The weight on Link's chest began to lift as he rode farther away from the scene at Fort Hateno. After several hours of travel, Link finally spotted another Sheikah Tower: the one he'd seen far off in the distance whilst climbing the mountain towards Kakariko Village before. After literally plowing through a few Bokoblin camps, Link approached and then ascended the tower. It was overgrown with massive, thorny vines, which made it a bit more difficult to climb. But he was pleased to see that his near-constant conditioning over the course of the week was beginning to bear fruit for his stamina. In no time, he'd climbed the tower and activated it.
His new map indicated that Hateno Village was due directly east of the tower. With the scope function of his slate, he could see it far off in the distance. He found himself tempted to simply jump straight from the tower and glide in on his own - but he couldn't just leave Inferno all alone, right there at the foot the tower. He figured only a truly terrible person would do something as awful as leaving their horse alone in the middle of nowhere like that...
He floated down from the tower with his glider to mount Inferno again. And after another hour of riding, he finally arrived at the front gate of Hateno Village in the mid-afternoon. Storm clouds were gathering in the sky above, and Link found himself looking forward to the relaxing pitter-patter of raindrops that was sure to come-
"WHUH!" A shout from up ahead...
Ah, a guard. I think...
"Who… who are you?! I demand answers!" It was a young man, clad in simple clothing that would more befit a farmer rather than a guard. He looked to have been patrolling the front gate of Hateno Village…
...Armed with a pitchfork.
Link dismounted inferno and smiled, holding his hands up. "Calm down, please. I'm not an enemy."
"Yeah, right!" said the young man. "I'll bet you're up to no good." His eyes drifted to Link's chest.
"Ah-HAH! I knew it! You're part of the Yiga clan!"
What.
Link laughed, shook his head. "You are sorely mistaken, I-"
The wannabe guard pointed his pitchfork in Link's face. "Begone! Before I slay you where you stand, evildoer!"
Link's smile melted into a frown. "Yeah, no." He pushed the end of the pitchfork aside. "Get that thing out of my face."
The man shook his head, pointed his 'weapon' right back at Link's head again. He clearly wasn't going to back down...
Link sighed. It seems trouble follows me, everywhere I go…
In a flash, he disarmed the young man and put him in a stranglehold on the ground.
"Get off of me, you- AH!"
Link began to ruthlessly tickle the poor guard, who burst out laughing uncontrollably. "STOP, HAHAHAHA, PLEASE STOP OH MY GOODNESS HAH OKAY, I GET IT."
Link let him go, climbed to his feet, dusted himself off. "You're gonna have to do better than that if you intend to protect anyone, friend ." he said, crossing his arms.
"...Yeah… yeah I know. Sorry about that…" he picked up his pitchfork and turned to face Link. "And close-up, I can tell you're just a Hylian like us. Hylians are generally good folk, so-"
"As opposed to whom? The Zora? Sheikah?" Link interjected. The young guard suddenly grew flustered.
"No wait, I didn't mean-"
Link laughed. "Don't worry about it. May I go through? Of course I can. Bye." he grabbed Inferno's reigns and began to walk her into the town.
"Oh um, yes sure, sure. I'm… sorry for getting all worked up." He turned and pointed towards some buildings nearby. "We've got plenty of shops to check out, a general store and an inn if you need a place to rest."
But Link wasn't listening. His attention was focused on the tall building looming on a hilltop in the distance. He didn't recognize it at all… but somehow he knew that it was the Hateno lab he was seeking.
Still, Link decided he wanted to take some time exploring Hateno village and speaking with locals. He'd been in such a mad rush to get here that it just seemed appropriate to catch a quick breather. Besides, he found that he really quite liked this quaint town. It was bright and energetic, even in the overcast weather.
