That next day was spent in absolute misery. Revali and Link had come to a semi-truce in the face of Zelda's lessons on manners and politics. Urbosa's lessons on foreign relations and diplomacy were only slightly more bearable, but that was mainly because she seemed to understand that the material she was teaching them both was more boring than fighting a chuchu.

Zelda, on the other hand, seemed to favor the 'shove information down your throat until it sticks' method. And whenever one of their attentions even slightly wavered, she would go off on a whole new tangent on looking respectful and the like. Link hated those lectures. Maybe that was why his old self was always so stiff.

And while some of the stuff was interesting to learn (when Urbosa explained it), most of it was just boring. Zelda insisted on teaching him the culture and basic traditions and history of the kingdoms bordering Hyrule. Link hadn't even known there were countries bordering Hyrule a month ago, let alone five of them. He would've cried if he didn't know Revali would hold it over his head for years.

Though as it was, his fellow feathered Champion looked fairly close to tears, himself. Unfortunately, the most Daruk could do was regulate their breaks and sneak them cookies. It wasn't much, but it was no less appreciated.

The following day was met with a sigh of relief from both Revali and Link. After all, they'd finally be able to get away from these horrid lessons. "You sure about traveling by foot?" Zelda raised an eyebrow as Link double checked his pouch. Just because he had a Slate that could store just about anything didn't mean he wasn't going to keep a few things readily accessible. What if he'd dropped the Slate? What if it glitched out and he lost access to all his supplies? He always kept a few elixirs in his pouch just in case.

"Yeah. There's something I wanted to check out along the way." He lied. He just wanted to put those damn lessons off for as long as he could. Revali nodded a tad too eagerly.

"Yes, he and I were talking about it last night. I'd rather get it out of the way now than have to backtrack later." He added.

"Right." Urbosa nodded with a knowing smirk that made Link feel like she was going along with it for fun. "And you two are supposed to be resting." She reminded them.

"Well, we can still cover our lessons on the road, right?" Zelda smiled innocently, and Link felt himself pale a bit.

"Give them a rest, Princess." Daruk came to their rescue. "You know how the Little Guy travels. Save the books for the house."

"Oh, very well." The late princess huffed. "But if something comes up, I'll explain a bit."

"Leaving already?" Sidon asked as he met them on the bridge.

"I need to talk to Purah about what happened on the Blood Moon." Link sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I understand, but please do come back and visit us soon?" Sidon slowly reached out for a hug, which Link was more than happy to solidify for. The cool arms of the Zora Prince wrapped around him, and he let himself sink into the embrace. "You may not be a Zora, but father recognizes you as one. Perhaps it's because of Mipha's gift, or perhaps because of all you've done for us. But regardless, every Zora of Hyrule will gladly heed your call. You need anything, no matter how small or large, you come to us." He paused for a moment, lowering his voice. "Please. Don't get yourself killed again."

Link held Sidon a little tighter. "I promise. I won't make the same mistake twice."

"Thrice." Revali muttered under his breath.

"You'd better not. I'll hold you to it." Sidon gave him a fond smile. "Just remember to come back and visit—or at least send a card. Otherwise I may just fear the worst, knowing your streak."

"I've only died twice." Link defended himself.

"Only twice." Mipha and Sidon spoke in sync as they gave him the exact same glare.

"You two are scary." He decided, and Sidon snorted as he realized what must've occurred.

"Just stay safe, and I won't need to worry as much." Sidon smiled.

"We'll try our best to keep him safe, but he's a real handful." Revali scowled.

"Revali says they'll look after me." Link replied with a chipper tone. He quickly ducked under a piece of flying fruit. "Revali!"

"Don't put words in my beak!" He held up a hydromelon threateningly.

"How did you even get that?! I've got my slate right here!" Link complained, hand migrating to his slate to ensure it truly was still there.

"I have my ways."

"We should get going." Link smiled. "I'll send word every month, okay? And I'll try to visit on the Blood Moons so you can speak with Mipha more."

"Much appreciated." Sidon smiled. "And while I cannot see the rest of you, I ask that you please watch over Link. Especially during those Blood Moons."

