To the Stone City

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link had been quiet since the battlemage took their statements, speaking only when he was required. He listened to Magus' side of the events, mostly nodding along. There were a few embellishments that made Sif and his gang look worse, but Link didn't correct them. They were all dead, save the leader, and he was in such a terrible state that death may have been a comfort. They set upon them for no reason but to torment them. They deserved what they got. If Magus' story put Sif in jail, the people of Camelot were the better for it. Even then, his arm twitched infrequently from the lightning that swum through his shield. He hoped it would stop eventually. Permanent nerve damage to his shield arm was a prospect a Hylian knight like himself didn't warm to.

As Link walked beside Magus, the library their destination again, he remained silent. Every now and then Link glanced at the skilled mage, his pale face stern and red eyes fierce. Magus didn't so much as acknowledge Link's existence as they threaded through the people of Dalaran. Link knew Magus was deep in thought, just as he was.

After the Hero of Time dealt with the female mage proficient in electricity, he turned his attention back to Magus. Even as he looked to him, Link remembered Sif screaming at Magus. His voice was shrill and strained but strengthened by his desperate circumstances. The battle had been cruel to him; he lay broken on the floor, his limbs splayed and unmoving. Magus stood over him with a heavy mace in hand. Link walked closer, unable to hear Magus speaking. The next words out of Sif made the Hylian's blood chill.

"Fuck you!" Sif shouted, blood leaking from his lips. "I reached into your mind! You're just as guilty as me! Genocide just to keep your soldiers occupied?!"

His next few words went deaf to him. Link looked at the blood on his sword and then at Magus. Genocide? Magus had soldiers under his command? Link's mind immediately went to the twisted product of Hyrule Castle after Ganondorf had conquered it, and wondered if Magus had a dark fortress of his own. Was Sif telling the truth? Had he seen Magus' past with his magic, and witnessed a tyrant as evil as the Gerudo King? Or maybe he was smarter than he looked, and was trying to drive a wedge between the two allies before he died.

The benefit of the doubt in Magus slipped away quickly. He ordered for Sif to hand over the relic that would return them to Dalaran. He threatened violence if he didn't comply, but he did. Yet once Magus had the stone, he shattered the downed man's elbow and hand. Sif roared and sobbed. Link felt a chill wash from his throat to his stomach. Whatever Magus was, he wasn't merciful. Link would've never done that to a defeated enemy, not even Ganondorf. There was justice, and there was torture.

Magus had noticed Link at that moment. His eyes were wild, his breathing erratic despite his lack of exertion. A great fury had seized him, but about what Link couldn't tell. Something Sif said must have struck a tender subject, or otherwise Magus was a baleful and cruel person. Perhaps it was both.

Once Magus broke their containment, he was still bent on finishing Sif. Link had already sheathed his weapon, but Magus pooled ink black energies into his palm. He remembered shouting at him, not just for Sif's sake, but for Magus'. A crowd of people encircled them, and killing someone in broad daylight was not something Link wanted to be associated with.

Thankfully the mage found his wits, but his anger shone in his threat. It hadn't subsided after they were victorious, and Link wasn't sure it had subsided yet. There were so many doubts swirling in Link's mind. What sort of person had he teamed up with? When it came down to it, Link had no idea. A deeply wounded man, brought to fury by a reminder of his hurt, or a quick tempered thug with great power at his disposal?

"Magus," Link said, his throat dry. "What happened back there?"

Magus ignored him.

"You have to say something," Link pressed. "Did he say something to make you get so angry?"

Magus' face twitched, but he didn't otherwise react. "We're almost at the library."

"Magus-"

The mage stopped suddenly and turned on Link. His voice was low and cold. "That was a hint. I don't want to talk about this. Don't bring it up again."

Link held his breath at the icy tone. "OK. Sure. Let's find the library."

Magus turned on his heel and walked off. Link jogged to catch up with him again.

The two knowledge seekers squeezed between the crowds and looked down a line of alleyways, Magus in the lead. He paused at each, scrutinising them for something, and then moved to the next. Link stole a glance in them as well, but they all looked identical and in no way important. They continued in this fashion for a short while until Magus stopped at the mouth of an alleyway and walked through. Link hurried after him.

