This is the last chapter for Book 1 of the Fragmented Hero series. Thank you to everyone for supporting this story. Book 2 is already up. The title is "Call of The Wild". There will be some fluff rights for Wild. Probably.

Link should have slept longer. He is starting to regret waking up at the break of dawn just to put more distance between him and the people who are chasing after him. He did not know who they are nor has seen them before, but if they are after him, either they were sent by Zelda, or they are members of the Yiga clan. He doubted it was the latter; otherwise, they would not waste time chasing him and just went for the killing. He also has yet to encounter the Yiga here on the Great Plateau for the past three months; persistent as they are, they are not idiotic enough to try to scale this place. Or maybe they are.

At least, something good came out of it. He found Wolfie – his long-time companion in his journey to save Hyrule – or rather, the wolf found him. He thought that he would never get to see him again since he disappeared in a cloak of shadows before he stormed Hyrule Castle. When he first saw him again after ten months, he thought the wolf was just a hallucination – a byproduct of his longing for his furry companion and the fevered desperation to get away from that man wearing a pelt – but he knows no other wolf with the same face markings as Wolfie's nor wearing a pair of blue hoop earrings similar to his. Wolfie is the same as he remembered – quiet and inquisitive. His blue eyes reflected intelligence that no ordinary wolf possesses and a personality that is reminiscent of a Hylian, not a beast.

Link was ecstatic, of course, but it is such a shame he could not make his companion's favorite. The Rito has been frequenting this place as of late, and sometimes, they brought the princess and the Champions along. It is a good thing he has the Sheikah Slate and prevented Purah from messing around it before he left. He happened to hear that she was planning to put a tracker on it at the princess' behest due to his frequent disappearances. If he had left it in their care, he would not last long hiding like he did, nor would he be able to teleport away in the event they found him.

It was his mistake to assume that he was finally alone on the Great Plateau when the Rito left yesterday. He had been on edge lately, like a cornered wild animal, and decided to seek the Goddess' guidance. Hylia's presence is a moment of peace for him; he admits that he does not revere her just like a devoted worshipper does nor find her truly benevolent as people believe her to be. She had let her chosen hero die before his purpose is fulfilled and made a replacement in his stead. She made everyone else believe that he is him and prepared the stage for the final battle against Calamity Ganon like some sort of sick show.

He despises her, but he respects her at the same time. It is complicated – his feelings and views about her and their relationship – but he cannot pretend that she does not care for him to some degree. She is always there whenever he calls for her; while she never lies to his face, she does not answer all his questions either. That is the thing with the divine, they are complex beings that give nuggets of wisdom wrapped in riddles, and just like everybody else, he finds it frustrating. He already expected as such when he came to pray to her yesterday.

Link remembered kneeling before her statue on both legs, pleading for what further purpose she planned for his continued existence. Her divine presence shrouding him like a delicate veil and her voice reaching his ears like the soft flutter of a summerwing butterfly wings.

"Link…beseech my words. Eight heroes have descended upon these lands. Take up your sword and join their quest. Do not fear, hero of Hyrule. All shall be revealed to you in due time. Go, and bring peace to all Hyrules."

And that was that. No follow-ups or even clarification. The goddess withdrew her presence as fast as she graced him with it. He felt more lost than he ever did, angry too perhaps, for throwing him again to a quest at her convenience and calling him a name and a title that are not his. He stood up and turned to leave when he saw two heavily armed Hylians standing in the middle of the temple hall, eyes wide in awe and disbelief. They tried to strike a friendly conversation with him, but Link knew what they were after.

At least, what he thought they were after. He had no time to mull over the Goddess' words nor give a fair warning to those two. He just took off out of panic when the shorter one tried to approach. He has not seen or spoke with anyone for the past three months, and his social skills have gotten pitifully rusty. Speaking is a painful task, and he regretted not at least talking to himself in his months of isolation.

He heaved out a muted sigh and felt something at the back of his right hand. He looked down and saw Wolfie staring at him with big imploring eyes. Cute. He placed a hand on his head and scratched him between the ears. "I'm…fine." He smiled, hiding the grimace from his face. Just saying a few words is enough to make his throat burn like Death Mountain. If only he could just sign, but he doubts the wolf would understand. "Just…zoned out…for a second."

Wolfie does not seem convinced and kept nudging him, this time, on the ribs. A silent chuckle escaped Link's lips and gestured ahead of them. Their trek since early morning led them to the Forest of Spirits, opposite Mount Hylia. They transversed a curve of the Great Plateau overlooking the river's end and descended the collapsed walls at the edge. He had long cleared the skull monster lair at the bottom of the cliff, and they passed there without issue and ventured into the forest. There has not been a blood moon since Calamity Ganon's defeat, making Great Plateau a relatively safe place, albeit a lonely one. He avoided looking to his right because if he does, he will see that place again – the place where he was born. They were halfway through the forest when his ears picked up the faint sound of voices.

