Chapter Text
“Hell raising, hair raising, I'm ready for the worst. So frightening, face whitening, fear that you can't reverse. My phone has no signal, it's making my skin crawl; the silence is so loud. The lights spark and flicker with monsters much bigger than I can control now. Welcome to the panic room, where all your darkest fears are gonna come for you, come for you. Welcome to the panic room. You'll know I wasn't joking when you see them too, see them too.” - Panic Room, Au/Ra
Six years. They had six years of peace. Six years full of progress and hope, before it all came crashing down.
The longtime progress: new, easier roads leading into Zora’s Domain. An expansion of Tarrey Town into the Wetlands across the lake. New schools all across Hyrule, starting with the one in Hateno. A survey team in charge of re-learning Hyrule’s history; the kingdom’s origins, myths and history, its beginnings, destructions and rebirths. Each section of the team was in charge of studying a different era. There were monster control crews, in charge of monster hunting, protecting villages and travellers alike. A new village in Tabantha, not far from the Tabantha Village ruins. Some stables had expanded, adding new rooms and services. There were new roads throughout Hyrule, new safe spaces to rest for the night as more stables and inns cropped up.
Yunobo started his own mining company a year after Calamity Ganon’s death, hiring Gorons, Hylians, Rito, Gerudo and Sheikah alike. Anyone who wanted to work was welcome.
Paya was the new Sheikah Elder, after Impa happily stood down last year. Purah and Robbie’s ever-expanding team had spent the last six years putting the remains of the ancient Sheikah tech to good use, starting with Purah’s crowning glory: the Skyview Towers, all nearly complete and ready for launch.
Traysi from Rumour Mill, her sisters and friends began a newspaper, The Lucky Clover Gazette. More merchants dared to travel Hyrule. Purah had perfected the Master Cycle and presented it to Link and Zelda with a loud cry of, “Check it!” shortly after Yunobo Co’s founding.
No more blood moons. The monster population had plummeted. Zelda couldn’t remember the last time there’d been so few monsters. Not since before her mother died perhaps.
Less nightmares and flashbacks. Less haunting, crushing guilt. No more loneliness.
The short term progress: Link had rescued a new horse six months ago, a beautiful golden horse, one of a kind. Zelda had recently discovered a new species of animal down in Faron, while exploring a cave system with Link, Yuki and Sidon only two months ago. The Purah Pad (“Beta version,” Purah said) was complete and Purah had tossed it to Zelda, cheerfully asking her to test it out and report back to Purah.
Zelda was happier than she’d dared to hope. She had her friends, her family, the people she loved. Hyrule was rebuilding and she was happy to help wherever she could, whenever she could. She explored, she learned. Officially a part of the Big Bad Bazz Brigade, she and the others visited Riju in Gerudo Town, they visited Teba, Saki and Tulin in Rito Village, they visited Yunobo in Goron City. They attended the naming ceremony of Hudson and Rhondson’s daughter, Mattison, when she was a newborn. They visited Paya and attended her inauguration ceremony; they sat and spoke with Impa for hours on end. They visited Purah and Robbie’s respective labs, and there were more explosions than Zelda wanted to admit. They visited the Great Deku Tree, Skull Kid and the Koroks, and Zelda was forever amused by the difference between the wise and solemn Deku Tree and his hyperactive, mischievous children.
She was not Queen and had no wish to be. Queen Zelda Sonia Naydria Hyrule? No. Zelda Hyrule. Just Zelda. She was Zelda and that was enough. Enough for her family, enough for Hyrule and, finally, enough for herself.
Six years. Six years of healing.
And then, a week after the Liberation Festival, celebrating Ganon’s death, the nightmares began.
The world was pitch black. The grass beneath her feet was dead and black, the sky was black. Hordes of monsters ran across the dead field, leaving trails of something terrible in their wake. Something oily and thin, as black as the sky and streaked with red. Veins crept across the ground, pulsing like a heartbeat, full of that strange substance.
The monsters shrieked in triumph, waving their weapons and laughing in glee. Zelda could hear people screaming, but she couldn’t see them.
Her heart racing, she steeled herself and ran after the monsters.
She knew a warning when she was given one. She would not second-guess it this time. Long ago, she’d dreamed of a beautiful, shining woman reaching for her, speaking urgently, imploringly- and Zelda couldn’t hear her. Upon waking, she’d doubted herself and what she saw, but could not shake the dread that followed her. This time, Zelda would face the dream head on. This time, she would face the threat, whatever it may be.
She felt detached from herself apart from that stubborn determination. Zelda was herself and yet not, watching and participating at the same time. She ran faster than she thought she could.