"You don't even have to ask." Urbosa smiled. "This Little Fox will be safe with us."

"Yeah! We'll look after the Little Guy!" Daruk pounded a fist to his chest.

With that, they left the Domain. The pace was slow and steady, but the day was pleasant enough. They managed to make it halfway through the wetlands by nightfall. Zelda raised an eyebrow as Link pressed on.

"Shouldn't we stop for the night?" She frowned, and Link realized she would've never traveled with him before. Or, at least, not in the last century.

"Little Fox doesn't like to rest much on his travels." Urbosa spoke up. "I think he sleeps once every few days when out in the wilderness."

"It's too dangerous." Link shrugged a bit. "I've traveled alone for a long time, Zelda. Nobody can watch my back while I sleep."

"We can, now." Revali reminded him.

"I'm not even tired now." Link shrugged. "I'm too used to traveling continuously."

"That's not healthy." Zelda frowned.

"I'm already dead." Link mused. "What harm can it do, now? I'll rest when we hit the Stables."

"Despite the way he says it, he's right." Mipha sighed. "It is too dangerous for a lone traveler to sleep out in the wetlands. Especially when…"

Link's ear twitched as he picked up the sound of a mechanical whirr in the distance. He turned his head to gaze at the slight glow of purple on the horizon. "Guardian that way." He uttered softly, turning away from the glow.

"Aren't there lizalfos this way?" Revali frowned.

"I'd rather brave the lizalfos than that Guardian right now. For all we know, that Guardian could target you all, too. The lizalfos may be irritating, but they aren't as lethal as the Guardians." Link pointed out, causing a few of them to wince.

"Right." Revali rubbed the new scar on his shoulder. "We've seen some of the damage those things can do."

"I think you mentioned to Sidon that those Guardians are what did you in a century ago." Urbosa spoke up gently.

"Yes." Link couldn't suppress his shudder. "I remember it clearly. They are terrifying creatures and I'd really rather not fight them if I don't have to. There aren't really any people around here, so I don't think it's too much trouble to let it roam. Most travelers avoid the wetlands anyhow."

"Hold on, Little Guy… didn't you beat that one a month ago? Do you think the Blood Moon brought it back?" Daruk frowned.

"I really hope not, Daruk." Link grimaced at the thought. "Bringing back the monsters is bad enough, but the Guardians, too?" There were still hundreds of the creatures crawling all over Hyrule. Estimated remaining Guardian Stalkers in Hyrule was about 200-400 before he defeated Ganon, about half of which were active and roaming. He'd been able to knock down those numbers nicely during his travels, but the Blood Moons could occasionally restore some of them—not all of them, but at least three to ten each month. Even that was bad. He hoped that the post-Ganon Blood Moon was a little weaker… perhaps enough to keep the defeated Guardians in pieces as they should be.

If this last Blood Moon still re-activated dormant Guardians, then Link was going to have a tough time restoring Hyrule to something safe enough he felt he could pass on from. Din forbid it had revived all several hundred of them.

"Let's just stay away from them for the time being." Revali sighed. "I can fly if we need it, but right now my shoulder is a tad sore."

"You need another few days of rest before you fly on that wing." Mipha sent Revali a look as the ground they walked on started to solidify a bit, indicating that they were nearly out of the wetlands.

"That's strange… we've missed the lizalfos?" Urbosa frowned.

"Not quite." Link smirked, gesturing up ahead where a few of the creatures moved about. "But I want to try something." He tapped his slate and pulled out a mask he'd bought from Kilton months ago.

"What is that?" Revali turned his beak away from it in distaste.

"Oh? You're going to give it a try?" Mipha tilted her head. "You've got the bokoblin one down."

"I've been working on my lizalfos impression lately." Link snickered a bit.

"This should be fun." Urbosa grinned as Link pulled on the mask.

Link adjusted his posture, stooping at the shoulders and keeping his lower back straight. His gait changed to mimic the lizalfos they were quickly coming upon, and a few of the lizard monsters spared him a curious glance before turning back to what they were doing beforehand.

