A/N: Hey, you! Yeah, You! This is what I like to call a "Jump-Start" chapter, wherein there is a lot of information to take in. So, I recommend you take it slow and read carefully, lest you miss an important piece of info...Or don't, I'm flipping tired right now so idk anymore.

He was falling.

Falling.

Falling down.

Into an abyss of colors, a murky and greyish sky.

The air was cool and soothing, the flower petals drifting in an invisible breeze.

Link blinked, staring up into the abyss he'd fallen from, the colors and shapes of silent princess flowers around his vision, surrounding him as he lay flat on his back. He propped himself on his elbows, then his hands, raising his field of view up above the flowers. But they were all he saw, in every direction as far as the eye could see.

There was no end, no mountains, no rivers, nothing.

Only a field.

"Disorientating, isn't it?"

He turned to the gravelly, yet not-so-demonic voice. Finding a man standing a few feet from him, in a once empty space. His dark red robes clashing with the colors of the flowers around them. Glowing sections on his armor shining as if through a thin mist as he turned to face him. His face was covered by a hooded, blank metal mask, a slit in the shape of a V the only discernible feature, with only a slight red glow of his bloody crimson pupils showing from underneath it.

"...Who...?"

"Ah, right. I often forget that you grew up around people who focused on pleasantries, so where are my manners? My name is Isu." He held out his arms to the side, gloved hands open. "Welcome to the Death Fields, Hero of the Wild."

"Hero of the wi-" Link paused, then shot up instantly. "Death Fields!? I'm dead!?"

He chuckled. "Of course not. Merely unconscious thanks to your little excursion with the S'Gaokage."

"S'gaokage?" The hero repeated, wracking his mind to translate the word. "Doesn't that mean 'Yiga Interlopers'?"

"Whatever you would like to name them, I suppose. Ancient Hylian is all but a dead language now. Only taught to the Royal Guards occasionally." Isu turned, hands at his sides in a relaxed posture. "...It doesn't really matter in the end however. They'll be dead before the week is done."

"Really?" Link stood up, quickly realizing his only weapon at the moment was the Master Sword. All of his other equipment was gone aside from it and the clothes on his back. He had to stay on guard. "...How do you know that?"

"Hmm..." He seemed to think, pivoting on his heel to face him again, one arm behind his back and his finger to his mask's chin. "Surely, they've spoken of me? The Twilight Wraith and his cursed mentor?"

"...Eh...No?"

"Tch, typical." He waved a hand at that, obviously rolling his eyes. "Then allow me to elaborate..." There was a menacing pause. "Tell me, what do you know about time travel?"

Link felt himself tense for no reason, as if on instinct. "...Less than I should."

"Good, I like to keep it that way. Fools who meddle with time deserve the sword...before they bear worse fates, that is." He held up a finger. "But I know you're an inquisitive one, as is that scholar of a princess that you are destined to protect. So it's a moot point that you disagree."

"So we thought of it, so what? It's not like we have the means to actually travel time."

"Last time I checked, you have the ability to manipulate time, so there's potential." Isu's voice was low, threatening. "But I digress...How many timelines do you think exist?"

"Zelda said there was Three."

"Correct." Isu knelt down, picking one of the many flowers that surrounded them. He held it out, showing off the three petals that rounded it's stem. "Three being the product of one mishap of time, courtesy of the Twilight Wraith's mentor. Child, Adult, and Decline are their names." He spun the flower for emphasis. "Yes, it was to save Hyrule after all. But surely he would think of the repercussions that would follow."

"Maybe the idea of Timelines were too outlandish."

"Perhaps, but the point remains that something...someone must watch over this divergence and keep them apart, never to converge." He plucked the petals away, leaving only the stem. "They are all far too different, and if there were to be a convergence...The very fabric of time itself could be ripped asunder, which, for a lack of better term, would piss off the Goddesses."

Link's eyebrows raised. "You're friends with the goddesses? The three golden goddesses?"

"Ha!" Isu laughed, turning around again and pacing. "There isn't anything golden about them. Nayru bosses me around, Farore's antics almost get me killed, repeatedly, and Din is batshit insane." He leveled a glare. "And I'm no more their friend than I am their lackey."

Link nodded unconsciously, thinking on this new information. This guy was not only a slave to the Goddesses, but they were also...crazy?

"Then why do you stay?"

Isu actually paused at the question, gaze cast downward now. Link was about to inquire further, before he stood up straight again.

"...Because...I made a mistake." Link opened his mouth to speak. "But that isn't important, not anymore. For now, it's my job to make sure you don't fall to the same fate I was given."

"Pardon?" Link's eyes widened slightly.

"...Listen, I will only say this once." Isu looked up. "In Hyrule Castle, deep in the treasury vaults, those that hold riches and antiques from bygone eras, there is a mask...like a metallic skull with it's mouth wired open. Retrieve it for me...and I will tell your fortune."

"A mask?" The hero repeated, puzzled. "Why a mask?"

Isu waved a hand. "I will explain once you retrieve it. Now go." He paused, then chuckled. "And tell the Twilight Wraith to keep his nose clean."

"Okay, why do you call him Twilight Wra-" Link found his words echoing as he faded away, all within seconds.

Isu shook his head.

"This generation is far too inquisitive."

Link awoke to deep, aching pain, crossing his chest and cheek. Link seethed through clenched teeth as he felt a hand dance over his bare skin, an uneasy feeling following as he felt something being pulled from the wounds he bore. A chilling cold accompanied it, surrounding him like an wintry embrace.

"Ow..." He groaned, voice hoarse in discomfort.

"Good, he's alive." Twilight thought idly, working meticulously in removing the twilit poison from his descendants blood. "With this amount in him...I'm surprised he was only unconscious for an hour."

The last of the tainting poison vanished from the wounds crossing Link's chest, up to his cheek. Their blemish had faded, the remaining scars would disappear with time, a long time. Link groaned as he sat up, holding the wounds gingerly in silence. Agahnim had healed them enough for now, but it didn't make it any less painful after the extraction process.

"Don't worry, women like scars." Twilight jested as he turned to finish with Zelda, who'd been stabbed in the thigh. "Well...some of them."

The Princess glared daggers, turning her head to the side in annoyance. Link reached for and put his tunic back on, but didn't do so with his sword and shield. It did nothing to stop the cold however, he was still shivering.

The Twilight Hero paid little attention though, his brow was furrowed in deep thought. He had long since noted that the Shadow Yiga were not aiming to kill, but they seemed powerful enough to do so without conscious effort. That didn't bode well at all for their side, but it hardly mattered now, especially since Isu had chased them off. He hoped they wouldn't come back to finish the job.

With their wounds healed, the Princess and her Knight had entered one of the wagons in the caravan. Why, Twilight had no clue, but he hardly cared enough as he staggered over to a nearby tree. Sitting underneath the snow-heavy branches, on grass not yet withered by the shivering cold, he let out a sigh of relief that relieved his sore body from the dark magic the Shadow Yiga inflicted upon him, like a floormaster crushing him in a death grip.

Or...something similar.

"Well?" He said aloud, eyes drifting open to look up at Time, who stood just infront of him, looking down with a flat expression.

"'Well?' He says." The Hero of Time rolled his eyes, turning to look back at the line of wagons and the people around them. "You know damn well. This new threat and what it may very well entail."

"Yeah." Twilight snarked. "To put it plainly, we're fucked?"

Time snorted. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. But in all seriousness, we need to do something about it."

Twilight shrugged. "Wanna bind together again? That was fun."

All sarcasm failed when Twilight noticed the thoughtful look on Time's face, like he was actually considering it.

"That was a joke." He added quickly.

"...A joke isn't always a bad idea."

"Fuck. That. I'm still sour about that, y'know."

Time rolled his eyes. "Sour about what? I thought you wanted be to unbind from your soul because you wanted to 'improve yourself' or something like that."

Twilight glared. "You know I didn't mean that."

Time glared back. "Oh, I know. Just like you don't mean about half of everything you say. In particular, whenever you play dumb around Link and Zelda. Like you weren't here a hundred years ago, like you didn't know Link's Father. Like you had no idea what Agahnim's Branding magic was."

Twilight stood up and stood face-to-face with his ancestor. "Are you, seriously, going to lecture Me about this? Need I remind you that you don't exactly play walking encyclopedia a hundred percent of the time either."

"You know spending time with Isu in the afterlife affects my memory of my time as a Wraith, I can't help that there are gaps where there should be intimate knowledge on a subject." Time rolled his eyes for a third time.

"Dammit! What is with people and loosing their memories!? Can't people just remember a few little details for once in their miserable life!?" He punched the tree, splintering the bark under his fist. "It's. So. Fucking. Stupid!"

"...Nevertheless, I don't think memories matter right now." Time half-turned, looking into the distance. "Keep your eyes on the prize, our goal to see this era without chaos."

"Yes, 'Master'." Twilight snarked, idly adjusting his gauntlet. "So, what do you suggest?"

"The Shadow Yiga beat us like a drum. It got so bad, Isu had to step in. Isu. He doesn't just do that." Time frowned, hand on his chin. "Whatever Ganon has done to the Yiga to make them that powerful...we must overcome that dark power. But not just us, mind you, but our descendant, the Princess, and Agahnim too."

Twilight looked at him, surprised. "You're not suggesting."

"I am." Time nodded. "Not only do I suggest that we bind together once more...But we should lend some of our power to them as well."

"We only heard stories about specters and wraiths being able to share their power." Twilight reminded. "Can you actually do it?"

Time gave a mixed look. "...Maybe."

"That doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

Time shook his head, the ancient hero weary of his descendant's snark, but pleased with his understanding. He'd forgotten many things because of his journey with Isu, mostly from his time with Twilight. Now that he had returned to his student's company, he found that he was remembering and discovering many things about himself and the powers he held. He was, technically, no longer a Wraith anymore, Divine-origin or otherwise. Isu had stripped that from him and, with his journey, made him something else. But his power from being a specter was still there, so Wraith or not, he could still use the majority of his power and even rebind with Twilight if it came to that, though it would be completely different.

For now, they walked back to the covered wagon that Zelda and Link had retired to. The vast majority of the caravan was almost ready to continue on to Castle Town, where they would rendezvous with the army after Vah Medoh landed. Inside the wagon, Time and Twilight saw that the two had taken the opportunity to get some sleep, sat at one another's side, a blanket draped over their shoulders.

