The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Present Redux
Chapter 0: Prologue
This is a legend passed down through the ages...
A tale of a young boy once filled with courage and an indomitable spirit...
A young boy who faced a great and terrible evil... alone.
A boy who, at the end of his journey, asked a single question that finally showed the fractured lines in his soul.
A question even the goddesses could not answer:
'Why?'
Lightning flashed all around the now ruined landscape. Rain fell in torrential sheets as if the heavens themselves were openly weeping in agony at the state of the land the goddesses had created.
A lone figure leans heavily on the hilt of a blade, its tip buried atop a hill overlooking the scene below.
Despite the rain... everything was burning.
The once proud castle walls lay in crumbled heaps. The great wooden bridge had washed away as nothing more than a pile of splinters. In the distance, the figure on the hill could almost make out a darker shadow slash away at what remained of Castle Town. It roared and bellowed in triumph as another section collapsed before its glowing eyes turned toward his direction.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
The ground began to shake more and more as each step brought the looming shadow closer and closer.
The figured took in a shaky breath and slowly stood to his feet. He was a fair youth... not yet a man, but no longer the boy he once was. His shield lay at his feet as his broken arm could no longer bear the burden. A soft golden glow emanated weakly from his left hand as his grip tightened around the hilt of his weapon. He let out a humorless laugh.
Legendary weapon indeed...
He looked down at the fabled 'Blade of Evil's Bane' and frowned. A holy blade... sacred... something evil ones may never touch...
He scoffed...
Little good did the legends comfort him when his strikes were easily swept aside. A supposed relic of immense power, and yet, it took every ounce of his strength to pierce the hide of the monster that now stood but a few hundred yards off. The glow on his hand wavered and he caught his reflection in the blade as a streak of lightning dance across the sky.
"In the end... legends are simply stories we tell ourselves to ward off our fears in the night... right, princess?" His tired reflection offered no comfort to him, only an equally cynical gaze. "...How ridiculous..."
He turned his gaze to the monstrosity before him. Despite its earlier bravado, the creature was far more worse for wear than it seemed. Their gazes locked and a strange, silent, understanding passed between them. This was the end. It didn't matter who stood victorious after this final clash. Hyrule was destroyed. The Triforce of Wisdom fled with its princess, against her will, and was far from the now ruined kingdom as it could be. He allowed himself an amused smile. Until she woke up that is. No doubt she would be furious with him, but by the time she reached him now, he doubted he would still be standing.
The glow dimmed further.
"Still... despite all of that... I have to believe." He slowly raised the blade to a ready position, "Believe that all of this... was worth something in the end..." The glow brightened a bit. "Hey, Lady Farore? I know i'm complaining at this point... but, how about a little more help? Just one last time." He felt something stir within him as the glow on his hand grew in brightness and intensity. "...Thank you... and... forgive me. I have failed you all."
They both stood still as the rain fell. The air hummed with anticipation as both combatants stared each other down.
Crash!
Lightning flashed between them and thunder boomed in the distance, drowning out the sounds of their battle cries as they charged each other. Closer and closer they drew, blades raised high and golden light shining all around them.
...
Thunder crashed in the distance.
And the heavens continued to weep.
Back by unpopular demand: ME!
It has been a while! Far too long actually...
Huh... wonder if anyone of you who read the first version of this are still hanging around here... That'd be nice wouldn't it?
Welp, I said one day I would try and redo this story (And actually give it a proper ending this time) and here I am... so... yay?