She stifled a yawn. “I don’t think I’ve had my sleep schedule disrupted this much since exam week. God, am I tired.”

Yusuke tilted his head. “Really? I feel quite fine.”

“That’s cuz you never sleep,” Ryuji pointed out. “Seriously, how are you not dead from making too much art?”

“The spark of creativity comes as it will. The most wondrous beauty, after all, comes from that spontaneity.” He scoffed. “It’s not like you are any better. How late do you stay up with those video games of yours?”

“You’d understand if you’d been on a fifteen game losing streak on Gun About: Online.”

“Maybe Morgana should follow you both home and put you guys to sleep instead,” Ren slipped in, amused. He felt the cat in question jerk at the thought.

“Hey, what do you mean by that?”

“You always nag me to go to bed. Can’t you nag someone else from time to time?”

“Or just, y’know, make a normal sleep schedule,” Ann said with a shrug. Ren could feel Morgana purring in his lap.

“I like Lady Ann’s suggestion much better.” His tail thumped excitedly on Ren’s leg. “Though if you need someone to remind you to go to bed, my lady, I would gladly—”

He yelped as Ryuji grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. “Can it, ya creep. Ain’t no one’s letting you in Ann’s bedroom.”

Ren couldn’t see the details of Ann’s face, but he assumed that she was flushed with embarrassment. “H-how did my bedroom get into this conversation?!”

“Morgana offered to nag you to sleep,” Yusuke stated plainly. “Assuming he does so by monitoring what you are doing at a given moment, he would need to—”

“Ugh, I know why!” She waved her hands in front of her. “Can we just drop this entire thing? Please? I don’t want this to be the first thing we talk about at the start of a new day.”

‘Huh? Is it already morning?’ Ren peered out from the flaps of the wagon. Sure enough, the sky was a blend of greyish blue as the outlines of clouds became visible once more. Faint sunlight slipped past the long shadows of the nearby hills, breathing life into the green of the trees and grass.

Since Ren sat at the end closest to the driver’s seat, he could clearly see Link from behind. He would’ve never guessed that Link pulled an all-nighter with the way he was all tensed up. The murderous intent radiating off of the elf made Ren sink back into his seat.

“How is he?” Ann asked as he turned back towards the group.

“He’s definitely pissed.” ‘About what, though, is the question.’

“What could the contents of that letter contain for him to be this riled up?” Yusuke muttered.

“I don’t know,” Morgana said. “But I think we’re about to find out soon. I hear a lot of voices up ahead.”

The gang grew quiet as the cart steadily picked up speed. It came to a sudden halt as a new voice greeted them.

“Ah, Ser Link! Iucundum est te iterum videre.” A pause. “Expecta— quid hic agis?!”

It sounded like the person Link was talking to was familiar enough with him to recognize him at a glance. The tone of his second sentence, however, conveyed a sense of surprise… and a hint of nervousness?

“Ubi est Principissa Zelda?” Link demanded. His voice was colder than ice.

“P-principissa Zelda? Doleo, sed tibi dicere non possum—”

“Ubi. Est. Principissa. Zelda?”

Another short pause. “Probabiliter adhuc domi est. Gallus nondum cantavit…”

Ren could hear Link jump off of his horse. “Ne quemquam nimis prope plaustrum accedere sinas.”

“S-sic!”

The rattle of Link’s gear getting fainter implied that he was sprinting away from the cart. Morgana leaped out of Ren’s lap. “You guys stay put. I’ll follow him to see what’s going on.”

Ann reached out towards the cat as it bolted out from the other side of the wagon. “Morgana, wait—!”

Ren put a hand over Ann’s mouth as the other voice piped up. “Salve? Estne aliquis ibi?”

The quartet froze. The shadows outside of the canvas became more defined as the sun climbed in the sky, so they were able to see the silhouette of a man creeping along the side of the wagon. Ren only prayed that the same couldn’t be said for the wagon’s interior.

