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The instant Sky laid eyes on the other heroes of courage, similarly frazzled from being snapped through a strange portal but all of them tingling with spirit tints the way he did, he was fascinated, thrilled . There weren’t many others like him on Skyloft, though they were by no means unheard of- no one knows what caused some people to randomly be born with an echo of a spirit creature’s form and power, but it’s just far enough outside of normal that they never lead an average life.

Whether that’s the physical traits that always accompany the endowment, or the abnormal abilities -and weaknesses- that spirit tinted folk have, Sky doesn’t know. Him and Zelda both have feathers growing interspersed with their hair, though his were darker shades of cherry and burgundy than her gold-orange-copper tones, their phoenix forms echoing the complementary tones whenever they shifted and flew together, their Loftwings delightedly gliding alongside them. 

Zelda was also blessed with wings in stunning sunrise colors even as a hylian, though they couldn't bear her weight in that form, and had far more skill with fire than his own tendency to simply radiate cozy heat. Being able to take the shape of the spirit that had blessed them was rare enough, and if Zelda hadn’t also had a phoenix tint to her he knows he would have been even more of an outcast than he already was by virtue of his love of sleep and weak constitution. 

True spirits were even rarer, and though tinted folk were encouraged to try to find the same spirit creature whose blessing they bore neither he nor Zelda had ever had any luck locating a phoenix. The deeper magics often needed training by the mythos itself to master, and they’d been hoping to harness their spirit’s reincarnation abilities with guidance from the creature itself. 

Dying and being reborn from the ashes wasn’t exactly something they could practice on their own, after all. 

But they’d never found one, and it had fallen by the wayside right up until the constant exhaustion and chronic pain Sky had always lived with came crashing down upon him, slowing him down at every turn and hampering his every attempt to save Zelda, the pain in every step a handicap he couldn’t afford. He’d finished fighting the hoards of  monsters, defeated Ghirahim, killed Demise and walked from his dimension victorious, only to find that he’d hardly won at all.

He staggered out, his body zapping with pain and feeling oddly distant, carried by adrenaline still as all his focus suddenly pinned itself on the golden, still form before him. Zelda had been laying on the ground, as peaceful as if she’d been sleeping, wings half curled underneath her. She’d already been unconscious when Demise had dragged Link away, and as he knelt beside her at first he’d thought she still was, except-

Except there was no warmth to her, and phoenixes were always so hot , radiating such intense heat- Sky was the only one who could comfortably give Zelda good, deep hugs and ride double on a Loftwing with her, she burned so hot. 

Now, though, she was cold, and still, and dead,   that inner fire banked.

Burned to nothing more than ash, and to ash she dissolved, his heart of stone suddenly sparking to life once more at the sight of flames eating up her form and obscuring the view of that beloved, deathly pale face. They sparked and flickered with potent magic that carried the same feel Zelda’s magic always had, warm and golden and shining before his stricken, desperately hopeful eyes, because hylians didn’t do this upon death-

Phoenixes did. 

The flames died out to leave only blackened ash upon the ground, cold and inert, the magic cutting out and leaving Sky with only what remained of his beloved friend, there on the grounds of victory and devastating loss. 

A ripple in the air above her remains, like heat warping. A spot of gold in the dark dust, then another, and then the ash began to glow upon the ground as embers sprang to life within it and grew once more into flames, arching high and hot, dying down as Zelda stepped forward from them, naked and wobbly but alive .

Sky was catching her up in his sailcloth in the next instant, feeling the heat radiating from her once more as he steadied her, as he held her in his arms and felt her hold him back both of them shaking. 

He was crying, then, and his knees went out from under him, Zelda soothing him, when she was the one who’d died , the one who’d been captured, and he was the one who’d been too late and too weak and let it all happen. But Sky couldn’t stop his sobs, couldn’t help but bury his face in Zelda’s neck and crumble at what almost was. 

Because for a handful of seconds that had burned like an eternity, he had lived in a world where Zelda’s death was his fault. That for all that he’d done his best it simply hadn’t been good enough, Sky hadn’t been good enough, and the price that had been paid was the life of the woman he loved.

Nothing could have been crueler, forcing him to live with that knowledge, that burden, that guilt.  

So he cried then at the thought of a world without her, and held her hand tightly as they wandered unsteadily back up the sloping spiral to speak again with the old woman. Zelda held back just as tightly, just as glad that he was fine, the contact a reassurance they both desperately needed.

He could almost ignore the burning pain of every unsteady step, the throbbing exhaustion in every muscle, so long as her arm was warm around him, her body pressed to his side and breathing softly.  

