Chapter Text
Your village life was peaceful today, just as it always was. You stood from your bed, stretched and yawned, and opened the window to see early risers passing by to work in the fields, just as they always did. You waved to the general store merchant as he walked to his shop, just as you always did. The birds chirped, the goats whined, and the cows mooed. The sun glistened off the nearby Deya Lake. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze and the morning dew fell from the rooftop of your two-story home onto your windowsill. Yes, everything was just as it always was in little Deya Village- and perhaps it was the reason for your slightly sour mood.
You longed for something bigger in the world. There was so much of Hyrule to see and you were stuck in a little corner of it. Your life had been somewhat of an adventure already, but certainly not the type you wanted. You were left on the doorstep of Deya Village’s small inn when you were only a few months old. The town helped raise you and accepted you as one of their own. You took to caring for an older woman, and when she passed away five years ago, she left her home in your care. You turned away from the window to begin your day.
Your job in the village involved running errands for the innkeeper and caring for the fruit trees in your yard. It wasn’t much, but it passed the time well enough, and you got to hear about the lives of your neighbors and, most notably, how much more exciting they were than yours.
You threw on a pair of pants, boots, and a comfortable tunic before walking out the front door. You passed other villagers eager to get on with their days. Everyone seemed so happy here. They all had a place and a purpose. There couldn’t be more than three-dozen people in the village, especially after The Calamity a hundred years ago.
You'd heard many tales about the monster that wiped out thousands, about the champions and the hero and the princess, and about how life was before the massacre. Even though you weren’t alive through it, you could feel the changes it brought to Deya Village. Trade was nowhere near what it used to be, and late at night when your mind wandered, you often tried to imagine the village full with travelers and merchants from all across the kingdom.
You walked up the steps of the inn and waved hello to Retta, the owner. She smiled and handed you a package. "Good morning! Will you run this over to Tasaki, please? He can never remember where to have his belongings sent from his family in Hateno Village," she chuckled.
“Of course, I’ll remind him as well,” you chuckled. “What else needs to be done today?”
"That’s all I have for you dear. After that, the day is yours," she said with a smile. You smiled in return and grabbed the box, doing your best to hide your disappointment.
"No problem, Retta. I'll see ya later," you said as you stepped out. She waved goodbye as you walked back down the steps with a heavy sigh. You loved busy days at the inn; it made life a little more interesting. A slow day meant the time would drag by and another boring day in Deya Village would have to pass.
The thought of going out to explore the kingdom had crossed your mind more than once. When you found yourself restless at night, you looked out your window as far as you could to the hills in the distance and tried to imagine yourself climbing them. What would it be like to chart your own course, to be your own explorer? To be the one spinning wild tales of adventure for all to hear?
One night, you’d even thrown together a bag to take off. The mundane life of Deya Village had finally worn you down and you were ready to go. But as you took your first steps from the village, a traveler had stopped you and asked what you were carrying and if you were truly prepared for the world. You didn’t have a weapon of any kind, and while you knew a decent amount about gardening, you definitely didn’t know enough to survive in the wild. Not to mention you lacked any supplies for weather that wasn’t sunny, and had no experience fighting monsters or other creatures. His pep talk had promptly turned you around and marched you right back up to your front doorstep, unfortunately grounding you from flying free of your nest anytime soon.
Firmly holding the package, you marched up to Tasaki's door and knocked. An older man swung the door open a few minutes later. "Oh, hello, my dear! What brings you by?"
"Retta says your package arrived at the inn again," you said as you held the box out. He looked surprised.
"Oh dear. I was sure I got the right address. Thank you for taking care of it. Would you like to come in?" he said as he gestured to his living room. You considered it for a moment, but in the end you politely declined.
"As much as I would love to, I sadly have a garden and some fruit trees calling my name. I'll see you later, Tasaki," you said as you waved goodbye. He smiled and closed the door when you walked away.
Later that afternoon, you found yourself in your garden, taking care of your trees. You loved being able to garden, as it felt like you were bringing other cultures to your small corner of the world. It gave you a chance to experience things not often found in the village. Fresh fruit was a rare commodity in Deya Village. Living by the lake meant your village thrived on fish and other small creatures from the lake. You shuddered at the thought of eating another plate of roasted bass.
