Note: This is (more or less) the continuation of a one-shot I wrote four years ago, "Eclipse of the Moon", although it isn't necessary to have read it (and yet, I highly encourage you to, as it will give you a better understanding of my portrayal of Cia in this).
What I advise, however, is knowing the canon Hyrule Warriors storyline, as this one happens after it and focuses on the Hyrule Warriors Legends continuation. Unlike the "Eclipse of the Moon" one‑shot, this story will be delivered in three parts – with this here being the first one, and two more to follow.
Also unlike "Eclipse of the Moon", this is written from a different perspective and – with the other two updates – differs from the game's continuation a bit at times. Just a bit more interaction, fleshing out interactions. I guess I took some light liberties this time, while (hopefully) staying true to the original's theme. You'll see.
Interestingly, without planning it to be so, this part is about the same length as "Eclipse of the Moon". Huh.
Anyway, with that said, enjoy!
Warning: Spoilers for Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hyrule Warriors or it's characters!
Part 1 – Eclipse of the Sorceress
There had always been something oddly comforting about darkness. About removing all sources of light to let night fall and claim its rightful place. About closing your eyes to block everything out. About the darkness removing everything from your sight, the world and all its overly invasive stimuli.
'Out of sight, out of mind', they say, and Cia couldn't have agreed more, having desired so often to forget about the one eternal task that had taken up all of her life from day one – to be the Guardian of Time, forever watching and keeping the balance of the Triforce. To be forever passive, away from all mortal life, unable to ever be influenced or to influence.
What a horrible joke the title she had held was, 'Guardian of Time', for time passed her unaffected by her, and she remained unaffected by it. It had never been her duty to ensure the safety of an era, nor to keep the flow of time intact. No, she'd been the silent observer, watching from afar how each era started, how it played out, and finally how it ended. Not once had she been allowed to interact. Not once to be a part. And even if she had attempted to, despite the immense power she had, she would've been unable to. No, she was to just watch eternally.
Back when it all started, each rise had her interested, each twist fascinated, and every fall of an era had made her sad, even if curious for the next. But as the millennia dragged on, this curiosity slowly faded away, diminishing faster and faster until she'd grown numb to it. And that all too fast. Until she had become aware of her passiveness, and the growing desire to act herself.
She had realized that everyone but her played a part in Hyrule's history. Even the most unimportant of existences had some lasting effect on everything around it and made the Hyrule of that era what it was.
She, however, had not. Not once. And as long as things remained as they were, would not. Could not.
Some eras knew of her, at least in legend, but that was but the very gods that had given her the task laughing at her, making fun of the unfortunate role that she was. Because as legend, she was but a faint concept within humanity's grasp, but would fade as time passed, forgotten once again.
And Cia closed her eyes, pretending not to see it.
But maybe that was why the first thing she did upon gaining the power to act was to unite the eras, pulling them into her own. To mock the very gods that had forsaken her, returning the favor in full by enacting exactly that which they denied her and teased her with. Control of time, the power to act and change, being part of an era's history. Of every important era's history. They all would know of her, all be influenced by her, part of her as she would become part of them!
It certainly wasn't Ganondorf influencing her, that power-hungry fool, not entirely. Their goals had merely overlapped for a short time, but had a different purpose altogether, and the moment he had realized that she'd never been his puppet was a priceless one. His face as she'd claimed control of the Triforce of Power right underneath his nose, and then sent it away so he wouldn't get his hands on it. His heritage – stolen from underneath his nose! Hah!
He thought he was in control, thought she was but a servant to him after he had used her momentary weakness – jealousy, misguided by the thought that what she was feeling was infatuation with the soul of the hero and that the soul of the princess was stealing what was rightfully hers, although it had been nothing but the obsession to have her fate changed by the hero to escape the passiveness, as she had realized in her last living moments - and separated her from her light, which would become Lana, but honestly, all he had done her was a favor.
Ganondorf, or more accurately the demon Ganon within him, was one of the many that still believed the archaic concept of light meaning good and darkness meaning evil. It was as outdated as the despicable worship of her tormentors – the goddesses – itself was.
Cause, after all, did those standing closest to the light not have the largest and darkest shadows at their feet, while those in the dark had nothing to hide with their shadows exposed all the time, surrounded by them? If anything, those shunned and weak sought comfort in the dark, away from the prying eyes of their tormentors.
But they were right in one thing – one side couldn't exist without the other. It was a cycle, two sides of a medal. And there was no sight more beautiful than the flickering of the torches at night, or the setting of the sun – both phenomena that only existed because light and dark met and embraced, in cooperation rather than fight.
And so Cia basked in it as Ganondorf empowered her darkness, and she finally escaped her agony. She let the darkness fill her, knowing that she had nothing to lose and wouldn't lose her sense of self, as she wasn't afraid.
She'd always been herself, even if she had been in need of a reality check. Got it, in the most dire of ways, when she went as far as to use up all of her own life force just to spite the goddesses.
It had never been about the hero, never been about love. But it took her death, her own, to come to this realization.
And this was where she was now, in the gentle embrace of death. The comfort of everlasting darkness.
She didn't resist. She didn't fear. And although perfectly passive once more, she wasn't angry.
So maybe it had been pointless, her entire quest for vengeance. It had merely ended up where it had started, and objectively at an even worse point. She was dead, although that was the only difference – in death, she once again was but passive. In a way, she had temporarily achieved what she had been yearning for and, in the long run, had at least left a lasting impact on one era.
She should've been happy, at least somewhat, but the mere thought of that concept was no longer appealing. And all it did was leave a bad taste in her mouth – the only time that one of her senses worked since her death – and nothing but regret.
