Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I can’t believe such an impressive landmass can float in the sky.” Purah mused to herself, looking over the view from the top of the stairs to the Temple of Time. The sages joined her side to admire the golden fields, the lakes filled with lily pads, and the towering snowy peaks, all balanced on a few floating islands. “Just when I thought I’d started to figure the Zonai out…”

Zelda placed a hand on her friend’s shoulder, “I’m sure you’ll get there someday, Purah.”

The researcher suddenly rounded on the princess, “That better be a promise to help, Princess, ‘cus if you don’t…” she trailed off, poking Zelda’s chest with her closed fan threateningly to complete the joke. At least, Zelda hoped she was joking. Just as abruptly, Purah turned to Mineru, her fan now pointed at the hulking construct body. “My only other primary source of genuine Zonai history is about to evaporate right before my eyes! Are you sure you can’t stay any longer!?”

Before Mineru could reply to the… overzealous researcher, Zelda laughed awkwardly and pressed her hand down on Purah’s arm, pointing the fan away from the last Zonai. “That’s… not our decision to make. If Mineru wishes to pass on, we have no right to make her stay.”

The researcher deflated and didn’t protest again. The mood was soured for all who were gathered on the Great Sky Isle at the reminder. They hadn’t gone through all the trouble to teleport all six sages, Link, and Purah here for sightseeing, after all.

The silence was broken by the slamming of stone, as the doors to the Temple of Time slid open. Link stood in the doorway and motioned for the rest of the group to come inside, after unlocking the sealed door. Zelda and Mineru’s eyes lingered on his right arm, the sight of Rauru’s gift to the champion sending another wave of melancholy through them. Rauru and Sonia had managed to reverse Zelda’s transformation through that arm, and – from Link’s retelling of that moment – they had tried to reverse his arm along with her, to give him back what had been lost to Ganondorf’s Gloom but had lacked the power to do so. They had to reverse Zelda so far back that they had nothing left to give Link. Zelda had tried to heal him herself, but even with her secret stone’s power, it was simply too far to reverse. To them, the arm was a reminder of who’d they lost, of Rauru’s sacrifice, but neither voiced the thought.

The sages followed Link into the temple, leaving Mineru’s construct by the altar when it was clear the bulky machine would never be able to cross the gap and make it to the viewing platform. Purah stayed behind for just a moment, tinkering with the construct before following after the others. The sight of Hyrule from the walkway was breathtaking and those not used to the view from the sky islands looked on in awe. But eventually, the group made it to the end of the road.

Mineru’s spirit surveyed the land below one last time before addressing everyone present. “Everyone… I am glad I was able to bring you here. I wanted to share this view of Hyrule with you all.”

“I’ve never been this far up, goro!” exclaimed Yunobo.

“Wow… what a sight it is.” Riju breathed.

Tulin scoffed, “Yeah… It’s pretty and all, but it doesn’t compare to the views in Hebra-” he was cut off by Link swiftly nudging him. No one was particularly surprised; the Rito chick saw views like this daily.

As enthusiastic as usual, Sidon added, “Well, for those of us who prefer our feet on the ground, it is truly magnificent!”

Preoccupied with their banter, no one other than Mineru noticed how her spirit body began to splinter, the tiniest flecks of light rising from her form like petals in the breeze. “My time is drawing near.” That got everyone’s attention. “But before I join my people in whatever comes after life, there is one order of business that needs to be discussed.”

She nodded at Purah, who stepped between the sages and delicately placed something on the stone table in the centre of the platform. Mineru’s secret stone still shined with her purple glow, but those present could see it’s power slowly dimming as the last Zonai’s time drew closer.

Zelda spoke, resigned “Once Mineru is… gone, her secret stone will become blank again, ready to be filled with power once more. We must all decide what to do with it.”

Purah sighed, “We can’t just leave it in the Spirit Temple… The survey team got back to me this morning. The seals are broken, and the temple is in disrepair; its not safe. It may be in the Depths, but we can’t risk leaving such a powerful artefact unprotected. The Forgotten Temple is in a similar state and the altars in the other temples are dedicated to the other secret stones.”

“Each of our tribes have somewhere that we keep our heirlooms and sacred valuables, but that still does not guarantee safety.” Riju mused aloud. “If the Yiga could steal the Thunder Helm, they could steal a spare secret stone.”

“We could hide it on a sky island!” suggested Tulin.

Sidon disagreed, “That’s still too risky. Any Rito could find it, and with how quickly the rest of Hyrule is adapting to using Zonai technology, your people won’t be the only ones with access either. It somehow needs to stay out of anyone’s reach.”

“So where do we put it!?” exclaimed Yunobo.

“I think you all are thinking about this problem too linearly.” Mineru spoke up, grasping everyone’s attention. “Perhaps the question isn’t ‘where can we hide the stone?’ but rather ‘who can keep the stone safe?’”

Zelda gasped, “You want us to choose a new Sage of Spirit?!”

“Not necessarily. This new wielder will likely not bare that title. Rather, they will breathe a new power into the secret stone and take on a title that suits them and no other.”

“In that case, I know exactly who deserves the title!” This time, Zelda’s volume was out of excitement, not shock. She strode up to the table and carefully scooped the secret stone into her hands, then turned back to the rest of the sages.

She smiled at Link, as she offered the stone to him.

Link had to admit, he was surprised. For a moment, he just stared at the glowing stone in silence, trying to process exactly what was happening. Zelda could’ve chosen anyone… and she was choosing him? Him? A sage? No, he was just a swordsman, he didn’t wield any magical power unless it was gifted to him by someone else. Well… maybe not just a swordsman, considering his sword of choice was the Master Sword, the blade of evil’s bane, the blade forged by Goddess Hylia herself, the sword with so many titles and wielded by so many heroes its legacy rivalled that of Hyrule itself. He already had an ancient artefact to watch over and wield; it didn’t feel right to be handed another.

He had almost voiced his doubts aloud when Zelda started talking again, “I know that this is a lot to ask after, well, everything, but I can’t think of anyone else who I trust enough to take up the task. Or who would be capable of doing so.” The look in her eyes turned from understanding to adoration. “You’re strong in all the ways that matter, Link. No matter what happens, no matter what Ganon threw at you, you have never once given up on Hyrule. You’ve always fought for us and protected us. And no matter how many times you were beat down, you always rose to the challenge and got back up again. That is what a true hero does. If anything, calling you a Sage is selling you short.”

Link couldn’t help but smile bashfully at the praise. He could feel his cheeks heating up in an embarrassed blush. “Th-thank you.” He mumbled, his voice catching. Even when he was in a chatty mood, the damage to his throat during the Calamity made talking difficult. It had gotten easier over the years, but in moments like this when all the attention was on him, he was painfully aware of the itch at the back of his throat. “But… are you certain I am the best choice? I have no power to enhance, nothing to be the sage of.”

“That’s not necessarily true.” commented Mineru. “I cannot believe someone as accomplished as you has nothing sleeping within you, waiting to be released. Take Zelda for instance; she had no idea she had any control over time until she appeared in my era. Or perhaps you already use your power, but it is so second nature to you that you don’t realise its special.”

