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sapphicseasapphire · 3 months

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Ravio my beloved!! I have some lore to share! I’m sorry if I’m repeating myself but I want to make sure I have everything together! I’m very heavily considering throwing Ravio in with the rest of the Cryptid Chain since 1) he’s my little guy and 2) he’s a Link, right??? Technically?? Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing him included in the adventure!

Anyway, yeah. Lore under the cut! (This one gets rough so be warned. Blood and gore and violence against children)

Ravio was born to a small pod of Mer that lived in Lorule’s sea. He was always such a happy child, excitedly babbling about everything he could see, playing with his friends, swimming freely under the watchful eyes of his family.

(Pods of Mer are very close. While they are not all blood related, they’re very close! It’s pretty communal: for example, Ravio had parents but was raised by every adult in the pod. While he didn’t have any siblings, the other children were all basically his brothers and sisters. In such a tight knit community, trust is very important. It’s one of the things that makes the Mer so strong).

Since Mer are 100% aquatic and never leave the ocean, they were oblivious to the horrors that had taken place in the land of Lorule. Years ago, their Triforce had been destroyed, which corrupted everything that resided there. Aquili, being amphibious, were affected by this. While most of them were in the ocean at the moment of the Triforce’s destruction, those that were on land were overcome by evil, transforming into horrible monsters that would come to be known as Ku. These Ku were ruthless, attacking everything in sight, both on land and in the sea.

As the years passed, their numbers grew, along with the surge of other monsters that plagued the land. Lorule fell to ruin, but the ocean remained lively. Of course, it became dangerous with even more monsters. In this world, instead of turning against each other, the Mer and the remaining Aquili issued a truce, agreeing to work together to fend off their common enemy.

Ravio’s pod was part of the alliance, but he was too young to remember it. Back then, all that mattered to him was his parents, his friends, and collecting little trinkets to play with. Children were sheltered from such issues, and while Ravio grew up in the throws of war, he never looked the enemy in the eye. Aquili didn’t often visit his pod- if they did, they met with the adults. Ravio never met any. Even with his life upturned by the Ku and other monsters, he never knew bloodshed or violence.

He was only five years old when that changed.

It was a quiet night, peaceful, no different from any other. He slept soundly in his father’s arms, a soft kelp doll snug in his hands. He was sleeping so deeply that he didn’t wake when the screaming started. He didn’t wake when his father’s arms tightened around him. He didn’t even wake when the scent of bloody water met his little nose.

No, what woke him was when he was suddenly thrown into open water. In an instant, the arms that held him were gone. His little pocket of warmth and comfort, gone. His father had thrown him. The force of it ripped his doll out of his tiny hands and his eyes snapped open instinctively.

At the time, he didn’t comprehend what he was seeing. But when he’d remember that night years later, he’d wish he’d kept his eyes closed.

The water was cloudy and red, and smelled like iron and sick. Screams rung out from all sides, horrible and aching. And in front of him was his father… and a Ku biting into his shoulder. Ravio’s father flailed in the open water, and the plumes of red coming from where the monster’s mouth had closed around his flesh only got darker and darker.

The beast did not let go.

He met his father’s eyes. Eyes that were pleading, begging, screaming for him to get out of here.

Red.

Ravio was frozen.

And he watched as more Ku swam to the scene, all of them bloodied. Their eyes were crazed, their minds warped by a corruption that Ravio was too young to understand. They swarmed the area, and two more grabbed his father. The child, frozen as he was by fear, could only watch as they tore him to shreds.

He watched his father die at the hands of the Ku, and then he watched as those crazed eyes fell upon him.

They stalked closer, slowly, as if they knew they could take their time. Ravio choked on the bloody water, his eyes burning with tears as he watched their approach. They were going to kill him. He was going to die, just like his father, just like the rest of his pod, and there was nothing he could do about it.

A clawed hand grabbed him by his tail and he screamed.

Red.

He was pulled forward, claws tearing his flesh, and the five year old was helpless to stop it.

Red.

