Chapter Text
A/N: What's this? A new LU story? THIS soon?! Yeah. My Muse has been going nuts with LU lately. Trust me, this ain't the only story I've started. But it's just hit 34k words, so I figured it was okay to start posting. Once it's caught up, expect updates to slow down, as I tend to oftentimes jump between stories. :Wild_Laugh:
Shoutout to my LU Discord peeps! Ya'll gave me this idea, now you're stuck with it. :P
Warning for Main Character Death (Obviously. It's a GHOST fic. Someone important's gotta die.) This is your only warning.
Link staggered on his feet, utterly exhausted. His breath came out in ragged painful huffs, and Zelda stood beside him in a similar state. They were filthy and bloodstained, and he knew that neither of them would be leaving this castle alive. Their injuries were too severe. This would be their final stand.
He wished he’d asked Sidon for help. Or Riju to send reinforcements. Teba would’ve gladly rallied the warriors, and Yunobo would’ve raised a fuss until the Gorons came. But Link had been too stubborn. He’d stormed the castle alone like an idiot without so much as informing Impa.
This was his fault. It would’ve been fine if it was just his life, but Zelda was going to fall with him. He shared a look with her. “He’s too strong.”
“I know.” She panted. “I thought I’d been holding him here, draining his strength this last century. But it looks like he was leeching mine instead. I’m sorry, Link. This is my fault.”
“No, it’s mine.” He argued, a light smile on his face. “I could’ve brought backup.”
They both dodged a furious blast of wind that flung Link into one of the stone walls of the sanctum. “We have to end this!” Zelda cried out. “I have a plan.”
“I’m not going to like this, am I?” He gasped around the pain. The deep gash in his left side was bleeding profusely, making the ground slick with blood.
“No, you aren’t.” She smiled bitterly. “But we both know that neither of us will survive. Link… hand me your sword.”
He hesitated only a moment before handing the Master Sword over to the princess. She closed her eyes for a moment, concentrating her powers into the blade. An ethereal chime resonated within the very depths of his soul, even as he brought out Revali’s Great Eagle Bow to keep Calamity at bay.
“Take it!” Zelda threw the blade back at him. He caught it with a practiced hand, the sword humming with unbridled power.
He instantly understood what she’d done. Zelda had given everything she had to the blade.
“Master Link.” He almost didn’t dodge the barrage of flames in time as the voice echoed in his mind. “I am Fi, the spirit that dwells within your blade.” She sounded pained, and he suddenly understood.
She had been too weak to help beforehand. Too weak to speak. Now, with the boost Zelda had given to her, she was finally able to speak with him. In their final moments.
“Well, then, Fi.” He grinned with bloodied teeth as he understood Zelda’s intentions. “I think you’ve figured out the plan. Can you do it?”
“I can, Master. But it won’t last forever.”
“Then I’ll meet you in the next life. Perhaps there, we can finish this.” He promised. She chimed in agreement, blade humming with sacred power. He forced his tired, aching, screaming body to move.
Link charged Calamity Ganon and leapt high into the air with Revali’s Gale. He ignored the way his foe raised his blade, aiming for his chest. Link wasn’t going to dodge—If he was going to die, he was determined to take this monster out with him.
A cry of pain and determination escaped his lips as he felt the sharp icy sting of the blade piercing his chest. It should’ve killed him then and there. But Link was determined. He thrust Fi downwards, into Calamity Ganon’s skull. The beast roared in fury as the sacred powers of the Goddess did their work.
The beast started shrinking, bringing Link and Fi closer to the ground. The beast thrashed, digging its claws into his already injured side. He let out a pained cry as the Malice ate away at his skin, bubbling and festering like acid. The images of the Champions flashed before his eyes.
