A Couple of Trials (ZeLink)

Chapter 70: The Teachings of Twilight

The mist surrounding Link obscured his view. He felt a firm, solid surface beneath him with each step he took, but he couldn't tell what he was stepping on. All he could see was the faint figure of the Hero of Twilight walking before him, guiding him through the clouds. That was until he vanished.

"Huh– Twilight?" Link shouted, coming to a stop in the mist. He looked around, yet no one called back. "Wait... Wait, wait, wait, hold on! Twilight! Hey!"

Still, no one called back. Confused, afraid that he had been left behind and was now lost in the Sacred Realm, Link twisted and turned, trying to get a glimpse of something—anything —before attempting to calm himself.

"Calm down..." he told himself as he took a deep, steadying breath. "I've been awfully panicky since the Yiga. Come on, take a moment to think. The Sacred Realm reacts and takes shape to what I need, so... Hm..."

In no particular direction, Link looked forward, staring at the thick fog before him.

"'A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage,'" Link mumbled to himself. "What I need is to find Twilight."

Closing his eyes, he took another breath before calmly stepping forward. With his eyes closed, he continued stepping through the fog until, suddenly, he felt warmth. He could feel the crunching of dirt beneath his boots and hear the sound of birds calling from above. The thinning clouds brushed past his skin as he passed through to the new world the Sacred Realm had created, becoming mere wisps before vanishing completely. Link opened his eyes, wincing at the brightness of the sun beating down upon him. After wiping away the tears caused by the blinding light, he blinked a few times, his eyes finally adjusting enough to see the land before him.

It was a small ranch, surrounded by mountains and hillsides, of similar size to those in Hateno. It was partially enclosed by the mountains, with fencing to seal off the remaining side, which meant there was no danger of the cattle inside escaping. The only point of entry was the large wooden gate; the doors were currently wide open, with Link standing between them. This was also not a place Link recognized, nor one that was on Hyrule's map. As he stepped inside and looked around, he could see an old, derelict stable house near the mountain, its roof made of straw, with wheat growing on each side.

As Link stepped further into the lush, green pastures of the ranch, the low hum of animals attracted his attention. He looked over to find an abundant herd of oversized, dark-haired goats, each with a tall, oval-shaped horn forming a sizable ring over their heads. The goats grazed nearby, searching for the most succulent blades of grass to nibble. Link realized there were many goats, all in smaller herds spaced sporadically throughout the entire ranch, calmly grazing wherever they chose.

"A goat ranch?" Link asked himself as he approached the tribe of goats, only to be blocked by a winged creature streaking across his path, passing quickly in and out of view. Caught off guard, he looked up to see a brown-feathered hawk gliding to the other side of the ranch, where it landed on the arm of a familiar face sitting in the grass. Recognizing who it was, Link strode toward him, calling out the moment the man was in earshot. "You left me."

"And yet you found your way," Twilight kindly responded as Link came to a stop before him. When Link looked unamused, he chuckled. "Come on, you can't expect me to hold your hand the entire way, can you?"

After a moment, Link chuckled.

"Yeah... I guess not," he said. "So, where is this? You know, right?"

"I do," Twilight nodded, allowing his hawk to take flight from his arm. Watching as the impressive bird took off into the air, he continued. "This is Ordon Ranch. It's where I used to spend my days before...well, everything."