“This is a most grievous event, the destruction of Sorac. Word will have to be sent to Hyrule in order to prevent this from recurring.” said councilmember Jeon, upon hearing the retelling of the events by Oden based upon what the child had said. The councilmember then went on to say, “We will need to send someone to the castle in order to relay this information. Do we have any volunteers?”
In an instant Oden raised his good arm, but Jeon merely shook his head and said, “Though I’ve always enjoyed your enthusiasm Oden, I am sorry that I cannot accept your offer. My old friend, you need your rest… neither of us are as young as we once were, and you still need to have that arm checked out again within a few days.”
Link looked on as his grandfather seemed to be affected by Jeon’s decision, a sadness in his eyes, and then it occurred to him what he should do. He then said, “I would like to volunteer for this task, if you will allow me to.”
Quiet for a moment, the other councilmember’s talked amongst themselves before Jeon said, “We have talked about this, and we have come to a conclusion. We will allow you to do this. You are to set off tomorrow morning, for time is of the essence. We are giving you the rest of the day to prepare for this. The council will now be dismissed.”
Zenith sat upon his makeshift throne, pondering about the upcoming battle when Carock materialized behind him, causing him to say, “You are late, you insolent magician. When I demand your audience, I demand it at the time I specify.”
Carock, upon hearing this, said, “You should not speak to one such as I in such an insolent tone. I have powers beyond your comprehension, and you should show your elders some respect. And on that note, why such spite? Have I not proved myself to you time and time again? You should tr-“
“I should do nothing for you. You serve me, not the other way around. As for why I dislike you, it is simple… I don’t know your reasons in this campaign. Out of all my men, I know they fight for me in order to gain honor and glory, and also to help spread the might of the kingdom of Nadaria. You however, were found in the wilderness, waiting for us, and simply joined our forces. From what I know, you have no gains in this war, and that is why I see you as a threat, for you have no necessity to help us. That is why I dislike you, this is why you need you to follow my commands, and that is also why I don’t simply kill you outright. As much as I hate to admit it, you have proved yourself valuable and that is also why you will be rewarded for your services when this is done. For now, however, I require your abilities so that I may learn more of the past lives of this Hylian known as Link… Is this within your powers, wizard?” said Zenith, cutting Carock off mid-sentence.
Deep in thought, Carock was silent for a moment before saying “You are right… I can see why you distrust me. It is typically wise to never trust one such as I, for we always have our own hidden agendas, though you should in this case. As for your request, I shall grant it.” He then took out a small bowl and filled it with a silver liquid from a flask he pulled out from within his robes. Chanting in some unknown ancient language, he passed his hand over the liquid, causing a mist to rise from it. An image quickly formed on the liquids surface, showing a young infant in it. Clearly exhausted from the endeavor, Carock said in a tired voice “Behold the original Link... the Hero of Time.”
It was early dawn, and Link had nearly finished collecting everything he could possibly need for the trip when his grandfather entered the room. Turning towards him, he was surprised when he saw him holding a blade, shield, and a sack. He placed the items on the bed and then said “Your about to make your mark in the world, my lad. It’s about time you go out and explore, you’ve got an adventure’s spirit in ya, you know. I know I can’t do much, but I can at least give you what I myself used when I was young.”
With that said, Oden placed the sword and shield on the bed, saying “These are made of fine steel, and they aided me many a time when I was a knight in the king’s service years ago.” He then opened the bag, pulling a shirt of chain mail, leather boots and gauntlets, a green tunic, and a matching hat. Oden then said, “Take these. This armor should lessen the impact of most blows, and this tunic is the very one I myself wore when I traveled with my own father when we brought our trade to Holodrum. It’s been passed down through the family for many a generation, and hopefully for many more.”
Link lifted the tunic, staring at it for a moment before saying “Thank you, grandpa, I’ll start wearing it today. I promise to keep it and myself safe until I get back. You can count on it.”
They then embraced in a hug for a moment before his grandfather said “Just come back okay… just do that for me.”
Zenith leaned back against his chair, comprehending all that he had seen within the pool of liquid. It had been nearly eight hours since he had originally begun to look into it, and he was for the moment overwhelmed by the information it had given him. As he looked over, he could see that Carock, who was lying on the ground near him, was clearly exhausted from the endeavor.
Now knowing this, Zenith reached over for a small pitcher and two goblets from a small table beside his throne. Pouring them both with wine, he then offered one to Carock, who, after hesitating for a moment at the gesture, took the goblet and drank deep from it, saying afterwards “That spell requires large amounts of energy to sustain… I doubt I could do much for a day or so.”
“That is okay, for I do not foresee any immediate use for you in the next few days.” replied Zenith, who then sipped from his own goblet. Placing it down beside him, he then said “Before we discuss anything else of major importance… how about something to clear the mind. Would you like to enjoy a civilized game of chess?”