Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.

So, this one will feature a bit of a time jump from the last one, and will give a big hint at the direction I'm taking this story.

Let's get to it.

Chapter 9- A New Mystery

Link pushes through the thick brush that has grown up around the clearing where his and Zelda's home lies. On his back is a bag containing several cakes and pastries he had just bought in Lurelin Village, which he had bought for a very special occasion: Elron's birthday.

It's been almost 4 years since Link and Zelda left their lives behind to live together as a couple in the wild. And today is their son's 3rd birthday. Zelda and Link wanted it to be a good day, and so Link had gone to the village to get some treats for their little celebration.

As Link approaches the footage, he takes a moment to take in its new appearance with a sense of pride. In the last year or so, Link had undertaken several projects to enlarge their home. At first, this had involved some simple additions to the house. But in the last few months, Link, with the help of some friends from Lurelin Village, had actually added a second floor to the house, which had only recently been finished. It's definitely helped their home feel a little less cramped with a hyperactive toddler.

Link walks up to their front door and opens it. As he does, Link smiles as he sees Elron running around in their living room, followed close behind by Terrako, who is trilling and whistling happily as it chases Elron around. This just makes Elron laugh even more.

"Elron," Link says to get his son's attention.

"Daddy!" Elron squeals as he runs over to Link, hugging his leg tightly. Link smiles down at his son. He still finds it so strange that he is the father of a toddler, but would not change it for anything.

"Hey, my little man. Who's the birthday boy?" Link says as he rubs Elron's hair.

"I am!" Elron squeals with excitement.

"Yes, you are," Link says with a smile. He pauses for a second before he asks, "Where's your mother?"

"Right here."

Link looks up and smiles as he watches Zelda come walking into the front from their bedroom. She's wearing a blue dress reminiscent of her old travelling outfit, but a lot more free flowing than her travelling outfit. Of course, this is good for Zelda right now, as she rests a hand on her swollen belly.

As Elron had gotten to be two and a half years old, Link and Zelda decided it was time to add to their family. They always knew they wanted multiple children, but had been uncertain when they wished to have more. But as Elron neared the end of his toddler years, Zelda realized she wanted Elron to have a sibling before he got too old, and they decided to try for another child. Zelda is now 5 months pregnant with their second child.

Zelda smiles as she walks towards her husband. "Did you get them all?" she asks him.

"Yes, I did," Link says, holding up the bag.

"Oh, good. Thank you," Zelda says, reaching Link and giving Link a kiss on the cheek. She then turns to look at Elron and says, "Alright, Elron! We promised you your favorite treats. Let's have a fun day!"

"Yay!" Elron squeals.

Zelda and Link set out the cakes and treats Link had bought in the village. Elron is literally jumping up and down from excitement.

Zelda helps Elron up into his chair at their dinner table. She and Link stand together alongside him. Zelda kisses Elron on the side of his head and says in a loving tone, "Happy birthday, son." She then looks at Link, sharing a smile with him before both of them look back down with pride at their son.

(Hyrule Castle)

In the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle, King Rhoam is in a private meeting with Impa. Something has been happening lately, and Impa had been tasked with gathering information on it to bring back to the king. Now, she is here to deliver her report to the king.

"So, these ruins have appeared not only in the wilds, but at Kakariko Village itself?" King Rhoam asks Impa.

"Yes, Your Highness. So far, they have not caused any damage to the village, but should more appear, this could change," Impa responds.

"And you are certain that all of these ruins that have been discovered are Zonai in origin?" King Rhoam asks.

"Yes, Your Highness. It is relatively easy to identify them. The particular spiral patterns and dragon decorations are quite specific to Zonai architecture, and have been documented across the kingdom. In addition, we have found one tablet with writing on it that has been identified as Zonai writing," Impa says.

King Rhoam nods. The Zonai were an incredible ancient race of magic users that has long been extinct that once lived in Hyrule and the skies above Hyrule. Some ruins across the land that had been known for some time had long been identified as being created by the Zonai. Yet, almost nothing about this long extinct race was known for sure. For so many new Zonai ruins to be suddenly appearing, it seems that there must be something happening to cause this.

King Rhoam nods as he digests this. He pauses for a moment to think about it before he says, "This is something of great interest, and something that must be investigated. Impa, I am appointing you to lead a research team to examine these Zonai ruins and attempt to learn their secrets, as well as why they are appearing. Purah and Robbie will help you, as well as anyone else you should wish to recruit."

"Of course, Your Highness," Impa says, more than willing to take on this responsibility.

Right then, one of the royal guards bursts into the throne room. "Umm, Your Highness? YOu're going to want to see this."

King Rhoam raises an eyebrow, but decides to listen, and follows the guard out of the Sanctuary and onto the pathway outside the Sanctuary's tower. As he exits the Sanctuary, he immediately sees what the guard was referring to. Small clouds and tendrils of a mysterious gloom drifting up from the moat and the edges of the castle, winding their way through the outer parts of the castle.

In the last couple of days, this gloom has been appearing in and around the castle and Castle Town. It resemble a dark mist, but only seemed to appear in small amounts and for brief periods of time. But, if someone came into contact with it, it caused them to fall ill. The longer the contact or more gloom that was encountered, the longer the feelings of sickness lasted. Even still, everyone who had so far fallen ill had since recovered.

But now, the king is seeing much more gloom than has been seen before, and it seems to be concentrated around the castle.

The king is quiet for a moment before instructing the guard, "Carry a message throughout the castle. All within the castle itself are to evacuate immediately and move to Castle Town. But do not raise alarm. I do not want any panic."

"Yes, Majesty," the guard says before hurrying off.

King Rhoam is quiet for a moment before turning to Impa. "Impa, summon the Champions to Castle Town. I will need their help in these matters."

And, I'll end there.

So, yes, the rest of this story is going to be a heavily changed version of Tears of the Kingdom, set a century before it really did, and with the four Champions taking the place of the Sages. However, I will be making a ton of changes. Also, I am going to use this story, and my backstory that I'm writing, to kind of explain how I think Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom can fit into the established Zelda timeline(s) without breaking them or being a retcon or new timeline.

Also, I hope you guys like how I'm bringing Link out of his shell and making him a bit more open. I figured that after some time away from everything, time spent just with Zelda and their son, it would really start to bring Link out of his shell.

Alright. Next chapter will be up soon. Until it is, please leave a review, and stay tuned!