Legend of Zelda: Book of Mobius

Reading something. —Remembering something someone “said” or did.— Thinking Sensing something ‘Reno hearing something from far away’

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Link jumped and slid down the wreckage of Gorman's body. His ribs protested the strenuous movements, the teen grunting with pain as he landed hard on the buckling floor. He stumbled towards the back wall, a part having fallen open to reveal the world just on the other side. The ceiling crumbled down, stopping the lanky teen as his way out was blocked. A curse fought at the back of his throat, gaze casting about wildly for another way out.

"Link!" Reno's voice made the blonde snap around. The kit floated in a blue magic portal, looking mildly agitated at his predicament. The thief didn't waste any time wondering over how or why the fox was there, he just ran towards it.

Pain erupted in his shoulder, part of the ceiling knocking the teen off balance and he stumbled into the light. His body lifted into the air, the world around him crashing down. Sapphire light overwhelmed his vision, piercing even the closed lids. The world faded into darkness, Link and Reno in the copse.

He finally felt his body ascending, boots lightly touching the soggy earth. Link opened his eyes to the thick cloud rising over the still collapsing factory. Explosions sounded in the distance, light blooming in the muted twilight. The faint sound of thunder mingled with the din of destruction.

The rain was a deluge about his still figure. Reno jumped onto the shoulder, silent. The thick covering of rain clouds finally snuffed the last of the daylight; the only light left was the flickering of fires and lightning.

Link held his hands out, palm up to gather the rainwater to sooth his sore palms. The cool water soaked through the leather, bringing some relief while the teen stewed in his thoughts. It was obvious that he shouldn't take any words from the late Gorman seriously. Why would the Sages betray him?

What would honestly stop them from betraying him?

Clenching his hands into fists in spite of the pain, Link did an abrupt about face to divine where exactly he was. . The teen finally pulled out the half empty bottle and began to slowly sip the contents. The slow sips made the healing sluggish, but the nausea was negligible.

The vague shapes of trains lurked before him. Some cars were de-railed, flopped on their sides or upside down. The filcher entered the labyrinth, senses reaching out to avoid an ambush. Clockwork bodies littered the ground, still intact but no longer moving.

The blonde kicked a couple thoughtfully, wondering if Gorman's consciences had fueled them all. It was a little difficult for the teen to grasp such a concept. It also made him wonder what Gorman might have experienced through them. Did he see through their eyes? Did he hear through them? What did Gorman learn through the Unknowns?

Link frowned, sloshing through the mud as his thoughts turned over each other inside his weary mind. He finished off the rest of the potion, storing the empty bottle.

There wasn't really any reason for the Sages to keep him, other than as their bag boy. Link did everything they asked, nearly without question. They claimed he was the Hero, told him it was his job to kill Ganon and save the Princess. He hadn't done anything to move towards that goal except for errands. In fact, they wouldn't even have a way into the castle with the crests if Link hadn't been tumbling all of the blasted things.

Who's to say there was ever a Zora in the Yards? They could have been setting him up the entire time. Trisana was the only one who treated him as a person. His trust in her was waning, knowing that she was helping the façade to keep his deeds known by the public.

Ganon had to know what he was doing. The leaders of the various places he'd overthrown were proof of that. Mongoblin was sent purposely to see him. Gorman was sentient enough to be able to have had long discussions with Ganon.

Yet who was it that knew where Link was headed each time? The Sages. Viscen already admitted that they'd been messing with his marks just after he'd awoken. Is that the betrayal that Gorman spoke of? Was there something else that the blonde wasn't aware of?

That brought up earlier questions: was there a spy in the Sages? Where they guiding or being guided by Ganon? Did the Sages work with Ganon?

The last didn't seem very likely. They were going through a good amount of effort to kill him when no one would notice if someone knifed him. Unless Ganon didn't really want him dead, which didn't answer anything and only spawned more question. A lot of things weren't adding up.

The blonde halted and leaned against a half submerged car spilling metal scraps into an uneven wall. He began to scrape what mud hadn't been washed off by the steady torrent. He was cold, wet, and tired. None of the trains he'd passed were much in the way of shelter. Half the cars were full up or the doors were rusted shut. The tracks seemed to be placed randomly and Link had trouble not tripping.

Reno was still quiet when the filcher pushed off from the car and continued through the maze. He just needed shelter for the night, that's all. The rain continued to fall mercilessly and the blonde moved in silence. Sipping on another bottle of potion to keep up his energy until he finished off the bottle, Link peered through the gloom.

