61st Entry: Darunia's Confidence
As the weakened Gulley was taken away by the Koroks to be healed, Zelda thought about how the purple-robed man that Gulley described looked exactly like the one who left the glade not too long ago. While she pondered over this, she heard a deep creaking noise from the large tree which caught her attention.
"Great Deku Tree," Zelda said, addressing the giant tree. "Are you all right?"
"I'm feeling much better, now that the vine made of Malice has stopped constricting my body," the giant tree said in a thundering voice. "And what are you doing here, Zelda?"
Wolf Link's ears perked up, while his Midna-shaped shadow became rigid.
Feeling embarrassed, Zelda removed the scarf from over her mouth. "Yes, I am Zelda. I switched places with my Sheikah friend Paya at Hyrule Castle, because my father wouldn't let me leave the castle."
The Deku Tree paused. "He must have had his reasons for keeping you in the castle."
"Yes, he wanted to keep me safe in the midst of the Yiga Clan attacks," Zelda said. "But when the Seven Sages decided to try and destroy the Mirror of Twilight rather than handing it over to the Yiga Clan, I felt I couldn't just stand idly by."
"That is understandable, and perhaps was ultimately the right choice. Otherwise, you would have been trapped in the Twilight," replied the Deku Tree. "But it seems our friend Link has succumbed to its effects."
Wolf Link lowered his head.
"He was cursed by a Shadow Crystal placed in him by the Yiga Clan's leader Master Kohga," Zelda explained. "We came here thinking that if we placed the Master Sword back into the stone, it might return him back to normal."
"It might work," the Deku Tree said, glancing down at the stone from where the Master Sword once rested which stood between him and Zelda. "There's no harm in trying."
Zelda took the Master Sword from her back and placed it into the stone. She then stood back, while Wolf Link stepped forward. In an instant, the stone and the Master Sword became extremely bright as Wolf Link groaned and howled as if he were in pain. Then a black-and-orange crystal flew out of Wolf Link's forehead and into his shadow. What remained was the human Link, who was on his hands and knees.
"Link!" Zelda cried, walking over to him. "Thank the Goddess it worked."
Getting to his feet, Link looked down at his hands and at the Master Sword. He wasted no time and pulled the Master Sword out, though he looked physically exhausted afterward. Zelda immediately thought about the Goddess Sword she acquired from the Spring of Courage, and regretted not taking it with her when she left Hyrule Castle.
"Go now, Hero of Hyrule, and find the other Sages that have been afflicted by Malice," the Deku Tree advised. "They also carry pieces of the Fused Shadow artifact and shards from the Mirror of Twilight. You may need them to defeat the Usurper that has returned and the mysterious benefactor that aids him."
"We will, Great Deku Tree," Zelda nodded. "But what about ridding the land of Twilight?"
"Let the Champions deal with that," the Deku Tree insisted. "They are being guided by the spirits of former Sages to awaken the sleeping Light Spirits and gain the ability to pilot the Divine Beasts so they may serve their purpose of protecting the Land of Hyrule from the dark forces that threaten it!"
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On top of Death Mountain, Yunobo was waking up after spending a day inside the salamander-shaped Divine Beast Vah Rudania. The other day, he noticed a large structure appear in the distant Gerudo Desert followed by a shockwave that almost toppled him over. But what scared him the most was seeing the sky over Hyrule turn from blue to orange while the visible Gorons below the mountain became blue flames. He immediately thought about what Zelda said about what happened during the Time of Twilight, and tried to call his father Daruk. Unfortunately, his Sheikah Slate wasn't working.
So in a panic, he curled up into a ball and tried to sleep it off. But he kept having nightmares about Daruk and the other Gorons turning into Beasts. Paya was in the nightmare too, and she was running away from the Beasts. When he woke up, he immediately noticed a picture of Riju on his Sheikah Slate with a message saying that she managed to take control of Vah Naboris after freeing a Light Spirit with help from the spirit of the Gerudo Sage Nabooru. Immediately afterward, Revali posted a picture of himself flying next to Vah Medoh, which was flying on its own, with a similar message. Only the Sage who aided him was the Rito Medli.
"Aww," Yunobo sighed, looking at the landscape beyond Death Mountain. While the Gerudo and Hebra Provinces had normal skies overhead, most of Hyrule still had an orange sky. "What am I going to do? The other Champions gained control of their Divine Beasts, while I haven't. I hope Paya is okay…."
"What are you standing around for, brother? Get moving!"
Yunobo jumped in surprise. "Who said that?"
"I did! Turn around!"
Without hesitation, Yunobo looked back and saw a Goron that looked similar to his father. Only his skin was tan instead of brownish-red, and he was carrying a giant hammer.
"Who are you?" Yunobo asked.
The Goron gave Yunobo a haughty glare. "Don't you know who I am? I'm the great Darunia!"
"Darunia?" Yunobo's knees almost gave out. "The Sage of Fire?"
"Right you are, brother!" Darunia grinned. "A Seer I met before brought me back from beyond the grave to help you awaken a Light Spirit that's in this mechanical beast. You should be able to see the Tears of Light that make up the Light Spirit if you take your Sheikah thing to the Guidance Stone terminal. At least, that's what the Seer told me."
Unsure of what to say, Yunobo did as Darunia asked and placed his Sheikah Slate on the Guidance Stone. His vision became negative and he saw glowing bugs flying around.
"So all I have to do is catch these bugs in order to awaken the Light Spirit?" Yunobo guessed.
"Right you are, brother!" Darunia nodded. "A task like this is child's play to a Goron, so you should be able to do it in no time!"
"A-All right," Yunobo said. "I'll do it! For my friends, and for Hyrule!"
To be continued…