Archive of Our Own

Time huffed as he stood from his knees. The world around him had changed suddenly, something he had come to expect, yet nonetheless, he dreaded it. The shift always made him feel sick in the stomach, his head pounded, and pressure built behind his blind eye. He groaned, rubbing it with his palm as he looked around.

There were trees surrounding him, not something he wasn't used to, however, the ruined remains of a cart, thrown on its side and on the side of a road certainly caught his attention. He couldn't see much through the thick canopies of the trees, but he did not mind. 

He did mind, however, that he was now alone. Despite being close to the group, and leading them, he had been split from them in the shift. He wondered how far they were, and he hoped they were close by, yet he could not hear Legend and Warriors squabbling, so he promptly decided he was nowhere near them.

Annoying, he must admit.

Perhaps the others were split as well. That did not bode well. With his mind now set on finding the others, he set off.

It did not escape him how lively everything was. The air was warm and humid, sweet with late spring pollen, golden rays of light illuminating the soft fibers of the grass, making glittering beetles and shimmering butterflies even more noticeable, if the amount of them were not doing that job for them. The entire area seemed completely untouched by human eyes for centuries, disregarding the broken carriage, which was covered in moss and vines, nature reclaiming the cotton and wood that was once stolen from her. The carriage may have been an omen of something bad, something had come through and caused the destruction. yet...

It was beautiful. The sunlight shone down on the carriage in soft curtains of light, illuminating the rotting wood and dust floating around the carriage, softly glowing through the torn remains of the cotton, and revealing that it was relieved of its old duty, now a home for lizards and bugs. The wood itself was a beautiful maroon, brown with a hint of red, and it was carefully crafted. It was now growing bright red mushrooms with yellow stems, a small ladybug resting atop the bell. 

He stared at the scene, almost captured by it, but eventually, he had to tear his eyes away, and he moved along the path. The air was thick with the smell of sap and fresh rain. The ground beneath him was slightly mushy, no doubt it had rained before they switched. Patches of flowers and clovers led him along his path, covered in little rain droplets that rested upon the dense leaves of the foliage. He took a deep breath, soaking in the sweet smell of rain, the smell of old bark, and late spring. It felt so calming he almost wanted to lie down and forget about his problems.

Yet alas, he had a team to find. He took one last deep breath, before regaining himself and setting out.

Oh, but the world was beautiful. It seemed to want to catch his attention every chance it could, wanted to convince him to lay in the Dewey cloves and rest with the sunshine on his face as the warm spring air kept the cold at bay. How tempting it was to let himself succumb to the forest's wishes. Let himself succumb to the nostalgia.

He shook his head, ridding himself of the forest's spell. It wasn't truly magic, however, it felt like it. he kept his eyes on the road, no longer allowing himself to take in the beauty of the forest like before. He had a job to do. 

No matter how much the child in him wished he could stay and play with the forest spirits that he may find.

He kept walking. the forest seemed to go on for miles and miles, the trees stuck in a never-ending loop. Yet, he wasn't in a loop. The log over there was different, new, with a large notch on its side, and the top completely gone, knocked over, revealing an inside which hosted a puddle with leaves floating atop, a spindly water spider searching for mosquito eggs inside.

Time kept moving. Both he, and the world. 

That is until he stopped. He spotted someone, crouched down in front of a tiny stream. They wore a red hood, with a blue tunic beneath, beige trousers, and brown leather boots. He couldn't see their face from this angle, be he assumed it was a woman, as she had her hair up in a short ponytail. she had dirty blonde hair, almost brown yet still blonde, and it shined gold in the sunlight. Her ears caught his attention, much longer than his own, positioned so that they stuck out more to the sides instead of pinned back like most people's, and they were a bit more rounded at the tips. Next to her, a deer. It had wide branching horns, a lovely orange-brown coat with a cream underbelly, and lots of neck fluff. It, like the woman, was drinking from the creek. It bore a saddle and straps, obviously the woman's steed. 

He stepped a bit closer, about to introduce himself. The deer's tail and ears flicked as he moved closer, and it looked over at him. The woman looked up at the deer, before turning to meet him.

Time blinked. The... 'Woman' Looked more masculine than he would have thought, though still feminine enough to pass as a woman. However, he could now see the grizzly scars on the other’s face, like they had endured multiple explosions. The streaks of scarred skin went beneath the soft cloth of the shoulder cloak, and he could only imagine what the damage was like beneath. 

He also noted that they looked like him. They looked like him, but also like Twilight and Legend and Warriors, and also like none of them. Time was now face to face with another incarnation of the hero.

"Hello," he started, a soft, welcoming smile on his face. "I-" he couldn't get out another word. Before he could, the hero swung onto their deer and set off quickly. Time startled.

"Wait!" But the hero was already far. He could see them knock a red arrow into place, but he couldn't see it properly. They aimed it at him though, and before he could move to get out of the way, an explosion hit In Front of him, knocking him back a bit and obscuring his vision of the other hero.

He was unharmed, as it was meant as a warning shot, but regardless, it was... Strange. Time stared at the ground where the explosion hit, now a puddle of dirt with worms and different bugs and beetles squirming about in the open air.

-

Time was reaching the edge of the forest, he could tell by the way it got brighter, and he could just barely see past the tree line. When he did exit the trees, his breath was taken from him. His hands went slack, and he was utterly transfixed on what he was seeing.

He stood on a cliff, overlooking Hyrule. He could see the faint glow of magma in the distance, though directly across from him were towering snowy peaks, with a giant bird swirling overhead. To his left, there were dry canyons, and to his right, was death mountain and tall, glowing cliffs. The centerpiece of it all, was Hyrule Castle.

Covered in a swirling storm of malice and hatred. 

His hands shook, and his fingers trembled. What... Was that? He gripped his sword, more steeled than ever on making sure the other heroes were alright. However, everything was massive, including the distances. It would take days, if not weeks upon weeks to get to those snowy cliff tops from here, not to mention having to go around Hyrule castle. He had no idea where they could be, hell, one of them might have ended up teleporting right into the mouth of the volcano.

Something he found particularly strange, was the red beams of light. There were two, one coming from the cliffs, and another coming from the canyons. He followed the line of the Lazer, and at its base, he was now staring at a gargantuan mechanical elephant. 

Everything was fascinating. It brought a smile to his lips. Usually, he was the tough one, the one planning and making decisions.

Right now, however, he felt like a kid in a sweets store. Perhaps his childish wonder was getting the best of him, but he wanted to know just how the beast worked, and why it seemed to be awaiting orders. Not to mention how beautiful everything is. The sun covered the tops of the mountains like it was melted gold, the sky a bright vibrant blue, and the clouds drifting lazily. He could hear the calls of birds and bugs, the distant song of wind chimes, the rustling of leaves, and the wind in his ears, all mixed with the smell of untainted, fertile land that sang in harmony with the ruined stone of old houses and villages.

