The wind rushes past me as I shoot up, up, up. At this rate, I’m going to end up back on the Great Sky Island!

“-IIIIIIITTTTTTTTT!”

While up there, I notice the Purah Pad starting to flare with brilliant blue light. My flailing apparently suffices to scan the land below me, and then data travels down the cable, collating, and then returning to be uploaded to the Pad.

The cable detaches itself, reeling back down as a small balloon halts its plummeting fall, while I drop past it, still flailing as I struggle to fit the Purah Pad back onto my belt. Grabbing the paraglider from my back, I deploy it, and my headlong tumble turning into a gentle, drifting descent. The moment I touch down, I drop my paraglider and fall to my knees, clutching my heart as I pant and tremble, the shock of being put through that slowly seeping out of me.

Several long minutes later, I straighten, wobbling a little from my hyperventilation. Gathering my paraglider, I stagger my way back to Purah’s lab, eyes wide.

“Welcome back, Linky! That was some nice gliding up there! I expected no less! So, how did it go? Did you get a proper scan?”

 I show Purah the map, my hand shaking. “S-see f-f-for yuh-yourself…”

“Good. That map is crucial to our search. There are Skyview Towers in every region in the realm. You’ll want to make a point of visiting them all. Anyway! Let’s talk about the Upheaval. It’s affected more than just the castle. Reports of other strange phenomena have been coming in from all over Hyrule. Let’s have another peek at that map…. Here, from Hebra to the Northwest, then Eldin to the Northeast. Over here in the Southwest, the Gerudo Desert.  And lastly, here, to the East, Lanayru.  I can’t say for certain, but I have the nagging suspicion that we might find out more about Princess Zelda by investigating these phenomena.”

Josha pipes up.

“Uh… Hey, Doc? I don’t know if this is helpful, but I heard something weird the other day… it was about someone who might’ve seen Princess Zelda near the Rito village in Hebra recently. “

Purah contemplatively chews her pen again.

“That IS pretty weird, yeah. Generally speaking, I don’t put much stock in hearsay. But this does sound like it might be worth looking into. Oh, and, before I forget, Linky. We’ve enlisted the Lucky Clover Gazette to help us in the search for Princess Zelda. There’s nobody who knows more about the goings-on in Hyrule than them. You can find them near the entrance to Rito village if you do check it out, speak with the editor, I’m sure she could help you in some way. Meanwhile, I’ll be here, conducting a series of investigations into the Upheaval’s newly-revealed ruins and chasms.”

 I nod. “Okay, thanks, Purah. I’ll start my duties and begin looking for the princess. We’ll find her, one way or another.”

I turn and start making my way down the stairs, Josha scampering ahead as she mutters, “Gotta find Goggles… where’d he go..?”

She must be talking about Doctor Robbie. I’ll have to check in with her later…

First, getting more map data. The more I know how the Upheaval’s altered the landscape, the more efficiently I’ll be able to find my way around.  While venturing around near the Wetlands Stable, I run into Cado, one of Impa’s bodyguards.

“Hey, Cado. What are you doing out here?”

 

“Ah, Ms. Linka! I’ve been out on business with Lady Impa. She’s been studying the mysterious geoglyphs that have appeared since the Upheaval. However, she decided to use one of the new air-balloons. I can’t keep up, which is why we’ve been separated. If I’m not horribly mistaken, she should be at the New Serenne Stables, west of Hyrule castle.”

I nod thoughtfully. “I’ll head that way and see if she needs a hand.  I owe her for what she did for me, anyway, so helping her out is only right. Good luck making your way there, Cado.”

“The same to you. I hope you and the princess are well, and make sure you take time to rest. You’re only young once, after all, take this old man’s advice!”

I leave the elderly Sheikah chuckling, as I turn for the New Serenne stable, passing a couple of Shrines on the way, which I conquer without much effort. The more of these Lights of Blessing I can collect, the more of the Gloom that corrupted my body can be purged.

Finally, I find the stables, along with Impa. She’s standing on a chunk of dark stone out in the midst of a field covered in swirling lines that stand out clear against the green grass. I carefully cross over to the ancient, hunch-backed crone.  She smiles as she spots me.

