Chapter Text
- Fuck, I really have to stop drinking... - Link muttered, trying in vain to remember who he had gotten drunk with or when. It had been a long time since he had gotten drunk enough to wander off to some strange place. Was there a special occasion? He honestly couldn't think of one, Purah's 130th birthday was last year, Riju's coming of age will be next. Surely nothing had happened that was important enough for him to get so drunk that he would have to end up naked in some chilly place..
Racking his brain, Link slowly began to recall the events of the past few days. He and Zelda were making the rounds of the farms around Lookout Landing, the farmers had just finished sowing and the Princess wanted to make an inspection. Then strange tremors began and... and...
Then it hit him
Tunnels beneth the castle
Murals of ancient history
Strange mummy and glowing arm
So much pain
Master Sword shattering like a glass
Zelda falling
His mangled fingers missing her for mere inches
Flash of bright light
Link sat up abruptly, gasping for breath. In a panic, he reached for his right arm and froze. Where he'd expected to feel torn flesh, or even emptiness, his fingers found... fur? And metal? In disbelief, he slowly raised his limb to eye level.
One look was enough to tell him that what was currently attached to his shoulder was definitely not his hand. At least the last time he had checked, Hylians didn't have dark fur-covered limbs and pointed fingernails. It also had some strange metal ornaments attached to it, and he wasn't sure if they were for protection or decoration.
He slowly clenched and unclenched his fist. The fingers obeyed as if it were his own hand, but something was wrong. If he had to compare the feeling to anything, it would be wearing someone else's shoes; even if the size seemed the same, the feeling of wearing them was completely different, wrong.
He held both hands out in front of him to compare them. The right arm was slightly longer, the palm was larger and the wrist was noticeably wider than his own, at first glance no one would notice, but on closer inspection the differences in size became clear. It was as if the arm of someone bigger and taller had been attached to him.
Carefully, he caught a lock of dark grey fur between two fingers and pulled. The sharp pain that pierced his(?) hand made him realise that the limb's sense of touch was also working perfectly.
Then it hit him like a ton of bricks; it was the same arm that was holding the mummy down underground. The same one that this strange stone was attached to.
//Ach Link, you're finally awake//
What the... - he asked rethorically, searching for the source of the voice. Only then did he realise that he wasn't sitting on the floor of some cave, as he'd expected, but in what looked like a metal tube. But all that faded into the background when he noticed that his new arm was glowing. And talking. Another thing to add to the list of "weird things that happen to you when you're chosen hero".
//I heard great deal about you from Zelda//
Wait, you know Zelda? Do you know where she is? - Link asked frantically, not sure if he should be looking at the arm or somewhere above his head,
//It'll be easier to explain once you're outside. If you follow the corridor in front of you, you will eventually come to the exit of this building. Once you're there, I'll try to answer your questions//
- Damn. Ok, I'll take your word for it - he threw into the air to arm-voice. Not that he had much of a choice. Link promised himself that as soon as he got to the owner of this voice, he would squeeze some answers out of him. After the last time he woke up in a similar room after a hundred-year nap, he promised himself that he would never again be sent out into the wild without as much information as possible.
Sighing in exasperation, he looked around the room. Outside the tube he was in, there were things that looked like some sort of mechanical devices, but nothing he had ever seen before. They were all covered in shiny green and blue scribbles and strange symbols that Link couldn't read, though he had a vague feeling he'd seen them before. It was probably some kind of writing, but he had no hope of deciphering it.
In the corner of the room was something that looked like an inverted pine cone, if it wasn't clearly made of metal or stone. Suddenly the 'pine cone' twitched and a green drop symbol appeared in a small dark semicircle on its front. A few seconds later, something happened that made the Hylian almost fall to the ground in shock. Within a second, the "pine cone" unfolded like a child's toy, revealing hands and a very long neck with a half-reptile, half-bird head and a single eye.
- How can I assist?
