The next chapter of "Incandescent" is up! "Ghost on the Plateau"
“Goddess Hylia,” Rhoam gasped and he would have knelt, if She would let him go. Her warm hands, growing uncomfortably hotter by the second, gripped his shoulders, vice-like and digging into his skin.
“No,” She hissed, eyes blazing. She did not cast a shadow. “Not yet. You will fulfill your duty, Rhoam Bosphoramus.”
And perhaps he would have argued that he did, he’d always done his duty, he’d always strived to be a strong King, to be what Hyrule needed, but Rhoam found that he could not speak anymore. He could not even open his mouth.
Goddess Hylia’s eyes narrowed in warning. He realised, with a rush of fear, that She knew what he was thinking.
Her hands began to burn. Rhoam could not even cry out.
Hespera! he wanted to shout. Hespera, help me!
“You will aid My Chosen,” Goddess Hylia ordered, Her voice echoing. It came from the air, from the starlight-water, from the colourful landscape surrounding them, all those lights melding together. “Aiding My Link will aid My Zelda. You will do this, Rhoam Bosphoramus, if you ever hope to see the Sacred Realm. You will wait. You will do your duty.”
Light overtook his vision, too bright, too hot, too much. But he could still hear Her Grace.
“I am not through with you yet.”
*
Rhoam Bosphoramus died in the Calamity, mere seconds after Ganon rises from under the castle. There and gone so swiftly that he barely had time to realise what was happening.
And then he woke up on the Great Plateau. Why? What do the Goddesses have planned for him?
The next chapter of "Incandescent" is up! "Bard and Princess"
“You were Harper’s student,” she said. “Link told me.”
Truth be told, Zelda hadn’t paid much attention when Kass sang Harper’s song to Link. She’d been much more interested in talking to Urbosa. She had figured (correctly) that if Kass had anything of importance to say, Link would inform her later.
“Yes, my lady,” Kass said. “He began teaching me when I was a child.”
Zelda had no idea what Harper’s journeys through a post-Calamity Hyrule were like. She wasn’t sure if it was the tie between Blood of the Goddess and the Hero, or if it was because so much of her power and will were focussed on holding Ganon back, but it was always easiest to watch Link. Not anyone else. Even briefly watching Impa, even when she wasn’t far from Link, had been draining.
So then. Harper’s journey. His self-appointed mission. Zelda knew he must have faced great danger again and again. The Age of Burning Fields had been a dangerous and desolate time. And Harper, spoiled and arrogant Harper, was a court bard. A poet and performer, not a warrior. Had he learned to fight? Did he depend on evasion? How in the world did Harper survive?
Zelda still didn’t like him. How could she? He was pushy, arrogant, rude; he refused to take a hint and leave Zelda be. He had been horrible about Link, and that ableist song still made Zelda’s blood boil even now.
*
In which Zelda meets Kass. They have someone in common: Harper the Sheikah court bard. Kass adores him. Zelda does not.
Have an "Iridescent" sneak peek! I will kick my illnesses' asses if it kills me and get this shit done
In which Zelda and Tulin return to Rito Village with one gigantic flying surprise
So it turned out that the Stormwind Ark could be steered. The ship was still fully functional. Tulin cackled with sheer glee and Zelda wasn’t far behind.
She put her foot down on letting him steer, however.
“I’m not gonna crash, Zel!” Tulin said indignantly, wings crossed.
Zelda, giving all her concentration to steering safely, only shot him a quick glance.
“There are so many islands and ships up here,” she said. “The Hebra Mountains are right below us. I’m steering.”
He huffed and sulked until she let him take the Purah Pad. Then he was happily distracted taking pictures: Zelda steering, almost every inch of the bridge, the view from the windows…Zelda nodded in approval. Tulin knew her too well, and his curiosity matched her own.
For now, she focussed on steering and imagined everyone’s reactions when they arrived back at Rito Village with this ark. She could worry about telling Teba and Saki about Tulin being the new Sage when they arrived.
