I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you simply, without problems or pride: I love you in this way because I do not know any other way of loving but this, in which there is no I or you, so intimate that your hand upon my chest is my hand, so intimate that when I fall asleep your eyes close.
- Pablo Neruda
"And then I defeated the White Maned Lynel with only Rito weapons, which is a feat in its self. No offense to Revali or anything, but those weapons are meant to be lightweight, so by result..." I pestered Link to finish my sentence, but it's not like it took all kinds of convincing.
"They were significantly weaker." We were currently on our way to Thyphlo Ruins, as per the request of Link. He was curious about the forest above the Lost Woods, so he felt inclined to go. For once, our horses whinnied in delight, not having to run over grass and loose dirt any longer. Drenan Highlands and beyond were rocky, but never annoying to go to and fro upon. Besides that, these Badlands were home to three different Lynels, which was always useful. As we made our way there, Link and I told each other stories, or rather, I was doing all the talking.
"Exactly!!" I voiced, going back to the topic at hand, "Anyway, where was I? Oh, yeah, Revali told me I did a 'decent, passing' job before we went back to Rito Village. He treated me to chicken, which is bitterly ironic, before I went to sleep on the floor. I got up early the next morning, and he was up waiting for me. With a big scowl on his face, he said, '(Y/N), you stupid girl, you can't leave Rito Village yet! CAWW, you need to wish all the Rito a goodbye.' I spent the entire day saying goodbye to a bunch of people I barely even knew!" I loved Revali to pieces, but I couldn't help but make light fun. I look back upon those early memories, feeling nothing but great pride and joy. I could admit openly that Revali was the closest person I ever had to family. "Is... Revali around by the way?"
From Link's point of view, he stared upward, to see an emotionless Revali. The Rito Warrior stared from me to Link, blasting a quick, "At least she's talking about me!!" That wasn't the only figure the Hero saw, Daruk's spirit floated next to the bird, trying hard not to laugh too hard. Link directed his gaze to me again before he nodded his head.
"You know, I find it so neat that you are able to see them. That's one thing I didn't foresee completely." Link raised an eyebrow, before I went on to explain, "Well, with my Switch, it showed that were only able to see the Champions when you are using their ability. You know, like, Revali's Gale and Daruk's Protection. Interesting, huh? But I guess I can't 'predict' everything right?"
"Well, I don't see them all the time. Sometimes, they just appear to appear." My turn to be curious. As I urged him, however, we eventually came across the first Lynel. Sprinting past, we took an immediate turn up the slope to the ruins. Two dragons were the first to greet us, urging the courageous to continue on. As I tied the horses up, so they wouldn't wander off, the blond gazed into the mud pool. Bubbles of air occasionally would pop ever now and then. Pulling out his Sheikah Slate, he started to use Magnesis.
"Link, there is nothing in this swamp. Trust me, I know." I smiled, walking ahead of him on the bridge, taking a torch in hand, before lighting it. Link didn't move from his spot.
"Then how come I see something." The blond answered, as my eyes ripped open. My pupils dilated, and all I could do was to approach the Hero once more.
"Wait, seriously?! What is it?!"
Link activated the ability, trying his hardest to pull it to the surface. Unlike most metal containers, Link was having trouble with getting the mystery item to the surface, "It's small, and the signal is indicating that something is in its way, but I can probably pull it out if I keep trying." This proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that this item wasn't a sword. I figured it could have been a shield, however, when it resurfaced, something dropped to my stomach. Link placed it in my hands, as my fingers hurriedly attempted to peel one hundred years of mud off. "What it that?"
"My Switch!!!" I panicked.
"That's you Switch?" Link queried, taking a gander at this enigmatic item that he had heard so much about.
"Yeah..." Tears had long brimmed above my eyelashes, but nothing would soon fall. Link, on the other hand, was mildly relieved. Seeing me upset broke his heart, but something deep inside of him reawakened from the past. This feeling reassured him almost that I wasn't leaving Hyrule anytime soon. "Link, why are you smiling?"
"Because we found it. If we give this to Robbie, maybe he can fix it." Lying through his teeth was something I wasn't used to, so I wouldn't know the difference, unless it was about something stupid. I shook my head in resignation.