Link, who only a few seconds before had been afraid that this thing was going to attack him, breathed a sigh of relief. He still didn't know what it was, but apparently he wasn't in danger yet.
- What is this place? How long have I been here? - he asked the "thing", hoping that it would be more eager to give some answers. It couldn't have been another hundred years, could it? The thought that another century could have passed, and that most of the people he had met in the last few years were surely dead, already made him sick to his stomach.
-This is the Ilkek Island Medical Facility in the Central Sector - "thing" replied in an indifferent, emotionless tone - Please wait, calculate the date... Error, memory module failure. Please contact administrator.
Before Link had a chance for a response or any other kind of reaction, his "interlocutor" had curled up into a ball. All the glowing marks had disappeared, except for one on his forehead, which showed a pulsating red exclamation mark. It looked like this thing wasn't going to answer any more questions. Not that the information it managed to give was very helpful.
Ilkek Island? Central Sector? None of those names meant anything to him. The medical facility almost sounded like a hospital, but...
Thrown another hundred years into the future, far from home...
Link shook his head furiously to clear the dark thoughts. First of all, he couldn't panic. At least he didn't have amnesia this time, and that was a start.
He carefully slid out of the metal tube and planted his feet on the stone floor. He flinched slightly when he felt the cold, rough ground under his feet. Only then did he realise that he was completely naked.
However, that faded into the background when he noticed what was lying on a small table against the wall at the opposite end of the room. The Master Sword, or what was left of it, was waiting for him, covered in a layer of dust. The Hylian hesitantly touched the hilt, then picked it up.
The legendary blade, the sword that would seal the darkness, had been reduced to a hilt and a dozen inches of corroded blade.
The Master Sword has the power to heal even the most severe of wounds, if given the time to do so.
The memory of the Great Deku Tree's words echoed in Link's mind. How many years will it take to heal such an injury? A hundred? Two hundred? A thousand? He didn't know what was happening yet, but he felt he didn't have that much time.
Feeling a little more confident with the weapon in his hand, Link left the room. What he saw was a long corridor made of the same grey stone, lit by white and blue light from lamps resembling flower buds.
On the walls, at roughly equal intervals, were rectangles that probably served as doors, but he failed to open any of them. Most of them didn't react at all, but some made a loud noise and showed a large red cross surrounded by strange scribbles when he tried to touch them.
If he had a decent sword, he would probably have tried to force it open, but for now he didn't want to risk further damage to the legendary blade.
What made him feel optimistic during this monotonous journey was that he kept feeling a slight breeze, which meant there had to be a way out somewhere. He just had to find it. Finally, after an excruciatingly long time, Link noticed that the light in the corridor had changed. The characteristic glow of the lamps to which he had become accustomed now seemed warmer, as if the sun were shining somewhere nearby. The Hylian sped up, rounding the corner at almost full speed. A dozen metres further on, he was greeted by the sight of another passageway, the blue sky stretching out beyond it. On the verge of running for the exit, Link caught sight of a half-opened door at the last moment.
Unfortunately, the room was almost completely ruined, taken over by dust and nature, so the only characteristic things he could see were a metal rectangle and a chest made of a strange material.
The greenish container was covered in a thick layer of dust, as if it had been left undisturbed for many, many years. Opening the lid, the Hylian discovered what looked like a skirt and sandals inside. Picking up the old grey clothes, Link wondered what they were made of. In Hyrule, clothes were made of linen, cotton, wool and, for the wealthier, silk. Not to mention armour, which used special materials such as leather, metal and even stone and animal bone.
People usually wove at home during the colder months, using materials grown throughout the year. There were also larger manufactories that produced fabrics for trade. The quality of the finished product varied greatly, depending on the quality of the raw material and the skill of the weaver.
