Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story.
BGM: Zora's Domain (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
"Ah, Mipha!" Dorephan greeted warmly. "You seem a little more chipper than usual."
Mipha smiled. "Let's just say I… had some therapy."
"Oh?" He wondered.
"Yes, indeed!" Sidon approached. "My sister had the best therapy anyone could ask for. She is now truly at peace!"
"Well, I'm not sure what kind of therapy you went through, but good for you!" Dorephan smiled. "That said, there's a disturbing trend going around."
"What is it?" Mipha asked.
"Our soldiers have noticed that the Lizalfos have been getting quite agitated for the past several hours, including some Octoroks. Not only that, but they've also noticed Bokoblins acting strangely and Moblins behaving peculiarly."
"Now that I think about it… the wolves around the Fountain have been howling a lot more than they usually do. It was a different pitch as well." Sidon chimed in. "I wonder what all the commotion was about."
"I think I have an idea." Mipha said. "Tonight is a new moon, and… well, sometimes after a new moon occurs, there is the occasional… phenomenon."
Dorephan's eyes widened. "That's true! After all that has happened lately, especially with Weiss returning from the dead and you coming back… I had completely forgotten about it."
"Ah yes, that particular lunar phase…" Sidon mused. "Don't monsters usually come back from the dead when that happens?"
"There is also a chance that some monsters tend to… get a power boost during the phase." Mipha said as she closed her eyes, shuddering at the thought. "I just hope Weiss doesn't encounter the Silver Lion when it happens."
End BGM
At Death Mountain…
BGM: Goron City (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
"Really? Are you sure?" Daruk asked.
"Yeah, I'm positive. Blue rings popped up next to the volcano and Darb Pond… and then a massive Talus is just chilling in Lake Darman." Nora confirmed.
"Indeed. I'm not sure what it all means." Cinder responded.
"Hmmm…" Daruk folded his arms. "All of this sounds very familiar…" He mused.
"That's because they are trials of your past."
They all turned to see Weiss approaching while Winter was fanning herself while dousing Revali in ice.
"Ah, little lady! What was that about trials of my past?" Daruk asked.
"Good grief… I know Death Mountain is a volcano, but I don't remember it being so awful!" Winter groaned.
"Oh! Just a sec!" Nora took off running and then came back. "Try these clip on earrings and a Goron scarf for the bald eagle!"
"...WHAT?" Weiss asked in disbelief as Winter put them on, immediately feeling a lot cooler while she helped adjust the scarf on Revali's neck, where he let out a relieved cry.
"There we go~!" Nora turned around, only to see Weiss in her face. "Ack!"
"You mean to tell me that you had clip on earrings this entire time…" She grabbed Nora by the shoulders and started shaking her. "AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ASKING ME IF I WANTED SOME CLIP ONS BECAUSE YOU DECIDED TO IMPALE MY EARLOBES WITH THESE THINGS?!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaah! Yoooooou didn't specifyyyyyyyy!"
"OF COURSE I DIDN'T SPECIFY. I DIDN'T THINK YOU'D SHOVE MAGMA HOT PIERCERS IN MY EARS, YOU DOLT!"
Winter sweatdropped. "I'd say something but I think Weiss has it covered…" She said as she glanced over at Cinder. "Hmm? Are you-"
"A human-Lizalfos hybrid because my mother dated a Fire Lizalfos, yes."
Winter blinked. "That's… unique."
"Wait… you're not feeling sick? Because usually people would get sick upon hearing about it."
"It's… a lot to take in, but… I doubt it's anything to get sick over. Unless, you know, your mother decided to date a Hinox."
"Huh… you're like the fourth person who didn't puke upon the revelation."
"Who are the other three?"
"Nora, Yunobo and Daruk."
"I… see…" Winter scratched her head. I don't really blame Weiss… the idea of a Hylian and a Lizalfos mating is questionable in of itself but… still…
"So, you Weiss's mother?"
"Sister. Everyone keeps calling me her mother for some reason."
"I'm sure they have their reasons." Cinder nodded, then Weiss released Nora.
