Welcome to the start of 'Season 2!'


Waves crashed and sprayed against the vast shoreline of Eventide Island, washing away the blood-drenched sands that marked the furious fighting of the previous night. It was obvious to the Zora elders that yet another great battle had been fought here, as they stepped carefully over the broken weapons and freshly-severed monster parts that littered the beach.

"With this find… I believe there are two likely possibilities," said Seggin. "Either Link fought valiantly and died a warrior's death here. Or he has successfully annihilated every single living thing on this island, and is present here as we speak."

He paused in thought briefly, before continuing. "In either case, I have no doubt that our young master was yet again responsible for all of this. Wouldn't you agree, Lady Impa?"

Impa's guard, Dorian, glanced over at his fellow Sheikah tribe members. He was not surprised to see that, once again, Paya remained entirely unfazed by the violent carnage. But he was surprised to see that Impa was still rather skeptical of Link's responsibility for this scene before them...

"While I am optimistic that our journey may finally end on this island…" Impa said, "We mustn't disregard the possibility, that some other dangerous creature is responsible for all this." The Zora elders sighed at Impa's typical doubts, but Impa ignored them.

"I am sorry, but I hesitate to jump to conclusions. In the event that this was not Link's doing, the perpetrator may still yet prowl this island. We must remain on guard-"

Suddenly, a loud rustling in the nearby forest was heard, putting the group on high alert. Dorian and Paya instinctively drew their weapons - a sword and dagger respectively - and prepared to defend Lady Impa at any cost. Seggin and Trello also drew their own spears, taking a battle-ready stance.

The rustling sounds drew nearer. Heavy steps pounded the ground, as the source clumsily navigated the dense brush straight in their direction.

And finally… it emerged.

It was a ferocious, furry beast soaked entirely in dried blood. Its head was skull-like in appearance, its arms and legs were caked with dirt and sand.

Paya gasped in surprise as she caught sight of the horrific creature. It seemed to notice the group immediately, slowly raising its arm in the air in a threatening gesture as it sprinted straight for them-

But Paya was on it in a flash.

She unleashed a furious flurry of strikes on the surprised beast, swiping and slashing with her knife. She aimed a series of rapid punches at its face, before finally smashing it directly in the head with a well-placed kick-

"GAH! STOP! You can stop now!" the creature gasped, as it fell backwards on its rear, hands held up in surrender.

Paya froze.

She knew that voice…

Could it be…?

The beast calmly stood back up, removing its own freakish skeletal head from its shoulders ...

...to reveal the smiling face of a familiar, blonde-haired Hylian underneath.

"Geez, Paya," the Hylian said, rubbing his head. "I never realized you had so much power in your-"

"LINK!"

A relieved chorus of shouts interrupted him, as the search party all gathered around in excitement and relief. But they immediately recoiled as they caught a whiff of his overpowering stench of blood and body odor...

"Phew, Link..." said Impa, as she pinched her nose in disgust. "Have you been bathing in solid waste this entire time?"
Link laughed heartily.

"Well...something like that." He glanced around at the group, still smiling.

"...Not that I'm displeased to see you all… but why exactly are you here?"

Dorian suddenly grew livid as he heard this, his pent-up rage and frustration finally reaching its boiling point.

"You ungrateful little- do you realize just what kind of insane ordeal we've undertaken, solely to make sure you're still alive and well?! We've been at it for weeks now, risking Lady Impa's life needlessly, while you've been over here... prancing about in animal hides without a single care!"

Link was nonplussed by this sudden outburst, as was Impa herself. But before anyone could say anything, Muzu approached the Sheikah guard, placing his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Now, now, Dorian," he said, calmly. "Do not forget that we volunteered for this mission in the first place…"

Link found himself raising an eyebrow at this gesture. Never thought I'd see the day where Muzu was the voice of reason, he mused.

As Dorian reeled back and apologized, Muzu turned his attention back to Link.

"I can see that you've been through quite an ordeal yourself, young master. I could scarcely recognize you in that… barbarian armor you are wearing!"

