A/N: A few little announcements. First off, thank you all so much for your reviews! I really appreciated them! Especially the person who was really excited to read this chapter. Also, I did used to have asterisks to separate the Links, but fanfiction decided, "nah!" So, I fixed that. Secondly, I do not own the Legend of Zelda, Nintendo, or their stuff. Thirdly, does anyone want to know the reason why ONLY these two Links were permitted to meet each other? I have a theory and I would love to tell y'all, but I won't bother if y'all decide it's not that important. Anyway, that's all. Enjoy!

Chapter One

The Wrong Hero

"I'll get you out of here. You're sure there's nothing else for you to do, right?"

The Hero of Twilight nodded at his impish companion. She vanished in her portal on the ground and Link walked onto it in her place. His body began to dissolve into black squares, disappearing from view.

He re-formed at the Master Sword's pedestal in Temple of Time. He had only one fragment of the Mirror of Twilight left to collect before he could enter the Twilight Realm and destroy Zant. He was so close to the end of his journey that he could almost taste victory…if victory had a flavor, that is.

Link walked away from the pedestal and began to head back to his home in present-day Hyrule. He wasn't sure how far back in time he had traveled in order to see the Temple of Time in all of its magnificent glory, but it had to have been a couple centuries. The windows around the pedestal of the Master Sword were all made of stained glass. The ground was even a slight golden color. Behind him, blue transparent stairs glowed, strangely solid enough to be functional. All around him, the walls were made of massive stone blocks that were pressed tightly together so the seams were almost nonexistent. Massive ornate columns held up the ceiling far above him.

As he dashed out, Link saw even more detail. Large windows allowed the pale gold light of the outside world to illuminate the temple—made of ordinary glass, unlike the windows near the Master Sword's pedestal. More columns held up the roof, bracing the walls. The two statues were now in near-perfect condition, and the floor around them was covered in designs and Hylian inscriptions; similar writing was engraved from floor to ceiling in the walls beside the entrance.

On the walls far in front of him, beside the stairs that were crumbled in present-day Hyrule, Link saw two owl statues. Having finished his task here only a few moments ago, he now had the power to move them, but he knew it wasn't really the time for him to do that yet; he had more pressing matters weighing on his mind. The stairs were his only concern. He needed to get outside, back to present-day Hyrule.

Link ran up the steps, bypassing their elaborate balcony rails. He focused on the two doors before him and waited eagerly.

Nothing happened.

Link stood there, confused. He rested his left hand on the door, pushing gently. It was as if someone had blocked him inside. He touched his ear on one door, listening. He could hear a strange noise, but he was unable to interpret where he had heard it before. It sounded like stone boulders sliding around…doors becoming warped from pressure…

Link took a step back, then dashed forward and threw his entire body weight into the door. Still nothing happened. The Hylian Hero shook his head, unable to understand. He tended to goats for a living and wrestled them when they got out of control. He had lifted enormous weights and pushed heavy objects around like they were nothing. He blew up boulders and occasionally himself. He'd been crushed, and he was able to bear immensely heavy objects. He even owned objects that could break his bones with a single mishap.

So the fact that these double doors had locked him inside was surprising. Surely, he could bust them open if the need arose…right?

Link placed both hands in the doors and began to push. Still nothing happened. He was becoming worried. What if the temple had finished collapsing in present-day Hyrule and had locked him inside? That wouldn't be good. He would die of old age before he ever made it back to his time. He might even end up like The Hero's Shade: a decomposing skeleton waiting to teach the next generation of heroes but having to wait a long time to do so.

A horrifying thought occurred to Link. What if he was The Hero's Shade? Maybe he couldn't get in contact with all future heroes because he was locked in the Temple of Time and waiting for it to become nothingness.

Link couldn't allow that to happen. He couldn't allow himself to wait around and rot. Besides, Shade was a knight, and Link wasn't. That thought relieved him, until he remembered that there were ways for people to make knights' armor from monster armor. He could end up getting bored one day and fashioning it for himself. What if even more monsters appeared and killed him here?

Gritting his teeth, Link chased out his negative thoughts. They were nothing but pathetic fears. He uttered a small command under his breath.

"Midna…help."

From his shadow arose the mysterious imp girl. She noticed him struggling and yawned. "Step aside, Link," she commanded.

Link took two steps to the left and Midna took his place. Her orange hair began to move. Link watched as it became a giant hand that slammed into the doors. Midna looked bored for a moment before she realized that, despite her efforts, the doors still weren't opening.