"No... this can't be fixed. My Switch has been subject to one hundred years of erosion. There is no repairing something that has been so destroyed." In a feeble attempt, I made an effort to turn it on. As luck would have it, it didn't light up. Nothing came from it.
It all came back at me in a flash. The hours had passed me by in very little time. I continued to play even though I could barely keep my eyes open. I opened the map wondering where I should venture next. When I teleported, I must have been messing around near Thyphlo Ruins. And when I fell asleep, my thumb was still on the joystick, resulting in me drowning in the mud. If that was at all the case. Another question came to mind, if my Switch did land in Hyrule after all, then why did the Great Deku Tree lie to me? 'My dear child, I urge you to stay in Korok Forest for a day, so I may remember if I have seen your device; However, I am usually not wrong about these things... I am sorry to say that I was indeed correct the first time, Seer. I do not know the current location of your device. When I try to think on it, my memories are enshrouded by incredible darkness. I apologize again, Seer.'
Darkness... The bog...
"Link..." I voiced, with blood lust in my tone, "The next time you see the Deku Tree, tell him that I'm going to burn him from the trunk upwards!!" My threat made Link flinch a little, as I finally let myself calm down again, "I can't believe he would lie to me... Why didn't he just say that my Switch was destroyed...? That would have saved me from the heart ache." This was the largest blow I had ever received. A devastating feeling encapsulated me, as impending doom and melancholy consumed me. Whether or not this feeling was the pace of molasses, or something closer to the speed of light, was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that the feeling existed. His hand placed itself on my shoulder gingerly.
"(Y/N)..." He didn't say anything else to follow up. The single, soul word, spoke thousands, if not millions. Link showcased great sympathy, not pity. He did his best to comfort me in such a short moment.
"What do we do with it?" I asked, unsure of what to do.
"Hold onto it." Turning to meet his gaze, the blond Hero continued, "Even though it doesn't work anymore, (Y/N), let it light the fire inside your heart." I had been searching tirelessly for my Switch for over a year. Great anguish and grief had controlled my life for so long that the very idea of not finding it ran me into the cornerstone of insanity, however, when I woke from one hundred years of sleep, my goals shifted. Link was right. Hylia sent me here for a reason, and all this Switch represented was my cowardice, and my selfish nature. Finding it, realizing that it was nothing more than a piece of garbage, made me discern from my desire for safety and my duty to the people of Hyrule who have endured much suffering. They are now experiencing the same fear which I held all those years ago. Placing it in my bag, I nodded at Link with a newfound determination in my eyes. Link could have sworn that the pupil of my eyes churned and bristled into small fires.
Lighting the torch once more, we ventured into the dark. Across the bridge, three more torches had made themselves apparent, as I lit each one with care, a hall of dragon bodies surrounded us. Ancient ruins, covered in moss, were carved into the ancient stone. 'Zonai... This place was important to them, somehow...' Though it was dark, Link watched my every movement, curious at the bare minimum. "One hundred years ago, I took it upon myself to study the ancient civilizations of Hyrule. I thought the Zonai may have had an ancient way to return me home. Of course... that didn't happen, but I learned that the Zonai were able to use something close to magic. Of course, this ignited something in me to get home as soon as humanly possible. After all, magic supposedly can do anything and everything, right? Well, I couldn't figure out the best course of action, so I opted to just research." Near the stone dragon's jaw, another unlit torch made itself known to us. Link placed his torch to the never burning twigs, igniting the fire.
We continued forward, lighting the rest of the torches, before an Owl practically smiled upon us. A chest sat right in front, waiting patiently for some traveler to open it. Link took the initiative. Inside was an opal. The light from the flame shined upon the precious stone, before gleaming off in another direction. It sparkled brilliantly in the light, before Link pulled it away. He strutted behind me, before the feeling of stuffing ran through my body. Placed it on top of the Luminous Stone, which glowed from the inside of my bag. After this, we followed the bird's beak. Right, left, then straight.
