POST-UPHEAVAL FUTURE
The Demon King had finally been defeated 5 years ago. A blight that had plagued Hyrule for millenia, whose very essence would bring ruin in the form of "Calamity Ganon" every few centuries. It was a hard-fought battle, one that would go down in history.
The Princess had even made a great sacrifice, one that for all intents and purposes should have cost her everything. It was a miracle beyond any anticipation she was able to return to herself.
The Upheaval had changed the very landscape of Hyrule. So much was turned on its head. There were islands in the sky, and an entire underground as vast as Hyrule's surface.
But the changes weren't just the land.
Before the Upheaval, Hyrule was healing from the Calamity that had destroyed it a century ago. The people were spread out, but had united under their newly returned princess. Progress had begun.
After the Upheaval, there was celebration.
The castle had fallen back into place, as unlike the sky islands it had been held aloft by the Demon King's power. It had suffered additional damage when the Demon Dragon emerged.
But now it was in better shape than it was before the Upheaval. It had been restored at a rapid pace, even though the princess never ordered it. It was like a symbol of the newfound optimism and motivation that permeated the land.
The news of the Demon King's defeat had spread far, even beyond Hyrule. It meant no more Calamities, and that though Hyrule had fallen before, it's people had regained strength, and were able to fend off the threat of the Demon King with that strength.
The restoration had received a shot in the arm, boosting efforts to rebuild, to prosper, to establish Hyrule as a Kingdom again. In the past, Hyrule had been known as a prosperous land where the races gathered and lived cooperatively. It could be again, even if it took generations.
The work wasn't just accelerated by sheer motivation of the current residents. New people were coming in fair numbers, many of them descended from survivors who had fled before. Not just Hylians. Zora's Domain, Goron City, Gerudo Town and Rito Village found themselves needing to expand after having shrunk a century prior.
Another boon had been the Zonai devices. Even during the Upheaval, citizens were figuring out ways to use them for the future. Various talents had come up with uses for transport, weaponry, and convenience.
It had become apparent that even during the Upheaval, Link hadn't been the only one using "Fuse". Granted, it was more instantaneous when he did it. "Ultrahand" was also lesser in others, who only had it insofar as being able to attach devices together with other objects.
As for Link, he had regained the arm he had lost previously, the same way Zelda regained her humanity.
It was thought he would lose the abilities the arm granted, but it seemed his mind and body retained a kind of "Muscle Memory" in that regard. It wasn't as effortless as it was when he had Rauru's arm, but he was still able to use "Fuse" and "Ultrahand" better than anyone in the kingdom. "Ascend" remained usable. "Recall" as well, though Zelda had more mastery of what was essentially her power. "Autobuild" was there as well, and being learned by others willing to go to the depths to obtain it (needing permission from the Managing Constructs, who only acknowledged those with Zelda's permission).
He had regained his health and stamina, and the Master Sword was more powerful than ever.
He was often requested to help exterminate monsters, who still plagued the land as they always had. The new species that emerged during the Upheaval didn't make things easier, although "Zonai Weaponry" had helped boost the common warrior.
The Sages, who had fought at Link's side against the Demon King, had also seized initiative. Their help had become indispensable to the Kingdom, and they came for regular meetings at Lookout Landing, which had remained a hub for restoration efforts even as houses and a few "attractions" sprung up in the "town" around it.
Tulin would attend as the Sage of Wind while his father served as the Rito's representative. He had gotten taller in the past 5 years, and his voice had changed. He was the Rito equivalent of a 16 year old. His attitude had become less childish, but no less bright, it seemed.
In the time since the Upheaval, he had taken his new outlook on "Working as a Flock" to heart. He began recruiting promising young Rito Warriors from his village and the new arrivals.
In 5 years, the "Gale Brigade" had built a reputation as an elite unit in individual skill as well as group tactics and coordination. It had a well-established chain of command, with their respected Captain, Tulin himself, at the top.
