63rd Entry: Southern Mine

Taken aback by Midna's sudden negative tone of voice, Zelda said, "First of all, I'm not a Princess. My father's a Premier, which is basically a government official who is chosen by the people. Second, I didn't tell you who I was because I wasn't sure if I could trust you."

"Oh, so you assumed that because I was a Twili meant that I wasn't trustworthy," Midna said, folding her arms.

"No, that's not it at all," Zelda argued. "I just wasn't sure if what you were saying was true, or how you would react if I told you who I really was."

"But your ancestor and mine were allies! Shouldn't that have been enough to convince you that I could be trusted?"

"This has nothing to do with who you are! It has to do with my present situation. Because if the Yiga Clan had known who I really was, they would have wasted no time trying to capture me," Zelda held up Paya's Sheikah Slate once again. "So I figured if fewer people knew who I was, it would be safer for me. But I should've known better than to lie to you, because you have been incredibly valuable to me and Link."

"Well, you two are my only means of obtaining those Fused Shadow fragments and Twilight Mirror shards…so I guess I'll forgive you for now," Midna said. "On that note, where should we go next?"

"Goron City," Zelda decided. "It's the closest place to us. And we could get in touch with my friend Yunobo, who's one of the Champions that pilots the Divine Beasts."

"All right then," Midna said. "Just let me know when you're ready to go."

Zelda pulled the blue cloth over her mouth and stood beside Link as Midna teleported them away. To Zelda's surprise, the sky was blue over Goron City which was built around a pool of lava near Death Mountain. Metal bridges crisscrossed over the lake, which Zelda and Link tepidly walked over. Midna was once again hidden in Link's shadow, and she didn't seem to like the heat either.

"Welcome to Goron City, fellow Hylians!" said an elderly Goron with an eyepatch. "I am Bludo, the stand-in for Daruk."

"Stand-in?" Zelda remarked. "What happened to Daruk?"

Bludo looked at Zelda with suspicion. "And why should I tell you?"

"Because I am Sheik, a member of the Sheikah squadron that was sent to locate the Yiga Clan hideout," Zelda said, putting on her masculine-sounding voice again. "And this is Link, who carries the Master Sword."

Link lifted the Master Sword from its scabbard slightly, causing the blade to shine in the light.

"The Knight who Wields the Sword That Can Seal Away the Darkness?" Bludo bowed to Link. "My apologies, Sir Link, though I fail to see why a Sheikah is with you."

"He saved me when I infiltrated the Yiga Clan hideout yesterday, and lost most of my squad in the process," Zelda lied partially. "But we did save the children that were taken from Lurelin Village, and the Shaman Renado agreed to take them to Gerudo Town."

"I haven't heard anything about any children in Gerudo Town," Bludo said. "Then again, the Hyrule Network hasn't been working lately. You would think the Sheikah would have implemented a countermeasure to prevent this sort of thing from happening."

"But what's happening isn't normal, because our world is actually being taken over by the Twilight Realm," Zelda explained, though Bludo looked confused. "I don't have time to explain why I know this, but can you please tell us what happened to Daruk?"

"There isn't much to tell," replied Bludo. "Yesterday, he received news that something strange was going on in the Southern Mine and left to investigate the situation. Since then, he hasn't returned to Goron City."

Zelda guessed either a Fused Shadow fragment or a Twilight Mirror shard was involved, and said, "Has anyone tried to look for him?"

"A few Gorons have, but they haven't returned either," Bludo said. "So for the sake of my people, I'm not allowing any Gorons to go near the Southern Mine."

"Then we'll go and look for them ourselves," Zelda decided. "And if we don't return, then call any Champions you can reach on the Hyrule Network."

"Sure thing," Bludo nodded. "Good luck, Sheik and Sir Link!"

Link nodded respectfully in response, while Zelda did the same as they left the Goron City and walked toward the Southern Mine. Zelda briefly looked up at Death Mountain, and noticed Vah Rudania wasn't standing at the top.

"Yunobo must have finally learned to control his Divine Beast, presumably in the same way that Riju and Revali did," Zelda figured, looking at Paya's Sheikah Slate where pictures of Riju and Revali were alongside the Divine Beasts Vah Naboris and Vah Medoh respectively. "It does make me wonder if the Light Spirits granted them the ability to control their Divine Beasts, or if it was a boon given to them by Lana in exchange for freeing the Light Spirits."

Link shrugged.

"That's not a very helpful response," Zelda remarked. "Because in either case, it means they had to earn the right to control the Divine Beasts by performing a special task. It's the same logic my father used to justify my journeys to the three springs in Hyrule, but my Sealing Power still hasn't awakened. So either I did something wrong, or—

Zelda's thoughts were interrupted by roaring sounds coming from further down the lava-carved canyon nearby. So Zelda and Link quickly made their way through it and over a metal bridge across a lava river into the Southern Mine. In a valley full of giant rocks, there were fallen Goron bodies including Daruk among them. At the center of these bodies was a monstrous creature covered in flames and wearing a metallic helmet with a glowing yellow eye on top.

"It's another creature affected by Malice," Zelda realized, and took out her bow. "We should aim for its eye, since I'm assuming that's its weak point like the vine creature Gulley turned into."

To be continued…