Golden footsteps were left in her wake. Gold shimmered in her palms.
Something was happening, something was coming and she must stop it.
Impossibly, the world got darker and darker. The ground beneath her feet vanished, leaving only a void. That oily substance fell from the darkness like rain, but none of it touched her; gold encased her, protected her.
Someone roared with all their might. Whether it was a man or a monster Zelda couldn’t say. The roaring came from all around her: from beneath, from above, from in front and behind, from left and right. It echoed on and on and Zelda stumbled to a halt, covering her ears in pain. The roaring cut at her like a knife, sharp and vicious and it wouldn’t stop.
Make it stop! Zelda wanted to scream, but it felt like her mouth was sewn shut. She could only gasp for breath, struggling to stay upright. The air felt too hot and heavy; she almost expected fire to surround her at any moment. Surely she was walking into an inferno?
The roars turned to laughter. Loud, frantic laughter. As triumphant as the monsters. A hateful laugh, full of mocking, horrible glee.
That strange oily substance burst from beneath Zelda like a geyser, shooting up into the infinite black sky. The laughter grew louder, distorted, mixed with the roaring now. Glee and fury, hate and joy, all of it as terrible as each other. The geyser grew and grew, the oily substance came down in waves, covering the world.
Zelda’s light went out and the darkness consumed her.
The laughter continued.
Zelda jerked awake with a sharp scream. She didn’t even register that she was scrambling from her bed until she’d reached her bedroom door. She flung it open and stumbled into the cool, quiet hallway, practically leaping to Link’s room.
Just as she reached it, he opened the door. He was wide-eyed and frantic, his hair a tangled mess, and he was gasping as hard as Zelda.
He knows, she thought, fractured and terrified. He saw it too.
For a moment, they could only stare at each other in growing horror.
Tell me it’s not real, Zelda wanted to plead. Tell me I’m dreaming. We’re supposed to be okay now.
But hadn’t she promised, even asleep, that she wouldn’t run?
“Something’s wrong,” they said together. Link was holding Fi in a death grip and leaned against his doorframe like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Zelda stepped closer and took his hand, holding on for dear life.
“There was darkness,” she whispered. “Monsters. Roaring and laughter and it wouldn’t stop.”
“It almost looked like malice,” Link said even more quietly. Fi glimmered in his hand. Zelda couldn’t hear her, but she could imagine Fi was saying something both factual and comforting. Practical and level-headed as always.
Malice. Zelda winced at the word, just as most of Hyrule’s population did. Just as so many people still flinched at the word Guardian. Simple, everyday words had been turned into sources of horror.
What would terrorise Hyrule next?
Link gulped. He nodded at whatever Fi had said.
“We need to wake up Dorephan,” he whispered hoarsely. “And warn everyone as soon as we can.”
If Dorephan was at all disgruntled at being awoken at midnight, he did not show it. In fact, he leapt into action. He awoke Sidon, Yona and Yuki, summoned Muzu, Bazz, Rivan and Gaddison. He took careful note of everything Link and Zelda said, watching them with a steady, reassuring gaze.
King Dorephan did not once flinch.
“But it cannot be the Calamity,” Sidon said warily. “He’s dead.” He’d insisted on sitting between Zelda and Link, and had a protective arm around them both.
Dead and gone. He’d given up on reincarnation; his mind had fallen apart, his consciousness dissolving. Unable to plan, unable to brace himself, Dark Beast Ganon had not prepared himself to reincarnate. He’d simply been hellbent on destruction. When they killed him it was final.
So what was coming for them now?
All that awful noise still echoed in Zelda’s ears. Her head throbbed, her mouth felt too dry.
Link didn’t look much better. He was pale and tense, constantly glancing at the window- no, at the sky beyond.
Blood moon, Zelda thought sadly. He’s waiting for a blood moon.
So was she. So was their family. Even Yona, who was not a Hyrule native, glanced warily at the sky, hands tightly clasped in her lap. She’d heard the tales, heard the horrors; she knew what signs to look for.
As dawn broke, letters were sent across Hyrule to all the village leaders: Riju of Gerudo Town, Paya of Kakariko, Bludo of Goron City, Teba of Rito Village, Hudson of Tarrey Town, Reede of Hateno, Rozel of Lurelin, Purah in the remains of Castle Town and, finally, Maxine of Novus in Tabantha. Letters of warning to be on guard, to be wary of possible monster attacks.
Something was coming and Hyrule must be ready.
Barely a week later, a minor earthquake struck Central Hyrule. The team excavating Hyrule Castle discovered a new cavern when the earthquake subsided. Once it was deemed structurally sound, Purah allowed members of her team to explore the newly uncovered cavern.