Link rubbed the back of his head as he examined himself.

"Yeah. It's a bit of a long story..."

"...One that I'm sure will be quite entertaining to hear," said Impa. She smiled warmly at him. "Nevertheless, it is so good to see that you've finally resurfaced! How, I dare ask, have you been? We were all worried sick about you..."

Link began to explain the events of the last few weeks, focusing mostly on his time there on Eventide Island. He told them he had only just received his equipment back, as well as the spirit orb of the island. For the time being, he decided not to mention his encounter with Mipha's soul, however...

"I can't say that the prize was entirely worth the trouble... but I will say that the experience certainly was!" He smiled once again at the search party before him, an inquisitive look growing on his face. "I do have to ask though… why did you all find it necessary to search for me? Really, all I needed to do was blow off a bit of steam. I'm sorry for causing all this trouble."

"No need for apologies, Link," said Impa. "You must understand… that you are our last great hope for salvation in this world. The chosen one, after all. With that in mind, I hope you can forgive my desire to… babysit you in your travels, from time to time."

This produced a laugh from Link. "Fair enough, I suppose." He turned his attention to the Zora elders. "And honestly, I'm really more surprised to see all of you here."

"Well, the truth of the matter," Trello said, "is that we knew precisely why you immediately disappeared from Zora's Domain upon the defeat of Vah Ruta's blight. And we realized… that our expression of remorse for the way we treated you was severely lacking."

Link shook his head. "Oh no, no, Trello, you really don't need to-"

"Please, let us finish," Muzu said. "Our unwarranted disrespect for you was quite less than admirable. Incredibly cruel, in fact. Especially given all that you have done for us - both past and present."

"Indeed," Jiahto said. "We allowed our bitterness and regret to soil our judgement, letting it fester for all this time. This was wrong of us. Please, young one, accept our sincerest apologies - as well as our deepest and most profound thanks for all that you've done."

Link shrugged. "I'm... moved by your gesture, truly. I appreciate it. But I really hope… that you haven't gone completely out of your way just to tell me that! "

Seggin shook his head. "Not at all, Master Link. We also have a few things to bestow upon you as well..."

From behind them the hunched-over figure of the Zora smithy, Dento, emerged. And clutched in his arms... was the newly-repaired Ceremonial Trident - and its inspiration: the Lightscale Trident. Dento cleared his throat as he handed these to Link.

"I spent well over a week working on these, reforging them for battle. We hope that you will choose to accept them this time...

...Because we certainly will not be taking them back!"

Link smiled cordially as he carefully grasped Mipha's trident in his hands. It was her most cherished possession, her favored weapon. He'd be certain to treasure it just the same...

"...And finally," Muzu said. "We wished to give you something that you couldn't possibly reject - even if you wanted to."

All of the Zora elders began to arrange themselves in a line in front of Link, drawing their spears as they did. The Sheikah watched from the side with curiosity, as each Zora plunged his spear into the ground in front of them, bowing their head in a show of utmost respect.

"Master Link…" Muzu said. "It is the distinct honor of the Zora council… to formally bestow upon you, our blessing of your engagement to Lady Mipha…"

The council members then closed in on Link, each placing his right hand on his person.

"We formally welcome you in as an official member of our family."

Link was speechless. He closed his eyes, overcome with emotion at their gesture. All he could manage was to nod his head and smile graciously in return.

Meanwhile, a look of respectful but curious disappointment briefly crossed Paya's face...

Jiahto spoke again. "We understand… that this will do little to ease the pain of her loss. But as the official scholar of the Zora council, I will at least ensure that your name will be recorded in our history as the great savior of our domain - and the hero who was dearly betrothed to our lady…"

"It is… an honor." Link finally said. "Thank you all. I... have no words left to say."

"And no words are needed either, young master!" Jiahto turned to face his fellow councilman. "I believe we have said our piece. Shall we depart?"

"Already?" Link asked. "But you've only just arrived…"

"Indeed," said Seggin. "However, we've been apart from the domain quite long enough. Our duties call us home once more…" He grinned at Link, offering a soldier's salute in his direction.