It made him feel like he was back in the Kokiri forest. Back in his treehouse where he could read in his room for hours, back in the forest where he could play with his friends in the lakes and at night with the fireflies. Back in the forest where every week the great Deku tree would tell them heroic stories before sending them off to bed under the moonlight. He can still remember the light of the fairies glittering across the ripples of water in the lakes as he and the other Kokiri would play tag right before bed to get all their energy out. He can remember Saria always sitting out, ready to take care of any scratches or nicks that might happen during their play.

He could remember the sound of the rattling sticks Saria made for everyone, could remember the large pea-pod-like lanterns that she had tucked away for special occasions. He remembered the way the trees would canopy above the little homes, creating a skylight for the moon and sun. He could remember the pink cherry blossom petals that marked spring had come, as they flowed away from the great Deku tree. He could remember the smell of honeydew, sap, and bark that would always calm him down on his journey just by remembering it.

He was shaking. His hands trembling and his cheeks were wet. He had started crying and didn't even realize it. He wiped the tears quickly. He opened his eye again, and stared out at the world around him. It was truly, truly beautiful. Ganon may be a swirling cloud of malice surrounding the castle, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Not when there was a world so fresh, so wild and free and utterly beautiful. 

He continued forward. There were some old ruins up ahead, and he felt his curiosity peaked. He moved forward, not rushing though, but not lagging in his steps. He finally got to his destination and started to look around. Like every other piece of man-made structure he'd seen so far, it was taken by nature. Vines and moss crept into the cracks and holes between the stones, dirt, and ash layered thick on them, yet flowers bloomed at the base of each decrepit structure. He continued to search, rounding a corner.

He stopped in his tracks. Staring at the old, decrepit structure he found. It was strange, with a rounded bell bottom, and a cylinder top. It had legs that spread out everywhere, but the entire thing was melted to the ground, like with the ruins, nature had taken care of it.

He smiled, moving to look closer.

Suddenly, the top part swiveled to stare at him, one bright blue eye fixated on him as the marking began to glow, and a whirring noise started up. A red Laser was focused on his head, and he backed up, staggering. He'd never seen anything like this, he didn't have time to prepare!

Without warning the thing shot, and Time was lucky that his instincts held so true, as he avoided the hit. Unfortunately, the blow hit the ruins right behind him and exploded . 

A large chunk of stone hit him in the lower back, before another one hit right in the back of his head. He didn't even have time to process the searing sensation along his back and side, as everything was swirling in his vision, and despite him reaching for his sword for stability, he was knocked unconscious. The last thing he could remember was sticky, hot liquid running down his neck and back, and that searing hot burn that boiled his skin.

-

His dreams often were stories. Memories playing in succession, twisting the narrative, often ending in nightmares. Or he didn't dream at all.

Now, however, he was instead staring at the lake. He was but a boy again in this dream. He watched a pink and blue fairy dance above the glass-like lake, the dark sky allowing the fairy's light to glitter across the surface of the waves softly, fireflies fluttered about the two, making the already starry, black lake light up even more. He took a deep breath, the smell of honeydew and bark filled his senses, and he laid down, cheek on his arm as he watched the fairies and fireflies dance like little stars across the crystal water. He could watch for eternity if given the choice.

He could see Malon sitting next to him. She too was a child, he could tell by her size in his peripheral vision. Her hair was as bright as ever, and that soft smile was on her face like always, her eyes eternally kind and soft as she looked at the dancing fairies with him. He scooted closer to her, crossing his arms and resting his head in the cradled position. Malon followed suit, kicking her legs happily as the two watched. 

The scene was torn from him though. It was slow, details started to get fuzzy, his senses started to drown, and he was beginning to wake up. He did not fight this change, despite how much he wanted to. He frowned, eyebrows creasing as he rubbed his eyes with his palms, and started to blink his good eye open. He was at a small campsite in the trees, and someone else was sitting across from him. There was a small hole in the canopy, allowing the moon to shine on them. Despite the hood they wore, time could see the fire-lit features of the other person. It was the new hero.

"You're awake." He stated simply, looking up from tending the flame. "Good. I was beginning to think you'd bled out." His voice was calm and young, yet also powerful. No doubt he could catch the attention of anyone he needed with a simple sharp bark of an order. He was currently making something over the fire. It smelled delicious . 

"I doubt I'd go out that easily" he quipped back quietly, moving to stretch. It caused his back to erupt in pain, and he hissed, stopping. He looked down to see he was without his armor, bandaged up nicely, yet he might need a new thing of fresh gauze soon. This one was starting to become itchy and scratchy. There wasn't much blood, at least that he could see.

"Dunno. That was quite a nasty shot you took there. I apologize for not being able to step in on time" he said quietly. He turned to shuffle through a bag.

"You saw?" He asked, an eyebrow raised in question. 

"I had been following you." He stated simply. What a strange thing to not be embarrassed or ashamed of. "I haven't seen anyone travel around here in a while, and you certainly don't look like an ordinary traveler" he chuckled at himself. He got out a fairy that had been sleeping in one of his bag pockets. She awoke with a start, and instead of going directly to time to heal him, she went for the food, sprinkling fairy dust into the pot. She looked over at Time, and waved a tiny hand, before sprinting back into the forest.

The other hero smiled as she left, stirring the pot some more. Time had never seen anyone use fairy dust in cooking, but didn't know how to ask about it. The other hero seemed to know what he was doing.

Soon enough the hero turned to Time. "Soup?" He asked, getting out a wooden bowl. 

Time's stomach wasn't feeling too good, so he shook his head no. The hero frowned and began to pour him a bowl of soup regardless. "Ah, you really don't need to do that-" 

"Eat it. It will heal you." He said, holding the bowl out for Time. Time sighed, and took the bowl. His stomach lurched at the thought of eating anything, but he ignored it in favor of taking a sip of the soup.

Any joint aches or stomach aches were gone almost instantly, and the headache he'd been nursing since the switch had begun to fade. The burning sensation on his back cooled down a bit, though not all the way. 

His stomach sang for the food as if he'd never eaten before. It tasted heavenly . Sky had been cooking most of their journey, and fried fish had begun to taste like wood. It was sweet and salty and creamy, with a tiny bit of bitterness to soften the sweet and salty. It had chunks of meat in it, though he couldn't tell what animal it was from. There were also carrots and beets, but the beets were sweet and juicy instead of the bitter sour he was expecting. He happily drank his bowl of soup without much thought, feeling warm and content. 

The hero smiled. "I'm glad you enjoy it so much. I had to make the recipe myself. The beets I used have a healing property when cooked, and pairing that with fairy dust triples the effect."

"I can tell" Time caught his breath again, having taken a long sip before. "It's delicious. Thank you." He bowed as much as he was able to.

"No problem." He said with a dismissive wave of his left hand. Time wondered if he was left-handed like most of the link incarnations, but something felt off about his right arm. It was completely covered with cloth, unlike his left arm which bore fingerless gloves. It was such a small detail he almost didn't notice it. 

