End of Legend of FIVE #2-Legend of FIVE #3

Link told the story. The others listened. Jerome, Sheila, and Navi sat still as Link explained what happened. Seven years passed. Ganondorf took over Hyrule. Everything was lost until now. Link saw the shock on their faces, the utter disbelief. Jerome and Sheila didn’t come from a world where things like this were real. The thought of it must have overwhelmed them. How more when they realized they weren’t even in their original time any longer? Navi couldn’t look at Link. She did something Link had never seen her do–she stayed on the ground and out of the air. The fairy folded her translucent wings, closing them together like hands in prayer. She crouched on the flowing blue floor of the platform, closing her legs and hugging her knees close to her chest as if she turned cold. Link didn’t speak to her directly. Everything told was for the whole group to hear. After Link finished, Jerome mustered the courage to move. He looked his ally right in the eyes. “Seven years?” he asked. Link nodded. “Seven years, all in here. We were trapped.” “Man…” Jerome bowed his head and sighed, his breath shaky. Sheila observed herself again for perhaps the millionth time. “That’s why we look the way we do,” she murmured. Her own voice was still gentle and serene, but had a new maturity, a mark of womanhood laced in every word. “All because we weren’t ready to take on Ganondorf,” Jerome added on. “Or wield the Master Sword.” Link reached back. His fingertips barely brushed the blade’s hilt. His hand ran itself along the ridges. The Master Sword brought an ache to his back, along with the metal Hylian Shield that fit his body more. “It’s all my fault,” Link said, his voice weak. Navi flew up quickly. Her wings fluttered once more. She drew close to Link, stopping short of the bridge of his nose, her eyes filled with a mix of sadness and desperation. “It is not your fault,” she refuted. “It never was.” Link didn’t look at his fairy guide. He didn’t believe her words. She didn’t give him a reason to believe in anything at the moment. He couldn’t believe that she… “We’d all be gone.” Navi’s cerulean eyes became glossy as she went on. “You were supposed to take that sword in the long run, Link. It’s your destiny, no matter how strange this all is.” Link finally turned to gaze at her. Yes, Navi looked the same. That’s how fairies functioned. The forest had rules, a way of life that endured for ages. The Kokiri lived a certain way for many ages. The fairies for even longer. Though he died seven years ago, The Great Deku Tree outlived every creature in the woods. If the legends and tales were right, it’d take a hundred lifetimes for any of the forest’s beings to come close to the forest guardian’s life span. Link stared at Navi for quite some time. He had words for her, but didn’t know how to say them or if it was even right to speak to her–or if he even wanted to speak to her. “It’s been weird from the start.” Jerome stood up. His legs wobbled as he pulled himself off the floor, mostly likely learning to get used to his new body. “For all of us.” Sheila stood up too. “Nothing was ever going to be normal, Link. But we’re with you all the way. We just have to help each other.” “That man you talked to,” said Jerome. “This ‘Rauru’ guy…he called you the ‘Hero of Time.’ That’s you. You’re him. You’re the one who’s supposed to save the world, like we all thought. Don’t blame yourself, man. Ganondorf chose to be evil and it’s time for him to pay. He…took everything away from us. He even took our way home.” Jerome’s eyes grew sadder than they already looked since this whole revelation began. “I’m sorry for dragging you into this,” Link said. “Something else did,” Sheila said. “We have friends to avenge. Let’s not give up—for their sake.” Link nodded, feeling a little more reassured about where everything was going. His friends had a point. If they didn’t act at all, there’d be no chance. Now, they could actually fight back against Ganondorf, stronger than ever. “We’re following your lead,” Jerome chimed in. “This is you, showing us how to save Hyrule. Showing us how to be heroes. You were always the best of us. Keep it up, man. C’mon. How do we get back to Hyrule so we can fight?” Before Link could confess he didn’t know, a strange sound whistled through the air. It echoed across the vast Chamber of Sages. The group suddenly saw strands of light on the other side of the platform. They flowed like ribbons in the sacred air. The golden streams attached themselves to the