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Chapter Text

The portal appeared, and everyone began packing up. They were currently in Wild's Hyrule, having gotten to sleep in his house. Twilight had been in it before, but never before had he gone there as a human. The beds beat the floor any day, though, he could say that.

Although, Twilight had a bad feeling about this one. The portal seemed… different, and not in a good way. Perhaps it was a new Hyrule? He wasn't sure.

Looking around, Hyrule (the person) also seemed put off, so his concerns probably weren't unwarranted. After all, if the half-fairy wasn't at ease…

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he heard Wars ask if everyone was ready. Everyone replied that they were, although Twilight just nodded.

"Everyone stay on guard." Hyrule spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "This portal… it feels different, in a way."

"We will, don't worry." Four replied, his eyes currently a dark purple. (Although, something told Twilight that he wasn't referring to any of the others. Perhaps the royal we? He'd heard some Zeldas use it before…)

"Let's go, then."

Everyone walked into the portal, the familiar feeling of nausea hitting Twilight as he walked through.

And it seemed like time itself began to warp in ways it should not have. Twisting and turning around him, in loops. Time was looping, or so it felt like.

…that didn't change that time was linear though, right?

Once out of the portal, the Chain took a moment to let those who didn't handle portals well to rest. After confirming that everyone was ok and free to go out again, they explored the area.

A double door stood before them, the way up to it being stone stairs. Looking around, Twilight spotted some mechanisms. Were they in a machine of some kind?

Time seemed tense though. Twilight wondered…

"Hey, Old Man," Twilight called, "do you know where we are?"

Time seemed startled, but took a deep breath and replied, nodding.

"I might have an idea, yes. But… it shouldn't be possible. This place…" Time shook his head.

"This place what?" Legend pried.

"Ah, it's nothing. It's not likely we're where I think we are anyway."

Their conversation was interrupted by footsteps, as a salesman opened the doors, causing the other Links to move out of the way. The salesman had brownish-orange hair (Twilight couldn't decide which), a purple tunic, and a backpack full of masks.

Time paled at the sight of the man. He must've known him. Was he really bad news though? He seemed friendly…

Twilight shook his head. He'd seen the Yiga and their disguises. Maybe this was no different.

He was snapped out of his musing by the man saying something to a Deku Scrub that had walked through the other entrance (when had that gotten there?) with a yellow fairy by his side.

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

Twilight was tense now. What could that even mean?

Time took a deep breath, approaching the man before having a conversation with him. He then turned to the Deku Scrub, who seemed apprehensive, trying to explain something, from the looks of it. Then, Time pulled out his Ocarina. He looked at the rest of the Chain, who seemed equally confused. It wasn't often Time used it, after all.

Legend seemed tense, probably worrying about a threat. Twilight was worried too, but… Time seemed to know what he was doing. So he gave the Deku Scrub the benefit of doubt.

"← → ↓, ← → ↓…"

Twilight's eyes widened. He knew that song. It was the one that let him summon the Golden Wolf— future Time. In his timeline, anyway. Of course, it made sense that Time knew the song, but…

"What the hell?!" Legend suddenly shouted.

Twilight turned his attention back to the Deku Scrub, watching as the Deku's face fell off of it, and the Deku transformed. Twilight saw what had made the Veteran react like that now.

The Deku transformed into a young Hylian, sporting a green tunic and cap, as well as brown boots.

It was a Link. A hero.

Warriors seemed especially surprised. Did he recognize the kid?

Time turned to the Chain after a brief conversation with the kid, sighing.

"Boys, meet young me. Young me, meet the Chain."

Wars waved, and Wild approached the younger Time curiously.

"Huh. You don't have the marks on your face yet. I've never seen that shield before either…"

He then proceeded to bite Wild.

"OW!" He cried out, Wind having a laugh at his expense.

"Ah, I forgot to mention that he bites, didn't I?" Time said.

"Yes." Wild replied, clutching his arm with a frown.

"But we still don't know where we are." Sky piped up, redirecting the conversation. "Time, you said you had an idea…?"

Time nodded grimly.

"Welcome to Termina. Right now, it's 6:09 on the First Day, with 71 hours, 50 minutes, and 34 seconds until our time's up."

…now, what could that mean?

Chapter Text

"So," Wind asked as Time opened the doors to the Clock Tower, allowing them to leave, "what just happened?"

Wars frowned. "The man said something about a mask? Time, do you perhaps…"

"Let's talk about this later." Time interrupted, seeming uncomfortable. "Right now, we need to focus on getting access to the top of Clock Tower.

"Of course, I could play the Song of Double Time to skip to the night of the Final Day, but I want to speak to the townsfolk first."

More specifically, Time thought, if my rupees are still in the bank.

"Hey, wait." Four interrupted, his eyes now sea blue, "what do you mean 'Final Day'?"

"The salesman said that he was leaving town in three days' time," Hyrule replied (When had he heard that?). "So Time probably means that it's the Final Day in the sense that it's the last day before he leaves."

"Yes, essentially." Time said in return, nodding.

He was hiding something though. Four could tell.

But what?

He knows something, doesn't he?

I'm almost certain he does.

But why isn't he telling us? Does he not trust us?

I don't know. He seems on-edge though, like there's danger nearby.

I don't see any monsters though…

Maybe it's a different kind of danger.

Like what?

Vio wished he had an answer for that.

Hyrule was talking to the fairy, Tatl, Vio believed her name was. He had no clue what they were saying, but it seemed to be rather unserious, so Vio didn't pay any mind to it.

"Hey, uh, is the moon supposed to look like that?" Wind suddenly asked, pointing up above Clock Tower.

Everyone followed his finger, only to find that the moon loomed over it, seeming like it was… falling.

But moons don't fall. Vio thought. Everyone knows that.

And everyone knows that people don't just pick up a sword that splits them into four. Blue countered.

Touche.

He couldn't deny that Blue had a point though. He— or rather, they— possessed a weapon that allowed them to split into four people, otherwise known as the Four Sword, and they'd seen an abundance of "impossible" things in their time. The moon falling just made sense at this point.

Vio took a closer look at the moon now, suddenly aware of its face. It seems angry, and its teeth were visible. Vio shivered at the sight. The moon having teeth… yuck. It was also creepy, but he wasn't about to say that.

Hasn't Time said that he's fought the moon? Red wondered.

Vio opted to ignore that thought.

Time frowned. "No, it isn't."

"What does it mean though?" Legend wondered.

Everyone looked at Time expectantly. He knew the most about this place, after all. So surely he knew what was up.

"I'm not sure." He stated, looking at the moon in a way that suggested that he had history with it. "I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually though."

He was lying. He had to be. There was no way he wasn't.

Hyrule was the first to break the awkward silence that followed. "So, uh, where do we go now?"

"I say that we go to Romani Ranch." Time replied after thinking. "It'd do us good to get Epona."

The young Time’s eyes sparkled at that. "I can get her back?"

Time smiled softly. "Yes, yes you can."

"Wait, how far away is this ranch?" Twilight asked. "We're on a time limit, y'know."

"Well, it's feasible, technically, being 5 hours away at our pace, but we have to get there by 2:30 AM, so we have to set out now."

"Are you sure we really have time?" Wild asked.

Time sighed. "It's only 1:31 PM, so yes, we have time.

