Prologue
The magician let out an exhausted sigh as the pig demon disintegrated underneath his -now bloodied- golden blade, it was finally over, Hyrule was free of the apocalypse he had foreseen long ago..
Yet, the more he looked around at what was once his own home, the more unrecognizable it was to him. The throne room was completely demolished, the staircase leading to the stage he once performed upon was nothing but rubble, even the basement of the once proud castle was turned into nothing but a bog infested with savage monsters.. Everyone he had once known was nowhere to be seen.. The King, The Sheikah guards, The Princess, her personal knight... His Father.. they were all gone.. He saved the world he knew, but.. He was utterly alone.
No. He wasn't going to stay here, not like this.
So with a quick disassemble of his blade and a wave of his enchanted baton, he vanished, bringing himself back to his own time- bringing himself into the fortune teller's room he had once left from, where he lowered his arms, hung his head down, and spoke his mind to her.
"After defeating Ganon, I expected to rejoice. But not only was I in the ruins of my old home, I was alone there. Everyone I had once known had vanished off the face of this kingdom. And after realizing this, I couldn't live out my days there, regardless if it was free of danger.. I thank you for bringing me the chance I needed, my sincere apologies to any trouble I may have caused you.
Farewell, may the winds of time be your guide."
And with that, he stood himself upright, and made his way back home.
What a foolish mistake it would soon become..
What would he tell the kingdom when he made it back to Hyrule Castle? What would he tell his father..? He had gone against his word after all; promising that he would wait so they could both defeat Ganon together, but ultimately leaving without him anyway.. Possibly leaving him in worry and- knowing him- unintentionally causing him to begin a search hunt for the magician. Who knew how long he had already been searching? Who know how long he was gone..
The drawbridge leading into Hyrule Castle was lowered and.. strangely unguarded.. concerning.. He had put a spell on the knights and cast them into a deep slumber so he could initially leave without a hitch, but.. They were completely gone. He had a sickening, twisting feeling in his gut- no, this isn't right, something is happening in there- inside that castle.. it wasn't long before he felt his arms gripped, his adrenaline pulsing through his body as he was carried into Hyrule Castle and led directly to the King, surround by the guards he could've sworn he cast to sleep- in fact, he had cast EVERYONE in this room to sleep, but.. What's going on..? "Your Majesty-?"
"Silence." It was a quiet, yet stern tone the magician had heard before, but never directed at him.. It caused him to flinch.
"Care to explain your recent actions, Pseudo?”
The magician's ears had lowered, not simply because he knew he had done something wrong, but because of his stage name being used in place of his real name. It was insulting.. still, he adjusted himself and spoke up "Yes, your majesty. I've spoke of dark times coming to plague our kingdom's future recently and had begun to prepare for the inevitable since then. I used the power of the triforce to enchant my magic, giving me the ability to perform spells beyond mere illusions, and set off for the future once I had finished preparations: sending you and your knights into a slumber so I wouldn't be stopped as I was nearing my goal. I bore no ill intentions upon doing this, your majesty, I simply wanted to insure the safety of Hyrule's future and--"
"You traitorous snake!" The king's words had suddenly boomed over his own, silencing him immediately and causing the magician to shrink "You steal the triforce, bring a curse onto this family, make ludicrous claims without a thread of proof, and possibly endanger the future of my citizens- of my family- all for your own illicit plans?!"
The young mage shivered, his explanation of truth shot down, he had nothing else to say- and no one to back him up..
"I expected more from your family. . . I wish not to see you in this castle again. Guards, cast him away- to a place where the eyes of Hyrule will never find him. An execution will come soon enough."
With those words began a panic, he had begun to struggle as the guards who held him in place swiftly carried him away from the room "No- Wait!! You've misunderstood my intentions! I never meant to betray the royal family! I only aimed to stop the impending doom before it struck! Let me go!!"
His shouts fell on deaf ears as he was taken farther away.. Where was he being taken to..
The knights took him into a forest, still within a distance from the castle, and opened up an entrance to the underground, climbing inside with the magician. The inside already looked hollowed out.. a long hall with a small staircase and an empty cell at the end.. It was his, wasn't it. As he was being taken closer to the cell, he felt a surge of magic through his body, though it wasn't his own.. It felt heavy, like it was dragging his soul, binding it into the underground prison. He wasn't able to fully comprehend or even ask about the feeling before he was tossed into the cell, locked away with a golden key which would soon be shattered and dispersed into the air by one of the knights, leaving but one shard of it in the hall before they turned and headed back down the hall. The young mage pushed himself up from the hard floor and looked back as the knights climbed out of the underground cell and vanished into the light, he drew breath to call for them to return, but before he could even shout, the entrance closed, leaving him in nothing but darkness. The only light for him was from the candles lined against the halls outside his cell, other than that, he had nothing.
A shame, he went on this quest to prove himself, prove that his family had changed from their dark past, to save Hyrule's future.. But now he had none of that. He slandered his family's name, shown himself to be lower than the ground beneath the kingdom, and now.. He wouldn't even be there while Hyrule falls into ruin. He couldn't save them. He couldn't do anything anymore. He was alone.
He had failed.