Twilight stepped past him and knelt down next to his descendant, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. The youth's eyes opening slowly as he looked up to Twilight, shivering ever so slightly.

"Wild, how are you feeling?"

Link's eyes quivered, head drooping slightly. "...I hate dying."

"...Yeah...I know." Twilight whispered back, patting his shoulder as he fell asleep once more. He stood up and turned to Time, expression soft. "Later, yeah?"

"Yes." Time nodded, turning right back around and stepping back outside. Snow crunched under his boots as Twilight joined him. "Well...until then, we have the other issue to sort out."

"Which would be?" Came a voice.

"Huh?" Twilight and Time turned in surprise, they hadn't heard anyone coming. Who they saw, however, made that point moot. "Oh, hello Impa."

The sheikah mistress wore an overcoat over her gear, red eyes steady as she observed the two ancient heroes before her. At her back was Paya, dressed similarly, her cheeks rosy from the cold. The younger seemed surprised at meeting this third Link. Impa, however, crossed her arms, eyebrows raised. "Well? I'm waiting for an answer."

"Anyone tell you that your assertiveness sucks?" Twilight inquired, deflecting the question. "I liked you better when you were just an old grandma."

"Oh, yeah?" Impa took a step forward, glaring up at him with a scowl. "Well, I like it that I can kick your ass if I please."

"Oh? Careful with the language, sister." The hero challenged, standing face to face with her. "It might get you in trouble, yeah?

"Twilight!" Time held a hand out between them. "Please...don't aggravate the crazy ninja woman. I've seen what these people can do."

"I have too, y'know." Twilight retorted, glancing to the side. "The Princess is a piece of work."

"And an amateur." Time replied smoothly. "Don't compare a few months of training to a lifetime of experience."

Impa's eyes snapped over to Time. "...Have we met?"

"Once, in a different life." He answered with a cryptic tone.

"That explains the tunic." She mused, then cocked an eyebrow. "But, once again, what is this other issue you were speaking about?"

"We have to perform a ritual...so Twilight may regain the powers he had a hundred years ago." Time answered, rubbing his forearm. "With all that's happened...it would be best if we had some more leverage over our enemies."

"Right, cause your track record for rituals is flawless."

"Look, you don't have to agree with us." Time said, eyes narrowed. "But...can you bid us a favor?"

"That depends, what kind of favor is it?"

"Bind our wounds after the Ritual commences, neither of us will be able to." Time's mouth thinned into a line. "...It will be like death...for some time."

Impa seem to consider it, and after a second, slowly nodded. Without another word, the four of them entered the Wagon from before, with Paya going off to sit next to the still sleeping Princess and her knight. Twilight and Time both sat on the opposite end, facing one another.

"How will this work?" The former asked, eyes leveled with his ancestor's.

"It is a blood ritual, dark magic." Time replied, holding out his left hand. "But...it will be empowered by our Triforce pieces. Both of our own separate marks coming together...Merging as one." He paused and drew something from his belt. "It shall be something new; far different from before...and potentially with a far more potent output of magic."

Twilight glanced down at the Fierce Deity Mask in Time's hand, then to the marking on the back of his left hand.

It mirrored the same mark on his and Wild's right hand.

A mark that brought both fortune and disaster.

This use of it, he could consider it both. "Alright, fuck it...What's the first step?"

"The first, and only step for you, is to recreate the wounds that bound us together in the first place." Time put the Fierce Deity Mask on, the transformation quick and non-interrupting to the instructions, his voice regressing to the gravelly, yet smooth tone of the form. "...There will be a space of time where we shall return to the Death Fields...this can work in our favor."

"Right..." Twilight groaned, rolling his shoulders. "Damn it all...This is gonna suck."

He held out his hand, eyes closed as bits of twilight particles began to form in his palm, merging together and taking on a familiar shape. The weight of his father's broken obsidian-bladed sword registered with him shortly after, shining sapphire eyes reminiscing over the makeshift dagger for several seconds before continuing. First, he switched to an ice-pick grip and held out his left hand, and with a quick and guided stab of the blade, skewered his palm. He hissed in pain, warm blood coating the jagged point, dripping and forming a tiny puddle on the wooden floor beneath them.

But he wasn't finished, even as he noticed Paya cringe and turn away in the corner, obviously trying to not be sick in response to his actions. Twilight gave a brief glance to Time, who sat passively, gaze fixed on him as he waited for the next and final part of the ritual. Twilight sighed and closed his eyes, letting out a shaky final breath as he undid his collar and placed the crimson-stained blade to his throat.

"...If this doesn't work, I'm gonna kill you." His eyes opened half-way. "...Shade."

The Hero of Time smirked lightly. "I know."

"...link...link...Link...Help us...!"

Link's head snapped to attention, to which he had to groan again as he placed a hand to his temple, the voice from his dreams fading, replaced by a horrible ache in his skull and a sour feeling in his gut. His eyes had opened quickly to the dimly-lit interior of the wagon he'd followed Zelda to. She had said they were just going to talk about what had happened, but they must've fallen asleep at some point, judging from the still-very-much-asleep princess leaning on his shoulder and the red cover draped over them both.

His heart raced for a couple of moments as the fleeting words he had heard faded. It was a voice so familiar...yet he couldn't place a finger on it just yet. The grogginess of just waking up made him yawn instead, sapphire eyes gazing around. Three things were noticed by the young hero, blotting out the importance of the words. One, Paya was sitting directly in front of them, the sheikah girl covered with a quilt bearing her clan's markings. She must've traveled out here, probably not alone given the second thing he noticed, Impa herself. The difference between grandmother and granddaughter being that Impa seemed to be in deep mediation at the moment, with only a coat protecting her from the cold.

And third, Twilight was sitting against the opposite wall, eyes closed and mouth slightly open, with his neck and hand covered in bloody bandages.

As still as death itself.

"Twilight...?" A startled gasp escaped Link as he suddenly scrambled over to his ancestor and mentor's side. "Twilight!?"

Zelda, without her support, nearly fell face-first to the floor. Fortunately, she had woken in a fright to both the sudden movement and noise from her knight. Her green eyes widened in horror at the state of Twilight, quickly joining Link at the side of his fallen form. Link placed his hand on Twilight's shoulders, shaking him as if he was asleep. There was no response, the ancient hero completely still, devoid of any movement at all, even unconscious movements like breathing. If Link didn't know any better, he would say that Twilight was dead. But that was impossible, nobody could get the drop on his ancestor.

"Don't panic." He turned to Impa, who was now looking up at him. "...This was his own doing."

"What?" Zelda's mouth dropped open, speechlessly stuttering in disbelief. "...H...He...killed himself?"

"No." The Sheikah mistress' red eyes wavered for a moment. "It was a ritual that he and the other hero undertook. According to him, with any luck, they both will be back soon...stronger than ever."

"Huh..." Link gave a cursory glance at Twilight's still form, feelings mixed. "...Well...that will be helpful, right?"

"Yes, if he'd been more specific about when he was going to wake up." Impa droned, suddenly seeming rather frustrated. "It's already been a few hours since he's done the deed."

"A...few...ho..urs?"

Zelda suddenly shot upright, eyes wild as she hurried over to the flap on the back of the wagon, ripping it open to look outside. Her heart sank almost to her feet as the snow-covered visage of Castle Town met her observation. The caravan had apparently gotten organized in the time they had been asleep and moved on back to Castle Town. A quick look to the skies also gave her some idea of what happened to the army, specifically the figure of Vah Medoh lazily hovering above in the snowy clouds. Another thing she noticed was just how cold it had become while they slept.

Suddenly shivering harshly, she closed the flap and turned around, a hand on her hip as she tried to give a cross look.

"We're back in Castle Town." She announced plainly.

"Really?" Link gave one last glance to Twilight, giving his ancestor some faith before turning back to the matter at hand. "And the men?"

"They've probably unloaded, since Vah Medoh is flying above." The Princess sighed heavily, placing her hand to her forehead. "I had not planned to waste time like that...but I suppose it is too late. We'll have to check in with Tennessee and my stand-in."

Link nodded, standing up and walking over to her.

"By the way." He glanced over to Impa. "What are you doing here, Impa?"

"News of Zelda's public ball during the Harvest Festival being crashed by the Yiga...That tends to reign in the Sheikah's attention." She stood up. "We tried to join you earlier...but the Sheikah Tower by Dueling Peaks has been overtaken and replaced by a dark fortress, manned by several scores of Yiga." Her lip curled. "...But these were different, more precise and less...eccentric than before."

"Any dead on your side?"

"Yes." Her head turned. "...A few dozen...too much of a price given our diminishing numbers. Luckily, someone had the idea to detonate several explosive barrels on the cliffside, causing the fort severe damage while we cleared it out in the confusion."

"It seems it is bad everywhere then." Zelda's expression softened. "...This very caravan was attacked by three...special Yiga...they tore our group apart when we tried to confront them, and they...almost killed Link."

"'Almost' is pushing it." The Hero frowned, motioning to the scar on his face. He cast a glance at his ancestor's body. "But...If what you say about Twilight is true...and knowing him...this ritual of his must be a deterrent to the threat they pose-"

"...Wait, where is Agahnim?" Zelda suddenly asked, looking to Impa. "Did you see him when you arrived?"

"Agahnim?" Paya, who had woken up to their conversation. "...Do you mean...the man in the gerudo armor...?"

"Yes." Link cast a glance her way. "...What was he up to?"

"He was walking away from this caravan when we arrived, headed south with a cloak over him, but we paid no mind since we hadn't a clue about him." Impa continued for her granddaughter, a finger placed to her chin. "Agahnim, hmm? Something about that name strikes me as oddly familiar."

"Think of him as Calamity Ganon in Human form..." Link said, then quickly added. "If he was a good guy."

"What?" Impa gave them both a confused look. "And you trust him?"

"I just said he was a good guy." Link defended the absent Gerudo, hand on his belt. "The better question is where he was going..."

Zelda crossed her arms, head lowered and eyes closed as she seemed to think. Her scholarly mind trying to drum up some solution to their various problems. All this gave her were more dead ends and even more problems to deal with in the immediate future. For now, it would be best to attend to the closer issues, like the foreign nobles stuck in Castle Town while there was a Yiga Assassin most definitely here as well.

"Link, let's return to the Castle for now." She eventually said, eyes opening slightly. "I have to attend to a few things anyway, we'll convene again when Twilight and Agahnim join us."