He decided not to press. "I haven't gotten your name yet." He said quietly. He held out a hand. "I'm Link." He smiled. The other hero paused, before chuckling. 

"Seems we have the same name." The other hero shook Time's hand. "You look quite a lot like me. Are we related or something?" He chuckled jokingly. Time raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, actually. In a sense we are." The other hero went still, awkward. Time found this strange. The others were in shock whenever they met up, but he just seemed uncomfortable.

"Oh. You've probably been looking for me. Are you a descendant of my family? I'm sorry if I don't recognize any names, I lost my memory a while back." He said quietly. He spoke strangely, informally while still being educated enough to not sound like an imbecile. Socially awkward, but not completely inept.

"Something like that." Time said, eye drifting back to the wraps around the other's arm. His curiosity gnawed at him, even as he continued to eat. He swallowed the bite, weighing his options. Asking would be rude, but his curiosity continued to eat at him, and it was getting harder to resist.

"Something like that, hmm?" The new hero thought to himself out loud. Time nodded.

"There were others with me, but I was separated before I met you."

"You were? I can help you find them." He said with a tiny smile. "I've got a friend that can help, but she can only carry me. I can help you tame one of the horses around here though." He said, a happy tone to his voice, but only a small smile to convey it visually. 

"Friend? Do you mean your Deer?"

"Is that what they're called? I just call her my friend, 'cause she's helped me get around, and she's good company." He let out a whistle, confusing Time. Then, the deer he saw with him earlier reappeared, trotting out of the brush. She sniffed around his empty bowl, and he got out a different one, before putting some of the stew in and letting her eat some. It was such a strange interaction to Time, but the other man didn't seem to care. 

"What's her name?" Time asked. 

"Hmmm… I haven't thought of one." He said, pouring himself a second helping of stew. His right hand seemed to work perfectly fine, despite it being covered in bandages.

"Is your right arm injured?" He asked despite himself. He internally reprimanded himself, however, the other didn't even flinch.

"Hmm? No, but it's hard to describe. I can show you, but it's a bit disturbing." He said, before drinking some of the stew. Time had seen quite a lot of disturbing things in his life, so he could handle a bit of disfiguration.

"If you don't mind, then I'd like to see." He said, curious. He leaned a bit forward. 

What was underneath the wraps was not what he was expecting. It was an arm, yes, but it was mangled with tendrils of Malice and decay. It made Time's stomach twist. It seemed to squirm and wiggle underneath his skin, which just made the whole thing worse. The other Hero covered his arm back up, wrapping the bandages tightly enough that it didn't show the disfiguration underneath.

"I don't know what's wrong with it. I woke up with it like that a while ago, but it still acts fine. I'm not sure what happened." He scratched the back of his neck. "But uh, back to your friends. Do you have any idea of where they could be?" He asked, and Time shook his head.

"I haven't seen any sign of them for a while." He stated. He didn't want to go into the full story, at least not yet. It would be much easier to explain once the whole group was here- it'd make it more believable.

"Hmmm. They'll turn up eventually." He said nonchalantly. "Do you want more stew?"

"Yes please."

-

Link and Time were hiding in the bushes, looking at a little group of wild horses. They trotted about, gnawing on grass and wild fruits, simply existing. 

"Are you sure this will work?" Time asked. 

"Yeah! I've tamed a few horses before, but I always let them go. You can keep the one you get though."

"I don't see why I have to be the one to tame it."

"It'll help your bond!" He said cheerfully. "Look, there's one that is further from the rest. All you have to do is get up behind It and saddle it. It'll calm down after a bit and you can ride it." He said, pointing to one with a brown and white spotted coat. The colors were so similar to eEpona's but the pattern was wrong. 

Time nodded. The stew the night before had done wonders , his back fully healed by the time he had woken up. It was miracle food, truly.

He took a deep breath, before moving forward. The tall grass kept him hidden as he moved forward quietly. He easily got up to the horse and hopped on its back. The horse neighed and bucked, trying to fight him off, but he held on tight, trying to stay steady. He almost slipped off, but the horse calmed down, shaking its head back and forth as it pawed the ground. Time took a few deep breaths, calming down from trying not to fly off the damn horse’s back.

Link popped out of the bush, and gave him a thumbs up. He smiled, lightly leading the horse back to Link and his deer.

"Nice! It took me a few tries to get my first one." He mumbled the second half. "Do you want to keep it?" He asked.

Time looked down at his horse. She surely looked like a sweetheart, and if they were going to be stuck here for a while, he might as well. He nodded.

"Great! There's a stable this way." He hoisted himself onto his deer's back, and began to lead the way. Time took this as a moment to enjoy the surroundings. Around the two were rolling hills of tall grass and flowers, a lake next to them that shimmered, the light glittering off the scales of a fish below caught his eye as he trotted behind wild, their swishing tails creating ripples in the soft waves of the river, the water clear enough to let him see the algae growing on the clay, mud, and stone beneath. The ripples of the water distorted the body of the fish, the soft green algae and rocks moving with the ripples. The sunlight glimmered on top like a lake of glass, the waves shifting with the gust of wind, the grass rustling and the trees swayed.

He looked up. The scenery had barely changed, but it didn't make it any less breathtaking The dueling peaks created a strange mark in the landscape, one that glimmered with a mirage just at the edge of each peak, one that cast a heavy shadow on the area around it, casting shade on the wildlife below.

He took a deep breath, letting the fresh, crisp air fill his lungs as he closed his eyes, the trotting of their steeds filling his ears as the bird songs cast a melody. Out of all the others, this Hyrule might be his favorite, just behind his own, of course.

"Someone's up ahead." Link stated, leaning forward. "It looks like they're coming towards us."

Time opened his eye once more, leaning around Link to see who was readily approaching. He couldn't see them well, however, the large black pelts and sunlit brown hair were anything to go by, it was Twilight.

"Stop." Time said, and Link pulled on his reins with a confused look. 

Twilight stumbled closer, panicked and dazed, a fearful look on his face. "Time!" He called out. Time immediately got off his horse, leaving Link to make sure she didn't run away. 

"What happened." Time demanded.

"Sky! He's badly injured from an attack. I don't even know what it was, it was controlled by malice and chased after us-"

"Come on. I'll get us there quicker, where is he." He dragged Twilight to his horse, and the two easily fit. 

"That way, towards the castle," Twilight responded, and Time nodded. Link simply followed the two as they sped off, a blank expression on his face. Twilight snuck a glance at him as the two rode. There was no doubt in Twilight's mind this was the new hero, however, the grizzly burn scars on the other's face was surely a sight.

They found Sky leaning up against a tree and pressed into his side was his tunic, which was now stained an awful color.

Time jumped off his horse, moving forward to check the damage, however, Link was faster, sliding to his knees next to Sky, he started meddling with the strange slate he carried on his hip. Time was utterly confused. What on earth was he doing?

