Voicelines about you...
Astral Express
Hertas Space Station and Argenti
Belobog Part 1 / Part 2
Xianzhou Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3
Penacony
Stellaron Hunters
-Linked Universe-
In Care and Health (Wars, Legend)
Weather Vane (Sky, Legend)
Windstill (Wind, Four)
Flying or Sleeping, is there really a difference? (Triple Threat)
The shadows of the past, the present and the future (The Chain)
Ch.1 / Ch.2
-The Legend of Zelda-
FSA Manga Links Personality Analyses
How could the Four Sword work if you consider the game mechanics?
The shadows of the past, the present and the future - Chapter 2
A Linked Universe story featuring: The Chain
Ao3 Link Ch.1/Ch.2
Titel: ...Endlessly approching them
Four is slowly losing his composure. He storms away in a fit of doubt and anger. Is it too much to ask for a moment to himself? Well, if anyone needs to follow him, it could be the wild cook. After all, he already knows his actual self.
Turning his gaze away, he walked toward the moonlit darkness where tall pines rose like silent sentinels. His steps were quicker than usual, he’d grown used to hurrying to match his taller companions, but even this was faster. Leaves crunched underfoot, dirt kicked up behind him in scattered bursts as if trying to keep pace.
His arms stayed tight to his body, hands curled into fists. He barely registered where he was heading. It didn’t matter, he just needed distance. A quiet spot large enough to sit and collect himself wouldn’t be hard to find in a forest this vast.
Only when his self-preservation instincts finally nudged him did he think, faintly, that he shouldn’t have reacted so sharply. Wanting space was fine… but it was late. And who knew what prowled these woods at night? Neither of them had raised their voices, but his agitation had been obvious. Did they really think he couldn’t fend for himself?
His heart whispered the truth: No. They knew he was capable. They simply loved him too much to let him wander off alone while upset. Especially after he grabbed his sword, now strapped across his back, the white cloth tied around its handle fluttering with each hurried step, the others had shifted from worry to concern.
Well… it wasn’t as if he was completely alone. Even if dinner would be late tonight, he had company.
The Champion’s steps behind him were light enough that, had he not been trained to hear even a mouse skittering under brush, he might’ve missed them entirely. He had chosen Wild for a simple reason: with the others, he wouldn’t get the chance to talk properly.
After several minutes of weaving through the dim, thin-slivered forest paths, they reached a part where the pines grew farther apart. Not ideal, but better than nothing. He exhaled, reached for his sword, and,
One became four.
•··········•··········•
Wild settled onto a fallen tree trunk. It must not have fallen long ago; nature hadn’t yet claimed it back. During their stay in these woods, he’d noticed many trees damaged or missing entirely, leaving only gnarled roots.
Maybe a storm hit not long ago.
He made himself comfortable, this would probably take a while. His gaze drifted back to the Smithy, or rather, the Smithies.
Blue paced in tight lines, muttering under his breath while biting at a fingernail. In Wild’s opinion, he looked the most stressed. Even the strand of hair he usually kept tucked behind one ear hung loose now. Wild found himself liking that difference. Maybe one day he’d tease Four into wearing it that way on purpose. Regardless, Blue’s pacing always drifted away from them, never too close.
Vio stood nearer, leaning against a tree with arms crossed, staring upward through the branches. Perhaps he could see the moon from there. His face didn’t reflect the soft, calm light above; it was tight with turmoil and regret Wild wasn’t sure he wanted clarified.
Green sat on the ground, back turned to him, drawing something in the dirt. Wild couldn’t see it, but he wasn’t sure Green wanted him to. Maybe the drawing wasn’t anything at all, just something to do with his hands, a release for frustration.
And Red… Red wore his heart on his face. Arms wrapped tightly around himself, he glanced from one counterpart to the next, circling the loop of mirrored selves without knowing where to begin.
Well, Wild thought, the best way to start something is to start it yourself. Even if there were four “selves” involved.
When Red finally looked his way, Wild tilted his head and patted the log beside him, an invitation.
Red cast one more uncertain look toward the others, then slowly made his way over. He had to climb the trunk a little before settling beside Wild, and Wild politely ignored the awkward scramble. Now wasn’t the time to tease.
“Sorry to interrupt your little… reunion,” Wild murmured into the air, eyes unfocused but gentle. Red let out a surprised sigh, followed by a shy chuckle.
“It’s alright. You’re here for our safety,” he breathed, giving Wild a small smile, one that quickly folded into embarrassment.
“Oh, um, yeah. Sorry you have to see me like this.” His nod toward his other selves was tiny. “I’m normally more… collected.”
Reds sentence faltered as he realized he’d been kneading his own fingers. He didn’t stop even after noticing.
Wild hummed thoughtfully, glancing around as if checking for danger, partly for show, partly out of habit.
“Nah, don’t worry. It’s good to let things out sometimes.” Wild remembered all the times he had needed a break, especially when certain memories clawed their way up. The others never failed to lift his spirits after.
Twilight listening without judgment;
Hyrule dragging him off for distractions;
Legend offering quiet support simply by existing nearby.
Sometimes presence alone was enough.
Red hummed beside him, something longing in the sound. When Wild turned, he found him staring at Vio beneath the tree. The purple self returned the gaze, then, after a moment Wild couldn’t decipher, sighed and made his way over.
He and Blue sidestepped each other, Blue not even noticing in his pacing. Vio reached them, and Red tugged gently on his hand. He followed without hesitation. Vio climbed the log with practiced ease and sat next to Red, who immediately scooted closer and tucked Vio’s arm comfortably beneath his own, holding his hand.
Red inspected Vio’s fingers with soft, nervous fidgets. Vio let him.
Vio lifted his eyes to Wild expectantly. Caught off-guard, Wild blinked hard and blurted:
“Nice weather we’re having, huh?”
“You’re a disaster,” Vio sighed. Wild genuinely couldn’t tell whether it was an insult or simply an observation. Weren’t these split-selves supposed to be the more open and sincere parts of Four? He wasn’t sure, he’d tried to understand the explanation once, but after failing, he’d been too afraid to ask again. For someone Four’s size, he sure had a lot of temperament bottled up.
Wild elected to ignore the fact that said temperament was pacing ten meters away.
“A wild disaster, some would say.” He grinned crookedly.
Vio rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the tiny smile he pressed into Red’s hair.
After a quiet moment, Vio spoke again. “Perhaps we should start discussing why we’re here.”
“You already know my opinion,” Red murmured, steady, but with a wavering undercurrent, as if a flame were trying to grow but lacked fuel.
“I know our opinions,” Vio corrected, with all the patience he knew of the Smithy “but Wild doesn’t.”
Wild blinked, stunned, then lifted both hands. “Wait, you don’t have to tell me all this if you don’t want to. I’m just here to keep an eye on you while you sort things out.”
“We have talked in circles trying to resolve it,” Reason said, leaning lightly into Optimism. “Maybe we just need someone to explain it to. Maybe things will untangle once spoken aloud.”
Seeing them mirror each other, the same clothes, same face, different hues, Wild couldn’t help wondering what his own aspects might look like.
Then a certain muttering grew louder and Wild rethought that entirely. Afterall, they all promised the Smithy not to use the sword, regardless the situation. He can understand why. Being faced with yourself, everything you want and not want to see…yea that sound rough.
“…Alright,” Wild said. “If you’re okay with it.”
Red giggled softly, stopping to play with Vios hand for a moment. “You sound unsure, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“Well… if you tell me what this is even about, I can decide better.”
He barely finished the sentence before all two faces fell into the same forlorn expression.
A gentle breeze drifted through, stirring leaves and brushing over their legs. Wild was reminded how hard it was to confront certain topics, how some truths hurt simply by existing.
He turned, folding his legs crisscross on the log, giving Red his full attention. Encouraged by a nudge from Vio, Red shifted to mirror him, leaning against his purple counterpart.
“We talked about our Shadows, the dark versions, a few days ago, right?”
Wild nodded. Being one of the few heroes in their group who hadn’t faced an evil duplicate still baffled him. He was relieved, of course, but it remained bizarre.
“The others only faced them once or twice,” Red continued, fiddling with the embroidered hem of his tunic. “But I… we… weren’t as lucky.”
Vio took over. “Our Shadow was made when we were one, more or less at least. It was our third adventure. He… tricked me into pulling the Four Sword again.”
“ ‘Tricked’ is a nice word,” Green said, stepping forward with a grim expression. He didn’t sit, simply stood before them.
“What would you call it?” Wild asked.
“Pressured,” Green huffed, jade coloured eyes landing on him. They were interesting, Wild thought. So much more alive than Fours eye colour. “I didn’t have a choice.” He crossed his arms, toe scraping agitatedly at the dirt. “And that was only the beginning.”
Vio sighed, displeasure haunting his voice. “We travelled Hyrule, helping where we could, trying to track Vaati, the mage trapped in the sword, and the Shadow, who hunted us constantly.”
Something clicked faintly in Wild’s mind.
“Our Shadow did terrible things,” Red whispered, curling in on himself.
Wild’s chest tightened at the timid tone, so unlike the confident Blacksmith.
“He could make copies. Endless ones. They terrorized Hyrule and her people.”
Wild could see the devastation etched into Red’s trembling posture. The pain his Hyrule faced, about his want but inability to do anything, about his shortcomings.
“Some villagers thanked us,” Optimism murmured with a wet laugh. “Others… blamed us.”
“Blamed you? But you helped, how was that your fault?” Wild asked, bewildered. How could anybody blame them for what happened?
“The Shadow was made in Link’s likeness,” Vio said from over Red’s shoulder, fingers brushing soothingly through Red’s hair, though his own hand trembled. “People thought either that we were the shadows or that we’d caused them.”
Green added quietly, “They were new settlers from other lands. They didn’t know us. I… can’t blame them for jumping to conclusions.” Bending down Green grabbed a small stone and looked at it, but before Wild could see why he did that did Vio continue speaking. “The Shadow appeared everywhere, interfering at every step until we finally destroyed his magic source with Zelda’s help.”
Suddenly Blue let out a loud, “Hey!” and stormed towards them, stopping in front of Green. He put his hands on his hips and gave Green a scowl.
Green grinned smugly, hand now empty and moved it to brush a strand of Blues hair behind his ear. Blues checks faintly flushed red but didn’t pull away.
“It was rough and annoying, but we managed in the end” Green said.
