Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

One day, at dawn, on the southwestern border of Sky Kingdom, a SkyWing dragon was resting on a plateau, admiring the scenery.

He'd been sent to patrol and keep watch because some sandwings from Blister's side had been spotted.

It was his turn to stand guard; soldiers are exchanged every week, and unfortunately, he was chosen to do it.

To be honest, this part is the most boring part of the job. He's supposed to be on the lookout for any dragons from Blister's or Blaze's side to appear... that is, if they ever show up in the middle of nowhere.

'Just one more day Crushing, just one more day, and you can go home and never have to do this useless job again.'

At least the view is nice.

Crushing Fire was still lying in the same spot, enjoying the sun, which was so bright today. He could take a nap; no one would notice. After all, no one's there.

“GEEGH!!” “GOOGH!!” “KUUGH!!”

…That's what I'd do if it weren't for the noise of these stupid vermin.

‘Really? Again? This is the fourth time I've had to eliminate these pigs!’

I reluctantly turn around to follow the commotion. It wouldn't take long; they keep appearing in the same area.

Arriving at the skull-shaped shelter, expecting to see some Bokoblins ready to be incinerated, Crushing got a surprise: a small figure stabbing the last of these pigs in the head with a sword.

“Is it a scavenger?” Crushing whispered. “Where did it come from?, If we're in the middle of nowhere, I'd notice if I came across a village of these creatures.”

'Well, it doesn't matter. If he's killing these vermin for my own good, maybe if I follow him without him noticing, he'll lead me to more scavengers.'

I could take him back to the Kingdom; nowadays It IS very difficult to find these animals, and if I give him to the Scarlet Queen she Will give him a very good reward.

Determined, Crushing hid in the clouds, watching the scavenger (strangely white, staring at him for more than a second) who was collecting the Bokoblins' weapons and food before leaving.

The dragon followed the scavenger for hours, walked wherever he went, he saw how he was killing every Bokoblin he found, he entered that strange temple, that has those metal Spider, luckily they were the ones that were destroyed, he climbed on different structures (falling in the attemp), he opened those small boxes shaped like chest, full of scavenger weapons only to break them after killing several Bokoblins.

This went on for a few hours, it was already midday and the scavenger was still running around, he was in a forest lifting rocks and throwing them. 'Is this what scavengers do when they're alone, or did I just get a weirder one than usual...?'

Crushing was already thinking that the scavenger wasn't going to take him anywhere and it would be better to grab him and take him to his kingdom. But at one point, the scavenger stopped.

He raised his head in alert.

'Did he hear anything?' I don't think he's noticed me. I've been careful... but if he tries to escape, I'll catch him.

The scavenger held his head high, looking around for a minute, then lowered his head, grabbed a strange tablet that I just realized he had, looked at it and walked off ahead, going near the edge of the mountain, entering a rock formation, I couldn't see what he was doing inside because I was high in the sky, nothing happened for a few seconds.

Until the ground shook.

A rumble suddenly sounds, the earth cracks, rocks and dust fly everywhere, I see some animals running scared by the earthquake that started out of nowhere, suddenly, a tower appears in the scavenger's place, destroying the rock columns that had existed seconds ago, the structure rises, imposing, into the sky.

But not just the only one; other identical towers also began to rise all over the continent, one even emerging from the ocean.

“WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?!” Crushing shouted, trembling in fear at what was happening.

I look at the landscape in astonishment, all of Pyrrhia IS full of those same towers that rose from the ground.

‘What are those things?!’

Crushing, he turned his gaze down, near the tower that emerged first, where the scavenger was. He found himself standing still, in the middle of the tower(?), looking at a pedestal, which began to play a strange melody that Crushing had never heard in his life. A drop of light fell from the pedestal to some kind of pedestal, which then rose in a circle, and from there the scavenger took out the same tablet I saw him have before.

‘Did the scavenger do it? With that thing? HOW?!’

‘Well, that’s it,’ Crushing slowly descended. He was going to catch it; whatever the scavenger had, it clearly wasn't his. He was going to take it to the Queen.

But then, another tremor arose.