He immediately tensed up and stopped abruptly on his steps. Wolfie whined at his side, and he had to hush him gently to get a grip of the situation. He listened and waited, half-expecting for the voices to grow louder as they approached, but they never did. They seemed to be concentrated on one place, more or less thirty meters ahead of them. He debated turning the other way when he caught a familiar voice.

Was that…Teba?

Link has not seen the Rito Champion for more than three months. Prior to his isolation from the rest of the world, he frequented Rito Village whenever he is not caught up keeping an eye on Zelda. Teba and Saki welcome him with open wings every time he comes by, and he often spends his day teaching Tulin archery or listening to Kass and his children sing. Sometimes, Teba will challenge him to a friendly archery competition, or Mazli will invite him to watch Dinraal sail the length of Tanagar Canyon before he shoots the dragon for its loot and teleports home. While he likes and respects all races in Hyrule, Rito Village has a special place in his heart. The Zora Domain too, but Rito Village feels more like home than anywhere else.

Hearing Teba's voice – Link's certain that is his voice – made his heart ache. He wanted to see him, but his location is already compromised as it is. He could not afford to further risk it.

At least, that is what he thought he would do. Curiosity is such a bitch, and Link sucks the worst when it comes to discovering new things. He chalked it up for waking up with a blank slate of a memory; his thirst for learning is the only thing constant since that fateful day. He is like a sponge ready to absorb anything information it is immersed into, just like the scholarly princess.

Grabbing his Sheikah Slate, he flipped through his inventory and changed into his Sheikah set. Wolfie gave a surprised yip when he glowed in blue and re-emerged into a different attire. He gestured for him to follow him and quietly closed the distance between them and the voices. He kept himself low, out of immediate sight, gracefully navigating away from anything that will give him away. His eyes darted from one tree to another, looking for the best spot to eavesdrop without revealing his location. He chose one with the thickest clump of leaves across a low-lying boulder, close enough to listen in but not high enough to drop to his death should he need a speedy escape.

He told Wolfie to stay farther, who chomped on his white scarf and tugged him back. He frowned at the wolf, eyes darting in the direction of the voices. "What's…the problem?" He whispered, gripping his scarf.

Wolfie cocked his head as if to say, It is safe. Talk to them. They are good people. When Link stared at him with confusion, the wolf huffed and started tugging the scarf toward the voices. The blond barely managed to dig his heels on the ground before snatching his scarf back from his wolf companion.

"No…" He shook his head. "Not…safe…"

Wolfie whined softly in protest. Link spared the wolf another glance before making his way up to the middle branches of the tree. He peeked down and almost had a heart attack at the number of people gathered below. He recognized Teba and the one whom the man with the pelt was with yesterday. The man though, was missing, presumably still climbing the mountain looking for him. Link almost felt bad for him. The rest are new to him - there is a gloomy guy wearing a white cape with a painted crest similar to the Hylian Crest, a smug-looking man wearing a blue scarf, a grumpy one in a red tunic, a small kid in a stitched tunic of four colors, a child wearing an exact replica of his Island Lobster shirt, and a stern-looking one-eyed man with odd markings on his face. The last one strikes Link to be their leader.

"Speaking of," The kid in the Island Lobster shirt, Kiddo is his name for now, spoke up. "Gesane told us there's no one here, but Hyrule and Twilight said they saw someone." He pointed to the direction of the Temple of Time. "They said they found him praying in there."

Link froze behind the leaves. They are talking about him? He watched as a frown adorned Teba's face. "That isn't possible unless he is a Rito, which assumed was not what they saw. Did you happen to see what that person looked like?"

The guy, Normal Dude, that was with the man with the pelt, Pelt Man, shook his head. "We didn't. He was wearing a hood, but Twilight said that he's Hylian. Twilight's been tailing him since yesterday. That's why he isn't here."

Link's heart picked up. He swiveled his head, searching behind him high and low. He expected to see someone hidden behind the shrubs or the tree trunks, waiting for a chance to pounce on him. All he saw were the familiar forest, the occasional boar, and Wolfie looking up to him with worry and confusion behind the base of a tree not far from him. The wolf seemed anxious, looking up to him and down to the people the blond was spying on. Who is this Twilight? Is he Pelt Man? Did he sneak up on him without him knowing?

"Impossible…" He muttered under his breath. He would have heard, would have known. He made sure to put considerable distance between him and them. He even teleported once! "That's impossible…."

"Hmm…" He heard Teba said. "A Hylian, you say? But there are only two who can go here. Princess Zelda and…"

The realization in the Rito's eyes felt a brick hitting his skull. He gripped the branch he was on, pleading with eyes unseen. No no no! You are wrong! Please do not say it. Please! He wanted to shout, but he knew that if he does, that will defeat his purpose of hiding and going undetected.

"It can't be. Don't tell me after all these months, and he's just here the whole time?"

He has to get out of here. HE HAS TO! He looked down behind him, angling himself for a jump, but for some reason, he felt like he climbed too high, and the ground seemed to spin below him. He tried to block the sounds of chaos, the enraged voices, and words thrown back and forth so fast that it made him lightheaded.