“Yeah,” Blue snapped, inserting himself into the conversation, “rough like being impersonated and tormented by bombs as big as a house!”
The cogs in Wild’s thoughts began turning harder now. What was their actual problem with the Shadow? Why did those memories still haunt Four as much as they do?
Red sniffed, wiping at gathering tears. “Seeing this new enemy, this new shadow, it just brought back memories.” His grip tightened on his pants, knuckles white.
Silence fell again, thick and strained.
“You said it impersonated you,” Wild asked gently. “How did you tell who was real?”
Red didn’t answer; the others exchanged glances.
“At first? We couldn’t,” Green said, grimacing and grabbed his left arm. “We had accidents. But learning our own mannerisms wasn’t hard, we’re one person, after all.”
“So was the Shadow,” Vio murmured. “He learned too.”
“We reached a point where we could barely tell ourselves apart,” Green said, shooting Blue and Vio a sympathetic glance when they both looked away awkwardly. Guilt.
“So a friend of ours came up with an idea.” He placed a hand on the embroidery on his tunic. His left chest.
Wild leaned closer. He’d always admired the patterns but hadn’t known they meant anything. Not of the Heros recognized them. At least Wild didn’t hear one of them mentioning it. Perhaps the Veteran knew something about them? Or perhaps the Captain.
“She embroidered symbols into our tunics,” Vio explained and took his own embroidery into his hand, although much gentler. “The Shadow couldn’t copy them accurately.”
Mockingly, Blue elbowed Green with a smug grin. A grin that could rival the Collectors whenever he and the Captain were having one of their oppositions again “Too weak to copy a simple pattern.”
Wild, without thinking, blurted, “Well, you’re strong and smart. And honestly? Working alone doesn’t seem like your style.”
There was a certain air around Four which just seemed so open to new experiences, but from what Wild had gathered so far, it was those experiences the Smith loved to share with others. Yes, he may not be the loudest or most outgoing of their little hero group, which is really surprising considering, well, Red, but he loved to just be around the others and enjoy their present.
Blue’s expression softened into something proud and embarrassed all at once. Green’s cheeks tinted pink.
“Have you seen the symbols before?” Red asked shyly, smiling through tears.
Wild studied them again. “Can’t say I have.”
“They are our symbols!” Red blurted out happily, arms throwing to either side and slowly slipping from the log. Vio grabbed him around the stomach and pulled him back up, giving his other self an exhausted glare.
“No, not our symbols directly. They are the symbols of the four elements that make up our world and the Four Sword. “
“Earth,” Vio said, holding up his hand in front of him to represent himself. “Fire,” he said, pointing at Reds' beaming face. “Water,” he continued with a hand in Blues direction, whose satisfaction is clearly visible on his face. “Wind,” as a gentle breeze blew Wilds tight up hair away from his body.
Green moved his fingers up and down, as if the wind was running between them. It was as if he controlled them like a puppeteer.
“Show-off,” Red muttered fondly. Green smirked.
“So,” Wild said plainly, “if you solved that together, why not this?”
Their faces fell. Oh he should really work on his delivery, shouldn't he?
“There are too many… negative factors involved,” Green tried to reason, wanting to continue but got interrupted by Wild.
“Or you don’t want to confront it?” Wild asked.
For a moment it was quiet, four big pairs of eyes staring at him, until one of them turned scorching. Blue exploded. “How DARE you?!”
He tried to storm toward Wild, pointing, rage twisting his expression, hurt, fear, pride all tangled. Green grabbed his arm, holding him back.
“We trusted you to help, not to stab us in the back!” Blue shouted, like a storm that had held too much rain, finally breaking, hurt overflowing. It was the moment when vaporized water gathered in the clouds and turned back into water. It was the moment when the clouds could no longer hold everything in. The hurt is a result of the clouds' tears. The hurt resulting from people not believing him and accusing him.
The hurt of loneliness and rejection.
“It still scares me,” they heard Red mutter through his tears. Blue stopped, body rigid and voice stolen.
“All of it. It still scares me,” Red sobbed, squeezing his arms in desperation and no doubt leaving behind marks with his nails. If not for the fabric, Wild would have thought he would draw blood. “We just tried- we just tried to help. Nobody was doing anything, so we tried to help.” Red's voice rose in pitch, and he tried to breathe shuddering breaths that never filled his lungs.
Something in Wild's heart broke. If the Smith ever knew what he thought, he would surely hit him. But Wild could see nothing but a child. A child that yearned for love from the world. He was reminded of the children of Hateno who, when he was out late at night, would sometimes approach him with tears in their eyes. Their nightmares of monsters and memories of incomprehensible events were still fresh in their minds.
Just like on those nights, he opened his arms for Red to lean into. It didn't take long for Red to fall into his arms and cry bitterly, breathing unevenly. If Wild hadn't known what a panic attack looked like, he would have thought this was one.
But it wasn't. This was a genuine reaction resulting from pure sadness.
The Champion knew that Four's emotions and thoughts were amplified when he split. They were literally his very existence on display. But he couldn't help but wonder if Four suffered so greatly when they were together.
His younger brother, at least, he thought Four was younger than him, was warm in his arms. Not unbearably hot, but certainly warmer than the majority of people he had touched so far. Even Twilight, who still retained some aspects of his cursed self, wasn't this warm and didn't have that much energy under his skin.
Red cried and cried, his hands frantically trying to find a hold on Wild's back. Wild simply held him as he would anyone else.
It took a while for Red to calm down, not completely, but his cries lessened to sniffles. Still, Wild didn't let go. He merely adjusted his hold and pulled Red closer.
“Are you afraid that more people will treat you unfairly?” he asked calmly. He felt Red nod and waited for one of the others to elaborate. It didn't take long for Vio to start explaining.
“We know it's not our fault, but being accused and rejected like we were, like I was afterwards-” Vio took a moment, turning his face to the side and looking away from everyone. “It left its mark.” What if they are right? What does the shadow actually mean in comparison to us?”
“Specific people are avoiding me. They don't want to speak with me. They're refusing our help completely. If the Shadow was made in our likeness...everything has inspiration, after all.”
Green gulped, his hand now just holding the fabric around Blue's wrist. He stared at the ground, undoubtedly seeing the wrongdoings of those people. People they believe they have failed.
“Well, I don't see a fifth one of you,” Wild said lightly, his head resting on the blonde hair below him. Three pairs of eyes turned to him, and he heard a confused noise mixed with sniffles.
“It's the Four Sword, not the Five Sword, Champion,” Blue exclaimed, looking at Wild as if he had been hit in the head by a Lynel. He could neither deny nor prove that claim.
He pointed at each of them as he spoke: “I see reason, temperament, optimism, and motivation. But not evilness.” He took a moment to think about how to phrase what he wanted to say. However, no words came to him that could lessen the impact he hoped Four would take away from this conversation.
“Yeah, it may have looked like you, but that doesn't mean its actions reflect your actual thoughts.”
“From what I understand, the dark and shadow stuff does that because of Ganon or whatever evil power is behind it. It's not your fault it took your form to mess with you and the people. It never was.”
It took Link ages to accept that it wasn't his fault. It wasn't his fault that the calamity destroyed everything, including him, and left an empty body behind. It wasn't the Hero of Light's fault that he was used and abused.
Wild really hoped that he would accept that truth one day. He also prayed that his other brothers would come to the same conclusion.
“But I- we all- I have-” Blue gripped his hair and continued walking up and down, easily ripping Green's hand off of him. Green started at Wild's face.
“You say that so easily,” Green said bitterly. He stared into Wild's vibrant turquoise eyes for a moment, then, with an exhale of grief, took a seat next to his violet self.
“You don't know what we did to be standing here today. To simply survive,” Vio said with disdain in his voice. But Wild didn't think it was directed at him; rather, it was directed at a past that had been mostly forgotten.
He hummed and continued to run his hands up and down Red's back. His smaller hands now simply rested on his back, embracing the moment. As if Wild could shelter him from the cruel reality. From his past deeds.
“I also don't see evil in any of you,” he said, recalling what Zelda had told him when she was by his side as he regained one of his memories. He took a deep breath and looked down at the optimism that remained in his arms. At the lively compassion held in his hands.
“You are doubting yourself. You're worried that there's something evil inside you. Those thoughts and feelings alone are already your answer,” he said, looking back up again. Light blue eyes stare back at his vibrant ones. They held so much doubt, but also so much pride and dedication. “Nobody who wants to hurt others would second guess their actions.”
•··········•··········•
Now, sitting with the smithy in his four-coloured tunic, leaning against a tree, he chose to enjoy the sleepiness of the forest. The animals were already asleep, and the trees rested their leaves before the sun rose again and brought a new tomorrow. As was written in the eternal pages of the universe.
Wild knew self-doubt. He knew despair in its purest form. A hundred years of slumber wouldn't grant him the ability to forget those feelings without lingering afterthoughts.
Now, sitting side by side with someone he appreciated and loved as much as the other champions and the faint memory of a little girl smiling up at him, he came to an admission.
Sometimes, you are truly unable to see beyond yourself. It's impossible to change when you don't know how, but others might. Others have different experiences, qualms, and beliefs. He thought he could accept and share those differences from time to time. Even if it was selfishly for himself. But then again, selfishness is simply another human quality. So, it was fine.
Later, when they had forgotten all about the time, and his arm had grown numb from holding up his brother, a snout would appear between the branches. Fur would turn to flesh and approach them. Warmth lingered as the younger of the two was gently placed on a wolf pelt. His shoulder would be gently but firmly grabbed, and they would be led back to the camp, where the gentle melody of a harp would lull him completely to sleep.
The shadows of the past, the present and the future - Chapter 1
A Linked Universe story featuring: The Chain
Ao3 Link Ch.1/Ch.2
Titel: The Story about...
Summary: Campfire dinner, teasing, and questionable storytelling etiquette, just another normal evening for the Chain. But when the group starts discussing their experiences with shadow doubles, the humor shifts into something deeper.
Or, almost all Links have a dark/shadow Link. Let's see how they deal with their past and how they can bring it into the present to make a better future
For the Heroes of Courage, sitting around the campfire with a warm stew in hand, listening to the crackling of the wood and the scurrying of small animals in the surrounding fields, has become a familiar scene. Whether on logs or a grassy blanket, each one made themselves comfortable and enjoyed Wild's delicious creation.
What would they do without their amazing cook?