However, horrifyingly, her hair-hand was yielding results, but not the kind either of them were expecting. Instead, the world was beginning to glow around them, flickering dangerously.

Midna pushed harder on the door before giving Link a hopeless look. "I don't understand!" she said. "Why won't it open? Even with this?"

The glow intensified and began to feel increasingly warm. Link had never been claustrophobic—he'd crawled through tight spaces every time he needed access to certain locations and there was no other way in—but he guessed that the pressure he was feeling on his body was something like being crushed. He'd experienced the same sensation when Midna grabbed him with her hair-hand.

But there was nothing crushing him, nor was the room small enough to give him such a feeling. Even so, it was becoming painfully obvious that he needed to leave the door before something terrible happened.

Link grabbed Midna and pulled her close to him, causing her to hide her hair-hand. She gave him a confused expression as he spun around and dashed down the stairs. He couldn't get away from the feeling of pain, but now it was like he was being burned, rather than crushed.

"What are you doing?" Midna asked. She didn't squirm, but allowed Link to keep carrying her. It saved her the energy of floating after him. Besides, she could feel the same strange sensation that he was. Even so, she was still loyal to her home. If she couldn't return to present-day Hyrule, how would she ever save her people? She would die before she made it back to Twilight. "We have to get through that door!"

"I don't believe we can!" Link replied. He kept running, heading back to the entrance into the dungeon area of the Temple of Time. How far back did he have to go?

"But…the Twilis…!"

"I'm sorry…" Link dashed into the area where she had warped him to earlier. The feeling began to subside, which relieved him, but the comfort was short-lived. All around him, the glow intensified, blinding him completely. He looked in all directions before closing his eyes and covering Midna's with his free hand. He could still see the flash through his eyelids; the light was inescapable.

The glow became even more blinding before it finally faded to nothingness. Link opened his eyes and looked around, blinking. What had happened?

He scanned the world. He was still standing on the raised platform which held the Master Sword's pedestal, but it looked different now. It now had stairs leading up to it in all directions, rather than just one, and was composed of two sections of raised ground. The one on which he stood had the image of the Triforce on it, but it was now onyx-colored. Circular patterns decorated the second raised platform. Multiple different designs were visible in each disk, and Link tried to identify where he had seen them before.

"Are those…?" Midna muttered in his arms. She left Link and floated over to one, studying it. "The patterns of the Sages' medallions that they stood on when we met them?"

She was right. Link walked around, studying each design. He looked around the room, trying to discern any other alterations. He found several.

The pillars that held the room up were significantly thinner and less ornate. They were made of grey brick and blended in with the walls. The windows were no longer stained glass and were high above Link, only visible if he looked up. The floor was made of either bricks or marble tiles; he couldn't tell. And, the final finishing touch on the oddity was that the Master Sword's pedestal no longer had Hylian on it. Rather, a black Triforce decorated it instead.

"Is this even the Temple of Time anymore?" Midna asked, voicing the question Link had been thinking. "I'll leave it to you to find out…" Midna floated over to Link before dropping into his shadow and vanishing from view.

Link turned back to the way he had come from. He began to walk off the raised section of the floor, only to stop in his tracks. He heard something…or someone. He glanced behind him, stunned to find that he was no longer alone.

Behind him stood a figure with blonde hair parted in a similar manner to his, but it covered the left eye of the stranger. Only the figure's right eye could be seen, and it was red. White scarf-like bandages hid the stranger's face. The intruder appeared to be male, and he wore a blue skin-tight outfit that emphasized his physique. The center of the figure's outfit was white with a red eye design on the front. It had three empty triangles on top of the eye, and a teardrop mark led all the way to the figure's stomach. Bandages were wrapped around the male's wrists and fingers. He wore strange blue shoes that reminded Link of socks, but the big toes of them were grey colored.

Link drew his sword and shield, eyes narrowing. He scowled and faced the intruder, preparing for battle. If this person was the reason he couldn't leave, then he had to fix that. He didn't really want to fight a human being, but if this person was going to stop his quest, then the stranger was surely against Hyrule and its safety, and that meant that Link wasn't allowed to spare him.

"I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time," the figure said.

Link was stunned. He wasn't the Hero of Time; he was the Hero of Twilight… Did this person have their facts wrong? That would be a first: a clumsy bad guy finding the wrong person or calling the right person by the wrong name. Then again, most monsters and human-like monsters didn't talk to Link, so it usually wasn't a problem. Even so, he left his weapons drawn, not taking any chances.