This was a victory, Zelda reminded herself. And she meant what she said to Medval; if a single feather on Tulin’s head was harmed, she would hunt Medval through the Sacred Realm. Saki and Teba would absolutely join her.
Really, Teba thought he’d seen it all. Six years ago, he dodged Vah Medoh’s lasers with Link and befriended Master Revali’s ghost, keeping the teenage Champion company whenever he could. He watched golden light cover the sky and knew Calamity Ganon was dead. Then the Upheaval happened and this record-breaking blizzard struck overnight. He fought old and new monsters alike, trying to keep his people from starving to death.
Now the storm stopped. Just like that. The snow and ice were still immensely thick but the gloom was gone from the snow; the insane wind stopped, the clouds cleared, the snow ceased to fall.
“They did it,” he sighed in relief, leaning against the open door of his roost.
“I knew they would,” Sidon said proudly.
Saki stood with her wings crossed, watching the sky anxiously, awaiting Tulin and Zelda’s return.
And then, perhaps an hour later, as the sun was beginning to set…
“What in the world is that!?” Yona yelped, pointing skyward. A massive dark shape was flying straight for the village. As it came closer, Teba’s eyes widened.
It was a ship. No, not just a ship. An ark.
“There’s no way…” He shook his head in disbelief. Kass hummed The Song of the Stormwind Ark, surrounded by Amali and their daughters.
“Holy shit,” Yuki said.
“That’s a really big boat,” Ivy added.
Teba and Saki immediately took to the air. The ark, the Goddess-damned Stormwind Ark, stopped above Vah Medoh’s perch. It slowly lowered until it wasn’t so insanely high anymore; it floated perhaps where Medoh’s head once was. High, yes, but easy for any Rito to reach.
“Mom! Dad!” Tulin leaned out of a window, waving eagerly, grinning fit to burst. His eyes sparkled with delight and Teba was relieved to see he only looked ruffled and tired, no major injuries to be seen. “Look what we found!”
They flew right up to the window. Behind Tulin, Zelda still had both hands on the wheel and gave them a sheepish grin.
“It’s a long story,” she said.
“I’ll bet,” Teba scoffed, almost laughing. “You do realise Kass is going to grill you both for details as soon as we’re done with you? He already has several song ideas.”
Have one more "Radiant" sneak peek! In which Link is having a rough time, but you can always count on Purah and Robbie to lighten the mood
As soon as he stepped into the lab, Link regretted it. The Sheikah all stopped what they were doing, snapping to attention. Many of them bowed, one or even both hands on their hearts.
Before, he could walk in and no one would care. Someone might direct him to Purah, but that would be all. Before, it was always Princess Zelda they showed such respect to, and Impa as her mother’s heir. Link hadn’t been important and he’d liked it that way.
Now, he heard murmurs of “Chosen,” instead of his name.
One researcher practically tiptoed forward, eyes bright with reverence. It made Link’s skin crawl.
“Hylia’s Chosen,” the researcher breathed. He bowed again, lower this time. “You honour us with your presence. How may we serve you?”
As it did so often lately, Link’s voice deserted him. I’m looking for Purah, he signed, spelling out her name, because Explode Rock-On would make no sense to anyone else.
The researcher blinked. “Apologies, Chosen,” he said, looking embarrassed. “I do not understand Hylian Sign. I believe Cherry does, if you’ll permit me to fetch her?”
Everyone was staring. Link wanted to turn around and run right out the doors. This was stupid, this was so stupid. Why did it have to be him, why did Fi react to him, why would Hylia want him? Zelda and Revali wouldn’t talk to him, Impa was so weirdly distant and professional, his parents were fighting non-stop. Daruk was acting like he was made of glass, Uncle Duncan was tense and watchful, Nana was overwhelmed, and Urbosa looked at him like something horrible happened. Which he supposed it had.
He wished Dorephan hadn’t called Mipha home so soon.
He just wanted someone to still be normal and if he knew Purah at all, then she’d be the same as always. He just wanted to see his friend, that was all.
Maybe it was a bad idea to come here.