The passing of time was lost to the pair, both focused on finding shelter or a way out. Link paused in front of a train still firmly on the tracks. It had only one car attached to the engine, still on the tracks and in good condition. The thief approached the car, sliding open the door to a red film with gold swirling about to shape a tornado.

An idea tickled the back of the blonde's mind. He had a feeling he knew what the barriers represented, other than a crest. The thought gave the filcher pause, enough so for a rat's face to suddenly lunge from the barrier, hissing menacingly.

Link didn't think, his arm diving through the barrier to soak it up and grab a fist full of fur. He dragged out Lackwit, throwing him to the ground and drawing his blade in the next breath.

Lackwit scrambled to all fours, eyeing the blonde sullenly before giving a half-hearted hiss and scampering off into the dreary night.

"Well. We found a place to stay." Link muttered with amusement.

He threw everything but the crest out of the car, dropping his pack to the floor with a satisfied sigh. Opening the door, he crossed over into the engine, staring at the controls hopefully. They were lit up, which was a plus; but Link had no idea how to get the thing moving.

"Hello and again welcome."

Link nearly jumped out of his skin, back peddling away from the expressionless feminine voice that seemed to resonate around him. His elbow banged the wall and the thief gave a yelp, wincing as he tried to find the source.

"Are you still there." The question was more like a statement, no inflection in the unfamiliar voice

"Yes…" He answered hesitantly, pushing off the wall he'd cowered against. His face flushed a moment went he realized it was the train speaking to him. "Who are you?”

"I am the Engineer's Personal Onboard Navigation Assistant. You may call E.P.O.N.A."

"Uh…Hello Epona."

"Who are you."

"Link." The teen replied after a moment's thought. He stepped towards the control panel, noticing the embedded blue light flickering on and off with the sound of the voice.

"Greetings, Link."

"Can you move the train?"

"Yes, Link."

The teen frowned for a moment, crossing his arms over his chest. He felt Reno clamor up to his shoulders. "Get it moving, then."

"Illegal operation. I can't do that, Link. Debris is on the tracks. Please remove, so that I may comply."

The teen sighed, tired of doing other's bidding.
-----=

E.P.O.N.A. was parked a few miles from Kakariko, tucked inside on abandoned station. Link walked through the bustling town, wondering if he should have brought the train into town after all.

Distrust of the Sages had kept him from bringing it forward so far. He didn't want Errol and the others to take it away from him. Chris would probably want to dismantle the entire thing to find out what made it move. From what Link could see, there wasn't any type of fuel. He didn't have a horse anymore. He would be damned if he had to walk everywhere.

In fact, he didn't plan on doing any other errands for the sages anymore. He was the more obvious choice to make decisions for the group of incompetent fools. They guessed and prayed; owing their allegiance to a supposed princess whose awakening was prophesied to bring on the end of the world.

They seemed to have lost focus. What were they trying to do right now? They should be trying to unite what was left of the continent under one command. Instead, they allowed the Gorons and the Zoras to stay under their own rule, separate from humans.

They could be useful in the battle. They just needed the right leader to take them into the fray. Link knew war, understood it far more than he ever realized. He was raised to rule, groomed to orchestrate the final showdown with Ganon by the man himself.

The Book was uncanny in seeming to know the events, but Link questioned it. Humans were far too erratic to predict. Free will tended to do that to a species.
-----=

Hask watched Link stride through the streets from the rooftops, red eyes narrowed at the tall graceful figure. The blonde seemed to have gotten taller, gaining more of a ground-eating stride. People moved away from the impressive figure he cut, completely armed and seething with violence.

It was a drastic change from the young man she'd met in the ruins.

Reaper's boots scuffed the tiles at her back, but made no comment. She couldn't help but wonder what the other boy thought of their hero. Where there had once been caution and quiet strength was replaced with arrogance that there was nothing that could stop him.

It was hard to say how Hask could sense such a thing. It was more than the self-assured walk, the way Link seemed to disregard his surroundings. It was warrior's intuition whispering in the slightly pointed ear that the blonde was not the same.

Scarlet eyes flicked back to meet gold, both silent until the teen turned to the Mayor's Mansion.

"I'm surprised ya didn' jump inta his arms, lover-like." Reaper pointed out after a moment, his face split by a toothy grin.

"I'm surprised you didn't try to rip out his throat just for fun." Hask replied after a moment, wondering if she'd imagined the new power that seemed to radiate from the blonde. "We're on watch. I've no time to chase him down."

