"You shall not."
Immediately, I tore open a portal and snatched the mask from within her clutches. I forbid myself to look. My honed instincts, however, were able to tell some details just by touch alone. It felt light and smooth in my fingertips. A half mask with beading and tassels…
Stop, I thought. Just stop.
Akisin flicked two grey braids over her shoulders. She clicked her tongue. The carpenter still wore the same chequered breeches and tool belt. "Hey, I'm er, sorry about the young lass-"
"Don't. It's no good turning up now, offering your condolences. That won't fix this." I glared back at her. The woman I had taken as close to my heart as an aunt. "What in Ganon happened to you? Where have you been? You should have waited for us. Guru-Guru needed you after the war. We both needed…" The floodgates opened along with unsightly crying that father would highly disapprove of.
"Ronri." Akisin sighed. She smashed a hole in the air with her hammer. Shattered shards of black and green fell away to reveal mountains and a clear blue sky.
"So." I salvaged a handkerchief from my half-torn pocket and blew loudly. "Your brother was right; you do dabble in hocus pocus."
"Brother." She spat on the floor. "I don't have a brother."
"Not anymore," I sniffed. "I popped him. In some time space I borrowed."
A smirk flickered on her wrinkled face. "You did me a favour."
"I didn't do it for you. He hurt Yasei and no one..."
The salty tears returned. I tried to stop but they kept coming. All the stuttering breaths and rubbing of arms could do nothing. There were hiccups and hissing laughs at how pathetic I was. How powerless. No blood, no open wound and yet the pain tore through me. It bound my heart and pulled tight. I squeezed Yasei's mask to my chest until it dug into my ribs. The discomfort eased the sting. I felt pleased at the thought of it leaving marks, but I remembered how my healing powers would erase everything by tomorrow.
Then I wept again.
"How about fresh air?" Akisin suggested as she pointed to the mountains.
I rubbed at my eyes. The skin underneath felt swollen and sore. I had managed to get myself under control, but even now, the tears hid behind my eyelids making them heavy. At any moment they could fall again.
The Sacred Realm changed around us as if someone had taken a clock and wound back the hands. Craters from Azamuku's duel filled until the hill became as round and smooth again. Ganondorf's horde had disappeared. Fireflies darted about and the squashed flowers rose, bright and beautiful. But this place no longer held any magical wonderment. It couldn't reach me.
"Ahem, he can't just take off, I'm afraid." Rauru stepped forward, hidden hands clasped behind his back. I'd completely forgotten about the light sage and Ordona for that matter.
"Aww, give him a break, would you?" Akisin said. "The poor lad just lost his love after all."
"Do you realise how much trouble he's caused?"
"Far as I can see, he ain't done nothing. Everything's set right. Monsters are gone. Triforce is fine. What's your boggle?"
He puffed out his chest. "My boggle is what is to stop him from using the Triforce in the future? I've seen what he can do. He's dangerous and foolish and well, you know what he is."
"And what exactly am I?" I hiccupped. "I would very much like to know!"
The light sage stroked his beard. "A demigod of course. Certainly, your ability to transverse through walls is a dead giveaway. Haven't you noticed how you heal quickly?"
"By Din's fire. You don't just dump that into his lap, Rau! I had it planned. Was gonna show him the mountain view, I-"
"Is that what the Great Fairy meant?" I rubbed my head. "She said, she said your kind. I thought she meant Hylians. This is so terribly confusing."
"Now see what you've gone and done? He's already in a state."
"Well, I'm sorry Akisin, but perhaps if you'd been straight with him in the beginning…"
"Shut it, I wanted him to live a little that's all. Takes time to get a decent replacement. He won't protect nothing if he doesn't have a reason to. How about you keep this…" She thrust her hammer towards Rauru's nose. "…out and focus on what you're meant to do. And by the way, don't think I hadn't noticed you let that girl in. You should've dealt with that curse pronto. The Goddesses will zap you for that!"
"Huh, the Goddesses should zap you for letting our new caretaker galivant around the world unsupervised."
A beam of rainbow light struck the pair. Immediately they were stunned into silence. When the old man and woman attempted to speak, they found their lips sealed. When they tried to remove the spell, the seal became even tighter.
With gratitude, I looked to Ordona. "Thank you." The goat tossed its head as if shaking away the last of their horrendous noise. "I could never use the Triforce, you know? Not now. She, heh, she has such a pure heart."
"She loved this world. She wanted to protect it," Ordona sang.
My hands started trembling. "She does. She does. But you mustn't speak of her as if she's gone. That isn't right. It really isn't. I'm going to fix this you see."
"So, what will you do?" Ordona scuffed the grass with its cloven hoof.
"I, erm. I need… I need some time. Yes. Time. To think. Yes."
"Take as long as you need. Akisin will find you."
"I'd much rather she didn't," I scoffed. "Demigod indeed. No, I shall not partake in any of that nonsense, thank you."
And with that thought, I clung onto Yasei's mask and stepped through the portal to Death Mountain.
"Sure, you won't have a morsel of granite, brother? It came from Dodongo's Cavern itself, one of the juiciest I've tasted."
"No, no, I just want to sit here for a bit – alone. Very much alone, I might add." I hung my head.
He let out a belly laugh. "Food tastes better with company, that's what we Gorons say." The resulting belch was rather revolting. "Oh, beg my pardon, Goro."
