Chapter -10-
Broken Links

Jesan 15, 2050 AD
Hyrule Royal Strategic Command Compound…

LJ looked around at the situation room, impressed by the technology and layout. His gaze, full of wonder, panned the area and stopped on Zelda, Ovona, and Ravio.

Ovona whispered softly to Zelda.

The queen listened for a moment then cleared her throat and said, "May I have everyone's attention?"

Link and Linkle stiffened up.

A handful of military personnel reacted in the same manner, giving their undivided attention to their young queen.

Zelda said, "I know my methods are unorthodox. I know I'm vetting people that seemingly have no place, here among you – Hyrule's elite military intelligence officers. Everyone in this room is holding a very high-level security clearance because you're trusted. Regardless of your political beliefs, regardless of your religion, whether or not you are under the opinion that we are up against Ganon or a terrorist speaking in his name, the fact remains that there issomeone out there coordinating these attacks."

No one spoke.

Zelda continued. "I've seen editorial pieces … opinion pieces in the media … claiming that Ganon's recent contact was somehow fabricated or otherwise orchestrated to push the old religion on people and bring Hyrule back to some sort of ultra-conservative era, and that I'mapparently usurping the crown because my father died, and my mother is missing but not confirmed dead. I'm allegedly orchestrating attacks to scare the population into going back to sanctuary twice a week. The deputy prime minister will officially be sworn in later today, and he is very outspoken against how quickly I was crowned queen. The media is eating that up. But everyone in this room has witnessed manifestations of moblins. Drone pilots have recorded footage. Soldiers have engaged them. Everyone in this room should, by now, know this is real."

All eyes were on Zelda. She had captured the room's complete and total attention.

She continued with her impromptu speech. "Now, I'm ad-libbing, here. I didn't intend to turn this into some sort of monologue. But I'm being told that people are talking behind my back. I don't yet have everyone's trust. People are saying that I was born into this role, and that I'm entitled by assuming control. There is no law saying you must agree with me. Having said that, I respect your opinions, but I know the personnel jacket of everyone on this team. No one here had their parents murdered, and their bodies laid out on a cold metal slab with a photograph that was leaked to the internet in the name of 'proving the king is dead,' and no one here has had the leadership dropped into their lap. The media used to love me because I 'knew my place,' but now has a fit when I reply to a journalist with 'what?' instead of 'pardon?' and then claims I am somehow cavalier in the face of these attacks."

Silence.

"The truth is I am terrified. I cry myself to sleep every night, now. But I must rise to the occasion. I must project confidence. If I don't, someone else will. And I don't trust just anyone to be successful in this new battle against a man-creature we all thought was a mythological boogieman just a few weeks ago. My point? The only way we will win is with unity."

Still, no one spoke.

Zelda rubbed her face, then she held her hands outward as if to appeal to everyone in the room. "Please. I need you. You've all done an amazing job of staying on task and following orders, but I also need you to know we are on the same side in this. I want to inspire your trust. Because without it, how can you be expected to follow me into battle if I must make unexpected calls, or if I have to call an audible?"

Link and Linkle exchanged confused glances, followed by shrugs.

LJ turned to face them, so that he could whisper in both their ears at the same time. "Calling an audible is where you call out a new plan at the last possible second, because you suddenly realize your preset plan won't work."

Zelda continued her speech. "People loved me as the face of my parents, but do not trust me as the voice of leadership due to my inexperience. That's just the way it is. But I have trained my entire life for this moment in the hopes it would never come. Yet here it is. Here I am. Here we are. Now. Most of you, here in this room today, have been read in on the fact that we have pulled a person from a different time. From our past. We've done this by using the ancient technology of the Hyrule Gate of Time, after rebuilding the ruins of the time gate. It works. But, per my father's decree, use of the Gate of Time is to remain completely classified. That's clear to everyone, is it not?"

LJ nodded.

Some of the guards nodded in silence as well.

"Does anyone have any questions so far?" she asked.

LJ was the first to speak. "Can we bring in big guns like the original Hero of Time, or maybe the Skyloft Hero?"

