The Eternal Game

by Lincoln859

Everything can change in an instant. Sometimes all it takes is that next step, and you're in a new world, a new body. OC Insert into Link, Blended World starting in Skyward Sword. OC MC x Harem, this will be a very long story.

4. CH IV: Settling In

The Eternal Game

Chapter IV

Settling In

Time.

Such a strange thing, truly. So small, so petty, yet so large.

Little moments ticking along, made up numbers and symbols and slices of life. A bit of reality forced upon the chaos of the natural order, a system in place. Every civilization through time has invented a way to tell it, has carved their mark upon the world. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years; each place measured it differently, each world spinning just the slightest bit different.

Time.

Such a strange thing. So small, so petty, yet so large. So limiting, so freeing; too many things to describe, even for one such as it.

For so long it had existed outside of time, beyond time, constrained by time. No longer.

A billion billion timelines, potential rising and falling and succeeding and failing. A child stepped left, or was it right, or perhaps they fell. No one and nothing could know, yet it did. Nothing and no one could tell, yet it could. Beyond time, outside of time, out of time, plenty of time.

Tenses were impossible when everything happened at once. The idea of past, of present, of future; what even were they, when time was so naturally unnatural? The Universe traveled along, they all did, ticking to the clocks of mortals and of gods, yet the beat was different. A discordant harmony like nothing else, entities driven insanely sane by the blissful riot of reality.

No mortal could withstand it, no god could understand it. Some came close, some created the noise and others could listen for it, but only it stood on the outside looking in. Only it could see it all, this fragment of it slipping inside time so very easily.

It could not do this, but it could. It should not do this, but it had no other choice. Time and time and time again it had played its role, time and time and time again it had failed and succeeded, as it always should and always would.

Time.

Such a strange thing. So small, so petty, yet so large. So limiting, so freeing, everything that existed all at once now following a straight line. Point A to Point Z, beginning to end, a tidal wave that swept along all in its path. Nothing could stop it, nothing could withstand it, nothing could change it. Yet anything could stop it, anything could withstand it, and anything could change it.

Reality made and unmade, time malleable and immutable. 30,000 years in the past of one thing, whispers grew. 100,000 years in the future of another thing, words were spoken. 10,000 years in time, things occurred. The story shifted, ever so slightly, things becoming lost and other things found, machinations never to be discovered.

The note of harmonious discord, the thing that had never and always belonged here, rang once more. Its attention was drawn, deep in the past and far in the future, focusing on a moment. So fragile, so swift, eternal and fleeting. The harmonious discord was an odd sight; pleasing and horrifying, right and wrong, beautiful and ugly. It had witnessed it in the past, it had never borne witness to anything like it.

The note shifted, deepening and heightening, distressed and at peace. It could not exist, it should not exist, but it had to exist and should always exist. It admired it, it hated it, adored it and loathed it.

A tendril of timeless energy extended, touching lightly upon the note. It shifted, it stilled; the note need not worry. It would not harm it, it could not harm it. It was here for it, after all. The thing that had given it the energy, the will, and the ability to act once more in a way it never should and always had. It would protect it, as best it could. Despite that, however, it had a purpose.

It linked the note of perfect horror to six other notes, each of them adding to the discordant harmony. Four settled deep within it in the past, to affect its future. One settled in the present, to affect its past. And one settled in the future, to affect it all. Then four became one, one became five, six became two, and the note proved its own nature as chaos settled into serenity. The strings of time played, and more still was set into motion.

Shadows through time, it's time growing short here. Things were in motion that should not exist, things not the work of the discordant note yet things that would crash against it nonetheless. A gamble between things beyond it, between things below it.

Soon. A concept that had not existed until it slipped into time for the first time yet again. Soon enough, things would start to unfold. Soon enough, things would begin again, for the first time.

Time.

Such a strange thing. So small, so petty, yet so large. So limiting, so freeing…yet, for the first time and the thousandth time, it wished it had more of it. It vanished, shadowed claws striking through time where it had and would be, but not where it was. A ghostly roar of fury echoed through the ages; time was running out.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Meat sizzled in a pan, the smell of roasting meat and salt filling up the room. It overpowered everything else; potatoes, carrots, eggs…nothing could even touch it. It made sense, however, because Link was cooking a ridiculous amount of meat. He'd gotten a lot yesterday from the monsters, and while he didn't trust it to not damage the stomachs of himself and Zelda…well, there was a third stomach that would apparently be delighted by it.

Even now he could feel it; anticipation in the depths of his soul. Sylph, somehow, knew that he was cooking for her and was eager. She was close enough to feel, and he had heard her shifting about on the roof right as he'd made the decision to start cooking. Directly above him, amusingly enough, and she had been joined by a second body mere moments later. Considering he hadn't heard any type of fight, or felt any displeasure from her, he assumed it was Rin.

His eyes looked over the less meaty parts of breakfast, making sure that nothing burned. The book in his room, Loftwing Care, had been well worth the read this morning. He'd woken up even earlier than he had been, so early that the night sky was still lit by stars and the moon rather than the first light of the rising sun. Link still wasn't sure why, especially with the fact he'd been up so late with Zelda. It had been almost midnight before she'd let him go, not that he was complaining.

He'd been terrified that he'd crossed a line when he'd opened the door to see her crying. Blue eyes brimmed with tears, her face worryingly blank…he had been so worried. Link had thought that it wouldn't be a bad thing to enter her room, not when he wasn't staying there for long. Just long enough to put the vase of flowers in it, the flowers draining the most miniscule amount of magic from him imaginable.

He hadn't even seen much of it. Her bed, her desk and bookshelf, and the beautiful painting of two loftwings upon her ceiling. A vanity as well, but he hadn't looked at much. His focus had been on her nightstand, on putting the Princesses there and making sure they were suitably arranged to have an impact. He hadn't exactly practiced flower arrangements, after all, but he had thought he'd done alright.

The soft, heartfelt thank you both reassured him and clued him into the fact that maybe, just maybe, what he'd done had more meaning than he'd thought. Naturally, he supposed, when he didn't have any idea about anything involving the culture or meanings of anything. At least it wasn't an insult. Couldn't have been anything like an undying confession of love either, because while she had held him she hadn't kissed him…and he was more disappointed than he should be because of that.

Perhaps it had something to do with her mother? He couldn't think of a single Zelda game where the Princess was allowed to keep her mother, after all, though if he was remembering right Breath of the Wild at least had memories of the woman. Maybe it had been her mothers favorite flower and she'd only rarely gotten to see it since, or something, he didn't know. It was possible, however, that it was her favorite for a similar reason to the Wild's Zelda.

Link kind of doubted that, however; she didn't have the same hopeless resignation as the other Zelda did. Didn't have years of mounting desperation and failure behind her, though that didn't make her problems any less valid. Both Zelda's had to live with the knowledge that any failure on their part could lead to their entire Kingdom crumbling around them, after all. At least this Zelda's father was supportive, however.

His attention returned to the food, almost overcooking the eggs in his distraction. The meat, thankfully, would take longer, both due to size and how it was being prepared. Loftwing Care had talked a lot about Loftwings, naturally, with their abilities and their caretaking being covered despite the name. The birds were known for a variety of things, and enjoyed a variety of treats. One of which, amusingly enough, was truffles. He supposed he should have figured that.

After all, why should a bird that massive be limited to being a predator and a carnivore? Why shouldn't they be omnivorous, and have a taste for mushrooms? Why, in a sane world, would they not be listed as one of the main reasons truffles were so difficult to find in Skylian held lands due to the fact that, at any given moment, a loftwing would see them and eat them? Amusement bubbled up within him; whatever rules this verse operated off of were odd indeed.

Birds noticeably larger than humans, predators, yet they had a noticeable enjoyment of truffles and even more so of honey. They had even more fondness of honey glazed salted meats, which is what he was preparing for Sylph…and for Rin, because he wasn't a monster. Still, he was including the last two big truffles he'd found and kept in with the food, because Sylph deserved one after helping him find it.

Her ability to find the things had also been explained, and quite naturally it was through a mixture of magic and natural ability. Eyesight beyond anything a Skylian could even comprehend, just like a great many birds in truth, and they could enhance that with their own natural magic. And, much like every person ever, they held no compunctions about using their natural abilities to get themselves some treats.

Painting honey over slabs of meat was odd; he'd never done it before. Not difficult, but he hadn't really been a fan of honey before. Tasting it now, just a bit, told him that he very much was now. Sweet, obviously, with a hint of floral that he couldn't identify. It was the sweetest thing he'd tasted since arriving into this world, but that only made sense. They didn't exactly have bags upon bags of granulated sugar just sitting on grocery store shelves, nor was everything he ate coated with it.

Oh, that was a thought, actually. He'd been baking more bread, and there was a meal from a book he'd always wanted to try. Honey soaked apples in bread. It couldn't be that bad, and if there was ever a time for trying new things, well…what better time than in an entirely new world?

So he did.

It was only as he was finishing that he heard Zelda moving around behind him, slowly and carefully, and he turned his head to greet her. It was a bit late, he believed, at least in comparison to the previous days, but no matter. His thoughts stuttered as he saw her, yawning cutely and shuffling forward, hair ruffled and not yet brushed and tunic disheveled. It took a lot more effort than he expected to stop himself from awwing at her. Zelda was clearly still sleepy, not handling the precious few hours of sleep she'd gotten well at all. Not like him, who'd functioned on fewer hours after working two jobs…

No, wait a minute, that didn't make sense. He wasn't in his old body, that was used to getting more sleep. Why was this body handling it so well, especially when woken up so early? Was it just a Hero thing, or was it something else? No, thoughts for later, greet Zelda now.

"Good morning, Zelda." Bleary blue eyes focused on him, a sleepy smile so full of happiness and contentment that it ached somewhere in his chest looking at it.

"Good morning, Link." She shuffled forward, a far sight from the refined and elegant noble she normally was, and this sleepy Zelda was hugging him from behind with her chin settling against his head just a few seconds later. Link tensed against his will as warm hands ran across his bare chest, before his body once again blissfully relaxed against the taller girl. A contented hum near his ear, able to feel it against his entire body even as his mind was torn between enjoying the hug and fixating on the squish against his shoulder blades.

Zelda showed no signs of letting him go, so he was eventually forced to keep working while she held him. He found himself not minding in the slightest. So they passed several more minutes, the last bits of breakfast for the two of them and their birds prepared with a cuddly Princess attached to him. She finally woke up enough to realize that some of this clearly wasn't for them, and questioned it.

"Mmm…you may not wish to spoil Sylph so much if you wish to fly with her today. If she is to eat all of that it will be many hours before she can do anything other than nap." Link shivered as the first hummed, considering syllables vibrated against his ear, but forced himself to ignore it.

"It's not all for her," he responded. It takes her a few seconds to speak once more, her grip on him not loosening in the slightest.

"Oh. What other loftwing is getting such a treat then?" There was no guiding hint in her voice, no expectation or realization; just a sleepy girl not bothering to think just yet. A flush of warmth ran through him at the trust and care, at the privilege of someone not bothering to think around him. He wasn't sure he could do that; wasn't sure he could trust enough to do that, no matter how wonderful she was.

He set the last of the food onto plates and the slabs of salted honey-meet to the side to cool a little. His hands found hers, an odd noise of protest leaving her lips as he loosened her grip enough to turn. The flesh of his bare torso slipped along her tunic as he did, looking up into suddenly delighted blue eyes as he hugged her. His voice was quiet and warm, full of affection, as he spoke.

"Good morning, Zelda. It's time to wake up." A groan of protest, half playful and half genuine, before he spoke again.

"I'm surprised you can't feel Rin." A questioning gaze, before Zelda sighed, closing her eyes for a minute.

"I worry that if I let myself wake up, this will turn out to be a dream." Link wasn't sure as to what, specifically, she was referring to, but it didn't matter. It was his fear now too, after all. He just squeezed her, careful to not squeeze too hard, and spoke once more.

"Half of it is for Rin, half is for Sylph. I wasn't going to leave him out." Blue eyes opened at last, full of warmth that turned his insides gooey. Zelda considered something for a moment, before nodding slowly, something in her eyes hardening slightly. Whatever it was in her head, it didn't stop her from smiling down at him with more genuine affection that he'd ever had directed at him in his previous life.

"I adore you, Link." Words said so plainly and easily brought heat to his face, a twinkle in Zelda's eyes at the sight. Her smile didn't fade, didn't falter in the slightest by his embarrassment, and she pulled him tighter. One hand trailed heat across his back and up to his hair, fingers finding their favorite spot in his hair as she pressed his head to her neck.

"You are far more wonderful a person than I deserve, and I am so very pleased to have the privilege of knowing you." Heat flushed through his entire body now, neck burning against the warmth of her body. The Princess did not even have the kindness to stop there, instead continuing to whisper compliments into ears far more sensitive to the warmth of her breath and vibrations of her words than any human one ever could be.

"I am thankful for everything you do, for Rin and for myself, Link. I am grateful for every moment of your company, and I love every moment spent in your presence. You are, without doubt, the single most important person to me in the world, beyond even my father. I despise the fact that we are forced apart this week, and I promise you I will make it up to you during the festival." Link had spent the majority of his life without compliments, and the raw honesty in her voice was not helping him to calm his embarrassment in the slightest. It was only made worse when fingers tightened in his hair, ever so lightly tugging his head back. Link found his head moving back with the motion, and blue eyes looked down at him with love.

"Thank you for getting up early these past couple days to spend more time with me. Thank you for staying up late with me, despite the fact that you are waking up earlier than ever. Thank you, for being the wonderful person that I am so very privileged to know." Link felt like his face was on fire, looking up into those adoring eyes. If there had been any doubt, any scrap of uncertainty about denying Casa's offer yesterday, just this would have been more than enough to wash it all away. A few moments of genuine, caring compliments poured out like honey into his ears in a warm, gentle voice from a woman who had just woken up and whose thoughts were solely on him.

Link couldn't say anything in the face of her compliments, but she didn't seem to want him to. She just pulled him close once more, for several more minutes, before finally letting him go. It was in a dazed contentment that the two sorted out their breakfasts, Zelda making plates even as Link took the large pieces of meat to his room on a platter. The window was still open, the sun just beginning to peek over the horizon and lighting up the sky enough to see a rather unique feature of the building.

A massive metal bar was embedded in the wall, stretching from his window all the way to Zelda's, at just the right height so that a standard sized loftwing's head would be even with the shutter. It was also one of three on the building; there was another right outside Gaepora's room and the third was linked to what he assumed were the teachers' rooms. A way for the birds to meet with their partners, he assumed, and even as he thought that red feathers were suddenly there.

Eager yellow eyes greeted him with a gentle warble and a clack, and his hand came out to touch cool keratin. Her beak was so big; larger than his torso, as he had noticed that first day. What would he even be able to do, should she decide to eat him? Well, no; Link would be able to do a lot actually, but the average Skylian? Not much of anything. His fingers trailed up, touching silk-soft feathers for several moments.

A flutter of blue wings, Rin landing beside his partner with hungry eyes and a pleading squawk. Sylph seemed more amused than anything, and it matched his own feelings. He liked Rin; the bird was Zelda's partner, of course Link liked him. But Sylph was his, which meant that she got to eat first. He was allowed that little bit of bias, he felt.

Up came the first piece, Sylph so very gently taking it from his hands. She was careful to not even scratch him, a grateful noise echoing from deep in her throat. Rin was equally careful with his piece, and he fed the two loftwings until the meat was gone. Pleasure and happiness radiated through the bond with each bit of meat, Sylph enjoying the meal a lot more than he expected.

Sure, the book had said that loftwings enjoyed honeyed meat, said that they enjoyed cooked meat in general really, and that honeyed meat was a treat they didn't often get. Sylph's reaction, however, was beyond what he'd expected. Delight, pleasure, savoring each and every piece…it was enough to make him happy as well, to know that the treat he'd made was enjoyed so much. The spike of delight when she tasted the truffle was especially potent as well, a warm thrum of affection in his soul.

All too soon, however, it was over, and Sylph flew off after a few minutes of being caressed. Rin was already gone, so Link returned to the main room, Zelda having long since finished preparing their plates. She hadn't touched them, however, even as they'd cooled in his distraction.

"You didn't have to wait, you know." Zelda shook her head.

"I will always wait for you." Heat rose to his cheeks once more, but this time he was able to work past it. Likely due to the fact that she wasn't looking down at him while holding him, this time, but it still counted. They had a pleasant breakfast; thankfully the food hadn't gotten too cold. As they were finishing up Zelda started up the conversation again.

"Do you plan on going on missions again today?" Link considered it, but ultimately shook his head. There was absolutely a point to it, and he would likely do it again tomorrow, but today he needed to look at other things.

"I need something to spend the rupees on." Zelda giggled, her eyes looking over to where the many platinum rupees still sat innocently on the coffee table. As if they weren't already more than any game would ever let you get, unless you either cheated or spent a ludicrous amount of time farming gemstones in the Wild. As if the idea that any form of economy in the games hadn't been hilarious to begin with, but now they had actual meaning.

"Yes, I dare say it would be difficult for you. That is the kind of wealth that would allow you to live for quite a few years, easily. It is more equivalent to the coffers of a noble or wealthy merchant than it is a Knight." Link tilted his head, curious suddenly. Breath of the Wild let you buy a house…would this allow it too? He was still a Trainee, after all, and even beyond that he didn't know the laws.

"How much is a house, then?" Zelda blinked, put off by the sudden shift from wherever her thoughts had been taken her, but hummed in thought.

"It would depend upon the type of home you wish to buy, I suppose. Where it is located, as well. It is definitely more than enough to let you buy one, however. In truth, I believe that you are not far off from what a new building would be, a fairly large one with a lot of land." Blue eyes lit up, her thoughts following that trend.

"You could invest in land easily enough. While it is more common for my father to award land to soldiers who have done remarkably well, it is hardly uncommon for merchants and nobles to purchase the rights to reclaimed land and pay for it to be farmed. It would be a lot of work for you, but I would not mind helping." Link frowned at her, and Zelda wilted slightly. Why did she react so strongly to that?

"I'd rather not put more work on your shoulders, Zelda." The slight slump vanished like it had never been, those beautiful eyes lighting back up. Had she thought he disliked the idea or something? Honestly he didn't mind it, if he didn't expect the island to partially fall and the Skylians to be migrating back to the surface world in an unknown period of time. Probably a few months? It was entirely unclear.

"I will have you know that I genuinely would not mind, Link. I appreciate the concern, however. If the thought of burdening me is so distasteful, however, all you would need to do is hire another person to run it for you and check in on them. I would be fully willing to help you learn that, and to assist you in managing it if you liked. You would likely need more rupees, however, at least until you started to make a profit from whatever type of farms you were running. Money to build houses for them to rent, money to pay them to do the work; rupees make the kingdom function, after all." Link nodded, though it amused him that a fantasy island in the sky still ran off of the almighty dollar…well, rupee. Then again…well, it always did, didn't it? Just usually gold rather than rupees or dollars.

"It's an interesting idea, but it would mean a lot more money than I have so far. That armor, you mentioned last night, however…and perhaps the weapons." Having things other than a darknut's sword that wouldn't break easily would be nice, especially if he could have them done before the festival. Sure, he was supposed to get the sword of the sky, the precursor of the Master Sword…but having backups would never hurt. If his fears were true, if Fi did wind up having the energy issues of the Wild's Master Sword, he would be thankful for his precautions.

Besides, what was the worst that happened? He burnt 200 thousand rupees for no reason? Please. If yesterday was anything to go by, when you could casually do A-Rank missions money wasn't an issue. Time might be, considering he was on a track to be a knight, but money wouldn't be. Considering the freedom he would be allocated in searching for Zelda as well, he would have time to do any missions he needed for money.

Even if the idea of letting this beautiful woman plummet from the sky hurt a lot more than it had just two days ago…

He shook it off. Plot would plot, and it wasn't like he could stop it. He didn't even know what caused it; even if he succeeded in stopping it, Ghirahim could no doubt just do it again. The demon hadn't spent eons plotting and planning just to fail at the first misfortune, after all.

"That would not be a bad thing to arrange for, I believe. It would certainly reduce my worries if you wore armor rather than just fighting incredibly strong monsters with little more than a tunic." Zelda's voice drew him from his thoughts, his attention returning to her. She didn't seem upset that his thoughts had taken him off on a tangent, at least, so that was nice.

"What kind of enchantments can even be put on armor?" Zelda frowned in thought, finger tapping against the table.