This time in another direction, one that Scavenger was looking at, looking in the same direction as the scavenger, in the ancient castle that belongs to no Kingdom, a malevolent entity rose into the air circling the castle flying without wings. Its shape was something not even Crushing could describe: formed of a dark, reddish substance, mixed with fire and smoke, taking the shape of a pig's head, giving off a chilling scream to the four winds so loud that all of Pyrrhia heard it.

The... beast flew all over the castle, spreading its very essence throughout the place, forming a dark, flaming barrier. The beast raised to the sky to give another shuddering scream... and disappeared into the air, returning to the castle.

Crushing Fire paralyzed.

"W-What was that?" Crushing said, froze with fear. He didn't know how to react. What he just saw seemed like something out of the worst nightmares. He had never felt such... primal fear.

'It's not just me seeing this, right? I must be dreaming!' Crushing bit his arm hard only to feel a sharp pain. 'Ugh, nope, it's not a dream.'

He stayed there for who knows how long, only when he remembered the scavenger did he regain consciousness, but when he looked at the tower, it wasn't there.

"No no no! Where are you?!" 'I can't lose him. That scavenger did something with that tablet, it must be the creation of an Animus dragon.'

But no matter how hard he searched for the scavenger, he couldn't find him. Clearly, the scavenger noticed the dragon and hid.

After minutes of searching, Crushing Fire gave up.

"It doesn't matter, the scavenger isn't going anywhere. It's impossible to get down from here, even with wings. I have to warn the Kingdom of this," Crushing Fire exclaimed, then headed back to Sky Kingdom.

...unbeknownst to him, Crushing was noticed by a tiny Hylian, who was hiding behind a tree, relieved that the red dragon hadn't found him.

Chapter Text

Link stood still, holding his breath as he watched the red dragon fly off to a place he hoped was far away.

He waited a few minutes, watching to see if the dragon had really left or was simply hiding, waiting for Link to move.

He stayed like that until he felt sure it was gone and could finally relax.

"That dragon really scared you, didn't it?" Link jumped at the voice of the old man who had appeared next to him without him noticing "Oh, sorry, I thought you saw me," the old man apologized.

Link moved his hands “It’s okay”.

The old man smiled. "I'm glad. For a moment I thought that dragon was going to get you. You don't know how sharp its teeth are once they bite," he said, rubbing his stomach.

Link looked in the direction the dragon had gone and asked the old man, “Do you know where it went?”

The old man gave him a thoughtful look “The dragon? I don’t know. Probably back to its Kingdom because of the great creature that emerged from the castle”.

Link looked confused “Kingdom?” he asked with his hands.

“Yes,” replied the old man. “Each dragon has a Kingdom. If my memory serves me right, its Kingdom must be near the castle you saw earlier”.

At this point, Link no longer knew what to expect. He had awakened in a cave where he had apparently been asleep for 100 years, guided by a mysterious voice to use this “Sheikah Tablet,” which seemed to activate magical towers. Then a monster appeared, one he needed to eliminate—and now a dragon had been watching him for hours for who-knows-what reason (though Link had the feeling it wasn’t a friendly one), only to eventually fly off.

What a morning.

He only now realized the mysterious old man was still talking, so he paid attention, “Changing the subject, what happened up there?” he asked.

Link pointed to the castle “It may sound absurd…but I heard a voice from that castle, telling me to use this tablet” he pointed at the Sheikah Tablet strapped to his belt, “to activate the towers” he said, realizing how ridiculous that sounded.

The old man stared at him for a few seconds, seeming to consider his response “Mmm… So you heard a voice coming from that castle... Do you... recognize that voice?” asked the cloaked man.

Link raised his hand to his chin, trying to remember who the mysterious voice could be, but since he had no memory, he failed and shook his head. The old man lowered his head with a sigh.

“That’s a shame,” he said with some sadness, then quickly composed himself “Well, no matter. It seems you activated all those towers across Pyrrhia with that tablet of yours. Let’s hope no one got hurt,” he laughed.

Link chuckled, hoping that no one was harmed by the quakes and the rising towers.

He looked at the castle, which still radiated that dark, evil aura.

"When the beast regains its true power, the world will come to an end"

That voice again. He didn’t know who it was… but he felt like he had heard it before.