"Well, it doesn't look like they can see us, at least." Zelda pursed her lips, sparing Link a slightly disapproving look. "But you look ridiculous."

"If it works, and nobody gets hurt, is it really such a bad thing?" Daruk shrugged. "You're doin' great, Little Guy!"

"Ridiculous though it may look, it does work." Revali sighed. "I can't even tease him about this because he's being more responsible than I was two days ago."

"So long as he's actively avoiding getting hurt, I'm all for it." Mipha nodded resolutely.

It was nearly fifteen minutes later that Link finally dropped the odd gait and posture and put the mask away. It was rather tiring to keep it up for that long, and he was immensely grateful that none of the monsters had seen through his disguise this time.

"Very clever. The mask alone wouldn't do the work, but you've taken the time to study the monsters and their behavior. I'm impressed." Urbosa ruffled Link's hair, causing the hero to laugh a bit.

"I know it's weird, but the monsters are so interesting! Did you know that bokoblins actually have their own language? Moblins, too! Though those two seem to share a tongue."

"Really?" Zelda leaned forward in interest. "They're intelligent?"

"About as much as a three year old, I suppose." Link snickered. "I'm actually on good terms with a small tribe on the Plateau. In exchange for goods and helping them defend their territory against a few other bokoblins, they allow me free hunting and passage through their lands."

"You've formed a truce with monsters?" Revali gawked.

"I'd like to say I'm on semi-friendly terms with the Silver Lynel up there, too. I mean, I still kill him, but we've come to an understanding of sorts. When we fight, it's straight on, and there's no trick-shots." Link smiled a bit. "I think our fights are more like high-stakes spars anyhow. A couple of times, we've ended it at first blood."

"Yes, you two do seem to actually get along a bit. If that one meal you shared wasn't enough of an indication." Mipha laughed a bit.

"You shared a meal with a Lynel?" Zelda asked in disbelief.

"Only that Lynel." Link corrected. "I think the Great Plateau was a bit secluded from Calamity's power, because the monsters there are a lot less… bloodthirsty. I've tried speaking to a few of the bokoblins here off the plateau, but they just attack me regardless. I think they've been drenched in Ganon's power for so long they've become nothing but feral." He sighed. "It's actually somewhat sad. I think these monsters used to be intelligent, maybe with their own cultures and histories, too. But Calamity destroyed even that."

"It's true that we never had issues with the monsters before Ganon started rising." Zelda tapped her chin a bit. "Every once in a while a few rogues would show up and cause trouble, and we'd take care of them. But for the most part, we all stayed away from one another."

"In that case, it's very likely that Calamity Ganon's power acted like some kind of drug or influence over them." Mipha frowned. "There are some tales in Zora history… A very long time ago—before even the hero of ten thousand years past—Ganon rose. The freshwater Zora at the time were heavily affected by his influence and became mindless monsters themselves, attacking anyone who strayed too close to the rivers and lakes they lived in."

"How awful." Zelda covered her mouth a bit. "Even the Zora?"

"They say that during the Hero of Time's era, Ganon was born in mortal form as a male Gerudo named Ganondorf." Urbosa spoke up as they finally hit grass instead of swamp. "It's part of the reason why the Gerudo started to dislike men, and it put us in horrible political relations with Hyrule for centuries. Seeing as Ganondorf had been our king at the time, and he killed the king of Hyrule to take over the land…"

Zelda winced. "Yes, I could see how that would sour relations between our peoples for a while."

"Gorons have been around for a long time." Daruk grinned. "We've lived on Death Mountain for longer than anyone can remember. Since the Era of the Skies, I think?"

"Era of the Skies?!" Zelda's full attention was on Daruk, now. "As in the time they say Hylia herself walked the earth!?"

"I think so?" Daruk scratched his head. "We don't really tend to keep track of history like other races. We just… kinda are. We keep track of brothers and stuff, maybe some major things like the Calamity, but that's about it."

"What about the Rito?" Link turned towards Revali in interest.

"What about us?" Revali crossed his wings. "Many of our writings say we evolved from the Zora during the Great Flood. I don't know how much I believe that, but that's what they say."

