Chapter 83 - Connections
Summary: Mipha is emotional after she and Link visit her father and brother in the Calamity Timeline. In the Victory Timeline, hiding people who aren't there is hard.
It was a calm late evening in Zora's Domain, a sprinkle of stars bravely peeking through a blanket of dark gray clouds overhead. The bustling energy of the daytime plaza was a memory; the only sound now was the gentle splash of water echoing through the night. A weary Mipha, with her hand tenderly clasped by her equally tired husband, Link, walked slowly down the steps from the throne room.
They had just shared warm hugs and goodnight wishes with Dorephan and King Sidon, assuring them they'd say goodbye in the morning before returning to their own time. Everyone wished they could prolong their time together, stretching their conversation further. They had spent the entire day and evening recounting stories from their lives, sharing treasured moments that, had destiny unfolded differently, might have been spent together. But those days never came. Thanks to Calamity Ganon, they had slipped away like water through open hands.
Link noticed Mipha's attempt to hide the tears welling in her soft golden eyes, and he squeezed her delicate hand tenderly as they paused at the foot of the stairs near the statue of Hylia.
"It's okay, sweetheart," he said, trying to comfort her. "I know this was an emotional reunion."
Mipha's voice trembled as she replied with a sob. "This was harder than I expected. It was wonderful to see my father and brother. But it made me feel how much I should have been here for them. Amidst the joy of our reunion, I could feel the pain I caused them, a pain they have lived with for such a long time."
Link felt a pang of understanding, realizing he should have anticipated her reaction. Of course, it wasn't truly her that caused any pain: it was her alternate self, the one who had fallen victim to Waterblight Ganon. And it wasn't her fault anyway, just as you couldn't blame Revali, Daruk, or Urbosa for what happened to them. The Divine Beast pilots had given their all, yet tragedy had claimed them. But it was typical of Mipha to perceive others' suffering so deeply, to take it to heart, and to yearn to mend it. Her soul was imbued with healing magic, which colored her entire outlook on life, consistently placing others' needs above her own. It was simply who she was—and another reason he loved her so much.
"It's not your fault you weren't here, sweetheart," Link reassured her, gently releasing her hand to wrap his arm around her slender shoulders. "I … we couldn't change what happened, only create another world where it didn't. And I'm sure seeing you alive and well has eased some of that pain."
Mipha was silent for a moment as Link gently caressed her shoulder.
"This world is a sad place," Mipha remarked. "While I grasped the seriousness of events from what you shared, despite your reluctance to dive into it, experiencing it alongside those who have lived through it made it far more real."
"It was a dreadful period of time, and every race faced immense challenges," Link reflected, recalling the four years he spent here after awakening from his hundred-year slumber. "But bear in mind, it's been under thirty years since Calamity Ganon was finally defeated here, and even I can't fully grasp what it was like for those who experienced it. I was asleep during a century of Hyrule's suffering—a time without leadership or military, with monsters and guardians wandering unchecked. Yet, life goes on, and now people can at least look forward to a future without those fears."
They stood quietly for a moment at the foot of the stairs before Link took his arm from her and grasped her hand again, fatigue from a long and emotional day beginning to take its toll.
"Are we sleeping in the slumber pools here?" Link asked, nodding in the direction of the pools just behind them. His voice was softened by the onset of a yawn that he tried to suppress.
The slumber pools were dotted with the silhouettes of sleeping Zoras, their forms resting peacefully in the cool water. But there was still plenty of room as Zoras generally slept floating upright.
"I'd rather sleep in Mikau Lake," Mipha responded with a yawn herself.
"Worried about being recognized?"
"There's a chance, particularly by those who've been around since before the Calamity. But more importantly, I prefer we have some privacy in case we feel like talking."
"Makes sense."
"But speaking of recognizing someone, nobody will recognize you now that you're a Zora," she continued with a soft laugh, her mood lifting. "Father was so thrilled once he got over the shock!"
