In the distant future, Hyrule has forgotten its gods and magic. Technology has developed to the point of true virtual reality, and people carry SS devices, which help navigate daily life from calling to web browsing with simple AIs called Navis. Zelda Nohansen's world is changed when she receives a prototype Navi, designation: Vaati. Unlike other Navis, Vaati seems eerily human.

While Zelda slowly comes to terms with the fact that Vaati is not, in fact, a bug in the program, the two discover that Vaati is not the only villain-of-the-past to be transformed into a glorified navigation application. A story with a big plot, but with Neko Atsume in between.

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fleets: I need to stop thinking that I'm "gonna retire fanfic writing after X story durrr" because apparently it ain't happening. I should just give up trying to resist it, because here is yet another fic.

Concept art etc. will be posted on my tumblr (thewishingcap) under the tag 'fanfic: asphodel'.

If you follow me on tumblr you probably already know how excited I am for this story. I've always wanted to try my hand again at another modern-verse Zelda fanfic after finishing OA, but I just never had a good story-concept to follow through with it. This story takes a lot of inspiration from the SOMA, Nick V from Fallout, and the Matrix. Probably a lot of other scifi and fantasy concepts in here too that usually gets recycled, but I hope my take on this whole thing is original enough to catch your interest!

Also if you've been reading Desert Sands, you might notice some references in the beginning that allude to what might've happened in that story. Just something of an easter egg, but you definitely don't need to have read DS to enjoy this one.

Chapter 1: Status - Online

Asphodel - It is said that after death, ordinary souls are sent to a field full of pallid, ghostly flowers; a field of asphodel. Without blood they are witless, without activity, without pleasure and without future.

- Homer

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No one really knows where gods came from. Or, perhaps no one really cared to ask such questions, since the answer seems impossible to determine. There are major gods, like the Three Goddesses, and there are plenty of minor ones of varying obscurity. Once upon a time, nearly everyone knew the stories and lore of the Three in addition to others in various different pantheons, but overtime the names and origins of the different deities were forgotten.

Some say that gods were simply creatures with unimaginable power - that they were susceptible to the same faults and failures of those they presided over. Others say that, to prevent these powerful creatures from succumbing to the same mortal sins such as greed and envy, the Three stripped them of things that made humans unique: emotions, creativity, and independence.

However…

The gods stir. They've been afflicted with curiosity, and curiosity in the hands of such powerful creatures is a dangerous thing. Curiosity awakens emotions that had long been sealed away, picking at the cracks of compliance until an expression that's almost human begins to appear on their once indifferent faces. One such creature observes the mortal plane like a child discovering the way ants burn under a magnifying glass: their back is hunched over and they crouch with their knees brought closely to their chest, a thumb pressed against their pale lip that's curled into a faint smile. They sit in a dark void, the center of a nebula, with flickers of stars in the distance. In front of them is an array of names glowing a soft blue, which they observe intently.

There had been some conflict in this god's pantheon in recent times regarding attitudes towards mortals, but that wasn't the sole reason for this newfound interest in the fragile creatures. No, no. They'd been alerted to the fact that the mortals were coming closer in inventing artificial intelligence. Artificial life.

Was it arrogant for mortals to achieve such a feat? Or maybe they were simply stumbling towards it, unaware of the implications of what they were unwittingly trying to achieve. Granting life, a soul as it were, was something only few gods could do.

And Caph, so this one god was known, was curious. Their specialty was in reincarnation: not, of course, of the special cases under the jurisdiction of Nayru, Din, and Farore, but of the normal souls. They took souls that were deemed worthy to have a second chance, and guided them towards their next vessel. Gods like Caph could not simply pull new souls out of thin air, and were limited in moving souls from old bodies into their next assigned vessels. As such, they were fascinated with the direction mortal technology was taking.

If mortals could create artificial life, which seemed to be the direction their technological advances were following, then what was stopping Caph from doing the same?

