I called Shade once we finally made it back outside. And once the burning in my legs reached a more manageable level. I didn't want to begin thinking about how many stories I had just climbed.
Shade said he and Midna were still on a tour of the college and were planning to get dinner afterwards, which I graciously invited Zelda and myself to. I could tell that wasn't what Shade wanted, but I was hungry and needed a distraction from our quest, so to the restaurant we went. Again, I changed out of my heroing gear beforehand, even though I looked like a total badass.
We all decided to go to a local pizza place that the college tour guide apparently said was the best around. I didn't have anything to compare it to, but I was willing to believe that Mario's held that spot. Not just based on taste either. I've never seen a slice of pizza as loaded with toppings as whatever Shade got.
Of course, Shade and I made slight jabs at each other about each of our preferred female company the entire time. But in my defense, he started it. We somehow managed to keep the girls from catching on, which might have been the most impressive feat of the day.
Once we were done, we all went back to the motel Shade and Midna were staying at. Midna even invited us to stay with them, since there were two beds. I don't think anyone misunderstood the implications behind the offer, but I was completely content to keep my mouth shut about it, a sentiment apparently shared by everyone else as well.
Of course, a slight problem arose when I stuck my arm into one of my magic pouches to pull out a change of clothes and Midna saw my arm disappear into a bag that should only have fit up to my wrist. It was the only time I ever saw someone do a quadruple take.
"What in the bloody fucking hell is that?" she asked. I could definitely see why Shade liked her. She had the same foul mouth he did.
"Uh…..nothing?" I stammered out, pulling my arm free of the bag, clean shirt in hand. Midna immediately grabbed the pouch from me and peered inside. After conducting her own thorough test of how it worked and pulling everything she could find out of it, she looked in awe at the pile of weapons and bits and bobs we had collected. Shade got back from his trip to a nearby convenience store just then and looked at the pile.
"Well, at least some of that is new. The hell are these?" he asked, grabbing the Earth Gauntlets from the top of the pile. I quickly snatched them from him before he accidentally caused an earthquake. I didn't know if he could use magic, but I wasn't taking the risk.
"Very dangerous, no touch," I said quickly, holding them away from my twin's grasping hands. Of course, as soon as he realized he couldn't grab them back, he immediately picked up the Ice Cannon. I immediately started playing an elaborate game of keep-away with him until Zelda came out of the bathroom, freshly showered. Of course, she was in the middle of shoving a large bottle of shampoo into another one of my magic pouches, which didn't really help the situation.
"Alright, so what the actual fuck is going on here?" Midna asked, having finished her inspection of all the dangerous magical items in our possession. "I think there's something you've forgotten to tell me, Shadren," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice. I would have been more concerned with someone else finding out what our mission was, but I was too busy being surprised that someone had called Shade by his full name and they were still standing. Much like myself, he was not a fan of his full name, but he was a little more violent in his protests. At least, he usually was. He must really be a fan of Midna's.
"Um, well, it's that…I guess….any help here? It is your quest," Shade said to me, apparently thinking he was going to get some form of help from me. Oh, how wrong he was. I just smiled at him with the biggest shit eating grin I could manage.
"Oh, for the Goddesses' sake Link, at least try to be helpful," Zelda said, brushing her long hair straight. I briefly thought that I wished I could be the one doing that but relented with a sigh.
"Fine, fine." So for the next half hour, I explained the basics of our journey and what was going on. Midna listened quietly for the entire time, and Shade was fascinated by the boss monsters we had faced. I came to the end of the story and Midna turned to Zelda, who was sitting next to me on one of the beds.
"So, you can use magic? Can I see? I've always wanted to see what other people could do, but it's hard to find people who can use magic that well." She had been extremely attentive when I described the magic weapons we had found, and I could tell she wanted to see them in action. Zelda nodded, and stretched out her hand. Golden motes immediately started to glow above her palm and streams of brilliant light twisted and spiraled into the air. They contorted and shaped themselves until a beautiful flower made of light hovered in the middle of the room. Zelda snapped her fingers and the whole thing burst apart and disappeared. Midna was in awe.