It was deep below the castle, even deeper than the old escape tunnels, far deeper than the dungeons. At least as deep as the Astral Observatory where the Brigade fought Calamity Ganon. Purah wrote that there was a chance it went even deeper.
“It’s ancient,” Muzu read aloud. He always looked slightly uncomfortable when reading Purah’s casual style. “The stairs are in surprisingly decent repair, and we’ve found plenty of luminous stone. Huge chunks are embedded in the walls. But it’s old as- ahem…” Muzu winced and did not finish the sentence. Link’s lips twitched in amusement; he knew damn well what Purah would have written.
Old as balls, Link mouthed. Yuki caught his eye and grinned.
“Suffice to say it is old,” Muzu said stiffly and hurriedly continued. “We’ll keep exploring, see what we can find. There’s always something new to learn. I’ll keep you posted.”
Link read over Muzu’s shoulder and saw Purah’s usual sign-off: Love you all lots! Purah xxx
Central Hyrule wasn’t supposed to have earthquakes of any kind. The last time it had any tremors was…Well, the lead-up to the Great Calamity.
Right, because that’s not horrifying at all, Link thought dully.
But there’d been no rise in monster attacks. Paya wrote to say nothing unusual had happened around Kakariko. Riju said there’d been a sandstorm, but it was brief. They all saw themselves that nothing was wrong with the Domain. Hudson wrote to say all seemed normal in Akkala and he was still seeing Dinraal on her usual flight patterns. Teba and Bludo both said that all was well. Yunobo said they found some new caves while expanding the mines, but nothing dangerous.
And yet Link couldn’t escape the growing sense of dread. None of them could. He could see how tense everyone was, how many wary pairs of eyes constantly went to the sky, awaiting a blood moon that never came. Even with Ganon dead, he was everyone’s worst nightmare.
A minor earthquake and sandstorm. Hardly the end of the world (and Link would know, they all did, they’d lived it) but it still felt far too ominous.
When Purah’s next letter arrived, her handwriting was shakier.
Three of my team’s sick, she wrote. They found something in the caverns. By Hylia the tunnels go deep. They said it started as smoke, then they thought it was oil.
Link recognised Josha’s handwriting next: Nappin’s seriously sick! He touched the oily stuff and fainted dead away. Deon said it was a great big puddle, dripping down the wall and onto the ground. Black and red stuff. “Smells like rot,” he told us. He had to carry Nappin out of there. None of our elixirs are helping.
Then Purah’s handwriting again: The only thing that helped Nappin at all was direct sunlight. Nothing else has worked. Anson and Karson are erecting walls around my lookout post, just to be safe. We’ve started calling it “gloom.” Seems fitting. Nappin’s barely conscious, Monte’s able to sit up and walk again, but it’s like all his happiness has been drained away; he keeps talking about death. Poor Derbos is still unconscious and has been since yesterday.
Zelly, Linky, I’m sorry, but we need you, she ended.
“It does sound like malice,” Rivan fretted.
But malice had been swampy and sludgelike. It had growled and sometimes had malice-eyes sticking out of it, or horrible toothy mouths that spewed Stal heads. It had burned and melted anything in its path. Link’s back still bore the scars of malice splashing on him during the Great Calamity. The only reason his flesh didn’t melt from his bones was protection from the Triforce of Courage- but it had still ached and festered, burning, burning, burning, stabbing him with constant pain as he and Zelda fled towards the Duelling Peaks.
Whatever this gloom stuff was, it wasn’t malice. Close, but not quite.
The signs of Calamity Ganon were clear: natural disasters, unusual weather patterns, a rise in monster numbers, the appearance of malice. And then, finally, the blood moons. Unless that single earthquake and sandstorm counted, there’d been no signs of the beast at all.
This was something new.
Somehow that felt worse.
“Once more into the fray,” Zelda murmured, holding Purah and Josha’s letter tightly to her heart.
Be cautious, Fi said. Do not rush ahead blindly.
For the first time, Link saw a flicker of fear in Dorephan’s eyes. His father-in-law momentarily looked his age, so many centuries old. The great and powerful Zora King looked frightened, all calmness and jolliness gone for one heart-stopping moment.
Dorephan had lived through the Great Calamity and kept his people afloat through the century that followed. He mourned Mipha, he tried to keep Link safe every step of the way. He trusted Link, Sidon, Bazz and Rivan to free the Divine Beasts- though he certainly hadn’t given Sidon permission to join the crusade at first.
King Dorephan had lived through many tragedies. Of course he was wary of another. Of course he worried that his children would be taken away again.