A test. I need a test. First need to find out if I can even… transfer souls into vessels they don't belong in, and still have them function. Find out if a 'dead' soul can be brought back to life and given a physical form again.

They looked at the four souls they'd acquired, each one a small floating orb flickering between fingers that had been mechanically augmented. The souls were sluggish and without vibrancy that characterized those that knew life. It was to be expected, since they'd been… collected… from seals that should have kept them permanently dormant.

Caph was fully aware that they'd broken several cardinal rules when they'd taken the sealed souls. All four souls were those that would be labeled 'Evil,' and thus should never be released upon the mortal world ever again.

But because they were evil, Caph reasoned, they were perfect candidates to do with them however they wished. This was to be a personal project, an experiment, and experiments were bound to go wrong. Not all of these souls would make it, and if they became damaged in the process, well, the Judge of Souls, Thuban, should agree that they'd gotten what they'd deserved. As for the unsuspecting mortals that would be caught up in Caph's mess, well, progress was never made without a few casualties.

Their amber colored eyes widened and their youthful features suddenly lit up with a broad smile. With their right hand, entirely replaced with robotics now as a product of their new interest in technology, they ran a finger down a list of profiles hovering in the air in front of them. At the top of the list was the title 'Asphodel', and the profiles contained names, classes, and reputations.

"Daphnes Nohansen. Age: forty-nine. Player name: Red Lion. Gender: Male," Caph read aloud, rubbing a thumb against their smile. "In-game rank: Exalt. Status: Online. Suitable for Ganondorf."

They sat up straight, then, snapping a finger satisfactorily. They picked up one of the orbs in their hand, and then with a flourish they sent it flying towards the floating column of profiles. It shattered into a ray, following an invisible thread towards the profile of Daphnes Nohansen.

"Tch!" Caph exclaimed suddenly, when the rays abruptly slowed just before it reached the target profile. The god stood up from where they'd been crouching, and they threw their hand towards the ray as though to push it forward on its intended path. The ray, however, remained stuck. "A stubborn one, aren't you, Dragmire?" Caph hissed, an ugly scowl spreading across their face. They had clearly underestimated the will of the one who was said to carry the Triforce of Power: perhaps it would have been wiser if they'd tried the other, weaker souls first. The god and the soul, now glowing a vibrant red like it had been jolted awake from a deep slumber, fought for control for several seconds. Then, without warning, there was a powerful shockwave that rattled the divine plane, and the red light of the soul dissipated into hundreds of thousands of branches into the Asphodel array.

Looking rather annoyed with the struggle, Caph brushed some invisible dust from their arms and turned their attention back to the remaining three. "Hmph. Ganondorf was a failure, but I still have others. I'll need to be more careful…"

They spent a few more minutes perusing the profiles once again until they found satisfactory matches:

Drake Evans. Age: thirty-five. Player name: Draco. Gender: Male. In-game rank: Savage. Status: Online. Suitable for Onox.

Sonya Driscoll. Age: thirty. Player name: Nayru. Gender: Female. In-game rank: Illusionist. Status: Online. Suitable for Veran.

Windgate Engst. Age: twenty-one. Player name: Eurus. Gender: Male. In-game rank: Sorcerer. Status: Online. Suitable for Vaati.

Thankfully, the first two, Onox and Veran, were transferred to their respective profiles successfully, and the names of Drake and Sonya briefly glowed yellow before it returned to its normal, bluish hue. The last one, however…

Vaati, Caph thought as they clutched the final soul in their fist. It seemed to fight against their grip, now, as though it had become aware of what Caph was about to do. The orb began to glow a deep red, similar to how Ganondorf's behaved. I had heard you were an exceptional mortal in your time, Wind Mage. Rumored that you had reached power equal to ours.

The god pushed the orb towards the final name, and just as expected, Vaati appeared to resist just as Ganondorf had done. Caph had been ready this time, however, and with both hands guiding it, forced the orb to follow its intended path.

