Blood Moon: A Story Before the Calamity

Chapter 27

     Link woke with the dawn. For a moment, he stared at his ceiling, contemplating the strange dream he had and savoring the feeling of panic it gave him on the tip of his tongue. 

     It wasn't a dream so much as it was a gallery show of pictures. A flash of blue, an old man he felt was vaguely familiar although he couldn't place his finger on it, a feminine voice calling to him, too blurred to be coherent. And ghosts. Something about ghosts. The feeling of loneliness, lost, confused. And why was Hyrule Castle pink all of a sudden?

     He heaved a sigh. Throwing off his blankets, twisted and messy because of a restless night, he got dressed and tied his hair into a ponytail. It was about time he started his day.

     With the well-polished Master Sword, now more show than weapon, at his back, Link headed down to Zelda's room and knocked.

     "Enter."

     "Anything special today, Princess?" The weariness in his voice was well-disguised. 

     "No." She was bent over a piece of paper, scrutinizing it carefully. "Come look at this, Link."

     "Yes?" He walked over and peered over her shoulder. "What is this?"

     "It's the Shrine of Resurrection." She explained, putting on her best scholar voice. "I'm technically not breaking rules because this is a general report, so." Her excitement was starting to show through her voice. "Anyway, it's really quite amazing. Our researchers just discovered it today, on the Great Plateau. It can literally take you from the brink of death, put you through a stasis period to heal you, and then you're alive and well again! So many things we still don't know about this, though. How long does it take? Are there side effects? So far, it looks like we can only accommodate one person at a time, but we can always discover more secrets. Maybe we can replicate this design as well." She flipped through the pieces of paper to show Link the hastily drawn pictures of the Shrine of Resurrection, from every angle. 

     "It's amazing..." Her voice was full of awe. "However, I do hope that no one will ever have to use the Slumber of Restoration in our war."

     "Slumber?" Suddenly Link's blood froze. Slumber will deem you worthy.

     "Yes," Zelda was watching him closely, so Link arranged his features into a casual mask and said, "Nothing. Just... can I go see the Shrine of Resurrection?"

     "Of course you may." Now Zelda was sure something was wrong. Link had never shown much interest in Sheikah technology, flinching when he saw the Guardians, impatient with the huge volumes that held such secrets. So what was he doing, actively requesting to traverse such distances, make the journey up the Great Plateau, just to examine the Shrine of Resurrection?

     Then it occurred to her, a conclusion that she assumed was correct. Link was no stranger to death, being a soldier, of course he would be interested in something that could heal all wounds and bring someone back to life. He probably thought that if they had discovered this earlier, there might not have been such casualties in previous battles.

     As it turned out, she wasn't completely correct. It was like... the Shrine was calling to him, beckoning him over, attracting him somehow that Link couldn't explain, even to himself. All he knew was that he wanted to take a look. So about half an hour later, he had climbed the long ladder up the Great Plateau and made his way to the Shrine of Resurrection. 

     The Sheikah workers looked strangely at him when he passed, but didn't make an attempt to stop him. The tunnel leading from the Shrine itself was oppressive, claustrophobic, and Link got the feeling that he would never see the daylight again. Swallowing his fear, he slowly, cautiously, arrived at the Shrine.