"Which reminds me, we should probably think of a nickname for young me."

"Mask?" Sky suggested. "You gave him a mask earlier, so it makes sense."

"I guess." Young Time, now Mask, replied.

"It fits." Tatl chimed, and Hyrule nodded.

"So, if we're done here, shouldn't we be headed off to find Epona?" Legend asked.

"Yes, we should." Time agreed. "To the ranch we go. Just don't be surprised when we're recruited to fight aliens. And no, you can't refuse."

Twilight coughed. "Aliens? Are ya sure, Old Man?"

Time nodded. "I'm sure."

So, they set out, following Time's lead. It took a bit, but they eventually arrived at a boulder.

"Put some bombs by it." Time instructed. "And be careful, I'd prefer that no one gets blown up."

The Champion took two bombs, one round, one square, out of his Slate, setting them by the rock. Wind thought for a bit, then set some down too, Sky putting one down shortly after, but quickly running.

Sky's bomb blew up, and as Wild made his bombs explode at just the right time, Wind's bomb went with them and the boulder blew up, shattering into bits and pieces.

Time just nodded, and they went on.

Once at the ranch, Time immediately went to speak to a look-alike Malon, who said something about "Them" invading the ranch soon. Something about the cows. Honestly, it seemed impossible, but again, who was Four to judge? The moon was going to fall in three days, so at this point, he might as well sprout wings and fly.

"Romani is glad you guys came to help." The Malon look-alike said. Ah, so that was her name! Vio would still have to ask about why she looked so much like Malon later though…

Time smiled. "Well, it was the least we could do." He turned to the rest of the Chain, suddenly serious. "Scatter around the ranch. Anyone who doesn't have any arrows, go to Romani or Wild to get some. Once you're ready, stay alert, because They attack in 7 minutes and 53 seconds."

Sometimes, Four forgot how Time knew the, well, time, down to the second. It was unnerving, if he had to be honest.

Four took a position towards the front of the ranch, skeptical, but ready to fight. Time wasn't a fool, after all. He had no reason to have them fight enemies that didn't exist.

"Look!" Wind cried, pointing to a star in the sky. It came closer and closer, and then, some creatures appeared out of it.

Well, Four be damned, Time really wasn't kidding when he said "aliens".

Never mind that, Four took aim as he tried to remember the correct archery position. Eventually, he got it and fired, shooting one right in its face.

How long had Time said this would go on for again? Sometime close to the beginning of the Second Day, maybe?

Four shook his head. That didn't matter right now. What did matter was that They were kept away from the ranch. If they weren't… well, Four wasn't entirely sure.

With 11 people on duty, They were pathetically easy to handle. To the point where Four genuinely considered using the Four Sword to split up. He quickly took the thought out of his head though. It didn't matter. They (as in Four) only had 23 arrows left and one bow. That didn't exactly distribute well amongst four people, now did it?

Four looked around frantically for a clock, but there was none in sight. Nothing to indicate how much time was left. It didn't matter, of course, Four was determined to ward Them off either way, but it would've helped a little to know how long this would go on for.

Then, Four realized something. His The body felt heavy, and he was struggling to stay awake. He felt drowsy.

Fuck, he knew he should've kept an eye on how much he slept. Nightmares were a big problem, after all, and some of them had more trouble coping than others. and were hard to bounce back from. Fortunately, adrenaline was more than enough to keep him going for now.

One got come close to him, and he panicked, letting out a curse. An arrow took it down though, so Four nodded gratefully towards Sky, who'd shot it down. Sky smiled back, then went back to shooting Them.

Dawn was creeping nearer. Four could feel it. Just a little more, and then they'd be gone. They'd have to be.

Yet, there was a slight issue.

Someone, aiming for the Them to the right of Four, accidentally shot Four in the arm instead.

Four winced in pain. It burned. It burned so, so much. He tried to steady himself with deep breaths, hearing someone call his name, but unsure of who it was.

He watched Sky and Twilight work together to combat the Them in front of where he once was.

It'll be fine. Vio decided. We need to try and locate bandages though.

Thanks, Captain Genius.

Sorry for trying to help, I didn't know you'd rather bleed out.

Why you little—

They vanished at the first sight of dawn. Four had never been so relieved in his life before, if he was being honest.

"Oh, thank the Golden Three." Legend said, sighing. What a way to echo his thoughts.

Four had gotten his arm wrapped up and healed as much as he could by Hyrule, and was under strict orders to not put too much strain on his arm. That meant that he had to use his non-dominant hand to fight. Joy.

Time frowned when he saw the injury. "Four are you sure that—"

"It'll be fine. 'Rulie said to just be careful and it'll be fine."

"Romani thanks you all very much!" Romani said, smiling, interrupting the conversation. "With your help, we managed to keep Them away from the cows!"

Sky smiled. "It was no problem, really. I'm just glad we were able to do something."

"But Romani must thank you. Here, for all of you." She gave some milk to them. The only one who really had use of it was Wild, and he'd complained about running low on milk a while back, so everyone handed their jars to Wild, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

"Ah, now Romani is going to teach you a special song. It allows you to summon a horse, so listen closely."

Time surrendered the ocarina to Mask, which felt odd. Perhaps Time already knew the song.

"Just copy this: ↑← →, ↑← →..."

Mask copied the notes a few times, which seemed to satisfy Romani, and she left shortly afterward.

The room was silent for a moment, before Wars decided to address the elephant in the room.

"Time, how much time do we have left?" Warriors asked, and suddenly the room was tense.

"Well, it's currently 6 AM, the dawn of the Second Day. As of now, we have 47 hours, 59 minutes, and 43 seconds left."

Chapter Text

2 days. They had less than 2 days until the weird, creepy salesman guy left. Wind wasn't sure what to think about that. It was an easy enough task to complete, Wind thought, so two days was more than enough, but his gut told him otherwise.

It was probably nothing, though.

Time led the Chain back to Clock Town, saying that "he wanted to stock up on stuff", but really, he just wanted to explore (Or maybe he wanted them to explore). Wind would know the look on his face anywhere, after all.

Wind and Time went to the Banker first, Time saying that "it was a good idea to store the Chain's rupees somewhere". As if banks couldn't be robbed…

Wind was reluctant, but he eventually put about 300 rupees into the bank, getting him an adult wallet. Wind smiled and thanked the Banker, and decided that he could use the extra wallet.

Afterwards, Wind just wandered around Termina, curious as to what there was to do. He couldn't find much, a disappointment, really.

Well, until he saw the bomb shop. His eyes lit up, because he'd been meaning to restock on bombs for ages, at this point! (Hey, wait, if Time had been here before, why hadn't he mentioned it??? It sounded somewhat important, especially since Time had also had them use bombs the previous night.)

No matter, however, as he went inside and swiftly bought himself 20 bombs. And for 60 rupees. Seriously? That was like, twice as much as they costed back home!

He gave the shopkeeper an innocent smile as he handed over the rupees though. No need to cause more trouble than necessary.

After exiting the shop, Wind curiously looked up at Clock Tower, noticing that a lot of the residents had been doing so lately. That was honestly kind of weird, but since everyone seemed on-edge, he might as well check, right?