platform’s far edge. They stretched out and joined together, making a solid platform. A path with tall boundaries greeted the group. “It looks like we found it,” Link said. It was as if the Sacred Realm were truly alive. Link thought this as he led the way across the path. The group trusted the bridge built before them. They progressed for a while, walking for an indiscernible amount of time. At the end of their walk, a door shaped opening awaited. Its glow rivaled the sun in the sky. When they walked through, the brightness grew overwhelmingly. When the brightness dwindled, the group found themselves standing on a familiar marble floor. The space around them was dim–save for a solitary light that shined through a window. Link recognized the room. This was the Chamber of Time. It meant they were back in the Temple of Time. They really returned to Hyrule. Jerome looked around the chamber. He walked down the steps of the pedestal of time. An eerie quiet swept over the space. “Seven years,” Jerome whispered. Sheila walked down the steps as well. “Did that much really pass?” she asked, though no one really had an answer. “We’ve been gone for that long?” Navi came forward as well. “It’s unbelievable…but here we are.” This proved much to take in. Link knew that there was much to do, but the shock of it all wouldn’t wear off for a while. They all stood in a new world once more. How badly it turned out was a different question altogether. The silence made Link uneasy. He kept feeling the weight of the sword and shield attached to his back. Thoughts kept flooding him as well. If the group stayed still any longer, Link was sure he’d lose his mind and this wasn’t something he wanted to deal with. “We have to go,” Link said. He took a step towards the Chamber’s exit, unsure of where to go afterwards. Jerome, Sheila, and Navi faced him. Their demeanor changed. They looked past Link in the same way Rauru looked past him in the Temple of Light, eyeing something behind him. That was when Link heard it; soft footsteps a few paces away. Link unsheathed the Master Sword for the first time since awakening. He clutched the grip and whirled around. He slung the Hylian Shield off as well, shoving his arm through the loops, prepared to defend himself. Link fixed his eyes on the figure in the light. The visitor stood quietly. They didn’t move nor speak. They simply stood, stared, and waited. It took a while for Link to note the features; White cloth encircled the top of their head. Strands of their straw colored hair seeped out from beneath the fabric, framing a tan face with red eyes. A veil of sorts covered the person’s mouth. Even the left eye was shrouded by a curtain of blonde hair shielding it. Their hands were wrapped in more white clothes, like bandages dressing wounds. The visitor wore a white garment over their torso. A blue symbol dominated the chest. A familiar red symbol layered itself to the forefront; a red eye with three triangular lashes arched above it. A single, large teardrop drooped down from the eye’s bottom lid. It reminded Link of Princess Zelda’s caretaker, Impa. She bore the same symbol all those years ago in the castle courtyard. The visitor wore blue pants and dark shaded shoes with pointed tips. Though they were a considerable distance from each other, Link figured he had a few inches on them. Not that it mattered; if this stranger wanted to harm them, they would have already. Link sensed a kindred nature from this person. They didn’t mean any harm. Everything about them said they wanted to help. “I’ve been waiting for you, sacred heroes.” The cloth in front of the visitor’s mouth should have muffled their voice. In a way it did; Link couldn’t precisely pinpoint the voice’s tone or pitch. Even so, their very words resonated. They filled the Temple’s reverent air. “I’ve awaited your arrival for years,” the figure continued. They began to pace back and forth in front of the heroes, fixing their gaze on the group. “Especially you, Link–the Hero of Time.” Link was surprised—alarmed even, to hear his name. How did they know? “The great Hero of Time,” said the figure. “When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest. One on a high mountain. One under a vast lake. One within the house of the dead. And one inside a goddess of sand. Together, with the Hero of Time and the ones who represent the elements, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world.” The figure stopped right in front of the pedestal of time, in the center of the group’s sight line. “This is the