All he knew was darkness.

Even that was generous. Saying he knew anything implied he was conscious at all. Yet, there was a sort of shift, and he suddenly became aware of the void around him. Even that wasn't exactly accurate. It wasn't that he realized it was there, but he realized it was being pierced by a golden light.

In his mind, he heard something.

Muffled. A single, brief sound. A voice? Not even that. An attempt at a voice.

"Link…"

That was far clearer. A female voice. Urgent. Sad. Hopeful.

He didn't recognize it. Was she talking to him? Was he Link? Who was talking to him? How? Where was he? She clearly knew him.

"…Open your eyes…"

There it was again. His eyes were closed? He didn't even realize that until just then. Not only that, but he felt wet all over. Why? It wasn't cold or uncomfortable. Just wet.

"Open your eyes…Open your eyes…"

Whoever spoke to him clearly felt this was urgent, so he tried. It took effort, but slowly his eyelids began to crack open so he could take in the world around him. The first thing he saw was a light, a dull blue light, above him.

"Wake up, Link…"

It was almost like a mother rousing her child from slumber. And there was that name again. He must have been Link. It didn't sound familiar to him, but he thought of no other name for himself. So, he assumed it had to be the truth. His eyes opened more and more, ever so slowly, as he felt the liquid around him start to go away, draining off somewhere.

Link sat up.

It was a slow process, but he managed to get upright. His entire body was stiff, like he had slept in the same position all night. Had he been sleeping? He had to have been. Looking down, he saw he was in a strange…it wasn't even a bed, really. Some sort of metal basin. From the pale blue light from above, he saw he was scarcely dressed, wearing only short tights to give him any modesty.

His body, almost every inch he could see, had scars. They were all faded and as healed as they would ever get, but there were almost countless amounts. Some were mere knicks while some were decent slashes and then there was one that ran almost the entire length of his left leg. His body itself was muscular, yet compact, implying that he had a very active life that demanded strength, but for what reason he couldn't recall.

The young man looked around and was barely able to make out his surroundings. As far as he could tell, he was inside, yet there was somehow a sort of mist present. On top of that, there was barely any light to help him out. It wasn't cold in the room. Wasn't warm. It just was. As Link swung his legs over the edge of his basin, it truly hit him…

He remembered nothing.

Or rather, nothing about himself. There were things he knew, like what things were. He knew the light was blue. He knew what a basin was. He knew what mist looked like. There were even more specific things like how one of the marks on his arm was caused by the teeth of an animal. What this animal was or how he got it, though, he couldn't recall. Truly, anything specific about himself was just…blank. For a minute, Link sat there, trying to scrounge up a single fact about himself save for his name, but…nothing. He'd have an easier time grabbing a fistful of the mist around him than recalling a single personal memory of his.

He didn't even know where he was or how he got there. Wherever it was, it seemed safe enough. There was nothing around him that could cause him harm. Was he placed there by someone? Did he go to this place of his own volition? When he finally stood up, his legs shook for a moment, it being clear he hadn't done such a thing in some time. He wanted to call out to see if anyone could hear him, but it somehow felt wrong to cut through the almost deafening silence. That, and he was almost nervous that his voice would give way to how internally rattled he was at having no true memories. It was hard not to be afraid of such a fact, but he also wanted to pretend it didn't bother him.

As if reacting to his standing somehow, the blue light above him intensified lightly, and orange orbs of light appeared on the wall. It even seemed that the mist was disappearing, and he was able to see that unusual, wavy lines adorned the floors and walls of the chamber. On top of that, there was a small blue light off in the corner. Not knowing what else to do, he walked towards it. His steps were small and light, his legs feeling stiff and a bit sore.

On approach, it was revealed that the glow came from a small pedestal of sorts, a rectangular object at its center. Once more, it seemed like his actions caused a reaction. A circular center to the pedestal came out, and with some whirring, the rectangular object stood up on its end. It was small and lean, able to be held in one hand easily. On the side facing him was an unusual symbol of an eye, its glowing blue iris staring right at the young man.