“What a surprise it is to see you here after all this time, Linka… I had heard you had gone missing. It is a great relief to see you back, and in one piece- more or less.”

She gestures to my arm. I instinctively find myself touching it.

Then, Impa’s eyes narrow.

“And Princess Zelda! Where is she?”

I explain everything that happened. Thankfully, Impa’s not hunting for every little detail, and processes the information quickly, her mind still sharp, even after all this time.

“So she has yet to return… in that case, we must use all available means at our disposal to search for her. Linka, when the princess when missing, something else happened all over Hyrule. During the Upheaval, huge pictures appeared out of nowhere, images that sprawled across fields and hills. We call them geoglyphs. I am given to understand that they have appeared across the length and breadth of the kingdom. Cado and I are travelling from region to region in hopes of piecing this puzzle together. I noticed this one from a distance, while standing on high ground. Examining it up close, I could not make out what it depicted…”

Impa sighs.

 

“I thought I might have a better view from up in the sky I took flight in the balloon Purah gave me, but… the wind struck and completely sheared the balloon off the base. I’ve been racking my brain for ways to reattach the two parts, but to no avail.”

I muse for a second or two.

“Impa… if I help you attach the balloon again, will you keep my method a secret? I’ve gained a few new skills that might be of use. But, I don’t think the whole kingdom should be aware of what I can do right now…”

The wrinkled elder raises her eyebrows, and then nods.

I raise my right arm. “Ultrahand!”

Without effort, the balloon slots back into the socket and ‘glues’ itself into place. Impa stares in amazement.

“You fixed it? Thank you! I can understand why you’d want to keep that a secret… anyway, will you come to look at the geoglyph with me?”

I nod. Impa smiles.

“One last thing, then. Would you light a fire for the balloon? It won’t float otherwise.”

I giggle, “Of course. Get on board, then I’ll take us up.”

I scoop up the torch lying next to the small campfire Impa had been sitting at, and then ignite the brazier. The balloon starts to inflate, and I hold onto the edge of the basket. The balloon lifts off, and Impa leans out a little, peering down.

Once the balloon reaches its optimal height, Impa reduces the hot-air intake, keeping us there.

“Too high up… I feel faint…” she mutters.

I look down, the geoglyph sprawling out beneath us.  It looks kinda like… Rauru.

Impa thoughtfully adjusts her massive hat.

“You know, I read something in the village’s old literature- a passage about what the ancients called Dragon’s Tears. ‘Where the Tears rest upon the earth, we marked down the images to which they gave birth’. I believe this is one such image. But even from this vantage, its meaning is no clearer to me. Nor can I figure out what Dragon’s Tears might be… maybe the answer is close.  Near the geoglyph, or even within its borders. Would you help me look? This could be a clue about the whereabouts of your princess”

I nod.  “I’ve got my paraglider, so I can float down if I see anything interesting. But will you be okay getting down?”

Impa grins. “Oh, don’t worry about me. I can manage a simple landing!”

I lean down, staring down. The Dragon’s Tears, huh? Let’s see… tears… there’s the tear-shaped jewels on the image’s ears, a few on its clothing… and the eyes. One of the eyes is… filled in, and seems to shimmer. Could it be that…?

I dive out of the balloon, paragliding my way over to the filled-in tear mark. Upon getting close enough, I can see a strange, rippling circle in the centre of the filled-in shape. I approach, and kneel down, touching a finger to the rippling circle.

My right hand lights up with a small golden glow, and the pool ripples, time rewinding for it as it resets to just before it impacted the land. Then, it starts… pulsing, like a heart beating, ripples of energy expanding outwards from the bead of water. The orb of rippling water starts to glow, brighter and brighter, and I find myself unable to look away…

A grassy field, with a handful of trees nearby. A glowing light of golden energy appears, growing larger, before dissipating into nothing. Zelda lands on the grass, as though she’s just fallen onto her back. She’s wearing the clothes she was when she vanished, still reaching out to the knightess above, the chasm beneath her yawning like a ravenous maw.