Zelda shook her head. "I've had Sheikah physicists, mathematicians, and quantum mechanics engineers working on this very question." The queen raised her voice to the room. "Did everyone hear him? He asked why we cannot go through time and request the help of the most powerful and popular heroes throughout ancient history. As I now understand it, the timeline has fixed points and divergence points. The theory is, quite simply … in various fixed points of time, the timeline forks in dangerous ways when tampered with."

"Any change introduced to the timeline would do that," said LJ in a softer tone. "So, we promised to return these people to the point in which they left, right?"

Zelda held her hands outward and paced the room. "In the prime timeline, what LJ said would be correct. But we are not part of the prime timeline. This is according to our experts, working with Fi, an ancient AI, and their studies of the Gates of Time over the past few days. So, what we've learned is this: interfering in some places are acceptable, but by interfering with time in other points would have possible catastrophic outcomes on this timeline."

No one replied or interjected.

Zelda continued pacing while addressing the room. "We cannot ask the original Hero of Time to help us. Traveling back that far might inadvertently prevent the Great Flood or any other number of possible situations. Why? Because the further back we go, the less likely we are to return to our present … our temporal origin point. Therefore, our best chance for success is to pull from recent reincarnations of Hylia's Chosen hero. But our team is not yet large enough. I feel it would be in our best interest to recruit at least one more Link. And I've had many interesting suggestions from our best historians."

Zelda pivoted on her heel and paced back the other way. She used her hands to accentuate her speech. "Aryll Smith-Kasuto, a thirteen-year-old girl, had the most fascinating and strategic suggestion I've heard yet. Surprised? So was I. As some of you know, she is LJ Kasuto's sister. She suggested I go into the future seven years and recruit her when she's twenty because she will have the most knowledge of this moment, and she will have spent the next seven years training for it. Again, she is LJ's sister, and has proven herself intelligent and sharp, especially for her age. Does anyone have an objection to that?"

Silence.

Zelda turned to LJ. "She's your sister. You are her legal adult guardian. It is your call."

LJ frowned. "That sounds like something she'd suggest, but … it would give us an advantage because all of this would be history to her in seven years."

Zelda nodded firmly. "I reflected on it all night last night."

LJ ran his hands back through his hair and then turned to his team.

Linkle grinned. "Oi. I'm all for havin' another lass on'na team."

Link nodded. "I could start training Aryll right away so that she's prepared in the future. I'm sure the queen could also arrange for her to train with some of the best swordsmen and fitness trainers in the realm, as well."

Zelda placed a hand on LJ's shoulder. "As I said, you're her legal guardian…"

LJ sighed softly and turned his gaze back to Zelda. "I'm her guardian, yeah, but only at her current age. Her twenty-year-old-self would be … well, her own woman. An adult. So, I won't speak for her. We would have to go into the future and personally ask her if she's still committed to the idea."

Zelda replied with a soft smile. "That's a mature reply, LJ."

LJ felt his face become tight and flush. He swallowed back the excess saliva that came from feeling a little nervous in her presence. He cleared his throat and said, "Strategically speaking, it makes the most sense."

Zelda nodded. "Yes, it does. And I've noticed that she has quite an excellent memory during her time at the Royal Compound. So, everyone, that is the plan."

LJ said, "And if Aryll says no when we arrive in the future by seven years, we'll just ask another Link from another time period. If I'm really the next in line of 'Hylia's Chosen Hero,' or whatever, then we could reach out to my predecessor … we'd just have to figure out who that is. But we have a time machine, so we could eventually figure it out."

Zelda nodded. "I believe in her." She turned back to the rest of the room. "We pull resources from the future, and we analyze the history of our fight to determine the best way to fight Ganon now. This plan does not leave this room. If you are captured, you know nothing. We are going to be victorious. We are going to defeat Ganon no matter the cost. But, in case that falls through, we have the best and brightest minds of Hyrule working with one of the top weapon experts of Lorule, along with our very own expert on old and new technology – LJ Kasuto, whose idea it was to hybridize the two technologies. So, while my ideas are being ridiculed by the media as 'unorthodox,' my faith in this team, everyone in this room, is why we are going to win."

Silence.