A monstrous face loomed above him, the clouded water doing little to hide the jagged teeth and crazed eyes of his attacker. Ravio cried out and squeezed his eyes shut tight, squirming in its grasp-

Red. Red, red, red-

Before he could feel the bite of those awful teeth, the Ku above him let out an awful scream and released him. Ravio screamed again as the claws were torn from his tail, but he opened his eyes just in time to see the beast under attack. By now, the Ku was far enough away from him that the murkiness of the water blurred any details, but he’d recognize that silhouette anywhere: it was his mother. His mother, tearing at the Ku with nothing but her fists. His mother, bathed in bloody water. His mother, injured and exhausted and winning.

The Ku went down after one hell of a fight, and when it was over, Ravio’s mother was looking worse for wear. But she weakly made her way over to him, urgency in her eyes. Ravio cried as she pressed a kiss to his little forehead. He clung to her- and she held him. But only for a moment.

She looked between his injured tail and his pale, terrified face. And then she brushed his hair out of his eyes and leaned in close.

“It’s going to be okay, Ravio,” she had said, and even though her voice trembled, he believed her. “You’re going to be okay.”

Ravio could say nothing in response, choking back sobs as she held him.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against the top of his head. “I’m so sorry, baby. I need you to listen. Can you do that for me? Are you listening?”

Ravio nodded against her chest, still unable to speak.

“I love you, Ravio. I love you so much.” She squeezed him closer. “And when I tell you to, I need you to swim away as fast as you can. Do you hear me? As fast as you can. Don’t stop for anything.”

And that’s when she let go of him.

“Mama,” he sobbed, and she hesitated before she turned to face the remaining Ku. There were tears in her eyes as she swam upward, her shadow falling protectively over her son.

“I love you,” she said one more time, “Now go. Go, Ravio. Now!”

And then the Ku were upon her.

Red.

Little Ravio turned and fled the scene, swimming as fast as his injured tail could take him. He swam through little tunnels in the rock and coral, ensuring that the bulky Ku would not be able to follow him. He swam until the water was clear of blood, until he could see the rippled patterns in the sand at the bottom of the seafloor, until the sun’s light filtered in through the waves above.

He was in shallower water than he’d ever been in before.

His tail had stopped bleeding at some point in the night, but it was painful. He could not keep going forever. And where… where was he supposed to go? Back to his pod?

Ravio did not stop swimming. He was tired. He was hurt. And he was confused. Later, he’d admit that he didn’t comprehend what he had seen. He fully expected his parents to appear out of clear water and take him home. He didn’t understand that they were gone… he’d never known death before that point.

Well. His parents did not appear. Neither did anyone else from his pod.

His mother had told him to keep going. To not stop for anything. And so, he continued. His heart racing in his chest, he swam on. He didn’t know how long he was swimming for. The water got shallower and shallower until he blinked and suddenly he could touch the bottom of the sea floor with his little hands.

Ravio’s wide eyes scanned the Surface. There were no monsters with jagged teeth and sharp claws and bulky bodies. No clouds of red. No screaming. The small child lifted his head above the water, holding his breath, and was greeted with the soothing sounds of waves crashing against the shoreline.

The ocean wasn’t safe. Not anymore.

And so, with trembling arms, Ravio pulled himself onto the beach. The sunlight directly on his skin was uncomfortable, and the sand was rough against his scales. He coughed water from his gills and wheezed as burning air entered his lungs. For several minutes, Ravio’s entire body was seething in pain. He desperately gasped for air that hurt to breathe, and his skin burned as it dried.

But once the initial discomfort passed, he felt… numb. Screaming echoed in his ears. The scent of blood lingered in his nose. When he closed his eyes, he saw his father’s desperation. His mother’s sacrifice. He saw them die, over and over again.

Red.

That’s when the tears started anew. And goddesses, when they started, they didn’t stop. His body heaved with sobs, his throat aching and his face slick with tears. He sat and cried for what felt like hours, but even looking back on it, he has no idea how long it truly was. Only that at some point, a curious sound caught his attention.

It was like the click of two rocks coming together underwater, but higher pitched. Melodic. It reminded him of his pod’s songs. And as he looked down to find the source of such a sound, ge was surprised to see a small Surface creature.

Ravio, being a small child, had never seen Shrface creatures before, so he had no way of knowing that what sat beside him was a “bird.” Only that it was tinier than he was and looked just as lost as he did.