"The Era of the Seas?" Zelda hummed. "If that's the case, then the Rito are the youngest species of the six main races, right?"

"Sheikah are the oldest." Link spoke up, making a few of them look over at him.

"If the Gorons date back to the Era of the Skies… That's before Hylians were called Hylians, right?" Zelda frowned. "Wouldn't they be the oldest?"

Link smiled a bit. "I managed to get a hold of some old texts of Impa's. Apparently the Sheikah were around long before Hylians—back before a great evil called Demise destroyed everything. It was only when Demise rose a second time that they revealed themselves, back in the Era of the First Hero. Before that, they were shadows that recorded the history of the world. Apparently the teardrop on their symbol was added as a sign of their grief for the death of that First Hero."

"Really?! Why did Impa never say anything?!" Zelda was practically vibrating in excitement.

"Well…" Link scratched his head. "I wasn't really supposed to be in that library. I stumbled across it by accident and read through it. I think there were even a few texts from the Era of the First Hero, but I couldn't read well enough at the time to understand everything."

"Wait, you can't read?" Revali frowned, giving Link a serious look.

"I couldn't read at the time." He corrected the feathered ghost irritatedly. "I can read most things just fine, now. I'm just having trouble learning how to write again."

"Even that was lost." Urbosa sighed. "I can teach you, if you'd like? Perhaps you'd be interested in learning Gerudo?"

Link perked up. "I'd love to!" It had to be better than politics, anyhow.

"I can teach you Hylian again." Zelda nodded. "You seem to know Common rather well by this point."

"Wait, Common and Hylian are different?!" Link spluttered, causing Revali to laugh.

"Common is what most books and signs are written in. Older Hylian texts will be written in their tongue. I'll teach you Rito while we're at it. I'm sure Mipha and Daruk would be glad to teach you their spoken and written languages."

Link grinned. "That sounds amazing! Paya has been teaching me to speak Sheikah, since I can apparently already read it. It's really fun, actually."

"You can already read Sheikah?" Zelda blinked.

"Yeah. The Slate's written in it—Purah added a translation Rune a bit after I woke up, but I'd always been able to read it beforehand. I assume I picked it up at some point before the Calamity."

"Ah, so we've got a linguist in our midst." Revali smirked. "If you hadn't pulled that sword, perhaps you could've gone on to do something with that."

"Honestly, I don't think I enjoyed learning things like this Before." Link pursed his lips a bit.

"You didn't." Mipha chuckled. "It was like clipping claws with you. Despite the fact that you picked it up easily, you had no real interest in learning anything beyond the basics. You were always moving and running around, never still for longer than a second."

"That sounds familiar." Urbosa shot him a smile. Link opened his mouth to say something when his ear twitched. He paused, wind blowing through the trees around them, rustling the leaves and making the grass at his feet dance.

"Link?" Zelda questioned, but Revali held up a wing.

"He's trying to listen for something." The Rito explained in a hushed tone. For a moment, all was silent, and Link was sure he'd been imagining things. He was about to shrug it off when the wind died down and he heard it again.

It was incredibly faint—to the point where he was certain no normal Hylian could hear it. But Link knew that sound, and he could never mistake it. With a growing grin, he took off at a run through the trees.

"H-hoi!" Revali squawked. "Slow down, you! Not all of us are used to running on two legs!"

He slowed down only marginally, to allow the others to keep pace with him. A few koroks laughed nearby, but he ignored them as he gracefully leapt over a fallen tree. After a few minutes of sprinting, he came to a stop in a clearing. A large grin spread across his lips as he breathlessly took in the sight before him.

"What on earth has you…? Oh." Zelda blinked at the colorful Rito that was smiling knowingly at Link.

"Why, we meet again."

"Hello, Kass." Link laughed.

"Come, sit with me." Kass invited, and Link was quick to solidify and sit down on the rock beside his friend. "You know you didn't have to run. It's been a fair bit of time. Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Don't worry, Teba's been looking after me. And Sidon." He chuckled. "Oh! Teba gave me something!" He grinned as he pulled out the feather from beneath his shirt, and a brief look of shock passed over Kass's feathered features.