The buildings were simple; stone foundations with mortar walls and red roofs. The people also seemed fairly friendly, easygoing. Many of them were curious about the hilltop lab and many were also quite keen to gossip about what kind of work went on in there. Others were simple farmers, just trying to live life day-to-day in peace and enjoyment. It did Link some good to see even more reminders of daily life continuing on after the Calamity, though his thoughts turned frequently back to Zora's Domain and its potential troubles. Link wondered if they had managed just fine in this post-calamity world...
As he browsed the various stores in the town, he stumbled upon a clothing dye shop. The owner of the shop was fairly generous, offering Link a first-time dye job at no charge. After some pondering, he chose the color black for his Sheikah shirt and tights. He wasn't sure why, but black and stealth just seemed to go together. Plus, his Hylian hood was already black anyway, which completed the aesthetic. If his entire wardrobe had to revolve around this awesome hood, then so be it.
As he wandered about, Link noticed a series of unlit stone lanterns interspersed throughout the village. They also appeared to have been placed along the road leading up to the hilltop lab. His curiosity got the better of him, so he decided to ask his new friend Ivee about them. She was a pretty girl, short hair, friendly. She worked as the greeter for East Winds general store and seemed fairly knowledgeable about the town.
"Ah, those are blue flame lanterns." she explained.
"Blue flame?" Link asked, as he chewed absentmindedly on a piece of deer jerky.
"Yes. There's an ancient furnace in town that's said to have first been lit over 10,000 years ago! We're not sure why, but the flames have always burned blue."
She turned and pointed up to the hilltop lab. "All of the lanterns went out recently, and I imagine the same holds true for the lab's furnace up there. Nobody really goes up there though. People are a bit… weirded out by the work they do. It seems to be a secret to everybody."
She turned to face Link. "Meanwhile, the blue lanterns have always been a pretty iconic aspect of this town. They usually burn constantly, even in the most violent rainstorms. But after they went out, it seems like nobody can be bothered to light them up again."
Link shrugged, bit off another piece of jerky. "So, would I get a reward from the city if I lit all these lanterns up?" he smiled warmly.
Ivee smiled back at him. "You'd get our heartfelt thanks and gratitude! But that's about it."
Link laughed at this. "That sounds hardly worth the trouble..." he paused.
"But you've all been very welcoming, very kind. I believe I'll return the favor."
After some searching, Link located the ancient furnace. Aesthetically, it vaguely resembled the Sheikah Shrine entrances he'd visited. A hearty flame burned blue from a pedestal that mounted the front. After borrowing a small torch from one of the local residents, he got to work. It took him roughly an hour or so, but he found himself on Inferno's back once more, slowly galloping up the hill towards the Hateno lab. The storm clouds above grew darker and darker, deepening the bright glow of his blue-lit torch. He continued lighting lanterns all the way up and just hoped that the rain wouldn't put his torch out before he got to that last one...
It was after some time that he finally drew close to the hilltop lab. It was rather eclectic in design, resembling a white lighthouse at first glance. A massive ancient telescope jutted out from the interior, and the base was a simple shack made of wooden planks. As he approached the lab, he could see the unlit furnace Ivee had previously mentioned, right next to the ground-level shack. He didn't really want to assume anything… but he decided to light it anyway. He dismounted Inferno and held the torch to the furnace.
As soon as the flame caught, the bulbous tank of the furnace began to emanate blue light. A circular platform in front of the shack also suddenly glowed, its intricate veinlike surface now pulsating with energy.
On cue, a lightning bolt struck a mountain nearby and shook the air around Link with a thundering boom. The rain fell in sheets immediately, and Link grabbed Inferno's reigns to guide her under some cover near the shack. He tied her to a post, fed her an apple, and patted her mane to soothe her. She seemed a bit spooked by the lightning...
"I'll be back soon, don't worry." he told her. She seemed to snort in acknowledgement.
Link walked back to the lab entrance, took a deep breath, and burst inside without warning-
"-Whaaaaaa?!" A high-pitched, childlike voice. The wind slammed the door shut behind Link.