"Alright, Zelda." Link shrugged his shoulders, running a hand down the rip in his champion tunic and the chainmail underneath. His mouth formed a line, he'd have some time to mend it. "Hmm...Let's take Twilight to his tavern, Val should be able to watch him 'till he comes around."

He trudged through the snow, approaching the towering figure that was the Great Plateau. A hood shrouding his face and keeping his ears safe from the biting cold. He had to scoff, since when did Hyrule get this much snow? The powdery substance was almost up to his knees at this point.

But, the principal of hyrulean weather was technically of little concern at the moment.

Those Yiga...they were tainted by a fused shadow, all three of them. But that didn't work out at all. Twilight had two of them and there was definitely another one that Ganon did not have...So, how did they come to possess such strength without being directly tethered to a fragment individually?

He had questions and only one bearer of answers at his disposal.

The crown of the fortress atop the Great Plateau did nothing to soothe his raw nerves, as his steps drew him deeper into it's shadow, until he was staring straight up the cliff-side. He idly noted that someone with enough stamina could probably scale the whole thing in a short amount of time. Wandering thoughts aside, he sat down on a stone not covered in snow, hands crossed together by the wrists as if bound in chains as he waited. He was facing Hyrule Castle, wondering if his allies had recovered yet. They were most likely in Castle Town, since the Caravan was about ready to leave when he had left.

He didn't know how much time passed, a few hours maybe, but his thoughts quietened as he noticed a figure appear to the west, approaching his left side. They were covered in a dark cloak, but he knew who it was, waiting as Strum approached with a casual stride, which concluded with a small, if respectful bow of his head as he came to Agahnim's side.

"Evening, Strum." Amber eyes spared a glance to the Yiga Grandmaster under the Gerudo's brand. "...Tell me, what news do you bring?"

"Nothing you'd find interesting." Came an alien voice overlaid with snark, Agahnim's head snapping towards this person as he removed his hood. Medium-length white hair in a ponytail with steady red eyes was what he saw, completely different from Strum's black hair. The only similarity the two shared was the facial tattoos of the Yiga.

Agahnim rose, drawing his short sword half-way out of it's sheath. "Who are you?"

"Peace, Master Agahnim." The young yiga held out his hand. "I was entrusted with information pertaining to Ganon by Strum himself. He's under close scrutiny by the demon king after disappearing a few days ago to deliver that letter from Master Dāku. Your summons have been answered, do not fret, just not by the grandmaster himself."

The Gerudo narrowed his amber eyes, sheathing his blade slowly, but still wary. "Very well, what is your name then, Sicarius (Assassin)?"

The Yiga stand-in seemed surprised. "You speak the Sheikah's language?"

"A little, it's what millennia of experience does to you." Agahnim said with indifference. "Besides, it's obvious you're a pure-blood sheikah, even if your loyalties house both men and women of similar or foreign blood. Though, I'd imagine recent events have stirred up your side of the conflict?"

"Actiones, non verba (Actions, not words) are what churn and spill the blood of my clan." The white-haired turncoat nodded slightly. "For our terms of engagement, you can call me Silas."

"Silas what?" Agahnim pressed. "I prefer being on a full-name basis with my associates, who are your people?"

"I was indoctrinated into the Yiga when I was just a child, ab invito (unwillingly)." Silas answered with indifference. "For all I can tell you, I must say that the Yiga are my only family." He paused. "But...Silas was assigned as an undercover alias, as per the standard. My true name is up for debate, but my most recent figuring of it was 'Sheikke Bas', since I was born in the Sheikah city of Sebastos, before it's fall. So you may refer to me as either one if that is what you wish."

"Silas or Sheikke?" The Gerudo hummed, nodding slightly. "Odd names...yet somewhat familiar in both instances. So then, tell me, Silas Bas, what is happening on your side of the mentioned recent conflicts?"

"Master Dāku has already departed to the Forgotten Temple, a cursed place in my opinion, while enforcing his request to me that the Hero of Time and his protege meet him there. Despite this, Ganon remains in Marsh alongside Strum." He paused. "...It seems that demon is constantly churning out some form of magic, far more potent and complex than the magical arts the Yiga practice."

Agahnim slowly nodded, looking to the side in thought. "...And the three monsters of Yiga whom he has created?" He caught Silas' surprised look. "Ah, shocked that I knew about them?"

"Aye, inexpectatus (surprising)." Silas' brow furrowed. "Have they already attacked Castle Town? I did not expect it so soon."

"Why?"

"They were...created...a day ago, at the very least." He stressed that sentence, honestly sounding baffled that the trio could have caused so much mischief already. "What have they done?"

Agahnim seemed to think before giving him answer, choosing his words carefully. "You don't have to panic, they only attacked a caravan of merchants and farmers on the road leading to Castle Town. They did not attack the town itself, but they did a number on the Princess and her allies." His amber eyes darted to the side, looking into Silas' burning rubies to see if they held any negative emotion towards the Princess. He saw no such thing, only pure neutrality.

"...Absit omen (Let an omen be absent)." The young yiga sighed with apparent relief. "Nothing good has come from Ganon's closest men, even if many of them perished during the attack on the Castle."

"Hmm, how were the Shadow Yiga created?"

"I couldn't tell you, but I knew them before they became...what they are now." Silas frowned. "...They were an inseparable trio, like siblings in a way. Chikara, Chie, and Yūki."

"Exotic names." Agahnim mused.

"Not really, they're very, very oldhylian. Meaning Power, Courage, and Wisdom. Mere imitations of the Golden Goddesses and their champions."

"Right..." The Gerudo thought for a second. "...You said Ganon had men close to him? How many?"

"Five, including Dāku and the three Shadow Yiga, as my brothers like to refer to them." Silas paused for a moment. "The remaining one is a Yiga Elite, one of our best soldiers and assassins. His name is Ar-Janek."

"I know him, he tried to give the Rito's Divine Beast to some Araeflos." Agahnim said.

"Really?" Silas was really apprehensive now. "So that means all but Dāku are active in this area...that does not bode well for anyone."

"No, it doesn't." The gerudo sighed, standing up suddenly in a huff. "Damn it, we'll be running blind if we try to fight back now! There has to be something we can do."

"I'll return to Master Strum...but I must stress that you return to your allies immediately." The youth's eyes narrowed. "...I fear something disastrous looms on the horizon."

"I-"

THOOOM!

Agahnim's retort didn't even leave his lips before a thundering rumble and accompanying flash erupted from the North, in the center of Castle Town itself. Both men gaped in shock, even as a massive ripple approached them, nearly leveling trees and parting the clouds above.

"Shockwave!" Silas yelled, holding up his arms, bracing for impact.

Agahnim snapped out of his surprise, hands going up just in time to erect a crystal-like barrier at their front. His hands bucked when the force met it, hairline cracks forming on it's surface as it took the brunt of it. If they had taken that head on, it wouldn't have killed them, but would've tossed them like ragdolls. Even then, once the worst of it had passed, and Agahnim dropped the shield, a more earthen sound met their ears as they looked upwards to see the ruins of the great plateau quake and rumble in response to the shockwave.

Thankfully, it stood strong but, judging from the harsh noise of screams and yells from above, the occupants of the fortress didn't have such luck. While he couldn't say anything about the fortress itself, he didn't much care as he turned back to the Castle looming in the distance. It, too, stood strong against the unwavering force, but there was something going on there.

"Go!" He said to Silas, who nodded and disappeared in a swirl of Yiga magic. While Agahnim discarded his cloak and charged down the road, hoping to the goddesses that he would make it back in time.

[Two Hours Earlier]

"Why the long face?" The bluenette sitting at the bar grinned, sipping from his mug. "Ya fallen in love?"

Val's half-lidded eyes came back into focus, a smirk appearing on the blonde's lips in response to his friend's remark. "With your skirt."

Tennessee frowned. "It's a petticoat, jackass."

"It's hardly a petticoat, those are down to your ankles unlike your's, but whatever you say, ma'am." He chuckled at the glare sent his way, hands placed firmly on the counter top. "Are you even on break still? It's been a bit since you came in, y'know."

"Meh." Tennessee waved his hand. "It's boring as hell in the Castle now, everyone who isn't on guard duty are either asleep or practicing in the yard. Probably moreso the former than the latter because of this bloody snow. It'll become a nuisance if it doesn't let up soon."

"To be honest, Tenn, I think you should've stayed and waited for the Princess' group." The blonde barkeep frowned. "I mean...It was kinda of a dick move to up and go like that."

"Oh my, the mighty and fearsome Valenzuela has gained a conscious! The end is nigh!" The blue-haired lieutenant mocked with a scandalous tone, before mirroring his friend's frown. "Lay off it, I'm not gonna let my men freeze on some flying tomb. The Princess'd understand, and if she doesn't, her knight or Twilight would."

Just as the sentence finished, the door to the tavern nearly burst open. Val was glad the bar was nigh-empty, as he and Tennessee watched said Knight and another person carry Twilight inside, who hung limply with his arms over their shoulders.

"Hey, help us with him, yeah?" Link grunted out as he walked backwards, struggling to keep the limp figure of his ancestor up. How he was so heavy was beyond him, but he was appreciative when Tennessee and Val, who vaulted the counter, rushed to help them.

"What the hell happened?" Val asked, giving his figurative 'boss' a cursory glance. "He's as still as the dead."

"Ask him when he wakes up." Link snapped, sounding impatient, so both men simply nodded.

"I'll put him in a room upstairs." Val took Link's place, assisted by the, now obvious, Sheikah warrior to carry him up the stairs on the far side of the bar.

Link watched them and, once they were out of sight, turned to Tennessee, an mixed look on his face.

"Okay...before you say anything-" The bluenette began.

"Good job."

"-I..." He blinked. "Wait...what? You're...not mad?"

"Not as mad as you'd think us to be." The sheikah came back down the stairs at that moment, their feminine voice catching him off guard. "You made an ideal decision, moving your men back to the Castle."

"Wait, I'm sorry." The lieutenant studied her features behind that mask. "Have we met?"

There was an obvious grin behind it, which she gladly exposed with a tug downwards on the fabric. "Not a good way to talk to your boss, hm?"

"Oh shit, Princess-!"