YunoboCo had made great contributions to the efforts as well. It had expanded its influence even further since the Upheaval, providing valuable minerals and much-needed metals, among other things.
Yunobo himself had improved his strength further, and become de facto leader of the Gorons in general. He was busy in another way, too. He now had a son, born 4 years ago, named Darvil.
The young Goron was at a rather hyperactive age, and the inherited ability Daruk's Protection did nothing to relieve Yunobo's stress. Not just Yunobo, Slergo and Offrak were often left to chase the one they referred to as "Young Master" when Yunobo came to attend the meetings.
Yunobo wasn't the only one with a new heir.
2 years ago, the Zora celebrated the birth of King Sidon's new heir, a prince named "Tidon" as suggested by Queen Yona. Zora had long lives, but this meant long childhood phases as well. Though he was 2 years old, Tidon couldn't stand steady, and barely spoke any words, as was normal for his age. For Zora, the young mastered swimming before walking. When Sidon wasn't working as King, he would spend time with his family.
He often had to accommodate his own father, Exalted Dorephan, as a guest. Dorephan had taken to traveling Hyrule alongside Muzu after he retired. Once his new grandchild was born, his visits had become more frequent, and loaded with gifts. Sidon, being who he was, didn't mind in the slightest and welcomed them with open arms each time.
Sidon was also dedicated to his job as king, and the Zora were often seen in the rivers around Hyrule to be called on whenever assistance was needed. It had become common practice to head to a nearby river if trouble arose and options were out, because you were most likely to find reliable help there.
Riju, while happy for Yunobo and Sidon, didn't appreciate the pressure it put on her to produce an heir. She was now past the age when Gerudo Vai usually went to look for Voe, but wanted to focus on expanding Gerudo Town to welcome new arrivals. She intended to go out eventually, but her priorities were elsewhere right now.
She also needed to direct weapons development, as the desert now had new monsters in the form of Gibdos. They weren't the massive swarming threat they were before, but they were still dangerous when encountered. This resulted in the Gerudo contributing the most in development of weaponry with elemental attributes, which their merchants would sell to others.
Hyrule was certainly full of energy, but more people meant more targets for monsters, bandits and other malcontents.
Especially one such group making itself known, the Seers.
They were apparently descendants of a cult that had sought to curry favor with Calamity Ganon in the past. Their members mostly ended up as victims instead, and the remnants were few.
They only rose to relative prominence because their new leader, a young man named "Crowl" had cultivated a troublesome ability in the shadows. He could produce Gloom from his body. How he attained this ability was unknown, but he was using it for raids on settlements and travelers.
It was believed the Seers were collaborating with the Yiga, who were scattered throughout the Depths. Though they had been driven from the various mines, there were plenty of places to hide and establish bases down there. Even with the current boom in productivity, Zelda lacked the resources to fully comb the Depths to seek them out.
Kakariko Village's Sheikah had stepped up to that task. With the recent surge, they had resumed their work as intelligence agents for the Royal Family (which was essentially Zelda herself). Their main task was currently searching for the bases used by the Seers and Yiga in the Depths. This effort was spearheaded by Payah herself, who had even found resolve to fight using the Sheikah techniques her family passed down.
This both pleased and worried Impa. She often said what held Payah back was her fear, and she was working harder than ever to overcome it.
It wasn't just fighters down there. Researchers accompanied Payah including Tauro, top Zonai researcher and Payah's fiance. There was also Josha, top apprentice of Purah.
With all that was going on, Zelda and Link were both very busy very often. Times if respite were often spent together. They had grown closer then ever, and their relationship was no secret. Some among the people were urging them to get married, or at least engaged. This was often met with a smile by Zelda, who would reply "Once things settle down, we can focus on that"
In the Depths, as the Sheikah searched for the fugitives bent on disrupting Hyrule's newfound peace, a small group approached the site of the Construct Factory.
