"Ibis, welcome to the Knight Academy!" Zelda proclaimed as they approached the building's front gate.
It had been a little smaller than Ibis had anticipated, having only two stories and not being even that large when it came to floor space, but considering the small number of people in Skyloft…perhaps it didn't need to be as big as Ibis expected a school to be. He doubted that there would be more than a few dozen people there, if that.
Link seemed to have noticed his internal debate, as she went to explain. "Few students each year."
The girl had a way of keeping brief while saying just enough, Ibis noted… Although he wasn't sure if she was curt because she was just miffed at him for the Loftwing mishap, or if it was something else.
"I see," he conceded. "Anyways, I was left wondering: who exactly is your father?" He glanced at Zelda with a small tilt of his head.
The girl's eyes widened, remembering that she hadn't actually explained anything yet. "Right, of course, I forgot you didn't know…" she gave a weak laugh. "A-anyways, my dad is the headmaster of Knight Academy. He's pretty respected around Skyloft, so he should be able to do something about your situation."
Ibis nodded with a thoughtful hum. He was still a tad uncertain about the situation but chose to keep that thought to himself. Zelda seemed willing to help him, so it would be quite rude of him to seem ungrateful.
As he was led through the halls of the academy, he spotted several people wandering about. Some of them gave waves or smiles to the ladies guiding him, followed by uncertain or confused looks directed at him. They only served to exacerbate the feeling of not belonging that Ibis had been feeling thus far.
There were also the few people that Ibis could guess were instructors or staff members, both by their age and by the deferential looks the students gave them.
A loud clamor came from one of the nearby halls, rousing Ibis' curiosity. Somebody was shouting, although he couldn't make out the words. Alongside that was the sound of running growing closer.
Before they could turn the corner to see what was going on, a small furry creature barreled past them. It weaved between Ibis' legs, and by the time he'd turned around it was already at the end of the hallway.
A moment after, a burly man rounded the corner, nearly running into the three of them.
Before any words could be exchanged, Zelda and Link pointed in the direction the creature had just ran off to.
With a curt nod, the man moved past them and began his chase anew.
Ibis stood still for a moment, trying to wrap his head around the scene that had just unfolded.
"What… was that, exactly?" He hesitantly asked.
"That was Eagus, the captain of the Sky Knights, trying to stop Mia, my father's pet Remlit, from running away… again," Zelda explained with some mirth.
"And that happens often?"
"Often enough."
Ibis wasn't too sure of what that meant, but he just nodded and moved on.
"Come in," came a deep voice from beyond the door.
Zelda was the first to walk in, followed closely by Link and Ibis a few steps behind. The smell of ink and paper, accompanied by something sweet – perhaps cookies? – greeted them, alongside the sound of papers being shuffled around.
The office looked quite homely in Ibis' opinion, while still retaining the air of an important office. The walls were painted a dark green, interrupted by lightly decorated wooden pillars; bookshelves lined the left and right walls, and the windows were framed by deep crimson drapes. In the middle of the room sat a desk, and there was Headmaster Gaepora.
He was a… large man, with a bushy white monobrow covering his nearly bald head. The eyebrows melded into the strips of hair he had left, curving upwards around the man's head, and ending up in pointy tips, not unlike those on an owl's head. The large eyes sitting under said massive brow only reinforced the 'owl' imagery that Zelda's father gave off… which irked Ibis massively as he couldn't figure out how he knew any of that.
"I'm guessing she took after her mother," Ibis mused to himself in regards to Zelda, although he chose to keep that for himself. Instead, he settled on: "I'll say, whoever designed this office had good taste," while giving another sweeping glance over the room.
Gaepora took the comment in stride, chuckling a bit. "I'll be sure to pass on the compliment, young man. Please, do take a seat." He motioned for the convenient set of three chairs in front of his desk, two of which were already occupied by Zelda and Link.
Ibis took place on the left chair, leaving Zelda in the middle and Link on the other side.