The old man seemed to notice the direction Link was looking “I suppose you’ve already seen the great creature,” he commented darkly.

He looked straight at Link, as if peering into his soul.

“You want to go to the castle, don’t you?” the old man asked.

Link simply nodded.

The old man smiled, “I thought so,” and started walking toward some plains.

“But as you’ll see, this plateau is surrounded by steep cliffs. There used to be an entrance, but it collapsed long ago. If you jump from that height, it’d be… let’s say a grotesque death,” said the old man, arriving at a hill.

Link looked disappointed. How could he get down without dying?

The old man noticed his expression, “Don’t worry, young man. I’m not done yet. Just because one exit is blocked doesn’t mean it’s the only one.”

Link, confused, asked, “So how can I get down?”

The old man grinned “With this” He pulled from his back (somehow) an object with a large fabric attached to wooden arms in a semicircular shape. It had an emblem of a half-hollow circle with wings on both sides.

“This is a paraglider,” said the old man. “Not used much these days, but still useful. The wind will keep you afloat as you descend from great heights. If you want to get off this plateau, this will help you”.

Link looked at it, puzzled. “And… you’re going to give it to me?” he asked. It all felt a bit too easy.

The old man laughed heartily. “Hohoho, you’re so innocent, young one.”

'Thought so,' Link muttered to himself, getting a little annoyed.

The old man calmed down and said, “Well, well, don’t be mad. I didn’t say no.” He stretched his back and pointed toward a distant structure—small but noticeable.

“You see that lonely structure? It’s a shrine. There are many across Pyrrhia. Unfortunately, they can’t be opened… but whatever you did with that tablet,” he pointed at the Sheikah Tablet, “activated those towers. If memory serves, your tablet might also open those shrines. If it works, I’d like you to open that shrine and the others around here, and tell me what you see inside”.

Link looked at him for a few seconds, thinking, and then nodded.

“Good. I’d advise caution. This plateau is full of monsters. Dragons come here occasionally to wipe them out, and with all the ruckus you caused with those towers, more dragons are bound to come. If you see one, hide immediately. In your current state, facing one would be suicide,” the old man warned.

Link, prepared, said goodbye to the old man and headed toward the shrine he pointed to. It wasn’t far—maybe it would take him an hour. Once he finished with all this, he could finally leave the plateau.

It was only a matter of time.

Elsewhere, in high mountainous lands, a dragon was summoned to the throne room.

Many dragons were gathered there to talk about the events of the past few days, all showing signs of anxiety and nervousness.

Many wondered what the Beast that had emerged at the castle inhabited by the Soulless truly was.

Some thought it was the work of an animus dragon. But how could even an animus create such a creature?

Others suspected it was a trick by their enemies—a mere distraction to scare them.

All the dragons in the hall were concerned and expressed a level of fear rarely seen among them.

But there was one who did not share that fear. In fact, she felt quite the opposite—annoyed and frustrated by what had happened. And all she could think about was one thing:

"HOW DARE THAT STUPID BEAST RUIN MY MOMENT OF ENTERTAINMENT!" thought Queen Scarlet furiously as she waited for her star dragon, who claimed to have important information.

She stared out her window, looking at the reddish-dark substance that surrounded the stupid castle, remembering how the Beast had completely ruined her spectacle three days ago.

She had been enjoying a lovely afternoon, watching her prisoners fight and kill each other in a desperate attempt to survive another day of their miserable lives.

Until the ground began to shake violently, forcing some to take flight to avoid dizziness, and a gigantic tower emerged in her arena (launching the IceWing prisoner who had been standing on it into the air).

She and the other dragons had stared at the strange tower that had appeared in the middle of the arena.

"Skilled," she said to the guard next to her, "why is there a gigantic tower emerging in my arena?"

The stunned dragon could only reply, "I-I don't know, my Queen".

The other dragons, now nervous, began murmuring among themselves about what was happening.

The announcer, trying to calm everyone, said, "Well, folks, we had a little hiccup—a massive tower seems to have emerged in the arena, launching Fjord into the sky. But don't worry, it's just a tower, we can continue with the mat—"

"GHAAAAAA!" a chilling roar echoed through the arena, sending many spectator dragons fleeing like a flock of birds.

