A/N: We're back! This is a bit of a short, expository chapter, but it kicks things off as we move into the "adult" side of the timeline.

As an aside, the prologue and chapters 1 and 2 have had some cleanup. I was going to fix up 3 but disliked it so much that I decided to hold off. I might eventually rewrite it, but the fact of the matter is I don't want to stop for total rewrites, or I may never finish. So for now, the old, clunky writing stays. Also, with this chapter, we've officially broke 100k words! It's been real fun, so here's to another 100k. For those of you that have come this far with me, thanks so much for sticking around!


Seven Minus Six


"Link…"

The world was a blur. He was chilled to his core.

"Get up, Link…"

The world was too bright. He was burning.

"Link… You must get up…"

He was… He was…


Link's head hurt. His vision flickered to life, attempting to focus. Pulses of blue danced in front of his eyes. No... it wasn't pulses; it was water. Water was flowing past him over blue stone, shimmering in ethereal light. His hands were in the water, soaking up moisture, and he felt like his lower legs were getting wet too, but otherwise he felt dry.

He tilted his head slightly, his vision swimming as he began to look up. He could not see the end of wherever he was, the world fading into darkness further away. He could, however, see the waterfalls cascading in the distance.

Closer up, two stone platforms rose out of the water in front of him, though he could see a third out of the corner of his eye. One to his left had been painted purple, a design carved into the center. More directly in front of him was more of the same, but this time a golden color. He could not get a good look at the pattern below, however.

His view was hindered by a person standing atop it, adorned in similar golden colors. He raised his head higher, so that he could see the face of the plump stranger. The elderly man stood facing Link, his arms at his sides, a carefully crafted grey mustache stretching across his face. His similarly grey hair had been pulled back into a bun.

The man's voice came out in a deep rumble. "Ah, Link, finally you're ready. Finally, you've awoken. Get up, my boy, you have much to do. Much to fix."

Link looked back down to his hands, to the bits of wood and bark that stretched and shifted and animated. Slowly, unsteadily, he began to push himself to his feet, his stance wobbling, feeling like he could be swept away by the shallow water, with how weak and exhausted he seemed to be. He looked back for just a moment and realized a plain platform rose behind him. He stepped back onto it, feeling at least a bit more balanced.

"Whe-re…" He cut off, finding it difficult to form words. He tried again with a different question. "Who…"

"Hm… a trouble forming words… I suppose that could be a side effect…" The man brought a hand up to his chin, deep in thought, before raising it to wave dismissively. "No matter. I will answer your question.

"My name is Rauru, the last of the original great sages, guardians of the sacred realm. And this place you're standing in now? This is the last untainted bastion of the sacred realm."

"Sacred… Realm?" Link opened and closed his mouth, trying to say that he'd heard of it before. He remembered the Great Deku Tree mentioning it before, in a time that felt both like yesterday, and like it was so, so long ago.

Rauru raised a hand to his chest and closed his eyes. "Ages ago, we ancient Sages built the Temple of Time to protect the entrance to the Sacred Realm. Then we dedicated our spirits to the realm, linking our lives to the health of the realm."

"That's…" Link closed his mouth and shuddered, trying to form thoughts and words. "This is… the… last… of the…"

The sage turned his hand outwards to gesture for Link to be silent. "Let me explain. This is the Chamber of Sages, a place I carved out to protect the sages inside the Temple of Light. The Temple of Light is… well, it is tied directly to the Sacred Realm, instead of being an outside temple like all the others. It… also happens to be the last stronghold in the Sacred Realm against Ganondorf's evil forces."

"Ganondorf? Wait… but that would mean…"

"Let me…" The man sighed and shook his head. "No… let me go about things this way. What's the last thing you remember?"

"Last…" Link considered for a moment, his head aching as he struggled to think back. He'd been in Hyrule Field. And then… Zelda? Zelda! She'd been fleeing. Then Ganondorf showed up and… and he…

Link subconsciously brought a hand up to his chest where he remembered being struck. But… something didn't add up.

"How did I… How did I get here?"

Rauru put his hands behind his back, lowering his head slightly. "Let me fill you in as best I can. You tried to fight Ganondorf in Hyrule field. He struck you with magic and took control of your body, shut you out of your own mind, even, then sent you to open the Door of Time. There, you pulled loose the Master Sword - an evil destroying sword that also happened to be the key to the sacred realm. You entered and… well, I had no choice but to lock myself in here and prepare. When you eventually broke into the temple of light, I used a seal to hold you here, though I could not expect it to hold you forever, nor did I want it to. I spent time trying to weaken Ganondorf's hold, but… I don't mean to alarm you, but I'd like you to take a look at yourself."