"Ooooogh… so many volcanoes… I think two of them are kissing…" Nora groaned as she fell on her back with swirly eyes.
"You know…" Yunobo spoke up. "I did see some strange monuments near Golow River. Perhaps they have something to do with these rings?"
"Oh right! They're trial rings. We went through Mipha's earlier and now we came over here." Weiss said. "All having to do with someone named Maz Koshia testing me."
"Aha! Now I'm understanding!" Daruk smiled, picking up the knocked out Nora. "Let's go take a look! I think we're about to take a trip down memory lane!"
The group took off toward Golow Lake, with Weiss and Winter making a glyph bridge to get across the lava river and made their way toward the monument, where Kass was also playing a song.
End BGM
"I applaud your courage for coming here. The locations that will be revealed to you are of trials that will enhance the sleeping power within. Do not let your guard down."
At that moment, the pillars revealed images of the locations that had been mentioned by Nora.
"Hmm? I saw those same lights from before… of course, the heat could just be playing tricks on me." Kass mused before turning to the group. "Ah, hello travelers! I see you were interested in coming here around the same time as I was! Though that begs the question if you have some fireproof elixirs on you…"
"Not really." Weiss said.
"Ah, then you must have some heat immunity!" Kass smiled. "Me, I have to drink the elixir… otherwise this bard would be a cooked bird. Though I wonder if my teacher wrote his musings on this particular spot… that said, my teacher left behind a verse about the trials that Champion Daruk overcame."
"Oh oh?" Daruk looked intrigued. "Do tell!"
"With pleasure." Kass cleared his throat.
BGM: The Champions' Ballad 2 (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - The Champion's Ballad)
"Crawling flame on a mighty peak~ Rudania's champion, never weak~ The hero's power shall grow~ Seek trials monuments show~ One, stop a titan of molten stone~ Two, follow rings of light alone~ Three, survive lava's fiery fate~ Champion, trials await~!"
End BGM
"Hahahahaha! That brings back old memories!" Daruk said. "Thanks for the nostalgia, brother!" He exclaimed, happily smacking Kass in the back.
"OOOOMPH!" Kass grunted, having the wind knocked out of him. "Gah… you're… hah… welcome…? Hooo…"
Daruk approached the monument where the others followed him while Kass recollected himself and started to play.
BGM: Kass's Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
"Hmm…" Nora examined the pillars. "Yeah, definitely looks the places I was mentioning earlier."
"Go about it one at a time?" Yunobo asked.
"What say you, Weiss?" Daruk asked.
"Well, considering completing a trial summons a shrine… I'd say we go about it one at a time."
"Good enough! So, based on that song… I'd say the best course of action is to take down that beast at Lake Darman!" Daruk said.
"Let's go!" Nora said as they took off.
"Hmmm…" Kass hummed as he looked at Daruk. "He looks similar to the Champion Daruk in that monument, not to mention his name is similar to the champion himself. Hmmmm… definitely a spitting image! And perhaps he was named after the champion! Yes, that'll do it for sure."
He continued to play.
"Though it is a bit of an odd coincidence that Mipha and Daruk are named after the Champions of old…"
End BGM
As they got to Lake Darman, they looked around for a titan that was supposedly there, but Cinder turned her head and spotted a large blob peeking out of the lava.
"Found it!"
"Ah, there it is! Just like old times!" Daruk said proudly as the large Igneo Talus emerged from the lava.
BGM: Talus Theme (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
Weiss made a bow of ice and aimed at the Talus, firing an ice arrow before it could even move, where it dropped into the lava completely stunned where Nora proceeded to shoot the ore deposit sky high with her grenade launcher.
"Alright, bud!" Nora took out her hammer. "Bring her in!"
"Right!" Yunobo nodded, getting into position as Nora swung the Megaton Hammer into Yunobo, sending him flying into the ore deposit to deal massive damage as he bounced back and landed near the group.
