Being awake while his chest cavity was wide open was a strange experience for Link. He'd been called to Linebeck's workshop a day after returning from the city, and informed that the engineer would be doing some work on him to optimize his reflexes and defensive capabilities. Somehow. A few times when he woke up, his chest cavity was wide open, providing a strange, cold sensation. It was like pins and needles, a tickling sensation being added on whenever Linebeck did some work in that part.

The next time Link was jostled awake, Ghirahim and Midna were in the room with Linebeck. Someone bumping up against the table was what woke him. "It might be worth checking that place again. I'm not really finding anything new in the ruins."

"It would be a good idea to avoid the ruins, anyways," Midna muttered. "We got attacked by a Yiga last time, and those damn Sheikah did nothing but watch."

Link peered up at the ceiling. He was laying on his back, numb once again. Someone bumped the table again. Ghirahim's voice was tense. "You guys got attacked?"

"Yeah, I had to fight them off,"

"Did he hurt you?!"

"No, I'm fine, back off. Too close. Midna drove him off."

"This keeps happening! I should come with you next time you go to the ruins. Those bastards wouldn't dare-"

"We might as all go together," Midna snapped. "We can do that next time with Link. For now, we need to focus on the tournament. How're things coming alone with him?"

Linebeck grunted. "It's fine. There's not much I can add, there are so many things keeping me from tampering with his programming. The best I can do is oil up his joints and reinforce his parts." He picked something up and set it on the table with Link. "Ah, shit. He's awake. You guys can leave. I've got some more I need to do before we can head back to the city."

Midna and Ghirahim left the room, and Linebeck tugged Link into a sitting position. "Sorry about any paralysis you might be feeling. I'll try and keep from making you freeze, but, for now, it's to keep things stable."

Link tried to nod but figured that he couldn't.

"Just go to sleep for now."

Good idea.

When he next woke, he was alone. A note was on the table opposite him. He could feel his limbs again, tensing slightly. Link leaned forward and snatched up the note, opening it with one fluid movement. It was Linebeck's handwriting, nearly illegible. Went to city with the others. Should be back around midnight. Don't cause problems.

'Don't cause problems'? When had Link ever caused problems? He tossed the paper away and slid off the table. He was undressed as he usually was for repairs, so he left to his room to find some clothes. Over the three past days of repairs and modifications, Linebeck had offered some tips on sounding like a generic robot. Link chose just to go mute and expressionless. It seemed to be the easiest route, and most robots in the city acted as such. Most didn't even have faces.

He rushed out of the room and took advantage of his loneliness. With no one else there, he could read their library books without interruption. Link stole three of the books at random, an apple from the kitchen, and greeted Rusty in Linebeck's room. Link fed the lizard a few dead insects and gently stroked the top of its head, setting the books to the side. The bed was as tidy as ever, so Link could assume that Linebeck stayed in the workshop.

The lizard curled up on a rock in the enclose and shut its eyes. Link sat down on the bed and opened the smallest book- it turned out to be about the anatomy of all creatures known to be in Hyrule. Linebeck probably picked it out. There had been a few small creations lined up on the tables when Link woke back up. Probably smaller machines that would be sold at some point. A few times, while awake, Link had seen Linebeck cursing about his phantom pains. They seemed more frequent than he let on.

Link flipped through the book, growing more and more bored with every page. Eventually, he tossed it aside, swapping it out for another. The next was a list of plants in the wasteland, a much smaller book. He tossed that one away as well. The last was a storybook. Link frowned at it. It had a picture of the wingcrest, the emblem for the castle in the city. His best assumption was that it was the symbol of Hyrule before it was destroyed. The book had no title that he could see, so he picked it up and turned it over. Nothing.

He himself had picked this one out, curious about what it would contain. Link had found it in a corner of the library, and it was alone, with no other copy like it. He had almost looked over it since it blended in with the dark wood of the bookcase. It was dusty when he added it to their pile of books. Link brushed off some of the dust, watching it float across the room in the sunlight.

The pages were crinkled and yellowed, and Link accidentally put a small rip in the first page. Along with the reporting of the time and temperature, a small voice let Link know that the book was perhaps around a few decades old.