Screams and panic filled the area, dragons crashing into each other as they tried to escape the terrifying roar.

Everyone except Scarlet, who watched the chaos unfold with clear irritation.

"SILENCE!!" Scarlet shouted, silencing all dragons in the arena.

"Stop acting like hatchlings! Skilled, organize the soldiers and form a rear guard!" the Queen commanded as she flew to the center of the tower to examine it.

All the other dragons who had been watching the event quickly followed in silence, wanting to find out where the roar had come from.

Scarlet found nothing interesting—just a tower with a small pedestal in the middle. She couldn't even enter due to the lack of space.

What she did notice were the many towers that had appeared across Pyrrhia and a vast dark energy enveloping the Kingdom of Nothing, the castle filled with Soulless. It now radiated an enormous, ominous energy.

Many dragons looked upon this dark glow—most with fear, some with curiosity.

To Scarlet, she knew this would be a long-term nuisance.

She sent out soldiers to investigate the situation.

Days had passed since the event, and she had grown bored waiting for news.

Until she received a message from a dragon who claimed to have something important to report.

She summoned the dragon to enter.

The dragon (Crushing Fire, she believed), bowed respectfully.

"I hope what you have to report is important, Crushing Fire. As far as I know, you should still be on patrol," Scarlet said angrily.

"My Queen, forgive me for disobeying you, but this is important," said Crushing "While on patrol, I came across a plateau and encountered a scavenger".

"A scavenger? You wasted my time because you saw one of those vermin? Guards, take him to the dungeon," Scarlet signaled angrily.

"W-Wait! That scavenger is the reason that beast appeared!" shouted the dragon.

Scarlet stared at him, now intrigued. She signaled for the guards to stop and looked at the young dragon, "Continue".

The nervous dragon continued. He told Queen Scarlet (and the other dragons present) everything he had seen—how a pale-skinned scavenger with yellow fur had appeared on the plateau, how the scavenger had used an animus artifact to summon the towers and provoke the appearance of the beast.

When he finished, many dragons began to murmur among themselves:

"A scavenger did it??"

"Damn creatures! They start a war and now summon monsters of death!"

"Where did a scavenger get an animus artifact?"

"He must have stolen it"

"SILENCE!" Scarlet roared, silencing everyone in the room.

The Queen rose from her throne and slowly approached Crushing Fire.

Scarlet looked at him, and he began to tremble from the silence and her serious expression.

A long, uncomfortable minute passed before the Queen's expression shifted from stern to malicious, breaking into a gleeful smile.

"So a scavenger did all this," said Scarlet, circling slowly "With that tablet..." She turned to the dragon, "The scavenger is still on the plateau, right?"

"Yes, my Queen."

"Then he better still be there. If this turns out to be false, my champion will deal with you personally. Understood?" said Scarlet with authority.

"Y-Yes, my Queen," the dragon replied nervously.

"Oh, don't fret," said the Queen cheerfully "You've made my day".

"Really?"

"Of course. Now we know what's going on. I want other dragons to go with you. Find the scavenger with the animus object," said Scarlet "And don’t kill him—I want to handle that myself for ruining my afternoon".

"Yes, Queen Scarlet," said Crushing Fire, as he left with some soldiers to hunt the scavenger.

The remaining dragons discussed how a scavenger had come to possess such an important item.

Gradually, each dragon in the hall departed, leaving only Scarlet, who remained to await one more visitor that afternoon.

"Even if I didn’t like that interruption in the arena, this twist will be very interesting for the war to come, I imagine".

"Whatever the scavenger did, he did it with that animus item".

"Very soon, it will be mine," Scarlet said, laughing deeply.

'Ugh, of course it had to be at the top of the mountain,' I sighed wearily as I left the shrine in the icy mountain, where the last of the three remaining shrines was located, the cold mountain air hitting my face.

I immediately ran downhill, dodging (and missing) the small rocks the Bokoblins threw at me (and laughing every time they hit me—those damned bastards), trying not to die of hypothermia.

'I really hope he gives me that damn paraglider,' Link cursed internally as he ran.

