Link sat at the dining room table, staring at the silver trident that hung on the wall. He brought his hand to his chin, rubbing his jawline before leaning back in his chair. He stared up at the ceiling, subconsciously counting the lit candles that hung from the wooden beams. After a moment of silence, he closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to flow down a river of tranquility.

"Do you feel at ease?"

Link's eyes snapped open as the river waters in his mind began to vibrate with anxiety. He stood and looked around trying to locate the source of the familiar voice before his eyes landed on the being standing behind him. She was of shorter stature, with an elongated torso and stubby legs. Instead of skin of any tone, she had scales that shone a gleaming red sheen. Blue and yellow fins decorated her torso and arms, along with elegantly crafted silver jewels along her wrists, neck, and fin-like ears. To capitalize on her aquatic features, a large tail traveled down from the back of her head down to her ankles, where it gently swayed at every motion. With sparkling, yet fretful amber eyes, she looked into Link's azure irises.

"You promised me that you would take care of yourself," she said in her usual soft tone. "Are you doing that?"

"I-I…" Link stuttered, taking a step back. The aquatic woman took a step forward.

"You promised me you would…" she said, getting closer as Link watched.

"M-Mipha, I-" he began, trying to find the words to explain, yet, a touch on his shoulder stopped him.

Link's neck snapped around, coming face-to-face with the cracked white mask with the blood-red painted upside-down eye. His brow furrowed in anger, yet, the Yiga's words echoed in his mind.

Can't find the words to answer her, Champion?

The grip on his shoulder increased to a painful level.

Feeling a little… guilty?

The Yiga disappeared in a puff of white smoke. Coughing, Link waved the white cloud away as his eyes began to water. He repeatedly blinked, trying to clear them as he tried to find his way through the smoke, yet it only continued to expand. Soon, the world he was in was white and foggy.

"Link? Please, tell me what's wrong. I'll heal you…"

"Mipha?" Link asked, squinting through the fog with still watery eyes to get a glimpse of her. "Are you okay? Mi-"

His eyes grew wide with horror. He had finally located her through the fog, but something was different. He had only taken his eyes off her for a second, yet now her eyes had become lifeless, he scales had become dull, and most notably, her stomach had begun to bleed. He watched as a stream splattered onto the floor, staining the foggy clouds that surrounded them. While his irritated eyes grew increasingly red, he couldn't close them as his breathing became heavy. The Zora tilted girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Link, you haven't told me what's wrong…" she said in a voice full of compassion. "Oh! Maybe you can't? If that's the case, then I'll simply do my best to heal anything and everything."

Suddenly her decrepit body began to float as she brought a hand to her chest. It began to glow an otherworldly blue until her figure had become nothing but a faint blue light, a form that represented a power Link knew all too well. Crystal clear bubbles began to swirl around Link's body, yet the pain in his eyes and shoulder from earlier hadn't retreated. In fact, they seemed to grow more intense. Suddenly, the bubbles began to darken, turning into a mesh of purple and pink as they swirled faster around him, closing in on his body. It felt as though the vortex was sucking the air out of his lungs. He closed his eyes in pain before all was nothing but compression.

Link gasped for air as his eyes snapped open. He pushed himself up, tossing the sheets off his body. He immediately swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat. He brought a hand to his chest, trying to calm his ragged breathing and his dangerous heart rate. He felt as if he were waking to Death Mountain's heat as sweat poured down his entire torso. His eyes remained wide until his breathing had softened. Only then did his eyelids slightly lower before closing in relief. After sitting for a few moments to recollect himself, he twisted around and looked out the window.

It couldn't have been more than a few hours… he thought, turning back around before running his fingers through his loose hair.

Lazily, he reached over towards the nightstand and grabbed the blue string sitting on its surface. After tying his hair into his usual ponytail, he stood and walked over to the desk, where the tunic he had been wearing earlier had been thrown over the back of the chair. Rubbing one of his eyes with a groan, he made to move down the staircase, ready to ease his nerves by stuffing his face with whatever was in the cabinets. Despite his intentions, he stopped, noticing an object sitting on the desk.

She didn't take it with her to work, he thought as he took the Sheikah slate into his hand and lifted it up.