Link had been able to learn the ages of items before, a fairly new skill, hiving done it involuntarily the first time. He couldn't do it with living beings, he could only tell the age of materials he came across. He seemed a fair bit away from discovering the limit of what he could do. He set the book out on the bed, opening it to the table of contents.

It had about ten chapters, the listed page numbers suggesting that each chapter was around 100 pages each. He found a notepad in Linebeck's drawers and set it out with a pencil, for note-taking purposes. The first chapter was titled 'Between Good and Evil'. Link jotted the name down and turned to the chapter.

It began with a story of how Hyrule was created- Din forming the red earth, Nayru giving law and time to the land, and Farore created the living beings to inhabit the world. For a time, things were peaceful, the world left in the hands of Hylia while the three goddesses protected the Triforce. The peace was shattered when Demise and his demon army invaded, and Hylia sent the Hylians away for a time until the first hero and first princess made the world safe again.

In between the storytelling, there were general one-offs about the other races. The chapter ended with the creation of the first instance of the Kingdom of Hyrule. Link's wrist ached from his constant note-writing, but his clean handwriting and spacing made it worth it. Link shut the notebook and closed the library book. It was certainly worth finishing at some point.

Link left Linebeck's room quickly, noting how late it was getting. The sun was close to the horizon by now, around 7:46 p.m. Link frowned, rushing down the stairs. The reports of time and temperature were getting annoying. He needed to figure out how to tune that out.

Link wasted the rest of the time sharpening his sword and making himself some food using what was in their cold freezer. The newest addition was some meat, cleaned and cut off the bone. He ignored it in favor of fruits and some bread. He climbed up on a roof and ran some sword fighting drills to pass the time, keeping an eye on the city in the distance.

He had a number of different colored tunics in his room, but Link preferred the green ones. A pair of leather gloves had been placed on top of his bed when he checked. Little armor, but his skill could make up for it in the tournament. A few birds flew overhead while he practiced a parry, imagining different types of monsters as his opponents. A compendium in his mind helped fabricate the behavior of moblins, bokoblins, and lizalfos. The movements of the Yiga were unfamiliar to Link.

Link sparred with his own imagination until a tap on his shoulder made him pause. He lowered his sword, peering back at Midna. "Oh. You're back." He blinked and stared up at the dark, starry sky. "Oh. It's really late."

Midna nodded. "Imagine our surprise, seeing you fighting off some kind of invisible monsters on the Rain Keep's roof. Weird stuff. Linebeck found some cool stuff in the city ruins. Those old town ruins are cool, all the different buildings and old streets. Come on inside. It's going to rain later tonight."

Link nodded and followed her back down the stairs. He hadn't brought the sword's scabbard with him, so he was careful not to bang it against anything. He returned it to its scabbard once back in the house and met up with Linebeck in the workshop. Link shut the door behind him quietly. "What'd you guys do in the city that too so long?"

Linebeck muttered, "None of your business. What is your business, though, is some stuff that I found. A bit risky to dig under the walls of the castle, but we found some good stuff. We were chased away by some Sheikah, though, who threatened to detain us for trespassing even though we weren't trespassing." He pushed aside some screws and springs of the strange material and tossed an item at Link.

Link nearly didn't catch it. It was made of dark material, akin to the screws and springs Linebeck had begun to collect. He held it up. It was about the length of the hilt of a sword and had a thin indention in the top. "...What's this?"

"No idea," Linebeck murmured. "Try and find a switch or something. The indention directs some kind of output, so point that somewhere that can be easily repaired if needed."

"Or we could do it outside," Bellum drawled, popping back into existence. "No need to risk the building getting damaged."

After midnight, the wasteland was cold. The temperature dipped to the low forties, as Link recorded, and he inspected the item under the light from a tool Linebeck held. Link turned it over and squinted at it. "Would there be a switch?"

"Hell if I know," Linebeck muttered. "Just keep looking."

Link heavily sighed and started scratching at the surface, keeping the indention pointing away. His plastic fingernail slipped into a tiny slot, tugged down, and a flash of neon blue light erupted from the long groove. Link yelped and dropped it to the ground, stepping on Linebeck's right foot with a muted clang. The light shaped into a segmented single-edged blade, shimmering and glowing on the coarse grass.

"It's a sword, then," Linebeck breathlessly whispered. He nudged Link with his metal knee. "Go pick it up."