"How? How are you that powerful? I've been practicing for years, and I can't do anything close to that. And you discovered your magic, what, a few days ago? How the fuck can you do that?" Midna grabbed Zelda's hand and turned it over, as if the answer was on the back of her hand. Zelda just shrugged and grabbed the Fire Rod.
"That's not all. It's easier with one of the conduits, but I can control flame and heat, ice and water, and now presumably the earth too." This really surprised Midna.
"That's impossible. No one can use multiple kinds of magic. You're limited to one kind. Like me, I can only use shadow magic. Vaati, the prick, can only use wind magic." Zelda immediately proved her wrong by conjuring a fireball in one hand and an icicle in the other, both floating above her outstretched palms before she made them disappear. "Incredible," Midna said in a hushed whisper. She focused for a moment before a small sphere of pure darkness appeared over her left hand. "Can you use shadow magic too?"
Zelda seemed to consider it and tried but couldn't get anything to appear. "I guess not," she said, thoughtful. "Probably because I'm a light goddess, I can't control dark magic." Midna startled for a moment, before nodding slightly.
"I forgot you said you were a goddess. I guess that makes sense then. But hah, at least I'm not completely useless. I can do something you can't, Miss Divinity." She looked very satisfied with a ridiculously smug grin on her face and a ball of shadow floating around her hand. I could see the challenge in Zelda rise at the barb, and she waved her fingers at Midna briefly. A beam of gold light shot from her fingers and hit the shadow orb, immediately dispersing it. She smiled slightly and leaned back on her hands.
"Oh, what was that? Better than me, you say? I don't think so." Midna instantly shot back a nefarious grin.
"It's on."
The next half hour consisted of the girls running around the room, shooting small bolts of magic at each other while Shade and I halfheartedly watched a movie on TV, often glancing over as the girls bounced around. Not that Monty Python wasn't always great, but neither one of us was fool enough to pass up watching the girls' 'fight' as it went on. Eventually, they dropped to one of the beds, panting from the magic and running around. They then proceeded to play around with the Fire Rod, Ice Cannon, and Earth Gauntlets. The room went from steaming to freezing to filthy to ridiculously clean in less time than it took to conduct a witch trial.
"That," Midna said, twirling a cloud of dirt around her gauntleted fingers, "is way too much fun." Zelda nodded in agreement, creating fireballs and ice clusters and smashing them together. Then Midna said something that really caught my attention. "What if you used all three of them at the same time? What do you think you could do?" We hadn't even considered using all three of the weapons in conjunction, mainly because we hadn't really had time.
Zelda strapped on the Earth Gauntlets and hefted the Fire Rod and Ice Cannon in her hands. She focused for a moment before the dirt Midna had been playing with floated towards her into a rough sphere. She conjured a ball of heat and flame and another of ice and water. The three hovered in front of her in a line before slowly orienting themselves into a triangle. Fire on top, ice on Zelda's left, and the earth sphere to her right. The three floated there for a moment before Zelda's own golden power wove between them. From Zelda's glowing eyes and smooth movements, I could tell it was mostly the goddess inside her doing this. Midna reached out to stop her, but I quickly grabbed her hand, holding it away from the glowing magic.
The three orbs of magic were completely surrounded by golden energy, which wrapped around them to form the symbol of the Triforce in front of Zelda. She raised her hands, still holding the Fire Rod and Ice Cannon and wearing the Earth Gauntlets and smashed all three into the image burning in front of her. There was a blinding light and a quiet thud, almost like the distant roll of thunder, before the light faded and Zelda slumped to the side, eyes closed. I quickly went to steady her and glanced at Midna and Shade to see what they thought of the whole event. Midna looked stunned. Shade was asleep.