4 Yiga Blademasters were there, along with 2 Seers and the Seer leader, Crowl. The 2 Seer also controlled 4 Gloom Moblins each.
Crowl had an objective here. He wasn't satisfied where he was now. Despite the threat he was, producing Gloom took a toll on his body, and he was dependent on his lackeys to make use of it or store it before it dispersed, since he himself would be too exhausted to move after.
It wasn't enough. His grandfather would sneer at him for this.
His grandfather was a man named Astor. In the Post-Calamity timeline, this was the man who was used by Harbringer Ganon to spread chaos and was a troublesome foe to the Champions.
But in this time, where Harbringer Ganon never was, Astor had merely been an ambitious survivor of the Seers failed attempts to appease Calamity Ganon. He had endured near a century, having a son for insurance, waiting for the Princess to give out in exhaustion in her deadlock, only for the hero to show up at the fateful moment and have Calamity Ganon sealed for good. Astor had despaired at the news, dying a broken man.
His son, Ley, had carried on with the other Seers. When Gloom started to appeared, he became hopeful of a chance for power. Among the Seers was one of the few artisans capable of crafting containers to hold the Gloom. They collected it, and he began infusing it into his young son. Small in dose, since larger amounts caused illness.
When the Upheaval happened, the collection began in earnest. It wasn't until much later they learned of the Demon King, when Link had already descended to the Depths to confront him.
Ley had made a mad dash to meet the Demon King, to pledge himself to his service, only to be crushed in the chaos that occurred when the Demon Dragon emerged.
That left Crowl as the leader, and when the Gloom vanished, he was ecstatic to find his ability to produce it intact. He had a monopoly on this powerful substance. For 4 years, he would practice producing as much as he could, as fast as he could, with less fatigue. His followers would practice storing and utilizing it.
It was one year ago they approached the Yiga Leader, Kohga. They had a plan, and even their recent activities had been in service to it.
They needed a Secret Stone, which had granted the Demon King untold power before. Crowl was convinced that since he could produce Gloom, a Secret Stone would vastly increase his power to that level as well. It was a conviction based on flawed reasoning, flawed understanding, and teenage ambition (he was 15).
Secret Stones, however, were proving a challenge to obtain. The Sages were powerful. And no tactics were working. Confrontation with numbers, sneak attacks, ambush... nothing. Even Zelda was unapproachable.
Their only hope was locating the Secret Stone that currently lacked an owner. The one that had been used by Mineru, Sage of Spirit.
That Stone, unknown to them, was kept safe under lock and key in a hidden location by the Sheikah.
Crowl had come to the Construct Factory, where Mineru's Construct Body had originated, to look for clues. If he was lucky, they might have even left the Stone itself here. This location was usually guarded, so he planned a time when enemy patrols were farthest away.
Coming here still wasn't easy, as various drones and security towers made from Zonai devices had been put up by the enemy.
For this reason, Crowl was desperate to find something here after that effort.
But after 2 hours, it seemed to be in vain. Nothing useful was found. Patrols would be back soon. Time was almost up.
"Have you found nothing?!" Crowl seethed.
"Remain calm, Master Crowl." Urged his attended, Lusha. She was one of the top among the remaining Seers, excelling in magic.
The other attendant, Ronj, was less opposed, agreeing with the urgency in his master's tone.
"You! I'll grant you strength! Tear this place apart if you have to!" Ronj declared to a moblin. Ronj had earned his spot by excelling in utilizing Gloom on monsters. He poured more in, and the moblin began rampaging. This, amazingly, bore fruit.
When the Moblin smashed the empty obelisk that had before been used to assemble Mineru's Construct Body, it revealed a hidden staircase underneath.
Crowl was assuaged, and eagerly descended, but what he found seemed disappointing.
It was nothing but storage for odd devices. Stange Construct models sat dormant, as well as odd gadgets. Crowl had everything brought up to be inspected, but only one thing seemed useful. A strange switch, not unlike the ones in Shrines activated by impact. With nothing to lose, he had a blademaster strike it. It glowed. Intensely.