But Dorephan had never been one to try and outrun destiny, had never been one to bury his head in the sand. As worried as he may have been, Dorephan strove to appear calm again. He gave his usual warm smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
You must promise you will come back safely, he once said to Mipha. He did not once ask anyone to make such a promise since her death.
Instead, Dorephan said, “You must promise to be careful.”
“We will,” Zelda said and Link echoed her.
Dorephan nodded, his eyes grim. He patted them both on the head.
“May the light illuminate your path, my dear ones,” he said softly.
And so Zelda, Link, Yuki, Gaddison and Torfeau were assigned to Lookout Landing. Bazz and Rivan were in charge of the Domain’s forces as always, bolstered by Sidon. The Crown Prince was not happy at being split up, but threw himself into training and aiding their brave soldiers. Yona joined Healer Celeste in ensuring the infirmary was well stocked in case…Well, in case it was needed.
The morning they left, Zelda found Link at Mipha Court after breakfast. He laid a bundle of lilies, Mipha’s favourite, against the railing around her statue.
Watch over us, my dear friend, Zelda prayed. She gazed at Mipha’s statue, at that serene smile. Far up above, practically in line with Mipha’s statue, there was a greenish-blueish speck in the sky, flying at a sedate pace. The Wild Dragon, Mipha’s favourite dragon.
Maybe it was a good sign. Maybe Mipha could hear them.
Upon arrival, Purah pulled them all into her office. What was once the Sacred Grounds had been transformed, and Zelda looked around in amazement. Karson and Anson had indeed erected new walls around Purah’s lookout post: high, sturdy walls, with more lookout posts and lanterns along the walkways. The gates were all strong and thick. Metal and wooden spikes lined the bottom of the walls along the outside and similar spikes were embedded along the (rather shallow) moat. They left their horses near the gates, all of them well-trained so they did not wander off.
Ivy, Yuki’s Korok companion, sat happily in the hood of his tunic, humming to themself. Karson, working on a new stable, waved at them all cheerfully enough, but Zelda could see his worried expression. Members of Gralens’ monster control crew patrolled the area. Scorpis was manning the entrance to the underground emergency shelter, where the ill were being looked after.
“We’re calling it Lookout Landing now,” Purah said, striking her usual rock-on pose. She smiled at them all, but Zelda could see the dark shadows under her eyes and how Purah’s smile wavered. She no longer had the appearance of a six-year-old, nor had she returned to being an old woman. Instead, Purah had settled on being twenty-five as soon as she mastered her Age Rune. Impa rolled her eyes when Purah happily checked out her cleavage in the mirror the day she de-aged…Or rather the day she re-aged. Purah was once more strikingly beautiful and, unlike over a century ago, she looked downright professional. Classy in fact. It was a new look for Purah, but it suited her.
If only she didn’t look so exhausted.
She led them up to her massive telescope, but they didn’t need the telescope to see the tendrils of fog drifting around the lowest levels of the castle. Thin wisps, black and red, drifting along at a slow, almost lazy pace.
“Deon was right about it smelling like rot,” Purah sighed, adjusting her golden goggles. “Five more people got hurt yesterday, so I went to the entrance of the caverns after we got them out, and I could already smell it. Didn’t even need to go inside. It reeks and it’s…I dunno how to put it…Weirdly sour? Like rotting flesh and gone-off milk.”
Charming, Link signed, nose wrinkling. Poor little Ivy gagged, and Yuki reached back to pat them on the head.
“But does it smell like malice?” Zelda pressed.
“Not quite,” Purah said, shaking her head. “Let’s hope it stays that way.”
Zelda would almost prefer malice. At least they knew how to handle that stuff, even if the only solution was to avoid it. But gloom? This was a complete unknown. Eerily familiar but unknown.
“There’s more,” Purah sighed, pulling a letter from her pocket. Zelda took it, immediately recognising Paya’s handwriting.
Auntie Purah,
Yesterday seemed quite normal, until Cottla discovered a strange fog emerging from a crack in the ground, near where Lady Cotera’s spring usually resides. She said it almost looked like a hand. Thankfully she did not get closer; she got frightened and fled to Dorian. Dorian and Cado have investigated the site: it is black and red fog, too thin to be smoke, and they both say it smells of decay. I have posted Razu and Orenji at the top of the hill, to keep the villagers away while we try and decipher what this is.
My guards all say that, the closer they got, the stronger the stench became. The more the fog looked like a hand. The more ill they felt, and anxious.
Grandmother immediately snuck off to see it for herself, of course, with no concern for her own health. She got right up to the crack before the guards could stop her.