He named the bird Sheerow, and he would become Ravio’s closest friend. A companion, a guide, a light in the dark. An anchor to cling to as his world crumbled around him.

They would be inseparable from that point onward.

. . .

Ravio would go on to become quite the figure in Lorule! He was discovered living in the woods by a local blacksmith, who brought him to the castle. (A strange child in the forest? Forests that are overtaken by monsters? Suspicious).

But the king determined that he was no monster, and sent him to live with the blacksmith and his wife. He never ventured back into the ocean- he never had the luxury of soaking in salt water. No, he stayed firmly on the ground where it was safe, even if the blacksmith and his wife could never be his family. He barely ever left their house until he was eleven, and even then he’d only go to the castle and back.

For years, he and Sheerow would frequent the castle, having deemed it one of the few safe places they knew of. They’d make deliveries for the smith, then stay a little longer just to talk to the princess. Hilda would be queen one day, and Ravio knew that she’d do anything to aid her suffering kingdom.

Anything.

Ravio never quite trusted her.

Her eyes were Red.

He was seventeen years old when his distrust for Her Highness was validated. After her father’s death, she rose to the throne and her desperation to help her people became palpable. She’d made a mistake in trusting a vile man named Yuga, and sought to steal another world’s Triforce in order to bring peace back to their own. Ravio, knowing the damage that this would cause to that other world, was against this idea wholeheartedly. And when Princess Hilda decided to go through with her plan, Ravio knew he couldn’t stick around.

He couldn’t stand idly by and witness another massacre.

But he couldn’t fight. No matter how hard he tried, he could not raise a sword against his princess. He couldn’t stomach the sight of an arrow or the sound of a bomb’s fuse. The thought if such violence brought him right back to the ocean, bloody water, screaming from every direction.

In the end, Ravio was too much of a coward to fight on his own. And so, he set out to find someone that could help him. He took all of his supplies and stole a relic from the castle, a bracelet that allowed him to slip into the second dimension and crawl through the cracks between worlds.

He found himself in a land called Hyrule, having emerged from the walls of a sanctuary. And that’s where he found a boy his age garbed in green and unconscious on the ground. Ravio rushed over, and upon determining that he was alive and well, he took him to his own house.

Well… what would have been his house if he had been in Lorule. He’s not in Lorule anymore.

He’s…. A long way from home.

. . .

Some notes!

• Okay I know that my description of that massacre was really bad but Ravio’s memories of that night are EXTREMELY hazy. He was literally five years old. Details are lost, but he remembers that feeling. He still has nightmares about it.

• Whenever Ravio feels unsafe or uncomfortable in any way for any reason, he says “Red.” A topic of conversation that makes him uncomfortable? Red. Just saw something that kind of messed him up (monsters, aggression, etc)? Red. Woke up from a nightmare? Red. This usually lets people that he needs some space/needs comfort. He’s VERY vocal about when he needs a break. We’re proud of him.

• My guy’s so against violence of any kind. He’s NOT a fighter. He’s clever enough that if he finds himself in a dangerous situation, he’s usually able to talk his way out of it. If he’s not able to talk his way out? He has a boyfriend that’s more than happy to do violence.

• Going off of that last point, Ravio goes to Legend for everything. I know I said he’s against violence, but if it’s an actually dangerous situation, Ravio gets Legend immediately. He’s more than happy to provide Legend with the weapons and tools he’d need to win- he’s not about to watch Legend get hurt on his behalf. But Legend’s not about to let anyone mess with Ravio for any reason

• Unless Ravio scammed them

• But he won’t let Ravio get hurt

• Legend’s so gay for him but it’s a big secret shhhhh don’t tell anybody (everybody knows).

• Also Legend’s very protective over him. Ledge has a pretty icy demeanor but the moment Ravio says “Red,” all bets are off. Hugs. Cuddles. No one is allowed to judge him for how soft he gets around Ravio. Also if anyone ever tries to harm him, they will meet the business end of his sword.