Zelda looked around at the people in the room. To her, they appeared stiff and uncomfortable, or at the very least, they appeared to have been focused on her for a somewhat lengthy speech, and didn't know how to react, or if she was finished speaking. She curtsied with her dress and announced, "I'm Queen Zelda Daltus of Hyrule, and thanks for coming to my TED talk."

Her joke broke the spell, and everyone relaxed a bit.

"Funny." LJ took a deep breath. "Okay. So, now the most important question: When do we leave?"

Zelda grinned in a wry sort of manner, glad her tension-breaker was well received. "Right now … if you like. Why waste any more time?"

LJ nodded firmly. He turned to Linkle and Link. "Okay. Suit up … I mean, uh … grab your gear … or … you know, whatever's clever."

X

X

Cavern of the Gates of Time
Feshal 1, 2057 A.D.
Seven Years in the Future…

A time-space rift opened, and a group passed through. The portal closed behind the group and faded away.

The silent room was dimly lit from above with streaks of sunlight, which illuminated the dusty room's atmosphere.

LJ glanced back at Link and Linkle, then turned to face a giant gear-shaped object up ahead. He narrowed his gaze and approached it. "Well, we're in the right place; this is the Gate of Time, but why is there Semtex all over it?"

Linkle shrugged. "Dunno what that is, mate."

Link added, "And where is everyone? The guards? Where is the computers on wheeling stands? Why is the ceiling cracked, allowing sunlight to shine through, and why is the room so dusty that the dust is glowing in such a way?"

Linkle placed her hands on her hips and announced, "Oi! Anyone! We've arrived! Where are you lot?! Where's the bloody welcome party, eh!?" Her voice reverberated off the cracked ceiling.

There was no response.

She turned to LJ. "I thought you said this bunker could withstand Hyrule's most powerful bombs?"

LJ paced the room. "I have a really bad feeling about all of this."

Link asked, "What are those … things … on the Gate? Is that what you were pointing out when we arrived?"

"Yeah." LJ frowned. "It's called pentaerythritol tetranitrate and…" He snapped his fingers a few times, then said, "Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. God, I hope I said that right." He turned to his team and said, "They're explosives set and ready to blow the gate. But I don't know why. Also, it doesn't feel like autumn, does it? It feels a little more humid." He reached for his Sheikah Slate and looked at the screen. "What?! It's showing that it's Feshal?"

Link blinked. "What month is that?"

"The month right before summer begins. Not sure why it changed. We were supposed to arrive in Jesan."

Link scrunched his brows. "I thought we were in Daruna."

LJ shrugged. "Well, in my time … Daruna was renamed 'Jesan.' But you use the old language, so it was still called Daruna during your time. I kept calling it Daruna to make things easier on your transition."

"Thank you for that, LJ. That was very thoughtful. But … with all due respect, you are the one using the old language."

"Well, yeah. People in our time refer to it as classical Hylian."

"Classical … that is a better name for it. Not to change the topic without segue, but … why did we arrive in the fifth month, when we should have arrived in the tenth month?"

LJ rubbed his chin for a moment then he pointed at the Symtex. "Maybe it's because today is the day the gate is destroyed, so we arrived while it was still functioning. We better get what we came for without disturbing the timeline. If we let it get destroyed, we can't return to our time."

Linkle grimaced. "Sod that."

Link nodded in agreement. "What she said."

Linkle added, "Maybe whoever is going to blow it up is waiting for us to arrive and then leave, so they can hit the plunger as soon as we head back?"

"That's a possibility," LJ said with a firm nod. "But we can't assume anything until we get more answers. Okay. We need to get outside, team. I don't have a ladder handy, so I can't pull the explosives off that thing. Let's see what's going on, and then find out why someone is willing to blow the gate." As an afterthought, LJ said, "I swear to the goddess, if we find out that Ganon is moving through time, that would really complicate things."

Linkle cringed at the notion. "Sod that," she repeated.

"What she said," Link replied with another nod of agreement.

Linkle offered a fleeting grin at Link. She gestured to the far end of the room. "No use tarrying about this sad shite. I fancy a bit of sunshine. C'mon, you lot. Quick as you like, then, yeah?" She shooed Link and LJ. "Off you go, gents. On yer bike, then, mates. Let's leg it. Time to find out what the prats've done with the place."

