The Wolf and The Bird

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link's red feathered mount landed next to the ghostly wolf, who had finally stopped running. It stared at him with a single red eye, its golden white fur wavering in a wind Link did not feel. He dismounted from his bird mount and stared at the wolf. It craned its neck back and howled. The bird didn't seem to notice the wolf or it's cry, but Link had to cover his ears to stop the harsh sound.

"Hey! Not so loud!" he complained.

A faint vibration stirred beneath his tunic. When Link put a hand to his belt, the sensation was gone. Again, the wolf howled and the sharp note attacked his ears, but this egg time he recognised the vibration's source. He withdrew the Ocarina of Time, shuddering in response to the animal apparition.

"How are you doing this?" Link asked. The translucent spirit trotted over to him and pointed at his magical instrument with his nose. "Do you want me to play this?"

The wolf sat down before him, watching him expectantly.

Link drew breath and placed the ocarina on his lips. What song did this thing want him to play? The only song he had tried so far that had any effect in this universe was the Song of Time. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see if the same thing happened again, and if the wolf spirit would be affected. Recalling the mystic notes, Link played the Song of Time, closing his eyes to focus on the power of the tune.

When he opened them again, the world was frozen. His bird mount's beak was open, its wings outstretched, but unmoving. The wolf, however, was gone. A familiar sight greeted Link, staring at him with one red eye.

<Hero of Time,> a telepathic voice said to him. <I have returned. I can sense that you have learned much about your heritage since I departed. I have discovered more also.>

Link's own ghost was back.

[Illidan Stormrage]

"So you have wolf powers?" Link asked.

<After first visiting you here, I knew where you were, and thus it was easier to find my way to you,> the Hero's Shade said. <I still lack the power to manifest without the Ocarina, but I could infiltrate your senses so that you could see me in my weakened spirit state, and then the Song of Time was enough to open the door.>

Link looked at the blue instrument in his hand. "You can infiltrate my senses?"

<In a matter of speaking. Since we are the same person, we share an identical spirit. It was much like imagining myself to you.>

"That's confusing." Link slipped the Ocarina of Time away.

<Indeed. Even when we travelled the seven years forward in Hyrule, there never existed more than one Link in either time. For us to be conversing is a ... perversion of the natural order. Yet as we are simply different stages of the same person, there is an inexplicable oneness to our existence.>

True, but dwelling on his future self's presence here didn't lead him any further to stopping Ganondorf. Seeing the Gerudo King shed his skin and become the looming boar demon again was terrifying, even if there was no rain or lightning. Yet the boundaries of Omni's world prevented him from maintaining it, which was a blessing in and of itself. He had to find a way to end Ganondorf once and for all, but with the incarnation rule in this realm, that would prove difficult.

<I agree,> the skeleton said. <To slay Ganondorf here will be a trial.>

"You're reading my thoughts?" Link asked.

The skeleton shook his head, its single red eye unmoving. <No. I do not read them like you would read script. But I can hear them.>

Link crossed his arms. "So what do you think? Do you know of any way to defeat him? You can cross dimensions. Maybe you learned of something?"

<No. I have nothing that will definitively kill Ganondorf. The Master Sword is the best offense against him, considering it was forged by the goddesses to slay the great evil of the surface world thousands of years ago. Yet slaying him will not end your conflict.>

"I'm concerned I don't have the strength to do it anyway," Link said. "I thrust the sword straight through his gut and he still had enough strength to disarm me and slink away. This was when he was weakened. If I can't defeat him when he's at his worst, what hope do I have of stopping him?"

The Hero's Shade tilted his head, then realigned it. <The Master Sword did not vanquish him, even after you penetrated him?>

"That's right. What more could I do?"

<It is true. You lack the power that you once held in Hyrule, yet Ganondorf, while still less than his full power, is significantly stronger.> The skeleton lifted an outstretched arm. <Give me the blade.>

Link unsheathed the Master Sword and handed it to himself. The Hero's Shade examined the length of the steel, twisting it about in his bony hands. Link heard the edge scrape against his bone, but it did no visible damage to him. Did ghosts feel pain?

The skeleton gave the sword back. <It is as I feared. The Master Sword has lost its charge.>

Link frowned as resheathed the weapon. "Charge? What does that mean?"

<You said you read about the Hero of Legend?>

Link nodded.

<Do you remember that the first Link took the Goddess Sword, originally crafted by Hylia, and forged it in each of the three goddess' hearths?>

"Yes."

<When this was achieved, the Goddess Sword became the Master Sword. While powerful, its energy is not infinite. In one of the future timelines, the Master Sword loses its potency, and the Hero of Winds was responsible for revitalising it by visiting the chambers of the Sages. Once this was accomplished, the sword returned to its original state.>

Link connected the dots. "So I need to find temples of the Sages and recharge the Master Sword?"

<It is your best bet.>

"But how? There are no temples here. I haven't seen any other people from my world, save Ganondorf."

<Not exactly,> the Hero's Shade said. <In another realm here, there is a community of Zora.>

"The Zora?" Link remembered them well. A good, peaceful race, if a little pretentious. Princess Ruto was technically his fiancee, but matters of the world tore them apart. Link wasn't terribly concerned though. Bartering an engagement to get the last spiritual stone made no difference to a ten year old, but started looking like a bad idea when he approached adulthood.

<Yes. I would start my search there.>

"Where are they? You said another realm?"

<Much like Camelot, there are other realms that connect to the Nexus. They have made their new home in a realm of a vast ocean with many islands.>

"Great. Can you point me in the right direction?"

<I shall lead you to them. But first, I have something to give you.>

"A gift?"

The Hero's Shade opened his hands, palms upwards. A mote of light floated into his hands and flared. It grew larger and brighter, forcing Link to squint. In a few moments, the light quivered and reshaped into a round object, then solidified. When the luminescence faded, his future self held a mask of a Zora.