Before he could do anything else (leave, write his answer down, unlock his vocal chords somehow) an arm was flung over his shoulders and Purah cried, “Heya, Linky!”
Robbie slid into view, grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, kid,” he said cheerfully, as casual as ever. “How’s it going?”
“We’ve got some upgraded bombs that you’re gonna love,” Purah said, steering him towards her and Robbie’s private office. “Come on!”
“Purah, Robbie!” the researcher hissed, mortified. “He is-”
“Our friend,” Purah said firmly. “It’s just Linky, calm your tits.”
Robbie snorted, practically dancing across the lab to the office. He opened the door with a flourish and a loud, “After you!”
Purah all but pushed Link inside. The door closed behind them and Link felt like he could breathe for the first time in weeks.
“They’re all so dramatic,” Robbie said. He sauntered over to his desk. “You old enough to drink, kid?”
Link shrugged. Technically no, but his birthday was only a month away.
“How bad has it been?” Purah asked. In response, Link flopped down into his usual chair and knocked his head against her desk.
“Oof, it’s that bad, huh?”
Link grunted.
“Sounds about right,” Purah said, sitting on the desk. She squeezed his shoulder and pressed a glowing square bomb into his hands. It was nearly as big as his head and Link turned it over curiously. It didn’t look any different from before, so what was the upgrade?
“We’re all gonna have a drink,” she said. “And then we’re gonna blow stuff up.”
Have a sneak-peek from "Radiant." In which Terrako has arrived to cause solve problems on purpose, and Impa is having the weirdest day of her life
It was safe to say Impa was having a strange day. She was just meant to bring Princess Zelda the Sheikah slate; Purah had it up and running at last. Her sister told her it had a map function (alas currently empty), the ability to create instant, true-to-life images (a function that already worked perfectly, Purah was delighted with it) and the potential for more runes. Purah suspected they would be weapons of some kind, or a form of defence. The possibilities were endless, really.
But, just Impa’s luck, she ended up stuck on the battlefield. She hadn’t even known a battle was meant to be happening until monsters suddenly swept over Hyrule Field. Judging by the sheer number of soldiers and knights, they’d expected a fight. They seemed hasty however; Impa overheard many confused requests for orders. So maybe this fight had been anticipated but not so soon?
She’d been cornered, chased by no less than twenty Bokoblins, all while she tried to shield the Sheikah slate and grab her weapons. She’d been relieved to spot a knight nearby and had thrown the slate to him, taking the opportunity to reach for her weapons.
Then a tower appeared. A tower and a strange little Guardian. Both of them looked like Sheikah tech, though Impa didn’t recognise them.
At least the battle was over. The remaining monsters had finally retreated.
Impa turned to her new companion and put her kunai away, returned her sword to its sheath. The little Guardian followed closely at the boy’s heels.
“So,” Impa said. “We’ve got a mysterious tower popping out of the ground like a mushroom and a new Guardian. I hate to say it, but I don’t think we’re going to figure this one out on our own.”
This was going to cause a lot of fuss and confusion, she just knew it. But Purah and Robbie thrived on chaos; no doubt they'd soon figure out the tower's function. As for the little egg-shaped Guardian...It was utterly unlike the technology her sister and friend studied and yet eerily similar too. What was its purpose? Was it a friend or a foe, or something completely neutral? For all Impa knew, it could just be someone's idea of a toy.
The little egg beeped at her. It shuffled back and forth, making a whirring noise. Its big blue eye darted about, almost anxiously.
“What’s your name?” Impa asked the boy.
“Link Hallow, my lady,” he said. He had a very quiet voice with a bit of a Hateno drawl.
“Nice to meet you,” Impa said. “So, I think first we should- hey!” She gave a startled shout as the little Guardian suddenly ran away. It ran as if chased by Calamity Ganon himself, its sights on Hyrule Castle.
“Stop right there!” Impa shouted after it. “We’ve got questions!”
It did not stop. If anything, it went faster.
Impa and Link had no choice but to run after it. Most undignified if you asked her.