LJ glanced back at her with furrowed brows. "How do you even know what a bike is?"

"You mean tha' two-wheeled noise-maker you ride every day? How could I not know what it is, mate?! Keep walkin', you lot." She continued to guide them away from the Gate of Time.

The trio passed through a hallway-like tunnel, leading up into daylight.

The imagery that greeted them was beyond compare.

Linkle stopped pushing and dropped her hands. Her eyes widened and her crestfallen expression showed her emotions at such a sight.

There was very little in the way of visible remains regarding nearby Hyrule castle. The exception was a stack of bricks to the immediate west, where one of the walls used to be. There was a foundation wall sticking up from a crater in the soil, but it was partially obscured with dirt. Some of the remains were covered in weeds and overgrowth, while some of the further-away sections were veiled in late-morning mist.

"Bloody…" Linkle whispered.

LJ stared in disbelief.

The castle was simply … gone.

Linkle shook her head in disbelief. "This? This ain't right. Not in seven years."

"What … the … fuh…?" LJ trailed off, not even bothering to finish the word.

Linkle tightened her jaw and pushed her way between the boys, standing in front of them. "No. Hang on just a tick. I know I've only been in the future, your present, for maybe a mo', but I'm no idiot. I've been followin' up on this-here time travel business. So, then, is this some alternative reality because we weren't around to save the present since we were here?"

LJ and Link both turned to glance at her.

Linkle reached up and rubbed her face with her palms. "Just, hear me out real quick-like, yeah? So, when we walked through that gate to come here, did it create an alternative timeline where we may-or-may-not have come back to 2050? Like, time thinks we were out bunking off, because while we're here, it creates an alternative reality where we were never there, because we were here? Or is it fate we return to the present after our comin' here, meanin' there's two of you, LJ, here at the same time? The version of you that's twenty-two, and the version of you tha's pushin' thirty, yeah? Or…?"

Link and LJ looked at one another then back at Linkle, each taking a moment to process her theory.

She continued. "I mean, how's tha' work? Because how else could we lose this bad? I mean, fook tha'. C'mon, y'all know that's a load of tosh if ever I heard it. Look, there, aye? The castle's rubbish, now. Didn't see that coming. Looks like it's been abandoned for yonks, mates. So now what? Do we stay and find out why everythin' went pear shaped…?" Linkle trailed off and held her hands outward.

LJ ran his left hand back through his hair and turned to face the castle grounds again, just staring at the empty real estate.

Linkle gestured to the empty lot, then she turned to face LJ and Link. "All this? This is … well, it's bad, gents. This is some right hard lines for Hyrule. C'mon, you bunch'a lead stallions. Pick up yer jaws and roll with th' punches. What'll we do? Start makin' some decisions."

LJ frowned. "Zelda is going to want answers." He lifted his gaze to the sky and frowned. "Hey, you two, is it me or … is the blue sky a different hue? And the sun looks kinda' weird, too."

Link nodded in agreement. "Now that we stand abroad, I would bet my breech the sun stands at the breviary hours of terce. It might behoof us to see what remains of the town. I suspect that which remains of the circumjacent castle grounds likely bear more inquiries than resolution."

LJ nudged Link with a firm elbow. "You're backsliding."

"I would do no such thing." Link paused and then frowned. "You … mean my archaic lexicon. Verily. In my time, 'backsliding' was an insult to the pious. Yes … well then. Let us venture forth and … I mean to say … let's … see the town, then. I'll bet a bodkin for a bumper no answers will be found here."

"A bodkin for a bumper?" asked LJ.

Linkle scoffed. She grinned in amusement with a shake of her head. "Basically, he said a dagger for a pint. If we're handin' out the hard stuff, I'll take a tumbler of top-shelf, m'self. Now, c'mon, lads. Let's see if Aryll can be found, then head back before some nutter blasts our Gate to kingdom come."

LJ nodded in agreement. "Okay, right. Let's find my sister and then blow this pop-stand."

Linkle and Link exchanged glances. Both shrugged.

