The air around them shimmered with a strange, unnatural energy, and before Wild could even register what was happening, the world around him blurred. His heart raced in his chest as the ground beneath him shifted, the storm's remnants swirling around them like a tempest, until everything around them snapped and they were somewhere else.
They were no longer in the cave, no longer surrounded by the remnants of the storm. Instead, they stood in the familiar, rolling hills of Hyrule. The air was warm, the sky a gentle shade of blue, but there was something deeply wrong.
Wild's eyes widened as he took in the scene before him. He knew this place—Hateno Village. The town seemed unchanged by time, its buildings standing just as they had when he had last seen them, yet there was a disturbing stillness in the air. It felt like the village was frozen in time.
"Where are we?" Time asked, his gaze scanning their surroundings. "This is Hyrule... but it doesn't feel right."
Wild's pulse quickened, his breath coming in shallow bursts. This wasn't just Hyrule. This was his world—his reality. But it was off, like a reflection in a broken mirror. The weight of his memories pressed heavily against his chest.
"They're here..." Wild muttered, his voice barely a whisper, as his fingers brushed against the Shiekah Slate at his side. A glow pulsed from the device, showing images—pictures—he had forgotten. His world, his life, and his family. A world he had lost.
Wind, who had stayed close by, tilted his head. "What are those? You recognize them, don't you?"
Wild nodded, his eyes focused on the pictures. The locations flickered on the Slate—each one more familiar than the last.
Hateno Village. His old house in the village. The Shrine of Resurrection. And more... Hyrule Castle Town—where he had lived with his father and sister, Ayrll. The images sparked something within him, memories slipping into place, each one a little clearer than the last.
But there was something else. A place far off, far from the rest, and the images flickered and stilled as they settled on a single place—Hyrule Castle.
Zelda.
Wild's heart stopped. The name echoed in his mind, and with it came the image of her face, the face he had not seen in 100 years. The pain of losing her, of the memories of their time together, hit him like a physical blow.
She had been in Hyrule Castle when the storm had come. When he had fallen in battle. When he had been forced out of his world and taken to the Shrine of Resurrection to recover.
"She's still there," Wild muttered, eyes locked onto the image of Hyrule Castle. "Zelda... is still in the castle."
The others exchanged glances. They had followed him through so much, and now, they could see the weight of his past and the pull of the future in his eyes.
Time nodded grimly. "We'll get her back."
"But we can't fight Ganon yet," Wild said, voice thick with emotion. "I... I need to recover my memories. There's something inside me—something I've forgotten. I... need to remember."
The group understood. They had been through so much together, but Wild's struggle was his alone. His past, his family, his life—they were tangled in the storm of forgotten memories.
Four stepped forward. "We'll help you. You're not alone in this."
Warriors nodded, his expression determined. "We'll go with you. We'll help you find the pieces of your past."
Sky gripped his blade, eyes sharp. "We'll stand by you, Wild."
"Let's head to your house," Twilight suggested. "We can start there. It might be where everything begins."
Wild nodded, his eyes now focused on the image of his house in Hateno. The house that had been his home with his father and Ayrll, his sister—before the world had been shattered. Before the storm.
They arrived in Hateno Village, standing before the simple stone house that Wild had once called home. The warm sun bathed the familiar structure, but there was a coldness about it now. It felt like a ghost of a place, frozen in time.
Wild stepped forward, feeling the weight of the memories pull at him. The sound of his sister's laughter. The quiet conversations at the dinner table with his father. Everything was so clear now, yet so distant.
"This is where it all started," Wild murmured, stepping inside. The door creaked as it opened, and for a moment, everything felt normal again. But the memories—those beautiful, painful memories—rushed at him, flooding his mind. His father's warm smile. Ayrll's playful voice. The way they had spent every day together.
But it was gone. The laughter, the love—taken from him by the Calamity.
Four placed a hand on his shoulder, offering silent support. "We'll find what you need. Don't worry."
Wild's eyes fell on a dusty book on the table. The memories began to flood back as he picked it up, flipping through the pages, one by one. It was an old journal, his father's. And with each page, a story began to take shape—his father's memories, his own.
Then came a series of pictures: of his father and mother, of Zelda, and of the Champions. The faces began to become clear, their names slipping back into his mind.
Mipha, the kind-hearted Zora Champion.
Daruk, the proud Goron Champion.
Revali, the distant yet skilled Rito Champion.
Urbosa, the fierce Gerudo Champion.
And of course, there was the King. The man Wild had been so close to, before everything was lost.
But then, the images flickered to one face in particular—the one he had not wanted to see.
Ganon.
The memories of battle rushed back to him, the screams, the fire, the chaos. And then, the feeling of falling, his body broken, his spirit slipping from this world.
The Master Sword had not been enough. He had failed. And yet, there was hope in his heart that the battle had not been in vain—that somehow, his fate had been sealed by the Shrine of Resurrection.
As his memories continued to unravel, Wild knew one thing for sure: he was not the same person he had been before. His soul had changed.
He was the Hero of the Wild. And he would save Hyrule, and Zelda, no matter the cost.