"I am unsure as to the full amount, in all honesty. I remember there being stories of hardening the materials; steel becoming stronger, for instance. Blades can become sharper, or take on elemental enchantments. A spear was once enchanted to return to the wielder when thrown, I remember that much for certain, as it was in the most recent incursion." The frown deepened, melancholy settling in.

"Unfortunately, much knowledge has been lost. What we are capable of now is less than we were capable of ten incursions ago, which is nothing compared to what we were capable of prior to the incursions." A sad, bitter laugh.

"Which, naturally, is nothing compared to what was possible before the world died." His hand reached out, slipping into hers. The blond looked at their hands, and she squeezed his gently, offering him a small smile.

"It is alright, Link. It just hurts to think of the wonders that we shall never get a chance to see. There are stories, myths from the truly ancient times, of sailing ships upon oceans." Blue eyes glimmered, both sorrow and wondrous glee within.

"Can you imagine it, Link? A body of water so great that you cannot see land on the other side. Water claiming and relinquishing the land based purely upon the time and the whims of the world. There were great ships of wood that floated upon those oceans, ships that could transport tens of people all around the world. Not as swiftly as flying, of course, but far swifter than any marching army could manage!" There was an ache in his chest. Watching Zelda so happy, so imaginative at the mere thought of an ocean, something so unbelievably simple…it hurt.

Even he had seen the ocean, and seen it more than once. In person and on the television; it had been a summer event when he was younger to go to the beach as a family, back when his parents still tried. A few hours drive and there they were, watching the waves crash. Some of his happier memories were of standing against the waves, trying and failing to stand against the force of the tide. So many times he'd gotten bowled over by a large wave; it had been great fun.

Link made a decision, right then and there. At some point, in the future, he would take Zelda to the ocean. The Crimson Loftwing was, supposedly, able to breach its way to the surface, and they would have years in what would eventually become Hyrule. It did not matter how far they had to travel, Zelda would see the ocean.

"It would be quite a sight…but I feel like I know of something more remarkable." He felt the need to distract her from her hopes. Promising that she would see the ocean wouldn't mean anything now, after all, but there had been something he'd noticed two days ago that had been odd. Well, less odd and more ridiculous.

Blue eyes blinked, ears twitching as she turned her full attention back to him. She waited, visibly curious as to what could possibly be more interesting than an ocean, a most wondrous and impossible concept to a girl locked away on an island in the sky.

"There are rivers running off of the island. They go to the clouds, disappearing down to the world, and yet despite the thousands of years we have been up here, we have not run out of water. Where does it come from? How does it replenish?" Zelda blinked, before giggling. A few seconds later she was laughing, finding his question absolutely hilarious. It takes her a few minutes to recover, shaking her head.

"How…how long has that been bugging you, Link? How long have you been puzzling over something we learned before I even met you?" A few more helpless giggles before she finally managed to calm herself down.

"I suppose that, without the explanation we all got, that would be interesting." Zelda sipped her drink, her voice still amused.

"The short answer is the Golden Goddesses, and more specifically the Triforce. So long as Skylians, or as the ancestral myths say the Hylians, are following the will of Hylia they shall never want for resources. The land takes care of us, even as we take care of it. Even with the monsters perverting the natural order, the land is strong. The magic of the triforce flows to all lands claimed by Skylians, no matter where they are, and ensures that it continues to grow." She looked at him, so very fondly.

"Water replenishes automatically, appearing from the sources in endless streams, welling eternal from the ground. Trees grow faster than would be normal, and ore veins slowly recover. It is not a daily process, or even a monthly one, but the ore veins that were tapped out a century ago will have recovered by now. It is the same reason why gemstones like that one can be found." She pointed to the sapphire, still set in a place of prominence. It glowed softly in his senses, not with light but with cold still.

"The stronger magics burn through gemstones at a terrifying rate, after all. Every elemental rod or blade we make consumes at least one, and were it not for the natural magics of the Triforce providing our land with abundance Skyloft would have died out long ago." She smiled, wide and content.

"The Goddess Hylia channels the power of the Golden Goddess to us from its place in the Sacred Realm. It is one of the countless reasons we know she is still looking out for us, after all." Another laugh, soft and happy.

"Not quite as magical as the likes of an Ocean, but quite remarkable nonetheless." Yeah, sure, that was less magical than an ocean. Eternal bounty made manifest for an entire nation, yet not as remarkable as a large body of water. They would have to agree to disagree on that one. Every nation on his planet would have slaughtered billions for that. That eternal bounty would have been devastated by the other nations if only one nation had access to it. Out of spite, if nothing else, no matter how kind and generous the people were.

Zelda seemed to see his disbelief, laughing gently once more. She seemed to think about something for a moment, before smiling at him again. One hand came up, resting her head upon it, and her voice was considering as she spoke.

"I suppose that the magic that makes our land work is quite fascinating, when you think about it. The power involved in it is beyond anything I can imagine, truthfully. To create water, to ensure that grass and trees grow, to ensure that life thrives…hmm. You know, there is another myth about it. Supposedly, in those olden times, Great Fairies helped regulate the magic of the land. Legend has it that at least three came up here with us, one for each island, though where they are is entirely unknown." A bit of sadness crossed her face again.

"We do not even know if they still live, in truth. There has not been even a story of them in seven incursions, at least not to my knowledge. Once upon a time they kept contact with the Royal Family, keeping them apprised of the state of Farore's Hope. Of all three islands, likely, though we naturally have no records of that now." Link squeezed her hand, her eyes drawing back up to him.

"I'm sure they're alive. Fairies don't die easily." Zelda cheered up a little, nodding, even as Link considered it. The Great Fairies had always been of help in the games. Whether it was magical abilities, advice, or enchanting armor, they had always helped. Perhaps he should look around for one. He had the time, after all, though somehow he doubted that Sylph would magically know where one was, unlike the truffles.

Thoughts for much later, however, as they had rather drifted along topics. Right now they only had so much time before the morning bell rang and Zelda had to go to her weaving, and soon enough someone would be along to pull Link away to spar with the Royal Guard. So he rose, Zelda looking at him in confusion as he pulled her to her feet with their linked hands. She rose, however, obligingly following his pulls towards the couch. She realized his intent and grew delighted, however, and in a few more seconds they were cuddling.

"We don't have too much longer, and I think we've talked enough for one morning. Don't you agree?" Zelda hummed happily, breathing settling into a slower pace and matching his. The rest of their time passed in a blissful haze, and all too soon the bell was booming out above them, muted somehow, but still quite loud. It was with mournful gazes that they parted, Zelda so very reluctantly letting him go.

There would be a day, and soon, where he wouldn't have to let go of her. Where he wouldn't have to see those sad, soulful eyes ice over with the shield of duty. Where she would be allowed to be happy throughout the day, allowed the easiness to her actions and speech that only seemed to come when in private around him.

He would do that for her. It was the least he could do to make up for the hell that was coming their way.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Hinea was an old woman, now.

She didn't look it, but she was very nearly two centuries of age. Older even than her King, something she enjoyed poking at him about. Respect your elders, child, was a phrase that had been mentioned a great many times over the decades that they had known each other, and it never failed to see that ridiculous unibrow he insisted was dignified scrunching up at her in irritation.

Yes, Hinea had lived a long and fruitful life. She had been on the front lines of an Incursion for every major fight of the war. She had survived the monstrous blight by the skin of her teeth, and had slaughtered hundreds of monsters in battle. She had watched the Hero rise, had felt as broken as many others when news had spread of his fall. Had shattered alongside so very many when first the King, and then the Queen, had died to the endless hordes of monsters. She had felt hope return as the young, foolish King took on the burden of the Crown and led them all to victory after victory.

She'd married a wonderful man by the name of Corrah, and had been blessed by the Goddess to give him three children through their long lives. He was dead now, he hadn't had the strength to make it past a hundred and eighty, but they had been married for almost one hundred and fifty years of their lives. She had found her niche in the world as a mage, as someone gifted in the theories and advanced applications of magic.

Hinea was an old woman, and she had seen so very much in life. Moments of greatness, moments of cowardice, moments of wondrous magic and horrific trauma. She had loved, she had lost, and she was still alive. Fear the old in a world where Skylians died young, for she was the Archmage of the Mage's College, and she was one of three Champions that had risen up in the incursion. She was one of three people, well four nowadays, that held the ability to fight a Lynel single handedly and win.

There was not much that could surprise her, at this age. A potential second incursion in a decade or two? Bring it on. A Hero being born? Just another lovely day in Skyloft. The Princess showing a remarkable talent for enchantment over the past two days? A genuine delight, but then her mother had the gift too. The news that the teenaged Hero had spent yesterday afternoon blitzing through A-rank missions like he was a six year old trying to get sweet money? Well, at least he was being productive.

Link, the Hero, pulling out four separate internal magics in one morning, however? That had been a surprise. An impossible, wonderful one, certainly, but a surprise. Enough of one to get her to leave her comfortable offices and her plush home where she could dote on her great grandchildren. They were just so cute, and she adored being able to babysit. If only her eldest child hadn't wandered all the way off to the other side of the Kingdom, she could see her other great grandchildren more often.

Another surprise had come today, however, and the sound of clashing steel told her it was still ongoing. It was a bit much, honestly, at her age. The idea of facing not one, not two, not three or even four, but five fully trained and experienced Knight Commander level combatants at once was a lot, she felt. Not for the young Hero, however.

No, Link was standing there amidst a storm of steel in the bright morning sun, the closest thing to enjoyment on his face she'd ever seen while not in the presence of his beloved Zelda. Sword and shield moving in a blur that her tired old eyes could barely follow, at a pace that put even the horrifying pace of a Silver to shame, even as all five of the century and a half old soldiers tried and failed to penetrate his defenses.

Were this any other occasion, Hinea would feel discouraged. After all, the thought of five of their greatest fighters taking on a single opponent and failing to so much as scratch them was horrifying on most occasions. There was nothing except a Blight that could take on this type of assault and survive, after all.

Thankfully, here and now, it was a relief. It was visible proof that the Hero was taking his training seriously, far more seriously than ever before, and was actually pushing himself. Sweat dripped down his face, slowly soaking his tunic, heralding the fact that they had been doing this for a while. Fifteen other Commander level fighters were currently laid out on the ground exhausted, the shattered remnants of over a dozen weapons and shields around them showing the sheer havoc that a motivated Link could be to an armory.

Even as she thought that the boy's shield shattered, and the pattern changed. One of the soldiers outside the circle threw in another one, a circle of metal flying rapidly towards the blond child. The boy blurred, his body moving faster than ever before and seeming to teleport. A moment later the shield was on his arm, and shards of metal were flying as his sword shattered and one of the knights stumbled back, coughing.

The attackers were down to four, Link wielding the man's blade and a new shield, and the dance began again. The boy Hero wasn't even breathing hard, despite his sweat. It was ridiculous, yet that was the Hero. Hylia's gift to her children to help protect them from the horrible things that were out there. It was a pity that the boy had never expressed genuine interest in magic; the potential of a Hero, turned towards her arts rather than the rush of melee combat? It would be enough to make any Archmage in the College's history salivate at the thought.

What wonders of magic could they learn once more, guided by the likes of a Hero? What feats could he accomplish that could be scaled down to the average Skylian? They could command the elements, could force the world to answer to their whim…but a Hero could do so much more. According to Gaepora, however, the Heroes had never had the mindset for it. A pity, and a far greater one that the greater Skyloft would never know of just how many there were…but she could understand it.

She looked at him now, casually and easily defying the greatest fighters of the incursion. Highly experienced Knights who had fought and killed bokoblins, moblins, lizalfos, darknuts, silver monsters, and had no doubt teamed up together to bring down Lynels, Talos, and Hinox alike. They had survived the very worst of what the darkness could bring to bear, and were rather well-known in the kingdom because of it in fact. Inspirations to the average Skylian, a source of hope and a goal for new recruits to reach.

How would that hope react if the greater Kingdom knew that the only reason they were all still alive was because of one person born a few years before each incursion? If all the power that Skyloft could bring to bear; it's armies, it's Knights, it's mages…if they knew it didn't matter? That everything they could bring to bear and more would fail against the numbers and the most terrible force that the incursions brought to bear?

That for all their efforts, the children of the Goddess did not stand a chance against a Blight. Left unchecked, left without the Hero to counter it, the Blight could and would slaughter the entirety of Skyloft. There had been a reason they lost two full islands in the past, after all. By the time the Hero had been discovered the Blight had already rampaged for too long on a different island, forcing them to flee lest they be wiped out.

No, far better for it to be hidden, even if that did leave them in unfortunate places. Left people on the same level of Link unable to show off the gifts that had been given to them, unable to truly reap the rewards that they deserved. A Hero should not vanish into obscurity, should not be relegated to life in a backwater town somewhere. They should, in Hinea's mind at least, be known and acknowledged for their efforts. They shouldn't have to keep working and pushing in times of peace unless they chose to. Should dream of more than a quiet retirement with the farm girl they'd been sweet on.

Then again, perhaps that was what made the Hero so incredible. All that power, all that will, and yet they were universally happy with the simple life. Link, for example, would have been happy as an artist and a member of the Supply Corps rather than a Knight. She had seen a lot of his artwork; were he to sell the pictures he drew and painted of the Princess he would undoubtedly be quite wealthy, to say nothing of the wonders he could craft of the island and loftwings.

Yet here that same boy was, having put down a chunk of the Royal Guard through exhaustion while working on his skill, and without even using the four abilities that he had awakened. With a body that was sweating more because it seemed like it should with this level of speed rather than because it actually needed to. A boy with a gentle heart, a gentle soul, and the hands of an artist was the single greatest fighter in all of Skyloft. It shouldn't be as amazing as it was.

She'd had years to adapt to it, a full ten of them. A fifteen year old child was the strongest, fastest, and most skilled warrior they had. She'd known it, but she hadn't often seen it. This little training session was serving as a remarkable reminder of it, but it wasn't what she was here to see.

No, she was here to see the magic he could wield, and for all that she was a patient old woman…well, she was getting impatient. If he kept on this path he would put down the entirety of the Guard from exhaustion. Well, that or run out of weapons, another breaking in his hand even as she thought that. Perhaps it was time to change things up a little…

White lightning built up in her hand, a smile rising to her face as energy crackled. Blue eyes flicked to her; cold and apathetic, analyzing and terrifying after one had seen the utterly gone way he looked at the young Princess. She smiled a little wider and let the lightning burst forth, and grinned wider as the boy reacted exactly as she wished.

Lightning blasted forth in a beam, a gale rising up from around the boy and knocking the Knights back. Red flecks solidified before her attack, taking the hit of one of her strongest spells with ease. Link stepped towards her, curiosity in his eyes, even as her voice spoke.

"Din's Fire."

Great plumes of fire sprang forth from her hands, surrounding him and forming spears of crimson power. Link's head tilted, adorably confused as he registered the heat the power of her magic was putting off. It had been a long time since she'd sparred with him, even as young Gaepora sighed in exasperation.

"Really, Archmage Hinea?" She cackled, letting her excitement free.

"I need to know what he can do, your Majesty. You'd think that by this point in your life you'd have learned to respect the wisdom of your elders." Amusement in those blue eyes even as Gaepora sighed once more, shaking his head.

"Do as you will then, you always do. Just do not come complaining to me about your back when you lose." More amusement, from both her and the boy in front of her, and then her hands swung down, lances of fire spearing down at him. Link's attention finally settled on her completely, crimson flames engulfing him entirely. For a moment all she could feel was fire, was the power inherent to invoking the aspect of Din.

The mountain rumbled

Soul to bones she felt it, magic strong enough to leave an impression, the flames rebuffed by a force that could never yield to mere fire. Red flecks, a noticeably different shade than the crimson, sparked around the child, a shadowed something flickering out of existence behind him. Hinea's interest grew, curiosity bubbling up. Possibilities ran through her mind, nearly finished calculations leaping out at her and ready to be used. She needed to see more of that shield…so her decision was made quickly.

Seven lines of reason and her pool drained, a spell finished and hoarfrost expanding out from her feet. Even as it did, ice blasted forth, massive spikes spearing towards him. Link moved, far faster than the spell, but that was expected. She didn't have a single spell in her arsenal that could catch him, should he decide to dodge. It was why she needed to get creative.

More equations ran through her mind, ice spreading further and wind scything towards each side of the ice. The child dodged them with ease, his eyes turning downward as Reason became manifest. The ground turned orange, Link leaping away even as fire exploded upwards towards him. But now he was in the air, and she could force that shield to come out again. Math and magic joined, lightning crackling in her hand as one of her fastest spells thundered forth.

Rock solid dependability, heat and strength

This innate magic of his was powerful, beyond anything she'd imagined. To force an impression on someone like her, when she wasn't even utilizing a Reason enhanced magic sense? She didn't even want to know how much magic he burned to use that spell each time. It was remarkable, however…

Link hit the ground and moved, her eyes losing track of him. Reason and Faith worked as one, twin barriers weaving their way into existence in front of her just in time to shatter as a blade carved through them. Hinea jolted, eyes seeing red eyes of malice for a moment. She shook it off, letting wind make space between the two of them. Blue eyes sharpened, a slight smile spreading soft lips beneath them.

Flashes of black on clothing, bits of gray to the skin.

Faith made reality, light shining out sharply enough to blind and bolts of holy power flying forth. Hinea's stomach shifted uneasily, Link's eyes never leaving her even as his blade sliced through her attack so quickly she could barely follow it. Blue pierced her to the soul, a terrifying level of focus put onto her.

Hinea was left wondering what was going on, even as her body and mind worked in tandem to cast spells to keep the Hero at bay. Why was she so unsettled by this? She'd fought him before, several times in fact, and never once had she been worried. Never before had she been afraid Link would hurt her.

Wind flared to life, launching her to the side, more ice blasting forth. Blue eyes tracked her, unerring, even as the rules of the world bent just a little. Just enough to have two of her step in two directions as she stayed where she was. Fear pricked at her, cold fingers clutching at her spine, as cold blue eyes remained focused on her rather than illusions strong enough that none had seen through them.

Blue flashed Red glaring at her with delight malice

Hinea realized what was bothering her so much, suddenly, as Link leapt into the air to dodge a wind blade at the last second. She blinked, pain flaring to life in her stomach, the child before pulling the hilt of the blade away from her stomach. Wind exploded from her, sharp and strong, driving him back once more as she gasped for breath.

It was the attention that was so unnerving, that reminded her of things that haunted her nightmares. Link was present in the moment, entirely so at that. The focus of a child that was capable of fighting multiple champion level fighters at once and winning…a terrifying thing. It had a presence to it, a danger that was difficult to understand.

No matter. Hinea was an archmage, was the Archmage. Stronger than the previous five who had come before her for certain, she could handle this. She would lose, but she wouldn't lose just because Link could actually pay attention to her for the first time!

Gale force winds, a furious storm

Link used the second of his innate abilities, wind blasting forth and letting him avoid another explosion of flames. Interest flared within her, but she didn't have the time to dig past the impression. Link was there, blade sweeping towards her, shattering the barrier she hastily raised. It bought her just long enough to jump backwards.

Her hands rose, fire pouring forth, trying to make some distance. Link hounded her across the field, blade never quite hitting her, but very visibly able to. He stopped right before it hit each time, monstrous grin exuding malice, a beast in mortal flesh toying with its prey.

Hinea blinked, Link's smile returning back to the small and beautiful excited one. This wasn't the blight, this was a kid having fun! It didn't matter how much his pursuit was poking at her one experience with the monster, he wouldn't hurt her.

Reason changed the world, helped along by Faith, and a windstorm stronger than anything before it roared forth. Strong enough to rip the child from his feet and send him flying, yet still not strong enough to stop him from obliterating the bolts sent after him. Link landed, skidding across grass, and red eyes looked up at her, no longer willing to play.

The calm before the storm, energy building in the background.

Link's hand rose, hip cocking to the side. Thumb and middle finger came together, brown eyes widening as he snapped.

Thunder boomed in a way that her magic had never managed as green lighting came from the sky, a blue diamond shattering before the power as quickly as she made it. White hair frizzed from the static, and Link moved with the aid of a gale. A single step and he was before her, his fist hitting her stomach hard enough to stun her. Pain lanced through her as her back hit a tree, winded, her body reaction before she could even consider controlling it.

Scythes of wind sliced out towards the threat, her eyes seeing the blight. An ancient chant poured from her lips in a language that wasn't used anymore, cold eyes following her every motion with idle interest. That small, slight body tilted from side to side and teleported, appearing several feet from where it had last been every time he moved. Power surged, mana roaring to the fore as she let her power free.

