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I mean, the mask is neat and all, but by the Golden Goddesses is it disturbing… Four thought as Wild put “Majora’s Mask,” as Time and Legend called it, back into his slate. The haunting yellow eyes were, well, haunting. It freaked all four of his colors out too. His left hand started twitching, a common habit of Red’s.
“Well that was the worst mask yet.” Warriors said, the first person to speak after Wild finished his presentation. “I never really used masks myself. I didn’t realize they were such a popular tool among the hero’s spirit.”
“I don’t use them either. My masks are just for messing with monsters.” Wild said with a shrug.
“I have never used a mask,” said Four as he poked the fire with a twig.
“Too good for them, Four?” Twilight scoffed. He hadn’t removed his Hawkeye mask since presenting it to the group.
Four tossed the twig in the fire. “I never said that. If they helped you on your journey, then that’s good. I just never used one. They seem—honestly kind of childish.”
Time snorted, after being quiet for a while. The group faced him to find a small smile on his face. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh at you. In my second adventure, I used quite a lot of childish masks. One mask actually had a singular purpose of being childish. I just found it funny you would say that, as a child yourself.”
The heroes chuckled. Four rolled his eyes. Haven’t heard that one before, Blue said.
“I guarantee—” Four crossed his arms and leaned against a log. “I am older than half of you.”
“Not Wild.” Wind and Warriors said at the same time.
“Not me.” Wild repeated.
"I don't think it's fair to count Wild in this." Sky said.
Twilight raised a hand, "Now, now, that'd be discrediting his experiences. But if experience is what we're going by, I'm actually older than most of you."
"...Most." Legend echoed, in a way that could have been curious or threatening. Knowing Legend, it was probably a threat.
"Twi what are you talking about?" Hyrule raised an eyebrow at the ranchhand. "Hasn't literally everyone here been on more quests than you?"
Twilight frowned. "That's not what I meant. I mean that I had a job. I did a lot of work around my village growing up—y'all don't have that kind of experience."
"Terribly sorry to hear you chose to scoop horse dung while I worked in a forge all day long." Four casually glanced over at the other, his amusement perfectly hidden. (The others', pointedly, was not, as they all snickered.) "I'm willing to argue that that kind of work takes plenty of youth away from you."
"Hear, hear." Legend added with a crooked grin.
The Hero of Twilight fixed his gaze on Four, which felt a multitude more intense with the Hawkeye mask on. "Four, you may act older than you look, but I am willing to bet that you still have all of your baby teeth."
"Twilight, I'm surprised you still have teeth, what with all the horse-rearing—"
“I have something older than all of us.” Time cut in. He turned and reached into his bag. With a pause, he glanced back at the team, shielding the item from their view. “If you can handle it, that is.”
Legend pulled away from his impromptu conversation with Hyrule. “Is what you have scarier than the mask that housed a demon?”
“Why, yes it is.” Time replied, a bit smug. “As this mask still has a demon inside.”
This piqued everyone’s interest. Even Sky stopped dozing off and scooted closer to the fire. Almost in sync, each hero sat up and seated themselves on a log or stump. Slowly (for dramatics, Four was certain) Time gently brought out a very familiar-looking mask. It looked a lot like Time, except that it had white bangs; a blue arrow came from the hairline and peaked between its eyebrows. Underneath both of the empty, black eyes were two red lines. The mouth was tilted in a subtle frown.
A moment after they got a good look at it, the eyes turned blank white.
“This is the Fierce Deity Mask.” Time’s smug smile had faded. “I have only worn it twice in my entire life. Its power is incredible, but uncontrollable. Both times I’ve worn it, it took all of my willpower to remove it. The demon tries to consume you. That is why it is a last resort. The reason I show it to you all now is to warn you of it.
“I have nightmares of one of you being tempted by it. I can’t imagine having to strike one of you down in order to restrain the beast.”
The silence that followed was heavy. They knew that Time had a habit of being too serious, but now was appropriate. A few of them shifted uncomfortably. At Vio’s question, he and Green started speculating what each hero would be like with the powers of a god. Thankfully they tried to stay out of Four’s front thoughts.