"I had a Zora mask once," Link said, thinking back to his time at the Happy Mask shop. "It didn't fool anyone when I wore it though. I think this will be a poor disguise for me."

<This is not the novelty mask you earned when you found homes for all of the masks,> the Hero's Shade said. <This is an item from my past. The ... future you would've had if you returned to Hyrule.>

Link's heart thudded. A piece of his lost future? Did he want this?

"Are you ... sure I should take this?" Link said. "I don't want to know more about my destiny than I already do."

<You will not,> his future self said. <Trust me. Take this mask, and put it on the next time you face grave danger. It will strengthen you.>

Link took the mask and rolled it around. It looked like an ordinary Zora mask, although the painting of the scales and the subtle black of the eyes was almost ... life like.

"I don't see how, but I trust ... er, myself." Link tucked the mask behind his shield on his back. "Now, which way to the Zoras?"

The Hero's Shade dissipated into mist. When it blew away in an invisible wind, the red eyed wolf returned. It turned and raced off in the direction of the Camelot portal.

Link gave chase, wondering if anyone would notice his absence. Judging by the reactions of the other mercenaries when he attacked Ganondorf, he doubted it. He earned no friends when he attacked the Gerudo King, but he did not become the Hero of Time to improve his social life. There was a monster bent on domination and enslavement and he would not let that happen, in his realm or this one.

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link watched his future ghost-self bounding ahead of him, sleek and swift like the wind, as he soared atop his red feathered bird. There was so much the Hero's Shade could tell him about his future. It gnawed at him. Would it matter if he found out? Any conversation could spill a secret stored in time, and Link was acutely aware of that. Yet at the same time, didn't he travel through time to stop Ganondorf? His chronological journey saved his realm; in fact, he helped a lot of other people along the way that only a time traveler could. Perhaps he should forget about any damage he could do if he knew his future.

Besides, being in the Omniverse already changed his destiny. It may be that Link's time there had already displaced events. The Hero's Shade could teach him the lessons he wished he knew when he was younger. Instead of viewing his presence there as something to be feared, maybe it was time to embrace it. Time stretched over a lifetime to bring his younger and older self together. He would seize the opportunity like he once seized the hilt of the Master Sword.

The portal to the Fountain came into view. Two armoured guards stood by the swirling exit, gripping spears that rested on the cobblestone ground. At the sound of his mount's broad wings they turned in his direction. They obviously didn't see the spirit wolf charging towards them, and a tamed crimson bird large enough to ride on was not out of the ordinary. They nodded to Link as he sped to the portal, and he returned a curt nod back.

"Help! Someone, help!"

Link craned his neck over his shoulder. A small forest nearby blocked the view of the cry.

"Help! Please, if someone can hear me, I need help!"

Link shouted ahead to his ghost-self. "We need to go back for that person!"

The Hero's Shade spoke into his mind. <We must find the Zora first. Restoring the Master Sword is your top priority.>

Link didn't even think before responding. "It can wait." He grasped two handfuls of the bird's red neck feathers and turned it around. It squawked and darted towards the trees. As they approached the forest, Link jumped from the gliding mount and tumbled across the grassy floor, springing up with sword and shield drawn. He pressed forward, searching for the source of the cry.

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link stepped gingerly into the forest. Dried sticks and withered leaves threatened to crunch underfoot and alert whatever menace lay within if he didn't watch his path. Dappled sunlight shone through the shadow of the trees, clots of brightness swaying with the branches in the wind. He skulked around the thick trunks, peering out behind them, using them as cover. The flap of wings heralded the presence of his summoned bird overhead, hidden by the forest canopy, although Link couldn't fathom what it was doing. He didn't order it to come closer ... did he?

As he ventured further into the forest, he realised that the woman's cry had stopped. He swallowed hard. Was he too late? He increased his pace, trying to estimate as best he could the direction that her loud plea last sounded from. A thought in the back of his mind wondered where the Hero's Shade ended up, but he quickly ignored it and pressed on.

"Help me! Anyone!"

Link swung to the left. She was close. He darted through the trees that blocked his view and stumbled into a small clearing, the leafy ceiling blocking the sky. A woman hung by a rope from her ankles, her arms dangling. She was a lithe woman, built of lean muscle. She rotated slowly as she dangled, putting Link in mind of a pig on a spit. Her face turned and her brown eyes widened at the sight of him.

"You! Yes, please get me down from here!"

Link's eyes quested for a threat. He expected some sort of outlaw to reveal themselves from the tree line, ready to take their captive. Nothing happened.

The Hero of Time craned his neck. The rope was tied high up in the tree. Even though nothing threatened them in an immediate sense, Link knew someone would return for their prize. Any time wasted gave the woman's captors another chance to interrupt his rescue attempt.

"Hold on!" Link shouted back, resheathing his sword and shield. He grasped the bow on his back and notched it. "I'll get you down in a second. Just don't squirm."

"Hey! Don't shoot me!" she yelled.

Link pulled the bowstring taut. "Then stop squirming and I won't miss."

The woman grimaced and shrunk into a ball as much as the rope allowed. Link focused and pictured a small flame in his mind. Through the magic of the Hero's Bow, that flame transferred into reality, sprouting to life over the head of the arrow. It burned contently, contained on the steel, never changing. Link lined up the fire arrow, aimed, and loosed.

A thin line of smoke trailed in the arrow's wake. The shot hit its mark, the hot steel slicing through the rope. The woman screamed and fell. Link threw the bow down and sprinted forward, arms outstretched. She hit Link hard, buckling his knees, but the catch was successful. Link lowered her to her feet and dusted himself off.

"Thank you," the woman said, brushing the fringe from her eyes. She ran long fingers through short cropped hair. "If I was up there much longer I would've passed out."