Before he knew it, things were materializing in front of Link. Some of the leftover soup from last night (still hot, if the small bit of steam coming off was anything to note,) and bandages. Twilight and Time watched, both transfixed and confused as they watched the scene play out. Link wasted no time in wrapping Sky up, and only after the bandages were laid down tight did he try to wake up Sky. 

"Hey, wait-" Twilight tried to stop him, Sky needed rest! But Time stopped him, settling an arm over Twilight's chest. 

Sky was barely awake, just enough so to look around. "I need you to drink this." Link said, before raising the bowl of soup to Sky. "I can hold it for you." He said. Sky frowned as much as he could, trying to turn away the food. 

His side was in so much pain, his stomach twisted into knots and his throat burned. He didn't think he could eat right now even if he wanted to. "Sky." Time called, a voice familiar enough to break through the haze in Sky's mind. "Cooperate." He said simply, and Sky hated it, but he obliged.

He let the first few sips be controlled by Link, however, it wasn't long until he grabbed the bowl himself and downed it quickly. Twilight gawked, while Time smiled.

"Are you feeling better?" Link asked, and Sky nodded, setting the bowl in front of him. The obvious bleeding on the bandages had stopped when Sky began to drink.

"Thank you," Sky said. He looked really tired, and like he was about to pass out, but the wound on his side was mostly healed, and the pain littering his abdomen had ceased. "Did you give me a potion?" He asked, and Link shook his head.

"It was soup." Time replied. 

"Soup?" Sky asked, confused. Time nodded.

"Same stuff he gave to me last night. I ended up in a similar predicament, but the food he made healed me almost instantly." Time explained, and Link seemed proud to have helped.

"What did you put in it?" Sky asked Link.

"Fairies."

"He put in fairy dust, not actual fairies" Time explained when Sky looked utterly horrified.

"A-ah. That makes… much more sense." He chuckled weakly. Sky turned to Link, getting a much better look at the man who just saved him. He blinked, coming to the same realization as Time. "Hey, is your name Link?" He asked. Link seemed confused by the question, but nodded nonetheless. "Huh! No wonder…" he trailed off.

"Are you guys the friends Time was talking about?" Link asked. Time nodded.

"There's more of us." Time said, and Link nodded. 

"Hey, can you take them to the stable?" Link asked. Time looked around. In the far distance, he could see it. He nodded.

"Of course."

"Thanks!" He said, before taking his supplies, and getting on his deer. 

"Where are you going?" Twilight asked. Wild looked over.

"I was going to go kill that guardian you were attacked by. Usually, they stay by the castle, but if some are lurking a bit too far, I don't want them hurting civilians." He said, before speeding off, not letting the others even get a word in.

"Does he really think he can defeat those metal things?" Sky asked. Time simply sighed.

"This is his Hyrule. If anyone knows how to take those guys down, it's him." He said, before moving to help Sky stand. He did so with little pain.

Twilight wanted to watch. Wanted to watch the new hero work. It was a deep-seated urge that needed to be satisfied. He moved forward, taking Sky to the stable.

The stable itself looked strange, there were, of course, normal stables, but the main building looked to be an Inn, with a desk man and beds. Getting settled into the miniature Inn was not nearly as difficult as Twilight thought it would be. The total count for the four of them was 80 rupees, though seeing as Sky was recovering from an injury, the man took off the payment on his bed. The sun was slowly starting to go down, and Link had yet to be seen. Time kept watch, leaning on the wooden beams of the stable as he waited for Link.

There wasn't much to look at from this angle, as a hill covered it up, so instead he closed his eye, and simply waited, soaking in the calm atmosphere. After a while, he heard the soft padding of Deer hooves. He looked up, seeing Link approach. His clothes seemed a little burnt in a few spots, and he reeked of this awful smell Time didn't know how to describe. "Are you alright?" Time asked, and Link just gave him a huge, shit-eating grin.

-

The four of them had set out to Kakariko Village. Link wanted to check if any of their friends were there, before heading west. Time had realized early on that Links' quest wasn't finished. From what he could tell, they were about halfway there, maybe a bit less than that, but considering the circumstances, he didn't question why he was taking so long.

The entire ride to Kakariko was stunning for Time. The sun was soft on his skin, and the smell of the wild in his lungs felt like home. Right now though, the two of them were seated at another Inn, Link cooking another batch of stew. The food was delicious, salty, and warm with a mix of different veggies and meats, and herbs mixed in for flavor. He would never say it out loud, but he was glad he didn't have to sit through another meal of fried, unseasoned fish. He always ate what was given to him by the other links- as long as it was edible- but he didn't always like it. 

Now though, Link seemed to enjoy cooking and was really good at it given his limited resources. The food melted in his mouth and tasted like home. Perhaps it was selfish, but he wouldn't mind spending time in this world to simply lay down and soak in as much nostalgia as he could, and let the wild overtake him for a few fleeting moments.

"I hope the stew's good. I didn't have beets to help with your injury." Link interrupted Time's thoughts. Sky's wounds were far graver than Time had thought. the laser hit him directly in his side, and he didn't have armor like Time. His chainmail ended up searing him on top of that, however, the leftover stew Link kept last time had reduced most of the damage. 

Sky waved it off. "It's wonderful. Thank you again for helping."

"Of course! What kind of person would I be if I didn't?" Link said. Time didn't miss the way he didn't say 'Hero.'

"Still, thank you," Sky repeated.

"You're welcome!" Link said cheerfully. 

Time eyed Sky's master sword. He was curious as to what the new Heroes title would be, however, it seemed more fitting to do it when they had everyone back together. Link seemed to be messing with his food instead of eating, eyebrows furrowed. Time tilted his head in confusion. 

"Are you alright?" He asked. 

"Physically, yeah," He said. "Something feels off though." He started looking around. The sun had just barely gone past the Horizon, the Moon not yet having shown its face.

"What do you mean?" Sky asked.

"Can you describe it?" Twilight followed up.

"It's this sort of…" he did a weird hand motion. "Kind of feeling." The three other heroes had no idea what he meant. He caught onto that fact and sighed. "don't worry about it."

The little group was set up to sleep, Sky taking priority, as he was still recovering. He whined and fussed that he was fine, but the wound would periodically begin to bleed, so he was still being watched over.

The little alcove they'd settled into for the night was warm and kept the wind from disturbing the fire. Link stayed near the entrance though, watching the skies. Time glanced over at him, worried. Something was going on and it was obviously disturbing the other.

Time walked closer, his vision of the sky was still obscured, however. "Hey." He said quietly, sitting next to Link. The other looked at him, before giving him a small smile. 

"Hey!"

"Is something wrong?" Time asked, and Link huffed. 

"Kind of. It's a Blood Moon tonight." Link said. Time froze. Blood moon?

He moved, leaning to look out of the alcove and at the skies. A shiver ran down his spine as he watched with horror. The moon was huge, closer than it should be, its color a crimson red that leaked into the skies above, spreading its malice to the stars, blocking them out and creating a void of pure darkness. He could almost hear Majora laughing in his ears as he gripped his palm, those bright yellow eyes staining his memory, the moon crashing down over and over again in his mind.