LJ climbed over some rubble, looked around, spotted Spectacle Rock in the distance, and got his bearings. Satisfied he knew which way to go, he headed in the direction of town. "There's a lot of rubble here, but not enough to make an entire castle. Someone hauled away most of the concrete and debris."

"Agreed," said Link. "There is large … there are large ruts in the earth. If this castle had fallen into such a … slovenly state of disrepair, there would be little reason to remove the brick and mortar, unless it was used elsewhere. Rebuilt, brick-by-brick."

LJ shook his head. "You can't reuse modern chunks of the castle to rebuild elsewhere. Concrete has rebar sticking out of it. The foundation walls would crumble after being brought down to chunks like that. It was probably hauled away in trucks while search teams looked for survivors. That's how we do things in the present."

Linkle cringed at the mental imagery. "Oi, I would not want to be trapped under that, lyin' there in hopes to be rescued."

Link shook his head, falling into step with the others. "If Ganon won, he wasn't searching for people to rescue. At most, he would have orchestrated a search for the bodies of his foes to confirm their expiry."

LJ sighed softly. "I'm assuming that means … death."

"Indeed, it does. Ganon would not, however, care much for presentation except in leaving the castle as a great mound of rubble to remind people of his victory."

LJ waved for the group to come closer. "Check it, gang. I found a footpath leading to the road. C'mon." He picked up his pace until finding what was left of the pavement. "This is a goddess-damned mess. What the hell happened here?" He lifted his hands and said, "Rhetorical question. Anyway, I hate to ask but … what if Aryll didn't … you know … make it?"

Linkle cut in, "All we can do is hope she's amongst friends. LJ, listen mate, pull yourself together, yeah? We stay until we've learnt everything from then until now."

Link replied with a humble tone of agreement. "As she said, we should stay until we've educated ourselves with all that has transpired. After which, we return to your present, LJ, and we change the future to avoid this outcome."

LJ licked his lips. He snapped his fingers and pointed upward. "Wait. Someone is coming to blow up the Gate of Time. Those explosive charges on the gate were the only thing there that lacked dust on them … they're fairly new."

Link's eyes widened. "You're right. I did notice they were in better condition than the surface to which they were adhered."

LJ turned to Linkle. "I hate to ask, but…"

She lifted her hands to stop LJ from speaking. "Oh, bloody hell. Fookin' fine, I'll do it."

Link frowned. "Linkle, are you sure you will be…"

Linkle turned to Link, hands still held aloft. "Oi! I can handle m'self against 'any manner of craven or cutpurse.'" She lowered her voice as if attempting to sound more like Link. A smirk spread across her face. "Isn't tha' what you'd call'em, mate?"

Link nodded. "Your rendition of me is quite…"

"Spot on," said LJ. "I'm glad we can make jokes, guys. Deflection is near and dear to my heart. I'm glad I came by it honestly. Linkle, I'm sorry I'm taking you off the search team. But I need someone I can trust to keep the Gate of Time safe."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Good ole boys club time. Used to it, mate." Linkle put her hands upon her hips.

"Linkle, it's not like that. He has the Master Sword. It may come in handy if we wind up coming face-to-face with Ganon, or anyone else that may have caused all this."

Linkle back-handedly waved her right hand in a dismissive fashion at LJ. "Too right, then. I'll tarry about, and sort any josser that comes to try 'n finish off the Gate, yeah? Go on, now."

LJ asked, "You sure you've got this?"

"I'm tickety-effing-boo, mate. Go have a shufti down the way. Stop worryin'. I won't go swan'n off after any handsome guards. Just get a move on, will ya?"

"Linkle, if we don't check in with you in a few hours…"

Link cut in. "Set a stick into the ground and make several cardinal dashes in the soil to determine the passage of the hours."

Linkle held up her left wrist, displaying an old fashion digital watch with the Hylian lettering for 'G-SHOCK' emblazoned upon the front. Unlike the smartwatch worn by LJ, her watch was simple, plain, and it simply showed the time and date. "Look at me, all fancy-like."

"I feel bad for asking you to stay, now." LJ frowned.