But of course, a pleasant evening isn't complete without a proper story
"So yea, camps between small cliffs are the worst" finished the Champion , nodding with satisfaction as he dug into his food. Opposite him, on the other side of the fire, sat Warriors, staring at him with exhausted eyes.
Wars was seated on a log, while Wild was positioned in front of the log opposite him, leaning most of his weight against Legends' leg. As ever, the veteran responded to the slightest affection with not-so-kind glares at Wild, but slowly came to accept it. This was especially the case after Hyrule, sitting to Legend's right, started a conversation with him. Legend's attempts at discouragement calmed down, and the affection became a mere afterthought between them.
Sitting two spaces away from him with Time partly blocking his view of the rancher, Twilight let out a huff of air, something they had all come to recognise as a sign of hidden fondness.
“Why didn’t you try from the other side of the hill?” Warriors asked, perplexed. Wild gave him a crooked smile and swallowed his spoonful of stew. "Well, I wasn't about to walk around the whole mountain just to find a simpler way. Besides, I did manage to get to the tower." He stopped, swirling the spoon around in his hand. "The last few monsters didn't even notice me."
"By sheer luck, I assume," Hyrule snickered, not even attempting to avoid Wild's hit. Legend, on the other hand, simply leaned back a little and lifted his bowl so that it wasn't in the way of the assault.
Sky hummed happily and placed his empty bowl on the floor beside him, careful not to put it too close to Wind's swinging legs. "Finding a more discreet way is not something our champion would do if there is an obvious way," he stated, tightening his sailcloth around his shoulder. It wasn't a cold evening, far from it, in fact, but having a piece of home by his side always brought comfort.
Wind grinned around his spoon. "If the champion is taking the safe route, we gotta worry about him," he snickered, adding, "It'll be a darker version of him."
"Wouldn't that make me the dark version, then? Doing everything in a non-proper way?" asked Wild, his voice thoughtful. Legend promptly hit him on the back of the head, producing an overdramatic, painful noise. 'What was that for?' he asked, confused but not actually offended. He knew how Legend worried, most of them did. Leaning his head back on the veteran's knee, he looked up into lavender-coloured eyes. They were an interesting sight indeed.
They were actually one of the first Collector's eyes he had seen, at least among his brothers. They were a lavender colour with a golden ring around them, framing them beautifully like the moonlight reflecting on the waves. 'Magic', he explained one quiet evening when neither he nor his brother could sleep.
But Legend wasn't the only one with that mark.
The majority of them had been affected by magic in their lives. Legend and Hyrule's eyes, filled with shimmering gold, were just the most prominent. If the light hits the eyes of Time and Wind just right, they also have a feeling of something unnatural about them. Sky and the Captain were nothing in comparison, but Sky's aura of being blessed and War's beauty made up for that. Four and himself, on the other hand, well, his eyes were now an extraordinary shade of turquoise, while Four's were simply grey. There was nothing special about them. Wild was too afraid of the small man to ask about it.
Returning to the present, Legend didn't even spare him a glance, simply continuing to eat his stew. It really was a good stew, Wild had outdone himself again. Before he could continue thinking about magic and food, Time spoke up from beside Twilight.
"The opposite, huh? I always assumed that dark versions of oneself were just reflections with twisted senses," he mused, looking deeply into the flames in front of him. Wild loved his brother dearly, but if the Old Man didn't want to be an old man, he needed to stop talking like one.
“Did you encounter a Dark version of yourself?” Wind asked excitedly, narrowly missing Skys bowl with his foot. The Chosen should really have put the bowl on the other side of him, next to the smithy. "Yes, I have," answered Time, placing his empty bowl on the floor in front of him. "But I don't remember much about it; it has been a long time." Legend huffed. "Yeah, yeah, we know you're ancient," he said. But from the way he leaned slightly towards Time, Wild figured he was just as interested in the story as everyone else.
A chuckle went around the crowd. Age jokes always got them.
"Well, let me think," said Time, letting his head fall into the palm of his hand. "It was in a water temple where I met him." A groan and a chuckle came from around the majority of the Hero. Wild never understood why others were repulsed by temples associated with water. But those who have them and whose land is not an ocean seem to dislike them to a certain degree.
"The sky was completely blue with no sun. The only things besides the endless water on the floor were a small island and a rotten tree." He started to explain. In their usual fashion, not one retelling could be done without interruption. Wind cocked his head to the side. "An island in a room?" he asked.
Time hummed and turned his gaze from the fire to their youngest. "Not an actual island, I suppose. Just a small patch of land on which two people could stand comfortably," he explained, making a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Everything was an illusion anyway, and the room transformed into a simple, empty space with an entrance and an exit."
"I walked along the water over the island and didn't realise that my shadow wasn't following me. When I inspected the door, nothing happened, so I turned around." He paused, perhaps for dramatic effect. "And there he stood, in front of the tree. He was bathed in shadows and had brilliant red eyes," he said. Wild felt a wave of something wash over the group.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Hyrule had stopped eating and that a hand had been placed on his side. Twilight also had a tense posture, and he needed to look at him to give Time his attention. Was this a touchy subject for some of them?
Time continued, "We quickly started trading blows. At first, nothing special happened, but slowly, he started to become more tangible and opaque. He copied my every move." Instead of the reaction Wild expected when he retold this somewhat scary story, the Hero seemed rather calm and indifferent. After all, many decades had passed since then. Decades that he actually got to live. Suddenly, Time let out a little huff of amusement. "Can you believe it? He jumped on my sword multiple times and tried to slash me."
"Well, that's...a unique way," the warrior commented. Wild gave him a quick look, but the captain didn't seem completely engrossed in Time's story. That was weird; normally, he enjoyed the story as much as the sailor did. Turning back to Time, he continued, "Well, the battle was quickly over, and I never saw him again."
There was quiet among the heroes for a moment. No one dared to speak a word. But the silence needed to be broken for life to continue. It was broken either by a calm storm or by a very irritated looking Smithy. "Only once, huh?" Four said with a slight furrow between his brows that Wild had only seen before when he broke a weapon on anything other than an enemy. He also tapped his finger slowly on his wooden bowl.
"Did you see a dark version of yourself, then?" Sky asked in a light voice, looking down at the Smith beside him. The young man in question sighed in annoyance and gently placed his bowl on the floor. It was a true act of self-regulation, if Wild had ever seen one.
By this time, the sun had already set, and the previous pink and purple hues had left the sky, which was now coated in dark blue. Tiny, off-white freckles illuminated the sky, and while Wild couldn't see the moon, he knew its gentle light embraced them as well.
Apparently, he did not receive enough of the light's love, as he crossed his arms. "More than one. Honestly, I stopped counting after they kept appearing in all sorts of locations." They're a complete nuisance," he stated. Wild was sure that if their shadows from the campfire were not cast behind them, Four would swiftly kick his own shadow. Should he feel sympathy for it?
"Did it follow you on your quest?" Hyrule asked, his hand never leaving his side. He looked at the Smith, expecting a specific answer. But Four was not in the mood to fulfil expectations and promptly threw them all into a cold lake. "It tried, but I simply got rid of the pest."
"That's...a bit extreme," Legend said, giving the smithy a perplexed look. It's true; normally, the smith was a lot more tame than that. Hyrule cleared his throat, but it sounded more like his voice was escaping him. "I've only met mine once," he said quietly, his fingers curling against his tunic where Wild had seen him clutch before. "And it was probably the hardest fight of my life."
The others did not speak for the moment, not even Wind. The crackle of the fire filled the silence softly and respectfully, as if even the flames knew when to settle down.
Hyrule’s eyes were fixed on the stew in his lap, though Wild doubted he could see anything. "It didn't feel like just a shadow. Its movements were a perfect replica of mine. Like it was me, just-” He paused and shook his head, his hair swaying softly with the motion. "It couldn't mirror my spells, but it didn't give me the chance to cast them anyway..."
Wild felt as if Legend had shifted, as if he wanted to reach out but ultimately decided against it. He wondered if Hyrule had noticed.
"I won, but only barely. And after…well, I had other responsibilities to take care of." He laughed shakily. "Understandable," Twilight murmured, his posture easing slightly now that Hyrule had spoken. Wild suspected Twi’s tension had more to do with worry than the story itself. Warriors blew out a breath and straightened as if finally deciding he could contribute. "Shadows pretending to be you...yes, that makes sense." He lifted a hand and turned it in a circle. “Mine tried to lure me into a trap. A really obvious one. And I still fell for it."
Legend tried to stifle a snort when he heard the soldier. Warriors gave him a flat look. "I was young," he said. "And now you're old," Legend muttered, turning his gaze away from Wars, who gave him an annoyed look.
Warriors ignored him after that. "Anyway, I ended up surrounded by four. Five of them? They all had my face, and they all had those shadows oozing off of them." Warrior clicked his tongue, but continued. "The point is, I fought them off long enough for my companions to bail me out. They didn't let me forget that for a week. Or ten.” Twilight snickered, and Warriors shot him an offended glare. "As if you wouldn't fall for a trap involving a horse," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. Twilight considered it. "... Depends on the horse."
A ripple of laughter circled the camp, the warm kind that chased away tension better than any cloak.
Warriors leaned back on his hands and smirked. "At least my shadow didn't follow me around like some of yours apparently," he said, giving the Collector an obvious side-eye. The Collector cocked his head at it. Legend raised an eyebrow. "You implying mine did?" "Oh, please," Warriors sighed dramatically. "Your shadow is probably the scariest thing you've ever faced. I’m surprised you lived to tell the tale.” Legend gave him a very slow blink, utterly unamused. "Actually," he said, adjusting his bowl and looking back into the fire, "they taught me a lot. I still spar with them sometimes.”
Wild froze.
So did the others.
“Come again?” Wind asked in a small voice.
Legend shrugged, shrugged as if this were perfectly normal. "They learned. I learned. It's efficient. They’re predictable now, so it’s not dangerous.” He placed his bowl on top of Wind's head. Wind quickly grabbed the bowl before it fell. Looking into it, he saw that it was empty. "Knowing somewhat their origin and seeing what they did, I doubt mine were ever actually dangerous."
The champion's hand brushed the handle of the ladle before he grabbed it to refill his brother's bowl. Wild knew Legend's tone well enough to sense when something wasn't being said. There was something heavy under that last sentence. Something sharp. Something tired. But Legend didn’t want to talk about it. That much was obvious.