Moving a finger to his lips, he gestured to the others to slowly lower themselves to the wagon’s wooden floor.

A heartbeat passed.

Two…

Three…

And then the shuffle of footsteps receded, allowing all of them to sigh in relief.

“What now?” Ryuji whispered to Ren.

“We wait, I guess.” ‘He can handle himself fine on his own, but… Please don’t bite off more than you can chew, Morgana…’

Link’s POV

The sun had already begun to crest the surrounding hills as Link ran across the bridge to his house. Their house. Gods, he was still getting used to calling it that.

He slowed as he neared the cottage door. His heart hammered in his chest, though he had a feeling that it wasn’t because of the little cardio he did back there. He gripped his fist.

Knock knock knock.

Movement could be heard from within. A feminine voice called out an indistinct phrase— a simple “hold on” perhaps.

Every minute that ticked by was agonizing. He knew deep down that she was fine, that she could handle things well enough without him for a few days. But despite her eyerolls and angry huffs… Despite the talks and reassurances… He could never shake the fear that he may lose her like how he lost everyone else.

He couldn’t afford to lose Princess Zelda.

Because she was the only one who truly understood his pain.

The rattle of a lock brought his attention back to the door. It opened inwards with a soft creak.

A slur of muttered apologies were already falling out of the Princess’ mouth. “I am terribly sorry Lucius, I didn’t expect you to—”

She stopped as her gaze locked with his. Her eyes widened. “L-Link. I didn’t expect you to be back so soon.”

He didn’t know what to say. Angry tangents, concerned utterances, and snarky remarks were all lodged in his throat. It didn’t help that a good amount of his fury melted away when he laid eyes on her. His sense of overbearing relief seeing her relatively safe nearly made him forget why he was upset in the first place.

Her emerald eyes landed on the torn envelope he was clutching in his right hand. “Oh. That.” She casted her gaze to the floor. “I-I can explain. I knew you wouldn’t—”

“…side.”

“Pardon?”

“Inside,” he finally managed to say.

Zelda quickly moved out of the way to allow the swordsman to pass through. He stepped through the doorway and was greeted with the familiar sight of his home kitchen and dining room. The front door closed with a soft thud.

Silence hung over the two as they stood near the door. Link searched her face for some sort of answer; Zelda was keen on staring at the floor. She squeezed her arms.

“You probably know what’s going on, then.”

He lifted the envelope. “Is… is it really true?”

He took her pause as a search for what to say. “Yes.” She drew herself up. “I did not speed up the wedding without good cause. Our kingdom cannot wait for support—“

“We were supposed to observe them for a year. An entire year, from start to finish.”

“The kingdom cannot wait for an entire year!” She gestured towards the door. “Our people may not be dying by the droves at the moment, but if we do not act now we will never be able to build a support system that will sustain Hyrule past our time in this world.”

“But this is not the way to do it,” Link argued. “Opening trade routes should not be our priority. Shouldn’t we look for solutions within our borders before turning to outside help?”

“With what resources, Link? The Calamity ravaged Central Hyrule, destroying most of our major roads. Monsters still roam along the fringes of settlements, scaring off what little caravans come through these parts. It is already difficult enough to coax the other tribes into coming out of isolation. How could I even begin to request for supplies they have stockpiled for their own purposes?”

“We just have to try. The kings of the past were able to do it back then. I know you can do it too.” He clenched his fist. “I just don’t want you to end up with a guy like Lucius.”

Her eyes widened before narrowing. “Are you speaking from a place of personal feelings?”

That caught him off guard more than it should. He still held firm in his stance, but internally his chest squeezed with a range of emotions. The only outward sign of his turmoil came as a shaky release of his breath. “No, Princess. I am only speaking out of concern for your well-being.”

“I told you I could handle Lucius just fine,” Zelda reassured him. The way she gripped her hands told him otherwise.

“No. It’s clearly not fine.” He held her shoulders. “Princess, I’ve seen the way he interacts with you. None of that is fine.”