Looking back to Zelda, I found that the three weapons she had been holding had disappeared and had been replaced by some strange mix of all of them. It was a staff, its core made up of the same red wood as the Fire Rod, and the large Fire's Ember remained at the top. Twisting around the Fire's Ember were what sort of looked like vines made of leather straps, wrapping around the staff back and forth until they reached the bottom and entwined around the two yellow gems that had adorned the Earth Gauntlets. Back at the top were what looked like flower petals, made from the blue-white metal that had constructed the Ice Cannon, with a darker blue towards the base of the 'petals' and white at the tips. Just under the Fire's Ember were the gems from the Ice Cannon, dark blue and striking against the metal and again wrapped around slightly by the leather straps. A few decorative metal flanges sloped down and away from the staff. Two bands of the blue metal also ran the length of the rod until they met the beginning of the twisting brown straps.
The whole thing looked incredible and hummed with power.
Zelda shook herself awake, groaning slightly and holding her head. She looked up at me and flushed red. "I've got to stop doing that. I feel like such a wuss, constantly waking up out of a magic induced daze in your arms."
"I don't mind," I said before I could stop myself. Zelda blinked repeatedly, holding eye contact with me, before she pushed herself upright looked down at the staff she had, for lack of a better word, forged.
She quickly turned it around, inspecting every inch of it. Midna leaned over too, eager to look at the staff. Zelda held it firmly and gasped slightly. "I can feel the magic coursing through it. Even more than when they were separate." She swung the staff slightly and instantly summoned a roaring cloud of flame. I could see hints of golden power flickering around the edges, guiding and forming the fire. Zelda dissipated the inferno and summoned a cloud of lights. The gold of her goddess powers was much richer than usual, and the glowing orbs were larger and more numerous as well. "My light magic is much stronger too."
"That's incredible," I said, taking the staff from her. I tried something similar, but it didn't have quite the same effect. I was able to create a larger fireball than usual, but it didn't have the power Zelda's did, nor did it show any gold in the flames. Midna tried her hand as well but was hardly able to summon anything. She and Zelda thought it might be due to the fact that the staff was made with light magic and Midna used shadow. Compatibility, or something like that.
I left the girls to experiment and went over to join Shade on the couch pressed against one of the walls. He cracked his eye open when I sat down. "What'd I miss?" he asked. Cheeky bastard.
"The girls got a new toy and are playing with it." I realized a second late how horribly that could be taken. Of course, Shade did just that.
"Oh, is that something we're not allowed to watch? I won't tell we snuck a peek if you don't." I promptly shoved him off the couch, rolling my eyes as he laughed his ass off.
We all talked for a little bit that night about what we would all do next, even calling Hunter and Sheik to see what they were thinking. We came to the conclusion that, at least for the moment, there wasn't really anything else they could do, and Zelda and I just had to head back to the Temple. The other four would head back home. Zelda and I would leave for the Temple of Time first thing in the morning. And so, after very specifically not talking about the sleeping arrangements, we all tucked in for the night.
I woke up first, and, seeing Zelda curled up on the other side of the bed and laying on one of my arms, carefully extracted myself to not disturb her sleep. I looked to the other bed to see Shade and Midna both sprawled across the bed at several odd angles, something that Shade always did. Looked like those two were basically made for each other. I took a quick shower before anyone else got up.
Within an hour or so of everyone waking up, we were all packed up and ready to go. Zelda was suited up in her ridiculously flattering biking gear, something that Midna made fun of her endlessly for, and I was wearing most of my heroing gear and my leather jacket. I was told by Zelda that it all went together pretty well, which Midna also teased her about. We all said our goodbyes and said we'd meet up back home in a day or so, depending on how things turned out.
Having fully fueled the Master Cycle, we said goodbye one last time and, with Zelda's arms wrapped around my waist, we drove south.
Okay, again, not that I don't love my motorcycle, but eight hours is a long time to sit on one. Sure, it wasn't terrible. Zelda and I talked and listened to music thanks to something in the helmets that blocked out the whistling of the wind and let us hear each other, but it was still a lot.
Regardless, we made it to the Temple about ten hours after we left the Din District of Hyrule City, just as the majority of people were leaving. The Temple was open 24/7, but most people didn't want to worship the gods at seven at night.