So Wild stayed quiet. Sometimes, the best way to support someone was simply to be there.
Wind swung his legs, blissfully unaware of the tension. "Well, I never had a shadow version. Unless... Do ReDeads count? Those were kind of dark and humanoid, and they were a real pain to deal with.” "It doesn't count," Warriors said instantly. "Harsh," Wind muttered. Sky piped up next, bright as ever. "I never encountered a shadow either. At least, not one shaped like me. I've encountered lots of monsters with blocking habits, but not an actual counterpart.”
"Lucky," Four mumbled, still glaring into the flames as if his own shadow would try to crawl out and start something. Sky placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Four accepted it with only minimal grumbling.
Wild blinked and realized that all eyes had slowly shifted toward him.
"What?" he asked. "I don't have a shadow version." Legend snorted. “You sure? With your luck, it’s probably hiding under a rock, waiting for the right moment to strike.” Wild stuck out his tongue at him. “No, really. I think I’d remember something like that. No dark version, no shadow clone, nothing.”
That is, if he were to ignore a specific set of clothing of his which was somewhere in his closet. To be fair, it gave him enhanced vision in the dark. He didn't use it that often, but it was fun to scare Yiga with. Perhaps he should tell Twilight before he gives the other hero a heart attack.
Wind snorted into his bowl. "Perhaps he is the dark version, and we never actually met him," he said, giving Wild a suspicious glare. Hiding his grin, Hyrule whispered, "That would explain so much."
Four dragged a hand over his face and muttered something about needing a new definition of "pest." Time simply chuckled but remained silent, looking far more knowing than Wild liked. Sky offered a gentle smile. "At least this one didn't show up uninvited." Wild decided he wasn't going to think about any of that tonight, or what it could mean for his future.
Instead, he lifted Legend's bowl, inhaled the comforting scent of herbs and vegetables, leaned a little more heavily against Legend's leg, and gave him the now-full bowl.
Because shadow versions or not, the fire was warm, his brothers were safe, and the stew tasted wonderful.
Four's world is a mystery, full of small mouse-like people. His brother doesn't talk much about his own past, which is a shame. Fortunately, the Minish adore their hero and love to talk about his deeds. Wind just didn't realise how similar their adventures actually were. For better or worse.
Castle Town was magical in the time of the Four! Wherever Wind looked, he saw little mouse people running around, taking care of things, chatting with each other or following people around to find jobs to do. At least, that's what Four said.
“Minish people thrive on gratitude. The more they can help you, the healthier and happier they are,” said the small smith as they moved along the streets of the town. The air was warm on his skin, reflecting the cheerful atmosphere of the people around him.
“You know, it would be even better to know where they are,” said a gruff voice beside their Smith. Wind looked over Four's shoulder at a face filled with concentration as he walked. He snorted upon seeing it. “You look constipated, Twi.“
“Yeah, well—” his older brother started, looking down at his feet again, “you can see the Minish right now; I don’t want to step on them.” A nice gesture, Wind thought, looking in front of the trio again. None of the Minish seemed to be walking on the street; they were all walking on the kerb.
At that, he heard two giggles coming from the Ranchers' pelt. He looked at the two Minish ladies — at least, Four said they were girls — who were giggling and gushing about Twilight. He couldn’t understand what they were saying because of the distance, but judging by Four's face, it was probably similar to the way Maggie talked about her ehh...admirer.
“You don't need to walk like that,” Four called out as he moved along and crossed a bridge leading to a more secluded area of the town. “The Minish have their own paths, of course,” he said, looking their brother in the face as they passed a patch of crimson and lilac daisies. “And Winds right, you look constipated.”
Twilight sighed and shifted the large box on his shoulder slightly higher. The contents rattled against each other inside the box. “How come you two are in such a teasing mood?” Twilight asked, not really expecting an answer. Hearing his youngest brothers chuckle, he decided not to complain.
They all knew that Wind was the youngest of the heroes, but Twilight didn't know how old the Smithy was. However, his instincts kicked in when he saw Four. It was like when he saw the children of Ordona.
He couldn't be too far off.
Four pointed to a large bush in front of them as they approached it. “Well, that’s a nice shop,” Wind said sarcastically, following Four and Twilight around it. They found stairs going down into the ground. He gasped with excitement and hurried to the front to walk — or rather, hop — down the stairs.
A hidden shop inside a bush!
He jumped down the last step, grinning as he looked up. At the back of the room, in front of him, stood a man behind a counter, writing something down. The man looked up, a surprised expression on his face. This quickly morphed into a smile and he waved at him. "Well, hello there, new person!"
He heard Four and Twilight join him on the floor, especially weighed down by the box. “Ah, and if it isn't Link and another new person as well! Welcome, welcome,' the shopkeeper said, moving from the counter towards them. “Carlov, it’s good to see you again.” Four said, lifting his hand in greeting.
Ignoring it completely, Carlov ruffled Fours' hair with a good laugh while their brother complained loudly. He turned to Twilight and held out his hand. “I'm Carlov, the owner of this little building. I suppose you two are his new travelling companions?” he asked, nodding his head towards Wind. Wind nodded enthusiastically and continued to look around.
The walls were covered in shelves filled with items of various sizes. Behind the counter were tables, some strange machines, and beyond those, some tools for woodcarving. Sky's looked similar.
“That would be us. It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Twilight replied, taking the merchant’s hand. Carlov smiled and moved to take the box from her shoulder. ‘Carlov will do just fine,’ he said, lifting the box and moving back behind the counter to put it on one of the tables.
“Anyway, I hope Link hasn’t caused you too much trouble. Hylia knows how much trouble he can get into,” he laughed. Four crossed his arms and glared at Carlov. Well, as mean as he could manage, with his face shining bright red with embarrassment.
Twilight laughed wholeheartedly while Wind continued to look through the wall shelves. They held little statues depicting various places and people. There were Minish wearing all kinds of clothes and monsters that Wind had seen on his travels, as well as some he had never seen before. And there was...
“He's not a problem. Our Smithy actually helps to keep the group calm,” Twilight replied delightedly in response to Carlove's previous statement. He stood beside Four and laid a hand on his shoulder. The teased smith tried to brush Twilight's hand away, but he just laughed and continued to hold his shoulders, much to the smith's embarrassment. “I will never take you anywhere again, you wet dog!”
Carlov laughed heartily and leaned on the table. 'There's the boy we know,' he sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. 'Every part of him is as mischievous as the next.' Four narrowed his eyes at the older man, preparing to retort, when—
“Smithy!”
—he was interrupted by an excited-looking Wind pointing at the figurines on the shelf. ‘That’s you, right?’ he half-yelled across the room. On closer inspection, he was pointing at a small statue of a boy in a green tunic with blonde hair and a green hat.
The Hero of the Minish. Later, he was also known as the Hero of the Four Sword.
Wind thought he heard Four mutter something about 'his suffering', but he turned around too quickly and started talking to the Carlov again before Wind could get an answer out of him.
He chuckled and turned back to the statue, startling at what he saw. The two Minish ladies were standing by the statue, cooing at it.
The woman in green held her hand (or was it a paw?) against her cheek and giggled lightly. “Gosh, I remember when he was this small, coming to us with muddy clothes.”
The other woman, who was wearing red and had a winter hat over her ears, shook her head and crossed her arms. “That boy still visits with torn clothes,” she said.
Wait, did they know Four when he was younger? Four was very secretive about his past (he basically lives for drama), so they didn't know much. But here was his chance to find out more about his life!
He leaned down towards the Minish and laid his hands softly on the board.
“Excuse me?” he asked, immediately gaining the attention of both Minish. “Yes, dear?” asked the red Minish, walking a little towards him.
“Do you know Smi—er, I mean, Link when he was younger?” he asked carefully. They wouldn't know him as Smithy, but as Link. Names can be very confusing. The Minish turned their heads to the side and giggled. ‘Do I know him? Which Minish doesn't know him!' she said, walking back to the other Minish and pointing at the statue depicting his brother.
“He defeated the sorcerer Vaati and brought peace to Hyrule more than once. I was very surprised to hear how old he actually was when he first interacted with us,” she continued. But before she could say anything else, her Minish friend laid a hand on her shoulder.
“When I met him,” she began, gesturing around with her other hand, “he was definitely too old to see us. But I think Sage Ezlo was responsible for him being able to see us. Even still!” She turned to him, gave him a good look over, then continued moving through the statues, pulling her friend along by the hand.
“You too, boy. You seem too old to acknowledge us,” she said, leaving him with no choice but to follow them. Well, they are short steps, but steps nonetheless!
“I was once blessed by the Great Deku Tree and the Koroks. They are forest magic, so maybe that’s why?” he said, more in the way of a question than he would have liked. He should be proud of what he has achieved; he is proud of it! But the chance to hear about what Four, who was around his age, did on his first quest makes him a little nervous.
“Whatever the reason, we are happy that you are here,” said the red-clothed Minish, and they stopped in front of a statue of a beautiful winged women.
Green, yellow and blue — all light colours. “These are the Great Faeries that Link encountered during his adventures. They blessed him and guided him along the right path.”
“Fairies…” Wind mumbled, feeling his face twist in confusion. His Great Fairies were puppet-like creatures, not elegant like these ones, but more like beings that had once been twisted.
Oh well, floods do that to you.
“You see, both the Minish and the Faeries are beings of pure magic. A Faerie is pure magical energy, while the Minish are bound to forest magic, and to a certain extent, to human emotions and feelings,” she continued, explaining as she walked. The blue Minish interlocked their arms as they walked, leaning against her.
They passed lots of statues, some of people he had seen in the town and some of buildings, as well as lots of creatures he had never seen before. There was also a statue of four men with a plaque saying ‘Tingle’s brothers’. They knew that the man had been around in their time, just like another travelling merchant. But, for Time's sake, they decided not to talk about it too much.
“Unlike some creatures who are made of dark magic,” she said, before being interrupted by her friend: “And shadow magic! Dealing with the aftermath of that mirror was a pain,” she complained, ears pinned back in displeasure.
Yes, no — he was going to ignore that. Their smithy had already complained enough about dark magic; he didn't need to hear about another version of it.
In front of him were huge statues of creatures he had never seen before. He imagined they were some kind of leaders, or at least very strong.
Big green and blue Chuchu.
"They terrorised us when the box containing all evil was opened in the castle."
