Author's Note: There will be strong language and heavy spoilers throughout this story. If you wish to experience the surprise yourself I suggest you play at least a little of The Breath Of The Wild before starting this.

The peak of Hyrule's glory has long passed ever since the (brief) rise and fall of Calamity Ganon. The castle itself lies in ruins and serves as a reminder of the kingdom's failure. Hylians are an adaptable race, and they eventually forged ahead out of the hopeless situation. The surviving people could only rebuild far away from the wreckage and even further away from the searching eyes of the Guardians.

Even now the people of Hyrule strive to make things work as they go about their daily lives. It isn't easy, as there are monsters outside of the known settlements as well as Yiga Clan members that terrorize all who encounter them. Yet hope is still alive even without their Princess and her Champions.

Many years have passed since the fall of their leaders. King Rhoam fell to the Calamity once the castle became the next battle ground. Zelda went missing around the same time as her father, and was presumed dead by most of the populace. Even the Champions were no better off.

With four most likely dead, and the fifth in a healing coma the world was forced to go on without them. Only the people who placed the Hylian Champion in the healing chamber knew that he had a chance to survive. As time went on the few in the know could only hope that their effort wasn't in vain. No one had a clue as to when the severely injured Hylian would wake up. There was only speculation as the Resurrection Chamber wasn't fully tested before, so the results could vary. Will he wake up at all, and if so, will he still be the same?

Days continued to pass without much changing. This was especially true for the Great Plateau. With none of the known races living high up in that area the land hardly saw change. That's not to say that it was devoid of conscious life. Monsters such as bokoblins made their home there as well as various animals and insects. However, even the bokoblins stuck to a routine of sorts, and didn't stray far from their territory in case something new were to show up.

It was on another quiet evening that something, or rather someone, appeared in an unconscious heap. It was fortunate that he landed far from any monster camps, and was well hidden in the shade of the trees. A soft groan went unheard by any, as the male continued to lie face down in the middle of a forest until the next morning's dawn.

The sun's light pierced the canopy of trees and fell onto the sleeping man's eyelids. There was also a somewhat constant breeze that began to caress his hair and tickle his nose. That combo is what stirred him into consciousness whilst simultaneously scaring the shit out of him. "It's so warm out. How..." His eyes fluttered open to take in his surroundings.

There were two things that he took note of from his uncomfortable position on the ground. One, was that it was far warmer than it should be for being in the middle of winter. The second was that he didn't recognize his surroundings at all. The day before was fuzzy, but he didn't think he would've traveled on foot into the middle of a forest and promptly pass out. He wasn't much of a drinker, and his friends weren't complete assholes, so that rules out a shitty prank or wandering around black out drunk.

He tried to feel out for any injuries before slowly dragging his body into a sitting position. Thankfully nothing felt out of place aside from a few aches, but that was probably due to sleeping in the same pose for hours on the forest floor. Looking down at his lap led to a new discovery as well. He was wearing an outfit that he never saw before.

The clothing seemed sturdier than his usual style. It looked more suitable for traveling for long periods of time. He felt weird but comfortable with his ensemble of a heavy dark blue shirt and black pants that fit snugly into his black leather boots. A small black leather bag connected to a dark belt completed the get up.

He briefly shook the bag and decided he would check what he had on him pretty soon. "It's not like too much could fit in there. Wait... I didn't hear my keys, and I don't have pockets on these clothes." The man pondered the possibility of being kidnapped while he checked his surroundings with cautious eyes.

He decided that his situation could easily get weirder. Not only were there no signs of a struggle around him, but there weren't any tracks whatsoever that could show where he came from. "It's like I fell from the sky only to land here. How are there no indicators showing where I first walked in?" A soft sound interrupted his thoughts.

He whirled around in a mixture of fear and relief that maybe someone found him. Only to be disappointed as a large deer came into focus. He let out a low sigh of frustration as he thought about what he should do next. The deer jerked its head around to look straight at him immediately after, before bolting off in the opposite direction.

With a disgruntled frown he slowly made his way towards where the deer was first spotted. Soon enough he walked the distance and stopped to check the ground. "Even the deer left prints just now..." He looked up and frowned again before he spotted a nearby grove. The trees parted more than usual to let rays of sunshine fall completely onto a field of wild flowers. He continued towards the center without hesitation and noticed a sparkle coming from a particularly tall bush of flowers.

Curiosity spurned him on, and within seconds he brushed the plants away to reveal a shiny treasure chest. It wasn't any old chest though. The letters EX+ stared mockingly at him as he openly glared at it. "Shit. This is familiar. Why is this so damn familiar..."

The chest was almost flung open in his haste to get answers. He hurriedly looked inside and grabbed the treasure that awaited him. He held the object up in what seemed like a practiced motion and thought that he must have pissed off some kind of deity as the sound 'Daa Naa Naaa Naaaaa' came out of nowhere to mock him. He lowered his arms and looked down in panic as the item in his hands became familiar.

"I'm holding the sand rod. Why am I, no- how am I holding the sand rod? Wait, this could be a replica made by a crazy fan. Yeah, and the sound from earlier could have been made from a recording placed in the chest."

He frantically waved the rod towards a far tree and freaked out when a large ball of sand hurtled towards it. The coarse sand pelted the tree at a fast pace only to leave small holes behind in the bark. He felt more than saw when a leather holster for the rod appeared on his back. "God damn it!"

He marched away from the offending treasure chest with purpose. The only thing he could think of was to check his bag for what should hold his wallet and inhaler. He undid the clasp and took out the sole object with shaking hands. Neither object was even close to what it turned out to be. Some sort of machine with the sheikah symbol on one side graced his vision. A sinking feeling appeared in his stomach as he thought, "There's no way that I'm stuck in The Legend Of Zelda."