We stepped into the dimly lit Temple of Time and made our way to the front where the main altar was. We made eye contact with one of the priestesses who immediately hurried over to us.
"Let the Sheikah know that the Hero and Hylia are here and have finished all the trials," I said as Zelda took a seat in a nearby pew. To her credit, the young priestess didn't ask any questions, just hurried off to inform the Elders. Maybe she had been told to expect us. Or maybe we were just that imposing, fully decked out in my full Hero gear and Zelda carrying the Divine Scepter as I chose to call it. Maybe that name was a little over the top, but it definitely fit the thing.
Zelda and I were waiting in one of the pews, looking around the Temple. They lowered the lights inside at night to allow for a more atmospheric feeling, leaving the only bright sources of light various braziers scattered around. If they were looking for a warmer vibe, they definitely did a good job of it.
"Excuse me, you two, but how are you doing?" Zelda and I turned in surprise to see an average looking man with a hint of a beard and short brown hair standing at the end of our pew. The odd thing was, we had heard no sign of his approach in the very nearly silent temple. It was as if he had just…appeared.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" I asked, somewhat cautious of starting up a conversation with a mysterious stranger. The stranger startled slightly.
"You mean you don't…oh wait, never mind, you're not one of those kinds of people. No, I'm sorry, completely my fault. I am Oliver," he said with a sweeping bow, "and I'm somewhat of a fan of yours. Of both of you, actually. So delighted to make your acquaintances for, well, I guess for you it's the first time. It all gets so confusing. So many possibilities and places to visit. Anyway, just wanted to stop in and say 'great job, buckle your pants, and good luck.' I'll just be on my way then." He abruptly turned around and started walking towards the entrance. "Where should I go next then? Maybe that place with all the…ah, what do they call them? Coat racks? No, that's not right. Hat holders? Definitely not. Ah, and its got that constantly changing color scheme. That shit gives me such a headache. And what was that guy thinking, making everyone stand in silly poses all the time. Sure, it looks cool, but its so…weird…." The strange man trailed off as he left the temple, leaving Zelda and me thoroughly confused.
"What the heck?" she said from next to me. I could only nod in agreement. Whoever that guy was, he was weird as hell. We only had a minute to ponder the strange Oliver though, as the priestess returned with the head Sheikah Monk and an older woman in ornate garb. All three bowed to Zelda as they approached.
"Your Grace, I am glad to see you well. You as well, Hero," the monk said, straightening himself from his bow. "This is the High Priestess of the Temple of Time, Imani and one of our acolytes, Theresa. I hope what she sees today will strengthen her faith in the Divine Three." High Priestess Imani straightened from her bow slowly and Theresa did the same, though considerably slower, clearly unsure as to her actions. I caught her eye and gave her a slight smile, hoping to reassure her that we weren't all that the Head Monk was making us out to be. She suddenly blushed and ducked her head again, nervously playing with her fingers.
"Thank you for meeting with us again, Monk…" Zelda trailed off, unsure as to the Sheikah elder's name, something I realized I didn't know either. He gave a short laugh, realizing his mistake.
"I am Mas Koshia, Elder of the Sheikah Monks. There is also Impa, our Shadowmaster and head of Sheikah forces, but she is at the Castle, standing guard over the Royal Family." We nodded, unsure of what else to do. Imani was examining us with extreme scrutiny, especially Zelda, and Theresa was still standing nervously off to the side. "I am glad to see you have completed all the Trials, Link. Though I had no doubt, this proves you are truly the Hero and are ready to embrace your role. And Zelda, your Grace, I see you have grown in your own way as well," he said, sounding somewhat impressed and looking at the staff in her hands.
"Yes, I managed to combine the three magic tools we found in the trials…somehow. All of my magic is stronger with it, but especially my light magic. Why is that?" she asked. I guess she and Midna hadn't been able to figure everything out about it. Maz nodded sagely.
