Wild's POV

Rage toward the King and others, I marched forward.

Twilight stopped me. "Don't let your emotions get the best of you."

I glowered at him and shoved his hand off. "I don't need your advice. I can handle myself in battle. Or have you forgotten what I did before the Calamity?"

Twilight flinched like I had slapped him.

A cold fist wrapped around my heart. Part of me wanted to apologize. To tell my brother I love him.

But that hand was replaced with an iron one.

I would protect Zelda to the last breath. From threats both physical, and psychological.

I continued out into the rain. Monsters had gathered in the clearing before the spring.

The others backed away once they saw my withering gaze. I don't have the patience to play. Those monsters better run.

I let my muscles take control as I fell into the familiar rhythm of battle.

I usually surprised people with my style of fighting.

When I first emerged from the shrine, I only had muscle memory. But that wouldn't be enough to get me through the whole of my adventure.

So I watched monsters, and how they fought.

I requested lessons from each of the five tribes (including the Sheikah).

The Rito taught me how to better handle a bow.

The Zora were the ones who first put a spear into my hands.

The Gorons helped build my strength enough to wield their larger-than-average weapons.

And finally, the Gerudo taught me how to use the curved blade of a scimitar to my advantage.

I always preferred fighting in the Gerudo style of things. They danced more than they fought.

They confused their enemies. Their attacked were graceful yet extremely powerful.

So, the second my traveler's broadsword broke, I got out a moonlight scimitar. When my fingers closed around the weapon, I felt my stature change.

I adjusted my center of gravity.

I thrives in the chaos as the monsters desperately tried to keep up with me. They had somewhat learned my strategy with my old weapon, but now I had rolled the dice.

Urbosa, who was nearby, paused in her fight to watch me.

She stared, her own scimitar completely forgotten, as I fought. Her eyes shone with pride and questions.

She was brought back down to earth once the bokoblin she's been fighting stabbed at her abdomen.

She gave me a 'we'll talk about this later look' before killing the monster.

It looked a little weird on her after so many months of receiving it from Twilight whenever I pulled off a risky move or used a unknown Champion's Ability in the middle of a fight. Or right before blacking out whenever I've done something that'd gotten me fatally injured or killed.

—

I threw a bomb at a tree to stop the monsters' advance.

I back to find Zelda had collapsed on the ground, the shadows under her eyes even more prominent now.

"I need to rest." She panted.

Just then more monsters attacked. Great. The time of my life.

Zelda recovered in the time it took for us to eliminate any immediate threat.

"Let's go." She avoided my eye contact as she brushed past me.

Two more keeps later, and we were prepared to leave.

Wait… keeps? Oh no! I'm starting to talk like the Captain! He'll never let me live it down if he knew!

Zelda made us pause at a strange Sheikah device. It looked familiar. I think parts similar to this were in Divine Beast Vah Ruta! But I can't let them know I was able to get in said Divine Beast.

Not yet, anyway.

Maybe one day I'll tell them of my relationship with Link and what became of my time. Maybe.

"These look like the draining systems of Vah Ruta!" Zelda exclaimed.

She looked up at the trees blocking our advance. "Maybe…" she whispered. "the little one can activate these and we can use them to our advantage!"

At those words, the little deviled egg (who came way to close for comfort) scrambled up to the tech. It whistled an eerie tune.

But maybe it just eerie because my greatest enemy and nightmare was singing it.

The machine started to move.

A cute little scale model of Ruta's trunk lifted into the air and pointed at the trees.

I was a little worried as to what awaited us… and the lack of monsters.

A blast of water broke the trees on impact. Inflicting cheers from the group.

We were able to continue. But something was off.

My ear twitched at a sound, a little to distant to fully analyze. And the ground trembled ever so slightly. Me probably only being able to feel it through my bare feet.

"Do y'all hear that?" I asked uncertainty.

"Cub," Twi started. "your hearing excels way past that of a average Hylian's."

I blushed a little at the compliment but nodded forward. "It came from that way."

And then it came again. It was a loud, throaty, guttural sound. The battle cry of a Hinox.

But before I could warn the others, a black Hinox appeared. It's large orange-and-green eye beamed down at us through the sheet of rain.

I backed away until I was safely out of the giant's interest range.

Impa glared at me and gestured for me to come and fight when I put away my weapons. She must think I'm running.

But her eyes widened in understanding when I pulled out a bow.

I nocked an arrow that immediately pierced the air, silently flying toward the glowing beacon. The Hinox roared and covered its eye.

It's eye lids broke the arrow shaft.

I took that moment to dash forward quickly. Then I joined the others in slashing at the giant's tough hide.

It got back up, forcing us to jump away.

It picked up a tree trunk out of seemingly nowhere, especially with the heavy rainfall limiting our vision.

But I could see well enough to see the tree heading straight for me.

I dashed forward, ducking low. I focused. I felt time bend to my will.

I handed some fatal blows to the monster. Time moving sluggishly along.

But all good things must come to an end. My power shattered and time resumed.

But the beast was dead. It crumbled to dust as I jumped out of its way.

Link patted me on the back in congratulations. "You have got to teach me that."

His voice was almost swept away over the roar of the rain.

I smiled at him and sheathed my sword. "Come on. Let's get going!" I shouted to the others.

We sprinted to the exit point. Not far away was lakeside stable.

Impa quickly requested soft beds for all sixteen of us.

But they only had eleven available. We took it.

It was soon decided that the champions, Impa, Link, and Zelda would each have their own bed while the remaining nine of us would take the leftover four beds.

The seven native to this time quickly collapsed on their beds.

But us heroes stayed up to talk and clean our weapons. Four had forced me to clean mine after every battle.

I sat my sheath out in the rain (don't know what I didn't just use that to clean my weapon, probably because I was cold).

I sat down next to Warriors who was regaling us with a tale from the war. How a sorceress who was crazy in love with him opened portals to others times, letting others come through.

We begged for him to tell who came but he stubbornly refused.

I laughed as some of them began to literally beg Wars for the information. I could tell he was enjoying watching Legend beg like a child.

I took up a cloth from Hyrule and finally looked down at my scimitar. And froze.

The blade was coated in black.