Chapter Text
The only sounds echoing throughout the chamber were clangs of metal on metal, screams from the blight in front of him, and his own noises of pain and exertion.
When Link awoke not only a month prior, he had no clue he would be going toe to toe with monstrosities that only the Calamity Ganon could conjure. Things he could only see in his nightmares, and yet, there was that itch in the back of his mind that told him he had seen this before. He had fought against these same monsters time and time again, and this was only the newest creation of the beasts. His soul knew them, could recognize them far better than he could even recognize himself.
He was immediately pulled from those thoughts when his body instinctively darted to his left to dodge a stream of water that was as sharp as a blade. The memories were always just out of reach, but his body remembered. His instincts were sharp, guiding him through the motions without hesitation.
And right now, they were the only thing bringing him to the end of this fight.
He had entered Van Ruta with hazy memories of a Princess, and not the one locked in a castle he was supposed to save. It was instead of a Zora Princess, who he knew as a child and had healed him more times than he could count. She had loved him, as shown by the armor made of scales that somehow fit him perfectly despite being made 100 years prior, like she had somehow predicted he’d need it at this very moment in time. Armor that was now ripped and staining red with his blood from a deep laceration to his right side.
He jumped from one platform to the next as the Waterblight Ganon teleported once more, trying to keep a safe enough distance to dodge its attacks while still being close enough to launch his own assault. His arrows landed true, stunning the Blight with a shot to the eye. Link was exhausted, but he pulled himself together enough to dash to the platform it landed on and swing with his sword that was dangerously close to breaking.
The sword shattered in a burst of sparks, but the last hit was enough to finally finish the damn monster off. It’s screams echoed, ringing in his ears as the creature seemed to implode on itself. He had to cover his eyes to avoid being blinded, and when he opened them once more, he could see the dark mass of gloom evaporating off the console at the front of the room. He felt stronger somehow, his limbs lighter as he approached it, raising the item on his hip he called a Sheikah Slate to tap it to the center once more. He had half a mind to stop, to try and heal himself before he was assaulted once more by the Calamity, but instead of red, the console flashed blue.
“Because of your courage, my spirit is now free.”
A soft voice rang out, causing Link to turn in familiarity. He knew this voice, it was the same one from his memories of the Zora Princess he knew so many years ago. And now, her features were finally coming back to him. The red and white scales, the blue sash across her torso, the silver armor that let off a sound similar to wind chimes whenever she moves.
Well, moved.
“Thank you,” Her voice was soft as she spoke, yet he couldn’t see her lips moving. As he focused, Link noticed her body was slightly transparent, and green flames sprouted around her form. There was a distant memory emerging, one that stung and brought a fresh wave of pain through his body.
She was dead. All that remained was her spirit that had been tied to the Blight for the past 100 years, refusing to let her rest.
“For I am now allowed by this freedom to be with you once again. Since I am now a spirit,” Link stood solid as her form moved closer, even if he was dully aware of the pain blossoming along his right side from his injuries. The pain was secondary to the emotions flooding through him, memories of years spent being friends with a Princess who would never be able to rule. “My healing power would be wasted on me.”
”I have no need of it. So therefore… I would like you to have it. Please accept… Mipha’s Grace.”
Link was distantly aware of his surroundings, but it all seemed to fade away as Mipha’s spirit conjured a ball of light. As the light shot to his body, he became acutely tuned in to every limb, injury, and heartbeat as her Grace infused itself into his veins. He could feel the power simmering underneath his skin, desperate to emerge.
He could hear her voice still, and caught bits of her words, but his focus was waning. His mind couldn’t pull away from the pain, from the blood soaking the armor. His eyes slowly closed, heavy despite the rest of his body being light, lifted from inside of Vah Ruta by golden light.
The brief relief that came with being teleported, his soul being separated from his body, allowed his mind to clear enough to recognize two things. The first being that Vah Ruta was moving, leaving the dam to climb to the top of a hill with clear view of Hyrule Castle. The dark energy of the Calamity Ganon had stirred with the battle with the Blight, only for it to disperse as a red laser shot out from Ruta to the center of the castle. The second was the fact that the pain was coming in fast and hard as his body began to coalesce into being once more.
He stood on the bridge leading into Zora domain, looking up at the sky as the golden magic that had transported him dissipated into the air. He was simply aware of footsteps approaching, but he couldn’t find the strength to look down and see who it was. In the back of his mind, there was the warning that it could be another enemy, another creation of Ganon’s, but those alarm bells were shut down as soon as they rose.
”Link! You’ve returned!”
Slowly, Link forced himself to lower his gaze and focus on the red blur that was now blocking the setting sun on the horizon. His vision was so blurry, and with a few blinks, he discovered that it was the Prince of the Zora standing before him, reaching out with cautious hands and a look of concern on his face. A few more blinks had Link realizing there was wetness falling down his cheeks, and it was that the Prince was focused on.
He was… crying. He was mourning, he could feel it in his soul. Yet, when he tried to reach for the memories and the root of the grief, it slipped through his fingertips like the water cascading down the waterfalls surrounding the domain.
”Are you alright my friend? Come, let us get you to the healers before that wound gets any worse,” Sidon continued, concern still bleeding into his voice no matter how strong he appeared to be. Link could only nod, as the reminder of the slash to his right side had brought forth the waves of pain once more.
He broke his gaze on Sidon to look down at his side, pressing a hand to it with a wince only to see the amount of blood that was steadily pooling beneath him and mixing with the thin layer of water coating the bridge. He was losing too much too fast, but he took a deep breath and took a step forward.
A step which immediately turned into a stumble, and he was fully expecting the cold, hard ground to be what he collided with next, not warm scales and strong arms lifting him off his feet.
The roaring of his heartbeat in his ears drowned out whatever the Zora Prince was yelling, only catching his name occasionally thrown into the mix. Shit, he couldn’t die again, not when he had just received whatever blessing Mipha gave him that was definitely supposed to make sure he lived. He could feel her beside him still, even though he could feel a tether to her soul perched on top of Vah Ruta, piloting the Divine Beast even beyond the grave.
“Rest, Link. It is not your time, yet. Let him take care of you.”
Her voice felt distant, much farther than it had been when he was looking at her spirit. Yet, it was almost like she was whispering to him, much like her brother was doing now. His chest rose and fell one last time before he decided to heed the advice he was given.
Link closed his eyes.