POST-UPHEAVAL FUTURE
Yiga Base 5, The Depths
Sooga kneeled before the leader of the Yiga Clan, Master Kohga. His mind was in turmoil.
His loyalty never wavered… yet somehow, between himself and the shady Seer named Ronj, he was being viewed with suspicion.
The Yiga had always been Sheikah defectors, aging just as similarly to Hylians. The Master Kohga before him was not the one he knew, or even the one his alternate self knew. Both that Sooga and that Kohga had aged and died.
Kohga was a name inherited by the leader lineage of the Yiga Clan, and their upbringing was usually the same, meaning variations in looks and personality were rarely more than negligible.
So to KohgaU, Sooga was the stranger, and Ronj, who he had been working with for nearly a year, was more trusted. All it took was Ronj saying Sooga's loyalty on the other side had been questionable already before brazenly trying to steal the target.
"I can't say I trust everything this guy says. Not when his runt of a master doesn't have the guts to show his face… Leer all ya want, red! I'm just saying!" Kohga smugly reacted to Ronj's glare, "But I'll give ya a shot to prove your loyalty. You both will be under watch from some of my guys. I'll send the kid's other crony to check out that Gate, while you two try to find that 'Terryto' thing."
"I do not take orders from you, pig!" Lusha sneered from his left.
"Just roll with it for now, Lusha." Ronj stated from the position next to Sooga, "The Young Master is still on the other side…"
"...Very well. I suppose I need to make up for your negligence…"
Memory Pool
LinkC opened his eyes to find himself in a long, dark corridor. In front of him was Princess ZeldaU, 5 years younger. Between them was LinkU, looking more like himselfC, but still slightly older with a few small scars.
"What is this cramped cavern?" Came a voice next to him. It was Revali.
Apparently, entering the Memory Pools had them sharing the experience, as if they were there as a group, though unnoticed by the subjects and unable to stray too far.
"I know this place…" King Rhoam muttered, "Why are they this deep?"
"Your Highness?" Mipha inquired. It seemed he recognized this place.
"A hidden passage beneath the Castle. Entry past a certain point is strictly forbidden, even to members of the Royal family. I myself can't just decide to…" He stopped. ZeldaU, the memory of her, had begun talking.
Apparently, the mist going around the tunnel was a weaker form of "Gloom", the substance they were somewhat familiar with at this point. It has been causing trouble around the kingdom in various ways.
Going in farther, they happened upon ancient murals. The excitement and fascination the princess showed indicated that she was indeed still much the same as the Zelda they knew.
Then the encounter.
The mummy that knew the names of Link and Zelda. Just looking at it and hearing it speak sent a chill through Urbosa's soul. Her eyes narrowed in disgust.
"I see… so that is Ganondorf!" She spat the last word.
It proceeded. The powerful Gloom decayed the Master Sword, even as a shard of it scratched the withered Ganondorf's face. The ground crumbled… and Zelda fell.
"Agh!" There was an impact that wasn't from the memory.
"LinkC! Are you alright?!" Mipha asked.
"Yeah… not sure what came over me…" LinkC got up from his sprawled position.
That was a lie, though. When he saw Zelda fall, he did exactly as the Link in the memory did, entirely on instinct, and dove after her. Except he hit solid ground, as there was no actual hole for him to dive into, only an illusion from the memory.
From there, they saw Link waking up in the cave, his interactions with Rauru, the disappearance of the Master Sword (or what remained of it) and the strange dragon roaming the sky before Link dove to the surface.
They didn't see every moment. Link's journey across the island to the various Shrines wasn't shown entirely. This was, after all, intended as an attraction at first, so "trimming" had been done. Even then, ZeldaU had pre-selected the memories they needed to see, keeping it relevant.
The next memory saw Link meeting Impa at the Geoglyph, and finding a Dragon's Tear… then each one began playing in chronological order.
The view of the memories Link viewed in the tears were a roller-coaster of emotion for various reasons. Because they were different from Link's, they could no longer see or speak to each other as they saw them unfold.
Meeting Rauru and Sonia was a shock primarily to King Rhoam, who knew those names better than anyone. It was an additional shock to learn of the time power contained in the Royal Bloodline that had been lost to records before.
When Ganondorf first appeared in his brazen assault on Hyrule, Urbosa felt a grim satisfaction seeing his attempt crushed, even though she knew that wasn't the end of it. Seeing his fraudulent oath and subsequent betrayal infuriated her, and knowing of his subsequent sealing by Rauru didn't sufficiently quell her indignant rage.
Seeing their ancestors, the Ancient Sages, gather stirred emotion in each of the Champions.
LinkC could almost feel himself blush when Zelda spoke of him to Rauru and Sonia. Does she really think that highly of me?
There was a break with a new memory of Link's, or more like 4 separate memories played differently for each champion, with Link and King Rhoam seeing all 4 at once.