Link hesitated and gripped the hilt tightly. The blade burned through the nearby grass, and he dropped it again. It rolled over to some more grass but didn't cut through it. The sound of Linebeck scribbling down notes accompanied Link picking it back up. Curious, he swiped the blade through some grass, watching it cleanly cut the tips off. He thrust the blade into the ground, and it slowly sank deeper as he pushed it in. He withdrew it from the ground, and, experimentally, Link let it fall blade-first onto the ground. The blade crashed into the ground and it fell onto its side.

"So, it only cuts and burns when in someone's hand," Linebeck murmured. "What would you say the weight is?"

"Uh. It's light," Link uttered, picking it back up. "It took a bit of effort to cut into the ground. A-am I going to use this in the tournament?"

"You are now," Linebeck laughed. "We might pick up a shield on the way to the tournament. Can you use a shield?"

"...Perhaps..." Link murmured, swinging the sword around a few times. The sword made a humming noise while it sliced through the air. Linebeck had clearly backed up a few steps, in the shadow of the building, but Bellum playfully dodged the sword swipes. Link pursed his lips and held the sword out in front of himself. "Can you go find a pot lid? Something to use as a shield?"

Linebeck returned from the inside of the house with a flimsy wooden pot lid, a metal handle nailed to the top. He tossed it at Link like a frisbee, forcing to robot to duck out of self-preservation. He picked it up and squinted at it. "Don't I need a second strap?"

Linebeck scowled. The goggles were over his eyes, so Link couldn't tell, but he guesses that he rolled his eyes. "I'll add one, fine. Do some drills with the lid and sword real quick. We can use this for the tournament."

Link frowned, getting into a stance. "Can't we buy a better one?"

"That's too expensive," Linebeck whined.

Midna and Ghirahim joined the two of them outside in the dark, watching Link prove his sword-and-shield skills in the moonlight. They were satisfied once the robot tired himself out, and they returned to the building. Link collapsed on his bed once in his room, leaving the strange, deactivated sword on his desk. The pot lid leaned against his bed frame.

Link dreamed that night. He found himself walking through a grassy field, green and lively. Trees dotted the endless landscape. He walked slowly, grassy brushing against his legs. He wore a tunic like the one he wore now, but there was a thin layer of leather underneath. A cap of sorts was on his head. Both a sword and shield were on his back.

He didn't recognize anything in the distance. A few towns, something encased in a stone wall, people on horses or walking other paths. Four voices were distant, behind him. Non were familiar. The dream was just him walking, walking in the direction of the walled location.

He woke subtly, and Link stared at the ceiling as he wondered what that was. He hopped out of bed, noting that it was late in the morning, and left his room, going upstairs to knock on the door of Linebeck's. No response greeted him. He checked both Midna and Ghirahim's rooms, getting a groggy response from Midna and more silence from Ghirahim. The latter turned out to be downstairs, in the kitchen, making coffee. Ghirahim offered Link a mug, and the robot took it with the intention of using as tribute in case Linebeck wasn't a morning person.

His room was empty, but a few dead flies scattered the bottom of Rusty's terrarium. Link made his way back downstairs and slowly opened the door to the workshop. The engineer was passed out on the ground, Bellum slowly drifting around. "Oh, hey," the AI muttered. "He, uh, hasn't slept in a while. Leave the coffee. He'll be out for a while, but if you can't wait, use some kind of stick. Don't touch him."

Link scowled and found a metal pole in the corner of the room. He poked Linebeck with it, then paused. "Where are his prosthetics?" Link whispered. His left shirt sleeve and right pants sleeve were flat, no foot or hand. A crutch was laying on the ground near him.

"He sometimes takes them off while he works," Bellum muttered. "Usually a compulsive decision, when he gets frustrated about his phantom pains. They're in the corner over there," Bellum pointed a flickering tentacle at the aforementioned corner. "You should collect them for him. He's an idiot, I personally don't see much reason to take them off, but he gets emotional over stupid stuff. He'll deny it, but he does."

Link sighed, and jabbed Linebeck in the ribs. His coat was on a hook by the door, his vest on the ground beneath it. His scarf was in his pocket, as it turned out. The right boot was next to the bronze limbs, as well as a glove. No reaction from the unconscious man. Bellum sighed haughtily. He muttered something under his breath; it sounded like an insult.

