#SoH3

[rinriya]

My MC Akio from Samurai of Hyuga (@samuraiofhyuga). He suffers from an innate sense of justice, bleeding heart, self-loathing, and men in love with him.

[katedoesfics]

Shadows of Hyrule | Chapter 3

Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, Link had spent most of the night playing foolishly with the sword, battling imaginary foes and breaking a few items in the process. It wasn't until he almost broke his laptop that he finally gave up with the idea that he'd ever be some hero with a sword and tossed it into his closet to be forgotten about. So when he found himself in his first period class the next morning, he was more tired than usual, and all he wanted to do was fall asleep in the back of the room. But as luck would have it, he would not be so fortunate.

Feeling a presence standing before him, Link lifted his head off his arms and looked up. There, in front of his desk, stood Zelda with her arms crossed. Clearly, she couldn't tell he was trying to take a nap.

“What?”

Her figure relaxed slightly, a wave of curiosity flashing across her face. “What did you do with the sword?” she asked.

He put his head back down on his arms and yawned. “It’s in my room.”

Zelda rolled her eyes and returned to her desk as Mipha approached. She glanced at Zelda before taking her seat beside Link.

“Copying her notes?” Mipha asked with a grin.

Link didn’t answer her. He straightened in his seat as the door opened and their teacher entered. She immediately began discussing the previous night's homework, and Link had quickly tuned her out as he usually did. He let his chin rest in his hand as he spaced out, staring blankly at the board, his thoughts wandering to the sword.

What was most peculiar about it was the familiarity he felt when he held it. The voice that called to him seemed to be one he had heard before, though of course that was impossible. The sword seemed to be an entity all on its own – as if a spirit lived inside of it, watching over it, luring Link to it. He felt a comfort being around the sword, as if he were in the presence of a friend.

He was so lost in thought that he hadn't even noticed the test that was passed out until the teacher came back around to collect the blank pages from him. He looked up at her sheepishly, meeting her disapproving gaze, and slouched pathetically when she told him to hang back after class. He caught Mipha's disapproving gaze as the teacher moved back to the front of the room and he rolled his eyes.

He tried to sneak out quickly at the sound of the bell, but Ms. Muller peered at him over her glasses and beckoned to him with a boney finger. He stepped away from the door like a guilty dog as the rest of the students filed out, leaving him alone to his inevitable death.

“I'm not going to sit here and lecture you, Link. I know you're better than this, and you know you're better than this. You may have been able to skate by with mediocre grades, but lately, you're not even doing that. You're failing, Link. At this rate, you won't even get to senior year.”

Link turned his gaze to the door. From the rectangular window, he could see Mipha on the other side, her arms crossed and her head shaking. He rolled his eyes and sighed again.

“I'll give you one last chance, Link. You can stay after school tomorrow, or come in during your lunch. Make up the test. Do some extra credit. Take advantage of this, because you won't get other chances in the future.”

Just enough time to get the answers from Mipha. “Thanks.” He hurried out of the room before she had a chance to lecture him further, breathing a sigh of relief when the door closed behind him.

“What the hell?” Mipha hissed at him.

“Get off my back,” he muttered.

“You're acting like a child. What's the matter with you? You spaced that entire test.”

Link gave her his best puppy-dog look. “Can I have your notes?”

“No!”

“Come on! I need to study for the make up!”

Mipha hesitated. “Are you ever going to take anything seriously?”

“Life's too short,” he said with a shrug.

Mipha narrowed her gaze on him. “Wrong answer.” She turned sharply on her heels, her red hair flying out behind her.

“Come on, Mipha,” he whined, but she ignored him as she disappeared in the crowd. Unwilling to chase her, he sighed and made his way to his locker. To his surprise, Zelda was there waiting for him, a wide grin on her face. Link eyed her suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?”

“I just wanted a chance to make fun of you.”

He spun the code to his locker quickly, opening the door and blocking her face from his view. “You've got some shit on your nose.”

“Too busy playing with your sword all night?” Zelda said, ignoring his comment.

Link shoved a textbook onto the messy shelf and grabbed the first notebook his hand landed on. He let the door swing shut and raised a brow to her. “No one else will.”

“Ugh! Really?” She rolled her eyes, turned her nose up at him, and left him alone at his locker. He scanned the crowd as students milled about, switching out books at their lockers and talking among one another. Through the windows, he could see his friends gathered in the courtyard between classes, but he didn't feel up for their interrogations.