Zelda nodded, “And even if you don’t have any magic within you, that isn’t why I am giving you the stone. Yes, it would be nice if you had another tool in your arsenal that could help rebuild Hyrule, but I am offering you the stone because I trust you to protect it. That’s all.” Zelda held out her hands again, the purple jewel glistening in the sunlight. “So, what is your answer?”

Link’s mind was made up. With a fond smile and the slightest bow of his head, he declared, “It would be my honour to accept this secret stone.”

Responding to his words, or perhaps his heart, the stone rose into the air between the princess and her knight. What was left of the purple sheen faded into marble white, like a blank canvas ready to be filled. Link reached out and pressed a scarred finger to the artefact. To the surprise of the onlookers, two colours spread through the secret stone; a sky blue that matched the champion’s tunic Link wore and a forest green, the exact shade fluctuating and never settling. A glowing symbol carved itself across the stone’s glass-like surface, marking the jewel as his. Finally, the stone flew into place at Link’s throat, golden metal materialising around the artefact to create a sturdy choker necklace, as if someone had taken his diamond circlet and resized it to fit his neck exactly, the Zonai secret stone as the centrepiece.

That was the day the Sage of the Wild took his place among his fellow defenders of Hyrule.

~*~

Deep in the groves on Satori Mountain, an unusual-looking spirit snuggled up with his brethren in the shallows of a spring beneath a cherry blossom tree. Unlike the blupees, which resembled rabbits, or the Lord of the Mountain, the leader and caretaker of the spirits, this little spirit appeared in the form of a wolf. The rupolf’s fur was a luminescent blue, matching the blupees so well the rabbits were invisible where they piled on top and burrowed beneath their friend. Light swirls of white trailed over his left side, like terrible scars that were lessened by the spring’s glow. The wolf’s right foreleg had more pronounced claws and was stained black, the effect fading into a gradient at the shoulder. Instead of ears, two antennae that resembled golden laurel leaves were drooped in relaxation. The spirit wolf could have spent all night there…

Then the Purah Pad chimed.

Beneath the cherry blossom tree was a small pile of pouches, belts and the piece of technology that let out a pleasant – but still obviously artificial – beep. Startled, the blupees scattered, leaving the rupolf alone. Well, the break was nice while it lasted… It appeared it was time to get back to work. The wolf gave himself a moment to stretch and shake off the water clinging to his pelt, before trotting up the slope to his gear. The golden circlet around his neck glowed and a forest green aura coated the rupolf, shielding any wandering eyes from the details of the transformation. One moment, a spirit wolf was standing beneath the cherry tree, the next, a short hylian man shook off the lingering sleepiness from his nap amongst the blupees.

By this point in his life, Link was used to multitasking as he strapped his stuff back onto his person - he had mastered the art of navigating his Sheikah-made device whilst he geared up. The ping had been a message from Purah, passing on a request from the monster control crew (as useful as Purah Pads were, the materials needed to craft them were hard to come by, so only the leaders of each settlement in Hyrule had one for the time being, with a few exceptions such as Link himself).

Apparently, some Gerudo merchants needed to get from Central Hyrule to Lurelin Village and the stables south of Lake Hylia, and the bridge was being blocked by a flame gleeok… again. Of course it was that one that needed to be slain again. Link had been putting off dealing with it again, hoping to skip one of the most aggravating fights he had to take on every blood moon, for one cycle. People had been avoiding Lake Hylia ever since that beast had taken up residence there during the Upheaval. Lurelin Village interacted with the rest of Hyrule almost exclusively by water these days because of that thing, but, he supposed, not everyone was willing or able to make the detour. And as Hyrule’s resident hero, it was his job to make sure they got through safely.

Link quickly messaged Purah back, telling her he’d go kill the gleeok and she could send the merchants to the bridge. If they were travelling from Lookout Landing, by the time they reached Lake Hylia, he’d already be long gone with a hundred less arrows and half a dozen powerful materials to add to his collection. With that done, Link changed out of the mystic set, replacing the fluffy garb with his champion’s leathers, his knight’s greaves, and his diamond circlet. With how friendly Link was with the Great Fairies, this combination of gear was his most protective for fights where he didn’t have to protect himself against something specific, while also giving him a small boost to his strength. He’d learned the hard way that unless he was protecting himself from the weather, this was his best bet for challenging a gleeok.

Just as Link was about to teleport to the Lakeside Stable, his ears twitched, picking up a bell-like chime. The hero looked up from the pad to see Lord Satori himself in the middle of the spring, his four red eyes focused on Link.

“A warning before you leave, Sage of the Wild.” The Lord of the Mountain spoke in the ancient language of the fairies and spirits, each syllable a gentle ring that was indecipherable to mere mortals. Unless said mere mortal had the power to understand and immerse themselves in nature, like the Sage of the Wild did. “Ancient powerful forces are at work tonight. Prepare well before you face that blight on our fair land.”

Link channelled his energy through his secret stone and responded in the same language, addressing the minor deity as respectfully as possible. “Thank you for your warning, O great Lord of the Mountain, honourable Satori. I will do whatever is necessary to protect our vast home.”

“Make certain of it.” After the order, the Lord’s voice became gentle, “I sense this is the last time we shall cross paths for many moons. Be safe, Child of the Land.”

It was rare for even the sage to hear such a term of endearment from a minor deity. Touched, Link replied, “I wish you the same, Father of Spirits.”

With that, Lord Satori disappeared in the same flurry of blue lights as his children. Link was reluctant to leave the little bubble of safety at the peak of Mount Satori, but he wasn’t about to break a promise to the spirit that had taken one look at his beast form and had accepted him into his protective embrace. With a tap, Link was standing outside the Utsushok Shrine, the closest to his stable of choice.

After tracking down Beedle and buying every arrow the merchant had in stock, and preparing a few elixirs to store in his pad, Link took his trusty steed Epona out of the stable and set his course for the Bridge of Hylia. Yes, it would probably be faster to teleport to a shrine amongst the sky islands then skydive down to the bridge, but sometimes he missed his more conventional means of traversing Hyrule, like his horses or wandering aimlessly. It was also just… hard to ignore the mare now that he could hear how excited she was to see him, rather than having to guess by her body language and her various neighs and nickers.

Link had been the Sage of the Wild for over a year now and had his new powers for just as long, but as normal as they were to him now, some aspects still tripped him up. He couldn’t turn off his ability to hear nature’s creatures, and only needed to actively use the stone to force his hylian vocal cords to form the sounds of other species. It was difficult to hunt when he could talk to his prey and hear how scared they were. He’d needed a pep talk from a pack of wolves he’d befriended in Akkala to realise that the food chain was just another necessary part of nature and sometimes that heron had to be eaten. The other animals of Hyrule had also mastered the art of guilt-tripping his bleeding heart, canines begging for food and pets while also assaulting him with their best puppy-dog eyes.

Even though he complains about it, he’d still much rather have the ability than not. Animals that, last year, would’ve been spooked and bolted if he so much as breathed wrong, now tolerated and sometimes even welcomed his presence. Bees no longer attacked him now that he could offer up the hive’s favourite plants in exchange for honey. Deer and foxes now joined him by the creek while he filled up his waterskin. Crows were loyal lookouts and scouts if he bribed them with shiny things and seeds. And of course, his horses were more easily tamed and soothed in dangerous situations – and having someone to talk to on long rides was a nice bonus too.