Curious, Link glanced down. He was still in the same red tunic he remembered; that much was the same. What wasn't the same was the blackened crack that zigzagged out from underneath, leading all the way up to his chin. Another one peeked out before taking a sharp turn towards his shoulder. He pushed against one of the marks, expecting it to ooze the typical golden sap that would seal his crack and eventually heal him. But instead, viscous, opaque purple fluid of similar consistency to his sap seeped around the spot. He pulled his hand away in alarm, flicking off the bits of the substance that had clung to his fingers.

He pulled his tunic away just a bit, tracing the cracks back to their source. Several more cracks exploded out from a point in his chest, ranging from short, nasty cracks that had been sealed over by the purple ooze, to hairline fractures that stretched out around the center like a web. Perhaps odder, was the center. Right at the spot where all the cracks came together was a lump of the solidified gunk.

Rauru let out a sigh. "I tried to draw all of the magic out at the point of entry... But as you may have guessed, my power alone was not strong enough. Slowly, the magic is seeping back to the rest of your body. Unless you find a way to control it, or else find others that can help draw it out, you'll fall victim to the magic once again. If you would, please reach into your right pocket there."

Link did as he was told, feeling something round and about the size of his hand inside. Removing it to get a better look, he could see that it was a golden medallion with three raised spherical and triangular shapes raising out of one side, and something written along the edge. The other side had the same script, as well as a triforce embellishment.

"What is this?"

"That is called the Light Medallion. It is a symbol of the my strength and imbued with the power of light. For you, it will serve two purposes. The first is that you will need it to call forth my power when you eventually face Ganondorf. But more importantly for you, it also happens to be the only thing keeping that possession curse in check once you leave here. Keep it on you at all times, or else you risk becoming a mindless monster once again."

"When I… face Ganondorf?"

"If you wish to save this world. If you wish to redeem yourself in the eyes of the goddesses, I'm afraid you'll have to. He's become too powerful for any one person to face alone. But with the help of the sages, you should be able to do it, Link."

The man stepped down from his platform to approach Link and reached into his cloak, retrieving a long sword with a decorative blue hilt. Something about the sword filled Link with two feelings at once: a rush of excitement, and an ever-present feeling of dread.

"This is the Master Sword, a legendary blade forged by the power of the gods centuries ago, created to repel evil like Ganondorf. Though you might have trouble wielding it at the moment, you are the rightful user, and you'll need it if you hope to face Ganondorf."

Tentatively, Link reached out with one hand towards the hilt while he put the medallion away. As his fingers made contact though, a jolt went through his body. At once, he felt like he was freezing, burning, and being shocked. He let out a yelp and recoiled, eliciting a frown from Rauru.

"The blade senses the evil that's taken root inside you. If you wish to wield this sword again, you'll either have to go through its judgement each time until you can control it, or else expel the evil inside you. Whatever you decide to do though, you still need to take the sword now."

Link gave the man an incredulous look before turning his attention back to the sword. Slowly and hesitantly, he reached forward, grabbing the hilt tight. He let out a cry as the painful feeling returned, nearly paralyzing him in pain. But slowly, it receded to a numb tingle. Rauru reached into his cloak again to retrieve the scabbard and held that out to Link as well. Link was quick to stuff the sword inside, the slung the strap over his shoulder, so that the scabbard was hanging on his back, tilted so that he could reach the sword's hilt with his dominant hand.

"I'm going to send you back to the physical world soon," he began, "but I want to give you an idea of what has happened since your possession." He returned to his pedestal and stood up just a bit straighter.

"It has been seven years since you entered the Sacred Realm. That may not seem like long to a spirit like you or me, but for the people now under Ganondorf's rule, it feels like far too long. It took him some time to establish rule, but he managed to transform Hyrule into a land fit not for humans, but for monsters."

"Like me?"

Rauru hesitated. "Yes and no. His minions are able to run free now, razing the country as they see fit, terrorizing the residents. But those that stand against him, whether they be human, Goron, Zora, Kokiri, or any of the more monstrous populations that chose not to side with him, they're driven into hiding, or else face his wrath. This is the Hyrule I am sending you out to liberate. Do you understand? Are you ready?"

Link swallowed nervously considering the man's words. Considering what he had learned about himself, and what was still missing. Could he really save the world, the way he was now? What was he thinking, he had to, or else he risked losing himself again!

Decided, he nodded slowly. "I think so… Wait…" As he took a moment to think back to his last memories, something occurred to him. Only then did he realize that something, or rather someone key was missing. "Navi! What happened to Navi? We were separated before, um… before everything happened. Do you know where she is? Do you know if she's okay?"

Rauru hesitated. "The last time I saw Navi was… right before the fall. I sent her towards Hyrule Castle, fearing for your safety. After that, I don't know what happened to her."

