Chapter Twenty

~~~Weeks Prior to The Calamity~~~

Twilight did not leave his wolf form often. It was comfortable and best suited for cold nights. Time understood the affinity for it, but the man enjoyed all his forms in their own way. Others like Tracks and Wind only had their two forms, the hero and the people they were before becoming said hero, and would snuggle into the warm fur of the wolf-men when it got a little too cold for their liking. For Twilight, however, the wolf form was faster and gave him more peace. He liked being a Hylian well enough, but being stuck in this endless limbo of the Hero's passing had become boring after a long while of enduring it.

From what Time had told him – moments after he had first arrived as one of them – when a hero died, they would come to this place to rest or reserve their knowledge for the next hero. The lost woods constantly changed, and no one dared to cross the barrier between this place and the rest of Hyrule. No one knew they were there.

And no one had to know.

Twilight lifted his head when he heard one of the kids hit the ground after another pushed them. He thought he might have to intervene, but the other kid apologized as soon as he saw Time's eye start to glow out of annoyance.

Twilight let out a gurgle of a laugh, laying back into a resting position. 'Kids. They never change.'

A gold light shone through his closed eyes and he looked up to find Time, in wolf form, trot up to his side.

"You look rather relaxed." Came the golden wolf's ghostly voice, lips not even moving. "Ganon will return soon. You'd think one would be interested in knowing who the next hero is."

Twilight stretched out, laying his furry head on the cool rock beneath him while letting out a deep and contented sigh. He could not speak in this form, but this was a clear sign that the man did not care much who the next hero would be. There had been a few after him that did not need his guidance as he needed Time's. All there was to do was rest. This next hero would be no different.

The golden wolf lay beside his friend and relative, letting out his own huff. "You were never this lazy in life."

Twilight let out a puff through his jowls, a clear sign of a laugh.

Time let out his own puff. "I wonder who was chosen. This 'Calamity Ganon' sounds like a real challenge. He must be a strong hero if he's taking on such a monstrous beast. Then again, Ganon has always been an imposing figure."

Twilight looked up at his friend, eyes searching for a point to the man's words.

The golden wolf looked back at him. "Don't you give me that look. I happen to be in a mood to talk today. You happen to be the only one willing to hear me out. Sky and Oracle have gone off to look for some berries and the others fear me. The Koroks are few as well since most of them have gone off to see who this new hero is. Hestu is about the only one keeping things interesting around here, and even he will be leaving to check out Hyrule soon. Be a friend and stop judging me."

Seeing as how Twilight couldn't make remarks in his current form, he allowed himself to switch out into his Hylian form just so he could bite back at Time's snarky-ness. He was still splayed across his rock, but he wasn't as warm as before.

"Time," he began, "did it ever occur to you that I enjoy a little silence every now and then? Keep in mind, Ordon was the quietest place in Hyrule before it was my turn to be the hero."

Time changed into his own Hylian form, letting out a breath of frustration. "The new hero will rise soon, and you're acting as though his presence doesn't matter."

"It does matter, Time. But we don't matter. We had our time in the light, and no one needs us anymore."

"That is far from true. Our pasts tell the story of who we were and what we stood for."

"Maybe, but those lessons are always forgotten. Tell me, do you even remember who you were fighting for back then? What you were standing up for?"

Time raised his head confidently. "For Hyrule and it's people. What else is there?"

Twilight shook his head. "You have forgotten. But I guess that's to be expected. We've been here for so long I'm starting to wonder what I even fought for."

The man rolled over to face the sky now, leaves and branches covering most of his view. He remembered a lot from his time as the Hero of Hyrule, but some of his memories were beginning to fade. Memories like Colin growing into a man and starting a family of his own while Malo got his business to grow like a weed well into his teen years with his brother Talo. He was forgetting the face of Midna and everything she helped him with.

He was forgetting Ilia and everything they shared together.

This was the hard truth of his afterlife. The Hero did not die when they were old or when a blade pierced their skin. The hero died when the adventure was over. Thus the reason he remained young in this life. He was the hero until he was not needed.

And Twilight was no longer needed.

He heard Time ask him a question, but his thoughts were muddled and foggy. He wondered for a bit if anyone here understood what he was thinking. If they too were forgetting the faces of their friends and family.

'Funny,' he thought to himself, 'I can't even remember what my parents looked like. I… I can't even remember my name. What was my name?'

Twilight let out a sigh, turning over to look for a new spot where he could avoid Time.

'Hero of Twilight,'

The man froze at this new voice in his mind. It was not Time's. It wasn't any voice he recognized. It was unlike anything he had ever heard in his life. Even when the spirits of light spoke to him, none sounded like this one.

Twilight looked around him, trying to find the voice. This caught Time's attention and he asked what he was hearing.

The man did not answer as the voice came back to him.

