Chapter -12-
I Link, Therefore I Am

Feshal 1, 2057 – Nakaro
Central Skyloft, passing over Hyrule…

Link licked his lips and opened the door leading to the Chamber of the Master Sword. Inside was laid out like the shrine of sanctuary in the original Temple of Time.

Except there were pews for worship.

At the alter was the Master Sword sitting in its new base. Two scabbards hung from the wall at the back of the room, one dented and dinged from where Link and LJ practiced sword fighting in the fall of 2050, shortly after meeting, and the other made by a master smith for the sword to call home, possibly to be passed down to one day take its place on the back of the next Chosen Hero.

Link held his own Master Sword in his left hand, nestled in its damaged scabbard. He walked to the back wall and stared at the marred sheath on display.

The room was silent except for the echo of his footfall.

Link looked around to make sure he was alone, then he used a metal buckle on his new outfit to scratch his case – the one he'd brought with him from 2050. Link looked up at the displayed case on the wall, but a marking never appeared on it.

Link narrowed his gaze, flipped the display piece over where it hung on the wall. No scratch ever appeared. He scrunched his brows. "Hmm."

"I did the same thing," said a voice, which Link recognized as his own. The voice came from nearby.

Link cleared his throat. "Dighted with thy cape of invisibility? Do you not trust yourself?"

An older Link, aged not just by seven years but by the power of lost friends and family, stepped from thin air. "A few years ago, I watched the last known living member of my family collapse to the ground, bleeding at the mouth. I watched him attempt to show strength, suffer in immense agony, and then die. I did not suffer the same fate because I was not around at the time he was irradiated. But I was there to see when his body finally gave out from the exposure. It's not that I trust or don't trust myself. To be honest, I no longer find joy in much, and I avoid socializing whenever possible. That said, you should probably know that Aryll is our future."

"Time hath changed, and, so, I shall endeavor to change with it. I come to thee, seeking to become a learned man. Surely you have immense wisdom accumulated over the last seven years. As the youth of 2050 like to say, upskill me. I will apply your teachings, and I will return to 2050, where my team will end Ganon."

The elder Link arched his brows with a tilt of his head.

Link continued. "Since scratching my scabbard does not bear change to your own, I am under the impression that the timeline has now officially branched and become solidified in two differing paths. This timeline, now, and forsooth, the one to which I will return ere such mistakes were made. This means that one of us shall put his heart in the fight, and the other shall go home to his betrothed-to-be, from whence he came, and he shall convince her to live out her life with a surreptitious espousal of the quiet life, just as if he'd died. He shall know fatherhood … but, of greater import, our child will know his father. The 'loser' will return to 2050 and fight."

The elder of the two chuckled softly. "To think my archaic lexicon would sound strange to me after only seven years." The older Link shook his head with a soft sigh. "Have I really changed so much?"

The younger Link, expecting an answer, said, "Perhaps if I were more concise? Allow me to repeat mine-self…"

"Oh, please do," replied elder Link with a dash of sarcasm in his tone.

"Only this: I would'st that I make this fair – we fight for the right to go home to our Zelda; the 'loser' fights Ganon."

The elder Link once again chuckled with amusement at his younger doppelgänger. "Almost twenty-three with so much verve and vigor. To think, approaching twenty-nine, I'm no longer motivated to walk away from this life."

"Excuse me?"

The elder Link smirked. "Perhaps if I were more concise?" He crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. "You go. You are still young, full of hope, full of dreams, and naïve in ways that will make you a better father and a better husband. I will return to 2050 and exact my vengeance on everything Ganon has taken from me. For me, it has been one long never-ending Disane, not that you know what I mean by that…"

"Disane is the first day of the week, it follows a weekend."

Elder Link nodded with a tired smile. "Yes, but you still have little concept of a weekend, as there is no such thing as a work week for you yet. My life has become one never ending Disane, but I will channel all that misery to my final blow against Ganon."

"Wait … I do not have to convince you? I was prepared to duel for the right to raise our child with our Zelda."

The longer-haired Link smiled weakly. "You're still young. Thinking of our child is mature-minded, especially from your perspective at this time in your life, but I'm turning twenty-nine soon."

"Certainly not old by Hylian standards."

"Fair enough, but … I'm looking at the bigger picture."

"And that is…?"

The elder Link offered a genuine smile, the first since the two had met. "I want to fight for my descendants … the children of my children's children and all their children that follow."

"I … I see. That is a noble cause."

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. To be honest, I'm doing this for me. This is the first time I've felt hope in several years. But we must be clever to manage this."

"Prithee, how mean you?"

"How do you mean, now you say it."

The younger Link cleared his throat. "Please, how do you mean?"

