The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom - Tears of Light and Darkness

Nightmare

The peace that had reigned was shattered in an instant. The arrival of Flaxel was only the first warning, and moments later, more patrols appeared in the distance. The soldiers advanced slowly, almost dragging their feet, and the sounds of their footsteps resembled battle-weary groans. As more soldiers from the battlefield arrived at the base, those already present stood frozen, watching with growing horror. The soldiers looked as if they had come from a nightmare: their faces were pale and contorted, their wounds poorly tended, and their armor stained with blood and dirt. Some supported their comrades, who could barely stand, while others stared blankly, as if their spirits still wandered the battlefield.

Yunobo clenched his fists, and Link noticed that he was eager to tell everyone about their adventure in the Fire Temple where he and Link had fought fierce battles. But he could see that there was no time for that. They needed to prepare to head into the depths before the situation worsened.

"I suppose... we'll be leaving soon, right, Link?" Yunobo murmured, his voice barely a whisper. Uncertainty and fear were reflected in his eyes, and for the first time, the stories he had longed to tell seemed to shrink in the face of the grim reality surrounding them.

Link felt the tremor in Yunobo's voice and, placing a firm hand on his shoulder, gave him a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Yunobo," Link replied in a low, comforting tone, even though his own fear pounded in his chest. "I'll go let Mineru know to start getting ready. I promise there'll be time to hear your stories afterward. We'll leave as soon as she confirms she's at the designated meeting point."

Yunobo nodded, but his eyes remained fixed on the harrowing sight of the wounded. A dark thought lingered in his mind: what if this journey was their last?

Link stood and hurried over to Purah, who was speaking with the exhausted captains of various patrols, while Paya, Yona, and the healers worked to bring the injured to the infirmary.

The scene, chilling from afar, was even worse up close. The screams of the wounded echoed in his head; the stench of blood and grime was overwhelming. He couldn't let them keep sacrificing themselves for him. He had to face the enemy.

He took several strides, carefully avoiding the injured lying on the ground waiting for a stretcher. He patted Purah on the shoulder to get her attention. When she turned around, he whispered something to her, and she simply nodded in response. He returned to where the others were sitting and motioned for them to gather at Purah's lab.

With a determined expression, Link pulled out his Purah Pad and searched for Mineru's contact. He pressed the call button, and almost instantly, the image of the construct appeared on the screen in Purah's lab. Despite all the time they had spent together, the mechanical resonance of her voice, created by complex mechanisms, never failed to make him jump slightly.

"Hello, Link," Mineru greeted, her voice echoing with a metallic, distant, and almost spectral quality. "How are things? Are you ready to descend?"

"Hello, Mineru. Not yet. I'm waiting for instructions from Purah, but I wanted to give you a heads-up to start getting ready," Link replied, striving to keep his tone calm. "Can you give me an update on the situation below?"

Mineru tilted her head slightly, a gesture Link recognized as a nod. With precise movements, she activated a screen behind her, revealing a graph that fluctuated. The line, usually stable, rippled in erratic patterns.

"Of course, Link. However, I must express a concern," she said, her mechanical voice sounding deeper than usual. "This morning, everything seemed normal in the depths, but as the day progressed, some areas have become... strangely empty. Specifically, the lairs that housed the replicas of the temple bosses: Marbled Gohma, Colgera, Mucktorok, and the Queen Gibdo. They are completely deserted."