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples."

Link became filled with dread. Perhaps this person was good after all, but needed his help. Honestly though, five temples weren't something he wanted to adventure through. He'd already battled through five and only had two or three left if he was lucky. These little extras weren't part of the plan.

Surely if this issue had never arisen in present-day Hyrule, it had been solved before, right? Or had Link been required to fix the issue even in the past? Maybe…

The stranger's words were still weighing on his mind, though. What did he mean when he called Link the "Hero of Time"? Was there another Hero?

"One in a deep forest…" the stranger continued.

Please don't… Link thought. If he was getting instructions on how to locate the Sages, then there was a serious problem. He would have to locate them before he could return home.

"One on a high mountain…"

Those sound like the Sacred Grove and Death Mountain…but I already cleared those locations…Link thought.

"One under a vast lake…"

Lake Hylia…

"One within the house of the dead…"

Link stood there, dumbfounded. The only location he could think to match such a place was the Kakariko Graveyard, but it wasn't exactly a house.

"One inside a goddess of the sand…"

I know of three of those locations, Link thought. The final two I've never encountered. He knew he would have to wait for the stranger to leave before consulting Midna for advice, so he waited patiently, trying not to let his troubling thoughts overtake him.

"Together, with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world… This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah. I am Sheik, survivor of the Sheikahs… As I see you standing there holding the mythical Master Sword, you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time…"

Ah, so I only look like the Hero…

"If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must look for the five temples and awaken the five Sages…. One Sage is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I'm sure you know… Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm… Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple… But, if you believe what I'm saying, you should head to Kakariko Village… Do you understand what I'm saying, Link?"

Link remained completely still. How did this "Sheik" person know his name? Was that part of the legend, too? He couldn't dwell on it. He was clearly the Hero that this person was searching for, even if some of Sheik's information was slightly skewed. He was entrusted with the fate of past-day Hyrule's affairs, whether he liked it or not.

Fortunately, it wasn't as if the Twilight Realm could die while he was trapped in this strange Temple of Time. For all Link knew, Twilight wasn't even a real place yet. Midna had told him something about her ancestors being chased into it, and someone else—probably Auru—had told him that the Mirror was created for punishment of Hyrule's most foul enemies.

From that information alone, Link could conclude that Twilight was safe, for now. Time wouldn't move while he was stuck in the past. He could stay here for years and it probably wouldn't even begin to affect present-day Hyrule. Regardless, he could become an old man down here, and how would he save Hyrule then? Would Ilia even recognize him? Would Zelda? If worst came to worst, Link could always save Hyrule with Midna and then try and find some way to change what the quest had done to him.

With a sigh, Link sheathed his weapons and turned around. Perhaps the door was now open for him to leave, and he could get these dungeons over with and return home. He was slightly curious about what Hyrule looked like in the past, and now was the perfect opportunity to find out. He entered the next part of the temple and looked around.

It was nothing like the Temple of Time he had been in earlier. There were two doors barely peeking out from the wall near him, and the ground was made of marble tiles. An altar stood before him, so Link ran over to examine it. He caught a glance at the door he had come from when he faced the front of the altar. He saw a glowing gold Triforce on the wall above it, but was forced to disregard it as he studied the altar. Three precious stones were before him, hovering slightly above the black marble surface. Link spun around, noticing that he stood on red carpet and that there was more near the entrance, but no other colors adorned the world.

Windows allowed soft light in the room, but it was incredibly dark for a temple. Pillars braced the walls and supported the ceiling, composed of stone bricks. The walls were also stone. The ceiling was still high above Link, but not nearly as elegant as it looked in the Temple of Time.

Link began to walk forward, thoroughly confused. Where was he?

No longer able to keep silent but not wanting to be heard by Sheik, Midna whispered from Link's shadow, "What are you going to do, Link?"

Link wasn't sure. He had to get out this foreign place and finish saving the world, but how was he supposed to do that when he had no idea where he was, nor did he know how he'd gotten there in the first place? He had to find those Sages or he'd never be able to leave. Even then, it might not be possible for him to return home, but he didn't say that.

"I…will search for the Sages…then I'll assist you, Midna," Link quietly replied. He began to walk towards the exit far ahead of him, seeing nothing but blackness ahead but not turning back. "I'll do my best to ensure that we defeat Zant, but I believe this is the only way home…"

He stepped on the raised hexagon shape, then passed over it without so much as a second glance. Instead, he walked out of the room, disappearing into the blackness.