Linkle threw her hands in the air. "Oh, come off it, you." Her tone lowered, adding, "I'll be here, whilst you lot check the town. Now, off with ya, then. Perfectly quick as ya' like."

Link approached her. "Stay out of sight. Please."

Linkle scoffed with amusement. "I can't be arsed to work on my tan, doin' bloody skint, unless there's a fistful of rupees or a milk bar involved."

LJ blinked. "What's … that supposed to mean?"

Linkle laughed with a shake of her head. "It means I'll put up my Pegasus Boots and sit by the bloody Gate of bloody Time. So … stop worryin' and off ya pop, then, will ya'? You boys go on gallivanting, free of this lowly ball 'n chain."

Link sighed. "Linkle…"

"I'm joshin' ya, mate! It's called sarcasm. LJ bloody well gets it, don't'cha?" Before LJ could answer, she put her hands on their shoulders and gave them both a gentle shove. "Sooner ya leave, sooner you're done! Go on, now! Have a good faff for me. Bring back lots of dosh … or a dishy gent. Sorry, sorry, full of beans t'day."

Link and LJ eyed one another then looked back at her.

"Full of beans?" asked LJ. "You're … farting…?"

"No, you gormless shite. Like coffee beans. I'm wound up. Stop worryin'. I'm chuffed you boys'll do all the work. It's fine. Go on, have a gander. Give us a bell if you find squat, yeah?"

LJ eyed her. "Us?"

"Aye, mate. Us. Like the Royal WE. Now go."

Link said, "I feel like you're purposefully speaking in a manner that is both confusing and confounding to us both."

"Now you're gettin' it!" Linkle said with a half-spirited laugh. "Now go, boys. I'll manage."

LJ offered a slight wave. "We'll check in with you." He glanced back in the direction of Link, forced a weak smile, and side-nodded. "Let's get moving."

"Ta, then, chaps! I'll be 'ere, amongst the rubbish, in this barmy little shite-hole, while you lot 'ave all the fun." Linkle headed back across the rubble heap and found her way to the entrance of the cavern where the Gates of Time was housed.

LJ and Link exchanged glances again.

Neither said anything. Instead, they headed for town, down a hill, staying on the remains of the street.

Finally, after a solid fifteen minutes of quiet, LJ said, "I see bases for the light posts, but why would the poles be gone? This is all really weird."

Link frowned thoughtfully. "What if … no one survived, LJ?"

LJ shrugged. "Someone cleaned up the castle's debris."

"I mean … none of us. None of our people. What if the children of Hylia were hunted to extinction?"

LJ pursed his lips and looked away. After a moment, he finally said, "Let's just get some information, see what we can learn, and return to Zelda in my present before anyone does anything to that gate. I don't want to stay here any longer than I gotta. You know?"

Up ahead, the road simply ended. There was a deep gap that fell into what used to be the sewer system. The concrete trench was roughly three-and-a-half meters down. The gap was about six meters across.

LJ looked around the area. "What caused this frickin' moat all the way around? It stretches as far as I can see, but only goes as deep as the sewer system. We're going to need to find a way to cross."

"Prithee, wait here." Link walked away from the trench, turned about, and placed his palms firmly against the ground. He took off and sprinted for the waterless moat, then he bound over the gap. The Pegasus wings unfurled from his boots and flapped to help him clear the trench. He landed on all fours with a grunt right at the edge. Link turned around and called back to LJ. "You'll need some manner of periapt to aid in the overbrim."

"I'm guessing you want me to find something to help me jump over…? I don't have fancy kicks like yours."

"You speak of my Pegasus boots?"

"Isn't that how you sprinted over? They look like Linkle's set, except that hers are knee-high and look fancier."

"Aye, I suppose I could toss my boots, LJ. I will throw them one at a time…"

LJ held his hands up. "Hold up." He lowered to one knee and pinched the tongue of his sneaker several times.

"What … are you doing?" Link called across the gap.

"Pumps are back in style. Retro tech is back, but way more reliable, now. Heh. Anyhow, I'm going to see if I can vault that gap."

Link's eyes widened. "Do your high-tech soles allow you to sprint and overleap such distances?"

"Hell no. But I went to school and learned modern math. I've got this."