He froze when he saw what rested above Clock Tower. It was the moon. Wind wasn't surprised, as he'd seen it yesterday, after all, but…

It was closer. It was slowly inching closer.

Tick-tock.

The moon didn't stop.

Tick-tock.

At this rate, how long until it fell?

Tick-tock.

Wait, they had three days, right?

Tick-tock.

Oh. Oh no.

The ringing of the bells, signalfying the new hour, snapped Wind out of his thoughts, but he couldn't deny that he was scared. The world was going to end if they didn't do something, and if Wind was right, they only had 48 hours, probably even less, to stop it. It seemed impossible, even with such a large party. Wind didn't want to die. He didn't want to die. He was a child, after all. Despite it all, he was still a child.

His breathing grew heavier as he realized: he was doomed. There was no way he could do this. He was—

A gentle hand put itself on his shoulder, and he flinched, turning around to see Wild. When had he gotten there?

"Is something wrong?" He asked quietly, trying not to startle Wind too much.

Wind nodded, trying not to cry. This concerned all of them. He hated having to actually say it, but he had to tell them. He couldn't just hide their imminent doom from them. He couldn't.

"T-The moon… it's… it's going to…" Wind buried himself in Wild's chest as the tears finally came out. He'd sworn not to cry, and he silently chided himself for doing the thing he did so much to avoid.

For Wild's part, he was concerned, trying to soothe Wind.

"It's ok. The moon's fine, I promise." Wild reassured. Liar. Liar. LIAR! The moon was going to fall, and he just knew it!

"It's going to fall though!" Wind wailed, crying even more. "Just look! It's closer! It's… it's coming closer every minute!"

Wild looked up, confused, then he seemed to realize that Wind was, in fact, right.

"Well, we're going to stop it then."

"B-But… we only have two days left…"

"So? I'm sure we can do it."

"Ok…" Wind hiccuped, electing to stay there and cry his eyes out. It wasn't like he had a choice. The tears wouldn't stop. He tried so hard to calm down, yet nothing worked!

"Sh… you're ok, I promise. It'll be ok in the end."

Wind didn't have belief in Wild's words, but he'd hold on to them like they were his lifeline. So he stayed there, eventually falling asleep. Wild's clothes were pretty comfy…

Once Wind woke up, he noticed that he was no longer where he had been earlier (West Clock Town? He couldn't remember clearly), and was in a grassy area, accompained by some kid shooting at a balloon.

"There you are." Warriors said, sighing. "Wild said you were tired and had fallen asleep. You're well-rested now, right?"

Wind nodded, and Wars seemed satisifed. The Chain fell into a comfortable silence, with only the sounds of the kid's slingshot (was that what it was? Wind hadn't gotten a clear few of him…) and crickets to fill in the gaps. Then, Hyrule spoke up.

"I'm not the only one who's noticed the moon, right?" Hyrule asked. "It seems like it's descending."

Four nodded, and Wind noted that his eyes were green and blue. What was that about? "I thought I was going crazy, but the townspeople seemed to notice it too."

Time hummed in thought, and Wind wondered if he knew what was happening. Mask, who was literally just a younger version of Time (Wind still wasn't over it, if he was being honest), was here, and Time seemed to know this land like the back of his hand. Surely he had something.

"If the moon really is descending upon Termina," Time began, "we need to hurry. There's no telling when it'll fall."

Everyone nodded, agreeing with his statement.

After looking at the ground a bit, Mask spoke up. "I went to the Observatary earlier, actually. I wanted to try and get a good glance at Clock Tower, since older me— I mean, Time— mentioned it."

"Well?" Legend prompted. "What did you see?"

"The same kid who cursed me to be the Deku form. He was… doing something. The person there said that he hoped the kid didn't mean trouble."

"Skull Kid." Time supplied. "That kid is, well, a Skull Kid. Rather mischevious, that bunch."

Twilight nodded. "That they are."

…huh, funny. How on Hyrule did Time know that that kid was a Skull Kid (whatever that was) if he'd never seen the kid? Looking around, it seemed that others had the same question, but no one voiced it.

"If the world's really ending tomorrow," Sky asked, "then there must be something we can do, right?"

At that, Time actually smiled, as he took his ocarina (when had Mask returned it?) out of his pocket.

"Indeed there is. For this, however, we're going to have to go to the Night of the Final Day."

Everyone went silent, only for Four to speak up.

"But how? We can't exactly travel through time?"

"But we can travel through eras…" Twilight pointed out.

"I guess that's fair."

"Alright, I'm not sure how exactly this will work for a group," Time began, "but if everyone could get in a circle and hold hands, that'd be nice."

"Don't you need both hands to play the ocarina though?" Wind pointed out, confused.

"Just put your hand on my shoulder, then. Tatl can hover above me."

Once everyone was in position, Time lifted the ocarina to his lips, playing a song.

"→ → A A ↓ ↓…"

Wind yelped, as the world seemed to twist. It was like reality itself was being warped, twising itself in and out as it called for events that had yet to occur. Something was pulling him, grabbing him by the hand as it ripped him from where he was through a tunnel of time.

His vision went white, and he was surrounded by clock-like things, all showing the time moving by quickly. Too quickly. Like skipping stones. The Chain was there, so at least he wasn't alone.

Then, it stopped. Everything went back to normal as the threads of reality steadied themselves.

He was in Clock Tower. He and the Chain were back in Clock Tower, where they had been just almost two days ago.

"What just happened?" Sky asked, befuddled as he tried to steady himself.

Everyone looked at Time expectantly, and he sighed.

"That was the Song of Double Time, which allows us to move forward in time."

"Wait," Four asked, "does that mean…"

Everyone rushed to get out of Clock Tower, looking up in the sky. Sure enough, it was morning, but the moon was closer. It was moving at a faster pace than before too. Wind couldn't help but tremble again. So the world was going to end. Wild had lied. Wild had lied. There was no other explanation. The world was doomed.

Twilight was the one to interrupt the silence. "Hey, uh, if this is the current state of things, the how much time do we have left?" He looked at Time on that last part. The older probably knew exactly how much was left.

"It's 6:01 AM on the Final Day." Time replied. "Meaning that we have exactly 23 hours, 58 minutes, and 24 seconds until the Happy Mask Salesman leaves, and the world ends."

Chapter Text

Time wasn't exactly thrilled to be in Termina, to say the least. Could you blame him? He'd thought the place had vanished into nothingness when he'd left, so the idea of ever coming back there just… didn't cross his mind.

But, he supposed, it made sense, given that Mask, the younger him, was here. And if Mask was here, then Termina must still exist at this point in time.

6:05:14 A.M., His mind unhelpfully chimed at him.

Time, had to admit, he felt a little bit guilty about keeping the truth hidden from his the boys, but he just couldn't stand to retell everything that had happened. Despite having been long ago, the wounds were still there, older than his body by a mere technicality.

That didn't matter though. What did matter was helping Mask find the Stray Fairy the Great Fairy wanted/needed, so that his Deku form could get an enchantment. Time had suggested that Mask keep the Deku Mask on for the entirety of this ordeal, so the boy kept it on.

"It should be here." Time said, walking into the Laundry Pool.

Mask pointed to the red-yellow "light", silently asking if that was the fairy. Time nodded, indicating that yes, Mask was right. So, Mask ran over and took the fairy, walking with Time back to the Great Fairy afterwards.