That is a Sheikah Slate. Take it.

The voice again. The woman. Origin unknown.

Link didn't notice it before, but she seemed to be speaking in his head. 'Sheikah' and 'Slate' were unknown words to him, but he had no reason to distrust the woman. She gave him his name, so that was enough reason for Link to listen to her.

It will help guide you after your long slumber.

Stiff legs and a sore body. A long slumber explained that. How long did she mean? Days? Weeks? Was it that odd basin that kept him alive during such a long sleep? There didn't seem to be anyone around to care for him otherwise.

Doing as the woman said, Link gently picked up the Sheikah Slate, turning its other side to him as he held it in both hands.

Light. Hard. Oddly comfortable.

On the other side was a blank, dark surface made of glass from what he could tell in the darkness. Noise and light, the middle of the slate lit up, the symbol of the eye appeared as a humming noise rang out. It startled Link enough that he almost loosened his grip on the object and dropped it. Almost.

As soon as this happened, the pedestal started to move again. The part that jutted out spun and inserted itself back into the object. At the same time, a portion of the wall, which Link only noticed at that moment was a door, started to move. It slid open in segments, the bars vanishing into the wall.

Slate in hand, Link peeked into the next room, but it was also dark, and he saw nothing. Slowly, he went onward. Next room was bigger, with blue lights along the walls that barely illuminated his surroundings. A box. Right in front of him. Like it was placed for him. Pushing the lid aside, the young man saw clothes.

Old. Worn. Still suitable.

A shirt, some pants, a notch on the belt, and a pair of shoes. Still not cold. He put them on anyway. To Link's surprise, each article of clothing fit him perfectly, like they were made for him. He noticed the clasp on the belt matched the Sheikah Slate's size.

He moved further into the room. Another door. A larger door. Another pedestal. It glowed orange. Blue, glowing eye in the middle and staring at Link. Once more, her voice shifted inside his skull.

Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way.

Link obeyed. He held the glass part of the slate to the center of the pedestal, sure it was what she wanted. It hummed again. The orange light turned blue.

A new voice. Also female. Emotionless. Cold.

Authenticating...Sheikah Slate confirmed.

Yet another eye symbol appeared, this time on the door. It glowed blue. With it came a light rumble as the door shifted and slid away piece by piece. This time, a bright line pierced into the room as he placed the slate at his hip.

Stinging eyes. Link stood in the doorway, blinking over and over at the light before him. Golden yellow, like before. And like before, she spoke to him.

Link...You are the light, our light, that must shine upon Hyrule once again. Now, go...

Exhausted. Pleading.

Something about speaking to him drained her strength. That much was clear. Hyrule? What was Hyrule? What did he need to do? Rubbing his sore eyes, he looked ahead again. Light seemed dimmer. Staircase leading out.

Old. Stone. Dusty. A small peak of blue sky at the top of the staircase.

Still no signs of other people.

Slowly, he climbed the stairs, squinting a bit as he got closer to the outside world and the light intensified again with each step.

Warmth. Fresh air. Rustling of leaves.

Taking a deep inhale through his nose, Link reached the top of the stairs and entered the outside proper. Eyes widening, the first thing he saw was the endless blue sky, dotted with lazy, drifting clouds. The sun had only just fully gone over the horizon, lighting the world around him. Immediately in front of him was lush green grass and tall, healthy trees which had leaves that rustled in the gentle breeze.