He gulped, sitting back under the Alcove, trying to focus on something other than that haunting mask. He felt nauseous, hands shaking uncontrollably. He gripped the grass beneath him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Link looked at him, worry on his Scarred face. Time nodded, but it was weak.

"Yeah. Can you tell me about what it does?" He asked weakly. Link was obviously very concerned, but obliged. 

"Every blood moon, the Monsters I'd killed in the past month get revived by Ganon, meaning I basically have to start all over again." He sighed. "It's not all bad though! Killing stuff like Talus' is great for gems and raw materials, which I can sell for lots of Rupees, and Monster guts are great for Elixirs." He said with a calm smile. "Yeah, more monsters roam about again, but it just means I get more stuff. Plus, people know to stay away from areas with monsters unless they know they can take them on."

Time nodded along as Link talked, focusing on the distant fireflies that danced around the forest, the crimson glow of the blood moon fading as time passed on.

"Hey, you should get some sleep." Link said. Time shook his head.

"Ah, I'd rather not. I'm not tired." He said. Link nodded, and turned to look at the forest. It reminded Time so much of Kokiri forest it made his heart ache. The fireflies fluttered about like fairies, the grass wild and untamed, the trees creating a canopy from the moon as Mushrooms grew on their sides, illuminated by the soft glow of the fireflies. He could see bugs fluttering about, jumping from grass blade to blade and climbing the trunks of trees. 

Something rattled, and he looked at another section of forest. He saw the tail end of a lantern, shaped like a green bean with glowing peas on the inside, a little bell on the very end that jingled as it faded from sight. His heart clenched.

Link looked over as well, a smile on his face. He seemed to know what it was, but he didn't say anything. Time didn't press, instead repressing the urge to cry. 

-

It was already sunset by the time they reached Kakariko, the sun shrouded by mountains, the village lit in warm lanterns as little kids ran about, talismans hanging from lamp-posts and wooden overhangs, chimes fluttering in the wind as many people were seated inside, or eating at the miniature diner. 

However, two people stood out the most out of everyone. They were both seated at one of the wooden tables, near the waterfall as they ate. One had blonde hair, swept to the side in full armor, a blue fabric wrapped around his neck, while the other had blonde hair that had pink tips, a blue floppy hat on his head with a dull red tunic. They seemed to be competing over who could finish their food faster, loads of food still on both plates.

" 'You tired yet?" Warriors asked, chewing and swallowing another bite.

"Fuck off and die." Legend said, his mouth stuffed with food, and he continued to shovel.

Time coughed, making Legend look over at him. He promptly choked, gripping the table and turning to the side to cough out the bit of seafood in his throat. Warriors whipped around like a frozen deer, eyes wide with horror as he stared at Time. Twilight and Sky both snickered as Time settled his hands on his hips, glaring at the two.

Warriors quickly swallowed all the food in his mouth, painfully doing so with chunks of unchewed food. He leaned against the table, hand under his chin as he put on a charming Façade, however the obvious nervousness on his face blew it. "W-well! It's good to see you, Time!" He stuttered. Legend continued to hack up the food in his throat. "Glad you and uh…" his eyes landed on Link, who simply stared back. "Your friends aren't dead!"

"Wow great-" legend coughed. "Great social sk-ills Warrio-r." Warrior glared at him from across the table. Legend coughed a bit more, before getting the chunk of food out of his throat.

-

The 6 of them were seated in the little Inn Legend and Warriors were bunking in. The room was tiny, only meant for one person, but it was clear the two were making due… by neither sleeping on the bed. There were two little sleeping bags on either side of the room, but the bed was full of supplies. Time pushed some stuff out of the way and sat down on it, while the others sat on the floor.

"So that's what happened last night! I had woken up in the middle of the night to see the sky bloodshot. I thought I had eaten something and Hallucinated." Warriors said. 

"What on our goddesses green earth could you have eaten to make you Hallucinate that bad, War." Legend retorted. Warriors huffed.

"I don't know! I don't know all the food here, I could have been allergic to something for Heaven's sake!"

" Who hallucinates when eating foods they're allergic to?" Legend growled, leaning closer to a sneer.

"Ladies." Time barked, making Legend and Warriors both huff, however, they backed off. Link chuckled softly.

"I can teach you about the foods around here." He said quietly. "Almost all of the food is non-toxic, but you guys aren't from around here, so your tolerances might be different, especially with fruit with elemental charges."

"I'm sorry-repeat that?" Legend stared at him wide-eyed, both heavily ringed hands on his knees as he leaned forward. Warriors simply blinked, completely dumb to the situation.

"Oh! Link was talking about this earlier!" Sky jumped in. "Specific foods and herbs have a little bit of magic inside of them, and it often gets more potent when cooked!"

"Mhm!" Link nodded. "Volt fruits, Spicy peppers, Chill-shrooms, and Hearty beets being some I can think of off the top of my head. Volt fruits will give you a higher resistance to Lighting and Electricity magic, Spicy Peppers raise your body temperature so that you can withstand the cold better, Chill-shrooms cool your body temperature down so you can withstand heat, and Hearty Beets will speed up the natural healing process in your body." Link happily rambled, sharing his information on foods and cooking with excitement, though only the 3 who had been with him for a few days could tell. 

He didn't seem to be very good at expressing emotion, though none of the Heroes had any problem with it. He was passionate about things, They noticed. He was passionate to the point of rambling forever, but to anyone just sparing a glance, he seemed quiet and bored most of the time.

"That's amazing!" Warriors exclaimed. "Do you know how useful that would be? Being able to grow whole fields of healing food for the sickly would be a wonder! Unfortunately, we don't have something like that back where I'm from." Warriors said, disappointed.

"It would certainly be useful," Twilight added. "Something like that would almost cure terminal illnesses. I doubt you'd start regrowing legs, but those wounds would certainly heal much faster and healthier than before."

"But the upper class would take advantage." Time stated, knocking down the two's uplifted moods. Warriors sighed.

"He's right. They'd just hoard it all for themselves and make it an unfair price to even have a single Beet. Even if it started via local farming, it would get out of hand. The rich and pompous would buy people out of their farms and stock." Warriors sighed. Despite being so close to the royal family himself, he hated the upper class. The Royal family was fair and forgiving, but the greedy assholes at the top of the economy weren't. 

Link had a small frown on his face, eyebrows knitted with an expression they couldn't quite place. To Time, it looked to be a mix of anger and confusion.

"Why would they do that? Everyone should be allowed medicine." He asked, genuinely confused, if not hurt by the mere notion someone would be so heartless.

"I have no idea. The people at the top are bonkers." Warriors said, shaking his head.

Sky and Legend looked back to the little group, done with their whispering back and forth. "Link, do you have any food?" Sky asked. "We haven't gotten the chance to eat dinner yet." He said sheepishly. Legend looked like he was going to throw up at the mention of food. 