Mask seemed uncomfortable speaking in his Deku form, Time noted. Perhaps it was embarrassment. Time felt much the same way when he was cursed back in his time here, after all.

As thanks, the Great Fairy enhanced Mask's Deku form to give him the power to shoot bubbles, as Time predicted.

After they left the fountain, Mask took off his mask, shifting back into Hylian. "I don't see how this is going to help us with the ocarina." He said, looking at Time.

"Well, you'll find out at midnight."

He huffed at that, annoyed. "Must you be so cryptic all the time?"

"Comes with age." Time smirked. It was only partially a lie. The full truth being that he wasn't ready to face Skull Kid again. He wasn't ready to loop the three days again. He wasn't ready to play the Song of Time, to watch their panicked faces.

Over.

And over.

And over.

Time looked up at the sky in thought, wondering if Hylia had done this to mock him. To remind him of the past he desired to forget. To remind him of his curse, the masks. To remind him that he could never outrun his past.

To remind him of the fire that nearly enveloped and destroyed him every time it slipped his mind to play the Song of Time.

Time took deep breaths. He was fine. He was fine. He wouldn't forget to play the song. He couldn't. Hylia, the nightmares Time would have after this…

On that note, Time realized something. Throughout this whole cycle, no one in the Chain had slept. Time groaned in annoyance at the realization. How had no one pointed this out to him? Even Wars? Sure, time went by faster in this particular cycle, he knew that, but that didn't help at all.

9:43:56 A.M.

Time decided that he'd probably desposit his rupees in the bank (and no, the rupees he'd left there after his previous time here hadn't been saved (much to his disappointment)), then maybe he could indulge the scarecrow with a dance. He had plenty of time anyway.

Or maybe he could practice using his sword. He felt that he could use the work anyway.

Time weighed his options for a moment, deciding on which one was best. He ended up deciding that he could do some sword training for exactly roughly 30 minutes, then go to dance with the scarecrow. He wanted this cycle over with, it was the worst.

With that, he set off to leave Clock Town and fight some monsters, letting Mask know where he was going.

It was easier than he thought it'd be, although, he'd memorized the tactics and locations of every enemy there, so that was to be expected, he supposed.

While practicing, he ruminated over the situation. He was back in the loop he had escaped years ago. He was stuck, again, in the same familiar area, with the same familiar enemies, the same familiar fear.

As much as he wished he could say that he was upset, he just felt numb. He'd gone through this before, going through what felt like hundreds of cycles, he could do it again. (And again, and again…)

Then Time realized another thing he was feeling. Exhaustion. His body craved sleep, but Time refused. He wasn't ready to face the nightmares he was absolutely going to get right now.

He looked into his bag, pulling out a mask he wished he never had to use again. The All-Night Mask. It would prevent him from falling asleep, no matter what. It was originally a torture device, sure, but he supposed that it had its use. Like now.

Hylia, Warrirors was going to kill him if he found out about the mask and its usage. No matter, he'd just remove the mask before going to Clock Tower.

So, Time began playing his ocarina, looking to pass the time. It seemed that he wouldn't be dancing with the scarecrow after all.

The time passed quickly indeed, and it was 11 P.M. before Time (the person) knew it. He got up and removed his mask, deciding to rush back to Clock Town. He had an hour (actually, he had exactly 57 minutes and 31 seconds, but he always tried to round, so that he didn't confuse anyone) left, and he had to find the others by then. Yes, technically, he had until 6 A.M., he wanted to get there sooner, rather than later.

Fortunately, Clock Town was small, and the Chain didn't stray far. After he explained to them all what was happening, and how they had to get to ClockTower now, or—

Ah, he was panicking, wasn't he?

Fortunately, his worry was for nothing, because as everyone gathered by the Tower, the clock chimed 12 and the doors opened, along with a fireworks show.

"Hurry," Time told the others. "We don't have much time left."

"6 hours, right?" Hyrule asked.

Sky nodded. "I think so. The 'new day' relly seems to start at 6 A.M., so that's how much longer we have."

Time nodded. "That'd be correct, yes. Now, come on."

They ascended the steps, and Time found himself… anxious, for some reason.

Maybe it was the fact that the cycle was about to begin, for real, this time. That'd do it.

"So, any guesses as to what we'll find up there?" Legend asked.

"The Skull Kid, definitely." Mask piped up.

"Hey, I have a question." Sky said, causing everyone to pause and look at him. "If the world's going to end, why did we wait until the Final Day and not confront him as soon as we knew?"

Time sighed. "We couldn't get up here. This door only opens at 12 A.M. on the Final Day. So we were powerless."

Time smiled. "But don't worry, I have a plan. The world won't end tonight, I can assure you that."

Wild frowned. "But how do you know it'll work?"

"Trusting the process, mainly."

"So you don't know."

"…"

Once they reached the top, they found Skull Kid, who was floating and tossing the ocarina up and down.

"Hey, you! Give back that ocarina!" Wind yelled, pointing to Skull Kid. Sometimes, Time couldn't tell what was courage and what was stupidity.

Skull Kid just chuckled. "How about… no?"

Skull Kid then made some comment about the moon, and Tael told Tatl about Four Giants. Time had done this song and dance before, so he didn't pay much attention, if he was being honest. He just nudged Mask, pointing to the Deku Mask attached to his belt.

"Use the magic the Great Fairy gave you." Time said simply, to which Mask nodded.

Hyrule yelped, surprised. "But how did she give him magic?" He asked suspicously. "Her magic… it felt scattered, last time we were near her fountain."

"We put her back together again, essentially." Time replied. "And Mask was given magic as a reward for doing so."

Mask nodded, putting on the Deku Mask before Hyrule could respond. He screamed as he transformed, surprising the others. It died down soon after though, with Mask panting as he turned into a Deku Scrub again.

"Are you ok?" Four asked, eyes red.

Mask nodded, and Time spoke up for him.

"Yes, he's ok." Time replied. "It's just… when a mask is put on, the boundless sorrow of the spirit inside the mask, the wearer experiences it all." He was repeating the words he'd heard a while ago, leaving out that it also hurt because it felt like his bone structure was being rearranged. It just wasn't necessary information, really.

Skull Kid was doing something to the moon. It was probably magic of some kind, especially given Hyrule's reaction. Time never really had paid attention to that part.

Mask used his magic to shoot a bubble at Skull Kid, knocking the ocarina out of his hand. He scrambled to pick it up as eveyrone else unsheathed their weapons to attempt to fight Skull Kid.

It was hopeless, Time knew that. They just didn't have the time to do it, especially given the cycle they were on.

Mask was in the middle of a memory, so Time took him with him to go to the bottom right side, away from Skull Kid.

"Everyone, over here!" Time yelled. The others seemed skeptical, but they gathered around him anyway, knowing that Time wasn't one to fool them.

"We're getting into a circle again." He explained. "Except, this time, both Mask and I will be playing."

With Mask and Time on opposite ends of the circle, they got into formation again, ignoring Skull Kid as Time cued Mask to begin.

"→ A ↓, → A ↓…"

The moment they both finished playing, Time felt the all-too-familiar feeling of the world twisting, as well as time grabbing him and pulling him back. He fell through a white void, surrounded by clocks that all went counter-clockwise at an impressingly fast rate. Reality was turning itself inside-out, trying to get back to what once was.