Big Octorok.
"In the forests, in the mountains—
Gleerok.
Even in the sky, we weren’t left unharmed.”
Gyorg Pair.
“There was a lot of destruction and pain,” she explained, pulling the other Minish closer to her.
Mazaal.
‘But in the end, everything turned out well,’ she reassured her saddened friend, who smiled at her. ‘Link, despite being young, decided to take matters into his own hands.’ As they approached the three large purple and gold statues, he felt like he was intruding on something. Something that his time wouldn't know about anymore. Something that was all lost.
Wind couldn’t begin to imagine the pain his brother endured to save this era. But then again, perhaps he could.
“In the end, he slew a brother of ours who let his desires overtake him.”
Vaati’s Wrath
It was a massive statue, black and purple, adorned with gold. Its red eye seemed to stare directly into Wind's very existence. The wood it stood on didn’t seem worthy of its presence. It was as if it would rip the winds out of Wind's hands and use them — his own gift — against him. It was as if he was standing on top of a tower and everything around him was crumbling. Was that a bell coming from below- no in front of him?
It's a sword that pierces and absorbs souls. His soul, their soul. It's gone. He is gon-
“Sailor?” A hand touched his shoulder, forcing him out of his thoughts. "Huh?!" he exclaimed, staring into dark brown eyes. Oh, it’s Four. He's here. “Smithy, what’s up?” he asked, delighted. It was nice to see his brother.
“I’m finished here. Do you want to stay a little while, or are you ready to go?” Four asked, as the two little Minish ladies walked up to him and climbed onto his outstretched hand. They settled together on his shoulder.
His brother looked at the statues in front of him and his expression turned sour. “That would be Vaati,” he said, looking at Wind again. But he didn't just look at him as he normally would; he stared at him as if trying to find something in him. Something he didn't even know existed.
After a moment's hesitation, he asked, “Who is he?” Four tilted his head and turned around. He grabbed Wind's shoulder, not unkindly, and pulled him towards the stairs.
Twilight was still chatting with Carlov.
“You guys know that, besides Ganon, I fought another being,” he stated. Yes, Wind knew. They all did. Four is sometimes reluctant to talk about his adventures, especially when it comes to the people affected by them. He keeps most of it to himself because he loves to cause drama, but he hides some of it because it’s painful.
Like the eyes. Four is not a fan of eyes. Now Wind knows why. He nodded. They reached the stairs. Four let Wind go.
“That’s the other guy I fought,” he said, stopping. “Multiple times, but with a different mind.”
“A different mind?” Wind asked, looking back at the statue. But he was interrupted by Four giving him a warning look.
He sighed and crossed his arms. “I’m pretty sure that last time I saw him, he was just being puppeteered by Ganon.” The Minish on his shoulder looked at each other, then back at him. Sure, alright then.
“A puppet, huh?” Wind asked, somewhat surprised. A few memories of fairies and a large marionette-like being appeared in his mind.
Four laughed sombrely. “It seems like we share more than just a shield.”
They do.
Four turned around to face the room and looked at their older brother. “Yo, Rancher!” he called, and without waiting for a response, he started to walk up the stairs.
“What is it? Hey, Smithy!” Twilight stuttered, giving Carlov a quick goodbye. Wind called out a 'Goodbye' as he followed their brother up the stairs.
A Linked Universe story, featuring Legend and Sky.
Ao3 Link
Summary: "When you go out, say hello to the weather vane. Only those who do are safe"
In Sky's opinion, this is a very bold statement. A statement he is sure won't bring him or his brothers down. After all, actions speak louder than words...right?
It was a quiet morning, in Sky's opinion. A morning that he should have slept through.
Late last night, the heroes discovered a portal and decided to go through it. It probably wasn't the smartest thing they'd ever done, but the weather was lousy, they were in an awful region and even his patience was starting to unravel.
Their recklessness was rewarded though, kicking the group out among the bees and apples. The veteran's house was at their back and without much hesitation the owner took his key and unlocked the door.
It was a pleasant and quiet morning and yet something was wrong. He couldn't hear the birds outside yet, even though the windows were open, but the dawn was already shining into the large room, elegantly beginning to spread across the sky. He is awake, earlier than anyone else. Something very unusual.
Even back then at the academy, not a week went by without him waking up way too late at least twice. Most days he didn't even have time to have breakfast before class.
Sky was awake and looked around. His brothers were lying around him on various pieces of furniture. First he caught sight of Smithy. Even though he was the smallest of them all, he couldn't forget what it felt like to have his smallest brother with him at night. Before he continued to check on the others, he pulled the blacksmith's blanket up higher and made sure everything disappeared under it so he wouldn't get cold in Sky's absence.
He already knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again soon.
Opposite them was the captain, who had made himself comfortable in an armchair. His legs were hanging over the backrest, but he didn't seem to mind too much.
Next he spotted the rancher and the cook. Both close to each other and no doubt they would stay that way. At least until the cook wakes up. He always likes to have food ready when the first people are awake. Nice of him, but Sky thinks he should sleep in too.
Next to last were Time and Wind. Time was half-sitting half-lying on the couch, while the Sailor was leaning his back against his leg.
As Sky sat up and stretched, stifling a yawn, he looked at the Collector's bed and saw the Wanderer lying in it all alone. The blanket, which is normally always shaken off at night, lay over him completely and carefully. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't hide his gentle smile. Looking out of the window, he caught sight of his brother, who was probably the most withdrawn of them all. Sky wondered whether he was doing this because of a complete lack of interest in the others or whether there were deeper reasons. Reasons that not even his younger brother himself knew.
He picked up the gift from Zelda that he always carried with him and placed it carefully over his shoulders, wrapping himself in it. With a new goal set, he went to the door.
Before he pushed down the door handle, he gave the room another look. When he saw Hyrule, however, he was able to rule out a few of the reasons and left the house with a gentle disposition to join his brother.
There was a bird statue next to the house. When they went in the previous night, Sky gave it a little smile and instinctively called out to his other soul half. It didn't answer him, but it still gave him a sense of peace. Yesterday the statue had been asleep, but now it was awake with the light rays of the sun, moving gently in the wind.
Legend sat cross-legged in front of it, one arm braced on his knee with his face in his hand, the other resting simply on his leg. His eyes were closed and Sky couldn't make out his expression, but he realised that he probably shouldn't disturb him. If you took his body posture away, it seemed like he was...
"Have you grown roots yet?" Legend asked him without turning his head, but he was now looking into lilac eyes. Sky laughed softly and waved slightly, "I didn't want to disturb you, just seeing if you wanted company," after looking at the Hamonic image in front of him again, he continued, "but I think I'm just disturbing you."
Legend narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at him searchingly, "You can stay here if you want." And with a shrug, he added "don't feel forced". Sky paused for a moment, did Legend just want to be alone or did he want someone with him? The veteran always kept his feelings close to himself, Sky sometimes found it difficult to decipher him.
He mentally shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to him. If Legend didn't want something, he would say so.
They sat quietly for a while, Legend in thought and he himself trying to shake off his morning fatigue. He only half succeeded.
"Sky?" asked a quiet and not entirely clear voice next to him. He hummed to show him that he was listening. "How... how important is Hylia to you?" he asked. His voice betrayed disinterest, but Sky knew him better. He asked hesitantly, but why? He turned his head towards him. Behind his eyes, a great storm was preparing. A storm that would become a breeze if Sky had a say in it.
"She's my goddess," he replied without really thinking, "and kind of my girlfriend, I guess. Both things that were true, but most days he preferred to ignore the fact that his girlfriend seemed a little more than human. "She is a gentle but determined person and led my home to heaven to protect us" after a short pause he exhaled, "I am grateful to her for what she has given us and know that she has given us life. But sometimes I wish things had turned out differently. He certainly won't go down that line of thought now.
This was about Legend, not himself.
Legend gave a small sigh and mumbled an "understand". Sky looked at him, his hand playing with the grass on his legs, his hair not moving on this windless morning, and moved a little closer to him. "That wasn't what you were looking for, was it?"
Sky and Legend were close. Closer than a couple of their brothers, but not as close as they could be. It reminded him of one of his friends back in his time. He didn't have red hair, but the pink streak was similar enough. It wasn't difficult for Sky to take Legend gently in his arms and stop the world for a moment so that he could rest. If only he would allow it.
"Hylia..." the veteran began to say carefully, as if he might hurt Sky with his next words. "I didn't even know who Hylia was before we met," he continued digressively. "We use the word Hylia to address the majority of people here, but never as a goddess."
Sky knew that in different times, gods and saints were viewed differently to his. He himself knew nothing of the three golden goddesses until Time and Wind told him about them. In Legend's case, however, he didn't have a holy person he could look up to and beg for a blessing. At least none that he knew of.
"Do you have a holy person here?" Sky asked with curiosity. Legend turned his head and dropped slightly to the side so he could look at him more easily and answered. "Remnants of a religion that hasn't fully established itself in Hyrule. The church is part of it." Sky didn't know what a church was, but if it meant anything to Legend, he'd like to know more about it.
"So do you have someone? Or more than one?" he continued to ask, a slight hope spreading through Sky for whatever reason.
Legend sighed and looked at the statue again. "In theory? But the faith is not really practised here. However, Hyrule has told of the same faith, so I think it has become more important over time." Sky nodded and turned his attention to the bird statue in front of him.
"No, my Hyrule has no gods, but we do have fables and, well, legends," he grinned and then sighed.
He himself listened tensely as the first winds ran through his hair and the wooden bird moved more strongly in the breeze.
"And her?" Sky asked, pointing at the statue of the bird. Legend looked at him in confusion for a second and chuckled lightly. "Well, he-" and Sky chuckled, slightly ashamed "-is... well, we all don't really know."
Legend pointed upwards to the statue with an open hand. "We call these statues 'Weather Vane'. They represent a friend of the Great Fairy Venus." Now he pointed with his hand behind them into the distance. There he could see a huge house, with...part of it moving?
"Where the big house is, the 'House of Gale', the Great Fairy once lived, but she asked the princess if they could have a House built there so that an old friend could find her." he heard Legend sigh again. Not far from them, the bushes and trees began to rustle as the first animals left their homes and went in search of food. "At least that's what Venus told me in private," he pointed to the bird again with an open hand, "those statues were there before, and they say you should greet them in the morning for a safe day."