A hand clamped over his mouth in an instant. He turned to see Link giving him an admonishing look, since he was about to expose the fact that Princess was currently in a tavern. That would work wonders for politics, especially with foreign nobles still around. Speaking of, there was a matter they desperately needed to discuss with Tennessee.

"Listen up, we need you to get the guards to be on the lookout."

"Why? Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, remember the Yiga Link encounter on Vah Medoh?" Zelda said.

"Right, yeah!" Tennesee frowned, thinking. "Ar-something...Jan...Janel...Janet...Janek! Ar-Janek, right?"

"Yep, he's somewhere in Castle Town, undoubtedly." Link frowned. "He's high level among the Yiga, an elite assassin."

"Ah shit, and with all these foreign nobles around..." The blue-haired man caught on. "Should I bolster their security? Send some guards?"

"No." Zelda's eyes were closed, deep in thought.

"Dammit, should I at least warn them?"

"No, we have the home advantage." Link muttered, oddly quiet. "Janek doesn't know we're onto him, so let's keep him in a false sense of security until he shows himself."

"But..." Tennessee frowned. "...You don't know where he is."

"Right, so you and your men keep a lookout."

"Yes, sir."

With that small dealing however, they had to take their leave. There was plenty to do and they weren't sure how much time they had left to do it. Zelda left to meet with Impa, who would accompany her to see Dignitary Valon, who had been running things in her short absence.

Link went to his room, spending some time patching up his chainmail and champion's tunic. While a bit shoddy, it meant he could get back into the action quickly enough. Putting both back on, he left his room and started to head deep into the castle.

He was never one for valuing wealth. To Link, money served a purpose, to buy things. That was it. He didn't fret over a small balance, he didn't relish in riches, and he was never frugal. So when he was standing before the treasury vault door, all he felt was the feeling of being close to his goal. The treasury vault was ancient, perhaps as old as the Calamity Ganon legend itself.

From what he knew, there was actually two vaults. One built into the Castle and another that was designed by the Sheikah to be portable. In the event that the Castle was destroyed, while the former was lost, the latter would warp away to an unknown destination and could be recovered via a sheikah slate. Unfortunately, that plan seemed to have failed in these intervening years of conflict.

Link had discovered the normal treasury vault on his first visit to Hyrule Castle, after he had woken up from his first "death". But it was only in these past few months that he and Zelda discovered the Sheikah-designed vault. At first, it seemed odd to them that the Sheikah would've wasted their technological-prowess on a treasury vault, of all things. Once they opened it up, they realized that "treasure" was not it contained.

The proper term would be "history".

Ancient objects and items, crafts, bits and bobbles of bygone eras. Weapons, armor, and other things. Twilight even recognized a few items, some even directly from his era, others enough to give their proper names.

Link didn't remember a mask being apart of that collection, but he was determined to find it anyway. Placing the sheikah slate against the panel attached to the vault's outer wall. It pulsed with blue light, the seal letting out a mechanical click as it rotated, stopping with a jolt. There was a hiss as separated to the sides, giving way for the young hero to enter.

There was no shortage of gold, of treasure in the eye of the beholder.

"A mask...metallic...like a skull with it's mouth wired open." He repeated the description Isu had given him, eyes scrutinizing the whole room in search of the artifact in question. But there was so many other items, it was proving tedious. Be they magic rings, books of ancient texts, or even simpler things like a boomerang with inscriptions of fairies.

Then he saw it, dull-grayish hue clashing with it's brighter neighbors. He stepped over an ornamental shield to get to it, bending over to pluck it up, trinkets falling to the ground in response to it's displacement. True to Isu's word, the mask resembled a skull with it's mouth wired open. It's right eye was clear, while the left eye had, surprisingly, a symbol of the triforce overlaying it, each part a frame for three separate pieces of tempered glass. He noted the axle in the center of it, turning it over to see that it was attached to a trigger on the right cheek. He pressed it experimentally, eyebrows raised in interest as the triforce rotated.

It was a spyglass built into the eye. Whoever owned this mask, either Isu or some other person, they were very resourceful and creative. Perhaps it was meant for combat, to be used by a commander to observe enemy movements. But Link didn't think much on it, it wasn't like he was gonna keep it. But there was now the issue of how he was to present it to Isu, having no means to contact him, let alone exchange the mask for information.

Instead, with a resigned sigh as he hooked it onto his belt, he left and sealed the vault.

"Link..."

He whirled around at the whisper, a shiver going down his spine as he scanned the empty room.

The voice...it was...

"Link...hurry...to...Ruta..."

He never ran so fast in his life.

Zelda stared at herself in the mirror, her blonde hair flowing down her back as she inspected the blue dress she wore. The hateno markings gave her an odd feeling of nostalgia, the dress and it's two sisters being her first material possession of the new world she arrived in post-Calamity Ganon. Her champion's tunic and the sheikah garb she often wore was laid out on her bed, both dirty and wet from either the grass or snow, depending on when she wore them.

"Well?" She gave a twirl, looking to Impa, who was leaning in the doorway. "How do I look?"

The sheikah grand mistress smirked. "Like a princess."

"Coming from you, that's high praise."

Impa shook her head at the remark. Zelda was picking up Link and that blasted ancestor of his' snark, which could make some conversations interesting, but overall annoying when she exhibited too much sass. She stepped out of the door and moved closer to Zelda, looking down at her.

"Look up, I want to see the marking."

Zelda nodded slightly, doing as she was told as Impa parted her blonde hair. She placed a finger on the Princess' forehead, a tiny surge of magic jumping to the skin there. Though, Zelda didn't feel a thing as the mark of the Sheikah slowly appeared there.

This was the compromise they had reached during Zelda's training.

Back then, a hundred years ago, when Zelda came to Impa angry and frustrated at her Chosen Knight. When she asked for Sheikah training so she would have no need for his presence. And then, a century later, when they continued the training. The Shekiah Grandmistress had noticed that Zelda, no matter how far she progressed, would often hesitate and, thus, suffer for it. Zelda wasn't confident in her abilities, a feeling leftover from a century prior, present then and especially now. Even if this was not the case, if she was on par with the circumstances, she could never take a life willingly, even if it was necessary or in self-defense.

Impa feared for her life, since their enemies would never have such convictions in taking her life, and while she admired Link's dedication to her, she was sure there would be moments where neither he nor Twilight would be present to help her when there was danger.

Thus, the grand mistress offered a solution to the problem, a truly alternate way of doing things from Zelda's point of view.

Impa placed a marking on Zelda's forehead, a simple sheikah symbol, but with magical properties. It would "switch" her conscious for another, more combat-capable one. According to the Hero of time, a similar technique was used by Impa and Zelda's predecessors during his respective era. But, unlike that technique which sealed away Zelda's personal identity in favor of a newer one, the two personalities worked in tandem, sharing memories and experiences to maximize efficiency in battle. It still undoubtedly disgusted Zelda when she took a life, but she sought refuge in the fact it was not technically her to make the decision to deliver the killing blow.

This whole time, from the Yiga attacking the Ball, to confronting scaling Fenrir's fortress, to fighting the Shadow Yiga, was all the work of this combined consciousness. Often times, Zelda found no need to have to call upon this alternate conscious and could freely use her skills to do what she saw fit, climbing and whatnot. Impa had pointed out that her own potential, thanks to her triforce and the magic it produced, was far greater than any Sheikah or Yiga could dream of achieving.

Zelda took silent pride in the fact, but you could never be too sure.

"It looks to be holding up." Impa murmured as the mark faded, taking a step back. "Any issues prior to now?"

Zelda nodded, looking off to the side. "Yes...When we...fought...the Yiga attacking the caravan. I tried to call it forth, but it just...did not work. I had to improvise and attack with my conscious intact, Impa. But it was evidently not enough."

"Hmm..." The grand mistress closed her eyes, thinking. "There is no counter to it. There can't be, not without altering your mind."

"Or...it could just be their presence?"

"Maybe." Impa opened her eyes. "But it should not happen again. If it does, promise me you will escape as fast as you can. Promise."

Zelda nodded, looking down. "I promise."

Meanwhile, all around Castle Town, the guards were on full alert.

Tennessee had spread the word quickly and instructed any and all on-duty soldiers to be on the lookout for any suspicious persons and/or activities. There was a good amount of hustle upon mentioning that the target was a Yiga. With sharp eyes and determined expressions, the soldiers marched about streets in search of their quarry.

The blue-haired lieutenant, on the other hand, walked briskly through town square. The bustling streets had dimmed down as the day was coming to a close, added onto the smaller crowds thanks to the snow. He still had to push his way through a few people to get to where he was going however. The Castle Town Inn.

The once-modest wooden two-story building had been added onto, now three-stories tall and with a decorated exterior and roof. An outside patio had been added, connecting to the stables at the side, who's business had been merged with the inn's, so now you could check in and board a horse in the same building. The lobby was expanded and almost all the rooms renovated, but Tennessee didn't need a warm bed at the moment, but some information would be just a good.

He entered and was instantly greeted by a dreary voice.

"Oi, close the door. You're letting the cold in."

"Straight Priorities as always, Vira." The Zora at the counter gave his friend an admonishing glance, before raising his voice in a chipper tone. "Welcome, Tennessee! Come on in, get the cold out."

"We just stoked the fire!" Said a bearded Hylian seated at the fireplace along with his wife.

"Evening Lilren, Vira." The bluenette looked to the two hylians. "Tarin, Jennifer."

"To what do we owe the pleasure, lieuuutenant?" Vira drawled, the rito holding a mug to his beak as he spoke. "Bed and Board?"

"Nothing too complicated." He turned to Lilren. "I need to look at your ledger, looking for anyone who may have checked in as recently as yesterday."

The Zora's gaze became hard. "You know I can't betray our customer's trust so easily."

"An assassin's trust'll get you nothing but a knife in your gut; Your back if you're lucky." Tennessee placed his hands on the counter, meeting the Zora's questioning gaze. "C'mon, I need you to do this as a favor. If not for myself, then for the Princess."

Lilren frowned, struggling with his good judgement for a moment, before giving a relenting sigh. "Fine, here it is."

He reached under the counter and lifted up a book, thick with pages. Tennessee didn't give it a second glance, expression neutral as always, turning it around and opening it to the most recent date. There was a good, long list of names, most of whom he recognized from the attacked caravan. He figured they would be staying in town for a while before moving onward to Lon-Lon Ranch to finish their route.

"Who're you looking for specifically?"