Soft growling met my ears, stopping me in my tracks. Of course, I didn't stay like that for long, before I ran onto the nearby structure's spine and lit the kindling in the bird statue. Link had joined me, staring around the area as well. Both of our bows were out, and we were stationed opposite of one another. Link took the first and only shot. The arrow didn't dive straight into the animal, only grazing it enough for the animals to retreat. Link straight afterwards attempted to find the lost arrow, as I opened the two nearby chests. One had a single amber inside, but the second had a glowing Star Fragment. As I held it, my eyes sparkled in curiosity and wonder. Despite my belief, the fragment was warm enough to bring me the optimal amount of comfort. It felt as if I was hugging someone I loved after a long day of work. Link watched from a distance, before approaching my figure once again. A single arrow would stay in the tree, for as long as fate intended it to.
Right, left, and another left. Making it to a large tree, I observed the exposed roots. It made an arch above us as we continued. Within and behind the tree, we found ourselves in another group of dragon heads. "What are these here? I haven't seen them anywhere else."
The burial of courage. There were only select places one could find these statues. These glorious statues, which were older than anyone in Hyrule. The dragons seemed so abundant when you were in the right places. Specifically the Faron region and Thyphlo Ruins. However, they couldn't be found anywhere else, unless you counted the carvings in the mazes. The owls of wisdom could only be found where courage stands, besides the mazes. And the boar of power, could only be found in the Faron, destroyed, or forgotten. It was symbolic in a way. Din's Power had long been forgotten to the dust of time, due to the great evil that embodied it. Ganondorf, with his villainous will to destroy, had tarnished Din and her third of the triforce. By those results, the other two parts were also cast aside, embodying the same as Power. They were needed, but by no means wanted.
"I don't know actually. Come on, let's keep moving." We continued onward. Turning a corner, a Sheikah pedestal lit up the area softly, as relief washed onto Link's usually stoic expression. However, I knew better than that. Link matched my emotions, when he realized that the ball was floating in the short distance, moving slightly up and down. Then he realized that it wasn't floating at all, rather the artifact was on something that was moving up and down. Breathing. The inhale and exhale of something big. Obviously, it was a Hinox. "Link, you can get the ball without waking it up." He seemed confused before I went on, "It's hand is on its left. It goes down and then up on its stomach. It's a Hinox habit. Get on his hand, and carefully take the ball off its neck."
"Well, if you're such a know-it-all about it, then why don't you just do it?!" He whisper-yelled, as I stared at him blankly.
"Because you are the Hero of Hyrule, Linky~" That's literally all it took, for Link to make his way over to the Hinox. He had Stasis at the ready, just in case it got up, so hiding would be easier. As he did this, I opted to light all the torches in the area, being quiet to not wake the monster. Link was lifted onto the beast's stomach, before slowly making his way over to the orb. With hesitance, Link grabbed the artifact, and held it close to his chest. He stood up with it in hand, throwing it at a distance. The Hinox didn't wake up. The knight used Revali's Gale unjustly, before landing near the ball. There was something different from the game. Normally, the Hinox wouldn't wake up, before Revali's Gale doesn't make enough noise. However, in actuality, the wind would probably wake anyone up, especially if you are right next to the epicenter. A groan and the open of its single eye, before lifting itself up.
Link immediately shot the monster in the eye, sending it back on the ground. With Royal Claymore in hand, he started to spin, diving the blade deep into the monster's stomach. It screeched, standing up once more. When it was focused on Link, I drew an arrow and shot it in the eye. It landed on the ground once more. Link took the opportunity, climbing up the Hinox's body. He flung himself upward. Before diving his sword into its eye and through its brain. Like that, it died immediately. Smoke filled the air, before it rose up. With great relief, LInk picked up the orb, before placing it in the pedestal's center.
With that, Ketoh Wawai Shrine rose from the ground. When the rumbling ended, Link entered the shrine. I didn't have to wait long for him to come back out. The shrine lit up the area, giving me waves of comfort. I never liked the dark. When Link returned, I motioned for him to follow me. We climbed over the back wall, before continuing to transverse through the dark. To make sure he was following, I held his hand the entire time. "(Y/N), where are we going?" I didn't answer him. Jumping down from the wall, I grabbed him again, walking in a straight line. And just like that, we were out. Link stared left, then right, and after that, he started to scowl. "You're telling me that we went around even though we could have just gone straight?" I nodded.
"It's a shrine challenge, Link. It is kinda supposed to be, you know, 'a challenge.'" I giggled, as he rolled his eyes.