Instead, he made his way to his next class, where he made a slight effort to stay awake. It was easier to do when he wasn't being forced to stare at math equations first thing in the morning, and even slightly more exciting when his chemistry teacher announced that they would be doing a lab. Link wasn't sure exactly what concoctions they were putting together, but the end result was cool enough to hold his interest. By third period, he was starting to grow hungry, and ignored most of the English lecture. What did he care about Romeo and Juliet, anyway?

At the sound of the bell, he found himself back at his locker, where he switched his notebook out for his lunch. Going against everything he had ever known, he made his way back to the empty math classroom to take the offered make-up test.

*****

Link trotted down the steps of the school with the rush of students eager for the end of the day. Mipha was not yet outside, and Link debated whether he should wait for her or not. He looked around, but his friends weren’t even gathered at the corner of the building like they usually did.

He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and strode across the school’s lot towards the road. A few cars were lined against the sidewalk, waiting to pick up students. One of the cars was a black town car that Link immediately recognized. Typically, Dorian stood outside of it, waiting to pick up Zelda, but this time, an older woman stood outside, and she was staring at Link, her brows knit together. He immediately recognized Paya, one of the sophomores in his math class, standing beside the woman, and she, too, turned her gaze to Link. Her eyes were hesitant, almost worried, before she tore her eyes away from him and onto the ground. The old woman beckoned to him with a bony finger and Link hesitated. He looked around him for a moment, hoping she was talking to someone else, but seeing no one else moving towards the car, he hesitantly obeyed.

“Where is the sword?” the woman asked.

Link blinked at her. How did she know about the sword? He glanced at Paya, but found no answers, which was almost expected. He didn't think he had ever heard her talk once.

“At home,” Link said slowly. He turned his gaze back to the woman and raised a brow.

“Link,” Paya said quickly. “This is my grandmother, Impa. She is -”

“Sheikah,” Link said simply. They weren’t typically easy to recognize, but he knew most of the Sheikah in the city had connections to Zelda and her father, the city’s king. The only reason he knew of Dorian was because he was close with his father. He wasn’t the smartest student in the school, but he had enough common sense to put the pieces together. The town car bore the crest of Zelda’s family, so it only made sense that Impa was someone of importance.

Impa raised a brow at Link. “You’re smarter than you look,” she said. “Get in.”

Paya took the opportunity to slide into the passenger's seat as Impa walked around the car. Link watched Impa carefully.

“I, uh, actually have to -”

“I said get in,” Impa barked at him. “We’ll have you home soon enough.”

His parents always taught him not to get into a car with strangers, but he got in, anyway. If he were being honest, the old woman kind of scared him. But what harm could she do to him? She was Paya’s grandmother, after all. He didn’t know what she wanted with him, but maybe this was just her way of inviting him for cookies and milk. He could go for some homemade grandmother-styled cookies.

With a small shrug, he got into the backseat of the car. He leaned forward towards Paya. “This isn’t a trap, right?”

Paya blushed and giggled. “No,” she said softly. “Grandmother only wants the sword.”

“She’s not going to kill me, is she?”

Paya grinned and shrugged. “I can’t make any promises.”

Link sat back against the seat. Paya was never much for conversation, so it surprised him that she knew how to even make a joke. At least, he hoped she was joking.

“So,” Link started as the car pulled away from the school. “Where are you two taking me?”

“We’re just going to the shrine,” Paya informed him.

“I need some answers from you,” Impa said matter-of-factly.

“Answers? You couldn’t just ask nicely?”

“Our questions for your are classified,” she said. “Strictly confidential. I cannot risk our conversation being overheard by the wrong people.”

“The wrong people?” Link muttered. What the hell had he gotten himself into? When no one offered any further explanation, he crossed his arms and muttered to himself. “Guess I am being framed for murder.”

The ride felt much longer than it really was as they sat in an uncomfortable silence. Link kept his gaze out the window, fully aware of Impa's hard stares at him in the rearview mirror every few minutes. He watched as the traffic thinned and the streets narrowed as they made their way to the outer edges of the city.

The land rose and fell more freely and the streets weaved themselves along. If they drove any further, they would have left the city completely and found themselves in Hyrule's more rural countryside. And even further still, the road would take one into other cities and eventually, the coast. It was a long drive to the coast, and Link had only been a few times before, but this would not be one of those times.

Instead, the car turned onto a dirt road shaded by trees on either side. The road made its way up and around until they were on top of a small hill where the shrine sat, just out of view of the road. Link gazed upon the shrine in surprise, never knowing for a moment such a building existed. When the car stopped, he stepped out with Paya and Impa and followed them inside.

Zelda was already inside the shrine when they entered. She turned and automatically frowned when she saw Link. “You’re here, too?”

“Not by choice,” Link muttered. “Why are you here?”

Zelda sighed lightly, clearly irritated. “That’s a good question.”