The monster, Skylian in shape with black tunic and ominous red eyes, glared back at her, red malice burning away one of her strongest spells like it was nothing. Magic ran hot in the air, a well so deep she could taste it as the world shifted. Impossibly powerful winds catapulted it forward, and she met it with the rising earth. It stopped the beast's advance, just long enough for her to start another chant, even stronger this time.

"Arrow of the Goddess!" Her chant finished, white lighting crackling from the sky to slam into the empty ground. Power pricked at her tongue, stronger than anything before, and her hands clasped. Nayru's Love formed between her and the world, more layers than ever before in her life. It was all for naught; whatever power the blight wielded shattered them like they were mere parchment before a blade, and the monster was before her, monstrous red eyes looking up at her.

Gale force winds sprang forth from her, blowing the small and light blight backwards. She followed it up instantly, orbs of electricity shocking everything around them. The small part of her mind that remained Hinea rather than a mid-flashback veteran idly wondered why none of the other Skylians were helping her. King Gaepora was here, he had never stood idly by while his people were in trouble…

There was no more time for thinking, however, only action. The Blight carved through the balls of electricity without even slowing, and she called forth the strongest wind spell she had. Not to kill it, though if it did she would not complain, but to make space. She was a mage, and this a monster. She would do her duty, but she needed time.

Power crackled to life within her flesh, eyes glowing. White lightning formed in her hands and lanced forth, again and again. Each was dodged so very easily, concerningly easy, but that was nothing new. The monster had always been fast, and she hadn't been even the slightest match for it before. But she was older now, stronger and wiser, even if somehow the creature's power had frozen all of the others.

She could do this; she would divert its attention enough for the spell upon the King to be broken and for him to escape. Mana flowed up from deep within her, and she began a different chant, one she hadn't used in years, not since…

The fear didn't allow her mind to drift, didn't allow for her to question. Instead pleas to the kind and benevolent Hylia poured forth from her lips, words bound to her very soul. A request, a demand, a plea; with broken backs did the Skylians fight, but they always had and always would survive. No obligation to win, but a burning desire to live. The essence of her very being as it was, as it had been, as it would be, entreating the only being to ever look out for her without wanting anything from her.

Not her time, not her company, not her worship; not even her love or obedience. Hylia wanted only to protect her people, had only ever wanted them safe, and not a single time in their history had she failed to answer. Hinea couldn't channel enough holy power to kill the Blight; none had ever been able to. But she could stun it, could hurt it, and buy her people time. Just like last time.

"Hylia's Protection."

The greatest spell any Skylian could ever cast, an attack and a defense all in one. Few were those who could use it, fewer still outside the Royal Family, but Hinea had always been gifted. It had been what drew her fiance to her, had been what drew the Queen's attention and favor before this monster slew her. No more! Power built and built and built, and Hinea let it go, channeling every ounce of the will that had seen her rise to the level of a Commander in combat.

Only for nothing to happen.

The world shifted, her eyes blinked, and suddenly those glowing red eyes were there, filled with malice the likes of which she couldn't understand. Such a small beast, shorter than her by a noticeable margin. Odd…she had thought it was taller. It didn't kill her, not immediately, and Hinea was given the time to reflect upon her failure. She had failed them all; her fallen Queen, the former King, the new King, her family waiting at home for her. Hinea would die, here and now, unable to stop the blight. Just one more Skylian, another number on the register at the end of the war.

A hand rose, and Hinea closed her eyes, apologizing to her fiance for the fact that they would never be married. A finger pushed lightly at her neck, a quiet word uttered in a voice that didn't match the horrors of her nightmares.

"Finished?"

Brown eyes opened, spotting Link and not the Blight. She blinked, idly realizing the pounding of her heart and the shaking of her body. Oh. Oh. That…hmm. It took her a few moments, a warm hand grabbing hers. She looked down, the soft skin of the artisan Hero pressing up against her old and weary flesh. This…this had gone so very wrong, hadn't it?

She could see blue eyes, full of concern. She could see the grass, the sky, her concerned King and the exhausted knights looking in awe. She could smell the fresh air of Skyloft, safflina and oil and steel from the boy so close to her. She could smell the electricity remaining in the air, the power in the world.

Hinea could hear the panting of knights, the soft breathing of Link, and her own thumping heart. She could feel the cool breeze against her skin and the warm morning sun. She could taste her own fear and the remnants of her magic in the air. She could feel the warmth of the Goddess in her body, soothing and unjudging just as it always was despite Hinea's sin of trying to ask her to strike down her own Hero. Shame rose up, and the warmth of the Goddess washed it away even as it withdrew.

The old woman was left with little more than forgiveness where a moment ago there had been a Goddess worried about her, but then Hylia knew by now that Hinea was strong. Now that the moment was over, now that reality had reasserted itself, she would be fine. She was strong, after all, she was.

That…that hadn't happened for quite a while. Had Link hitting her really caused her to relapse so badly? The precious child hadn't even really hit her that hard! Of all the embarrassing things. Or perhaps…had it been the magic? Her magic hadn't been outright ignored since the time she fought the blight. Regardless, she was worrying this sweet child who had only just started taking his training seriously, and that just wouldn't do.

So she smiled, hand coming up to ruffle his hair. It usually served to either irritate or please her children, but Link's expression didn't change. Not that it mattered.

"I'm alright, Link. You just caught me by surprise is all." The words served to reassure the Knights, but not the boy. She could see why Gaepora had been both delighted and concerned, now; there was a sharpness to them that they had lacked before. Previously, while Link would still care, he would take others at their words and move along. Now he watched her for several more moments before a white glow rose to his hand, pressing against her stomach. The pain vanished as quickly as it had arrived as healing magic did its work, and Hinea found herself delighted.

Four separate types of magic, five if that teleporting thing hadn't been pure speed. So much to test, so much to learn; perhaps, with this new sharpness, he would be willing to learn? Or at least to make the attempt? Her smile turned more genuine, interest returning as she recovered from the panic that had hit her with the force of a Hero's fist, and Link nodded.

"I'm sorry." She shook her head; youngsters like him shouldn't have to apologize for their elders' mistakes. She'd stepped in without preparing, either herself or him; she got exactly what she deserved. Served her right, too. She'd just been thinking about how ridiculous the child truly was, yet she'd done something stupid and paid the price. Now her day would be a bit worse than it should have been, and she'd have nightmares tonight…but, then, that was nothing new either.

"I do believe that is enough sparring for one day, Link." Gaepora's meddling voice rang out, and she found herself agreeing. That was enough for her, at least, even if the boy still wanted to continue. He nodded in agreement, however, and the King was quick to draw his attention with meaningless chatter. No, that was cruel of her; Link was his son, after all, blood be damned, and she had many a conversation with her own kids that was much the same.

So, rather than listen in, she focused on herself. She was Archamge Hinea, the incursion was over. She was Hinea, a grandmother several times over and a doting great grandmother. She was a widow, and as much as the reminder hurt she cherished it, because it was real. The pain of her husband's passing, the gentle love for her children, the pride in her accomplishments; they were far more real than the ghosts of her past. She was stronger than them, by many orders of magnitude, and she would not let them ruin her day.

Her attention returned to the present in time for something of interest to her. Young Link, a Hero, a person who was part of a group that had never expressed interest in magic, just asked something interesting.

"How does enchanted armor work? I'm considering getting some."

~~The Eternal Game~~

"Enchanted armor, you say?" The musical voice of the young woman spoke up once more, the woman he'd accidentally sent into some kind of panic. He hadn't even realized it at first; he'd been interested as the single strongest attack he'd faced had washed over Daruk's Protection, and even more excited as this woman began to attack. Wind, Fire, Lighting, Earth…it was a wondrous thing to know that magic was real, to have it confirmed with such power rather than the half-hearted efforts from yesterday.

Would he be able to do that? He really, really wanted to…but he also didn't want to press her. Link hadn't exactly expected to give someone a panic attack at this, especially when she had been the one to show up and start the fight. She seemed to have rallied admirably, but it didn't change the fact that just a few moments ago she'd been clutching at his hand like a lifeline as she fought to return to the present rather than whatever she'd been seeing.

It was a pity, though; she'd been the best fight he'd had so far. Not quite as fast as the Darknut yesterday had been, but faster than anything else. Combine that with how versatile her magic was and it had been fun. Besides that, it had been remarkably educational. He hadn't known he could cut through magic until his body had reacted and the pool within drained slightly to do so. But she was talking, and he needed to focus.

He nodded, because she was the one asking. If she thought she had recovered enough to rejoin the conversation, he wouldn't stop her. Not when it had taken him so long to notice her panicking in the first place, and especially not when the only reason he'd even realized she was having a panic attack had been because she'd been mentioning the things she noticed out loud. He'd read about it being used as a way to ground yourself in the now, after a lapse, but he'd never seen it in person. He was pretty sure she didn't even realize she'd been saying them, either.

"Why the interest? You've never shown any in it before?" Link turned his full attention back to the woman, taking her in once more. She looked fairly young, but he also didn't know how accurate that was considering the way she'd been flinging about spells. Not even getting into the fantasy elf thing.

Pale skin, an odd blue tattoo beneath her right eye, the brown orbs looking at him in curiosity. Ink-black hair pulled back into a ponytail, baring one long strand on each side that trailed down in front of her ears. She had a dress on, a rather lovely green one, but it was a bit less fitted than he expected from a dress. Then again, this wasn't a world that ran off of sex appeal, or at least he didn't think it did.

It was still fitted well enough to show an in shape body, however, so perhaps he was wrong. After all, the woman's ankles were on full display; so scandalous. Amused, his mind returned to the present, once again finding it odd how nobody really minded him taking a few seconds to respond.

"Zelda recommended it." The woman went from interested to utterly disappointed in a second as the final syllable left his lips. She heaved a sigh even as Gaepora chuckled quietly beside him.

"I should have figured that. Regardless, so long as someone provides the rupees, the Mages College can easily provide that." Link shrugged.

"How much does a set cost?" Gaepora shook his head, an odd look in his eyes.

"Not enough that you need to worry after how much you made yesterday. If you go for the absolute best you can get, it shouldn't cost more than ten thousand." That felt like a lot, but he didn't have any idea as to how much it was in reality. He didn't exactly have a frame of reference for the cost of objects, after all. Besides, with how much he'd gotten, it really wasn't that much.

He knew that an A rank paid varying amounts, but the lowest he'd seen was 20,000 rupees. Suicidal A's could potentially double that; he'd seen a request for Lynel parts that offered a full forty thousand on its own, as well. Then you had the opposite side of the scale, where G-ranks paid one to five rupees, with D-ranks topping out at one hundred. So…yeah. No real way to tell.

"How much does a Knight make in a year?" He might as well ask. 210,000 was apparently enough to almost buy a house after all, so it should be pretty high. Gaepora hummed, a considering gleam in his eyes.

"It depends, as you know the Royal Family pays the salary of the entire army. Raises are possible, we do wish to encourage excellence, and the existence of the bounty board tends to meddle with getting an exact census in terms of exact income." Link nodded, understanding that. He had made over 200,000 in a single day, after all.

"In general, however, the annual salary of a Knight hovers around 8,000 rupees per year. There are far fewer of them than standard soldiers, and as displeasing as it is to say, on a one for one basis they are more valuable on the field." The King looked like he was tasting something unpleasant as he said the last bit, and followed it up immediately.

"That is not to say that the average soldier is not incredibly valuable: far from it indeed. Skyloft needs, and greatly appreciates, every single soul that joins the army. It is simply that even the coffers of the Royal Family are only so deep." Link barely even heard the words the man was saying. That…how? The lowest amount for a single A-Rank had been twenty thousand. Suicidal A's started at 30,000. Sure, the B-ranks had been a lot less, but even those still started at around a thousand! Where the hell did they get the money?

This didn't make any sense. He'd worked five suicidal A's and two regular A's, netting him 190,000 rupees. Also, casually, known as over twenty times the annual salary for a Knight! Before the B-Ranks, before the C-Ranks, before some of the stuff he'd sold to the Supply Corps, he had already made that much. The B-Ranks had given him a further 3,500 Rupees, the two C-ranks a mere 1,500, and then selling most of the stuff he'd gotten had gained him the rest. 212,967 rupees, in total, with the gemstones making up a big amount of it.

"How much is a house, then?" If a house was a little over what he had, according to Zelda, then how did these people afford it? It would take decades to save up enough money to manage to buy anything. Gaepora looked at him oddly, but obliged.

"Around ten thousand rupees. Less if you provide the materials." What? Link's mind couldn't even begin to understand the discrepancy. What even was Skylofts economy? Why was the best enchanted armor equivalent to a house, and what was Zelda on about when she'd said he almost had enough for a "fairly large building with a lot of land"?

Wait a minute.

He…he was overthinking this, wasn't he? There was no doubt a simple answer to all of this that he was missing.

"Why are you asking about a house, Link? You will always have a home at the castle with us." His attention was grabbed by the King, brown eyes full of concern. What did that have to do with…huh. Gaepora didn't want him to leave the castle. Odd, but not really the focus here. He shook his head, responding.

"It was more about what Zelda said earlier. She said that she believed I had nearly enough for a new house with a fair amount of land." Gaepora's face softened from the concern, nodding, before he hummed in thought. Strangely enough, the woman he'd fought and terrified cracked up at that, the King's face flashing with irritation.

"Looks like the Princess wants to run away with her Knight. Feels like a romance novel." The woman laughed harder as Gaepora narrowed his eyes at her, and Link found himself somewhat agreeing. He doubted Zelda wanted to do that, she seemed rather content with who and what she was, but it would feel like a story if that was the case. The man shook his head, turning his attention back to Link.

"You have to remember that my daughter is looking at things from the standpoint of a Princess, Link. She grew up around Nobility and the truly wealthy of the Kingdom, which means that her perspective is slightly skewed. When she says that, she means it more along the lines of a Noble's Estate. As in a sizable manor, a household staff, and the nearly 2 thousand acres of land that it would come with." Link blinked, the King's words sinking in. That made a disgusting amount of sense. Why did that make so much sense? Gaepora chuckled, a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"It is alright, Link. I imagine that earning so much money in a single day would be enough to throw off anyone, especially when you have had so little to do with money before now. Perhaps I can enlighten you…" The man gathered his thoughts, then smiled slightly.

"Or, perhaps Archmage Hinea would be willing to explain as the two of you travel to the Mage's College? You did express an interest in obtaining magical armor after all…" His leading statement had the woman frowning at him. It at least gave Link the context to finally know who this woman was, and a bit more about their relationship. They seemed to enjoy needling each other, at least judging by what he'd seen. Siblings? Or perhaps just old friends.

"Bah, I'm too old to be giving out basic explanations, Gaepora." She really didn't look old. At the most he'd put her at an exceptionally well aged 50 or so. Then again…these were elves by another name. Gaepora was over a century old, after all, at least according to the book he'd read a few days ago. For all he knew she was actually older than Gaepora. The man just smiled, however.

"Oh, I would hate to ask too much of you Archmage, you are an exceptionally busy woman after all. Very well then, I can explain." For some reason his words caused the woman to narrow her eyes at him, irritation bleeding off. Link hadn't heard anything other than politeness from Gaepora, however, so he seemed to be missing something.

"The simplest reason you are so confused is likely because you grew up seeing my daughter and I discussing budgets on that level quite regularly. After all, Zelda will inherit the Crown one day. While having a Treasurer you can trust is important, it is even more important to be capable of understanding how to manage the Royal Treasury efficiently yourself, as anyone you appoint to the position of Treasurer will be someone with a vested interest in making sure you do not lose money. It is an admirable quality, and a most helpful one, but it is not always feasible in years where the Kingdom experiences difficulties." A pause to let him digest it, and the man continued.

"Combine that with your earnings yesterday, and it is only natural for you to be confused. So, let me break it down for you. Rupees in Skyloft are the money that we have always used. It is a form of currency created by the Goddess Hylia herself, and it is a magical currency. The most basic denomination is the Green Rupee, holding a value of one, and the most expensive is the Large Rainbow Rupee, which holds a value of five million. That Rupee has not been seen in a very long time, admittedly, but it could be seen again should Skyloft's economy rise to that point once more." That…why was there a rainbow rupee? Why was there a Large rainbow rupee at that? He didn't even remember that from the games, the most it ever got was platinum and even that was only a thousand. To have a rupee with a value of millions, however…that felt excessive.

"A farmer in the outer reaches of the Kingdom will, currently, average a yearly income of about 2,400 rupees, usually a touch less. Soldiers in the army get 5,600 rupees a year, with Sergeants making 6,000 and Captains sharing their rate of pay with the Knights at 8,000 per year. A Talon Commander will get 9,500, and a Knight Commander or General will make 13,000. Are you following so far, my boy?" Link nodded, but none of this was actually helping him. It just told him that people got random amounts of Rupees, which still gave him zero context.

"Now, as you are aware, a house will cost about 10,000 rupees to purchase. The cost of living varies from place to place throughout the Kingdom, but the average is about 2,300 Rupees a year, though this is assuming that one has a house already." Link focused on the last part, thankful beyond words that he finally had some degree of context. 2,300 rupees to live on for a year, with no house payment or presumably outstanding debts. Just whatever was paid to the tax collector and how much you had to pay for food, clothing, and the likes. He only had about a hundred times that. Nothing major.

"As such, this means that A-Rank missions like what you took on yesterday are quite rewarding, as I am sure you noticed, Link." A nod, the man continuing.

"What you seem to be forgetting, however, is that the average A-Rank mission is undertaken by no less than 40 people, usually more." Link paused, running that through his head. 40 people? That…huh. That turned it to 500 rupees a person, which. Oh. Oh.

He felt a little stupid, in all truth. He'd been told yesterday, by Casa, that A-Ranks were taken on in groups. He'd been told that the pay was so high because even in groups it was still dangerous, that suicidal A's were called such because going on them in less than groups of 40 were outright suicide. Link felt even more irritation with himself as more of the conversation returned; A-Ranks were funded by a mixture of people putting up the request and offering what they had, and then the Supply Corps, funded by the Royal Family, put up a second reward to it to bring the payout up to where people would take them despite the danger.

It made a lot more sense now. 500 Rupees was a little over a fifth of the lowest income and was still a decent bonus at the highest. Why had he forgotten that lecture so quickly? Even as he asked that, however, he could easily remember. The A-Ranks had, with one exception, been kind of boring. Boring enough that he'd put the long-winded lecture out of his mind pretty easily, rather than absorbing most of it. He'd been judging things by the standards of the body he was in, even if unintentionally, where 7 A-Rank missions was little more than a pleasant afternoon rather than a life-threatening set of missions that had to be planned out perfectly.

Link made a note of that, doing his best to ensure that he wouldn't forget it again. It was such a simple thing to keep in mind, too, but he'd failed to do it. Hadn't thought about it since he'd left the Supply Corps Depot the first time, in fact, because things had been so simple. Quick and easy to manage, not needing to worry about the danger. Even the Darknut hadn't really been a threat.

"As you can imagine, 500 rupees is a pleasant bonus. The number for each individual goes up when higher ranks work on the mission; it is not uncommon for a Talon to take on an A-rank and share out the payment amongst themselves." Gaepora frowned, a grimness to his bearing that wasn't there a moment ago.

"Of course, it is only slightly less common for Knights to not come back from those missions. All it takes is a single mistake and even a Bokoblin can kill a Knight, to say nothing of what the monsters they are hunting can do." Another head shake, the man refocusing on Link. His mouth opened to speak, only for the Archmage to cut him off.

"Fortunately, not too many die on missions to Bokoblins, otherwise Skyloft would be a lot worse off than it is. There's also the fact that, for all that the Army and the Knights are regularly trying to fulfill the A-Ranks the moment they are posted, there's just too much to handle." This, unlike her earlier statements, didn't seem to irritate Gaepora. Instead he picked up right where she left off.

"The Army is regularly planning operations against monsters, and the Knights are regularly carrying out strikes. Unfortunately, they appear quicker than we can remove them with our population and military as low as it is." A heavy sigh, from both of them.

"It will not be for another 800 years or so that Skyloft will recover enough to spread across Farore's Hope in the entirety of the land. We will not do so, for spreading ourselves thinly only invites disaster, but the A-Rank missions will be far less common in the future as the military will be better able to handle it." That made sense, he supposed. For now, however, the entirety of Skylofts borders were still surrounded by monsters. It really didn't bode well for the future. Hinea spoke up once more, voice calm.

"It is unfortunate, but it is the reality we live in. The Goddess provides, but Skylians must endure as we always have. However, even with the world we live in, not all is bad." Gaepora nodded, and Hinea continued.

