The Collapse (AU) (TOTW)

Visions

"Link...? Are you there...? Link, wake up. Please Link, just open your eyes..." A voice beckoned to me, I felt a slight pressure on my chest. I tried to open my eyes, but it was hard, so I kept them closed, after a while the voice stopped but the pressure remained. My senses slowly faded until there was nothing left, no pressure and no voices.

It was like this for a while before, "Link." It was still dark but a voice appeared, "Open your eyes." I was confused but... I was able to open my eyes? I looked down and saw the rest of my body, I was engulfed in a green/white light. I looked back up and saw a figure, a figure that looked like a shadow.

"Who are you?" I asked, squinting in the light.

"I am the Goddess Hylia, and something has gone terribly wrong." The figure solidified and she looked like... well a Goddess.

"Wait... what?" I said, still terribly confused.

"Time is misaligned, and the past and the present are colliding. Riju and Sidon and Tulin aren't supposed to be here, and they're not supposed to be controlling the Divine Beasts. Erin wasn't supposed to be her appointed knight, and you weren't supposed to be a traveler. Something's gone wrong, and it's causing tremors in the timeline." Goddess Hylia said, confusing me further.

"How are things supposed to have gone?" I asked, having more questions than answers.

"The real Champions were supposed to be Urbosa, Mipha, Revali, and Daruk. You were meant to be a Hyrulean Soldier and become Zelda's Appointed Knight. Zelda was supposed to struggle with her powers and the plan was meant to fail. She saved you and sealed Ganon in the castle, you fell into a deep sleep for 100 years and woke. You defeated Ganon after saving the spirits of the Champions and saved Hyrule. Or at least... that's what was supposed to happen. But instead, the original champions were wiped from history and replaced by the future Sages that only become Sages more than 100 years from now. And you decided to become a traveler rather than a knight, allowing the Yiga to infiltrate the Royal Guard, but they unknowingly helped Zelda unlock her powers. Now the future is uncertain, and you must restore the timeline. If you don't, the world will collapse into chaos." The Goddess continued, detailing a highly confusing series of events.

"So... how do I restore the timeline?" I asked.

"You must make it to the Temple of Time, it is there that I will be able to restore the timeline with Zelda's help. But you must first destroy Ganon, because he weakens mine and Zelda's light power, in tandem with our time powers."

"But... why can't you just restore the timeline now?" I asked, curious as to the boundaries of a literal Goddess.

"Because I don't have a physical presence, and I need to harness through Zelda. And Zelda's own physical ability will be amplified if Ganon is destroyed. His very presence seeps her abilities, and you and the "Champions" need to defeat him so we can restore the timeline." She explained, and it all came full circle.

"Wait... but how did the Yiga help Zelda unlock her powers?" I wondered, it didn't make sense.

"Erin isn't a silent Knight like you were. Zelda fell for you before and so she fell for Erin, and Erin unknowingly gave her the strength by returning her feelings, whether fake or real." She explained.

"Zelda... fell for... me?"

"Yes." She replied.

"But... why do I have to restore the timeline? Why can't it just stay as it is? I mean, things seem mostly fine..." I said, "What'll happen if I don't restore the timeline?"

"In less than 100 years, the timeline itself will crumble into nothingness, causing all of its habitants to meet terrible deaths in the cosmic space." She said, giving me ample reasoning to do what she says.

"Okay, I get it all now... I'll restore the timeline, I give you my word." I said, standing steadfast.

"Good. Now go, and finish your new mission." She commanded, raising her hand over my head. I nodded once and light began to emit from her hand and into my head. I felt woozy and then dizzy and when I blinked again, I opened my eyes with my head on Zelda's lap.

"Link! You're awake!" She said, smiling down at me with her hand on my cheek.

"Zelda... something happened."

"Yes... I know, you collapsed during the battle, but luckily those men came back with a couple extra people and they took on the remaining monsters. The way you fought that Lynel... it was amazing! And you almost finished it off, it only took the soldiers a few hits and it died!" She exclaimed.

"Really?" I asked, still kinda woozy.

"Yes! It was an amazing battle, no one died and very few got injured!" She said, "But what you did was still reckless and you could've  died or even cost us the battle... but I'm just glad everyone is okay." She finished.

"Zelda... The Goddess Hylia spoke to me..." I told her, struggling with my words, "She told me... that the timeline was collapsing... and that you and me needed to restore the timeline at the Temple of Time."

"Wait... what?" She asked, looking completely dumbfounded.

"We need to defeat Ganon, so your powers will be at full capacity, then we need to restore the timeline so we don't all die." I told her, wanting to sit up but enjoying laying my head in Zelda's lap.

She stopped stroking my hair and thought for a bit before, "Who did you get that information from?" She responded, with a light laugh.

"The Goddess Hylia..." I said, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"So you died?" She asked, in a serious tone.

"No... she just gave me a vision..." I said.

"Oh..." She answered, pondering for a bit and then, "Does your head hurt at all Link?"

"What...? No, why would you..." Then it dawned on me, "You think I'm lying or making it all up, don't you?" And suddenly, I didn't feel safe in Zelda's lap anymore, so I sat up.

"No! Of course not, I'm just saying... you might've had a hallucination after you went unconscious." She replied, looking concerned.

"Zelda! I'm telling the truth, I saw her!" I said, in complete disbelief.

"Okay Link... I believe you. We need to defeat Ganon anyway, and we'll see about the whole "restoring the timeline" thing after. Okay?" She responded, putting her hand on my leg.

"I feel like your not taking me seriously," I told her, feeling like a child.

"I am! And we'll deal with all that after we save Hyrule and defeat Ganon. Okay, Link?" She said, looking into my eyes with genuine worry.

"Okay..."

"Well, we must get on. Hoz and 4 other men have decided to come with us, so we best get a move on before they change their minds." She told me, standing and helping me to my feet.

"Okay." I said, then I turned towards the men, "Let's go, we have a mission to fulfill!"