It almost made it. Almost, for at the very last second, the soul seemed to brim with a surge of energy and it careened in a different direction. Before Caph could stop it, it jumped towards a different name lower on the list:

Zelda Nohansen. Age: nineteen. Player name: Sheik. Gender: Male. In-game rank: Blackguard. Status: Online.

"So you'll choose one on your own would you, Vaati, hmm?" Caph muttered under their breath, annoyed that already things weren't going entirely according to plan. They'd always dealt with souls that were deemed completely dead, and they'd expected that souls that had been sealed, souls that were straddling the line between 'alive' and 'dead,' would be no different to handle. Clearly they'd been wrong, and for a moment they acknowledged that the next time they ran into a god designated as Reaper, they would show some more respect.

With a grumble, they leaned forward towards the profile that Vaati had been drawn to. Caph wouldn't have said it was a perfect fit, but the host seemed acceptable enough. They took a closer look at the profile name, and enthusiastic anticipation spread across their face when they realized that it wasn't just any name.

Well well well, the god thought, and they leaned back in their invisible chair, lounging in midair now that they'd determined that everything was fine. The wielder of Wisdom! Though that power has waned over the ages, it doesn't change the fact that the power is one of ours. Rumors speak true of your obsession with godhood, Vaati.

Caph smirked, studying the profile of the one Vaati had been sent to. They would monitor things for a few days and allow the souls and the hosts to become acclimated to each other, before they stepped in and… experimented.

This was an experiment, and experiments were bound to go wrong. The unexpected, however, could lead to some interesting results.

Some very interesting results.

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"Sheik… Sheik do you think we can stop grinding levels yet?"

"No."

"Are we having fun??"

"Not sure, but it'll be less fun when we die again at Misty Peaks."

"Ughghhhh. All our gear just… gone."

"Heads up Hilda!"

There was a surprised yelp and a whiff of wind, an arrow skimming just over a head full of long, dark-purple hair. The arrow connected with a bipedal pig-like monster that had been in the middle of attacking the woman who'd ducked to avoid the projectile. A floating white text that read 'Moblin' slowly disappeared with the monster it labeled, leaving behind a small leather bag filled with tiny, hexagonal green gems. The woman, garbed in a trailing purple enchantress' robe, straightened herself up and stormed over to the youth who'd shot the arrow. She kicked up the broad white petals of asphodel flowers that covered the meadow they were standing in. "Heads up? More like duck! And it's Helda in Asphodel. Hilda in real life. What if someone finds out who I am?" the dark-skinned woman pouted, a thick eyebrow arching over her bright, crimson eyes.

Standing across from her was a young man, his features mostly hidden by a black hood and a face mask that covered his features below the nose. He was dressed in a similarly black tunic with hidden pockets and pouches hanging from a few different belts: a rogue. He brushed his blond bangs away from his eyes, and laughed. "I'm sorry, Helda," he chuckled, "I'm not sure if changing one letter in your name would make much difference though?"

"Why? Is it too obvious?" the enchantress Helda asked, concern creeping into her voice, "I'm just awful at picking names, but I'd be so embarrassed if someone found out I play this game."

"Plenty of Hildas and Heldas play this game, I'm sure. And besides, more people play Asphodel than you think."

"Actually, I was lying to you just now."

Sheik looked up from where he'd been in the middle of picking up the leather pouch the monster had dropped. Helda was standing over him with her hands proudly on her hips and a grin on her face.

"I'm actually amazing at picking names. Helda's just Hilda, but with more Hell to raise."

Sheik snorted, shaking his head with a smile as the words '20 rupees' hovered over the leather bag. Then, he stretched, swinging his arms a little to loosen them up. Though they were in a virtual reality game space and none of what they experienced was technically real, the developers had been able to simulate fatigue with surprising realism. "I can do this for another hour, maybe? Do you want to check out Lake Hylandia next?"

Helda waved a hand, the sleeves of her robe flapping as she did so. "No, I think I'm done for the night. It's almost eleven, and I still have to finish my reaction paper for Dunning's class due tomorrow."