legend of temples passed down by my people,” said the figure. “My people are the Sheikah. I am Sheik. Survivor of the Sheikah.” Link suspected as much. As soon as he saw the symbol and remembered Impa’s eyes being as red as this new ally’s, he knew. This was someone like Impa, someone Link could trust. Even so, he had questions. “You’ve just been waiting on us?” Link asked. Sheik nodded. “For quite some time, now. Ever since I found out the truth of the legends and prophecies. They all led to this day. I gained…wisdom from the past seven years.” Link persisted in knowing more. “How did you know to find us here?” “I’m mentored by one of my own people. Someone whom you trusted seven years ago, who in turn entrusted Hyrule’s safety to you.” Sheik paused, as if they hesitated to say the next statement. “She still believes in your ability to succeed.” The heaviness Link felt earlier grew light. “So Impa is alive?” “And far from here.” Link stepped forward, an urgency in his voice. “And what about Zelda? Is she alive?” Sheik looked away, as if they were about to deliver bad news. Sheik looked back at Link and others before saying “I know nothing of her fate. Perhaps Impa does…but I have not seen the Princess of the land.” Link’s stomach sank. “I see.” Sheik gazed at Link’s sword. The Sheikah took a step closer to the group. “As I see you standing there with the mythical Master Sword, Link…you really do look like the legendary Hero of Time. If you believe the legend, you have no choice. You must fulfill the prophecy and awaken the five sages.” “Do you think I’m ready?” Link asked. “You’re willing, able, and capable. As are the rest of you…” Sheik looked at Jerome and Sheila, gazing back and forth between the two. “I can already sense the elements within your souls. Jerome—you’re called ‘Maruka,’ by the Gorons—the hero of fire who can move the fires of this world. Sheila—the Oracle of Shadows. You can see the future, the truth, and will even overpower the dead. Neither of you realize your potential yet, but you play a role in helping Link fulfill his own destiny as the Hero of Time. Your destiny is intertwined with his. Work together to save this world.” Jerome shook his head in disbelief. “We’re just kids from another world.” Sheik’s demeanor didn’t change. “Fate brought you to a world you never knew of. You are important, nonetheless. Link needs you. I need you. So does this new world.” Sheila looked closely at Sheik. “You look like me…in many ways.” Sheik looked intentionally at Sheila. “In due time, when the time is right, the truth will be revealed to you all. Do not be afraid until then. Have no uncertainty. Save this world and the victory will be the greatest one of them all.” Sheik turned to Link. “The first sage awaits you in the forest. Her time of awakening is nigh. She’s someone I’m certain you know. However, Hyrule’s darkness has spread to the woods. This girl cannot hear the call from the Sacred Realm. As you are now, you are underequipped. You may not even be able to enter the temple. However, if you go to Kakariko Village, you will find what you need there.” Link nodded. “Thank you,” he said, truly grateful for the guidance. Sheik looked past the group and towards the door to the Temple of Time. “Be careful out in the city,” Sheik warned. “It is not the same. Monsters haunt the streets. Navigate carefully. As a matter of fact…I shall guide you out into Hyrule Field. Take caution as you move with me.” Link, Jerome, and Sheila all exchanged glances. Could they trust this new guide? When Link and Navi looked at one another, they had a different kind of look. It was an uneasy silence that couldn’t really be explained. Only they knew why they looked at each other in this way. Link and Navi didn’t do anything more than that and looked ahead, focusing on escaping Hyrule Castletown. The group followed Sheik out of the temple. When they stepped out, the area’s gloom overtook their sight; a strange darkness surrounded them. Link could tell it was daytime–the sun did shine above them. However, like the day Ganondorf attacked, the rays were obstructed by dark clouds. The clouds loomed over Castletown, peering down on its ruins like a predator waiting to devour prey. Link’s neck stiffened as the group proceeded through the temple grounds. Broken stones littered the grass and the cobblestone path leading to the city square. In the city square, Link heard Sheila gasp. It didn’t take long to find out why. A set of lonely figures stood scattered across the once vibrant center. Each figure