The skirt he was holding was made of a slightly slippery, soft material that Link couldn't recognise. But what surprised him most was how it was made. The fabric was of an extremely tight weave, as if someone had woven it by threading every single thread as thick as a hair onto the loom. What weaver could do such a thing? How much time and how much effort would it take to do something like this?
The only thing of comparable quality to a garment abandoned to time and the elements were the delicate fabrics that merchants brought to the royal palace before the Calamity.
At least the sandals, made of some kind of animal skin, looked normal. Well, almost, as they were deceptively similar to those worn by the ancient Hylians in the frescoes he happened to see during his expeditions with Zelda.
Deciding that parading around in a skirt was better than flashing his bare ass to anyone he might meet outside, Link pulled it up over his hips. Unfortunately, the outfit proved to be too loose, apparently made for someone bigger, so the Hylian had to make do by quickly weaving a makeshift belt from vines hanging here and there. The shoes were also too big, but not so much that he couldn't move freely in them, and it was better to wear them anyway than risk hurting his feet.
Finally more or less dressed and feeling a bit better, Link made his way back to the exit. As he crossed the threshold, he half expected something to stop him from getting out, but nothing happened, and after a few steps he was already standing on the cobbled path worn by the teeth of time. As he walked through the building, he expected to see many things, a dense forest, a desert, large bodies of water and even the roof of a cave.
Nothing, however, prepared him for the sight of the ocean of clouds that stretched out beneath his feet, and the huge rocks that hung between them, as if held there by an invisible hand. On these rocks he saw springs of water, trees and ruined buildings, and he could have sworn he saw specks of what might be animals moving here and there. But most striking of all was the huge inverted cone-shaped building in the distance. He had no idea what this structure could be.
Any thoughts on that subject were brutally cut short by the realisation that he was IN THE SKY. Zelda had once told him that King's scientists had once calculated that the clouds hung some three to five miles above the ground. And now he could clearly see that they extended at least a few dozen metres below the lowest of the rocks. How high could he be now?
Another thing was that the moment he turned to look at the medical facility he had just left, he expected to see a huge building. The size of the Royal Castle, at least, considering how long it had taken him to get to the exit. Meanwhile, he was greeted by the sight of a building no bigger than a shed on any farm you might come across in Hetano. He walked around it in disbelief, finally realising that this place must have worked on a similar principle to the Sheikah Shrines. Tiny on the outside, but inside a whole pocket dimension of literally any size.
- Excuse me.
A mechanical voice somewhere off to the side almost gave him a heart attack. The 'thing', similar to the one in the medical facility, was slowly approaching him. Even though it didn't look like it was going to attack, Link decided to keep an eye on it for now.
- Link, right? I have a message from Princess Zelda.
The sound of a familiar name caught the Hylian's attention one hundred per cent. Zelda, if she asked to deliver a message, it meant she had survived the terrible fall.
- Zelda? Is she all right? She's here?
- The Princess asked me to tell you that she will be waiting for you in the Temple of Time - it continued impassively, then pointed to an inverted cone in the distance - The message has been delivered. - Then it turned to leave, just like that.
At this point, Link began to consider the possibility that these things weren't really living creatures. But he hadn't seen anything like them, not even in the Purah lab, so he had no comparison. A small voice in the back of his head told him that they looked a bit like Guardians, but so far nothing had tried to step on him or fire a laser at him, so it was likely that these things weren't aggressive.
Ignoring the thing looming in the distance for the moment, he looked around the sky island. The one he was on seemed to be the highest, or at least from his position he couldn't see anything above it.
Cautiously, he approached the edge.
Goddess, if he was afraid of heights he'd drop dead on the spot. Another island, part of a larger archipelago that probably led to the temple, lay about a hundred yards below. Though Link could see the pond down there, he had no way of judging whether it was deep enough to break a fall from that height.
Beautiful view, isn't it? -he suddenly heard from behind him.