The alleyway looked like any of the others they passed. A rat scurried past Link's boot, squeaking in fear of the two giants. No one leaned against the wall here though, and there was no pervading smell of urine. In fact, it was the cleanest alleyway they'd come across. Magus was walking forward with purpose, his deep purple cape floating behind him. Link looked ahead but saw nothing.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Link said, catching up with him. "There's no difference between this alley and the last."

"I'm sure," Magus said. "The door's just ahead."

Link frowned. There was only empty space and a dead end.

They walked the full length of the alley. The walls pinched closer together, leaving them with less space on either side. Link noticed a distinct lack of light; looking up, the sky was still visible. Something vibrated on his back. Link gripped the hilt of his sword; it was oscillating, barely, as if reacting to something nearby.

Magus placed a gloved hand on the brick dead end. He closed his eyes and white shafts of light pierced the gap between his fingers. In moments the entire wall shone white, illuminating the dim alleyway. It soon faded, and in its place stood two wooden double doors with gold and purple embroidery over it, styled like overgrown vines and flowers. Magus pushed against them and they easily parted. "This is the place."

Link walked through after Magus into a small, Y shaped foyer. It was quite plain, considering the level of effort it took to get here; twin couches rested against either wall of the hallway. Two men in white robes guarded the hallways that lead away from a desk straight ahead of them. A wizened, greying woman sat over a pile of books, holding a small pair of glasses attached to a rod over her eyes. She looked up at them, disinterest plain in her dull eyes. "I haven't seen you two here before. What can I do for you?"

"We'd like to use the library," Magus said.

"Of course you do," she said. "Why else would you be here?" She hopped off a stool behind the desk, and soon her grey beehive hairstyle was all that was visible of her. She rounded the desk and walked up to them, no taller than Link's waist. She reminded Link of the Kokiri and how small they were, and then wondered if this was some sort of humbling cycle, that one day he would return to a diminutive height.

The elderly woman cleared her throat. A blood red ruby adorned her neck above a plain white blouse and long grey skirt. "New patrons need to demonstrate an understanding of magic, or have dire need of the knowledge here, to enter. Since I know you two have never come here before, you must show one or both of these things to me to get through."

Link looked at the guards. Although clad in simple cloth, they were large and muscular, both wielding a staff in one hand, the other resting on the pommel of a sheathed sword on their belt.

Magus rose a hand. A shimmering spark burst to life and floated lazily upwards. It stopped above their heads and erupted in a small shower of light like a miniature firework.

The short woman lifted her glasses to her eyes and looked Magus over. "Nice party trick, but I can sense you're a mage." She looked at Link. "And you?"

Link's eyes widened. He didn't know any spells. In Hyrule he had several diamond relics that activated certain powers, but he had none of them now. Sweat sprouted on his forehead and swam in his eyebrows. "Uh ..."

"If you don't have any proof of arcane knowledge, I can't let you in," she said firmly.

"Wait!" Link said. He fumbled inside his tunic and pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "I have this! This is magic!"

The custodian shrank her eyes and looked over it. She took it from his hands, rolled it over and put it in her mouth. She played a loud, sharp note, eyed it some more, then gave it back to Link. "An interesting artifact. I can sense the power inside it. But it's not enough."

"What?"

"This is a place of knowledge, for learned people to discover more about their craft. It's not for some uncouth relic hunter to find out the location of his next big score."

"What about this, then?" Link said, withdrawing the Master Sword. The guards swiftly yanked their blades from their belts and walked forward. "Wait! Wait! I'm not attacking! It's a magic sword!"

She peered at it. "Yes, it is. Quite a powerful one at that. Still, if anything, it makes my earlier statement all the more true."

The Master Sword disappeared back into it's sheath. "Ok, listen to this."

Link wet his lips and raised the Ocarina of Time to his mouth. He closed his eyes and Zelda's Lullaby spun sweet notes into the air. The royal family song opened specific locations in Hyrule just from its own power, and Link hoped the old woman could see the magic as it filled their ears. Even as he played, Link could've sworn he heard Sheik strumming along with her harp.

