Chapter Twenty Two
The Early Signs of the King of Evil's Return?
The discussion raged back and forth so much that it was hard to keep track of to be honest. Everyone was talking over everyone else, nobody could agree on anything. Some people were freaking out about the possibility of more crazy monstrosities lurking in the woods that nobody knew about. Others were saying that that was ridiculous, as there was nothing in Greek mythology that resembled that rock beast, so that couldn't be true. In short, those people were in denial of what we had all seen. Still other people were panicking about how it had to be Gaia again, somehow. This idea was immediately met with fierce opposition from the older campers, who were around when that whole fiasco took place. They said that if it were Gaia, the satyrs would have still sensed her presence, which they hadn't. This logic was then met with the counter that who else had control of that kind over materials of the earth like that?
Zelda and I just sat quietly letting everyone vent their ideas before we even attempted to interject. The debating continued for another full twenty minutes before Austin hit the mark with his statement, silencing everyone instantly.
"Alexander knew who to fight that rock beast, so…" he trailed off.
Everyone turned to look at me, my stoic mask didn't waver, but internally I gulped. If it were just the head counselors, I would have totally right then and there spoken about what Zelda and I knew of this. However, as evidenced by how Austin used my other name, we had regular campers in attendance who knew nothing about mine and Zelda's, unusual, background. I hardly thought this the time to let that be known.
Everyone was waiting for me to say something, so I quickly scrambled to find something to say that would sound right.
"I just figured that thing on top of it would be more susceptible to damage than the rock" I quickly stated.
There were a few grumbles, but everyone accepted that explanation. I breathed a sigh of relief, the relief building when Chiron dismissed the meeting. I then tensed up again when he called back the counselors, me, and Zelda.
"I can tell you didn't say everything, though I know it was because of the secret" he stated as we again clustered around the table.
"Yes, this rock beast, could it have anything whatsoever to do with the return of…the King of Evil?" Said the head of Dionysus, obviously preventing himself from speaking the name.
"Well…" I started, flicking my eyes to Zelda, "as nothing like that stone talus, that's what that was, has been seen since we last existed, when Hyrule was still around, I would say it's likely related indeed" I reluctantly concluded.
"But how though?" The head Hermes guy asked.
"The last time the physical manifestation of evil returned, his malice was able to possess and manipulate into motion non-living or even inanimate objects" Zelda stated.
Well yes and no to be honest, yes that happened, but it wasn't the last time. You see, sometime after that Calamity Ganon business, we delved underneath Hyrule Castle and found the chamber with the mummified body of Ganondorf. But we decided not to mention that as for reasons we couldn't understand, my recollection of those events was very fragmentary.
"So, basically, you're saying that this, talus, could be the first case of something being activated by malice?" asked the head of Hephaestus.
"What do you even mean by malice here? You refer to it like…as though it's a physical thing" the head of Aphrodite said nervously.
"Because it was, at least last time, it was this purple and black goopy stuff that was corrosive to almost everything it touched. As a creation of the embodiment of evil, it represents the hatred for everything in this world" I explained.
"But how could the malice do this before, he, returned?" Asked the head of Demeter.
"That happened last time too, before the Great Calamity, there was what we initially believed to be a malfunction in one of our guardians" Zelda replied.
"Guardians?" this time the question came from Lexa.
I glanced at Zelda, she looked back at me as I flicked my eyes at the sword. She looked confused for a moment before she realized what I was wordlessly requesting. She placed her hands next to mine as I pulled the sword out of its sheath. Closing our eyes, we focused the power within us from our pieces of the Triforce, the pieces on the backs of our hands going from glowing faintly to shining radiantly. I also called upon Fi, to help us display some of our memories to show our comrades what they needed to see and know.
My sword chimed as Fi, hearing the request, selected the relevant memories from our last life. Then using our power, we extended the projection of the memories around everyone in the room, allowing them to see as well.
The sun was shining brightly in the sky, everywhere people were walking amongst or clambering on the recently excavated guardians. The Sheikah researchers diligently finding out as much as they could. Zelda and I stood quietly, letting everyone else watching observe for now. There were numerous muted exclamations at what was happening. There was also a muted sound of people talking, music playing, and such and such that indicated a party taking place somewhere.
Then on one of the walkways high above came the person who everyone recognized as a king, of course Zelda and I knew exactly who he was, he was after all Zelda's father in the lifetime we were revisiting now, King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. We quietly instructed everyone to pay attention to a particular guardian, pointing out the one in question. The king stopped to watch, then a few moments later it happened. There was a momentary flicker of purple haze around the guardian. The machine's lights blinked on, blue and red. It started to rotate, then a laser beam appeared, going from its "eye" to the chest of the king. Just as it fired a bright bluish white beam of pure energy, my past-self came racing in with a wooden pot lid. Everyone watched as I deflected the beam back at the guardian, neutralizing it instantly. The machine's head spun around a few times, lights blinking, before going out and the malice dissipating in the air around it.
Everyone stared at my previous incarnation and back at me. It was apparently one thing to hear about my reincarnations and another to actually see it. Zelda and I both focused again and changed the scene to the next relevant memory with the guardians. Before we brought our guests there we turned to look at them and gave them a warning about what they would see.