"There you go. I mean to say that the deputy Prime Minister of your time, Mr. Mah-Tah … he is the man that assumed office after the nation's elected leader died, shortly after the death of the king; he won an election, but this is his final year. He is aware of Zelda's plan, and he was quick to countermand her orders after her death. The five Links, the Divine Beasts and the Guardians, and the bulk of the towers … it was all canceled."

"Everything?"

"Yes, everything. Only two of the towers were put into service. Both are underground in Hyrule, but manage to provide a wireless connection for the land that was once the city…"

Link snapped his fingers with a firm nod. "Ah, yes. It is providing Wi-Fi for LJ's device."

"Good job. Paying attention and learning all you can … that is how you increase your relevance. Back to the Divine Beasts and Guardians … for the record … they were scrapped, every-last-one. Prime Minister Mah-Tah also pulled the plug, as the expression goes, on the concept of going forward in time to tap Aryll for Zelda's team. However, regarding Aryll … she and I have always remained faithful to Zelda's plan to send her back with you … but it's nearly six months early. Your change of timetable isn't something I've prepared for, so things will get tricky. Why did you guys come so early anyhow?"

"Uh … I do believe the Gate of Time will be destroyed by Aryll today, and it therefore brought us to the latest possible time, but early enough for the device to show some measure of self-preservation."

"The gate, itself, is not sentient. However, it is partially controlled, at least to some degree, by Fi, the AI within the Master Sword."

"Ah. We met, thanks to Ravio."

"Are you ready to go home, Link? I'll send you to a period shortly after your Zelda has made the decision to leave Hyrule. I will send you to where she had gone, and you will live out your life, quietly, there with her, and our son and daughter."

"I … father twins?"

"Surprise. I learned from the royal library records in the wake of Zelda's assassination."

"I must admit, I feel as though … knowing you will fight in my stead, I will feel as … rather, I will feel like a fainéant…"

"Nonsense. You will ensure our twin hobbledehoy of joy shall know the love of a mother and a father. You will pass down the technique of our sword fighting to both our son and our daughter. I've always wondered how it was passed down, as Linkle has demonstrated our spin attack and back slash techniques using short swords before she returned to her own time. I kind of feel like this must've happened already."

"Oh." The younger Link offered a smile. "I will know our children and our grandchildren, until the days long after I know glabriety."

"You … we will never glabrate, Link. I studied my DNA profile a few times over the past seven years. You'll live a long time with platinum white hair, as bright as a Sheikah shaman. The women in your quaint quiet town will call you the Silver Fox, and by no other name. 'Link' in name only, met his death per what has been recorded — we died atop Spectacle Rock in 1675. But the Royal Family obtained our Zelda's diary, and that is how I know that you must go back. You, young man, will be Zelda's husband, at least to the knowledge of the townspeople, and you'll be assumed to be the stepfather of her children in their eyes."

"Even though the children will share my appearance…? Can people be so credulous? In my experience, I have never met an entire town of gudgeons. Only a town of curmudgeons."

"Look at you, telling dad-joke puns already. You can tell the nosy people that you married your sister-in-law to ensure she is properly taken care of; if asked, you say that the children are properly raised but do not remember losing their father, your twin brother, as you married her before they were born so that the children would not be born as bastards. Why? Because…" Elder Link sighed softly with a shake of his head. "Let's face it, everyone will celebrate you for showing … eh … what LJ used to call testicular fortitude."

"I may be seven years your junior, but I am well aware the mindset of our period's people. Furthermore, are you suggesting we go to the Gate of Time … now?"

"Yes, or, at the very least, shortly. You still have one last role to fulfill – you are the one that convinces LJ to wear a family ring left in his bank's safe deposit box, passed down by ancestors. He'll have it on him; Zelda is the one that convinced him to keep it close at all times. After that, you will tell him of our plan, say your proper farewells to those who wish to hear them, and then you'll accompany Linkle to the Time Gate while LJ keeps Prime Minister Mah-Tah busy in his office. Linkle will return to 2050. Meanwhile, you will return to 1675, but you will arrive in Calatia a month after Zelda has fled Hyrule during the early stages of her second trimester. If all goes according to plan, you will arrive in a grassy glebe where you will see chimney smoke from her cottage."

"Thank you for this opportunity."

"You do your best to take care of our children. I'll do my best to take care of our descendants."

Younger Link offered the elder Link his left hand, and they shook as gentlemen. Then they clasped one another with their free arm as a gentleman's hug.

Afterward, the older Link said, "And we will switch Master Swords. The holographic emitter on mine was damaged again, so when you hide it, and later, when you pass it down, you will leave instructions to have Linkle's children return it to its plinth at the heart of Hyrule. And, on that day, Fi will not present herself to our descendants as she is programmed to do for her wielder. At least not until the day Ravio repairs her in 2050. Again, if you think about it."

