"...but know this: that no matter how difficult this battle might get… if you—if anyone ever tries to do you harm… then I will heal you."

Link's eyes opened as the sun shined through the windows of his home. Sitting up, he glanced at the Sheikah slate and eyed the time.

His mind wandered as he got out of bed. Why did he dream of that? Her voice seemed so real yet he knew it was merely a memory of the past. Link walked down the steps and rummaged through the food he had brought along his journey. He sifted through a few hearty truffles before finding the red glistening fruit he had been searching for.

Biting into the apple, Link gazed at the now barren walls that surrounded him. Thoughts of his dream drifted back into focus as he reminisced. He had purchased the weapon mounts for his house for a reason. The weapons of the champions had adorned his walls, reminding him of the friends he had lost. Although reluctant to make use of them, Link had carried their armaments into his final battle against Calamity Ganon. It was a token of his appreciation. Although they may not have physically been there with him, the Champions' blessings along with their trusted weapons had all played a role in Calamity Ganon's defeat.

It was poetic really. Although the blights had slain the chosen champions save for the Princess and the Hero, those same champions had still succeeded in their final mission. Or at least they should have. Link grasped at his head as a wave of pain washed over him. He still didn't quite understand what had happened. He shook his head, discarding the thought. What did it matter now? He along with the Princess had been thrust back to the past. He had gone right back to the beginning of his journey. The only thing that mattered now was defeating the Calamity. There were no more memories to chase. No more spirit orbs to search for. No more Korok seeds to hunt. The only thing that mattered to him now was the end of Calamity Ganon. He had a duty to the people. He would not fail after coming so far before.

After throwing out the apple, Link returned to his dresser, changing back into his usual garb. The clothes he once had before being sent back had all been within the Sheikah slate. It was an incredible tool to have. Similar to how he could create bombs out of thin air, the Sheikah slate was capable of materializing many of the objects he had brought on his journey. The results of his time leap were inconsistent however. It seemed that while his armor, food, and rupees had remained, everything else was gone. All of his weapons, bows, arrows, and shields hadn't made it. This included the Master Sword along with the Hylian shield.

He was thankful that at the very least, his armor had all remained. Upon further inspection however, it seemed that he was missing one thing: his Champion's tunic. The blue body armor was nowhere to be seen. His only guess was that it had returned to Impa in Kakariko village. He reminded himself to ask about it whenever he arrived to see the Sheikah elder. In the meantime, he had a different Sheikah to see.

As Link stepped outside, he was met by the nostalgic sounds of the world around him. Crickets chirped, the wind blew, and the people of Hateno went about their day as Link began his walk towards Hateno's ancient tech lab. As he walked, he received many smiles and waves which he graciously returned. Even with his status as the chosen Hero and the Hylian Champion, the people didn't seem too fixated on his titles. He was thankful for that. The people understood the weight of his responsibilities. He didn't have the time to stop and chat unless he approached first.

The path to the lab was a long, somewhat exhausting task. He noticed the lamps along the path lit with the blue fire of the ancient furnace. His curiosity was at its peak. He remembered when he first arrived at the lab. The path was somewhat unkempt. Yet now, as he walked up the path to the lab, everything seemed well maintained and cared for. He paused at the top of the hill and soaked in the view of Hateno. Even after all that Calamity Ganon had done, the world truly was a beautiful place. Link sighed as he turned around and made his way to the door of Purah's laboratory.

Pushing the door in, he was met with an unfamiliar figure. His eyes narrowed, one eyebrow raising as he looked at the person in front of him. White hair with a streak of red, chopsticks sticking out of her bun, and a pair of familiar glasses.

"Linky! So glad you could make it!" The lab director made her way towards Link as he was still frozen out of surprise due to her changed appearance. "Oh come on, you know me! I know I probably look a little different than you were expecting, but I experimented with an anti-aging rune. You should've seen it! Symin was so worried that it might not work but I just knew it was gonna be fine. Come here! It's been ages since I saw you."

Without a word from him, Purah pulled Link into a hug. Link snapped out of his stupor and soon returned her surprisingly affectionate greeting. Yet as the two remained with Purah still holding on, he looked at the woman and noticed the tears that fell from her face.

"Purah, are you…?"

"I'm fine," she said, still holding on. "It's just… it's been so long. I'm just happy you're back is all…" Purah held on for a bit longer as Link stood there. Symin remained in the back of the room, allowing Purah to have her moment.