"Git on, then. We need ta reach our post afore the next bell." Reaper pointed out to the milky-haired girl. Hask made a face, but straightened and started over the roofs towards the gates.

Reaper watched her go for a breath before turning back to towards Link. What Hask perceived as a threat, the half-crazed Reaper saw as a kindred spirit. Link was close to being swallowed by the madness and the foolish teen didn't even realize it.

The teeth bared in a less than friendly expression. The blonde was less than qualified to survive the force that was gathering inside him. The black-haired boy hoped he'd bear witness to when Link lost control so their monsters could duel to find the strongest.
------=

Viscen lunged at Link, blade sweeping at the teen's stomach. Link sidestepped the move, ducking the next swing and rolling away from a vertical slice. Link kept the Master Sword in his hand, the hilt smoldering his bare palm. His azure eyes were narrowed, staying one step ahead of the watchman. The black eyes were cold stones, set in shadows beneath the thin brows.

He didn't want to hurt the older man, so he kept to the defensive. There wasn't anything to gain by humiliating the guardsman. He would need Viscen when he took of the Sages. It wasn't as if he wanted to fight. This was Viscen's idea and the man was too stubborn to take a hint.

It was bad enough the Sages couldn't seem to utilize their forces to the maximum abilities. Their competence for fighting a war in the shadows was laughable.

Link could run the Sages better, without a doubt. It was what his Gramps had trained him for, he was sure. Perhaps that's what Ganon wanted from him all along, as a war leader. Perhaps the leaders he had been taking down were just tests.

An interesting thought, but not one that Link was ready to examine too closely. He didn't exactly trust Ganon.

Link twisted from a quick stab, doing a hasty back flip to avoid the horizontal strike follow-up. The frustration was clear on the taller brunette's face. The lanky teen was just leading him circles around the ring. He needed to test Link's fighting abilities. He couldn't send the boy out if he didn't think Link could defend himself. This fight was a joke.

"How do ya 'spect to win if ya won' strike back!" Viscen demanded, snapping out a foot that caught the teen off guard. He jammed the teen's calf, making him stumble. Viscen slid into the open guard, jamming his hilt into the soft stomach. "Are you a jock or a gilly? Fight back!"

Link's cerulean eyes widened as his breath was forced from his lungs. His body pitched forward for a beat, anger flooding his veins as he dropped and rolled to avoid a nasty strike at his head. Stopping in a crouch, the blonde leapt towards the older man, all patience gone.

Viscen was forced into the defensive at the sudden onslaught. The blonde was a flurry of movement, eyes unforgiving orbs of sapphire fire.
----=

Trisana watched from the balcony as Link began to take the offensive. She felt the pressure of another at her back. She didn't bother to turn; she knew it was Errol from the clean smell that teased her senses. He didn't touch her skin, unable to handle the poison that so easily slipped from the delicate casing.

He didn't speak either, but neither did she. She hadn't initiated a conversation for the past few days. Avoiding all company, she stayed in the background to puzzle over the recent changes. Someone who wasn't Shifted wouldn't understand, but for the emotions that were now dormant; the moth-Shifted felt she must try.

"It seems the opposite is happening to Link." Tris started, the sound of swords clashing sharp even from so high above the battle.

"What's happening to Link?" Errol asked quietly, gray eyes drawn to the pair sparring below.

"He's losing control of his emotions. They're driving him to do things that he wouldn't before."

"How is that different from you?"

"I seem to be losing whatever made me human."

"You're being silly. You're still human." Errol replied, fingers hovering just above her flesh and tracing the line of her face. She gave him a sad smile, something within her appreciating the gesture.

"Appearance wise, yes. What separates man from Unknowns?" she asked softly, waiting a beat before answering her question. "Empathy and sympathy. Those feelings binds them together inside a person, controls all strong emotions. The ability to understand another's plight, sympathize with them. It's a driving force, making humans volatile and dangerous. To be human is to love, to dream—"

"To die." Errol finished, watching her turn and search his face with curiously flat eye. He loved this woman, could feel the fierce protectiveness rise inside him to drive away whatever made her so sad. "You're saying you're losing yourself?" The mayor sounded a little unsure, not wanting to believe such a thing was possible.

"I feel so removed from the rest of the world. I see things happen, I understand them, but it doesn't move me like it used to. I find that I'll acting as if I'm a human more than anything lately. I don't know how far this detachment will go." Trisana paused for a moment, watching Link nearly slip past the watchman's guard. "I can only imagine how much more intense it is for one more Shifted than I."
-----=

"What's the matter, old man?" Link taunted, sweeping his blade up and knocking Viscen's strike wide. "You wanted me to fight and you can't handle it?"