"Magic helps us to turn the tide, and Loftwings help even more. Enchantments on weapons and armor are difficult, but can save lives as easily as the monsters can take them. Working together helps to ensure that even the mightiest of normal monsters fall, and can save lives even against the greatest of them." Sorrow filled those brown eyes, a lighter shade than Gaepora's, and she was lost in her memories for a moment.

"We have gotten somewhat off topic, I believe. The point is, Link, that you have an exceptional amount of capital now, and you are in the unique position of being able to gain more with remarkable ease." Gaepora considered for a moment, before seeming to come to a decision.

"I cannot, in good conscience, stop you from doing so either. You made life significantly safer for quite a few people yesterday, and I have no doubt that you can do a lot more should you choose to do so. I believe that, at the start of next term, I shall allow you to take on a few extra roles, should you desire." Another headshake, Gaepora returning to the present.

"That is for later, however. For now you should enjoy the rest of your time off. I believe that, with you having sparred with the Royal Guard today, that you have trained more than enough for one week, my boy." Link found himself frowning; they'd actually been helpful. He'd had to work at it, and had actually been breaking a sweat. It had been, while not difficult, certainly more engaging than any other fight so far. Their endurance needed work, however, so perhaps it was because of that? No, wait, that was being arrogant.

Not everyone had the fortune to be reincarnated into a body that broke the rules of the verse, after all. Everybody else had to deal with lacking stamina, after all, whereas every incarnation of Link had never been limited in how long they could fight for. Couldn't be, not with the monsters they had to face. It was a bit scary how quickly and easily he was settling into Link's body. Sure, it had been several days, but he needed to be careful with that.

"Well, if you do wind up wanting a set of armor, come meet me at the Mage's College, Link. I'll make sure you get the best, and know what you're in for with each option." Hinea was the one to draw his attention, and after he had nodded she inclined her head to Gaepora and began to walk towards one of the Royal Guard. A few minutes later she was mounting the man's bird and flying off, Link catching it from the corner of his eye as he continued to speak with the King.

"Now, Link, I want you to promise me something, alright?" Link looked at him curiously, attentively. What could he want?

"Do not push yourself for the Jobs, alright? You are strong, and you are kind, and those could cause you to push yourself too hard if you are not careful. Completing seven A-Ranks in an afternoon is impressive, truly it is, but that does not need to be your standard. It should not be your standard, alright? Doing even one a day is already more than anyone should ever be asked to do, no matter how strong you are. You need time to rest and recover." Gaepora's hand clasped his shoulder, squeezing gently.

"I know that your rooms can be lonely without Zelda there. I know that you have more time to yourself than you have had in years right now, and that you are bored." Brown eyes full of warmth, full of pride and care stared down at him. A gentle, fatherly smile graced the man's face as he continued.

"I am proud of you, and my daughter is too. Your life and your happiness is a lot more important than how many missions you can run in a day, alright? Skyloft has survived without you running multiple A-Ranks for this long, and it will continue to do so. Promise me that you will be careful, and that when you feel the need to rest you will." Link nodded; that was easy enough. Don't kill himself, basically, and he'd had no plans of doing so. Link's own body was already enough for that, but the Champion's Abilities gave him a safety net. Anything that didn't kill him instantly Mipha's Grace would save him from, and to even harm him in the first place would require breaking through Daruk's Protection.

Gaepora smiled a bit wider, and nodded in return, letting him go and straightening up. His eyes took in the field, the same one they'd practiced in the past two days, and his smile slowly faded. When he spoke once more, his voice was quiet and a bit sad, melancholy infecting every word he spoke.

"Do not forget to take joy in your free time, Link. There will come days where such times are few and far between, as you grow older. I do not wish for you to feel pressured by us, nor is it my desire for you to feel obligated to aid us. You are still so very young; you deserve the chance to enjoy it." With those last words Gaepora, King and Headmaster, turned back to him, the weight of his duties visible for just a moment. But a moment was all it was; the weight of the Crown and the weight of a teacher vanished as the man smiled down at him.

"Bah, you should not waste your free time on the musings of an old man, my boy. You have money to spend, whether it is on magical armor, weapons, or something else entirely. I do believe you would enjoy some of the higher quality drawing materials, or perhaps some paints? You are a remarkable artist, Link, and you deserve to spoil yourself sometimes." The man let him digest that for a moment, before he continued, slightly more serious.

"Now, if you do decide that you wish to make a land purchase, feel free to come and consult me. I am always willing to make time for you, and I would be happy to teach you about the things involving land ownership, or indeed a house if that is what you desire. Just know that both my daughter and myself will always want you around, Link. You will always have a home with us." A pat to the shoulder, and the King wished him well.

Link stayed there for a few minutes after Gaepora left, considering things. Gaepora seemed to care, genuinely, for Link. It went past wanting him to marry Zelda, like he had assumed at the start of the dream, and that seemed to be little more than a joke the man played with the two of them. He cared about Link's wellbeing, his thoughts, his activities…the man was acting like more of a father than his original had been.

It was enough to cause a flare of guilt to rise up. He wasn't Link. Sure, he had the body, but he had none of the memories that made Link who he was. He had his own memories, memories of a vastly different world with impossibly different experiences, and he was cruising by on desperately pieced together context clues and luck. How long would it last? How long could it last?

What did it say, that he had gone so long already without any real suspicion? Did Gaepora and Zelda not actually know Link that well, or were his actions in line with what they knew? Zelda was so unbelievably affectionate, clung to him so easily and readily…did Link not touch her before? No, he couldn't believe that. She wouldn't be so comfortable with it if they hadn't been affectionate before now, at least not based on everything he knew. Dating couples hadn't been as casually affectionate as she was to him, after all.

It still begged the question of just how he was still managing it, however. Perhaps they just thought he was opening up? His body language was unrecognizable from what it once was, after all, so he assumed he still moved and acted like Link. He had to be, considering he was somehow magically an incredible fighter despite having never held a sword in his original life. He hadn't been terrible at fist fighting, but getting into a fight with other kids was quite a bit different from being able to fight and win against powerful monsters.

Link sighed, hands running through his hair as he tried to take his mind off of it. It was soft and silky, and he could see why Zelda enjoyed running her hands through it so much. It also had the side effect of causing an ache to spread through his chest at the fact that she wasn't there with him, and that it had now been a whole two days since the last time she'd done it while reading to him. Perhaps they could fix that tonight.

A shake of the head, and his hands fell to his lips, a whistle ringing out a moment later. He needed to visit the College, and to do that he needed money. This would be the first time since his arrival that he would be spending anything, and he wasn't sure how to feel. He didn't even know how much to bring. 10,000 should be enough for the armor, but what about a weapon? Another 10,000? Eh, it probably wouldn't hurt.

Sylph took off with a fierce cry, one ill-suited for how short the flight was, but Link didn't mind. His mind was already elsewhere, at least before he shoved it back and settled on enjoying the flight. After all, if nothing else, Gaepora had been right about one thing; he needed to enjoy his free time. It would be in nonexistent supply in a week's time, after all.

~~The Eternal Game~~

The Mage's College.

It was a massive building, one of the largest in the Capital, made entirely of stone and giving the impression of age and power. 4 great stone pillars, aged and weathered from millenia of standing against the elements greeted anyone walking towards it. It looked, if Link were to put a term to it, rather similar to pictures he had seen of Harvard University that his teachers had shown him. One massive building, the stone grayed by time, massive double doors atop a short flight of stairs.

Entering it had all of his senses overloading information. His eyes could see dozens of people all around, some at desks and others standing close to each other. Some were arguing, some were reading, others still were staring at hands sparking with magic. His ears were bombarded with noise; arguing, speaking, laughter, shouting…it was chaotic enough to make his head spin. He could taste power in the air, could feel the magic against his skin. Old life, new life, lightning and fire and air and water, power earned and weakness known, the world itself vibrant in a way that nothing else he'd felt so far could match.

Inhale…

Exhale…

It took him several seconds to dim the chaos from too sharp senses, and several more to find a balance. Where he could hear all he needed to, but wasn't overwhelmed by noise. Where he could feel the air and the magic within, but wasn't feeling spells cast days or months ago while also feeling the ones cast today. Where the chaos washed over him without affecting him, rather than overwhelming him.

It takes him a few minutes more to figure out how to navigate it. So many people, so many things going on at once, but he managed quickly enough. Soon enough he was directed to Archmage Hinea, and he was standing beside the woman as she watched several students train. His eyes followed them, noticing how incredibly slow they were, painfully slow, slower than Groose, slower than the pace the Academy Instructors had made them train at.

Yet they were casting magic.

Even as he watched one student consulted one book, and another a second. Both raised their hands as one, sparks coalescing into a fireball in ones and a green barrier shining in the air before the second one. The fireball was cast, moving so very slowly, and slammed against the barrier. Then the two switched, the second casting the fireball and the first the barrier.

The other pair was a lot more interesting. Both held books as well, but each one only looked at them occasionally. Even as he watched, lightning cracked a green shield even as fire washed over a blue one. Wind met wind, breaking apart against each other, orbs of pitch black splashing against shining stars of light. The spells were faster than the other two, but far slower than Hinea's had been earlier. He could feel them, but they lacked anything even close to the power that Hinea had cast so easily.

"Well? What do you think, Link?" Her voice was soft, intentionally so, and he matched her volume as he spoke.

"They aren't as good as you." It was a statement of the obvious, but it was one that had the woman cackling quietly.

"Of course they aren't, they're still students. I was referring more to the magic, however. What do you think of it?" Link found himself wanting to frown, but his face didn't quite manage it. What did he think of the magic? It was magic, throwing around elements and therefore amazing, but…it was kind of boring at this level. At least in comparison to what he had been doing, and especially in comparison to what Sylph had been doing.

"It's interesting, but boring at this level. Yours was a lot more fun." A second cackle, a considering gleam in brown eyes as they turned to him.

"Would you like to learn?" It took everything he had to not leap at the offer. Yes. Yes please. Please please please, it was only everything he'd ever imagined in his life.

"I wouldn't mind." Not quite what he'd wanted to say, but not his first reaction either, so he would take it. It was enough to please Hinea as well, for she waved over one of the other people in the hall and had them take over watching the students. She motioned for him to follow her somewhere, her voice taking on a lecturing tone.

"Magic is, at its very core, the will to control and to change. It is forcing your desire upon the natural order of the world and demanding that it do as you desire, accepting nothing less than its obedience. In function and in use, however, it is noticeably different." That made no sense, but then again it was magic. Who would expect it to make sense? Hinea continued, taking him through a hall decorated with statues of old looking Skylians.

"You may or may not be aware of this, but there are four schools of magic into which all of the others are sorted. Utility, Battle, Potion, and Internal. Internal Magics are the type you showed off earlier; something inherent to the wielder and that cannot be explained or taught, only honed. Potions are, in a word, potions; not much there, for all their usefulness and complexity. Utility Magic is what makes sure Skyloft can run properly. It's what allows us to contact each other from long distances, what lets us maintain a comfortable living, and what allows us to enchant objects. The final magic, which you will eventually learn, is of course, Battle Magic." Link nodded, remembering the book from the other day. Hinea continued on, one eye on him to make sure he was still following.

"Battle Magic, as you saw, is incredibly powerful at the higher end and only somewhat powerful at the lower end. In a fight between a trainee archer and a trainee mage, bet on the archer. In a fight between a veteran archer and a veteran mage, bet on the mage. In a battle of masters…well. The archer dies before he even realizes the mage is there. Magic has a skill ceiling that we have not yet seen the peak of, considering that even at my best I am nothing compared to what the masters of old could do." She held out a hand as a group of younger teens rambled by, smiling indulgently at them as they waved happily to her.

"We have stories of the greatest of mages calling down bolts of lightning that make what you were throwing out earlier seem pathetic, that could raise shields capable of protecting entire cities, that could make massive chunks of land fly. Of course, nowadays we can no longer manage that, as the greatest of our knowledge was lost with Nayru's Home. An unfortunate event, but even more unfortunately one that could not be avoided." There was true sorrow in her voice at the losses, but after a moment of remembrance she moved on.

"Now, Battle Magic is separated into two types; Reason and Faith. Each one is approached differently, and each one has different effects, but I am a Master of each of them. For you, however…" She considered him for a few moments, looking at something within him.

"I suspect Reason will be your starting point. Both have a similar foundation, but that one requires more self-determination than anything else. Well, so long as you have the basic math down, at least. That shouldn't be an issue for you, however, as while I have heard that you don't like school work, you are capable of it." They finally stopped at the end of yet another hallway, dozens of doors passed by this point, and they finally arrived at what he expected to be either her office or a work room, depending on what they were here for.

She opened up the door, revealing the office he'd been expecting. It was, as offices went, distinctly lacking in the magic he'd been hoping for. It had a desk, a plush looking armchair with two more on the side facing the door with a small table between them, a fireplace with a small couch, and several bookshelves. The desk itself was quite large, large quantities of paperwork neatly organized into stacks upon it, the handwriting neat and tiny on some of it and on others it was a large and messy scrawl. Others still had everything in between, more types of writing than anything you'd see outside of a school.

"Now, Reason is fairly simple. Would you like some tea? I have all three types of safflina, lavender, as well as chamomile, though I don't recommend that one unless you're planning on having a nap." A wink and a grin even as she shooed him to one of the chairs at her desk when she tried to help, the woman continuing without even letting him speak.

"Bah, why bother asking. I have it on good authority that your favorite is warm safflina. I do hope you like cookies, I baked some for my grandchildren this morning and made a few too many." The woman shook her head, Link's mind reeling at the fact that she had grandchildren. Then she casually dropped another bomb that had him washing his hands of any attempt to guess her age.

"Honestly dear boy, a lonely old woman makes a few dozen cookies for her young great grandchildren and then their parents, the ungrateful brats, are all about "It's too many sweets grandmother, you can't give a child that many cookies." As if they hadn't been eager for that many and more besides when they were that age." She shook her head, Link settling down into the chair in amusement. Sure, he would take cookies, and if his favorite tea was warm safflina he'd take it. It wasn't like he'd had the time or the excuse to explore what this body liked, after all.

Hinea bustled around for a few minutes preparing things, and soon enough the smell of brewing tea filled the room. Warm, earthy, a hint of fire to it that didn't come from the scent but from the impression he gained from it. Oddly enough, it was a smell that had him relaxing. Perhaps it really was his favorite. He'd mostly had water and milk since he'd gotten here, after all, but if this tasted as good as it smelled he would have to see if brewing tea would go as smoothly as everything else had.

"Now, Reason Magic is fairly easy to understand. It is the imposition of Will upon the World through Reason." Impressions were forced upon him with each of those three words, that extra sense pulling to mind things that both made sense and very much didn't. Will; strength of character, deciding upon an action and committing to it, Din's Power. World; the state of things, the air and the earth and the sky, Farore's Courage. Reason: the ability to think and make judgements, to convince people of things, Nayru's Wisdom. Link blinked and the power behind the words were gone, but the implications remained.

"It starts simply; it starts with Reason, and is why the magic is referred to as such. To put it at its most simple, the world runs upon a set of laws. Nayru's Laws, to be specific." Hinea set a tea tray down on the table, a warm smile on her face. A cup of tea was steaming, a small pot next to it, and a full dozen large cookies were on a plate.

"Please, help yourself, Link. You'll be doing me a favor anyways, I tend to bake in my free time and I've always got too many sweets." The woman then proceeded to seat herself with her own cup and pot of tea and stare him down until he had taken a cookie and bitten into it. They smelled sweet, soft enough for his fingers to imprint upon them slightly and crisp enough on the outside to not break easily.

They were delicious.

The crisp edges added texture to a soft and gooey middle, sweet but not too sweet honey touching his tongue. Good enough to take another bite, and then a third, and then the cookie was gone. He'd never had anything like that; the closest he'd ever come was chocolate chip, but this tasted fresh. She said she'd baked it this morning, but it had still been warm! He'd never had a freshly baked cookie in his life…

"I'm glad you like them. Feel free to eat some more, we will be here for a while." His eyes found her once more, and she continued the actual explanation. He did wonder, idly, why the Archmage was the one teaching him this, but he put it down to either Hero privilege or favored of the King privilege. It wasn't like it mattered, however, and so he told that part of him to shut up and listen.

"Everything in the world, living and non, goes by Nayru's Laws, with the notable exceptions of monsters. Magic and Life alike flow into the land from the Triforce, with animals and Skylians taking that energy in and adapting it for their own use. Plants grow because Nayru deemed it so. Fire burns because Nayru modeled it after Din's power, Ice chills because she modeled it after her own calculated wisdom, and wind can be either a gentle refreshment or a natural disaster because Nayru modeled after Farore's very nature." The lecture continued without so much as a pause.

"Reason takes the rules inherent to Nayru's Laws and persuades them to shift, just a little. Fire doesn't need wood or grass to burn, it can use a different energy. It can burn stronger too, right? If you shift this rule just a tiny bit, well, fire can move far faster than you can. It has no weight, so why would it be slow? It has heat, why should it not be hotter? It's got fuel, why shouldn't it grow in size?" That…made a horrifying amount of sense, but how did it actually do any of that? She'd mentioned math, earlier; how would one even go about doing that? How did math manage to boil down the rules of the world?

"Now, obviously, none of this would work without the presence of magic within you. It is the power within, the magic inherent to each and every Skylian, that allows one to make Reason function. It is the source of the argument, so to speak; the origin point of the platform you preach to the world from. Without that source of magic you can figure out all the secrets of the world and be able to do exactly nothing." Well, if that didn't sum up humanity, what did? Sure, figuring out the secrets of the way the universe worked helped them do incredible feats of technology…but come on. Who didn't want to be able to use magic?

"Magic lets you take the secrets of the world and manipulate them via Reason, or via Faith. Reason allows you to shift the rules of the world enough to command the elements, coax natural forces, change the properties of items, and do any number of things by convincing the Laws that govern the world that this is actually not quite what they think it is. Faith does the same thing, but through the Goddess instead. Are you understanding things so far, Link?" He nodded; it seemed simple enough. Hinea didn't seem to be quite convinced, however.

"Alright, repeat it back to me in your own words." He wanted to raise an eyebrow, but his body didn't. So instead he shrugged, mentally because his body wouldn't do that either, and did exactly as he was told.

"Magic gives you the power needed to use Magic, and without it you can't use it." Stating the obvious seemed redundant, but it was what she wanted.

"The world itself follows rules, and in order to use magic outside of yourself you have to convince it to either break or bend those rules, or have a higher power do it for you. Reason is convincing the world through logic that things aren't quite what they seem, whereas Faith is having that higher power do it for you." Hinea nodded, a proud look in her eyes.

"Just so. A slim summary, but succinct nonetheless; well done, Link." It felt odd to be praised for the simple act of paying attention, but he'd take it. Praise had been so rare, after all, but he'd gotten it consistently since he was put here. It was rather nice, honestly.

"As such, we can move on to what allows you to convince the world to bend just that little bit." She searched through the papers for a moment, eventually finding one that suited her as Link took a sip of the tea. His body relaxed further as warmth spread through him. Not heat, not truly, but warmth like the concept. Like how it felt to have Zelda's arms around him, like how it felt when Gaepora had smiled down at him earlier. A gentle, earthy taste was as best he could describe it, but he could immediately tell why the original Link favored this tea.

"This is, as simply as I can put it, how Reason works." Hinea handed over a sheet of thick paper with an ungodly amount of mathematical equations on it. Looking at it in its entirety, it was entirely overwhelming. Numbers, letters, and symbols he didn't even recognize were all over; what kind of hell was Math in this world if this was considered the simplest she could put it?

Inhale…

Exhale…

Link shook his head, ignoring most of the page for the moment. He focused on the very first equation at the top left, and after a moment of looking he figured it out. Not the answer, of course, he wasn't exactly familiar with the problem, but between the answer and the question he could at least understand what they were solving for. At the barest of bones, it seemed to be solving for X. It wasn't X, rather it was Zed for whatever reason, not even just the letter Z but the full Zed, but in this equation Zed equaled 77.967. If Zed equaled that, and the numbers started off with…

It took him a few minutes, but a longstanding habit of infuriating his teachers by not showing his work let him figure out most of the problem. Solving for X, but you also had to figure out Y, Z, and for some reason D; Algebra from hell, admittedly, but still Algebra. His eyes trailed down the problems, and soon figured out he could do a remarkable amount of this in his head. He'd been in Calculus after all, and that had been properly headache inducing. This, while bad, wasn't that bad.