"Link, please do not hesitate to visit us again, should you ever be in need of assistance. You are family after all..."

One by one, each elder dove into the waters nearby as they prepared to depart back home. Trello and Muzu began to leave as well, then suddenly stopped and faced Link once more.

Intuitively, they felt that there was yet one more thing left to say...

"The Goddesses work in mysterious ways, Master Link," Trello said. "Their will and their designs are above ours, quite simply. Though I still cannot answer the question as to why Lady Mipha had to die… I can assure you that, at the very least, the continued presence of her spirit in this world indicates a greater purpose for her still. My hope is that you can find some solace in that..."

"But for now…" Muzu chimed in, "We bid you a fond farewell! May the goddess be with you in your future travels." He paused for a moment, then nodded calmly.

"...And Lady Mipha's spirit, just as well."


The midday sun began to rise high up in the sky over the now-deserted island. Link's eyes trailed after the departing Zora as they soon disappeared far off in the distant waters.

Nearby, Impa and Dorian began to chart their route back to Kakariko, when Link suddenly palmed his face and groaned loudly. Impa glanced over at him in concern.

"Link?" She said. "Is something the matter?"

He shook his head.

"That's going to be at least a week's trip for them to get back to the domain. It just occurred to me that I should have offered to transport them back using the Sheikah Slate..."

"I see. Tempting as that offer is... it would be incredibly ill-advised," Impa calmly explained. "Warping just one person is dangerous enough. But long ago, when we tested the teleportation functionality with multiple people at a time... well... let's just say that they didn't always make it one-hundred percent intact on the other side. I'd rather not take that risk right now."

"A lovely visual…" Link said. "And that naturally applies to our situation as well." He turned to face the distant coastline of the mainland, and shrugged.

"Seems we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way! Do you think we could make it to Hateno Village by tomorrow?"

"That might be pushing it…" said Dorian, irritably. "Besides, there is no need for you to travel with us. We've made it just fine so far on our own. Why don't you just... teleport on your merry way and leave us be?"

Link could tell that Dorian was still fuming over having been dragged all the way across the southwest wilds just to ensure his safety. Nevertheless, he persisted.

"Please, allow me to escort you to Hateno," Link said. "It's the very least I could do for all your troubles…"

And besides that, he thought, I've got a few words to share with Purah about this stupid malfunctioning slate here...

"I think it is an excellent idea." Impa said. "I for one am not about to turn down such an offer!" She hobbled over to the waiting raft climbing aboard on her own.

"Let us depart immediately."

Despite Dorian's protests, Impa found herself rather grateful for Link's presence - given her fondness for the young Hylian. But she was also glad to be allowed the opportunity to monitor his mental state firsthand as well...

They soon shoved off on the raft, sailing briskly in the direction of the distant coastline. Paya stood in the back of the boat, arms behind her back, quietly observing Link. He was solemnly examining one of his new tridents, polishing its metal surface with a clean rag. A peaceful grin was evident across his face.

After taking some time to gather up her courage, Paya finally dared to speak with him.

"Lin-Link! Pardon my intrusion…" Link glanced over at her, and she resisted the urge to cover up her face in embarrassment. His blue eyes seemed to pierce straight into her very soul…

"I'm not entirely sure what's going on," Paya said, "But you haven't stopped smiling from the moment we found you on the island…" She paused for a moment, as if catching her breath. "...Did something happen during your time there? Er... I mean, besides the Sheikah trials. Of course."

Link's face showed a mix of both peace and sorrow, as he reflected on his encounter with Mipha.

"I...met someone," he said.

"Who?"

"Someone very dear to me. The spirit of Mipha, the Zora princess. The woman that I loved..."

Paya's face still bore a look of confusion - and minor disappointment - from the Zora's ceremonial blessing earlier. But still, she forced a smile.

"Well, I don't… I don't really understand," she said. "But it is...good to see you in high spirits."