Her expression melted back into anger. “So what? That’s it? I end our potential alliance with Hytopia because of my own discomfort?”

She pushed his hands off her shoulders. “The last time I acted of my accord, I nearly got the entirety of Hyrule killed. And for what? A couple of pictures?” She clenched her own fists. “I will not let my people suffer because of my selfishness. Never again.”

She spun on her heel and marched towards the door. Every fiber in his being was yelling at him to stop her, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He watched as her fingers lingered on the wooden door handle.

“This is my sacrifice for the greater good of Hyrule,” she stated, her voice coming off as a low mutter. She glanced at something over his right shoulder. He knew exactly what she was looking at. “You, of all people, should understand where I’m coming from.”

With a creak and a thud, the swordsman was left alone in his house.

Chapter Text

Link’s POV

Wind whistled through his dangling legs as Link perched on one of the sheer cliffs surrounding Hateno Bay. Normally the view of the shimmering Necluda Sea would take his breath away, but all of the cove’s natural wonders seemed to have taken a grimmer vibe this time around. The cries of gulls rang hollow as they reverberated against the bay’s high hills; the sand and waves, though contrasting in color, appeared muted in the morning sun. Everything looked so… bleak. Drained of life. Of hope. Of soul.

The very same thing could have been said about the look in Zelda’s eyes earlier.

He sighed as he reflected over that disheartening thought. Though the memories themselves were hazy, he could never forget how passionate the Princess was before the Calamity struck. Her stubbornness might have ruffled a few odd feathers, yes, but that fire in her eyes would rarely go out no matter how difficult things became. If the traditional route wasn’t working, then she would be the first to find a different solution she was confident in.

But after freeing her from the clutches of Ganon, it seemed that the price of her stubbornness still hadn’t left her mind. It was like she was hesitant about her every move— even more than when she used to struggle with unlocking her sealing powers. At least back then she would dive head-first into the next best option. But now? Every stride she took was premeditated; every sentence uttered overthought to oblivion. And despite her best efforts to hide it, this stiffness was definitely taking a toll on both her mind and body.

But what could he do about it? It’s not like he had any right to interfere. In fact, it felt hypocritical to do so.

Because this was how she grieved. How both of them grieved over their grave failures.

He still couldn’t come to terms with it. A hundred years and then some, and he still can’t help but blame himself for what happened back then. He knew that Zelda felt the same way— if not even more intensely. But it wasn’t purely her fault. They all made mistakes that day, and all the days leading up to it. Words left unsaid, feelings left improperly managed. If Link had just been a bit stronger; a bit more open, a bit more socially daring… More aware—more considerate—more caring—of Zelda and her emotional state back then, then maybe, just maybe—

The rattle of loose gravel startled him out of his stupor. He whipped around and found a wide-eyed Morgana partially sprawled on the uneven ground. It appeared that the cat had slipped while trying to follow him to the cliff’s edge.

“Morgana? What are you doing here?” he asked in his native tongue. At the tilt of the creature’s head, he smacked his forehead. ‘Right, I forgot he only understands Common.’

“Since you are present, would you please join me?” Link eked out in Common. He really hated how unnaturally formal his lack of vocabulary made him sound. It was supposed to be a casual invitation, not a threat.

Morgana seemed reluctant to comply but trotted over to him anyway. It really did seem like the cat actually understood what he was saying…

Somehow, having the little critter next to him made him feel more at ease. He felt inclined to give Morgana a scritch on the head but decided against it after seeing how poised the cat was.

He fixed his gaze back on the sea. The coastal wind gently pushed the hair out of his face. “Did you follow me because you were worried about my sudden departure?” he found himself asking the cat in Common. He knew that animals were quite sensitive to their caretaker’s feelings, so it probably wasn’t a far-fetched theory.

A mew followed his question. He glanced to the side and found the cat also staring out at the water. He chuckled. ‘I guess that’s a yes.’

