Ok, wow, I'm so excited to finally begin this here story. It's been in the making for a while now, and features the return of a character that I've written about before. In fact, many! It won't quite make sense now, with new names and such, but I promise, this'll be a good one. Enjoy!
-Joost

Shattering the Stars
Prologue: A Sweet Reunion

Link walked down the bleak, sterile halls of the complex with a hidden disgust. His boots slapped against the marble floor harshly, making his presence known to every patrolling guard. His sword and shield, strapped to his back, rattled on top of each other, something which all the guards took note of.

They're scanning me, Link mused. His inner thoughts kept analyzing every singly aspect of the makeshift base, articulating ideas on why things seemed so off. Soon he made it to a large, sliding door that separated him from his target. An unseen guard pulled a lever from behind the scenes, opening the door. There, Link's eyes rested on the enemy.

A man. A nefarious man, who held the distinct feature of a malformed right hand. His face wore a heavy, scorched mustache, and his gaze was murky, exhuming an overt sense of authority. His hair was a fiery red, combed back, and clothes were expensive in nature, silver and gold strips lining the cuffs of his suit.

"Ah, you must be Link!" The man stood up and held out his arms. The unwonted act surprised the hero, who hesitated before outstretching his left hand for the man to shake.

"And you must be Alastor," Link smiled, dissembling his true emotions towards the man. He so longed to draw his sword and decry this man, condemning the living bastion of villainy a fate of prosecution.

Nobody knew the true name of 'Alastor', but he did go by one moniker, one that Link refused to even think about. Giving merely the name his time, let alone the man, seemed insulting. He was a foul piece of work, a radical incendiary to the verdant land of Lorule. He accosted them with his terror and left it all in ruin. The kingdom of Hyrule knew of this, but elected to keep their knowledge a secret, hoping to be the swift sword of justice to all the lives lost.

Link looked into Alastor's eyes with underlying animosity. These dark, brackish eyes of the man across from him emitted a vicious sense of danger, something that quickly distraught Link's noble soul. This man had killed countless innocence all in the search of something unknown. Now, he seemed so avid to meet the Hero of Time.

"May I interest you in something to eat? Perhaps a plate of sauteed peppers?" Alastor walked over to his dogs which Link had just noticed, as if they had quickly materialized.

"No, I'm quite fine," Link responded, sitting down. He watched as Alastor lifted a pristine dome to a dish, which revealed a plate of sliced meat. He casually threw some on the floor in front of the hounds, yet they didn't react, only narrowing their eyes towards the food before returning to their master.

"I see. I'll send for the waiter to at least bring us some refreshments," said Alastor as he sat back down across from Link.

A middling table separated the two, and Alastor reached over to a lampstand that was next to his chair and for a little, golden bell. He rung it twice and just before the waiter emerged from the adjacent door, he snapped his fingers. Suddenly, the dogs started to shred into their meal, apparently needing permission from their master to do so. Link gulped at the display of power.

"Lon-Lon Milk, chilled," Link mumbled to the waiter as he arrived.

"An excellent choice, my friend!" Alastor waved the waiter away, clasping his good hand to his bad one and resting the ball of disfigured flesh neatly in his lap.

"Now, shall we discuss out arrangements? The whole matter around the incumbent defender of Hyrule?" Link leaned back in his chair, thinking thoughtfully of how to emphasize the exigency of the situation without blowing his cover.

Suddenly, the feigned largesse expression on Alastor's face was wiped away. His brow furrowed into a frenetic curve, a far cry from the more jovial appearance it had just moments prior. Link's nerves tensed up as the mordant glare from Alastor set off so many alarms inside his head. The killer quickly recomposed himself as Link hid his fear, gleaning the remains of his attitude.

"I was… not aware that the kingdom had already made a decision," Alastor replied, glancing to his dogs. The hunters were relaxed, having just finished their meal, but when their master looked over to them, they grew nervous.

