[Calibrations] It's dangerous to go alone, take this

[newmemorywhodis]

WHO: Link and you!
WHERE: Link's Calibration room
WHAT: Calibrations
WHEN: June 10th to July 10th
WARNINGS: CW for death in the pool memory

On first appearances, Link's room is the inside of cosy little cottage.

There's rustic wooden furniture - that will appear to many as old fashioned - and Link is humming away as he cooks something at the small corner that serves as the kitchen. Propped up on the wall next to Link and the kitchen is the Sword the Seals the Darkness, a blade that many will recognise as the one that has been a constant presence on Link's back.

Draped over the back of one of the dining table chairs is the Champion's tunic, a distinctive blue garment. Sitting on that same chair, hidden partially by the fabric of the tunic, is the Sheikah Slate, a rectangular device that's sitting on one of the chairs. Atop the table itself sits the Thunder Helm.

In one corner, there's a small bookcase. On the shelves are a few assorted objects: a massively large scale, and a whistle.

---

There is, however, something odd that happens in this room. Sometimes, if you tilt your head at just the right angle or look out of the corner of your eye, the appears of it shifts - like a lenticular image. The cottage will be gone, and Link won't be humming away at the kitchen anymore. Instead, it will be a mysterious underground space, lit by soft blue glowing lights and faint orange constellations on the walls.

In the middle of this space is a small pool, or perhaps a kind of tub. It's filled with a bright blue water - and inside, as well, is Link. He's completely under the surface, dressed only in a pair of boxers, eyes closed. He's not moving.

To one side of the chamber, a picture hands on the wall.

On the other side, a pedestal - out of which grows a single silent princess flower.

---

And if, while within the mysterious underground space, if you tilt your head and gaze in just the right way again, there will be another shift. This time, it's strange in a different way. Large sections of the space seem to be just...gone, leaving behind only a blank white nothingness. In between those blank spaces are what is perhaps stone walls, something that might - maybe? - look like a room in a castle. But the details that do exist are so fuzzy and indistinct, it's hard to really tell.

There are a few pictures on the walls. But they feature only people with blank, featureless faces.

No matter what you touch, or interact with, there are no memories to be found here. And Link isn't anywhere to be seen at all. From this place, he is absent.

Comments

[tempredmental]

Interesting way of wording that, and it did make Keith kind of curious. If he remembered this moment clearly enough, he might ask about it later once they were awake. But, for the moment, he walked over to pick up the sword, gripping the hilt with visible experience when it came to handling a weapon like that.

[newmemorywhodis]

The moment Keith's hand touches the blade, he sinks into another memory.

A mysterious, mist-filled forest. Link follows a path of small lit beacons, guided by their embers on the wind. He's mostly dressed for climbing, though there's little need for it here.

When the beacons stop, he uses a torch to guide the rest of the way. The trees are twisted, their leaves sparse.

Then the embers lead him through a gigantic hollowed out log - and the forest opens up, the mist giving way to sunlight and lush green leaves. Curious little creatures wearing leaf masks duck out of view as Link runs by, until he stands before a large stone pedestal, with a sword at the centre, at the foot of a massive tree.

He steps forward to take the sword - and then the scene shifts, briefly, to a series of different memories all-together. Link kneeling before a woman in a blue dress, blue flowers in an open grassy field, a castle enveloped by a swirling purple mass. "Link...you are our final hope. The fate of Hyrule rests with you." A woman's voice calls.

Then the forest returns, and Link steps back.

And then the massive, gigantic tree speaks.

"Who is that...Did I doze off again? Hrm?

"Well, well...it's you. You've finally decided to return. Better late than never. After 100 years, I'd nearly given up hope on seeing you again. Even my patience has it's limits, you know...

"That loop upon your face tells me that you have no recollection of me, however. I have watched over Hyrule since time immemorial. Many have referred to me over the ages as the Deku tree.

"That is the weapon created by the ancient Goddess. The sword that seals the darkness - that only the chosen knight can wield against the Calamity Ganon. Believe it or not...it was actually you who weilded that sword 100 years ago.

"But I must warn you to take extreme caution. The sword stands as a test to anyone who would dare attempt to possess it. As you are now, I cannot say whether you are worthy or not...If you sought to free the sword in any sort of weakened state, you would surely lose your life where you stand.

"Best of luck, young one..."

[tempredmental]

Keith released the blade as the memory faded. Questions... He looked back at Link again.

"A test? What kind of test?"

In a way, he understood the concept, at least. The Red Lion had tested him before she allowed him to pilot her...