Gube, in case you were curious, is a towering, but gentle soul that likes to gorge on rocks. Quite how the tribe developed the digestive system for it I will never know. They are a curious race with large, round stomachs and yet, hardened backs that allow them to roll around in a ball. In fact, after stepping onto the Death Mountain trail in a daze, I had a near fatal collision with the rolling Gube. Fortunately, my survival instincts are well attuned and I dived into a nearby patch of flowers. Unfortunately, this disturbed the local explosive fauna and I found myself shielded by the Goron as debris fell around us. Now, Gube seemed rather reluctant to leave me be.
"Say why did you want to come to Goron City, brother?"
"I never intended to go to Goron City. I just ended up here."
"Oh."
Below, I could make out some of the houses of the Sheikah and the sails of Guru-Guru's windmill turning steadily. Hard to believe that a shadow monster had attacked the peaceful village only a few days ago. So much had happened since then…
Gube sniffed and his purple eyes twinkled in the midday sun. "Mmm, that looks like a tasty ruby, Goro. Can I eat it?"
"Ruby?"
"The one in your mask, brother." Gube pointed and licked his large lips.
In shock, I realised that Yasei's mask had miraculously remained intact in my dirty hands. Nestled within the forehead of the mask was a blood red jewel. I drew a deep shuddering breath. "No. You cannot eat it. Ever. Do you understand?"
"I upset you. Sorry, brother. Sometimes we think with our stomachs too much. You Hylians wear them for decoration, don't you? Never understood that, Goro. Waste of yummy rocks, Goro."
We sat quietly for a moment. The wind whistled through the cracks of the cliff face as birds cawed overhead. Memories of Goron City sprang to mind. A gigantic cave with crude paintings of dragons and Gorons along the walls. On the highest floor was a small platform held by ropes. Here, a stone plinth could be found engraved with the Goron's crest of a diamond and three triangles. This I learned in time, represented the Spiritual Stone of Fire. And this stone, known as the Goron Ruby, was set here to gleam as a beacon of Goron pride.
As I wound my way down four hexagonal pits, I had to take great care of the Goron younglings that were learning how to roll along these paths. The further down I went, the paintings became more shaman like with black ink grooves and totem emblems. Flickering braziers revealed a great urn carved with Goron faces spinning haphazardly at the very bottom. Some of the villagers were tossing bomb flowers into it as a form of game.
What a strange choice of entertainment, I'd thought.
That day, I'd met Darunia - the Goron patriarch, with his chiselled muscles and enormous fists that could knock the block off anyone. He'd been quite rude but did accept the rupees I offered to purchase a smaller ruby. After that, he'd shooed me out the door. I didn't see him again until the Civil War…
But of course, that's in the future, and I mustn't be sharing things like that with you. So, let's return, shall we?
Let me see, I confess deciding where to go next proved difficult. I had too many feelings whizzing, popping and colliding inside me that I felt quite disorientated. I returned to Castle Town briefly to collect Kilton, shut up shop and pack a bag.
Afterwards, I believe I went to Lake Hylia for a spell. That must have been when I learnt to fish. But I took no sense of accomplishment. Nothing could bring me joy. Nothing could lift the black veil of sadness that clung to me. Restless, Kilton poked at my hand with his wet nose and whined.
"She isn't here," I told him. "But do not fret. I'm going to get her back."
Of course, execution of action requires having a plan in the first place. This was one thing I sorely lacked and for months I wandered aimlessly across Hyrule seeking inspiration. During that time, however, something occurred that smacked me out of my stupor - Akisin's prediction came true.
Golden leaves had started to fall when I tread the way towards Lon Lon Ranch. I remembered jumping into mountains of them as a child. The crunch and snap as Yasei would stomp and kick at the carpeted floor. A flutter of russet and orange confetti caught within our hair, nature's last hurrah before snowy winter smothered the land.
Now I saw dark smoke rising from the north.
"Hmm trouble, no thank you." Upon making a decisive turn around, my furry friend decided to dash ahead. I held my hands up to the sky. "Ganon's breath, Kilton come back here!"
I ran into hell. Within tall flames, shadows danced. Fishmen with tridents sprang out to clash with long swords of Hylians. Gorons rolled into charging Gerudo stallions. The shouts sounded like a never-ending roar that threatened to split my head open. It took every ounce of courage not to retreat.
Why are they fighting? I tried to fathom. Hasn't King Hyrule seen enough blood shed during the Interloper War? Aha, there you are!
Spotting the husky, I ducked to avoid some form of boomerang. It flashed blue and purple as it spun through the air, before returning from whence it came.
"Help. Anyone. Please," a woman's voice suddenly cried out in the madness.
"Kilton…" I made a lunge for his collar.
His ears sprung up and he set off again. I chased him through swinging swords and scowling warriors. Horses reared as loud horns sounded.
"For the love of Nayru," I growled. "Where are you going?"
The battle grew intense. I knew only too well how difficult it was to find a single person in a haystack of chaos, let alone a dog. But then a familiar energy tugged at my senses. Such penetrating warmth guided my efforts and that was when I knew. Another child of destiny had crossed my path.
A shaky hand grabbed my arm and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"Goodness, my lady, whatever are you doing mixed up in this?"
She had a firm hold of something tucked beneath her cloak. "Please," she begged. "Save my baby. Save my baby boy."