I spent several days exploring this vast plateau from end to end. I found several treasures—most were just oversized Bokoblin clubs, but occasionally I came across a sword. At first, every time I found a weapon, I used it until it broke.

That changed when, one day, while playing with the functions of the Sheikah Tablet, I discovered it could store a large variety of items, which seemed like a huge advantage.

But I digress. I also found a few shrines as the old man mentioned.

Once I completed the first shrine (which gave me the amazing ability to control metal with my tablet), I left to tell the old man what I had seen.

"Ohh, interesting. So there was a puzzle inside?"

 

Link nodded.

 

"And when you solved it, you found a person in terrible condition, who you thought was dead but was actually alive?"

 

Link nodded again.

 

"And that person gave you a badge and then turned to dust..."

 

"And I got a new ability" Link concluded, showing the old man the new power he unlocked on the Sheikah Tablet: the ability to move metallic objects. He was fascinated by it and demonstrated it by lifting a buried chest from the lake next to the shrine.

 

"Wow," said the old man, amazed by the tablet's capabilities.

 

"I didn’t know the tablet could do such things," he said quietly, though Link heard him.

 

"Well, young man, once you open the remaining three shrines, meet me at that old temple you saw when you exited the cave—the one that looks about ready to collapse," the old man pointed to the temple, filled with those spider-like machines that spit lasers.

So, Link spent the next three days searching for every shrine on the plateau. He had now found two, and if he was right, this one was the last. Along the way, he had acquired amazing new abilities: he could freeze objects and living beings and send them flying, drop bombs, and generate ice towers. Honestly, it was fun—killing Bokoblins, finding weapons and chests, encountering more of those critters ('Koroks,' they called themselves).

In the end, it wasn’t all bad.

PHUBB

I felt the impact of something very heavy behind me, followed by loud, trembling footsteps.

Slowly, I turned my head and saw a large red dragon staring directly at me. It looked me up and down, as if analyzing me.

Then it let out a deep roar to the sky and launched itself toward me.

Instinctively, I grabbed the tablet and cast a stasis spell, freezing the dragon mid-leap, suspended in the air.

Knowing the effect wouldn’t last long, I bolted into the forest and dove into the bushes.

I heard the dragon scream in rage, then the flapping of several wings approaching my location.

'I need to do something before they catch me.' I looked around for ideas, and then I saw a large round rock among the trees—perfect.

"Ahg, did you have to scream so loud, Crushing?" I shouted at the frightened dragon.

"AHHH, THAT DAMN MONKEY FROZE MY WHOLE BODY!" Crushing screamed at the top of his lungs.

Propane Gas and I restrained him by holding his legs and neck.

"Crushing, calm down!" Propane yelled.

"You're fine!" I told him.

We held him down for a few minutes.

Crushing was breathing heavily. In the Queen's name, what happened to him? I’d never seen a dragon this shaken unless it was about to be killed by another dragon—or Queen Scarlet.

After a bit more struggle, Crushing calmed down and got a grip.

"S-Sorry," said Crushing.

"What the heck got into you?" asked Propane Gas.

"I-I found the scavenger. I had my doubts, b-but I’m sure now. The scavenger has an animus artifact. He used it on me, and my body was frozen for a few seconds. I-I thought I was going to die," he said, finishing his story.

"So the scavenger has an animus artifact," I said. "Where did he go?"

"H-He ran that way. The damn ape must be gone by now," Crushing muttered.

"Don’t be so negative. He must still be nearby," I said.

"What if he attacks us with the animus thing?" Propane Gas asked.

"Then we blast him with fire. We’re SkyWings—our fire is the most powerful of all the dragons!"

"I thought we were the fastest," said Propane Gas.

"Shut up."

"We’ll approach stealthily, and when we find the monkey, we grab him and take the item," I said as I walked toward the scavenger's direction. "Besides, he only paralyzed you for a few seconds. What’s he going to do? Throw a branch? Haha—"

Before the dragon could even blink, a rock smashed into his face, sending him flying several meters and leaving him unconscious on the ground.

The other two dragons stared at their downed companion, then looked back at me, wide-eyed. They turned to look at their unconscious friend again, and then glared back at me—this time baring their fangs.

'Yup, I didn’t think this through.' I took a few steps back, grinning awkwardly before sprinting off while the two dragons charged at me.

