A/N: It's been a little while, but we're back with another update.
I bought myself Persona 5, and I was playing that for a week straight. I'll tell you guys what, I think I found my new favourite game. It hasn't been since BoTW, since I just stopped what I was doing to finish a game. I went in with no expectations not even knowing what Persona was, and was blown away.
Also, I start work tomorrow, and if you guys remember how that was when doing this story, it makes updates few and far between. However, I do have some good news. I'm fairly certain that the next chapter will be the last one. The reason being is that I never planned on expanding upon the "after" of the final fight between Link/Zelda and whoever I had pegged for the antagonist. I mean... I know we all like reading stuff about sex and seeing them have kids or whatever the case, but I just think that it would take away from my story if I just added it in at the end.
Anyways, I hope you guys know I appreciate the support I've gotten for both these stories. Combined... it's something around 50k views between the two sites. Never would've expected them to reach out to this many people, so I hope you guys enjoy the finale of the series when I update next.
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"You have everything?" asked Purah.
Zelda nodded, "I believe so, yes."
"Remember what I told you about the Sheikah Slate?"
She brought up the map, "Right. So all I have to do is touch the blue icons, and I'll... instantly travel there?"
"Yes, Linky did this often to save months of travel time. He likely never mentioned it, because the slate is only capable of moving one person at a time. Kinda pointless to use if you're traveling together. With this, you should be able to transport directly to where you need to go. After all, each town has a shrine within its limits. This will greatly lessen the risk of unwanted occurrences. However, remain vigilant, this will be all you from here on out."
Purah was right. She couldn't fall onto the support of Link to save her this time around. Everything from this point forward would be on her shoulders.
"I just hope I can do it."
"You got the Gorons and Zora to convince, correct? I think you'll be fine."
She knelt down to give Purah a hug.
"Thank you for the help these past few days."
"Of course, Princess."
Her first stop was going to be Goron City. It made more sense to talk to the Gorons first for a couple of reasons. One, she hated the immense heat, so she just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. Two, Zora's Domain was not only the easiest to travel to, but also the most accommodating to each race. Besides, it wasn't like the castle was in any shape to host such a delicate matter.
Fireproof elixirs... water... food rations... Looks like I'm all set.
Giving one final wave to Purah, she then confirmed her destination for the Shae Mo'sah Shrine. And in a blink, she reappeared at the shrine. Taking a moment to scan her surroundings, it was clear that she was indeed at the home of the Gorons.
I imagine this kind of travel wouldn't have been very common back then, or maybe it was... But, was it only users of the Sheikah Slate that were allowed to utilize this form of transportation, or were there other means of fast travel? Was there a way where they could transport multiple things at a time? If so... could this be applied in today's science?
I'm also curious if Link experienced any side effects from using fast travel. I know I feel a little nauseous, despite having experience dealing with being removed from the physical realm. Then again... that's not really the most accurate way to put it. It was more like my body was being forcibly ripped apart, then put back together. It isn't a very comfortable feeling, however, I've just saved a few days of riding, so I'm willing to put up with it.
"Ah, the one who fixed Rudania has returned. Welc- Oh..." said a Goron worker passing by the shrine.
"Sorry, I'm not him," she replied sheepishly.
He scratched his chin in confusion, "All Hylians look the same to me, it's hard to tell who from who at times. What brings you here traveller?"
"I need to speak to the one in charge here."
"You mean Boss? Sure, I'll take you to him. Right this way little Hylian."
Heading down the hill, she was then directed to a Goron around her size in height, but with a thick, white beard and an eyepatch.
"Hey, Boss, this Hylian wanted to talk to you."
The burly Goron did a once over of her, "For some reason, yer remindin' me of the one who helped out with Rudania."
"I've heard he helped out the Gorons a great deal while he was here," she replied.
"You know him?"
She nodded, "Link and I are quite close, yes."
He scratched his beard, "What's yer name missy? I don't think I seen you 'round these parts before."
"My name is Zelda. It's a pleasure to meet you, Boss."
His jaw nearly dropped, "You mean THAT Zelda?!"
She giggled, then replied with a terse nod.
The Goron jumped with excitement, "Then that means we're-" The loud crack in his back made a sudden appearance, enough to make even Zelda wince at the sound.
"Ow!" he yelped as he rubbed the sore spot. "Sorry 'bout that. Still having back problems even after that issue with Rudania was fixed. Anyways, everyone around 'ere calls me Boss, but you can call me Bludo."
"Thank you, Bludo. May I ask to see your back?"
"Uh... Sure?"
"There's no need to be alarmed, I may be able to help you out is all."
Bludo nodded nervously before showing her his back.
Hovering her hands over the troubled area, she then closed her eyes.
