First-person – En route to Lake Hylia]
The road to Lake Hylia was quiet—too quiet.
The sands faded to grass, and the sun stayed unnaturally fixed at the edge of the sky, like even time was afraid to move forward. Zelda rode beside me, her golden hair swept back by the wind. Riju scouted ahead on her seal, eyes sharp. And trailing behind us, quiet but ever-watchful, was Yona.
Purah had remained behind to study the Depths further.
But I could feel her absence like a lost heartbeat.
Because whatever was waiting beneath Lake Hylia... it was calling me by name.
And not my new name.
The one I had forgotten—buried under lifetimes of reincarnation, power, and silence.
---
[Third-person – Yona's thoughts]
Yona watched him—watched the way his jaw clenched when he thought no one noticed. The way his aura pulsed slightly wrong, like there were two people living inside the same skin.
But still, she smiled.
Because he was beautiful.
Not just in body—but in spirit. In the way he stood between god and mortal, between hero and forgotten weapon. He didn't belong to this world. But that made her love him more.
She knew Zelda was obsessed. Riju too.
She didn't care.
Yona didn't need his permission to belong to him.
She already did.
---
[First-person – Temple Shore, Lake Hylia]
The temple revealed itself only when I stepped into the shallows.
The water shimmered, rippled inwards—and sank, forming a spiral. An ancient seal lit beneath the surface, then shattered like glass.
Zelda gasped. "You didn't use the Tear this time."
"I didn't need to," I muttered.
Because the temple wasn't locked against me.
It was waiting.
Stone by stone, a staircase revealed itself, spiraling down beneath the lake. No Zonai markings this time—just older glyphs. Curved. Organic. Like something alive had carved them with its own blood.
Riju's scimitar sang free. "This place reeks of death."
"No," Zelda whispered. "It reeks of memory."
---
[Inside the Temple – First-person]
The air was heavy.
Water dripped along the stone like it cried for the past. The deeper we went, the harder it became to breathe.
I felt like a mirror breaking with every step.
Pieces of me whispering things I didn't want to remember.
> "You were made to kill gods."
> "You loved Hylia... and she left you behind."
> "You forgave her."
> "You were weak."
I clenched my fists. The Tear of Balance hummed painfully against my chest.
Then I heard footsteps.
Yona was behind me. She reached out, gently touched my arm.
"You're trembling," she said softly. "Let me help you carry it."
I stared at her. "Why are you here, really?"
Her smile widened. Her cheeks flushed. "Because I love you."
There was no hesitation.
Not even shame.
And for a moment, I saw it—the same madness hiding behind Zelda's smiles, behind Riju's laughter.
Devotion turned too deep.
---
[Flashback – Fragmented Memory]
The temple shimmered around me.
A memory played like a mirage:
I stood at the edge of a battlefield, holding a corpse.
Hylia's.
My own power had shattered her soul when she tried to erase me.
But instead of joy, I had wept.
Because I had loved her.
Because I hadn't wanted to win.
Because I was never supposed to exist in the first place.
---
[Back to Present – First-person]
We reached the heart of the temple.
A chamber of glass and light.
Floating in the center was a mask.
Silver and gold, eyes closed, tears carved beneath them.
Zelda gasped. "That's the Mask of Equinox… A lost relic."
I stepped forward.
The mask turned slowly on its own.
Opened its eyes.
And spoke.
> "You again."
> "You are not ready."
The entire room collapsed inward.
We were thrown into the air, into black water, into echoing screams that weren't ours.
---
[Third-person – Surface, Lake Hylia]
From above, the lake turned black.
Purah, watching through a long-range scope from a hill, cursed under her breath.
"They're inside. And the temple... is responding."
The earth rumbled.
Seven points across Hyrule glowed faintly.
Temples waking.
Locks breaking.
And deep beneath the water, the broken one stirred again.
---
[First-person – Underwater Vision]
I floated in nothingness.
Time gone.
Sound muted.
But I wasn't alone.
Zelda, Riju, Yona—all floated nearby, unconscious.
And in front of me, wearing the Mask of Equinox, was... me.
Or at least, the version I had buried.
Golden eyes.
Calm voice.
Too calm.
"You can't save them all," he said. "You love them too much. That's your weakness."
"No," I whispered. "That's my strength."
He smiled. "Then let's see if they still love you… when the truth comes out."
He stepped into me.
And everything shattered.