"Well, they advised me to visit you to relay their choice," Link began, assuming Alastor was under the pretense of offering his own 'protective' abilities. "They had chosen me."

Alastor then exploded in joy at the news, startling Link. He rose from his chair and emitted a hefty chuckle, extending his good hand for the hero to shake again.

"I had a feeling they'd chose you," Alastor exclaimed as he shook Link's hand ludicrously. "A very wise decision indeed!"

Link was in a state of bewilderment. His thoughts were in complete disarray as he tried to inwardly reason why this monster would be so overly joyous at the fact the opponent was tasked with defending Hyrule. To conceal his confusion, he did his best to copy Alastor's enthusiasm.

"Th-Thank you, Alastor," Link said through strained teeth, his emulation of happiness apparently working. The two sat back down just as the waiter returned.

"You're very welcome, my friend. It's not all the time that my worries for these lands are eliminated." Alastor took his plate of sauteed peppers from the waiter, and Link took his glass of ice-cold milk. "I guess there is no further purpose for this meeting, but I implore you to stay for a little while longer."

"Very well. That does give me time to ask you a few questions I had," Link said, amazed that things were going so smoothly. He didn't think he'd get this far without problem, his head coming up with a few violent outcomes if Alastor tried anything.

"Shoot. I'm an open book!" Alastor looked overwhelmingly calm.

"Alright then. Forgive me for being so blunt, but I am a little… puzzled by your remarkable citadel. What kind of purpose would a place like this serve for a man of your… reputation?" Link chose his words carefully before taking a sip of his drink, knowing that Alastor was a cunning fiend.

"Ah, well, I guess the efforts of the great pioneers often confuse conventional minds," Alastor started, looking around at the expensive lot of relics he had placed in glass displays. "I aim to collect. These are just a few of the various treasures I've come across. I make sure to preserve them for all time, so that they can be remembered by everyone in this reality."

Link's eyes widened at the uttering of those last three words. Alastor was seemingly too busy admiring his handywork to notice, but the Hero of Time grew more disturbed regardless. He nervously tried to bring up more of the subject just to dissuade Alastor from getting any ideas.

"If you don't mind me asking, but what kind of relics? I remember seeing a strange little gadget, one with a long string extending from a spherical object." Link described the item he saw with flimsy imagery. He didn't know what to make of the device, after all.

"Oh, I know what you mean! That little thing comes from my homeland. Friends used to call it a 'yo-yo'! An old childhood toy, that was…" Alastor fell into a feeling of nostalgia for a moment, allowing Link to relax.

"Huh, I didn't take you as the sentimental type," Link commented.

"Oh, I have a lot of memories of home," Alastor said, putting his hand to his chin. Before Link got to ask anything else, a servant appeared and bent down next to Alastor, whispering something indecipherable.

"I'm terribly sorry, but it seems something has come up," Alastor rose from his chair, putting his good hand out for Link to shake one last time. "It was a pleasure to meet you, my friend."

"The pleasure is all mine," Link replied, shaking Alastor's left hand. The two warriors looked into each other's eyes one last time before the hero turned away and started to walk out. The sliding door he entered from closed right behind him.

Alastor walked away with his servant, through the door the latter came from and shut it behind him. A clicking sound came from the oak separator, the automatic lock engaging. The servant looked to his master, shrugging slightly.

"Kill him," Alastor said, looking at his disfigured hand nonchalantly.


Link quickened his pace as he neared the exit, yearning to escape the place that brought him so much dread. The door was open, but when he got just a few meters away from it, a thick, metal shield lowered in front of it, locking him in.

"Oh shit…" Link said to himself as his ears picked up the sounds of rushing boots coming from down the hallway. He turned to face his new opponents, a squad of guards, all armed with their own swords.

Link drew his own sword, the modified Kokiri Sword. It had once been the Gilded Sword, but he decided to revert it back to its original form when he returned from his three-day adventure in that strange, distant land. The Hylian Shield glimmered with amazing splendor from the sunlight pouring through the above windows as Link held it firmly.

