"I have news regarding the spell that brought the Captain back but..."
"It's not good news is it?"
"No Sky, it's not"
"Wait, where's Zelda?"
"I deliberately kept her away from this meeting, you'll find out why soon enough"
"How bad is it?"
Impa's silence tells Time all the information he needed and was the one to speak up
"Is it instant or will we have a chance to say goodbye at least?"
"It depends on where and how you deliver the lethal blow, the only way to free him is...by killing the Captain, the spell was designed not to be broken in any other way"
"I see"
"Then when we next confront him we simply need to ensure we're all next to him"
"Yeah"
"Are you certain you can handle dealing the killing blow?"
"Yes, it's just like those under Cia's mind control back during the War, I had no choice then and with Wars I have no choice now, none of us do"
"Mask..."
"It's...it's fine general, I won't deny that it's not easy but...it's the way things are"
A week later they receive word about Wars' location and go to it, and while most of the military was still hating that they were fighting their hero, were still struggling with the information regarding the spell, the eight Link's knew what they had to do and so made sure that Wars focused on them the entire time. Ultimately it was Time who would deal the blow that would ultimately kill Wars, the sorcerer screaming one word let them know that they had succeeded at the cost of Wars' life
"NO!"
Wars coughs out blood from the wound and speaks very weakly
"Guys...you...did...it...I'm...free"
"Yeah you're...you're free"
"Dying...know it...remember...now"
Wars falls back into Time's arms, while Time gently kneels down so that Wars was flat on the ground. The group would be able to say their proper goodbye's this time, with Time being the one to make sure that Wars didn't speak while the others talked, but the others also made sure that Wars got to say his own goodbye's to them too
"I'll...always...be...with...you"
"We...we know"
"Don't...let...anyone...use...me...again"
"Promise"
Wars gives a small smile and closes his eyes before going limp in Time's arms, moments later his breathing stops and though it was hard Hyrule puts his fingers on Wars' neck and whispers softly
"He's gone"
Time doesn't let go of Wars for almost two hours with the rest of the group surrounding the two during the entire time just mourning their loss, Impa making sure that they weren't disturbed and then in a broken voice Time speaks up
"Everyone, back off I...I need to do something so that I can follow through on my promise and I don't want you to get hurt"
The group realizes instantly what Time was talking about and quickly gives him a wide berth, after with Time activates Din's fire, ensuring that Wars' body was nothing but ashes to be collected for a memorial service at a later time. Impa would be the one to collect the ashes though, seeing the group struggling with the fact that they had been forced to kill the Captain to free him and were deep in their grief, but Impa had a trick to get them to get going
"Mask...we need to return to the castle...return him home one last time"
"I...you're right"
Time gathers the group and the entourage heads back to the castle, with Impa sending a messenger ahead to warn Zelda about what was going to happen upon their return. Once they reached the town Impa knew that the truth was currently unknown to most of the population, though it was clear that the news had spread to the higher ups in the military at the very least since they were standing at attention as the group approached in two rows acting as an honor guard right in front of the castle. Impa stopped the group and turned to Time and hands Wars' ashes to him
"You should be the one to finish the journey with him Mask, he would want this, you know that"
"I...I do"
Time takes the box from Impa's hands and steels himself and goes straight up the steps where Zelda was waiting, he stops five paces away and kneels before speaking while presenting her with the box that contained Wars' ashes
"Your highness, Princess Zelda, though it isn't how we had long hoped for, I have brought Captain Link home at long last"
Zelda gently takes the box from Time's hands and whispers quietly to him
"Thank you for bringing him home"
She then projects her voice loud enough for everyone that was near the castle to hear her next words
"A memorial service for Captain Link will be held tonight, and due to the circumstances there shall be no funeral, instead his ashes shall be interned in a place of honor before tonight's service and it shall be a private ceremony"
An hour before the memorial service was to be held, Zelda led the group to a small area within the courtyard that was sealed off, and when the group entered the area they knew why too, it was a sanctuary for fairies, Proxi greeting Time like an old friend, and Time knew that Proxi was mourning Wars' loss, that it was very likely Proxi had felt the moment Wars had died, though he would only be able to confirm it by asking Proxi directly
"Mask...it's good to see you again"
"Same here Proxi...Proxi I know this will be hard but...did you have a bond with the Captain at any point during or after the War?"