"Now, before we address what brought you three here," Gaepora began, "I believe introductions are in order. I am Gaepora, headmaster of the Knight Academy, and Zelda's father." He extended his arm out towards Ibis.
Ibis grasped the man's hand in a handshake. "A pleasure to meet you, sir. I'm Ibis, and… I'm afraid that is it," he trailed off, bowing his head.
Skyloft's greetings were confusing and a tad embarrassing to Ibis, as apparently they had only one name – while his mind kept insisting there should be at least two names – and they insisted on mentioning their profession or connection to whoever introduced them. The only example of someone not doing that had been Zelda, but he'd assumed that it just slipped her mind at the time, since apparently not being able to offer anything other than your name was a bit rude.
Gaepora didn't look too off-put by the claim, although he did glance towards his daughter and her friend questioningly.
"It's a long story, dad."
The man nodded, easily letting go of Ibis' hand. "I see. In that case–" he got up from his chair "-may I offer you all something before we begin? A cup of tea, perhaps?"
After receiving a round of nods, Gaepora directed himself to a side room. The clatter of various objects came soon after.
Now finding themselves in the classical 'awkward silence' moment, Ibis tried to break the ice.
"Well… your father seems to be a kind person from what I've seen?"
"Yes, he is. And I'm sure he'll be able to come up with something."
Ibis raised his hands in mock-surrender. "Of course, I don't doubt it. Although I do hope we won't need to jump through too many hoops for that."
Both Link and Zelda looked at Ibis in confusion.
"What does that mean?" Zelda asked.
"...Hoops?" Link muttered to herself, looking quite puzzled.
"I meant that I hope we won't have too much trouble with it?" Ibis attempted to explain, feeling way out of his depth. "I'm sure you must've heard that saying somewhere before, right?"
Both girls shook their heads, much to his chagrin.
"What about 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'? Or 'curiosity killed the cat'?" He pressed on, a mixture of dread and curiosity welling up in his chest.
At yet another shake, Ibis leaned back into his chair.
"That is… worrying."
"Quite so," Gaepora chimed in, returning from the side room with a tray in his hands. After placing the tray on the desk, he began to hand out the cups.
"Your sayings are quite interesting, young Ibis, although I cannot for the life of me understand them. I do wonder where you heard them, though…" He let the question hang in the air as he began to pour out the tea.
"That is exactly the issue, sir: I can't remember." Ibis picked up his cup, taking a sip from it. "Even my name isn't really mine. It's just… something that I came up with as a placeholder. I can remember things and facts, but they all seem wrong in some way."
Gaepora hummed, his gaze showing a modicum of pity. "Quite the burden that you hold. Would you mind telling me what brought you here exactly?" The headmaster asked as he finally took a seat. "I gathered that you wish for my help, but I'm unsure as to what to do."
And so, Ibis recounted his day until that point, with some input from Zelda and occasionally Link to fill in any gaps.
By the end of it, the tea had cooled, and Gaepora had come to a conclusion.
"You tell an outlandish story, to say the least, Ibis," the old man began. "If you'd come to me on your own I would've held my doubts over your honesty." Gaepora locked eyes with Ibis for a moment, letting the sentence hang in the air, the man's hesitation clear as day.
"...But as both Zelda and Link seem to wish to help you, I will do what I can." The headmaster opened a drawer in his desk, pulling out a key from it. "The academy has some empty rooms among the student dormitories, you may stay there for the time being."
Of course, the implied condition of 'until you have a place of your own' went unsaid, but Ibis picked up on it.
"Thank you for your kindness, sir. If there is anything I can do to pay you back, just say the word." With a grateful smile, he took the key from Gaepora and placed it in his pocket, alongside the rock.
Both Zelda and Link seemed relieved, the former far more visibly than the latter.
"In fact, there would be something right now, if you wouldn't mind terribly."
Ibis was a tad surprised, but nodded regardless. "Of course, what is it?"
Gaepora turned to the two young women. "I'm sorry girls, but could you please lend us some privacy? I believe what we're going to discuss should remain only between Ibis and I."