"The staff you carry is, in part, created out of your own power, as yours was the magic that bound the three powers together. It is only natural that it acts as a conduit to amplify your own powers. What more, the trinity of fire, water, and earth reflect the natures of the Golden Goddesses, who are the source of light magic itself. When the three come together, they form a powerful bond and feed off each other, further amplifying such magic."
"Is that why my Twili friend who uses shadow magic, couldn't use it as well?" At this question, Maz Koshia looked somewhat concerned.
"Yes, that would be the case. Shadow is the opposite of light and the two have difficulty working in tandem. I was aware that there was a Twili in your school, but I didn't know she was gifted. We shall have to look into her more. The Twili and Sheikah have worked both with and against each other in the past. She could be a valuable ally or a dangerous enemy to you. We will keep an eye on her." Vaguely unsettled, I decided to shift the conversation.
"So, what was it you wanted me to come back here for? You keep hinting at it but won't tell me what it is that you want from me." Monk Koshia shook himself slightly and focused on me.
"Indeed Link, I think we've had enough with vague hints. You are here to obtain your last and greatest weapon. High Priestess, if you would," he said, turning to the women next to him. She nodded and walked towards the large circular area in the middle of the temple, the part that I remembered was supposed to be part of the original structure.
High Priestess Imani's hands started to glow with light magic and she made motions towards the center of the circle. She stopped after a moment and we all waited as nothing happened. Just as I was thinking of asking what we were doing, the symbol of the Triforce lit up in the center of the disk and glowed as the whole thing split into three pieces and slowly started sliding away, revealing a hole beneath the circle.
Once the three plates had finished retracting, there was a deep groaning sound from beneath us, as if old machinery was shifting. Slowly, I could see something emerging from the depths and felt a strange mounting excitement within myself. Another plate was rising towards us, though this one was in much better condition than the last had been. Six detailed emblems were placed in a circle around a central, incredibly embellished carving of the Triforce. Unlike normal though, the empty upside-down triangle was raised instead of depressed like you normally see. And in the center was…something I couldn't make out yet, but I could feel it. It called to me.
We all waited with bated breaths as the stone crept higher and higher until it shifted into place with a quiet thud. But I didn't care. Zelda was peering at the carvings on the disk. I didn't care. Maz Koshia, High Priestess Imani, and Theresa were all looking at me. I didn't care. I was fixated on what was in the middle of the raised Triforce.
Cold gleaming metal. A sloping purple guard. Glittering yellow gemstone. Green wrapped hilt.
It was calling me.
Background noise fell away. Anything could have been happening in the background and I wouldn't have noticed. The only thing that existed was my left hand and the Sword, and the two were being inexorably drawn together.
My palm made contact with the hilt of the sword, I knew. This was my sword. No one else could lay claim to this blade. It was mine. Only mine. My fingers wrapped around the grip and I could hear the blade hum in my hand. My other hand joined the first. I could almost hear what the sword was saying. 'Use me. Swing me. We are one.' I pulled.
Nothing. The sword didn't move. I pulled again. No movement. I could still feel the sword, it was still calling to me. But it was waiting. Waiting for something. Again, I could feel it asking me 'Why?'
Why? What did it mean, why? To save the world. To defeat evil! What other reason was there? But the Sword didn't relent. I released it, feeling like I was letting go of a lifeline, and stepped back.
"It wouldn't come out." I was shocked, and everyone else seemed to be too.
"What do you mean?" The High Priestess was incredulous. "The Master Sword is the Hero's blade. It answers to him, and only him. Why would it refuse his call? Unless…" I knew what she was concluding, but Zelda and Maz quickly jumped in.
"Link is the Hero," Zelda said, firm in her belief. Her tone was the one that didn't leave any room for argument and promised nothing good to anyone who crossed her on it. "I've seen him do things he shouldn't be able to, I've been with him on his trials, and I…...I just know. My heart knows." Maz also intervened.
"Only the Hero could have obtained the Hero's garb and tools. The trials were made for him and him alone. While someone could have possibly, with an extraordinary amount of luck, made it through one of them, they never would have survived all three if they weren't the Hero." Imani hesitantly stepped down, still eyeing me with a hint of distrust. I didn't care though.