Then, all went still, and Time, along with the Chain, was back in Clock Tower, with 71 hours, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds until the moon tried to fall once more.

The Chain slowly got up, one at a time, realizing slowly that they were back in Clock Tower.

"How did we get here?" Four demanded, glaring at Time. "And is your ocarina the cause?"

Time sighed, ignoring the mini-argument he noticed Mask and the Happy Mask Salesman were having and replying to Four. "To answer that, we got here because of the song I played: Song of Time. It rewinds time."

Everyone's eyes were on him, and they all took a moment to process what was being said. Eventually, Hyrule spoke up, his face pale from the realization.

"You don't mean…"

"That's right, we're back to the First Day. And we're going to live through those three days again."

Time could only hope they didn't piece together that this loop wouldn't end until the Moon was stopped, and that they would be doing this over and over and over again.

Chapter Text

Getting stuck in what may or may not be a timeloop (a self-imposed one, really, but that still counted, if Sky had any say in it) was really not what Sky expected, but he would have to make do.

Sky thought about the past three days. He'd spent a lot of time trying to help the townsfolk with their various problems, and now, all of it had been reversed, presumably.

It felt sad, really. He'd seen their problems, their panic, their sorrow. And now they had to go through all of that again?

What about Romani? He wondered. The girl had looked so much like Malon. It couldn't be a coincidence. Not to mention, what if the Chain wasn't there to stop Them? Time's first priority had been to do so on the first day, but now, he doubted they could, really.

Then, he realized. Time had done this before. That's how he knew how to turn back the clock. That's how he knew exactly what to do, and how to do it. But why did he hide it then? Was there something in the past he wanted to hide?

Knowing this now, he could only imagine how terrible Time must have been feeling, being pulled back into this mess years after he'd been free from it. He'd have to talk to him later, he decided. He wouldn't leave a companion to suffer like this.

(He could've sworn that he'd heard the faint sounds of an ocarina playing as he thought that, but perhaps it was just his imagination.)

Sky took out a journal he'd been keeping (courtesy of Sun), and began writing down some notes. He'd long since given up on trying to keep track of the exact date and day of the week, so he just wrote "Day [x]", one day for every day they spent in an era. First though, he read through his previous entries from Termina.

Termina (Time's Era(?))

Day 1

We havent found any black-blooded monsters yet. Time said this land was called "Termina", and we've picked up a younger version of him, too. This is probably his era then, if I had to guess. Hyrule said that the purple man we saw earlier, the Happy Mask Salesman, is looking for a mas. Perhaps we're here to help him with that?

Day 2

We had to fight "Them" last night. That's what Time and Romani called them anyway. Four got shot in the arm on accident, but I and the rancher were able to cover for him, thank Hylia. Hyrule said it'd be fine once he got the chance to check it out too.

Day 3

The moon's coming closer. I'm almost certain that it's going to fall. But why does Time seem so… unconcerned? He's been here before, right? Did something happen to make him hate the people?

I'm not sure. I think I'll stock up on items so I can face the moon head-on later. (I can't get the clock's ringing out of my head either, as a side note. I hope I don't have to hear it again.)

Then, he began writing a new entry.

Day 1, once again

We went back in time, and I lost everything I'd collected in this era. Time seemed quite smug as he went to the bank to pick up rupees he'd apparently saved earlier as well. Note to self: put rupees in bank, so if we have to play the song again, I won't lose any rupees.

Time's having us camp out now, since we haven't slept at all in the last few days. He said that "time flys faster in that cycle, so it's an understandable mistake." I don't really know what that means. Probably that we'll have to repeat these three days again? My head hurts already, just thiking about it.

I'll probably talk to Time about this later.

Sky closed his journal, sighing. Now was probably a good time to sleep, but he still needed to eat dinner. So, he walked over to join the rest of the Chain.

Around the makeshift campfire some of the others had set up, the Chain converesed about recent events, namely what the hell had just happened. After all, it wasn't exactly every day that someone played a song that let them travel back in time.

Sky took a bowl of soup from Wild, then sitting down to listen (and maybe participate) in the conversation.

"I'm serious, old man," Legend was saying, "if you don't tell us what the hell that ocarina of yours did—"

"Song of Time." Mask interrupted.

Wild spoke up this time, appearing just as confused as everyone else. "What?"

"The Song of Time." Mask repeated. "It rewinds time. In this case, it brought us back to the First Day."

"What about the Four (Four (the person) turned to look at Wars in confusion at his name, causing some of the Links to chuckle) the purple fairy mentioned?" Wars asked. "Was it a clue?"

Time nodded. "Yes, yes it was. There are four giants in this land, and if we can awaken all of them, then they can stop the Moon."

Four Giants… they must be this world's equivalent of gods, Sky decided. He wondered if he should ask why Romani looked like Malon, but decided against it, noting that the sailor looked like he wanted to ask something.

"Why is the moon falling anyway?" Wind asked. Called it.

"Majora."

"That gives us more questions than answers." Hyrule pointed out. "And how do we gather the Four in three days, anyway?"

Time sighed. "We don't. We play the Song of Time again, and don't worry, the Giant, or Giants, we've awakened will stay that way."

"So it is a timeloop." Sky said, surprised, but also not really.

Twilight groaned. "A timeloop? Really? But isn't that the last thing we need…?"

"You sounded like you had an idea of it beforehand though," Wild pointed out. "How?"

Sky was about to respond, but Time cut him off, responding to Twilight.

Time nodded. "Unfortunately so. It'll be alright though, don't worry. I know where we need to go and what we need to do."

Wind perked up. "So we can get out of the loop faster?"

"Yes sailor, we can."

Wind cheered, clearly excited.

"Time, I have a question." Warriors spoke up. "If there are 10 of us, then shouldn't we split up? 2 in each group, with two groups having three members."

Time hummed in thought. "That would certainly work, yes. Or, it would, if not for one issue."

"And that is?"

"You need certain masks and items for each Giant."

"So, we're going as a group?" Four asked.

Time nodded. "Yes, we'll have to go awaken the Giants as a group, lest it become impossible to do anything."

Everyone groaned at that, but no one complained.

"Now," Time continued, "how about everyone goes to bed? I'll take watch tonight, I got some sleep earlier."

Hyrule frowned. "Is that really a good idea?"

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I'm not going to fall asleep."

Wind nodded. "Alright, if you say so! Now, come on, everyone! Ihave a bedtime story!"

Legend scoffed. "Aren't we too old for those?"

Time sighed. "Let him have his fun, Legend."

"Fine."

Sky sat in his bedroll, listening to Wind's story; the one about the Big Octo. He drifted off to sleep, but he could've sworn that he saw Time dig through his bag for something right as he was dozing off.

It was probably nothing though.

Chapter Text

The Chain was headed to a place that Time had called "Southern Swamp", making conversation with each other along the way. Everyone was trying to figure out how they had ended up where they were, why they'd never heard of Termina before, why there were people who looked like people from Time's Hyrule, etc. Well, not everyone. Sky and Time were at the front, talking to each other about… something. Legend, personally, had been thinking about this area for a while now, and how much it reminded him of Lorule.