As the two separated, Purah wiped the tears from her eyes as she got another look at Link. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask whatever. I might not be able to help as much as Impa, but I'll do what I can."

"Um, thank you for keeping my house maintained. I know it's been a hundred years so it must've been hard just waiting for me to come back," Link said as the two walked further into the lab. The two took a seat as they continued.

"It's no big deal, really. We can't forget about the Champions that saved the world all those years ago. It may not be completely over yet, so that's why we've been keeping your legacy going. We knew you'd be back. It was just a matter of when. The least I could do was keep your home in check."

"Can you restore the full power of the Sheikah slate? I have the parts necessary to fix it, but you're the expert," Link asked. He pulled out the slate and handed it over.

Purah examined the device, a wave of nostalgia washing over her as she eyed it. "Yeah. I should be able to restore this back to full power with all the stuff we've got here. We're still well funded by the townspeople so don't worry about the cost. They've all been waiting for your return as much as we have."

The Sheikah woman stood up, walked over to the guidance stone and placed the Sheikah slate into position. Blue runes all around the stone began to glow before culminating in a single drip that fell onto the Sheikah slate. Even after all this time, it was still a marvel to see the ancient technology do its work.

"So, where are you headed next?" Purah asked as she handed the slate back to him.

"Vah Ruta. I know the Zora's domain is in trouble because of the constant rainfall so I want to do something for them," he informed her.

"It's pretty rough up there. Although I do wish I could help, there's not much a researcher like me can do. I'm sure the prince and king will appreciate your return. 100 years will certainly do that to you."

Link nodded and thanked her for help. While he would have loved to stay and talk more with Purah, he needed to get going. His journey would be long and even though he believed he knew all of the expected situations, he also acknowledged that the world around him wasn't the same one he had once known. It seemed that the circumstances regarding the Champions had all been the same: they had each been defeated by Ganon's blights. Even so, he had a duty to fulfil. Although his first Divine Beast of interest was in the Zora's domain, he had to cross through Kakariko village to get there. With that in mind, the Hylian champion decided he would stop by the Sheikah village, interested to see how Impa was doing.

He made haste for the village by using the Sheikah slate to warp from Hateno to the Shrine he had activated near the Dueling Peaks stable. As he followed the path heading north, he saw the open fields filled with horses of many different types. Understanding the importance that a horse would play, Link opened up his armor inventory and switched his clothing out. Donning the Sheikah stealth armor, Link made his way into the field, sneaking up behind the horses.

His approach was silent and unseen by the horses. As he neared a horse, quickly jumped onto its back, soothing it as it tried bucking him off. The horse was plain brown with a tan mane to match. He made his way back towards the stable to get it registered, along with fixing up a saddle for the horse.

With his horse prepped for the journey ahead, Link rode north, following the roads towards Kakariko village. Traveling the roads had its highs and lows. On one hand, the occasional calmness of the world around him let him bask in the tranquil atmosphere. Although he was on a mission, he still had his own needs. Just being out and about, walking without a worry was enough to fulfil some of them.

On the other hand, the world was still a dangerous place. If he learned anything from the time he had spent preparing to fight the Calamity the first time, it was that danger lurked wherever you least expected it. He made use of his newly upgraded runes along with weapons he had picked up along the way. He raided bokoblin camps, slaying all the monsters and replenishing his stock of weaponry. Soldier's and traveler's weaponry was most common, though Link occasionally ran across a bokoblin with a knight's weapon. Even if it wasn't the best, he had to work with what he could get. Any weapon helped and he'd be damned if he thought he was above the need for weaponry.

As Link passed through the valley that led to the entrance of the village, he viewed the contents of his weaponry. The quality of the weapons that he picked up tended to be worn down. As such, they didn't hold their edge long enough to be useful and some even cracked after use. He couldn't wait to get his hands on the Master Sword once more. Although he knew it had a recharge time for its full effectiveness, he could still use the blade without fearing for its durability.

As he rode into town, Link dismounted his horse. He left it at the entrance before walking into town. All around him, the people of the village took glances at him, wide eyed at his return to the village. Although they knew he was back, they hadn't expected to see him so soon. The history between the Sheikah and the Royal Family had been marred by the existence of the ancient Sheikah technology. Their inventions had been outlawed leading to the split in the Sheikah and Yiga factions. Although the Sheikah had accepted that their technology was dangerous, it was still a long held belief that those associated with the Royal Family had a dislike for the Sheikah.