“We would never be tempted by that thing.” Warriors broke the silence. “It’s a monster and nothing more. We are heroes of light.”
Every day has its night. A voice said in Four’s head, making him physically jolt out of his skin. It sounded nothing like one of his colors. The voice was deep and hollow.
Someone’s leg nudged him. It was Sky. “Are you alright?” He whispered.
“You didn’t hear that?” Four whispered back.
Sky shook his head. He glanced at the surrounding woods, raising an eyebrow at Four.
“No, it wasn’t anything like that...I think…” He mumbled. He focused back on the conversation.
“—powers of a god, like nothing you’ve ever faced. I have the fortune that I never had to fight this Deity in combat.” Time was saying. “We worked side-by-side, though its disdain was obvious.”
You were a child. The voice reappeared in Four’s head, making him jump again. He checked behind him, in the trees, past some bushes. Nothing. I do not take pleasure in corrupting the youth, it continued.
“Who are you…” Four murmured. He waved off Sky’s concerned stare and scanned the area around the camp.
“Four?” Wind called, noticing his alertness. This brought everyone else’s attention to him, bringing the conversation to a screeching halt as the battle-worn heroes paused to listen.
“Can none of you hear that voice?” Four asked.
“Is it not the other four heroes in your head?” Sky suggested, but Four shook his head and stood up.
“Is it someone in the area?” Twilight also stood up and brought a hand to his sword.
“I don’t think it’s a person.” The shortest hero motioned for everyone to wait.
Several seconds passed in silence.
There are no threats nearby. Why have they become alarmed?
Four whirled towards the sound of the voice. His gaze landed on Time, whose face had hardened. His eyes fell down to the mask still clutched in his hands.
“...No way.” Legend said, following Four’s gaze. “You can hear the demon?”
Hyrule frowned. “Surely not.”
“What’s it saying?” Wild turned to Four.
“It’s just...commenting. On our conversation.”
“What has it said specifically.” Time stated, less of a question and more of a demand. He was gripping the Mask so tightly that it seemed like it could have flown from his grasp any second. Knowing that if it managed to be worn by anyone in this group it could wreak havoc—well, let’s just say that Four’s left hand was twitching again.
“Uh, when Warriors said that heroes can’t be tempted, it said ‘Every day has its night.’”
Someone can hear me? The Mask said. Now Four could see that it seemed to thrum when it spoke; a single, soft vibration, like it was trying to send an SOS signal.
The others noticed Four grimace. “What did it say just now?” Wind asked.
“It said, ‘Someone can hear me?’ so I guess it hears us too.”
Truly. You can hear me. Years of sitting in the dark and collecting dust, abandoned by my first wearer in centuries, and now I am being heard without being donned. The Mask sounded almost elated. It sent a shiver down Four’s spine.
What are you, mortal?
“I’m...Four.” Four said carefully.
“Don’t talk to it!” Warriors hissed. “It’ll try to tempt you!”
“What else am I supposed to do?!” Four whisper-yelled, waving his hands. “All of a sudden I can hear a voice coming from Time’s creepy demon mask and none of you can hear it! What does that mean? Why?”
You have a spacious mind. Said the Mask. You are not the only entity to occupy it.
“How do you know that?”
How does it know that! Red shouted.
Chill out Red! What if it can hear us too? Blue yelled back.
“It knows about my colors.” Four reported to the others. He faced the Mask again. “How do you know that?”
I have been trapped in a mask for centuries. My only method of communicating to any living creature has been through its mind, so I am accustomed to reading surface thoughts. Four scowled. The Mask pulsed again. Certainly this was made easier by listening to all of you speak for weeks. Picture it, young Four. Hearing everyone and everything around you without any way to respond or interact with the world. I have only seen what your ‘Time’ has allotted to me in years passed, which is but mere glimpses of the bright light you know as existence.
To exist without living. To survive without seeing. You cannot imagine.
Four relayed this to the group, who started to look as disturbed as Four felt.
All except Warriors, who stubbornly refused to show any emotion towards the Mask other than disgust. “It’s trying to make us pity it. I won’t. Time, just put it away.”