The Talus got back up and reignited, throwing its arms directly at the group but Daruk and Yunobo both used their Protection to block them as the Talus reached down and pulled up two more lava rocks, only to get pelted by ice chunks by Winter as Revali corkscrewed into the ore deposit and flew back in time for Weiss to produce an ice cannon, shoved a Remote Bomb into it and fired, where she detonated it as soon as it was above the Talus, the explosion striking the Ore Deposit as the Talus fell into the lava in defeat.
End BGM
"Hell yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Nora cheered, high fiving everyone while Cinder had her arms folded.
I wonder if my fire would have accidentally healed it… Cinder wondered as the ground started to shake as they saw a shrine rising up from the ground.
"Um… that's… quite big…" Nora said, looking at the exterior of the shrine. "I want to take some measurements real quick-"
Cinder wrapped her tail around Nora's arm and pulled her way. "Don't even think about it."
"Whoa! H-hey! I was just kidding!"
Once the shrine was activated, everyone went inside.
BGM: Shrine (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)
"To you who walks into this shrine… I am Kamia Omuna. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial."
Moving Targets
"So this is what they look like on the inside. Neat!" Daruk said.
"Impressive technology…" Yunobo mused as they walked to the first test, seeing a cannon and a moving target. Weiss put down the Remote Bomb and hit the switch, where the cannon moved… but kept moving until it pointed in the opposite direction.
"Huh?" Weiss wondered.
"I guess you have to time it well." Winter said.
"Clearly." Weiss nodded as she hit it again, and then detonated when the shot was lined up, hitting the target as another target appeared, this time slowly moving vertically.
As she was lining it up, Nora noticed a treasure chest nearby and hopped down, making her way over as she used her grenade launcher to hit the platform and made the chest fall over. She then took a running start and slammed the Megaton Hammer down, vaulting over and landing near the chest, pulling out a Diamond.
"Ooooh, I could do a lot of things with you~!" Nora put it away and then vaulted over again, only to narrowly miss her target but Cinder quickly grabbed a hold of her as she had secretly followed her.
"Got ya!"
"Phew, thanks!"
Cinder pulled her up as the duo went back to the others as they were heading to the next puzzle, which was an unbearable motion puzzle.
"Oh geez, this thing…" Weiss groaned.
"You're familiar with this gadget?" Winter asked.
"Yes. I've done a few of these… and they were absolute headaches."
"Hmm… want me to give it a try? Perhaps there's a trick that you haven't stumbled upon yet."
"By all means-" Weiss put the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal. "The floor is yours." She said, putting a Remote Bomb into the cannon as Winter tried to move the floating platform in front of them, aiming it just right as Weiss detonated it, hitting the target head on… and then the wall opened up to reveal another target.
"See? This isn't so bad." Winter said as she tried to align the platform, but the stone wall that contained the first target moved with it, blocking the passage. "...Okay… just a little bit of trial and error… mmmph… come on, move…"
Weiss sighed, sitting down and knowing full well that this would take a while.
"I think it's… this way…? No…"
"Mind if I try?" Daruk offered.
"Go for it."
Daruk nodded, trying to move it around but was moving it rapidly. "Whoops…! Uh…"
"That's not even close to it!"
"Ah, sorry… fat fingers!"
"Hmm…" Yunobo tried it next but had similar results to Daruk. "Oh boy…"
Nora was up next, trying to fidget around with it. "Aha! Got it!" She smiled as Weiss detonated it, but the ball just barely tapped the ceiling, making it lose momentum and caused it to fall into the abyss. "Aaaaugh! So close… okay, maybe if I just lightly move it this way-"
Despite her gentle approach, the platform moved quickly.
"Agh! Now it's sideways?! Who designed this crap?!"
"Let me try." Cinder said as she tried to get it to budge, but to no avail. "Rrrgh… move in place, dammit! Aaagh!"
Fifteen excruciatingly long minutes later…
"Zzzzz…" Weiss slept, lying on her back while everyone was trying to get the damned thing to position it right, but their efforts were in vain.
"Alright! I had enough of this crap!" Nora exclaimed, pulling on a glove. "Revali! Carry me to that target!"