'Hero of Twilight, heed my call. Calamity will be upon this world, and there is no hero to stand against it.'

Twilight's eyes widened at the information, heart feeling as though it was dropping inside of him. 'N-No… no, that can't be right!'

'The one who holds the blade made by the Goddess Hylia is not a Hero, but a young man who has forgotten who he is. Hero of Twilight, you must go to him. Follow him. Find out the cause for this turmoil.'

'B-But I… no! It's not possible! And why me? Why not Time o-or Sky!? They can lead him back into his designed roll. I'm not- -'

'Hero of Twilight, I send you on this quest for it is you who still remembers what there is to be fought for. It is you who remembers, above all else, what there is to fight for in this world. Not the Hero of Time, not the Hero of the Sky, not even the Goddesses. You remember, and it is you who should go.'

'Who is this? Hylia? Is this one of the Goddesses?'

'It matters not who I am or what be my name.' The voice called strongly through Twilight's mind. 'It matters only who you are and what you may bring to the next hero. Your life holds more for one to learn than others, and so I choose you to go forth and bring him peace.'

'But if he is chosen, he will rise anyhow! The hero always rises and makes their mark! You've chosen wrong, and I demand to be left out of this!'

'WHO GAVE YOU YOUR RIGHT TO DEMAND!?' The voice rang out, sending Twilight into panic as he bowed to the strong voice. 'WHO GAVE YOU YOUR RIGHTS AND COURAGE TO FIGHT!? WHO FOUGHT FOR YOUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF THOSE BEFORE AND AFTER YOU!? DID NOT I?! DID NOT THE GODS!? NOW GO!'

Twilight remained rooted to his kneel, shaking in fear over the anger in this booming and regal voice. A voice which held no malice, but command. No gender to be determined beyond what little was said, and no knowledge of who could hold such a powerful range. It was large and controlling, the voice of one who knew all and held all in its palm.

As Twilight remained bowed, breathing heavy as fear took over him, he felt a calming presence wash over him. Like a hand was placed on his shoulder, and yet nothing could be felt.

'The light of the Goddesses shine down on you today, Hero of Twilight. I see in your eyes the reasons behind your actions of the past. Reasons many have forgotten over time and contentedness. A reason the current Hero has yet to find. I ask you, the one who holds this answer strongly, to teach this to the next hero. He knows not what he fights for, nor who he is shielding from the Calamity to come. Guide him, and show him who he needs to be.'

A sudden weight lifted off Twilight, the man's body slowly stop in its shaking in order for him to look up. His eyes met with the wonder of other eyes in the forest, everyone questioning just what was going on inside Twilight's head.

Before he could answer, Sky raced to their sides with Oracle right behind him.

"The fog is gone! The forest has been cleared of it!"

With shock in their cores, everyone ran for the edge of the forest, finding that the fog had indeed been lifted. There was even a bit of sunlight shining through the dead trees, a path towards the rest of Hyrule none had seen in the past thousand or so years.

Time took a step forward, stepping back when he felt something shock his system.

"There's still a barrier, but it can't be seen."

Twilight felt his shoulders tense, something in the pit of his stomach urging him forward.

'This is your doing.'

'And it will return once you leave.' The voice confirmed. 'Hero of Twilight, I grant you passage through this forest. Aid the next of your kind, and bring him into the light where he belongs. The Hero of the Wild is waiting.'

'Hero of- -'

Twilight stepped forward, Time trying to stop him.

"Light, what are you- -?"

He turned to his friend, a small grin escaping him. "I'll be back, Time. I don't know when. But I'll return. I think… I think the Hero needs me."

He didn't give the man time to stop him before he jumped into wolf form and began running as fast as he could towards where he was needed. The whole time he ran, the voice guided him to where he was needed.

But, for the life of him, Twilight could not recognize who the voice had been.

He watched as Link fell another bokoblin, the young Hylian not even tired from the fight. It was hard to believe someone so young was so adept at fighting. Twilight had even heard a few stories passed around the guards when they were off duty about the young man having bested others when he was four. It was astonishing.

Yet, there was something off about this hero.

When the last of his enemies fell, the young man took no pleasure in defeating his enemies. He simply stood there, looking about the bodies, and took a moment to think about what he had done. It was like he was questioning what he was doing. This was normal, as Twilight had done the same many times when he was the hero, but there was something missing. Something that should be there but wasn't.

Purpose.

Zelda came out from hiding, taking a moment to calm herself before walking past Link without even a word of gratitude. This annoyed Twilight, but he had to remember every Zelda was different in their own ways. And this one was sheltered into a life of study and trying to unlock her powers. She had no experience in fighting.

Twilight followed the two until they reached a bank where they began to setup camp. There wasn't much to watch here, but he found this hero was much more silent than others he had met. He utilized more sign than the others, and he rarely ever smiled.