Instinctively, he turned sharply, kicking a few loose pebbles into the abyss with his foot and pulling out the sad remains of the Master's sword. He blinked in surprise at what he saw. It wasn't even that the person in front of him was a ghost, it wasn't the first time he'd encountered one. The problem was that he couldn't assign this person to any known race, or even compare it to anything. Although those ears did remind him a little of the rabbits he'd seen on a farm in Hetano.
The only people who matched the size of this spirit were Sidon and Hetsu. But he was used to them, so the spirit seemed even higher. Link didn't know much about fashion, let alone ancient fashion, so he didn't bother to describe his outfit. However, the ghost wore a lot of refined accessories, and among the races the Hylian knew, only people of higher status dressed like that.
- Forgive me, I didn't mean to startle you. It was me who spoke to you earlier, this arm used to belong to me.
Link's eyes automatically went to the ghost's right hand. After making sure his new limb and the ghost's looked the same, the Hylian felt a lump rise in his throat. He didn't know if he should be happy to have a hand at all, or terrified at the prospect of using a dead man's limb.
He decided to leave it for now and move on to more pressing matters.
- I don't mean to be rude, but who exactly are you? - Link bit his tongue at the last moment, preventing himself from asking "what".
He prided himself on having travelled the length and breadth of Hyrule, and there wasn't much he hadn't looked at. However, he had never seen a creature that even remotely resembled this ghost. Although that silhouette, and especially those huge ears, were beginning to look familiar...
Oh.
The statues in the underground passage, the ones representing...
- My name is Rauru, I am one of the Zonai.- the spirit quickly cleared up his remaining doubts.
Rauru placed his faith in you and that was all you could do?
The mummy's words echoed in his head. It couldn't be a coincidence, but why would this guy put his faith in him? It is true that Link was not always as sober as chives in the temple garden, but if he met someone who looked THAT, he would unlikely forget about it.
Forgive me for showing myself to you this way, but unfortunately I no longer have a physical body
To be honest, Link wouldn't care if the guy stood naked in front of him wearing one of Cece's mushroom hats, as long as he was willing to tell him where Zelda is and what happened to that thing in the underground.
- Nice to meet you, I suppose - he said wryly, eyeing a ghost - you said you knew Zelda, where is she? What was that thing in the underground? How did it know our names? How far from Hyrule are we? How long have I been in this facility? Why do I have your hand?
-You really have a lot of questions,- the ghost chuckled. -But are you sure you want to talk here?
At this point Link, still distracted by the ghost's unexpected appearance, realised that he was still standing on the edge of a flying rock. In fact, he was so close to it that the heel of his left foot was sticking out over the edge, and he didn't even notice.
-I guess you're right,- he admitted, looking around. A dozen metres away he saw what looked like a pavilion where he could sit down without risking falling to the islands below.
- Let me start with the simplest question. Are you still counting distances in miles? - Rauru asked as the Hylian took his seat on the stone bench, and when Link nodded, he continued, - So we're about two miles above the central region of Hyrule. It's cloudy today, but on a clear day you could see Hyrule Castle from here.
-You're kidding,- Link leaned over the railing. His eyes pierced the clouds, trying to make out the familiar outline of the castle, or even Lookout Landing, but in vain. Though he had to take the ghost's word for it, the realisation that he could be so close to home was certainly comforting.
- I assure you, I am not. Ilkek, as the island is called, and the Garden of Time are among the lower-lying islands, as they often hosted traders and diplomats from other races. Our cities are at even higher altitudes, five miles or more, where few races but our own could survive.
Link was glad that this ghost was talkative, and that he didn't have to pull his tongue out to get information. But five miles or more? Hell, even Death Mountain and Mount Lanayru, the highest peaks in Hyrule, weren't that high. He couldn't imagine how anyone or anything could climb that high.
-Now listen carefully,- Rauru continued, undaunted by his doubtful expression, - what I am about to tell you may seem unbelievable, but it is true,- he paused for a moment to make sure he had Link's full attention. - After Zelda fell into the abyss, she was transported back tens of thousands of years, to the time of the founding of the Kingdom of Hyrule itself.