I ran through the forest, feeling them getting closer.

Luckily, dragons can’t squeeze through narrow spaces, so I darted into the trees.

Unluckily, dragons are known for their strength.

I heard them crashing through trees behind me, which made me run even faster.

At this point, I was exhausted and tripped to the ground.

I felt claws grab my body and suddenly I was lifted several meters off the ground. The two dragons glared at me with annoyed expressions.

I tried to move, but the dragon had a firm grip.

The other dragon growled, and the one holding me shouted back and pointed at me.

'Are they arguing? This might be my chance!' I reached with all my might for my Sheikah Tablet.

'A little more... just a little more... Yes!' I felt the tablet activate.

I quickly navigated its interface, and if everything worked...

A blue bomb appeared out of nowhere in front of the dragon holding me, startling him enough to drop me.

I didn’t waste the moment. I grabbed the bomb and hurled it at them.

The blast wasn’t powerful, but it was enough to make both dragons retreat in panic.

A few seconds passed, and I collapsed to the ground, drained.

'...That was close'

Once the danger passed, I got up and continued on my way.

Thankfully, the dragons seemed to stop chasing me (I hope).

This place was no longer safe. But at least I had found all the shrines in the area. The old man told me to go to the ancient temple—he would be waiting there.

I made my way there (carefully (I didn’t want more dragon surprises)) and entered the temple.

Time had not been kind to this place, though it still held an air of mysticism.

Broken pillars, collapsed roofs, vines crawling up the walls. The silence here... felt different than what I was used to (or getting used to, I suppose).

Somehow, it felt familiar—as if I had been here before.

In the background, I saw a huge statue, surrounded by other statues with the same appearance. It looked like a woman, I assumed, her hands held together, as if praying to someone.

I approached the statue, feeling it was calling me, even though it said nothing.

Until I heard it.

I see you have awakened, hero. I have missed you

Link heard a voice inside his head (again), but somehow different from when the mysterious girl spoke to him when he awoke in the cave—it felt more... warm.

“Who are you?” Link asked.

You can call me Hylia, hero, and I am here to help you in your adventure

Suddenly, Link felt something being drawn out of his body, seeing the four symbols given to him by the monks (which Link still wondered how long they had been waiting for him to enter their shrines).

“Even in your long slumber, you are still weak, hero, but with these symbols, I can make you stronger.”

She raised the 4 symbols and made them disappear with a bright light.

And soon Link felt a wellspring of strength rise within him.

This is only a small part I can offer you, but if you seek more shrines, I can grant you the power you desire, you just have to find one of these statues and I will be there

Link still had doubts and questions, but when he wanted to ask them, he felt the voice was gone.

“Well, well... it seems the Goddess’s blessing has strengthened you” Link heard a voice he recognized as the old man’s. He looked up only to see the same man speaking to him from a great height. How did he get up there?

“I’m up here, come here and climb up” the old man shouted before disappearing from sight.

After a few minutes climbing the temple (which he later embarrassingly discovered had stairs beside where he was climbing), he reached where the old man was waiting for him in a small room.

“I saw how you found every shrine on this plateau, congratulations” the old man congratulated him, clapping his hands, “I suppose the dragons gave you a hard time, didn’t they? Hohoho,” the old man laughed, then fell silent.

“Sorry, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything interesting happen on this plateau” He looked out the window toward the direction of the castle, bowed his head, and was silent for a few (awkward) seconds, seeming unsure about what to say next.

“Before I give you this…” he said, raising the paravela, “there’s something I have to tell you”.

He slowly raised his head, making his face more visible. His gaze was no longer that of a joking, kind old man. There was a gravity in his face, a serious expression he apparently hadn’t shown for a long time, until now.

“I…am not just a simple old man who lives on this plateau,” said the old man with a serious tone that felt familiar to Link.

“I…was the King of Hyrule. Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. And you, Link, are the bearer of the sword that seals away darkness” King Rhoam said firmly, emitting a bright glow that left Link blinded for a few seconds.

When he could see again, instead of the strange bent old man, he found a great king floating, with a transparent and glowing greenish form.