"Alright, who wants to go first?"

The squad leader charged, swinging violently. Sparks flashed and fluttered to the floor as his and Link's swords connected. The second guard followed, with the Hero of Time needing to block with his shield. Before his arms could be overpowered by the surprisingly strong attackers, Link swept his leg under them and toppled the first two to the floor.

"GRAAAHH!" The third screamed as he engaged Link, their swords clashing repeatedly. The hero backed off to relieve some of the pressure from the attack, but the guard kept swinging. Link then bumped into one of the display cases holding the mysterious objects from far off lands and dodged another sword swipe. The sound of shattering glass rang in his ears as he rolled out and away.

But then, Link felt a searing pain in his side. The fourth of the squadron sent to kill him had snuck around the first three and took the hero by surprise. He used his sword to slash Link's torso, drawing blood, which splattered onto the marble floor.

Link retaliated with a particularly brutal slash from the Kokiri Sword, making the guard that hit him stagger backwards. He held up the Hylian Shield and bashed it against the guard's chest, sending him to the ground. Link rose his arm to finish his enemy off, by the leader of the squad recovered and tackled the hero, getting into a fisticuff on the floor.

The two sent their fists flying, punches being exchanged for a good few seconds before stopping. Link pulled his legs back and kicked the leader's chest, getting him off. He scrabbled to his feet and barely parried the next sword slash from the second guard.

"You are stronger than you look," the guard hissed, his mouth the only visible part of his head due to the concealing helmet he wore.

"I like to think I can surprise people," Link countered, fighting the pain from his bleeding side.

"So can we!" The leader reappeared and stabbed right into Link's left leg, tearing the muscle of his calves and forcing the hero to collapse. Link groaned in agony before weaving between the two guards' legs, struggling to stand back up.

Just to add insult to injury, the third one quickly kicked Link in the face, pieces of glass from the display he crashed into falling from his armored uniform and clinking onto the floor. He raised his steel-toed boot up and stomped on Link's back roughly, making the battered hero gasp for air. Then, all four of them surrounded him and started to pummel him with their feet, bruising his body more and more.

Link tilted his body and took a blow to the stomach before pushing himself away, knocking over the leader and the second guard. He tried to stand, but the third bastard took his weapon and plunged it into Link's left hand, creating a gaping hole in the middle of his palm.

"Irk… Heeeyyaa!" Link stood up and threw his sword up into the air, using his good hand to knock the living daylights out of the guard who mangled his other one. The man crumpled to the floor, unconscious, and his comrades scowled.

The three killers looked Link in the eye, and the hero foolishly taunted. The leader didn't hesitate to continue his assault, Link blocking with his shield. The hero had to wield his sword and shield with the same hand now, his other too wounded to hold his weapon. The style was unorthodox, but it'd be interesting to try. He didn't know how much longer he'd last, though.

Link dodged attempts on his life before, but these fighters were like nothing he'd ever faced before. They held an unparalleled amount of coordination with each other, proving that they had been trained very well. They managed to knock Link down again and they kept on spilling his blood all over the place. Link's face was marked up by two slashes, both across his cheek, and almost all of his left sleeve had been torn off, cut away by the endless swiping.

The leader rushed Link, grabbing his shoulders and slamming him into another glass display. The distinct sound of a sword clattering to the ground gave Link a new idea. He sheathed the Kokiri Sword and grabbed the one that had fallen from its containment unit. It looked odd, a little like the Master Sword, only more extravagant, wider, and the hilt bearing a lighter blue color.

Link's new sword seemed to be weighted for a fighter of different stature, as it flailed around incompetently in his hands. The second guard took the opportunity of such an occasion and kicked Link into the wall. Then, he sealed the deal by driving his sword into Link's chest, but purposefully not where his heart was.