As Sky turned his gaze away from the house in the distance, he saw Legend, whose head was now resting on his legs, looking ahead with heavy eyes. Oh, had Sky crossed a line? He hoped not.
Before Sky could apologise for his words, his brother gave a wet huff. "God, why am I even telling you this, you didn't ask for any of it," he muttered, and Sky was sure he shouldn't have heard that.
The winds seemed to wake him up completely now, as he noticed how the veteran's hands were slightly cramped, as if he was trying to grab something but wouldn't let himself. The look in his eyes promised anything but calm and what made a Link so strong. Sitting in front of him was not a strong warrior who could strike down opponents without hesitation, but a young person who had already seen far too much of the world. A world that did not want the best for him.
Sky had always been the youngest in the academy, so he had no real experience with younger people and what they needed, but he had been travelling with his new group for some time. He was no longer the youngest and he had a bit of practice now.
He took his cloak from his shoulders and laid it meekly over Legend's own. The latter looked at him in confusion, but pulled the cloak further around his shoulders.
Sky gave him a gentle smile and hung his head a little. "If you don't want to, you don't have to tell me anything. However, I'm here for you" Sky's smile turned sheepish, "even if I don't understand everything".
Legend looked at him with wide eyes as his hands reached deep into the fabric of the cloth. A moment passed between them without either of them saying anything. Then two moments, then three. Until Legend dropped his head on his knee with a little too much momentum for Sky's liking and picked himself up completely.
"It's nothing big," he snorted, looking everywhere but Sky. Okay then…this wasn’t sad but whatever this was, it wasn't Sky's plan either.
"These statues are all over Hyrule and Lorule-" Whatever is Lorule ? "-, maybe I destroyed it in Kakariko once and got told off for it, whatever." Legend fizzled out quickly, kicking the earth back and forth in front of him.
Well, he wasn't sad anymore, but now he seemed pretty annoyed. Legend waved his hands back and forth, pointing his finger at the statue in front of them. "Since whenever anyone has seen me praying to him, I've been told off and told that he won't save my day. Whatever!" he huffed and crossed his arms.
"It's not like he's really protecting you!"
Sky paused for a moment and took a good look at the bird statue. The stone block on which it was sitting was covered with some grass and moss, but only what could grow in a few months. The bird didn't look too old either, as if it had been repainted this year. Overall, it didn't look shabby at all. You could see the signs of the years, but you can't prevent that.
The boy next to him didn't stop talking, or rather didn’t stop complaining.
Oh Legend...What would Sky do just to be able to give him a hug? However, he knows very well that this would not be well received.
"I think," Sky began as Legend got a little more settled. His brother stopped talking immediately. "You shouldn't believe everything people tell you".
However, he now looked at Sky in confusion, "Yes, obviously. There are far too many liars and thieves in the world," he said as if this was a fact that everyone should know. And yes, everyone should know this, but not everyone is old enough to understand it properly. Maybe he should...
"Even friends and family don't always tell you the truth, for a variety of reasons," Sky formulated with carefully chosen words. He didn't need to make Legend think that one of them was lying to him.
"What's your point here?" Legend questioned, pulling the cloth closer to him again, as if it could give him the comfort Sky wanted to give him. At least part of him could do that now.
He thought for a moment, considered his sentences which were spoken from the heart but not with complete logic and came to a conclusion.
He exhaled dramatically and stretched his arms above his head in a stretching position, "oh who knows," he then said in a voice far too loud that morning. A morning Sky would not soon forget, but a rosy morning he would not give away.
Now Legend looked at him with perplexity written all over his face and moved his hand slightly, as if he wanted to grab Sky's thoughts and read them himself. Not that he could, both their scripts were too different for that and the nuts they ate at the beginning of their journey couldn't translate writings for them.
"Yes, I hope you do! Why are you even awake yet?! Has the lack of sleep taken your brain cells?" Legend asked indignantly, but without any anger behind his words. Sky just laughed heartily and stood up.
He patted his clothes clean of the light dirt he got on his trousers while sitting and turned to Legend with a closed-mouth grin. "Maybe so, oh how can you wake me up so early?" he shrugged and turned to the door. He went to the it with a lighter heart, while Legend stammered behind him and continued to babble something about 'not awake and 'sleep'.
When he was inside again, he closed the door quietly behind him and looked up in surprise when he saw Twilight's blue eyes. The older man raised an eyebrow as if to ask what had happened. Sky just gave him a pure smile. They both knew he wasn't remotely innocent in this situation, but Twilight just rolled his eyes with one of his tired smiles and leaned back into Wild again. The latter slept through the whole interaction.
Legend wasn't completely wrong though, it was far too early for him to be awake. So he went back to his sleeping place next to Four and lay down next to him. Four grumbled slightly and turned to him. Sky was already lying down again and put one arm around Four's small figure.
Four turned his head up to look at Sky. His brown eyes were still completely hazy from sleep and Sky knew their smith could go back to sleep. So he stroked blond hair and 'shh'ed in the hope that sleep would pull him back down. Not 10 seconds passed and Four's breathing was slow and deep again.
Sky checked one last time that the blanket was properly over both of them and followed his companions into the land of dreams.
A Linked Universe story featuring: Legend, Warriors and some slight Wind.
Summary: Not everyone knows how to deal with a worried and absent mind. Well, at least they're not alone, even if it's the opposite of what they want.
"Oh, he'd cause havoc if he was conscious enough."
Legend looked over at his right, sitting down by his side. Wars chuckled and gave the younger man a nudge against his shoulder, as was their custom. Legend replied, leaning against his shoulder for a moment before taking a breath and leaving him.
Warriors looked down again, brushing golden curls from a sweaty forehead. Some of Wind's hair clung to his temple and neck, a fever pulling their youngest down and out of action. "With everyone here like this, not a chance. He would just pretend to be fine and try to move on," he sighed, concern in his tone.
He heard a hum from their Veteran and let his eyes slip shut, breathing calmly and trying to keep his mind in this moment, around the fire with his brothers.
He had lost many people close to him to illness and disease. The captain was certain that Wind would not give in to his fate, but he also knew that knowing and believing were not the same thing.
After a while of just being, he felt a pressure against his side.
He puffs out air, a smile starting to graze his lips.
"What's got you in such a mood today, Vet?" he asked, smirking at Legend. In retaliation, he felt a hand stop him from caressing Wind's hair.
"I could ask you the same" Legend stated. His voice was somber, clearly, like himself, not quite in the present. They had only just jumped between worlds again, leaving Winds home behind and not recognising which time they were in. Jumping worlds had left them confused. At worst, they were unable to function, for a short while.
It felt strange not knowing where he was, where they were in time, how far away from home. But there was nothing to worry about. The portals would keep coming. That thing would keep coming-
He felt a breeze on his cheek and looked around, confused, until his eyes met those of Legend. "Did you just blow at me?" he asked, perplexed, eyebrows scrunching together. Legend broke eye contact, exhaled, and reclined his head on his shoulder. The hand, still in his grip, began to play with his fingers.
Wars figured it was some sort of unconscious action.
"It brought you back to me, didn't it?" the younger man said, not really paying attention as he stared into the fire in front of them. Before he could respond, the young boy lying on his lap began to squirm.
Despite being unable to do much of anything right now, Wind was still able to complain about how cold he was. It was amusing, if you ignored the faint coughing that shuddered his body.
Tenderly, he pulled his blue scarf over the small body to cover it better.
"You're one to judge, Vet. You're gone too," he declared, pulling his arm free and wrapping it around the younger man's shoulders, drawing him closer.
The Veteran didn't respond. His eyes were half-lidded as he continued to play with his fingers.
Their other companions were with them, either on their own or quietly chatting. He gazed fondly at them all and gently placed his head on Legends' own. He received little response, except for some slight adjustments.
They were here with him, recovering in their own ways, physically or mentally. And if he joined them in their evening slumber after meeting their eldest gaze to make sure everyone was accounted for? He knew the boys by his side would be pleased that he was able to rest.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 6: <Stellaron Hunters>
Kafka
About You: We oh so happened to stumble across eachother. It was during a mission and Elio didn't mention anything about them, so I didn't really bother with them. The end result was the same.
Chat-Regard: An amusing one. Whenever the script leads me to them, they try to stay out of my way, but they never quite leave. They just watch. Maybe next time I'll just ask.
Added to Team: Come on now, we don't have much time.
Parting: Some people even Destiny can't help. But even then, you don't ignore them, do you?
Blade
About You: Instead of using a sword to defend themselves, they use their words. At least until their throat is cut open
Chat-Regard: There's no value in talking to them, they can't help plan my funeral, even if they so desire.
Added to Team: I doubt you want me to use my blade.
Parting: Forget. That way, your heart won't be tainted by pain if we are not to be met again.
Silver Wolf
About You: They are different. They know they are different, I know they are different, they know I know they are different and so on. Really, they are the ones who need to take a break more often.
Chat-Regard: We were both in a competition that neither of us really wanted to be in. I played for honour and they… well, I don't know. They couldn't beat me, of course, but they took second place with a smile and congratulated me. Too bad the IPC broke up the place and cut our convo short.
Added to Team: Hey, if you need help with your characters, just say so. No need to get all fancy.
Parting: Should I go offline? Perhaps you are the one who should. And this is coming from me
Firefly
About You: Before I met them, Sam actually met them once on a mission. Fortunately, like any sensible person, they ran away when they saw him doing his job. They are terrible at hiding, though.
Chat-Regard: It's very unusual for me to be out and about, but once I actually met them and somehow we got to talking and went out for cake. They are very nice to talk to.
Added to Team: If they won't cooperate, we'll do it my way.
Parting: I really enjoyed it, maybe we can meet again in the future?
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 5: <Penacony>
Aventurine
About You: I wonder if they really are fools, or if they are just pretending to be so that they can carry out their plan.
Chat-Regard: I admit, at first I thought they had an ulterior motive. But after a long period of observation, I think they are just doing what they want to do. And they enjoy it.
Added to Team: Mm, let's see what kind of bargain you'll make.
Parting: Next time I will introduce you to some… fun games. If we meet again, of course.
Boothill
About You: A fudgin' shame that young'un's a pacifist. But I reckon some things ain't settled with 'an ace in the hole, but with their ace high.
Chat-Regard: Well, looks like they know a bit 'bout fixin' up them robots, but I’ll be damned if I let 'em near mine. Let that sugar mess with them nails of theirs if that's what they wanna. They even wrangled me into joinin' somehow.