He had no way of knowing, but this switch sent a beacon to all Constructs active under Mineru's administration. None of those remained though... not in this timeline.
But this beacon was detected by one such Construct, and old project of Mineru's that was later modified by a sheikah. Mineru herself never knew what would become of that Construct, one of many experimental models she created.
This beacon was the "Anchor Point" leading Terrako to this point in this future, through the "link" it still had to this timeline it had originated from. Terrako began its work.
Portals appeared all over. Unlike in the Post-Calamity future, these were not nearly as rapid. Over several days they would pop up, spiriting away various creatures.
The first non-monster to disappear was Tulin. He was investigating this phenomenon in Hebra peaks before vanishing before the eyes of 2 of his lieutenants.
This caused a stir in the kingdom. A Sage vanishing like that was a big problem, and a meeting was called. But before it could convene, another emergency hit.
Prince Tidon had vanished from his nursery pool, right in front of Yona's attendants.
The Zora were in a frenzy, and Sidon exerted much energy keeping them calm while also holding himself together.
The day of the Summit, Payah and Josha vanished as they were en route to attend.
When the summit was due to commence, tensions were high.
In a meeting room at Lookout Landing, various representatives from various towns and settlements sat around a large table.
Princess Zelda was being briefed by Purah in a separate room before starting.
In another room, four individuals were having their own clandestine discussion.
"Are you sure?!" Sidon urged Riju to confirm.
"I saw it myself. It was the same portal. Green instead of blue, but everything else was the same." Riju assured him. Of the four in that room, only Riju had seen one of the portals up close, when a pack of Bokoblins she was fighting fell into one.
"But why? What's going on? Is it the same cause?" Teba gripped his forehead, "It doesn't make sense. The purpose was fulfilled. They shouldn't need help. Even if they did, mostly monsters went in. This is just too different."
Yunobo then raised a question that definitely required an answer "Should we tell Princess Zelda about this?"
Before the Upheaval, the four assembled had been called to the past. There they fought alongside the Champions and triumphed over the Calamity that had destroyed their own Hyrule.
When they returned, their own future remained unchanged. They would later meet up to discuss what happened, and though it made a good story among themselves, they decided telling others would do more harm than good.
Link and Zelda might even see it as a cruel joke by the Goddess. Ultimately, they didn't need to know.
Even the one who was also with them, Tulin, didn't know. At least not that it was real. When he was still young, he fully believed he had gone back and met the great Master Revali alongside his father. As he got older, he began to believe he had merely had a vivid, youthful dream. A dream that had inspired and motivated him, but a dream nonetheless. He often found it odd that Teba, who never told fanciful lies or sugar-coated truths, denied that it was just a dream even as he grew, but dismissed it as an exception. He couldn't be blamed, the story was quite unbelievable.
"If it truly is Terrako's doing... no, even as a possibility, we must bring it up." Teba said.
Sidon nodded, "If they are truly in that era, I can only hope they are safe from the monsters sent there. If Tulin finds Tidon, I know I can trust him to look out for my son."
They resolved to tell everyone their secret. But it was too late, as panic descended just as the meeting was to begin. For as Zelda approached the table... she vanished, like others before her.
"That's... a heck of a story. You know that, right?" Purah sighed
It was late evening. While other representatives had left, there were still Link, Purah, Impa, Tauro, Sidon, Riju, Yunobo and Teba in the room.
Zelda's disappearance had caused a scene, and the meeting was canceled.
It was here that the four told their story, and apologized for keeping the secret.
"If what you say is true... I think we might have a way to get them back." Impa piped up.
Everyone looked at her expectantly, but it was Tauro that answered.
"My guys at the Forgotten Temple just sent a message. Some kind of gate has appeared at the feet of the Goddess Statue. It looks a lot like those strange portals, so it might go to the same place."
This brought up many questions, but there was no time to speculate.