He stood quietly in place, listening to the tapping of his fingers against the back of the ancient piece of technology. Slowly his eyes moved away from the slate's screen and over the loft railing, landing on the front door. After a moment of hesitation, he gave the slate's handle a squeeze before he strapped it to his belt and headed down the stairs.

The weather had been the same as it was earlier in the morning. While the sun was out with its rays sifting through the thick white clouds that soared over the blue sky, the air remained frigid and the snow on the ground remained thick. With every step, his soles sank deep into the white powder, adding another line of footsteps to many tracks that covered the bridge and pathway to their home from all the previous trips he and Zelda had taken into Hateno Village. Before long, he had made it to the fork in the road near the entrance, ready to head deeper into the town, however, just as before, something caught his eye. There, standing under the wooden entryway was a Hylian.

He was a tall man with a thick, rectangular build, dressed in tan overalls that were strapped up along his protruding belly. Under the overalls was a white long-sleeved undershirt, decorated with brown gloves and thick padded boots that covered his surprisingly small hands and feet. His long hair was styled into an uneven part, covering all but the very tips of his pointed ears. To top off his features, his rounded face was spotted with lightly colored freckles on his cheeks, and a set of thick eyebrows that sat above his close together beady eyes, which currently stood locked onto the sea of snowy leaves in the forest sitting in the mountain crevices in the distance.

"Manny?" Link asked, raising an eyebrow. The man turned at the call of his name, yet no expression filled his features.

"Oh, hey, Link," Manny answered before looking back into the forest. The two sat in silence for a moment before Link cleared his throat.

"Are you just staring out into the forest?" he asked.

"Yup," Manny answered unenthusiastically, pushing his hands into his pockets. Another long pause ensued before Link furrowed his brow.

"Did you… see… something out there?" he asked cautiously. "Maybe, someone?"

"No travelers in the distance today," Manny sighed, causing Link to relax. "Not that it really matters to me anymore."

"Is everything alright?" Link asked, silently cursing himself for asking. It had become a habit to ask people in distress what was wrong. In this case, he had a fairly good idea of what was going through Manny's mind, and in less than a second, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Prima still hasn't given me the time of day despite how many crickets I've given her," the large man explained with a defeated sigh, "and at this point, I'm about ready to throw in the towel."

"Well, as I've told you before, she doesn't like crickets, Manny," Link said with a sigh, bringing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "I regret ever telling you that. I thought you'd catch on by now. I humored you so that you would learn your lesson, but for some reason, you haven't recognized it. She even told me a few days ago to tell you to stop giving her crickets."

"But then what else am I supposed to do?" Manny asked, facing the smaller Hylian in distress. "I don't have anything else I can do!"

"You could talk to her like a normal person," Link proposed flatly.

"Right, like that will get me anywhere," Manny rejected.

"What did you plan to do had Prima accepted your crickets?" Link questioned. Manny didn't respond. "Right."

"You don't just don't understand, Link," he finally answered. "You have a girlfriend, and she's beautiful and looks kind-"

"Really? Is that why you're moping?' Link cut in with a furrowed brow. "Is it really because you see me happy with someone?"

"Well, actually, you never seem all that happy when I see you these days," Manny argued, noticing Link's change in tone. "You always seem so focused on whatever adventure you plan to go on next. Despite that, you have such an amazing woman by your side-"

"Yeah, maybe because I actually do things, Manny," Link said irritably. "I actually have a life, even if it's a hard one. All you do is stand around all day pretending to do a job no one believes you to be doing. Even when you were actively trying to impress Prima, you didn't even collect the crickets yourself. You had me do it, and I can't believe I actually tried to help you."

Manny grew wide-eyed at Link's words before balling his hands into fists.

"You're the one that told me about the crickets!" he challenged. "You're the reason I'm stuck like this!"

"No, I've told you repeatedly after the fact that crickets weren't going to work! And if you really want to get into it, you should have gone to talk to her yourself," Link corrected. "Besides, you won't believe me, but I wasn't exactly myself when I told you that."

"Oh, what, so you were a different person almost a year ago?" Manny groaned.

"Well, most people are a little groggy after they wake up from a long nap," Link answered.

"What kind of excuse is that?" Manny jabbed.

"At least I have an excuse," Link returned. "I don't see you with one regarding your cricket schemes."