Heal his frail bones, repair his lost muscle, rejuvenate his withered body. Heal him...
She never tried using her divine gift this way. After all, it had always been used subconsciously. However, she couldn't keep hiding behind a wall of excuses. If she wanted to help people, if she wanted to make a difference... Then, she needed to start putting an effort in.
Zelda tried to reenact the same mindset she had from that time at Ash Swamp. She recalled how those feelings of love and care came bursting forth. How desperately she wanted to save Link. And how all those feelings then manifested into the holy light that eventually eradicated the Malice controlling the Guardians.
She figured that if she used those feelings to heal instead of purify, then she could help the old Goron regain some of his lost youth.
It took her a couple minutes, but...
"There... i-it's finished..." she said while trying to regain her breath.
I didn't realize that doing that would take this much out of me. Is it truly that taxing to use my power? Or maybe it's just this unbearable heat taking its toll.
After doing a few stretches, Bludo cheered, "You fixed my back! There's no more pain. I haven't felt this good in ages!"
"I'm glad to hear that," she replied while wiping off the sweat collecting on her brow.
"How can I repay you? You want a rare gemstone from the mine? You can make quite the fortune off of one nowadays."
Zelda shook her head, "Nothing like that. Healing your back wasn't why I came here today. I had something important to discuss with you."
He rubbed his beard, "Hmm..."
"I'll try not to take up too much of your time."
"It's hard to say no when yer looking at me like that. Come inside," he said before leading her into his hut.
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"What yer saying is... You want everyone to work together to fix all of Hyrule?"
Zelda nodded, "Precisely. By working together we can repair the damage done by the Calamity, and start a new age of peace with a reform on how to run this country. However, that won't be possible unless we have everyone's cooperation."
"Will we still be able to mine? I got a business to keep running 'ere y'know."
She had to stifle a laugh at Bludo's way of thinking, "If anything, business will get better with this reform. It will be so that everyone can profit, and get compensated properly. To put it in simpler terms, you'll be able to see more fruit for your labour. I came to ask you to be the representative of the Gorons in these trying times. Can I count on your support?"
Bludo puffed out his chest, "Of course! That other Hylian did a lot for us, and I don't like owing any favours. Besides, if it'll help keep business going, who am I to complain?"
Zelda clasped her hands together and smiled, "Excellent! I'm sure that if we work together we can both benefit from a prosperous Hyrule."
That was one leader down and one to go.
"I hate to leave so abruptly, but I must be going. Unfortunately, I don't have the luxury of sitting around," she said.
The Goron nodded, "I need to get back to my crew to make sure they ain't slacking anyways. Send word when you need me, and tell that Hylian that we're even when you see him."
That was a good question. When was she going to see him again? How long would she have to wait for their reunion?
Things were going well so far. She needed to remain focused, and continue riding this momentum instead of dwelling on the potential what ifs. Zelda refused to go down that dark path again, knowing full well of the damage that it can cause not only to her, but to those around her as well.
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Zelda had fast travelled to Zora's Domain soon after exchanging goodbyes with Bludo, intent of convincing both the leaders of their respective races to join her cause on the same day.
However, a familiar face showed itself as soon as she left the shrine.
Mipha...
She knelt in front of the statue, and offered a small prayer to her old friend.
"Quite marvellous isn't it?" said a voice from behind.
Zelda nodded, "They captured her grace very well. I'm sure Mipha would've been happy, and embarrassed."
"It's been a long time, Zelda," said the Zora.
He knows who I am?
She had become accustomed to having no one recognize her.
"I'm sorry, I don't-"
The infamous flex and toothy smile immediately answered the question of who she was speaking to.
"Sidon?!"
"You guessed it."
"You've grown so much! I didn't even recognize you!"
"It has been 100 years after all. However, you're looking the same as ever."
"Ah, well..."
He waved her off, "You don't have to tell me. I know everything already."
"Link..."
The Zora nodded, "Him and I spoke a great deal amidst his time here. You could say we share a brotherly bond!"
...
"By the way, where is Link? Now that he finally has you back, I was sure you two would be glued to the hip. He did work a great deal in order to do so."
"Link is... in danger..."
"Danger?"
"I don't know how to explain it, but his very life is in danger. That is why I must complete my task and do what I can to save him. Link has risked- no gave his life to saving not only me, but this kingdom. And I... I..." she looked down at the ground, finding it hard to say the words that needed to be said.
Sidon placed his hand on her shoulder, "You don't need to say it. Everyone here knows of the heroic deeds he's done, and what he's given up for all our sakes. If there's any way we can help him, we will do so. We all owe him a great debt, and though it took some of us some time to realize that, we're all behind him now."
Sidon...
She gave him a determined expression, "Right! I need to speak with your father. There is much we have to discuss."