"Linky?! Is it really you? Snappity- snap! "
The source of the voice was what appeared to be a very young, bespectacled Sheikah girl. She was standing on a stool next to a table in the middle of the room. "No, no, no! Now is not the time for this…" she said to herself. Link walked up closer, put his hands on his hips.
"The Guidance Stone is working again… Linky has arrived…" she clapped her hands together and looked up at him.
"Ah-hah! Linky… did you by any chance, happen to light the furnace with a blue flame?"
Link nodded.
"All right!" the girl shouted. "So if you figured out how to do that without being told… that means you've come out of the Slumber of Restoration in pretty good shape...OH!" her eyes widened in a look of shock as she grabbed her face with both hands. "I haven't introduced myself!" She placed her hands on her hips. "I… am the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab's distinguished director… ~Purah!~"
Link shrugged. "Well I… am Link. And it looks like you already know me."
"Hmm…." Purah rubbed her chin. "I suppose you have yet to fully grasp the specifics of our current situation."
She took a pose, pointing in Link's direction. 'You! Were instructed by Impa! To come here to have your Sheikah Slate repaired. Correct?"
So dramatic!
"Precisely." Link said.
"~Nailed it!~"
She was rather cute, Link had to admit. In a baby Sidon kind of way.
"And yet..." she said, "You don't seem to recognize me."
"…No, I have absolutely no recollection of you at all." Link explained. "I'm sorry." He decided to delay the obvious question about her weird age, for now.
Purah looked disappointed. "Oh, Linky… even though I was the one who took you to the Shrine of Resurrection after Calamity Ganon fatally wounded you?"
Link shrugged.
"Even though I was the one who put you safely into the Slumber of Restoration…?"
Link shrugged.
"Despite all that, you still don't remember me? At all? And don't you dare shrug again."
Link shook his head.
Purah suddenly whipped out a notebook and began to write, talking to herself as she did. "After 100 years in the Slumber of Restoration, subject… lost… all… memories. Noted!" She put her notes away. "Oh, soooorrryyy, I have a rather bad habit of abruptly taking notes like that. Pretty charming quirk right?"
Not if you have to explain it to people… Link thought.
"I'm a bit shocked you don't remember me though." Purah said. "I could have sworn you were just fine… especially since you already knew to light my furnace with blue flame! I was genuinely impressed."
But Link was too honest. "Well, at the risk of receiving more credit than I deserve… it was more out of dumb luck that I lit your furnace for you. Wouldn't want you thinking I'm some sort of genius or something." he said, playfully.
"Oh, don't worry about that Linky. I knew you a really really long time ago. And I can safely say, with the utmost confidence," she snapped her fingers, "that you are not a genius!"
Great. Glad we got that sorted.
He looked Purah up and down. It didn't take long, she was only about two feet tall after all.
"So. I might as well ask the obvious question here." Link said. "Aren't you… just a child?"
"How rude!" Purah said.
Link shrugged. "I'd actually say that's a pretty logical conclusion to jump to..."
"How true!" Purah said.
She crossed her arms. "So the thing is, I look this way because of a failed experiment. Well… I say 'failed', but… in some ways it was a major success! I documented the full affair in my diary upstairs…"
A brief pause, then her eyes suddenly widened. She waved her arms dismissively in panic. "Don't you dare go up and read it though! It's really quite ~embarrassing …"
Link raised an eyebrow. "I hardly believe that you'd be able to stop me from reading it, if I really wanted to. You might as well tell me now." He glanced out the window. "I've got time to kill after all, with this sudden downpour..."
The weather itself didn't really bother Link of course, but he figured Inferno would appreciate a nice rest under cover for a while. And besides, his curiosity was yet again getting the better of him anyway.
Purah pointed at Link's face. "Say please!" she said.
"...Please…"
"Say pretty please!"
"...I think just please will do."
"Awww… you're no fun." she placed her hands on her hips, swaying to and fro.