Link nodded with a smile, "Yes, he couldn't get over the irony of it, and I can still hear his booming laugh as he said, 'Imagine you being alive, dear, marrying the Hylian you loved, and ending up with a Zora husband! Ho! Ho! It's amazing! And Muzu would be doubly thrilled.'"
"I really wish I could have visited with Muzu," Mipha sighed. "He was a great mentor, and Father mentioned that he was deeply affected by what happened to me. He was never fond of Hylians, though, often questioning their skills and intentions. He didn't approve of your visits either. And I definitely had to make sure he wasn't around when I was crafting your armor. Perhaps someday, the Sheikah will change their rules and allow us to meet more people beyond just family. I'd like to help relieve the pain Muzu felt."
"Perhaps they will. You know I do have an inkling of what he and your family went through. Remember that I also once felt the pain of losing you."
Mipha smiled as she squeezed his hand, her eyes glistening with affection.
"I know you did, sweetheart. But you've had 45 years of a perfect marriage to make up for it, right?"
"I certainly won't argue with that!" Link chuckled, his laughter a warm, familiar sound. "And it almost does. Let's get some rest before I collapse from fatigue."
They journeyed along the well-trodden path to Mikau Lake, where the scene was similar yet different. There were the same shrubs and tall evergreen trees. But it was absent of any dwelling, the landscape untouched. Together, they waded into the cool, crystal waters, the gentle embrace of the lake surrounding them. After a long kiss, they quickly fell asleep in each other's arms, lulled by the soothing sound of the lake's cascading waterfall, a melody of peace and togetherness.
Meanwhile, in the Victory Timeline, the late morning sunlight filtered through the tall, arched windows of the Royal Ancient Tech Lab, casting light beams across the room littered with blueprints, half-assembled devices, and glowing Sheikah tech.
"By the time you wake up tomorrow, the wound should be completely healed," said Lapha to the Hylian soldier with a cut on his forearm. "It's safe to remove the bandage then."
"Thank you, Dr. Lapha," said the grateful soldier. "That's amazing, and I appreciate you seeing me."
"Of course," Lapha replied, sealing the container of balm infused with Ancient Energy, a creation born from her healing research. "If it doesn't work, let me know, though I'm sure it should do the trick."
The soldier nodded and left, and then Lapha picked up her Tab and glanced at the screen. She was awaiting a message, but the screen was blank. She paced restlessly near her workbench, her brow furrowed. A faint hum of energy from nearby equipment filled the air, but it did little to calm her growing irritation. She composed yet another message.
Lapha_ZD:To:Aldora_S_NH:Why aren't you answering? It's past time for our call.
She sent the message and stared at the screen as if willing Aldora's reply to appear instantly. Nothing. Not even the faint ping of a message being received. Her jaw tightened as she muttered under her breath, "This is the third time. What could possibly be keeping her?"
She exhaled sharply, trying to shake off her frustration. Her gaze drifted momentarily to the cluttered lab around her, but she couldn't focus on anything else. If Aldora weren't responding, maybe reaching out to family would offer some comfort or at least a distraction. She hadn't been home in some time, so she mentally composed another message and sent it off:
Lapha_ZD:To:Mipha_ZD:Hi, Mom. How are you and Dad? I'm hoping to come home this weekend. Miss you.
She waited. The seconds stretched into a minute. Then two. Her heart sank as silence greeted her once more. "Strange," she murmured, her voice barely audible over the soft whirring of machinery. Her Mom was usually pretty responsive to messages. She hesitated, then composed another message.
Lapha_ZD:To:Link_ZD:Hi, Dad. Mom's not answering. Are you and Mom okay?
She paused a moment longer than usual before sending it and then stared at the screen expectantly. Again, there was no reply.
"This doesn't make any sense," Lapha muttered to herself, glancing down at her Tab as if it might suddenly come to life with a flurry of responses. "Is it my Tab that's acting up?" The idea that something could be wrong with her parents gnawed at the edges of her mind, but she pushed it aside for now. Logic first—she needed to eliminate other possibilities. Her older brother Midon was almost never without his Tab. They used to tease him that his Tab was stuck to him like a barnacle.