[newmemorywhodis]

Link tilts his head to one side, and thinks about how best to answer this.

"For...vitality," he says in the end. "Had to complete lots of Shrines. Get my strength back."

[tempredmental]

Keith nodded a little.

"Makes sense, I guess." Okay, so... fantasy stories with special swords usually required some special person to use them, so it made sense that Link had to be strong in order to do it.

"Did you try when you first got there? Or..."

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. Yes, he did try. But it turned out okay anyway.

"The Deku Tree stopped me before I died," he says, in an attempt at reassurance.

[tempredmental]

Keith nodded a little, almost sheepishly.

"Well, that was nice of it, I guess." At least it had stopped him. "I'm guessing you did eventually manage to get it and be able to handle it, though, right?" Because he had it here in this world. Well, their waking world... outside of Calibrations.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. Takes the sword, and deftly twists it in his hand, a movement that comes as natural to him as breathing. Yes, he did manage to pull it eventually.

“Needed it to fight Calamity Ganon.”

[tempredmental]

That sounded like something big. He'd heard reference to it in the memories a few times now.

"What is Calamity Ganon?"

[newmemorywhodis]

"A primal evil," Link says, echoing Impa's words. "It ruined the kingdom."

[tempredmental]

"Were you able to defeat it?" Keith was curious.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link nods. And his eyes flick over towards the Champion's Tunic, resting on the chair where Keith found the Sheikah Slate. Perhaps the tunic would be able to tell Keith more on that particular topic.

[tempredmental]

Keith's gaze shifted towards the tunic as well, and he nodded, taking the hint. He reached over to pick it up.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link stands in the Sanctum of Hyrule Castle. He's wearing that very same blue tunic, along with a diamond circlet that shines with faint magical power.

Attached to the ceiling is a pulsing, red sac. From from within emerges a light - and a young woman's voice. Zelda's voice.

"Link...Link..Link...I'm sorry, but my power isn't strong enough. I can't hold him...!"

Then the sac bursts, a beam of white hot destructive force emerging from it - along with a giant, terrible, spider-like beast. A mix of malice and cobbled together mechanical limbs; this is Calamity Ganon.

The floor beneath them crumbles, and they both plummet down below - Link's paraglider slowing his descent.

The two face each other, but before the battle begins a massive beam of energy - the combined attack of all four Divine Beasts - strikes Calamity Ganon from above. The beast is damaged badly - but not out for the count.

Now Link draws his sword - one that glows a bright, divine blue - and attacks.

Some may have seen Link in action, but they won't have seen him fight like this. Or against an opponent this large, and powerful. The beast attacks are many, and varied. Claws that strike and slam the ground. A massive sword, alight in flame. A giant spear of ice. Tornadoes and fireballs that he hurls towards Link. A gigantic laser beam.

Link, meanwhile, uses everything to take it down. He dodges, slowing down time to get in multiple attacks at once. He uses his shield, deflecting laser beams back onto the beast. He fires his bow - sometimes from the ground, sometimes from the air. He calls upon lightning, the spirit of a massive eight-foot woman coming forth to stun the beast with electricity. He summons a crystal-red shield and the spirit of a large Goron to defend him.

The battle is long, and a slog...but eventually, he brings the creature to its knees. Malice and dark energy pours from it as it screams.

And yet, things aren't yet over - the dark energy swirls, flying upwards and out of the castle. Link too runs towards it, and disappears into light - before reappearing outside, in a wide open plain. His horse, standing next to him.

"Ganon...Ganon..." whispers Zelda's voice. "Ganon was born out of a dark past. He is a pure embodiment of the ancient evil that is reborn time and time again. He has given up on reincarnation and assumed his pure, enraged form. If set free upon our world, the destruction will be unlike anything ever seen before."

Then a bright light in the sky - a bow, descending down from above. "I entrust you with the Bow of Light - a powerful weapon in the face of evil.

"Link...you may not yet be at a point where you have fully recovered your power or all of your memories...but courage need not be remembered. For it is never forgotten."

Link takes the bow, and leaps onto the back of his horse. The horse rears, and Link charges straight towards the beast.

[tempredmental]

It was definitely an intense moment, and Keith could appreciate the idea of going into a battle while not completely prepared. But, he also understood the need to go into something that had a high chance of not going in one's own favor. But, yes. He was definitely impressed.

"I imagine it wasn't easy."

[newmemorywhodis]

He'd prepared all he could. He'd visited every shrine, freed all four of the divine beasts. Worn his strongest, most powerful armor. Every advantage he could get, he took.