"I...I DID have a bond with him, it was established soon after we met during the War but...Mask I can't feel him anymore, it's strange, when he first died I was there and knew he was gone and yet at some point it was like the bond was reestablished even though that wasn't possible. Now though...it's quiet, it went quiet several hours ago and it...it hurt Mask, for several minutes the bond unraveled slowly and painfully, unlike the sudden snap of the bond when we lost him almost four years ago now"
"I...I'll explain everything in full later Proxi if I can, but for now...for now it's time to bury the Captain for good this time"
"The box Zelda's holding...she's waiting for me to say my goodbye's too isn't she?"
Time simply nods and thus Proxi goes over to Zelda and touches the box that Zelda was holding and then she digs a small hole next to the pond and buries the box in said hole, with each member of the group managing to put a fistful of dirt back in per tradition before Zelda finishes the job herself
"May you rest in peace Captain"
"We'll...we'll join you when it's time Wars, but for now...for now we have a mission to finish, just like you would want us to"
"Mask, stay here, explain things to Proxi until the service, I have things I must do still"
"Right"
And so Time explains things to Proxi regarding how after his original death Wars was brought back to life thanks to a sorcerer and under his control until earlier that day when the group freed Wars, though only by killing him since there was no other option, he also explained how it had been Wars that had basically asked to be given a funeral pyre immediately after his death
"He fought to stay alive long enough to say his goodbye's to us and make his request, though it's also partly my fault since I was the one that landed the blow that I knew would kill him the slowest so that the group could say their goodbye's this time"
"I'm glad that everyone got to say their goodbye's this time, I know he had wished that had been the case originally...you need to go though, it's almost time for the service that Zelda mentioned"
The memorial service wasn't easy, but the group managed to get through it without breaking down. Soon after a portal opens up but it would be another two months before the enemy actually comes to them directly and taunts them with Wars' death before leaving once again
"That...that was a low blow, even if it was expected"
"Expected four years ago maybe, but not now...not unless he somehow knows the truth"
"Hopefully we'll find out in time, for now...we have to continue on and hope that we defeat him soon"
"Right"
"In any case, we need to find out why else that we're here since the portal didn't appear immediately"
"I don't know where we are is the problem, do you?"
It's quickly revealed that none of them knew where they were, which meant it was an era that was probably in between everyone else
"Right, Twilight, Wild scout ahead and see if you can't find a town nearby, but don't stay gone for too long, usual danger signal if needed"
"Right"
An hour later the two were back at camp with the others
"There's a town about thirty minutes away, we don't know much, but it sounds like it's before me, but after you Time"
"I see"
"Shall we get going then?"
"Tomorrow, we're too exhausted for tonight"
The group heads to town the next day and gets good information and confirms that it was between Time's and Twilight's time periods, Time also had a chance to speak with more fairies too
"Hello little one's, is there anything you can tell us that the locals couldn't for some reason?"
"Yes, the royal family is struggling to keep the people safe due to the army degrading rapidly, plus there's no Mother that's close either"
"I see, has there been any news about unusually strong monsters in the area lately?"
"Yes, that's part of why the army is degrading so rapidly, the experienced fighters are all being taken out too quickly and those left are getting too scared to fight even under orders, though they still obey from time to time"
"If you lead us to the enemies, my friends and I will take care of them to the best of our abilities"
The fairies quickly agree to lead the group to the enemy
"Guys, we have a lead thanks to the fairies, so we need to get supplies and ready to fight"
Getting the supplies too the rest of the day and so due to the fear the fairies had they agreed to wait until morning to escort the group to the current trouble hoping that more people wouldn't die, at the inn Time and Twilight would have a private conversation where Twilight is told what the fairies told Time in regards to the degradation of the soldier's fighting spirit and training
"So...now you know"
"Yeah, though one thing doesn't make sense"
"Why your location kept up the intense training and not the city"
"Yeah, I mean in one way I understand since we were guards but..."