Link collected his bow. "What happened to you? Why were you strung up like that?"

"Hunting rabbits," she said. A faded sliver of a scar ran down her cheek as if she once cried a molten tear. "I was chasing one of the little buggers and didn't see the snare. So up I went." She pointed to the base of a nearby tree. "There was the shot I made as the rope lifted me up."

An arrow dug into the exposed root of the tree. Link looked back to her. "Is someone else hunting game here too? It wasn't your snare, was it?"

The woman frowned. "Of course not. I don't know who's it is."

The branches above ruffled. Link instinctively withdrew his weapon and shield and snapped his neck up. Someone was already falling, clad in forest greens, two short blades in hand.

Link shoved his shield forward. The figure planted his feet on the curved surface and pushed off into a backflip. He landed in a crouch, looking at the ground, a cowl concealing his face.

It was a trap. Who would want to capture someone in the middle of a forest? Link thrust the Master Sword into the air. A moment later, a bolt of blue light struck the steel and infused into it, coursing up and down its length like water. The Skyward Strike burned for release; Link could feel it tingling through his grip.

"Stand down, thief," he warned.

He laughed so unexpectedly that Link almost dropped his shield. The sound cut the silence of the forest, throaty and deep. He flicked his face up, but the shade of his cowl hid all but his mouth. "Nice sword. A Prime, are you? No one but them ever have the good stuff like glowing swords. And you're altruistic to boot. You'll make a fine prize."

Link grimaced. One thing he learned from Ganondorf was to never telegraph an attack by adding a one line retort to the self indulgent muttering of your foe. He slashed down and a bolt of spinning energy raced forth. The thief dodged. The bolt buzzed into the tree behind him, biting a thick chunk from the base.

The thief showed a well practiced smile. "Do you know how to use a sword, or just throw pretty light from it?"

Link surged forward. He swung with the Master Sword, but the thief caught it with both knives. He was deceptively strong. They struggled for a moment before the thief pushed back, separating them. Link pressed him, the silver of the blade flashing with borrowed sunlight. The thief moved swiftly, catching and deflecting each strike midst splashes of sparks. Link swept through his midsection, but the thief hopped back, hurling a knife forward. The Hylian shield rose too slowly and the blade thudded into Link's shoulder. A dam of sharp, slick pain burst inside his skin, blood streaming, darkening the green of his tunic. Link grabbed the hilt and jerked it free. The red rivers' flow thickened.

"You're short a knife," Link said, tossing it high into the trees, vanishing behind the rustle of the canopy.

"And your shield arm is weaker," the thief said. "You're in pain. You're more prone to make a mistake."

Link leaped forward, sword poised overhead. The thief hopped back. Just want he wanted. Link swung down, letting the blade hit the grass, and in the same fluid motion, hurled the shield from his arm like a frisbee. The wound in his shoulder flared and burned in protest, and he knew he forfeited the strength in his right arm to do it, but he aimed it true. As nimble and wry as the thief was, he didn't foresee Link's action. He rose his forearms in defense but the collision was too much. The shield clanged noisily on impact and the thief fell hard on his back.

In two short strides, Link stood over him and pinned his throat with the point of the Master Sword. "Surrender."

The thief propped himself on elbows and grinned arrogantly. "I don't think so."

A thin cool edge pressed against Link's neck. Another sharp point rested firmly over his stomach. "Drop the sword." A female voice. The woman he saved.

Link looked out of the edge of his eyes. "This was a trap."

"Perceptive," she whispered into his ear. "Now drop the sword and I won't open you up like the rabbit I pretended to hunt."

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link stared at his boots as he was led away at knifepoint by the very person he had tried to save. The cowled man whom he battled stalked in front of them, taking them through the forest to some unknown destination. Several times Link wanted to shout at the woman and scold her for her deception, not so much as to make her feel guilty but to make himself feel better. He'd been taken for a fool and he hated that. Yet his mature side knew that an outburst like that wouldn't gain any traction; in fact, they'd likely mock him for his sulky reprimand. He was an adult now, not a ten year old kid, though sometimes the two raged against each other. He'd known how a child acts but the manners and demeanor of an adult were not privy to him. He picked up what he could, but it was a work in progress.

Link forced the bitterness away and watched the forest roof above. The branches lurched rhythmically in the wind, allowing a shifting view of the sky. Pale blue permitted the first star of the evening to blink above them, a single glistening jewel in a trickling stream. Soon night would arrive.

His impatience got the better of him. "Where are you taking me? What do you even want with me?"

The tip of the knive pressed harder against the small of his back. Link arched his back to mitigate the pain, but at least it distracted him from the unending throb in his right shoulder where the knife had sliced through.

"Stop talking," the woman said in his ear. "Just keep walking. You'll see soon enough."

Link continued on in silence, but not in his mind. He thought back to their encounter, visualising the scene again, scouring for clues. They were devious, setting a trap and lying in wait for the victim to arrive, so they could be thieves, or even hostage takers. They fought with skill; the man clashing against Link with two knives moved with the grace of practice, and the woman pounced on Link the moment he let his guard down. They were serious, no nonsense criminals. Then there was the man's response to his request to surrender.

"Nice sword. A Prime, are you? No one but them ever have the good stuff like glowing swords."

That told Link two things; these thieves weren't Primes, and they didn't have equipment on par with the Master Sword. In those instances, Link had an advantage. Yet there was more.

"And you're altruistic to boot. You'll make a fine prize."

Link didn't know what being altruistic meant, but being a fine prize spoke volumes. He was captured to be ransomed. Link understood that Primes were rare compared to the others that were summoned to the Omniverse, and perhaps there was someone willing to pay for a Prime. Or maybe they planned to sell him back to Camelot.

Link looked over his shoulder at the short haired woman, smirking grimly. "I'm onto you."