"You all should know that what you're about to see is very distressing" I said softly.
"This is the event we called the Great Calamity" Zelda said somberly.
The scene formed around us, it was where Calamity Ganon returned after its ten thousand year absence. Past Zelda and I were walking towards the east gate of Lanayru road, at the foot of Mt. Lanayru, after Zelda's failure to awaken her power at the spring of wisdom. We met up with the four champions, our guests watched in silence as they observed the exchange of dialogue that followed. As before, when first we lived it, and again when I recalled it after my century-long stay in the shrine of resurrection, it played out the same way.
"Well? Don't keep us in suspense, how'd everything go up there on the mountain?" Daruk said, noticing past Zelda's expression.
She just shook her head, looking down at the ground. The champions looked concerned at this.
"So, you didn't feel anything? No power at all?" Revali asked, for once not blatantly rude.
"I'm sorry, no" past Zelda said softly, clasping her hands in front of her waist, looking down.
"Then let's move on. You've done all you could. Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help." Urbosa said, her voice sympathetic and kind. She paused just long enough to turn her gaze up to Mt. Lanayru before continuing, "after all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mt. Lanayru. Anything could finally spark the power to seal Ganon away."
Urbosa's next statement in particular was significant, "we just need to keep looking for that…thing." Mipha let out a small gasp I hadn't noticed when I lived this experience itself, nor had I noticed then how Mipha turned her gaze to me as I was focused on Zelda. Her gasp suggested to me that she might have actually known in that moment exactly what that thing was.
"That's kind of you, thank you" Zelda said glumly.
"If I may?" Mipha suddenly spoke up in her gentle voice. "I thought you…well I'm not sure how to put this into words…I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it." She said, voice halting and hesitant. She continued, "but I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing. You know, what usually goes through my mind…It helps when I think—when I think about—" she tried to say but was cut off when the ground trembled. Past Zelda stumbled and past me grabbed her arm to steady her instantly. Revali flapped his wings a couple times and shot into the air, high enough to be able to see over the hills blocking the view of Hyrule Castle.
When the view changed to one near Revali, everyone was shocked at the visual of the wispy form of Calamity Ganon as it swooped through the air before hovering over the tallest tower and unhinging its jaw in a world shaking roar, all the while a massive cloud of red and black began spreading across the sky, with crimson bolts of lightning flashing.
The view then returned to the group on the ground as Urbosa spoke, "It's here."
"This is it then" Daruk said tensely, hands curling into fists at his sides.
"Are you sure?" Mipha asked, voice full of uncertainty.
"Positive" Revali said, landing next to the group, sounding absolutely sobered.
"It's awake. Ganon!" Past Zelda said, panic clear in her voice.
The same red and black cloud begin to cover the sky above the canyon after coming into view over the hills. Past Zelda stepped back in terror.
Daruk turned back to the group, face set in a look of firm determination. "Let's stop wasting time!" He said confidently, then resumed, "we're gonna need everything we got to take that thing down! Now champions! To your divine beasts! Show that swirling swine who's boss!" He turned to face past me, then continued, "Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a unified assault!" Clenching his hand into a fist he then said, "Little guy! You get to Hyrule Castle!"
Me of the past nodded as Revali quietly scoffed.
"You can count on us for support, but it's up to you to pound Ganon into oblivion!" Daruk said holding up his fist.
Urbosa came behind past Zelda and placed her hands on her shoulders before speaking, "Come. We should go. We need to get you someplace safe." She said gently.
Past Zelda pulled away and turned around, "No, I'm not a child anymore! I may not be much use on the battlefield…But there must…There must be something I can do to help!" She insisted.
The champions looked at each other, uncertain, then a soft voice made itself heard. "She comes with me" past me spoke.
Everyone turned to look at me, decided there were bigger things to worry about in the moment and all raced off to their divine beasts.
The next part passed quickly, the champions heading to their divine beasts, mine and Zelda's run to Hyrule Castle, only to be met with the sight of the five enormous columns emerging from the ground around the castle and pouring out hundreds if not thousands of guardians, all of them red from corruption by Ganon's malice. Then like meteors raining down from the sky, balls of malice began streaking down to the unearthed and inactive guardians, corrupting and activating them too.
Everyone tensed when they saw the ensuing chaos, guardians firing beams into buildings, people, everything. Guardian stalkers began quickly spreading through Castle Town, dispersing down alleyways or climbing up onto the houses to get better vantage points to attack from. Not only that but the flying skywatcher guardians flew above everything seeing everything below. The skywatchers targeting any who had somehow managed to find places to hide from the sights of the ground based guardians. And the sounds, oh goddesses, the sounds were horrible. Explosions, yells, screams, and more all happening simultaneously. The darkening sky then began to pour down rain in a torrent of water.
