Notes: A few notes about the story. I have taken some liberties to change a few things. #1, The blood moon is not necessarily connected to Ganon's power spilling over and out of Zelda's seal. #2 Monsters have not been seen in Hyrule since Ganon was last defeated 10,000 years ago. Oh, and the story starts just before the day of the Calamity (within a few months to a year of that fated day). There are some other things but these are what come to my mind most immediately.
Author Request: I'm REALLY interested in getting constructive feedback on the story, improvement for character development, first impressions and whatever comes to mind that may be helpful! I appreciate your help!
Chapter 1: A small forgotten library deep in Hyrule Castle...
Dust floated in the torchlight like fuzzy, slow-drifting dandelion seeds. They tickled Florian's nose. His every movement to carefully turn a page of the ancient text in his hand sent the dust particles into a dancing frenzy. He pinched his nose to halt a cascade of uncontrolled sneezing while squinting his eyes to make out a more challenging passage to read.
"Another goddess? In service to the three," he voiced aloud in surprise. His voice sounded stark and stilted in the small room. He felt his throat tense and stifled a cough. He'd never been so deep into Hyrule castle before. In fact, he wasn't too sure how he'd even gotten to his current location. As he had descended further into the royal stronghold, it had felt like a foreboding was licking at his heels, pushing him to and fro. He couldn't shake the feeling of being observed. The room was stuffy with its lack of free-flowing air, and the impenetrable darkness just beyond his torchlight was unnerving.
Nonetheless, he urged himself on. Although he was only an apprentice to one of the lower-ranked royal scholars, he'd been working as tirelessly as any of the castle academics in service to King Rhoam and Princess Zelda. Their goal was to reveal any and all information that could help them to understand the Ancient Sheikah technology better. Their hard work had brought forth many new advances to better prepare the kingdom for the coming Calamity. Still, when it came down to it, there wasn't much certainty as to when that Calamity would occur. This very thought boar into him with piercing urgency. So much was at stake. And he was confident the obscure book in his hand was likely to have all the answers needed.
In honesty, he would likely get in trouble if his… master... Florian felt the very word catch in his throat. "That pompous ass is definitely not my master," he grumbled to himself stubbornly. Still, if said jackass found out about his secret excursions into the innermost parts of Hyrule castle, he'd be in trouble.
The lower levels had been deemed off-limits out of concerns for safety for quite a while now. Most of the books believed to be useful for achieving their goals had been brought up from the sub-floors anyway. But still, the young apprentice had wondered if anything had been overlooked and that persistent curiosity had helped him to find an unexplored area.
He'd been lucky he hadn't fallen and seriously injured himself when the floor in the corner of one of the emptied libraries on the lowest level had caved in. Florian had kept this new discovery to himself. He couldn't risk losing his position, and he'd also wanted to show anyone who doubted him that he was more than a glorified secretary.
It hadn't occurred him to explore the subjacent levels until he'd been looking through a discarded pile of older books deemed useless in his not-master's work chamber. The not-master was more interested in tinkering with all the bits of ancient tech being excavated rather than translating texts anyway. Some books were written in an old Hylian dialect, some in the language of ancient Sheikah (often encrypted) and others in the old tongues used by the other races.
Florian had always had an ear for languages, and he had learned more in his current position. He'd been especially intrigued when he came across a text that briefly discussed monsters. His old childhood fascination with the topic having nothing to do with it. Little was known about their origins except for any time they had appeared in Hyrule, they had acted as allies to one of Ganon's many incarnations. This same text had mentioned a "mother of monsters." He had tried talking to the not-master about this, but the not-master had dismissed Florian's interest in the subject.
Obviously, Ganon was the origin of monsters. Ganon conjured them, and they appeared when Ganon appeared. What else needed to be known? Florian had also been told that he'd mistranslated "mother" and that the word was clearly "father." He could still hear the apathy in Prestwick's voice. It made Florian scowl and bite his tongue. He tried hard to remember that he needed this apprenticeship. So instead, he sighed in resignation.
