Rune carefully dissected a heart flower as Groose talked, sitting on the floor as the redhead paced back and forth in his dorm room. The Hyrulean's ears were trained fully on his new companion, but the plant fascinated him. Was it edible? Was it medicinal? It looked almost like some kind of fruit; if it DID have a use, he was going to pick a dozen.

"-So I dunno what to do," Groose continued. "My future girlfriend got pulled away in a freak storm, the dropout that went after her vanished, and I haven't heard any news from anybody besides 'oh yeah, Link ran through and bought a shield, then vanished again.' What am I supposed to do with that information, huh?!" He spun, pointing at Rune. "And then you show up, bomb in hand, catapulting yourself across the entire SKY, and you somehow have his name and apparently talk to ghosts—are you listening to me?"

Rune looked up and nodded quickly. Groose crossed his arms, skeptical. "Oh really? Then what was I talking about?"

Rune pondered his words for a moment. "...You're frustrated because someone you care about is gone, and nobody's asked you to do anything about it yet."

"Wh- No!" Groose shouted, defensive. "I don't need people to ASK me to do things, I can do what I want!"

"Then why don't you?" Rune set down the flower, devoting precious seconds of his full attention with a curious tilt of his head. "Who's stopping you?"

"Nobody!" The student knight glared. "I'm a knight! I have stuff I gotta do!"

"So? I'm a knight."

"You're a guy that launches himself with bombs."

"I've done worse. Not the point." Rune picked the flower back up and pointed it at him. "You can't wait for things to make sense before you try to fix them. You just have to take a step, then go with the momentum." He considered the red bulb for scarcely a moment, then popped the entire thing into his mouth without a second thought.

Groose stared. "Did you just...eat a heart flower?"

Rune gave a thumbs up, then swallowed. "It's not bad," he signed. "Tastes like the center of an apple." He looked thoughtful. "A little bitter, kind of gritty. Would go well with butter and salt."

"...You're supposed to slap it on cuts, you featherhead." Groose pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "...Whatever. It's late. I don't care. Eat your bandage flowers, I'm going to bed."

Silence.

"That's your cue to get out, pal."

"And go where?" Rune signed "This island's too crowded to camp."

"Not my problem." Groose pointed at the door. "Out."

The Hyrulean squinted, meeting him dead in the eyes as he got up. He shoved the rest of the heart plant in his mouth, stem and all, then turned on heel left.

Groose stared after him, then locked the door and sat on the edge of his bed with a sigh. He could deal with the weird guy tomorrow, but for right now, he needed his sleep. As he undid his hair and started changing into his bedclothes, however, he found himself thinking of what Rune had said.

"You can't wait for things to make sense before you try to fix them."

...What kind of featherbrained advice was that supposed to be? He glared bitterly at his mirror, pinning his hair into a short ponytail for the night. People that rushed into decisions out of panic died. They weren't heroes, they were cautionary tales.

And yet...nothing was happening. Three weeks had passed. The search party for Zelda had given up, nobody was doing anything. It was like they didn't care. Which was dumb, because he knew they did. Without a doubt, everyone on this island, even Rupin of all people, cared about Zelda. She was so kind, and graceful, with the loveliest voice and the prettiest eyes...

But everyone had called defeat within a week.

Everyone...except Link.

Groose lay down on his bed, tucking a chew stick into his mouth and biting into it.

"You just have to take a step, then go with the momentum."

That was what Link had done, wasn't it? The guy was battered up by that crazy tornado, had slept for a day and a half, and was back in the skies by the following morning. He was probably closer to finding Zelda than anyone else had gotten.

The junior knight tucked his hands behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, studying the cracks in the stone.

"Who's stopping you?"

...No one. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. No one's stopping me. If I knew where to start, I'd be gone already. I'd save Zelda.

Link was gone all the time, barely ever touched down, definitely hadn't gone back to the academy. He'd never come back to sulk, or to reevaluate his strategies. He'd never stuck around to ask for directions. That flake was always terrible with maps anyways.

So he must have found something...Right?

Which meant that there was something to find. And...if it meant saving Zelda...

Well. Groose sure as skies wasn't a quitter.

By the time Rune found a door in the Knight's Academy that wasn't locked or full of angry women—he shuddered at the thought of running into the ginger in yellow-green again—it was long past midnight. Groose had locked him out awhile ago, so he hadn't had the option to go pester him for answers without breaking down his door.

Finally, though, he found a door that was empty beyond.

The room was...cozy. The cobblestone floors sported a patterned rug, and woodworking tools sat on the desk. There were books—a lot of books—all arranged neatly and color-coded, along with a handful of potted plants and a small green bed that was still made nicely.

With a sigh of relief, Rune dropped his bag and sat on the edge of the bed, stripping down to the boxers he'd woken up in and collapsing on the soft mattress. He'd have to go to the river later to bathe in, but for now, he let his mind drift off to sleep.

...

"Master."