Then Impa was gone, and suddenly all the pain and exhaustion and dizzy strangeness that he’d grown used to over the course of chasing Zelda across the Surface caught up to Sky at once as the last of the adrenaline filtered from his system, and he-

Slipped to the side, the world sliding past him. The last thing he felt was Zelda’s arms around him, the heat of her skin against his cheek, and then Groose’s familiar strength, carrying him as always when he was too weak on his own. 

They’re still here in spite of your failings , he soothed himself, and gladly let it all go. 

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It had been something of a relief, meeting the other heroes of courage and finding that they too, were blessed by the spirits the same way he was. A whole range of them, too, and Sky had met other tinted hylians but they’d always been aerial creatures, the sky people only blessed by spirits happy to live above the clouds. These heroes were tinted with spirits he’d only ever heard of, and some he hadn’t, but all of them seemed equally fascinated by each other. 

It was funny, in the best way- for all that most of them had traveled alone or with a sole companion that left afterwards, they meshed together surprisingly quickly once they got past the ingrained paranoia of so many new faces, falling quickly into peaceable affability, working far better together than nine near-total strangers used to be alone should have. After only a few days to work out the minor kinks between their personalities, quirks were already out on display and friendships were already developing, because if there was one good thing about being on the road it’s that there wasn’t much to do but talk and share and get into shenanigans together and have one another’s backs in a fight 

It’s a good thing they got along, truly. 

They didn’t last long before they finally gave into the curiosity of each others’ tints. The little Sailor had happily introduced himself as an akhlut, producing blank stares from all but Legend, the dark wolf ears atop his head and pale silvery eyeshadow effect at his temples  making much more sense once he jumped into his spirit form for them, what appeared to be a large, gangly wolf with an orca’s tail and markings, a dorsal fin between its shoulder blades and short thick fur like an otter. He was a gleaming black with a glowy white stomach and legs, an eyespot located upon each cheek. He was clumsy and clearly still growing, not helped by the fact that he apparently also had an aqueous form to acclimate to as well, but utterly proud as the other heroes were duly impressed, Legend poking with great interest at the almost bear like clawed paws and Time almost laughing as their youngest almost crushed him laying across the Old Man’s lap. He practically preened when Warriors’ expressed something between horror and awe at just how large he probably would get someday, but none of that came close to the giddiness Wind had taken from joy from the resemblance between his spirit form and Twilight’s. 

The Rancher had shifted as well as soon as the akhlut had begun nosing pointedly at the lupine ears atop Twilight’s head as well, mossy grey but the same shape as Wind’s had been. The wolf pelt atop his shoulders suddenly grew around him, dark spots detaching from it to swarm around Twilight’s form and reshape into a lupine selkie spirit, seemingly normal for a wolf but for the oddly ornate markings and how large he was, almost of a size with Wind, though the thick fur gave him the illusion of extra mass. Side by side the similarities between their patternings was unignorable, Wind’s orca tail bobbing happily as he wiggled around the older wolf, draping himself over Twilight’s shoulders and exclaiming in the wordless way spirits spoke,  “Look at us! We could be brothers!” 

The two canids began tussling playfully, the others content to watch, Four cocking his head and declaring, “Selkie, though the wolf shape is surprising for their kind.” Twilight spared a moment to boof at them and wag his tail in confirmation, Legend holding out a hand for Four’s begrudging coin before the Vet decided that he may as well stir the pot while high on the power of being right, loudly asked, “Hey, Old Man, didn’t you say you were puka tinted?” There was a warning note of smugness in his voice that set Time’s head cocking thoughtfully, his good eye narrowing suspiciously. 

“What the hell’s a puca?” Hyrule whispered to Wars, who grimaced and answered “A mischievous shapeshifting gremlin, that’s what.” 

“Shapeshifting?” Wild perked up, and he wasn’t the only one. 

“Even a wolf?” Wind asked at the expense of no longer chewing on Twilight’s leg, nearly vibrating as the larger wolf also turned his attention to the Old Man, eyes pinned on the distinctly equine ears adorning Time’s head, the long flow of hair pulled back into a ponytail at the moment. 

Legend’s grin was all teeth, but it was Time who answered quickly before the Vet could enact any kind of shenanigan. “A variety of animals, yes. Including a wolf-!” Time startled and only narrowly bit back a yelp as those dark liquid eyes immediately turned on him with avid intensity, and Twilight went along with it whole-heartedly as well, whining and peering up with his own pale blue gaze beseechingly. Time shrugged aquiescently and shifted-

Into a horse, a beautifully conformed palomino draped in golden chains. After a few minutes of brushing off the two wolves complaining about his teasing, Time finally nipped them away from heckling him and gave a jangling prance before shifting to a wolf. His was the largest yet and golden as the ears atop his head had been, but again displayed pearly markings that once more shared the same style as Twilight’s, creating a trio of wolves that clearly shared a resemblance.. 