• For as protective as Legnd is of Ravio, Ravio is JUST as protective over Legend. Legend is not nearly as… eh, we’ll say emotionally aware as Ravio is. If something upsets him, he doesn’t simply take a step back and say a safe word. Legend is a fighter, and that often means bottling things up until they explode. While Ravio is against fighting, he’s not against confrontation. Even if Legend is too worried about being perceived as weak for telling someone he’s upset, Ravio just seems to… know. And he’s not afraid to tell whoever upset him to back off. Or if he upset him, he’s not afraid to apologize and give him space. If no one in particular has upset Legend (just… hero stuff. Missing Marin. The pressure of saving the world over and over again. Those kinds of things have a way of getting to people), then Ravio is the first to take Legend into his arms and just hold him.

• Ravio is the only person that Legend will let hold him without any complaint. Not even a half hearted attempt to argue. Ravio opens his arms and Legend just falls in and curls up.

• This is sweet and all but they definitely still banter and argue and stuff (mostly lightheartedly). What I said before in this post about Legend calling Ravio his roommate and “little rat” is still true. He likes Ravio but you’re not supposed to just KNOW THAT. He’s! Big scary Hero of Legend!! Untouchable!!! Strong!!! This rat man cannot crack his tough exterior!!! (Ravio calls him Mr. Hero and gives him a cool bracelet one (1) time and he’s head over heels)

• For more information about that war, I made this post a while back!

• I’ll talk about this more in Legend’s origin, but it is FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG for Mer to have to live on land. Like it’s killing them slowly. Especially Ravio, who doesn’t have the opportunity to soak as often as he should and hasn’t been in the ocean since he was five years old. Ravio’s first time back in the ocean happens much later, with Legend. And he’s terrified. He has some… not so great memories, and Legend understands that. Ravio and Legend are both fearful of Aquili and even other Mer soldiers. But honestly? The biggest thing he’s afraid of about going back into the ocean? Is that Sheerow can’t follow him.

• Emotional support bird. More effective than you’d think. Rav and Sheerow are absolutely inseparable.

This is…. Incredibly long. Let me know if you have any questions! I’m happy to talk about my little guys. (Seriously, I think Ravio is my second favorite after Sky).

#the legend of zelda #chain as cryptids au #my art #fanart #CAC origins #we’re not gonna talk about how this is longer than the other three origin posts combined #sapphire rambles way too long #tw blood #tw violence #albw ravio #was this too much?#I’m sorry if it was too much #it’s just that Ravio is my little guy so I have to hurt him #that’s just the rules #cac art #cryptid legend #cryptid ravio #links meet au

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skyward-floored · 6 months

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Whumptober Day 22: Glass shard, “Watch out!”

Folks I’m ngl, this one is very intense. The first bit is the worst, but the end is kinda creepy too, and overall it’s just bad times, so uh, you know. There’s your warning. Per usual, if you think this needs more warnings, please tell me :)

Read on ao3

Warnings: see above, canonical character death (...sort of) blood, significant injury, brief mention of vomit, and creepy vibes

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Somehow he knows it’s over.

His breath is coming short in his chest, blood dripping through his fingers as he tries to hold it in from too many injuries to count. The Master Sword was knocked from his grip ages ago, and he’s not sure what happened to his shield.

Something moves in the corner of his eyes, but there’s blood on his forehead and he moves too slow, Navi’s chime frantic in his ears.

“Watch out!” she shrieks, but Link can’t move fast enough, can barely breathe anymore, and when the huge sword cleaves his chest, he knows it is over.

He doesn’t know if it’s him or Navi who screams, or Zelda maybe, wherever she is. All he’s really aware of is the white hot agony ripping into him, the yellow eyes that stare into his, Ganon’s face upturning in a wild grin when he realizes what he’s accomplished.

A bellowing laugh of victory blots out any other noise, any cry Link might make as Ganon raises him into the air, still impaled on his weapon. His vision goes white at the edges as Ganon lets him hang there, and he knows he screams when the blade is ripped from his chest, dropping him to the ground with a sickening noise.

There’s a desperate wail he thinks comes from Navi, but all there is is light and sound and shattered glass beneath his broken body, only spilling more of his blood onto the floor.

You failed, his mind whispers, even as his eyes flicker and Navi wails again. You failed.