"Warriors and I did." He said regretfully. Warriors made a face.

Link just chuckled, before scrolling through his Sheika slate to see what ingredients he had.

-

The trip to Hateno village was fast, even faster than it would have been on foot. Warriors and Legend managed to snag a ride on a rental from the stable on their way to Hateno, so now Legend was riding with Twilight, Warriors was riding with Sky, and Time held onto his own horse. The group passed by the remnants of the final battle, guardian corpses littering the area as the swords of fallen knights were stuck in the ground, their graves a permanent marker on the land. The area unsettled the Heroes, excluding Link.

On their way up the trek through Hateno fort, they passed a river edge, and across the water was a huge Bokoblin camp. The group of heroes seemed uncomfortable riding past it, but it didn't seem wise to just swim over there and fight them. Luckily, Link had it fixed. He got out one of his wooden bows, ornately wrapped and strangely curved like an M or a W in its design. Twilight's heart dropped to his stomach as Link knocked two strange-looking red arrows onto it, and he pulled back so far that the wood in the bow creaked for help. 

Link let go of the string, and Twilight swore he heard some of the wood snap. It was drowned out, however, by the sound of chain explosions and the cry of Bokoblins. 

The entire group was startled, watching the monsters fly and burn to ash. There were only 2 Bokoblins left, both obviously damaged. One was Silver, with purple stripes on its skin, while the other had a golden pelt, white markings on its hide. It was hard to see from here, but both Bokoblins seemed frazzled.

"Hmmm…" Link trailed off. "I've never seen a gold Bokoblin before." He said quietly, before shrugging it off and moving on with his day. The chain stared at him, gobsmacked.

The rest of the trip to Hateno was mostly uneventful, the area around some ruins had a few Moblins and Bokoblins, but they didn't seem to be hurting anything, so the group just left them alone for now. ( Link would come along later and kill them for parts.)

The trot up the hill was calm and quiet, the trees rustling and insects buzzing around in the undergrowth of the trees. They passed by a few lone travelers on their way up to Hateno, though they never spoke more than a simple: 'Hello!'

Entering the village felt a bit similar to Kakariko, but this time it wasn't nearly as secluded, instead built on the slant of large hills. The entire village was built with white brick houses, the main street filled with little shops and trees, and at the end of it all, was an Inn. This village definitely seemed a bit more populated than the last one, but nowhere near any of the other's comfort levels. Despite this Hyrule being so big, all of the settlements were so tiny that it was genuinely sad .

However, despite that, despite the ruin that had befallen the kingdom, children played in the streets. They ran and weaved through the adults, squealing and laughing, as they chased each other around, while the adults would chat and watch, not a care in the world for the people living in the little settlement. It was quaint, homey, and it made Time's throat close up. The town in his Hyrule was much bigger, yet the people all felt the same.

"You guys can explore for a bit. I need to get some stuff." Link said, before bee-lining to one of the shops with a pot on its sign, leaving the rest of the chain to stand there.

"Did he just ditch us?" Legend asked, face deadpanned.

"No, I think he actually needed to buy stuff." Sky retorted.

"Then we should look around. We need to find the rest of the chain." Time said, and there was a unanimous nod with the group. He walked forward, before completely veering off to the right, leaving the group by themself. Twilight deadpanned.

" That was ditching." He grumbled, and warriors chuckled.

"Whatever. Let's keep going. We still need to find the others." Legend grumbled, actually taking the lead. They walked together through the town, dodging speeding kids and trying to ignore the ogling and staring of the people around them. 

Luckily, it didn't take long for them to find their friends. Wind tumbled into view, rolling on the ground from a fall. He scrambled to a stand, jumping up with a grin on his face. He dashed, running directly into Legend, knocking him over. Legend let out a cry, falling on the ground, a little cloud of dust following. Warriors and Twilight snickered while Sky stared in shock.

Four slid into view, a cloud of dust picking up after his foot. He dashed to the group. "There you are!" He yelled, out of breath. Legend groaned from the ground, opening his eyes to see Wind, whose eyes were wide and his grin splitting his face.

"You guys are safe! Me and Four thought you died."

" I didn't! You did!"

"We're just glad you're safe." Sky huffed, a soft smile on his face. Legend sat up, Wind standing up and helping Legend after knocking him down.

"Where's Time?" Wind asked, eyes wide and curious.

"He ditched us." Legend huffed. 

"He went off on his own." Sky corrected. "It seemed he wanted to look for you guys on his own. Or he was just tired of Warriors and Legend's squabbling."

"Hey! "

" We don't squabble! "

"I didn't say squabble at me! "

"Regardless," Twilight interrupted the three. "Time is alright, and he found the next Hero." He said. Wind perked up excitedly. 

"Ooh! What do they look like?" He asked. Twilight chuckled. 

"You'll see. We haven't really explained the situation in full yet, we were going to do it when we find everyone. The only one missing now is Hyrule, so try not to bring it up just yet. We don't know his title, so just call him Link." Twilight informed, and the two nodded. 

-

Wind was curious. He couldn't help it, the new hero was fascinating to him! They had decided to stay in Hateno for about 2 days, letting people rest and stock up on materials before heading out again. It went unsaid that it was also to see if Hyrule would appear, however, there wasn't any sight of him. 

Regardless, it gave Wind some time to inspect the new hero, as strange as he was. His ears were weird looking, though having a glance around at the other Hylians in town, he rendered that train of thought dead, as everyone had weird ears here. He had huge, extensive scars that looked fatal, though he was still around and kicking, meaning that whatever the hell attacked him, certainly didn't finish him off. 

He was also just weird. Wind couldn't explain it properly. He did everything at a little bit of a skewed angle, if you will. Instead of having a horse like Twilight and Time, he had a Deer that followed him everywhere. Wind didn't even know what a deer was before he met this one! He also talked funnily, sometimes with wildly wrong grammar, and other times with insanely long words and perfect grammar. It was so strange to hear the back and forth of his speech. He could also cook, which he wouldn't consider weird, if it wasn't for the fact that all the other links couldn't. It was certainly a blessing though.

"Hey!" Speak of the devil! Wind was startled out of his thoughts, looking up at Wild. 

"Hi!" Wind smiled, watching Wild sit down next to him. He was currently sitting on the stone steps right at the entrance of the Village, looking out at the forest and mountains. "Ya need something?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Nah, I was wondering what you were doing out here. Usually, you stick with the others." Link said curious.

Wind shrugged. "I dunno. I was just thinking about stuff." He said, looking back to the forest. He tried to keep himself busy by thinking about other things, but Hyrule kept on popping up in his mind, worrying him relentlessly. What if Hyrule was hurt? What if he was lost? What if they got teleported before they could find him? What if he died ? There were too many possibilities.

Link frowned, flicking him on the forehead. Wind jumped, whining in pain. "Hey!"

Link huffed. "I could see you worrying." He sighed. "I'm not that great with people, but even I could tell that you were thinking about something that was stressful." He hummed, looking around. 