"What if it's a mirror world to Hyrule?" Legend asked. "I've been to one before, so it's definitely possible."

"You have?" Sky asked.

Legend nodded, opting to try and be vague. He didn't want to explain more than he had to. "Yeah. It was a dark mirror of it though, nothing like this."

Twilight hummed in thought.

"That'd explain why Romani looked a lot like Miss Malon." Wind replied.

"That's what I thought too." Legend replied. "Mirror worlds of Hyrule are possible, and if I'm from a timeline made by, well, Time, then it wouldn't be out of the realm of possiblity for his timeline to have a version of it too."

As he said it, Legend had a gut feeling that he was right. No other theory really made as much sense, in his opinion.

"But wouldn't he have mentioned it then?" Hyrule asked, frowning.

"That man couldn't be more secretive if he tried." Warriors replied, shaking his head. "So it's unlikely that he'd ever mention it. I only knew of his aversion to the full moon prior to that situation because Sprite here—" He gestured to Mask— "had trouble falling asleep on those nights. I often stayed up with him."

Legend nodded. The whole Chain had known of Time's feelings towards the full moon for a while now, thanks to an incident a while back, but Warriors had always seemed to know more. At least they had context for it now.

But wait, "Sprite"? He was pulling out that nickname again? Although, why on Mask? It was like he'd known him since he was a kid.

Pot's calling the kettle black, pretty boy. Legend thought in annoyance, trying to figure out the reasoning behind the nickname.

Mask seemed to notice this too, however. "I'm not 'Sprite'," He told Warriors. "And how do you know that I do that anyway? I sleep just fine on the full moon."

The man in question just shook his head an gave an apologetic smile. "Force of habit, kid."

"And I'm not a kid either!"

If the old man had overheard their bickering (which he msot likely had by now), he didn't say anything.

After a bit more walking, Time finally finished his conversation with Sky and said something. Although, it wasn't about the little conversation Legend had had earlier, surprisingly enough.

"This area has quite a bit of enemies," Time explained, looking back at the others. "I cleared a few out in our last cycle, but since we've looped, well…"

"They've been revived?" Twilight asked.

Time nodded. "Yes, they have been. Monsters don't stay dead between cycles, as much as I wish they did."

"Just what we needed." Legend mumbled.

"At least we only have to come here once, right?"

Time thought for a bit, then replied, "Well, if we go quick enough, then yes, we should be able to only have to do this once. It's dependant on our speed though, so if you don't wish to traverse through here again, I suggest you hurry."

Everyone seemed to walk (or, in the case of those riding on Epona, ride) faster at that statement. No one was in the mood for having to go through the three days more than they needed to, Legend included.

"Chuchus ahead!" Legend heard Warriors cry. "Be careful, and see if you can shoot them down!"

Legend nodded and went for his bow. Chuchus were rather easy enemies to defeat, after all. However, some other heroes beat him to it, and they were dead before he knew it. There were also some bats, which were annoying, but really, they made a classic mistake: aiming for where their target was, not where it would be. Because of this, just moving along was enough to avoid them. It was pathetic, genuinely.

After making quick work of the foes, they began moving on to the next area, before Time gestured for them to stop. "Tingle's up there with a map for Woodfall. Does anyone want one?"

"I do!" Hyrule said, raising his hand. "How much?"

"Twenty rupees."

Hyrule nodded, and Mask came with as Hyrule began heading over to Tingle. A few minutes later, the two came back, the former proudly holding a map in his hand.

"Oh, cool! Can I take a picture?" That was Wild, who was soon followed up by Wind asking the same thing.

Hyrule laughed. "Don't tell me you guys didn't buy it just because you wanted to take a picture of my map!"

Wild smirked. "I can neither confirm nor deny."

Hyrule just rolled his eyes at that.

At this point, the sun was setting, and Legend couldn't deny, it was pretty.

However…

"Oi, Old Man!" Legend called, causing the person in question to turn to look at him, "What time is it?"

"7:12 P.M., why?"

That late? But they'd only set out a few hours ago… was the flow of time jammed?

"Shouldn't we rest soon?" Legend asked. "I don't want to be all tired, and you need rest too."

Time sighed. "I suppose so. However, I need to go somewhere with Mask for a moment. Warriors, I trust you to make sure nothing happens?"

The man in question just nodded. "I'll make certain of it."

Legend rolled his eyes. Yeah, sure he would.

Time seemed to go by slightly faster in this world, Legend noted (although really, he'd noticed it during the first cycle). Usually, a day was longer than this. It didn't go by so quickly. It gave Legend a bad feeling; just what was going on here? Why did time seem to be so… twisted? What was up with Termina? Who, or what, had created it, really? If it was a mirror version of Hyrule (which it probably was. Legend could see no reason why it wouldn't be (speaking of which, he wondered what Time's counterpart looked like (and on that note, how was Ravio faring? He'd have to check on him next time he went to his era…))), why had he only seen Malon? Granted, this land was likely based on Time's era, but still…

Legend was distracted from his thoughts by the sounds of an ocarina, and based on the others' faces, they were just as confused as him. Legend just concluded that Mask or Time, one of the two, was practicing a song of some kind. Probably nothing.

Soon after, the two heroes came back, just in time too. Wild was finished with dinner.

"So, what's the plan?" Sky asked.

"I'm not sure. I was hoping that we'd continue exploring (Legend scoffed. Right, "exploring".), but the Veteran's right, I probably do need some sleep." As if to prove his point, the moment that sentence left his mouth, he yawned. Seriously, how had he stayed awake for so long?

"You go to bed," Twilight said, "we'll find a way to go on."

Time looked like he wanted to protest, but he said nothing. So, after waiting what felt like an eternity to finally take his armor off, he went and fell asleep. It seemed like his body was eager to do so, too. How had he stayed awake for so long, seriously-?

Legend just shook his head and continued thinking about this weird… flow of time thing. What was even going on? Then, Legend very conveniently remembered the Old Man's nickname, which he had lived up to via the three different timelines that came after him: the Hero of Time.

Legened groaned. Of course. Of course the journey the fucking Hero of Time went on would have a screwed up flow of time. It was just his luck!

With that happy thought, he just stared off into the distance, wondering what on Hyrule he was going to do now.

Chapter Text

Link (Mask?) was almost certain he was dreaming. What other explanation was there, really? It was simply impossible for him to meet up with his older self, along with eight other people with the same name as him! Sure, he had seen a lot of impossible things, but this? This was simply impossible. This situation had finally crossed the line, he was sure. Although, he had to admit that the man (Time, he'd said his name was. It was an odd name, and Link found it almost ironic, given the situation) was a huge help. He always seemed to know where to go next. He knew Termina like the back of his hand, although he seemed reserved. Cut off. Link had seen it happen in enough people to know that he was trying to distance himself from the world, but for what was probably between him and Hylia.

Link, or rather, Mask just looked at his ocarina, fiddling with it as he went over the song he'd just learned, the Song of Soaring. It'd allow him to fly over to any owl statue he'd activated, which Time had said he could do by hitting them with his sword. It was a nifty trick, he had to admit.

"Link, are you ok?" Who was…? Ah, Tatl.

Mask nodded. "I am, why?"

"You're shaking."