Link pursed his lips with a frown.

LJ rubbed his hands together. "I just need about six meters. Nowhere near the nine-meter world record. I got this." He walked away from the gap looking around the area. "Just … need…" He stopped thirty feet away and clapped his hands together. "Yeah!"

Link placed his hands on either side of his mouth and exclaimed, "What've you found?"

LJ called back, "This pole used to be part of a pike or lance. I'd say it's about fifteen feet long."

"Do you propose to balance across? I doubt such would be long enough!" Link called in return.

"Just watch. I was the best at this in Track and Field in college. It was said to be one of the most dangerous track and field sports. Heh. Between working on my master's degree and having Aryll in my life, I made it the only extra-curricular activity I did during my time in college."

Link tilted his head.

LJ tried to bend the pole with the broken top, but it was solid. "Well, okay, it's not flexible like a carbon fiber pole, but … this'll still work." He took a deep breath, twirled the pole around, and took up a starting position. "Okay, let's hope I still got it…" And without any further explanation, LJ dashed toward the gap.

Link watched with furrowed brows.

LJ jammed the broken end in an exposed concrete cinderblock at the edge of the trench. He kicked his legs up into the air, and pushed off the pole, vaulting over the gap.

He landed on the ground on Link's side, and rolled twice, then got to his feet and quickly dusted himself off, hopped up on adrenaline. "Whew! Did you see that?! I still got it!"

"I … what manner of sport was that?"

"It's called pole vaulting. It's meant to vault vertically over a bar, not for diagonal vaulting over large horizontal gaps, but I changed up the technique by pushing off the pole really late, and it worked. They used to call me The Feather in college because Coach said I was a natural, but … I haven't used any of that upper body strength in almost three years."

"I … I see. It does seem rather dangerous … and assumably quite challenging. I suppose I was wrong about the future … it is not as frail as it initially seemed to me."

"Oh, ha-freaking-ha. Yeah, it's dangerous, but … well, yeah, you weren't wrong … people in my time do like to hide their faces during a horror flick … and drink soy lattes."

"It seems to me such a sport would be an excellent way to fracture one's skull."

"Believe it or not, there's not nearly as many cracked heads as you'd think in that sport, but our team's captain wound up with spondylolysis, and that was a wakeup call, so I retired from pole vaulting. The guy who replaced me wound up landing wrong and he fractured his pelvis. I read about a guy from another university, a few months ago … he had a pole that snapped, and he dropped right on it, and it impaled his appendix. Had to have his appendix removed. I only did it for two years, and I never got back into it. But … at least I still got it."

"I imagine one must possess great upper body strength to manage that."

"Yeah, wish I still had that torso strength when I picked up the Master Sword the first time. I might not have embarrassed myself quite so much."

Link placed a hand on LJ's shoulder and guided him toward town. "It was impressive."

"Yeah. I impressed myself," LJ replied with a chuckle. "Had to have hit at least thirteen feet, there. But, like I said, I pushed off late so I could focus more on horizontal than vertical. Anyway." He brushed his palms together firmly. "Man. Not a great pole for the job, but I feel like I did pretty good."

"Indeed, you did. You are most welcome."

LJ blinked. "For what?"

Link feigned a slight smile. "For my assistance in your return to fitness in these past many days."

"Heh, I guess I do owe you for that, huh? Okay, not to change the subject, but … I'm getting nervous. The only cars I've seen are rusting away. And they look pretty bad for only seven years. What if we have to walk everywhere?"

"No matter what time in human history, LJ, there exists a palfrey and a saddle. Humanity and the equine species enjoy a symbiotic symmetry … I do believe the princess refers to such partnerships as 'synergy.' It's a phrase I've heard several times in her motivational speeches to the staff shortly after my reawakening." Link's eyes widened. "Err, I … spoke in error. I meant to say the queen. Pardon me for misspeaking."

LJ reached back and rubbed the nape of his neck. "At least I know where I got my rambling from. So, back up … saddle? Equine? You mean horses?"

"I do, indeed. A palfrey is a docile beast for riding, but they are afraid of … everything from rabbits to aggressive shouting. But they work well as transportation."