His legs moving on his own, Link walked forward, up to the cliff a short distance from the cave entrance. Before him was a breathtaking land that stretched as far as he could see. Directly below him lay a large forest that rippled in the wind. Beyond that, much farther down, were rolling hillsides dotted with trees and structures too small for him to make out. Farther out was the only structure big enough to see, and it was an immense castle, its spires reaching up towards the heavens. Around the castle was an unusual dark mist of unknown origin and massive, odd pillars…

To the west were mountains that went so high they were coated in powdery snow. These mountains seemed to encircle the entire horizon, and as his eyes went to the east, the snow slowly vanished until a glowing heap of rock caught Link's eye. Lava flowing freely signaled a volcano. If the spires of the castle were reaching for the heavens, the top of the volcano was practically scraping them. For a moment, he swore he saw something shift near the top of the volcano, but it was too far away to make it out, assuming it wasn't just his imagination.

It took Link a minute to realize he was just staring at the gorgeous scenery. A far cry from the dark, misty interior he had found himself in. Looking backwards, he saw the place he awoke in was built right into a mountain, no other hints of what it was for or how he got there. Looking at his more immediate surroundings further, he saw a path leading slowly downward with trees and shrubbery along the way.

Off in the distance was a large structure that Link had been too distracted to even notice. It seemed like a temple, and it shocked him that he even knew what that meant. Even from far away, it was easy to tell the building was in rough shape.

Light. Shifting. Orange.

Instinctually, Link flinched as he saw a fire being lit in the middle of the path between him and the temple. He was thinking of going to it since it was the closest manmade structure. Peering at the fire, he saw a figure moving around it and sitting near it. Had to be a person. The first one he's seen since he woke up. He felt a mixture of eagerness and anxiety as he thought of talking to this person. Yes, it was a relief to see another human being, even from afar, but he at that moment realized he had no memories of speaking to someone else.

It wasn't like he had any choice. The way to the fire was the only path unless he wanted to scale down the cliff, and he wasn't about to do that. Taking a deep breath, he started down the pleasant path towards the fire. As he went, it started to further sink in how he knew nothing about himself except his name. Heck, he had no idea what his face looked like!

All this made Link feel less…real, if he had to sum it up. No face, no memories, and even his name was only known because a strange voice told it to him. Did he have friends? Family? Was anyone looking for him? The voice mentioned he was a 'light' but he had no idea what he was meant to do. All he could really hope for was that the figure he saw by the fire knew who he was.

As the minutes passed, Link was able to make out more details about the figure. The most striking was the large white beard present, confirming the person to be a man. His clothing covered most of his body, including a hood that concealed most of his face. What Link noticed next was just how immense this man was! It was hard to tell, but Link figured if the man stood up, he'd only reach the stranger's shoulders, maybe not even that.

Tall. Much taller. Possibly dangerous.

If the man was friendly, then all was well, but if not…it wasn't as though Link had any weapons and it was impossible to tell from his distance if the man had a knife or anything like that. It wasn't going to stop his approach, but the young man prepared himself to sprint away at a moment's notice.

As Link finally approached the fire, his pace slowed down, especially when the Old Man looked up at him. Neither of them said a word, at first, simply staring at each other. The elder's clothes were caked in dirt and dust, and what little skin that was visible wasn't much better. It was as though he were a walking chunk of earth to the point it wouldn't surprise Link if he just sunk down into the ground.

The Old Man's hood was worn in a way so a single eye peered out, and it was a tired, melancholy eye at that. Leaning against the wall next to the towering stranger was a staff that had an unlit lantern dangling from the top. For a moment more, the two said nothing, just studying each other as the world went on around them, but after what seemed like entire minutes, the elderly stranger broke the silence.

"It's a bit strange to see another soul around these parts." The Old Man's voice was tired, yet warm and welcoming. "Please, sit by the fire young man."

Just then realizing he hadn't spoken a word since he woke up, Link cleared his throat. "I'll sta-stahh…." The clearing of his throat wasn't enough, and his voice came out raspy and made him stammer. He couldn't help but be embarrassed, coughing to try and help himself.

The Old Man sat patiently as Link coughed to himself, reaching into his cloak and pulling out a bottle of clear, fresh water. "Here, young man. For your throat."