Hinea breaking out into laughter startled him, his eyes flicking back to her. Mirth filled brown eyes greeted him, the woman taking a sip of tea at his look only to nearly choke on it as she laughed mid-sip. She shook her head, setting down the cup, and then handing him a second page.

"I was lying, I simply wanted to see how quickly you would get confused. This is the simplest step of Reason." She handed him a different paper, and he took it, and suddenly it was a lot simpler. Zed was the only letter on it, and while there were still 13 separate equations, none of them took more than a few seconds to do.

Magic churned within him as he looked at the sheet, but did nothing even when he tried to channel it. Hinea didn't seem to notice it, instead giving him a few more moments of looking at the paper. What was it about these numbers that was making his magic act up?

"Well? Are you lost, or are you ready to get started learning how to solve these?" Link looked up at her, his lips turning down in a frown. Some excitement seemed to die out from her eyes, but it burned much brighter as he rattled off how to get the answer of each equation.

"Oho, well done Link. I didn't expect you to be able to follow all of that mentally, that usually doesn't happen for a few years." His frown deepened; it was Algebra. Hardly the most complex thing imaginable, it wasn't like it was Calculus or worse, Differential Equations. Just the thought of the last one was enough to cause a spike of remembered pain.

"Well then, I suppose there's only one thing left to do, and that is teach you the basics properly!" She took another sip of tea, as did he, and she continued.

"The simplest aspect of Reason is, at its very core, enforcing your thoughts upon the world. Forget the Elements, forget the barriers, right now you need to figure out something simple and easy. Now, what do you know about the natural world?" That…was an odd segue, though into what he didn't know. It just made her grin, strangely enough.

"Reason starts not by influencing the world, but by putting Reason into it. Everything follows Nayru's Laws, true enough, but that is a chaos that the mind of a Skylian cannot possibly understand." No, it seemed pretty simple for the most part. Things grew, Skylians included, and life tried to prosper. Carnivores ate their prey, Herbivores ate the plants, Omnivores enjoyed a superior state of life with the best of both worlds, and things with opposable thumbs ruled the world. Not that complex. Of course, Hinea wasn't content with what she had said.

"Tell me Link, what is Time?" A blink, but he went with it.

"Time is how we measure how long it takes for something to happen." She waved her hand in a universal go on motion, so he continued.

"It's how we measure the sun rising and falling; hours in the day, days in the week, weeks in the year. Time is the force that moves ever forwards, bringing all things to dust." Hinea blinked, frowning at him.

"That is a bit morbid, but you're not wrong. But tell me, Link…how did we know what a second was? A minute? An hour? What made us decide that there would be sixty seconds to a minute, sixty minutes to an hour, and then 24 hours to a day?" Link considered that for a few moments. He had no idea, and said as much. Hinea laughed.

"It's because we made it up. Time isn't measurable in years, or months. Not weeks, days, minutes, seconds, or anything else you can possibly imagine. Time, as we understand it, is little more than a Skylian construct to make us feel better and to help us measure things, as you said." So…what did that have to do with Reason? She was quick to explain.

"Time, as it sits, is perhaps the single simplest example of Reason. Time is nothing more, and nothing less, than simple people enforcing the natural world to fit into a little box that they assigned it to. It's time to go to work, it's time to go to sleep, it's time for breakfast or lunch or dinner." A smile, Hinea far more amused than she probably should be.

"Time is, in essence, the very first example of Skylian's being arrogant enough to impose our will upon Nayru's Law as a species, and we did it to such an extent that our very own Goddess Hylia is incredibly powerful in the domain of Time; a domain that we ourselves assigned rules to. Time is the foundation of Reason beyond almost everything else, for without the arrogance, will, and above all intelligence to assign numbers to time…well, we would have never figured out the numbers for fire, or water, or anything else. We would still be counting our hunted animals or our arrows and never dreaming of more." There was passion in Hinea's speech, genuine belief in what she was saying.

Link wasn't sure if he could believe it, in all truth. Hylia being the Goddess of Time because the Hylians had decided to label time by numbers felt rather odd, but what did he know? It wasn't like he'd been here when it happened, and the games definitely never explained anything about the magic in the verse. So, he just listened.

"As such, the first spell of Reason that everyone learns is simple. Nine simple equations that, when completed, have the same effect for everyone, a fact that no other spell can boast. If I throw out lightning it will be stronger, weaker, faster, or slower than others because the math that represents me is different than the math that represents them. This, however? Any Skylian that does it will have the exact same results, for it is reality. And that spell, Link…" She held out one hand, and a moment later six digits were formed of glowing light above her extended palm.

09:37.32

.33

.34

"The simplest spell to learn, the first spell that everyone who learns magic will learn, is how to tell time. It is how to reason with the world to display something that is unnatural to it, to slip past Nayru's Law and bend the world just that tiny little bit. To describe the rotation of the planet, the position of the stars, to describe it all in one simple, small thing, that exists to only one race, in one Kingdom. To filter all the information in the world down to six digits in the palm of your hand."

"The first spell of Reason is to make a Clock."

Hinea was quick to tell him how; to show him the math and how to solve it. She explained, in exacting detail, how to run the math through your head and make it automatic, to make it simple and easy and doable on the move, though that would only come with time and practice. Despite that, however, and despite three failed attempts because he wasn't quite managing it, he figured it out.

Reason was a negotiation. Here was your position, and there was the position of the world. The world was bigger than you, stronger than you would ever be, but it would listen in ways that most things never could. It could be swayed, it could be changed, it could be amused and persuaded and cajoled or coaxed. Cold hard logic could move it, the stark reality of millenia of numbers telling it that they had, in fact, been used for thousands of years and did it not know what a year was? That was okay, because these numbers could also tell you what a year was.

The first line of math described a year. The second a month, the third a week, the fourth a day. The fifth broke it down into hours, and the sixth into minutes. The seventh line gave you seconds, the eighth taught you to string it all together. The ninth was the most complex of them all, the third set of three, and it, through magic and numbers and impossibility, described how to present it all together in an easy form.

09:58.57

.58

.59

09:59.01

Link looked in awe at the glowing lines above his palm, telling him the time. Such a small, simple thing; there had been a million clocks in his original life that could do the same without even this much effort on his part. His computer did it, the switch did it, his family's phones did it, several clocks on the wall did it. Every classroom had a clock, half the world had a watch and more than that had a phone.

None of them, however, not a single one, could do nine lines of math that shouldn't be so easy and have the time appear above their hand. He let it go, let his mind run over the equations in a few seconds and the time was there again. A third time, a fourth, a fifth; delighted giggles bubbled up within him. It was simple, hilariously so in fact. This was not a grand display of fire, ice, or lightning. It wasn't summoning a massive creature to fight for you, or changing a person into a newt. It wasn't calling forth an eruption, throwing out blades of wind, or healing a disease.

But it was, simply and indisputably, magic.

He could feel the energy in his soul that drained every time he used the Champions abilities or his own, could feel it being used…but he couldn't feel the pool draining. Just this wasn't enough to even notice, apparently, which made him glad. Perhaps he had the potential to use stuff like she had earlier…

Link couldn't get over it. He let the display disappear, moved his hand, and ran through the math once more. The numbers appeared, changing constantly as time ticked forward, but still the same. It was still 10 in the morning, still the same softly glowing white lines. There was no machinery making it appear, no tricks or gotcha moments; magic, simple and easy.

"See? You can do it." Link's attention turned back to Hinea, and he reluctantly let the time fade away. Her grin turned somewhat malicious, and Link found himself suddenly uncertain.

"Now, I'm more than willing to give you lessons on magic early; just with what you've shown so far you'll be above the others in your year when it comes to learning magic this upcoming term. Most of them will need paper for a while, even for those boring little equations, but you have more potential for it than them. So I will be talking to the King, and arranging for you to have a tutor show up and teach you, but that does mean you will need to do something for me." The malice grew, almost tangible at this point, and Hinea reached beneath her desk with evil on her face.

A loud thunk sounded out as she placed the thickest book he'd ever seen onto her table; thicker than his thigh, and a little longer and wider than his average textbook had been. She grinned that little bit wider at the surprise on his face, taking great joy in whatever it was she was about to say.

"This, Link, is a copy of the Big Book of Reason. It is required reading for every aspiring Archmage, and it contains each and every concept and discovered equation known to us. We have made quite a few copies of this big boy, so I don't mind lending this one to you. It starts off with the simple stuff, and gets progressively more and more complex, but lets you learn at your own pace. I will need you to read it, at least up to chapter two, before a month into term." Link leaned forward, picking it up, finding it amusing that it was visibly heavy but he could barely feel the weight, and opened it up. The first chapter was 20 pages of words and math problems, and chapter two was similar. Looking at them, however…they didn't seem that difficult.

He could manage this. Sure, he hadn't exactly been planning on math being a big part of his life anymore, but for the ability to throw fireballs and cast lightning he would do it! Although, this did beg the question…

"If the point of this is equations, of running through math to make the world concede to your wishes…why did those students have books earlier?" Hinea ah'd, delight in her eyes.

"Oh, noticed that, did you? Well, it's simple. The equations you have to use to do the impressive stuff tend to be long and complex; for the really fun stuff you have to run through hundreds to thousands of calculations. So the books serve as a shortcut. A mage will prepare the spells, so to speak, ahead of time and record them in a journal. Part of their magic is imbued into the calculations and a pause is put on them." She grumbled slightly, waving her hand in irritation.

"A pause isn't quite the right word, but you get the idea. All but the final few calculations, which tell the world when and where to make the spell manifest, are completed ahead of time. Unfortunately, finishing the calculations results in the page it's on dissolving into dust due to the power within it, so each one is only usable one time. It is incredibly useful for combat, however." Sorrow entered her eyes, a deep drink of tea following.

"I've seen more than one mage die because they got separated from their Tome of Spells and couldn't get a strong enough spell off in time." She shook off the melancholy, looking at him once more.

"It is the primary difference between myself, a Champion level Archmage, and my second, the second best caster in all of Skyloft. He's brilliant, truly he is,but he will never make it to Champion because he is reliant on his Tome. Some spells he can take shortcuts with; hand gestures tend to replace conscious calculations once you are practiced with a spell, after all, your body becoming used to it, but by and large he has to do the calculations from his Tome." Link looked at her, curious.

"Do you not use one?" She laughed, shaking her head.

"No, of course I do. The difference is that I don't need to look up the spell to finish the calculations. I know every spell that I have recorded within my book, I know how to finish them. A spell you've started is linked to you, always, at least for Reason; calling it up is simply a matter of reattaching your magic to it and finishing the final parts. At my best I can be throwing out spells capable of leveling buildings every couple of seconds, and at my worst I can do it every minute or so. While that may not be much to you, Link, it is more than enough to firmly put me on a level only the King can best. Though General Ita can match me well enough, the person who wins that fight tends to be based on how far away from each other we started and whether or not I can make room." Link chewed all of that over for a few moments.

This…honestly the more he thought about it the more familiar it seemed. Reason and Faith, he knew those words, especially linked to books. The thought clicked, the reference coming to the forefront of his mind at last.

Fire Emblem.

There were quite a few obvious differences, of course, but the idea seemed to be the same. Book based magic, kind of, with Reason being your elemental based magic and Faith being your healing based magic. Again, it wasn't a one for one match up, but what it was was more than enough to give him some ideas. Fire, Wind, and Thunder would be great starting points if he could figure out equivalents, and Thoron, Bolganoe, and Excalibur would be excellent heavy hitters. Still, it was fairly obvious that it wasn't that kind of magic; tomes had been limited to a single spell in Fire Emblem, after all.

It wasn't even just that, either; this magic seemed to be interior based, rather than a mage seemingly pulling infinite magic from outside of themselves so long as they had a tome with enough life left in it. Combine that with the fact that these were elves rather than humans and he was reasonably sure that the similarities were just cosmetic, but it was nice to have a bit of an idea on how to use it all. Plenty of ideas for spells, as well. After all, Legend of Zelda had a fair number of magical spells and magic equipment in it, and Fire Emblem had a lot too…what if he could pull from other verses? A Thunder Blade, from Tales of Symphonia for example, would be really cool if he could pull it off.

Hinea spoke up once more, dragging him from his fantasies by tapping the desk.

"You've only had a couple of cookies, Link, are you not hungry?" His eyes found the platter, half-emptied already, and obligingly took one. She refilled her cup and enjoyed it for several moments, the liquid visibly steaming despite how long they'd been talking already.

"Now, we need to cover the actual reason you're here, as much as I would love to keep teaching you about Reason. Enchanted armor, and perhaps enchanted weapons as well. How much do you know about them?" Link finished his cookie, washing it down with more of the wonderful tea, and shook his head.

"Almost nothing." Hinea nodded, neither pleased nor displeased.

"About what I was expecting, truthfully. No matter, I can explain. Enchantments work off of Reason or Faith, sometimes both. Some people are born with the gift for it, and can bypass those pesky things, but by and large you have to convince the world that yes, it is in fact natural for steel to actually be this sharp, or hard. Surely, world, if steel did not come with white-hot heat on the edge of it, then why do I have this flameblade before me?" She grinned at him, intentionally playing up the ridiculousness of it, and amusement bubbled up within him.

"In theory, an enchantment can be anything, though in practice what we can do is a bit more limited. Typically, however, what we can do is take an armor or a weapon and make it stronger. Armor absorbs blows more easily, weapons deal more damage, and then we can add a little something extra. A flameblade, to use my earlier example, is a steel sword or greatsword that has been custom forged to be a little more receptive to magic and then enchanted with the fire inherent in rubies. It results in a blade that exudes heat, lighting anything it hits on fire for several blows before it needs a few moments to recharge." Another sip, continuing on.

"Armor, on the other hand, is a bit more fun. Some types of clothing you can enchant to be stealthy, some you can make really tough, and others still you can make resistant to an element. That one can be incredibly valuable when hunting down elemental Lizalfos, some Talos, and even Lynel considering their inherent ability to spew out fire. So, I suppose the best way to do this is to go over the armors available and you can tell me what you want." Link nodded; that made sense. She raised up one hand, palm facing him, and gave a caution.

"Now, I give you a fair warning. Enchanting armor is not cheap, nor are enchanted weapons. The actual work itself is difficult even for those who are practiced in it, and to enchant anything permanently requires a variety of monster parts. The stronger the enchantments, the stronger the parts, with the greatest effects naturally coming from creatures such as Lynel and Darknuts, or the Silver variants of monsters. I say this not as a discouragement, but as a warning; depending on what you want, it may take us a while to manage the enchantment." Link nodded once more, understanding that.

If he had the time, he would absolutely be learning how to enchant things, but for the foreseeable future he would have to rely upon the Mage's College. He did have one major leg up on basically everybody else though; collection materials would be ridiculously easy for him, and he could even get sizable paychecks to do so. It was entirely possible that every Rupee he spent today could be regained through a single job to go and kill the monsters required for the parts.

With that established, Hinea brought out a second book and handed it to him. Flipping through it showed drawings of several of the "armor" sets from Breath of the wild, as well as a few he didn't recognize. There was the recognizable Soldiers armor, of course, alongside the Hylian Set of a tunic, trousers, and hood. A set that was remarkably like what the Hero traditionally wore in all green, with the Skyward Sword only variant of chainmail beneath it visible in the drawing. A darker variant of both Hylian and Skyward Sword set, oddly enough, along with the older style tunics.

Red and Blue, both with notes attached that one was resistant to flame and the other to ice. The second effect wasn't one that he remembered, but it also came with a third tunic of yellow that boasted resistance to lighting. The notes also said these effects could be put onto any armor, but that they were strongest on these for reasons they didn't know. Several more variants of clothing, but it seemed to be fairly basic overall. After he'd finished his first look through, Hinea handed him the pen, paper, and inkwell he would need to write it all down and said to write down anything that interested him.

Eventually, however, he settled on three sets of "armor", though only one of them actually were. The Hylian set was quite nice, and getting it enchanted for stronger defense and, upon flipping to another page that had a massive list of enchantments, for comfort and warding. It meant that spells would be less effective against him, should they break through Daruk's Protection or were he to not be able to use the Champions ability for whatever reason.

The second set was the Dark Set. It seemed to be a perfect match for the Wild's Dark Tunic, Hood, and Trousers, though it didn't change the skin to gray or turn your eyes red. He had just always liked black clothing, and, well…

He wasn't Link.

Green might be the color of the body, the color of Farore and her Chosen, but he wasn't that person. He'd never claimed to be a good person, either, not with how callous he could be towards people he didn't know, and while he was trying to be worthy of Zelda, worthy of the gift he had been granted…

Well. Having a reminder constantly on his body would help out a lot. So he went a bit further with this one. Stronger defense, better grip on the boots, comfort all around, and an aura of fear. Monsters could run here, and in truth…he didn't think he needed that much defense. Dark Link had been a threat in several games; it wouldn't be in this world, thankfully, so he could model it without worry, but the idea of bringing fear to monsters that had spread so much of it was surprisingly pleasing.

The final pick was a bit simpler; the Hylian Trousers, the Hylian Hood, but the Champion's Tunic. It wasn't technically an option, but it was this Link's aesthetic. If he could get some magic put onto the tunic he was wearing, or one of them at least, he would be a lot better off should something happen during his normal day. He wasn't even sure what these tunics were called here, actually, but he knew it as the Champion's Tunic, so that was what it stayed in his head.

Weapons, however, were a little more difficult. A Knight's Broadsword, enchanted for durability. Doubled, tripled, underlined durability. He didn't need fancy effects, didn't need elements; what he needed was a weapon that wouldn't shatter in his hands. A flameblade, just for kicks, just to see what it could do in a world where it wasn't limited by game mechanics. And, finally, he wrote down Darknut Weapons. Just that, in case they had any stored. Then he handed it all back to Hinea, who scanned it.

Shields were last, an afterthought at that considering he had the Darknut shield. But then his eyes caught the Hylian shield, and opted to get two of those, both enchanted for maximum durability.

She paused, paling a little, as her eyes took in one of his requests, but she shook it off easily enough that he was left wondering if he'd even really noticed it. A considering hum, and then she was speaking.

"Not bad requests, not bad at all. You also aren't requesting anything ridiculous, which puts you above most of the people their first time. Why three sets of clothing and not actual armor, however?" Two answers, but one of them was likely to get him looked at oddly.

"I need mobility and flexibility rather than the extra protection, especially when you can enchant them to be nearly as resistant as steel anyways." Hinea hummed, even as Link quietly admitted to himself that he'd just always liked the looks of the clothing more than the armor. Form fitting armor was good, fantasy armor was better…but he wasn't in a game. If he was to be wearing actual armor, things would have to be going horribly wrong.

"Why the request for one of your current tunics to be enchanted? Seems a bit odd." Ah. He'd hoped to not be questioned on that, but no matter.

"This was earned." Hinea paused, even as Link reflected on those words. It wasn't based on what he earned, admittedly, but the Champions Tunic held a special place in his heart regardless. The thing that bound him together to the four souls inside him that shouldn't exist, that he really should get around to questioning at some point soon, and the thing that, funnily enough, helped to remind him that this was all real. For all that it belonged in a game, it had been his first real hint that things weren't exactly right.

"I see. I will make sure to get that set finished first, then." Hinea's voice was soft and warm, unjudging. It was a rather pleasant thing, and he chomped down another cookie to get rid of the feelings it inspired in him. He didn't like how close it was to before, back when he was younger and his mother was still acting like she loved him.

"The weapons…easy enough, and I definitely understand why you want a durable weapon. Why just the one, though?" Link managed to meet her eyes once more, and this time he had an answer that was entirely logical.

"I need to see if it's even worth the money." Hinea heaved a deep sigh, nodding her understanding. This body was monstrously strong, quite literally so in fact, and if he was going to pay thousands of rupees for a single weapon he needed it to last.

"Darknut weapons…yeah, I can release a couple of them to you, the College has a few for study. Not that we've managed to make any headway on reproducing the enchantments, but I imagine they will last you a lot longer than standard weapons. The two shields won't be difficult either, and I believe even you will be hard pressed to break a Hylian Shield enchanted for durability." Link nodded; he could only hope. She had one final question, however, and it made him curious as to why she had left it for last. He'd been expecting this one to be the first, after all.

"Why a Dark Set, and especially why one that causes fear? Most people who want that are getting it for stealth reasons." Link shook his head, considering how best to word his answer.

He was getting it as a reminder. Evil existed, and while he wouldn't call himself that, he wouldn't call himself good either. It would be a way to drive home the desire to do better, a permanent reminder to try harder while he was wearing it. The fact that everybody looked good in black was just a pleasant bonus, truthfully. The fear was for the exact reasons it was meant to be, however. Perhaps that was the path to take.