"Goes by the name of Ar-Janek...He's a Yiga Assassin, an elite, probably here under an alias." He said.

"More Yiga?" Tarin said, turning in his chair. "I thought they'd given up after their attack on the Festival Ball."

"...There's...a lot of things going on with them, Tarin." Tennessee murmured, flipping the page. His eyes widened, placing a finger on a name. "Ah, who's this then? Ra-Kneja?"

"He checked in just a few hours ago, after that caravan crew." Lilren said. "Had an odd look about him, looked half-Sheikah half-Hylian, but that isn't as odd as the other happenings around here, so I paid no mind. He said he wanted to get a room at the Era of Twilight Tavern on the west side of town, but all the rooms were booked."

"No they weren't...But it is rush hour..." Tennessee grinned, slamming the book closed. "Gotcha!"

"Is that him?"

"You're damn right it's him!" He turned heel and headed to the door. "Thanks again!"

Tennessee stepped out into the cold, immediately calling over a two soldiers.

"Redonet, Rome!"

"Aye, sir?" They saluted real quick, but noticed the urgency.

"I need you to get word to Princess Zelda and the General." Tennessee was still grinning. "I found our Assassin, he's in the Era of Twilight, under the alias Ra-Kneja."

"'Ra-Kneja', sir?" Rome gave him an odd look.

"It's an anagram! Ra-Kneja ; Ar Janek!" The bluenette was positively pumped from noticing that detail. "Oh, we've got this bastard! You two hurry and tell them to get over there, I'm on my way right now!"

"Yes, sir!" They hurried off.

Tennessee walked off on his own, pumping his fist into the air. "Haha! Hell Yes!"

Back in the Castle, Zelda entered the library, tailed by Impa as they moved to meet up with the former's stand-in. Zelda had not ever heard or met of Valon, but Twilight had recommended and vouched for him and his skills in diplomacy and management. Not to mention, he was apparently very kind and soft-spoken.

But, honestly, the Princess wasn't exactly sure what she should have expected as she crossed the wooden floor towards the center table. He stood there, talking to a red-haired woman over a wooden chest. The way he carried himself was definitely modest and his laugh was incredibly soft, like if he tried any harder he would fall down dead. His brown hair was long and tied back in a pony-tail similar to Link's, with matching brown eyes that seemed to gently gazed about with an experienced innocence unlike anything she'd ever seen.

He wore primarily neutral colors, a black tunic with a white shirt and baggy, black trousers that ended with cloth-wrapped grey boots. Clashing with this was a royal-blue cloak of some sorts that started at his waist like a petticoat, it flowed down to the back of his knees, ending in sharp points with a dark-blue hem, before directing back up sideways across his front and ending back at his belt.

Valon bore no weapons of any sort, despite his travel-ready attire, but she did notice two armed guard bearing Ordonian Armor and odd long coats off to the side. They both had glanced at her and Impa, who returned their gaze with a glare, making them quickly look back to Valon. Personal Guards, obviously.

"Dignitary Valon?" She approached with a careful step and tone of voice, hoping not to surprise him.

He turned rather quickly anyway, but not with intense surprise, but muted expectancy. "Ah, Princess Zelda Bosphoramus Hyrule?"

"I am, but please, call me Zelda or just Princess, please." She bowed her head, smiling brightly.

His eyes widened slightly, blushing lightly as he returned the bow. "Of course."

Zelda was surprised by his harshly muted expressions and emotion, but didn't question it yet. "I must say, when Twilight recommended you for managing things in my absence, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect..."

He gave a small smile. "And what did you expect, your highness?"

She returned it. "Let's just say, you are interesting."

"Well, I hope that's a good thing." He scratched his head, giving a small chuckle.

"It's his clothes, ain't it?" Said the woman he was speaking to before. "Not something you'd see on a royal, eh?"

He passed the woman a glance, before suddenly turning to Zelda. "Ah, princess. My associate here is Malon. She owns Lon-Lon Ranch in Hyrule Field. She's just brought in some winter uniforms from Ordona to outfit your military."

Zelda glanced over at the woman, realizing that she had been too focused on Valon to notice that it was the same woman from the Caravan. The red-haired woman whom Link had recognized. The princess mentally kicked herself, she'd forgotten about that. They both had.

"We've met." Malon smiled, giving a polite bow of her own. "She and her allies saved our caravan from a Yiga attack."

"Really?." Valon placed a hand on Zelda's shoulder, the sincerity in his eyes surprising her. "Malon's family has been close to mine for centuries, even as they've spread out from Ordona, she is like a sister to me. You have my thanks, Princess."

"We left several months ago..." The red-head muttered, arms crossed.

"Well, it was still rude if you ask me." Valon only gave a soft grin in her direction.

"Fuck you and your softness!"

Zelda suppressed a chuckle, she reminded her of Twilight and Link, although the latter less-so since Link never appeared so...feeble.

"You were speaking of outfits?" She asked.

"Correct, it isn't fitting with the Celtic aesthetic most countries go with nowadays, but it makes winter bearable." Malon shrugged. "Would you to inspect them?"

Zelda nodded, stepping forward as Malon fished one out of the box on the table, holding it out for her to see.

True to her word, it would like odd compared with Hyrule's popular apparel. It was a long coat of sorts, in line with colonial militia garb you'd see years ago when Hyrule was imperialistic or in stories. The buttons and dark-ish colors being the noticeable aesthetic. If she remembered correctly, they were called dress uniforms, yet these extended past the waistline as a longcoat and some even bore a removable hood.

"Typically, these are for Ordona's light infantry to use in the winter, but we have heavier coats for more cumbersome military roles." Valon said, nodding his head back. "As you can see, my personal guardians are wearing them."

"Hmm..." Zelda glanced to them, seeing that fact. Her head titled to the side. "And you say these are opportune for the cold weather?"

He nodded. "Yes, especially for weary travelers."

"Excellent, I would love for our army to be outfitted with them." She smiled. "And, if you don't mind, can I get a few pairs for my friends and I?"

Malon set the uniform away and smacked the side of the box loudly. "Not a problem, I'll bring 'em in!"

The redhead left the room, while Valon remained behind, hand on his hip as he let out a sigh, a weak smile on his lips.

Zelda noticed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah..." He looked at her with that same smile. "Heh...she's rather loud, ain't she?"

The Princess only answered with a concerned look, to which he gave a great sigh.

"Princess, I have a heart condition." He said finally, shaking his head. "Forgive me if I'm not as...eccentric as our cohorts."

"A heart condition?" She repeated, interested.

"Yes, anything more strenuous than a full-tilt sprint would kill me." He placed a hand on his chest, gracing her with a simple glance.

"Is...there anything that can be done?" She asked, already thinking of solutions. "Perhaps a cure, be it medicinal or magical?"

"No." He said firmly, with finality. "My family has wasted fortune after fortune trying to fix it...Even Prince Malo himself has lost countless nights of sleep trying to help me. I do not wish to burden anyone, so I choose to live with it, even if it will be the death of me."

"But-"

"No." His gaze suddenly hardened. "With respect, your highness. That is my final answer."

Zelda gulped and looked away from him, a sour feeling in her stomach. She desperately wanted to help, but the sincere and adamant tone of his voice shut down any possible solution she could come up with on the fly. She needed to know specifics to even begin to understand the problem itself, never mind the fact that Valon didn't even want help. She felt as if she'd been in this situation before, but couldn't remember when.

"And, before you ask..." She looked up, surprised at his change of tone and the light smile on his face. "Yes, I know that this job can be stressful...but I know I'm doing the right thing."

"...Ah?" She wasn't sure what to make of that.

"Anyway, would you like to me to show you what has happened while you were away?" He held his arm out to the side.

She nodded dumbly. "Y-yes, of course."

Strum could feel the heat from the hallway, his boots making light thumps on the carpeted floor as he approached the stone door on the other end. Sweat trickled down his neck, unable to be wiped away with removing his mask. The Yiga Grandmaster took a deep breath, stopping at the door as the light danced from underneath. Pops and crackles of fire could be heard, along with the smell of something burning.

Carefully, with an outstretched hand, he pushed it open. He recoiled at once at the burning wall of heat and light that plowed into him. He was amazed his clothes didn't catch fire, but was more focused on trying to see into the room. A figure sitting amid a swirling wreath of flame, in a casual pose with his hands atop his left knee, amber eyes staring downwards, distant yet burning.

Strum paused for a moment, watching in mute wonder as the lone figure maintained their position amid the fire. Their form unfamiliar, yet so recognizable to him. As if his master had warped here from Hyrule and sat just scant feet away from him. Yet, he knew who this was, in his dark, twisted image, like he was half-demon or something, his malice-covered eye and upper-right side of his face covered by a horned skeletal face.

Ganon's single amber eye shot up, having just noticed Strum's presence. Lips twisting into a pleasant grin as his greenish pupil focused on him, a simple nod of his head his only greeting. It was still odd to see him so young, without the elaborate disguise he cast upon himself. Now, seeing him like this, Strum could confidently say that the only difference from Agahnim he could see was that malice-stained eye of his, aside from the skeletal visage he was sporting in this ritual.

"Well..." He rasped, voice much younger, but still quite mature. "I take it you just received a report...So, is Vah Medoh to our...ally's liking?"

"...No." Strum tried not to flinch at the harsh glare sent his way. "...There was interference from the Rito Champion and...the Hero. The Aeralfos have forfeited their side of the agreement and, while still truly neutral, are no longer our allies."

KRAK!

He definitely flinched this time as the sound of stone shattering accompanied Ganon punching the floor, single eye glaring a hole through him as splinters of stone flew past. But, for a second, he seemed concerned. "...Ar-Janek...did he fall as well? Captured?"

"No, he is...er...safe in Castle Town."

"Hmm..." Ganon drew back his hand from the shattered floor, eye narrowed. "...When you hesitate like that, Strum...It makes me want to re-evaluate my definitions of the word 'safe'." He clutched his fist, the flames circling him burning so intensely that Strum had to take a step back, now sweating. "What do you mean he is safe? Did he retrieve the artifact?"

"His last report stated he did in fact make it to Castle Town...Artifact in tow." Strum let out a sigh, accepting his possible impeding demise. "...But the Heroes are aware of his presence and will most likely attempt to root him out by tomorrow."