Wait! The Mask yelped.
“Wait.” Four agreed. “I just...want to hear it out.” He held up his hands to prevent the inevitable protests of his concerned friends. “If I start reaching for it or something, you can all tackle me to the dirt and burn the Mask in a pit. But I want to know its motive.” He looked back at the Mask once more.
“What do you want? To destroy everything by possessing one of us?”
The Mask hesitated before answering. I want to be free.
“You want to be free. So you can raze Hyrule?”
No. I want out of this prison. It spoke quickly. Did you not understand what I have told you? My existence is suffering. I have a request. End me.
Four raised an eyebrow, giving his sassiest face. “End you. Really. That’s what you want.”
Yes.
He glanced up at the others. “It wants to die.”
No one knew what to make of that. Least of all Time, who was apparently having trouble wrapping his head around what the Mask previously said. ( It would be strange to know that you were carrying around a consciousness all these years, Vio said, and always assuming it was purely malevolent.) Four could understand that. Certainly, he’d had something similar with his shadow, and how he became sentient…
... It’s a bit sad, isn’t it? Red murmured. When you think about it.
Never having anyone to talk to, because anytime you get the chance, they assume you’re evil. Green added. It’s sort of judgy of us.
Blue grunted. Time knows this thing best. It is probably worse than we’ll ever know.
And it sounds like we never will. Vio said.
“What do you want to do, Time?” Twilight asked gently.
Time shifted. He turned the Mask to look into its eyes. It neither hummed nor spoke. Without looking away, he asked Four, “You’re sure that’s what it wants?”
The Mask pulsed. I am nearly dead already. I have had eons of being used as someone else’s tool and each decade is worse than the last. I will only be free in eternity.
Four repeated its message to Time.
“How would we even destroy it?” Wild fiddled with a piece of jewelry. “I mean, surely you can’t just snap the Mask in half.”
No, the Mask agreed, I must be burned. This shell is indestructible. Even if you could destroy it in some way, I would have to enter something or someone else. I know you heroes would never do this so I must be killed slowly and all at once.
Again, Four repeated this.
There was another pause in which everyone turned to Time. The oldest ran a thumb across the carved wood. His expression was unreadable, but almost something sad. Mournful, even.
Maybe he likes having it as a back-up plan. Wondered Blue. Even if it is unreliable.
He and the Mask have a history. I’m sure he’s feeling something more complicated than loss. Vio muttered.
“Time?” Twilight took a step towards his predecessor. “We don’t have to listen to it. We could just keep it shut away, where it can’t tempt any of us an’ it can’t try to hurt anyone.”
“Yeah, it’s a demon. It’s probably got something up its sleeve.” Warriors kept a hand on the pommel of his sword, but his stubborn tone had died down a little.
I have no sleeves. The Mask said.
Four snorted, despite the tension in the air. “The Mask says it ‘has no sleeves.’”
Wind, Wild, and Hyrule all echoed Four’s snort with chuckles of their own, which they tried to cover up with coughs.
“Now it’s trying to use humor to make us like it.” Warriors glared and pointed at the Mask. “I don’t trust you, monster! You can’t trick us.”
The Mask said nothing to that, but Warriors didn’t seem to want a response anyway, as he turned his eyes to the ground and gripped his sword tighter.
“We’ll destroy it.” Time finally decided, standing up and positioning himself in front of the campfire. He gripped the Mask with both hands. “Its power may be great but I don't want to subject myself to its temptations. Do you have any final words, Fierce Deity?”
Sky unsheathed the Master Sword, convincing everyone else to do the same with their own blades. Four slowly pulled out the Four Sword at the same time that Twilight walked to stand near Time, ready for the Mask to try something.
Everyone stared at Four as he waited for it to speak.
I have a message to the Giants.
...Out of everything that came into the world with me, including Majora...I believe I revered you the most. Your benevolence outweighs my shadowed soul, and yet my life outweighs the time you devoted to your slumber. Neither of us have regrets. May I see you once again and know your kindness too.