'This is the next hero. Yet, he seems so lost. How can he hold the Master sword and not feel even an inch of pride?'

His ears perked when he saw Link look up from the setup with the tent, the hero's eyes gazing over the land with wonder and content. There was a longing there, the hero standing just a tad taller now. Wanderlust? It must have been.

'Hero of the Wild, eh? Now it makes sense. If anyone let him off leash, he'd be out there climbing every mountain and scaling every wall that got in his way. Still, could he not do this after Ganon is destroyed?'

He watched as Zelda snapped him back into reality and let out a huff.

"Honestly, you get distracted at every turn. We need to finish setting up camp and then we can get some rest. Naboris will be waiting for us tomorrow and I want to get an early rise."

Link nodded to the Princess and finished with the tent.

Twilight lay down on the grassy knoll, letting out a huff.

'The Princess and her appointed Knight. Should it not have been chosen knight though? Is this even truly the hero?'

Twilight did not get his answer until long after sundown when Link had finally fallen asleep outside the princess' tent and he was able to sneak up and get a good look at the young Hylian. He certainly looked like one of them, and there were certainly enough scars to prove he'd been in a good few fights. But, once again, something was missing.

The man, using his wolf-like senses, sniffed at the new hero and found an air of depression hit him. There was sadness there unlike any Twilight had ever felt. Not even Time, in all his loneliness and mistakes, had given off such a melancholy scent.

Twilight sat beside the young man now. 'I see. You were not given the task before the sword. You have no inkling as to what you are fighting for right now. This isn't the correct order of things.'

The man-turned-wolf looked up at the darkened sky now, thinking back to all he had been fighting for in his time as a hero.

He let out a snuff.

'You will learn in due time, Link.'

Running head first into a battle with a Lynel, all for the sake of his sister and the Princess, and not even caring for his own safety.

This had been what Twilight needed to see.

He intervened when he thought the Lynel had the upper hand, driving the Ordon blade he still carried in his Hero form right into the beast's skull. Link was none the wiser when things settled down, and Twilight smiled at the praise he got in taking down the beast. It wasn't until Gared came around to spoil the mood that Twilight felt sorry for his actions.

Through what he had seen travelling next to Link closely, earning the Hylian's companionship, he noticed Link was getting beaten down by the weight of his father's pride and worry. Twilight could not remember his own father or what he had been like, but Rusl had never spoken to Colin in this manner unless the lad truly deserved it. Most of the time, Colin was brought up with a stern and loving father that would always want to bring up his child's self-esteem.

Gared was not that kind of father.

Twilight could sense love from the man, but frustration overshadowed it like a blanket. Frustration because of his son's identity, the world seeming to collectively cave in on all of them, and the looming threat of Ganon overhead of it all.

However, Twilight could not forgive the man for silencing Link's hands when the young Hylian tried to apologize.

This was what pushed Link towards the edge.

And what pushed the divine voice to speak up once more.

As Twilight sat near the fire of the woodland stable, now a Hylian once again as Link slept on, he thought back to the moment when the new hero wished to cast away the sword. It was a bold wish, and one none of them had thought of before. But this was not something he wanted. Link did not want to be the hero to save Hyrule.

There had to be someone else.

Twilight looked to the sky now, shaking a little in his seat.

'I still have no clue who you are, but I ask you… is this what is right? If he is the hero, should he not prove himself in battle? Would giving up the sword truly be best?'

A looming presence overtook him, and for a moment there was fear he would be yelled at for questioning the divine presence.

'Hero of Twilight, he is the next to come. He need only but to realize why.'

'But how? I'm not sure I understand.'

'Why did you fight, hero? What made you take up a sword and go forth towards danger?'

Link answered this query easily, his face growing hot out of annoyance for this voice questioning his motives.

The voice spoke back. 'He must come to this same conclusion. And it is you who will help him. Speak with the Deku Tree once you arrive, follow his wisdoms, and from there you will know what else to do for him. He is the Hero of the Wild, a child born with a soul full of courage. He has only but to realize it himself.'

'And the others? What if they reject his decision?'

'Stand by him as his friend. The choice is his to make, and the challenge has yet to be placed. When he realizes what he fights for, he will become the hero destined to stop the darkness. Have faith, Hero of Twilight.'

Have faith? That was easy enough for him, but others would not understand. Link would be seen as a deserter, a Hero unworthy of the title. At the same time, this was his choice. No one else had a say in what happened from here on out.

Twilight now looked to Link's sleeping form, the poor Hylian exhausted from the long road.

The man steeled himself now. "Hold your head high, Link. For the next few days will be your toughest battle yet. There is no sword that will cut these ties of yours, and there is no way to physically harm what is to come, but the silence will show you who you are. You know what you're fighting for, you know what you want to protect. I will help you, and you will become stronger. You have my word,

"Hero of the Wild."