"Damn..." Strum wasn't expect him to simply furrow his brow and place a hand over his mouth in thought. "...It seems I have to skip a few steps in my plan, this damned winter was supposed to freeze them in their tracks...but we'll make do. Make sure the Dāku returns with what we need, and that Janek gets that Fused Shadow to a safe place before commencing his next mission."

"Next mission?"

"Yes...I'm sending The Three to aid him, along with accomplishing their own goal." He held up his hand, triforce piece glowing as he relayed instructions through it. Then, he stood up, the flames continuing to swirl around him. "They must retrieve The Master Sword." He grinned, a sadistic smirk of psychotic malice as the flames intensified again, even hotter than before. "...And kill the Hero while they're at it, we don't need him meddling in our affairs."

"And...what of his allies, those in Castle Town?" Strum asked, only to be met with Ganon cackling.

"Soon, when their time comes, they shall burn at the hands of their friends."

"Thanks for this, Sidon." Link said, footsteps splashing lightly. "It's been a while since I've been on Vah Ruta, so it's nice to have some company."

"Not a problem, my friend!" The zora prince flashed his grin. "If these so-called voices have been drawing you to Ruta for some time now, than it must certainly be urgent. I'm surprised you hadn't told me until now!"

"It only just started happening a few weeks ago, before the Festival." Link said, accidentally stepping in a large puddle, splashing himself with cold water. He gave a groan of discomfort. "...Besides, it wasn't just Vah Ruta. It was all the divine beasts, but I didn't want to ruin your fun."

"Pity that, given it was ruined anyway."

"Yeah...But I guess I just forgot about it, but...now I hear the voice again." He narrowed his eyes. "...I need to be sure it isn't who I think it is."

"And who is it you think it is?"

Link opened his mouth to answer, but found nothing would come out, shrugging instead.

They approached the front of the inner chamber, passing flowing waterways that went throughout the massive machine. Link, as he had expressed before, absolutely abhorred this place. Having Sidon at his side alleviated his anxiety, but the one thing that normally made him nervous was missing. The beeps, clicks, and other mechanical noises that echoed throughout Vah Ruta and it's fellow Divine Beasts.

The tune that signaled a cry for help had been silenced, replaced by an eerie absence of sound bar the rushing of water.

Somehow, this made the atmosphere even more tense than before.

But, in the growing darkness, interspersed with dull-blue lights, Link recalled his dreams of this very place. Retracing the steps he'd taken was a cake-walk, but the absences of some elements shook him to the core. The Master Sword, whereas it glowed brightly and guided his steps in his dream, remained unresponsive and dark in it's sheath. The sounds that guided him were gone.

It was just so different from what he was expecting.

But then, he saw it, along the wall that was once solid. A section of flat stone that anyone would overlook, even those with the carefullest of eyes. But now, it was ajar, so visible you'd smack yourself for missing it. Link let out a surprised gasp upon spotting it, shooting off and nearly sliding into it as he stopped. He looked around for a moment, discerning if it was switch activated or not, but he found none.

"Huh...this...was not here last I checked." Sidon stepped beside him.

Link only nodded, placing his hands on it. "C'mon, help me push."

Sidon nodded, joining his efforts as they both pushed with all their strength. Luckily, it was enough, but the wall made it hard for them. Whoever opened it prior had help, because it was tedious just for the two of them. Link filed that thought away for now, curiosity of this hidden room and how it linked with his dreams and the voices his only priority now.

Stepping inside, he quickly noted the odd mechanism in the center of the room with blue lights flowing towards it, a panel of sorts off to the side connected to it. The mechanism seemed like a tub or a bed, with a similar shaped piece just above it, like they would seal together when activated...Suddenly, there was a loud clatter. Link turned to the noise to see that Sidon had accidentally kicked a discarded Zora Spear that was on the floor.

"Interesting..." Sidon picked it up, looking it over. He frowned and held it out. "Wait a second, this isn't a regular spear. This craftsmanship, it's old...not ancient...but from when I was, I don't know, a child at the very least." He gave Link a look. "But...why is it here?"

Not only had Link already asked himself that question, but he had also remembered encountering that very same spear in his dreams. The feeling of deja-vu aside, he was still processing most of the information he'd received in the past 24 hours, including dying again and encountering this Isu character.

So he very literally flinched in realization as the whole thing clicked together.

The room.

The mechanism.

The old spear.

"Sidon...T-This...was a Shrine of Resurrection." His throat was suddenly very dry. "...J-Just...like the one I...woke up in."

"Really? But...who would possibly need a...?" The Zora Prince's eyes widened.

"...We both know the answer to that question."

Sidon's gaze hardened. "...But then...where is Mipha?"

They both looked at each, trying hard to swallow this information before it overloaded their emotions. Link had experience with that, but Sidon looked like he was either gonna kill someone or cry...or both. He set the spear down next to the Shrine, eyes quivering as he did so. Link was already assessing multiple escape routes, knowing that the voice from earlier could've very well belonged to Mipha. If that was the case, she was in trouble, which meant someone had her.

"Come on! We need to get Zelda and-" He made to leave, but stopped when he didn't hear Sidon behind him. He turned around. "Sidon...!?"

His eyes widened in surprise when he saw the Zora Prince frozen like a statue, a sickly green fog surrounding him as a lone figure casually leaned on him like one would lean against a post or wall. Their arms were crossed and their blank metal mask unmistakable.

"Isu." Link managed to squeak out in surprise. "How..?"

"One of the advantages of being me." He said snarkily, standing up straight and walking towards him. "Listen up, I haven't the time to properly live up to my end of the bargain, not right now. But I need that mask from you..." He held out his hand. "...Now."

Link glanced down at the mask hanging from his belt, unlatching it and holding it in his hands. His uneasiness didn't deter him from hardening his gaze.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Because if you don't, you're gonna die!" Isu snapped, voice harsh enough to make Link take a step back in surprise. "Is that what you want!? I know you are dealing with excessive turmoil right now, especially regarding your fallen friends, but-"

"Friends?" Link repeated, stressing the S as his eyes widened.

Isu looked at him like he was stupid, which he felt was accurate right now. "Of course, did you think your Zora friend's Divine Beast was the only one to have this...machine inside it?"

"Oh...goddesses..." Link's eyes quivered as he looked at the ground, mouth open in shock. "...If they hadn't...They would've...been left here...forever. We never would've found them..."

Isu's tense form softened, stepping forward. "Listen, Link. As much as you value their well-being, it is too late for them at the moment. But I can still save you the pain if you just give me the mask, okay?"

"...Alright."

Link felt sick, but his hand still held up the mask. Isu took it carefully, holding it up to see. He nodded silently and with great curtsy, snapping his finger to make it vanish in a flash of magic. "Thank you, Link." He began unstrapping his gauntlets, pulling off the device underneath them and holding them out for Link to take. "Here, it'll be dangerous for you alone, take these."

The Knight looked up from his shocked haze to look at what he was being offered, curiosity overcoming him as he took it and held them both across his palms. Aside from them being some sort of contraption that you'd attach to the bottom of your gauntlet, there wasn't anything seemingly important about them.

"They're called Chainblades, the first of a long-line of similar items." Isu explained. "It's good for everything really; Traversal, combat, retrieving things, among other uses."

"Uh...thank you..." Link swallowed, his mouth still dry.

"No problem, I'll thank you properly for retrieving the mask later." Isu quickly turned around, as if hearing something. "Dammit! They're on the move! I have to go, you must get to the Twilight Wraith's tavern, and with haste! Do you understand?"

"Y-yeah."

"Good." He nodded and waved quickly, before vanishing with a whisper on the wind. "Good luck..!"

"Princess!"

Valon visibly jumped in front of her as rapid footsteps came up to them. Zelda turned to see a soldier running towards them, Redonet, if she wasn't mistaken.

"Oh, Valon!" He noticed the wheezing ordonian as he approached, suddenly appearing sheepish. "Sorry, I didn't know you were with the Princess."

"It's fine..." Valon waved a hand, trying to steady himself.

Zelda gave him a worried look, but resigned herself to see to Redonet instead. "What seems to be the trouble, Redonet?"

"It's Lieutenant Tennessee, your highness." The soldier reported. "He knows where Ar-Janek is, the Yiga Assassin."

"Assassin?" Impa repeated, stepping forward with a frown on her face. "Since when has the Yiga Clan had a presence in Castle Town?"

"Calm yourself, Impa." Zelda held up a hand. "We're confident there is only one." She looked back to the soldier. "Has Link been informed?"

"Rome went to look for him, but we're not sure where he's gone."

"What?" Zelda was slightly surprised, since Link hadn't mentioned if he was going to leave. He surely would've told her if that was the case. "...Well, I have confidence he'll show up, where did Tennessee say he was?"

"The Era of Twilight tavern on the west-side of town."

She gave him a look. "What."

"His words, your highness." He held up his hands. "I'm just the messenger."

Zelda placed her face in her hands, letting out a subdued sigh. "...Well, I'll have to see to it." She peeked out from between her fingers. "Valon, I assume you'll be fine while I deal with this."

He nodded. "Of course, good luck."

Zelda returned the gesture, turning and walking away with Impa at her back. With a casual use of magic and the mark on her forehead, her blue dress was replaced with shekiah garb, her loose blonde hair tucked underneath a cap that hid the marking from view. Her triforce piece glowed on her hand as she clenched her fist in preparation.

The walk was uneventful, but Zelda did not spot Link anywhere and she was confident that Twilight was still out of commission. As they neared the tavern, Impa wandered off, sticking to the shadows in case their quarry tried to make a run for it. Zelda entered alone, already noting the notable amount of people inside. It must be half-price hour or something, because she swore that no place in Hyrule got this much traffic.

Something she noticed, to her surprise, was Ro. The young Zora soldier she'd often see around the Castle was sitting at a table with a raven-haired girl. From the way they were chatting and smiling, she would dare-say he was on a date. She smiled inwardly, thinking. "Good for him."

She walked with a casual stride to the counter, standing beside Tennessee.

"Ah, you're here." The bluenette said, careful with his introduction. He exhaled some smoke from a pipe he was smoking. "The Yiga bastard checked in under an anagram at the Inn in the square." He glanced behind him. "Apparently, he wanted to get a room here...but they're sold out."

Val nodded. "And, if you must know, they've only just been sold out about five minutes ago."

Zelda cocked her head at that, letting out a small sigh as she leaned her back against the counter, palms flat behind her.

"How's Twilight?"

"Still comatose."