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"I'm glad to see you're doing well, Zelda," said the king.
"I'm happy to see you're doing good also, King Dorephan."
Dorephan shook his head, "No need to be so formal. Truly, I am glad to see that you're okay. When I heard about what happened, I had feared the worst. However, when I seen Link again when had the issue with Ruta, it gave me hope. I am relieved to see that faith wasn't misplaced."
"That makes two of us."
"By the way, where is our Champion? When he became your appointed knight, wherever you went, he went; much to your chagrin. It was actually more difficult to account for times that you weren't together, haha."
"Link... is in trouble. As I explained briefly to Sidon, I must complete my task in order to help him. If I can't do this, then his life could be in a lot of danger."
"I see. What is this task that you must complete? If it's to help Link, then I will do what I can to help him."
Zelda took a deep breath, "It's to unite the provinces under one banner."
The king's eyes grew wide, "As in, the same as before?!"
She was quick to dispel that line of thought, "No, nothing like before. I have a new proposition that I implore you to consider."
Dorephan nodded, "Very well, what do you propose?"
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"Yes... Yes!" exclaimed Dorephan. "Of course there are some things we can iron out with the other parties, but this is something I can get behind."
After over an hour of explaining her proposed idea, Zelda was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. In one day she managed to accomplish more than she did across several months. Now it was onto the final stages where she got everyone together to hash out the finer details. Once that was done, work could begin immediately. And with that, hopefully... hopefully she could become reunited with Link soon after.
"I would like to use Zora's Domain as the base of operations for now. The castle isn't in a state to host such important matters."
"I understand. I will send word to the other parties immediately, and we will convene the summit here. Until then, you're welcome to stay here."
"Thank you, I think I'll take you up on your offer."
Zelda took her leave, and the opportunity to get some fresh air while Dorephan organized his messengers. She found refuge next to the stone tablet on the other floor.
It's only been a few days, but... this feeling of... emptiness inside of me is unbearable.
She sighed.
This sucks...
An idea came to mind.
If I'm able to detect his Light, that should at least give me some comfort knowing that he's okay.
Zelda focused, and began searching the land for Link's light. The light that had kept her going so many times when she felt like giving up.
Something's wrong...
She searched the land once, twice, and even thrice for his light.
It was always- What is this?
It took her three times to notice this particular being of Light, however, there was something Zelda had never seen before.
What's with this dark aura surrounding them? Could it be that this one's Light is becoming corrupted?
No, more like it's being consumed.
I've... never seen anything like it.
I didn't even know it was possible...
Sure, Light can become corrupted; I've seen many cases over the years in confinement, but one can never cast away that part of them self. They'll always be considered a being of Light; even if the corruption has reached its peak. Moreover, there's always the possibility of salvation where the corruption can be expelled, however, that doesn't seem to be the case here. This one's Light is being consumed, then replaced with Darkness. Their very essence is being changed. Who knows what kind of consequences would arise from changing the balance of nature itself.
Zelda's eyes grew wide.
Don't tell me...
If her hunch was correct, then...
It all makes sense now. Everything. It's no wonder it took me so long to find him. His Light isn't the same anymore.
She clenched her hands into tight fists.
To know he's been suffering this much... And to be completely ignorant towards his situation... Him leaving to bear this burden on his own is so like him that it makes me sick.
She let out a hoarse laugh.
To think... all of this could've been avoided if I had just used my power earlier. If I had just taken the time to look into what was bothering him over focusing on myself. I could've been able to rectify the situation before it reached this point...
She wiped away the few stray tears of frustration that managed to escape.
There's no point in dwelling on the past, what's done is done. I'll just have to work that much harder to make up for it.
Zelda looked out towards the dwindling Light to the west.
We made a promise to each other Link, and I'm not letting you break it! I'll eradicate the Darkness trying to steal you away, and I'll make whoever responsible regret for ever thinking they could get away with this!
She could feel the renewed vigour surge through her.
I will not fail again!
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"I know it's only been a couple of days, but you should be getting used to your new ability by now."
Link had just finished slaying the last monster in the camp he was infiltrating, "Shadow manipulation, huh? I didn't think I could use someone else's shadow to move about undetected."
"With this, you can take down hordes of enemies with ease. Not only that, but your movement speed will also increase at night. No need for an elixir or special set of armour."
"Interesting..."
"Let us continue. We need to keep growing your skills, and we don't have much time."
As Link moved out, Freyja was biting her lip in frustration. She didn't think that vixen would be onto them so quickly, not after all the work she put in to separate them. There was no mistaking who that sudden eruption of power coming from the east belonged to. If she were to intervene before Link's "training" was complete, then her entire plan would be ruined. She mustn't let that happen, no matter the cost...