Link, surprised, approached the King to get a better look at his appearance: his long white beard, now appearing well-kept, with long thick hair and wearing a golden crown.

Behind his cape, he wore a long dark velvet coat, emerald green with golden edges; on his shoulders, he had a blue mantle, held by a circular brooch shaped like three triangles in one. Underneath the coat, he wore a fine white cloak.

In some way, Link felt he recognized this anci-King.

King Rhoam raised his hand. “I know you have questions, but let me finish”.

“Long ago, in Pyrrhia, there was a prosperous kingdom called Hyrule, a strong and safe kingdom. Many people from all around came to make treaties with us and live in our lands”.

“No enemy, not even the fiercest dragon, could bring down our forces” said the King proudly.

“But that changed when the great cataclysm occurred” said the King somberly.

He looked back out the window. “One day, we learned of the return of an evil being through a prophecy. This being calls himself Ganon, a creature who only seeks to unleash chaos and death in his path”.

“We had a plan to defeat Ganon, but it was too late. He suddenly appeared deep within the castle and devastated my kingdom, annihilating all its people along the way,” the King declared.

“That day... I died” he exclaimed.

“But I managed for my spirit to remain anchored in this world, fortunately”.

“Zelda is the woman who spoke to you when you woke from your slumber. She is my daughter, the same one who took you to that cave,” said the King with a melancholic tone.

Link turned his head, looking toward the direction of the same cave he emerged from days ago.

“When Ganon awoke, she fought with all her strength against him. She was able to contain him with herself inside for these 100 years, but as you have seen, she is weakening” He pointed toward the castle, where darkness itself seemed ready to burst out.

“Link…you are the only one who can eliminate Ganon. I sent you to those shrines to see if you were ready for this mission”.

“I know you have no memories of all I’ve explained, but I hope you understand how important your mission is”.

“You are our last hope to save Pyrrhia” said the King, noticeably weaker than before.

“Tell me, hero, will you fulfill your destiny?” King Rhoam finally asked Link.

Link remained silent, looking at the King, processing all the information he had been given.

“You…were waiting these 100 years for me to wake?” Link asked.

“Since my daughter became trapped with Ganon, I have been waiting patiently,” said the King.

‘100 years’ Link thought, walking toward the window facing the castle, now knowing it was Hyrule. ‘100 years I have been unconscious’ he tried to recall as much as possible from that voice that woke him. ‘Did Zelda fight for 100 years?’

‘I won’t keep you waiting any longer,’ he finally concluded, turning to the King with a determined look.

“I will do it”

The King smiled radiantly and handed the paravela into his hands.

“Thank you very much, Link. I thank you with all my soul” said the King as he slowly began to fade.

Link looked on alert. Rhoam, noticing what was happening, explained: “Don’t worry, my part is done” the King affirmed.

“This plateau was your first trial, Link, but it won’t be the last. You are still too weak to face Ganon directly. Go to Impa; she can explain better what you must do. She is in Kakariko Village, in the east, surrounded by mountains,” said the King as he slowly became less visible.

“Link, you must learn and adapt to this place. Pyrrhia is not as it was before; it’s infested with monsters, and the dragons have become more aggressive in recent decades” said the King before disappearing.

“And… when you find Zelda… tell her I’m very sorry… and that I love her” said the King after vanishing into particles, leaving a peaceful silence in the air.

Link bowed his head respectfully, bidding farewell to the kind old man he had known these days.

“You have my word, Your Majesty” he finally said.

Chapter Text

…Ignited…ignited...IGNITED!!!

“AAHHH, MOMB, I THWEAR ITH WATHH CALE WHO ATEH THEH FIOD THITHH TIME!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

“Huh? What?” I heard a dragon say, and quickly recognized him as Crushing, accompanied by Propone.

“Ignited! You’re finally awake. We’ve been trying to wake you up all day,” said Propone Gas, exasperated.

“Whath happenned? Ow! Andh why areh my teeff allh methhed uph!?” I shouted, panicked.

“Relax, you’re not in danger!” Propone Gas reassured me.

After a few minutes, I calmed down and looked around. Apparently, I’d been unconscious all day—it was nighttime, and we weren’t in the forest anymore, but near one of the towers that emerged days ago.