Link smiled back at her, and Paya immediately glanced out towards the rushing water nearby, unable to make eye contact with him.

"I sincerely thank you Paya," Link said. "For your genuine concern…" he stood up on the boat, made his way over to her.

"You truly are a good friend..." He suddenly pulled Paya into a strong, warm embrace.

And she instantly melted through the floor of the boat.


After several days of travel, the group finally arrived at Purah's ancient tech lab in Hateno Village. Her age-boosting rune complete, the mad Sheikah scientist had now physically grown six more years, to the elderly age of twelve.

But her mannerisms remained just as childish as before.

"Linky! Snap snap! It's ~so good to see you ag- BLEGH!" She pinched her nose in disgust as Link's scent immediately burned her nostrils.

"Okay, you aren't allowed to speak to me until you've had a proper shower and a change of clothes…." she waved him off dismissively.

"Symin will show you the way…"

She turned her attention to Link's companions, while Symin grabbed Link's shoulder and guided him towards the back of the tech lab.

"Impa! My dear old sister, oh, it's been so long!" Purah's voice trailed off. "You are looking positively ancient …"

The door shut behind them, and Symin began to show Link around their facilities.

"There should be some towels in the closet there, you will find some soap and scrubbers in that tray. Try not to use too much water, we rely on the rain to replenish our supply…" his voice grew silent as he examined Link up and down. He shook his head at the bizarre outfit, the bloodstains, that distinctly awful smell.

"I... shouldn't ask, right?"

"Long story."

"Thought so. I'm sure Purah won't even acknowledge you again until you've shed that… aromatic clothing of yours. I hope you have a change of clothes with you..."

"Ah... so running around naked isn't an option?" Link asked with a grin.

Symin just stared blankly.

"...Right. Well, uh, thanks for all this."

Symin left the room, shutting the door behind him. Link turned his attention to the bathroom mirror, finally getting a detailed look at his reflection. He withheld the urge to burst out laughing.

He looked utterly ridiculous.

With some hesitation, Link finally shed his carefully-constructed armor - his only companion during his crazy ordeal on Eventide - and he began the intense, strenuous work of finally scrubbing himself clean.

It didn't take a terribly long time, though he did find it a bit difficult to do so while rationing the tech lab's water supply. He was also surprised at how hard it was to remove dried Hinox blood from his skin and hair, ultimately scrubbing his flesh raw in some places. Still, he found some satisfaction in wiping away the last remnants of battle, starting out fresh again with a blank slate.

New beginning… new horizons. Let's just hope this feeling lasts...

As he toweled off and began to clothe himself, Link retrieved Mipha's Zora armor from his bag. His finger loosely traced the single white scale adorning the left side of the chest. It was the last remnant of Mipha's physical presence in this world.

Though the pain was still ever-present in his heart, much of it had been replaced with newfound courage and determination. And with the knowledge of the tremendous love that had been poured into its creation, Link couldn't help but feel a sense of growing warmth as he donned the Zora armor once again.

After cremating his barbarian clothing - paying his respects with a short prayer as he did, Link quickly returned to the main room of Purah's tech lab, ready to confront her about his recent misadventures with his Sheikah Slate…


"It's as if you did that on purpose… entirely for the sake of inconveniencing me!" He said, as Purah tapped through Link's slate, a rare puzzled look on her face.

"I'm so, so sorry Linky," she replied. A few more taps, then she handed the slate back to him.

"...But I do think I figured out what happened! When I restored the Camera rune during your last visit, I used a backup of my own personal Sheikah Slate. It would seem that I accidentally overwrote my security settings too!" She playfully crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue as she said this.

"An unexpected side-effect. But I'm sure it wasn't too much trouble."

"I almost died!"

"...Like I said, not too much trouble. Besides, I finally got you to say it!" She struck a dramatic pose, snapping her fingers in Link's direction. "Snappity-snap!"

But Link was in no mood to play around. Like a defiant teenager, he turned to his side, sticking his hand out in a thumbs-down gesture to express his displeasure.

Purah pouted, placing her hands firmly on her hips as she swayed to and fro.