But even then Keith was right; it wasn't easy. Link shook his head.

[tempredmental]

"You didn't have a team?" Granted, those... beast things? Maybe they were like a team for him. But Keith had learned that going it alone could sometimes end up being the worst thing to do.

[newmemorywhodis]

Link thinks about this a moment. Where the Champions his team?

In some ways, yes. They had been, before the Calamity. They still helped him, with their Divine Beasts and the gifts their spirits gave to him.

But in other ways...no.

They weren't there. Not really. They were dead. Any help they could give was limited.

So in the end Link scratches his head a little, shrugs. And then shakes his head, just slightly - even if the gesture looks more like a question than a statement.

[tempredmental]

Keith just looked confused in return. He wasn't even sure what that meant.

"You're not sure?"

[newmemorywhodis]

Not sure wasn't the best way to describe it, perhaps. More that it was...complicated.

"...They were dead," Link says, with soft solemnity. "Or...sealed?"

Zelda had been there, he knew. But also not there, at the same time. She had certainly been an integral part of their victory, and it couldn't have happened without her. But she also hadn't fought with him, either.

[tempredmental]

"Oh." Well, that was... awkward? Keith wasn't sure, either. But he nodded. "I'm sorry."

[newmemorywhodis]

"Not your fault." Keith didn't have anything to apologise for. He wasn't the Calamity; he didn't have any responsibility for what happened.

Link was always going to have to fight the beast alone. There was never going to be any other option.

[tempredmental]

Keith nodded a little. In that way, he was aware enough to know that he'd been lucky to have a team, even if he'd resisted it a lot at first. He'd never historically been a good team player. It had been a hard lesson to learn.

Without thinking, Keith reached out and picked up the whistle that had been sitting on the shelf near the dragon scale as something to fiddle with idly while Link finished up with the meal.

[newmemorywhodis]

Once more, Keith will find himself sinking into a memory.

The rain pours down over a large reservoir. In the center of the water is a massive mechanical elephant, water constantly bursting from its trunk.

But it's to a very tall, red-scaled Zora on the pier that Link runs towards. Sidon.

"Glad to see you're ready to go, Link!" Though Link perhaps doesn't look that ready, considering that his clothing is decidedly mis-matched.

But regardless of Link's attire, Sidon gives him a sparkling, winning smile. "Are you ready for this? Do you have your Zora armor and enough shock arrows?"

Link nods. He was ready.

"Wonderful! You never cease to amaze, Link! Now then, let us go and appease that Divine Beast as one! Here we go!!"

Sidon leaps into the air, spinning gracefully before diving into the water.

"Gaze now upon the Divine Beast's back!" Link looks up. "Do you see those glowing, pink orbs? You will need to shoot each of them with a shock arrow! With your Zora armor, you now have the ability to ascent waterfalls! So I shall take you right up to the side of the Divine Beast, and from there you can swim up and take aim!

"I know you can do it! I believe in you! Now hurry up and get on my back!"

With a quick agreement, Link follows Sidon into the water, climbing onto his back. The Zora swims, at great speed, towards the mechanical elephant.

"Ha! I am unstoppable in the water!" Sidon crows.

The elephant trumpets. It's not without defenses, shooting forth three massive blocks of ice towards them. But Link has a strange, rectangular device - one that he seems able to use to shatter the ice, when aimed correctly. With the ice blocks destroyed, they make their way to the waterfalls falling from its back.

As they get close, Link leaps off - and swims up the waterfall. He shoots up into the air, and then pulls out his bow - shooting an electric arrow at the pink orbs.

They do this once, twice - four times. With the last strike, the Divine Beast shudders.

"WOW! That was astounding! An absolute thrill!" says Sidon. The Beast's trunk falls to the ground, the water - and the rain - coming to a stop.

"Link, look! The water spouting from Ruta has slowed down! Ruta is floating higher now! You wanted to venture inside it, right?! I'll bring you closer!"

They swim closer, towards an platform and entrance on the side of the Beast. When they reach it, Link hops off.

"Show the enemy no fear," Sidon tells him, his fist clenched tight for emphasis. "I'll see you back at Zora's Domain. Farewell."

And as Sidon swims away, the elephant rises once more - and Link heads inside it.

[tempredmental]

Keith blinked a few times as the memory cleared.

"Who was that fish guy?" he asked, putting the whistle back on the shelf. He moved to sit back down at the table again. Was the food ready, yet? Was the door back, yet? He wasn't sure, but there were still a few items around.