Revali flew over, picking up Nora and flying around the platform as she fired a grenade at the target, lighting it up and having the doors open up behind them.
Revali screeched in triumph.
"Woo! Shoulda done that earlier…" Nora said as they landed as Weiss opened her eyes with a yawn.
"That was a good nap… are we still doing it?"
"Nope, Nora did it her own way." Cinder said.
"Ah, okay." Weiss stretched as they went to collect the Rudania Emblem from the shrine.
End BGM
Once they got out of the Shrine…
"So, what's with the emblem here?" Daruk wondered.
"Well, with Ruta, we got all three… and then Sidon and I went inside Mipha's mind to destroy the beast within her. It was a way to bring her peace." Weiss explained.
"Really!" Daruk mused. "Hmm… that's interesting. Well, if you ever go into my noggin, try not to wreck it too much! Hahahahaha!"
He then turned toward the volcano. "Onward!"
Once at the peak of Death Mountain…
"So, what was it that you did?" Cinder asked.
"Let's see… I just simply rolled down the mountain and vaulting off of a rock. I made a ten point landing!" Daruk smiled. "...Of course, there wasn't as much lava flowing through back then." He scratched his head.
Wind wrapped around Weiss as she lifted off the ground. "I think I know what to do here. See ya at the bottom!"
She flew through the trial gate and then went through the rings, flying up before descending down the volcano, going through the rings while nearly getting herself burnt by the lava as she continued to descend, going through some rock pillars before she finally reached the trial gate.
She landed on the ground, sliding across the gravel for a few seconds before stopping.
"Made it!" Weiss smiled as sweat ran down her face while the shrine rose up from the ground.
"Nice work, little lady!" Daruk praised as they approached her. I think you were managed to beat my record!"
"Really?"
"More than likely, yes!" Daruk smiled, happily giving her a fist bump as they went into the shrine immediately after.
BGM: Shrine
"To you who walks into this shrine… I am Sharo Lun. In the name of the goddess Hylia, I offer this trial."
Blind Spots
"Okay… let's see…" Weiss looked at the crates that were moving, where she looked on ahead to see the obstacles in her way. "Oh, okay… I know what to do here."
She grabbed onto one and started to move away as everyone else grabbed onto one and slowly followed Weiss, who was moving accordingly to the spike walls and torches, while also firing an occasional Ancient Arrow to silence a Guardian.
They soon reached ahead to a waterfall as Weiss used Cryonis on it to make some steps to grab a chest that caught her eye as she pulled out a Great Flameblade, then she hopped onto a crate that her sister was on.
"Thanks for the ride." Weiss smiled.
"It was the least I could do." Winter chuckled as Weiss made more Cryonis platforms after they made it to another waterfall as they climbed up and went over to the shrine to get another Rudania emblem.
End BGM
"Darb Pond, you say?" Cinder asked as they walked out.
"Yup." Nora nodded.
Once at Darb Pond…
"Ah, this one was a stone buster for sure." Daruk said with a chuckle. "I sat in this lava pool for a good while, letting out a sharpest of wails to focus my mind."
"And I have to… stand in that ring?" Weiss wondered. "OVER LAVA?!"
"Yeeeeah… you got your good lava boots on?"
"I don't have any lava boots!"
Cinder looked at some boulders in the lava, rubbing her chin as she dove in, swimming through the lava as she pushed a boulder toward the ring, but then noticed a metal cube nearby. She swam over to it and then pulled it into the lava, using her tail to pull it while breast stroking her way through.
"I could do it!" Nora raised her hand. "I'm practically immune to fire. I swim in it all the time with Cinder!"
"Ah… Nora? While that's a good idea, this is Weiss's trial… not yours." Yunobo pointed out.
"Oh, this Maz Koshia guy is so picky picky!" Nora pouted.
A whistle was heard as they looked down to see Cinder waving at them with the metal box into position.
"Hooo… okay, I got this." Weiss said.
"You sure it's a good idea?" Winter asked Weiss with concern, making a mental note to smack this Maz Koshia for making Weiss stand in lava.