You sat back and wiped the sweat from your brow. It never got particularly warm in the village, but the sun was not holding back today. You looked across your garden and sighed. You knew it was the most adventuring you could ever get up to in this life, and you both hated and loved it.
You stood up and dusted your hands on your pants, deciding you’d worked hard enough to enjoy a good book and a glass of lemonade in the shade. As you took steps back toward your front door, the ground beneath you shook. Your first thought was an earthquake, but after the second shake, something felt wrong.
A large crashing sound could be heard close by. You walked into the front yard to see what the chaos was all about. As you stepped around the front, you were almost plowed down by a man running by. He was screaming and instructing other people to run. You watched him run for a few seconds before whipping your head to the left, where he had originally come from. Screams abruptly arose from around the corner. You squinted your eyes in confusion.
A ringing noise echoed throughout the village as a bright beam of light flashed. A huge metallic beast came around the corner as people ran away from it. You gasped as it fried everything in its path. Another one followed closely behind. They looked like giant spiders with glowing red and blue lights and lasers shooting from their heads. They appeared to be targeting people and they were moving fast.
Buildings and trees caught fire as they came closer. You quickly turned and ran into your home. You piled chairs against the door from the inside and ducked under the table, knowing full well it wouldn’t be enough to keep you safe. You felt your heart beating out of your chest as the shaking got stronger. You covered your ears to try and drown out the screams of your neighbors.
You closed your eyes and tried to focus on something, anything that would calm your wild anxiety. Things like this just didn’t happen in Deya Village. It had always been a quaint, quiet, and most notably, closed community. Travelers never stayed more than a night, everyone knew one another’s name, and monster attacks certainly did not wreak havoc on your town. This felt like a scene straight out of a nightmare.
A sudden burst of light filled the windows, catching fire to your roof. You looked up in horror at the flames licking at the ceiling above you. Things were burning far too fast, and with the door barricaded, you didn’t have a quick way out. Your eyes darted to the window, but you realized that was a poor idea, as it would lead you into the direct sight of the metallic monsters roaming the street.
While you tried to settle on a decision, the ceiling above you collapsed, scattering flaming debris all over your floor. You covered your mouth to silence your scream and keep the smoke from your lungs. You pulled your shirt up and over your nose, hoping it would make breathing a little easier.
Your gaze turned back to the window, and you knew you had to decide whether you wanted to be burned alive or run down by whatever was adamant about wiping out Deya Village. You could see the beasts outside your window, scanning the area for any villagers left. Its head swiveled about, its large, blue, glowing eye on a mad search for a single survivor. Your heart stopped as it aimed its laser a few feet from you. You squeezed your eyes tight and tried to make yourself blend into the floorboards. You started to pray to Hylia. Your breath caught in your throat.
The beast fired its laser, missing you by a few feet. The blast rocked your home as you and the table were thrown back several feet. Your head spun as the room filled with smoke. You were incredibly hot from the flames devouring the wooden beams of your home. It made your vision cloudy, as if visibility from the smoke wasn’t bad enough.
You stumbled to your feet, managing to take a step forward. You were immediately halted as your foot went right through a flaming floorboard. Your ankle rolled painfully and you were forced back to the ground. You groaned in pain and attempted to stand again, but your foot instantly gave out and sent you flying back to the floorboards.
In desperation, you crawled around your table, the only thing in the home made of stone. You tucked your body against it, ignoring how warm it was, in the hopes it might protect you from some of the flames. You looked longingly at the front door, which was now a burning heap of furniture. You started to cough and pulled your shirt back up over your nose and mouth.
Another explosion rocked the village and more screams echoed outside. You closed your eyes and tried not to hear them, tried not to think about what their fates might be. Everything had happened so fast, you hadn’t even begun to understand what was happening. You weren’t sure if you wanted to survive the horror, or die so you never had to think about it again.
You couldn’t take a breath anymore without coughing. Your hands and cheeks were covered in soot. The crackling of the burning fire behind you mixed in with the cries for help outside, making your ears hurt from a horrible nightmarish rhythm. Your head suddenly felt so light and so incredibly heavy all at once, and it made your vision swim worse than before. Your body started to collapse, unable to lean against the stone table due to how hot it had become.
You reached longingly for the open window before your head hit the floor and everything went dark.