Day 3

Link...

The voice was soft, warm, welcoming. Like a parent asking their child to come in for dinner.

Link, you must awaken...

It felt so inviting. He wanted to follow it without question.

Come back to us, Link...

He could feel its presence – a powerful centre of energy, home to a will that he could not properly quantify. Whoever or whatever this thing was, its sheer strength could not be denied.

Link felt himself lifted from the darkness. He was soaring upwards towards a speck of light – and slowly but surely that speck grew into a field of light, and warmth, and comfort, until his vision was overwhelmed.

And then the details began to form. A sterile white wall. White ceiling. White fabric surrounding him that he could see through. White tiles lining the floor.

He was lying still, on some kind of bed that he could not recognize. He glanced around slowly taking in the details. Link noticed a tube on his right attached to a bag full of blood, his eyes following its trail straight to his – NO! It was stuck in his arm, the tube was stuck in his arm. He moved to pull it free, but a hand gripped his wrist.

"Do not do that," he heard a voice speak – very low, very gruff. He looked up, into the face of a beast he could not recall – and his heart felt fear like never before.

The beast looked almost lizard-like but softer, a crimson skinned being with a red shell on its back. It had two large oval eyes with the centres faintly purple, and on its feet were a pair of blue shoes. It gazed at Link with an odd expression, with a hint of suspicion but also intrigue.

Whatever it was, it wanted something from Link. And Link was not prepared to give it.

"Who... what are you?" Link managed to croak out. He yearned for water, as he continued staring into the surprisingly entrancing eyes of this creature.

Its snout briefly flared. "I am Alistair. What I am is of no importance, though my people are plentiful. Who you are, however, is important. So tell me, elf – why should I care about your fate?"

Link paused, still dazed from his near-death experience. The question flickered through his mind, eluding an answer with fervor. What did he deserve to live?

"Well," Link began, "I'm a good person trying to help people."

"Yes, but why? What do you gain? What makes you special? What makes you unique from all the other beings in the universe?" Link couldn't understand what Alistair hoped to gain. Here he was lying bedridden, barely alive and struggling to stay awake, and this thing decides to play God?

"Why are you... asking me this?" Link finally asked, coughing in-between words. He thought he tasted blood...

"Because I didn't have to save you," answered Alistair, "but I did it anyway. And I want to know it was worth my effort. So, elf. Was. It. Worth it?"

Before Link could try and answer, a voice rang out seemingly from nowhere.

Alistair, stand down. There is no need for hostility.

Alistair the beast seemed to hear the voice too. "But Master..."

Enough. Help our friend up, and bring him before me at once.

"Very well," replied Alistair. Then he leaned in close, muttering, "Do not think this is over."

Link was taken through a series of hallways, so quickly he could only glance about. He was put into a chair that floated – a "hover chair" as one of the medicinal experts claimed – and pushed along by a subtly huffing-and-fuming Alistair. He saw a beautiful foyer with black-and-white tiles and ornate pillars, a dining hall with crystal chandeliers, a fencing room, a swimming room, even a poultry room if his brief glance proved true.

But their destination was ultimately another white room, though with a different centrepiece. At the centre of a ring-shaped room with three levels of seats, sat a massive glowing image populated by countless dots and orbs. It swirled and it danced with colour, reminding Link of studying star maps as a child.

And just near this giant glowing image was... a giant floating glove. An actual white floating glove, sliding its index finger along the image's edge to make it rotate.

"Uh..." was Link's only coherent response.

He heard a deep chuckle as the glove paused from its activity, then the soothing voice appeared. "I find it remarkable how the individual rationalizes the fantastical. Sometimes all that can be done is gape and lose one's wits. Wouldn't you say?" the glove noted, turning ever-so-slightly to Link.

"Um..." Link spoke horsely. "...Why am I here? And who are you?"

"Hmm..." the voice said. "Normally I would respond with a remark along the lines of 'Why are any of us here', but I sense you want something more substantive. Very well."

The glove gently turned from the glowing image, and lowered itself to Link's level. "I am Master Hand. And you are here, Hero of Time, because I have a unique problem and a need for people to solve it."