"I'll try to withstand it." Weiss said as she hopped off, using her paraglider to descend gently onto the cube, landing in the ring in the process as it slowly started to disappear. "Ooooh… hah… hee… hoo…!" She hissed in pain. "Hot… hot hot hot…!"
"This is unbearable!" Daruk cried as he jumped into the lava. "Hang on, little lady! I'm getting you out of there!"
"No… I can do this…! Just a little bit more… haaaaah… hooooo! Hoo boy… hoo boy… hoo boy boy boy boy boy…! Haaa… Winter…!" She whimpered as Winter got on her stomach and reached out toward her as Yunobo grabbed her by the ankles and lowered her toward Weiss while Nora lowered her hammer down to try and have Weiss grab onto it.
Winter grabbed Weiss's hand right as the ring disappeared, then the shrine rose up from the ground as Winter and Daruk grabbed her arms and pulled her out. Cinder immediately climbed up the small cliff to check on Weiss as well.
"Haaaah… aaaaagh…" Weiss groaned, softly sobbing from the pain as Winter immediately grabbed Weiss's burnt feet and started to heal them. Weiss slowly relaxed from the soothing aura.
"Easy does it…" Daruk said as they slowly helped up Weiss once her feet were back to normal.
"This Maz Koshia guy sucks." Weiss complained.
"Trust me, I have words for this guy if we run into him." Winter said.
"Count me in on that." Daruk agreed as they walked toward the shrine as Nora made a mental note to "break Maz Koshia's legs" if she runs into them.
BGM: Shrine
"To you who walks into this shrine… I am Rinu Honika. In the name of the goddess Hylia, I offer this trial."
Block the Blaze
"Well, at least it's not completely aggravating." Weiss said as she walked ahead, manipulating the flames around her to protect her, Winter and Revali while everyone else didn't seem to mind the intense heat, where Weiss snagged a Stone Smasher from a chest along the way.
They soon reached the end, which was a platform on the side… and to everyone's dismay, it was a motion controlled puzzle.
"Oh hell no." Weiss said, making glyphs as they walked over the glyphs while manipulating the flames until they reached the end and grabbed Rudania's emblem.
"Alright! We got all three!" Nora grinned as they all started to glow and were teleported back to Vah Rudania.
End BGM
"To the one who approaches this Divine Beast… in the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial. In exchange for Rudania's Emblems… you will be granted to tread through the realm of Daruk's memories."
"Hmm…" Daruk folded his arms.
"Those who lack determination will find this trial unforgiving. Do not take this place lightly, nor dismiss it as merely a world within your mind. The truth is much deeper than you know. Champion… you may only bring one with you."
"I'll go with you." Yunobo said. "My grandfather and best friend gave me a lot of encouragement when you left… I'll do this!"
Weiss nodded. "All right. Let's do this."
"Right!"
"Just don't go wreckin' my mind in there, you two. I kinda need it!" Daruk joked with a smile.
"We'll be okay!" Weiss winked as the duo disappeared, finding themselves on top of Rudania. Weiss also noticed she had Boulder Breaker on her.
"This illusory realm was created from the depths of Daruk's memories. The enemy he faced had destroyed him due to the fear he had against it. You must have him overcome his fear to proceed. This battle is a trial of the soul. You must emerge victorious using only the tools provided."
"Aaargh!"
The two turned to see Fireblight sending Daruk crashing into a wall after breaking apart his shield. Fireblight then conjured up a massive fireball.
"No…!" Yunobo exclaimed as he trembled in fright over the monster before he closed his eyes. "I can do this… I CAN DO THIS!" He yelled as he jumped into the fray right as Fireblight threw the fireball at Daruk, but Yunobo got in front and used his Protection to block the attack.
BGM: Worlds Converge - Sidon and Yunobo (Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity)
"Huh…? Wait, that's my power… Who are you?"
Yunobo turned his head. "Um… well…"
Fireblight roared and attacked again, but Yunobo blocked with the Protection again. "Don't worry about that! We're here to help!"
"We…?"