Hearing those words, Link felt the blood drain from his face. For a second, he wanted to jump up and yell at Rauru to stop mocking him, but the ghost's gaze held him in place.
- Zelda was fortunate that the first people to find her when she landed in our time were my wife and I. You see, in life, I was the first King of Hyrule and my wife was the Queen. We welcomed Zelda to our court and introduced her as a distant relative of Sonia, who had come to Hyrule to learn to control her powers. In this way, we could keep her safe. - Rauru gave him another revelation. At that moment, Link blinked, realising that once again he had woken up in a strange place, and the ghost of the dead king was explaining the situation to him.- Zelda was very worried about you and was looking for a way to return to your time. My wife believed that the key to this was mastering Zelda's time powers, and at first it seemed that she would be able to work in peace to gain control of them until she could return to the future. Unfortunately, the Demon King appeared. He is responsible for the destruction of the Master Sword and your arm..
Link felt like he was going to throw up. What Rauru said was unbelievable, and he wasn't sure how much he could trust him, but what if...? Then he remembered the thing that had given him the message. Assuming that the ghost was telling the truth, perhaps Zelda had finally regained control of her Time Powers and had come back? The Hylian decided to drop the subject for a moment before his head exploded.
- What happened to my hand? - he asked, taking a deep breath to fight off the nausea. Yes, that was a safer topic for now.
- After I got you out of the underground, I transported you to this medical facility. Fortunately, several medical constructs were still functional. While I fought the malice in your body, the constructs tried to save your life and your arm, but unfortunately the latter was so badly damaged that in the end they could only amputate it.
-And this?- he asked, lifting his new arm.
- The power left in that arm was too weak to completely eradicate the darkness in your body, and eventually a stalemate was reached. I was not able to remove the malice, but at the same time, if I were to stop holding it back, it would eventually devour you. - Rauru explained slowly, - Fortunately, the sealing magic froze the arm in time, so I had the constructs attach it to your body. It was a long process, we are different species after all, but as far as I can see, the operation was successful in the end.
At the Zonai's words about the long process, Link felt his ears begin to buzz and his mouth go unpleasantly dry. It was the moment he subconsciously feared most since waking up in that room.
- How... - he choked out - how long?
-I cannot give you a specific date because I do not know what calendar you are using now. But you have spent about two and a half years in this facility. You must be careful now, even though the darkness in your body is under control, the mere contact with it has drained your strength. Soldiers who survived such exposure very often had problems with any major exertion for a long time.
The lump in Link's throat loosened a little.
Not a hundred years, thank Goddess.
That didn't mean he enjoyed the prospect of having to explain himself for such a long absence. If Purah will got her hands on him, she would skin him alive. Oh no, wait a minute. First she'll vivisect him and then she'll skin him. And Riju, he had promised to help her hunt a Molduga for her coming of age ceremony. The ceremony that, according to his calculations, took place a year ago.
- Well, shit... - he muttered, collecting himself. Link was sure that Rauru had exaggerated the part about losing his strength. He felt pretty good after all - at least not a hundred years this time. That goo, the one that ate my arm, what is it?
- That's a good question. I think the best way to describe it is as the physical form of the Demon King's darkness. When he first got his powers, it caused us quite a bit of trouble. As you know, it drains the life out of its victims instantly, and most creatures cannot survive more than a few seconds in it. Zelda and I tried to clear as much of it as we could, but there was no one else in Hyrule who could use the Light Powers besides us. So in the end, there wasn't much we could do. The power of light in my hand will make you last a little longer if you come into contact with it again, but I wouldn't try to test how long you can survive before the gloom consumes you.
- That mummy in the underground, was it the Demon King?- he asked, feeling in his bones that he wouldn't like the answer. - Why was your hand, you know...