Paya moved across the room and through the doorway into another room. Impa strode in behind her and motioned for Link and Zelda to follow her. They glanced at each other for a moment before following behind the elderly Sheikah woman into another room. This room was large and open. A variety of weapons and practice weapons were lined up against the far side of the room. Impa strode towards a bokken, picking it up and tossing it at Link.

Link fumbled with the bokken and promptly dropped it to the floor at his feet. Impa rolled her eyes at him as he picked it up and studied it. “What’s this for?”

“Training,” Impa said simply.

“Training?” Link raised a brow. He swung the bokken clumsily in front of him. “For what?”

“Stop that,” Impa hissed as he continued to swing – then promptly dropped – the practice weapon.

Paya entered with an old book in her arms. She made her way to Impa’s side, handing her the book carefully.

“The sword you found is the Master Sword,” Impa said in an almost bored tone as she opened the book and flipped through its pages. “It is a legendary sword that is over hundreds of thousands of years old created by our Goddess, Hylia. It is imbued with the power to vanquish all darkness and evil and is all that stands between Hyrule and our enemies.”

Zelda raised a brow. “Enemies?”

“Since the dawn of time, Hyrule has been cursed to repeat history, and it has become the responsibility of the Sheikah to prepare for the rise of our enemy, Ganondorf. It is he who holds the Triforce of Power which allows him to rise from Hylia’s seal time and time again. He seeks out the other two pieces of the Triforce, and if he obtains them, he will be granted absolute power and Hyrule will cease to exist as we know it.”

“The Triforce,” Zelda said thoughtfully. “That’s the symbol in our crest.”

Impa nodded. “The other two pieces, the Triforce of Wisdom and the Triforce of Courage, are said to be passed down through the ages. The descendant of Hylia is said to hold the Triforce of Wisdom, while the descendant of the great hero holds the Triforce of Courage.” Impa turned her gaze to Link. “Only the Chosen Hero – the one who possesses the Triforce of Courage – can pull the Master Sword from its pedestal and awaken the power that is inside of it.”

The bokken fell from Link’s hands and clattered loudly against the wood floor. He stared blankly at Impa for a moment before narrowing his gaze at her. “Excuse me?”

“It is your duty, Link, to save Hyrule from Ganondorf’s dark forces when he rises once more. It is only a matter of time before he does. That’s why the sword summoned you to the forest.”

Link laughed sharply and turned away. “Come on,” he said to Zelda. “Let’s get out of here.”

Zelda hesitated, her eyes moving from Link to Impa. “I think she’s serious,” Zelda said.

Link stood beside her and stared at her. “Are you kidding? You believe this bull shit?”

“Yes,” she said softly. “My mother always spoke of the legends. She always told me that we are descendants of Hylia. I never thought anything of it before…”

“Hylia’s power sleeps inside of you, Zelda,” Impa said. “That is why you could hear the voice from the sword, just as Link did.”

Link narrowed his gaze at Impa. “How do you know that?”

“I may have told her,” Paya said sheepishly. “Grandmother has been training me my whole life to carry on the duties of the Sheikah. When I heard you guys talking about a voice, I knew that that meant Ganondorf’s rise was imminent and that we must prepare for war.”

“The legends are real,” Impa said, passing the book to Link.

Link’s eyes scanned the pages of ancient Sheikah text, none of which he could understand. But there were various images through the pages. Images of the Triforce and the Master Sword. Images of a hero clad in green and a woman in white battling ferocious beasts. There were pictures of ancient technologies, ancient races that have long died out, and even old maps that depicted what Hyrule once looked like.

“It is the duty of the Sheikah to record history and to ensure that it is never forgotten the curse that Hyrule was put under. It is our duty to seek out and prepare the chosen heroes who must play their role in the oncoming war.”

Link closed the book and pushed it into Impa’s arms. “You have got to be kidding.”

Impa’s brows knit together fiercely. “Whether you like it or not, you have a duty to keep Hyrule from falling to Ganondorf. The Master Sword called for you and you responded. You must accept your responsibility in this war. I will train you to wield the sword to fight Ganondorf.” She turned her gaze to Zelda. “And I will help you awaken Hylia’s power that sleeps within you. Together, you must stop Ganondorf and bring peace to Hyrule.”

Link met Zelda’s gaze, hesitant, before turning back to Impa. He picked up the bokken and handed it to her. “I think you need to find yourself a new hero,” he said. He turned his back to her and left them alone in the shrine.

Zelda followed Link outside the shrine, jogging to keep up with him. “You can’t leave,” she hissed to him. “I need your help with this.”

