Prologue
It was a dark day in Hyrule. The stormy clouds heaped above the land, blocking all sunlight from penetrating in that gloom evening. Light came only from a few oil lamps and occasional lightnings, that struck fear on that caravan of people, from the various races of Hyrule, that reached the vicinity of the ruined Temple of Time.
The raindrops felt sharp and cold, as they pierced through the sky and the holes of that crumbled ceiling, finally hitting the heads and shoulders of those who mourned the tragedy befallen to their hero. Their voices challenged the whistling gale, the reverberating sound of the rain and the loud thunders that burst from the firmament, while chantings hymns and songs of their land written for the deceased. From among the chorus, an old woman, wearing a large pointy hat, made her way out of the crowd, that settled in the remains of that ancient hall, towards the small staircase that led to the sacred statue of the goddess, Hyllia. Before the holy depiction of the goddess of time, a deep and wide grave was open, dug into the rocky floor of the temple.
“Here lies the remains of the first hero, from ten thousand years ago, that defeated the Calamity on its first appearance. We pray that Link, the saviour of this land of Hyrule in the second awakening of Calamity Ganon, find his rest beside his ancestor.” the old woman spoke to the crowd as the singing ceased. “A tale of old, that survived through the generations among my people, tells of a land where the deceased rest, after having no more regrets and attachments to this world. I ask of you, Hyllians, Zoras, Gorons, Gerudos and Koroks to, with the most faith you may muster, pray with me and wish for our hero to go on to a peaceful afterlife.” she concluded.
As her voice faded, only the rain, winds and thunders could be heard. During their prayers, a group of men, carrying a coffin, stepped up the stairs and gently descended the hero’s body into the grave. He was covered in flowers and a translucid white veil sewn with a golden crest of Hyrule. After some time, the crowd lined in front of the grave, and every person had their time to bid farewell to the body the champion, that had fallen shortly after claiming his victory on Ganon. Some took little time, but others, such as the Zora prince, couldn’t find the will to move away from the coffin, so dear Link was to them.
Eventually everybody had their time to ease their pains and properly open their hearts to the corpse. The soaked caravan silently gathered closely and marched out of the ruined temple, fading, after a long time, into the gloom. The hero could not see them anymore, not a trace of their silhouette, not a beam of light from their lamps, the dark fields of Hyrule around the Temple of Time in the Great Plateau remained seemingly devoid of creatures other than him, could he still call himself a living being.
His clothes were strangely clean, he had no scars or wounds from the fierce battle that struck hours ago against Dark Beast Ganon. Ever since he waked up beside his lifeless body, with a heavy broken chain coming out from his chest, he refused to believe this was not but a bad dream. However, it was then that he knew that person and had it all explained after a quite noisy reaction from himself.
“So, Link, can we go now?” a voice emerged from the darkness, as the shadows that covered a corner of the building seemed to move, taking the form of some sort of kimono, that Link had learned to be a Shihakusho, worn by, as it was told to him, the “death gods”, or Shinigami. Wrapped in these black clothing, the skin of this man contrasted with the darkness, as it became even more evident by the time he approached Link.
“I guess so... I just wanted to see them for the last time” Link turned to the mysterious shinigami with a peaceful look that expressed his resign with death. “Please, take me to this Soul Society you spoke of.” Link stepped towards that man.
“Please, close your eyes. When you open them, a brand new world will be before you. You will make new friends a form a new family there. Rest well, you’ve already done too much, Link” the man spoke gently, as he drew his sword and gently tapped Link’s forehead with the bottom of its handle, leaving a shiny blue mark that radiated beautifully, filling the atmosphere with a pleasant aura, that no creature in the living world, be it the birds taking shelter from the rain and that mice hiding in the walls, could neither feel nor see. Link felt his body lighten and spring with energy as his senses became numb and he couldn’t feel he was in the temple of time anymore. As he opened his eyes, he could not see anything, being blinded by an intense blue light. Suddenly he regained his vision and his senses, he was standing in the middle of an earthy street, surrounded by wooden houses. People stared at him a bit and then turned back to what they were doing, as if Link’s sudden appearance was not so surprising at all. Everybody wore different colours of the same oriental outfit, strangely, Link could read those letters and understand their language, as he saw a clothes shop display those under the name of Hakama.
The place seemed to be some sort of rural village, it was rather poor and precarious, but people seemed to be living with enough contempt to be called happy. Some children ran through that street, turning into the several others that branched and crossed from that. The houses were narrowly spaced, but enough to squeeze past, as some other children did. Men and women were either working on the shops and establishments around there or grouped up enjoying some conversation and occasional drink. Link took a closer look at himself, he didn’t have his champion clothes anymore, he was wearing a hakama of white top and blue bottom, he had no shoes, instead, he was wearing some sandals, apparently made from jute fiber.
“Excuse me, what place is this? I’ve just arrived... is this soul society?” Link asked to a passerby. It was a blond young guy, wearing cyan hakama and a straw hat. He seemed thinner than he should, as if he had been losing weight gradually due to lack of nutrition.
“Newcomer, huh? Yes, this is Soul Society, more specifically 31st north district.” The man stopped from Link’s request and answered him patiently, despite being apparently tired. “It’s quite hard to get used to, but you will eventually. Come to my house, I’ll explain everything to you, I remember when I had just arrived and I wish someone had done this to me.” He opened a broad smile and patted Link’s head.
“Thanks! By the way, I’m Link, what’s your name?” Link asked.
“Naruto Uzumaki, pleased to meet you, Link!” Naruto grinned and both made their way through the busy streets of Rukongai’s 31st north district.