-Yes, that's him, although he used to have a different name. - Rauru confirmed, tapping his fingers soundlessly on the stone slab - I'd better start at the beginning. My people, the Zonai, were in possession of ancient artefacts called Sacred Stones. The priests used to say that they were given to us by the Gods, but no one really knew where they came from. Each of these stones had the ability to increase the power of the wearer. For example, if given to a person with enough innate power over time, they could even travel back in time many thousands of years.
- Like Zelda?
- Like Zelda - he confirmed - the Demon King had once been called Ganondorf, and he was the leader of the Gerudo because of the tradition of giving power to every male born of that race. There were some... misunderstandings between our realms at the time, but for a while it seemed as if everything would work out in the end. Alas, it was only a plot to lull our vigilance. When we least expected it, Ganondorf attacked and murdered my wife Sonia - he clenched his hands into fists - and then stole her sacred stone. With its power, he transformed himself into the Demon King.
Link felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Still fresh in his mind were the memories of the mummy coming to life in the dungeons, and the terrible pain as the darkness ate away his arm.
- We don't know how Ganondorf found out about the Sacred Stones, or why his power grew so much. We had a few theories about it, and perhaps after my death someone managed to confirm one - he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts - the Demon King's army began to flood the kingdom in no time. I knew I couldn't defeat him alone, so I offered the remaining sacred stones to powerful individuals from various races. We thought that if we fought together, it would be enough to end this once and for all.
- But...?
- In a short time, the Demon King's power had grown so much that even though we outnumbered him, we were still unable to defeat him. In the end, there was only one solution. I used an ancient spell to seal his soul. However, for a being as powerful as the Demon King, the cost of casting such a spell was enormous. I had to use everything I had, including my life force. - He spread out his hands - and that's how I ended up.
- And Zelda? Did she survived?- he asked, feeling his mouth go dry again.
Rauru shook his head.
- Unfortunately, I don't know what happened after I died, but at the time I cast the spell, all my companions were alive - he assured, then thought for a moment - My sister Mineru and Zelda knew that one day the seal would be broken. I'm sure they made plans for that event. I think the best thing you can do now is to follow the construct's message and go to the Temple of Time.
Rauru looked over at it, scratching his spectral chin thoughtfully.
-However, its doors will only open to those with sufficient power. You see, our society was heavily focused on magical power. Of course, that had its advantages... and disadvantages- Zonai paused for a moment, deciding not to elaborate on the topic-under normal circumstances, that hand should grant you entry, but now its power is focused on keeping the evil in your body at bay.
-So what now?- Link asked, beginning to feel a vague sense of déjà vu.
-You see, there are several shrines on the island filled with sacred power....
//
He was pleasantly surprised when his body broke through the water. During the flight he had expected it to be cold, but it turned out to be comfortably warm, maybe not like the sea on Faron, but enough not to worry about hypothermia.
When he finally reached the shore, he could barely crawl up the stone steps. Rauru wasn't kidding, barely a dozen yards and he felt as wobbly as if he'd swum across Lake Hylia.
As he expected, another ghost of the dead king in his life sent him on a tour of the local shrines. Three, to be precise, which were supposed to rip the demon king's malice out of his body, piece by piece. It was all cool and all, but why did he feel that his life was beginning to resemble an adventure book from the Hetano school?
Everything indicated that he would have to visit the shrines first, otherwise he would not be able to climb the looooong stairs leading to the temple he had seen from above.
To be honest with himself, Link was surprised that he hadn't started to freak out at all the revelations Rauru had told him. Perhaps it was because this wasn't the first time he'd been sent to fight an ancient evil? The Hylian wasn't sure if he should be happy that his mind was getting better at dealing with such things, or horrified that he had to adapt at all.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw a branch lying under one of the trees. He took its hand and made a few controlled swings. Since there were things on the islands that could hurt him, it would be good to see what his new sword arm could do.