For Revali, a friendly rival who had nobly served his kingdom and died an arrogant beloved friend. For Daruk, a gentle soul who was as brave as his rocky skin was hard. For Urbosa, a beloved chief and mother figure to Zelda—a wise and fair leader. And Mipha, the fallen Zora princess that Link still wasn’t sure if he’d loved or not.
And for Zelda. The princess that had lost everything and still gave what she had left. The one who subjected herself to a century of fighting nonstop and still sacrificed even more to defeat their foe.
For all those loved and lost, Link would fight. He would not give up until this demon was sealed. The claws dug further into his side as Calamity twisted the blade on his chest. Blood dribbled down his chin as he grit his chipped and broken teeth. Just a little more .
Link’s feet touched the ground as Fi was buried into the stone floor, sealing Calamity Ganon away with a final horrific cry. Fi hummed one last time before dimming, conserving her energy so as to keep him sealed for as long as possible.
The claws in his side vanished, and he staggered back, hitting a wall and sliding down to sit next to Zelda. He pulled out the blade from his chest, letting it clatter to the side. He was fading fast, and Zelda looked to be in a similar state. He could feel his lifeblood draining at an alarming pace, but honestly couldn’t fully bring himself to care.
“I’ve cast a barrier around the Sanctum.” Zelda explained in a weak, breathy voice. “None but the Hero may enter this place.”
“Thank you.” He smiled. “I hope… in our next lives… I’ll be able to protect you.”
“I’m sure you will.” She smiled back, tears running down her face. “Goodbye, Link.”
“Goodbye, Zelda.” He felt tears run down his own cheeks as the light left her eyes and her hand fell limp to the cold stone floor. It was finally starting to sink in. Nobody was going to come and rescue them—they had failed a final time. There would be no Shrine of Resurrection for him a second time.
It was frustrating. He’d done everything he’d been asked of. He’d freed the Divine Beasts. He’d defeated monsters and explored the incredible world that was his home. Link had even bought a house in the hopes that he and Zelda would have a place to stay.
He’d made so many friends, and even created a little Rito family of his own. At least, Saki and Teba treated him like he was their hatchling. He wondered if they’d miss him. How long it’d take them to realize he was gone. He was prone to vanishing for long periods of time, after all. And his horse, Echo… he hoped he’d be well taken care of.
He gasped with rattling lungs as another wave of pain swept through his body. Damnit, why did dying have to be so painful?
He opened his eyes again. When had he closed them? Standing there before him were the Champions and Zelda. Their spirits glowed with an otherworldly light.
“You’re an idiot.” Revali huffed. “You weren’t supposed to die .” It was probably Link’s imagination, but the Rito looked grieved. Like he wanted Link to continue living.
“You fought like the warrior I always knew you to be.” Urbosa smiled. “Be proud, Link. This death is an honorable one.”
“Come on, Little Guy!” Daruk grinned. “It’s just about time to go.”
“Link.” Mipha smiled at him. “Even without your memories, I still… You’re very important to me. I do hope that we can spend some time together in the afterlife.” She held out a hand towards him, Zelda doing the same on her other side.
“Come on, Link. You’ve earned your rest.”
He felt the pain of his body fade as his hand rose off the ground. But it felt light, much lighter than it should’ve been. He looked down to see that he was coated in the same ethereal light as the others. He, too, was dead now.
In a way, it was relieving. Despite his sorrows and regrets, his life had been hard and hectic and so lonely . To finally have these people reaching out towards him, telling him it was over …
He pushed himself up onto legs that weren’t battered and broken, and took one last look at his body. It was shot to hell. Covered in wounds and lacerations that made him wonder how the hell he’d survived long enough to seal the Calamity away. His deepest wounds oozed with a sickly purple substance that he knew to be Malice. His side in particular was practically gouged out by Ganon’s claws.
Even if he had survived the injuries, he never would’ve survived the Malice infection. He turned back towards the Champions and reached out to take their hands. Behind them was a large archway with ancient writing around the border. Swirling within it was a warm, gentle, pulsating light. He knew that gateway… The Gates of Death. The portal that took spirits to the afterlife. He smiled. This was it. He was finally going to rest.