It became the animal shape he took most often, if only to help keep Wind’s rampant tussling with Twilight under control, both of the dark wolves rolling to show their bellies like puppies each time the golden wolf thoroughly trounced them. Of course, Time was happy to submit as well when teamed up against, flopping dramatically beneath the pile of Wind, Twilight, and Wild too, when he cared to join.

(Wind took great pride in the way Time’s ears thereafter were most often lupine, just like his and Twi’s.) 

Wild grinned and snapped his fingers, bringing forth a merry flame the same way Sky had seen Sun do a hundred times over with similar ease, though his was turquoise and glowy and mesmerizing. “Kitsune,” he introduced, and whirled into his fox form, the size of an average wolf and bearing a blue-silver coat, two shades paler where his scars were. Turquoise fox fire danced around him like will o’ wisps, two tails swaying contentedly behind him. He promptly sashayed over to the dog pile of canines, delicately draping himself atop them like he was modeling for a portrait, tails flaring out in a graceful arch.  

Four smirked, hand out, and Legend handed back the coins from before.  

Wars cleared his throat, flicking his scarf behind him with practiced artfulnes, and Legend and Four both said “Unicorn” at the same time before a word could escape his lips. The Captain faltered, but Legend tapped at the dark ashy diamond upon his own forehead, akin to the silver-sheened lavender mark embossed at Warriors’ brow, like a gem laid upon his skin. Warriors, with palest gold hair that fell perfectly and heart-breaking violet eyes who always only moved with utmost grace, asked, “How did you-?”

“Oh please,” Legend said flatly. Warriors humphed and tossed his hair, but couldn’t help but preen a little at the intensely curious looks on everyone’s face, even the Veteran’s, for all his crossed arms and attempt at an unaffected mien. He melded into his unicorn form, a delicate waif of a creature,  all stilted, thin legs and slender bone white body, with a bounty of moonsilver mane and a coyly flicking tail, moving like a dancer as he glided over to Sky and Hyrule, both staring at him with open admiration. Warriors made a distinctively not equine coo, folding to sit beside Sky and let the younger knight lean upon him as Hyrule pet him with wide, wondrous eyes, fingers gently exploring the alicorn. There was something calming about his presence, especially potent in this form at rest, something soothing and peaceful. Sky sighed, letting his head fall against that silken mane, feeling himself being lulled closer to sleep and doing very little to fight it.

Except then a rabbit came hopping into view, slowing to give them all time to look at it before determinedly stepping into Hyrule’ lap and snugging down, a fluffy bundle of pink fur whose harmlessness was belied by the wickedly sharp, matte black alicorn crowning its forehead, suspiciously vicious black claws dipping out of sight as it tucked its paws neatly under its furry chest. “I’m an almiraj,” he said regally, voice darkening as he continued, “and if you laugh, I will gore you.”  Legend gave a warning toss of his head, but all of them could feel how the real threat was the pool of magic that gathered around the small rabbit form.

No one laughed, though Wars gave a suspicious snort as he quivered under Sky’s head. 

Threat duly delivered, Legend then nudged Hyrule pointedly, and the traveler needed no other prompting to divert his attention to Legend’s silken fur and gore-hungry horn. Warriors huffed, leaning around to playfully parry their horns together, only to pull away when Legend brandished his horn warningly. Sky slumped along with him, startling from the dozy state with a mighty twitch of surprise, the strength of which had the unicorn turning to eye him worriedly as he apologized and Hyrule resting a hand on his shoulder as well with a quiet, “You alright there, Sky?”

“Just tired,” he said resignedly, because when wasn’t he? “Turns out unicorns are perfect for putting someone to sleep.” He stroked a hand through the Captain’s mane affectionately, stifling a yawn.

Since everyone was already looking at him he sat up, the last dragging hold of sleep falling away as excitement took its place. Sky smiled brightly at them, opening his arms wide. “Phoenix,” he declared proudly, and reached for the other form within him. A twist of fire and flap of powerful wings sent him into the sky, all rich burgundies and dark reds and flaming crimson, feathers dappled with jeweled reds and sunset ombre. The great trailing length of his tail whirled behind him as he circled before landing right in front of Wars, tucking himself into his chest and promptly curling his tail around them both as he nestled down against him, chasing that peaceful effect as the pain began to gnaw at him once more.  

“Oh, you are gloriously warm, Sky, don’t ever move,” Warriors said, stretching his neck forward to tuck his head around Sky as Wind untangled himself from the others and trotted over to investigate, promptly curling around Sky and Warrior’s front as well. Sky hummed and propped his head over Wind’s back as Four simply shifted, the feathered tufts winging out from his ears and plume of a tail coiling into a hybrid creature, flitting into the air much as the Skyloftian had. 