Sometimes, Impa really couldn’t believe this was her life. She was the aide and guard to Princess Zelda herself, Blood of the Goddess. She was one of the most esteemed members of the royal council, a chief advisor to King Rhoam (even if he didn’t often listen to her) and a highly skilled warrior. She was the heir to the Sheikah tribe. Her days were meant to be spent helping and protecting the Princess, researching the Divine Beasts and Guardians; she was meant to provide advice and wisdom to anyone who needed it. One day, she would be trusted with aiding Hylia’s Chosen Hero, whoever he might be. She was meant to be a guiding hand, a steady and reassuring presence in the coming conflict.
In short, Impa was meant to be serene, dependable and strong.
And here she was, sprinting after a weird little robot.
This day just kept getting stranger. What’s worse, the little robot actually managed to outrun them!
“Oh, where did it go?” Impa grumbled as she and Link ran through the castle’s gates. “I swear, it’s like it knew where it was going.”
That worried her. Why would it know its way around?
At least there was one good thing: she quickly spotted Princess Zelda stepping out into the sun, her emerald-eyed gaze on the ground. She looked thoughtful. No, more than that; she looked worried. She so often looked worried.
“Princess!” Impa called, smiling, rushing to her friend’s side. She reached back and grabbed Link’s wrist, dragging him with her.
Zelda looked up and immediately brightened. The worry vanished from her face, replaced with a soft smile.
“You made it,” she said, relieved. “I’m glad you’re safe, Impa.”
“I’m alright, Your Highness,” Impa assured her. “I’ve got the Sheikah slate from Purah and her notes for you.” She pulled Link forward. The poor kid looked mortified by the attention. “And I’ve made a new friend. Quite the warrior.”
“Oh?” Zelda peered at Link curiously. “Hello there.”
Link couldn’t exactly kneel with Impa holding onto him, but he bowed deeply, his free hand on his heart, eyes on the ground.
Impa wanted to explain everything. The tower, the Guardian, the monsters, Link’s insane battle prowess. Before she could even open her mouth, the little egg appeared again, rushing right past her and jumping at Princess Zelda.
In a flash, Link yanked away from her and grabbed the little egg, holding it aloft. It outright squirmed in his grasp, kicking its legs like a petulant child. It beeped loudly, as if in dismay.
“Watch it,” Impa heard Link hiss to it.
The little egg whined.
“What, do you think you can just run at the Princess?” Link demanded. The robot beeped. Weirdly enough, it felt like it was arguing.
Even more strangely, the Sheikah slate began to glow. Baffled, Impa held it up. On its screen was an image of the little egg; a bright blue image, showing its insides. More like a map of the egg than a true image.
And then images began to appear. Impa couldn’t tell where it was, beyond that it was some sort of library, but it was on fire and half-destroyed, and she could see a storm raging through a massive hole in the roof. Then another image: a broken down door. Another image: a field ablaze.
These images had not been there mere seconds ago. She hadn’t heard of any major attacks recently; certainly no destruction matching the images on the slate. So where did they come from?
“Princess,” Impa murmured. “Look at this.”
Zelda leaned in and gasped. The slate glowed brightest whenever Impa aimed it at the little egg.
“What is all this?” Zelda asked.
“I don’t know,” Impa admitted with a grimace. “We’re going to need Purah and Robbie. But first…Link?”
Her new friend, still keeping a firm hold of the little egg, looked at her quizzically.
“We need to bring that little one to the King Regent,” Impa said, gesturing to the still whining robot. “Do you mind keeping a hold of it?”
Link looked startled. Perhaps he expected to be dismissed once the battle was over. But this kid had her back the whole time, he stumbled upon the little Guardian in the first place. And Impa saw him fight, up close and personal. Link was brilliant. She saw him kill a Lynel while she fought off more Moblins, and he was- what? Fifteen, sixteen? Maybe even younger for all she knew. He was tiny, that much was certain. King Rhoam needed to know.
Quite frankly, everyone needed to know.
Impa was absolutely not going to dismiss Link and send him on his merry way, not without at least a reward. He seriously saved her skin out there. And talent like that…Well, it had to be acknowledged.