As Four relayed the deity’s last words, he found himself a little choked up. After all, someone was about to die, and he is hearing a millennia-old creature give its final message. It was an emotional moment. (Vio, however, was much more fascinated that he was 'witnessing history.')
Despite that, he was on edge. With a quick peek at the others, he could see that he wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Sky’s eyes were watery, but he took a deep breath and put on his battle-face. Wind didn’t seem emotional whatsoever, instead just watching the Mask closely, like he was waiting for something. A trick, most likely, as they were all expecting that. Hyrule was the most upset out of the entire group. A single tear traced its way down his cheek but he neglected to brush it off, instead putting his full attention on the situation at hand.
Four turned back to Time and the Mask.
“Goodbye, Fierce Deity. I’m...sorry, that you were silenced for so long in my possession.” Time told it. “If I had known you were conscious without a host, maybe I wouldn’t have disregarded you so easily. Rest peacefully.”
Time looked over at Four, but the Mask didn’t respond to Time, so he shook his head. Time breathed in slowly and held the Mask over the flames. He stood like that for several moments.
“Old man, are you—” Legend started to say.
“I’m not being tempted.” Time interrupted. “Only reminiscing.”
Good Goddesses, Four thought, how did they go from talking about funny masks to giving an ancient demon/god a funeral to release its spirit? Never a dull moment with these heroes.
Time released his grip.
And of course, instant chaos ensued.
It happened so fast that if Legend didn’t shout Four’s name in alarm (how does he always know when an attack is coming?) he’d have never seen the danger. One moment the Mask is catapulting into the blazing fire, the next, it comes flying directly at Four with more speed than a Minish running from a house cat. He was barely able to drop the Four Sword and throw his hands up, catching the Mask before it could slam onto his face.
The sheer force of the Mask trying to latch onto him had his smithy-worn arms trembling. He took two steps backward as if he could get away from it. His hands, one on either side, had caught the edges at a weird angle. Any moment now he could cramp up or slip and the Mask would possess him.
“Get it!”
“Four?!”
“What happened?”
“Someone help him!”
The group quickly went to work, three of them splitting off to search for a helpful item and the others approaching Four and the Mask in their battle of strength. Four grit his teeth and tried to ignore Red’s panic and Green yelling—something about space.
He caught sight of Sky raising the Master Sword to his left. Time quickly intervened, putting a hand out. His jaw was clenched in near rage as he watched Four struggle.
“We can’t destroy the Mask. It’ll just release the spirit. We have to separate it from Four and make certain it can’t attach to any of us.” Time turned to the four other heroes near him. “Twilight, get behind Four. Warriors, to his right; Sky, stay to the left. Wild, you need to get as close to Four as possible. If and when his grip loosens, you need to summon your shield and protect him. I will try to pull it away. Everyone else be on guard and be prepared to help Four as needed. Go!”
Four tried not to panic. It was hard. And it was even harder to focus, due to two factors: his colors yelling, trying to tell him something which he was too distracted to understand and the fact that the Mask had stopped talking altogether. It had gone totally silent and something about its silence was more discomforting than its speech.
As his friends positioned themselves, Time stood in front of him—maybe six or seven feet away. “Keep your grip.” He advised. “You can’t afford to give any slack.”
No disrespect to their leader, but he's very aware of that.
Wild began to approach from behind. The moment he got close enough to put a hand on his shoulder, a burst of air came from the mask, wind whipping through Four’s hair. It domed around him, creating a small forcefield of sorts that shoved Wild, making him stumble a few feet back. It dissipated after that.
No one interferes. The Mask’s voice boomed. This one can free me.
Legend dashed up next to Time, holding huge red gloves. “Titan’s Mitts,” he pants. “Lifts boulders.” He offered them to Time.
Wind appeared as well, holding a red whip. Hyrule was directly behind him, his hands alight with magic.
Seeing his friends so ready to help him could have made him emotional at any other time. Now, getting emotional meant losing too much focus. Four decided to just stare at the Mask and its blank white eyes which bored into him. He actively chose not to get freaked out by the Mask's sudden obsession with him and his mind.
Link, for fuck’s sake! Blue suddenly shouted. Four jumped, which gave the Mask a temporary upper hand. It shoved hard and Four dug his toes into the dirt to stop it.