Tennessee huffed, taking a drag on the pipe. "...Little help he'll be, I can't seem to find Janek in here with this crowd."

Zelda gave a cursory glance to the whole place, sweeping across each and every table. She nodded her head forward after a second, discreetly pointing across the room. "How about the man in a dark robe eating a banana?"

They both turned to look at where she was pointing, and sure enough, there was a man sitting in the back of the room, alone. He had bandages on his arm, covering what was obviously an arrow wound, and Link had definitely mentioned that Teba had given Janek a few of those.

"Oh yeah, that makes sense." Tennessee tapped the pipe on his palm, putting it out. He began reaching for his sword. "How do you want to go about this?"

Zelda suddenly frowned, tugging up on her face mask so it would cover her lower face. "Too late, he's on the move!"

Ar-Janek, just as she said, was watching them the whole time and, upon realizing they were onto him, had discarded his snack and made a beeline for the door. Zelda felt a bunch of needles slid in between her fingers, holding her hand up to throw them. Janek saw that a mile away and, in a faster movement than she'd ever managed, tossed a kunai at her hand. Luckily, she managed to catch on just in-time to avoid an impaled palm, but her needles were scattered from her hand instead.

Janek reached the door, bursting through it and outside. Tennessee helped Zelda up, the two of them charging after him. The bluenette had the misfortune to be first outside, where the Yiga Elite had held up just so he could kick whoever left first across the face. While the lieutenant fell, disorientated, Zelda felt her consciousness slightly lose control as the other took over. A seamless process that led to her vaulting her fallen comrade and slamming her elbow in Janek's chest.

"Ah!" He gasped, before suddenly reeling back to form and grabbing her arm. She felt the world blur as he pulled her along with great speed, slamming her into the stairwell with enough force to bruise. It was a heat-of-the-moment move, definitely not lethal but good enough to stun her as he made his way up the stairs.

"You good?" Tennessee had risen to his feet, moving to help her up. "C'mon, he's getting away."

There was sudden commotion up on the street. Zelda had to suppress a smile, knowing that Impa had ambushed him. They hurried up the steps to the main road, immediately stopping in their tracks as they saw Impa and Janek, the former's eightfold blade and the latter's sickle clashed together, struggling against one another.

"Grandmistress Impa!" Ar-Janek exclaimed, teeth gritted though there was humor in his voice. "I hardly recognized you. Last I checked, you were older than dirt."

"The technology you forfeited along with your allegiance to your fellow clan members is to blame." She replied coldly, pushing against him. "But, now that I am out and about again, I am genuinely curious what the fruit Yiga Clan's labor and training is like..."

Janek grinned, holding up two fingers. "A death wish, Lady Impa."

His appearance, that of a civilian, suddenly changed to the Yiga garb, albeit with metallic boots and gauntlets, with a red hood bunched at the back of his neck, similar to a Blademaster. More weapons appeared on his person, a dual edged sword on his hip, a spear with a black tip, and a duplex bow on his back. Finally, another sickle to match the one he held in his hand appeared on his hip. With his free hand, he pulled his hood up and over his head. But he did have nor did he place a Yiga mask on his face, leaving his red eyes and white-ish hair peeking out from underneath the hood, an inverted triforce on his right cheek, the bottom-most piece glowing sickly orange.

"But you're in luck." His eyes practically glowed as he smirked. "I grant wishes."

He pushed harshly against Impa's sword, bringing his knee into her gut with the swiftness of the wind. Impa let out a grunt, but held fast as they broke the lock and continued to clash steel. Janek grabbed the other sickle from his belt, holding it in an ice-pick grip as he continued to go at it with Impa.

In an effort to help, Zelda drew more needles to her palm, tossing them expertly at him. In a similarly fluid move, Janek spun and held up his gauntlet, the needles glancing off of it harmlessly. Tennessee, however, followed her example and charged him with his sword drawn. This time, Janek spared this new threat an actual glance of uncertainty.

A glance that completely betrayed his skillful display as he blocked Impa's attack with one sickle while holding the other sickle over his shoulder and down his back, blocking the bluenette's sword as well. He suddenly went low, making what appeared to be hand signs and slamming his left hand into the ground. All around him, the stone road erupted, hot updrafts of air blowing upwards below Tennessee and Impa's feet. The Sheikah mistress recognized the move instantly and moved out of the way, but the lieutenant wasn't aware of the technique's nature and stood his ground. Zelda had to quickly move in and grab him by the back of his armor, yanking him away just as a sharp pillar of the earth itself shot up in his place.

But the Princess didn't even get to check on him, as Janek suddenly was at her throat, sickle coming down on her. On pure reflex, her hand shot out, her triforce glowing gold as a blast of holy magic sent him flying away. Zelda smiled, but hopped back on the defensive as Janek flipped mid-air, landing on his palms and jumping back to his feet, sliding to a stop. His hood had been blown back down, to which he slowly pulled it back on. But both of his vicious sickles had been blown away, out of sight.

But, he grinned at her, cracking his neck. "Neat trick, Princess."

"I was taught by the best." She said, needles already sliding into both hands as Tennessee stood at her side.

"Who? Impa?" He glanced at the grandmistress, who was approaching his right side. He scoffed as he drew his spear. "I wasn't aware you had a sense of shame."

Tennessee lunged at him, stance balanced as he engaged the Yiga Elite. Janek mostly played on the defensive side, blocking any lethal or extraordinarily damaging attacks with the base of the spear, rarely taking the opportunity to even bother stabbing at the bluenette. It was here they both were noticing the conditions of where they were fighting. The snow on the road wasn't nearly as bad as out of town, but it still made any wrong step a critical error. The day itself was waning, negating any fear of civilian interference, but it was definitely getting darker.

Janek had just been nearly pushed up against a wall now, with Tennessee slowing his strikes upon noticing his opponents lack of retaliation. The Yiga narrowed his eyes, glancing over at Impa, who was moving in carefully from behind the blue-haired hylian, while Zelda remained at the rear, ready with her needles.

Suddenly side-stepping his swing, rather than blocking it, Tennessee didn't even get a chance to react as Janek hurled his spear directly at Zelda. He had a warning on his lips already, and Zelda attempted to dodge it, even if it was too late. But Impa had far greater reflexes than both of them, already in front of the Princess with both her palms out. The spear sailed closer, then suddenly shattered against a blue shield, which cracked slightly from the mere impact of it. Zelda shuddered, if that had hit her, it wouldn't have just impaled her, it would've went clean through her.

But, with that as a distraction, Janek drew his remaining weapon, a sword, and spun it into a reverse grip, stabbing backwards and underneath Tennessee's left pauldron, impaling his shoulder.

"AH!"

He gasped out in pain, eyes wide as Janek twisted around and kicked him to the ground, as if to add insult to injury. He ripped his sword back out, the sound of metal on flesh sickening as he gave Impa and Zelda no time to think before he ran at them. Impa launched off to engage with him again, finding that, despite it being a longsword, Janek was a blur with that blade. She winced as she failed to dodge quick enough, earning a thin slice on her shoulder, but at the same time scored a similar hit on his leg.

"Go!" Impa yelled to Zelda, who nodded and rushed around to Tennessee's side.

Meanwhile, they continued to fight, and eventually, both had delivered quite a few minor wounds upon one another. They eventually had to stop for a moment, lest they both pass out. They stood across from one another, breathing rather heavily.

"Well, I have to admit." Janek grinned, holding a finger to a cut on his lip. "You might be the death of me, Lady Impa."

"Maybe you should've trained harder."

"Ah, defiant to the end. The true Sheikah Way." He straightened up, arms out. "But...I must say-"

He froze for a split moment, a split moment where he suddenly whirled around, sword held up just as chain wrapped around it out of nowhere. He glanced at it in surprise just as it was yanked from his grasp and into the air. Impa looked up to where it had flown off to, watching it sail upwards...and into Link's hands. The Knight was mid-air, but falling fast towards the ground. The chain disappeared into Link's left gauntlet, the hero landing hard on the road, before saving himself from injury by going into a roll forward.

He stopped suddenly in a kneeling position, right arm outwards as another chain shot out from his right gauntlet this time. Rather than wrapping around Janek, it instead stabbed into his chest like a spear, the chain going rigid as Link tugged back on it. Janek went flying forward, while Link continued moving with loosing any momentum whatsoever, slamming right into Janek and pinning him to the ground, placing his own sword to his throat.

"...Shit." That was the only word the Yiga could mutter in response to the quick series of events that just unfolded. But he quickly recognized the hero who was pinning him down at the moment. "Hey, you're that hero...Link, right?" He sounded shocked. "What the hell? You're dead! The Three impaled you last I heard."

"I got better." Link's voice was above a growl, but had enough room for snark. Around the corner, Sidon appeared, breathing heavily from trying to keep up with him. "Sidon, help Zelda."

"Uh, yeah..." The Zora Prince tiredly stopped in his tracks, turning to head over to her.

Link's glare only increased in intensity as he pressed the blade closer to the Yiga's neck. Janek feared even swallowing would accidentally slice his throat open. "Listen up, I'm gonna ask you a question, and you're gonna answer truthfully." The blade pressed ever-so-closer to flesh. "Or we'll find out if your neck really does whistle like a banshee if you cut it just the right way."

"Link!" Zelda's mouth dropped in surprise.

Janek's mouth formed a thin line. "...Well, there's no incentive for me to answer falsely then, eh?"

"You'd better, or I'll get Teba to put a hole in your fucking head while I'm at it."

The sheer killing intent emanating from the Hero was giving Janek some pause, so he started to figure he should just be pragmatic, lest he loose his head. As best he could, he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. "Fine."

"In the Divine Beasts, there are Shrines of Resurrection, Sheikah Technology." Link said, easing the blade back a bit. "We thought there was only one, but there is definitely more. So I've reason to believe that the Champion who we thought died all those years ago, did not in fact die and have been hanging in the grey area between life and death."

Janek raised an eyebrow at him.

"So, tell me this," he placed the blade closer again. "Where are they?"

"Link, what are you talking about?" Zelda was now quite worried for her Knight's mental health. "The Champions died...and there can't be Shrines of Resurrection inside the Divine Beasts, we would've noticed them."

"There is, Princess." Sidon said with all-seriousness. "I accompanied him into Vah Ruta just a while ago. He stated that he had had dreams, premonitions of someone summoning him to the Divine Beasts, to hidden rooms. We found one such room in Vah Ruta and we found one of these so-called Shrines inside. We're sure of it, Mipha is alive."