"Ah. Excellent. It will be as if none of this … my return, and that which might possibly break the timeline … never occurred officially as part of history."

"Exactly. The only ones who will know the truth is us, our team, and, of course, Fi. Come, let me teach you what I've learned in the past seven years. I have proper training swords in the back. Come with me."

"I do have one question…"

"Yes?"

"If I am to have a descendant return the Master Sword … in the next time loop, does that mean you will have … two available in 2050?"

"Not me. One for me and one for LJ, perhaps, but I'm not certain the timeline will work that way. I suppose we'll find out."

"Where should I hide my … your sword?"

"I suggest having it hidden by our family until one of your ancestors is given a quest to take it back to Hyrule, and explain the situation to the Royal Family, where they will hide it within a vault beneath Hyrule. That way it is not found or stolen prematurely. I suggest a vault protected by the Royal Family, directly. But if you wish to quest it back to Hyrule, yourself, and speak to the King directly, I can respect that as well. You will know in your heart what is best."

"Thank you. Now, show me these new techniques that I will master and pass down to our son."

"Mm, right this way."

X

X

Meanwhile…

LJ walked into a room that was decorated like a stereotypical modern politician's office. A nice wooden desk, a leather chair that likely came from the surface, and academic awards and certificate of degrees from a university that no longer existed down in Hyrule.

LJ paused by the door to examine a tiny glass lens in the doorframe, identical to one he'd spotted on the doorway molding at the building's front entrance.

Silence. The only sound in the room was that of its occupant tapping his fingertip on a computer tablet. At a glance, it appeared to be a brand other than the ones made by the Sheikah tribe.

LJ cleared his throat and knocked on the frame, then he cut his gaze across the room, watching the man in the chair. "You, uh … wanted to see me, I'm told?"

Behind the desk was a man in his mid-to-late thirties with brown eyes and semi-rounded ears, making him appear to be likely only half-Hylian. He wore a tie and a sport blazer, and he folded his hands on the desk at the sight of LJ. "Must be a mistake, but since you are here, now, let's chat. Close the door behind you, young man."

LJ closed the door behind himself and said, "Hey. Uh, my name is…"

"I know who you are, LJ."

"How? You have fifteen years on me. You were … what, a sophomore, I guess, when I was born. In theory, you could be old enough to be my dad, although my dad was nineteen when I was born. Sorry, I get a little chatty when in a socially awkward situation."

"Yes, your dad was nineteen and your mother was seventeen, nearly eighteen when you were born. You shared the same birth month as your mother. Listen, LJ, everyone knows who you are."

"Uh, what? Did Aryll tell you or something?"

"Actually, no. In our timeline, you will soon go on to marry Queen Zelda. You become her Royal Consort. Everyone acknowledges that you and she beat the terrorist. First, he attacks you, then you push back, then he attacks Hyrule, then you personally, and, finally, you beat him once and for all … almost with your dying breath, so to speak. You lived a few days after the fight but succumbed in the end. Still, you had a hero's death."

"You make it sound like I hunted Ganon down or something."

"Mm, nearly so. But not quite."

"What'cha mean?"

"It all started when he arrived early and uninvited to your private gathering. See, he showed up in her throne room during a wedding rehearsal, complete with press, and a spokesman, and … needless to say, the entire fight was videotaped by a handful of reporters and a bunch of phones."

"Can … I see it?"

"I'll have it sent to your Sheikah Slate. I have no idea if the files will remain when you return to your time. Never tested things of that nature. See, I'm a big believer in not messing with time. The fact that the last gate exists? It terrifies me that some terrorist could access it, go back in time, and pick off our parents as children. I ordered your sister to go down there and blow it up. She rigged it to blow, but it took a few hours and she started getting sick form radiation. We brought her back and treated her. She made a full recovery. We haven't sent anyone else down there, per her recommendation. She asked to finish the job when she felt up to it, and I've granted her that. Aryll has a great deal of respect from the leadership, here, and she's earned every bit of that respect."

LJ approached the desk and offered a hand. "LJ Kasuto. I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot, in your timeline."

The PM took LJ's hand in a firm grasp. "Daira Mah-Tah. And you look so different with blond hair. Why aren't you wearing your family's ring?"

"What?"

"I think I read somewhere that you discovered a ring in your family's bank safe deposit box, around the time of the initial invasion attacks in the fall of 2050, and you learned from the Royal Library that it had been passed down because you had a few members of your family that wound up being Hylia's hero. Link and Linkle also being members of that little clique. I also recall reading somewhere that you had no idea they were related to you at the time you initially met them. So, if religion is real, the gods and goddesses had a sense of humor or an affinity for irony."

"Gods, huh?"

