What if, rather than saving the Hero and sealing Ganon for a hundred years, Zelda never unlocked her power and the worst case scenario came to pass?
So here's what happened to Link after the collapse. Lurking within the Great Forest, long since overtaken by eerie mist and malice, what remains of him watches over the resting place of the Master Sword to ensure no one can dare raise it against his new master.
I have a lot of fun ideas for this AU! Including reincarnations of our fallen heroes in different forms, and how they must navigate a Hyrule far more inhospitable and broken than in game. I hope on giving the new Champions a bit more limelight, especially in how their personalities may have shifted alongside their circumstances.