The woman grabbed his sore arm and twisted it behind Link's back. His shoulder screamed as if it were being ripped off. "Shut up."

"Hey!" the man said, turning a glance over his back. "Don't hurt him too much. He's not worth anything if he's dead."

The light of day soon conceded to night. Shadows leaked over the forest as the sun crawled behind the horizon. From above, muffled speaking reached Link's ears, as if a crowd of people were above him. He looked up but only saw the swaying outlines of the branches.

The cowled man stopped and raised a hand. "We're here." He rapped his knuckles on the closest tree. A hollow thump echoed back.

A rope ladder unfurled from above them. The cowled man reached over Link's back and took his bow and a single arrow. He strung it and aimed steadily at Link. "Go up the ladder. Syla will be right behind you. If you even think of jumping off the rope and running, I'll put this arrow through your heart."

Link swallowed through a dry throat. His quick plan dashed to pieces. At the urging of a knife, Link grasped the ladder and began his ascent. Even though he didn't look down, he felt the eyes of the cowled man and the trajectory of the arrow locked onto him. He climbed.

Closer to the treetops, the chatting grew louder, although still unintelligible as the din of a crowd often is. Small pockets of light circled a shadowed square. As he climbed higher, he realised they were torches, and the square was a giant platform. The ladder terminated at the edge of the platform, and two burly men in green tunics grabbed his forearms and hoisted him up.

Link stared wide eyed. A gathering of people sat around a rectangular table, feasting, on top of an oak platform suspended by ropes and supported by thick branches. A wooden walkway headed off behind them, and at regular intervals rings of firelight chased away the darkness. Fireflies flitted lazily above the revelers, catching the eye and bewitching the mind with their simple beauty. The people wolfed down roast chicken and boar, buttered bread and an assortment of vegetables and herbs. They drank a foul smelling brown concoction, which put Link in mind of the strong milk bars that only the adults could attend back in Hyrule. A trio of musicians sat to the side of the table, two violins and an accordion, filling the air with pleasant music.

These people were happy. An celebratory atmosphere wreathed the treetop dwellers. These were not desperate criminals down on their luck. Who exactly were they? And what did they want with Link? All his presumptions looked counterfeit in this jovial light.

Syla popped up onto the platform, scratching at the faded scar beneath her eye. "Welcome to Tralor, kid."

The cowled man joined them soon after. "No time for staring. We aren't finished yet."

They led Link past the crowd, ignorant of their presence, although whether it was intentional or due to their celebration he couldn't say. Down the walkway, past four thick trunked trees that reached into this lofty place, hollowed out and used for accommodation, they walked. Past another wide platform lined with strawmen with bullets painted on their heads, through another walkway, and then they stopped. The walkway diverged into three paths, each connecting to a hollowed tree big enough to house one person each. Wooden grates covered their entrances.

Syla kicked the back of Link's knees and he collapsed onto his hands. He went to protest, but the man's knife quickly settled beneath Link's chin.

"We're going to disarm you now, and put you in a cell," he said. "You will wait there until we return."

Syla unstrapped the Master Sword's sheath, the quiver, stole the shield and hookshots from his back and walked off. The cowled man directed Link back to his feet, and the two burly men seized him by his arms again. Without another word they dragged him through the centre path, removed the wooden grate, and hurled Link inside. He instantly found his feet and made to run, but one of the guards socked him in the jaw. Link's mouth went numb as he smacked against the hollow's wall, and then it exploded with heat. In his daze, he hadn't noticed that the wooden grate had been secured. Link barged against his prison but it barely budged.

"Hey!" he shouted as the two goons walked off. "What do you want with me? Tell me what's going on!"

All that answered Link was the stillness of night and the faint cheers of the celebration, far away from him.

[Illidan Stormrage]

Link cradled his knees against the curved hollow of his prison. It had been hours since he had been thrown in there, but the night remained. His throat pulsed, raw from his impassioned pleas to the guards, and when they ignored him, the happy revellers all the way back at the start of Tralor, the tree garrison. His jaw throbbed from a second punch received when he wouldn't shut up. His fingers itched for a weapon but all his equipment had been confiscated. He watched the fireflies float, trails of orange following their lazy circuits, wondering why he was wasting his night in a tree cell.

The rough bark itched his back. Link's fingers quested back, placating the irritation, and bumped something forgotten in his tunic. He lifted it free. It was the Zora mask given to him by his future self. The firelight struck the white paint, etching a delicate silver pattern of scales across it. Link traced them with his finger, and they seemed to glow at his touch. He stared into the inky black eyes, and the firelight shimmered faintly in its depths. What did his shade say about this mask? There was obviously more to it than met the eye.

Link flipped it over. The dark lining of the mask glimmered without light. An unsteady beat in his heart, he drew his face closer. He was out of options, and he was told to use it when he needed it, and that was now. He brought it closer by degrees, dreading what was to come, but seeing no other way out of his jail cell. Finally he grit his teeth and thrust his face into the mould.

He waited. Nothing happened. He breathed out slowly, taking the mask off and inspecting it. What was supposed to happen? Did it already? Did some sort of new power transfer into him? Link didn't feel any different. He got to his feet, crackled his knuckles and threw himself at the wooden bars. They shook but stood firm, like always.

<Link.>

The golden wolf shone outside the prison, his one red eye gleaming.

"Where have you been?" Link asked. "I've been locked in here for hours."

<I was investigating these tree dwellers. But we have little time. You have to get out of there.>

Link sighed. "And how do you think I can do that, huh? All of my stuff is hidden away somewhere. I can't exactly tear wooden bars apart with my bare hands." He lifted the Zora mask. "Plus this thing didn't even work."

The wolf looked around impatiently. <Do you still have your Ocarina on you?>

Link fumbled about his belt and withdrew the mystical instrument. "Yes. I guess they didn't see how this could be helpful to me."