"Y-you… I…" he stuttered out. "Y-you know what? You are different. You -"

"Well, like I said," Link said, turning his back to Manny. "I have a life. Things happen, and I always have to worry about them."

"Maybe you should try and relax a little," the large Hylian mumbled, causing Link's ears to prick up.

"Yeah, and maybe you should try and talk with those you supposedly have feelings for," Link shot back, turning around to give Manny a glare. "You need to stop giving her crickets anyway. Prima asked me to tell you that. See you around, Manny."

With that, he walked away, leaving Manny alone in front of the gates. The large man growled before stuffing his hands into his overall pockets.

"What's his problem?" he mumbled to himself as he looked back out into the snowy forest. "He used to be fun to talk to. Still… Maybe I should go try and talk to Prima…"

...

The scent of oil, metal, and smoke from the blue flame of the furnace filled Link's nostrils as he closed in on the familiar tech lab. With no hesitation, he pushed open the green double doors, revealing the messy research facility's interior. Papers that were on the floor near the door floated away thanks to the winter breeze. A few of them flew far enough to pass by the little girl standing on a stool at the center table, tinkering with an unrecognizable device that sat upon its surface.

"Hello, Linky," Purah called out, refusing to turn away from her work. "I haven't seen you here in a while."

"How do you always know when it's me coming through the door?" Link asked, stepping inside before closing the door behind him. The little girl snorted.

"Becaaaaause you're the only one with enough courage to barge in here without ever knocking," she replied simply, adjusting the large bronze goggles that covered her eyes. "Something I would ask you to change if I wasn't intelligent enough to realize that habit wouldn't break any time soon regardless."

"Sorry," Link said with a guilty grin as he waved to Symin, who nodded from across the room before returning to his studies. Purah simply waved a free hand in the air.

"Not enough of an issue to be upset about, seeing as you rarely visit anyway," she said. "Unlike a certain girlfriend of yours…"

"Has Zelda been keeping you busy with research?" Link chuckled, taking a seat in one of the chairs at the table.

"Mixing potions and food, guardian theories and testing, and other issues," she listed off, glancing slightly over at Link from behind her blue lenses. "One could definitely say she's been busy, alright."

"Well, you should get a break for a while," Link said casually. "She was finally able to get a job here in the village."

"So someone was bold enough to take her, huh?" Purah mumbled. "And who was it?"

"Prima," he answered simply. "Zelda's working at the inn."

"The inn… I'm not sure who I feel worse for," Purah said, causing Link to raise an eyebrow.

"What makes you say that?" he asked.

"Knowing Zelda, she probably hasn't realized what she's gotten herself into," she explained. "But as for Prima, she possibly doesn't realize how much training her new employee actually needs."

"Seems a bit harsh, I think Zelda should be able to-" Link began, but Purah pointed an oddly shaped tool in her small hands towards his nose.

"The world is harsh," she replied. "You should know this, and to be honest, so should Zelda. But you should also know how she gets when she's determined. Optimistic in the beginning before becoming increasingly pessimistic the more she fumbles."

Link suddenly furrowed his brow.

"Do you think she'll be-?"

"I believe she'll be just fine," Purah answered again before he could finish. "What I'm warning you is to not lose track of the important things around you and not simply brush them off out of ignorance."

"I'm not brushing off anything important," Link answered defensively. "I didn't think I had much to worry about with Zelda working at an inn. What's the worst that can happen?"

"It's just a warning, Linky, nothing more," the little girl said. "I'm not trying to make you snap at me. I'm just saying, the Linky I knew a few months ago would be worrying to no end about her."

"And trust me, I still am," Link said sternly. "In fact, I came here to ask you about something. You could say it has to do with keeping track of something dangerous."

"Something dangerous, you say?" Purah asked.

"More like someone."

"I figured you were here to ask about something like that," she said slowly, beginning to tighten an ancient screw into her makeshift machine. Link's eyes furrowed even more.

"Has Zelda talked to you?" he asked.

"It doesn't take anyone for me to recognize when you're acting differently than usual," she answered sternly. "But yes, she has, and she's worried about you."

"I… I know she is," Link mumbled. "But, this is important, and I don't think she'll really understand. Not about this, at least."

"And what is it she won't understand?" Purah asked. "I'm assuming it has to do with this strange somebody you mentioned?"