"I'm so happy for you!" He pulled Link into a hug. "Welcome to the flock, little fledgling." The two sat there for a long moment, nothing but the gentle sounds of Kass' accordion filling the space between them. The other Champions had scattered around the clearing to give the two some space.

"Hey, Kass?" Link spoke up hesitantly, and the parrot Rito turned his attention towards the hero. "Remember how I told you about how I died a century ago and revived with no memories?"

"I do." He nodded, song changing to something a little more somber.

"And how I told you about how I met each of the Champions in their Divine Beasts when I defeated their Blights?"

"Yes." Kass nodded. He was the only person Link had told everything to. From his death to the blights, Kass was the one person he'd confided in. And he didn't plan to change that now.

"I… I'm sorry." He whispered out, and Kass stopped playing as he turned towards Link in concern. "I… Listen, Kass… I was an idiot. A fool. And… I took on Ganon alone."

"I realized as such." Kass nodded. "It is so like you, to not want to put anyone else at risk."

"It's more than that, though." Link looked down, pulling off his glove to reveal his Triforce. "Kass, I… I died sealing Ganon away." He let himself relax, dropping his solid state as his hand passed through Kass' accordion. "Mipha's Grace tried to activate and somehow, I've ended up a solid ghost? I don't really understand it, myself, but… I'm dead, Kass. For real, this time."

"Come here." Kass slowly brought Link into a hug, letting him go solid before the warmth of his feathers engulfed him. "You listen to me, Link. You are not a failure. And you are not a weapon. You are a treasured friend and a welcome companion. Why, I know that whenever I play my songs, you will come to hear them. And ghost or living, it makes no difference to me, because I know my songs will always reach you. Don't you ever apologize for not being able to stay. You have more than earned your rest. And for as long as you are here, I will be here, too."

Link let himself relax into Kass. He hadn't known that those were the words he needed to hear until they'd been said. "So… I don't…?"

"No. You don't have to stay. You don't have to feel guilty about wanting to leave, either." Kass reassured him.

"But I do want to stay." He hugged Kass fiercely. "I'll miss everyone."

"And we will miss you." Kass nodded. "But it isn't a farewell forever. We will all join you at some point. And isn't it better to know that there will be someone we care about waiting for us? You have many who care about you waiting for you, and I know I will gladly join you when my time comes."

"You…" Link felt a smile pass over his lips. "You always know what to say, Kass."

"I like to think it's a father thing." Kass chuckled, finally letting Link out of the cocoon of feathers he'd been wrapped in.

"I can see ghosts, now, too. The other Champions are here… Zelda is, too." Link smiled.

"Are they, now?" Kass smiled. "Then my apologies for my late greeting."

"I haven't really told anyone else about the whole ghost thing… Impa knows I can see them, but Sidon's the only one who knows everything."

"An accident, I take it?" Kass sounded mildly amused.

"Yep." Link nodded.

"Come on, now. Let's play a song together." Kass picked up his accordion again. "No need for a long face when there's music to be shared."

Link smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the harmonica Kass had gifted to him years ago. "I've gotten better." He insisted. "But I left the guitar you gave me at home. It's… not something I wanted to take into battle with me."

"Yet you took the harmonica?" He asked with a smirk.

"That's different!" Link protested, cheeks glowing pink. "It was the first gift I've ever been given." The Paraglider didn't count since it'd been his to begin with.

"Mmm…" Revali hummed for a moment before holding out his wing. "Slate."

Link shot him a look but handed the slate over regardless, earning a curious look from Kass. "Revali wants to see something." He explained.

A few swipes later and the Rito was holding an instrument Link hadn't even known he'd owned. It was an odd flute-like contraption that fit a Rito's wings perfectly. The spot for the mouth fit his beak, and he realized this must be some sort of Rito instrument.

Revali gave an experimental blow and the sound was clear as crystal, resonating with some part of Link's very spirit. Kass tilted his head a bit.

"I know that instrument." He spoke up.

"You could hear that?" Link blinked.

"Music transcends all." Kass gave him a secret smile.

"I think I stored a Kamancheh in here…" Urbosa took the Slate from Revali.