Even so, the smiling faces of his living friends passed through his mind. His heart ached for them. Teba and Saki… Bolson… Riju… Yunobo… Sidon . Impa was old enough, he’d be seeing her soon, too… Robbie would follow. Purah… wouldn’t she be left alone? And what about the villagers in Hateno? The kids loved playing with Link, they’d be so sad he’d never return.
He truly was an idiot. He’d caused so much pain —
Then, a familiar green flame rose up around his body, and his nonexistent heart skipped several beats. “No…” He whispered out in shock. This wasn’t happening . He had earned his rest, damnit!
The Champions also gaped in horror, but none more so than Mipha. “I-I’m not—!”
“Our powers must’ve settled within him.” Urbosa realized. “Even without us using them, an echo of them still remains.”
He wanted to argue—to somehow fight back, but he knew he had no choice.
Link suddenly found himself back in his body, but it was all wrong. Unlike the other times Mipha’s Grace had revived him, this was painful . The Malice within him hissed and bucked and he found himself writhing on the floor in agony beyond words. He couldn’t even scream. His limbs felt like ice and the scorching heat of his blood made it feel like his skin was blistering. The Malice was eating away at him like acid, and he could feel his feebly beating heart pumping the substance deeper into his body.
A bright light shone from his left hand. It was an odd triangular mark that looked vaguely familiar. He thought he remembered seeing it on Zelda’s hand when she first unlocked her Sealing Powers. Why did he have one? It seemed to pulse with a holy light. It burned, too. The two powers—sacred and tainted—battled for dominance within his body, but it was too much.
His body had been revived countless times over the course of his journey, and it had finally had enough. With a final great piercing agony, he found himself on the stone floor, once again in ghost form. He gulped down shuddering breaths, trying to comprehend what had just occurred.
“Link?” Mipha crouched down in front of him. His hands looked solid again, not at all like the see-through ghost form he’d had earlier. But a quick glance behind him showed his mangled tortured body laying not six feet away, his face still scrunched in an agonized scream. He winced—he really looked like he’d died a horrible death.
“Mipha?” He looked up at her with wide, terrified eyes. The other Champions looked equally shaken and confused. She placed a hand on his shoulder and he was relieved to find that it didn’t pass through.
He finally sat back, hand brushing the shaft of a broken arrow. It rolled away with a hollow sound that reverberated in the stone room. He startled, staring at the arrow for a moment. Slowly, as if in a trance, he reached for it, only to find his hand pass through it. Was it a fluke? The wind?
He tried again, concentrating on his hand. He found the arrow to be solid, this time, and he held it firmly in his grasp. He was so surprised that he let his concentration lapse and the arrow fell through his hand .
“Wh-what?” He looked up at the others with wide eyes. “Is… is that normal?”
“Nope.” Revali went as if to kick a discarded broken sword, and his talons passed right through. “Ghosts can’t touch anything.”
“So… why can I?”
“Guys, if we don’t go, then…” Daruk stared behind them for a moment, at the archway Link had seen earlier. Only this time, it was empty. The beautiful swirling light was gone, and his insides turned to ice as he understood what that meant for him.
“Come on, Link. Whatever this is, we can figure it out together.” Zelda decided.
“I…” A tear ran down his face, quickly followed by another. “I can’t see it.”
“Can’t see what ?” Revali snapped. “Come on, Link. Those gateways only show up when someone dies, and even then only for a little while. If we miss this, we’ll have to find someone else to hitch a ride with.”
“I can’t see the light. The gateway is dark.” He whispered quietly.
“Wait, what?” Zelda whirled around. “If you can’t see it, then… does that mean?”
“He can’t pass on, yet.” Urbosa nodded.