So… where was she now?? A small light in her hand dims, the strange, comma-like stone she’d picked up right before she fell resting in her palm. Birds call, and a gentle breeze washes over her comatose face.

“What?”

A voice exclaims softly, before a pair of figures approach. One in a white dress with a green strip of fabric flowing downwards, her long, pale golden tresses streaming down her back, tribal markings etched in white across her deeply-tanned skin. She kneels by the Hylian princess another figure, tall, with huge backswept ears and long limbs, kneels beside the first.

“Oh! Oh dear!”

As the strange woman gently touches Zelda’s shoulder, the young woman stirs, her deep blue eyes slowly opening. Turning her head, the princess looks up at the two looming figures. They both seem concerned, openly worried about the stranger in trouble they’d stumbled upon.

The woman leans in, her ornate jewellery clinking, a style that didn’t seem familiar to the Hylian princess. Her tall, strangely animalistic partner hovers about her.

Zelda’s eyes widen and she scrambles into a sitting position, shuffling back on her rear, panic-stricken.

“Wh-where am I?”

The woman speaks, her voice smooth and gentle.

“We didn’t mean to startle you. I’m sorry.”

Zelda looks from the woman, who seems several years her elder, to her companion, the beastman with long ears and a somewhat goat/rabbit/dragon appearance. The woman smiles softly, placing her hand on her chest.

“It’s okay. My name is Sonia.”

The strange animal-person strokes his chin with his right hand.

“And could we ask what your name is?”

His voice is smooth and eloquent, a mild, slightly-bemused tone in his dialogue. Zelda slowly shifts onto her knees.

“I-I am… the daughter of King Rhoam of Hyrule. Zelda.”

The two share a curious look, before the beastman answers.

“What an unexpected answer. We are the king and queen who founded Hyrule, after all. Or we were, last time I checked.”

Zelda’s eyes widen in confusion.

“You two founded Hyrule? And you’re the king?”

The beastman nods.

“My name is Rauru. King Rauru of Hyrule.”

Zelda lowers her gaze, troubled.

“King Rauru… and Queen Sonia?”

Her head lifts, a frightened expression in her eyes.

“But that must mean-!”

 

 

The golden light of the Dragon’s Tear fades, and I come back to myself. The orb of water glimmers once more, before resuming its fall and scattering into miniscule droplets, lost and gone for good. My heart is pounding.

“Wh-what was that…? What did I just see? A vision? Or a memory? When did it take place? Long ago, surely? Since I recognized Rauru, and he identified himself as the king who founded Hyrule! But Zelda was the current princess! Did… did she go back in time?! How far back? At least…”

I think for a moment, and then feel myself start… to cry.

“A-at least… ten th-thousand years…. M-my Zel… she’s lost in time ten thousand years ago, and I have no way to reach herrrrr….” I hiccup, sobbing openly. “I need her… I have to find her, but how… is there e-even some way F-FOR me to do what she did?”

 

A gentle, wrinkled old hand touches my wrist.

“Linka? You’re crying, what’s wrong? I’ve never seen you like this.”

Impa’s voice causes me to lift my head. In a sniffling, broken voice, I stammer,

“My Zel… she’s gone b-back in t-time… all the w-way to the founding of H-Hyrule… and I don’t know how I’m supposed to bring her baaaack…”

I wail, and Impa hugs me, her bony arms gentle as she lets me weep. She sighs.

“The Upheaval, the geoglyphs, the literature, the Dragon’s Tears… and now this. Goddess, why not let these two be? Haven’t they sacrificed enough? Is five years of peace all they deserved? How cruel…”

 

 

When I finally compose myself, Impa hands me her kerchief, and I dab at my eyes, privately thankful that my cosmetics are waterproof as standard. No runs in my mascara. Small mercies, at this point…

Impa releases me when I gently tap her hand.

“Let us continue to examine the geoglyphs. They may contain a clue that leads us towards some way to reach Princess Zelda. In fact, while I was descending to join you, I remembered something you may be able to use. There is something to do with the geoglyphs in the Forgotten Temple.  It lies at the bottom of a canyon in Hebra. I think we should make our way there soon.”

