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[occasionallyprosie]

Devotion - Chapter 9: "A Kingdom Over Light & Time"

The Era of the Wild comes to an end, Dev is very impressed by Dragon Ganondorf

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Dev didn't know how it happened, but next thing he knew, he was inside the sword and with Fi. He had been forced into dormancy… that wasn’t new, it had happened before, once with… with his sprite, and again not at all as long ago, with his cub.

He couldn’t remember, was Link okay? Was he hurt? What about Zelda? Did they defeat that… thing?

Then he noticed that there was someone nearby, a presence they could access internally. Fi led the way there, she was stronger than him at the moment.

Zelda, she had been startled by their presence, but had greeted them warmly.

“It’s okay,” she said after he asked what had happened. “Link had used his magic on me.”

“His… magic.” The minor time manipulation he used to speed himself up, so he could strike multiple times in a single moment? “The flurry rushes?”

“The exact same,” Zelda confirmed. “He used the Secret Stone, the gold gem from the hand and it increased the power in his natural magic. I don’t believe it was intentional, but I had taken you when you reverted to sword form, Dev, and I fell.”

“You fell?” Fi repeated, Dev could almost see her frowning. “Master Link watched you fall?”

Zelda nodded. “He almost caught me, but I fell from reach. That’s when a golden light came from him and engulfed me. Next thing I knew, I was in a field and met an ancient ancestor of mine, an ancient queen, her name was Sonia, did you ever meet her?”

Dev thought back, through every woman of the royal bloodline he had ever met. “I knew a couple Sonia’s,” he admitted. “It was a popular name just before the first time Calamity Ganon arose. If I remember right, that was an ancient name even by then. Not as old as Zelda or Link, those transcend time and never reach popularity.”

“She and her husband, Rauru, fought a evil Gerudo king known as Ganondorf. That was the man in the cave. He killed her, but before she died… she taught me more about my sealing power.” Zelda held her hand to her chest. “I used that power to seal us, myself and the Master Sword, in a stasis of light far, far above Hyrule Castle. This way, you can regain power through my own.”

“I cannot track the passage of time within this seal, my lady,” Fi spoke.

Dev frowned. Normally while dormant, he had a vague sense of the passage of time. “Wait, she’s right. How will we be able to help Link?”

Zelda smiled fondly, clearly thinking of Link. “He will find us. I’ll sense him, and I’ll release the seal then.”

So, basically, it was time travel and then waiting… his least favorite things in existence. Great. 

It felt like forever, Dev had forgotten how hard it was to just wait. Normally, he had something he could do, be it drifting into dormancy and forgoing all senses, even the passage of time, or exploring and seeking out monsters to slay.

But no, this time, they just waited. Zelda probably became the most knowledgable person to ever exist purely due to how much Dev info-dumped as a way to pass the time, and Fi eventually joined in at their mutual prodding for information about times before Dev.

Then Zelda froze. “He’s here.”

“Master Link?” Fi clarified.

“And Ganondorf,” Zelda breathed, looking to them with wide eyes. “He’s powerful, more powerful than before. It’s… No. We must help Link.”

The seal shattered.

Dev watched. Zelda fell from the sky clutching the Master Sword—in pristine condition, he’d forgotten how long it had been to feel Fi beside him in equal strength. It was almost like when they first united, back with his lion kit, but she was even stronger than back then.

Link was in the jaws of a great dragon, one of pure malice and darkness. He was released from the jaws as it roared, spiraling through the sky. Zelda called out to him, trying to slow her own fall as he immediately dove toward her.

The dragon twisted in air. Link reached for Zelda, who reached back. The dragon turned down toward them, hatred radiating off it in waves, stronger than any other incarnation of hatred Dev had met before.

“Not stronger than Demise. This is a mere two-thirds of his power. Stronger still than any other I have battled, none of them reached one-half, but still weaker.” Fi informed him.

“My respect for your first master has skyrocketed, that thing is strong and Demise was still even more so? That…”

“My friend Link was powerful. I would have claimed him the most powerful of all the heroes throughout time, if it were not for you, the Link who was the Hero of Legends, and I wonder how strong your son and successor was, I would still accolade him as such.”

Link reached Zelda, taking her hand in his. He pulled her into his arms as the dragon lunged past them, only missing because of a sudden gust of wind throwing them to the side.

Zelda pressed the Master Sword into Link’s hand. “You can do this, Link. I will strike him with you.”

Link stared at her. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”

“Thanks to you,” she returned.

They fought the dragon during a freewill, Dev calculated them to be mountains above sea level, the longer and longer they fell. Link swung onto the dragon itself, Zelda doing the same. They would gain altitude as they did so, their combined power weakening the writhing, attacking dragon time and time again.