"I see… wait, you sent her?"

The man's eyes shifted to the side. "I will save that story for another day. You have a lot of work to do, and I don't want to overwhelm you now. You must go to the temples and awaken the five new sages; you'll need their power to face Ganondorf as well. Head first to the forest, young Link. There, you will be able to awaken the first sage. I wish you good luck."

As Rauru stretched an arm out, the platform beneath Link began to glow with a soft white light. The grew brighter and brighter, until it finally overtook Link's vision.

"Stay safe, Link. And remember to keep the medallion on you at all times."


The light began to fade, leaving spots in Link's vision as he reoriented himself. For the most part, the room he found himself in was dark. Reddish sunlight filtered down through a large window behind him, illuminating squares on the ground in front. Stairs lead down a platform towards a large doorway. Glancing back, he took note of a small pedestal with a thin slit in it. Logically, the Master Sword had been there.

Tentatively, he reached his hand back towards the sword's hilt, but quickly retracted it as it sent a jolt through his body once again. He felt around at his side, looking for the Kokiri sword, only to discover that it was missing, apparently left behind before he entered the Sacred Realm.

He took a moment to scratch at one arm, considering his path forward carefully. He had no idea what time of day it was, but he'd certainly need to hurry if he wanted to make it to the forest by nightfall. So with that thought in mind, he turned back and began to walk forward, his footsteps echoing in the chamber as he stepped down from the platform.

As he reached the doorway, he paused, looking out into the rest of the Temple of Time.

The footsteps didn't stop with him.

"I've been waiting for you, hero of time."

Link spun around to face whoever was behind him, instinctively reaching for the sword on his back. But when it shot pain through him once again, he opted to just raise his hands in a defensive fighting pose.

Standing on the platform he had just been on, barely illuminated by the light, was a blonde-haired young man garbed in form-fitting blue and white clothing. The man stood at a slight angle with his arms hanging at his sides. Although most of his face was covered by his clothing, he looked out from over the draped fabric with a sharp gaze that threatened to make Link whither.

"After all these years, you finally return to the world of the living with new tasks at hand. After all these years, and the pain you caused, you don't remember a thing." Link shrank back as the man took a few steps forward, pausing after he had taken one step down the stairs. Here, he turned to look back towards the window.

He closed his eyes and continued to speak. "When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages. They will find themselves called to the five temples, and dwell there until they awaken to their duty. One in a deep forest… One on a high mountain… One under a vast lake… One within the house of the dead… One inside a goddess of the sand…"

Again, he paused, turning his attention back to Link. "Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world…"

He continued to walk until he was at the foot of the platform. "This is the legend of the temples passed down by my people, the Sheikah."

"The… who? Wait, who are you?"

"I am Sheik, last of the Sheikah." The man brought a hand up to rest it against his chest.

"So, you're… Sheik… the Sheikah?"

Sheik blinked once. "Well, I suppose you could look at it like that, yes. But that's beside the point. If you believe the legend I just told you, you must look for the temples and awaken the sages. But more importantly to you, I think, is that if you want to heal yourself of the evil that's taken root inside, you will need all the sage's power."

Link slowly reached a hand up to place it over the blackened spot on his chest.

Sheik crossed his arms. "One of these Sages is waiting for the time of awakening in the Forest Temple. The Sage is a girl I am sure you know…"

"A girl I know?" Link thought back to all the girls he'd met. And more importantly, he thought back to the girls he knew in the forest, letting out a gasp as the answer struck him. "Saria?"

Sheik nodded. "Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm… You must go there and help her."

He paused, arms dropping to his sides, before he shifted to shrug a bag off his back, tossing unceremoniously to the floor in front of Link with a clatter. He tilted his chin up ever so slightly. "Unfortunately, equipped as you currently are, you cannot even enter the temple… If I understand correctly, you barely even have a weapon to work with. But, if you believe what I'm saying, take what's inside that bag. It should help you reach the Forest Temple."

Link tilted to pick up the bag, peeking at the contents inside. On one end of the weapon was a handle leading up to a button. On the other was a wickedly sharp spike as big as his fist. Wrapped around the middle was a chain. Link grabbed hold of the handle and experimentally pressed the button. Immediately the sharp end sprang outwards, shooting several feet before clattering to the ground, the chain rattling behind it. He pressed the button a second time and the chain quickly retracted, pulling back the hook with it until it was back to its original form.

"That is a hookshot, if you shoot it at surfaces like wood, you should be able to pull yourself up or across gaps. That should help you get into the temple."

The man turned, ascending the steps again, though he paused halfway up. "I will wait for your return here. Good luck, and may the goddesses shine with fortune upon you."


