A Hero's Spirit: Echoes in Time

Chapter 2: Mystery in the Mist

A/N: What's this? An update?! More likely than you may think! A 7.1k word chapter for you all! I hope you're looking forward to Arcadius' meeting the Chain! I've had their basic first interaction planned out since I first started this story. I hope you're all as entertained by it as I am!

Fanart is always welcome. You can reach out to me through Discord or e-mail me at aizawa@email.com

(Also, we finally meet the ghosts of the Chain. :) Hope you're ready for some fun!)

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"Well now... Here's a face I haven't seen for quite some time." A familiar wizened voice echoed around them as they stepped out of the Shrine. A gentle dusting of snow covered the area around them—the majority of the snowfall was kept at bay by the magic of the woods. Seeing as they were still in the middle of winter, it made sense. The snow wouldn't start letting up until the end of February—around the time of the Hero's Festival.

"I'll never get used to the strangeness that follows you." Yatir blinked up at the Great Deku Tree before his attention was snatched away by Hestu shaking his maracas. "Never."

Link snorted in amusement as he strolled across the clearing to place a hand on the tree's bark. "It's good to see you, old friend."

"It is curious..." The tree hummed. While Link had spent a good deal of time around the Koroks and the Great Deku Tree even after Ganon's sealing, the tree had been asleep for a good portion of it. "You feel... strange."

"I'm a spirit now." Link informed him. He watched in a sort of morbid fascination as the tree flinched back in surprise, hard enough that several koroks fell from his branches along with a fair dusting of snow. Link let several icicles fall through him as Yatir irritably dodged whatever aimed to hit him. "I... did not survive sealing away Calamity Ganon."

The tree eyed him for a long moment, gaze flitting over the spaces where his fellow spirits stood. He distantly wondered if the Deku Tree could see them. "I see... This is something I cannot say I am entirely unfamiliar with. However, it is the first time I have seen a hero become a spirit as strongly anchored to the living as you."

"You mean there've been other ghosts?" Link took an involuntary step forward. "Ones that could interact with the living?"

"There was one..." The tree hummed. "A hero who had many regrets upon his death, who stayed as a shade to guide the hero that came after him. He was the hero who planted my seed."

"Great." Revali groaned. "So there've been other heroes with as rotten luck as yo—OW! Mipha!!"

"Be nice." Mipha shot him a look.

"Not like he's saying anything untrue." Link shrugged with a soft laugh. "At any rate, have you seen anything unusual in these woods lately? There've been some strange energy spikes across Hyrule."

"I cannot say..." The tree yawned. "I am very tired these days. But my children should be able to tell you."

With that, the Great Deku Tree fell back into his slumber. Link sighed fondly, turning towards Hestu and the other koroks expectantly. Several of the little ones sat contentedly on Link's shoulders and hair—something they could do even when he wasn't corporeal—and a quick glance at Yatir showed he was also popular with the little leaf spirits.

"We've seen something!" One of the koroks on Yatir's shoulder spoke up. "A portal opened up in the woods!"

"A portal! A portal!" Several koroks leapt up and down excitedly.

"Oh!! I remember!!" Hestu did a little dance. "It opened up just before you got here! There were people too!"

"People?" Link shared a glance with Yatir. "Paya didn't mention people, did she?"