"It does," he answered. "Look, I… I think there's a Yiga here in the village."

Purah's tinkering hands paused before she finally looked up from her machine, pushing up her goggles to reveal her ochre eyes. Even Symin, who had been reading across the room, looked up.

"That's quite the claim to make, Link," Purah said. "If there's a Yiga assassin here, then we all could be in danger."

"I know," Link said with confident eyes. "I can't help but shake the feeling that-"

"Feeling?" Purah repeated, squinting her eyes. "As in, you're claiming this based on an assumption?"

"Link, forgive me for barging into the conversation," said Symin, who was now walking towards the table. "But from what I understand, you've already captured and detained every Yiga in Hyrule, correct?"

"All except one," Link answered. "Last time Zelda and I encountered him, he tried to kill us both while I was under Maz Koshia's influence doing Vah Medoh's trial."

"And you let him go?" Purah questioned.

"Zelda… held me back," he answered, lowering his gaze to the table as he balled his hands into fists. "She said I would have killed him if she hadn't."

"And would you have?" she asked slowly. Link didn't respond, and after a few moments of silence, she continued. "Your methods are your own to choose, but putting that aside, your claim is still doubtful. Have they shown themself?"

"No, they haven't," Link admitted.

"Have they left any sign that they have been here?" she continued to interrogate. Link shook his head.

"I… I really only have a feeling, and maybe a few… glimpses. But even I can't lie and say they may only be hallucinations…" he answered honestly.

Purah, tapping her tool against the surface of the table, sighed.

"This story sounds a biiiiiiiit familiar, wouldn't you say?" she asked carefully. Link raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean this sounds familiar?" Link asked. Purah stopped her tapping and properly placed the tool down on the table.

"My sister informed me of what happened the last time you were back in Kakariko," she answered in a low voice. Link's nails began to dig into his palms. "You were informed of a Yiga that wasn't detained, and instead of waiting to see when they would appear, you went out to try and find them without any hint of them physically being within the village perimeter. That decision alone was a bit uncharacteristic from the knight who would usually be patient and careful, and from what I understand, it didn't turn out well."

"I… I didn't expect Zelda to follow me like that," Link mumbled. "I hate myself for what happened in the forest. I'm sure neither Paya nor Impa would-"

"I'll stop you right there," Purah said. "If you think my sister or my niece would ever wish ill-will upon you, then you're wrong. Impa informed me of what happened out of concern for you. Zelda isn't the only one worried about your well-being."

Link remained silent.

"You know, when it comes to dealing with issues such as Yiga or criminals, I tend to lean a bit more towards the logical side of things," she suddenly began explaining. "If you had to kill, depending on the reasoning, I would possibly side with you a bit easier than someone like Zelda, or even my sister. But…"

Link looked up at the emphasis in her tone.

"It all depends on the reasoning, and right now, it sounds like you're actively looking for a reason to fight."

"What happens if I'm too late to react, just like before?" Link asked in a dark tone. "It seems I'm only ever able to save people after they get hurt."

"And what happens if you almost hurt someone trying to protect against something that isn't there?" Purah countered, reminding Link of the forest. "Look, I thought both my sister and Zelda may have been worrying too much. You're a knight in the end— a hero— and no matter what others say, it's your job. But, seeing those bags under your eyes tells me that your reasoning may be beyond that of just simply trying to be proactive. You're obsessing over things that aren't worth the energy that you don't have. Maybe you should start considering how your mental state is after what you experienced during those trials."

Link looked back down at the table, though the pressure in his fist had relaxed. After a few moments of silence, Purah jumped down from the stool.

"I see you have the Sheikah Slate with you," she said in a more cheery tone. "For now let's take your mind off of it and do something not only productive, but exciting! Come, both you and Symin. I want to do a bit of testing."

"Testing? On what?" Link asked.

Purah grinned.

"The Divine Beast, of course."

...

"There we go," Purah mumbled as she set her stool in the snow. After ensuring it wouldn't slip, she climbed up to stand on it, using the newly formed Master Cycle Zero as support. "Alright! Let's get this going with a good snap!"

"You seem excited, director," Symin said as he and Link watched Purah begin to tinker with the beast's gears. "More so than when Miss Zelda was here."

