chapter 22 Fractures of the Self

First-person – Temple of Echoed Balance, Upper Hall]

I couldn't sleep.

Even with Zelda curled beside me, her hand tangled in mine like a shackle of silk, even with Riju on my other side, her warmth pressed to my shoulder, I felt cold.

Not from the air.

From inside.

From the thing beneath the seal.

From the part of me I had buried so long ago, it forgot how to scream—but not how to wait.

The Tear of Balance flickered.

I pulled it out and stared.

It pulsed unevenly now, like it was fighting against me.

Or warning me.

---

A voice stirred in my skull.

> "They don't love you. They need you. That's worse."

> "Let me show you who you were before you begged for affection."

I clutched my head and gritted my teeth. My vision doubled.

The walls shimmered.

And then—I saw her again.

A golden woman cloaked in stars. My memory called her "Hylia." But this version… she wasn't smiling.

She was screaming.

Screaming at me.

> "You were a mistake."

> "You were too free."

> "You ruined the balance."

And I had loved her once.

Hadn't I?

---

Zelda stirred beside me.

Her eyes opened—and something sharp glinted inside them.

"Are you dreaming of her again?" she whispered. Her voice was calm. Too calm.

I blinked. "What?"

"Hylia," she said.

"Zelda—"

"You whisper her name in your sleep," she continued, voice sweet as venom. "You cry for the goddess who betrayed you. But I'm here. I never left. I'd never leave you."

She kissed my cheek gently.

Then whispered: "If she ever returns… I'll kill her."

I froze.

And behind me, I felt Riju shift, murmur in her sleep, her hand tightening on my arm like she could feel my hesitation.

Like she'd do the same.

---

[Third-person – Akkala, Purah's Lab]

Purah slammed her palm on the control panel, growling as the crystal projections fuzzed and cracked.

"It's getting worse," she muttered.

Yona paced behind her. "The entire Depths are vibrating. And not with Malice—something else. Something older."

Purah turned, yanking her goggles up.

"This isn't Ganon. This isn't Zonai tech either. Whatever's leaking out of those temples—it's centered on him."

She pointed at the projection of the OC.

The image flickered. His body shimmered between two forms: his current self… and something else. A shadowed version, eyes glowing like a dying sun.

"Did we ever figure out who he was?" Yona asked.

Purah's voice dropped. "No."

"But I think the gods did."

---

[First-person – Gerudo Desert, above the Temple]

We emerged from the ruins as the sun bled orange across the sands.

Zelda stayed close, her touch never leaving me. Riju rode beside me on sand-sealback, her hand resting casually on the hilt of her scimitar.

I couldn't stop seeing the look in their eyes last night.

Not just love.

Possession.

Maybe it was my fault. I let them in too deep. Gave too much of myself when I still didn't understand who—or what—I was.

But it was too late now.

Because I needed them too.

And maybe that was the most dangerous part.

---

Purah and Yona were waiting when we arrived.

Their expressions told me everything.

"You felt it too?" I asked.

Purah nodded, tight-jawed. "The moment you unsealed that temple, the other temples… reacted. Seven pulses. Seven ancient locks breaking in sync. And you're the key."

Yona stepped forward gently. "And something's… wrong with your aura. Like it's split."

I flinched.

Because she was right.

I could feel the Broken One stirring more each hour.

"Then tell us what to do," I said. "Because we can't go back."

Purah nodded. "There's another temple—beneath Lake Hylia. It's waking up."

Riju turned to me. "Then we ride."

Zelda's fingers laced in mine. "Together. Always."

Their smiles didn't reach their eyes.

And behind them, the sun began to flicker.

Time was breaking.

And I was at its center.