Link and Zelda exchanged a confused glance, but didn't hesitate to leave the room as asked, although Link threw a worried glance towards them before closing the door behind her.
When the door clicked shut, Gaepora's demeanor changed, his gaze locking onto Ibis with an intensity he hadn't felt before. Ibis suppressed a shiver, feeling a cold sweat begin to form at the back of his neck.
"...Does this job really require this level of secrecy?" Ibis hazarded to ask, doubt beginning to creep up in his mind. "You're not about to ask me anything unethical, are you?"
Gaepora studied Ibis for a few more seconds after he spoke, before letting out a sigh and allowing his stance to relax a tad. "No, no, of course not." He shook his head. "That was a lie, I don't have a job for you. I simply wanted to ask you a few more questions."
"Oh." Ibis found himself at a loss for words. "Then why didn't he just… Ah. I see."
"You know more about my situation than you'd like to show, don't you?" A mix of hope and dread swirled in Ibis' gut, threatening to overwhelm him as the silence stretched out. His fingers clenched into a fist as he tried to keep calm.
In the end, it was Gaepora that broke the silence.
"I can make some assumptions, nothing more." The headmaster's voice was barely above a mutter, but Ibis heard it regardless. "But if I am right… well, these things are meant to be legends and nothing more. Spreading the voice might bring more trouble than it's worth."
"Headmaster Gaepora, I would like to say that I am thoroughly creeped out, and some concrete information would be very appreciated right now."
A beat of silence passed between the two, as Ibis' outburst settled properly in Gaepora's mind. And then the headmaster began to laugh, undercutting the tension that had accumulated until then.
"Yes, that– that might be for the best." Gaepora nodded while wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye. He then settled properly into his chair, a mirthful glint still present in his large eyes. "I suppose I should start from the beginning. Legend states that eons ago, Skyloft was not above the clouds…
…in fact, it was part of a much grander landmass situated below the clouds, larger than the eye could see. So massive even, that even the fastest and strongest loftwing would never reach its edge, no matter how much it would fly. That land was called the 'Surface'.
In that time, the Goddess Hylia lived among our people, guiding us in her wisdom. Unfortunately, that was not a time of peace.
The lord of demons, Demise, a creature of unimaginable evil and power, strove to dominate the Surface. His sight was set on the Triforce, a relic left behind by the three goddesses that created the world: Din, Nayru, and Farore. The Triforce was said to have the power to grant its weilder's wishes, which made it a perfect target for Demise.
The demon armies razed the land, in search of the Triforce, but every attempt was met with Hylia's counterattack. Over time, the Surface became little more than a barren wasteland.
Witnessing that our chances of survival were dwindling, the Goddess gathered all survivors, and detached a large chunk of land, sending it high into the skies. That land is what became Skyloft in the eons to come.
Now left alone, Hylia had no need to hold back her power for the safety of her people. Wielding the power of the Triforce alongside her own, she stood victorious against the armies of Demise, and fought their Lord to a standstill. When it became obvious that she couldn't defeat Demise on her own, the Goddess chose to use the full power of the Triforce, sealing away the demon.
"...and that brings us to now, with everyone believing this story to be but a simple legend."
"But it's not, is it?" Ibis mused out loud, still mulling over the legend Gaepora had told him. He had to admit that the headmaster was quite the storyteller.
"I have reason to believe so."
"And how does it relate to me, again?" Ibis pressed on, some of his manners diregarded in the face of mounting exasperation.
"Your unusual speech," Gaepora began to list off. "Your knowledge of facts that don't line up with Skyloft; the way you seem to remember how a society would work, but not our society… Ibis, I think you might hail from the surface."
Ibis let his head fall into his hands with a sigh. "Of course. I suppose it makes more sense than other explanations," he groaned, his voice muffled. "Doesn't explain one thing though." He raised his head just enough to look at the headmaster. "How did I get here? Divine providence?"
"...Perhaps."