“Goddess damnit, Blue, what?” He grit out.
Time was making a slow crawl towards the Mask. The others were in a vague circle around him, weapons ready, some of them looking kind of scared. Wild had a shield out, crouched low as he came from behind.
You need to know—Vio said he knows what might happen if the Mask gets us.
“And what’s that?”
Sky and Hyrule shared a glance. Hopefully they know he’s not talking to the Mask.
If the Fierce Deity tries to possess you we can stop it. Blue said. It was right, you’re the only one equipped to handle its presence, so just don’t let it get anyone other than you.
“I’d prefer it didn’t get a chance.” Four muttered.
“What’s it saying?” Twilight called.
Time was nearly at arm’s length to the Mask.
Four huffed. The tremble of his arms was surely noticeable to the others by now. It was getting more difficult to ignore. “It was Blue. He says I’m equipped to handle the Mask or something.”
Somewhere close behind him, Wild repeated, “Equipped to—?”
This one can give me freedom, The Mask cut him off. True freedom.
“Woah.” Wind whispered.
Four licked his lips. He was working up a small sweat. “Did you hear it?”
“Yeah…freaky.”
Do not touch me, Hero of Time! The Mask let out another dome of air just as Time reached his hand out to it. This was even stronger than before, pushing away even the heroes that had been farther back. Four’s heels cut into the ground at an awkward angle, but if he granted a second to ease the pressure off, the Mask would have him for sure.
More and more things were adding up to tell him one simple fact: he can’t do this much longer.
You do not understand. The Mask continued. You always controlled me. This one does not have to be the forefront consciousness. Within him, I can exist.
“Gross.” Legend said. At some point, he’d produced a red cane, and was now clutching it tightly. “What does that even mean?”
“Do you think it’s talking about Four and his colors?” Wind wondered. “Like, with how Four has more than one consciousness in his head. Maybe the Mask wants to be included.”
“Doesn’t that just mean that Four is more susceptible to its temptations?” Hyrule countered. “Would he have more control over it or less control?”
“Maybe that’s what Blue was saying.” Sky scrunched his face. “Perhaps because Four has a stronger resistance to its control with the colors in his head as well.”
“Guys.” Four shot Legend a glare. “Let’s not have a discussion while a demon is trying to possess me.”
They murmured and readjusted themselves.
They’re right, though. Red piped up. Vio thinks that we could kind of capture it. Trap it in here with us.
It didn’t sound like a good idea. Then again, his colors would know his head better than him at this point.
Time was making his third attempt. From the furrow of his brow, he was reaching the point of just snapping the Mask in half. Once again the Mask unleashed a field of wind and pushed him back.
Enough! The Mask declared. It twisted in the air, making Four lose the grip on his left hand. Then it gave a final shove against his right palm and bent Four’s entire arm the wrong direction, making him yelp in pain and hit the ground. He grabbed his aching elbow and for a moment, forgot what he had been doing.
Then the sounds of gasps and shuffling brought his eyes up to where the Mask was floating above him. And in the second where he waited for it to fly onto his face, it flipped around and made a beeline for a surprised Twilight.
“No!” Four yelped. Not Twilight, he thought.
To everyone’s surprise, the Mask actually stopped, just before it would have latched onto the farmhand. The latter was backed up against a tree, staring at the Mask with wide eyes.
Four remembered Blue’s words about the Mask not reaching anyone else. It couldn’t be allowed to possess Twilight. (Plus, he and Four had bonded over their shape-shifting secrets, so now he may or may not have favored him over the others. He was always kind too, and his farmhand charms had rubbed off on all of them.)
I suspected you favored the descendant. The Mask said, and considering the way everyone sent Four a sideways glance, they must all still be able to hear it. Your concern for him is a surface thought. A priority.
Four said nothing. (Out of the corner of his eye, Wild and Time exchanged loaded looks.)
I want freedom. The Mask said.
“You have two options.” Four stood up. “You can either go back to being inanimate in Time’s possession, or you can be given freedom in eternity. Your words, not mine.”