Link felt sick on his stomach. He reached for the Sheikah Slate, fumbling for the grip with trembling hands and watery eyes, and looked at the map. Where should he teleport? Owa Daim? Etsu Korima? Or somewhere even farther? He did not know. All he knows is that he has to get away NOW! His finger blindly hovered over Korgu Chideh Shrine on Eventide Island when a voice spoke up.

"Link?"

He slowly looked up and saw Teba gawking at him. The others followed the Rito's gaze and landed on him. Cold prickled his skin beneath the tight Sheikah suit, and he swore his heart jumped somewhere in his throat. The brief silence that followed was unbearable, and then, everything was a blur.

Link barely remembered jumping down – a very brief feeling of weightlessness – before landing on the ground hard on his feet. There was a loud CRACK! behind and something fell on the ground with a THUD! and a rustle. He did not feel pain; all he was aware of was the smudged surroundings of green, brown, and blue and the surprised shouts that came in a little late. He was running, running as if it was the last day of his life, and at the back of his mind, he wondered why he had not teleported yet. He could have even summoned the Master Cycle Zero yet has not done so. Funny what panic could do to the rational mind. That is, if he is still rational at this point…which he probably is not.

Somewhere at his left, he could hear barks. A voice tried to assure him that is Wolfie, that his companion is helping him, but it sounded uncertain, and it only made his hysteria worse. Blood, thumping boots, and shouts roared in his ears, and he would have screamed for them to leave him alone if his lungs were not keeping his voice from him. He does not know where he is now or if he was just living a nightmare, but he kept running and weaving through trees that zoomed past him endlessly. Wings flapped above him, and he knew he was cornered.

"Do not fear, hero of Hyrule."

The Goddess' words seemed so far away and ironic. I am running like a coward and madman that I am, and you dare call me a hero? FUCK YOU, HYLIA! The wall-less edge of the plateau is in view now, and he knew that escape is impossible now. Not now, not in his current state of hysteria. He can try jumping off and paragliding, but Teba will be there to catch him. His rational mind would have told him to teleport, but that rationality is nowhere to be found. He skidded to a halt at the top of a slope and turned sharply to face his pursuers. He snarled at them, grabbed his Ancient Bow, and blindly nocked an arrow.

He heard Teba shout somewhere above him, and that did not make him feel better not seeing him in his line of sight. "LINK! DON'T DO IT!"

The seven Hylians emerged from the forest, and the blue scarfed guy immediately stepped in front of the others as if to shield them. "That's a bomb arrow!" He shouted. "Get your shields out and don't provoke him!"

They scrambled for their shields as the leader of the group slowly walked past the scarfed guy and raised his arms in a show of surrender. He was the only one not reaching for a shield or a weapon. "Look, we're not here to hurt you." He said, trying to sound as calming as possible. "We'll never hurt you. We just want to talk. If you want us to stay far away, we'll do that. Just put away your weapon and spare us your time."

Wolfie! Where is Wolfie? His eyes darted desperately to the forest, hoping to see a glimpse of the wolf, but he is nowhere to be found. Did he get lost? Did these people hurt him? The thought alone made it hard to breathe. He cannot lose Wolfie. He cannot lose his only friend. They just have reunited, for Hylia's sake!

"Do not fear, hero Hyrule."

Link shook his head vehemently. He is not going back to Hateno. He is not going back to the princess. He is not going anywhere the Goddess wants him to! His grip on his bow tightened, and they all visibly tensed. Their shields strapped and drawn in front of them, and their knees bent, ready to move out of the way should he fire. Teba landed beside the one-eyed man and followed his example.

"Link." The Rito said gently and soothingly as if coaxing a child who has woken up from a nightmare. "Link, it's okay. They're not going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you. I will not let anyone hurt you. You know that, don't you?"

"Do not fear, hero Hyrule."

He does not know that. He is a fake, an imposter. He is not Link. He has no name, so please please stop calling him that! Everything felt like they are closing in on him – the ground, the sky, and even the abyss behind him. He felt like drowning...drowning in what? There are distant voices in his head telling him to drop his weapon, telling him that it is safe, but he knew that they have moved on. All that was left was their misplaced abilities slowly fading within him, yet he could not remember how to use them right at this moment.

"Please, Link." Teba pleaded. "Drop your bow."

"Hylian Champion."

"Chosen hero."

"Link."

"N-No…" Link rasped, chest heaving. Something warm dripped his cheeks. "Not him…not a hero…."

"Link…?"

"Go, and bring peace to all Hyrules."

Something snapped inside him, and a scream ripped itself from his throat. An explosion cut through the serenity of the Great Plateau, and he was falling, falling into the darkness and the embrace of Death below him. His skin burned like the searing heat he felt whenever he touched the Master Sword, yet he remained numb to the pain.

A bark cut through the deafening ringing in his ears, and he felt something slammed against him. The air behind his back suddenly became warm, like a hearth in a cozy cabin, and blue light shimmered behind his eyelids. Someone was screaming his name, Link's name, but they are too far away for him to grasp. He plunged into the blue light, and the rest was darkness.