My sword had rejected me. I needed its help and it refused. I felt more betrayed than I ever thought possible.
"Oh my, that is awkward. What's a man without his sword?" A taunting voice came from the entrance of the Temple of Time. I spun around, drawing my sword and shield and facing the entrance. I heard and felt Zelda's powers activate and expand, surrounding us in a thin barrier of light. The two priestesses gasped, but my focus wasn't on them. "I guess you're just not a great fit for the whole hero thing."
A man stepped out of the shadows, walking smoothly towards our protective bubble. He wasn't massive, but the muscles I could see were extremely toned. His hair was pitch black and extended in a loose sheet to the middle of his back. He wore boots, loose pants, and a form fitting shirt, all various tones of grey or black. He had two long, thin blades at his waist and a variety of knives all over his belt. With just a quick count, I saw more than six. Finally, he had one massive, pitch black blade strapped across his back, almost as thick as his head. I could hardly believe he could walk with the thing on him.
"I was just supposed to keep an eye on you, but this is too good to pass up. The little hero, defenseless. I could almost laugh. If only my master could see you now."
"Who the hell are you?" I spat angrily. This guy's constant taunting was getting on my nerves. I knew I should calm down, but he just riled me up.
"I suppose I could introduce myself. Let you hold on to life a little bit longer." My ire grew ever higher. "My name is Moroth. I'm a servant of the great God of Destruction and Chaos, Ruin. In an age long past, he was known as Demise and sought to cast down the self-proclaimed 'Golden Goddesses' and bring those upstart bitches under his heel where they belonged. Alas, my master was delayed by the ridiculous scheme of another upstart goddess, who protected the land of Hyrule, the great whore Hylia. She cast herself into the scum and dirt of Hylians, devoted herself to one, and called it love. Can you imagine?" The bastard stopped his surprisingly bland monologue and grinned a crooked smile. It was the first sign of actual emotion he had displayed so far.
"But now the lingering powers of that harlot are weak. And my master rises again, recreated even more powerful than before. He doesn't need puppets anymore. At last, he can come back to this foul land and crush it under his heel as he should have all those millennia ago." He sent a condescending glare my way again. "And the only possible threat to him is a boy who can't even use a sword. Pitiful. Forced to rely on the whore who selfishly drags you back from death time and time again."
I finally couldn't take any more. With a roar of rage, I dashed out of the protective shield of Zelda's power and swung my blade at the man. His eyes flared red as he laughed and drew one of his thin blades. I slashed and hacked at him but couldn't make it past his sword. After a few more deflected slashes, I realized he was playing with me. It just fueled my rage more and I swung at him harder. By now, any sense of tact was gone and I was a swirling mass of rage and anger.
Finally, I managed to catch him off guard and knocked away his dancing sword with my shield. I jabbed my blade forward and scored a light scratch on his arm. I looked down at the scratch and, with an annoyed growl, smashed his sword down on mine. I held my own sword at an angle, hoping to deflect it and leave him exposed again, but his sword crashed straight through mine, shattering it into splinters. He immediately followed with a strong kick to my torso that forced the air from my lungs and sent me soaring back through Zelda's shield and against the pedestal of the Sword.
"And now you don't even have a stick to swing at me. How ironic that at my master's revival, his age-old enemy would be so weak. He was almost looking forward to a fight, you know? Imagine how disappointed he will be when I show him your severed head." The monster was gloating as he walked up to Zelda's shield. His finger traced along it and smoked at the contact. He examined his burned finger with a detached air of someone examining a curiosity. "Quaint, but weak. I should be destroyed just by touching it. I see now that it is not only the whelp that is pitiful." He pulled a thick knife from his belt as I finally managed to regain my breath and realized I had lost the broken remains of my sword at some point. Moroth dragged the knife across the golden barrier and we were all struck dumb when it passed right through.
"Really just a shame," he said absentmindedly. With a snap of his wrist, he threw the knife. It moved so quickly I couldn't see where it flew.