But of course, talking to the creatures of Hyrule was the most mundane of the abilities his secret stone had amplified for him.

As Epona approached the south side of the Bridge of Hylia, Link asked her to wait and dismounted. There it was: lit in the late evening gloom by it’s own glowing scales was the flame gleeok. These days, Link considered himself pretty efficient at slaying every hostile beast in Hyrule, the sky above it, and the Depths, but this singular deformed dragon was the one that gave him the most trouble. He had a personal vendetta against the wannabe hydra.

Ever since he and the sages had defeated Ganondorf, and Hyrule had realised the blood moons were here to stay (Purah had theorised that, even though Ganon had been thoroughly obliterated, his power had influenced the moon for so many millennia that his power was ingrained into Hyrule’s very ecosystem never to be undone), the monster control crew had changed focus from clearing out the last of Ganon’s minions, to relocating them. Zelda had managed to use Link’s observations and talents of not dying to the worst beasts in Hyrule, to study the monsters and figured out various methods to move their camps and favourite spots. Thanks to their efforts, Central Hyrule was almost completely monster-free now, as camps of bokoblins, moblins, Hinoxs and Taluses were lured away to spots they wouldn’t be stumbled upon during the rebuilding effort. Lynels were taking a bit more effort, but thankfully most of them kept away from civilisation for the most part anyway, so they weren’t such a pressing issue. Gleeoks were less of a priority because they were considerably rarer and usually so far out of the way, people had to be looking for trouble to run into one.

All except this one.

This one had decided it liked being an inconvenience to hylians and had made it’s home right in the middle of, not only the only bridge over Lake Hylia, but the only road into southern Hyrule, forcing Link to fight it on a regular basis. Not only had it chosen the worst spot logistics-wise, but it had chosen the worst battlefield out of all it’s brethren – yes, even worse than the circular sky islands in the corners of Hyrule. At least those islands had enough space to move around and had debris to take cover behind. The Bridge of Hylia was too exposed, too narrow and one wrong move would either lead to being thrown into the water below, the trek back to the bridge long enough that it’ll have started to heal itself, or lead to a toasted hero. Link has fought this particular oversized lizard so many times, he’d rather fight all four King Gleeoks, in a row, instead.

But he had people to protect, and eventually felling the beast was quite satisfying, so he should probably get on with it.

Since becoming the Sage of the Wild, he’d figured out a strategy that usually worked quite well, thanks to another power his secret stone amplified. The Rupolf wasn’t the only form he could turn into, even if it was the one that felt the most ‘right’. He could transform into exactly ten bestial shapes, which at first glance, all seemed rather random. However, when he first discovered this ability and shown Zelda in a fit of hyperactive excitement, the scholar had stars in her eyes and immediately began her research. It was rather adorable to watch her flit around her study and steadily growing library like an excitable hummingbird, to such an extent Link hadn’t minded holding countless books and research notes for her. But eventually, Zelda had found the connection between his various forms.

Ancient texts that had somehow survived the Calamity, expanded upon the Age of Myth that, for most of Hyrule, had been reduced to fairy tales. These texts suggested much about the ancient heroes that wasn’t necessarily public knowledge. What Zelda had found (that was relevant), was a bit of text that suggested that each hero ‘possessed the Spirit of the Hero and the Soul of a Beast’. Apparently, the writer was being literal, not metaphorical.

His second power was to take the form of his Beast’s Soul and those of his predecessors.

To start of with, Link transformed into one of his smallest forms, an adorable pink rabbit. His choker had reduced itself to a single golden band, so the intricate design didn’t pull on his fur, and his blue tunic had been altered into a similarly coloured jacket. Usually, Link saved this form for playing with the blupees, but he had also discovered another use for the seemingly defenceless form. The bunny hopped onto the bridge, appearing oblivious to the hulking monstrosity guarding the centre of the structure. Despite noticing the brightly-coloured bunny, the gleeok paid it no mind – the rabbit was too small to be worth hunting and it was so harmless the gleeok didn’t care about it being in his territory. The rabbit just kept hopping, zigzagging across the bridge as it got distracted by the smallest things, until it was at the feet of the monster.

Suddenly, the rabbit was replaced with the hylian champion, who shot all three of the monster’s eyes from point-blank range. And there was the final ability his secret stone amplified; Focus Flurry, Zelda had named it. Mineru had been correct when she guessed that Link had a power that was so second nature to him that he didn’t realise it was special. Before the stone, Link thought his ability to slow down his perception of time at critical moments was just a part of his fighting style, something that anyone could learn if they had put in as much training and dedication as he had. That wasn’t the case. Discovering he had a secret talent for time-related magic… wasn’t actually as surprising as it could’ve been. No wonder he favoured Stasis and Recall amongst all the runes he had access to on his journeys. A year ago, Link had to put himself in danger in order for his adrenaline rush to activate the ability for him, like just barely dodging an enemy attack, or drawing his bow as he hurtled to the ground below. With his secret stone, all he had to do was concentrate. In the time it took for the gleeok to realise the bunny disappeared, all three of it’s eyes had been pierced with arrows tipped in ice chu jelly.

As the beasts’ heads fell to the ground, Link transformed again. Yes, he could take out a weapon and hack at the obvious weak points, but Link hated wasting weapons on this thing and there was nothing more satisfying than sinking his teeth into the monster he despised. This time, he took a form similar to his own soul, except this wolf didn’t resemble the Satori. This wolf had mostly dark fur, with white markings that were too deliberate to be natural. Unlike the rabbit, his scars were present in this form, though they were particularly concentrated on his left foreleg, and didn’t mar his face. His choker had transformed into a pendant on a leather chord that still kept the stone close to his chest.

Dark magic – not as dark as Ganondorf’s magic and not as toxic as the malice and gloom he’d spawned, rather it was magic drawn from the glowing moon in a night sky, the border of day and night; of light and darkness – fuelled this body as the wolf mauled the gleeok. But this wannabe dragon wouldn’t be such a pain if it went down that easily. It recovered, pulling itself back to its feet and prepared to unleash its beams of fire. Link had the perfect transformation for this phase.

The green aura consumed the wolf and when it cleared, Link had both apposable thumbs to work his bow and four hooves to dodge the deadly beams. This form resembled a lynel, if a lynel was a delicate-looking creature that was part deer and part hylian. Zelda’s research led to one of the oldest heroes being associated with a mythical creature called a faun, who resembled a hylian from the torso up, but instead had the four legs of a deer and antlers atop their head. While supposedly peaceful creatures who were friends of all the forest’s creatures, they were also fierce protectors known for their skills in archery. If Link had to choose his second favourite form to become, other than his own Beast Soul, he’d probably choose this one.

To the gleeok’s frustration, Link deftly dodged it’s fiery attacks, raining multiple arrows into the dragon with every successful manoeuvre. Before long, the gleeok let out a pained roar as it slumped on the ground again. Time to switch again!