Something warm is spilling from his mouth, his chest, pooling rapidly beneath him. There is a new voice now, shouting something that makes bright lights appear in the edges of his vision, and he tries to turn to them, but can’t.

Zelda, his mind whispers. Trying to fix your mistakes.

He closes his eyes, grief and shame and horrific pain so intense that he can’t handle the weight of them. Something in his chest moves when he breathes, something that’s not supposed to, and it joins the rest of the agony pounding through him, breaking him into pieces like the shattered glass beneath him.

He wants to go home.

A cough bubbles out of his chest, something thick on his tongue, and wings suddenly brush his face.

“Link,” Navi sobs as she nearly falls onto his cheek, clutching at him with tiny hands, “Link no, I’m so sorry, I was s-supposed to protect you—”

Link lets out a sound somewhere between a cough and a sob, and Navi cries, her tears falling to his cheek like glowing snowflakes. He wants to reassure her, gently cup her in his palm, but he knows it’s the end.

Nothing can save him now.

Zelda’s voice sounds choked as it echoes along with six others, almost like she’s holding back tears. Ganon suddenly screams, and Link feels the tiniest wave of hope as his senses desert him, his ruined body failing.

He hopes that Zelda and the sages will take care of Ganon, that they’ll stop him, seal him, won’t let him destroy the kingdom more than Link has already allowed him to.

But he’ll never know for sure.

Link takes in one last gurgling breath, blood almost stopping him from breathing his last. Navi holds him tighter, and Link exhales, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth as his body falls still.

His fairy’s sob is the last thing he hears as his world disappears into nothing but velvety darkness.

—And Time bolts upright with a choked off scream before he even fully realizes what’s happening.

Images swirl in his head with such dizzying clarity he can’t focus on any of them. Blood and weapons, blue and yellow, stairs and music and the booming laugh that haunted his nightmares as a child—

Time clutches his chest, gasping in a shaking breath. He feels sick, horribly sick, phantom pain slicing into his stomach, terror sinking its freezing claws into him. Sweat pours down his face as the laugh echoes in his ears again, a shrill scream, and he tries desperately to reassure himself it wasn’t real.

That’s not how his fight against Ganon had happened. It wasn’t, he was fine, but his heart was pounding and his lungs were still straining like they couldn’t get in enough air—

(A trident, ripping through his chest, choking on blood, too much, too much—)

Time gags, and someone’s hand lands on his shoulder as he vomits into the grass, holding him steady while they wait for him to stop.

He finally catches his breath, head spinning, stomach still unsettled. The emotions from the dream sharply linger, failure and hopelessness and a fear so intense that Time is nearly sick again. The hand on his shoulder squeezes, and he finally looks up, meeting Warriors’ worried blue eyes.

The captain doesn’t say anything at first. But he hands Time a cloth to wipe his face, and steadies him when he gets to his feet, legs still trembling.

Warriors leads him to the fire, and Time sits down, forcing the shaking in his body to still. But it’s impossible, not when he can still hear Navi’s shriek ringing in his ears, feel blood pouring down his chin. Ganon’s triumphant laugh booms in his ears for the third time, and Time hunches down in his seat, mind unwillingly going through every single detail of the dream.

Just like he has for the past half a week.

The detail of the dream has increased each time he’s had it, but tonight’s was the worst yet. Time clutches at his forehead as his head pounds, and lightly rubs the bridge of his nose.

Nightmares rarely effect him to such a degree, but this... this time it had felt real.

What’s happening to me?

Warriors sits next to him without a word moments later, holding a water skin. A scarf settles around his shoulders, and Time nearly gives in to the childish desire to bury his face in it, hands still shaking.

“Time, are you... well?” Warriors asks finally, his voice gentle and worried.

Time sips the water he’s been given to give himself more time to reply, and lowers the skin with a quiet swallow.

“It’s not a sickness,” he croaks finally, hating how shaky the words come out. “I know it’s not. It’s...”

(Navi crying, Ganon’s roar, the rich tones of an organ as tears fall down his cheeks—)

He shudders.

“It’s the same dream. Every night,” he whispers. “Exactly the same, only they’re getting... worse. More real.”

He doesn’t explain what happens in the dream, but Warriors doesn’t push, instead staying silent as he thinks for a moment.