looked barren and bereft of clothes. They stared at the ground. Link thought the figures’ heads were misshapen. Something disfigured these people, something terrible and of course it must have come from Ganondorf. Link looked in the direction of Hyrule Castle–or what he hoped would be Hyrule Castle. He paused for but a moment to look in the distance. A semblance of something like a castle oversaw the royal area. Its shadows proved ominous and too dark to really tell. Change happened over there. Link couldn’t–and didn’t really want to–imagine what took place. Seven years. No Princess Zelda. Ganondorf took over. The world was different now. Link kept struggling to fathom this. His feet stepped towards the road leading to the castle. He was aware of the figures in the city square. Danger surrounded them. Link knew to stay away. He couldn’t stay away from the castle. Perhaps Zelda left a clue. Perhaps his failure wasn’t so terrible, perhaps she’d show him that there was room to fix what happened and she could be his guide in the same way Sheik became one. Yes, Zelda surely would have given him a chance to see what was there… Link dashed to the castle. Someone called out his name. In his head, he urged them to follow. He had to know. He had to find out. What happened to Hyrule Castle? He wanted to know about the forest as well. That wasn’t far from his mind. Saria, the Know-It-Alls, the Twins and even Mido echoed in his conscience, in his mind, in his heart. He wanted to see them all again. But first, the castle. First, any clue of Zelda. Anything at all. When Link ran up that familiar path, nostalgia filled his heart. He remembered this road, the paved path that aided him and led him to the castlefront. He met Trevor Berenson here, who helped him get inside the castle by causing a distraction. Link wondered where Trevor was–and hoped he was still alive. At the end of the road, Link stood where there would have been a tree and a wall of vines. He stood where in the short distance, a soldier would have kept watch. A gate would have been there, and beyond it the splendor of Hyrule Castle; a white stone fortress with blue rooftops and the Hyrulean Crest of the Triforce etched into the front. It all died out over the years. The gate where the soldier stood was broken down. Its iron grates disappeared altogether. A pillar that once greeted guests, visitors, and wanderers sank deep into the ground, sticking out like a plant that couldn’t get uprooted. The green grounds that adorned a once splendid scene were eviscerated. In its place, beyond the once-welcoming space before the castle grounds, was a deep pit. Above it was the new castle. It was a structure of the blackest stone Link had ever seen. The formidable building floated high above the ground. Smoke encircled the sharp spire crowning the building. The pit far below the castle was full of magma. The hot substance oozed and moved chaotically below the fortress. Link didn’t dare to go close to the edge. He resolved to stay put, to remain where he needed to be. His temptation was to try and explore the area. Link wanted to find Zelda somewhere…but he knew the search would be out of the question. All he could do was find his friends. Hopefully the others followed him. He was ready to go to Kakariko. He was ready to reach the woods. Saria would have to explain so much to him as well. Perhaps everyone did. He couldn’t afford to jump to conclusions. Link just needed to focus on moving– But he couldn’t. Something made him freeze. Though he tried to move, Link was unable to shift or move himself away from the edge of the lava pit below the dark castle. Footsteps. They were slow–methodical, almost. Link heard a lack of balance in the movements. He then heard a guttural sound–a moan that fought to rise out of a gritty throat. Link could only move his eyes. When he did, they shifted and saw the shape of a pursuer from the corner of his sight–discolored, naked, whittled down to the worn-out flesh and visible bones, with a head that was misshapen. One of the monsters from the square, Link thought. The figure moved closer. What it possessed held tremendous power over whomever it sought. If anyone were to come near it, they would be doomed. Link looked like he just earned the same fate. What was he thinking? Why did he leave the others behind? Link tensed up, trying to snap his petrified limbs into movement. Nothing budged. Come on. Move. Come on, please, move, work, do something, make something happen… The figure drew close. They reached out