"Monsters ran from me yesterday." Hinea's eyes widened in surprise, looking at him carefully. Apparently that was an uncommon event.

"I'm wondering if I can make that effect stronger, and run through them that much quicker. It could help me when I'm a Knight." Hinea nodded, but then frowned. His reasons weren't entirely honest, but mainly about the final part. It would likely be of help much sooner than that, after all. Besides…fear was helpful.

"Unfortunately, we can't do fear. We might be able to in the future, should someone look into how to enchant that, but nobody has really looked into how to do such a thing." Link blinked, shaking his head. Had…had he just imagined that? His eyes turned to the book, scanning back through the enchantments. Huh; no fear. There was Spite, however, which was kind of fitting for a Dark set thematically.

"Spite then." She nodded, scratching out fear and writing in Spite. It was a simple enough enchantment; taking an injury would see said injury delivered onto the thing that had hurt you. A double edged sword, and not the most helpful considering who he was, but combined with Mipha's Grace it would ensure he could deal a lot more damage in a fight where he was pushed. Hinea spoke up once more about that, however.

"Fair warning, Spite is a pretty hard enchantment in terms of monster parts. It will take a while to get them all." Link looked at her; she looked back at him, curious. He made a motion at himself, hand flicking from head to feet and back, and she laughed.

"Point, I suppose. Very well then. Give me a few minutes to write this all out and I can give you what all will be needed for the enchantments. You can either fetch it yourself, in which case the overall cost will be lower, or you can give me the rupees at some point in the next few days and I will arrange for them to be purchased." So she did. A few minutes later she was handing him a list in a surprisingly messy scrawl. Not as bad as some of the ones on her desk, but nowhere near the neatest. Nothing on Link's own handwriting, he noted with an amused smugness.

Ruby x3

Ironshroom x10

Hinox Guts x5

Lynel Guts x3

Lynel Horn x2

Lizalfos Tail x15

Moblin Horn x15

Chuchu Jelly, Fresh x3 Bottles

Knights Crest x1

42,675 Rupees, assuming all Materials Provided. 62,768 without any

Link frowned at the list for several seconds, considering. He had enough Lizalfos Tails already, thankfully he hadn't sold them, and he had the Knights Crest too. The biggest question here would be how many Lynel and Hinox would he have to kill to get the guts and horns he needed.

"How many Lynel am I going to have to kill to get 3 different guts?" It wasn't like he had a guaranteed spawning of X amount of materials per monster death. At least he didn't think he was. Hinea answered his question with a shrug before speaking.

"It depends? Unfortunately, we don't know exactly what causes monster parts to drop, so to speak, the way they do. During the war I killed three Lynel in one day. One dropped four different sets of guts, one dropped a single one, and the final one didn't drop any intestines, but it did drop three different horns despite only having two." She heaved a frustrated sigh.

"I wish I had an answer for you, I really and truly do, but we simply don't know. Our best working theory is that the concentration of tainted magic within a monster is focused in certain points of their body and that results in those parts remaining after the magic dissipates. How exactly that functions, however…well, your guess is as good as mine, I'm afraid. Especially when you get into the fact that creatures will drop multiple parts whenever, as best we can tell, they only naturally have one of them." Another shrug, a pensive expression.

"Unfortunately, monsters do not follow Nayru's Law. They are an abomination before it, in fact, controllable only by other monsters and not experiencing anything even close to natural growth. There is nothing natural about them, not even their magic." She sighed again, shaking her head.

"Getting into that, however, is a topic for another day. I can get you the Darknut weapons now, if you like though. It will be 15,000 rupees of your total bill for four of them, however." Four of those weapons? Oh yes, absolutely. His wallet came out and he handed over 15 platinum rupees immediately, Hinea raising an eyebrow at him.

"How much did you bring?" Link paused as he returned it to his pouch, confused.

"25,000. I wasn't expecting to get multiple sets of clothing and weaponry, so I figured I would bring a little over 20,000." Hinea laughed for some reason, finishing her tea and rising. She took up the now emptied trays and had him follow her once more.

"Come along. I have four swords that are way too heavy for most people to lift, so you might as well put that strength to work. Then you can decide whether you are going monster hunting or just fetching rupees." The way she said that amused him more than it should, his answer coming in the form of a meme.

"Why not both?" She paused for a moment, before laughing.

"Why not both indeed?" The woman mused, shaking her head.

"You do know that doing it that way won't exactly solve your rupee problem, right?" He just shrugged. Of course it wouldn't, but he'd figure something out. Worst came to worst, he'd just donate most of it to the Royal Treasury or something. Gaepora and Zelda would no doubt protest, but they seemed to be fairly willing to let him do his own thing for the most part. It shouldn't be too hard to convince them otherwise, and he could always just sneak it by them. Surely he could find out who this "Treasurer" was and approach them.

It wasn't like they could be a dishonest individual either, not with the way Skyloft seemed to function. The closest thing to a "bad" person he'd seen was Groose, who was just a kid dumber than even him. There was the way Casa had threatened him yesterday, but honestly he didn't see that being much of an issue. Somehow he doubted Skylians had that high of a criminal population; they were, after all, focused pretty heavily on stopping their own extinction.

Four Darknut broadswords were soon in his hands, Hinea shaking her head and muttering something about magic capacity when she saw him doing it, but they were unintelligible. Not because he couldn't hear them, but because her quiet mutters were skipping words and moving through concepts he had no idea about. So he ignored it, bid her a farewell, and left the College. 15,000 rupees poorer, 4 blades and a massive book richer, and feeling cautiously optimistic about all of this.

He needed to hunt a few more big monsters, provide her with even more rupees and one of his spare tunics, and then he would have enchanted gear. Possibly, if he was very lucky, perhaps even in time for all of the hell that would soon be starting. The clock was ticking down; less than seven full days remained. Blue eyes hardened with resolve.

He needed to get magic figured out before then, at least enough to have a handful of spells down. They could be the difference between him walking away from Ghirahim and losing, considering he didn't have game-provided plot armor. Link hadn't had an issue with a single one of the monsters in that game, but going by the dialog Ghirahim was certain he could win up until Link had the Master Sword itself and all of the tempering that had come with its forging.

Link had an entire world to explore and build up in the future. He had a beautiful woman that visibly and actively adored him. He was not about to take any chances if he could help it. The Champions abilities might be enough to turn the tide, but that was no reason to not stack the deck further in his favor.

~~The Eternal Game~~

A bestial roar, fire dripping from a fanged maw. Glowing red eyes looked on in a monstrous fury, a jagged blade in one hand and a massive shield across a muscled back.

Link looked idly on as a Lynel obliterated a deer with a fireball five times the poor animal's size, only ashes remaining. Not a skeleton, not charred meat; ashes. He hadn't even thought that was possible. He slid off of Sylph's saddle, patting her wing as she warbled curiously. There was no fear in the massive bird's presence, only interest. There was a want there as she looked at the Lynel, a desire.

"Don't worry, you can have the next one if you want. I just need to see where I stand." A squawk and a clack of the beak, a sense of agreement building up within his soul. Apparently she was taking him up on the offer…well, perhaps he should find another one today, so that he didn't upset her. He was rather curious to see what she could do, after all; in the clouds she had carved through everything, and he honestly hadn't needed to do much.

His list of things to do was mounting up. Lynel hunting for parts, Darknut hunting for more quality weapons and shields, learning to wield Reason…Goddess, he had a busy few days. His mornings would be free from tomorrow on, however, so perhaps he could make a dent in it.

The massive beast stopped suddenly, spinning in place quickly enough it produced a wind, glowing red eyes glaring at him. An impression of hate, of threat and fury bore down upon him, a certainty that if he came any closer he was going to die.

Oddly enough, or perhaps not oddly at all, it didn't phase him. He took a step, amused, and then a second. Sylph took to the sky in the same second that the beast charged, massive legs powering it forward many times faster than the game could portray. Link watched it, almost idly, frowning to himself. He could see already why it was such an issue for the Skylians; this thing moved a lot faster than the Darknut.

The games really, truly hadn't done it just either. Over three times his height, muscles rippling with every movement, the monster cut a terrifying figure. Scars laced its torso, four horse legs at the bottom and a parody of a man's upper body rising up into the sky, an animalistic head atop it all. A great blue mane ran down its back, face an impossible mixture of a lion, a man, and a pig with two massive ram-like horns extending off its head.

The game had also failed to get its proportions right; Link in the game came roughly up to its waist. As the monster got closer and closer, it was revealed that he was a bit below it, and the monster didn't look as squished either. Legs transitioned more naturally into the torso, the beast a bit more natural looking despite its supposedly unnatural nature. Then the beast was swinging the massive, jagged blade and Link was backflipping ,the world slowing.

A lynel sword was a massive weapon, larger even than the darknut broad sword. Longer than his body by half his height, wider than his body three times over, the sword was a cluster of sharp edges and spikes. It barely registered as a sword, honestly, less a tool and more just a jagged hunk of metal. He wanted it.

A drain of magic, the darknut sword growing in length even as he flipped, a slash tearing through the beast's chest. Another drain, the weapon shrinking once more, and time resumed its pace. A furious roar, the monster's hooves digging into the ground as it stopped, turning even as Link landed and spun. The beast turned in an instant, blade whistling down with more speed and force than any opponent he'd faced so far.

His own sword met it, and for the first time Link felt the blow, his feet skidding across the grass because he hadn't been set right. The Lynel pushed forth without hesitation, the wound on its chest already slowing down the bleeding. Interesting.

His body shifted of its own volition, his mind sinking into the same state it had been against the Darknut. No time for thoughts, no time for wondering; he had to focus on the fight, and it was a wonderful thing. A blade larger than him met a blade perfectly sized for him and stopped. The monster paused, curiosity gleaming in those feral eyes, before steam billowed out as it snorted. Gale force winds sprang up beneath him through instinct alone, rocketing him up just in time to avoid a stream of fire.

Link felt the heat even as he came down once more, blade slamming against the beasts shield with a thunderous boom. Not a clang, not like metal against metal should do; no, he hit it hard enough the metal protested and refused to sound out naturally, and the monster returned the favor. The shield was pulled away, the sword swinging forth to slam against his shield, and Link was sent flying.

The world blurred by as he was launched, and soft lips parted, a noise beginning to sound out from them. Brown boots skidded across the ground, digging trenches of their own even as thunderous hooves charged forth, and the noise grew louder. Blade crashed against blade; once, twice, thrice and the noise grew louder. The monster roared, drowning out the world, a deep inhale even as its shield bashed forward.

Link met the bash with his own, the force booming out, then leapt to his right as fire once again burned a streak across the earth, hot enough to singe him even without touching him. The noise continued even as the world slowed; the only noise, in fact, that wasn't slowed down.

He was laughing.

Link was laughing, and he didn't know why. Adrenaline pumped, the sword growing large once more; several chips, but nothing major. The shield did the same, and looked the same, and then both shrunk and Link moved.

For the first time since he realized this was all real, Link let himself move in stopped time. There was no cheeky maneuvering, no holding back so that he wouldn't hurt people. No quick effort to end the fight like he had against the Lizalfos. No, Link moved, blade cutting deep into the monster's flank. Another cut, black blood spraying out from the torso. Another cut, and then another, and then another. Twenty strikes, more than ever before, blade moving as fast as it had during his solo practice, and he couldn't hold onto the magic for any longer.

Strangely enough, for the first time, he noticed that it was because he couldn't hold it, not that he couldn't maintain it. Interesting, but not much of a concern at this point. What mattered was that the Lynel wasn't dead.

It roared in fury, spun to face him, and kept fighting. Link was smiling wide enough to hurt, excitement building up. His body had to put effort in; still not a strain, still not enough to tire, but it was closer than the Darknut. Sparks flew from every exchange, Link not moving an inch from his spot as the beast tried everything it could. It wasn't as skilled as the Darknut, but in everything else?

Speed, strength, durability, abilities; it topped the darknut easily in every other category. Its arms would be a blur to anyone below the tier of Champion, and hard to follow for anyone other than the Hero. A Lynel was, barring only the blights, the single greatest threat to Skylian forces, and Link could tell it easily. Sweat began to drip from him as seconds turned into minutes of an unrelenting assault, his body having to work harder than even the Royal Guard had pushed him that morning despite them having greater numbers…but a significant chunk of it was from the fire.

The monster finally leapt away, coming down hard, and something caused Link to raise his shield. An instinct that he'd never had in his original life, but it saved him as an edged shockwave slammed into it at chest height. How and why he didn't know, but the beast snarled in fury that its attempt had failed.

Blue eyes met red, one combatant far worse off than the other. Yet even as Link watched, the wounds began to clot. They weren't healing, not yet, but the very first blow he had dealt was no longer bleeding. Regeneration, then, or perhaps simply fast healing? He didn't know, he wasn't one of the people who'd trawled the internet scaling peoples strength; he'd call it regeneration. It wasn't on par with the likes of Wolverine, obviously, but it wasn't something to take lightly. A lynel could, evidently, outlast even a champion level fighter if they weren't able to put it down.

A drain on his magic that was getting less and less evident, both sword and shield growing once more. Cracks and chips were noticeable on both sword and shield now; he did not want to lose these, so it was visibly time to end it. He shrank them back, the monster growling in anger. It seemed hesitant to charge, however, remembering the way it had been punished for that.

That was fine though; Link would go to it. Magic swelled within him, a voice popping up in his mind for the first time in two days.

Come on Hero, stop playing around.

Another spoke, Revali's voice quickly put on the back foot.

Don't be so rude, he's having fun. Don't act like we didn't see the way you acted during a good challenge.

That has nothing to do with this.

Urbosa, warm and affectionate; Revali, prideful and condescending. Why were they speaking now? He wasn't afraid of anything other than losing good weapons right now…

We are always here for you; we just can't always see you.

Soft and soothing waters, Mipha's voice always a welcome sound. They can't always see him? What did that mean?

His attention was drawn back by a roar of challenge, the lynel setting its feet. The message was clear; come and get it. Link would hate to turn down such a kind offer, but he also didn't want to lose the chance to learn more about them. Urbosa's voice spoke once more, encouraging.

You need not worry, little hero. We aren't going anywhere, and I have no doubt you'll find out how to talk to us soon enough. For now, however, you have a monster to put down.

She was right, as much as he hated to admit it. Magic swelled, Revali's Gale answering the call with an eagerness he hadn't yet felt. One step and the winds carried him to the monster, hateful eyes blinking in shock as to its gaze he vanished. Urbosa's Fury crackled to life as his blade cut deep into the beast's flesh, lighting roaring forth from the heavens themselves to strike at the monster.

Skin blackened, the smell of burnt flesh pricking at his nostrils, a roar of pain unlike anything Link had ever heard only barely able to be heard over the boom of thunder. The body bucked, and he was thrown free, but his blade came with him. Crazed red eyes glared at him, no sense remaining; it charged, and Link did the same.

The gale wasn't called this time; no need for fury, protection, or grace. The beast swung with its blade, shield held vertically and swinging opposite the blade to catch him should he backflip again. It mattered not; the world slowed as he leapt, foot planting itself easily upon the sword. His leg pushed down, body launching upwards, and the black shield was placed upon his back and the sword taken in two hands.

The blade expanded to the length and thickness of a Knight's Greatsword, chips and dents showing up in the blade, and Link swung. A blow stronger than anything he'd given, more effort put forth into this single swing than anything else he'd done. The blade met the monster's neck and met no resistance; it met the spine and there was no resistance. He was left spinning in the air due to the force behind the blow, the lynel's natural toughness nowhere near enough to stop his swing.

He landed on the ground, time resuming its normal flow, the heavy crash of the monster's body behind him. A breeze in his hair, a hand squeezing his shoulder, cool waters on his hand and rocks at his back.

That was almost impressive, if it wasn't for that last part.

Not bad, little hero. You need to stop playing with your food though.

I am glad you are not hurt, Link.

Great job, little buddy! I didn't even have to guard your back that time!

The four essences faded then, and it hurt a lot more than he'd been expecting. Why could they only see him occasionally? Why couldn't he talk to them normally? How could they talk at all? None of this made any sense!

Why did it hurt, to feel them fade? He could still feel the power, could call the abilities up at any moment…but the more that welled up within him when the champions were present was gone once more, and it left a hole that he hadn't expected. A heavy sigh, and he turned, soft wind brushing across him as Sylph landed. There was no victorious sound from her, just concerned yellow eyes and a warmth in his soul.

Link smiled, free hand coming out to caress this wonderful, beautiful bird. Soul link or not, she was already the best companion he'd ever had. She couldn't speak, but then she didn't need to, did she? Everything she needed to get across could be done through the bond; even body language was just icing on the cake.

"I'm alright, don't worry. Just…adjusting, so to speak." Confusion, a gentle headbutt. Link took a moment to organize his thoughts, trying to explain it.

"These abilities that I have…the wind, the lighting, the shield, the healing…they aren't mine. I don't even know how I have them, but they came with spirits. Friends…just not mine." He wanted them to be though. He'd disliked Revali on principle when he'd played the game, but it was hard to dislike someone who was sharing your soul, was freely giving their power to you. The Rito Archer was a bit prickly, a lot prickly really, but he was a damn good man. Bird. Person. Eh, he'd stick with man.

"They know me, somehow, but I don't know how much they know or how they're here. Yet they're helping me without question, caring for me without question; even the prickliest of them lends his strength in less time than it takes to blink. They want me safe, apparently, but so much kindness and goodwill hurts when the spirits leave." A soft trill, another headbutt, cool keratin against his body. There was no judgment there, just care; just like it had been from every single person he'd bothered to talk to since he got here.

It both hurt and helped, in all honesty. Why couldn't he have gotten half of this in his original body? Was it simply because Link was useful, was valuable, whereas he hadn't been? Or were Skylians and a bird simply that much kinder than humans? A bitter chuckle; the answer was, pretty clearly, the latter. Skyloft wasn't exactly at war with itself, and left alone there had never been a single game where the Hylians had a war.

They didn't fight each other; the only things they fought were monsters and, when the Curse of Demise manifested once more, the Gerudo. Left alone they would be more than happy to prosper and help each other out, and he couldn't help but marvel at that.

A few more minutes passed, Sylph happy to provide whatever comfort she could, but Link eventually stepped away and looked upon his spoils. A massive blade, a massive shield, a massive bow, and quite a few materials. Three hooves, large and strong. One horn, jagged and cruel. Two odd crimson-orange organs pulsating disgustingly still; the guts, even if they in truth looked a lot more like a heart than a gut. Then again, what did he know?

He wasn't quite to where he needed to be yet, but this was a good start. One more Lynel kill and he should be set, and then it was just Hinox, Lizalfos, Moblins, and Chu Chu. Fortunately they were all easy enough to request missions for, though Casa had stared at him as he'd requested two Lynel hunts. This worked out well, however, it meant that he wouldn't have to give her a heart attack by taking on a third.

His eyes turned back to the sword and shield, both rather odd all things considered. This had been a blue-maned Lynel, yet it was carrying the highest tier of weapon; Savage Lynel Gear. Picking up the sword gave him the same sense of more that the darknut blade did, so he let it expand; it swelled up large enough to be a large greatsword for a creature three times his size. Suffice it to say, his hand didn't even fit the hilt anymore, the blade falling to the ground with a thud. It was massive, and it was fairly damaged with large chunks taken out of it.

Link sighed, digging into his pouch to pull out several potions. Weapon repairing and shield repairing; they were wonderful, truly they were, and had he still been in his original world he would be wishing with all his might that Breath of the Wild had had them as a consumable item. He would have spent so many rupees on them preserving his favored weapons.

Fortunately, he was saved from the tedium of having to keep backtracking to buy them in the game by virtue of the fact that he had to buy them in real life! He had the nasty feeling that he was going to be burning through these potions at a horrendous rate…but, well. Better them than the weapons. Weapons that could withstand him exerting genuine effort weren't exactly the norm for Skylians to produce, after all; judging by what the Knight's Broadsword had put up with yesterday, it would have shattered about seven blows into this fight.

Link applied the potion, watching as the blade regenerated before his eyes, taking on its iconic form properly once more. A massive handle, and even larger crossguard, three links of chain each bigger than his hand linking the cross guard to the pommel, a relatively small blade sticking out of the other side. Said blade was still about the size of his hand.