“A griffin,” Four announced, wings and fur shining iridescently in the sun. He was comprised of a starling and what seemed to be a black domestic cat, the size of a large dog- laughably diminutive compared to the griffins that were large enough to ride. He flitted over to the dogpile, white dappled wings tucking as he dive bombed onto Time, unashamedly fitting himself into the warm belly fur of the lupine puca. 

Wind turned to Hyrule expectantly then, and the golden antlered Traveler jumped nervously. Legend was quick to pat a clawed paw to his knee, assuring him, “You don’t have to show us if you don’t want to, ‘Rule. There’s no pressure.” 

Warriors shifted uneasily against Sky, but said nothing. Hyrule bit his lip but shook his head, a fierce look entering his golden eyes. “No, I want to, really. Just nervous, is all. I’m a… a Goldenhorn. I didn’t know for the longest time, but then I had a friend who knew, and- yeah, that’s um. I’ll just show you,” he laughed nervously, gently scooping Legend from his lap and standing, rising to his full height as a white stag crowned with golden horns, his thick-furred flanks dappled with silver and gold spots, his whole form glowing ever so slightly even in the light. Sky blinked, something about the spirit form drawing his attention to it gently, like a magnet tugging his gaze inexorably back to Hyrule’s shifting form. 

Then the Traveler snorted and bent down to nose at Legend, startling as the Veteran hopped right onto his rack of antlers and carefully made his way to Hyrule’s back, taking care not to scratch the deer with his claws as he went. 

“Want to cuddle with us ‘Roolie? It’s warm! We have a phoenix!” Sky doubts that was the primary selling point, but the Traveler settled in nonetheless, laying down carefully beside the Captain as the others came over as well, piling around and upon, their two fire elementals adding their generous heat to the group to keep the brisk autumn air at bay. 

Later that night after they’d taken hylian forms once more, Warriors gently requested the vulnerabilities and strengths associated with their spirits, unfamiliar as they were with each other’s spirit tints. Some of them didn’t know much by virtue of their worlds, like Hyrule only knowing that he was hunted and his blood could heal and was valuable somehow, and Wild only knowing that he could take a woman’s form easily and that it was his own backfired power that stole his memory, from what could be told. 

Then there were silly things that weren’t intuitive at all, like Four’s weakness to snakes and peppers, of all things, and the fact that touching running water was like poison to Time. Some made sense, like Wind’s weakness to heat and dryness. Legend was particularly vulnerable to electricity, and Twilight had to shift frequently or he was prone to depression and anxiety, part of the selkie’s curse to never be content solely in one form or the other. 

Warriors seemed to steel himself, but was honest enough- golden bridles could capture him and make him submissive to the holder of the reins. He hesitated, but continued: monsters he could fight without remorse, but to take any life that wasn’t infected or born of black magic and malice was… hard for him, the usually silver-tongued hero seemingly strangely lost for words on how to further explain. 

“That makes sense,” Four said though, seeming to surprise the Captain. “Unicorns are creatures of peace and gentleness.” His eyes softened sympathetically, and he sent Warriors a sad smile. “The war must have been hard for you.”

There was something haunted and desolate on the Captain’s face before he tucked the emotion away. “I thought I should warn you- it can be pretty bad, after everything’s died down.” And silence fell, no one wanting to press him when the usually detail oriented Captain had offered nothing more.

And that left Sky, whose weaknesses were far worse than any of these, and whose strengths were nothing to boast about. For all that it was a joy to be with them and a gift to be amongst other tinted hylians, it was also terrifying to him in a way that wasn’t new, that same biting self-consciousness that had always haunted his steps and never worn smooth despite how long he’d carried the fears. 

Sky knew he was sickly, and easily exhausted, but he’d always been able to move past that growing up because he was tinted , and with that came physically stronger than everyone else, Zelda included. He could move faster and smoother than the other knights, even if not for so very long. Despite his shortcomings, Sky excelled in certain things, was the best in a few select categories, and could convince himself that it averaged out well enough.

But this group of heroes, equally skilled and powerful and tinted in their own rights, with none of Sky’s blatant weaknesses? He had nothing to offer but a dragging weight, and the best thing he could do for them was ensure he held them back as little as possible on his account, helping where he could and doing his best to have their backs. 

He refused to lie, though, or omit. The last time he thought he could power through his natural failings, Zelda had laid dead before him, saved only by her phoenix tint. And honest he was; he struggled in large amounts of water and had some skill with fire, though nowhere near Wild’s level of destructive power with his foxfire. 

(Even in that, he could offer them nothing that was not already given by another hero in higher prowess, without the added weakness. He was good with a sword, but who among the heroes wasn’t?)

He met eyes with the Captain, calm and lenient, sensing Sky’s hesitancy. He took a breath, and told them of his chronic exhaustion and frequent pain, of how prone he was to serious illness and how miserable his stamina was.  