Rune's eyes fluttered open. The woman stood before him once again, hovering in violet light. She leaned in and met his eyes. "I have had several hours to analyze your new aura," she said. "Coupled with the story you recounted today, I calculate with 80% certainty that you are not from here."

Rune gave her a blank look. "I know," he signed. "I've never been to a floating island. At least, not that I remember."

"Allow me to clarify. You, Master Link, are not from this era."

He blinked, stunned. "...Pardon?"

The woman backed out of his face, hovering. "Careful analysis of your aura indicates that it is much older than that of my master. The 5% difference can be attributed to anomalies caused by experience and events over your lifetime."

Oh. "So I'm a hundred years older than you expect," he signed in understanding.

"No. You are approximately ten thousand, four hundred and ninety-two years older than when we last spoke."

Rune stared in disbelief. Ten...thousand?

"Furthermore," she continued, taking no note of his shock, "all sign of your previous iteration vanished the instant you appeared. There is a 65% chance that you have fully replaced him." She flew in a circle around him, examining the new hero critically. "Your body bears more signs of wear than your former self. You are more fragile," she concluded. "However, you still possess the capability to complete the goddess's mission. It is imperative that you resume your task."

Rune waved his hands in panic. "Wait, wait," he signed frantically. "What task? A hundred years ago, my task was to protect Princess Zelda and defeat Calamity Ganon. What am I meant to do ten thousand years back?"

The woman was silent for a moment. "The most efficient method of relaying this information is directly, as your subconscious is significantly damaged from years of disuse."

She leaned back in again.

"Wake up."

...

Rune bolted upright, eyes wide, soaked in cold sweat. He was still in the room, still on the strange island, still...

...Alone.

Before him, just like in his dream, was the strange metallic woman. She met his eyes, gave a short nod, then wordlessly drifted out through the door.

Rune snapped back to his senses, leaping to his feet and throwing the door open. He sprinted after the shimmer of blue as it fled him, barefoot and shirtless, the chill of the high-altitude air only ramping up his adrenaline. She led him out the Knight Academy grand entrance and across the isles, until he came before an ENORMOUS statue of Hylia. With only a second of delay to make sure he saw her, the mystery lady drifted into the doorway at the statue's feet, finally vanishing from view.

Rune hesitated. This...felt significant. Familiar.

Like a shrine - no.

Like a dungeon.

With a deep breath, he braced himself, realizing there was no going back now. He had to move forward. One foot in front of the other, he followed the sword spirit into the depths of the Statue of the Goddess, to finally learn what his destiny in this place had to be.

"And he wasn't wearing ANYTHING but shorts!" Pipit exclaimed, exasperated.

Groose sat alone in his corner, side-eyeing the rookie knight as he vented to his new girlfriend. He could take a wild guess at who they were talking about.

"He walked into my room without knocking last night." Karane replied, nodding in agreement. "He was wearing clothes then, at least, but I had a sign up and everything. Can't he read?"

No, no he can't, Groose thought with a quiet chuckle. It was rare to see the teachers' pets so ruffled; he was going to relish it.

"Have something to say, Groose?" Pipit demanded, crossing his arms. "I bet you put him up to it to interrupt my patrol."

"Hey, every bad thing that happens to you isn't my fault." Groose snapped. He pointed an accusatory finger at the upperclassman. "You're the one that wanted night shift, you can't be mad at me when you get the weirdos in town."

Pipit opened his mouth to retort, but before the situation could escalate further, he froze, staring at the doorway. Groose followed his line of sight, and his jaw dropped.

"What did I miss?" Rune signed.

He was out of his red tunic and cape, dressed in a tan shirt, green pants, and a red family belt.

Link's family belt.

When no one answered him, he shrugged, deeming the reply unnecessary and going to the kitchen to get breakfast.

The three rookies stared at each other, totally dumbstruck. There's no way he...

Pipit clapped his hands together once, took a deep breath, then wordlessly got up and dumped his dishes in the sink. Karane's eyes widened. "Pipit, wait up!" she called worriedly, tailing him out the door.

Rune walked back into the dining area and sat across from Groose. "Where did everybody go?" he signed, before digging into a large helping of omelette.

Groose ignored the question. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"Found them."

"In Link's room."

Rune paused. "That was Link's room?"

"If that's where you got that belt." He nodded to it. "I dunno about where you're from, but here? You're basically wearing a glowing sign that says 'hey, I'm in the Célestrier family, look at me.' And Link's not even around to stop you." He gave Rune a flat look. "It's tacky."

Rune looked at the belt thoughtfully for a moment. "...I'll take it off. But I'm keeping the clothes; mine need a wash and these are my size." His ears perked as a thought occurred to him, and he tapped his chin. "On second thought, I won't wear the belt. But I'm bringing it with me."

Groose raised an eyebrow. "With you where?"

"To Hyrule, below the clouds." He looked up "I know where Zelda is."

All other thoughts in the redheads's mind ground to a halt at that last sentence. He stood up quickly, slamming the table with his hands. "WHERE?!"