In the abyss of the Twilight Realm, Veran floated before the Oni. The Primal Deity she followed and in turn acted as its eyes in the mortal realm. Great Fairies were created to be observers of the deities and to be the oracles to mortals. In all her lives, she had never felt so conflicted, finally uttering "Why did you give him such an offer?"

"I wanted to test him." The Oni answered "He is my mortal reincarnation and he is the Hero of Time for this era… I wanted to see if he was different from the other Heroes… that maybe because of my presence he could break free of such a ridiculously heavy burden."

"He is, no other mortal could have shattered Hyrule's timeline into pieces or saved Hyrule from the wrath of the Man Eater." Veran tilted her head at it "So, how did he do with your test?"

The Oni sighed deeply and solemnly said "He failed. He could only see the world through the curse of the Triforce… he cannot be saved."

"What do you want me to do now?"

"If you wish to help him, then do so." The Oni went to its knees begging its Great Fairy "I am deeply sorry. I cannot restore that timeline for I can only destroy. I am not worthy of your forgiveness."

"I know and that is what hurts most of this situation. Nevertheless, I will always be your fairy." Veran admitted as she took that moment to warp back into the reality of the mortal coil.

The familiar rhythm of the Clock Tower roused his senses. The musty smell of mildew and rust teased his nostril. The running water turned the mechanisms of the clock with the mighty groan of a giant. Link suddenly felt himself placed abruptly back into the ruins beneath the ancient turret. He blinked, realising that one his eyes was still blind. Shakily he moved his arms, holding them in front of him for closer inspection. A dark crystal remained in one of his hands, prompting the lucid recollection of Veran's menacing warning before the timeline reset.

"Link?" Skull Kid asked, tugging at his arm. His face was back to a featureless weave of shadows and straw. Tatl and Tael perched on the rim of his hat like they always did. Sable, Iris and Onox looked on with silent curiosity regarding his abrupt halt and why he now held a crystallised shadow.

Veran shoved past them, snatching the gem from Link's hand as she snarled "You idiot! How could you make such a hasty decision!?"

He then realised how pathetic he sounded as he said "Zelda needed me to."

"You threw away everything! A time for your land to enter a new era of enlightenment, but NO! You just wanted to take care of an outdated relic of a princess with pathetic coping skills." Veran spat at him, then turned her back "You worthless Triforce thug!"

He stood his ground "But I love her! I couldn't take seeing her like that and as I was, she would never love me."

"And your selfish desires of lust are worth destroying countless lives! Think of how many people were changed, what they became capable of in that era… and you had the gall to take it from them on a hasty decision!?"

"You're just a Great Fairy! What would you even know of emotions and love!?"

"More than you, clearly. You sacrifice an entire realm for the chance to be with a woman who will never love you the way you love her! You had your chances to tell her how you felt and you never took them. Men like you are pathetic cretins that should be killed for the good of the species!"

Iris tried to defend Link "Whoa, Veran, calm down! You're being way too harsh!"

Onox reminded "We don't even know what he did. We haven't even made it to Hyrule yet."

Sable was more intrigued by the gem in hand "What's the deal with that crystal anyway?"

"Why don't I just show you, it'll be quicker." Veran conjured the power within, shattering the gem into shadowy fragments that exploded around them like stars. As quickly as it burst, the pieces of darkness quickly returned to their true owners as they became one with the other Terminans in the chamber.

Skull Kid took pause noticing the change of clothes, his hands clambered to his mask like face as the memories of his godhood returned. Tatl and Tael were stunned for a moment then resumed fluttering around with excitement. They crashed into Skull Kid, the closest action a fairy could do that translated to a hug.

Link watched as the possible sense of friendship he had with Sable, Iris and Onox vanished to be replaced with disgust. Sable spoke first with a cold hatred "You abolished that timeline? We fought our guts out for you, to save you and your homeland… and you just wrote it off without a second thought!?"

"Do you really think that low of us!?" Iris practically ignited as her rage bubbled "That we're just so beneath you because we're followers of Darkness!? That anything we do is unworthy of being permitted to even exist!?"

Onox held them back, placing his hands on Sable's shoulder and Iris' fire mane. He did not wince as her flames burned through his thick leather glove and started to char his flesh. Instead he glared at Link, with the eyes of a dragon patriarch, smoke escaping his mouth as he said "We're leaving. He isn't worthy of our help. He is far too selfish and immature for any semblance of responsibility."

Sable dusted his hand off, she snarled at Link as she walked past "True, we can't pick up after you all the time, kid. Find yourself some other idiots to protect you."

Tatl floated before Link "You do realise I looked up to you… being all hero-like and everything… now… now I just don't know." She floated after Sable, Iris and Onox as they began to climb up the wooden and stone walkways to return to Clock Town.

"Wait a minute, please don't leave yet." Skull Kid bounded after them "Link may not appreciate you, but I do… will you help me fight Bellum?"

Onox retorted "Why do you want to fight him?"

"Uh… well…"

"You just want to fight Bellum because Link is still your friend… even though I don't understand why."