“I can’t believe you’re buying this bull shit,” he snapped at her.

“This bull shit,” Zelda snarled, “is what I’ve been hearing my whole life.” She stopped walking and stared after Link. He hesitated and turned back to her as she continued. “I never knew it would happen in my lifetime, but I knew that I had to pass on the legends to my children, and my children to their children. It is the duty of the royal family as it is the Sheikah. That’s why we work so closely together. Whether you want to believe it or not, Link, it’s true. Ganondorf will rise, and it is our job to stop him. I cannot do it without you.”

Link studied her carefully as she spoke, still skeptical. Link had never seen her serious about anything besides school. For once, she didn’t sneer at him or roll her eyes at him. She looked concerned, but confident in her role. Ready to put her life on the line for some legend that was passed down through the ages.

A legend. And legends weren’t real.

But he had heard the voice. He had felt the power when he grasped the Master Sword. It was something he could not explain and would not have believed if it hadn’t happened to him.

He turned away from her. “Heroes don’t exist. Legends aren’t real.” He left her alone in front of the shrine and walked down the road, heading for home.

[inexplicifics]

But why does the pack think Lambert is dead in SOH3 when they are bonded? Shouldn't they know through the bond he's alive? Did I mix up the series?

Nope, you've got the right series!

It turns out that a hard blow to the head plus a lot of physical distance is enough to fuck up a bond. Oops?

[thalmores]

Oh my god oh my god oh my god

[lydiaalin]

my ronin in SoH3 was such a mess - i loved it the haori she got from her spirit animal at the start was orange - the haori she got at the end during the fight was brown & only got jigoku itto-ryo back then– so when is this?? ?

[seraphinitegames]

Fan of Wayhaven; also a fan of Samurai of Hyuga. And I saw a scene in the other game that made me go 'how would Unit Bravo react to this'. So Detective is trying to reenact a murder scene, but isn't sure how to at first. They get this brilliant idea and go up to the vampire (in that crush stage) and tell them '(Vampire's Name) I need you to mount me'. Their reaction, along with the reaction when Detective explains that it's to get a feel of the murder (due to being confused by their reaction).

Aah, yeah, I got that scene with Toshio too :D (Brilliant scene and all that build up with Toshio! Though I admit, Hatch is probably my favourite and I am seriously hoping he’s a romance interest!)

Lol :D Can you imagine A reacting to that?! Hilarious, I’d imagine. They’d probably splutter a response and decline firmly, saying the idea is ridiculous, then try to pass over the whole thing and suggest moving onto something else. Quickly.

N- if it was something that would help the case and they were on the job- would probably do it without question. They’d likely not even think about any other connotations that could go with it, lol.

F would grin from ear to ear and be like, ‘Well, if you insist’, to which A and N would likely roll their eyes and sigh.

M- if it was just the crush stage- would likely reluctantly agree, and then when mounted upon the MC would smirk suggestively and then just hold their gaze hoping to fluster the MC without even having to say a word.

Thank you so much for the ask! :) And for those wondering- Samurai of Hyuga is an incredible interactive fiction by Multiple Choice Studios and the demo for Book 3 has just been released here-  http://multiplechoicestudios.com/SoH3/SamuraiOfHyugaBook3_demo/web/mygame/index.html

[inexplicifics]

Sending you good vibes and bunny food! For the ask meme, SOH3?

Thank you for the bunny food!

*

“That’s not a natural rockslide.” Eskel grimaces. “The Griffins had one of the finest magical libraries in the world. A group of pretty unsavory mages asked - well, demanded - to be allowed to come and do research here, and the Griffins refused. So the mages did this.” He jerks his chin at the tumbled stone. “During winter, so pretty much the entire School was here. And the Path is hard, so these days...these days the only Griffin I know about is Coën. There might be others out there; I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were so traumatized that they went over the mountains to Zerrikania, or further still - but as far as I know, Coën’s the last of them in the North.”

Jaskier swallows hard, tears stinging in his eyes. “That’s horrific.”

Eskel nods.

“I am going to write a lament for Kaer Seren,” Jaskier decides. “I’ll run it by Coën this winter, to see if he minds, but if he doesn’t, I’m going to sing it up and down the continent, and everyone who hears it will grieve for the Griffins.”

[inexplicifics]

SOH3 plenty of angst but with a happy ending.... right 🥺?

Will Aiden get to meet the pack?

Oh, of course with a happy ending! I wouldn't hurt my darling readers like that.

Aiden will, indeed, get to meet the pack.

[inexplicifics]

That's the same SOH3 snippet from Sept!!!!!!!!!!

...I've only written a few pages of it! There's only so much snippet to go around!