"At any rate... If you had your memories, you'd probably have remembered that you are the one who gave me the idea to perform this anti-aging experiment in the first place…"
"I was? How so?" Link asked.
"Well, I would see you quite often, before the Great Calamity. Usually when we were testing the Divine Beasts with the Champions. You basically never talked. You were suuuuper boooooring. ~Anyway… out of the blue, you suddenly came up and asked me if it was possible for a Hylian to extend his lifespan for hundreds of years." She winked at him. "I can't imagine why you'd ask such a thing…"
"I can't either," he said, only half-jokingly.
"Oh, I'm quite sure. At any rate… your question prompted me to wonder if it really was possible to create an anti-aging rune, using ancient Sheikah technology. And the experiment was launched! I had grand plans to create an army of ageless super-soldiers for the Royal Family. To bring back retired heroes for Calamity Ganon's inevitable return. It burdened me that such technology seemed so necessary for our fight, but I persisted nonetheless."
She gestured at herself. "And since I am generally not a cruel person, I - the one and only Purah - was the very first test subject."
"And the last one too!" a voice called from across the room.
A Sheikah man. "Hello there!" he waved at Link. Link waved back...
"That's my assistant, Symin." Purah explained, gesturing in the man's direction. "Sorry for not introducing you sooner! I'm not usually this rude, I promise ." She faced Link again, as Symin walked up to join the conversation.
"Where was I… Ah!" She snapped both fingers. "Seems I got ahead of myself there. ~So... I'll spare you the details. I was obviously far too late, and the Great Calamity struck before I could even finish my work. Not that it would have made a difference…" She frowned. "Meanwhile… I continued my research long after you fell asleep. I recently tested the rune on myself, and began to reverse in age. ~Success!~" she held her fist in the air.
"...But it worked a bit too well. I went from being over a hundred-twenty years old… down to six. In a matter of days! Our lab's furnace went out before I could finish developing the age-boosting rune… and here you are now! ~The End."
Link clapped playfully as Purah took a bow. "Thank you, thank you…"
She turned to Symin. "So that's enough of our silly story-time. Let's get to work." she pointed her finger in the air. "We have a slate to repair!"
"Camera… Hyrule Compendium, album… yep! Looks good!"
Link was showing Purah his Sheikah Slate after pulling it from her personal Guidance Stone in the lab. It seemed everything was in order now…
She poked around on the screen. "Wow… I knew Princess Zelda had made frequent use of the Camera feature, but this…just wow. Wow!" she pulled the slate from Link's hands and showed him a slideshow of pictures that were making their way across the screen. "Since you were Zelda's appointed knight… I'll bet you actually accompanied her to all of these places where these pictures were taken!"
Link rubbed his chin. "As it stands now though… I don't really recognize any of these landscapes . Which I suppose isn't a big surprise..."
"Nope!" said Purah, handing Link back his slate. "But you should check with Impa, she knew Princess Zelda much better than I did."
Link nodded. "Right… well, it's getting late. It might be best for me to stay here for the night, since it'll take me about a day's journey just to get back to Kakariko..."
Purah laughed. "Oh Linky, you silly boy you. Why don't you just teleport?"
Link's face turned aggressively stoic.
"Now I know you're just messing with me," he said.
Purah snapped. "Nope! ~Lookie here-" she showed Link the map feature of his slate, changed a setting to display all of the shrines he'd activated… "Right there! Just tap on one of these blue icons, and awaaaay you go!"
Link was speechless.
There's no way…
But Purah seemed quite pleased with herself. "Well, get a move on then! We'll take good care of your little horsie while you're gone, don't worry!"
Link shook his head in disbelief. I'm so completely out of the loop…
"Well," he said, "here goes nothing…" he scrolled through the map to find the shrine in Kakariko Village-
"Oh Linky! I almost forgot-" Purah ran up to her bookshelf, pulling a rather plain-looking book from the bottom shelf. She ran back to Link, flipped through the book, and produced a small, damaged slip of cloth-paper.