Until I heard a pained gasp and the shield evaporated. My blood ran ice cold. My head slowly turned to see Zelda standing in shock as a growing patch of red appeared around the knife in her abdomen.
The world slowed down so I could see every pained twinge on her face as she looked at me and dropped her Divine Scepter.
My world shattered as she dropped to the cold stone floor.
*muttering* Okay, hit post and lock the vault. Just hit post and lock the vault. They can't get me if I'm in the vault. Why does the button say 'posted'?
OH FUCK, HI GUYS. WHAT'S UP? LOOK, I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE ALL PISSED BUT I CAN EXPLAIN. *slowly backs towards vault* PLUS, I HAVE GOOD NEWS. LINK WON'T HAVE TO MOURN ZELDA FOR LONG. HE'S ABOUT TO HAVE HIS HEAD REMOVED! SO THEY'LL BE TOGETHER. IT'LL BE FINE. SOOOO...BYE! *makes mad dash for control console, but is *ahem* unfortunately stopped by Foopuff shooting it as Sand Seal tackles me and proceeds to eat my face while everyone else stands around and eats popcorn*
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You have no idea how badly I want to just leave the author's note like that. But I think I'll do a full one to hopefully numb the pain of me killing off Zelda.
Quick reviews while the electric fence holds all of you back. Sand Seal, glad you like it. And I hope my face tasted as good as all that candy corn you're not sharing with me because you're a bad person. And yes, this is a game. A very fun one that I'm playing with your emotions. And I'm winning. Ultimate, thank you! Nightwing, yeah, it's a lot of chapter, but this one is longer. I'd say more happens here too. Yeah, Zelda's kind of always checking Link out, though we'll see that more in the chapters I do from Zelda's perspective. Thanks for the well wishes on the tests, I didn't fail any, which is good for my sanity. It could certainly use a little boost sometimes. Twilit Lord, no, don't fall behind! Then you'll be late when I throw my 'Destruction of Hyrule' party. Everyone's invited, it's the next chapter. Uploading at midnight you say? Sounds like an excuse to me, since that's usually when I end up posting anyways. Hope this one is more to your liking. Random Reader, how dare you bash the golden bug sidequest! It's a massive pain in the ass, but I need that maxed out wallet! Think of the rupees left abandoned in their pots. Think of the rupees! Yeah, yeah, you called the Master Sword appearing. Good job. I figured a repairing tunic was the best realistic(?) explanation. I swear you asking me not to kill Zelda did not inspire her death. Plus, I'd say this is dramatic enough. Ai Star, yeah, no magic teleports this time around. Foopuff, so close, yet so far. And now, well... I'll get some Zelda chapters written at some point. I agree that it'd be nice to see things from her point of view. How brave and good looking Link is, her learning how to use her powers, and how that knife looked as it flew through the air at her are all promising chapter ideas. And of course I watch My Hero Acadamia. What self respecting anime person doesn't watch it?
Okay, looks like the fence is starting to give, so I should wrap this up. Oliver is a fun character, I like the idea of a meta-character, so here we are. Anyone know where he's going next? It's pretty obvious if you get it. I hope I picked a good name for a reincarnated Demise. Ruin was the best I could come up with, thanks to many a thesaurus search. Damn you, Nintendo, coming up with all the best names! I wonder what he'll do now that there's no goddess to stop him. Hmm... Last but not least, don't forget to favorite the story so you can be informed when I post the next chapter! I know you guys hate me now, but don't hold that against the story. It's my fault, so blame me. Except don't blame me. Blame, uh...Charles Dickens. Because apparently he's the reason cliffhangers are things. So it's his fault.
Don't worry, I'll post the next chapter in a few days. It might be a little shorter, just because I want to get it out to you guys as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I have it all planned out mentally, so now I just have to write it. So review away to motivate me and maybe it'll come out sooner. Or just to promise eternal pain and agony, either one works. Just remember, retcons are powerful things. You never know what'll happen...
~Aro