"Yeah. Like the Earth and Wind sage, or the demigods like the Light Spirits. I was raised on the wind god's aria and the earth god's lyric, played together, wind then earth; it was the lullaby my mother sang most. Anyhow, I grew up surrounded by tales of the gods and goddesses. Back to the ring … I've never seen you without it. Zelda once said your hair turned red when you put the ring on your finger, and claimed you were 'nearly immune' to everything … which is why the Hyrule terrorist used a dirty bomb nuke to kill you. Rumors, of course. But if you have the ring on you, I'd love to see your hair change into red."

LJ furrowed his brows. "Are you … smirking?"

"Yes, I suppose I am. Sorry. I never put much stock in the things Zelda told me. The last time we spoke, I was still deputy prime minister. Don't get me wrong, she was very nice, but I felt as though the royal family hid way too much, and she was so young that her parents hadn't told her nearly enough … which became more evident when the terrorist managed to overwhelm Hyrule. And did you know … that son of a bitch is her uncle?"

LJ pursed his lips.

"That's right. Her uncle is claiming to be the reborn Ganon. He even dyed his face green. Hands, too, near as I can tell. Just like the ancient legends. He's trying to look like a necropsy gone wrong or something. And if that wasn't enough, he had a tattoo on his left hand of the Triforce of Power, as if it's somehow a real chunk of gold and not just some metaphor."

"Wait, his skin has turned green?"

"I'm sure it's some sort of fancy dye job, like when Gerudo people have vitiligo and decide to have their skin dyed rather than bleached, you know? Except … this idiot found a way to add green pigment. A tattoo artist, I assume. No matter … you know, I understand he used to be a teacher. College professor to be exact. As the king's half-brother, he was technically still a prince, but either didn't hold any titles, or he renounced them. Point being … the royal family has been a royal pain. But the man killed people live on holo-vision, and that's truly awful. Those people were more than voters … they had families. You know what else I saw live on holo-vision?"

"Uh … what?"

"I saw you pick up the Master Sword a few years ago, in front of four reporters and six people with cellphone cameras … wearing a white tux with green highlights … and you struck her uncle. Flowing red hair, wounded but standing tall…"

"What happened?"

"Link left to head for the royal infirmary to fetch a doctor. Zelda was a queen, so her detail whisked her off, maybe to a hospital, but she didn't go very far when her uncle's nuclear dirty bomb went off. Link was inside the infirmary's medical examination bunker when the implosion took place. Link survived. He is here on Skyloft with us, as a matter in fact. But you? You were not so lucky."

LJ frowned. "Then what?"

The prime minister continued. "Then, LJ, the entire world saw static. News agencies covered a flash and enormous implosion in the downtown sector. Within 36 hours, all of Hyrule saw the recordings that survived from three devices, which were designed to be shielded from EMPs caused by the nuclear device."

"What did the flash do to me?" asked LJ.

"You had direct line of sight, so you were either in front of a window, or in a castle courtyard. I saw your eyes melted from the heat of the flash … in high definition. They ran down your face. It wasn't faked. That man tried to lay a hand on your bride, and even though you were blind, the ring was ancient tech that created a force field around you. Atoo bad you stared straight at the flash but it kept you safe during the fight … and my goddess, what a fight it was. Like something out of an action flick. It was … whew, you fought him with the Master Sword, and in the end, you jammed Link's sword right through that man's breastbone. And then you stood over his body, fists at your sides, open stance … the entire world fell in love with your pose. It was on the cover of every magazine. The photographer won the highest award for capturing it with the dramatic lighting of lightning in a mushroom cloud at your back. Your eyelids were shut because you already knew what had happened. Afterward, before her death, Zelda Daltus Hyrule swore her uncle was still alive, and she warned the world to watch out for his return, but I know what I saw."

"I'll wear the red ring. I've never used a sword beyond practicing with Link for about two weeks, though."

"All right, well … we haven't heard from that man in several years, so you apparently study the art of swordsmanship when you return to your time."

"So, to be clear, I didn't time from my sustained wounds? You said something about blood, earlier."

"LJ, you died from radiation poisoning. You lived longer than doctors thought you'd live, but no one could survive that level of radiation poisoning forever. I guess … the reason I'm telling you this is because Hyrule celebrated your victory over the terrorist postmortem."

"And…?"

"No one got to thank you personally, you know? I know what you're made of. You swing a mighty pen, but you also swing a mighty sword. The hashtag, 'nerd rage' trended for eighteen months after that."

"And Aryll?"

"She was the sister of the queen's consort. And she's still alive, making her the last surviving extended royal family, even if it is only by marriage. She has no titles, no honorifics, nothing of that nature, but people have treated her as if she's royalty ever since. Link has trained her how to fight for a few years. Impressive girl. Link has been working as the head of security for Skyloft, and Aryll has been his deputy of sorts, but we don't have enough people on Skyloft for crime, so Aryll and Link's jobs are very easy. But they both take their work seriously, which suits me just fine."