“Every night?” he asks finally, voice soft and worried.

“Tonight was the fourth in a row.”

Warriors goes silent again, the crease on his forehead deepening.

“Something must be going on,” he says finally, firelight shimmering off of the embroidery on his scarf. “Things like this... they’re very rarely a coincidence.”

“I know,” Time whispers, voice still terribly small. “This... this isn’t natural.”

“Could this be the work of the enemy?” Warriors muses, staring at the fire. “A spell? A curse?”

Time shakes his head, feeling at a loss. He knows the feel of curses, and the dreams don’t feel like that. They have more of a... heft to them, like anticipation before a battle, or the pressure before a rainstorm.

They feel more like the nightmares he had as a child, visions of Ganondorf’s attack, leading up to the day he left the forest. There’s a weight to these dreams, one that boasts of nothing good in store for their group.

But Time doesn’t voice any of this. Warriors doesn’t need yet another thing to stress about.

And besides, perhaps I’m wrong.

So instead of saying anything further, Time silently rests his head on his brother’s shoulder, scarf still warming his arms, and listens to the sound of his breathing, steady and strong.

He misses the look Warriors gives him, and at some point, falls back asleep, a hand carding through his hair.

(...)

The dreams don’t stop, their violence and clarity only getting more intense.

The others are aware something is wrong now, Time waking them all up with a bloodcurdling scream the very next night. They discuss ideas, but nobody has a clue what’s going on, what’s affecting him so deeply. Time sees several of them having conversations out of his earshot that day, furtive glances cast his direction, but he pretends he doesn’t notice.

If they want to talk about him behind his back, so be it.

They all generally give him space at night, but with the repeated nightmares, now his boys have take to sleeping much closer. And when Time wakes up heaving for breath, someone is inevitably there to calm him down.

After a week goes by with no relief, Time admits to Warriors and Twilight, quietly, what his nightmare consists of, in hopes it will aid in solving this. All it really does is make Warriors’ face twice as concerned when he wakes him from a nightmare, and Twilight’s eyes hold a nervousness when he looks at him now, like he’s afraid his dream might suddenly become reality.

Time debates not sleeping to escape the nightmare as it continues to plague him. He’s barely getting any rest anyway, he might as well skip sleep entirely.

He’s had plenty of practice, after all.

But after three nights of no rest, the others put a stop to it, several of them nearly shouting at him they’re so worried. Time nearly yells back, but he stops himself at the last moment, weariness settling upon him.

He does want to sleep. Desperately. But he can’t so much as close his eyes without the nightmare creeping up on him, blood and screams and pain pain pain—

Staying awake is almost more restful.

The others gang up on him that night though, and bury him in a pile of limbs and blankets, Wind settling himself right by his head. Time falls asleep feeling hopeful for once, but he still wakes up with a scream later that night, and Wind ends up calming him down as he tries not to sob.

He feels even worse after that (it’s not Wind’s job to comfort him, it should never be—), and pointedly moves himself away from the others at night, in hopes they’ll get the hint.

They don’t, really. In fact, they pointedly ignore it and continue to sleep by him, even when he wakes up thrashing and sick and nearly gives Hyrule a black eye one night with how frantically he’s moving.

He knows they only want to help, but he only feels like more and more of a problem.

They go through a portal and end up in Legend’s era, and Time wonders if the nightmares will stop with the changing of location. But if anything they get even worse, starting earlier in the fight, each slice in his skin burning when he wakes. He’s barely sleeping now, the shadows under his eyes nearly as obvious as the tattoos on his face.

No matter what he does, he can’t seem to break the grip of the nightmare, and he’s becoming a liability, slow in traveling, clumsy in fighting. They try everything to help him, healing, potions, magic— they even visit a doctor in a town they stop at, but he can’t tell them anything they don’t already know.

Time even writes to Malon about them, desperate to get his thoughts out to someone who understands, but he folds it up and doesn’t send the letter in the end, finding himself veering into questions even he doesn’t want answers to.

Has it finally been too much? All of what’s happened to me? he wonders as he tries his hardest not to cry in Warriors’ arms one night after the nightmare.