Lapha_ZD:To:Midon_ZD:Midon, are you in North Hyrule today?
The reply came almost immediately, and Lapha let out a small sigh of relief at seeing at least one notification pop up on her Tab.
Midon_ZD:To:Lapha_ZD:No, Laph, still home. Why?
She quickly responded.
Lapha_ZD:To:Midon_ZD:Nothing. Just wondered.
Her brother's prompt response reassured her that her Tab was working fine. But that only made the silence from Aldora and her parents all the more unsettling.
"So my Tab seems to work," she muttered aloud, trying to steady herself with logic despite the unease building in her chest.
Across the lab, Purah and Robbie were huddled together, their conversation punctuated by animated gestures and bursts of conversation.
"Robbie, I don't understand the purpose of your latest research," said Purah. "Is it practical? What use is it?"
"That's a funny question coming from you," Robbie retorted. "You're always arguing about the value of knowledge for knowledge's sake. I'm usually the one putting our knowledge to practical use."
"That's not entirely true," Purah replied. "I've many practical inventions to my name."
"Only because you named them," Robbie replied with a laugh, proud of his clever retort.
Lapha hesitated for a moment before heading toward them. She stopped just behind them and folded her arms, waiting for an opening in their discussion.
It didn't take long for Purah to notice her presence. "Dr. Lapha!" Purah exclaimed cheerfully as she turned around. Her sharp eyes sparkled with curiosity behind thick glasses that seemed slightly too large for her face. "Did you want something?"
"Yes," Lapha began hesitantly before speaking more confidently. "Have you ever known Tabs to stop working?"
"Only when Dr. Robbie tinkers with one," Purah quipped with a mischievous grin.
Robbie spun around with an offended expression, his wiry hair bouncing slightly from the motion. "Very funny, Dr. Purah," he said with exaggerated indignation. "You know I'm cautious handling such delicate technology! Remember how I built a Tab entirely from scratch using just a blueprint? That work helped us uncover Queen Sopha's covert attempt at sabotage! When I—"
"Oh, lighten up, Robbie," Purah interrupted with a hearty laugh that echoed through the lab. "I was just teasing!"
"Teasing or not, it was rude," Robbie grumbled under his breath before turning back to Lapha with a more serious expression. "But what's prompted your concern, Dr. Lapha?"
"A couple of things," Lapha admitted after a pause. She glanced down at her Tab briefly before continuing. "For one, today is supposed to be my call with Aldora—our North Hyrule liaison—but she hasn't responded to any of my calls or messages."
Robbie raised an eyebrow thoughtfully while Purah tilted her head to one side like an inquisitive bird.
"Is it possible she turned off her Tab and forgot?" Robbie suggested after a moment.
"I doubt it," Lapha replied firmly. "Aldora once joked about how Chief Saldon expects her to be available day or night—sometimes both! She never shuts her Tab off."
"That… does sound like Saldon," Purah said with a knowing chuckle before waving for Lapha to continue.
"It's not just Aldora," Lapha added, her tone growing more urgent. "I tried messaging my parents this morning too—both of them—and neither has responded."
Purah frowned slightly as concern flickered across her face. "Have you checked with any of your siblings about why you can't reach your parents?"
"No way!" she said firmly before adding with a faint smile, "Midon and Mila are the only ones at home who might know. Midon can't keep a secret any more than a Sneaky River Snail can hide at night. And if word reaches my sister Mila that our parents aren't answering their Tabs, she'll spiral into a whirlpool of panic."
Purah nodded slowly in understanding. "Got it—Mila's… sensitive."
"Well," Purah said briskly after a beat of silence while pulling out her own Tab, "let's test this out ourselves."
She composed a message on the screen before holding it up.
Purah_S_H:To:Link_ZD:Message me back. It's important.