"I appreciate that you're trying to establish rapport with me, but why am I really here?"

"Because you showed up by mistake from a miscommunication, yes? But, also … I wanted to talk to you anyhow. Literally to establish rapport with you, son. Look, I know this isn't easy for you. Fact of the matter is … I know why you're here. You've come for Aryll. But you cannot take her with you."

"I understand. All I ask is for information that might help us fight Ganon in our time."

"I already told you everything you need to know. You kill Nohansen. It happens after you marry Zelda. You prove yourself a hero, and people down on the planet are making statues of you. I heard a committee is going to name a high school after you, when they begin construction on it in a year or two from now. So don't worry about your legacy. In fact, your book went overnight through the roof, landing at number one on the Akkala Times Best Seller list less than twenty-four hours after you buried that sword in that terrorist's heart."

"So, you don't want me to do something that might mean I survive?"

"You weren't meant to or you would have. No offense. Changing time means bending the will of the goddesses, if you believe in them. And, if not, it means you increase the chance for survivors to die, or for…"

LJ quickly interrupted. "Or for you to assume complete control, you, some complete rando, someone who isn't part of the royal family, for the first time in Hyrule's known history since shortly after Hylia's time."

"I preside over little more than fifty people or an island floating in the sky. That's not power, son."

LJ eyed him suspiciously for a moment.

"Say what's on your mind, LJ. I'm a grown man. I can handle a little criticism. It gives me the chance to dispel whatever you think about me. That's the life of a politician, explaining myself and winning over voters. My job is to legislate and relate to the public. I'm used to being a bad guy until I can prove otherwise. That's politics."

"Okay, fine, Prime Minister Mah-Tah. So, then, why would you want to protect this timeline? Are you afraid if I change things, Ganon might survive?"

"Precisely."

"You just said I kill Ganon anyhow. I do it using the Master Sword."

"Oh, LJ, you do … in the end, you take the handle in one hand and the ricasso in the other, and you cram the blade into that man's heart and bury it up to the guard. Also, no one calls him Ganon. Not the media, not anyone."

"He calls himself Ganon."

"Well, that much is true," said the prime minister. "Zelda went to her grave claiming he wasn't dead. Something about how he needed to be struck with a special silver arrow first, but Nohansen didn't get up. No one could survive being impaled through the heart with the full length of a hand-and-a-half sword."

"Yeah. I've picked it up. It's got some heft to it. I really fought him blind, huh?"

"Yes, you certainly did. It's very well documented. And that bastard sword sits on a scale at almost five pounds, but when I picked it up … well … let's just say I didn't pick it up. But you killed one of the most infamous terrorists in modern time … a man responsible for using a dirty bomb on civilians and killing trained police and military members."

"You once tried to pick it up? Recently"

"When the sword was kept on the grounds of Castle Town, which was the name of the city back in the olden days, the Royal Family had a secret swearing in ceremony for the highest judges and leadership … by having people put their hands on the handle of the sword in the past … as a … sort of … way to weed out potentially bad people. Obviously, the practice stopped when it was moved to the boonies, out in the middle of nowhere … the Lost Woods or what-have-you, but…" Daira shook his head with a shrug. "What I'm trying to say is, once that thing was discovered with Link, the Royals went right back to the practice. So, when I was sworn in, Link had it on his back at the time. It was handed to me at my swearing in, but instead of placing my hand upon the handle, as it was done in antiquity, the sword was simply handed to me. It felt much heavier than five pounds. And Nohansen, or as the media calls him, 'the terrorist,' couldn't even pull it from his own chest."

"If he's not the mythological Ganon, where did those creatures of his come from?"

"Right now, the most popular theory is that Nohansen got his hands on old technology somehow. It's where the nuclear material came from, after all. Anyhow, the creatures probably came from a hard-light holographic emitter. After all, when struck down, the creatures disappeared. No bodies."

LJ smirked. "Yeah, they vaporized when they died, but those creatures left blood on the Master Sword after being struck down."

"Mm, well I don't know anything about that, but when they were shot by modern weapons, they didn't leave a body."

LJ sighed softly. "They still left blood and spatters. That was real. The DNA was analyzed from where they were hit by a delivery truck the day they first showed up. I didn't fight any holograms."

"Look, I know you want to believe you're some legendary hero with a long history that will be etched in stone by the fates. I know you want to believe there's a way you survive this. But the life of a hero isn't always very glamorous. Yes, you kill the terrorist and save lives. Yes, you suffer from radiation poisoning, you live your last days blind and frustration, and you die horribly, but you die with your boots on, giving a speech that unites the survivors of Hyrule. I'm asking for you to make that decision again."