<Play the Song of Time.>

Link raised an eyebrow. "But you can't physically manifest here. Your sword won't-"

<That's not why I want you to play it. Just do it. Now.>

Link pressed the instrument into his mouth and played the slow, mournful tone. In the distance he saw the guards turn but they didn't respond otherwise to it. They had no idea the power the Ocarina of Time possessed.

Time froze once again, but it was almost impossible to discern in the dark. Link looked over at a burning torch; the flame no longer raged in passionate movements, but suspended in jagged orange shards. The wolf vanished from sight, and the skeletal knight took its place.

The Hero's Shade thrust his sword into the walkway and slipped his hand through the wooden bars as if they weren't there.

<Take my hand, Link. I've discovered something extraordinary about you, and the easiest way to describe it is to show it to you.>

His future self hadn't been wrong before. He slapped his hand into the skeleton's palm.

<Fair warning. This is not going to be pleasant.>

A scalding heat brimmed in Link's chest, sapping the breath from him. He fell to his knees, trying to let go, but his hand felt welded to the Hero Shade's bone. He gritted his teeth and endured, but every passing 'moment', as moments go in frozen time, amplified the burn.

"S-stop this!" Link yelled.

He opened his eyes, and white light saturated everything. The walkway shook, as if a minor earthquake struck the forest, and both of the Hero's Shade's eyes pulsed red.

<It's time to awaken your true power, Hero of Time.>

[Illidan Stormrage]

The core of Link thrummed with volcanic heat. His vision stung with white light, splashing over everything, leaving shadowed outlines of the objects it struck. The light intensified with the inferno within him, until he was sure he was cooking from the inside out.

<It's almost done, Link.> He heard the Hero's Shade, but it barely registered.

Link went numb. The strength that kept him conscious bled from him, his hand finally coming unstuck, and he collapsed. He peered out through heavy eyelids, and white consumed the world. His cheek slapped the cold wooden floor, and darkness chased away the light.

A crack of thunder rumbled overhead. The crash of waves rushed into the fading boom. A sprinkle of water landed on his face, putting a sharper edge to the cold winds gusting over him. Link opened his eyes. Dark clouds filled his vision, turning bright grey as a streak of lightning snaked through them. The earth beneath him rocked, but it wasn't an earthquake; it was gentle and rhythmic, almost like a rocking chair.

Link found his feet. He stared out incredulously over a vast, choppy ocean. Storm clouds replaced the sky, and the smooth contours of the tree cell gave way to rough wooden boards. Where exactly was he? Only moments ago he struggled in duress in the forest, and now he was daring a stormy sea?

<Calm yourself,> a familiar voice echoed in his mind. <Don't focus on how you got there. Pay attention to where you are, when you are, and who you are.>

What?" Link said in his mind. Why are you playing these mind g-

He stopped. His voice, even inside his head, was distinctly higher than normal, even more so than before he claimed the Master Sword as a ten year old. He examined himself. He wore the same garb as he always did, except now he realised he was closer to the ground.

I'm not even me anymore! Link cried. Tell me what's going on here or-

<Link,> the Hero's Shade interjected forcefully. <Stop your thoughts from spiralling and relax. Look at where you are, and let the knowledge come to you.>

Link was about to decry the advice as ridiculous when he felt a firm hilt in his hand. A sword. Not the Master Sword, but it resembled it to a large degree. The blade and the shape of the crossguard were almost identical, save that the yellow crystal imbedded in the Master Sword changed to an hourglass. The chiselled insignia of the Triforce was also gone; in its place, a symbol Link hadn't seen before, although it looked similar to a rounded Spiritual Stone of Fire. What was this sword? He couldn't understand why his future self threw him into this mirage and told him to -

And then he knew, as if he'd known since the day he was born. This is the Phantom Sword.

<Good,> the Hero's Shade responded. <Now you're focused. Tell me about the rest of this place.>

Link probed out with his mind. He felt as if dispersed, his spirit flowing through the air like a wide blanket, tethered to this short stranger in his clothes. He wondered if this was what psychic power entailed, but whatever it was, it was beyond anything he had experienced in his already eventful life.

<I'm ... in Hyrule. But not my Hyrule,> Link thought as a fount of information flooded into him. <This is Hyrule ...> the thought chilled his blood, but he knew it was true, < ... hundreds of years after my time, and the land I knew is deep beneath this ocean.>

<Yes,> the Hero's Shade said. <Tell me more.>

Link stretched invisible tendrils to the wind and melted. <The world was drowned by the gods after a Hero failed to appear. A Hero like me.> He paused momentarily, forcing himself to focus before his mind ran out of control again. <It was to trap Ganondorf, who somehow escaped the prison that the Sages locked him into. Yet it wasn't enough.>

<Indeed, but that is not the story that's playing out before you now,> his guide said. <What is happening right now?>

It took a supreme effort to withdraw, but he managed. His fleshless eyes met the scene before him. <This is ... this is the Hero that saved the world from Ganondorf in this time. His name is ...> Link couldn't believe what he was about to confirm, <... this is Link, the Hero of Winds.>

A flurry of lightning bolts exploded through the clouds. A massive black beast, tentacles flailing, hovered over this Hero of Winds as rain fell in sheets from the sky. A teeth lined maw snapped open and shut, providing glimpses of a yellowed eye within. <That is Bellum, an evil god awakened. L-> It felt too strange to call him by his name, <the Hero of Winds holds in his hand the Phantom Sword, the only weapon still remaining in this world that can slay the monster. Just like the Master Sword can only be Ganondorf's defeat.>

<And what happens now?> the Hero's Shade prompted.

Link breathed deeply without lungs, released, and stared out of the Hero of Wind's eyes once more. Now he fights.

The Hero of Winds, courage beyond his years, shouted as he charged forward, Phantom Sword in hand, and leapt towards the mighty Bellum.