Iris sighed, seeing the desperation on the deity's face "Think about it Skull Kid, he wanted you to forget who you were."

Link protested "That's not fair!"

"How am I not being fair? You made the choice without considering the consequences."

Sable shook her head at Link "If Veran hadn't preserved our collective memories in that crystal we would've been oblivious and unchanged. Our time in Hyrule let us grow as people, but no. You don't see that. All you care about is your stupid princess."

Onox interrupted, his voice rose above the others "It is pointless to discuss with this fool, I would recommend that we keep walking."

Sable and Iris fell silent, giving Link a final glare before retreating to the streets on the surface. Tatl followed them as well yet Tael and Skull Kid lingered at the ancient door. Link felt that he needed to explain himself, but the words failed him as he realised they were right; they were also right to hate him because of it. Skull Kid knocked on the stone door, causing it to open, with lantern in hand he gestured Link to travel the dark road ahead. Miasma from the ghosts of fate haunted the air.

He took one final look back at Veran who continued to glare at him with her arms folded over her chest. She growled at him "Remember, you're the one who chose this timeline."

Alone, he walked through the misty forests to return to Hyrule.

The churning gears of the Clock Tower continued to echo around them. They hesitated before the heavy doors leading to the southern district of Clock Town. Onox was a step ahead of them; he turned to face Sable, Iris and Tatl. He could see it on their faces, the concern, the fear, it was unmistakable. He took a wild stab in the dark as to what they were concerned about "Skull Kid?"

They all nodded back to him.

He then let out a sigh "Yeah, I can't remember any tales about the Wanderer being a combat based deity." He passed by them to return to the doorway leading down "Alright, we go because we care about Skull Kid."

They followed after him, descending the path to find Veran, Tael and Skull Kid before the open doorway. Skull Kid bounced with delight over this development as he skipped ahead into the forests between the boundaries of reality.

Upon emerging in the Lost Woods, Link wasted no time, he quickly left the dense, verdant forests to return to Hyrule Field. The familiar sight of the lush grasslands made him feel at ease. The smell of rain carried on the gentle breeze that playfully ruffled anything it flowed over. It had not yet been mutated beyond recognition by Bellum's plague. He could still save this land and keep it at its original state of beauty. The grasses nearby held a unique plant he had discovered on his travels. The seeds of a particular plant blossomed into hollow horseshoe shaped shells that made a distinct whistle when blown. From travelling through Holodrum he had learned they allowed him to call Epona, no matter how far away they were. He picked one of the seeds in question and blew a shrieking cry. Epona galloped towards him with the wind at her back at the sound of its song. Link mounted her and made haste towards Castle Town.

Night had fallen by the time Link arrived at Hyrule Castle. He rode Epona past the patrolling guards, ignoring their protests and curses as he nearly knocked them over. Dismounting quickly to then charge through the royal halls of the Hylian monarchy in search of Zelda; he was a man with a mission that could not be distracted. The paintings and tapestries on the wall became a blur although the figures contained within stared at him in silent condemnation. Link was determined not to let this disaster befall Hyrule a second time; he would have to become that abomination again in order to fight Bellum. He would have to watch Zelda unravel into despair and insanity all over again.

He did not even notice Impa calling his name as she ran alongside him. At the moment she was the only one capable of keeping pace with him. Finally he arrived at the royal library where Zelda sat near the fireplace with Navi flying overhead. The towers of shelves housing ancient and modern tomes felt more ominous as the light of the fire flickered erratically across the walls. Although he could not see it before, he saw it now. Even though Navi floated by Zelda, he could see Bellum's twisted shadow splayed over the floor. Link stormed forward, taking Zelda's hand and putting himself between her and Navi as he drew his sword.

Navi laughed, her gentle upbeat voice became twisted with malice "I can't believe you opted for a retry… you're not even worthy of fighting me as you are."

Link stood his ground "I will end you before you can hurt Hyrule."

"With that piece of sharpened iron? Seriously!? You do remember who I am, right? What? Couldn't even be bothered getting the Master Sword?" Navi dove into the ground, revealing Bellum's more humanoid shape looking most unimpressed. Zelda screamed from fear while Impa drew her blades and stood ready to attack.

Link still remained defiant even though he realised that in his haste he had forgotten to equip himself adequately "Bellum, you will not destroy our lives!"

"Improved, the word you're looking for is improved." Bellum seemed a little too relaxed for someone with multiple blades aimed at them. "To be honest, the Sages are still in the process of regenerating in their new, glorious forms and I haven't had a chance to fortify myself in this realm." He smirked playfully "But I think I can still take you." He reached up like he did before, tugging on the silver strings of fate that became visible to his touch "Remember this? You don't have the Great Fairy of the Twilight Realm or the Wanderer to help you this time." He giggled, pulling the strings a little tighter.

Link, Zelda and Impa felt themselves restrained like marionettes to a puppeteer. Bellum hummed under his breath as he watching them struggle against the lines of fate that permeated mortality. "Yeah, is this timeline really any better? Did you honestly think you even had any chance of beating me as you are?" He laughed "Well, at least you get to die alongside your creepy little crush."

Bellum pulled the strings…