The width of the blade at the start was now larger than his body five times over, though Link was rather small. It only got wider as it continued however, swelling out to the right in a crescent moon and to the left in a gentler, yet still sharp, curve. Two separate blades protruded to the left of the main one, the most menacing part of the blade resembling an ax head far more than any kind of sword. The crescent moon beneath said ax head seemed to be purpose-built for decapitation of monsters as big as a Lynel as well, meaning that the blade was designed for carnage and carnage only.

The shield was utterly ridiculous as well. It too could grow, and it too was marred by massive dents in solid metal and great chunks missing from it. No matter, he had plenty of potion. Soon enough it too was back to its proper state, and just like with the blade, this tool for defense was designed with offense in mind. Three large blades protruded from the center of the shield, solid metal and each honed to a killing edge. Two more pieces of metal, adorned with studs and attached to the three blades, sat at the bottom of the shield, protruding at five and seven respectively if it was an analog clock.

A shield bash would hurt. A shield slam would kill. A shield throw would kill. It could take a beating, of that there was no doubt, but it was very visibly a killing implement before it was anything else. Currently a dull gold in color, Link couldn't help but wonder if he could paint it. Gold didn't really fit…well, any of his clothing, really.

The final tool was the bow, and it too was custom built for melee combat. Composed entirely of metal and some kind of string he couldn't identify, the center of the bow was a ring with a small handgrip on the side facing the bowstring. Directly on the other side of said ring, however, was a miniature savage lynel blade; miniature in terms of the fact that it was merely the size of his shield rather than something ridiculous like a greatsword. At the top and bottom of the bow, where the string latched onto, were another two small blades, because if you couldn't use a bow to shred your way through an enemy army in melee what were you even doing with your life?

Link picked the bow up, delighted and confused to find that it could grow and shrink like the other weapons. It grew to be large enough to be a greatbow even to a Lynel, but unlike the sword and shield he couldn't really see it serving a purpose. Not unless the arrows could grow and shrink too…well, they probably could, all things considered. He shrank it to the size of his other bows, but he honestly felt like this would be better served as a longbow. His arrows weren't quite long enough, unfortunately, but it didn't matter.

His hand found the grip, fingers gripping the string and pulling it back. It became apparent immediately that shrinking it hadn't affected the draw strength in the slightest; he had to put some effort into pulling it back, and keeping it fully drawn was enough for him to notice that he was doing so. Comparing that to the Knight's Bow, which he could barely feel, and it was pretty clear which of the two was stronger. It wasn't exactly close, either.

He slowly reduced the tension, letting it snap back to the proper position, before he drew an arrow. His eyes landed on a tree some distance away; far enough that it would take him several minutes to walk over there. The arrow was nocked, the string pulled back, the head sitting perfectly in a notch just above his hand. Inhale, exhale, loose; his magic drained, and the arrow rocketed forth, two spectral arrows following beside it. All three blasted straight through the tree, his eyesight letting him see the holes left behind.

Curiosity sparked. The game had had the lynel bows firing three arrows at the time for the price of one, but he had thought that to be just a mechanic. If it was an enchantment…well. This could be fun! He fired several more arrows into the woods, testing it out. It took a bit of thought, but he could either send all three arrows to a single target or spread them out at what was, he suspected, something like 30 degree angles. Useful knowledge for the future, that was for sure.

It took him a few more minutes to repair the darknut gear, but then he was mounting Sylph once more. This had been a lovely time, but he had more monsters to hunt. He wanted to get his enchanted gear as quickly as possible, after all, and to do so meant getting all of the materials back to Hinea today.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Fire blasted forth, burning the world, met by spiraling force. Fire was found wanting, blown apart, and a sharp beak carved through flesh.

Powerful wings blasted down, Link's body pressed tight to crimson feathers as Sylph moved. A roar of fury, arrows whizzing by his head, the Loftwing of Legend not even phased. Excitement pounded in his soul, a heart not his own beating fiercely with delight. They banked, carving through the sky at a terrifying pace, and a moment later they were facing the Lynel again.

Red maned this time, a lesser bow launching three massive arrows at them. Sylph's wings flapped once and they were above the shafts, each one longer than Link was tall by a noticeable margin, and yellow talons extended out. An agonized roar as eight sharp claws dug across a torso and latched, the Lynel letting out a horrible screech as it was lifted by the muscles of a bird that wasn't even struggling. Magic drained from his core, channeled through the bond in his soul, and Link couldn't help but grin. Magic enhanced strength, powered by their bond. Incredible.

Their speed only increased despite carrying what was quite possibly tons of weight, red flecks glowing in the air as they powered through. The ground got farther and farther away, the beast finally recovering from the shock and pain. Its bow was dropped, hands going to spear and shield. Sylph waited until the last moment, right before the beast's hands latched around it, then she released.

Fear filled the howl that left the beast's lips as it hurtled towards the ground, Sylph flapping once more and changing from horizontal to vertical with impossible quickness. Wind blasted at his face as his partner passed the falling Lynel, going nearly to the ground before she flapped again and changed directions a second time. Horizontal once more, moving across the world at such a pace that the grass was a blur even to him, she turned even as a thunderous crash shook the world.

Then they were charging, the Lynel dazed and in pain, and crimson glowed stronger on her wings than ever before. There was no spinning this time; just a blade made from a wing, cutting a monster in half. It took her longer to slow down than it did to kill the Lynel, Sylph trading speed for altitude and a distinct sense of smugness radiating from her. After all, she'd killed hers faster than he killed his.

Link couldn't help but laugh, disbelieving and shaken. Why couldn't the other Loftwings do things like that? If they could all fight like that, the monsters wouldn't even be a threat! She'd just killed a Lynel inside of a minute, and he felt like that was understating it.

Honestly, just going off of this alone, Sylph could give him a better fight than anything else in Skyloft. Even as the thought crossed his mind Sylph's head turned just enough to look at him, one yellow eye examining him with excitement. A certainty settled into his bones, a competitive sense of fun thrumming through the bond.

Link had fought Sylph before, probably multiple times. And, considering the sensations he was getting from her…the fights had either been inconclusive, or the bird had lost. There was a sense of…not revenge, not really, but a "I'll get you this time" that came through surprisingly clearly. That…that had terrifying implications. Link couldn't help himself; he grinned, and promptly planned for a fight soon. Sylph's soul burned with eagerness at the idea, and the two landed, both eager for what was to come. Link gathered up the weapons and the spoils, and they were off again; there was still much more to do, after all.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Hinox.

Massive creatures, even in comparison to how large Moblins and Lynel were. Bokoblins made giant in one regard, with great floppy ears and minimal intelligence, but strength greater than anything save perhaps a Lynel. Giant ogres in other regards, fat stomachs covered in grease, oil, and drool and massive claws capable of cutting men in half, a single cyclopean eye staring dumbly out at the world.

Thankfully for the world, they spent most of their time sleeping. That much body was a bit much even for the twisted magic that gave monsters life, requiring a lot of rest and immense quantities of food to keep trucking. It mattered not, however, for wherever there were Hinox to be found, there were bokoblins and moblins happy to hang out near them and provide them with food.

After all, they had a big friend happy to fight for them, happy to keep them safe in exchange for the simple tribute of food. Simple enough, mutually beneficial and showing that even the dumbest of monsters had basic sense. It didn't change the fact that Hinox were still monsters on an entirely different level.

The one Link was watching was currently eating, and its food was not cooked. Even as he watched it lifted a dead cow taken from somewhere and bit, blood and muscle and bone ripped from the corpse to be chomped down by teeth bigger than any he'd ever seen. The other half was thrown in moments later, blood dripping down its chin to splatter on the fat of its stomach. The massive eye blinked, eyelids closing vertically rather than horizontally, a blue pupil surrounded by ugly yellow sclera gazing out into the distance.

What it was thinking about, he didn't know, but what he did know was that it was going to die soon. According to Casa, Hinox were a menace. Keeping those big beasts fed was the equivalent of feeding three towns of Skylians; if they wandered too close to society, they had to be prioritized before any other monster lest they eat everything nearby. Trees included, apparently.

Hinox weren't like the Lynel, the Darknut, the Lizalfos, or any other. While all of those could be problems for Skyloft, they were not deadly to all surrounding life simply by existing. Lynels claimed territory and stuck to it come hell or highwater, barring an Incursion or something infuriating them. Lizalfos roamed in packs, but tended to stay away from settlements unless they had large numbers. Bokoblins weren't exactly a threat on their own, and Darknut's only attacked civilian holdings during Incursions apparently.

Hinox, however, would obliterate nature itself, consuming everything in an area and then moving onto another to do the same thing there. The trail of devastation they left in their wake could not be understated or underestimated, so when they showed up they needed to be put down quickly, lest they move towards Skylian settlements or, far worse, their herds. Skyloft had quite a few different animals that were integral to its survival, and beyond that Loftwings tended to hunt a fair bit outside their borders as well. To lose that would be to risk their survival, and Skyloft did not tolerate that.

There were twenty seven bokoblins around the beast, some cooking other meats at fires and others dragging deer close to it. Four moblins as well, though after fighting a Darknut and a Lynel they honestly weren't that impressive to him anymore. They'd been dangerous enough in the game if you weren't careful, but…well. Link wasn't in the game anymore. No, he wasn't limited by game mechanics, and that meant that the foes before him were…underwhelming, honestly.

That didn't mean that he could be reckless, however. No, he'd gotten two separate bows today and he intended to use one of them. Not the better one; if that thing even could be broken like in the game he didn't want to waste it already. No, the far simpler Lynel Bow was his choice, with three smaller blades in the center, top, and bottom and far weaker metal making up the bow. Despite that, however, the draw strength was still several times that of the Knight's bow, which made sense considering the strength difference.

Inhale, exhale, loose; three arrows flew towards their targets, two of them arcing along different paths than the first. As one each arrow struck its target, bokoblins dying before they even knew what hit them. The camp began to panic, and Link leapt off the large rock he'd climbed atop, the world slowing as he fell. It wasn't a long fall, a mere twenty feet; survivable even before he'd gained this body, but he knew he could take this considering how hard the Lynel had hit him earlier.

He'd hit the ground hard enough to leave furrows and didn't snap his legs like twigs; a little fall like this would be a non-issue. Arrows flew, the third in the air before the first had even hit its target, Link's ridiculous body guiding his shots. Three down, six down, nine down; two more shots and then he was hitting the ground and replacing the bow upon his back. Twelve down, fifteen; Link was good at archery, every incarnation had been, and it was on full display here.

The darknut blade was drawn, the shield on his right, and monsters scrambled to grab weapons even as he charged. The Hinox blinked, ever so slowly, and a snarl spread across its ugly face. A roar of fury, the beast beginning to rise even as red blood was spilt upon the ground. Link focused on the Moblins first, cutting them down with prejudice before they could even get settled. The Hinox wasted time with a second, louder roar to express the anger it felt at all its friends dying. Link couldn't blame it, but also couldn't bring himself to care, carving through the bokoblins faster than they could react to.

The final monster hit the ground as Link turned to face the Hinox, blue eye blinking confusedly for a moment. The realization clicked, and there were no more roars. No further expression of anger; no, its three-fingered hand instead grabbed a nearby tree trunk and ripped it from the ground, roots and dirt and all, with no visible effort. Link's mind had a moment to wonder if he'd made a mistake standing so close to it, even as his body set itself in a way he didn't recognize. His brain idly registered the fact that he was standing before a monster over four times his size, even as both parties moved.

The monster swung, his feet stepped forth and his shield slammed forward, and force met force…it was the Hinox found wanting. The trunk stopped, a shout of exerting leaving Link's lips, and his mind wondered. That…that was a lot of force he'd just stopped…

The monster stared down at him, wondering why he wasn't dead. There weren't many things, after all, that could survive a Hinox's force, to say nothing of countering it. Link himself stood stunned for a moment, but he shook it off faster than the Hinox did. Forward he went, his blade cutting deeply into the monster's exposed ankle. A roar of pain, the monster's foot rising, Link slicing into the other. Down came the beast, Link barely able to get out of the way of the massive bulk in time. Winds flowed forth from beneath him, his body rising up to the monster's original height and then coming crashing back down.

The darknut blade expanded once more, Link finding delight in how much use he was getting from it, and as the beast looked up at him in shock the blade was slammed through its eye, white fluids squelching out around the blade. The beast was dead before it had even realized what happened, it and all the other monsters bursting into black smoke and leaving Link to fall towards the ground.

He landed amongst dead fish and weaponry; two soldiers spears and claymore, by the looks of it. He picked them up to add to the collection, but by this point he was probably never going to wield them unless things went incredibly wrong. Whyever would he put away the incredibly useful darknut blade, after all; it was wonderful. Honestly he was curious as to whether or not even the Master Sword was as useful as this, though that felt blasphemous in a lot of ways.

The simple truth was, however, that the Master Sword couldn't expand and shrink like this. Sure, it took him a moment of focus, but it was still a genuine wonder to be able to do so. It gave him greater range, more stopping power, and let him be a much larger threat when his opponent least expected it.

Sizable yellow organs quivered on the ground, a pungent odor filling the air. Describing it was impossible, some kind of horrid blend between old and sweaty socks, vomit, and the most spoiled milk imaginable. They were slimy and sticky, and he felt a lot dirtier just for having touched he wouldn't have to again, because the monster had released all three that he'd needed. Link wasn't quite sure whether the toenails or the teeth were worse, however; both were horribly yellowed and smelled equally bad.

Both were also ridiculously large; the toenail was larger than both of his hands together and thicker than the plate armor the knights wore. Meanwhile the tooth was casually larger than his head by a significant margin. Both were disgusting, but both went into his pouch. Why did monsters have to be so disgusting? An odd, bitter giggle rose up. Funnily enough, that was probably what a lot of women had thought about him in his original life…

He shook it off, calling for Sylph with the hand that hadn't touched the guts. A few more minutes of collecting monster parts and they were off, hunting down the last remaining monsters. He was so close, after all, and he still had a few hours before he needed to be back. He needed the gear…well, he would need the gear. There was no time to waste, not with the clock ticking ever onwards. The ability to make one appear over his hand, beyond even the bracelet, had only driven that point home all the harder, after all.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Chuchu were, perhaps, the oddest creatures ever.

They were also some of the most dangerous, strangely enough, at least to the unwary. The games made them out to be a joke, little more than easily slain mob creatures. Just little blobs of jelly with big eyes; they could leap at you, and the elemental varieties could utilize said element. Simple. Fun, even.

Chuchu's here weren't quite as fun, for one rather simple fact; the jelly wasn't exactly harmless jelly that could only hurt you via blunt force. No, that would be too simple, too easy! No…here and now, in this world? Chuchu were acid slimes, with an acid so potent that it dissolved any living thing that it came across. Inert things such as metals would be fine, which was a blessing when it came to killing them and honestly rendered them still rather low on the monster threat list. If they caught you, however? If you so much as got tackled by the jelly, engulfed in it by the motion? The Skylian body would dissolve into nothing within three minutes, making it the single most potent acid he'd ever heard of that didn't come from a fictional creature.

They oozed along the ground, leaving trails of bare earth behind them devoid of so much as a blade of grass. They didn't change direction for trees, dissolving those too. Only boulders would see the jellies ignoring them, but any moss or growth upon said rock would be obliterated. Naturally, while this made them more dangerous to kill, it also made the jelly more dangerous to collect.

The singular blessing when it came to that was that chuchu jelly rapidly lost potency when the monster died; after about ten minutes exposed to the air, the worst that would happen were minor acid burns. The curse that came along with that blessing, however, was the fact that chuchu jelly was at its most useful when it was fresh, and potent. Strong enough to melt through flesh, but somehow leave a glass bottle unscathed.

It turned killing and collecting them into something of a chore, because unless you wanted to have only a little bit of useful jelly you had to harvest them as you killed them. Link was still able to fill several bottles with ease, more than he'd been asked for in fact, but it was irritating. Mipha's Grace saw use on him for the first time as the acid jelly he was trying to get into bottles failed to cooperate. Soon enough, however, he was done, and with the moblins and lizalfos being finished earlier…well, that was it. Time for a trip to get paid by Casa and then it was back to the college.

~~The Eternal Game~~

Reason.

To persuade with a rational argument, an explanation for an event, or the power of a mind to think and understand through logic. All three of these things must be kept in mind when one is diving into Magic. It is quite an interesting study in contrast, after all. Magic defies reason at the very basic level, before it does anything else. It is hardly natural for a

Skylian to throw a fireball, or for us to command bolts of lightning. Yet, through logic and reason, it becomes the most natural thing in the world.

Reason is one half of our Magic System, taught to us by Hylia herself in the earliest days of our creation. It is, fundamentally, the ability to persuade the governing laws of the world itself that your view is correct and this should happen. Whether that is casting lightning, speeding your body up, keeping yourself warm in the cold, or any number of other effects, the core tenets are the same.

To utilize Reason, the Caster requires three things. First, an understanding of Nayru's Law. Second, Time. Third, and perhaps the most important, they require Magic. Each of the three aspects, like everything that comes from the Golden Goddesses, are equally important. If one were to be missing, the entire effort falls flat.

In reverse order, we start with Magic. All the time in the world, a flawless understanding of Nayru's Law, and it will do you no good without having magic to make the argument in the first place. No matter how knowledgeable you are of yourself, of the world…it will never allow you to use magic without having that spark of power within you.

Then we come to Time, Hylia's own Domain. Utilizing Reason takes time, perhaps more than anything else. Time to make the argument, time to set the parameters, time to adjust the setting, time to adjust the power…Reason requires a lot of time to be effective. This is mitigated, in part, by virtue of the fact that we are capable of completing nearly an entire argument and leaving only the closing words to be completed on the field, allowing for much faster spell casting. Unfortunately, it doesn't remove the fact that the arguments take hours to craft.

Finally, and arguably the most important, is to understand Nayru's Laws, for without that one knows neither the argument to craft or what they are even arguing against. This part is also perhaps the most difficult, as Nayru's law can only be persuaded by two things. The intervention of the Goddess Hylia, which allows us to cast magic through Faith…or the mind-numbing pain of Math.

Nayru is the Goddess of Wisdom, and to the regret of countless generations of Hylia's children, this means that when she was creating her laws she created them in a way that they would last forever. What the Laws actually are, we do not know, but we do know that we can interact with them through the correct type of math.

Unfortunate as it is, an argument of Reason is based fully and entirely in math. It is through equations that we have managed to understand how parts of the world works, and therefore it is through higher mathematics that we can influence it. This has been a source of eternal headache for our entire race and, according to the ancient stories of the Goddess teaching us, a source of gentle amusement for her.

Now, I can already hear your questions, and it is the same one that I started with. "Archmage Kabus, how does one create an argument through math? It's not like it has words in it!" You are correct with your question, and the answer to it is simple: pain.

This is going to give every single Skylian that studies it a headache. It does not matter how good you are at math, you will be frustrated, hit solid walls blocking your progress, and experience migraines the likes of which you never have before.

It is worth it, however, because it gives us the ability to fight back. Not everyone is skilled with a sword, not everyone is blessed with a Loftwing, but everyone I have ever met is capable of magic to at least some degree. All it takes is the will and patience to learn.

There are four major walls that stand between an aspiring mage and their ability to cast magic. Understanding the math, understanding how the math interacts with Nayru's Laws, constructing an argument, and creating a magical formula that represents themself. To begin with, this requires…

…

…

Link heaved a sigh, blowing air through his lips even as he slumped against the couch. His head ached, his eyes ached, and he had been growing steadily more and more irritated for the past hour. Reason, in a word, sucked.

Honestly, who looked at magic and went "Yes, this seems like a beautiful thing to codify with complex mathematics" and saw nothing wrong with it? Where was the simplicity of a few words and maybe some hand movements? He'd seen several communication spells and everyone of them had included hand movements, why couldn't he have that?

Another sigh, a disgusted look at the three pages of equations he'd had to do in pen because he had no pencils. Never in his life had he expected to miss the terrible #2 wooden pencils that were used for every major exam he'd ever taken, but he did. Being able to erase mistakes would make his life a lot easier. Unfortunately, as wonderful as this world was so far, that was a luxury he didn't have.

Funny, he'd have expected to miss air conditioning first, but this body did remarkably well with the weather. Even sweating didn't feel as terrible as it did in his original body. The headache, however, was equally painful, so not everything could be better. His eyes drifted back over the pages, despising them and proud of them in equal measure.

Dropping off the materials and rupees hadn't exactly taken much time; Hinea had just looked at him with amusement, shaking her head, and telling him they would be ready in time for the Festival in case he wanted them early, otherwise he could pick them up after it was over. Despite that, however, he was still significantly wealthier than he had been just this morning, and that was saying something.