"I'll head there immediately." Link stated. There was no telling him otherwise.
"We can't dispatch too many people. Not into such an unknown factor like that." Purah pondered, "We risk losing Linky altogether if it goes wrong... but I know he'll still do it."
"We'll go. My son is likely on the other side of that gate." Sidon stated, just as resolute.
"As is mine." Teba echoed.
Purah could see where this was going. Yunobo and Riju had that same look. Their entire leadership was going to go marching into that portal.
"Fine. It's risky, but I doubt I can stop you. Just make sure to prepare before you go, and let your direct subordinates know, at least."
They gathered 4 hours later at the Forgotten Temple. Link, Sidon, Teba, Yunobo, and Riju were prepared to cross. Accompanying them was Tauro, who was worried for his fiance as well as curious about what lay on the other side.
Seeing them off was Exalted Dorephan, Queen Yona, Saki, Bularia, Slergo and Offrak. Also Darvil, who needed to be restrained lest he rush through the portal himself.
Everyone here had been filled in, including the previously unknown travels of the four.
"This has been secret all this time. I never thought it would come back like this..." Alone among them, Saki had been aware the whole time of what happened. Teba had divulged the story to her as soon as he returned, seeing how their son had also been with him, "I guess this will at least show Tulin you were never lying."
"Small victories, I suppose." Teba answered.
"If this goes where you say... are they there?" Yona asked.
"It is likely... but not guaranteed. It may be a later era for them." Purah answered.
"Worry not, my dear! We will recover Tidon safely. And if my Sister is there, he has less to worry about!" Sidon assured her eith his trademark pose and smile, easing tensions of his wife.
"I wish I could go with you if she is there... but it is not my place." Dorephan lamented.
"If this gate sustains... perhaps I can bring you both over briefly... or maybe..." Sidon started.
"Focus!" Riju interrupted, "We have a task. Are we ready?"
"Dad! Take me! I wanna meet Daruk!" Darvil pleaded as his two overseers held him back.
"This isn't for fun, Darv. I'll bring you a souvenir, I promise." Yunobo assured him.
With things settled, Link turned toward the gate.
"If possible, I want a regular progress report. Tauro, can I count on you to return once a day if possible? Actually, try immediately, too. We need to make sure this isn't a one-way trip." Purah asked.
Without a word, Tauro ran through the portal. Leaving everyone speechless. He then reemerged.
"Looks fine! But... I gotta warn ya. We're going to have company on the other side..." He disappeared again through the gate.
The others followed behind him.
One week after Terrako brought Zelda, the others appeared in the Forgotten Temple, surrounded by soldiers and Sheikah.
The gate had only appeared for that side 4 hours before, and investigation was being prepped when a strange man emerged, only to go back in.
When he reemerged, followed by the rest, the gate was surrounded.
Among the guards, one of them stepped forward.
"Link?!" It was Impa, who was in charge of the Sheikah here.
Tauro made a mistake there. He ran up and hugged her, thinking she was Payah.
"Hey! Get off my fiance!" Came a voice. A young Shiekah, Ertis, was there, "Impa, do you know this guy?!" He demanded as Impa froze in confusion.
"Impa?!" Tauro let go, backed off, and suddenly had an expression of epiphany. If he wasn't abnormally quick on the uptake, after all, he'd never have survived as a field researcher, "I see! You're Lady Impa in her youth! The resemblance to Payah is almost uncanny!"
That said, his on-the-spot tact needed work.
Before confusion could spread, Sidon stepped forward.
"Pardon the entrance, Lady Impa. Do you remember us, perchance?" He gestured to the three who had accompanied him before.
"Sidon? And the others? Wait... that means..." Impa was well aware of the situation with the alternate Zelda.
She had awoken that afternoon, the gate appearing when Terrako woke up.
Impa had departed as soon as that was reported, so she didn't know how questioning was going.
Link stepped forward.
"Listen, a lot is happening. I need to see Zelda. Now."
To Be Continued...