"Giving a speech?"

"Yes."

"I don't die in battle?"

"You die fighting the root of evil with your words. Your command of wording is what made you a fantastic writer. The only reason I'm letting you go back through the gate is to make sure those events take place. Please. Make the right choice. Stay as long as you like here, but when you go home, be sure to return to the same time you left and let things play out exactly as they're supposed to happen."

LJ frowned. "You're asking me to go die."

"The king of Hyrule has ordered men into battle, to die for their nation and beliefs, over and over for thousands of years."

A moue of disgust crossed LJ's face. "Going to battle is a gamble. You might live. You're part of an army. This isn't the same as that. It's not even a comparison. What you're telling me is that I die in a horrible way, and my only solace is, wait for it, a childless legacy."

"But it is a legacy. People will know your name for generations."

"It's a legacy in name only. I'm survived by my sister, and she goes on to become a glorified HOA community monitor with limited arrest powers. Is that about right?"

"A bit harsh but … yes. That's an accurate summation."

LJ sighed again. He mumbled, "Awesome."

"I understand the sarcasm, LJ, but I need to know that you're prepared to rise to the occasion, and…"

A loud noise came from outside. It was a sharp crack followed by a rumble, not unlike thunder but closer to an explosion.

LJ turned and headed for the door. "That didn't sound like weather."

"Skyloft has a forcefield to protect it from inclement weather." Daira Mah-Tah followed LJ out of the office, through a very short hallway, past an empty reception area. "This is a very old city and was one of the Royal Family's better kept secrets. It stands to reason having it airborne might cause stress on the old structures, and…"

LJ increased his pace, until he backtracked his way outside of the building.

Out in the courtyard, Daira and LJ looked up at an enormous building crumbling to the ground three or four blocks away. A plume of dust and debris waft up into the air.

LJ cringed at the sight of the collapsing building. "You trust living your lives up here when this place should be condemned … is that the gist of what you were saying?"

"Son, the Royal Family had a lot of secrets. This place is one of them."

"That's not what I was asking. Don't dodge the question. Do you really think this place is safe?"

"We've lived up here for a while now."

"And you trust the tech to last? Or these buildings? Hell, do you trust it to stay in the sky?"

"Skyloft was held up by a mastery of anti-gravity engines. A chunk of Skyloft broke off around the time the first recorded Zelda moved to Hyrule. The ancient Wind Tribe found that piece of land and worked to get it aloft once more. But they had to use mechanical technology to return that piece of land to the sky. They felt entitled to it, and made it a miniature City in the Sky."

"And you think these places were maintained since ancient times?" LJ continued to watch the plume of dust rise above the building that was a little more than half-a-mile away.

"They were maintained by the Oocca."

"The what?" LJ furrowed his brows.

"A distant cousin to the Loftwing birds, known as the Oocca, said to be one of Hylia's earliest creations. She created the Oocca as a test while learning how to manipulate genetic traits in creatures. The Oocca took residence in both Skyloft and the Wind Tribe's City in the Sky for a time. Both floating islands had Hylian and avian inhabitants. Both used Clawshots to traverse between sections for those who did not have wings or means of transportation. The Oocca were a lab-created genetic hybrid between people and Loftwings, roughly the size of a chicken, but like I said, they were created as an experiment to test genetic code that would eventually be used in the creation of Hylians. The Oocca lived for a time as mammalian bird creatures that laid eggs."

"Like a platypus?"

"Yes, but similar to the shape of chickens with tiny human heads and mammary glands. They were disgusting, at least in my opinion, but they were very intelligent and acted as a way for the Royal Family to talk to deities … at least so it was said. They probably kept the floating islands in geosynchronous orbit for the Royal Family. The truth of whether any of these legends are true is … we'll never know. However, we did find a Clawshot when coming here. It doesn't work anymore, but it proes those old legends had some sort of truth to them. We also found remains of Oocca, so they were real, too."

"You … you did?"

"Yes. We found actual burial sites for those … creepy hybrid bird creatures. Looks like they went extinct at some point. But their graves are written in old Hylian and the graves we unearthed show the remains to be thousands of years old, while the earliest Hylian graves are about a thousand years older, meaning the inhabitants of this island left Skyloft to the Oocca at some point. Probably didn't have enough soil for agricultural needs."

"Okay, what's your point about the chicken people, anyhow?"

"LJ, think about it. Remains are something one can hold in their hand and prove something is real. The Wind Tribe's City in the Sky may have been docked with Skyloft for a short time, as well. The technology of these ancients is nothing short of amazing. But it's still old and … these buildings … it's something we're trying to keep up to code. That said, this is the first time something like this has ever happened."

"I have no idea what to think about any of that. But I heard a boom followed by a rumble. It sounded like an explosion and then the building came down."