It was the awakening of each new Sage, with their respective ancestors telling the story and imparting their duty.
Link then confronted the Demon King's phantom at Hyrule Castle, taunted by visions of a past Hyrule he had failed to protect. The Sages intervened, and the Demon King's reign of the past was shown.
Link met the final Sage, Mineru. She showed him how the Imprisoning War came to its conclusion…
Finally…Zelda found the Master Sword and made a heartbreaking decision to restore it.
When the Light Dragon emerged, spreading its tears and ascending, the illusion broke…
LinkC was on his knees, sweating and breathing like crazy. His own emotional turmoil had interrupted the "exhibit".
To become an Immortal Dragon is to lose oneself… Yet she did it… There were signs she was going to, but part of him had refused to believe it. She was standing there now, so she must not have…
He felt a soothing touch on his head. Mipha had applied Mipha's Grace. He wasn't suffering physically, yet this helped calm his nerves.
"I don't understand…" Revali spoke up, "If that transpired… I can see how he has the Sword again, but how are you here?" If there was anyone best suited to ask so bluntly, it was Revali.
"By all means, I shouldn't be." ZeldaU responded, "If you see to the end, you will know how I returned… and why it can't be guaranteed for your Zelda."
"I…" LinkC finally understood. Just hearing that a return might not be possible, yet becoming a Dragon might be necessary… they couldn't do it. Not like that.
Urbosa extended her hand once more, "I understand why you were hesitant now, Princess. We may not need to see more to get your point across, but… I want to see how it ends."
"So do I." Revali agreed, "That last one left a bitter taste in my mouth, to be sure, but Ganondorf was beaten, and I'd very much like to see that now."
Daruk was solemn, only nodding and extending his own hand.
Mipha checked to make sure LinkC was okay before they and the King followed suite…
Later…
They exited the building in silence.
"It truly was a miracle…" King Rhoam muttered.
They had seen it all. The battle against the army, and the Demon King himself.
Ganondorf, truly cornered for the first time in his life, grew desperate and swallowed his stolen Secret Stone.
This is where that arrogance brought you. For all your Power, for what little Wisdom you put into your schemes, you lacked any Courage. That was a pathetic display from a Voe utterly lacking in honor… Urbosa thought as he Draconified before her.
They saw the miracle take place as Rauru and Sonia channeled their power through Link's arm to revert Zelda from her draconic state, while restoring Link's arm.
A miracle made possible because they formed such a close bond, because of what they had been through. Because no one knew what to expect going in.
It ended as Mineru departed for the afterlife, as the Sages made their new vow on the Great Sky Island…
"For what it's worth, they fought like pros!" Daruk whispered.
"Indeed. Sidon… no, all of them have grown splendidly." Mipha responded.
"That remark that Tulin made… our own Rito Warrior could learn a thing or two from him…" LinkC jabbed.
The mood was getting lighter. It was setting in that while they hadn't settled on what to do about the Demon King in the Post-Calamity time, they at least knew what not to do, and had time to figure it out.
"What exactly do you mean?" Revali snorted.
"You know exactly what I mean, Mr. I-Could-Do-It-All-Myself-Because-I'm-So-Amazing!" LinkC responded as Revali rolled his eyes.
"I'm proud of you, Princess…" Urbosa stated, "That couldn't have been easy to go through, or to do…"
"Thank you. What matters to me most is that I'm here now."
They gathered back at the shelter at Lookout Landing to discuss further in private.
"How do we even approach this…?" ImpaC pondered, "If LinkC's Master Sword really isn't powerful enough…"
"I say we go there and finish him!" Daruk asserted, "All of us! Champions, Sages, Both Links! Both Zeldas! Get him before he knows what hit him!"
"That's certainly an option… or at least it was." Revali responded, "Now, though, we need to sort out this Gate business if we want to be in a position to do that."
"We can't underestimate him, though. If he is truly outmatched, he may just flee…" Mipha pointed out.
"Indeed. Then he would only need to bide his time, inflicting untold damage on Hyrule while building his power." Urbosa concurred, "We have some form of an idea, but we need to approach this with caution…"
"First thing we need to do is find Terrako." Ertis suggested, "It's probably the key to getting the forces we need on the right side of the Gate."
"I already have a Sheikah unit doing work on that." ZeldaU told them, "For now, I would ask you see your respective homes, as promised."
"Right, the others are waiting on us, aren't they? We'll keep our own eyes out for Terrako. I'd better check on Rupon…" Daruk affirmed.
"LinkC, you stay with ZeldaU for now," ImpaC suggested, "I… need to talk to the Impa of this time about something."
"I'll check out the sights of Kakariko while you do that." Ertis seemed to pick up on the notion that this was to be between the two Impas.
A course set, they split into their separate groups.
After they left, ZeldaU went back to the center of Lookout Landing with LinkC in tow.
To Be Continued…