towards Link. Their hands were gnarled and shriveled. Link caught a hint of their face–emaciated, grotesque with ooze and ripped-out chunks of flesh. They bared their teeth like fangs–dark dentures with even darker slime oozing between them. The odor clung to Link’s nostrils and made his stomach ill. He wondered how long it might take until he had to join them, though he was fighting to move, just move. A flash stole Link’s sense of sight. He cringed. Instinct made him close his eyes. Link raised his arms to cover his face and protect him from the bright white bang that burned his vision. When Link realized he could move again, his instincts kicked in once more. His heels dug into the marred ground, skidding him to a halt. Link leaned forward to avoid falling into the pit. He opened his eyes slightly to peer ahead. The monster swayed, looking stunned. Its bony torso was now an opening, a target to strike. Link took out his sword and slashed through the figure. It was akin to cut into the air. Link saw something else in the corner of his eye as he rushed away from the monster–its ugly body collapsing into a heap. It crumbled like an ancient structure into dust. Link dropped to one knee, breathing deeply as he stopped. He stabbed the ground with the tip of his blade, digging deeply into the soil. Link considered the blade for the first time since the Sacred Realm. This would be the sword that helped him save the land and world. It definitely saved his life. Link looked around and saw Sheik standing above him. The guide remained stoic and unmoving. Sheik closed a pouch and offered Link a hand. “You mustn’t be here,” Sheik warned. “You are not ready to confront Ganondorf, nor the dangers here. Do not be hasty in saving others.” Link didn’t offer a word to the guide. He was grateful for the help. Link let Sheik help him up and they ran from the area. The others were waiting for them at the end of the road. Jerome and Sheila wielded their weapons; a dagger and sling respectively, though they would have to get better weapons to survive in this world. Navi waited for Link and Sheik as well. She didn’t offer a rebuke or reproof. The fairy simply expressed quiet relief in Link’s safety. Link didn’t look at her at all. The group didn’t waste time speaking. They followed Sheik. The guide moved in a way that was easy to replicate and follow. Nothing about Castletown was really the same. Yes, the buildings remained in place. Yes, there were parts Link could remember without a second of thinking. Then, there were monsters, the broken down places, and the perpetual darkness. Link couldn’t forget that if he tried…and so, he didn’t. He wanted to remember what was lost and wondered how to restore it. They were out in Hyrule Field. Out there, everything grew quiet. The sun shined down on Hyrule as it always had during the day. The daylight’s true presence–unchanged, always eternal–surprised Link. He didn’t think anything would shine in Hyrule anymore. After taking the Master Sword out from its resting place, everything should have been in a state of destruction. An emptiness that persisted in Hyrule Field…but the light did bring some form of hope. Sheik stood side-by-side with Link. The both of them look out into the land. Link remembered the first day Princess Zelda gave him the charge to go out and save the world. He and Impa looked out into Hyrule Field and the Sheikah maiden told Link “we must save this land of Hyrule.” It broke Link’s heart that he failed it—at least for now. His heart longed for the forest. It longed for the home he left behind. It longed for a place that he was starting to realize was a home he never really belonged in. Link thought of Saria. He wondered where she was. He hoped that she was fine. “Link.” Link turned to Sheik. Sheik kept staring out at the distant horizon, at the mountains, forests, and all. “Go first to Kakariko,” said Sheik. “There, your destiny will truly begin to unfold. Find the grave of the one they called Dampe. From there, open the tomb and go in…do not be afraid to do this. The key to the Forest Temple, believe it or not, is in that grave. The grave is deeper than you realize…and Dampe will guide you to his inheritance.” Before Link could say another word, Sheik swiftly backed away from him and the group. Link, Jerome, Sheila, and Navi all paid attention to Sheik just long enough to see the guide take out a Deku nut, raise it high in the air, and throw it down with great speed. A flash blinded them for a but a second. When it subsided, Sheik disappeared.