Link gasped, his right lung being pierced by the guards' blade. He coughed up blood and the man smiled wickedly, twisting his blade, only multiplying the pain. When he tore the weapon out of the hero's upper torso, he and his friends laughed as Link struggled to do anything, his body going into shock.

"N-No…" Link whispered to himself. He tried in vain to swipe at the guards, but instead, he just swatted at the air.

Then, something miraculous happened. The way Link sliced through the air with the unbalanced sword, it activated some hidden ability deep within its blade. It lit up, and from the air, a star-shaped portal opened. The guards gasped, shocked that their enemy managed to unlock the power that resonated inside the weapon.

Without any delay, Link jumped through the tear in reality, mustering up the very last of his strength to do so. The hole closed right behind him, and the guards were left alone. They all looked to one another, knowing that they'd be killed for their failure.


Link opened up the door to the house, looking towards the beach, admiring the serene sea. He had just two things in his hands, that being a letter and a bundle of carrots.

"Epona," Link shouted, walking out past the thin tiled porch and onto the sand. "Come on, girl, you know what time it is!"

Link's ears perked up when he heard the neigh of his companion. He smiled as the mare galloped up to him from the tunnel leading to the shore that oversaw Zora Hall. She slowed down to a canter as she neared her friend, her eyes eagerly staring at the treat in his hands.

"I want to know what you get up to every day, since you almost always miss lunch," Link said to Epona as he started nibbling on the carrots. The 20-year-old boy smiled and put his hand to his hip, looking out to the Terminian sea. Great Bay always looked so beautiful this time of year.

Link sighed happily and let Epona eat, walking over to the mailbox and opening it. The letter in his hand, only having the words 'To Mom' written on it, was placed in the box.

Then out of nowhere, Epona got all riled up. She neighed angerly and trotted around, clearly upset by something. Link whipped his head around to see what the matter was, his hair, still gold with that inch-wide portion of silver, accidentally getting in his face.

"What is it, girl?"

Link's question was quickly answered, as in the middle of the beach, a blinding blue light flashed in the retired hero's eyes. Link fell to the ground in surprise, sand flying up and getting everywhere. When he could see again, his eyes immediately landed on the threatening blue portal, hovering above the sand and close to Mikau's grave.

"What… is that?" Link mumbled to himself as he stood up, walking a little closer to the bright blue hole. For the first time in three years, his senses went on alert.

Link's eyes widened as he witness what looked like… himself? Yes, it was! Another version of himself coming through the portal and landing face-first in the sand. The hole closed right behind him, and the hero could hear the groans of pain from himself across the beach. The sight of blood on the sand made him run, and he quickly reached the clone of himself, reeling back in horror when he could see the wounds.

"Help me…" Link stuttered, his hands shaking. His head was too clouded to scream for a moment, but he quickly found his voice. "Somebody help! Please! R-Romani! Firefly, I need you!"

Link heard the door to the beach house open, and his distress was only slightly relieved when he saw his wife scan the outside. He didn't care if she was 6 months along, he needed help.

"Grasshopper?! What is it?!" Romani did her best to waddle outside quickly, a little difficult since she was with child.

"Uh-Uhm… Bring Epona over here. We need to get him inside," Link said, trying to come up with some kind of plan. Then, he had a better idea. "Actually, no, bring Epona here and stay with him, I need to go to Clock Town for help!"

"Grasshopper, what is…" Romani's heart skipped a beat when she saw who her husband was with. Himself? A bruised, wounded version of himself? She lost her train of thought for a second before quickly whistling, calling for Epona.

Link's noble steed came over and the former hero hopped on. He looked at his wife, confused, before giving her a kiss, and then riding off. Romani, still bewildered at the situation, found a pink fairy to give to the other Link to keep him alive.

Romani's husband, her Link, with Epona, galloped off to Clock Town. He needed to find Jim, his best friend, and get him and his horse to the beach so he could bring his wounded variant to town. A determined frown grew along Link's face as his mind raced.