I nod, and stand, setting my sights towards the Skyview Tower up on the mountain to the West.

“I’ll make my way there when I can. I have… a lot of jobs that people have thrown at me. I need to activate the Skyview Towers, and go check on the localized phenomena near Death Mountain, the Rito village, Gerudo town, and Zora’s Domain…”

I sigh, and Impa sympathetically pats my back.

“Don’t worry, young lady. I’m so old, it’ll take me a while!”

She smiles and winks at me.

I smile a little, turning to the tower and making my way towards it, the setting sun starting to dip below the horizon, my eyes a little swollen from tears. I sniffle a little more, but the cool air helps. By the time I get to the Lindor’s Brow Skyview Tower, I almost feel better.

 The peak of the mountain is hollow, a bowl filled with water, with a small pillar rising from the centre of the little lake. There’s no bridge, but there IS a cache of materials, presumably intended for that purpose.

I doubt they’ll mind me borrowing a few bits and pieces to make something…. here we go!

Ultrahand proves as useful as ever, and I put together a crude bridge, allowing me to cross the gap and reach the base of the Tower. Inside, I register the travel point, and prepare myself for another launching.

“Ugh, whyyy the Guardian arms, Puraaaahhhhhhh?!” I whine, rocketing into the air, thrusting the Purah Pad downwards towards the landscape, trying to scan without panicking or dropping the one-of-a-kind device. Once the data’s collated and my map improved, I start gliding East, then jogging towards the next Skyview Tower on my list, the Sahasra Slope Tower. There’s a Rito woman there, her feathers ruffled as she tugs on the door, swearing furiously.

“What’s going on?”

 I call out to her, and she turns.

“Ah, my apologies, miss. I’d received a message from Doctor Purah that the terminal at this Tower was acting up, but the STUPID door won’t budge, and I have no idea why. It isn’t locked; it just won’t move an inch, no matter what I do.”

I nod.

“Alright, I’ll have a look. Maybe I can figure…. What are you doing?”

I blink, for the Rito woman has produced a mushroom and begun biting into it.

“Ah, my bad. I love mushrooms, so I thought having a snack would kick my brain into working order. I used to grab them from the nearby caves while I was working on this Tower during its construction.”

“Caves? Where are they?”

With her beak full, the Rito comments, “Why… right at the bottom of thish hill!”

I smile. “Okay, thanks. Maybe I can figure something out after all!”

I turn and start heading down to poke around and find the caves. It doesn’t take long, and I start making my way through the cramped tunnels, shoving small rocks out of my way as I proceed. With a little luck, a little guesswork, and a few uses of Ascend, I soon find myself inside the Tower.

Perfect! Now to open the door!

Pulling the two sticks from the sides of the door, I slide the two halves apart. The Rito splutters, dropping a half-eaten mushroom in surprise.

“Wha?! The door opened?! Could it be… did you manage to fix the door?!”

“Yes, that’s right. Look!” I hold up the two long sticks, before tossing them away. The Rito sighs, shaking her head.

“Eh?! I can’t believe a couple of sticks caused all this hassle. I wonder if those were in there to begin with and just fell over somehow… or if some monster did that on purpose. Either way, that really helped! Thank you.”

The Rito woman passes by me, and starts fiddling with the terminal, clicking her beak.

“The mechanisms aren’t working quite right. I’ll just give them a bit of oil…”

About twenty minutes later, the bird-woman claps her wings together in satisfaction.

“Ta-da! It wasn’t a major problem, a little oil and a few tweaks cleared it right up. Anyway, thanks again for the help! I’ll be sure to mention you to the Doctor!”

She takes off, flapping into the sky as I wave, then turn back to the terminal.

“Alright, Tower number three…”

 

 

Data in hand and yet another plunging glide under my belt, I start hunting for more Skyview Towers, as well as the geoglyphs. Mostly to find out if here’s some way I can reach my Zel, but partly… just to see her again…

 

The next Tower on my list is the Popla Foothills, and I find the doors unblocked when I arrive. However, the terminal’s control panel is flickering, and the Purah Pad can’t resonate with it enough to make a stable connection.