The three scientists stood in tense silence for several moments as they waited for any sign of a response.
Nothing came.
"Well then," Robbie declared decisively after clearing his throat, "let's consult the network logs." He strode purposefully toward the nearby Guidance Stone and began connecting his Tab to its interface with practiced ease.
"You can access the network logs from here?" Lapha asked.
"Yes - some research of mine that proved practical," Robbie replied with a smirk at Purah. "It helped when I was incorporating tracking ability into Link's Tab when he journeyed secretly to North Hyrule to rescue Mila from Sopha. But the data is encrypted, so it takes some effort to decipher it."
As he worked methodically through layers of encrypted data streams and diagnostic tools, Lapha paced anxiously behind. After several moments of studying the screen, he spoke out.
"Very strange. Both of your parents journeyed to North Hyrule yesterday, but then their Tabs completely disappeared from the network this morning."
"Completely disappeared?" Lapha exclaimed.
"That's not a good sign. Can you also check on Aldora?" Purah asked.
"Those North Hyrule Sheikah have more heavily encrypted Tabs than us, so I have to approach it differently. But I know how to identify the Tab owner in the logs if I have an idea of their Tab address," Robbie said proudly. "This will take a little longer while I scan the last few weeks' logs for encrypted addresses starting with 'A.'"
"Should I make tea?" Purah asked. "What's a little longer?"
"I can't be sure, but having you make tea would be nice," said Robbie. "If for no other reason than it will keep you busy and stop making insulting remarks or asking annoying questions."
"Tea to stop tea-sing, huh?" Purah remarked with a terrible pun, then busied herself preparing a pot of strong tea.
Robbie focused intently as his fingers flew across his Tab, scanning the network logs for any sign of Aldora's activity. Lapha paced anxiously nearby, her mind racing with possibilities about what could have happened to her parents and Aldora.
After what felt like an eternity but was really only about thirty minutes, Robbie let out a triumphant "Aha! I found Aldora." Then, he continued after a brief pause. "But wait … something's wrong. Maybe my decryption process is not working correctly."
"Why? What did you find?" Lapha asked eagerly, rushing over to peer at Robbie's Tab screen.
"Well, I was scanning Tab owners whose name begins with an 'A,'" Robbie replied, pointing at a group of lines in the log. "Aldora's Tab last registered activity two weeks ago, and then…nothing. It's as if it completely vanished from the network, just like your parents' Tabs."
"I see," said Purah. "But what makes you suspect your decryption no longer works?"
"Look several lines below Aldora's log entries and tell me what you see," said Robbie.
Purah used her finger to scroll down, then stopped.
"Holy Hylia! I see what you mean! But how is that possible?" Purah exclaimed.
"Exactly," said Robbie after swallowing a sip of tea.
"What is it? What's wrong?" Lapha asked.
"The log shows that … your half-sister Astra's Tab has been reappearing on the network," said Purah.
"What!?" Lapha felt a chill run down her spine.
"There is something strange going on. How do we explain this?" Purah asked.
"Some people disappearing and others reappearing…," mused Robbie. "I don't know .…"
"I'm really worried about my parents," said Lapha.
"Yes, that's a natural response to the situation," Purah nodded. "And it bears investigation, of course. But the more scientifically interesting matter may be the re-appearance of Princess Astra. Something tells me that may be the key to unlock the mystery."
"Let me message her, then," said Lapha, eager to make some progress.
Lapha_ZD:To:Astra_P_H:Astra, are you here?
The three scientists waited for any sign of a response, but nothing came.
"Perhaps I made an error in decoding her name," Robbie admitted hesitantly, not keen on acknowledging a mistake in the presence of the always-judgmental Purah.
"Or maybe you didn't," Purah pondered while taking a contemplative sip of her tea. "I believe I'm beginning to grasp the situation."
"Does that mean my parents are okay?" Lapha inquired.
"I believe so," Purah replied. "And I suspect our Sheikah kin in North Hyrule have another secret to reveal."