The inside of the Temple of Time was pristine and surprisingly well-kept, save bits of dust and dirt that had crept inside over time. Here at least, Link had a sense of normalcy.

Outside, on the other hand, was carnage.

Dust whipped up in the wind outside, the plant life long withered and dead. The sky was an ominous red, the sun mostly obscured by the dust clouds. But the area around the temple was relatively tame otherwise. However, as Link headed down the path back towards the market square, it soon became clear just how bad the town had been ravaged.

What once had been homes and businesses were now little more than charred piles of rubble, burnt and rotten timbers sticking up haphazardly amongst shattered brick and stone. The happy mask sales shop no longer looked very happy. Anything valuable had long since been picked away by more adventurous bandits. Here and there, Link spotted bones sticking out amongst the rubble as well.

As he made his way to what had been the central fountain, the sound of groaning nearby made him freeze in place. Slowly he turned his head to the left. On the ground stopped what looked like a corpse, the body emaciated and rotting. And yet, it was not still, as one would expect a dead body to be, but instead trembling. It also let out a low, droning groan. The monster drew Link's memory back to a time from before, to a creature he had encountered way back shortly after he began his journey.

Redead.

And as he managed to pull his gaze away from the trembling corpse, he realized that it wasn't the only one there. Several more redead were scattered around the village square, some squatting, some just standing in place, and a few shambling about in a slow limp.

Something grabbed Link's shoulder.

The skull kid let out a startled cry, turned, and swung at the thing behind him with his fist. The blow did little to the redead that had managed to sneak up on him, but it did manage to make it let go. As soon as he was free, he bolted, making an attempt to dash past the walking redeads towards the far side of the square, where he thought he remembered the drawbridge being.

Something let out a high-pitched shriek. Suddenly, Link found himself frozen in place, his body refusing to move. The crouching redead had risen, limping towards him as he watched helplessly.

Nonono, runrunrun!

But his body refused to move, held in place by some unseen force as it inched closer. Closer. Groaning. Rotting fingers reaching towards him.

But slowly, his will to move returned. Slowly, he could move his eyes. His fingertips. His hands. His feet. He stumbled forward as his legs became capable of movement. And he scrambled forward like a wild animal. Whatever magic the redead had cast on him with its wail of despair, it didn't seem ready to do again.

Now able to move fully, he fled the market, down what remained of the main road. He made certain to give any remaining redeads between himself and the way out of town a wide berth.

When he reached the castle town gates, he found the drawbridge not just down, but busted, parts of the wood dipping into the moat. A small channel of water existed between the two pieces of the bridge. Link carefully made his way close to the water's edge before leaping, landing on his stomach with his fingers digging into the wood grain on the other side, trying to drag himself up to safe shore. His boots kicked and slid against the damp wood, threating to let him slide back into the water. But finally, after what felt like far too long, he managed to pull himself up to safety.

As he began to make distance between himself and Castle Town, the red dust that permeated the area began to die away, leaving him in a Hyrule field that seemed almost just as he left it. He shifted on his feet anxiously, adjusting his bag and the sword on his back. He began to reach for the weapon, only to stop short before his hand could grab the hilt. No, he couldn't take the pain every time he needed to fight; by the time he had recovered from the jolt, an enemy would be upon him.

He clenched his fists and looked up towards the expansive fields in front of him. If he couldn't use his sword, he'd just have to find other ways to fight. Like with his fists! Or perhaps he could use the boomerang. Or the weird hookshot thing Sheik gave him.

With the goal of the Kokiri Forest in mind, he began to walk, hoping he was going the right way. If only Navi were here, she'd know how to get him there. Thinking about Navi and wondering where she was sent a pang of regret through his chest. No, he couldn't focus on her now; it would only serve as a distraction.

He took a glance up at the setting sun and took off at a nervous gait.


"You can come out of hiding, you know. I know you're there."

"You're still here?"

"I'm giving him a head start; I don't think he'd appreciate being followed and watched like he's a dangerous monster."

"Then let me go with him."

"We can't risk losing both of you. You know that."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"I don't advise that. But I won't stop you. I just hope you realize he may not be the same as when he met you."

"I could say the same to you."

"On the contrary. I've already made peace with that. Why do you think I'm keeping an eye on him? I just hope it doesn't come down to a fight."

"You sure didn't sound at peace with it. And you don't have to worry about a fight. I know it won't happen."

"...Goddesses willing, I hope you're right. Come on now. If you're coming with me, we should get going."


A/N: So, this may or may not be what people expected, but there are still some surprises up my sleeve. Link has a lot of missing memories he's going to have to work out, and he's left with a Sword that can't truely accept him yet. We'll be heading to the Forest Temple next time. See you then.