Daruk felt a hand touch his shoulder as he turned to see Weiss starting to heal him. "Weiss?! Shouldn't you be with Princess Ruby?"
"I have a lot of time on my hands. Just sit still."
Weiss turned to Yunobo. "You got this, Yunobo!"
"Right… I got this… I GOT THIS!" Yunobo let out a war cry as he curled up into a ball and charged directly into Fireblight, but Fireblight casually moved to the side and let out a taunting chuckle as he turned to the duo, but Yunobo ricocheted off of a wall and smacked into the back of Fireblight's head.
Fireblight roared in surprise as Yunobo punched the ground, creating a fist made out of earth to punch up and smacked Fireblight in its stomach. Fireblight responded by shooting him with fire but he used Daruk's, or in this case, Yunobo's protection, and sent the shots of fire back at him… not that it did much damage to Fireblight.
Yunobo punched the ground again as a slab of rock shot up and struck Fireblight, then Yunobo punched the slab of rock as a few rock fists came out and slugged into Fireblight multiple times as Yunobo could muster by punching the slab of rock repeatedly.
"Hah… hah…" Yunobo panted as he put his hands on his knees while a dazed Fireblight snapped out of it and aimed directly at Yunobo, only for Daruk to catapult into his face to knock him down.
"You're doing great, kid!" Daruk said as he was fully rejuvenated. "Let's take this beast back to the depths!"
"You got it!" Yunobo nodded.
"We got this, bud!"
Yunobo smiled. "Yeah!"
"Hey! Focus!" Weiss called out as the Gorons turned their attention back to Fireblight as it proceeded to whip its hair at the duo but they both used their Protection to defend themselves, then Daruk swung down to create a slab of rock and then catapulted off of it, sending Fireblight down to the ground as Yunobo jumped up and belly flopped onto Fireblight's body to crush it.
Fireblight disappeared and then reappeared above them, creating a fiery vortex with a shield wrapped around it. Weiss pulled out a Remote Bomb and soccer kicked it toward the vortex, where it was sucked in and then Weiss detonated it, destroying the shield and disrupting the vortex.
Daruk created a slab of rock and turned to Yunobo. "After you!"
"Oh! Okay!" Yunobo nodded as he curled up into a rock and launched himself off, smacking into Fireblight's face and knocking him into the ground as Daruk launched off.
"CANNONBAAAAAAAAAAAAALL!" He yelled as he cannonballed on top of Fireblight's face, where it let out a loud shrieking cry before Daruk crushed him, which was enough to make Fireblight disappear in defeat.
End BGM
"Wow… you did it!" Yunobo said.
"No. We did it!" Daruk smiled, offering a fist bump. "You made this Goron proud, brother!"
Yunobo smiled, pulling back his fist. "I'm glad I did, Goro!" He fist bumped Daruk… before both Weiss and Yunobo disappeared.
Once they were outside…
"HAHAHAHA! I feel lighter than I ever was!" Daruk smiled as he proceeded to hug Weiss and Yunobo. "That's it, we are having ourselves a Prime Rock Roast feast!"
Weiss giggled. "Sounds delicious!"
Winter sweatdropped. "She's gonna eat rocks again…?"
At that moment, both Daruk and Weiss glowed for a few seconds. Weiss turned around and snapped her fingers as Earth rose up in front of her.
"Hey, earth bending. Not bad at all!" Daruk chuckled, patting Weiss on the back.
BGM: Daruk's Theme - Accordion Short Ver (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: The Champion's Ballad)
Everyone turned to the sound of Kass playing his accordion.
"Recall Rudania's Champion of flame, before his fated moment finally came~ This is the tale of Great Daruk's task, and the princess who came to ask~"
End BGM
At that moment, Weiss's Sheikah Slate started beeping as she pulled it out to see a new addition to her summons.
Yunobo
"Huh… is that what my face actually looks like?" Yunobo wondered.
"I told you that you looked squishy and cute!" Nora giggled.
Daruk put his hand on his back. "It's the face of a Goron warrior! Now let's go have some of that rock roast!"
Two down, two to go!