They listened, and offered their help when it would be needed, and the conversation moved on with Sky having the very distinct feeling that they were underestimating his struggles. 

No matter , he thought dismally as the chatter moved to something more light hearted around himt.

They’d see it first hand soon enough. 

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Sky was familiar with being in pain and exhausted. He felt it all the time even back on Skyloft before his adventure, ever sleepy and more easily tired than the others in the knight academy, his stamina only anything other than dead last when he was gliding effortlessly in the sky. It had been a throbbing ache on bad days, leaving him quiet and hurting and moving stiffly. He had felt it relentlessly during his own adventure, pain lancing up his ankles and legs and hips, energy sapped by every weary step, the only thing that kept him going the occasional trip back to Skyloft for a moment’s rest, quelling the pain radiating inside him to something more bearable, something that could be pushed past. 

He felt it now, keenly, trying to keep pace with eight other tinted heroes far more suited for a life of endless traveling than him. It started the same as it always had, the muscles along his legs and hips aching and pulling as if strained, a burning sensation alighting along his feet with every rolling step he took, trying to mitigate the impact of the ground and fight off the inevitable as long as he could. Sky took to his phoenix form when he could because it had always helped before, but it wasn’t as often as he’d like, fearful of drawing attention to their position with his bright red, blazing form in the sky above them, or worse- 

What if they were attacked, and he wasn’t there when they needed him? 

(What if he stood over the body of a loved one once more, too late?

No, not again. )

And so he limited his time flying, thinking wistfully of the painless ease of it as he walked beside the others, feeling as though his energy was dripping from him like a sieve, the empty space inside filled instead with pain that filled the core of him where fire should be. He did his best to put on a strong face, laughing softly as Four and Wind began to move with determined innocence towards the unsuspecting Veteran, mischievous intent in every line of those guileless faces. 

He’d grown quieter as the pain grew steadily less bearable, barely abating in each night’s rest before blazing back to life as they went underway once more. Despite the fact that they couldn’t have possibly known it wasn’t normal for him, having been with him just as long as the issue had existed, Warriors and Hyrule stuck close by his side, having a surprisingly keen sense for when he was suffering the worst. 

Dread growing, his suspicions were confirmed when the Captain finally outright asked him if he wanted to ride his unicorn form, nothing but concern on his face despite how pathetic it was that another hero should need such help. Sky blinked back from the haze he’d dropped into to find that their trio had lagged behind the group, stopped at the bend ahead and worriedly looking back, already heading their way once more.. 

“I’m so sorry,” he said immediately, cheeks flushing with humiliation. “I can-”

But Warriors was already shaking his head, purely worried for Sky’s sake. “No, I insist. I can tell that something’s off, and so can Hyrule-”

The Traveler turned betrayed eyes his way. “Why didn’t you tell us you were feeling so bad? We could have made camp at that clearing two hours back, or stayed at last night’s site a day longer.” He wrung his hands, looking unhappily around at the inhospitable stretch of dead trees around them now, far too risky and monster-ridden to linger in, especially for a night. 

Not to mention it was only barely past noon, Sky noticed bitterly, biting down the self-disgust at the fact that he could barely even manage a few hours on the road without needing accommodation. “I can go faster. I’m sorry, I just didn’t realize I was going so slow, really,” he tried, brushing it off so they’d stop paying him attention, stop looking at all the signs of his weakness. 

Warriors set a cautious hand on his shoulder, slinging his arm to half-hug Sky when the phoenix leaned into the touch, tired and ashamed but still unwilling to turn away comfort when he was feeling this shitty. “Sky, ‘Rule can tell you’re not well, and I can feel that something’s out of sorts with your magic. It’s fine, we just want to help. What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, eyes downcast as frustrated tears welled within them. “It’s just- the usual,” he said frustratedly. “I’m tired, even though I shouldn’t be, and it hurts-” Here his voice broke, and Hyrule got right up in his face at that, hands already glowing as he immediately tried to heal a hurt that didn’t exist, a body’s natural-born flaws and failings far beyond what his magic could remedy. 

Warriors’ jaw tightened with upset, but his eyes grew determined. “If it hurts, you’re not continuing on on your own,” he said stubbornly, expression breaking into confusion as Sky gave a sad laugh, Hyrule letting out a noise of desperate frustration as he failed to find and fix anything.