Now, in death, she wasn't really sure anymore if this all had been what she had wanted. Why she was questioning it now, she couldn't really tell, but the most rational explanation was that Lana had woken these doubts. Ironically, given that Lana was the part of her that she had abandoned. Most fittingly, because her only worry in death was that Lana was destined to eventually go down the same path she had taken, essentially becoming the next Cia.
For the moment, Lana could avoid that, as even though she had the memories, she was buoyant and full of excitement. Had claimed that she could live with the idea of not getting the person she thought she deserved. The only question Cia had about that was 'for how long', as the same thought had worn her down incredibly fast, and although Lana didn't look like it, she was the one with the weaker will of the two.
Her own last words came to Cia's mind. The warning she had voiced.
"You always were my better half." she had told Lana with her last breath, not complimenting her and not telling her that Lana was superior, but reminding her that they still, despite everything, had once been one and the same and that neither of them would ever fully escape that.
But if Lana understood that was an entirely different thing.
Curled up into fetal position in death's gentle embrace, hovering in this void, Cia could only imagine where Lana was at that moment – back at the temple, watching the era from afar and the repeat of the everlasting fight between the holders of the Triforce, passive once more. Silently wondered if the same, or perhaps already the next, era. Maybe a few down the line? Time didn't exist in this realm. No rules, no laws, nothing guaranteed and nothing denied.
But in this sea of uncertainty, there was still one thing, a single thought that was an anchor for her whenever she lost all sense of self, a part of her old task that she could count on and from which she could always start anew, each train of thought – outside, time marched on, eras came and passed, but the holders of the Triforce would clash in each.
It always came back down to it. And the 'Guardian of Time', that jester, once herself and now her successor Lana, would watch in perfect passiveness.
Not that Cia herself was any different, really, passive even in death – although with her eyes opened now opposed to the 'Guardian' of Time, no matter if her old self or the next – or any after that, if it would come to that, really! – she found a certain sense of humor in it. A grim one, maybe, but not wholly unwelcome. It made the process of coming to terms easier.
Cause she deserved it, all of it. Or at least felt she did. A punishment befitting of her, to be once again robbed of all active ability, and to just exist within the void to experience the non-existence of self and the complete lack of any free choice. It was just like back then.
She could practically hear the goddesses laughing at her once more, but this time, she'd allow them that. Resisting the goddesses ill seemed to bring anything good with it. If this was her punishment for her disobedience, then so be it. Cause if she had learned anything from this, then it was not to challenge them ever again, no matter how unfair her situation was.
Hyrule's goddesses were cruel, but had a point. Everyone had his or her task, and had to make sacrifices for it. It just happened that her sacrifice was the biggest of them all – the sacrifice of all ego and activeness. Of her own self. Essentially, she had no life, only purpose – and what a purpose it was. How pointless, and yet important. Maybe, on some level, to someone, that was. Maybe to the goddesses who had made her the Guardian of Time. Maybe she was just their biggest joke, what did she know?
At least THAT they did allow her. To question them. To think of them as powerful – at least, way more powerful than her – sadists. To hate her duty. And them. All of that remained unpunished, she was free to loathe and think whatever she wanted, both back then and now!
A small comfort. A drop in the ocean.
Could she turn back time, she'd do the same thing all over again, even if knowing where it led. Could she continue now, she wouldn't do it again. If that meant that she had learned her lesson or not, she honestly didn't know, and cared even less. This hadn't been what the little taste of freedom they had allowed her was about, nor the punishment that immediately followed.
And the most ironic thing about it – death wasn't even her punishment, nor was that she existed beyond it and had time to ponder. The goddesses had allowed her to die, knowing that even an eternity spent pondering wouldn't change her mind and the disgust she had come to feel towards them. Honestly, they didn't even care what she thought about them, it wasn't part of her duty to worship them or spread faith.
The true punishment was, again, passiveness. The inability to do anything, knowing that by the time Lana had come to be, the goddesses had already abandoned their original Guardian of Time and chosen Lana as her successor – a replacement. A replacement! Like a torch burnt out that you simply threw away, putting a new one in its place! How cheap were they really to these so-called 'goddesses' if they were this disposable?!
No, the true punishment was the knowledge that Lana was already on the path to becoming the next her, the next "Cia" – doomed to eventually grow numb and tired as well as millenia dragged on, to suffer, to then frantically try to escape this ever passive role no matter what it took, no matter the cost – and being unable to do anything about it. Thoughts that really were driving Cia mad.
Could she escape this, she'd willingly take her old place again, just to spare Lana this fate.
And the goddesses knew, and the goddesses laughed.
There were many kind gods out there, Cia was sure of it – it just happened to be that Hyrule's were not. Power, wisdom, courage – all traits as far from kindness as could be. But they fooled the Hylians, and they basked in it. Who'd distrust a beautiful face with kind eyes? What man, or woman, would deny an all-powerful goddess a request, if only she asked nicely and winked suggestively?
Cia would. She'd seen past it, past the mask they put on, and had experienced how they truly were. But she had a duty to uphold, and although given to her by the very same goddesses, it didn't have anything to do with them. No longer.
But that was over now. No longer important. In a way, she was incredibly glad, and in another incredibly disappointed, almost sad even.
As horrible of a time as it had been, it had been the only thing she'd ever known. And as unrewarding as it had been, in retrospect, it had fulfilled her. Maybe not as much as other things would undeniably have, but being the only thing to ever know and do, it at least had been something.
Now, they had taken that from her, too. Now, there was truly nothing left, nothing at all.
And Cia accepted it.
If this was her punishment, then so be it.