#apologies for the logo i don't know how to do shadows correctly

[powdermelonkeg]

Prologue: The Statue’s Bargain

It took every ounce of strength Link had to reach the statue at Hateno's edge. He clutched his ribs, red seeping between his fingers as he stumbled, then collapsed to his knees as the effigy's horns came into view.

A stamina vessel for more life. That's all it would take. He would be okay. He couldn't fail now; he could still hear Zelda's voice in his ears. She was counting on him.

"You are the light, our light, that must shine on Hyrule once again."

Gritting his teeth, he dragged himself across the ground, wetting the grass with his blood. As he drew near, black clouds billowed out from the statue's base.

Well, look who's come crawling back.

The horned statue cackled at its own joke, the lack of echo unsettling Link as it always did. If he hadn't had his life force drained by this thing before, he'd have thought he was hallucinating.

Oh, my. You're a disaster, aren't you, Hero? It said, its voice holding the smirk its physical form lacked. Come to make a deal after all?

Link shuffled through his pockets, then threw a dirty silver rupee at the idol's head. The gem disappeared before it could make contact.

That's more like it. What'll it be?

Link glared upward. What did it look like he needed?

The dark mist flashed purple. I can't give you what you can't ask for, it said smugly. If that's how you're going to be, I suppose I'll take this as a donation-

"NO."

The mist paused, waiting. With a pained grimace, Link forced himself up into as much of a sitting position as he could manage, freeing his hands. "I. Want. You. To. Fix. This," he signed slowly, deliberately, before gesturing to his injury.

The statue tutted. Fix that? You're asking for a tall order, Hero. I should honestly charge you more. The blackness surrounded Link, and he felt his strength drain away as green light was plucked from him. But a deal is a deal, and profit isn't something I get often. A red orb was exchanged, and Link felt his injury knit itself back together. It was always disorienting, whenever he fixed things with magic. The clicking of bones back into place, the rush of blood to the area, it made him dizzy and put a ringing in his ears. There you go, the statue said, an intangible hand forming out of the cloud and patting Link on the head, as if he were nothing more than a child who'd scraped his knee. Happy to be of service.

Link drew in a breath and nodded slowly, trying to regain his senses in proper. He needed sleep, his house was just a short walk away. He might fall into the water beneath it, but that was a risk he'd be willing to take.

As he forced himself to his feet, the dark cloud swirled thoughtfully. A step, a stumble, and Link braced himself against the rocky wall; maybe he needed a few more minutes before he trudged home.

You know, I can do more than just a patch job.

His ears twitched, and he looked over his shoulder with bleary eyes.

The purple glow returned. I'm a dealer in life and power. And your life force...is exceptionally old. All went still. Perhaps you'd like the chance to fix things.

Link frowned. "Fix what?"

Oh, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I can see how naive you are in your eyes, your memories of your past life blown away in the wind. But your legend is a long one, isn't it? The mark on your hand proves that. The glow brightened in satisfaction as Link looked at his left hand, the triangular birthmark having decided his fate long ago. Don't you have regrets? His attention snapped back up tot he statue. Things you wish you could redo? A destiny you'd like to change?

Link's eyes widened. "You can do that?" he signed slowly, disbelieving.

Have I ever lied to you?

The air between them was thick with tension as the weight of that choice held firm in his head. He could...go back? Fix Hyrule?

Well? I'm waiting. The smoke spun around Link's ankles. This is a one-time deal, of course. I haven't done something like this since well before I became this statue, and I doubt I'll ever have the strength to do it again. If you're not going to take my deal, then-

"How much?"

The statue practically glowed with glee. All of it. Every last Rupee. My services don't come cheap.

Link hesitated only a moment, before untying the wallet from his side and tossing it to the statue. He could finally see Zelda again. He could warn people about Calamity.

He could fix everything.

The wallet vanished, and the smoke quickly filled his vision. Brace yourself. The eerie voice snickered in his head.

This is going to hurt.

From the trees, a young teenager watched, frozen in horror as the Hero of Legend vanished into blackened particles, disintegrating before her very eyes. Slowly, she reached for a spell tag, then vanished in a puff of gray smoke as she fled to tell her master what had befallen her target. Her sickle fell to the ground with a sharp clang, all but forgotten in her panic.

Then, the particles receded. A young man lay on the ground, fluffy brunette hair fluttering in the wind, his fist balled around a white sailcloth.

Well... The horned statue murmured, feeling the power it had clung to so desperately leave it. This is certainly...unexpected.

@tortilla-of-courage @technicallya1manband​

Well, this is my first try in years of making a legit fanfic. Hope it was worth the wait!

Next chapter

#lost horizons #loz #zelda #botw #skyward sword #fanfiction #apologies for the logo i don't know how to do shadows correctly #ignore it #injury mention #blood mention #i should probably tag those ye #it feels nice to get back into making fanfic again #it's been so long #i have this logo labeled 'test' in my folders so i'm probably going to make it look cooler/nicer as i get ideas