Like before, Link switched to a form suited for close combat. This form was of a golden-furred fox that was so big, their head was level with Epona’s shoulder. But that was hardly the most usual thing about this fox. Nine tails flared out behind the fox and with a thought, Link could summon a plume of fire to the tip of each one. The fox’s right eye was also strange as it had a milky-white film across his vision, but this would only make the supernatural things he could see through the eye, like the flow of life force and the magic of the world around him, more obvious. Using these abilities was as easy as using the secret stone (which in this form, was a choker once again, but instead of the familiar circlet design, the metal resembled gold and silver plate armour), but right now, Link just wanted to use the sharp teeth and claws that came with his kitsune form. After a few powerful bites and deep slashes, the gleeok suddenly reared up and slapped Link away with a sharp claw, sending him flying off the edge of the bridge towards the water below.

Back before he was named Sage of the Wild, this would’ve been the moment Link panicked. He’d try to glide to the side of the bridge and climb back up, only to be slapped down again, sometimes on fire. But now, Link had a secret weapon. He transformed in mid-air and by the time he hit the water, he was diving in his sleek new form. When he had first discovered this form, he’d been surprised to see just how much he resembled the dragon spirits that wandered the sky and the Depths. This form could have been mistaken for Naydra’s cub if the guardian spirit had fins instead of icy horns. The secret stone would have blended in with the sea serpent’s blue scales, but the stone was cradled between the wings of a pink and yellow butterfly charm strung along a tawny yellow rope. Link used his webbed claws and finned tail to push through the water, until he was on the other side of the bridge, then he leapt out of the water into his next form.

It was a bit disorienting to go from one of his biggest bodies to his very smallest, but the gleeok’s claws had drawn blood and he should heal that while he had a moment. Link’s fairy form looked identical to his hylian form, except for his size, his blue glow and the delicate gossamer wings sprouting from his back. His blood sparkled like glitter, but a small heal spell was all it took to mend the wound on his arm.

To get back up to the bridge, he transformed into one of his most versatile forms. He was quadrupedal once again, his back paws those of a lion and his front legs the talons of an eagle. His secret stone was secured by a red scarf wound around his shoulders. The griffon snapped open his wings and rocketed up above the bridge. The gleeok was still staring at the other side of the bridge, after where it had smacked its opponent just a moment before. Link used the element of surprise to rake his talons over one of the beast’s heads as he landed back on the bridge. The gleeok frantically beat its wings, intending to send Link sprawling across the bridge, but the griffon tucked in his wings and dug his claws into the stone, enduring the storm.

The moment the deformed dragon tired itself out, Link switched back to his hylian form, focused, and shot out the other two eyes. The hydra let out a roar of rage and this time when it flapped its wings, it leapt into the air, preparing to rain hellfire on the bridge. Link wasn’t going to give it the chance. With another green flash, a crimson bird large enough to rival the aerocudas flew after the retreating dragon, the secret stone secured by a leather strap around his chest, rather than his neck. The loftwing, as Zelda’s research had called the sacred bird, was built for speed and aerobatics, so Link quickly overtook the gleeok, buying himself enough time to switch into his largest and most powerful form.

He had to end the fight with a bang, after all!

Link’s body was bathed in green light; his wings turned from feathers to leathery membranes, though they kept a similar silhouette, his tail feathers became a long, scaled tail with a tuft of fluff at the end, his body elongated and he had four limbs once again, each one sporting deadly claws, his beak turned into a fanged snout and a single crystalline horn sprouted from his forehead. The light faded to reveal a dragon with golden scales that darkened to blue then purple over his back and wings. Unlike the dragon spirits of his era, this dragon had a shape that was similar to the monster he was fighting, except Link’s form was much sleeker and lither, the perfect balance of speed and power. His secret stone was held in place by a royal blue scarf looped around the base of his long neck.

The gleeok didn’t seem intimidated by its opponent suddenly matching it in size, instead continuing to charge the gargantuan ball of fire. Link didn’t give it a chance to finish. He channelled his magical energy through his body, his horn glowing blue, and gathered the power of a blizzard in his jaws. However, instead of unleashing it upon his foe, Link dived forward, catching all three of the hydra’s heads in his jaws and bit down, forcing the monster to endure its opposite element. Then, to finish it off, Link flapped his wings and spun, effectively suplexing the monster in midair and throwing it down onto the bridge below with a loud crash. From where Link was hovering, he saw the monster draw its final breath then disintegrate into purple smoke. Satisfied, Link changed back into his hylian form and let gravity and his paraglider deliver him safely to his spoils.

After packing the horns and wings into the Purah Pad, Link assessed his injuries. He’d already healed the wound on his arm and there were a few minor burns on his legs from close calls while he was filling the beast with arrows, that didn’t warrant any healing. Not a perfect run, but certainly not a bad one either. Now… Did he want to watch for those merchants? Or did he want to move on? He couldn’t think of anywhere else he needed to be-

At the north side of the bridge, Link spotted the glow of a torch and the silhouettes of people. Looks like his decision was made for him. Link stretched, then perched himself on the edge of the fountain (or at least what was left of it) as he waited for the merchants. Except… from this distance at this time of night, he couldn’t make out much, but… those didn’t look like Gerudo, or even merchants.

He counted nine figures, eight walking in what seemed like a practiced formation while the last member was riding a horse. Link was certain he knew everyone in Hyrule at this point and he didn’t know of a group of travellers that large with only one steed between them. The figure leading the group was the one holding the torch, so Link could easily see the silver and gold armour he wore, too fancy to be a uniform and not one he recognised. The rest of the group was still bathed in shadows, but Link could spot the glint of metal on all of them; they were heavily armed. These were definitely not the merchants Purah had told him about. Was this a new Yiga trick? Well, there was only one way to find out.

Link took out a large brightbloom seed and dropped it onto the bit of grass by his feet, the large flower spreading light over the entire centre of the bridge. The moment the light flickered into existence, the potential-Yiga froze, some clearly reaching for their weapons. Were they surprised by the sudden light, or had they not known he was there and were being cautious now that they knew they weren’t alone? Link didn’t give himself long to ponder the question before casually waving at them, trying to look as friendly as possible. At that, the group continued walking towards him, all except the one of horseback who rode ahead, coming to a stop only a few feet from Link.

Now lit by the brightbloom, Link could see the man was wearing a green tunic and chainmail, a blue wrap around his waist tied with an orange cord and a wolf pelt draped over his shoulders. He looked to be in his early twenties, but the most intriguing thing about him was the dark markings on his face. They looked so familiar, where had he seen them before-

“Hey there!” The horseman greeted, dismounting the mare, “You didn’ happen ta see the lightshow just now, didja?” He spoke with an accent Link couldn’t place. Was this group from out of Hyrule then? Even now with all the chaos of the Calamity and the Upheaval gone, Hyrule didn’t get many foreign visitors. And a lightshow?-

“Oh, you mean the gleeok!” Link realised. That made sense: all that fire and the glow of his transformations would’ve been seen for miles around now that the sun had fully set. “Yeah, that was me taking care of it. The bridge is safe now, so you and your… family? can cross now.”

He peered over the man’s shoulder as the rest of the group came into the light. He had to be right, these people all looked similar enough for at least some of them to be related, and that would explain why they were dragging along a few kids too. Some of them even had the same fashion-sense, that green tunic must be really popular wherever they’re from.