All until they were just above Hyrule Castle. Link grabbed Zelda’s hand and opened his paraglider as the dragon hit the tallest tower, leaving behind a large enough floor for them to land atop the stone.

It was a place Dev recognized a dozen times over, a place Fi showed him in brief images along their connection, a place constantly overtaken by darkness and always purified.

Zelda and Link stood side by side until Link stepped forward, Master Sword drawn to the side and Zelda placed her hands together, head bowing in some mimicry of prayer.

The dragon, dripping black ichor, turned to look at them both.

“Raise your sword skyward, Master Link,” Fi instructed.

Dev could almost feel her excitement. Link followed her instruction, and a lightning bolt of pure divine magic called by Zelda fell down to them, the Master Sword a conduit.

The dragon of hatred and darkness stood no chance to the strike sent by Link directly at it, shattering the stone that was slowly sinking into the dragon’s head.

Following promptly after was a flash of red light, disappearing into the golden horizon of the rising sun.

Hyrule had changed a lot since Dev’s time, but all the centuries between them meant those changes were gradual. Faster than they should’ve been, sure, but still much slower than the three years that now resulted in the—according to Fi—re-emergence of sky islands and deep chasms.

He called Spectrum back, or tried too, reaching out some of his magic as far as he could and hoped it would reach the kid. If it did reach him, it would update him on the newest hero and the absolute chaos involved with him. If it didn’t, Dev still looked forward to whenever he returned from whatever far off land he decided needed to be investigated and explored this time.

Not even a week after, Link was gone again, vanishing through a portal. Zelda had shaken her head while laughing fondly, before turning to Purah and asking what she could do to continue the rebuilding effort.

Dev was not waiting around again, not for a while, which meant he and Fi got to run off and do what Link would’ve been doing, which was hunt down all the monsters in Hyrule that they could find and kill them.

When Link came back, he returned a bit lighter, a bit older, and he hugged Dev as soon as he saw him. He lived until he was middle aged, Spectrum returned sometime in Link's forties having received Dev’s message and worked his way back.

Link had that knowing look on his face that Dev recognized from both his previous wielders. A look that still confused him, he seemed so much more familiar with Spectrum than he logically should’ve.

It wasn’t something he ever prompted, after all, his lion kit and his sprite had done the same.

When Link passed, and Zelda soon after, Dev was still very against sitting down and waiting until next time.

Next>>

[proxycrit]

Day 32- Abandoned Equestrian Riding Course

Link has an arm collection. Zelda has a frog collection. Good thing they have hammer space in the form of an enchanted bag.

(And the purah pad too, I GUESS)

((This is a totk au called familiar familiar! Tldr, zelda doesnt go back in time.))

(((Check out thy patreon for sketches and ✨ crimes ✨. Remember to use web or android!)))

[martyfive]

time will tell

[verflares]

NOW SPELL: ANGEL Z-E-L-D-A WRONG! TRY AGAIN.

also on inprnt :]

[opabiniasarecool]

The brain worm made me

I spent too long on this

[charcoaldustonmyfingers]

Me, a fool: It would be cool if TOTK brought back old Zelda enemies!

Me, later: I take it back I take it back I take it back

Something about the hand shaped enemies in Zelda games give me the absolute heebie-jeebies. I hate them so much. They freak me out man, it’s legit bad for my heart!

So here’s an artistic interpretation of the first time I came across those damnable gloom floormasters in game. It was like every creepy hand enemy merged into one nightmarish abomination come to haunt me. Link almost met the goddesses that day…

See if you can spot all the references!

[carosapien]

sketch

[wreniriis]

One year of Tears of the Kingdom 🐉☁️

[orphetoon]

roleswap totk comic commission. eat the fruit gummy

[blueskittlesart]

Linktober day 17: dragons

[emily-e-draws]

tangled up!

[newtsnaturethings]

Hear me out:

I think Zelda should have kept a couple of dragon traits. Just a few.

[proxycrit]

DAY 31- DUAL PEAKS STABLE

How did the fairy fountains move. Really. How. Zelda would poke and prod if she wasn’t so concerned with accidentally entering a pact with more ancient spirits. Link might have been able to get away with it, but he’s quite content splashing around in the fountain’s healing waters.

(This is a totk au called Familiar Familiar! It’s a what if zelda doesn’t go back in time and is actually just me reskinning botw with totk elements.)

((Want to support me? Check out my ✨ patreon ✨ for sketches and cut content! Please remember to use web or android— memberships via apple app eat an extra thirty percent of whatever purchase because we live in a dystopia ;0 ))

[annama-art]

Zelda commission for @thespacenico :)

[verflares]

(draconifies your zelink) oh whoops lol

+ an extra pic of em hanging out together :]

btw, you can find these guys on inprnt! both as a pair, or apart :] You Choose.

[cocoabell]

A bitter reminder 🥀