It was only at that moment that Link realized just how thirsty he was on top of everything, taking the bottle and quickly draining it which helped make his throat feel a lot better. After a deep breath, he nodded. "Thank you. I really needed that. Still, I'd prefer to stand. And who are you, anyway?" As nice as the stranger had been, Link couldn't help but be on edge. He knew nothing of the world around him, so it made him mildly paranoid…

If the Old Man was insulted at Link's decline, he didn't show it. At his words, he gave a soft laugh. "One usually introduces himself before asking for someone else's name. Besides, I'll spare you my life's story. It's not really important. I'm simply an old fool that's lived here, alone, for a long time…"

That was suspicious to be sure. Though at that moment, Link was more disappointed that the Old Man clearly had no idea who he was. "My name is Link. Where are we?" At the very least, he could get information out of him.

For a moment, the stranger didn't say anything, as if contemplating Link's simple answer and question. "Before that, you must be hungry. I have plenty to share, don't be shy." Reaching his cloak, and seeming unaware of Link's flinch, he pulled out a delicious looking, red apple.

Only at that moment did Link realize how right the Old Man was. His stomach suddenly began to twist. How long had he been without food or water? At least he hydrated himself a bit. It took all his willpower not to snatch the apple from the man's outstretched hands.

Juicy. Cool. Crunchy.

In no time, the apple was eaten, core and stem and all. Already, Link felt better as he finally decided to sit by the fire opposite the Old Man. He seemed kind enough if a bit secretive. "Thank you. I'd still like to know where we are." Link asked, about to toss the bottle back over to the stranger.

Sensing what Link was about to do, the Old Man shook his head. "Keep it. You're a lot less equipped than I. And because I feel our meeting was destined, I'll answer your question. This is the Great Plateau, and legends say this is the birthplace of the Kingdom of Hyrule."

Hyrule. That name again. So, it was a kingdom.

Not that this rang a bell for Link at all. But if he woke up nearby, he had to have been affiliated with this kingdom at some point. Yet talking about it didn't jog his memory at all. "There's no one here? You said it was the birthplace of a kingdom, so where is everyone?" He asked as he pocketed the bottle.

"So, you noticed. No one has lived here for quite some time. No one but myself, that is." The Old Man explained. "And now you, I suppose. Where did you say you came from?" He asked it in an odd tone, as if he was somehow testing Link…

The young man had no way to answer that. For a reason he couldn't even explain, he hated the idea of telling this stranger about his lack of a memory. His lack of knowledge about the very kingdom he was in surely tipped the Old Man off to something, but actually admitting anything was another story.

"I'd rather not say." Was the only answer he could think of. "Tell me about that old temple. Did the people of Hyrule really just leave it in ruins?"

Once more, the Old Man pondered Link's simple answer and question for a moment, his single visible eye boring into this conversation partner. "So, you noticed it? Hard not to, I suppose. Long ago, it was the site of many sacred ceremonies. Ever since a hundred years ago, when the kingdom collapsed, no one has cared for it. From what I hear, it used to be absolutely gorgeous…"

It didn't surprise Link as much as he expected to hear something was wrong with Hyrule. That woman's voice did say he had to help, after all. A hundred years, though…! "What happened? The kingdom looks beautiful. It's all that area out there, right?" Link asked, pointing in the vague direction of the castle he saw earlier.

"That's a tragic tale. One I'd rather not relay at the moment. It's such a gorgeous morning, and I'd hate to darken it. Some time soon, though, I'll tell you everything. How's that?" The Old Man spoke gently, yet something in his tone made it clear he wasn't going to budge even if Link insisted.