One of the smaller members of the group – looked about fifteen if Link had to guess, brown hair, green tunic, fancy silver sword with rubies in the hilt jutting over his shoulder – dramatically gasped and ran forward, the picture of excited disbelief, “That was a gleeok?! And you took it down all by yourself!?” His excitement quickly turned to worry, “You’re not hurt, are you?”

Link shrugged, “Nothing that won’t be healed by a good night’s sleep.”

That didn’t seem to help the boy’s worry, “You sure? I can take a look at it for you, if you want? Those things are vicious!”

“You’ve fought one of those things before?” Link asked. He didn’t like the idea of this kid fighting something like that enough times to be that confident he could treat his wounds.

The kid nodded, shuddering at the thought, “My fights were much messier than yours was.”

Another of the group, another teenager who only looked a year or two older than this one, wearing a red tunic and a blue cap, walked forward and put an arm around the younger’s shoulder, “Rulie’s a damn good healer, you should let him take a look.”

‘Rulie’ looked quite flustered at the praise. If they were Yiga, they were much better actors than usual, and they’d learned to give their disguises names. The concern seemed genuine…

“I suppose it is about time to set up camp, the stal-monsters will be coming out soon… Sure, I’ll let you take a look once I’ve cooked up some dinner. I was thinking something with bananas tonight…”

The red teen raised an eyebrow at that, “Bananas? For dinner? You’re kidding, right?” he deadpanned.

And there went the last of Link’s suspicion. He shrugged again, “Learnt a new recipe recently, but if you’re not feeling it, I have plenty of other options. Soups and stews are usually good crowd-pleasers, maybe something along those lines?”

One of the younger kids, he had to be the youngest, a preteen at the oldest, in a blue tunic with a white lobster design and orange trousers, ran forward, “Yes please! If you can cook better than these guys, I’ll eat anything you make!”

Link couldn’t help but laugh at the kid’s enthusiasm; his family had to be pretty bad cooks if just the mention of someone’s cooking got that reaction.

In just a few minutes, Link had set up a campfire and a cooking pot and the rest of this strange family settled around the area. They seemed very practiced at setting up a campsite, all collecting their bedrolls which had been tied to their horse and removing any cumbersome armour or equipment, while keeping their weapons close by. The eldest of the group, the one with strangely familiar facial markings, one eye and the impressive armour, immediately asked about the stal-monsters he mentioned, only removing the armour when Link confirmed that the creatures hadn’t been sited spawning on the bridge since the gleeok moved in.

It wasn’t until the horseman was detacking his mare that Link remembered he rode here on Epona. He took a moment to whistle for her and when she trotted up, proceeded to do the same for her. A few members of the family stared a little too intensely at his steed for his comfort, but the tension was cut when the horseman remarked that the two loyal mares could be related, they looked so similar. Link relaxed at that; he was right after all. Epona didn’t sound worried, she even greeted the other horse like an old friend.

When they were all done, the family finally introduced themselves. The horseman was called Twilight, Rulie had been short for Hyrule, the armoured one was Time, red tunic was Legend and blue tunic was Wind. The rest of them had equally odd names. Warriors was one of the oldest, Link guessed mid-twenties, and had the green tunic, a single pauldron on his left shoulder and a royal blue embroidered scarf. Sky, nineteen maybe? – definitely an adult but the youngest of them – had a white cape with a diamond clasp and a red wrap to go along with his green tunic. The shortest of them all was Four in his multicoloured tunic, although, upon being asked, he was sixteen and not younger than Wind. Finally, there was First, who despite not looking the oldest (mid to late twenties if Link had to guess), carried the aura of someone who was, with how he discussed the safety of the makeshift camp with Time and how the younger ones seemed to look up to him. While he had the same green tunic, the chainmail underneath looked golden, he had a red scarf, a lion-shaped pauldron on his left shoulder and a pendant with a little statue of Hylia strung along it.

Upon asking, First explained that they were all brothers named after their father, so they all went by nicknames instead. That… made a lot of sense, actually. Upon passing out dinner – pumpkin stew – and getting plenty of compliments from the brothers, someone finally asked for his name. They weren’t Yiga, so Link gave it without a fuss.

Only for the entire family to freeze.

“So, I’m guessing you’ve heard of me?” he tried to break the tension.

Wind exploded, almost dropping his bowl, “You’re Link!?”

Hyrule had stars in his eyes, “No wonder you were able to take down a gleeok so easily!”

“And here I thought we’d never find you! Your Hyrule’s too damn big!” complained Legend.

“You were… looking for me?” Link clarified, calmly. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions again, but there was nothing wrong with being cautious.

Warriors immediately saw through him, “Hey, don’t jump to conclusions! Legend didn’t mean anything malicious like whatever you’re thinking.” After a moment, he snapped his fingers, looking as if he figured something out, “We’ve heard about this group, the Yiga Clan? while we were asking around for you. Yeah, no, we’re nothing like them, just let us explain.”

Time took over the explanation, rolling up his sleeve to show Link a symbol on the back of his hand. Three triangles… That was the symbol on the back of Zelda’s hand when she used her sacred power! And part of the symbol of the royal family, and it was on the Master Sword for Hylia’s sake! “We’ve been looking for you, because you share our name, and we think you’re one of us.”

First smiled at Link as he did the same, revealing the same symbol on his own hand, “I didn’t tell you the whole truth earlier; we are brothers, just not in the way we lead you to believe. Rather than brothers of blood, we are brothers of Spirit, the Hero’s Spirit, to be exact. Sky, if you would?”

Sky reached under his white cape and brought out his sword, the Master Sword, pristine and polished as if it had been forged yesterday. Seeing the sacred sword in another person’s hands caused him enough panic that Link grabbed the Purah Pad and took out his version of the sacred blade. The other Links looked on in surprise. It was clearly older than Sky’s and there was a place on the blade towards the hilt where the material seemed to change, where the blade had regenerated itself after Ganondorf’s assault.

Then other things flicked through Link’s mind. The tunics he’d found in the depths, the weapons he’d gone out of his way to cherish and display in his house, the research he and Zelda had done on the Era of Myth.

“You’re… my predecessors?” he muttered, in disbelief.

Before Link could process their reactions, a sudden headache shot through his skull, so violent he couldn’t help but instinctively clap a hand to his head and let out a breathy gasp. A smell had started to waft through the air, the smell of toxins and death: Gloom. Link tried to open his eyes from his pained grimace and his heart dropped as he saw the red wisps floating through the air. His gaze snapped upwards, searching for the moon, until he saw the beacon of sickly red light in the sky.

“A Blood Moon!?” he exclaimed, “T-that’s not possible, its four d-days early!”

“W-what’s a B-Blood Moon?” gasped a shaky voice. Link wasn’t sure who spoke, but it didn’t really matter in the end. He looked back to his predecessors and saw all of them in a similar state to himself. Some were clutching their heads, or completely paralyzed in pain, while some of the others had pushed through the pain with gritted teeth to stand and grab their weapons, staring worriedly at the red mist that continued to choke them all.