It was charred quite badly. He could only make out a few words, a handful of letters:
It is qu- s-m- -e-.
All I ha- - - -s -n- -f -
"I found this in your pocket when we brought you back to the Resurrection chamber one hundred years ago. Seemed to be the only thing intact in your possession. Well, mostly intact. We did our best to keep it safe and hidden away all these years..."
Link peered at the paper carefully… there was something incredibly familiar about it. The texture, the handwriting. He just couldn't seem to put a finger on-
Mipha. It's a note from Mipha.
His eyes widened in shock. An enormous grin spread on his face. He blinked his eyes, shook his head. He laughed.
Link pulled his rucksack around, slipped the note into a waterproof bag…
"Do you recognize it?!" Purah asked excitedly.
Link couldn't hide his happiness. "Something like that." he said. Tears started to well up, but he fought them back. He looked up at Purah.
"Thank you so much. For everything..."
"Our pleasure!" said Symin.
"What he said!" Purah shouted, pointing at Symin. "See you soon, Linky~!"
"...See ya." Link glanced down, placed his finger on the Ta'Loh Naeg shrine in Kakariko Village on his map, and selected "Travel" on the menu that appeared. At first... nothing happened.
Then his body suddenly disintegrated into a million tangled strands of blue energy.
In an instant, he was gone.
The world blurred around him, he saw trees, grass, stars, and rivers… all flashing by in an instant. The sound of falling rain, coming and going, the sounds of wind rustling through the trees...it swirled around his entire being. It was the oddest sensation.
A blue light parsed through every corner of his mind, particles of energy dancing and spinning, he was floating… he was free… he was-
"M-M-My name is Paya!"
Link opened his eyes. He had already rematerialized on the Ta'Loh Naeg shrine's glowing blue platform. This strange white-haired girl, upon spotting his imminent arrival, had immediately run up the hill towards the shrine above Kakariko Village. She didn't seem even remotely out of breath either. And she was quite fast to boot.
He recognized her - well, her head anyway - as the same girl that had been sneaking a peek at him during his conversation in Impa's house.
Paya held her fists up in triumph as she introduced herself, as if she'd just won some sort of prize. "I did it!" She said. "I-I said my name!" Link couldn't help but find it rather adorable. She was so nervous about simply talking to him that she was practically shaking.
"I...I…. -ahem- I have something for you!" she continued. "From my grandmother, Impa. I've been waiting for your return!" She held a small bag in front of her face, peering out from behind like it was a shield.
Link laughed internally, found himself wanting to comfort her, to try to calm her down. Yet his twisted, cruel side was tempted to simply watch how this awkward scene would unfold…
But in the end, he decided to be merciful. Especially because he found himself already liking this rather quirky Sheikah girl. He held his palms up to her as if in retreat. "Relax," he said. He offered his hand for a shake. "Allow me properly introduce myself. I… am Link. And I'm totally harmless."
She seemed to warm up to this gesture. She grasped his hand with both of hers and returned his handshake, her head bowed. Link examined her up and down. Traditional Sheikah clothes of course… she was clearly in very good shape, sturdy build… she was a bit taller than him too, he noticed. Not that he resented that or anything. Like Impa, she had markings of the Sheikah eye crest on her forehead.
He found himself wondering if it was paint… or a tattoo. But he decided not to ask.
"So, Paya, I'm actually here to see Impa again," Link explained.
"I… thought so." said Paya. "That's why I'm here. She has gone to sleep early tonight." She gestured at the Sheikah Slate on Link's hip. "Have you… restored any functionality to the slate yet?"
"Yes." Link pulled the slate out, poked around to the gallery, and flipped the device around to show her.
"May I?" she asked.
"By all means."
Paya grabbed the slate and swiped through it. "Ah, if what my grandmother told me is correct… this is the Camera rune that Princess Zelda used 100 years ago." She turned around, aimed the slate, pressed a button, then showed the result to Link: A perfect recreation of the Kakariko townscape below. "It works!" she said excitedly.