Mask looked down, and Tatl was right, for he was indeed shaking. For a moment, Mask was confused. Why? He wasn't scared. He was a big kid, and big kids didn't cry or get scared. No matter what, they kept their chins up. And if Mask wanted to prove himself, he had to be like that. He didn't want to be treated like a child. He felt like he couldn't be a kid after everything that had happened. He didn't want to be a kid, he wasn't anymore, yet part of him still yearned for the childhood he'd never gotten to have. He wish he'd gotten to be the innocent child he was before Navi came, if only for a minute more. And this situation, the thing with the moon, the loops, it just solidifed the desire.

He was too young for this, he realized. Far too young. The fate of the world… why had they placed it on his hands? Why not someone else's? There were plenty of soldiers in Hyrule's army, after all. There was no need for a child to do the job.

Before Link knew it, he was crying. Tears just kept falling from his eyes, even though he oh so desperately tried to stop them. Why was he crying? He shouldn't be crying. Link looked up at the night sky, desperate for answers, yet none came. No goddess was there to answer his cries. This wasn't Hyrule after all. Maybe, Hylia had forsaken him. For such a gentle goddess, she was cruel! Why did she do this? Why couldn't Mask just be happy? Why couldn't he have stayed with the Kokiri? Why why why why why—

"Mask?" He heard a voice ask. Mask… oh, right, his nickname. But who was calling for him? And why? Was it some person trying to take advantage of him like the entire fucking kingdom did?

He turned, only to see a boy with a white cape and green tunic. In his daze, he couldn't remember his name. Tatl, however, didn't seem to notice this and spoke up.

"You didn't look very well," The fairy chimed, "so I grabbed the nearest person and asked him for help!"

Mask just nodded. What was there to say?

"Do you mind if I touch you?" The man asked, seeming to be reaching out for a hug.

Mask shook his head. He didn't care. He wanted warmth, he wanted to be a child again, even though he was a big kidnow, so he couldn't just cling to warmth like a moth to a flame. That was childish. Only young kids clinged. And Mask wasn't young, as much as he tried to convince himself otherwise. Or was he young? He didn't know what his age was anymore.

He felt two arms wrap around him gently, pulling him close as the man tried to softly reassure him. He couldn't hear him. But he felt so warm in his grip, and his clothes felt so soft…

Eventually, he did manage to catch a few words from him.

"You're ok, you're ok…"

Mask wanted to speak up so, so badly. To tell him that he was ok, there was nothing for him to worry about. But the words wouldn't leave his throat. He couldn't speak. He couldn't speak. What was wrong with him?

A coping mechanism. He remembered. It'd happened before. Usually when he got stressed, he found himself unable to speak. It seemed that Sky seemed to realize what was happening too.

"Ah. Well, please, don't worry. You don't have to speak." Mask just nodded in reply.

"Do you think maybe we could sleep together?" Sky asked, keeping his voice soft. "I'd love the company."

That was responded to with yet another nod. He was scared, but… the warmth, the kindness… it was too tempting. The promise of being held made any risk worth it.

"Then it's settled. It's late anyway."

So the two got into his sleeping cot, the man (Mask would have to ask for his name later; he felt bad for forgetting it.) falling asleep almost as soon as he laid down.

Mask, however, stayed awake for a lot longer. Long enough to see Time rolling in his sleep, probably having a bad dream. Long enough that whoever was on watch switched with someone else.

Long enough to hear the bells in his mind toll, sounding for the dawn of the Second Day. Right. Time didn't flow naturally here. Then, he wondered… could he change that? The Scarecrow had told him that if he played the Song of Time backwards, he could slow time. Only own way to figure out whether or not that was true. He picked up his ocarina again, despite not recalling having ever dropped it, and began to play.

"↓ A →, ↓ A →…"

Mask knew it had worked when he felt everything slow down around him. Because time itself had slowed, like he had been told. He was still shaken, but… maybe they did stand a chance, after all.

Well, that is, if he ignored that people were already waking up around him thanks to the song. He could deal with that later though. He was tired.

Chapter Text

They continued their journey once everyone was up, and Time mentioned that he hoped everyone could swim.

"I can swim," Wild replied, a few others nodding and him getting his Slate out already, "but why?"

"Without the Deku Mask— which you are not using (Wild let out a moan of disappointment)— it's the only way to get to where we need to be."

"Can I use it?" Mask asked. "I have my own."

Time nodded. "Yes, go ahead if you want. I'll be using it, too."

So, Time and Mask put on their, well, masks, letting out screams Sky decided that he never wanted to hear again. Knowing his luck though? He probably would have to. He wondered, sadly (and with slight fear), just how many times Time had made that sound

Everyone got ready to swim, magical items being passed around to those with trouble swimming. Sky confirmed that he didn't need anything— he already had an item, after all— and everyone got ready to swim across. That was fine by him.

"Uh, guys?" Wind called out, having already begun to swim, "Something's wrong with the water." Was it just Sky, or was Wind getting more… faint?

Apparently, it wasn't just Sky, as Legend cursed and got Wind out as fast as he possibly could. It was a second to late though, and Wind passed out.

"FUCK!" Legend cried out, taking Wind to the surface. "What the fuck just happened, and more importantly, how do we heal him?"

Hyrule stepped up next to Wind, whose breathing was faint, hardly there at all. "I can try, but…"

"There's some pure water nearby if it doesn't." Time cut in. Well, that was relieving, at least.

"Wait, pure water?" Mask appropriately questioned.

"The water's toxic." Time admitted.

"And you just forgot to mention that?" Legend asked, irritated.

Time sighed. "It's been years since I've been to Termina, much more since the water has been an issue to me. I suppose it slipped my mind."

"Well, now the kid's in danger because of it!"

"Hyrule," Warriors asked, trying to redirect the conversation. "can you heal him while we're walking?"

"I might be able to," the traveler replied, "but it's easier if we're stationary."

"In that case, let's head to the water first." Time decided, looking around for… something.

What that something was, though, Sky wasn't sure. Then, some monkeys (that's what the others had called them) arrived.

"We can help!" one said, picking up Wind's unconscious body.

"Wait," Sky asked, suddenly more worried as he put this hand on Fi's grip, "where are you taking him?"

"To the pure water!" Another monkey replied. "It'll heal him right up; travelers take some with them all the time!"

"Huh, they do?" Four asked, purple eyes gleaming with curiosity.

The monkey nodded, and they and the others were already swinging away. "Yup! Now, right this way!" The Chain looked at each other, then at Time. He knew this place best, after all.

"They're safe." He informed them, already beginning to follow. So, they followed behind him. Sky couldn't bring himself to completely relax, making sure he was ready to unsheathe Fi at any moment. By the looks of it, the others were the same way, but they weren't about to attack. Not when they might be their only hope of saving the young sailor.

Eventually, they reached the spring, and the monkeys, as gently as possible, put Wind in it. The effect was almost instantaneous, and Wind began coughing, slowly becoming aware.

"What happened?" Wind asked, slowly sitting up and looking around.

"You just passed out," Twilight explained. "We thought you would die."

Wind laughed, although it was slightly weak. "Please, it'll take more than a little toxic water to kill me! The whole Great Sea is poisonous, after all!"

"It's what?" Warriors asked, frowning.

"Nothing."