The results were average; it was obvious that Rauru hadn't fought with a sword when he was alive, and probably hadn't even trained with one. His hand lacked the distinctive hardened skin acquired through years of training with melee weapons.
On the other hand, the muscles in his arm were in decent shape, so he was able to add just the right amount of power and speed to his swings. All in all, it wasn't too bad, but he needed to find a glove or piece of cloth quickly. Otherwise, he'd soon have wounds and abrasions on his hand like in the best years of chivalry training.
But first he had to look around for some food and shelter as the sun began to set. He slowly followed the paved road, hoping that he would eventually come across some relatively suitable ruins where he could spend the night. On the way, he also looked carefully at the plants growing on the island.
So far he has encountered trees and grass of a strange yellow hue. Most interestingly, the leaves did not appear to be wilting or dying. He'd also seen at least a few types of flowers he hadn't seen before in Hyrule. Among them, the most striking were the plants with a beautiful golden colour, slightly reminiscent of lilies. He could almost feel the soothing warmth emanating from them when he touched their petals. If he had to compare it to anything, it would be the touch of the first rays of spring sunshine on the skin after a long and cold winter.
He also came across several apple trees of the same unusual colour, with ripe fruit hanging from them. Link picked one of them, hanging from the lower branches. It was sweet and tasted just like the normal apples found in most of Hyrule. Not feeling confident enough to climb a tree, the Hylian contented himself with picking a few more fruits from the low-hanging branches.
There were also a few blue-capped mushrooms, but I hadn't decided to touch them yet. You had to be careful with mushrooms, some were edible or useful for making potions, but one careless bite and you were done. As a result, most people only travelled along the main routes, where they could eat at stables and inns, or use the services of travelling merchants. Link was frugal to the point of exaggeration. He hated spending his hard-earned rupees on such luxuries. Especially when travelling alone.
Knowing that he would be much more comfortable if he didn't have to carry them in his hands, he looked around the surrounding buildings for something he could use to carry the things he found. In one of the ruined houses he found a piece of cloth, probably a curtain, which he made into a bundle. In another, he found a piece of metal that looked like a broken blade, but was sharp enough to be used as a makeshift knife. Link had no idea what this object was made of, but it was certainly not the Goron steel he was accustomed to in Hyrule. In the last building, he found another green chest, this time containing what appeared to be a loose tunic. It was made of the same fabric as the skirt, and didn't look very warm, but it was better than nothing.
Satisfied with his find, the Hylian moved on along the pawed path.
Some of the houses he came across even had four whole walls, but none of the buildings we came across had a roof that was reasonably complete or didn't look like it was about to collapse at the slightest touch. Link wished he'd asked Rauru if it ever rained here, it might have made finding a suitable shelter a little easier.
He looked around again, now walking down the main street of what looked like a long abandoned ruined village or temple town, if the Temple of Time had been an important place of worship in the past. The buildings were all grey stone and roughly the same shape and size. Remembering the hospital, Link surmised that some of them might have been pocket dimension portals that had collapsed when the buildings fell. Or had the portals come crashing down first, and the buildings, now devoid of the magic that held them in place, crumbled later? Zelda and Purah would surely know the answer to this question.
As the sun sank below the horizon, so did the temperature, and Link began to feel the first goosebumps on his skin. His clothes, which had not had time to dry during the march, were clinging uncomfortably to his legs. Things were starting to get serious.
Then the toe of his shoe struck something metallic. Pushing away the grass, Link came upon well-preserved metal tracks leading to nearby rocks. Guessing what this might mean, he decided to follow them, and indeed, after a few minutes, he saw the entrance to the mine. The entrance, too, where he could see a faint glow of light.
Inside, he found a fairly standard looking mine, with tracks and wagons to transport the ore. The only difference was that the role of the miners was filled by more constructs. There were five of them; four of them were constantly chipping away at the walls with what looked like a pickaxe, and the fifth seemed to be working the spoils into what Link was looking for; a forge, which consisted of a trough of flowing magma.
