Linked to the Malice (TotK AU)

Short Journey

Zelda volunteered to go first, but I said that I would. We set the board down on the travel point, careful not to touch the shrine. My heart was racing, but I still stepped onto the board, and-!

-?

Nothing...happened?

The board was safe! I still quickly stepped off, but I told Zelda that it was safe. We would have tested more, but we didn't have the resources to. 

Satisfied with our current discovery, we spent the rest of the afternoon making plans for the next few days. When evening came, we paid for a stable bed and drifted off to sleep...

~~~

Purah's POV

Emergency Shelter (4 days after the last scene)

If everything went well, Link and Zelda should be back home by now. I still can't help but worry, since that feeling isn't quite gone...if anything, it's gotten worse. I feel like it's all going to be wrecked, burnt to the ground, gone soon. I don't know why. 

I wanted to take my mind off the premonitory feeling, so I started fidgeting with the Purah Pad. I accidentally dropped it, though, and it skittered across the floor of the Emergency Shelter. I walked over to where it was and picked it up, brushing the dust off. But as I walked past a bed, I accidentally bumped it, waking up the...sick? Injured? The resting Hylian. 

He coughed for a second before sitting up in the bed and trying to say something, but his voice was too weak. "Oh, sorry I woke you," I said. He coughed again before replying. "It's...f-fine..." He closed his eyes again, but he didn't seem like he would go back to sleep after that.

Hmm...what illness could he have? It seemed like he had an injury a few days ago when he first came into the shelter, but now it seemed like he was sick. "Excuse me, I don't want to seem rude, but what happened to you? Maybe I can help," I said, hoping he would reply.

He just shook his head. "Don't know...wh...what happened..."

That's odd. Well, not really, I suppose. Most Hylians don't know many illnesses.

"May I use my scanning Rune? Maybe I can see what it is. Only if you want to, of course," I offered. He quickly replied. "Don't care...n...othing's worse than..." He coughed again. "...this..."

I pulled out the Purah Pad and selected the still-unnamed Rune. I held up my device and scanned the sick traveler, waiting for it to load the results.

Identified as: Hylian male (solid)

Living/non-living: Living

Request specific information?

I smiled. It worked! I typed in a response to the prompt.

Results for 'illness':

Illness: Gloom Sickness (click to expand)

Illness Severity (scale of 1-10): 7

Reload page?

I clicked on Gloom Sickness.

GLOOM SICKNESS

Gloom Sickness is a little-known illness first discovered over 10,000 years ago during the Imprisoning war. It can be extremely deadly if not taken care of. Patients with Gloom Sickness generally live about 3 weeks to 1 month before death...Read more

I looked at the page in shock. 'Gloom Sickness...' It really was serious. I read more about it, bu there wasn't much. It seemed they couldn't find a cure fast enough, and their patients couldn't be saved.

"O-oh!" I said, remembering the man. But he was asleep again. I didn't know how to tell him anything...what if I didn't say anything? No, that would make me a horrible person, but I can't bear to tell him...

I almost cried. There was a person here, someone I hardly knew, and yet I felt like his life was now in my hands. But...if they couldn't find a cure, then...

...

N-no, I...I'll...I'll go t-to bed. I can't think about this. Not right now.

~~~

Link's POV

The Hateno house (The next day)

Finally! We figured it out!

We could fast travel again!

With Zelda's new invention, we could safely stand on corrupted shrine travel points. I was nervous to try it out, but I knew that it would work. I'm not sure if I was excited or terrified or both, but I was eager to warp.

First, Zelda gave me a pair of boots. They were originally my snow boots, but we had to change them to make them Gloom proof. Their now-even-thicker soles wouldn't let Gloom into the boots. Well, we hoped they wouldn't. 

Wanting to just do this already, I pulled on the tall boots.

"Ready?" Zelda also seemed nervous sending me off.

"Ready," I confirmed.

~~~

Ganondorf's POV

??? (Right after the last scene)

I watched the Hylians live. I watched them thrive. I watched them be destroyed and rebuilt time and time again, undefeatable. Each time they were ripped out, they grew back.

Like weeds.

I've been here so long.

I know Rauru can't hold me much longer. 

That knight...

That one, the one that just teleported to Hyrule field wearing that ridiculous pair of boots meant to deter the Gloom...

I will escape this room and kill him.