๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐- ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
โOh, I like her already.โ Wars speaks. The Vet just seems to roll his eyes, muttering something about the Captainโs ego.
You rise back into a standing position, eyeing the group again. You look back up at Time, stating, โI presume youโre the Hero of Time, based off of your moniker.โ
โYou would be correct, although hardly anyone calls me by that title.โ
You hum at his comment, finding his humble nature pleasing. Turning to the one named Sky, you motion your hand at him, โAnd you must be the Hero of the Skies, or the Chosen One. The first of us, if we go by technicalities.โ
He nods hesitantly, curious as to where you got all of this information about them. He wouldโve been more uneasy if you werenโt a descendant, but you were one of them, after all.
โWhyโฆ do you call yourself the Forgotten Hero?โ he asks.
You smile solemnly at him, โBecause this era has been doomed. Utterly and completely in decay. By the time my quest is done, Hyrule, or what remains of it will collapse and rebuild itself over thousands of years. I will be too hidden in the past to be remembered.โ
You take a small breath before continuing, admitting the truth out loud.
โI will also be forgotten because Iโm not you, or your descendants. Iโm not the traditional male hero. Quite the anomaly, arenโt I?โ
He seems conflicted by your statement, eyebrows furrowing together.
โBut if youโre the only female so far, wouldnโt that make you more memorable? The heroine of Hyrule?โ
โMaybe in another life, but not this one. Iโm considered a disgrace of a hero by most people outside of my village and a few others spanned across the land.โ
โWhy would you say that? Didnโt you save everyone from destruction?โ
You smile sadly, โThe destruction happened years before I was born. If anything, I caused more of it.โ
He takes a moment to think before asking the inevitable question.
โLinkโฆ who exactly did you defeat?โ
Your eyes snap back up at him, making sure he was looking right at you. The information you were about to reveal was going to create the rift of the ages. It was now or never.
The room was silent for a few minutes, the only sound being heard was the loud blizzard beyond the splintered walls of the shack. The loud silence made you wish the shack would finally collapse in on itself.
Sky finally speaks, eyes glued to you.ย
โW-what do you mean by that? Youโre saying she caused all of this?โ
You sighed, knowing he was one of the moreโฆ innocent followers of her.ย
โWell, a few thousand years after the Era of the Wilds, there started to be a lot ofโฆ religious issues surrounding Hylia. A lot of questionable and downright disgusting practices. It caused people to start grouping up and separating, causing the nations of Hyrule to close off from each other.โ
Looking around the group, you take a moment to let them process the new information before continuing.
โThe Rito, Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, Sheikah, and Hylians all started to conflict more and more, eventually ascending into a 50-year war, or the Reawakening. The followers of Hylia formulated a plan to resurrect her in the flesh, killing Zelda in the process.โ
โA life for a life.โ Time muttered, deep in thought.
โExactly. The plan was successful, the goddess being reawoken after millennias of being dead. She came backโฆ unrecognizable, both physically and in an ideological sense. Her morality and character had been altered so much to the point of her followers becoming a cult. The cult killed my parents, thousands of people that questioned Hylia, essentially wiping out most of the kingdom.โ
โAnd the land? How did it come to be soโฆ bleak?โ
โHylia is the Sun, both literally and metaphorically. The sun is technically up beyond the clouds, but the amount of destruction and chaos she brought forth made the landscape unrestorable. The entirety of Hyrule looks just like this,โ you motioned out with your hand.
โHyrule is also significantly bigger than any of yours. Probably still larger than if you were to combine the size of each of your eraโs Hyruleโs. It has been a cold, snowy abyss for over 30 years now.โ
The brunette piqued up, head tilting slightly, โSo where is Hylia now? Hyrule Castle?โ
โHyrule Castle is in utter ruins now, most use it to scavenge for rock or old weapons. Iโmโฆ not sure where she is right now, I'm trying to track her down.โ
โDidnโt you say you killed her?โ the Veteran asked.
โI did butโฆ her psyche is still present. She may not have a physical body anymore, as I returned it back to its dormant state, permanently, but her essence is somewhere. Everywhere.โ
Time walks up to you, arms crossed over his chest. Curse your short stature, compared to his at least.
โFrom what you're telling us, it seems that we were brought here to help you. We came here through a portal, and from what weโve learned, we canโt leave an era unless weโve completed the task at hand, regardless of our own opinions or standing on the matter.โ
โWhat were your original plans before being brought here?โ you ask.
โThe Shadow and his army. It took us months to finally pin him down and defeat him.โ
You remember something being mentioned in the archives about a dark version of Link, but only being a mere shadow. Now a physical form? That was something you didnโt experience in your own journey. Lucky you, you suppose.
โRight now Hyrule isโฆ in limbo, I suppose. Hyliaโs first form was defeated about a year ago and weโve tried to track her essence down since. We donโt know if sheโs using someone as a vessel or if sheโs resting in some sacred grounds to gather strength. Granted, the blizzards have made it significantly harder to even make it past the woods.โ
Four, one of the shortest and most colorful of the Linkโs speaks.
โSo where exactly are we, based off of older maps?โ
You ponder for a moment, trying to recollect exactly what town you could use to reference the location you were in. Something that was familiar to them.
โIf I were to use my ancestorโs typography maps,โ pointing to Wild, โIโd say weโre in the location of the Great Plateau. The plateau collapsed in on itself thousands of years ago and grew thick forest and brush, impenetrable if you were inexperienced with the outside world.โ
You take a pause before continuing.
โThough if I were to be more accurate and preciseโฆ this would be almost the exact location of Ordon Village from the Era of Twilight.โ
Twilight perks up at that, intrigued by your expertise and knowledge of their past eras.ย
โHow do you know that name?โ
You were revealing way too much about yourself within hours of meeting your ancestors. This is definitely not what you had planned.
Sighing, you reveal another ability you had kept concealed.
โI have the memories of every hero before me. I can see and dream of their travels, their fears, desires, secrets, everything. Even their own thoughts, at times.โ
Twilightโs brow furrows, confusion emulating off his features.
โIsnโt that only what the goddess reincarnated can do? How can a holder of the Triforce of Courage accomplish that?โ
โI donโt know. All I know is that it started when I was seven and I have them almost every day, multiple times a day.โ
Time bristles at the age it started for you: seven.
He was the youngest hero to start his journey.
Of course, it made sense.
The memories of the hero began as soon as his purpose was ignited.
He was going to speak again, but you beat him to it, mentioning something about supper and needing to attend to some matters.
โOnce youโre fed, Iโll come find you and find you a shack to board in. It will most likely be mine, as the village is full enough as it is. Dusk and Colin will show you around a bit, let them know if you need anything.โ
With that, you bundle the scarf over your face again and leave through the front door, not looking back behind you.
โ...You think they saw that time I rode on a bear in just my undergarments?โ