"You. Are. No. Fun," she said. "Just like my sister." She glanced over at Impa, who was tinkering with Purah's custom Sheikah slate.

"What do you think, Impa?" She smiled, excitedly running up to her sister's side. She began to hop up and down joyfully. "Can you believe my age-reversing rune was a success? We could try it out on you next, if you'd like!"

Impa smiled back at her sister.

"Ah, I admit that I'm rather impressed with your work. But I believe that I'll be quite content with simply living out my life and passing away at a good old age…"

Purah rolled her eyes.

"Yup. Just as I expected. Why don't we try out the age-boosting rune on you instead, in that case? I've got a dustpan on hand, for when you instantly disintegrate into a pile of dust!"

Despite his irritation, Link couldn't help but laugh at the playful banter between the two siblings - though Paya looked utterly embarrassed at her great-aunt's perceived disrespectful nature…

"I-I'm… sorry about my aunty Purah." Paya said. "She doesn't quite know how to hold her tongue…"

Link shrugged. At this point, he was pretty much used to Purah's immature, quirky behavior. But Paya seemed to have moved on from that train of thought already, as she carefully examined Link's new armor.

"I… can see that you... have replaced your Sheikah top." She paused briefly, trying to find her words. "I have to admit… begrudgingly… that your new armor suits you well." She recoiled, as if she'd just uttered something wildly offensive.

"Sorry! Um, is that… okay-"

"Linky!" Purah turned her attention back to Link, interrupting his conversation. "Back to business! Joking aside, I really am sorry about the... unfortunate mishaps with your slate. Please, let me to make it up to you!" She ran over to her guidance stone, powering it on.

"...How about a free rune upgrade? We're pretty strapped for funds here… but I think we can make an exception in your case," she winked.

Satisfied with this development, Link finally responded with a playful ~snap.


After spending the rest of the day resting and relaxing, Impa decided it was time to for their congregation to part ways. Dorian in particular seemed rather anxious to get home, after all.

"I… apologize for acting so rudely towards you, Link," he said, as he crossed his arms and sighed. "Allow me to explain. Before our departure, I started to receive increasingly violent threats from members of the Yiga clan. Threats aimed not only at me, but at my two children - Koko, and Cottla. My duties must prioritize Lady Impa, of course. But I'm deeply concerned about my children, you see…"

Link shook his head.

"No harm done, Dorian. It's certainly understandable..."

"Still, you should have nothing to fear," Impa said, calmly. "The other village guards should have your children under careful watch at all times. I have no reason to doubt that they are safe and sound, waiting for your return…"

Impa hobbled over to Link, pulling him into an embrace. "I am quite pleased to see that you're alive and well, young one. But please… be mindful of your emotions. I have to warn you…" she pulled away, taking on a scolding look of a concerned parent, "...that a broken heart is not necessarily fitting for a hero to be fueled by."

Link smiled at Impa, despite himself. "Well, if you're telling me to bury my emotions in some cold effort to maintain concentration and focus, then I can assure you - respectfully - that I will be doing quite the opposite. Because if you ask me… from what I've gathered so far, it's precisely this suppression of emotion that got us into this mess in the first place."

Impa smiled back.

"Ever-defiant… and ever so bold." She reached up and patted Link on the shoulder.

"Never lose that side of you."

And with that, the group made their goodbyes.

"I'll come visit you soon, I promise!" Purah called out after her fellow Sheikah, as they made their way down the mountain road. "Well, probably after this guy saves the world, that is!"

Once Impa and company were out of sight, Purah and Symin guided Link to the back of the lab as he prepared to continue his own travels.

This time, he'd be setting out in the direction of Gerudo Desert.

And to do so, he would need to enlist the help of his trusty old friend...

"She's been quite a handful…" Purah said, gently stroking the horse's mane. "But she's really a sweet animal. Aren't you, you cute little thing, you…"

Inferno!

The gorgeous black horse neighed joyfully as she finally caught sight of her missing master.