Link hesitated, but he nodded. The little Guardian stopped whining and squirming, though it gave one last beep. After that, it stayed put in Link’s arms.
“Father should be speaking with the soldiers,” Zelda said.
His Majesty was somewhere in the field, likely all the way back at Mabe Village with the other soldiers. If not, if his triumphant speech was already concluded, she would imagine he'd gone to inspect the tower.
Impa could hardly blame anyone for staring as they crossed the castle grounds. They certainly made an odd trio- an odd quartet if you counted the little Guardian.
The next chapter of "Iridescent" is up! "Safe Return"
“What in the world is that!?” Yona yelped, pointing skyward. A massive dark shape was flying straight for the village. As it came closer, Teba’s eyes widened.
It was a ship. No, not just a ship. An ark.
“There’s no way…” He shook his head in disbelief. Kass hummed The Song of the Stormwind Ark, surrounded by Amali and their daughters.
“Holy shit,” Yuki said.
“That’s a really big boat,” Ivy added.
Teba and Saki immediately took to the air. The ark, the Goddess-damned Stormwind Ark, stopped above Vah Medoh’s perch. It slowly lowered until it wasn’t so insanely high anymore; it floated perhaps where Medoh’s head once was. High, yes, but easy for any Rito to reach.
“Mom! Dad!” Tulin leaned out of a window, waving eagerly, grinning fit to burst. His eyes sparkled with delight and Teba was relieved to see he only looked ruffled and tired, no major injuries to be seen. “Look what we found!”
They flew right up to the window. Behind Tulin, Zelda still had both hands on the wheel and gave them a sheepish grin.
“It’s a long story,” she said.
“I’ll bet,” Teba scoffed, almost laughing. “You do realise Kass is going to grill you both for details as soon as we’re done with you? He already has several song ideas.”
Zelda smiled fondly. “I’d expect nothing less.”
*
Zelda and Tulin return to Rito Village with a giant flying surprise. The Brigade witness more dragon scale visions and regroup with Purah, before returning to Snowfield Stable, in search of Link's missing horse. In the midst of it all, Sidon ponders how to confess to Yona.
The next chapter of "Incandescent" is up! "The Goddess' Chosen Guardian"
She drew her kunai and knelt, just like Izzara. She wondered what it would be like when sacred light burst from the Princess’s hands. Not today, of course, maybe not any time soon. She couldn’t start training until she was seven next year. But it would happen, she knew it would. She’d never met Queen Hespera except in passing, and never saw her use Hylia’s light. Impa would be honoured to see it.
“Your Highness,” Impa said, loud and clear, only a child and willing to swear her life to another. “It is an honour to meet you. My name is Impa.”
She was named in honour of the Sage of Shadow from so long ago. She had been the guardian of another Princess Zelda, and an ally to the Hero of Time.
Impa hoped she could be as strong as the other Impa, a legend among their people. Strong, dedicated and brave. That was what she wanted to be.
The next chapter of "Incandescent" is up! "The Plateau Shrines"
What was he talking about? Chosen? Goddess Hylia? A trial? He said he wanted to help, but how could Link be sure about that?
But what other option did he have, except go forward? He needed that paraglider.
He tapped the slate off the pedestal and a stiff voice said, Sheikah slate authenticated, like it did at the tower and Link braced himself for more chaos. But no, not this time. There was more light, more strange noises, and a drip of light fell onto the Sheikah slate. Its screen changed, revealing a picture of a pink…shape. Whatever it was.
Magnesis, the screen read. There were empty slots next to the strange pink symbol. Manipulate metallic objects using magnetism. Grab on to metallic objects using the magnetic energy that pours forth from the Magnesis rune. Objects held in the magnetic snare can be lifted up and moved freely.
Link looked at the metal sheets on the floor. Well then. Okay. This just got interesting.
*
Link wanders the Great Plateau, lacking all memories, following the instructions of a mysterious voice. The Sheikah monks confuse him, the Old Man frustrates him. And those empty, dead machines? They terrify him.