“It always hurts, Wars. My threshold for travel or running or hell, even walking is miserably low- it always has been. I only made it through my adventure living on endurance fruits, and I paid the price for that after it was done.” HIs frustration at himself boiled over, and he was aware of it being turned on his undeserving friends but helpless to stop himself from just lashing out because maybe then they’d do what they should have done at the start and leave his useless self behind. Sky was crying now and upset and angry, and he just wanted it not to hurt anymore, and for them to understand how stupid their determination to drag his dead weight along was. “So unless you’re willing to have Wild hooking up a line of his endurance potions, if you want me to be free of pain you’re going to have to leave me behind.” His voice shook ever so slightly as he said it, the words ringing out across the Chain, silent and gathered around them now. 

Then Legend scoffed, scuffing a boot in the dirt. “Don’t be an idiot, Sky. We’re not abandoning you.”

Time drew close, laying a gentle hand on Sky’s arm. “If we could truly believe that you’d be safe and healthier staying behind, we would do it, Sky, but- you said yourself you’d be suffering regardless, and somehow I doubt our benevolent goddess was unaware of your condition when she chose you for this adventure, nor do I believe she’d let you free of it so easily.” 

Four shook his head, agreeing with the Old Man despite being what Sky would have previously considered a very rational hylian. “Even if we can’t fix this for you, we can make it better. Maybe you won’t be pain free, like you said, but we aren’t leaving you, which means we’re going to help you keep up. This whole time you’ve been doing it alone, but you’re not , not anymore, not like you were on your adventure. Hylia brought you along for a reason, and it wasn’t just so we could abandon you the second your condition inconvenienced us.” He frowned at the implication that they’d ever do such a thing, and he wasn’ alone. 

“You’re our friend, Sky, one of us! We wouldn’t leave you to suffer alone!” Wind said, face creased with unhappiness that Sky thought so little of them. 

The Captain nudged him for attention once more, the feel of it almost lost amongst the searing pain running through Sky’s veins. He turned glassy eyes to Warrior as the older knight murmured, “If that’s what you truly want, if that’s really what you need to get better, we’ll do it, but Sky- only if you’re sure.”

Sky blinked at him, touched and overwhelmed and far too exhausted from days of near nonstop pain to be able to gauge what was truly better, the only thing he knew that he did feel better with them around, and that if he was to trust the Goddess, this was where he was meant to be. 

“Don’t leave me,” he pleaded, then, ashamed that he was still so afraid of it even now, that a part of him still wanted to insist they do it, so he could stop dreading the point at which they grew too tired of him and all his failings. 

But he was drawn into a hug by several of the others, trembling and weak and so, so grateful for them. Warriors pulled away and shifted to his unicorn form, the pale diamond that adorned his hylian forehead now surrounding the alicorn upon his equine head, large, luminous eyes peering hopefully at Sky as he pranced sideways, pale moonshine mane floating surreally, deceptively delicate legs dipping into a kneel to further beckon Sky onto his back. 

“Get on the horse, Sky,” Twi said with a gentle nudge, and Warriors let out a warning churr, flicking his tail to snap the tuft of hair at the end against the Rancher’s leg. Sky shifted uncertainly on his feet, a sharp stab shooting up his thigh at the motion, and Time gripped his hand, leaning towards him and practically herding Sky towards Warriors’ waiting back. He looked around to the other’s faces, afraid to see but needing to know if they were judging him for this weakness, but they were all only expectant, worried. Legend arched an eyebrow at him, cooly tilting his head and hip as he folded his arms. 

Sky got on the horse.

Deciding it would make more of a scene to refuse at this point, he slid a leg over, promptly collapsing all the way down as his other leg gave way in a shiver of pain, sprawling him awkwardly over the unicorn’s neck despite Time’s stabilizing hand trying to slow his fall. Warrior’s ears flicked immediately back, muscles tensing under Sky’s palm though he stayed perfectly steady under the sudden weight, careful not to jerk his head for fear of pricking one of the many heroes suddenly swarming the two of them, all trying to help Sky up and check him over. 

The whole event ended with Sky astride a unicorn, sailcloth pulled protectively around him, ears pinned back self consciously but undeniably feeling better now that he was at least at rest. His body was still laced with delicate cutting lines of agony though, and there was a heavy pull on his eyelids now that he wasn’t moving on his own. Wind chattered along beside him, Wild on the other side bouncing along as well, reaching to lay a hand on Sky’s leg every now and then worriedly. 

Warriors curved his head around, gait smooth and seamless under Sky’s legs. “Feel free to sleep, Sky. You look like you need it,” he worried, and there was a heavier press of that peaceful, soporofic aura. 

“I can ride double- I won’t let you fall,” Wild promised, gazing up at him hopefully. Wars gave no sign that it was a problem, only pricking an ear as well, and Sky finally nodded, already feeling himself dropping off and knowing better than to fight the inevitable. Wild hopped up in front of him, and Sky leaned gratefully over his back, hugging him softly and draping his chin over that lean shoulder, feeling how warm the other fire spirit was, far hotter than Sky was, than Sky should be. 