“Whath happened?” I asked (again), trying to remember.

“Oh right, remember we were looking for the scavenger? Well, we found him… except he threw a rock the size of your face… at your face,” said Crushing, pointing at a bloodstained rock that, apparently, was mine.

“leathe tellh me we ath leasth caughth theh sthcavenger,” I said, getting up.

“Well… that’s the fun part of the story,” said Propone Gas, chuckling nervously.

“No way… he ethcapedhh!” I put my paw on my face and sighed.

“Uh, yeah, let’s say that’s what happened.”

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Crushing replied.

“We can’t go back to the Queen without that scavenger. She’ll kill all three of us,” said Propone Gas, alarmed.

“Kill us? She’ll probably throw us into the arena,” Crushing added.

“This is all your fault!” Propone Gas shouted at Crushing, furious.

“Excuse me? My fault?” Crushing replied, indignant.

“You were supposed to go to the kingdom and warn the Queen about that damn monkey! A monkey you couldn’t catch before, and now that we’ve lost him, we can’t go back without risking our lives!” Propone growled at Crushing.

“Oh sure, like you were such a big help! At least I found the scavenger, and we could’ve caught him if you had removed that animus thing from his paws when you had him in your claws. But you were as scared as a chicken about to be roasted!” Crushing snarled, baring his teeth.

“What did you just call me?!” Propone Gas stepped up to Crushing, just inches away.

“Chi-cken,” Crushing said.

Then both dragons lunged at each other, biting and yelling.

“STOP!” I yelled.

Crushing Fire, who was biting Propone Gas’s neck, and Propone Gas, about to unleash a fire blast, froze and looked at me.

“We’reh allh to blamhe… we underrethimatedh thath sthcavengerh, thinkin’ heh couldn’th doo muchh withh theh animushh… ithh wash a misthake.”

“Zho inshtead ofh fightin’ like shavaghez… let’s go an’ hunth downh thath damnh monkeh!” I said, feeling a tooth fall from my snout.

Propone and Crushing backed off.

“You’re right,” Propone Gas sighed “I’m sorry, Crushing. None of this is your fault. I’m just on edge.”

“Yeah… sorry too. You were a big help. We almost caught him. It’s not your fault for being scared—anyone would be, facing a dragon with an animus object… or a scavenger, in this case,” Crushing coughed.

“Whell, nowh thath you’veh finishhedh arguin’, let’sh goh finhd thath sthcavengerh,” I said.

“But what if he attacks us with the animus? Who knows what else he can do?” Crushing asked.

I thought about it 'How can we fight something when we don’t even know what it’s capable of?'

Then an idea hit me—simple, but good.

“We’ll analyzhh him,” I said.

“What?” both dragons asked.

“Look, obviouzhly thath scavenger knowsh what he’sh doing. He beat ush becaushe he knowsh how to ushe thath animush. If we obsherve how he ushesh it from a dishtance, we’ll learn how to counter it.” I proposed.

Crushing and Propone looked at each other and nodded.

“That’s a good plan,” said Propone.

“Might actually work,” added Crushing.

“NNow we jusht need to find thath scavenger…” I said.

The three of us nodded and discussed the strange monkey’s features.

Until we noticed a green glow appearing in the area.

“Hey guys, is it just me or is the top of that sanctuary glowing green?” Crushing pointed at the sanctuary where some Soulles lay dead.

At the top of the sanctuary, a brilliant sea-green light shimmered.

But the glow was strange—it seemed to float around the dome, sliding and swirling.

It lasted a few minutes before slowly fading.

And just as it vanished, we saw a small scavenger leap from the top of the dome with some kind of cloth that let him glide down slowly.

“Is that the scavenger?” I heard Propone Gas ask.

“I think so,” Crushing replied.

We watched as the scavenger floated down with the cloth, landing outside the mesa and heading east.

We stared from afar, watching our target slip away.

Until I snapped them out of it:

“Well?! What are we waitin’ for?! Let’sh go hunt thath monkeyyy!” I shouted to the two, and we took off flying toward the scavenger.

Now that we know how the animus works… we’ll finally be able to catch him.

'And you’ll pay dearly for what you did to my teeth'