Ibis' eyes glazed over at that. He sat motionless for almost a full minute, leaving Gaepora to grow slightly concerned.
"...I think I want to go to sleep right now…" Ibis muttered.
Ibis laid down on the bed in his guest room. He was tired, but he just couldn't fall asleep: his mind was too cluttered to offer him any peace.
His thoughts flowed from his current lack of answers to the half-formed theories of his origins, to worrying over what if those theories were real. It was grating massively on his nerves, and there wasn't much that he could do about it.
With a groan, he buried his face in his pillow, trying to smother away the worries. It didn't work, but at least the pillow was comfy.
"What am I even supposed to do? Save the world? Be a messanger? Just… exist?" He flipped around, glaring at the ceiling.
"Couldn't bother to give me a sign, could you?" He whispered, partially hoping that this so-called goddess was listening. "You bring me here, scramble around my mind, and just… leave me to scrap for any piece of knowledge?" He dragged a hand through his red locks, pushing them out of his eyes with a huff.
The silence stretched out, as he tried to calm down – or at least make sense of – his thoughts. It was an endeavor in futility, though, as the ideas became just a hodgepodge of conflicting emotions.
His gaze landed on his coat, hanging from a nail in the wall. A lump in its pocket reminded Ibis of what he'd overlooked until now: the rock.
Pushing the sheets away, Ibis went to pull the stone out of the coat's pocket. The dim light coming from the window showed off the carving on the stone's smooth surface.
It fit comfortably in his hand, just a little smaller than the palm of his hand. It was more rounded on one side than the other, too, a bit like…
"...an egg," he muttered, brows furrowing as he looked at the rock. "Why does it look like an egg? Why did you give me this?"
When no answer came from the piece of rock, he chucked it at his pillow with a grunt.
"...What a fucking joke." The curse word felt odd on his tongue, like a taste he wasn't used to. It did feel good to get it out, though.
Ibis let himself fall back onto the bed. The stone rolled off the pillow, lightly bumping against the side of his head. Picking it up again, he glared at it.
He hadn't realized that he was clenching his fist that hard, though, as a crack rang out.
Looking over the stone again he found the fracture: a thin line, going from one side of the carving to the other. Had he caused that?
Confused, he tried to grip part of the desk in the far corner of the room, clenching as hard as he could. When after a few seconds the wood didn't crumble under his supposed strength, Ibis glanced at the stone again.
"What if… I'm supposed to break it?"
He gripped the rock with both hands, applying as much pressure as he could. More cracks appeared on the egg-shaped rock, and with each fracture a light began to peek out from within the rock.
Then, with a heave, the rock shattered.
Ibis immediately found himself staring at his hands when he couldn't feel the shards digging into his palms. It was like the rock had never been there, having disappeared in a flash of light.
A small chirp came from behind Ibis.
Whirling around, he spotted a yellow bird sitting on his bed. In fact, 'yellow' didn't do it justice: it was golden, with large eyes staring straight at him. Its traits were reminiscent of an eagle, although it was a tad smaller than what he'd expect one to be. Maybe two feet tall, at most.
Beyond its… unique, looks, something else grabbed Ibis' attention.
A small spark of recognition appeared in Ibis' mind as he looked at the bird, his mind easily supplying a name.
Ibis and 'Vidofnir' stared at each other for a long moment, and for some reason – possibly the same reason behind the name – Ibis was certain that the golden bird was feeling some small level of annoyance at his silence.
"...I asked for a sign, not a bird."
An indignant chirrup came from the bird, and Ibis could feel that it had taken offense to his words.
The young man massaged his eyes, trying to understand what to make of the situation. He ended up giving up before making much headway, simply moving towards the bed.
"I'm going to sleep. I'll deal with you when I can be bothered."
Welp, we're not getting anything on the system proper, but just by our new avian friend you can probably tell where I want to take Ibis.
Chapter came a day later than I hoped, but honestly I couldn't be arsed to finish writing yesterday.
Big thanks to my patrons: whod99, Wiggy, and Cameron the Shand Bear.