Am I going insane?

With the amount of sleep he’s been getting as of late, he wouldn’t even be surprised.

They make tracks for Legend’s house, hopeful that a real bed for Time to sleep in will help somehow. Legend also has a vast amount of magic objects and items, and he seems hopeful that at least a few have a chance of helping him.

And if not... well, perhaps the Zelda of this time will have some ideas.

But the night before they’re set to reach Legend’s house, weeks— has it truly been weeks? A month?— after the nightmares start, something finally changes.

Ganon stabs him and he breathes his last, Navi sobbing as Zelda and the sages desperately seal the beast away. He fades into darkness, simultaneously light and heavy, warm and cold, and knows without a shadow of a doubt that he’s dead.

But the dream flickers here.

It’s as if an impossible amount of time goes by, and yet equally mere seconds, and the darkness falls over him again.

It seems to last for an eternity, wrapped around him, coating him in its hold as it intensifies, and suddenly Time is aware this is a dream, and snaps to sharp attention, looking around at the void.

It’s pure black, deeper even than the night sky, and Time feels his heart speed up at the suffocating thickness of it.

He’s not injured anymore. In fact, he’s himself, not the version of him that fought Ganon all those years ago, and Time stares, looking frantically around at the void.

Why hasn’t he woken up? Why is he aware, for once, that this is merely a dream?

Why is it continuing?

He doesn’t have long to ponder this, as the darkness parts eventually to show a room, stone walls, stone floor. Time has only just begun to study it when a noise hits his ears and he turns, watching in horror as a body falls to the ground, bloodied and broken.

Something moves out of the shadows and grabs the body’s face, and Time squints, trying to make out both the body and the figure shrouded in darkness.

But he can’t make out any features, the room too dark, dream too uncertain and wavering. Time feels something tense inside of him as he makes out the three gouges that mar the body’s chest, and tries even harder to see the other figure as well.

All he can make out are robes swishing over feet, in a color almost as dark as the room.

The figure studying the body finally lets out a quiet chuckle, leaning back as a hand caresses a chin.

“Oh I’ve waited a long time for this,” the figure hisses in a voice that seems as if it could be familiar, and drops the head none too gently, blood still spilling to the floor.

Darkness suddenly snakes from the figure and trickles towards the body, thick and unnatural. Time has the urge to grab the body and pull it out of the way, but he’s unable to do anything but watch in horror and disgust as the darkness reaches the body, wrapping around it like only tentacles, holding it tight. It seeps into the countless wounds, and the figure lets out a laugh as the body gives a full-body shudder.

The figure straightens suddenly, standing up from where it had kneeled beside the previously very much dead body. Something moves by the figure’s face, and suddenly it falls to the ground, robes rippling as it collapses onto the floor with a very, very faint moan.

But whatever had moved by the face stays up, floating somehow, and bobbing very faintly up and down.

Time feels the slow horror he’d been experiencing suddenly increase, familiarity freezing him like a blast from an ice rod at the sight of the dark shape floating in front of him.

He knows what it is. He’s sure he does, but his mind won’t even let him entertain it.

It can’t be.

The hovering shape turns slowly to the bloody body on the ground, then floats almost leisurely towards it, watching as the tendrils of darkness continue to weave through and around it. The body gives another shudder, and the thing suddenly slips down and latches on to the body’s face.

Time can only watch in horror as the body’s back arches, like it’s trying to fight back, even just a little, but then it goes unnaturally still again.

Then it sits up almost calmly, facing away from Time as it looks at its hands and feet. The body gets to its feet then, shuddering slightly as more blood drips off of it and falls to the floor.

Time wants to look away, but he can’t, all he can do is continue to watch in absolute horror as the body straightens, dusting off its ragged tunic, brushing a hand entwined with darkness over the injuries gouged in its chest.

“I’ve always wondered what this body would be like,” a voice muses, even more terrifyingly familiar, and Time sees a flicker of yellowy-orange eyes. “And now I’ve finally got my chance. How fun.”

The yellow eyes turn and stare directly at him, framed by a heart-shaped mask.

“Isn’t that right, Hero of Time?”

And the dream shatters, Time jerking awake with a name and a scream on his lips.

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