Stroke of lightning

Chapter One

Disclaimer:

This story will have an age gap between Link and Riju. Nothing explicitly sexual will happen between the two until i potentially start adapting Totk, but i thought it best to give a warning.

Also the champions are alive.....Sort of. No more details as it'll spoil it. (Even though it's a pretty early detail). The spirit forms of the champions will be like the spirit forms in Totk, where they actually interact with and fight alongside Link.

Tw: Age difference (Slight), Violence, graphic depictions of injuries, survivor's guilt, depictions of torture (Kind of).

A drop of liquid landing on his nose caused link to slowly stir, his sky blue eyes opening. Confusion entered his mind first. Where am i?.... Who am i? He thought as he slowly sat up. A few glances around his surroundings only served to further his confusion.

He was in a room, with a weird stone hanging over above him. He was laying in a now empty pool, though surprisingly not wet. He noted what appeared to be a control panel next to a giant door and assumed that's where he should go.

As he got out of the pool, he noted two raggedy chests. They contained within them old clothes. Worn and small they were, but they still covered him up and were comfortable enough. He stepped towards the control panel before grimacing as a skull splitting headache caused him to stumble. Images flashed in his mind.

His name was Link, and he was a royal Knight. He was also......something. Something more. But he couldn't put his finger on it. There were others, 5 others who he was close too. One particularly stood out, her form slim. She stood at the same height as himself. There was a fondness, yet he couldn't recall why or who they were.

It infuriated him. Yet that wasn't all of the images. Destruction painted the later half of them. So much destruction. Death filled the air. He was running, that fifth figure from before following, and then a flash of light.

He jolted, not realizing he had fell to his hands and knees. He quickly hefted himself up to a standing position, now feeling the slowly sprouting seed of fear within him. But he steeled himself, reaching out and grabbing what looked to be a handheld pad from the console.

His eyes scanned over the pad, a spark of familiarity within him grew to another image. The fifth figure holding what he now knew was called a shekiah slate. As soon as he saw it, the image was gone and he was back in the room. He quickly attached the slate to his belt before walking through the now opened doors. Down the corridor he could see the sky, something he felt he hadn't seen in a long time.

He jogged through, pulling himself up the "small" ledges, and eventually jogged onto a cliff. The smell of fresh air was new, intoxicating. It filled him with a sense of freedom, especially when combined with the massive expanse of land he could see stretch on for miles.

He noted a castle in the distance and felt another tug of familiarity, though this time there was no flashback of any sort. He glanced to his right, noting a figure siting by a campfire. He walked over, picking some of the mushrooms sprouting along with a few apples. The shekiah slate he held seemed to be able to hold items he picked up, along with telling him what they were. Frankly he had no idea how it worked or how it was possible, but he didn't care enough to ask.

He fairly quickly reached the campfire, coming face to face with an older man. He had on some plain back pants along with a pair of worn boots. He wore a red coat with a black hood attached over a tan tunic. On his hands and wrists were some leather straps.

He sat at the fire, lightly stoking the flame. Beside him, leaning against the wall, stood a sturdy looking wooden cane with a lattern attached.

Link took in his appearance; old and weary with a large white beard. Though he couldn't say how, but he felt he knew this man. Or at least had seen him before.

The old man looked over at Link. "Well, what do we have here? A traveler? In this area?" He muttered before he stood, reaching about the same height as link, which wasn't saying much since Link only stood at 158 Centimeters.

"Traveler, may i get your name?" He asked as Link nodded and told his name.

"Link, eh? Well Link to what do i owe your company?" The old man asked as Link paused. He proceeded to recount how he woke in this place, not knowing where this place even was.

"Hmm, i see. Well Link, this place is called the great plateau. It is thought to have been the birthplace of Hyrule." The old man explained as Link nodded along.

Link felt the Old man's eyes on the shekiah slate at his belt. "The only way to leave the great plateau though is with a paraglide i'm afraid. To leave without one is suicide. Though not to worry, i have a paraglide you can have."

Link felt his eyes widened in surprise. Before he even had a chance to thank him the old man spoke again. "Though not for free. I have some things I need you to do for me." He said as Links surprise turned to suspicion. It must've shown on his face as the old man laughed.

"Worry not young one. It is not to dangerous. I noticed you have a shekiah slate on your hip there. Do you know of what it's capable of?" He asked as Link shook his head. He had no idea truthfully.

"And that, is your task. I want you to learn about the slate, about what it can do. The world outside the plateau is dangerous, and one can never be too prepared." He stated before requesting link to give him the shekiah slate. Link reluctantly allowed him to take it, though was given it back a moment later.

"That mark on your map is the best place to start. Once you're done there, we'll move onto the rest." He said as he started back to stoke the flame. Link quickly realized he'd get nothing else from him and sighed.

He made his way over quickly, noting another one of those control panels from where he awoke within the rubble. Now he was curious. To get out of the room he was held in, all he had to do was pick up the slate. Maybe to activate this he had to do the opposite?

He held the slate to the panel, marveling when the panel lit up blue. Rock began to crack up above, as a tower began to grow. Link held onto the control panel for dear life as the tower ascended to it's full height, the rubble once covering it tossed away.

Once the tower was at full height Link pushed himself up to a standing position, now marveling as other towers stood in the distance. "Ah, i see you activated the tower." He heard from behind him. He whipped around, his hand unconsciously reaching over his shoulder, as if a blade stood ready to be drawn.

When his hands grasped nothing a look of confusion crossed over his face. Why did he automatically reach for a blade? It must've been the training he endured before, though he remembered practically none of it.

He looked up at the old man, confused at just how he got up here. The old man didn't answer instead glancing around the environment. "Do you see those stone monuments? With Orange engravings?" The old man asked Link as he looked around the great plateau. Once spotted, he nodded. "Hold up your shekiah slate. Look through it. You should be able to place a mark of sorts on them." The old man briefly explained as Link quickly figured out what he needed to do. Once marked Link reattached the slate to his hip.

"Those Monuments are called shrines. Inside are trials meant to test you. Each shrine here will restore a portion of what your slate has lost. Go to each, conquer them all, and the paraglider will be yours." The old man said as Link's gaze hardened. He gave a strong nod before he began to climb down the tower.

Once down he set off to complete the shrines, oblivious to the old man watching. "Even with no memory, he is still the same. Well, no. That's not true. With no memory of his struggles, of his responsibility, he seems free." The old man mumbled as a small frown found it's way onto his face.

"Link.... I wish things had ended different. Things had started different. But wishes never come true, I should know that best."