Of course, asking any Sheikah who actually took the time to interact with them would tell you otherwise. The Royal Family treasured the Sheikah as much as they did any other citizen of Hyrule. It wasn't the current generation's fault for the exile of Sheikah technology. In fact, they had embraced it, utilizing it in their attempt to stop the Great Calamity. Elder Sheikah like Impa and Purah were good friends with some of the Royal Family. They both shared great trust and appreciation for the Hylian champion Link while still remaining respectful, courteous, and friendly with the Princess. King Rhoam seeked their expertise in handling the ancient tech and as such, had clearly respected their ancestors' works.

As Link approached Impa's hut, he was spotted by Dorian and Cado. Link's eyes remained on Dorian much longer than they had Cado's. Afterall, Link knew of the man's true nature and his original affiliation.

"Link! We heard of your return and have been awaiting your arrival! Miss Impa has been waiting for you. Please, make your way up," Cado said as he stood by.

Link simply nodded to them before heading up. As he reached the top, he was surprised to see that Paya hadn't been milling around outside. He remembered that the first time he had been there, the poor girl was almost scared to see him. He pushed the doors open and was greeted by a strange sight.

"There's two?" He simply asked.

Sitting where Impa once sat was Paya. Or was it? No, her hair was much too long to have been Paya. Not to mention, Paya had been standing by the Sheikah orb that sat within its spot beneath the stairs.

"Link, I see you're finally awake," The Paya sitting on the throne said as she stood up. "It has been quite a long time. I see you don't recognize me… Although I am much older now, I still resemble the me that you once knew all those years ago."

"Impa?" Link sputtered.

She smiled as he finally put two and two together. "Purah had requested my presence at her lab in Hateno one day. It was such a surprise to see her as she had been much younger than I had last seen her and she told me she had created a method of reversing age. She asked to try it on myself as well and I couldn't say no to my dear sister. She had aspirations to have retired soldiers become young again. When she told me this I knew she had finally gone too far. It was unethical to make these people come back to fight for Hyrule. They had already done their duty. She destroyed the tune soon after, but she had already used it on me and herself."

Impa grasped his hands as she reached him.

"It's been so long, Link. I'm sure you heard enough times from Impa but we truly have missed you. You do seem different though. Perhaps the Shrine of Resurrection had something to do with that? It seems your memory is spotty. It makes sense. After all, you were gone for a hundred years." Letting go of his hands, Impa returned to her seat in the center of the room. Reaching behind her, a hint of blue made its way out into the open as the Sheikah elder pulled out something very familiar.

The Champion's tunic had finally returned to its rightful owner.

"I have been holding onto this ever since we had to place you in the Shrine of Resurrection. I must admit, it's an impressive armor piece. Despite its light appearance, it's sturdy. Of course, I understand that some of your armor is specialized for certain uses. Wouldn't want heavy, metal armor when trying to be quiet after all."

As Link stashed the clothing away within the Sheikah slate's inventory, he looked over to see a fidgeting Paya. The girl seemed to be panicking, unsure of what to do in his presence.

Impa followed his eyes and laughed. "Oh relax, Paya! No need to be so stiff around Link. Just because he's a champion doesn't mean he isn't a person still, okay? I'm sure he would prefer if people treated him the same way as always."

"Um, s-sorry! I just don't know what to say! I uh, I think I'll go out and clean!" She stuttered as she swiftly walked out the door.

The two remaining in the room locked eyes and couldn't help but laugh at the poor girl's chronic shyness. Of course, they both knew of the girl's little crush on the Hylian champion. It was clear as day when they watched how she acted. She was constantly red at the cheeks and occasionally threw glances towards him.

"Best of luck, Link. I wish you safe travels and hope you may free the Zora of the eternal rain that plagues them. I would suggest you search for your sword as well. The Master Sword is a legendary blade for a reason."

Impa gave Link a quick hug as she wished him the best. Link waved goodbye as he opened the door and stepped out into the fresh breeze that blew throughout the village. As he walked down the stairs, he heard footsteps and a voice call out his name.

"Link! Good luck!" Paya told him as she gripped the railing. Link nodded to her and waved goodbye as Paya returned indoors.