Sky frowned. Wind's home was… poisonous? That was bad. Was the land cursed? Was it an accident? Was that why the Parella didn't exist in Wind's era? But they didn't exist in other eras either, so that couldn't be why…

"Hey, since we saved your friend's life," one monkey began, "how about you do a favor for us?"

"What sort of favor?" Wild asked, curious.

"To save the Deku Princess?" Time asked knowingly. The monkeys seemed taken aback at Time just… knowing. They'd have to get used to it though, Sky supposed. The old man was always like that, after all.

"How'd you know?" The monkey asked. Time just smirked.

"I have my ways." was all he said, then turning to Mask. "We're going to the Deku Palace. Make sure you don't take your mask off— they won't let us in otherwise."

"But it's dangerous!" One monkey attempted to say. "You shouldn't go." Sky supposed that that made sense. It was likely that the Dekus' ruler was enraged over the Princess's presumed disappearance, and things like that were never pretty.

"We'll be fine," Time assured them. "I've faced much worse anyway. This is nothing, I promise."

"If you're certain…" the monkey replied. So, the Chain set off to go to the Deku Palace. It didn't take very long, but once they were there, Time turned back to the others.

"Stay here," he instructed. "If you hear anything, fight, but do not go into the palace unless I and Mask don't emerge for a while."

"How long is a while?" Hyrule asked skeptically.

"By nightfall."

Wind seemed like he had some sort of objection, but if he did, he didn't voice it. Sky just nodded. Although there were no dangers (besides the water) present, he still felt on-edge. Like something was going to strike. He'd do well to be prepared to fight at any moment, wouldn't he?

"Good luck." Twilight told them as they walked off into the palace.

"So… what now?" Four asked. Good question.

"I don't know." Hyrule responded, looking around. "I think we should be on the lookout though. We don't know what sort of monsters live here."

Twilight nodded, frowning. He looked a bit haunted, too.

"Twi?" Sky asked, concerned. "Do you know something?"

"I hear something coming from there." He said, pointing to the Deku Palace. "But Mask and Time probably have it covered."

Warriors nodded. "Trust me, they do. They're quite the duo."

Wind chuckled. "You're only saying that because of how the Old Man was during the War. We've never actually seen those two together, y'know!"

"My point still stands though, doesn't it?"

"I guess." He admitted.

"Not even gonna ask." Legend decided, hand on his sword.

"Everyone else is on edge too, huh?" Wild asked. Everyone just nodded.

"I think something's going to happen," Wind said.

"This might be the 'terrible fate' that salesman mentioned…" Warriors muttered.

They didn't get further than that though, because at that moment, a giant figure loomed over the Palace, destroying it just to get in.

"I am Odolwa," it said, "God of Woodfall."

"A god…?" Legend asked, confused.

"It's not really that odd for gods to interfere with mortals, to be fair," That was Wind. Was he talking from personal experience? Not that Sky could talk, he once knew a god that attempted to destroy all mortals. And if this god was the same…

Sky frowned. He really, really didn't want to have to fight another god. But if he had to…

Then, Odolwa continued,

"Deku King, you have been neglecting your tributes to me. So I took the princess as sacrifice."

Sky couldn't hear what the reply to that was; it was probably a plea for mercy, given Odolwa's next words.

"I will not. I will destroy the whole palace!"

Sky and the Chain (minus Time (and maybe Mask? Sky wasn't actually sure if he was part of the Chain or not…)) looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. They had to take care of Odolwa. It didn't matter what the Deku King had done— it most likely wasn't bad enough to be worthy of destruction, as Sky knew from experience.

Taking a deep breath, Sky resigned himself to his fate. If Odolwa truly was a god, then this would be a hard fight, something the rest of the Chain seemed to realize. But luckily, Sky had experience. He had confidence in his ability to defeat this foe. After all, what was a god to a god-slayer?

You only won against Demise because he was very specifically the Incarnation of Malice. His mind told him, but Sky discarded the thought. He was still a good fighter, he knew that. Even ignoring the Fi's abilities. So, he ran at Odolwa, doing a spin attack at his legs. He saw Mask attack too, which both made him worry and happy. On one hand, it was a good thing that the kid was ok, but on the other, was it really appropriate for him to be fighting? Sky's battle with Demise had nearly killed him, left him with numerous scars, and he had been eighteen. He didn't want a child to face the same thing as him.

Odolwa stumbled back, much to Sky's relief. He spotted Tatl grabbing something from Odolwa, maybe the Princess? He sure hoped so. Odolwa slammed his sword down, an Sky's leg got caught, causing him to silently curse. It hurt quite a bit, as expected form a god. But Sky powered through. He had to.

"Fall back!" Sky shouted, raising Fi to the sky. The Chain understood, and Time grabbed Mask and gestured for the monkeys to follow.

"Hyrule," Sky called, "lightning!" What he was about to do next was dangerous, he knew that. That was why he'd had everyone leave. He didn't want them to get hurt by this, even if Odolwa seemed… weak. Perhaps a deity such as Odolwa had less power than the Incarnation of Hatred, or maybe he just wan't a good fighter in general. Perhaps both were true; it'd check out.

Odolwa swung, and Sky back-flipped, but not before unleashing a Skyward Strike upon Odolwa, who flinched. This flinch gave Sky enough time to raise his sword again, successfully catching lightning on it. Perfect. He slashed his sword in Odolwa's direction, and an arc came from it, hitting Odolwa and making him lose his balance. Sky took this moment of weakness to his advantage, jumping onto Odolwa despite the pain. He raised his sword, and began speaking, deadly serious.

"You may be a god," he stated, perhaps louder than he had intended, "but tell me this: what are you to a god-slayer?"

Odolwa didn't get a chance to reply, as at that moment, Sky plunged his sword, and Odolwa was no more. Odolwa dissolved into a mask, and Sky took a moment to catch his breath, suddenly aware of just how much his body ached. He heard someone run up to him and begin using a spell on him. Probably Hyrule. Sky was still a bit in shock though. He'd never thought that he'd have to kill another god again. Yet here he was, having just done the very thing he'd thought was impossible. He realized that maybe it made sense that Four's era had legends calling him a god-slayer. He wasn't sure whether or not to be proud. Then again, it wasn't every day someone killed a god, was it?

"What was that?" Wind asked. "H-How did you just…"

"And what did you mean when you asked 'what are you to a god-slayer'?" Asked Legend.

"I meant just that," Sky told Legend. "Compared to a god-slayer, he was nothing."

A heavy silence settled upon the Chain, before someone, the Deku King, Sky guessed, approached them.

"Thank you for saving our kingdom, and my daughter," He told him.

Sky just nodded. He was exhausted, and he wanted this to be over soon. Another giant appeared, though, but just as Sky was ready to fight, Time spoke.

"This one's friendly," He assured them. Ah, so it was one of the Four Tael had mentioned. Probably, anyway. "Mask, let him teach you Oath to Order."

Mask frowned. "Alright?"

While they did that, Sky decided to go to sleep. The fight had taken a bit out of him, and besides, his leg still hurt a bit. Time's troubled expression wasn't lost on him though. Had something wrong happened? Was this not supposed to happen? Sky wasn't sure. He didn't have time to really question it though, because admist the sweet sounds of the ocarina, he fell asleep.

One Giant free, three to go.