The Origin of a Champion

Chapter 22- Moving On

At the sound of the explosion, Link, Impa, and Purah jumped up in great alarm, their pointed ears perked. They all knew exactly where the noise came from, and exactly what had caused it. And worst of all, who was guaranteed to be caught in its blast. None of them needed an explanation, and no questions were asked. They all immediately ran out the door, hardly thinking straight. Link felt a horrible pit in his stomach, and couldn't even imagine what was going through Impa and Purah's heads at the moment.

When they arrived at the sight of the explosion, it was a sight that made them all feel horribly sick. The whole building was engulfed in flames, yet due to the many Skeikah villagers frantically throwing buckets full of water from the little river that ran through the village, the fires slowly died down. The three grief stricken kids felt no strength in their legs, so they fell to the ground on their knees, watching the heartbreaking scene play out.

Tears unconsciously streamed down their faces, but they were too shocked to make a noise or speak. After around an hour, the fire dissipated completely, leaving the surrounding area in a haunting silence. The entire village was wide awake, staring mournfully at the burnt remains of the once proud standing laboratory. As the twilight sky shifted into darker colors of the night, the villagers slowly walked away back to their houses. Many of them gave the three children sorrowful looks, but they decided to give them their space as they all shuffled away quietly.

Impa was the first to speak, her voice sounding terribly shaky, "I-I'm so, so s-sorry." She couldn't think of anything else to say because of her shock, and the fact her body shook from the sobs she tried to desperately keep silent.

"They, they c-can't be go-gone-" Purah stuttered, but just shook her head while she cried after her voice cracked. Link felt like his heart shattered, once again. In his opinion, one of the saddest sounds is the sound of someone's voice cracking when they're about to cry.

Impa moved closer to Purah and wrapped her arms around her sister to offer whatever comfort she could. Purah buried her head into her chest, loudly sobbing and hiccuping in her sister's embrace. Impa cried softly, still shaking all over. She did her best to restrict her crying, not for shame of crying, for she had none. Impa felt with her parents passing to be her sister's only guardian left, and Impa wanted to appear as strong as she could for Purah's sake. So she leaned her head on Purah's shoulder, and tightened her arms around her.

Link felt absolutely devastated. What seemed to be one of the proudest days of his life turned out to be one of the saddest and hurtful. It was like losing his parents all over again. As he watched his dear friends mourn, it brought back the painful memories of losing his own parents. The sight and recollection tore open the old wounds of his past that he had tried to heal and mend in the last few years.

He had grown so attached to Cato and Akilah, the only people in Hyrule who offered him their home after the loss of his own. They opened their arms to him so generously and lovingly close to two years ago. And he had only grown more attached to them, even considered them his second set of parents. The devoted Sheikah couple taught Link lessons he couldn't have learned anywhere else. Cato guided him and trained him, revealing to him techniques and skills only a Sheikah warrior could. Akilah inspired him, with her kindness and sweet tone, always seeking to learn and teach others around her. They might not have been his parents by blood, but they were by bond.

And now they were gone forever.

Link wiped some of the hot tears off his cheek, stood up, and walked up next to Impa and Purah who were still embraced while they wept. He sat down in the cool grass and did his best to engulf his two 'sisters' in a reassuring hug, just like the way they hugged him in the same consoling manner when he first came to their doorstep after the loss of Alvar and Zarya. He felt his wall break as a sob escaped him when he sensed Impa's strong arm bringing him into their group hug.