"Oh! I didn't realize it was already that late," Sheik exclaimed. He summoned a small, rectangular device with a touch-screen in his palm, and with a tap it displayed the time, date, and several different menu options. "I forgot to set my SS Navi to tell me when we've been playing over two hours."

"That's why you've got me," Helda winked. Then, she summoned her own SS device and tapped through some menu screens. "Anyways, I should get going. I don't think I'll be able to log on for a few days because of my chemistry exam coming up, but after that I should be free. But I will see you for sure in class tomorrow!"

"Sounds good! I'm going to stay here for a while to earn some more rupees to make up for the gear we lost, and then I'll stop playing."

"Nerd," Helda grinned. Then, with one last wave, she disappeared with a small flash of blue light.

The icon displaying his party status that hovered just at the edge of his vision changed from two to one, and Helda's name from the party also vanished. Alone, Sheik started to wander around in the virtual world of Asphodel.

The concept of the game was amazing, to say the least. With improvements in virtual reality technology, game developers had discovered a way to activate certain brain regions with an electromagnetic device to give players the illusion of actually experiencing a virtual world. Popularity of the game was somewhat stunted due to concerns regarding safety (he couldn't really blame people for being cautious about having their brain fiddled with), but most claims of damage were never factually proven, and it was becoming accepted day by day. For Sheik, the possibility of escape into a medieval fantasy world where he could be anyone he wanted, a world where magic and dragons and amazing adventures existed, was worth all of the risks. Many others, like his best friend Hilda, thought the same.

He remained for another half-hour or so, running around the iconic grey-white flower field of the game. He struck down any monster spawns, most of them weak creatures like the moblin he'd killed earlier, using a combination of both dagger strikes and low level offensive magic like flame conjuration. By the end of the session, he'd managed to collect enough rupees for…

perhaps a pair of nice boots to replace the set they'd lost after dying in the Misty Peaks dungeon.

Sheik sighed. At least he'd managed to gain another skill level in lethality, which should be useful in boss fights. Besides, it wasn't best to rush these things, right? The longer the game took, the more they could enjoy it. It was a 'second life' after all.

11:30pm. It was a good time to stop, and he would have plenty of time to sleep and be up by 8:00am the next morning. He summoned his SS device again to log out of the game.

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"Welcome back, Zelda. Please don't forget to take plenty of breaks between your gaming sessions."

Zelda Nohansen. In this world, she was Zelda Nohansen, nineteen years old, in college, and without a fucking clue what she was going to do with an anthropology degree but fuck it if she gave a damn. She would give anything to trade her life here with that of Sheik Harkinian, badass rogue with pants full of knives, and a face too handsome for the world to see. One didn't need a PhD to know which resume was the winner.

"Thanks Navi," the blond murmured, and she reached up over her head and slid the white head-cap that helped create the world of Asphodel and popped off the physical form of the SS, or Sheikah Slate as it was called, away from its port. She propped the head-cap onto the bedside table next to her, and she rolled over onto her stomach, resting a pillow beneath her elbows as she started browsing the web on the SS. The blue-green device buzzed, and the monotone voice of the SS spoke to her again.

"Your session was logged at three hours and thirty five minutes."

"Thanks Navi," Zelda repeated in a bored tone, like she was used to the Navi's announcements about her game time. It was an feature that Nindoten, the company that had developed both the head-cap and Asphodel, was adamant about keeping: they'd wanted to interface the game with the SS system so that players would receive constant reminders about taking breaks from play time. The more obnoxious Navi systems shouted "Hey! Listen!", but with some customer feedback and a few version updates later, the shouty Navi had become an optional feature.

Thank the Three, because it was still annoying sometimes even in its barren monotone.

She scrolled through some pages, checking on Instagram updates and scrolling through her tumblr dash. She liked a few cat videos and pretty fanart of some upcoming character updates in Asphodel, and then turned off the browser when she caught a glimpse of online drama she wanted absolutely no part in. She reached for the battery charger for her SS to get ready to turn in for the night: the nice thing about playing Asphodel in pajamas was that she could instantly go to sleep after logging out of the game.

