Chapter Text
Chapter 1.1: Lumora's Village
The water felt cold, it was painful to be here.
No, it's not painful.
The girl tried to open her eyes, but she couldn't. She felt exhausted, the river carried her gently to the edge, but she still didn’t have the strength to lift herself out. It was indeed painful.
She thought that maybe it was what she deserved after all. Did I even make it? The girl thought while trying to open her eyes one last time, it was hard to see anything because it was too dark, she saw a glimpse of grass fields with tons of trees and nothing else. She gave up until she heard some noises. A carriage?. She heard a female voice but couldn't make out the words. She tried to open her eyes once again, and the only thing she could see was the moon reflected in the icy water.
Perhaps this was fate’s quiet revenge.
There wasn't much to do, she just hoped she could get out of this.
Three days had passed since they began their journey, for some people, it can be way too long and boring, but for Finn, it wasn't. He saw this kind of trip as a fun way to learn things. After all, he lived in a small village away from Castle Town. After their parents passed away, he and his older brother Link moved in with his uncle Ed, who was a well-known baker in town. They had been on the road for so long because a grand celebration was approaching in Castle Town, and Uncle Ed saw it as the perfect chance to sell his food. While he’d sold there before, this time was different—it was the first time he’d brought his nephews along, and they were about to embark on a whole new adventure together.
"Ok, I think it is time to buy more supplies for the journey before we leave this village, after all, I think we will reach castle town by tomorrow" Said a manly voice while his eyes started scanning the stalls of the village market.
"Can I go to look after Link? I get bored watching stuff that I cannot buy" Said Finn to his uncle Ed. Link disappeared that same morning, probably because he wanted to explore the fields.
"Hah! You are a really honest kid." Said Ed with a smile. "Ok, but try not to go far away, I'll reach you when it's time to go."
The little boy started looking in the village, but he saw no sign of Link. This village is quite different, the boy thought. Since the trip started, they stopped in different villages along the way, other ones were smaller, but this one was pretty big. They were in Lumora's Village, which had a huge market in it, and outside, there were a lot of farms. The villagers claim this village is among the oldest, second only to Castle Town; it has its own religion, and it is kind of independent in its own way. Perhaps that’s why it has flourished so greatly. In the center of the village, there were some moon symbols and a big fountain, along with some stores. The village has two main gates for entry and exit: the western gate, leading straight to Hyrule Field, and the eastern gate, which opens to the sea. A third gate exists, the northern gate, but it remains sealed, for the forest beyond is known to be dangerous.
Finn kept looking and exploring the village until he reached the northern gate of the village, which was half open, and there were no guards at it. He was going to turn around when, far away, he saw a very blurry white light. It might have been just the sun's rays hitting some water, but something about the light felt... different. The boy couldn’t resist. Step by step, he moved toward it, curiosity pulling him deeper into the unknown. The closer he got, the more the light pulled away from him, as though leading him somewhere unknown. It wasn’t until he stumbled upon a cluster of ancient ruins that it finally paused. There were no trees surrounding the place, so far off in the distance, the faint outline of a castle stood against the horizon.
"Wow, it is bigger than I thought," Said Finn, thinking out loud. Back in the village where he was raised, he had some books that his brother gave to him about Hyrule's history. He read about the castle, but it was way too different to look at.
He tried to look after the light he was following, but he found nothing. What met his eyes was only a river, slipping silently into the depths of the woods. Maybe that light was the sun's rays after all. But it felt too real... He slowly scanned the ruins around him. There wasn’t much left to speak of—two pedestals, perhaps, long ago, but now only fragments remained. Behind them rose a weathered stone statue, though something about it felt off. Its eyes were hollow, as if they were missing entirely. A plaque rested beneath it, partially covered in moss and grass, the text engraved on it was hard to make out, almost lost to the years.
May She Who Dwells in the Moonlight guide our steps through the shadowed path.
"Is it amazing?" A man said behind his back. Finn got a little surprised because he didn't see him coming. When he turned, he realized that he was a tall and skinny person with a bag on his back that exceeded his height. How can he travel with that? He was probably some random merchandiser. "You know, this structure used to be very sacred for the people of Lumora's village. They used to perform rituals here so the moon could guide the souls with its light, keeping them from getting lost in the shadows.
"And why was it abandoned?" Fin said with curiosity
"They say some opposed the ritual, spreading the belief that the moonlight meant to protect us was actually consuming souls to sustain its glow. In time, the ritual was cast aside and forgotten" said the merchandiser, looking at the statue
"That's a sad and interesting story. I would’ve liked to see how the ritual was performed."
"Well, actually..." Said the merchandiser while he was trying to reach something in his big bag. "Here is an exclusive book that explains this exact story! I know you are interested in this kind of stuff!! Some other weird merchandiser gave it to me in this very place, he said that he had found it in an old library and that it has a lot of secrets of Hyrule, so I'm pretty sure that you can find the story of Lumora's Village in this book!" He said, showing him an old leather book. The cover was completely black, but there was a weird symbol in front of it. The sun and the moon with an eye in the middle with a small hole in it. It was weird because most Hyrule stories had a Triforce symbol, but this was quite different.
Finn's eyes sparked when he saw it. If he had one weakness, it was new knowledge, and now he has seen it, he couldn't get his eyes out of it.
Finn tried to take the book out of the merchant's hands, but he took it away.
"It cost 250 ruppes" He said with a smile. Of course, he was trying to sell it, the problem was Finn didn't have the money, he didn't know where his brother was, and his uncle was back in the market. Now that he thinks, the path the light led him on was unclear. How far had he truly gone?
"Can I get a loan or something?" The kid said with an innocent smile. At this point, Finn didn't care how to pay for the book, he just didn't want it, he needed it.
"Of course you can! But I'll give you a due date, after that your debt will increase" The merchandiser said with a big smile
"Well, well, well, what we have here?" Said a voice behind the merchant. He turned, and he saw a very tall and built man. "Finn, we are leaving in half an hour, where have you been?"
"Oh, Uncle Ed" Said Fin with a big smile "I was about to buy a new book!"
"I-I was just tryy-ing to sell to this little ki-d this book, he looked clever so I thought he would like it" Said the merchant shaking. He looked kind of scared of Uncle Ed because of his looks. "Actually, I will sell it to him at 100 ruppes, it's on discount now."
"Finn, do you want this book?" Said Ed with curiosity.
"Yes! I would like to have it in my collection" Said Finn with sparkling eyes.
"Ok, I'll buy it for you" Said the uncle with a soft smile.
"Thank you so much!" Finn said with a big smile on his face.
"Why don't you show it to your brother while I pay?" Said the uncle with the same soft smile he had. People usually mistake his behavior because of his looks, but he was softer than everyone believed. "I think I saw him in the river..."
Finn turned around and took his book to show it to his older brother Link, but when he did, he realized that he hadn't gone too far from the village. Then why did it feel like I was walking for so long?. He made an effort not to dwell on it, his excitement growing instead to show his brother the book he had discovered. As he carefully examined it, he noticed a name inscribed on one side.
The Moonshard