"That is for twooooo reasons," Purah replied, throwing up two fingers in her assistant's direction. "The first reason is the Master Cycle Zero wouldn't turn on whatsoever, and I'll admit, I was a bit frustrated," Symin blew air through his nostrils, "but, it wasn't helped by the second reason, which was Zelda's constant insistence on the matter regarding Linky's presence here."

"My presence?" Link asked, but Purah simply waved him off.

"We've, more or less, already discussed the matter," she said, leaning away from the machine to adjust the scarf she had thrown around her neck. "For now, let us focus on what's in front of us: the Master Cycle! Symin, can you go grab my notepad for me?"

So, Zelda didn't want me here out of fear of using the cycle to leave, huh? Link thought as Purah gave the Divine Beast's gears and springs a few final touch-ups while Symin disappeared back into the lab. Well, it's not like I can blame her…

"Alright, Linky!" Purah called out, straightening herself on the stool before holding out her hand. "Sheikah Slate, please!"

Without question, Link took the Sheikah Slate from his belt and placed it into the little girl's palm. With a tap, the screen brightened, revealing its list of runes.

"Alrighty," Purah mumbled, tapping on the Master Cycle's rune. "Just as before, the runes aren't showing any sort of direction. The last time they popped up was after we made a gesture of basic assumption, such as putting gears in the tank that converts physical matter into energy. Based on that assumption, I'm sure if the owner of the Divine Beast—that's you—" she pointed at Link, "Were to prepare to ride it, then more controls will appear on the screen."

"Okay, simple enough… I think," Link said, stepping to the opposite side of the beast from the little girl. "So, is this thing alive?"

"Define, alive," Purah said.

"Well, all the other champions spoke to their beasts the way people talk to horses," Link explained. Purah raised an eyebrow.

"Define, talking to horses," she said. "Your connection to your horse is a bit greater than most considerably normal people."

"As in," Link said, brushing past the jab thrown at him. "It was more like they were having a conversation in a way. The beasts would respond, even to things I did when setting them free."

"Well, you wouldn't be wrong about them being somewhat alive," Purah said, looking back down at the slate. Link furrowed his brow, realizing she had known all along what he had meant. "The beasts, from what we could tell in our research, had some sort of low-end form of self-awareness. It was just enough for them to interpret commands, but not enough for them to be completely autonomous."

"So-" Link began, but Purah quickly cut him off.

"This beast, however, is proving to have less cognizant thought than any of the others, whether it's barely any or none at all. But," she added once, noticing Link's disappointed look. "We won't know until you ride it."

"So maybe riding it might be like a real horse," Link said as a bit of excitement returned to his eyes. "If that's the case, then I need to bond with it like any other horse, right?"

"I wouldn't believe so, but I guess it could theoretically be possible," Purah answered, slightly furrowing her brow. "Can I ask how this is relevant to you riding it?"

"Well, to ride a regular hose, then you need to earn its trust so you can guide it properly," Link explained. "You have to show it love and care, and a way to really be in tune with your horse is to give it a special name-"

"You're not calling it Vah Epona," Purah said bluntly, turning her attention back down to the slate.

"Oh, come on," Link groaned dramatically. "She told you about that too?"

"She did," the little girl answered. "The beast already has a name given to it by my ancestors. You're not going to butcher their choice in name designation."

"But the other beasts have actual names," Link debated. "I just think that mine should-"

"The others were named after historic heroes of each specific race," Purah explained, "and it'll stay that way because that's how my people deemed them to be named. We are not going to butcher or mock their decisions since they are the ones who created these technological advancements. So unless you want to have your Divine Beast named something along the line of Vah Linky, I suggest you stick with its current name."

Link frowned.

"You just don't want me to name it," he pouted. Purah smiled mischievously.

"If I have to claim cultural appropriation in order to save the Master Cycle from your abysmal choice in names, I will," she claimed as the doors to the lab opened with Symin coming back outside towards them. "It doesn't deserve that kind of disrespect."

"Sorry for the wait, but I found an empty notepad," Symin said, placing the notepad into one of her free hands. "Also, director, I implore you to start being a bit more organized."

"Yes, yes, Symin, issues for later," Purah said quickly, brushing off her assistant's plea for organization. "Now, let's get this going! Linky, if you could please climb onto the divine beast?"