“Can’t even die right.” Revali huffed. “Fine, fine. I suppose we’ll catch the next one. Any idea why he can’t see it?”
As Revali spoke the portal’s structure started to crumble. “No, you guys go. I’ll figure this out myself and meet up with you when I can.” He promised.
“Oh, no.” Urbosa shook her head with a grin. “You’re not getting rid of us that easily. We were separated once before, and we’re not going to make that mistake again.”
“I’ll stay with you until we can all pass on together.” Mipha stepped forward, wringing her hands.
“Yeah, Little Guy!” Daruk grinned, slapping Link on the back hard. It hurt .
“Ow!” He stumbled forward. “I thought things weren’t supposed to hurt anymore?” He complained.
“That’s because there are very few things that can touch a ghost.” Urbosa shrugged.
“I’m so sorry, Link, I—”
“It’s not your fault, Mipha.” Link smiled at her. “You didn’t activate it, it did it itself.” He sighed as he looked between his and Zelda’s bodies, Fi, and the door that led out of the Sanctum. “But now what?”
“Well, you’re probably chained by regrets.” Daruk hummed. “You met a lot of people on your journey… maybe you didn’t want to leave them, yet?”
“It could also be because we weren’t able to fully defeat Ganon.” Zelda added on. “But here’s probably not the best place to talk about this.”
“Right.” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. He paused for a moment by his body. While both he and his body wore the same outfit, only his body held the Sheikah Slate. He reached down and concentrated again, managing to pick it up and hook it to his belt with a familiar ease. It beeped quietly for a moment but did nothing more. Strange.
The sunlight was one of the best things he’d ever seen. He smiled as his feet moved soundlessly over the grass, phasing through the blades as if he weren’t even there. He never thought he’d see the sun again.
“It’s beautiful.” Zelda smiled, standing beside him.
“Yeah, it is.” He agreed.
A nearby Guardian Stalker turned towards them, and Link summoned a shield from his slate on reflex. It wasn’t much—a badly damaged Traveler’s Shield—but it was better than nothing. He’d broken nearly all his weapons during his battle with Calamity Ganon, and this was his last shield. He had to figure out a way to evade—there’s no way he could take down a Guardian without a weapon, and the Great Eagle Bow was on its last legs. It had maybe three shots left before it broke, and he really didn’t want to see the look on Revali’s face if he saw his bow shatter.
The familiar tracking beam aimed at his chest, and he held the shield before him. He had to time this perfectly . He loathed facing Guardians, they were never easy.
“Be careful.” Urbosa stood by his side, already in a battle stance of her own. The others seemed to be preparing for a fight, too, and Link briefly wondered if the Champions had done this back when he couldn’t see them.
“Right.” He nodded as he listened intently to the beeping. Perhaps they had done this before, because Urbosa shifted a bit in surprise at his response.
The laser vanished, and he tightened his grip on his shield.
Beep
He pushed his shield out with all the power he could muster, praying that he wasn’t too early. He felt the power of the beam push against his shield as it parried back towards the Guardian, and the creature whirred and beeped in confusion.
Link took that moment to dash over towards some rubble, hiding before it could recalibrate and spot him. It beeped in alarm as it circled the area, attempting to find him. He let out a soft breath when the purple lights dimmed and it walked off.
“So not only can you touch things, but other things can see you.” Revali hummed. “That is quite a mystery.”
“Does that mean other people can see Link, too?” Mipha tilted her head.
“We can find out.” Zelda shrugged. “What do you say, Link?”
“Worth a shot.” He smiled. “If I teleport away, will you guys come with me?”
“Yes. We’ve been teleported alongside you each time.” Urbosa nodded.
“Well, not the first few times.” Revali huffed. “We had to track you down, and that was annoying.”
Link snorted at the mental image of Revali squawking in shock the first time he vanished into tendrils of blue power, and the annoyance he must’ve felt at having to search throughout Hyrule to find him again.