Wind raised an eyebrow as he saw Link searching for something- somewhere? Wind didn't know. Link looked up at the huge, towering mountain just to the right of them. He turned back to Wind with a grin. "Hey, I want to show you something." He said, shifting to a stand. He held his hand out, and Wind looked at it for a second, before grabbing it and standing up.

Link led Wind through the town, waving to a few of the residents as he passed. He led Wind up the hill, getting faster with each step. Wind huffed, running out of breath with how fast Wild was scaling the hill. "Hey, wait!" Wind had to let go of Link's hand, leaning over to catch his breath, hands on his knees. He was used to boats and flat plains, and yeah the islands in his Homeland were usually very vertical, at least he could scale them at a comfortable speed!

Wind yelped as he was Grabbed, being thrown on Wilds's back like a backpack. Link ran up the hillside, letting Wind take a look not only at where they were going, but at the world around him, and it was gorgeous. He could see the towering mountains that littered themselves across Hyrule, could see the glimmering peaks of glowing stone just past the mountain they were settled near, which nearly touched the clouds, large pillars of ice scaling into the skies.

He could see the towering mountain on the other side of Hyrule, a large craterous hole pole punched right near the top, and a strange towering rock structure, of which a giant bird flew over in circles. He couldn't help but feel a sinking sensation in his gut, turning away from the giant creature. He couldn't help but feel it was horribly familiar.

They passed by a few farm plots and passed by a strange little indent in the cliff, one with a pond at the bottom. Instead, Link continued the trek up to the top of the hill, the sun beginning to set. 

There was a strange house at the top of the hill, one with a huge telescope, and a weird-looking, glowing blue plant thing on the side. Link ignored it, instead, moving to the edge of the cliff. He sat down, letting Wind get off his back.

Wind stared at the slowly darkening tides, the moonlight shimmering on the ocean water, stars breaking through the sky. It wasn't quite the sunset he was used to, as the sun set behind him, yet it was still breathtaking in its own right. He could vaguely hear the soft, distant waves lapping on the beach below, and could almost hear the seagulls singing in his ears. The ocean reflected the pink and gold clouds, dancing across the waves. His heart sang for the sea just beyond his reach, home so close, yet so far. He felt like he was right back on Outset Island, the fading sun warm on his back as he held back tears. 

It had been a while since he'd seen the ocean. Since he'd been back home.

"Hey." Link tapped him on the shoulder, and he was broken out of his awestruck melancholy.

"Look." Link directed his gaze to the icy mountain. Wind frowned, not knowing what he was supposed to be looking at.

"What am I-" he gasped, eyes as wide as saucers as his jaw dropped. A serpentine creature ascended to the skies, jumping on thin air as it flew, its glowing scales glittering in the moonlight. It danced in the skies above, and a feeling Wind couldn't quite place settled in his stomach. He couldn't help the spike of fear, though it wasn't fear that was grown from seeing a monster, nor was it a deep, looming sense of doom he would get. It wasn't the quiet fear that would twist in his gut, the fear that kept him up at night from paranoia. No, this fear was something different than that, something far more primordial and raw, and it mixed with a sense of wonder and amazement. 

He couldn't help but stare as the Dragon danced in the skies, goosebumps littering his skin, and wonder in his starry eyes.

-

Wind had woken up in the early, early morning, just barely reaching the hilltop before the sun broke the horizon. He stared, crying silently as the waves of nostalgia swept him out to sea once more. Link found him asleep on the grass an hour later. It was the first time in a while that Wind slept peacefully.

-

"Tell me again why we aren't staying put so that Hyrule can find us?" Legend asked, kicking a rock to the side of the path. They had been walking for about a day or two, not having enough horses for everyone to ride. Sure, Link could get another horse for them to ride, but he could only have so many horses benched at a Stable, and he has reached his limit. Plus, he had his deer if any of the chain really needed a break from walking. 

Currently, that someone was Wind. He had ended up overheating from walking in the sun for so long and was now burying his face in the deer's soft neck fur. 

"Because I have things to do, and I can't keep staying put. Plus, he might be near, and if he is, then he wouldn't have found Hateno for weeks, if not a month or two." Link countered. He was hoping and praying that he was right. He didn't want to leave their friend stranded in Faron or the Gerudo desert, but they were in the middle of crossing by Hyrule field. They were passing right next to the Great Plateau, away from the hoards of guardians.

Unfortunately, due to the Blood Moon that passed about a week and a half ago, Link hadn't had the chance to clear out the enemies littered about. The first camp they passed by, Time stopped Link and asked why they didn't plan an attack. He looked distressed by Link's simple response of: ' There's too many. ' but he left it be. 

Legend grumbled, getting quieter as they all snuck past the group of Moblins. Link frowned, staring at the silver and Gold pelted ones. They didn't look like that the last time he passed through, and he didn't want to risk it, at least, not with such a big group with him.

"Wind." Four nudged Wind as they lost sight of the Moblins. He was still mostly limp on Link's deer. " Wind. I need a turn." He huffed, cheeks flushed from the sunburn that was beginning to settle on his face. Wind huffed, sliding off to let Four on. Surprisingly, both their movements were swift, making it so that Link didn't have to stop and wait for them.

Wind seemed much perkier, while Four attempted to assume the same position Wind had been. Link had also noticed that Wild seemed to eye Vah Medoh more than the others, who mostly just kept their heads down, or looked at the swirling malice covering Hyrule castle. He didn't blame them- it was hard to look away from such a disaster.

Instead, he turned to Wind, who was still watching the giant bird fly around. "It's called Vah Medoh." Link informed, making Wind look at him, confused.

"What?"

"The giant bird in the sky." He pointed to it. "It's one of the four Divine beasts. There's Vah Ruta, located near Zora's domain, Vah Naboris, located in the Gerudo desert, Vah Rudania, located on Death Mountain, and Vah Medoh, which flies above Rito Village." He said, and Wind's eyes widened a bit. 

"It's not like…" his face scrunched up. "Going to attack us, right?" He asked, looking up at Wild with a strange look.

"No, I don't think so." He shook his head. He then grinned mischievously. "Though, I heard that 100 years ago, it was overtaken by the malice of Calamity Gannon, and shot a hole straight through Hebra Mountain." He said, and Wind paled.

"That can't be true!” he cried.

“Then why is there a big hole in the mountain?" He asked, jamming a thumb towards Hebra Peak. Wind's retort died on his tongue, staring at the giant hole punched through the mountain. 

"Link, are you trying to scare him?" Time scolded from somewhere in the back, and Link chuckled.

"Maybe a little. I think it's more cool than anything, especially since it's been dormant for 100 years. There's a whole village living underneath it, if there was a chance of it going rouge, I think people would have moved away." Link said, before Ruffling Wind's hair. "You don't have to worry about the big bird. It won't hurt ya." He said, giving a wide smile to Wind, who couldn't help but sigh in relief, though there was that ever-looming sense it wasn't so safe as Link had said.