He let the last note linger. "Yes," the old woman said. "I can see you're more than just a relic hunter. Good." She waddled back to her desk and hauled herself onto the stool. "You may enter. Either door will take you into the library."

Link followed Magus through the left door, and at once they were in a massive, circular room. Endless rows of oak bookshelves stood guard like some great army of knowledge. Craning his head up, Link saw the majestic artwork upon the domed roof. It was of a magnificent blue sky, with Dalaran featuring prominently above Minas Tirith. The colours dazzled Link, and strangely shone with their own light, as if it were a giant stained glass window. Several stories above them rung around the outside of the room, each floor with innumerable arcane collections. A large orangutan moved about on knuckles and feet above them.

"This place is incredible!" Link said.

Magus looked at him with a steely gaze. "Focus. We're here for information about Omni."

"Right," Link said. "So where do we start?"

"We could spend a lifetime sifting through these shelves," Magus said. "I'll see if I can find an attendant. They may know the volume we seek."

"And me?"

"Start looking. You might happen across it while I find help."

"OK. I'll see what I can find."

They parted ways. Link strolled the length of one bookcase to get an idea of how much knowledge the room had. It took him a solid three minutes to walk from one end to the other. He peered down the row and couldn't see where the last bookcase ended. The amount of knowledge here was almost beyond comprehension. He itched with restlessness. How was he supposed to find anything remotely related to Omni?

There was nothing for it. Link brushed his fingers along the book spines, reading their titles. There was a lot of information on subjects he barely knew anything about; biology, astronomy, geology, medicine and magic tutelage were the most common themes he found in the bookcase. Still he persisted, his eyes running over books and books of knowledge but had no interest to him. Link understood why the library's location was so difficult to find. He imagined what sort of damage could be done if someone like Ganondorf researched the books here. He really hoped Magus wasn't like Ganondorf.

To break the tedium, Link read the names of the books aloud. "Harpies: The Complete Collection, Hayle's Guide to Helium, Herbs and Medicine, Herbs and Witchcraft, The History of Hyrule, Horticultural Techniques for -"

Link paused. Did he read that right? He skipped back a book. The History of Hyrule. Link pulled it from the bookcase, his mind ablaze with curiosity. It was a heavy tome, thick with gilded pages. The Triforce glimmered in gold on the green cover, along with three symbols Link recognised as the insignas for the goddesses. Link walked away, searching for a table where he could read the book, since he couldn't support the weight in one hand. Eventually, after rounding the bookcase and walking for ten minutes down the aisle, he found a table where a bookcase would normally be and sat down. The book hit the table with a deep crash, and Link heard a hissing "shhhh" from somewhere.

Quietly he opened the cover, the pages in mint condition. The table of contents listed every era of Hyrule known by the author; from the birth of the world by Din, Farore and Nayru, the time of the Hero of Legend and the forging of the Master Sword, all the way to ... Link stopped and furrowed his brow. There were three different headers after his own age's entry. He read each in turn, silently mouthing them. The Missing Hero Timeline, The Victorious Hero Timeline, and The Defeated Hero Timeline. What did that mean?

A memory came unbidden from his discussion with the Hero's Shade. <Throughout Hyrule's history, there have been Heroes who have stepped forward into the roles the goddesses predestined for them. The Hero of Legend, the first of his kind. Sure enough, he'd seen that entry beneath the creation of the world. <The Hero of Men, who triumphed in the War of the Bound Chest.> Again, his words were proven by the book. <There are other Heroes, further into the future, that surface when the cry is loudest. And between them all, linking them together, is the Hero of Time.>

Was all of that true? Was he some sort of crossroads for the Heroes of Hyrule? None of it made any sense, but he knew the truth was in the book. Yet, where should he start? A narcissistic thought urged him to read over how his time had been recorded. Another thought yearned to know the Heroes that followed in his footsteps, but Link was wary of pursuing that. There was a chance he could stumble upon his future. Did he want that? He may find something he didn't like, and he didn't know if he could change it.

Link went with his first idea. He opened the tome to the entry "The Hero of Time and the Seven Sages" and began reading. Once he reached the end, he'd consider his options then.