“Where’re we headed?” Daruk grinned. “The Rito? You seemed to like it, there.”
“I was thinking Hateno.” Link finally said. “I’ve got extra weapons and shields I keep at home, so I figured I could restock.”
“You have a house?” Zelda blinked.
“He does. Bought an old rundown house in Hateno Village. It was before any of us were freed, so none of us quite know how.” Urbosa explained.
“Bolson was going to tear it down.” Link smiled. “It was abandoned since the owner died in the Great Calamity. I liked it, so I bought it.”
“Just like that? You just bought a house because you felt like it?” Revali shook his head.
“It’s my house. You don’t have to like it.” Link stuck out his tongue at the Rito, causing his feathered friend to jolt a bit at the unexpected action.
“Wonders never cease.” He muttered.
Link gave him a long look before hitting the button on his slate. A moment later, they were standing in the Shrine overlooking Hateno. Link couldn’t help but snort when he saw the state of his friends. Urbosa’s height had her head phased through the roof of the Shrine, while Revali was only visible via a wingtip sticking out of the enclosure. Poor Daruk was mostly swallowed up by the small cave-like Shrine entrance. Only Mipha and Zelda seemed to be standing with any sense of normalcy. Zelda gazed around them in awe. He stepped out along with them, allowing everyone to spread out again.
“That was incredible!” Zelda gushed. “I never knew the slate could do such things! And goodness, is this Hateno?! It’s so different !”
“Yep. It’s Hateno, all right.” Urbosa grinned. “It’s definitely changed over the years, but it’s still got that same feel to it.”
“Come on, my house is just over that bridge.” Link smirked as he leapt off the face of the small cliff without an ounce of hesitation, waiting several moments before whipping out his paraglider and soaring down towards the entrance of his home. As usual, Bolson and co. were seated around the cooking fire he always kept lit.
“Link!” Bolson grinned as he waved.
“Well, that answers that question.” Revali shook his head as he glided down alongside Link. The others took the trail by foot. Maybe ghosts couldn’t fly?
“Hey, Bolson.” He greeted, smile a little tighter than normal. His pink-clad friend picked up on it instantly.
“You okay? You seem a little…”
“Yeah, just ran into a Guardian earlier.” He shrugged, letting a small shiver run down his spine. Bolson nodded in understanding.
“If you need anything, just holler.” He went to pat Link on the shoulder, and he momentarily flailed.
Be solid! Be solid! Be solid!
The warm hand clasped his shoulder, and he nearly melted in relief. In that moment of relief, Bolson’s hand fell through his shoulder a bit, but Link seemed to be the only one to notice.
He nodded mutely as Bolson and the others left, giving Link his much-needed privacy. “He seems nice.” Zelda smiled. “And he could touch you.”
“Sort of.” Link frowned, looking at his front door. He thought for a moment, and walked straight through it. The Champions followed him, and he frowned as he looked at his hand. “I think I can control this… touching stuff thing.” He concentrated for a moment and picked up a plate that was collecting dust on his table.
“What a nice house.” Zelda smiled. “Oh! You’ve got Urbosa’s scimitar!” She eyed the weapon on the wall. “And her shield!”
“I didn’t want anyone’s weapons to get damaged, so I kept them here.” Link explained.
“And yet you took my bow with you.” Revali raised an eyebrow.
“I like using a bow. I felt more confident that I wouldn’t break it, like I would a sword or spear.”
“I don’t recall you breaking so many things before.” Revali sighed.
Link’s stomach did a flip. Did they… not realize? “Um… do you guys… know what happened? That day?”
Urbosa and Mipha sat at his table as Revali leaned against the wall. Zelda sat at the foot of the stairs as Daruk made himself comfortable on his floor. “Well, yeah. Calamity attacked and the Blights got us. You and the princess couldn’t get to the castle, and she held Ganon back for a bit.”