They fell into a relatively comfortable silence, that is, until they turned on the path, going between the plateau and the Colosseum. "What's that?" Wind asked, pointing to the crumbling stone building. Link patted him on the back, keeping him moving. 

"It's the Colosseum. Right now though, it's the home of a Lynel." Link said, though he didn't catch the way Legend's head shot up to look at Link worriedly. Wind made a weird face.

"What's a Lynel ?" He asked, and Link made a weird face. None of the others (sans Legend) knew what it was either, so they all leaned into the conversation.

"It's this huge centaur, but with a lion's face and goat horns." Wind still looked confused, so Link sighed. "It's got the lower body of a horse, but the upper torso of a really buff dude, with the head of a lion and horns like a goat. It's a good 9 to 10 feet tall, and hits like a ten-ton cannonball." Wind didn't know what most of those animals were, but it sounded dangerous regardless.

"They're just… roaming about?" Warriors asked, unnerved. Link made a so-so gesture.

"Not really? They have their own territories, and if you accidentally stumble into it, usually they let you leave if you're slow and careful about it, but they treat sudden movements and drawn weapons as a threat." Link clarified. "We should be safe, as long as we don't. Y'know. Go in there." Wind nodded.

-

The sky was getting dark, and they had been able to cross the lower half of Hyrule Field without much issue. There was the occasional red Bokoblin that found itself stumbling into the group, but they were swiftly dealt with. Right now, they were passing by the Thunder Plateau, the group awed at the strange-looking Trees, which cast strange shadows in the sunset.

There was a stable up ahead, the orange glow from the lanterns inside making it stand out against the rapidly dimming sky, the sun barely hiding beneath the distant mountains, enough to allow the stable to be silhouetted.

As they walked closer and closer, music washed through the air. It didn't sound like anything that the others (Sans Link) had heard before. They could barely see the outline of two people, one, very clearly a completely different species, the other, a Hylian.

Link's eyes brightened, and his steps sped up. Time smiled as he watched Link speed up, his Deer right on his heels. Time offhandedly noted that they should probably name them. Perhaps he could convince Link to name it Epona? It would be quite funny to him.

Time watched as Link broke out into a sprint to meet up with whomever he recognized, the others squawking in various ranges of surprise, Wind and Four sprinting forward to catch up, with Warriors running behind to make sure they were safe. Sky chuckled, jogging a bit faster to catch up with the others, leaving Twilight, Legend, and himself to stay behind. 

"How do they have so much energy?" Legend huffed. Twilight shrugged. Time smiled, watching Link run up, and gave the stranger a hug. As he got closer and closer, he could see that they were a bird! With bright blue feathers and colorful clothing. He could also see Wind jump at the Hylian, knocking him off the stump he was sitting on. Time sped up his steps, seeing Four and Warriors help the two up. He could hear the distant laughter of his boys.

"Is that Hyrule ?" Legend asked, speeding up. Twilight and Time both narrowed their eyes in response. Indeed, Time could see that familiar brown hair and dark green tunic, though Wind was obscuring most of his view. Hyrule waved to the 3, making them speed up their steps.

"Where were you?" Legend asked rather sharply, though Time knew it was out of genuine worry.

"Well, after we had been split up, I started looking around for a town or Stable, which is how I ended up here!" He said, obscuring major details- and it was clear to see why, as there were people around!

Legend shot him a look of ' we're talking about it later. ' but for now, Time could relax as his group mingled and talked. He took in a deep breath, the chill air of the night filling his lungs as he sat down next to the fire. 

Hyrule introduced himself, before Introducing Kass, who was a traveling musician. Wind had sat down next to Time after introductions were shared, whispering to him. "The Rito from my time looked more Hylian." He mumbled, making Time chuckle.

Time looked to the skies, the Sunlight finally fading as the moon shone brightly, the stars glittering above. The crackling of the fire was comforting, the warmth radiating from it helped push away the nipping cold that had swept through the area. The moonlight illuminated everything it touched, the shadow of a tree overcasting the stable. The music had started up again, and the talking had died down to whispers.

Time turned his focus back to the Rito- Kass, he had overheard the man introduce himself- as he played his strange instrument. It looked like an air pump with two wooden ends with buttons, and Straps that went around his hands. Time didn't know how the instrument worked, but it was lovely to listen to.

As the song finished, Link clapped, which caused the others to applaud as well. Kass chuckled, smiling bashfully. "Ah, thank you! I'm simply glad that you all wanted to hear." He said, his accent was soft and unlike anything Time had heard. 

"It was wonderful!" Sky had insisted. "What instrument is that? I've never seen it before!"

"It's called an Accordion! It uses the air movement caused by pulling it apart and squeezing it back together to create sound, sort of like a whistle, but with more complicated mechanisms." He happily informed, and Sky nodded along, intrigued.

There was a bit more idle chatter, before Kass had to leave, to the dismay of a few of their little group, mostly Link, Wind, Hyrule, and Sky being the most outwardly sad to see the man head off.

With most of the outsiders gone- and the stable hand having fallen asleep at his desk- Time motioned Link to sit by the fire with everyone else.

"Link," he started. Everyone glanced his way, with Hyrule jumping a bit at the name-call. "I want to talk to you about something, and it pertains to all of us." He said, making Link frown. He sat down in the dirt, hands in his lap.

Time then began to tell Link about the reason why came to Hyrule- his Hyrule. He told him about how everyone in their group held the Heroes spirit, and how Hylia was sending them on a quest through time to face off the Black Blooded monsters that were infecting the lands. 

"Link. I know it sounds like an insane tale, but-"

"No, I believe you." Time blinked, seeing the strange look on Link's face. "I'm not completely unobservant, I've seen how similar we all look, at least in one way or another. I've also noticed that you guys react to my name pretty often." He chuckled. "You guys aren't that sneaky about it." He sighed. "Still, it's hard to believe. I haven't even finished helping my Hyrule, so why would she trust me to help others?" He asked, and it struck a chord in Time's chest.

"I think that's why the Goddess sent us." Time was about to speak, however, Sky had beat him to it. "There's something obviously wrong going on, and she needs all 9 of our help. If you haven't finished your quest, then she could have sent us as a means of speeding the process up." He said. "Of course, that's not me diminishing your skills, we've seen you fight before, and you're incredibly strong, but-"

"No, no I get it." Link sighed, rubbing his forehead. "If anything, I'm grateful for the help." He said, which eased some of the tension in Time's shoulders. "It's just… strange."

There was a strange quiet that settled around the group, before Sky unsheathed the master sword. "Well, if it makes you feel better, we all go by our Hero titles. I'm sure you have one as well." Sky smiled, softly handing the blade to Link.

He took it, and it began to glow a soft blue. Link stared wide-eyed at the sword. The blue light pulsed, a strange noise coming from it. After a moment, he handed it back to Sky with as much care as he could muster. "Well? What did she say?" He asked quietly.

"She called me the Hero of the Wilds."