Link hated Blood Moons. They’d been bad before when they just resurrected all of Ganon’s creations and gave him a migraine, but since getting his secret stone, this had started happening during each and every one. Something about the Blood Moon seemed to trigger his Beast’s Soul, it made his instincts and senses flare up and until he transformed, he’d be in terrible pain. And he always transformed whether he wanted to or not. Granted, he often wanted to because the bad effects would instantly disappear upon transforming, but he couldn’t do that this time. He was sitting with nine other heroes, none of whom seemed to know what a Blood Moon was or what danger they were in.

After all, they had made camp right on the gleeok’s grave.

Link forced himself to his feet and screamed at the other heroes, “Leave everything and run! The gleeok! E-every monster in Hyrule is, is being revived!”

That sprung those that could move into action, but no one ran. Instead, weapons were grabbed, and armour was shakily strapped on.

Warriors stumbled up to Link, grabbing the other’s shoulder to keep him upright. Was it just Link, or were Warriors’ pupils contracted into slits? Were his teeth that sharp a minute ago? “How long do we have until it appears? Where exactly will it appear?”

“At midnight, when the moon reaches its peak.” Link forced himself not to pause or stutter as his headache spiked. “It’ll appear right where we’re standing.”

Link didn’t blame Warriors for the string of curses that followed.

“We can’t all get off the bridge before midnight! We’ll have to fight it when it appears!” Time called out, as he secured the last of his armour. Some of the heroes still hadn’t moved. Even if they didn’t have to help each other walk, they’d never get off the bridge in time. Why were they being affected so badly? Link was the only person he knew that had such a reaction to the Blood Moon and it was only because of the Beast’s Soul-

Link added to Warriors, “The pain should fade when the Gloom does, a few minutes after midnight. If its too much, transform! That’ll get rid of it!”

That got everyone’s attention. Everyone seemed to know what Link was talking about and yet, there was a hint of confusion as they glanced at each other, as if they were confused how everyone else knew what Link was talking about. Did… did no one else know that the Hero’s Spirit was tied to the Beast’s Soul? That they all shared something else in common?

Dammit! There was no time to analyse that little revelation!

There was a look of determination in the captain’s eyes, then he turned to Twilight, who’d been tacking up his Epona, “Secure everything we need out of the way to Epona then send her off the bridge!” Twilight nodded and the others followed to help. Warriors left to help gather their stuff and Link tacked up his Epona, knowing not all their supplies would fit on Twilight’s mare.

As they worked, Link shouted out the strategy for taking down his era’s gleeoks, after realising that even those who had fought the enemies before (Hyrule, Legend and Wind apparently), might not know how to fight his gleeoks. Shoot the three eyes until it slumped to the ground, keep attacking the eyes. Repeat until phase two. Phase two: it’s going to fly up, get on its level and take out the eyes again, gravity will do the rest. Be careful of beams of fire, fire balls and one massive fireball at the end. Try not to get blown off your feet by its wings.

By the time the Gloom flared, and the Blood Moon hit proper, both Eponas were safely through the south gatehouse. Everything faded to black as the moon reached its peak.

~*~

Link hated passing out during the Blood Moon, but that’s what happened when he held off the transformation too long. At least his instincts were sharp; he woke up completely alert, facing the danger with his teeth bared.

The gleeok looked so much bigger in his rupolf form. You’d think he’d be used to this thing towering over him, considering his first strategy was to use a defenceless bunny to get up close, but something about the panic he’d been in for the last few minutes and the lack of ways to escape, made fear flare up within him.

Suddenly, an arrow had pierced through the beast’s left eye. Only one of his forms was capable of holding a bow. Link followed the trajectory of the next arrow and saw Four, already readying another arrow. The form of a faun suited the small hero, his deer half giving him some height while still making the hero look delicate. Of course, even though Link had only spent a few hours chatting with the smallest hero, he knew that was just a façade and that he was just as powerful as the rest of them, demonstrated now by the vicious precision of every arrow as he danced around the gleeok’s fiery beams. The only thing that seemed off about the form was the fact that four antlers, rather than the regular two, crowned Four’s head.

The beast slumped down and, before Link could even think of pouncing on his prey, another wolf beat him to it. Now he knew why the markings on Twilight’s face looked so familiar. He’d seen them on an old companion and in his own reflection when he was transformed into the twilit wolf. Twilight didn’t have the same scars covering his left side as Link did, there was one that wrapped around his upper leg like a band, and another peeking out beneath the shackle around the wolf’s ankle. Twilight was clearly used to the form as he tore at the gleeok, light on his paws and knowing exactly how to get the best use of his fangs and claws. That same lightness helped him dodge out of the way once the monster recovered.

However, before Four could begin his rain of arrows again, two roars cut through the night air. The heroes watched as two draconic beasts flanked each side of the bridge, the gleeok between them. The two must’ve been knocked off the bridge during the transformation, or knowing how large their other forms were, they chose to dive off the edge to make sure they didn’t harm the smaller heroes, as their scales were glossy with water. On the west side of the bridge, the sea serpent was clinging to the bridge by wrapping his flexible body and tail around one of the supports and digging his webbed claws into the stone. On the east side, the ice dragon flapped his massive wings to keep him in mid-air. What surprised Link was the colour of their scales. The sea serpent was mostly blue, like Link’s form, but he had plenty of red and orange accents, particularly on his fins. The ice dragon had green as his main scale colour before the fade into royal blue that matched the scarf still wound around his neck.

As one, the two dragons breathed a concentrated storm of ice or water at the gleeok. The monster roared as its weakness was exposed and slumped under the assault. The dragons roared in triumph and Link heard two distinct voices among the noise.

“Hell yeah! That’ll teach ya ta pick on someone your own size!” roared Wind, his fins flaring.

“Is that all you’ve got asshole!?” Warriors did a loop in the air, high on adrenaline.

This time when the monster fell, Link didn’t let himself get distracted and dove in to help. This time, three beasts leapt forward to maul the gleeok. Wait, three? Link spared a glance and saw the kitsune by his side. Like the others, his form didn’t match Link’s exactly. A scar sliced across the kitsune’s right eye, and he kept the milky-white eye closed. There were also markings surrounding the eye, two red slits on the cheek and a blue sword tip on his forehead. Link had no idea Time of all people could be so violent, as he bit and clawed at the gleeok, but then again, none of the heroes looked like they had the Soul of a Beast.

So distracted by his musings, Link didn’t initially notice the gleeok getting up. He definitely noticed when a beam of fire burnt his gut, the force of the hit sending him flying backwards. A cacophony of anguished noises followed as the heroes saw him take the hit, but the most distinct were two almost identical barks of “Cub!”

Link rolled to a stop and tried not to whimper as the wound burned. He’d never been wounded in his rupolf form before – in some of his other forms, yes, but never this one. He wasn’t even sure how this form, which acted a lot like the spirits it resembled, could be hurt this bad. His limp body was nudged gently, so that he wasn’t lying on the wound, and he felt rather than saw the wolf and the kitsune standing protectively over him. Then something light landed on his nose. Link cracked open his eyes to see a tiny Hyrule petting his snout. The fairy was glowing green, and his matching wings shimmered as the aura of healing magic surrounded the rupolf. Like the fairies Link met at the various fairy fountains scattered across the land, Hyrule also had two fluffy feather-like antennae sprouting from his head, the same green as his glow and wings. The burning disappeared and the wound closed, still sore but at least he wasn’t bleeding anymore. No wonder the others had praised his talent for healing!