His amusement faded as his gaze wandered back to the beach itself. He could see Morgana flinch from the corner of his eye as the cat followed the swordsman’s gaze.

The newly-constructed wharf was already swarmed with people as cargo was moved out of three large galleons. They looked anything but friendly. Swaths of rigging clung from the sides of each of the ships to its three tallest masts, mimicking the appearance of a spider’s web. The dark finish of the wood used for the hulls stood out like an inky blot amidst the pale foam of the waves that lapped against it. Even the slack sails felt foreboding to look at— a calm before the storm, if you will.

They fit the Hytopian prince quite well. Though idle at the moment, there was no denying that they could be a tremendous force to be reckoned with if the need ever arises. There were as many guns as cargo on each of those vessels, and he was quite certain that the crew unloading the barrels and crates were also very familiar with the ship’s cannons.

“Prince Lucius’ ships,” he muttered to no one in particular. Or perhaps to Morgana, as the cat’s ears twitched when he spoke. “He claims that all of his weapons are for security purposes, but I highly doubt that is their sole use.”

He didn’t realize how bitter he sounded. He cleared his throat. “I apologize for my harsh tone of voice. I just do not like the prince very much.”

Morgana tilted his head, like he was giving him a look of confusion. Link rubbed the back of his neck. “It is quite a long story. The way he conducts business is already shady enough, but how he treats the Princess…” He found his other hand was clenching his knee. He relaxed his grip and sighed once more.

“Mrowr?” the cat meowed, almost as if he was asking a question.

“It… it is not right. The way he grabs her by the shoulders, fiddles with her hair. Even the way he looks at her is lecherous.” He gritted his teeth. “That is not how a man should treat a princess— or any lady, really. And that does not even cover how we got into this situation in the first place. Had he not blackmailed us to meet up with him that first time, then…”

A pause. If he was already spilling that much, might as well give the whole story. His head drooped as he stared at his lap. “We were careless. The Princess believed that her plan would raise the least amount of questions during our travels. The other nations did not care about how we arrived. If anything, they did not care for us at all.

“But our method of travel had caught the attention of the prince. He sent someone to hurt our traveling companion and stole the key to our quick travel. All to convince us to formally meet up with him…” The anger welling in his chest trapped his words in his throat. The smug expression on Lucius’ face when he practically admitted to nearly killing a man still made his blood boil. How could he disregard a mortal’s life that easily?

Morgana made a sound that seemed to be a cross between a purr and a growl. The tension in Link’s body eased as he released his bated breath. “Though I wish to change our circumstances, I do not have the power to do so. The prince had insisted that I do not intrude on his meeting with the Princess, even going as far as to prohibit me from setting foot onto his commanding vessel.” Another tilt of confusion led him to point at the ship in the middle of the small fleet. “That one over there. I attempted to push past the prince’s guards earlier, but I could see in their gaze that they would not hesitate to use lethal force to keep me from the bay itself. I did not want to risk the lives of the villagers, so I have decided to watch from afar.” He clenched his fist. “Though if I were to have it my way, I would have stormed the ship by now…”

“Mrrrewr…”

The purr from the little critter caused him to groan. What was he even doing, ranting to a strange creature in a foreign language? It’s not like Morgana could understand him…

Something in the back of his mind scoffed at his doubts. Of course the creature understood him. All animals could understand verbal speech. Chasing that line of thought brought him a minor headache, so he chalked it up to yet another “hero shenanigan” from the past and pushed it aside.

Strangely enough, he did not feel too terrible about venting his frustrations to Morgana. What was the cat going to do, spill his worries to Ren and the others?

‘The others…’ Link sprung to his feet. ‘Dear Hylia, I forgot about the others!’