Link wanted to be bothered by the man's secrecy, but it wasn't like he was being honest himself. He almost asked about the unusual place he awoke in, but the place seemed like it had been sealed for a long while. That, and if the Old Man knew about it, he'd know about Link for sure. "I guess that's fine. I'll be leaving the plateau, though. Where's the nearest settlement?" There was no reason for him to stick around, and he wasn't sure about aiding Hyrule, but someone out there had to know who he was. He'd start with that, at the very least…

"It's not quite as simple as that. If you don't mind a suggestion…" He stood up, prompting Link to hurriedly do so as well. The Old Man used his walking stick to point at the old temple. "…I think you should go there first. If you don't mind me saying, you seem a bit lost. Just heading off the Great Plateau isn't wise, but a temple is a good place to meditate."

Given the Old Man's lack of answers so far, he felt that asking him to elaborate would get him nowhere. He at least assumed that the area off the plateau was dangerous somehow, and it wasn't like he had a weapon to defend himself. "Okay. I'll do that, thank you."

"Oh, and a few more things." The Old Man said, gesturing to his fire. "You'll find unlit campfires, weapons, items, food, and other things of mine all about. Feel free to use whatever you come across, I'm happy to share. I'd even suggest cooking up something simple like baked apples when you get the chance. You'll need lots of energy."

How generous! That one apple wasn't enough to fill Link up, not by a long shot. Some baked apples actually sounded pretty good! He did notice the Old Man explicitly mentioned weapons. "So, it's dangerous around here too?"

"Very much so if you're not prepared. Monsters and wild animals call this place home. As I said, anything you find, you can have. There's an axe I use for cutting wood down the path. It's pretty heavy, but you seem the strong sort. That'd be good to start with." The Old Man explained, seeming like he really wanted to aid Link, but just not directly.

Link was starting to really wonder who this man was. Why live somewhere with dangerous animals and monsters? For some reason, the mention of the latter didn't shock him. He couldn't conjure the image of any specific monster in his mind, but the concept seemed…somehow routine to him. "Thank you, I'll find some way to pay you back." It was only the right thing to do.

"Think nothing of it, young man. Just be careful out there. That's all I ask…" He breathed, sitting back down once more. "I'll sit by the fire a bit longer, but I'm sure we'll run into each other again at some point." The Old Man then let out a laugh, like he just told some sort of a joke.

Looking on to the temple, Link wondered if meditating there would really help him. There were so many questions tumbling about in his mind, and he had no idea what to focus on first. Who exactly was he? Who was the woman speaking to him? Why was he asleep in that odd location? What's with the slate he found? What else could it do but open doors? What was wrong with Hyrule and how was he supposed to help? Where was everyone else? What happened a century ago?

And, most importantly, why did he lose his memories in the first place?

He felt almost naked, going off in just some old clothes and the slate at his hip. The Old Man mentioned an axe among other vague weapons lying about, but something immediate would've been nice. Getting some more food was a must as well, there was no telling when he last had a proper meal, and that single apple wouldn't get him far. He'd have to keep his eyes peeled for apple trees or other sources of food. Link took a deep breath around him, a stretch of wild leading to a decrepit temple.

Having nothing behind him and everything ahead, he started on his way.

A/N: Yes, a third novelization at the same time. Tears of the Kingdom inspired me to make something bigger with Breath of the Wild, even if I am extremely late. It wasn't a coincidence this story was posted on the sequel's release, either. It mainly took me this long because the idea of this story hit me only within the last week or so. It should be noted those short bursts that make their own lines are meant to be Link's direct, immediate observations of things while the narration gets to be more flavorful. I'm sure it may bother some people, so I'll say off the bat that such short, stiff thoughts like that will die down before long. Link is still somewhat of a blank slate, so he has little opinion on most things aside from his immediate thoughts.

And for those who haven't read my works before, my prologues do tend to be pretty short, like this one. Further chapters will bump up the length in case short updates aren't things you enjoy. Also of note, this Link is a different one from my Breath of the Wild oneshots and is a separate continuity.

I'll elaborate on some things more as the chapters come out, but in the meantime, any feedback is welcome and encouraged.