No matter what insults he called his not-master in his head, it still didn't change the fact that he had been (unfairly, as far as he was concerned) ranked an apprentice scholar and Prestwick, a master. When the results of their placement exams at the Institute of Hyrule had posted, Prestwick hadn't smirked or rubbed it in his face. He'd given Florian a look that reminded him of their very first meeting as children.
In that brief moment, he forced himself to stand his ground. An image of his legs turning into sturdy roots plunging deep into the earth like those of the legendary Deku tree is all that kept him from shifting around uncomfortably. Unfortunately, the image did nothing to keep everything around him from suddenly towering over him. An intense heat settled in his cheeks and forehead; at the same time, the muscles in his jaws tightened at the memory. And yet, somehow, as children, they had become friends. It had ended in disaster.
Florian hadn't seen Prestwick in seven years, and then after turning 15, he found himself suddenly face to face with him again at the Institute. Florian had earned a spot at the school as a student but with no way to pay for it. Without the blessings of his father, he'd known better than to ask for help. The Institute told him if he could find a Master who was willing to take him on as an apprentice for one year if after the one year the master believed him competent, he would be recommended for a scholarship. Simple enough, right? That was until the last person he expected made the only offer he was going to get in time for the start of classes.
A few months into apprenticeship…
"So, correct me if I'm wrong? Instead of completing the tasks I gave you earlier, you decided to indulge your childish fantasies in monster lore? How does any of that help us to better control the Guardians?" Prestwick scolded him like a young child even though he was only a year older. "You've been given a favor."
"Favor?" Florian bristled, again not understanding what in the world had possessed Prestwick to help him by offering him an apprenticeship in the first place. He couldn't deny Prestwick had given him an opportunity, but, to Florian's ears, "favor" sounded like "pity" or "charity." Smallness pressed down on Florian from above, trying to flatten him into the ground. His face reddened as his mind went to the rare bokoblin tooth hanging around his neck under his tunic. For the briefest moment, Florian was taken aback when he thought he'd glimpsed the ghost of concern in Prestwick's eyes. But like a person doing a double-take if they saw a strange shadow in their periphery view, Florian was left facing the Sheikah master's usual haughtiness.
"If you can't be useful, then there's no reason for you to be here," Prestwick finished, eyes once again steeled with authority.
Florian visualized himself burning holes of Guardian-like devastation through Prestwick's swollen head until it caved in on itself.
He had, in fact, finished his tasks from earlier, but Florian knew Prestwick hated him exploring interests that he thought were a waste of time. Florian's body stiffened hard and steadfast like tree bark once more. There was no shrinking this time, and he had to keep the roiling burning sensation inside himself from spilling out. Although Prestwick had achieved the rank of Master Scholar at such a young age, he was still at the bottom of the pecking order as far as masters went. This reminder made Florian feel a little better, but it didn't stop him from wondering if his apprenticeship was quickly heading for disaster.
Scholarship in mind, Florian began making his secret descents. He figured what he did in his personal time in the later hours after his duties were complete wasn't likely to bring much attention. The young man couldn't chance being caught with any of the newly discovered books. He'd have no choice but to tell the truth about where he got them. He eventually came across a curious book that contained a deity crest he had never seen before.
The book had been written by a Gerudo sage from thousands of years before. Florian suspected the book was enchanted to have held up as long as it had so far. He had been translating pieces of the volume over the last few months. The work in doing so had been tedious since the book happened to be written in Gerudo, cryptic in its vernacular in most of its pages. He'd even found a book written by a Sheikah sage written in Ancient Sheikah, also making mysterious but corresponding mention of this deity of space and shadow. Tonight, he thought he would try putting together pieces he had translated from the book written in Gerudo so far.