Now it was the Mask’s turn to not reply.
Four’s arm was throbbing. At the very least, it probably wasn’t broken. Probably.
“We can’t let you possess any of us.” Warriors told it, the first time he’d acknowledged the Mask all night. “Taking someone’s free will is wrong. Four is right. Those are your options.”
The Mask stayed silent. It was completely still in front of Twilight’s face, who—for his part—had calmed down and was now holding his arms up, ready for it to pounce. Time seemed at a loss for what to do. Hyrule was still running his magic, orange sparkles spouting from his fists. Everyone else held their weapons and looked back and forth between Four and the Mask. Any second now, it would zoom towards Twilight and try to possess him.
But it never wanted Twi in the first place.
Before anyone remembered this fact, the Mask had already left Twilight and was zooming towards Four. He was caught off guard, his arms at his sides, so no one could do a thing when the Mask finally secured itself on Four’s face.
There was screaming, shouts, and people running towards him, but Four heard none of it. A flash of light came from somewhere in him and the group was blinded.
Standing in Four’s place was the Fierce Deity. But it was not the one Time knows. This version was obviously a product of the demon using Four’s body.
It looked a lot like their smithy. It had the same face, with a similar build and clothing. The biggest difference was the height—it was at least a head taller than Four (so as tall as Wild). A gentle breeze came from nowhere and blew the free, silvery locks of hair around its face, making it look ethereal. Like the Mask, a blue arrow was on its forehead, but rather than four red lines beneath its cheeks, the marks were red, blue, green, and purple—Four’s colors. Four’s belt, famous for being long and always untucked, had been replaced by metal plating wrapped around its waist.
Four’s trademark tunic had changed. Instead of the different colors there were now four squares of light blue with silver accents. The attached hood was also light blue. Slung across its back was the Four Sword. Four’s single feather earring, an item he cherished, remained the same.
“Four?” Twilight whispered in approaching horror.
Its eyes opened. Blank and white.
“No.” Said the Fierce Deity. Its voice was not Four’s.
Then it gasped. Before their eyes, the Fierce Deity faded away like rain washing away grime. Its hair turned blonde, Four’s tunic restored itself, and it shrank to Four’s real size. Everything that the Fierce Deity’s possession changed about Four returned to normal.
Four blinked his brown eyes. His left hand clutched his chest as he panted. Panicked, he made eye contact with Time. “I-I absorbed it.”
“You what?” Time asked, his other eye open to show its empty white.
“I absorbed it. The—The Fierce Deity. It’s not in control anymore.”
Legend gaped. Wind furrowed his brow. Wild and Twilight, who had moved next to each other at some point, were looking at each other and making different facial expressions, apparently having a conversation full of ‘huh?’ and ‘what?’ and other ways to show confusion.
“You’re sure you aren’t not possessed right now?” Warriors raised an eyebrow.
“Well, yeah, but...I don’t know.” Four put his uninjured hand to his right arm. “My colors are telling me that the FD, as they’re calling it, is just...sitting with them. It just wanted to be free. And...now it is. In my head.”
Hyrule sputtered. “That—That’s not freedom, is it? You’re positive it isn’t hurting you or infecting your brain or—”
“Rule,” Sky put a hand on the latter’s shoulder. “We should trust Four.” Sky turned to the smithy, who still felt pretty shaken. “Four, is it hurting you in any way? Is it doing anything at all?”
“No...” Four said slowly. “I can feel it. I know it’s here, but it’s not doing anything.”
It’s recovering. Green told him. We talked. It only wanted to be free.
The last time Green sounded so somber was after battling Vaati. Four could feel all of his colors reflecting the same feeling; somewhere between sympathetic and drained. Strangely (or maybe not so much), a fifth presence appeared to be feeling the same way.
“Green says it’s recovering. It just wanted to be free.” Four sighs.
Twilight appears next to him, putting an arm around his shoulders and supporting him. Four gratefully leaned in, feeling the exhaustion that the colors were.
“So it doesn’t want to destroy everything and kill people?” Wind asked. “It’s not an evil spirit?”