Maybe he should be concerned about that. Maybe… Maybe….

Sky drifted off, blissfully unaware of the panicked looks shot between all the others as they worried over their most vulnerable member, completely at a loss for how to help, this one small thing seeming painfully insufficient compared to how drawn Sky was, how diminished he’d grown from the easy, caring, open personality they’d first met. He was pale now, and no longer the hylian furnace he had been at the start, constantly shaky and drooping and unsteady on his feet, and for that his swordwork was far better than any of theirs, they feared for any fights to come, having seen how the nonstop travel had taken its toll already.

They could only continue on, and do what little they could to ease the burden from Sky’s shoulders. 

It didn’t feel like enough. 

(It wasn’t.)

------------------------------------------

The thing is, even though things got better, Sky got worse.

Time and Warriors took turns carrying him, Time’s palomino, chain wreathed stallion form almost terrifyingly larger than the Captain’s waifish unicorn but much less guilt inducing, considering that Sky must have weighed all of two grapes to the Old Man in that form. Still, it felt like every step forward was only an illusion meant to lull him into a false sense of hope, every time he felt well enough to walk shadowed by a round of weakness and renewed agony, leaving him increasingly helpless without the assistance of the others. 

It was all his worries come to fruition, that same fear growing stronger this whole time the sicker he’d become: when would they leave him? 

( when would they kick him from the Knights’ Academy when would Zelda realize she could do better when would Hylia finally off him and choose a better hero )

 He was nothing of an asset, not anymore. Sky had the original Master Sword, yes, but any of the others could carry her instead. His well-being wasn’t worth the lives that would be lost if the others failed, and the infected monsters were far too powerful and numerous for the Chain to be able to afford dragging dead weight around, defending Sky in battle. 

He couldn’t bear it if anything happened in his name, not again. Whatever price must be paid for Sky’s ruined body, he’d always rather it be him. 

Except they refused to leave him. Even when he admitted this was worse than it had ever been back home, or on his trips to the Surface. 

For all their attempts to give him breaks and carry him when it got to be too much, Sky was still dead tired at the end of each day, as if something were steadily sapping the energy and life from him with every step he took, be it a dozen or several thousand. He was nearly unconscious by the end of each day, now, cringing and shaking as he was helped down from horseback. He woke up one morning hurting so badly without having done anything that he broke down in tears, completely overwrought with no sign of reprieve in sight. The agony was so clear that Legend and Four both checked him over in excruciating detail for any sign of a curse, hylian form and phoenix form alike thoroughly examined.

“He’s much darker than the phoenix I’ve seen,” Four commented softly, running his hands over the rich, red plumage, the feathers dry and brittle and ill, the extravagant drapery of Sky’s tail laying still under its own weight, his wings carefully folded up into Legend’s arms. 

“A lot less on fire, too, though he wasn’t lit even at the beginning” Legend agreed, sparing a hand to stroke Sky’s head, resting limply over his shoulder with half lidded eyes that were still the blue of a clear ocean. 

“Zel’s the one who’s always on fire,” Sky mumbled, giving a deep, slow flinch as Four extended one of his legs and began uncurling his talons. They already knew better than to have the phoenix stand- his legs had given away right under him, the claws too weak to get a good perch, and Sky himself shaky and faltering. Even now, he gave one wing a half-hearted flap that lost its strength half-way through , leaving the wing to slip off of Four’s shoulder and hang limply towards the ground. 

Four tucked it back up without a word, Sky only giving a shaky sigh and closing his eyes against defeated tears as Legend clutched him tighter, noting how cool the phoenix was for a firebird, how dimmed the glow of magic within the other was, for no reason they could parse. 

There were no marks of a curse, or reasons for this pain, this exhaustion, this slow death. 

Only a sick tinted hylian who only seemed to get worse. 

They finally arrived at Four’s home, sending the Smithy, Twilight, and Wild to try to track down the phoenix Four had seen before in his volcanoes while the others stayed at his home, resting and hoping to let Sky recover some, to buy them more time to research this and get him help. 

But nothing touched the slow decline of his health, not anymore. He was in pain constantly, now, weak and withdrawn, his temperature having dropped from something warm and welcoming as a hot water bottle to cooler than the average hylian, even, no matter who tucked up next to him or how close a fire they brought him. His phoenix form was beyond flight now, shedding feathers at the slightest restless shift, comforted as always by contact but well past any kind of pain-relief the Chain had to offer. What little reprieve he’d gained before in his spirit form was gone now, and Warriors felt his heart flutter in fear as the phoenix melted away into a hylian upon his lap, Sky only barely conscious and in no shape to have driven the shift. 