Link tried to push himself to his feet, but he was pushed back down again with a disapproving huff. Twilight’s voice echoed in Link’s head as the twilit wolf grumbled at him, “Rest a moment, Cub, that was a heavy hit. Time has hidden us; you don’t have to worry about the monster.”

“Hidden us?” Link repeated, trying to look around without dislodging Hyrule from where he was still perched on his nose. It took a moment, but he noticed that the three beasts were surrounded by a wall of blue flames that looked translucent. He could see the fight beyond the flames (Wind and Warriors were showering the gleeok again) as if he was looking through moving glass.

Twilight sat down and curled around him comfortingly, whilst Time bent down and nosed at the rapidly healing scar, checking Hyrule’s progress. He quietly explained, “A kitsune’s flames have many uses. Right now, I am using them to create an illusion. We are completely invisible to anyone outside the flames.” Huh, Link didn’t know that. Something to try later, he supposed. Seemingly satisfied with Hyrule’s work, Time thanked him and lay down on Link’s other side.

Link felt so… safe between the other heroes, but he didn’t want to leave the others to fend for themselves. They could clearly handle themselves, but it still left a bitter taste in his mouth. Then his reason to dive back in appeared, or rather disappeared. Before their eyes, the last of the Gloom floating through the air evaporated.

“We can change back now.” Link pointed out, “I’m sure some of the others would rather know sooner than later.”

Time’s head suddenly shot up, worry in his rumbling, “Warriors’ form is limited by his internal magic. Someone needs to tell him before he falls out of the sky.”

“And the pink bunny would probably like to know he can turn back into a hylian.” pointed out Hyrule.

“Its about damn time!” a familiar voice rang out. The cuddle pile had only a moment to look for the pink bunny in the red jacket at the gleeok’s feet, before it transformed back into Legend, who used the surprise to stick another arrow into another eye.

Instead of slumping down again, the gleeok decided it had enough and flew into the sky for phase two. Time let down the illusion as the heroes quickly gathered together, everyone becoming hylian once more now that they were able.

Warriors turned to Link, “You said we needed someone to get up there and shoot out its eyes one last time?”

Link nodded, “Before it charges up the fireball and incinerates us.”

First spoke up, “Sky and I can fly up there, but we’ll probably only be able to fire one arrow each before we need to transform again. Someone can climb on my back, but I can’t guarantee I’ll catch you after.”

“You don’t need to worry about a passenger; I’ll fly up with you. The rest of you get clear so you don’t die from raining monster parts.”

Before anyone could point out that wolves couldn’t fly and ask how exactly Link planned on getting up there, Link took on Sky’s loftwing form and leapt into the air. They’d already spent too much time talking, if they wanted to kill it before it rained hellfire on them, they needed to act now.

After a moment, two more heroes joined him in the air. The two loftwings would’ve been identical if not for the sailcloth tied securely around Sky’s chest and a purple beaded bracelet on one of his talons. First’s griffon form was larger than Link’s and bronze armour protected his wing bones without hindering his ability to fly. The three beasts quickly reached the same altitude as the gleeok and transformed back into their hylian forms in three bursts of light. As one, the heroes plucked their bows off their backs and shot the beast through its eyes for the final time. With a pained wail, the gleeok fell to the bridge below and splintered apart into the usual spoils. The rest of the heroes watched as Link and Sky used their paraglider and sailcloth to descend safely while First spread his wings again and glided down.

“Not bad teamwork for our first dark world fight!” complimented Four as the heroes regrouped. While no one else had been injured as severely as Link had been, many of the others had minor burns here or there that required a few gulps of an elixir (or potion? That’s what they were calling what looked like a hearty elixir) that they were passing around, “That could’ve gone a lot worse.”

Sky hummed inquisitively, “What do you mean ‘dark world’?”

Instead of Four, Legend answered, “We were all forced to transform. Were we not in this era’s dark world just now?” He was twisting a lock of pink hair around his fingers, clearly agitated that the rosy hue had spread to the rest of his once blonde hair.

“No, I don’t know anything about a dark world.” spoke up Link, as he shoved the last of the gleeok’s horns into the Purah Pad. “That’s just what happens during a Blood Moon. We didn’t go anywhere, the Gloom just got really intense. And it’s not like I need Ganondorf’s help to shift anyway…”

“Wait, then, how’d you guys transform!?” Legend exclaimed, as if his brain just registered Link, Sky and First’s final flight, “You lot can do it freely!?”

“You can’t!?” Link replied, shocked.

Legend huffed in irritation, “Why would I want to become a defenceless little bunny?”

“Well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I prefer having full control of all my abilities, whether they’re useful or not.” Time commented.

“Oh yeah?! Then how do you do it, Old Man!”

The smallest mischievous smile lit up Time’s face as he reached into a pouch on his back and brought out a mask. It was the same bright gold as his kitsune’s fur and it certainly depicted a fox, but it lacked any of Time’s facial markings or his scar. Just holding the mask had an effect on the man, as nine golden tails poofed into existence behind him with a burst of red flame, startling the veteran.

“Impressive,” commented Link. He was tempted to get a closer look at the artefact. Could any of them use another’s artefact to transform? Could Link partially transform like that? Now he was curious!

“What’s impressive is what you did just now.” First took control of the conversation, his tone curious as he spoke directly to Link, “None of us expected you to copy Sky’s form like that. I wasn’t aware it was possible for one of us to have multiple forms that we can switch between freely.”

“Well, I don’t, not really… I’m just copying your forms.” Link deflected. He indicated his choker and the artefact woven into the golden accessory, “This is a secret stone. It amplifies the user’s innate abilities. I’m still testing its limits, but I’d probably just have my wolf form without it.”

Instantly, Wind rushed up to Link’s side, a ball of pure excitement, “Woah! That’s so cool! I wish my form was that easy!”

“Huh? Then how do you do it, sailor?” asked Twilight.

Wind turned bright red and mumbled something about “It don’t taste that good…” before digging into his pouch and pulling out an oddly marked pear.

That seemed to be the cue for everyone to reveal their own methods. Most of the group also had an artefact disguised as an accessory, like Twilight’s shadow crystal pendant, Four’s dark mirror shard necklace and Sky’s form-shift stone bracelet. Apparently, Hyrule, Warriors and First could just… shift at will. Hyrule could perform a spell as long as he had the magic and Warriors had to use something called his Focus Spirit to change, but according to First, he just did it, no magic required. Link was still turning that nugget of information over in his mind as the heroes finally got off that damn bridge and travelled to the Lakeside Stable so they could try to rest in relative peace.

Sometime later, the rest of the chain would remember to present Sky’s Master Sword to Link so that Fi could tell him his nickname. Sometime later, the newly christened Wild would get a bunch of frantic messages from the leaders of Hyrule about the early Blood Moon. Sometime later, the chain would explain to their final member about the portals and the monsters with black blood and the shadow.

But for now, the heroes snuggled up to their newest brother, content to sleep after a gruelling fight.