. . . . .

"Link…" a voice called in the darkness. "Wake up… Link, the chosen one…"

The Hero of Time's eyes slowly opened. Around him, he saw nothing but blue. He blinked, wondering if his eyes were giving out, or if the world really was just changing in blue variations. After a moment, he knew it was the world changing hues. He realized that he was looking down, so he raised his head. He saw something purple in the left corner of his eye, and something orange and gold in the right corner. The dark blue walls far away from him rippled like water. He saw something like a blue column that had a grey light illuminating it, but it was empty.

Link looked up and noticed several more lights coming from nowhere. The ceiling was so high he couldn't even see it from where he stood. He began to look back down and noticed that the blue floor he stood on was a raised platform so tall that he couldn't see the ground anywhere. In front of him was a raised green disk. He looked to the left and spotted something he hadn't expected to see.

Another person stood there. It was a man, and he wore orange robes with a red sash around the waist. The front of his outfit was also red, and partially adorned with white designs. He had almost no hair, but the hair he did have was snowy white. He had a thick mustache that lead to his sideburns. A ponytail was the only hair he had on top of his head, and his white eyebrows were thinning.

The man spoke. "I am Rauru, one of the ancient Sages… Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm… This is the Chamber of Sages, inside the Temple of Light. The Temple of Light, situated in the very center of the Sacred Realm, is the last stronghold against Ganondorf's evil forces."

Link said nothing, waiting for the stranger to finish his explanation of this place.

"The Master Sword—the evil-destroying sword that you pulled out of the Pedestal of Time—was the final key to the Sacred Realm. Link… Don't be alarmed… Look at yourself…!"

Link glanced down at himself, not really sure what to expect. A flash of surprise raced through him. His eyes widened and he began to examine himself, completely stunned by what he saw.

His fairy excitedly bounced up and down, illuminating his body with her blue glow. "Look, Link!" she exclaimed. "You're big now! You've grown up!"

It was true. Link was no longer a little kid. He still wore the same outfit, which was good, but it had gone from feeling a little oversized to fitting quite nicely. He had also gained additional clothes, and now wore white tights and a white shirt beneath his tunic, with leather gauntlets to protect his hands. The Master Sword was sheathed on his back, which was strange since he had never found a sheath. Perhaps this Rauru person had given it to him…

Link wasn't sure what to say. He felt like a stranger in his own body. What had happened to him to make him grow up like this?

Rauru continued his exposition. "The Master Sword is a sacred blade which evil ones may never touch…. Only one worthy of the title 'Hero of Time' can pull it from the Pedestal of Time…. However, you were too young to be the Hero of Time…. Therefore, your spirit was sealed here for seven years."

Seven years?! Link mentally demanded, but his words were locked in his throat. He could not voice his disbelief.

"And now that you are old enough, it is time for you to awaken as the Hero of Time! Well, do you understand your destiny?"

Link remembered how to speak. In a quiet voice that was deeper than he remembered it being, he answered, "Yes."

Rauru gave him a pleasant look before continuing, "But remember… Though you opened the Door of Time in the name of peace…Ganondorf, the Gerudo King of Thieves, used it to enter this forbidden Sacred Realm! He obtained the Triforce from the Temple of Light, and with its power, he became the King of Evil… His evil power radiated from the temples of Hyrule, and in seven short years, it transformed Hyrule into a world of monsters."

It already had monsters when I was littler… Link thought. How many more will plague Hyrule now that I'm an adult?

"My power now has only little influence, even in this Sacred Realm… Namely, this Chamber of Sages. But there is still hope… The power of the Sages remains."

Link began to feel relieved. So there would be a way to save the world, even if he had accidentally screwed things up.

"When the power of all the Sages is awakened…" Rauru began. "The Sages' seals will contain all the evil power in the void of the Realm… I, Rauru, am one of the Sages… And…"

Link waited, body beginning to tense with excitement.

"Your power to fight together with the Sages makes you the Hero of Time! The Hero of Time, chosen by the Master Sword!"

Chosen… Link mentally repeated, feeling anxious, excited, and nervous all in one.

Rauru still wasn't finished. "Keep my spirit with you…" he instructed. "And, find the power of the other Sages and add their might to your own!" With those words, Rauru lifted his arms to the sky, and Link looked up in response.