The watchman grimaced, but couldn't get the air to reply. The blonde was tenacious with his attacks, his endurance outlasting the older man's easily. The thief faked a lunge, the tired guardsman falling for it easily and swinging up his blade to try to block. Link changed the direction of his strike, driving the blade deep into the man's thigh.

Viscen screamed, stumbling back weakly but managing to keep hold of his sword. Link yanked the Master Sword free and stared down at the brunette, annoyance on his features. The watchman shoved his palms against the wound, no longer roaring in pain, but hissing his breath between clenched teeth.

"I told you that you'd regret it." Link stated bluntly, turning striding to the edge of the circle of stunned guards. The teen gave a careless flick of the blade, blood easily shed from the mirrored surface. He sheathed his blade and backhanded a guard in his way casually. The man yelped and looked prepared to commit murder until he saw the look on the teen's face. "Better call a medic, fool. Unless you want him to bleed out."

A few men scurried away to comply, leaving the blonde a clear path back to the mansion.
-----=

"You're going to the Zora's Domain." Monk pointed out wickedly. Link had walked straight up to Chris's lab, ignoring Monk and Errol.

"Like hell I am, old man." The teen replied thoughtlessly, turning the page of the Book and scanning it. "Why would I do that? I think I deserve a curst break."

"Viscen can't do his duties thanks to you." Monk responded. The blonde snorted and turned his blue eyes to the Monk's.

"That's Viscen's fault, not mine. I warned him." Link pointed out. The teen dragged a finger along the scrawled words on the edge of the page. He frowned a little before closing the book and letting his chin rest on his palm. "What's in the Zora Domain, anyway?"

"The Zora you were supposed to find and help in the Yards might have returned there." Errol spoke up, eyeing the teen carefully. He mulled over Tris's words from earlier that day. Link seemed just as removed from his emotions as the woman unless someone prodded him into exploding. The blonde was now like an alpha male, confident in his superiority and not feeling the need to prove it. It worried the taller man, seeing how it was a complete turn about from the teen's normal personality.

The blonde scowled, looking none too pleased with the information. "That Zora again? Why's it so important?"

"The Zora was gathering the needed parts to fix the water purifiers. If they can get their Domain up and running, it'll clean out the lake." Errol answered, cutting off a nasty reply that seemed to dance on the edge of Monk's tongue.

"Are we ever going after Ganon?" Link asked, blue eyes curious as he looked at the taller man. "I'm doubting your words. It seems as though I'm just doing damage control all over the country."

Errol pressed his lips in a thin line, not liking the boy's tone. Monk snorted, gaining Link's attention.

"Do you think you're ready? Do you even remember that you don't have all the necessary crests, Hero?" The bald man taunted. For once, Link didn't rise to the bait, just staring at the man in contemplation.

"I think there're going to be some changes in the Sages when I get back." The blonde said thoughtfully as he stood.

"What makes you so sure of that?" Monk asked in a patronizing tone. The blonde threw him a look of indulgence, not bothering to answer as he strode towards the door.

The men watched him leave, both throwing glances at one another.

"The boy's gotten cocky." Errol muttered as he sank into a chair. "I'm starting to think we made a mistake with assuming he'd be the hero in the Book."

Monk grunted and rested a hand on the Book thoughtfully as he stared at the door. "I believe I said something similar at the beginning."

The cool blue eyes flicked to the Mayor and down at his hands. "The boy has the potential, just not the temperament. More likely to bite the hand that feeds it."

Errol remained silent for a breath as he let his head rest on the back of the chair. "'With sword and steed he travels/To the domain of life's drink/Finding it dry as the desert/Breaking the seal to free the flood/Riding the wave from the void.' You think he'll be able to at least finish this mission?"

The bald man snorted, eyes flicking to the balcony before finally giving a grudging answer. "It doesn't matter either way. Destiny is a tricky thing." The old man sounded bitter, fingers gripping at the stone in frustration. "Destiny delivered me and my brother to guard the Princess. Did he die because fate dictated it? Were we doomed for failure when this all began? Honestly, I don't even think that any of this was supposed to happen.

These kind of things happen when you try to play with fate."

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A/N: Ok, that was a long hiatus. I got someone else reading the chapters. I should be back up in business for a little bit. I have two chapters written out. I just need them proofread. I only have a couple more chapters to go before I finish the story…