In the midst of the disaster the calamity released four pieces of malice to the corners of Hyrule, to the divine beasts. The blue of the divine beasts turned to the same shade of red as the corrupted guardians. They then began unleashing absolute devastation upon the land. Rudania repeatedly smashing its tail into Death Mountain, making it release wave after wave of volcanic debris that slammed into the ground in the immediate vicinity. Ruta raised its trunk into the air and spewed immense quantities of water into the sky over Zora's domain, putting the area into an immediate risk of severe flooding. Naboris rampaged around the Gerudo Desert, whipping up tremendous sandstorms and firing lightning everywhere. Medoh flew in a circle above Rito Village, cannons blasting at almost anything in the area.
Zelda and I of the past, seeing this unfolding, immediately turned and fled. The scene changed again, Zelda and I were running along a forested path. We were splattered with mud and dripping wet from the rain. As I ran along, pulling Zelda behind me by the hand, she turned her head back to look behind her. This caused her to stumble and fall to her knees, making her hand leave mine. I turned back around, intending to get her to her feet and keep running, but changing that plan when I sensed her growing distress.
"How…" She trailed off. "How did it come to this?"
I crouched in front of her after sheathing my sword, now entirely focused on attempting to comfort her.
"The divine beasts, the guardians, they've all turned against us!" She continues. She curls her hands into fists on the ground. "It was…Calamity Ganon. It turned them all against us!" She slowly lifts her head to look into my eyes, hers welling up with tears, and resumes speaking. "And everyone—Mipha, Urbosa, Revali, and Daruk…they're all trapped inside those things…" She breaks off again. Her eyes spilling tears, "It's all my fault!" She sobs as she covers her face with her hands. She continues berating herself, "Our only hope for defeating Ganon is lost all because I couldn't harness this cursed power! Everything—everything I've done up until now…It was all for nothing…So I really am just a failure!" She bursts out, lowering her hands from her face and meeting my gaze again, tears streaming from her eyes now. "All my friends…the entire kingdom…my father most of all…I tried, and I failed them all…I've left them…all to die." She doesn't say anything else after that, breaking down into a full on crying spell as she buries herself in my arms, her cries of pure anguish and despair sending a pang through me, both then and now, my heart breaking for her.
Then the scene changes again to one that was all too familiar to Zelda and me. It was the one where Zelda finally unlocked her power, but also where I died. Everyone watched in near traumatized silence as they saw my valiant but in the end failed attempt to protect Zelda, or well technically successful in that I kept her from harm, but at the cost of my own life. They saw the moment she flung herself in between me and the guardian, awakening her sealing power. They saw me fall, and also the moment where my life slipped away. All during this last segment, as before, the rain constantly pounded down. Fortunately, there was no sound, as it had cut out when this sequence of memory started, so they didn't hear my words to her. I would have to remind myself later to thank Fi for that.
We didn't need it being known to them what was said. It was after all none of their concern, it was private. Having shown everyone all they needed to see, Zelda and I focused and I called to Fi in my head, asking her to take us out of this now. The scene melted back to where we were before we left.
Everyone had an ashen expression on their faces as they gazed at us. Even Chiron, old as he was with his wisdom, looked traumatized. Not only that but the Ares head counselor made no snide remark about losing to the Calamity that time around. It was obvious to everyone that we'd made the best effort we could, but in the end, it just wasn't enough.
"How…do you live knowing this?" Connor asked, voice strained.
"All that devastation, all that chaos, everything" started the head Demeter counselor "how do you remain so strong remembering this?"
I sighed, deep and long, before speaking "because for one thing, nothing can change the past, what happened is fixed. Secondly, I know I'm not alone in having to live knowing this."
Zelda nodded her head, face showing the look of sadness I hated seeing there, but I had to keep myself from automatically reaching for her hand.
"Yes, we have each other" she said softly.
That was when the head counselor for Aphrodite suddenly perked her head up. Uh oh I thought to myself when I noticed the gleam in her eyes. I didn't like the look I saw there, it looked like she was about to oust us to everyone here.
Luckily, Lexa noticed this too and quickly diverted the topic, "so then this case with the talus could be like that first guardian?" She asked.
Grateful for the diversion, Zelda and I nodded yes. I noticed the Aphrodite girl's expression and inwardly groaned. She had backed off, for now, but I saw in her eyes the will to get to the bottom of this. I seriously hoped this wouldn't get out of hand.
Then Austin asked the question I should have had myself earlier to ponder on my own, "what happened to those other races?"
I froze for a moment, the question sinking in fully. Yes, what had happened to the Zora, Gerudo, Rito, Sheikah, and Goron peoples? After all, as I had already realized, somehow every part of Hyrule's history had vanished from existence, and apparently this included the other races too. Wait a minute, were humans, Hylians? We didn't have the pointed ears, well Zelda and I did, but everyone else…
As everyone headed back to their cabins, Zelda and I locked eyes for a moment. Without verbally saying a word we indicated to each other our suspicion about a particular line in the prophecy. The part how there was something else returning, this combined with the legends and myths that we were privy too, gave us a really good idea who was being referred to alongside Ganondorf. A primal evil who came from another realm, could only fit one entity. A being who, if he was returning, gods and goddesses help us all, for if our suspicions were correct about the identity of this evil…well only time would tell.
Well well, just one more chapter to go.