Auntie Purah, the fog-hand tried to grab Grandmother. It lashed out, growing in size, and tried to drag her back towards the crack. Cado and Dorian got her out of there safely, but we’ve all been given a terrible fright. The fog wrapped around Dorian’s wrist and it is covered in bruises. Bruises from fog! He felt nauseous for the rest of the day and ended up with a terrible migraine. I’ve never seen anything like this before. From the smell alone, I suspected malice, but…But the smoke and embers caused by malice were nothing like this. Malice did not move or lash out. Malice did not cause migraines or bruises- it only ever burned and melted.
I will keep you updated. Grandmother is writing to you as I write this, but I don’t doubt she’ll downplay her own anxiety. I shall also write to Link and Zelda, and to our friends.
Stay safe, Auntie. May Hylia guide and protect us all.
All my love,
Paya
When Zelda finished reading, all of her friends were looking at her in horror. Except poor Purah, who just seemed stressed and exhausted. Josha, only twelve-years-old, was wringing her hands and biting her lip. Gaddison knocked her spear against the ground, grinding her teeth. Yuki’s hand lingered on his kunai, strapped to his belt.
Link caught her eye and nodded, the familiar fiery glint in his eyes. He was ready for battle.
“We’ll go right now,” Zelda said. “There’s no time to waste.”
Gaddison and Torfeau joined Gralens and his crew in guarding Lookout Landing and the surrounding area. Yuki, always surprisingly handy, joined Karson and Anson in bolstering defences and then he raced into Castle Town’s ruins to join up with Hoz and his crew, who were keeping a wary eye on the castle. Ivy sat with Josha, nibbling on a cherry and fetching books and pens that Josha needed.
Purah insisted that Link and Zelda needed masks and gloves before proceeding.
“We don’t want anyone breathing too much of that crap in,” she muttered as she shoved Sheikah masks at them. Zelda was regretting that Link left the Sheikah slate at home more and more with every passing moment. The shrines and towers were long gone, defunct, but the slate’s compendium and sensor still worked. If any monsters lurked underground, the sensor could warn them, so long as they attuned the sensor to whatever monsters they feared awaited them.
Zelda had the Purah Pad, but her own compendium was far from complete. But at least they were making use of the pad’s larger inventory: Zelda had stored spare shields, two spare bows, a handful of extra arrows, a Zora sword and spear inside. She glanced at her inventory and was so glad she’d brought ten of Robbie’s ancient arrows.
She and Link wore some of their most enchanted gear. He was in a favourite tunic, enchanted by all four Great Fairies: it had been a birthday gift from Impa, a ruby-red tunic with Farosh embroidered in glittering gold up the side, atop a shirt of chainmail and a simple, long-sleeved black woolen under-tunic. He had his favourite travelling pants, comfortable and thick, and sturdy boots, as well as his diamond circlet, which had been enchanted by the Great Fairies over one hundred years ago. As always, the silver locket that Mipha had given him gleamed on his chest, proudly displayed. Link’s wild golden hair reached his shoulder-blades now, worn in a half-up style, most of it still flowing freely. Zelda rolled her eyes fondly when Link pulled Purah’s offered work gloves atop his preferred fingerless gloves- though maybe he had a point, an extra layer couldn’t hurt.
Zelda wore her favourite cloak, warm and soft, pale grey and patterned with white. Delicate hairclips in the shape of Silent Princesses held her hair off her face, a New Year’s gift from Link and Sidon, the first New Year they’d celebrated together after Calamity Ganon’s death. Her tunic was sapphire-blue and white; the sleeves cut off at the elbows, so she wore an under-tunic with long sleeves. Before the Calamity, so much of her clothes were decorated with the Triforce. Not anymore. This tunic had a single Silent Princess flower atop her heart. The Purah Pad hung safely from her belt. Like Link, she wore her best pants and boots for travelling, designed for comfort and endurance. She also copied him by pulling the work-gloves over her own fingerless ones, so similar to the ones she’d preferred before the Calamity.
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in Purah’s bedroom mirror as she pulled her Sheikah mask over her mouth and nose. Oh, how shocked the royal court of old would be to see her now. Her hair was so short, only reaching her chin. Not a single Triforce motif to be seen. Although the gloves hid her hands, she knew very well that ink still stained her fingers from all the note taking she’d done on the way here. With her bow and arrows strapped to her back, her Purah Pad in place, her shorn hair and clothes, she would never immediately be singled out as a descendent of Hylia. She looked like a no-nonsense scholar, like an adventurer, a seeker of knowledge.
Just how she liked it.
Zelda stood tall and marched towards Castle Town, walking step by step with Link.
They’d be fine so long as they stuck together.