No, this is not a ToM sequel. It's more of a… spiritual companion that explains The Hero's Shade. Nothing more.
DISCLAIMERS: See Tears of Memory.
!0*0!
As his last breath escaped his lips, Link, the Hero of Time, thanked the Goddesses for what he had been given.
Not the Hero-ing business, no. The scars of that life had always haunted him. He was actually referring to the life he had been gifted with afterwards, in Ordon with Malon. He was so incredibly joyous that he had her in his life, that he would be able to grow old alongside her, thankful for everything she had given him and more. She had granted him peace and soothed his restless soul, and had made him a better man all the while. He was aware of his family at his side as he passed out of the mortal plane and into the beautiful afterlife, despite the unending agony of the sickly heart that beat intermittently just within his ribcage.
To his horror, all those years ago when he'd reinstated himself as a Kokiri citizen had not fully saved him from his Stalfosified fate, although it did slow the spread of the curse a hundredfold. On the day he left the Kokiri Forest for the final time to meet King Daphnes, he'd noted that his Stalfos Hand seemed to extend just a hair further up his arm than he remembered. This continually repeated itself until the curse extended all the way to his shoulder, where he and Malon confirmed that it was still spreading.
As of now, much of his chest had the skin and muscle stripped away, revealing a skeletal ribcage that remained just as functional as his human chest was. For that reason, the Hero of Time was rarely seen without his armor, specially made to protect his ever more vulnerable form, and never without a bulky shirt. Malon hadn't cared, though. He was still Link, still the man she loved, and that he loved back. The curse was killing him, had been for years, but the Hylian did not care; death was hardly something to be feared, in his eyes, so much as something to respect. So when Link realized that the intrinsic tug on his mind towards sleep was the beckoning of his passing, he only took a moment to shoot a reassuring smile at his family before going on, into silence.
Vaguely, he registered himself going limp as his body gave out for the last time, but his mind seemed to float out of mortality and into another plane which was so intrinsically complex that Link forced himself to see it in three dimensional space.
"Link…"
The Hylian managed to stiffen, despite lacking a body, as the effeminate voices called out to him. Link vaguely recognized that the three Golden Goddesses were in front of him, shrouding themselves with the local mist to protect his mind from their true natures. Had he been permitted to gaze upon them truly, he would have been driven mad by their impossible natures, a paradox wrapped in an enigma bound by cyclical and infinite questions.
"Link, O Hero, thine mission is not complete."
What? How could it not be? He'd bested Ganondorf and Ghirahim, saved both Hyrule and Termina, and prevented the destruction of everything he held so dear. What else could there possibly be left to do?
"We understand thine plight, but this is a matter of utmost importance. This concerns the Hero that shall come after thee. Thou must teach thine successor the Hidden Skills that have been perfected by thee over these many years. Thine body, cursed though it may be, shall again belong to thee until thoust duty is completed."
If it was for the Cycle, and would ensure that whatever incarnation of Demise would again be bested, Link would do anything. He couldn't let Ganondorf, or whatever spiritual successor Ganondorf may have, win the full Triforce. To do that would be to forsake his title, his people, his world.
And Malon.
What must he do?
"Retrieve the Master Sword from the Temple of Time and bring it to Faron Woods. Fear not; thou art not called to draw it from the pedestal. Hence, thou must take the pedestal and bring it to the place we will have marked for you there. And then, ye shall wait for the next Hero to draw it. Your successor will travel to the Forest Temple, and you are to intercept him and begin the Teachings. From there thou shalt follow him, and learn him all the Seven. Once you have finished this divine task, ye shalt be gifted your rest and your elysium.
"Thou art a great Hero, Link, and we shall aid ye when it is needed of thee. What sayeth thee?"
Aye, with all his heart. He may not get to see Malon in a long time between the epochs, nor his children, but he could not falter here.
"Then we restore you here, Link, O Hero."
The afterlife exploded into a kaleidoscope of white diamonds as Link's physical eye snapped open. Everything suddenly snapped into focus as he realized that the white he was seeing was the burial shroud he had been wrapped in at his own behest. He had requested to be buried deep within what was once Kokiri Forest, in close proximity to what was once his childhood home, and after tearing off the bandages eclipsing his vision, the ex-Hylian found that his final wish had been granted.
He stood, grasping his ancient sword, shrugging off the leaves and vines that had grown across his dilapidated body- he had evidently been left here for a few years- before taking stock of what he had. What was once flesh was gone, and interestingly his Stalfos Hand was missing as well. Replacing both was a translucent silhouette of monochrome that shimmered beneath the rusted, but still majestic armor that Link had once worn as a knight. It had aged along with the scenery around him, cracked and broken in some places. But the Hero of Time had a job to do, and he began to set to work.
As he departed from the Ghostly Ether, his skin and armor diminished into the form of a golden wolf, also missing its eye. Link took this in stride; he'd been through weirder. He reasoned that it must be a side effect of not technically being alive.
He was the Hero of Time. He was quite good at waiting.
!0*0!
There you go. This Link is a lot less "Regret"ful as the one we see in Twilight Princess, but… I don't know. Draw your own conclusions. This just goes ahead and answers the question for us.
Review Please!