Shadows of the Broken Realm - A Breath of the Wild Fan-Fiction

Chapter XXX

Looking at his mentor with sudden intrigue, Arwyn replied, "Zora's Domain? Really? That doesn't seem like it'd be a good place to hide out."

Glyder shrugged. "They're hiding in plain sight. Most people would think that their relations with the Zora are shattered, so no one would suspect to find them there."

"Right... Who told you this? About them being in Zora's Domain?"

"The empress of Kakariko herself, Impa. Why do you need to know?" Glyder wondered. He looked at his partner attentively, his eyes attempting to coax him into rapidly spitting out the answer.

Arwyn cleared his throat. He hesitated and bit his upper lip, but then responded with, "Just trying to wrap this idea around my head. I don't want us to fail again."

Glyder nodded in agreement. "I understand, more than anybody I understand that. But you'll just have to trust me on this. I know I'm right." He looked over at Arwyn again with the same attentive stare but then turned to blindly gaze at the road ahead.

Arwyn mumbled something unintelligible under his breath, but it can be easily assumed that he merely stated "okay". An uncertainty weighed heavily on his mind, and he could not shake the feeling that his partner was setting both of them up for disaster again. The path going forward was foggy, not knowing what he would decide to do.

The riders had left the valley and passed Kakariko Bridge in silence. Suddenly, Arwyn pulled the reins on his horse and stopped at the crossroads. Glyder stopped just a little ways ahead and began to trot slowly back toward him, his face emitting confusion.

"What are you doing? We still have a long way to go before we get to Zora's Domain." He asked Arwyn.

Chuckling to himself, he looked at Glyder with an irritated expression. "I can see through your lies. Stop with the bullshit and tell me where they actually are."

"I don't follow what you're getting at. We don't have time for this." He glared at his partner, squinting his eyes with skepticism.

"Exactly. We don't need to waste our time with going someplace that we don't know they're going to be without absolute certainty."

"You're being... psychotic. I-I... I know that I'm right on this. I know it." Glyder knew that he was stuttering, but he had hoped that it wouldn't expose his deception.

Arwyn ran a hand through his hair and sighed with uneasiness. With a monotone voice, he said, "She didn't tell you to go to Zora's Domain. You suspect that she would lie to protect their true location, but is it of this woman's nature to lie, even if it involves the royals?"

"You weren't there. You weren't there when her attitude suddenly shifted when I asked her."

Glyder added, "She wants me to fail. I know it. She said they were at Mount Lanayru, but I don't believe that. She's still protecting them by lying to me."

"Mount Lanayru? It sounds like an extent that they've already gone to when they went to the Hebra mountains, so what makes you think they wouldn't just go that route again?"

"And why specifically do you think they'd be at Zora's Domain, other than to subvert expectations? Are you pinpointing where they are going only by your assumptions? Or do you have actual knowledge of their location?"

"Enough." Glyder moaned as he palmed his face. "It has always been assumptions and rumors ever since this has started, and now it has worsened with lies and riddles. I am doing the best I can, so don't complain to me if my beliefs seem questionable to you."

Arwyn glared solemnly and declared, "If that's how you're going to handle it, then so be it. If you don't find them, then I will."

"Excuse me? Do you really think you can handle the targets by yourself?"

"Hell yes. I *will* go to Mount Lanayru, even if they're not there, even if it kills me in the process, I will not bear witness to you screwing yourself over again."

Glyder scoffed at him. "You're making a big mistake, Arwyn. You can't do this to me, not now, not ever. Do you understand me?" Glyder carried a threatening tone to his voice, but it did not phase Arwyn, rather, he thought it was amusing.

"What's wrong, Glyder? My departure from your ill-ridden path might just prove that I'm the better bounty hunter. Are you afraid?"

Ignoring the typical cockiness that comes out of Arwyn's mouth, he focused on the main annoyance at hand with one last cry of desperation. "Don't do this, you fool! It ain't going to go the way you think!"

Arwyn only smirked in response and saluted Glyder farewell before he ran off on his horse over the bridge and back to Kakariko again.

Glyder groaned and winced in anger, pulling at his hair. As he continued to express his frustration, a faint poof emitted under the noise and an instantly recognizable voice followed it.

The voice softly spoke, "This shift is quite drastic, an interesting way to rupture the tides indeed. The question is- how will it impact you moving forward? What will you take from it, and what will you learn from it?"

"It's you. We shouldn't really have these visits be so frequent, especially when I know that these aren't social visits." Glyder said this as he dismounted his horse and turned around to meet his surprise visitor. Sure enough, it was Astrapyre, the assassin that had saved him and Arwyn a couple of days prior.

She acknowledged his response with a nod and the crinkle of her eyes, but she quickly changed her posture and expression to represent seriousness.

"Of course I'm not simply here to socialize or to replace your recently departed partner, alas, I am here to question your next move, as it will be greatly judged by me and the entirety of my clan."

"I understand. My choice is still the same, despite my ward's rebellion."

Astrapyre raised an eyebrow to his reply. "Are you absolutely certain about that? It could be a grave mistake."

"I'm well aware of that. If I fail, I'll just keep chasing them, and I will find them."

"That is a nice gesture to assure us, but I'm afraid I'll have to correct you."

"Excuse me?" The aggression in his voice began to come back. Astrapyre was not intimidated.

"If you fail again, we're going to take over. If your shortcomings continue, we'll have no choice but to eradicate our arrangement."

"It would be a shame. My leader really wants to meet you." She spoke solemnly and lowered her eyes. She remained silent, allowing Glyder to speak his statement.

"I won't fail. And I desire to meet him too, and to know you who you truly are as well."

Glyder bit his upper lip and took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to say.

"I get... this feeling... this feeling of familiarity and... comfort. You feel like someone I used to know, and I only wish to know why."

Astrapyre came closer to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "I am sorry that you feel that way. If I was such a person to you, I would've never kept it a secret. One day though, maybe, you'll find out who we are, and... who I am."

She suddenly gripped Glyder's shoulder tighter, making him feel slightly uncomfortable. "Now, for the sake of your own success and for the sake of us not having to right your wrongs, please... do not fail this time."

Releasing her hand from his shoulder, Astrapyre backed away from him. Before she could disappear, Glyder tried to reassure her, "I won't fail. I won't.".

She smiled behind her mask as she teleported away, vanishing from sight. He watched the smoke quickly dissipate.

As the sky became a pale orange, Glyder soon realized it was the dawn of a new day, and with him being at the center of a crossroads, he would decide soon what path he would take that would hopefully lead to the fateful finish of his journey.