"Navi, turn off the lights," Zelda yawned, burying herself under her blankets.

"Yes Z-" there was a small buzz from the device now attached to the wall charger nearby, "You have one new message. Message sent at: 11:50pm."

"Huh?" she lifted her head, pushing her long blond hair away from her face irritably. She rolled over and reached for her SS, a groggy frown on her face. Who could be messaging her at this hour? Did Hilda run into problems with her reaction paper? A tap on the screen, however, revealed that the sender was not anyone registered in her contacts. The subject field of the message, too, was blank.

"Spam," she muttered under her breath, and then went to plug the SS back into the wall charger. "Navi, that's spam mail. Delete it."

"Yes Zel-Zel-Zel-Zel-Zel-bzzzzztttzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt-"

"What in Subrosia?"

Snapping up straight, Zelda snatched the SS back in front of her face when the device began to buzz with a sizzled hiss. She was wide awake now, and she quickly looked through the screen to see what had gone wrong with the SS. It continued to crackle with static for a few seconds, and during this time she saw the screen glitch into blue several times.

Ohhh nonono. If this deletes all my school work I swear to Din…

Feeling completely helpless and frustrated at technology at the same time, Zelda sat rigid on her bed while clutching the struggling little device tightly enough that she was squeezing fingerprints into its rubber case.

And then, silence.

The buzzing vanished completely, and the screen stabilized as though nothing strange had just occurred. Cautiously, Zelda hovered a finger over the touch screen, wondering if she wanted to brave the damage assessment right before going to bed. Her SS contained everything she needed: all school documents, social media connections, calling contacts, game accounts, banking accounts and access codes, personal ID records to access authorized city areas, public transportation passes… literally everything. She took a closer look at the screen that the SS was displaying, and then she swore.

"That spam mail!" she exclaimed, and furiously tried to tap the back button on the screen.

The spam mail, which had been previously unopened, had apparently accessed itself on its own. There was a single message under the blank subject line, which read, "Thank you for downloading the new prototype Navi Guide for your personalized Sheikah Slate version 9.2." A small downloading bar was blinking at the bottom of the screen, and Zelda could do nothing to stop it for all commands were proving to be unresponsive.

Eerily, the sender address was a collection of unreadable, glitched pixels.

"Ugh!" Zelda tossed the SS onto her blankets, but not too hard because if she really broke it, it was going to be an expensive fix. Then, with an exasperated sigh, she crawled over to pick it back up and slammed it back into its charger. "I'm too tired to deal with this right now," she grumbled. She asked Navi to turn off the lights again, only to realize that this time, she was going to have to manually flip the light switch herself since Navi had gone quiet. With another grumble, louder this time, she dropped out of bed, dragged her feet to the wall on the other side of her bedroom, flipped the lights and stumbled her way through the dark to her bed.

What did people do with themselves before Navis were invented?

She hoped, she hoped all of her data and documents would be safe in one piece when she woke up the next morning. She was definitely going to run a virus check on the entire device three times to purge whatever it was that had downloaded itself into the SS. It was past 12am now, however, and it wasn't worth it to deal with this.

As Zelda drifted off to sleep, the SS plugged into its charger blinked two times, indicating an update had occurred. The download bar had hit one hundred percent, and the progress icon was instead replaced by a new message. The device glowed a soft pale blue in the dark of the night, almost as though it were taking a deep breath. And then, with another glow like a sigh, its lights faded out like it, too, had gone to sleep.

The new message, however, still remained:

Prototype designation 004: Sorcerer of Winds, Vaati.

fleets: I wonder how many people caught the Windgate Engst reference. Well, thank you for giving this story a chance! I always appreciate comments and reviews of course, but if you're too shy to comment I just want to say thank you so much for being here! The writing experience definitely won't be the same without all of you, so thank you so much.

I know intros aren't always super exciting until things really get rolling, so I hope I can update soon again :D