Added to Team: Lemme show ya how it's done, partner
Parting: That work ain't no joke, so best up and go while ya can
Gallagher
About You: They have a strange fascination with the history of Penacony. I answered their questions, all truthfully of course, but this old dog's memory isn't what it used to be.
Chat-Regard: Alcoholic beverages are not for children. Despite this, they insisted they were old enough. After giving them one of the lighter drinks, they immediately asked for a 'Wintery Garden'. Jeez, kids these days!
Added to Team: Invite the ol' man to a get-together? Well, why not, I have the time.
Parting: It's getting late. Maybe it's your time to go home.
Misha
About You: (Name)? Well, there are many people who have stayed at the hotel with that name, but since you ask, I think I know who you mean.
Chat-Regard: They are very interested in the history of Penacony. I answered their question, but there wasn't much information I could give them. I told them to ask some of the family members, and by the looks of it, they did. Still… they didn't seem happy.
Added to Team: Oh! Let me help you! I think I know a faster way.
Parting: Next time you visit the hotel, we have to go to the theatre! Only if you want to, of course hehe.
Robin
About You: It is always a pleasure to talk to them. They don't know who I am, so it's always funny to see their reaction when people come up to me and strike up a conversation. I think they think I just have a lot of friends.
Chat-Regard: They travelled far and wide among the stars, but in that time they developed two left feet. i still enjoy dancing with them and it seems they get better with every step!
Added to Team: Let's have a rest after this.
Parting: I look forward to seeing you again, may that time come soon.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 4.2: <Xianzhou>
Imbibitor Lunae
About You: In the many encounters we had, only in a few did they see this. They never treated me unkindly. Just with more fascination.
Chat-Regard: They always looked at me out of the corner of their eyes. Not subtle at all. Turns out they just want to practice braiding my hair. Whenever I let them, it's quite… relaxing.
Added to Team: Looks like I don't have to cover you anymore. Nevertheless, I will be here if you need me.
Parting: I wonder what you will experience in our time apart. Don't forget to remember.
Bailu
About You: They come in with an injured person, and when they come back they have another injured person for me to treat. Do they just help or should I report them?
Chat-Regard: An amazing hide-and-seek player! The Preceptors weren't too pleased when they found out it was them who had been hiding me. They tried to scold them with a polite front, but they retreated even more polite, which meant passive-aggressively.
Added to Team: Hey! Be careful of who you mess with! I can't be by your side all the time.
Parting: Don't forget the medicine. I went to a lot of trouble to make it. Well, it wasn't an issue, but still!
Yukong
About You: Qingni and they are similar in many ways. Determined, kind, always willing to help and giving me more grey hairs.
Chat-Regard: The Loufu try never to involve outsiders in their affairs, but sometimes it's unavoidable. They helped us once, but they were hurt a little. I remember helping to patch them up on the field, and Lieutenant Yanqing spending time with them while they recovered. Yanqing wasn't badly hurt in the battle, but I suspect he pretended to be for their sake.
Added to Team: I like your passive approach to this kind of situation. Let me show you a way to improve it.
Parting: If you ever encounter a problem that is too big for you, don't hesitate to consult me.
Tingyun
About You: The first time they visited my shop they were completely confused as to what it was all about. Later that day we both went out and bought them a jade bracelet. I paid for it as a courtesy and welcome gift from the Loufu.
Chat-Regard: I always appreciate their presence around me. They seem to put the customers and everyone else in a better mood, including me. In return, they get to meet the different faces of the Xianzhou. A plus in both our books, I would say.
Added to Team: Oh, it's the dear helper. What can I do for you today?
Parting: Don't forget to come by again. I will have new merchandise then!
Qingque
About You: So hard working. I can't understand where they get all this determination for their work. And they don't even want anything in return?! I think I need to do an intervention.
Chat-Regard: I like having them around. It gives me a break from the work of the Divine Commissions. Especially when the Master Diviner sends me to help them around the place. Always relaxing.
Added to Team: Come with me! I need to teach you more about Heavenly Jade.
Parting: Now Now, don't even think about working overtime. The Master Diviner would normally get my but for that, but let's relax for now.
Xueyi
About You: Serving under the Ten Lord Commission was part of the deal I made with them. When it was mentioned to them, they were quite… upset. Their view of the Loufu was very positive, very naive.
Chat-Regard: They have a soft heart, but always seem to carry a tone of sadness with them when we talk about my… profeciencie. I still enjoy spending time with them, even if it's infrequently.
Added to Team: You'll be protected by the Ten Lords as long as you stay by my side.
Parting: In the Living World, I hope to see you again.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 4.3: <Xianzhou>
Jing Yuan
About You: We were introduced with not much time, but they appear to be an...exceptional individual. They seem to have a genuine heart, but that has yet to be judged.
Chat-Regard: They remind me of Yanqing. Eager to please and even more eager to learn. Once I rambled on for hours, and they sat patiently and peppered me with questions.
Added to Team: An interesting tactic, but perhaps we should keep it on the low for now.
Parting: If you ever wish to know more, the seat of divine foresight and its records are at your disposal. The doors will be open.
Yanqing
About You: The esteemed guest? The General said to treat them kindly, as if I were approaching them with ill intent. There is absolutely no need for that, and it would reflect badly on the Cloud Knights.
Chat-Regard: Our interests don't match very well. I am good at swordplay and they are great at creation. Vice versa, it's the opposite. But a sword existence needs knowledge and love in equal measure. We'll find a balance one day.
Added to Team: Practice? Of course! Let's see how much you've improved since we last met.
Parting: Next time you're here, let's visit the Artisanship Commission, I must show you my favourite stalls.
Fu Xuan
About You: Of course, as all things should be, I anticipated their arrival. There was nothing threatening about them, so I didn't inform the General about them. In return, he kept a close eye on them. Did I miss something…
Chat-Regard: I once offered to predict their day and their decisions. They had never seen me predict anything before, so I may or may not have taken the chance to make their day a little easier. Nothing big, just a little stress relief.
Added to Team: I will show you the easiest way for your mind to deal with this.
Parting: In the evening I visit the Dragon Lady for a refreshing cup of tea. You should join me.
Jingliu
About You: There have been many like them in the past, in the here and now. There is no need to wonder if there will be people like them in the future.
Chat-Regard: They understand the concept of battle and war, and why it is necessary to fight in them. But they refuse to use their swords and draw blood. Will this lead them to victory? Or their own demise.
Added to Team: Finally drawing your sword ?
Parting: Perhaps next time I will see the real reason for your actions.
Loucha
About You: Their talents are quite intriguing, though they seem unaware of the full extent of their power. Perhaps a lack of creativity?
Chat-Regard: Despite their lack of confidence in their own abilities, they went and protected me in the heat of battle. But I wonder… who needs the protection here?
Added to Team: Don't forget to rest later, perhaps my medical skills can help?
Parting: I'll be around for a while, so don't hesitate to seek me out if you're hurt.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 4.1: <Xianzhou> <Yaoqing and Zhuming >
Feixiao
About You: Quick-witted and open-hearted. The same can't be said for their fighting.
Chat-Regard: I have always thought about raising a disciple, especially after seeing how Yanqing has fared. I can't stop thinking about it, but they immediately fell off the list. They are too good-hearted. Under Jiaoqi's care, though, they would work wonders.
Added to Team: Don't worry, I'll take them. Make sure no one gets me from behind.
Parting: Another day comes to an end. Hey, how about we grab a bite before we part? My treat.
Jiaoqiu
About You: Even without senses, you would know immediately that they were there. For better or for worse.
Chat-Regard: They claim to be able to handle spices. Some they have, some they haven't even tried. Perhaps they're afraid of an allergic reaction if they haven't tried it. If so, that's a valid but inconvenient concern. If not…
Added to Team: Stay by my side. You are terribly fragile for the amount of kindness you give.
Parting: Let's meet up with the others and have dinner before you leave.
Moze
About You: On their first visit to the General, they made a terrible mess. I cleaned it up afterwards, of course. I should make sure it doesn't happen again in the future.
Chat-Regard: Feixiao told me to keep an eye on them when they were arguing with people who were causing trouble. Once their opponents became aggressive, so I tried to intervene. They stopped me before I could clean up the place and we left before they could be harmed. Then they insisted on lecturing me. It was longer than the healers' lectures.
Added to Team: Stand back, I will deal with them quickly.
Parting: I will see you around. You probably won't.
Yunli
About You: Yanqing introduced us and, as I do, I invited them to spar so that we could get to know each other. To this day, we have never crossed swords! They say 'You shouldn't fight unless provoked' and 'One of us might get seriously hurt'. I don't understand them. Suit yourself, I suppose.
Chat-Regard: I think I'm beginning to understand why they don't want to draw their weapons. They try to solve everything peacefully. It takes a lot more time, but it is also more efficient. I guess we both spar in different ways.
Added to Team: HEY, if you want to pick on them, you have to go through me first!
Parting: Oh! Oh! Before you go, how about we go to one of my favourite restarounds? My treat!
Lingsha
About You: They seem to be worryingly indifferent to their own health and mental well-being. I suppose I try to allay their fears a little, but in the end it's their own fault for getting themselves into trouble.
Chat-Regard: Further observation suggests that their brains and hearts may have been switched at birth. They think with their heart and feel with their logic. Not a bad trait, but they will be more sad than happy in the future. Or not. We'll see.
Added to Team: Are they giving you problems? Don't worry, I'll talk to them.
Parting: Go take a break. I don't want to see you at the Alchemy Commission unless it's an invitation for tea.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 3.2: <Belobog>
Bronya
About You: Another kind-hearted guest from a distant planet. They said they had never seen a tragedy like the one that happened here in Belobog, but their eyes told a different story. Maybe they just wanted to comfort me… or themselves.
Chat-Regard: They are so kind, but I worry that they don't show themself the kindness they deserve. As the supreme guardian and host of this planet, it's my job to make sure they enjoy their visit! Don't you worry, I'll see to it that they have a pleasent time!
Added to Team: Let me repay the kindness you have bestowed on my home.
Parting: On behalf of the people of Belobog, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for your willingness to stay and assist us. Your contribution is highly appreciated.
Pela
About You: The museum is their favourite place, I think. At least that's where I usually run into them.