"Pee…peeping…no that's an S…Seeing. Scrying, maybe? The Scrying Pool of Vyomi?" he said, looking back and forth between the book and some of his own notes. There were no scrying pools left in Hyrule to the best of Florian's knowledge. Most had been destroyed during the Hylian Wars. Likely destroyed by opposing forces not wanting their opponents to know their movements and so forth. This scrying pool was hidden and different from any others that had existed. It was a tool of divination that had the power to converse with this lesser goddess. It also hinted at being able to connect with other worlds beyond Hyrule.
Florian's body hummed with excitement. His hands gripped the book possessively. He had to force himself to hold it more gently - enchanted or not. If such a pool could be found and used, they could find out the exact date of the Calamity. Florian frowned slightly. As helpful as the book had been so far, it had not precisely explained the Goddess Vyomi's connection to Ganon or his monsters. He put that thought aside for the time being and went back to puzzling out more passages.
The pool was hidden. But, of course, it was. Not only that, but its activation required a magical artifact and recitation of a magic spell by one who has an affinity with the Goddesses. His groan deepened as he read that the magic spell had something to do with the blood moon. A time when wild magic abounded freely. Blood moons were near impossible to predict.
"An affinity with the Goddesses?" he said in his quiet whisper. "Surely, that must mean the princess. It's said she's of their bloodline."
Florian knew what he had to do. Truthfully, there would be immense satisfaction in rubbing this information in Prestwick's face. Prestwick would predictably follow the chain of command by taking the information to the headmaster scholar who would deliver it to King Rhoam. And his accomplishment of being the one who found the information in the first place would somehow become Prestwick's accomplishment. Life would continue. Prestwick would become an even more insufferable prick than he already was, and Florian would continue to be a lowly assistant. Prestwick's lowly assistant.
Mind made up, Florian decided he would get the book and its contents in the hands of the princess directly himself. He tucked the precious cargo into his satchel and reached to take the burning torch he'd arrived with from the holder on the wall. The discomfort he had buried with the excitement of his discovery had begun to push to the surface again. His deep dive into the book had distracted him from the droplets of sweat snaking their way down his spine. A moment later, something colder and icier than his perspiration swept its fingers up his back. Florian whirled around as though to strike away that coldness. The enveloping darkness in the room seemed to lean back from his torchlight.
Light and shadow battled each other against the walls. He'd never felt this way before on one of his descents. The urge to flee from the room was stronger than ever, but he'd been careless with his route this time around... Which way was out? He licked his lips and began to feel lightheaded as he peered into the darkness. Doing so made him feel disoriented and off-balance, but he couldn't look away.
The thick darkness seemed to be moving with life. He flinched and pressed his back against the wall. The torchlight seemed to be dying, and he felt his fear grow. His mind shifted back to the importance of the book. With what remained of his courage, he swung the torch forward to force back whatever seemed intent on swallowing him whole. Darkness always ran from the light, didn't it? But to his horror, his torch came to a complete halt, half embedded in the thickness of the black something. Strength drained from his hand at that moment.
The blackness moved slowly to swallow the torch whole. Then the cloud began to glow a color that made Florian think of death and blood. He was trapped in that small space, lost and far from anyone who might help. The black mass was a wall blocking the room's entrance. This was good for buffering Florian's scream of terror when a single droplet like dark arterial blood and the pink of fresh meat touched his skin. The pain was unbearable and scalding. A dark intelligence heavy with malice pressed against his mind almost instantaneously and enclosed around it with a vice-like grip. All of his muscles seized and twisted to the point of nearly tearing. The torment only stopped after he began to feel despair. The malicious presence seemed to lick away at that and nestled comfortably deep down in his flesh. This thing within him...whatever it was...it intended to use him… and would slowly devour his life in doing so.
Florian's mouth moved, but it was no longer him.
"It would appear I was right to keep an eye on you. There is much at stake just as you surmised. The princess is not the only one with an affinity with the Goddesses. You will serve me for as long as your flesh will hold."