Turning around, I hear a voice, coming from the well just outside the Tower. Leaning in and looking down, all I can see is water, but the voice is clearer from down there! Without thinking, I leap in, and land in the well water with a cold and very loud splash, paddling over to the back. Some rocks appear to have fallen, and I can hear the voice from behind them.

“Stand back, I’ll have these rocks smashed in no time!” I shout, Fusing a boulder to a stick and bringing it down on the blockage. Behind the blockade is… a tunnel? A carved passage, in fact, with strange lamps lighting the way. At the end, I see bars, and a very unhappy Hylian trapped between them, both ends of the corridor blocked by the thin pillars reaching from floor to ceiling. He scrambles to his feet when he sees me.

“Y… you… what are you doing in a place like this?”

I shrug. “I heard you crying out for help. I’m here to save you.”

Looking through the bars, I spot a switch in the floor.

“I think I can free you if I step on that. Is there a cave entrance over that way?”

The Hylian nods. “That’s how I got in here in the first place! Please, hurry. It’s so cold and damp down here!”

I nod. Sprinting back out to where I’d jumped down the well, I Ascend, then make my way round and down to where the cave entrance might be. It’s down the cliff, and there’s another well, which yields a handful of glowing Brightcap mushrooms, as well as a pair of glowing cave fish. Looks like dinner to me.

After I finish my foraging, I head into the cave, tossing a couple of Brightbloom seeds to light the cave. This side is darker, and I’m glad of the added illumination. The moment I step onto the pressure plate, the bars slide up and into the ceiling as if they’d never been there. The Hylian rushes out, grabbing my hands and shaking them effusively.

“Thank you so much! I knew you wouldn’t leave me here to die! I don’t have much, but please, take this, you deserve it!”

He presses a beautiful purple stone into my hand. A purple rupee, worth fifty green rupees!

I shake my head. “I can’t take this, it’s too much-!”

The Hylian shrugs. “It’s what lured me into this trap in the first place! I don’t even want to look at the damned thing! Now, I have to finish fixing the Tower! Please excuse me. And thanks again!”

He dashes off. I blink.

“Well, I was going to ask if he’d fix the Tower as payment, but… I guess I don’t need to? That’s cool, I guess.”

I push the purple rupee into my pouch, before stepping off the plate. The bars slam down, and I head back to relax outside for a few minutes. Once I’m sure the Hylian man’s moved on to other business, I make my way back into the cave and Ascend up to the top, popping out of the earth not far from the first well. The Skyview Tower’s working now, so I make the registration, and… up we go once more!

A chunk of rock sails past me on its way down, and I sigh, scanning the land below to restore another piece of the corrupted map data. However, I’m starting to run out of options for getting to more Towers at the moment, and make my way back to Lookout Landing.

Josha waves me over, and I approach, smiling a little. Doctor Robbie’s there, and gives me a thumbs-up.

“Ah, what a glorious morning! Hey, you! You’re actually back! It’s been a long time! Yeesh, do you have ANY idea how worried we’ve been about you? Purah told me everything! Is it true you’ve got the Purah Pad? She and I worked together on the design, but I’m the one who put it together, you know.”

Josha stamps her foot.  “Goggles! Are you listening?!”

Robbie jumps. “Oh! Uh, yes! Sorry, you were saying?”

Josha huffs, “I was SAYING that I want to go investigate the Depths! Look, if you’re not gonna listen to me, I’ll go and jump into a chasm myself!”

Robbie immediately shakes his head, crossing his arms in a big X.

“No way, no how! You can’t do that! The Depths are far too vast for you to explore on your own. And we’ve barely even begun to look into them. I’d love to go gallivanting around down there too. Who knows what wonders are at the bottom of those chasms! But, no matter how wondrous they may be, it’s far too dangerous for you. I’m not about to allow our young prodigy to go wandering around somewhere so unknown, so foul! If anything were to happen to Purah’s favourite student, it’d be the end for me! The END!”