The Hero of Time saw a light glow from the sky before he saw a glimmer of gold pierce the darkness. A gold medallion drifted into his hands, hovering slightly above him.

I've received the Light Medallion! Link thought excitedly. Rauru the Sage adds his power to my own!

The world around Link and his fairy began to shimmer. A blinding light descended upon them, and Link heard Rauru speak once more.

"Find the other Sages and save Hyrule!"

The light faded to darkness and Link saw nothing. Then, he caught a glimpse of a blue light racing towards the heavens all around him. His fairy fluttered soundlessly nearby.

Link took a step forward and realized he was in the Temple of Time, but nothing appeared different since he had last stood inside it, as a child.

"Link…we're back in the Temple of Time…" his fairy whispered. "But have seven years really passed?"

Link wasn't sure either. The only difference he could see was the position of the light on the ground. It looked like it had moved two inches. That was all.

"It looks like you won't be able to use some of the weapons you found as a kid anymore…" his fairy said. Her gentle voice seemed to be swallowed by the vastness of the temple. "Let's get out of here!"

Link never got the chance. He turned around to find a figure he'd never met before.

The person appeared male and wore a blue, skin-tight outfit. Around his mouth, hair, wrists, and fingers, he wore tattered bandages, but the ones around his mouth were looser than the rest. The front part of his outfit was white, with a red crying eye symbol painted on it. He had blonde hair slightly darker than Link's. It was parted in such a way that it hid his left eye, but his right eye could still be seen. It was red, like the eye on his outfit.

The figure's visible eye was wide with surprise, as if he hadn't expected to see Link. "How…?" he muttered. What Link could see of his expression—which wasn't much—seemed to read, Maybe I blacked out…or planned this wrong…or…

The man began to speak, but he was clearly disorganized. "I've been w-waiting for you…Hero of T-Time…"

Link wasn't sure what to make of the stranger. Was he a friend? A foe? Deciding not to take any chances, Link drew his weapons and glared at the stranger.

"When evil rules all, an awakened voice from the Sacred Realm will…" The man shook his head. He struggled with his words for a moment before finally regaining his composure. "An awakened voice will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples."

Link took a closer step forward to the figure. He said nothing, but he wanted to know what the stranger was telling him.

Once again, a thoroughly-confused Sheik explained to Link what he was supposed to be doing. He managed to retain his poker face for the rest of the conversation. He even told the Hero of Time the exact same words he had said to a stunned Hero of Twilight.

With new information, Link dashed away from Sheik and raced for the exit. He did stop a few times to examine the Temple of Time before concluding that it was the exact same as before, save for a few changes in shadow positions because of the time.

"What are you going to do?" Link's fairy inquired. "Will you trust this stranger, Sheik?"

"I don't really have much choice," Link replied, still not used to his new voice. He dashed for the exit, not allowing a single second to slip away. "I believe him, Navi, so I must go to Kakariko Village and find this…this item."

"Good plan!" Navi agreed. She fluttered over to his shoulder and disappeared in the folds of his clothes.

Link stepped into the outside world, where he was met with a scenery he never expected to see. Before him stretched a barren wasteland. The Sheikah Stones were still where they usually rested, but the rest of the environment was nothing like he remembered. The world had become dark and frightful. The wind no longer gently sang as it passed through the town, but instead howled as it tore through the streets. It was bitter and hot, like it had come straight from the dreaded Dodongo's Cavern he had visited as a child. Far into the distance beyond the Temple of Time, Link could see Death Mountain, surrounded by a ring of unrelenting flames; perhaps the wind had indeed come from there.

Within the temple courtyard, he was disappointed to see that the grass had turned a dark, unhealthy color. The trees were nothing but blackened skeletons, and the concrete barrier that once held glistening clear water was now barren and filled with dark soil. The tall, thick tree he was used to seeing every time he walked out of the Temple of Time was no more than a little shrub, and the fence that used to enclose it was now battered and broken, lying on the ground in a heap. In fact, all the fences that once stood tall and defiant were now either destroyed or nowhere to be found. Even the surrounding buildings were beginning to crumble.

Horrified at the scenery, Link and Navi tentatively exited the Temple of Time. Seeing that they were alone, Link allowed himself to think. He only had one question.

What in the world happened to Hyrule?

. . . . .

A/N: I'm still working on the third chapter, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to upload it soon because I have school I'm working on... But, I will try my best! I really love reading y'all's reviews, even if they are sometimes brief, and I hope y'all will continue to post them.