Link did a double-take, which hurt his neck slightly. "How did you know-"

"That you are the master of the Ocarina of Time? That you are the one who battled and defeated Ganondorf in the aftermath of Hyrule's devastation? I have my ways, young Link," Hand responded, "And I have determined that you are a worthy warrior for my cause."

"What cause?" Link asked, holding in a cough on principle. It hurt his throat but he felt like this being deserved his respect. Something about Master Hand just... felt right.

"Let us traverse the grounds," said Hand, "And all will be explained."

Link took in the pleasant warmth just outside the building. It felt like spring, with fresh warm air entering and exiting his lungs. He began to feel himself relax just a little, even as he was listening to Hand gush about the manor grounds and his aide Mike Jones, a freckled boy with slicked hair, rolling his eyes any chance he could while he pushed Link's chair.

"You see there?" Hand spoke, pointing his finger at a hedge shaped like an arch. "That was where I floated, nearly ten years ago to the date, when I posed the question: what good can be done with funds and bountiful flatlands? That was the day this Manor became my base of operations."

Link nodded. Everything about this place felt exquisite, but at the same time alienating. He saw workers offloading metals and machinery that was unfamiliar – some of it glowed, some of it was shiny, some of it labelled in languages he didn't understand. It was a strange world of unknown customs, but it certainly had its charm.

"So," Hand said, perhaps sensing Link's silence was introspective, "how are you feeling about our situation?"

"I... don't know. Everything about this world is different. It's..."

"Frightening?" Hand answered.

Link nodded, "Yes. Hyrule is my home – I cannot imagine a life without it."

He knew there would be no better segue, so he pushed forward. "Hand... could you tell me what has become of my home?"

Hand paused, and actually seemed to turn away. Link wondered if this was how such a being appeared when lost in thought. "Michael," Hand finally spoke, "Could you inform Alistair that we will be needing the secondary china? I fear preparation for a large intake of guests is in order."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, got it," he said before running off. Link watched him head for the main doors before turning back to Hand.

"I apologize," Hand began, "but he is still a boy. He need not hear this."

Link was unsettled. What was Hand about to say?

Hand again lowered to eye level. "Link... Hyrule is in turmoil, there is no other way to put it. The devastation wrecked upon it is inexcusable, and it may never fully recover from the attack."

"Who was responsible for this?" Link asked.

Hand sighed. "This was the doing of a man named Lunan Pax. Pax has sought for some time now to remove the Federation from power, and Hyrule was his first target."

"Federation? What Federation? And why Hyrule?"

"The Galactic Federation is an organization which makes up many worlds and seeks the betterment of all races. I am a proud member of its Executive Board," Hand continued. "And as for Hyrule... it was under the protection of the Federation. Attacking it meant he was effectively declaring war on us all."

Link went silent. Had his world, a place devoid of advanced technology and galaxy-spanning politics, been a piece in a large game? Was this all just a grand conflict between two armies he had no investment in?

"Why?" he finally spoke. "I... I came back in time to enjoy my life. To see Zelda again. But instead..."

"I know," Hand said, placing his index finger on Link's shoulder. "You have suffered greatly, both physically and emotionally. And your world is not without pain. But now I must ask a great favour of you, one that will push you further yet – and one that will bring you justice and your world salvation should you succeed."

Link stared at him, feeling lost and yet knowing in his heart that action needed to be taken. "What must I do?"

"It is simple: you and a collection of other operatives I have recruited will leave this world, pick up Pax's trail, and capture him before he besieges another world. My agents are pinpointing his presumed next target, so it should only be a matter of hours."

"But Link, should you undertake this mission, there is very real risk of further harm that you will face – to say nothing of worse fates. I know at heart you are a courageous and noble soul but in light of recent events I must ask," Hand spoke with a careful tone, "are you willing to help me?"

Link felt weighed down. He knew not if Zelda still lived or if Kokiri Forest had gone up in flames, and he wasn't sure if Hand knew the exact answers. But if this Pax was responsible, and Hyrule truly was gone, then justice was all he had left – justice for the lost, the innocent, and those he left behind.

"Yes," Link said, "I will help you."

"Excellent." Link swore that Hand became a bit more cheerful in tone. "Well, I suppose we may as well return indoors. Dinner was underway last I checked, and I relish the opportunity to taste my chef's iconic Three-Moon Bean Soup."