The prime minister frowned. "Let's hope you're wrong. An explosion could be a generator or some sort of power source … or it could be…"

"Ganon," LJ interrupted.

"You killed Nohansen the Third, LJ. I'm starting to see why you and Zelda were perfect for one another. You both believed in this outlandish fantasy of good vs. evil. Seems like you were both perfect for one another."

"Have you read my books? I was the biggest advocate for technology being misinterpreted for divinity … until I saw Ganon."

"Mm, is that so…"

LJ continued. "And … while I believe Hylia was a genius mechanical engineer and created races using her mastery of genetic engineering, and she used technology to cultivate the lands and make changes to Hyrule, and to get a chunk of land aloft, all those things make her a 'goddess' in title only … and the fact remains that you're dismissing a lot of things … likely because you don't like the Royal Family and don't want to believe in … much of anything except that you think Hylians are superior to everything."

Daira crossed his arms over his chest, atop of his tie. "I see…"

"Did anyone live in that building?"

"It was … sadly … a building of artifacts. Mostly weapons, but we don't need armaments here. I highly doubt anyone was anywhere near that building. We don't even post guards there, because there are so few of us "

LJ brought his palms to his face. "If I wanted to attack you, I would start by destroying your ability to defend yourself, Mr. Mah-Tah."

"LJ, if you're implying that an ancient building needed 'Ganon' to destroy it…"

"I'm implying you should send your glorified HOA monitor to secure the premises first."

"I'm not the kind of prime minister that micromanages citizens. They know their jobs. I also preside over what's left of Greater Hyrule down on the ground. It's more than sixty people, for the record."

Sinister laughter bellowed out from the direction of the partially collapsed building.

LJ arched his brows. "Ganon or not, you've got someone with a flair for the dramatic involved."

Daira clenched both hands into fists. "I stand corrected. It seems you might be right about it being an attack. For that a person's voice to be that loud, someone must be broadcasting their laughter over a public announcement system."

"I've been to enough concerts to know there's not enough bass for that. Subwoofers that loud would cause the laughter to be felt in your chest at that low of … whoever that baritone is."

"You're seriously giving this whole Ganon thing way too much stock, son."

"Let's just go check it out for ourselves. With a community this small, anyone can be a first responder." As an afterthought, LJ said, "I'll take point. C'mon." LJ headed in the direction of the building but looked back, over his shoulder, to make sure Daira Mah-Tah was following him.

The prime minister collapsed to his knees with his jaw agape. Standing behind him was Nohansen the Third of Hyrule, his clawed fist was bloody, holding what looked like a heart in his grasp.

Daria clung to railing next to the steps to the front door of his single-story office building. He reached back and touched a bloody hole in the back of his sport blazer, then he brought his hand in front of himself, examining the blood on his fingertips. His face went pale, and he continued to stay up on his knees while leaning half-collapsed against the railing.

LJ's eyes widened. "Oh, shit."

"So, we meet again, young man." Ganon's gaze sparkled with mirth. "And I see you faked your death, too?"

"So much for the Skyloft force field," LJ grumbled.

Ganon squinted at LJ. "No, wait. That incredulous look in your eyes … this is the first time you've seen me this way, isn't it…? You looked at me the same way when you drove the Master Sword through my chest."

"You want me to do it again, is that it?" asked LJ with a narrowed glare. "I'm more than happy to impale you as many times as it takes."

"No, you've not aged a day. Furthermore, you're putting on airs. Hmm … so … did you come through time, young one? Fascinating."

"You deduced that from a look on my face? Talk about having a big imagination. And, damn, aren't you supposed to be dead, pal? I mean, ya' look dead with that green skin."

"No, you're lying to keep the Gate of Time a secret. I'm not an idiot, boy. I saw you die from radiation. Even the ancients could not survive what you endured," Ganon exclaimed, followed by another round of low chuckling. "It was quite a show. A show that told the people of Hyrule what would befall them if they did not bow down and worship me."

Daira lifted his head weakly, just enough to look up at LJ. "I was wrong," Mah-Tah murmured. "Kill him, Hero. I was wrong. I believe … I believe in you." Blood bubbled up from his mouth and ran down his chin. He fell forward, face down, on the walkway in front of the building he was using for his office, with one foot up on the first step, and his other foot splayed outward a little bit. There was a bloody hole at the back of his suit blazer.

Ganon chortled in amusement, glancing from the dead prime minister, then back to LJ. "No silver arrow, no Master Sword. Now what will you do, hero?"

"I don't suppose you'd accept the noble and honorable code of not fighting an unarmed man, would you?"

"There is no 'code' in warfare. Winning means survival. Survival is everything. Wining means I get to mold the world into what I want it to become."

LJ took a step back.