“A bit…” Zelda echoed, sharing a look with Link. “You do realize how much time has passed, yes?”
“A hundred years.” Revali spat, bitterness evident in his tone. “What I don’t understand is how Link is still so young. I assume it has something to do with why you vanished for a century.”
Link and Zelda shared a look. “I died.” Link finally said, and the Champions startled.
“Wait. But if you died back then…” Mipha’s brows furrowed as she gave a gentle frown.
“I told Impa to bring him to the Shrine of Resurrection.” Zelda sighed. “He died protecting me. I felt the least I could do was try to save him somehow… I just didn’t realize…”
“It jumbled your memories, right?” Daruk scratched at his head.
Mipha winced, and Link realized she was probably the only one who understood the depth of his memory loss. He vividly recalled confiding in Sidon one night after he regained control of Vah Ruta—the first Divine Beast he’d tackled. Now that he was thinking about it, he didn’t recall admitting his full amnesia to anyone else. Even Zelda may not know the extent of it.
“No.” Link shook his head, looking down. “It didn’t jumble my memories… it took them.” He admitted. “I… I don’t remember anything from before I woke up.”
The silence was thick, and Zelda had a grimace on her face. She must’ve already started putting the pieces together.
“That’s not entirely true.” Mipha corrected. “You seemed to have regained a few.”
“Thirteen.” Link corrected. “I’ve regained thirteen individual memories. I have at least one of each of you, but that’s about it. Everything I know is from just before the Calamity. I don’t know anything about… him . The Link I used to be.” He sighed as he played with his fingers. He didn’t want to look at them right now. He wasn’t sure he could.
“Perhaps that’s for the best.” Urbosa finally spoke. “I may not have known you well beforehand, but you seem happier now than you were then.”
“I suppose… this does explain some things.” Revali’s expression was tight, but he didn’t seem angry. If anything he looked almost… guilty? Disappointed? Link really didn’t know.
“It’s all right, Little Guy!” Daruk grinned. “The memories are still there if ya want ‘em! And we used to talk a lot. You knew me before you became a Champion, so I can help answer some questions you might have!”
“And I know you know we were childhood friends.” Mipha smiled. “I can tell you about your family, too.”
“I… I had a family ?” He echoed, feeling entirely overwhelmed. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know, but part of him felt like he had an obligation to remember them. He needed to remember them because otherwise they lived for nothing.
“Yes.” Mipha gave him a small sad smile. “Your mother died when you were a child, but your father was a knight. And you doted on your little sister all the time.”
“What was her name?”
“Lyra.” Mipha smiled. “Her name was Lyra.”
Part of him hoped that her name would spark a memory. Part of him was terrified that it would. But nothing happened. He sighed.
“I guess… back to the issue at hand.” He decided that since this was his house, he didn’t have to be polite or respectable, so he flopped down on the floor. “I am dead.”
“I’m fairly sure we can all agree on that.” Revali scowled.
“I am a ghost. But I can still be seen by people. I can apparently touch things and be touched by people if I concentrate.”
“That is a surprise.” Mipha hummed. “My Grace activated of its own accord and attempted to revive you.”
“But the Malice in your body prevented it from doing so.” Urbosa nodded as Link shuddered.
“That was… painful.” He shook his head. “I think there was another power.” He glanced at his left hand and scrubbed away some of the dirt on his pants. He blinked when he saw three distinct triangles that he was sure hadn’t been there before. One looked brighter than the others, too, but he couldn’t fathom why. “Any of you know what this is?” He sat up, showing them the mark.
Several of them gasped in surprise, and Revali in particular choked on his spit. “I mean, I know you said you lost your memories, but…”
“Did you lose all your memories? Do you not even recognize the Triforce anymore?” Urbosa asked.
“What’s a Triforce?” Link tilted his head innocently. The five full ghosts in the house shared a collective wince.
“I think this might take a while.” Zelda spoke up. “It’s time for a history lesson…”