"I refuse to believe that cars somehow don't exist seven years in the future. Even if internal combustion engines no longer have infrastructure for gasoline, a steam engine could push a wagon, and all that needs is wood for a fire. At the very least, trains would still be in operation, even if the world as we knew it somehow ended. I don't know what could have leveled Hyrule castle, but … I refuse to accept we lost; I refuse to believe the world has somehow already ended so soon after the present. The human spirit will only take so much tyranny before it stands up with fists clenched, ready to push back."

"People will bow down if they believe it means their children will be allowed to survive, LJ. Humanity is easily manipulated when it comes to our lineage."

"I think people fight harder to give their kids a good life. Either way, there has to be someone somewhere. We'll find them."

"I certainly hope. I do not wish to plain over my legacy as I have for my past. We will destroy this picaroon and the pestilence he brought the world. Armed with the knowledge of the future, we will return to your present and change this … awful outcome."

LJ sighed softly. "God, what if Aryll didn't survive? Then what?"

Link reached over and placed a reassuring palm upon LJ's shoulder. "What happened to optimism? As I said, if we discover that we have been defeated by Ganon, we will return to your time and make the necessary changes to avoid that outcome."

"You really think so?"

"Hylians shall always triumph."

"Yeah? Where'd you hear that? Is it etched on the Triforce or something?"

Link chuckled dryly. "Nay, my friend. It was but a posy inscribed in the shank of a ring, and I found the line of verse sanative to the heart."

"Uh, sure. The more we see of this place, the more it's making me question my optimism. I mean, holy Hylia, what are we up against?"

"Stow the ruth, LJ. We will learn what we must. We will scribe our sooth and use it to tilt with Ganon in the present day. Linkle will protect the Gate until we return; we will utter a simple vale to this time, and we shall return to your time. Ganon is true evil, but at his core, he is but a simple varlet with little motivation beyond his desire for a vengeance that belongs, in spirit, to his earliest form."

"Meaning?"

"What I mean to say, LJ, is that those who have resurfaced as Ganon-reincarnated are far from vengeance incarnate. They share Ganon's desire for vengeance, but are far from as motivated as the original Ganon. Meanwhile, we have the motivation to save Hyrule and the world."

"I felt motivated to save the world, but it's hard to see a future where we lost."

"Aye, it is. However, all is not lost. As you have said to me, several times in the past few days, have faith. Hylia's chosen hero has never bowed or capitulated in this never-ending rivalry. And the revelry, the wassailing of ancient songs … that proves Ganon never wins. He won't win this time, either. You have my word."

LJ feigned a tired smile. "You give pretty good motivational speeches, Link. As far as pep-talks go, that one was pretty good. Even though I didn't understand about half of your vocabulary. Heh."

Link grinned impishly. "When I am anxious, I fall back on old habits. My verbiage is only one of those old habits. Now, the horseless wains that sit, rusting, on the side of the road … those could mean anything. I will reserve judgment for when we…" Link trailed off.

The road descended a hill, giving the two young men a high view over the town … or rather … what little was left of it.

LJ swallowed.

Link clenched both hands into fists. "It has been razed to the ground."

"Yeah. You spoke too soon."

"Ganon will pay."

LJ frowned. "If the entire world couldn't beat him, the two of us can't beat him alone. Not here. Not now. Let's stick to your plan."

"Aye, forgive me. You are, indeed, most correct. I … just … I cannot help but think of the women, the children, and the families that have been decimated in the flatting of Castletown."

"Yeah, this was the capital of Hyrule, with a population of eight million people." LJ pursed his lips. He took a deep breath and started walking. "I need to know what happened to Aryll. C'mon."

Link fell into step behind LJ without a word.

The two continued in silence, making their way into the remains of the decimated city's remains. Not a single building stood taller than a story in height. Even the weeds and overgrowth that began to claim the streets, stores, and the gas stations looked withered and struggling.

Neither dared speak. The weight of the sight, which stretched out before them, was too much to process.

Link and LJ exchanged occasional glances and headshakes as they ventured further into the dead city.

LJ took the lead, driven by his need to know what happened to his little sister in this dismal future.