Link made the jabs more frequent, and experimentally whacked Linebeck in the crotch. "Not much down there to hit," Bellum loudly drawled, shattering Link's concentration. He giggled weakly and got back to trying to wake him.

"Why isn't this working?" Link hissed.

"Dunno."

Link gritted his teeth and dropped the pole, kicking Linebeck in the spine. "Wake up!" he roared. Nothing. "Any smells or anything that'll wake him?"

"Try the coffee," Bellum murmured, peering down into it. "It's the way he likes it."

"Stark black coffee?" Link asked, picking it up and sniffing it. "This guy is mental."

"You've got no idea."

Link knelt down near Linebeck's face and set the coffee down near him. He waited, then waved his hand, hoping to waft the smell down to him. "This is stupid," he muttered. Linebeck twitched, and Link held his breath. "You awake...?" he softly whispered. "I need to talk to you."

"F-fu..." Linebeck blinked his eyes open. His focused groggily on the mug just inches from his face. "Hate... you..." he rasped.

"Do you want the coffee?" Link asked, reaching for the mug.

Linebeck rolled onto his back and groaned, groping around with his arm. His hand found the crutch and he dragged it over to himself. Link picked up the mug and set it on the table while Linebeck struggled to get to a standing position. He leaned on the crutch and yawned. "Bellum?"

"Yeeeees?"

"How long was I out?"

"Few hours."

"Damn..." Linebeck glanced around and frowned. He found a chair, pushed a few feet from the table, and lowered himself into it. "I hate both of you. I need my prosthetics."

Link rushed over to the corner and gathered the limbs in his arm. It felt weird to be holding someone's body parts in his arms. He half expected them to come to life, writhing and bending and grasping at the air. "On the table?"

"Go ahead," Linebeck sighed. With his leg, he dragged himself and the chair closer to the table.

"Want any help-"

"I've dealt with this for a year," Linebeck snapped. "I got this." He leaned the crutch against the table. Bellum silently floated around his head. Linebeck turned the arm around, carefully unbuttoning his shirt and tugging the left side off of his shoulder. Aside from the mottled scar, it looked as if he had never had a left arm. More curious, however, was the splotchy scar that tore from between the shoulder and neck down to the bottom of his ribcage. Four identical, small slots in his shoulder mirrored the four rods jutting out of the top of the arm. The rods had three darkly colored metal rings around them, in a kind of shape to cover around the shoulder.

Link was silent while Linebeck picked up the arm and simply slotted the rods into the holes with a faint grimace. He turned some small knobs on the rings, and they visibly tightened around his shoulder. The faint lines in his eyes blinked brighter a few times, and he slowly bent his arm. He wiggled his fingers and glanced up at Bellum. The AI only blinked and glanced at Link, who was visibly fairly uncomfortable. Linebeck adjusted more knobs on the arm, and glanced up at Link. "What did you need?"

Oh, right. Linebeck picked up the leg and fidgeted with a few knobs; it had rods like the arm. "I had a dream last night."

Linebeck frowned. "I didn't know you could dream." He cautiously lowered the leg to the bottom of the pants leg and carefully slid it up to his hip. "What was it about?"

"I don't really know. I was walking through a grassy field with towns and people, with a sword and shield on my back. Four people were talking behind me. That was all that it was."

"Maybe it was a memory," Bellum murmured. "A large grassy field with towns, that sounds a lot like what Hyrule would've looked like."

Linebeck winced while the leg fit into place. "That's interesting." He shifted once the leg was stable and grabbed the coffee. "Is that it?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Get out. We're going to head to the city today. The tournament is tomorrow, but we might as well be there early. Tell the others." Linebeck waved him away and returned to work on a mass of parts on the table.

Link turned to leave, then hesitated. "Have your prosthetics ever just... fallen off? I know you tighten them, but that can't completely prevent that."

"The tightening is for them to stay still," Linebeck murmured. "Not to keep them from falling off. Something extra technology is in those holes in my shoulder and hip, and they constrain the rods so that the parts cannot be removed without my consent. In short, no one can just rip them out unless I let them. Seriously. We tested. No amount of tugging and pulling will rip them out." Linebeck took a sip of his coffee. "Keep that dream in mind and tell me if you have more, no matter how pointless and weird the dreams may be. They could have clues about what happened 200 years ago."