Linked Worlds

Chapter Nine: Time

Night of the First Day

Today is the first day of what seems to be a third journey. How lucky, that I had a spare notebook in my bag. I will be logging events of importance, this seems like something I'll want to remember.

I traveled through time and space involuntarily again, though I suppose that shouldn't surprise me anymore. I've been through five time periods alone today, but it's the inhabitants of those times that are important right now, rather than the places. There are eight of them, two that I had the pleasure of meeting before, and one that seems familiar for reasons I can't place. All of them are past or future reincarnations of me. And each one is named Link.

I thought the goddesses would be more creative in naming their heroes of courage, but I can't say anything about it, after calling myself Young Link for a good portion of the war across eras.

The first two I met are my predecessors, the Chosen Hero of Skyloft and the Hero of Light. I had never heard of the Chosen Hero before now. If there's one thing I can say about him, it's that he's kind. He's one of the only people who are asleep as I write this. He wields the Master Sword, the very sword that stole my childhood. I can't help but be wary because of that, no matter how nice he appears to be.

The Hero of Light was able to shrink in the bedtime stories Saria told me when I couldn't sleep, yet, the stories never mentioned his actual, non-magical height being so...... short. Nonetheless, he saved his home twice, so I'm in no place to judge, especially since I was about as tall as him half of my time in my quest through Hyrule, and most of my time spent in Termina. He doesn't mention his abilities, the shrinking one or the..... splitting one, so I'll keep quiet. They're his secrets to spill, not mine. He has a level head, calm and collected despite the oddities today brought. However, I have a feeling that his demeanor doesn't show a fraction of his real thoughts.

The next we encountered, after being dropped through a strange portal, were the heroes of Legend and Hyrule. The first, the veteran, is quite snarky and sarcastic, with a strong hatred towards pants. He mentioned going on five quests, and doesn't speak any more about them. He's especially harsh towards the captain, whom I met during the war. The one who accompanied him when we first met, appears to be his polar opposite. Shy, humble, jumpy. It's clear that the traveler hero holds no trust for any of us, except perhaps the veteran. He pretends to sleep, but his breathing is uneven and his boots are still on. Prepared to run at any moment.

Much like the traveler, the Hero of the Wild is withdrawn and suspicious of us as well. We met him alongside the Hero of Twilight, the one who I faintly recognize. The Hero of the Wild is an amazing cook. He made some food for the group after we settled down and set up camp. That's actually the only time I saw him smile today, when he was cooking. He only speaks when spoken to, or when it's important. It reminds me of the captain during the war.

The Hero of Twilight..... easier and harder to describe than the others. When we first met today, he looked rather pale and surprised. I suppose I can be a bit intimidating. He lives in a small town, works on a ranch, and has the accent to prove his country background. There's something about him, besides his job and accent, something that reminds me of Malon. There is an uncanny resemblance between all nine of us, but it's far more apparent between he and I. He could pass as my son, if for some reason he needed to. The thing that stands out most to me about him is something I can't quite describe. A feeling, that I've never experienced before, something that makes me feel as if I need to protect him, with my own life if I must.

That's ridiculous though. I don't even know him.

The final two were the ones I had fought in the war with. Toon, now called the sailor, and the one we both considered a big brother, the captain. Toon was given his name due to how expressive he is. I bet the look on his face when he finds out I was Mask is going to be hilarious. We were as thick as thieves back in the war, terrors both on the battlefield and in the camp. I just hope he isn't as frequent of a pranker as he was before.