"As I understand, boy, you are not a true believer. Isn't that right, young man? LJ, was it? Yes. That was it. LJ Kasuto."

"Am I supposed to be honored you know my name? I drove the Master Sword through your chest, blind and dying from the inside out. I'm the guy that struck you down, so of course you should know my name."

"And you aren't the one that stabbed me through the heart. That LJ has died. And, yes, you should feel honored that I remembered your name. Then again, you are my nephew-in-law."

"How'd you survive that big-ass sword through the heart, anyhow? Oh, let me guess, you're a hard-light hologram?"

Ganon drew back his robe and the button-up shirt beneath. With a smirk, he displayed a wound in his chest in the advanced stages of healing. "One part Malice of the demon tribe, and two-parts Triforce of Power, dear 'nephew.' And so that we're on the same page … were you just suggesting I should let you run away?"

"You won't let me leave. First, you have no honor. Secondly, you know I'm attracted to Zelda, and that I'm going to develop feelings for her, and then marry her. You also know that I recently found out you killed her, so I'll want vengeance. Last, but not least, it amuses you to consider killing me before I go back through time and stab you in the chest."

Ganon chortled in baritone amusement. "I like you."

"Oh. Neat. I amused you; now we're besties. Awesome." LJ rolled his eyes and took another step back.

"You remind me of some of my old students. Moronic, sarcastic, and existing only to amuse me for a short time. In the end, I'm capable of striking you down, and you're unarmed. So … now what will you do, hero?"

Another voice, a woman's voice, came from around the side of the building. "…Keep you distracted 'til the calvary arrives!" Aryll had both Master Swords, one in each hand.

She thrust the blade in her left hand and swung the other sword in her right, going for Ganon's chest and throat.

Both swords became stuck in his body.

He turned to her and laughed with sheer amusement, then turned back to LJ.

Aryll gawked at the sight of the man having both swords jutting from his throat and chest.

Ganon said to LJ, "I heard that fool, Daira, give you a 'lesson' on the Hylians leaving Skyloft and the Wind Tribe's City in the Sky to the Oocca." He lifted the bloody heart muscle, gazed upon it as though examining it, then cut his gaze back to LJ. "The Oocca." He shook his head with a soft chuckle, adding, "They were an impressive race of intellectuals, but they were made as an experiment to implement biologically powered teleportation into the genome of a flesh-and-blood body, so Hylia could bestow such abilities upon herself. She was quite the genetic engineer, and she was a tech genius with many hobbies, including blacksmithing and building computers and batteries inside of weapons like the Goddess Blade, but I would call her something more apt: a mad scientist and a narcissist. Even I do not call myself a 'god' to my followers. Furthermore, she cut too many corners when genetically splicing together creatures other than Hylians. For example, the Oocca were disgusting chicken-bodied creatures that were never supposed to mate and carry on for generations. Besides, without opposable thumbs, do you really think the Oocca could have maintained this nation or that city?"

LJ discretely gestured for Aryll to back away.

Aryll took a few steps back, ducked around the corner, and called Link on her Sheikah slate.

Ganon continued monologuing. He formed his words carefully to speak with his large boar-like tusks. "You see, boy, Skyloft and the City in the Sky, which was built from a piece of Skyloftian land … they both had solid-light emitters to give the Oocca a synthetic race of Hylians to handle their chores, and to help them maintain these impressive islands amongst the clouds. There are hundreds upon hundreds of emitter lenses, here, on Skyloft. But the Oocca died out from inbreeding due to not having enough genetic material to maintain their species, as Hylia only made ten of each sex in total, and then she left them to survive on their own, because she had what she needed from them … results. Disgusting, hmm? They endured for far too long, though, becoming more hideous and sicker as time went on. But … you were right about two things, boy."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"My avatar body is a solid-light based hologram. And two, modern technology can interface with ancient tech, thereby allowing me to control the holographic emitters in this area. You cannot kill me, but I can kill you." Ganon reached down and took the prime minister by the hair. "Isn't that right, fool?"

LJ tensed up, waiting to see what Ganon would do next.

Ganon reached down and shoved the man's heart into his gaping slacked jaw. "Eat your heart out, Prime Minister."

LJ ran at Ganon while he was distracted. He yanked the top Master Sword from the side of Ganon's throat and turned to a small shiny glass circle nestled into the doorframe, which he remembered finding earlier. He struck the lens with the tip of the blade and Ganon's form disappeared.

Aryll came from around the corner, eyes wide. "What did you do?"

"I'll fill you in on the way to … wherever the ancient tech is run from. Like a server building or something. You live here. Lead the way."

Aryll's eyes widened. "Follow me." She paused and glanced back at the remains of Daira Mah-Tah, cringed at the macabre murder scene, and waved for LJ to stay close to her. "It's not too far."