With a nod, Link leaped onto the backside of the horse-shaped machine. Immediately its eyes lit up in response.

"It's kinda… bouncy?" he mumbled as the machine slightly sprung up and down at his weight. "Okay, did that do anything?"

"Yes, it did! We have instructions!" Purah cheered as symbols and notes began to show on the slate's screen. "Okay, do you see those two individual handlebars on each side of the neck? They should be around where the mane would be on a regular horse."

"I see them," Link said, taking hold of the handles.

"Those are your basic controls," she explained, reading the Sheikah Slate carefully. "According to the slate, if you twist one of the bars, you should accelerate. The opposite occurs for the other bar. You're right-handed, correct?"

"You've got it," Link said.

"Seeing how the beast was made for you specifically, then I would assume the dominant hand would have acceleration," she theorized. "We'll test that in a moment. Now, do you see the two gauges between the handlebars?"

"Yup, one is blue and the other just has the Sheikah eye on it," Link said, leaning in to inspect the gauges. "The blue one has a needle…"

"The blue one should show you how much power you have before it stops working," Purah continued. "You'll have to fill it up every now and then."

"Like feeding a horse?" Link asked.

"Yes… Like that," Purah said, not paying him much mind. "Okay, you should have pegs on the lower body to keep balance, just like any other horse saddle. Do you feel them?"

"Yeah," Link said, tapping against the small supports under his boots.

"Okay, be somewhat careful with those," Purah urged him. "It says if you apply extra pressure, then the beast will jump."

"Jump?" Link repeated. "How much pressure does it need to-?"

Before he could finish, with a spring, the beast launched itself into the air. With a slight yell, Link remained in the air before landing back on the snow. The cycle continued to bounce for a moment before settling.

"Okay, nevermind," he said nonchalantly, twisting his torso to look at the back wheel. "I figured it out."

"We noticed," Purah said, jotting down notes in her notepad. "Okay, that should be everything. Quite simple when you really look at it, especially compared to what the other Divine Beast's needed."

"Then am I ready to go?" Link asked as his excitement began to climb.

"Well, I don't see why not!" Purah said excitedly, however, Symin stepped forward.

"I know you're excited, but please remain cautious," he said. "We aren't sure of how fast or how difficult the beast is to control. Remember, the director said it doesn't have much autonomous thought, if any at all. That means it's a lot more manual than any other Divine Beast you've controlled, so be careful."

"He'll be fine, he'll be fine!" Purah cheered, practically jumping on her stool. "Okay Linky, you know what to do! Give the Master Cycle a go!"

"Alright!" Link called, gripping the handlebars tightly.

"Okay! In Three! Two! One! Go!" Purah shouted with a jump. Immediately, Link twisted the right handlebar and with a jolt, he was off.

With incredible speed, he whizzed down the winding path towards Hateno Village. He cheered as he felt the wind brush violently through his hair. This was much faster than any horse he had ridden before. He leaned and turned, avoiding any rock that was in his way as he soared past trees and lanterns filled with blue flames. From above, Purah had lowered her goggles over her red-framed glasses, zooming in as best she could onto Link and the Divine Beast.

"He's a natural!" Symin cheered as he squinted, watching as the champion barrelled his way through the snow. "Has anyone else picked up a Divine Beast as simply as he has?

"The only one who came even remotely close to this level of talent was Mipha with Vah Ruta, believe it or not," Purah said, taking down notes in her little notepad as she watched on. "Though, I would have been more surprised if Link hadn't been a natural. He's always been gifted with surprising skill sets."

"What a guy…" Symin said, rubbing the back of his head in awe.

Back on the Master cycle, Link grinned as he took a breath of the icy air. For the first time in a while, he felt free. Of course, he loved Epona with all his heart, yet something about this beast felt so new and refreshing.

"Okay, Master Cycle," Link said, patting the machine on the side of its stone-like mane, preparing to make a sharp turn in the path. "You're something else. If I had known how fun this would be, I would have-"

His words stopped as soon as he saw it. Just barely visible from behind a tree that sat on the path's edge, the lanky figure had returned. This time the body, at least of what could be seen, was clear as day. The dark red skin suit, the gold banana-shaped earrings, and the gleam of a white mask with blood-red painted markings. Link's eyes grew wide as adrenaline coursed through his veins, yet before he could make a move, he just barely heard the voice's from that up top the mountain calling to him:

"Link! What are you doing? Watch out!"