"What's a Kamancheh?" Link tilted his head as Kass grinned.

"It's an old instrument from the Gerudo." The parrot Rito explained. "It's something like a desert violin." Link nodded as Urbosa pulled out a strange small instrument that had strings, a bow, and an odd hollow orb at the bottom. She drew the bow across it, as it gave an entrancing humming sound that instantly reminded him of the sands of the Gerudo Desert. He could see how Urbosa's people could captivate people with this.

Daruk grinned as he took the Slate next, pulling out a set of Goron drums before handing it off to Mipha, who pulled out a flute.

"How are there so many instruments in here that I didn't know about?" Link looked at the Champions in question as Zelda flicked through it for a moment before settling on a small harp that she cradled in her arms.

"We may have added a few things to your Slate when you weren't looking." Urbosa chuckled. "Even if we can't touch the objects themselves, we can still tap the Slate against it to store it."

Link sighed. "Honestly, you guys." He shook his head, scouring the Slate himself. "You even stored my guitar in here." He smiled as he pulled it out, slipping the harmonica back into his pocket. If they were all going to play together, then the harmonica wouldn't quite fit in.

"Everyone ready?" Kass grinned. After a moment, he started. At first, the accordion was the only sound rising into the skies of the pre-dawn early morning, but after a moment, Link's guitar rose to meet it. The notes twirled together until they created a somewhat lonely and haunting melody.

The soft comforting sound of Zelda's harp wound its way in, settling down beneath the steady hum of the accordion and hovering just above the warm notes of the guitar.

Then the sound of crisp clear notes from the Rito Flute soon joined them, adding an ethereal beauty. The notes had a sort of chime to them that made it sound like Nayru herself was singing. Mipha's flute joined in a moment later, tones an octave or two lower than Link had expected, which complimented Revali's melody nicely. Urbosa's Kamancheh and Daruk's drums added the last two elements they needed in the strangely entrancing symphony they spun. The song danced through the air as the Koroks joined in with well-timed rattles, creating a haunting and captivating musical harmony that transcended life and death.

Time slipped away from them all. So lost were they, in this twisting melody of cultures and experiences that it wasn't until they were hit by the rays of the sun—which had risen far beyond the peaks of the treetops—that they realized how much time had truly passed.

It was obvious, as they brought their song to a close, that Kass had heard every note from the Champions and Zelda. "We should probably go." Zelda sighed, a light smile on her face. There was an air of tranquility that hung around the group that Link basked in.

"I know you must soon go, but first, I'd like to teach you a song." Kass spoke up, looking at Link. "In times of old, it is said that some of the Heroes had songs of power. Many of these have been lost to time, but I've got one that I feel may hold some power still. I'd like to teach it to you." He held up his Accordion, and Link picked up his guitar. He could always re-learn it on his harmonica later. "It is called the Song of Spirits."

"Fitting." Revali nodded, only to wince at the elbow Mipha gave him.

Kass played it slowly, letting Link memorize the notes. After a moment, he repeated it on his guitar. The melody swirled around them, carrying with it a whiff of divinity and power, and Link could feel in his bones that this song did something important. But he had no idea what.

They both lowered their instruments. "Supposedly, that song can summon the Gates of Death." Kass explained.

"Summon the Gates?" Mipha echoed.

"Don't look so surprised, the Rito have an entire ceremony dedicated to it." Revali chuckled.

"The Ceremony of Winds, right?" Link gazed at the ghost, who nodded.

"Yes, the Ceremony of Winds can summon the Gates, too." Kass nodded.

"Thank you." Link smiled. "I'll be sure to use it… when I'm ready."

Kass gave him a somewhat sad smile in response. "I'm sure you will. But if you'd rather, I will happily attend your Ceremony of Winds."

Link thought for a long moment. "Yeah. I think I'd like that." He smiled.

"Go on, then. I know you never stay in one place long. Be careful, all right? I'll look forward to our next meeting. And thank you, Champions and Lady Zelda. It was an honor playing with you all." He sent a smile in the general direction of the spirits.

Link grinned as they set out for Hateno, soaking in the airy joy that fluttered like the wind.