He clambered up the hill and sprinted back towards the village proper. He could hear Morgana bolting after him. ‘That must’ve been the real reason Morgana chased after me— I left them alone too long! Oh goddesses, I hope none of the villagers saw them—’

Turf was kicked up in sprays as he thundered down the dirt path that led towards the heart of the farming village. Though the day was still relatively young, the townsfolk were already bustling about, complete with their morning rituals and starting their work day in full swing. He got a few weird looks because of his erratic behavior but was generally ignored in favor of daily chores. It wasn’t the weirdest thing the swordsman had done during his three-year residence in the town.

Much to his dismay, there seemed to be a small crowd of children gathered near the front of the wagon. Thadd was doing his best to fend them off, but it wasn’t like he could brandish his pitchfork at the curious youngsters.

“Aw, come on! Can’t we just take a little peek?” one of the young boys begged in Hylian. Link recognized that it was Azu, one of the kids that used to spy on the tech lab.

“No. Sir Link said that no one must go near the wagon,” Thadd said, a stern edge to his voice. “It may be too dangerous to approach whatever is inside.”

“But we’re old enough to go on patrol,” another boy argued. It was Sefaro, the other boy that used to spy on the tech lab. He shifted his shoulder, on which rested a hand-carved waster. “How can we protect the village if we don’t know what we’re supposed to protect it from?”

“It doesn’t matter whether you’ve old enough or not. I am not about to go against the orders of the Princess’ knight.” He struck the ground with the end of his pitchfork’s handle. “Aster! Don’t think I don’t see you trying to sneak off to the side.”

The girl in question had crouched to the left of Epona. She huffed. “Boo-hoo. You’re no fun.”

“I told you we weren’t going to get past Thadd,” another girl said. This was Karin, the eldest of the kids and the daughter of the village chief. No wonder she was the most sensible one in the group.

“But don’t you wanna see what’s inside?” one of the other girls whined. The boy shadowing her whacked her on the head. Narah, and her older brother Nebb. Seems like learning how to properly handle the weapons Link lent him had wisened him up a bit.

“We should just get out of here before Mister Link catches us…” another one of the boys said, pushing up his large glasses. Teebo was his name— he remembered the little guy since he was the one who showed him where the horned statue was all those years ago.

“Ahem.” The kids whipped their heads towards Link’s direction. “You were saying?”

“Sir Link!” Thadd exclaimed. He scratched the back of his neck. “I do apologize, I really did try to stop them from getting too close, but, well…”

“It’s all right,” Link reassured him. “It sounds like they haven’t seen what’s inside anyway, so I would say that you did a pretty good job. You don’t need to apologize for anything.”

The man blinked. “Oh. Well then.” Link noticed a shift in his stance, the makeshift guard seemingly less tense than before. “What will you be doing with the wagon now?”

“I will take it back to my house. Er, the Princess’ residence.” He sidestepped the snooping children and prepared to swing himself into Epona’s saddle. One of them was bold enough to pipe up.

“Can’t we have a small peek inside first?” Aster asked. Karin sighed with a shake of her head, her arms folded across her chest.

“Sorry, kiddos. Highly confidential knightly stuff, you know the drill.” He heaved himself up with the stirrup and settled into the saddle. “Now stop bothering Mr. Thadd. He’s probably tired from watching the entrance all night.”

Thadd chuckled. “No rest for the weary, as they say.” He stifled a yawn. “Though if you’re up for it, Sefaro, Azu, I wouldn’t mind handing the day shift to you two.”

The boys’ eyes lit up. “Really?”

“S’all yours, long as you get some proper weapons. And no, Azu, your mother’s wood ladle isn’t a weapon.”

A smirk tugged at Link’s mouth as he remembered the early days off of the Great Plateau. That one bokoblin at a bokoblin camp would’ve beg to differ. He gently cracked the reins to prod Epona into a trot. “If you kids try to spy on me again, I’ll make you shovel Epona’s dung for an entire week.”

Various interjections of disgust rippled through the group as Epona pulled the wagon past them. Any sort of dung duty would put off even the most stubborn of warriors. He should know, as he too loathed the strong stench of his steed’s excrement.