Link's breath stilled cold in his lungs, and he awoke in the tree cell once more. His heart thudded like a Goron playing the drums. His eyes stung, and an unexplained chill suffused his skin. The Hero's Shade stood vigilantly outside the bars. "W-what ... what did you just ... do to me?"

The Hero's Shade tilted his skull. <I will explain soon, I promise. First, you must listen to me and act. Do you remember the Phantom Sword?>

He could still feel the weight of it in his hand. "Yes."

<Do you remember how to summon objects in this world, like you did the Ocarina of Time and your Loftwing?>

The art of shaping Omnilium. He checked his stores. There was much more there than he remembered. He didn't know what a Loftwing was, but assumed it to be the bird he accidentally formed. "Yes, I do."

<Now that you know what the Phantom Sword is, you need to craft it with Omnilium. Once you have it, cut yourself free and we will move on.> The Hero's Shade flickered, as if a mirage. <Hurry. Time will resume momentarily. You won't have time after this to recall me, but I will guide you.>

Before Link could respond, his skeletal copy vanished as quickly as he came. The frozen shards of flame flared again.

Link wanted to ignore the advice. He wanted to know more about what just happened to him. How did he travel through time to watch events unfold hundreds of years from now? How did all of that unknown knowledge suddenly enter his mind, as if it was there his entire life? It was fascinating and euphoric and scary, and he wanted to know more.

Yet the Hero's Shade hadn't steered him wrong yet. If something was urgent, and Link had to act now, then his curiosity would have to remain unsated until later.

Link glanced once more through the bars. The guards hadn't noticed a thing, their backs still turned to him. Link closed his eyes and hovered his open palms over the ground, focusing on the weapon. His eyes chased the sharp, silver edge of the blade, the unusual device engraved into the steel, the curled wings of the crossguard, the amber hourglass, the solid hilt, and pronged pommel.

It took time to channel Omni's version of magic, and this was no exception. He waited patiently, coaxing the omnilium from its unknown places into the form of the sword. Injecting the Phantom Sword with the same might as the original meant that the crafting time was extended. Link was glad he never had to build the Master Sword in this realm.

Finally, the sword was complete. Link opened his eyes and gripped his new sword, tearing it free of its sheath. The firelight echoed dimly in its steel. Link knew that the sword wasn't at full strength yet, however; there was more to the weapon than he had time to steal from his foray into the future, but that would have to wait. Link strapped the new sheath to his back, crossing it over where the Master Sword sheath would go, and attacked the cage.

The Phantom Sword was extremely sharp. The edge parted wood with only a few delicate strikes. Link tried not to swing too hard in fear of alerting the guards, so he chiselled a ring large enough for him to squeeze through, and pushed out the separated bars. He slipped out of his prison, bumping his torn shoulder as he went, although it was mostly healed now. Some sort of strange regenerative aura in this world? Link certainly didn't do anything to speed the recovery of the wound.

Link was out! The guards still didn't notice his escape, but Link wasn't sure of his next move. His future self said that he would guide him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

A howl. Link looked up, but that didn't make sense. Why was there a howl in the treetops? Then a shriek followed it, and a bright red flash exploded from the canopy. His bird! The guards turned at the huge crash of twigs and branches and charged back towards him. Link sheathed the Phantom Sword and his crimson ride fluttered down to him. An oblong parcel was tied to its underbelly, and it squawked with apprehension. Link hurled himself from the walkway, arms outstretched, and fell onto the soft red feathers.

He gripped his mount tightly. "Let's go!"

With another screech, the bird shot into the sky like a flaming arrow, perfectly piercing the hole it made when it fetched him. The night sky above stretched on forever, peppered with glimmering stars. The forest rushed beneath them, an emerald blanket covering the eyes of his captors. For some reason, the normal air sickness accompanied with flight did not claim his stomach this time.

"Thanks, boy," Link said, stroking the fine feathers behind the bird's neck. "But where are we going from here? I've got no idea what was so urgent or where it might be."

Even from their height, another howl reached his ears. The bird squawked again, veered sharp to the left, and increased speed. Link slapped his head to stop the cap from flying into the night and ducked as low as he could.

He didn't know what his destination was, but his bird did.

[Illidan Stormrage]

The cold night air poured over Link as his summoned Loftwing slipped through the sky. Silver glitter hung overhead, a display of nature's beauty. Link scooped the brisk winds and calm murial greedily into his consciousness. Although it was a lie and he knew it wouldn't last, he found a morsel of peace among the starlit sky. There was no rhyme or reason to his fear of heights fleeing either; every time he'd taken to the air his stomach roiled and blood drained from his face, but now a natural acclimation greeted him when he watched the green spears below rush like a river.

The forest canopy teared open in a rough circle. A deep blue lake stole the light of the stars and wore it as its own. The water was so dark that Link almost believed his Loftwing could fly down into a sub-level of the night sky. Small, indistinguishable objects bobbed in the shallows of the lake and peppered the shore line. Two fires struggled to stay burning in braziers, their meagre efforts insufficient to light the ground.

The Loftwing squawked and dived. The cold bite of the night air intensified as it coursed over Link's skin. Link balled his fists around tufts of the bird's feathers and clenched his teeth. He may have grown used to flight, but an intentional freefall suspended his stomach's contents in anti-gravity.

The wind cut off and Link opened his eyes. They had landed near the lake. Link dismounted from his Loftwing and surveyed the scene.

Bodies lay around sparsely in the grass. Some chests rose and fell in steady rhythm while others did not. Link unsheathed the Phantom Sword and crouched beneath his mount, much to its surprise. He rose a hand to block the batting wings and sliced through the package bound to the Loftwing's breast. His gear clanked into a shambled pile; his shield, clawshots, bow and arrows and the Master Sword. He re-equipped himself, taking a cautious glance over his shoulder at intervals, and stood again with shield and Master Sword in hand.