It is a demon, Red agreed, but it’s not inherently evil. It’s spent most of its life trapped somewhere and being used for its power. It’s… he yawned, making Four yawn too. It doesn’t want to be used anymore. It wants to live.
“Red says that it’s not inherently evil. It doesn’t want to be used for its power or be trapped in a mask anymore.” Four’s eyelids sagged. Adrenaline had left him a while ago, and now it seemed he was feeling the Fierce Deity’s exhaustion. Thousands of years of it.
“Are you alright, Four?” Time asked quietly. Looks like his shock has worn off.
Four nodded slowly. “Tired...all of a sudden.”
“Letting an ancient deity inhabit your body might just do that.” Twilight said.
“Well.” Wild says. “This has been really weird. It’s gotta be close to midnight now. Why don’t we all sleep for Four’s sake?”
The others nodded and murmured amongst themselves. Four could tell he was going to be out any moment now; he tried to take a step and nearly fell forwards. Twilight caught him. It might’ve been a hit to his pride any other moment, but now he could barely afford to care.
“We’ll get back on the road in the morning. I’ll take first watch in case something happens with Four.” Time announced. “Rule, get his arm in a sling. Twilight get him to his bedroll. Everyone else, let him sleep. This has been one hell of a night.”
And Four was out.
—
In the morning, Four was feeling much better. After a decent rest everyone almost forgot about the Fierce Deity—including Four himself, so it came as a great surprise when he heard it talking to him. He almost dropped the breakfast plate Wild made for him.
Time and Warriors were still wary around him as he mentioned this. He assured Sky and Hyrule, who were most concerned, that it wasn’t trying to pull him to the dark side or anything. It merely thanked him and didn’t speak for the rest of the day. His colors, on the other hand, couldn’t stop gushing about everything they’d learned when he fell asleep last night. Apparently “FD” was actually ancient, and it told them all about what the world used to be like and the adventures it had been on. It wasn’t shy or angry or even the slightest bit evil. It was just happy to be out of the mask. According to Vio, it spent its time in Four’s head just looking at what Four was hearing and seeing. It marveled at the sunlight.
Four himself didn’t feel much different. His arm was in a sling and every now and then he’d feel a small wave of fatigue, but he was otherwise normal. Time still decided to interrogate him slightly about how he felt and he tried to be as honest as possible. It satisfied Time well enough—or at the very least, a bit of tension left his shoulders and he continued instructing the group.
When the sun was at the highest point in the sky, the team of heroes set off down the trail once more. No one sent him wary glances. Even Warriors joked with everyone instead of staring at Four like he was a jack-in-the-box about to explode.
All in all, despite how weird the experience was, it didn’t change him that much. And as the day went on, Time seemed to relax more and more. A burden had been taken off the old man’s shoulders, and Four could tell that everyone was grateful for that.
Four was pulled out of his thoughts by someone coming up next to him at the back of the group. “So...you were worried about me.” Twilight nudged him with a cheeky grin.
Four rolled his eyes. “Just as much as everyone else.”
“But the Fierce Deity said that I was a priority of yours.”
“I’d just hate for something to happen to Wolfie. His fur is very warm during cold nights.”
“Uh-huh.” Twilight shoulder-bumped him. In a more serious tone, he whispered, “Thank you, Four.”
“You’re welcome Twi.” Four stepped slightly ahead of Twilight and turned back with his own smug grin. “I do expect Wolfie to let me ride him sometimes, though.”
Twi crossed his arms, making an annoyed expression that counteracted the humor twinkling in his eyes. “I don’t control Wolfie.”
“Well no one controls a wild wolf.” Four grabbed an imaginary piece of dirt and flicked it off his shirt. “But I have good relations with a certain society of tiny, wild creatures that I’m sure you’ve never seen. Maybe next time Wolfie comes to camp, he and I could do a bit of exploring and I could show him. It’s a really impressive civilization with customs unlike any other race in Hyrule.” Four looked ahead and put his free hand behind his back. “But, of course, that’s only if Wolfie is interested.”
Twilight was silent for a solid minute.
“If I…” He paused. “...What are these creatures like?”
Four grinned.