Immediately he faced forward as his beast flew past the bend and the tree. No longer were the wheels pressing against the dirt, for now they were in the air. The winding road had followed the natural curvature in the ledges of the mountain, and he had just flown off of it. Before he could fall completely, time began to slow as he looked back at the tree trunk. Now that he had ridden past it, he was sure to get a clear view of the rest of the Yiga's full body that had been hidden behind the trunk, however, the figure had disappeared, leaving nothing but snow in its wake. As bullet-time began to fade, Link sat in shock before looking down, realizing he was plummeting downwards towards the village buildings below. With a yell, he twisted the beast in the air, slamming it against the cliffside. In a burst of blue string lights, the Master Cycle vanished, leaving Link to continue his tumble down the cliffside before splashing into the rivers that ran through the mountain's crevices and around the village's perimeter.

...

"What were you thinking?" Purah asked loudly as she bandaged the injured Hylian's arm.

After climbing his way out of the waters, and avoiding any questions from Clavia, who had been following her daily routine of standing out on the river boardwalk, Link had made his way up to the tech lab. Now sitting at the table inside, and keeping his free arm out with the sleeve rolled up, he brought his fingers to the bridge of his nose.

"I… I got comfortable," he said in an irritable tone. "I thought if I relaxed, the beast would just follow the path. That's what regular horses do."

"I already told you the beast was almost, if not completely, manual!" Purah said, tightening his bandages to a painful degree. "What would have happened if you had hit your head? Do you know what I would have had to tell Zelda? There's no way in Hylia's name I could explain that we had to take you back to the Shrine of Resurrection because you couldn't keep your eyes on the path!"

"I'm fine, Purah," Link said, pulling his arm away from the girl's small hands. "I've taken worse falls, I promise."

"Link, what happened out there?" Symin said as Purah huffed, jumping down from the stool to pace. "You were doing perfectly fine at the start; amazing in fact. What went wrong?"

"Nothing went wrong," Link exclaimed. "I just… I thought I saw something. It distracted me, and I thought the beast would steer on its own like Epona."

"Saw something?" Symin repeated curiously, however, Purah had turned around.

"Saw something?" she repeated much louder than her assistant. "What could you have possibly seen that made you drive off the edge of a cliff?"

"I…" Link mumbled. Before he could properly answer, Purah's eyes grew wide.

"Did you think you saw a Yiga?" she asked. When Link didn't respond, her tone grew louder. "Even if there was a Yiga, why didn't you stop?"

"I didn't think about it!" Link answered back. "I usually have a bow or something on me! Look, I'm sorry, okay! I'm just… just…"

"Not well," Purah said. "At least not well enough to be messing with experiments like this. Cleeeeeeeeaaaaarly, Zelda was on to something that I was too blind to see."

With a huff, she roughly handed Link the Sheikah Slate.

"Go home and rest," she said coldly. "Maybe Zelda will give you a harder time than I could, though I highly doubt that's possible."

Unable to come up with anything else to say, Link stood and headed to the door. As he stepped into the snow, he felt a hand on his shoulder. With a jolt, he looked back, only to see Symin with a gentle smile.

"Sorry about the director. She's not usually like that," he said, closing the front doors behind him. "Though, I'm sure you know that better than I do. Any other time she probably would've laughed this incident off."

"Yeah, right," Link said, slowly nodding his head. "Look, Symin, I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Remember what she said about her sister?" Symin cut in. "How, Zelda isn't the only person worried about you? Well… the director is thinking about you too, in her own way, of course. She's also worried about Zelda, and what's to come."

"Y-yeah… I know," Link responded.

"Just… Look, I'm not sure if what you saw was real, or if it is as Miss Zelda—and now the director— says. Maybe you did see something, and if so, then you'll find a way to handle it," he said. "But, do take care to ensure that you're going about this the proper way. The only person who knows that way, though, is you. Take care, Link."

"Yeah… You too, Symin," Link answered quietly. With a nod, Symin re-entered the lab, leaving the Hylian Champion out in the cold, alone.