...Does everyone but me know how to work this thing properly? Link thought, bitterly.
He grabbed the slate from Paya, scanned through the pictures again.
Paya continued. "Impa believes… that if you visit the locations within those pictures taken by Zelda, you might be able to restore some of your lost memories. Just like what happened when you saw the Zora prince in-person the other day."
She clasped her hands together against her chest. "We… both hope that your memories will return to you soon." She bowed in respect, then spun around to leave.
"O-oh! And I completely forgot…" She turned again, reached into the bag she was carrying, pulled out a long, blue piece of clothing. "My grandmother... wanted me to give this to you if I saw you. She said that it was the Champion's tunic... and that it could only be worn by one who had earned the respect of the royal family of Hyrule…" She handed it to Link. "It would seem this once belonged to you, many years ago…"
Link looked at the Champion's tunic, then back at Paya. "Thanks." he said.
It was bright blue, with white accents decorating the collar, sleeves and waist. There was also a white undershirt with yellow sleeves inside it. He pulled off his weapons, his rucksack, and began to remove his shirt to change-
"Ah! Master Link! What are you doing?!" she covered her face in embarrassment. "I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be seeing this right now-"
But Link just laughed as he put his Sheikah armor into his bag and donned the tunic, patting down the wrinkles as he did. "What do you think?" he asked her.
Paya dared to open her eyes, and relaxed as soon as she saw he was fully clothed again. "It looks... " she paused. "To be honest, it looks okay. I liked your other shirt better. But, I mean, not because I'm biased … or anything." she looked away nervously. "...Is that okay?"
Link smiled.
She... was incredibly honest, sincere. He genuinely respected that. And in that moment, he just knew that they were going to be good friends.
He put his hands on his hips, looked down at his new tunic...
"Yeah… I have to agree," he said. "This really isn't my style at all."
So far, so good…
Link had made it to the top of the Sheikah Tower deep in Hyrule Field. And he'd done so with relative ease. In fact, he was really quite shocked with how smoothly his travels had gone. He'd somehow expected far more resistance and action, being so close to Hyrule Castle.
Earlier, after teleporting from Kakariko all the way back to the Great Plateau Tower, he simply glided his way across Hyrule Field to some ruins nearby. The sun had already set over the great plains around him, but the full moon above had helped to light the way. He had witnessed a torchlit battle between some travelers and a pack of some blue-colored Bokoblins, jumping into the fray just in time to slay the monsters with relative ease. The travelers had treated him to some delicious crab risotto for his troubles, and then he'd left on his way again. He'd somehow managed to avoid the gaze of nearby stationary guardians as he climbed the sheikah tower that rose high above the field. Soon, that familiar data drop was splashing onto Link's slate. A new map of Hyrule Field appeared on the screen. As he glanced over it… he finally spotted it.
The sacred grounds.
It was the first picture in the Sheikah Slate's gallery, and at his first glance he had seen that this spot was right in front of Hyrule Castle. The picture showed an elaborate concrete platform with pillar surrounding it. The pillars framed in the enormous castle - not yet ruined - looming in the horizon. While the picture itself jogged his memories of the name of the place, he'd recalled nothing else particularly significant about it.
That would be too easy anyway… he thought.
He stepped to the edge of the tower platform, peering at the massive field now separating him from his destination. Guardian Stalkers patrolled the area in different intervals… but there was a forest in the distance that he could use for cover in the event that one of the lethal robots spotted him.
But Link felt like he had nothing to fear. After all, he'd already escaped one of these before - and the worst it had done was set him on fire anyway. No worries.
Feeling confident, he jumped off the tower and started to glide down towards the field below...
Link was on fire.
He ripped off the scorched and tattered Champion's tunic, tossing it to the ground as he ran. Well that sure didn't last very long ...