The sight of a familiar fuzzball leaping into the driver’s seat snapped him back to reality. He couldn’t afford to relax now. Malice is once again leaking into Hyrule, and the only clues he has to its origins are these humans and their cat. But if the Calamity was really returning, then… Was everything that happened to him… worthless?

Epona snorted, startling him. He glanced down at his hands. Epona’s reins were clenched tightly in his fists, restricting the horse’s head movement. He quickly released them and patted the mare’s neck. “Sorry girl. Lost myself for a second.”

Even with the loose reins, Epona did not budge. He looked at her quizzically before realizing why she had stopped. ‘Ohhh. The bridge is too narrow for the wagon.’

“Clever girl,” the swordsman said with a scratch behind her ear as he slid off of the saddle. His feet crunched on dirt as he walked towards the back of the wagon.

‘We’re a good deal away from the main road… I’m sure no one will notice me sneaking a couple of humans into the house. Yeah. This’ll work out just fine.’

Ren’s POV

Things, in fact, were not fine.

They had been in the same low position for hours, too nervous to shift around in fear of getting caught by the villagers. Morgana had dropped by a bit earlier (much to Ren’s relief) but advised them to stay put as there were a couple of curious kids snooping right outside the wagon. That first day when they trekked uphill to the stable felt like nothing compared to the immense aching currently permeating through Ren’s body.

So when Link finally popped into view from the back of the wagon, he didn’t know whether to sing holy hymns of salvation or to punt the elf square in the face.

Gasps could be heard as everyone in the wagon released their tensed limbs, resulting in them collapsing onto the wagon floor. The elf merely blinked at their strange behavior.

“Quick,” the swordsman whispered in Japanese. “We must head for my house before anyone sees you.”

“Give us a minute, will ya?” Ryuji groaned. “We’ve been crouching for ages. I can’t feel my legs anymore…”

“I can’t feel my arms,” Ann echoed, the arms in question slumped limply on her sides. Yusuke looked like he passed out with his eyes open.

Something fuzzy brushed against Ren’s cheek. Morgana had pushed his head through the front flaps. “Stop complaining. You guys need to get a move on. Now.”

Ren forced his brain to stop listening to the screams of his sore body. ‘You’ve been nearly beaten to death multiple times. This is nothing.’

“Come on,” Ren managed to grunt as he lifted himself to his feet. “We can rest when we get there.”

After a few more groans of complaints, the rest of the gang managed to pull themselves out of the wagon. Being the closest to the front, Ren was the last one to clamber out of the shade of the heavy canvas… and the last one to finally catch sight of the place they ended up at.

The first thing that jumped out at him was the handful of colorful buildings surrounding the small glade they were standing in. Their boxy nature and the warm reds, blues, and greens they were painted with reminded him of those wooden toy blocks stacked on top of each other. They seemed a little silly at first glance, but the more he looked at them the more he felt a sense of coziness oozing out of each design. Maybe it was because they looked pretty compact like most of the modern houses in Tokyo.

Past that were scores of houses that fit more into the aesthetics of medieval Europe— at least, as far as he could tell with his limited knowledge on actual European architecture. At a distance, the houses seemed to be made out of rocks and light cream plaster, topped with red shingled roofs and adorned with dainty little windows. Tall chimneys sat precariously on top of each roof, braced against wooden beams that jutted into the stone structure. He could spy a few granaries interspersed between the large buildings, and on the fringes of the town were farms that stretched across large swaths of terraced land. Beyond such fields laid an entire mountain range capped with snow at the highest peaks. This majestic backdrop to the quaint town really tied the whole thing together in a way he couldn’t articulate. It just made the whole village seem more secluded, more homey, in a way.

Link cleared his throat. Apparently he wasn’t the only one who was entranced by the view of the village. Yusuke was practically drooling at the sight. “You may have a proper look at the village later. For now, please allow me to escort you to my house.”