Link crept forward, squinting in the darkness for the perpetrator of this battle. He toed a nearby body that still breathed and heard a squelch as he placed his foot back down again. The fire light barely touched but he could tell it wasn't blood. He knelt and dipped a finger. Cold, thin and wet. Water.

Link looked to the edge of the lake. It was some ten long strides from where the body rested. Puddles of water surrounded him and filled in the grass from where he stood to the bank. How did so much water get so far from the lake? The dark surface rippled almost imperceptibly, the gentle shiver of glassy stars the only indication. No rain clouds hovered, nor was there any trace of clouds at all. If it had rained, Link surely would have heard from his tree prison.

The body at his feet moved. In a movement Link couldn't follow, the figure rolled into a crouch and slashed at his arm with a sharp dagger. Link stumbled back, a bite of pain just below his elbow, and a warm stream oozing down. For a moment the figure looked at him beneath a bedraggled mess of hair, eyes wide and unsure.

"Syla," Link breathed. "What are you doing here?"

The woman who faked capture in order to capture Link took a step back, looked from blood edged dagger to the Hylian and back again, turned heel and sprinted away.

"Hey!" Link ran after her. "What happened here?"

Syla was spritely and Link's gear weighed him down. She stumbled, managing to stay upright but her speed dropped. Link was going to catch her.

Something caught Link's toe and he flopped unceremoniously onto the ground. Tiny grains of dirt scratched at his face and eyes, and he swiped them clear with his forearm. He stood and looked for Syla. The dark and empty treeline greeted him.

Link sighed and turned back. Syla likely didn't cause this; as he inspected the other bodies, they all wore the same deep green tunics and leggings of the people in Tralor. But what was she doing at this lake in the middle of the forest? And why was there a team of her rangers lying in an ankle deep layer of water? The Loftwing landed here because it heard the Hero's Shade's howl, so the matter of the utmost urgency was here somewhere.

The splosh of water sent goosebumps prickling Link's skin. He turned in time to see the lake settle. He headed towards the shore, passing the weak flames, and this time he saw it. A torrent of bubbles broke the surface in a mad flurry and then stopped. Someone was drowning! But then it occurred that the silence of the night would've been punctured by bubbles before now. In the dark, in the depths of an inscrutable lake, did Link want to dive in to find out what lay within?

<You do. You must hurry.>

Only one voice matched that telepathic message. The Hero's Shade appeared beside him without warning.

"How did you get here without the Song of Time?" Questions were popping up faster than answers could be formed for them.

<Get into the water, Link.> There was a deep stillness to his future self's command that had never been there before.

Link took one furrowed, questioning gaze at his skeletal future, threw his sword and shield down and charged into the lake.

The chill of the water slammed into him as soon as he pierced the lake's surface. Oxygen burned in his lungs, and he paddled frantically back to air. He exploded from the calm layer, droplets of water spraying everywhere, and sucked in a deep breath. A shiver radiated from his bones, but he ignored it and plunged back into the water.

<Hurry, Link.>

He swam. The lake was as inky black as it alluded to on the surface. He parted the waters before him over and over again, wondering how he was going to find ... something ... when the lake was so dark.

Bubbles streamed past his eyes. Link looked down. Two oval eyes, black as the water, stared back at him. Fingers clasped his ankle. A new column of bubbles rose from beneath him, and Link's blood froze.

Moments later Link emerged from the lake, struggling backwards across the shore. A white hand squeezed his foot with strength that shouldn't have been possible from such a stringy arm.

"It's got me!" Link shouted. "Some water monster! I need my sword!"

<Calm down,> the Hero's Shade said. <Look at what you rescued.>

Panting, nerves on edge, Link calmed himself enough to examine what he fished up. A humanoid with white skin, sporadically patterned with blue diamonds, slumped in the water. Fins jutted from his arms and hips, and a long fishtail lay limp from his skull. He blinked with two black almonds.

"It's ... a Zora," Link said. Cuts lined his body, although the blood washed away in the lake. An arrow protruded from his back and shoulder.

"Hero ..." the Zora said weakly, a grim smile on his lips. "Hero of Time. Is ... this where you ended up?" He coughed violently. "It's good to see you ... and to say hello. I'm ... Malu."

Link was lost, but he had a sinking feeling that something bad was about to happen. He crouched. "Sorry about me freaking out before. I'm not used to Zoras grabbing my foot in dark water."

Malu chuckled, a weak and pitiful sound. "It's ... fine." He turned his dark eyes to the Hero's Shade. "I'm sorry ... I didn't wait like you said. Things would be much better if I had a little more patience."

The ghost skeleton nodded.

Link's eyes widened. "Wait ... you two can see each other?!"

<I'm sorry, Link,> the Hero's Shade said. <I promise I will explain all of this in a moment.> He and the Zora shared a glance. <Take out the mask I gave you.>

Link pulled out the Zora mask. "This didn't do anything. I tried using it when I was captured but nothing happened. It's just like the mask I got from the Happy Mask Shop owner back in Hyrule."

Malu sat up, slowly, shaking with each movement. He took the mask in a light grip and turned it over in his hands. "Yeah. This will do."

"Please, someone tell me-"

"Good luck, Link," Malu said. He smiled wanly. "I never thought our paths would cross, and I don't know why they have, but I hope ... well, I'm sure you'll work it out. You're the Hero of Time."

Malu pressed the mask into his face. Link's throat tightened as the edges of the mask crawled into Malu's skin until it became his new face. His entire body shone with a brilliant white light so strong that the black of the waters sparkled blue. Link shielded his eyes from the spectacle, flat planes of light extruding from his fingers.

The light dispersed and a faint plop sounded. Link opened his eyes. The Zora mask floated in the water, a wave of sparkles rippling away until they each extinguished.