The Zora- no, the world was waiting for him. Everyone had high hopes for his mission. Of course, he had to prove to everyone that their hopes were well placed.

With a new sense of determination, Link marched on, motivated by his sense of duty to the people of Hyrule. Mounting his horse, he made his way back through the valley that had led him to the village. His journey to the Zora's domain led him south, back towards the Dueling Peaks. With his horse in tow, Link traveled throughout Hyrule, his new destination being the Lost Woods.

As he passed by Central Hyrule, his eyes fell on Hyrule castle. He knew Zelda was fighting for everyone in there. He could only pray that her powers remained strong. As he turned away however, a voice called out to him.

"Link… You need not worry. Although I may have held back Calamity Ganon's power for 100 years, I can still go on. Please, do what you must to save Hyrule. Do not fret over my own well-being."

Her words gave him comfort as he rode across the guardian littered land of Central Hyrule. He knew Hyrule would be in good hands. The Princess was right. She had done it for 100 years already. If anyone knew her strength, it was herself. Link steeled himself and rode forth, passing through Central Hyrule without a hitch. As he arrived at the Lost Woods, Link saw the familiar fog that had filled the air when he had first arrived.

It had taken him a bit to understand the path of the Lost Woods. This time though, he knew exactly what to do. As he followed the lit braziers, he picked up a nearby torch and lit it. This was the key. He followed the blow of the wind, the path of the embers as he walked through the dense fog.

It wasn't long before he arrived in the familiar Korok Forest. All around him, the sound of chatter surrounded him. The Koroks of the Korok Forest had seen his arrival. Due to their secluded nature, the inhabitants of the Korok Forest hadn't known about Link's awakening. However, as he stood in front of them now, their spirits were lifted.

The forest spirits greeted Link, cries of "Mr. Hero" came from all around him. It seemed that his return truly was special. Even with the spirits around him, the path forward was clear. It was obvious what he had to do.

Link stepped forward and grasped the handle of the Master Sword. It was a familiar feeling. Although it had sat there for some time, the handle of the blade was warm to the touch. It had been waiting for his return.

"Ah, so you finally decided to return," a deep voice called out to Link. "Well, better late than never."

The Great Deku Tree had awoken. "A hundred years have passed and although you may look the same, you seem different. I had almost given up hope in seeing you again. Even my patience has limits, you know. Although I may not be able to tell whether or not you are ready to wield the sword once more, it surely can."

Link gripped the handle with both hands and began pulling the sword out of the stone. He felt his very life draining away as he pulled, though he knew it was all a test. Sure enough, the blade came free, releasing with a bright shine as Link realized that the Master Sword seemed different.

It shined even without the threat of Calamity Ganon in the area. As he held it in his hands, something told him that the blade he once knew was far stronger than he could have imagined. However, that power came at a price: time. The sword would need time to recharge should he use its power too often. Of course, this was the same as before, however it seemed that this blade was more durable than before.

"Go forth, and bring peace to the world," the Great Deku Tree told him. Link nodded and returned his gaze to the Master Sword once more. A Korok soon got his attention, giving him the fabled blade's scabbard.

Strapping the sword on his back, Link turned to leave, the Koroks and Deku Tree watching him. He felt the warm embrace of the forest and knew that he had received their blessing. Hyrule was waiting for him.

Thank you for reading! Next chapter we'll see the Zora's domain. I hope you're all enjoying reading this as much as I am writing this. Even though the updates may be scarce, I truly do love writing these and have a lot planned for the future.

I'll address a few reviews from the first chapter.

I really like the Mipha pairing. Vah Ruta was the first Divine Beast that I finished, and seeing the lore behind the Zora armor was so wholesome despite what happened. I don't have a concrete plan to include romance, but if I end up doing it, it's 99% going to be Mipha.

Unfortunately, Link isn't going to go straight to Hyrule castle. Evidently, he's going to free the Divine Beasts first so no speedrun strats yet.

I am aware of the NG Plus(ish) glitch that the community has found, however my fic is not actually inspired by that. I just really wish BotW had an NG+ built in because I love the game but man the grind can be rough sometimes. Some questions will be answered in due time, but I'm not going to spoil anything before I even write it. I'll say now though that although the people of Hyrule know about Link, they don't know about the whole time travel bit.

Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you look forward to future updates!