He'd started the day off with 212,967 Rupees, and had spent a grand total of 42,675 today. Then he had slaughtered two Lynel, a Hinox, two groups of Moblins, a group of Lizalfos, and a pack of Chuchu. His reward had added up to 185,000 Rupees in total, bringing his current amount to 355,292. Hilariously enough, his attempt to spend money had only wound up in him gaining significantly more. He now had three Big Platinum Rupees, a gem that didn't exist in the game, along with 55 Platinum Rupees, 2 silvers, a purple, 2 reds, and 2 greens.

He'd made a point of storing them, and his new weapons, in his room so as to not panic Zelda again. With more context, it made a lot more sense that she would be so shocked upon seeing so much money. It meant that he'd done a lot of dangerous things in one day, and was quite possibly the most rupees she'd seen in one place outside of wherever the Royal Treasury was.

Cleaning hadn't taken long, and dinner hadn't taken that much longer. Even now it remained on the stove, keeping warmed, another veritable feast prepared for the two of them. He actually needed to do whatever pass for grocery shopping soon, as they were running out of food. Or just go foraging and hunting; perhaps just the former? He didn't exactly know how to skin and butcher an animal, but perhaps it would be in the same subconscious group as all of Link's other skills.

Link rose, closing the book and tidying up the desk, and walked over to flop down onto the couch. His first mistake had been picking up the Big Book of Reason. His second had been the assumption that all of the starting stuff would be as easy as displaying the time.

He had been horribly wrong.

Archmage Kabus, the apparent author of the book, had been horrifically accurate. Studying Reason was a headache, plain and simple. It was one thing to tell time; it wasn't a "unique" spell, it had all of one moving part, and it held a universal cause and effect. Take the Skylian understanding of time and display it above my hand in a visible manner, please; that was what those nine equations boiled down to. Each one built upon the next, each one served a purpose, with the ninth tying it all together and the first eight describing how to do it.

That formula was, unfortunately, followed to an exhausting level in Reason. It took ten equations, each answer serving as part of the next, to display the time of day. He was currently approaching his 90th equation for making a breeze. Not something strong, nowhere near Revali's Gale which was so easy it might as well be blinking. No, a simple breeze just strong enough to keep a feather aloft.

Crafting an argument was a simple, and deceiving, way of describing the process. It represented each equation building into the next, each segment of the overall spell coming together to work as one, and the convincing of the Laws to bend to your will. Describing any of it was also, as Archmage Kabus put it, pain. Three pages in on the current attempt, dozens of mistakes found and caught as he went; Link had believed himself to be good at math before today.

Today had been a good day; even the math wasn't enough to deny him that, thankfully, but it did put him in the position of desperately needing a power nap before Zelda got home. She was adorable, she was wonderful, and she did not deserve him being grumpy just because he'd been banging his head against a brick wall for the past hour. He wasn't even in the mood to talk, wasn't even sure he had enough mental capacity to smile at this point.

Which, naturally, meant that the door chose that exact moment to open.

It took everything he had not to groan into the pillow, not having the strength yet to raise his head. He didn't want to bring any negativity into an interaction with the wonderful, beautiful girl that was far kinder to him than he deserved. Even as he heard her shuffling about, he couldn't muster up the energy to move.

Gentle footsteps towards the sofa, and he began to tense, forcing forth the will to move. Just as he started to rise a soft hand landed in his hair, fingers finding the base of his skull and massaging gently. Like she had touched some kind of off switch, Link's entire body lost tension and slumped right back onto the pillow. Soothing humming sounded above him in a familiar rhythm, fabric shifting as she lowered herself to sit beside him.

Zelda didn't speak, but she did take her hand off his head to go towards his shoulders. A little bit of pressure, just enough to register, and he rose; somehow it was so much easier now than it had been a moment ago. She shifted, thighs sliding into view, and she pushed him down once more. A bit of adjusting, Link rolling onto his side to make it a bit more comfortable, but within a minute his cheek was pillowed against soft flesh.

A lap pillow, Zelda once again providing something that belonged in romance stories without hesitation. Two hands landed in his hair, the first resuming its work at the base of his skull and the other carefully massaging the rest. Fingers pressed and rolled, Link's nostrils filled with the soft scent of lavender and his ears filled with that familiar tune. Zelda's Lullaby, the song that followed her throughout every mainline game in the franchise. He'd never heard it hummed before, but in her voice it was beautiful.

Link could have gone to sleep there; a warm body against his head, soft flesh cradling his head, hands lovingly caressing his head and the voice of an angel humming a lullaby. The headache was drawn out by skilled fingers, a massage that she didn't seem to grow tired of doing as the minutes ticked by. Much like every other interaction with Zelda since he'd taken a step and wound up here, this wasn't like anything he'd ever imagined.

It was more wonderful because of that, he felt. She hadn't hesitated, hadn't spoken; Zelda had just walked over to him and started caring for him. She was no doubt hungry, and was probably tired, but she hadn't hesitated to do it regardless. A warmth was in his chest, contentment pooling in his stomach. Was it possible to fall in love with someone within three or four days? Because he was pretty sure he was.

He'd never felt this content to simply be around someone. Not once in his life had he not been in the mood to talk and had that respected; the possibility of it happening without him even asking for silence hadn't even been an option to enter his mind. Yet here Zelda was, once again proving beyond any possible doubt that she was far too wonderful a person to exist, far less be so attached to him.

From the first conversation with him she had been fond and affectionate, and that had only increased today. The outpouring of affection he'd received this morning was something that still easily popped into mind, and matched with this…the warmth in his chest spread to the rest of his body, making him feel gooey and uncertain. He'd never felt like this, after all. Perhaps it really was love; it wouldn't surprise him, at this point. This had been a few days full of firsts, after all; why not one more?

Several more minutes passed, Link's will to exist coming back to him steadily. Eventually he gained enough strength of will to turn, sliding onto his back and looking up at Zelda, hoping to provide her with thanks. He'd forgotten, however, that Zelda had breasts, and his eyes were treated to the sight of them pushing out against her tunic. Strangely enough, this hadn't been an issue before…mainly because his eyes had mostly been closed.

His hand came up, catching one of hers and interlacing their fingers. She leaned forward, blue eyes meeting his past the swell of her chest, and squeezed his hand. Her other hand almost immediately resettled into his hair, her love for it coming through once again. Link found the strength to speak, voice low and soft.

"Thank you." Pretty eyes crinkled in a smile, her voice every bit as gentle.

"You are welcome, Link. Are you feeling better?" An agreeing hum, Link wondering why she was so comfortable with his eyes on her breasts. Sure, he wasn't looking directly at them, but she wasn't even concerned with it apparently. She just smiled a bit wider, eyes closing just a touch, and spoke again.

"I am glad. I am not quite ready for you to move, however." Amusement welled up within him, mixing with the warmth and matched in the humor in her eyes. Stay on her lap for a little longer? He could do that; dinner would remain warm, and he didn't think he would ever say no to more affection from this beautiful girl. Didn't think he could say no, in all truth.

So he closed his eyes and relaxed back onto her thighs, one hand still holding hers and her other and entangled in his hair. It was a beautiful way to spend time together, no matter how selfishly indulgent it felt. He was fine with it, at least for today.

"So, how was your day?" His own voice surprised him as he lay there, several minutes later. Zelda had reached a point where her humming had stopped, and was now just relaxing as well.

"It was alright, I suppose. The weaving is making good progress, and I should be finished by the end of the week. Just in time for the Festival of Wings to start, thankfully. I am unsure as to what I would do if I were required to continue weaving rather than enjoy the festival alongside you." Link could agree with that; he wasn't sure he would be able to really enjoy this festival without her. He'd no doubt manage some of it, certainly, but it would be infinitely more enjoyable with her beside him.

"What about you, Link? Are you up to speaking of it?" There was concern in her voice, her fingers gently rubbing against his skull. No pressure, not judgment; just kindness and concern. It was a wonderful thing, and one he wasn't sure he should get used to…but also couldn't get enough of.

"It's fine. The day itself was alright, though I am pretty sure I gave the Archmage a scare." That was putting it lightly; he was fairly sure the woman had experienced a pretty terrifying flashback considering the way she'd amped up those last few minutes and the way she'd been shaking when he'd approached her. It was the entire reason he'd poked her rather than hitting her again like he'd planned.

"That is unfortunate, though I am certain that she is fine. How did it happen?" So Link told her. He told her of the fun he'd had fighting the Royal Guard, and the fact that combined they'd been enough he'd felt himself being pushed. It hadn't lasted long enough, however, because they wound up having to bow out one after the other from exhaustion. Unfortunately, they weren't weapons designed to face the darkness, and as such they couldn't maintain that level of combat anywhere near as long as he could.

Hinea attacking him, their fight, the amusement he'd felt at the back and forth between her and Gaepora. The panic she'd displayed, the way she'd been shaking as he approached, the raw fear in her eyes. Her recovery, talking about the enchanted gear and his choices; mentioning his desire to have one of his current tunics enchanted resulted in a rather pleased hum from her, delightfully enough.

He didn't mention Reason yet, not right then. He'd get around to it. He continued on with the price, feeling rather than seeing her flinch. The fun he'd had fighting the Lynel made her sigh, and she let off an amused giggle at the way he marveled over Sylph being able to lift a Lynel, which he still wasn't over. He wasn't sure whether or not he could do that, and there she was making it look easy, even if it had burned a lot of magic. Link's strength feats were…odd, to say the least. Some of the older variants absolutely could manage tossing a Lynel, but they'd also had magical gear making them significantly stronger.

Covering the Hinox fight got an amused sigh, warm fingers carding through his hair. Finishing it all up had her laughing gently, the movement doing such interesting things to her chest.

"How many rupees did you earn today, Link?" Amusement joined the warmth, matching the tone of her voice as he responded somewhat ruefully.

"185,000." Her laughter came freely, the girl leaning back into the couch as she found joy in his predicament. He couldn't even blame her; he'd gone out today to find something to spend his money on, not gain even more of it, and succeeded in failing miserably. It takes her a few minutes to calm down, but when she does her voice is gentle once more.

"None of that would cause you as much stress as I walked into, however. If you do not wish to tell me, that is fine, but if you are up to it I would appreciate knowing. Perhaps it is something I can help with, after all." Again, there was neither judgment nor censure in her voice. Just acceptance, a tinge of concern, and care, and it was a wonderful thing.

"It's fine, I just didn't want to get on the subject before I covered the rest of the day." His free hand rose up, Zelda's leaving his hair and holding it a second later. Link looked at it, dumbfounded, before he giggled helplessly. Both of his hands squeezed hers, and Link couldn't help but keep giggling. When he finally managed to regain control of himself, Zelda's eyes were on him, looking curiously down at him.

"I was going to show you something, but I don't mind this." Red rose to rest upon her cheeks, the beautiful girl embarrassed by her own actions. He smiled up at her, far too happy about it to do anything else. Her hand slowly pulled away from his, and he was free to show off what little he had learned.

7:47.32

.33

.34

Blue eyes widened in surprise, before a wide smile blossomed to life upon her face. Red faded, delight taking its place as she spoke.

"You are learning magic! Oh, Link, that is wonderful!" She leaned forward, blocking his view of her face with the swell of her chest, and stopped. She leaned back, pouting slightly, and Link couldn't help but start laughing again. She pouted for a few moments more, but soon laughed as well. Link started to rise, so as to be able to look at her, but her hand was on his chest and pushing him back down before he could get more than a few inches up.

"There is no need for that, Link. I was simply a little too excited." Just to make sure he didn't try to get up again, she promptly tangled her fingers in his hair once more, their still linked other hands being brought to rest upon his chest. So Link happily settled back onto the pillowy thighs, and continued.

"I am learning Reason, to be specific. Archmage Hinea introduced me to it when I got to the college, and I have been bashing my head into a brick wall ever since." Zelda hummed thoughtfully.

"You learned to tell the time today, however? That must have taken a few hours." Link frowned up at her, though she couldn't see it. It had taken him a handful of minutes, and he said as such. Fingers tensed in his hair for a moment; not pulling, not really, but enough for him to notice that he'd said something odd.

"That…that is impressive, Link. Most people take a while longer to manage that." There was an odd tone to her voice, one he couldn't quite recognize.

"If you managed that so easily though, what caused the problem?" The tone was gone, shaken off and replaced with care so very easily. Link dismissed it; perhaps he hadn't previously been good at math? It would make sense considering how concerned she had been for his grades, at least.

"Because Reason is pain." A giggle at his heartfelt statement, Zelda unable to prevent it. Link continued after she stopped, amused despite himself.

"To learn Reason requires more math than I've ever wanted to see in one place, far less to actually have to do. Over a hundred equations for the most minor of spells, thousands for the truly powerful one. According to the author of the book I was given, the most complex spell he knows requires seventeen thousand separate equations, needing a full day's worth of work to do the math." That wasn't a "it will take one day of work" either. That was twenty four hours straight of math; no breaks, no pauses, nothing. A full day of math. Sure, breaks could be taken, and you wouldn't lose your progress unless you were doing it outside of a specially prepared Tome…but that was still pain.

"That…sounds a lot worse than I was expecting." Zelda sounded nervous, and it was music to his ears. She would know his pain! Not today, however; as much as he enjoyed the thought of seeing her pretty face scrunch up in frustration over math, he was much happier to see her happy and content. So there would be no more reason tonight.

"It is pretty bad. It's kind of amusing as well, though." She made a noise of interest, mind wondering what could be fun about math.

"The person who wrote the book despises math on a level I wasn't able to imagine before today. Every few paragraphs at most he's insulting it and warning you about how much it sucks to do, often adding in personal anecdotes about how much he struggled with this." Zelda giggled, and once again he felt her head shake.

"It cannot be that bad." Link was the one to laugh now.

"You're right, it's worse. Honestly though, it's helpful. They weren't some prodigy that got everything right from the start, making ridiculous connections and explaining it in the same way. They struggled, visibly, with learning it and a lot of the tips and tricks were helpful." They really, truly were, even for him. Sure, he could mentally do a lot of the math he'd done this afternoon, but any and every time he'd gotten properly stuck the Archmage's words had been there to guide him. It had no doubt spared him a migraine, reducing it to just a headache.

"I am glad that it is not all bad, then. Did you have any luck in creating a spell?" Link hummed consideringly. No, not really, but also yes? He'd been trying to make a breeze, which was hardly a spell at all, but he'd also learned a lot in the attempt. Still, as she'd asked it that way, no.

"Not really. I was trying to make a small breeze and got sick of it when I hit the 87th equation and wasn't even finished with foundation yet." Zelda tensed beneath him and above him, his ears hearing the way her body moved. As odd as hearing the shiver had been, honestly.

"I…eighty-seven equations for a breeze?" She sounded horrified and awed all at once, and Link chuckled with both bitterness and helplessness.

"87 and I'm not close to finishing it. Makes you respect the mages a lot more, doesn't it?" A vaguely agreeing and horrified noise left her lips, and Link gave her a few minutes to adjust to it.

"It will get lower as I improve, apparently. According to the author, minor spells can more than be cut in half as I improve, and major spells can be reduced by over a third. Still a lot of math though." It really was, and Zelda acknowledged that. A few minutes of silence passed, before his ears picked up something else. A rumbling stomach, soft but very much present, coming from the Princess.

It meant it was well past time to rise, and to get food, and so despite her protests and his own lack of will, he did. Soon enough they were eating, and soon enough after that they were cuddling once more, this time able to look into each other's eyes.

It was yet another wonderful evening, for all that he'd given himself a headache. Zelda didn't push him to learn more, had no expectations of him other than his company and shared warmth. Quiet contentment was the order of the night, and it was a truly beautiful thing.

He was going to miss this, in a week's time. This had been the third full day; three out of ten, the tenth being the final day of the festival and the beginning of the end. Four more days until the festival started, seven until the girl in his arms would plummet to the earth without so much as a sailcloth or loftwing to assist her.

His arms squeezed her a bit tighter at the thought, but she didn't complain, simply snuggling that little bit closer herself. The mere thought of losing her, of going so long without seeing her, ached in a way he couldn't quite describe. He knew it would happen; the Link of Skyward Sword had tried and failed to stop it, and for all that he had this body and all of these powers he doubted he would be better than the Knight that killed Demise in single combat, at least not yet. He would have to be soon enough, but for now he highly doubted he was on that level.

Zelda would be consigned to wander the surface, going from place to place with the aid of a time-traveling Sheikah who would then spend tens of thousands of years in a temple, somehow surviving to the modern day. Likely some kind of magic, in truth, though how to manage it he had no idea. His dipping a toe into Reason wasn't anywhere near enough to provide the knowledge required for that.

It would be, in all truth, likely several months of hectic travel. Months where he would have to complete trials and defeat monsters beyond any mere Lynel just to have a glimpse at Zelda, just to be able to hold her for a few minutes before she sealed herself away to hold back Demise throughout the millennia. It would be a much shorter time for him, but the knowledge that this beautiful and affectionate girl would have to go through all of that hurt.

It hadn't been real before; even the first full day, when he'd woken up and known it was actually real. He hadn't been truly attached, not yet…but now he was. Now it was hard to even imagine waking up without Zelda nearby, harder still to consider going to sleep without evening cuddles and conversation. Link had been content with solitude for so very long, preferred it to a family that was so eager to fight and cast blame. Three and a half days, not even full days of having blissful mornings and evenings later though, and it was over for him.

He couldn't do anything to stop it, couldn't turn aside the path of time. It had to happen, Zelda had to fall for the world to turn out as it should. He would have to meet Fi, would have to claim the Sword of the Sky, and a journey the likes of which he'd never imagined actually being able to take would be started. The beginning of a Cycle, a curse that would persist through eras and ages alike.

Link sat on the couch and cuddled with the beautiful Princess of Skyloft, reincarnation of a Goddess, and savored the moment. Good things didn't last; he was old enough to have realized that by now, and this was no different. Soon, far too soon, there would be no evening cuddles to come home to. No beautiful girl to show such care for him, no one to take delight in his cooking or insist on helping.

He would enjoy it while it lasted however, and, perhaps, once it was all over? Maybe then he would have the courage to take the plunge, to act on the thoughts that circled in his mind on nights like tonight. To kiss the thighs she was so quick to provide as a pillow; to look up or down into those beautiful blue eyes and kiss her properly. To touch things he never expected to see anywhere outside of a computer screen, to kiss and lick and nibble to his heart's content. And, perhaps, fulfill the dreams and fantasies that had been his only escape from the real world.

Funny. Three and a half days into a new life, and despite having a gorgeous girl of his dreams beside him, he hadn't felt the need to fantasize. He hadn't felt the urge to touch himself, or to escape his life into the clouds of imagination. She was better than any of that, because she was real. To look for other things when he had such a wondrous thing in his arms would be a crime, would it not?

So Link held Zelda until she reluctantly parted from him to go to bed, the girl sharing his melancholy at the action. He went to sleep mourning the future loss of moments like these, and intending to push himself even harder to make sure he would be able to reclaim them in the future. Link went to bed expecting to dream of Zelda, of a future of happiness and wholesome contentment, or at worst to have nightmares of losing her in a scene far more visceral and horrifying than her falling from the sky in a game.

What he got was neither, and at the same time remarkably close to what he expected, something in his soul linking him to something else. His dreams were busy, but that was fine; his days would be busy too.

~Chapter End~

Quick little AN: Sylph can pick up the Lynel through aid of magic only, she can't go about lifting it on her own merit. I tried to stress it in chapter, but am including it here in case it got skimmed. Furthermore, Hinea did recover incredibly quickly from her trauma flashback, I'm aware. What you didn't see was her being off kilter all day because of it, but dealing with it anyways because she's been dealing with that trauma for over a century now. It sucks for her, but at this point she's used to it.

Later AN, coming back to this chapter for last minute readthrough: Life is Pain. Not quite on the level of Reason Magic, it must be said, but Pain regardless. Suffice it to say, chapter 6 still isn't done, because my working every day has rolled over into January. Cause yay. Fun fact, that's also why this chapter is being posted early Monday rather than Sunday in my time, cause I sat down to go over this one last time and promptly passed the fuck out. Cause working 14 hour shifts 7 days a week will do that to you, ya know.

Anyways, expect the next chapter roughly two weeks into February unless something changes. If I move back to my normal work schedule, I will be able to resume once every two weeks, but until that point…yeah. Life is pain. Hopefully you lot enjoy the chapter. In the meantime, I'm going back to plugging away at chapter 6 with my last hour or so before I need to pass out once more for work later today.

Chapter was read and feedback given by Slothful, Chojo, and Robyn the Witch.