Chat-Regard: They love to draw and create! We drew each other once and it was so much fun to see our different styles. I hope we can do this again in the future to see how much we have improved.
Added to Team: You have my assistance!
Parting: It's freezing outside Belobog, here, take this scarf with you
Seele
About You: They have seen hardship, that's for sure.
Chat-Regard: They help around the underground. Being an outsider, I wonder why they help so much. But then again, they came on the Astral Express, so I shouldn't be too surprised.
Added to Team: Hey, let me help. Don't burden yourself with everything.
Parting: Be careful if you are out here alone, you never know what might be lying in front of you.
Clara
About You: When the borders between the Overworld and the Underground were opened again, we met. She's not from here, but she knows things about my planet that I didn't even know about.
Chat-Regard: I tried to show them how to fix one of the robots here in the settlement, but… somehow they managed to break its arm. They were crying and couldn't stop apologising to the robot.
Added to Team: Is everything all right? We can ask Mr Svarog for help if we need it.
Parting: Thanks for all your help today, I hope it wasn't too much trouble.
Hook
About You: They destroyed the evil witch's hut! Eh I um I mean, Miss Natasha's clinic. Destroying things isn't nice, but it was the witches…
Chat-Regard: They didn't accept my invitation to the Moles! They quickly came to realise the glory of us Moles and accepted the titel of 'Honorary Mole'.
Added to Team: Let's defeat those bad guys!
Parting: You are off duty for today, brave soldier! Oh, don't forget to bring the cake, you promised!
Natasha
About You: The first time we met they came in with a dislocated arm. When I mentioned that I could numb the pain with an injection and showed them a syringe… well, they weren't awake much longer after that.
Chat-Regard: The clinic is usually with at least one patient at a time, so I appreciate any help I can get, as long as it's real help. The second time they fainted, I sent them outside to play with the children. I could tell they were happier with this arrangement.
Added to Team: Help me look after the others during the battle.
Parting: Your help is greatly appreciated. I hope we can work together again in the future.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 3.1: <Belobog>
Gepard
About You: Not much of a fighter, but they have their heart is at the right place
Chat-Regard: Lady Bronya asked me to show them around. They listened intently as I explained our history. Perhaps I should show them the museum next time.
Added to Team: Should the need arise, I will cover you.
Parting: It's quite late. Here let me escort you to your hotel.
Luka
About You: The one who accidentally trashed Natasha's clinic? I heard they replaced everything and added more. I bet they must have felt bad to go to such lengths to repair it.
Chat-Regard: They are incredible with the kids! When they come to our house, they make sure to spend time with them. The children normally gather around me, so we end up chatting a lot.
Added to Team: Let me show you why I am called the Belobog Underworld Champion!
Parting: I have a match in a few, so I'll see you another day. Oh! Unless you want to watch, of course.
Sampo
About You: A true master of mischevious planning and not hesitating to see it through. Ah, a real sweetheart they are.
Chat-Regard: A true friend of Sampo Koski always has an extra plan up their sleeve, and they have at least three extra cards. It never involves my love and kindness, but that can be changed. Their eyes are not as blank as they think.
Added to Team: One of your plans involves me, I am touched, my dear friend. May you never regret it, promise!
Parting: Another customer leaves for the day. Don't forget to visit good ol' Sampo from time to time.
Lynx
About You: The planet they come from seems to have all kinds of climates. Heat, rain, snow, tropical, arid. And yet they don't dare go to the Snow Plains.
Chat-Regard: Most of the time I saw them in my sis's workshop, which wasn't much to begin with, but there they were, offering to mend my rucksack and give me a new scarf. I try to wear it when it's not too cold.
Added to Team: Be careful where you step, you never know what lies under the snow.
Parting: My sister told me to tell you to come and see her when we get back, so I will see you off now.
Serval
About You: Clumsy. That's the best way I can describe them.
Chat-Regard: After an incident at Svarog's, they basically prohibited themself from tinkering with mechanical parts. After a bit of encouragement and a promise from me, they are now happy to tinker with the few parts I give them.
Added to Team: Oh hey! Back to listen to one of my songs? I will show you the music of battle!
Parting: Hey, don't forget to tidy up and put your parts somewhere where you can find them next time.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 2: <Hertas Space Station> + <Argenti>
Arlan
About you: A guest who once arrived on the Astral Express. They have this… quality of helping others. We appreciate it, of course, but I have never really seen them rest.
Chat-Regard: It's not often that we are attacked, but once they were on board. I expected them to try to fight the invaders and not listen to orders, but they actually gave support from the rear, carrying out the wounded and hiding them, then returning quickly. They were a great help that day.
Added to Team:: Thank you for your support. Let me take over!
Parting: I still have some duties to perform, but please go and rest for the night.
Dr. Ratio
About you: Driven by the heart and not by the brain. Typically, I reserve judgement on such individuals, but at least they attempt to exert effort in utilising their cognitive abilities, regardless of how ineffectual their actions may be or how foolish they appear.
Chat-Regard: We don't engage in lengthy discussions, as there is no apparent need for them. However, upon conclusion of a conversation, I always feel a sense of warmth. We both work on different frequencies, but frequencies nonetheless.
Added to Team: At least try to stay out of tomfoolery, otherwise you will end up in genuine danger.
Parting: You may find it beneficial to attend one of my lectures. I will let you know when the next one is scheduled.
Argenti
About you: An ethereal beauty with a soul as pure as the moon and a heart as brilliant as gold! They are simply a delight. It is an absolute honour to call them my companion!
Chat-Regard: Warrior, wissdom, warmth. They have all these beautiful qualities, but they are still a delicate individual. Truly admirable.
Added to Team: May Adrilla bless our paths and bring us to justice.
Parting: Here we will part. I pray that your every day will be protected and that you will be giving the beauty of the suns, stars and moons.
Asta
About you: They are always eager to help out in some way when they visit the space station. Running errands, helping with cleaning, or just entertaining people. Of course, we send them companions, but most of the time they are sent back to us.
Chat-Regard: The space station is huge and if you don't know your way around it's easy to get lost. After too many calls from them, we found a time when I could show them around. Later that week they sent a gift basket as a token of appreciation.
Added to Team: Let's support each other. That way we will get the best result!
Parting: May your travels be blessed and guided by a kind hand.
Herta
About you: They came up to me one day and introduced themselves. Arlan supported their identity, but I couldn't care less about guests I didn't invite.
Chat-Regard: They run around my space station like a little dog, trying to get attention wherever they can. Not a noucence, but utterly irrelevant. I doubt that could change.
Added to Team: If only it were worth the time.
Parting: Next time, try not to catch my attention when I am working.
Ruan Mei
About you: Like me, they have a taste for pastry, especially cakes. I am sure I could find one in their favour and invite them for a...chat.
Chat-Regard: We once discussed the Aeons and their philosophies. They seemed interested in the subject, so after a while I brought up Tayzzyronth, the Propagation. While still remaining respectful, they quickly changed the subject.
Added to Team: You have found something that you think I'll be interested in? Well, don't hesitate to show it to me.
Parting: I am sure our paths will cross again, for research or simple pleasantries.
Voicelines from the characters from Honkai: Star Rail about the player/reader. Written as platonic.
Part 1: <Astral Express>
Trailblazer
About you: I get the feeling we're more similar than we are both willing to admit. I wonder why…
Chat-Regard: We spend most of our time together in quiet company. We don't have much to say to each other, so we just enjoy the silence. But that doesn't stop us from playing games quite a lot. I obviously win every time.
Added to Team: Hey, let's put that move we practiced to the test!
Parting: Hey, don't forget to log in later. You promised me that rematch!
March 7th
About you: They remind me of Dan Heng! Always seeking knowledge about the most various of topics and always 'expanding' their horizons. They make an effort to include me in their usual shenanigans though, those are always fun!
Chat-Regard: We've met up a few times since our first encounter, and each time, they've insisted on taking a selfie together. I guess they want the world to see their life.
Added to Team: We need to print out the photos we took, but I think that can wait for now.
Parting: You're leaving already? Oh. Well, make sure you come back as soon as possible!
Dan Heng
About you: They remind me of March. They're so full of energy and always on the move. But whenever they have a question, they come looking for me and I indulge them until they leave with a smile.
Chat-Regard: Patient about their own interests and tolerant of others. So far, nothing I have given them has excited them unless they already knew it or it resembled something they know. Books, movies, games…
Added to Team: Right by your side
Parting: You can take this with you until we meet again. Just… be careful not to break it.
Himeko
About you: Such a lively soul they have. They tend to try to solve problems on their own, which is remarkable in some cases, but they are also very clumsy. Most of them make the situation worse. We don't mind helping, of course.
Chat-Regard: They claimed they weren't a fan of coffee and preferred hot chocolate to anything in the world. Nevertheless, they were kind enough to try my own. I don't think their opinion has changed much.
Added to Team: Don't overdo it, unless you want the others to pester you while you're resting.
Parting: How about staying for another cup of whatever you like? Your presence is greatly appreciated, by all of us.
Welt Yang
About you: They claim that they are also not from this world. Perhaps we shared our old home planet, but I can't say for certain.
In the end, they don't seem keen to return to their world, unlike me.
Chat-Regard: We both have a fondness for creative pursuits. Whenever they visited the Express, I tried to organize a time when we could perhaps share our 'creative liberties' per say. I'm pleased to say that our time together has always been both interesting and pleasant.
Added to Team: Let's see what we can conjure up together
Parting: Until we meet again, I will do my best to remember some stories.
We know that Yanqing uses and controls Yanzhuo (his sword) through his qi and mind power, so they are somehow connected. We also saw Yanzhuo acting more or less independently during the Heliobi quest, leading us to Yanqing.
Now, when we saw Yunli, she took Yanzhuo with her without asking, claiming that she felt the sword was in pain and not being taken care of enough, and that she wanted to take care of it. But is the sword the one actually hurting?
Now here is the thought:
Yanqing and Yanzhuo are close, and it appeared to me how strange it would be if Yanqing didn't take care of his swords properly, especially the one he uses most in his fights.
Maybe it's not exactly Yanzhuo's condition that Yunli heard from the sword, but maybe Yanqing's too. In the quest, he seemed more mature, even if it was only in his role as lieutenant and whenever he and Yunli weren't arguing. We haven't seen him for months, and children grow up quickly afterall, but still.
Perhaps his setbacks with a certain three had more lasting damage than we thought.