‘Wait, his house?’ Skirting around the wagon, he was greeted with the sight of a wooden bridge leading to another one of those rock and plaster buildings. This one seemed to be older than the others, as ivy grew on parts of the wall and grass blanketed the stone platform connected to the side of the house. Apart from its isolation from the rest of the town, you’d never guess that a swordsman like Link resided in a charming little cottage like this one.

Link led Epona to a small pen to the right of the house as the gang approached the cottage. “This… is Link’s house?” Ryuji asked, dumbfounded.

“It is quite rustic,” Yusuke stated.

Ann giggled. “I think it’s cute.”

“Cramped is what I’d call it,” the blonde boy muttered. “It definitely isn’t a castle.”

“The Princess lives here, though, so you better treat it like one,” Morgana warned with a hiss. Ryuji’s eyes widened.

“Wait, what?!”

“Could you keep your volume down? We are meant to be sneaking you all into the house,” Link reminded them as he jogged back to the group. He glanced down the path past the bridge before heading for the front door. It was pushed open with a soft creak. “Hurry. Before someone sees.”

The gang ducked into the house and found themselves in the middle of a rather spacious room. At its center sat a simple wooden dining table with two chairs, though there only seemed to be dishes set for one person. To the left was a fairly furnished kitchen chock-full of ingredients and kitchenware. No oven or stove could be found; however, Ren remembered spotting a cooking pot right outside, so he figured that the kitchen was more for prep and the cooking was done outdoors. Framed portraits and shelves packed with little trinkets dotted the remaining wall space, and at the very back of the room rested a cold fireplace stacked with soot-covered firewood.

The wall to the right of them had a few more interesting features. Namely, there was a staircase leading up to a loft that stood only a meter or so from the top of Ren’s head. Under and beside the staircase was a storage area with a small cot set up right underneath the stairs itself. The remaining wall was furnished with another portrait and a few other storage options in the form of drawers and cabinets.

Link’s voice brought Ren’s attention back to the swordsman. “Please remain here for the time being. The Princess is currently busy with other matters.” He gestured towards the kitchen. “You may help yourselves, but please refrain from using the cooking pot or any of the heavy-duty items. Anything under a lock is prohibited.”

His gaze now landed on the stairs. “Additionally, upstairs is off-limits. They lead to the private quarters. Please respect our privacy.”

Before they could say any assurances, the elf was already at the door. “I have urgent matters to attend to. Stay here. And please don’t break anything.”

The door swung shut with a quick thud, leaving the group of teenagers and their cat alone in a stranger’s house. There were a few seconds of quiet to process what just happened before the teens sprung into action.

Ryuji and Ann bolted for the pantry, desperate to sate their hunger and thirst. Yusuke marveled at each framed portrait, gushing about how true to life the pictures were. Morgana, well, he  just kind of chilled in the corner as he watched the chaos unfold.

He was debating on what to do before his stomach reminded him that he hadn’t had breakfast yet. ‘Joining Ryuji and Ann it is, then.’

With a bit of scavenging and nifty knife work, they managed to make some fruit bowls and freshly pressed juice. Noticing his friends at work, Yusuke proceeded to set the table and suggested different plating techniques to ‘achieve the most beautiful dishes.’ The final result wasn’t too impressive in terms of ingredients, but damn did the fruit bowls and fruit juice look like they were made in a Michelin restaurant.

“And now, to feast!”

There must be something in these other-world fruits because holy shit, were these fruit bowls good. He never knew that fruits could taste this sweet, or tangy, or just so… fresh.

‘Or maybe it’s because we made these as a team,’ Ren thought as he observed the gang laughing at a joke. He chuckled between his bites.

Morgana, however, just had to ruin the mood when he leaped onto the table. “Are you all finished?”

Ann’s grin faltered when she saw how serious Morgana looked. “Yeah, mostly.”

Morgana’s tail curled as he sat down. “Good.”

“Because you guys might wanna steel your stomachs for this one.”