Chapter Text

Choosing each beast form took sooooooo long! Some of them were really obvious, some had too many options and others didn't have any. I was constantly changing my mind even as I finally said fuck it and started writing. I wanted each form to fit each member of the Chain personality-wise, symbolically, reflect any important relationships within the Chain, while also making each form useful in isolation as well as part of a team. I also wanted each Link to be familiar with their own form, so I had to come up with methods for them all to freely transform during their adventures.

First

So... First. What do you mean he's not part of the chain? Look, he's right there!

I may or may not have gotten a tad obsessed with this guy. There needs to be more First content and I'll be adding to it when I have more time to sit down and write. I have three more ideas for fics in this universe and one of them is going to be First-centric. It'll explain why he's not dead, some headcannons about his era and why his method of transforming is a little out of the ordinary. I based his appearance on @ovegakart design, mainly in their Doll AU (link below) but also in their other First sketches, so go check them out, he's so pretty and my bare bones description doesn't do the design justice!

https://www.tumblr.com/ovegakart/710514384400678912/the-chain-travels-to-travelers-hyrule-and-he?source=share

As for his form, originally the griffon was one of my options for Wild, but then I got into First content and realised this man is associated with lions and loftwings. Lions and birds. A griffon is part lion, part eagle. It practically writes itself! As for other symbolism, this probably only makes sense in my head but I'm going to try and explain it anyway. Maybe its because I'm in the wrong fandoms, but I don't see many depictions of griffons in media. When I imagine griffons, I think of modern logos and medieval coats-of-arms, this fierce beast reduced to a symbol, nothing more. First was thrown in jail for years and then was forced to fight for the people who put him in there, a proud warrior discarded then dragged into a war and forced to be a symbol of hope for Hyrule. I'll probably explain it better in the fic I want to write.

Sky

Sky was kinda obvious. I briefly considered making him a remlit, but I wanted one member of the chain to be the agile, speedy flier and who better than the Hero of the Sky! So I'm gonna talk about his method of transforming. The Silent Realms are the closest thing SS has to a dark world so, the Form-Shift bracelet I gave him replaces the hookshots he gets in the Lanaryu Silent Realm. He can fly now and he has the beetle and the whip for retrieving items at a distance/ranged weapons, so that change shouldn't impact him too much. The bracelet looks and acts like a Time-shift stone but it turns Sky into a copy of his loftwing instead of affecting time. He still has his loftwing, if anything getting the bracelet made them closer! They can go flying together now :)

Four

Four was a tough one. At first I couldn't think of anything for him, but then I came across fauns during my research. Most depictions of fauns make them closer to satyrs, with only two legs, but I saw some artwork of a faun drawn centaur-style and I knew I had to give that form to one member of the chain. I wanted to make at least one member horse-like because of Epona, but I already had other ideas for the four Links usually associated with her. But then I remembered the levels in FSA where the Colours get horses. Add the mental image of Four carefully putting a Minish Village on his back to ferry his friends out of danger and the idea stuck. (also, for some reason, Four strikes me as the Link who would be the most appreciative of having access to apposable thumbs. Don't ask me why.)

Time

I could've just given Time his Golden Wolf form, but personally I think the kitsune/keaton form suits him better. He's often depicted with the mask, like in Hyrule Warriors, Time's fae-like personality (being simultaneously the oldest and well-respected and infinitely young and mischievous) suits the kitsune well, being more magically inclined than other Links and the magic flames etc. Plus different myths say different things about what the number of tails means, sometimes each tail represents every 50 years the kitsune has lived, sometimes its 100, sometimes it just represents power. I imagine each era has different myths about it which only adds to the rest of the Chain's confusion about how old Time is. Plus, kitsune are shapeshifters so it explains Time's affinity for transformation masks and his spirit form being different from his beast form - Time was mirroring Twilight while he was teaching him.

Legend

Legend actually does have a method for changing shape - one of his 'cursed' rings, he just doesn't like his rabbit form so he doesn't use it. I struggled to find a use for the bunny, which is why I've given him the ability to be functionally invisible to powerful enemies for sneak attacks.

Hyrule

It would've been sacrilege if I made Hyrule anything else. His fairy form just fits him so well and he gets to join his predecessor in the smol club. It doesn't really fit the idea of a BEAST form, but... in this AU, beast form also means 'what you become in the dark world/when dark magic surrounds you', the beast forms are kind of like armour against dark magic which is why everyone transforms during the Blood Moon, to protect themselves. Hyrule's fae magic becomes his armour and wards off evil.

Twilight

Twilight was also obvious. The only notable thing is that Twi gets to keep all the twili magic that Midna was using during their adventure. In my head, Time, Twi and Wild are a family of celestial beasts, Time being the sun, Twi being the moon and Wild being the stars and they each get magic that represents that. I'll definitely explore that and more in the fic I want to write about the three of them.

Wind

Before his adventure, Wind would've been a seagull, but the moment he truly chose to be a hero (probably once he saved Aryll and had an excuse to put down the sword, but chose not to) he became a sea serpent. Yes, his method of transforming is eating a hyoi pear. Wind has definitely eaten a hyoi pear before just because he wanted to know what it tasted like. In canon it probably just tasted weird, but in this AU it turned him into a sea serpent. Tetra and her crew were very confused when a dragon just appeared on their ship. That was a weird day. I love depictions of Wind that show he's a competent pirate, so his form represents what's beneath his young appearance; a terror of the seas. I also wanted Wind to be draconic so that I could tie him to Warriors, alluding to the bond they formed during the War of Eras. That's one of the other fic ideas I have. I'd include Time in this dynamic visually but he's already got his wolf family going on.

Warriors

Speaking of Warriors, I love how this fandom looked at him and simultaneously decided that he's a dragon/phoenix/equivalent. And I agree, Warriors is a dragon, no arguments there. Maybe its because he's the only Link whose had a non-heroic character trait become an actual plot point. Seriously, can you name another moment in the series like Cia using Warriors' arrogance over the newly-drawn Master Sword, where a Link's flaw has been highlighted so blatantly? I can't. European style dragons are usually associated with greed, arrogance and power, which is pretty fitting and why I ask. I made him an ice dragon because I imagine Warriors having a rivalry with Volga; Ice dragon vs Fire dragon. Also the scarf. Can't forget the scarf.

I was looking around for inspiration on what Warriors/Wild's dragon forms would look like when I came across this post. He's so pretty! I love him! I tried to describe him as best I could, but I just didn't do it justice so go look at this beautiful boy! https://sarcastic-sketches.tumblr.com/post/183321548385/another-sketch-page-of-dragonlink-where-mipha

Wild

And finally, Wild. He has sooooooo many options it's ridiculous. I went through griffons, dragons, fauns, centaurs, pegasi - all good options, but I wanted to connect him to Time and Twi because I will die on the Wild is Twi's descendant headcannon. Even as I started writing, I was going back and forth between a wolf and a fox, to the point I genuinely don't remember why I went for the wolf in the end. I eventually decided on making whatever he was a Satori, to truly connect Wild with nature, after discovering @sapphicseasapphire Chain as Cryptids AU. It's so good, they're so creative and talented, check it out here: https://www.tumblr.com/sapphicseasapphire/738433865286369281/no-thoughts-just-cryptid-wild?source=share