"And not just Mipha." Link said, voice dripping with venom. "Urbosa, Daruk, and Revali. They're all alive."

Zelda blinked, trying to take in this new information, mouth agape. She was coming to the same realization that Link had. If none of this had happened, if the voices hadn't reached out to them, the champions, their old friends would've been locked away in those shrines for a long, long time. Perhaps never to be found ever again. Such a thought shook her to her very core.

Ar-Janek remained firm however, gaze locked with Link's, killing intent being flung both ways until, after a moment, he chuckled.

"Figured all that out, did ya? Way-to-go, Sherlock." He placed a finger to his lip. "That, of course, comes to your final question...Where they are. I mean, if those Shrines did exist and you have proof that, perhaps, they were used by their former occupants...then where are the occupants themselves?"

"Quite bullshitting me." The blade was grazing the skin now. "I'm in no mood."

"Of course, I should know all about it, y'know?" Janek laughed. "After all, I'm the one who took 'em. All four of them!"

"You bastard!"

TH-TH-Thoom!

Link's exclamation was drowned out by a three loud rumbles down the street. Sidon and Zelda both jumped and looked down the street as bits of rubble flew by. Tennessee grunted, sitting up while holding his wound. "That...came from...the square."

A dark, ominous presence accompanied the rumbling, familiar to both Link and Zelda right off the bat, while the others present got a warning via the Master Sword, which glowed and flashed rapidly on Link's back. Link himself had leaned back and looked down the road, gaze focused solely that way. Janek took this chance to kick him off, rolling onto his feet and yanking out chain-blade from his chest, dropping it unceremoniously.

"You can keep the sword." He said wryly, hands together as he vanished like a Yiga Footsoldier would.

Link frowned at the empty space, but ultimately tossed the Yiga's sword away like it was trash. Impa was already at his back as they both passed Zelda. Sidon made to get up, but Link told him to get Tennessee and himself to safety, lest they be outclassed in this battle. The three quickly entered the town square, instantly hearing the screams of anyone who happened to be outside at the time and those who went outside to see the commotion.

Seeing the Shadow Yiga standing in the square sent most of everyone back inside almost instantly. Which was good, since the heroes didn't have to worry about casualties. The leader, Chikara, only managed a half-turn towards them, appearing all theatrical, before Link gave out a yell as he charged forward. He slammed his fist into his shoulder, activating the dormant elytra device on his back. He shot forward with the speed of an arrow, Master Sword at the ready just as he deactivated it, clashing blades with Chikara while Chie and Yūki stepped back in surprise.

"What!? You live!?" Chikara screeched with anger. "How!? I stabbed you clean through!"

"Oh yeah, and I'm none-too-happy about it!" Link snarled, idle hand going for his belt.

They disengaged just as Link held out his left hand, which held the Sheikah slate. The Shadow Yiga got maybe a few seconds to realize there was glowing blue bomb at their feet before Link jumped back and it exploded, sending them all in different directions. Without wasting a second, he tapped the screen, activating Stasis, and thrust the device towards Chikara, who was the first on their feet. The leader of the three seemed ready to go at it, but soon found himself bound by golden chains.

In a single movement, Link clipped the Slate to his belt again and shot his now free hand outwards, the Chainblade on top of his gauntlet gliding out just inches from his knuckles, and right into Chikara's chest. With how big he was, Link found that pulling him towards himself was not an option, so he instead pull himself towards him. Which worked wonderfully and he both stabbed Chikara through the chest and tackled him to the ground at the same time.

There was pause in the air as Chie and Yūki surrounded Link as he stood up and withdrew the Master Sword from the fallen Yiga's chest cavity. He turned around and glared at the remaining two, just asking for them to tag-team him. "C'mon...I got my revenge on him, let's do this."

"Funny, that."

The voice was behind him, while Chie and Yūki were definitely not. Link didn't even get a chance to say "oh shit" before getting blasted off his feet, his ears popping from the mere shock of the blow. The Master Sword went flying from his grasp at the same time, but he was too focused on covering his head as he flew through the air. He landed on his back, tumbling and rolling for a minute before slamming into a wall.

With a groan, he rolled onto his stomach, hair falling over his eyes as he tried to stand, but found that his balance seemed be off so he was forced to lean against the wall. He looked around, finding a cloud of dust had been kicked up, and...the clouds had parted.

How hard had they hit him...?

As the dust cleared, and he noticed that everyone in the vicinity had been blown off their feet, he suddenly realized that they hadn't hit him. But before he could even fathom what that shockwave was or where it had come from, he froze as he saw the Shadow Yiga approach him, albeit in a calm stride. He realized that Yūki, the female, had picked up the Master Sword and was holding it with seemingly no trouble, it's glowing blade dormant and absent of the rapid pulsing it possessed before.

"You've made our job easier, Hero." Chikara chuckled, rubbing his chest wound. "And while your skills and resourcefulness are admirable, we are sad to say you will not survive this encounter. Our master decrees it!"

"Well...you can tell your Master he can go to hell..." Link growled lowly, forcing himself off the wall.

"Duly noted." The lead chuckled.

That chuckle was the last thing Link heard before he suddenly went deaf to everything except a loud ringing noise. It was the only sound around him, drowning everything else out. He clamped his hands over his ears on instinct, but it was too late to prevent it. He stopped wincing for a split moment, cracking an eye open to see what had happened.

The sight before him was both elating and terrifying.

Chikara and Chie were standing up after apparently being knock down again, now standing right in-front of him. Zelda and Impa were closer now, but obviously still recovering from the initial shockwave, and all of them were also suffering from the noise as well. But the biggest thing of the entire situation, of them all...was Twilight.

He stood where the Shadow Yiga had before, his left arm punched clean through Yūki's back, his hand sticking out the front, stained with black, oily blood. His left side starting from his torso was glowing, almost ethereal with as separate hairstyle than the right side. Now that he saw it, he realized his side was a reflection of Time's Fierce Deity Form, but something was different. There was a faint red glow in the white void that was his left eye, like the remnants or beginnings of a pupil.

With a completely calm, yet determined expression. He withdrew his hand from Yūki's body, letting it fall. Twilight did take the Master Sword from her grasp just as she fell however, twirling the sword in his hands as he turned to face the last two.

"Yūki..." Chie gaped in horror.

"Y-you...killed her..!" Chikara stammered.

"Of course..." Twilight said, voice...ghostly. "Now, as my descendant said, I would like for you to kindly leave this place and return to your master. Tell him the devil has reserved him a spot in hell, just for him." He took a step forward, a light grin on his face. "And that I don't like to be kept waiting."

"I'll kill you!" Chie roared. "Wraith or not; Deity or not! You're dead!"

Twilight chuckled, eyes closing as he took a step forward. On his left side, underneath the facial tattoos of the Fierce Deity form, branches of black and dark-blue lines began to cross his skin, even up his left ear. All in a perfect pattern that seemed none-too-different from Twilit markings. Then, he opened his left eye, and his left eye only. The infinite whiteness had been drowned out by a black void, the ghost of a pupil replaced by a full one, colored crimson and bloody orange, the black pupil narrowed. It seemed as if bits of the darkness surrounding it jumped onto the pupil, as if to claim it.

Then...he smiled, ever so lightly.

"I'm Waiting."

And with those words uttered, Link swore he saw the Yiga realize their chances of winning just became slim to none.

A/N: Uh...Time? That's not...what was supposed to happen...I think you turned Twilight evil. O_O

Hey everyone! Looks like I finally did it! And it's only 6:30 AM on a Tuesday morning! Ain't life grand?

Now, because of the amount of information and the size of this chapter, I like to call this the "Jumper-Cable" or "Jump-Start" chapter. It's officially Chapter 40, technically, so it'll be the groundwork for the future of Routine.

- You may have noticed, during my absence, my writing style has changed. That's because I have been away from this story for so long and have been dabbling with Naruto Fanfiction, which is fun too. Because of that experience, I can write some damn impressive "Magic-Eye" sequences though, like Twilight's "Twilit Eye" at the end.

Of course, I'm not turning this into a Naruto rip-off, that would be cheap. (Though the "Twilight" impaling someone with his fucking arm was definitely inspired by Sasuke) The eye thing is just the setup for another part of the story, it has some significance, but not much.

- As for other things, like Isu's chainblades, those are based on a cut-concept from Assassin's Creed 3. They were replaced by Rope Darts in the final game because they were too "Fantasy"-like. So, since Isu is a very "Assassin"-like character, I originally wrote for him to use rope darts and simply have a Hidden Blade as well, but I scrapped that and rewrote it for him to have a more "fantasy" weapon like the chainblade, which is essentially a wrist-mounted hookshot that functions like a dagger too.

- Speaking of rewrites, if you've noticed, I changed the nature of Link's injures in the last chapter "Mortality". If you don't want to re-read it, simply put, he was impaled by Chikara rather than being blasted away and bleeding out. It's more in line with the saga's theme.

But oh boy, hyping up the old Champions and whatnot and the next Chapter is gonna be great and Eeeeee! I can't wait! :D

- Link is not a merry man, oh no he is not! Ahh, emotional turmoil. Sidon is either in shock or still doesn't 100% believe it.

- The Zelda shared-consciousness thing is something I've been thinking of including for some time. It was used in the OOT Manga, but I wasn't sure if I should really do it. Until, that is, I watched the Nintendo E3 of Smash Bros. and saw that BOTW!Zelda was left out because she preferred research over fighting. But, since I couldn't do a proper Sheik thing without re-writing several chapters (and that's no fun), I decided on a shared-consciousness.

- Speaking of Sheik, if his real name is any indication, Silas is essentially going to the Yiga's Sheik. With that, I like to mention that the Sheikah language in BOTW is actually based on the english language, but I wanted Silas to go between speaking Sheikah and New Hylian at random, I decided to have him use Latin-phrases and words in place of the verbal Sheikah language. I like it.

- Ar-Janek, great assassin, horrible infiltrator ; Tennessee, good soldier, great detective.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I'm doing drawings for Routine on Deviantart! If you'd like to see them, please check it out. But since fanfiction links suck (Wild: "Heey..."), just look up "Archangel501" on deviantart. I've just released another drawing for this chapter exclusively, giving us a look at Twilight's new form.

Have a good day!