(People never died in spirit form , never never never -)

There was nothing violent about Sky’s worsening state over the course of the next days; only the slow, painfully steady decline as even his weak shifting gave way to limp stillness, as fluttering lashes drew closed for good, the feverish flickering movement underneath the lids stilling completely. His pained keens and agonized whimpers fell away as he lost the strength to express the pain he was in, labored breath growing quiet and shallow and fast, his rosy cheeks long gone pale and gray. 

There was nothing left for them to do, and too little time left.

Then a griffin was bursting through the open window, all bright colors hidden in dark feathers and fur, a blazing form at his back as Four returned, phoenix on his tail. 

Sky didn’t move at all at the noise, well past the point where Hyrule or Time could rouse him anymore. So instead the others looked upon the phoenix, far more different from Sky’s form than they’d ever have expected- it was all golden orange flaming majesty, more slender a bird with shorter plumage than Sky’s own flameless build in burgundies and crimsons, built like a large raptor with a cape of a tail and crown. 

The phoenix lit upon the Skyloftian’s body, leaning in before whirling on them all, feathers fluffed and sparking. “What is the meaning of this,” it demanded furiously, gesturing towards their dying friend. “He is no phoenix! What did you fools do to him?” 

There was a beat of disbelieving silence, surprise overriding the panic and despair for a moment. 

Just a moment, though. “What do you mean, not a phoenix? He said so himself!” Legend cried, eyes blazing as the phoenix hissed at him before flaring and enveloping Sky in fire, leaving behind untouched sheets and their friend in his spirit form, only barely stirring under the heat of the mythical bird, pain etched across those beloved features, several fists clenching at the sight of such suffering in one so undeserving of it.

“Huma birds are cousins, yes, but different enough to kill the chick,” it said grimly, watching them assessingly before seeming to deem them fools, not enemies. “ We’ll be back if he lives,” it promised briskly, “And if he confirms that you are truly blameless in this… tragedy of errors.” The phoenix dipped its head to Four and without further ado gathered Sky in its talons before gliding out the window and racing into the sky, the limp form of the Chosen Hero draped beneath it. 

“Four, how much do you trust it?” Time asked tersely as he leaned out the window to watch where they went, soon losing sight as the pair ascended through the clouds, Sky still unmoving in the phoenixes hold. 

“It only seemed to want to help,” Four said shakily, clinging over Wind’s shoulder, cat claws digging in as his iridescent wings fluttered anxiously. “It’s only ever been kind to me before, and it did say it could save him. But- in the meantime, I think we need to find out what really was wrong. If- if we’re waiting anyways,” the Smithy said in a small voice, eyes also pinned at where Sky had vanished. 

None of them had said goodbye. What if that was the last - 

“Huma birds, huh?” Legend cut across the silence sharply, once more directing them towards something productive as he rolled the word around with a care that showed he’d never heard of them before either. “Related to phoenixes, with some kind of vulnerability that Sky had never known of, not if he didn’t realize that’s what he was.”

And so they waited, and while they did they researched Sky’s true parent spirit.

It was harder to find material than expected- Four suspected that huma birds were often mistaken for phoenixes, and that much of the lore available had simply been merged with the more well-known firebird. 

But they were known, and there were some authors who had taken the time to pay attention to detail, to note even the smallest differences, and the largest ones. 

Huma birds: Bigger than phoenixes, stronger. Fire and air elementals both.

They spend their lives aloft, riding the winds effortlessly. 

Their lives were spent in the air, for touching the earth killed them, injured huma birds left unable to fly dying hours after they’re consigned to the earth in excruciating pain. 

Landing killed them. Walking killed them. A hylian tinted with such a spirit, sharing its vulnerabilities, weaker though they may be than in the true parent spirit; how long would they last upon the ground that was poison to half their existence?

Sky, born above the clouds, so often flying himself or riding his Loftwing. Sky, who had told them he was often sick as a child and even now, who had told them how ill he was during and after his journey on the Surface. Sky, whose condition had quickly spiralled once he grew too weak to fly, who had never spent much time in the air even at the beginning of the Chain’s travels, who had been dying beside them with none of them the wiser to how close the solution was. 

They had the answers now, far too late. 

( No, no, not too late, not too late because he’ll come back, and it’ll be better now that they know. )

They waited, then, not knowing when Sky would return, or if the phoenix would even return to tell them if- if Sky- 

They waited, not knowing how long it would take for Sky to live or die there above the clouds. 

(“Every hundred years, a huma bird dies and is reborn again in flames,” Legend said softly as he entered the house, everyone immediately looking to him as if he’d shouted. “Even if… even if it was too late, with a phoenix at his side to guide him, he could still come back.” Legend sounded as desperate as they all felt, caught between the itching drive to continue on Hylia’s mission, every day that passed more innocent blood spilt across their hands, and the hope that Sky would return, healthy once more. 

They waited.