The Guardian Stalker that grazed him immediately gave chase, and began to charge its laser up again just as Link managed to dive into a ditch behind the first tree he reached. He crawled on his stomach, careful to stay out of the guardian's view.
As he pulled himself up behind the nearby tree, out of the guardian's sight, he stopped to catch his breath.
This is turning out to be a bigger pain than I thought. He sighed. This better be worth the-
A red dot suddenly appeared on his chest. He looked up.
Not worth it! Not worth it!
He was being targeted by another guardian stalker. He thought fast, turned, and scaled the tree behind him as fast as he could. He was starting to understand the timing of these robot's lasers…so he waited for a moment-
Then dove away, just as a guardian blast incinerated the poor innocent tree he was just standing on. He landed in the branches of another, unfortunately drawing the attention of the other guardian stalker that had been chasing him in the first place. Now with two red lasers aimed at him, Link leapt from tree to tree, dodging blast after blast, eventually finding himself tangled in a cluster of branches just above the second stalker…
In spite of his insane predicament, his mind entered a sense of calm as he recalled the small training robot from the cryonis shrine.
Would it work?
He jumped before he even bothered to consider.
Link landed on top of the second guardian's head and held on for dear life. Just like its miniature counterpart, it began to spin its head wildly while Link held on for dear life.
But this wasn't for pleasure this time. The red dot from the first robot still targeted him and he knew it was only a matter of time before he needed to…
…let go.
He did so, just as a laser blast from the other guardian nearly took the whole head off of the second one. Link was launched about ten feet away and began to sprint through the woods in the direction of the sacred grounds.
He dared to turn around… check out the damage…
The second guardian's head was spinning slowly, as if it had just taken a punch. Half of its coned head was missing, but this unfortunately appeared to only be superficial damage. The two stalkers started to look at each other... as if they were glaring in anger at their silly mistake.
Link decided now was not the time to consider this, using their distracted state to hightail it over to the grounds and hopefully find some cover…
It was another five seconds or so before both of the guardians recovered and began making their way straight towards Link. But he'd finally spotted it, just ahead.
The sacred grounds.
They were surrounded by a miniature moat of sorts, filled with clean water. Without hesitation he dove straight in, crawling on all floors underneath one of the small bridges leading to the center platform. Above him, he could hear the stalkers pacing back and forth. Searching for him.
In fact, if his ears weren't deceiving him…
...There was a third stalker approaching from the distance, looking to investigate the situation.
Link laughed bitterly. It was all he could really do.
He sat there, in the darkness, for several minutes. Minutes turned to hours. At times, he was tempted to simply teleport back to the Sheikah Tower and re-assess the situation. But he remained patient. He'd gotten a good glimpse of the sacred grounds before he dove in, but no memories really came to mind.
At this point, he was quite certain that the stress of the situation was providing a relatively major distraction for him. Fortunately, it was currently impossible for the guardian robots to spot him. So he took a deep breath, tried to focus... tried to relax. To slow his heart rate, to calm himself down...
His hand gently massaged the watertight bag which held Mipha's old, scorched note...his mind churned with the message hidden away there, lost in battle, lost in time...
It is qu- s-m- -e-.
All I ha- - - -s -n- -f -
He began to relax as he contemplated - even while the rhythmic pounding of heavy feet and the whirring sound of ancient gears above him continued to flood his senses. For the moment, this shred of paper was all he had left of Mipha. Simply possessing it brought him some mild comfort. He just wished he knew what it said.
It was about four in the morning now... and despite his best efforts, his adrenaline finally wore off. His energy failed him. Tunnel vision. Blackness… longing… loneliness...
He was losing focus, his consciousness drifted in and out. A feeling of wistfulness and remembrance latched onto his very soul. And soon, right there in the shallow pool of water, Link had slowly drifted away into a deep, dark sleep…
RIP unnamed tree #2.
Sassy Link has finally arrived in all his glory… and next chapter, so will Silent Link.
Next up: Memories of Mipha Part 3: Hylian Captain