Rubbing his cold arms, he quickly approached the construct that was bustling around it.
-Hi, it's getting cold outside. Do you mind if I sit by the forge until morning? - he asked a construct that was working with a strange black and green striped mineral.
-Oh, a guest. No one has visited us for a long time - this construct proved to be a little more talkative than those on the island with the hospital. - Of course not. Just don't touch the forge or the tools, they're not fit for organic beings.
-I will remember that, thank you. - he replied, looking around for a suitable place.
He knew he should take off all his soaked clothes, but to be honest, he wouldn't feel comfortable sitting naked in front of such an audience. He knew the constructs weren't really living beings, but still... He could only hope that the heat of the magma would be enough to dry his clothes and that he wouldn't catch pneumonia. Finding a warm corner where he wouldn't disturb the construct, he ate an apple and then took the opportunity to get some sleep.
//
The following day was a very busy one. Hours of climbing and wandering around the islands later, Link finally visited all three shrines. He discovered that the Zonai were bloody masochists. Instead of building a nice, friendly shrine with a lazy brook, flowers and an altar, they set a bunch of murderous traps. All because, as Rauru put it, pilgrims liked to "challenge themselves".
Along the way, he also encountered the familiar Blue Chuchu and the infamous Guardian Constructs. The latter proved to be far more challenging, largely due to Link's nerf and rudimentary equipment. But despite the hardships, he was eventually forced to admit that it was all worth it. With each blessing he received, he could feel a fragment of the parasitic malice leaving his body, and movement becoming a little easier. Not to mention the incredible powers that were unlocked as the hand recharged with sacred power. Yes, this journey was definitely worth it.
If anyone asked him, he wouldn't be able to pick his favourite. Using the Ultrahand was incredibly fun and allowed him to build things out of materials that would normally require long and difficult work to combine. As for the power of Ascension, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for him. Link wished he had it a few years ago when he travelled to the Divine Beasts, it would have made things so much easier. Fusion's ability was, for lack of a better word, interesting. The Hylian decided that its full potential could be explored later, when he'd collected more diverse materials to combine.
//
Climbing the stairs to the Temple of Time was even worse than he had expected. Not only were they long, with probably a million steps, but some parts were so damaged that he had to climb almost vertical walls. Even after healing himself with holy power from the shrines, the task was almost beyond his strength.
When he finally reached the top of the stairs, he fell onto his back and stared for a moment at the clouds passing overhead. He could have sworn he saw enormous shapes floating in them, but perhaps it was just his imagination.
Son of a bitch - he panted at the temple's architect. The guy ought to be glad that he's long dead and that Link can't get to him any more.
Exhausted, he pulled himself into a sitting position and took an apple from his bundle. He still had a few left, and as he bit into the juicy fruit, he briefly considered going back down to get more, but the sight of the stairs and the prospect of climbing them again effectively put that idea out of his mind. Besides, with any luck, he and Zelda would be leaving the island soon, and he could replenish his supplies at Lookout Landing.
Throwing the stub towards the pond below the temple, he stood up and walked to the massive gate. Made of grey stone, the entrance was at least a dozen feet high. The builders had carved seven spiral circles into it, the symbol of an eye, and inscriptions he couldn't even hope to read. Directly in front of him was an eighth circle, filled with green magic, arranged into a hand symbol, surrounded by more signs and inscriptions. Link crossed his fingers that the mechanisms that opened these gates were still working, otherwise he saw no chance of moving them.
Cautiously, he reached out his new hand and touched the hand symbol.
The green magic instantly dissipated into the air, and the stone wings of the gate trembled and slowly unfolded, sprinkling him with dust accumulated over millennia. The Hylian felt a cold wind on his face, announcing to all that the Temple of Time was now open to him.
Link took a deep breath and stepped inside.