Link reached into his bag and produced an apple, taking a large bite before tossing it into Inferno's waiting mouth. As he began to soothe her himself, he turned to face Purah, yet another question lingering in his mind…

"When I was on the island, I stumbled upon some of your weird research notes in my Sheikah Slate," he said, his mouth full of chewed apple. "Probably a side-effect from your tinkering last time."

"Really?!" Purah said. "That's shocking. I hope there wasn't anything... embarrassing in there!"

"Unfortunately not," Link said. "...But what I did find… was an entry about a strange creature that lives deep in the Faron wilds. One that is able to bring back dead animals…"

"-You must be referring to Malanya!" Symin interjected. "Purah and I have spent quite a bit of time researching her…"

"So she's real?!" Link cried. His mind began to swirl with possibilities...

"It's only a rumor... " Purah said. "So far, it's entirely based on hearsay. We haven't exactly had time to go out and find her, you know. Priorities and all that…" she waved her hand in the air.

"...But wait." She suddenly squinted her eyes, peering carefully at Link behind her comically huge glasses.

"Are you, perhaps, intending to seek out Malanya yourself? Hmmmm….?"

Link shrugged. "If it's on the way… just a bit curious is all."

"Oh, I'm really quite certain that's the case. But I must warn you, Linky. That… is a dangerous path you might be traveling. Life and death is entirely in the goddess Hylia's realm of control… not something mere mortals like us should be meddling with."

"Didn't you just spend several decades researching how to prolong your life indefinitely?" Link asked.

"Point taken! Let me see your Sheikah Slate…"

She began to poke around Link's map, looking over several locations along the southeastern coastline…
"Ah-HAH! Lurelin Village." She turned to Symin, handing him the slate. "Didn't you first hear about Malanya during one of your visits there?"

"That's correct, Purah." He looked over the map, then flipped the screen over so Link could see.

"Link, if you intend to locate this strange creature, I believe your best bet might be to seek information there. Besides… if you're heading to Gerudo Desert next, then it's not terribly out of your way to pass by the village during your trip either." He tossed the slate back to Link.

"Excellent. Thanks!" Link looked over himself, rummaged through his rucksack, saw that all of his gear seemed to be in order.

"Then... I guess it's time to set off! I really do appreciate the information… and your hospitality."

"Our pleasure." Symin said flatly. "But I do have one last request in return."

"Sure. Anything."

A stern look crossed his face as he leaned in close to Link, his eyes narrowing behind his thick-rimmed glasses.

"When you see Malanya... please..." He paused dramatically for a moment. The seconds slowly ticked by, and Link was starting to sweat. He began to wonder if he wasn't going to like this request at all...

"...Take a nice picture with her as proof!" Symin grinned suddenly.

"Without any pics... as far as we're concerned, it didn't happen!"

Link smiled.

"Will do!" He quickly mounted Inferno, turning her towards the direction of the winding pathway leading back into Hateno Village from Purah's lab.

"Guess I'll be seeing you-!"

"Hold on just a second." Purah said. "Before you leave…" Link turned to face her once again, though he was shocked to see that her face appeared stoic, concerned. It was oddly disconcerting for him to see…

"Linky… I just need to ask before you go.

Are you... truly okay?"

Link sighed, crossing his arms as he tried to find the right words to answer her with. With the whirlwind of events since his encounter on the island, he hadn't had much time to truly articulate how he was feeling about anything really.

After some time, he finally spoke.
"Purah… to be perfectly honest, I'm just taking it day-by-day. Some days… are better than others. I'm still here. I'm still living. Mipha's spirit is still with me. And I still have a job to do."

He smiled at her, grimly yet sincerely.

"...But it's just never going to be the same."


Originally had a blurb here about the announcement of the Champion's Ballad, my fears of it contradicting my canon, yadda yadda. It's all good now.
Bit of an easygoing chapter to start with here, but after the endless drama from the last ten chapters, I definitely needed another breather.
Next up, we have series of lighthearted tales from Lurelin Village, in Chapter 22: Separator.
See you soon!