"But the soldiers protect the town and more specifically the Royal Family, I get it, but maybe because your home town was guards to a prison your mayor made sure that training was constant and screening done carefully"
"Perhaps"
"And who knows, there might be other factors than what's going on right now that influenced how they acted in your time, we just don't know Twi"
"True"
The next day the fairies took the group to the monsters as promised and the fight was intense, after the battle Time put everyone else first though
"Heal the others first, I'll be fine waiting for a bit, my injuries aren't that bad"
"Yes they are!"
"PLEASE, I...I can't lose anyone else, so please heal them first"
Time collapses right after the final member of the group besides him was healed. He would wake up three days later in a bed surrounded by a group of worried brothers
"Hey guys"
Everyone lets Time know how relieved they are and then Twilight's facial expression and voice go hard
"You are never to do something like that again Time, you almost died because you put our health first"
"Twilight...I know...I knew that I was risking death when I told the fairies to heal you first, that I was risking their wrath at lying to them and thus...losing the right to be healed by them ever again even though they knew the truth from the start and yet I still insisted on them healing you guys instead but...I couldn't lose you guys like we had lost Wars"
Hyrule sighs at that
"The fairies told us just that too, that you said you didn't want to lose anyone else, they also asked me to assure you that you haven't lost the right to healing by them since they understood where you came from. But they also have a warning for you, if you don't let them help you immediately if they insist you need healing you will die more likely than not, not because they won't try and heal you but..."
Time sighs realizing what Hyrule was telling him
"The delay and my actions affected their ability to heal me, it's made their magic weaker on me"
"Yeah, and by the way the only reason we even know what they said is because the Great Mother spoke through them since she's the only one that speaks Hylian, but she's also a bit too far away for us to have taken you to her in person"
"I see...I'll try not to do this again but...it'll be hard"
"We know Time...everyone's been adjusting to Wars' death in our own way, but it's been hard for everyone, it's just hit you the worst since...you knew him the longest"
"I know...I've seen it but...I also knew you would give me my space just like I gave you guys yours"
That night would begin the true mourning and healing stage for the group in regards to Wars' death. Over the next two years the enemy would taunt them in regards to Wars' death, but they never let it get to them, finding out the truth that the enemy hadn't known about Wars and everything that had happened to him. The final battle wouldn't end without loss though, and part of that loss was Time, dying trying to save Twilight after they had already lost Sky and Legend. The fight would end soon after Time took the blow and all the group could do was ease Time's death as much as possible, though his death was still painful since as warned the fairies couldn't be as effective as before due to his actions that one day. But not only was it painful, it had been a slow death as well, taking a total of five days before he was gone. During those five days, though it wasn't much Time would talk every so often and the most he talked about were his regrets that he was dying with. Those regrets would eventually turn Time into the Hero's Shade that Twilight had known before the adventure of the group all together, Time would also die without ever meeting his son, whom Malon had given birth to only hours after the surviving members had brought Time's body home for burial, the survivors being witness to the birth per Hylia's will, and they would also witness Time's funeral. Time had mentioned his unborn child while dying and asked the group to do their best to help Malon as much as they could in telling stories about him to their child, despite their separate eras making that practically impossible. As for Sky, he never even knew he would be a father since he had died before his Zelda found out she was pregnant with Sky's child, eventually the group all died and Hylia allowed them to all be reunited in the afterlife, Wars having waited the longest of course and having greeted Sky, Legend and Time that day after their deaths, with the trio of ghosts waiting those five agonizing days for him to join them, Wars having known via Hylia that Time was joining them, though it would take time and be painful to watch. As each hero died the group all waited and greeted them upon death together, until finally it was Wild's turn, most of the group actually dying from old age. Once all nine were gathered Hylia gave them the gift of watching their spiritual descendants and being allowed to help in small ways during their journey(s) and greeting them once the end had truly come for them. And thus the cycle ever continued without end