"Where's Malu?" Link asked his future self. He lifted the mask from the water, dripping wet.

<Link. It's time to talk.>

[Illidan Stormrage]

The Zora mask felt different. There was still a lifelike quality to its design; the scales glittered, the eyes moist and reflective, but his fingers tingled as he held it. A warmth spread from the mask despite the chill of the lake's water.

"Yes, I think it is," Link said, his mind overwhelmed and fatigued. So much had happened in such a short time. "Let's start with Malu. Who is he, and what happened here?"

<Malu is an extraordinary discovery,> the Hero's Shade said, taking steps out of the water and onto dry land. Link frowned. Did the grass bend beneath his feet?

"In what way?"

The Hero's Shade paused and looked into the dark tree line surrounding the lake. <What do you recall of The History of Hyrule?>

"The book I found in Dalaran's library?" Link looked into the lake's water, searching his mind in the black depths. "I read my history. It detailed everything from the day Navi joined me and I visited the Great Deku Tree until Zelda sent me back through time. And I read about the first Hero, who destroyed Demise."

<Indeed. Did you read beyond your own time?>

"No," Link said. "At the time, I was concerned about knowing my future. I didn't want to change anything that may have already happened." He paused. "That sounds odd, but you're my future self."

<I doubt foreknowledge will be problematic,> the Hero's Shade replied. <You possess the power to see all who are joined by your spirit. I have learned to weave through the walls that segregate time and space, and all I have discovered has not changed anything for the worse. Indeed, in my life I never visited this Omniverse, yet here you are.>

Link nodded. "I see that now."

<In any case, do you remember what I showed you while you were imprisoned? The battle on the ocean?>

Link felt goosebumps sprout all over his skin. "I'll never forget it."

<I do not know why, but after your time, a second time stream was created. The original is where we came from, and where I returned to, and journeyed into Termina. But that is a story for another day. In this second time stream, Ganondorf somehow broke the bonds set by the Sages and returned to Hyrule. However the spirit of the Hero did not return, and Ganondorf was left unopposed.>

"Ganondorf," Link muttered, an itch biting at his chest. "Is there any time where he is not a threat?"

The Hero's Shade turned his head, slowly, red eye bright. <The goddesses did not see it fit that he should conquer Hyrule uncontested. Instead, they flooded the land and created the Great Sea. You recited as much to me when you were there.>

Link took a deep breath and let it out. The memory was unsettling. "Yes."

<Before Hyrule was flooded, the descendants of the Sages searched for the Hero to battle Ganondorf. One Sage in particular found something the Hero of Time once held; the Triforce of Courage.>

Link's eyes widened. "No. I left it back in Hyrule?"

His skeletal future shook his head. <I do not know why the relic did not journey with you to the Omniverse. But the Sage took the Triforce of Courage, knowing it to be important. Yet before he could return to the Sacred Realm, something happened.> The red eye brightened. <He came to the Omniverse.>

"Here?" Link said. "I-I have to find him! Where is he?" A Sage in the Omniverse? And with the Triforce of Courage? This could solve everything!

<You are holding him.>

Link looked at the mask and went numb. "Malu ... Malu was the Sage?"

<The Sage of Water, descendant of Ruto.> The Hero's Shade couldn't make an expression with his skinless face, but Link sensed something stir in him.

Link fell to his knees. The water splashed against his thighs. "I was too late."

<It is not your fault.>

"What happened?" Link said, standing again. "Why did he vanish into the mask?"

<In Termina, I met some amazing people. They had died, or were close to death, and their essences were boiled into a mask. They gifted me with their spirit so I could save their land. Mikau, a talented Zora guitarist, passed his power to me in that mask you hold.> He went quiet and looked at the ground. <I do not know why his spirit does not inhabit the mask any longer. But it is no longer there, and that is why nothing happened when you first attempted to wear it in your prison.>

Link stared at the mask. A Sage's spirit was sealed in there? "What happens when I put it on?"

<Try it now,> the Hero's Shade said. <You will also learn why Malu died.> He looked away.

He swallowed a thick lump in his throat and brought the mask to his face. The inside glittered with silver scales. As it grew closer, Link sensed an invisible force reaching out for him, subtle but firm. This was crazy, but with so little explained, he knew sometimes it was best to just dive in and learn on the fly.

Link shoved the mask on. Instantly it latched onto his jaw line and made a tight seal around the rest of his face. Tiny tingling threads shuddered through his skin; even with his eyes closed, they penetrated his eyes and dug in. In a few more seconds the pulsing spread into his entire body. It didn't hurt, but it was intense and gripped him tightly. The pressure mounted as something alien grew from inside him, wrapped around his bones and expanded further. Link dropped to his knees, unable to feel the water any longer, and screamed.

He opened his eyes. He found himself lying on his side, half in the water. The immense pressure passed, and the tingling fizzled out. He put a hand down to stand and scrambled away from the sight. A panic clutched his chest and mind as he brought both hands into view. His pale skin was replaced with silver scales, his fingers webbed. He ran frantic eyes over his body, and the change was evident there too. Beautiful polished scales coated his body, now a little leaner, with two flippers for feet. His swords were still strapped to his back, but the shield was gone. Two knife shaped fins protruded from his forearms.

The Hero's Shade stared at him impassively.

"You!" Link shouted. "What have you done?"

<Calm down,> he said. <The first time is always jarring. You will become accustomed to the sensation in time.>

"I'm a Zora!"

<Do not panic. It is not permanent.>

"Are you sure?" Link experienced some unique and frightening things in his short life, but never anything like this.

<Yes. The spirit of Malu has bonded with you and added his strength to yours. You are capable of many feats a Hylian is not.>

Link rolled his arms, inspecting them. His frame felt lighter, and just having his feet in the water brought a comfort it had never done before. The fear in him subsided. "This is ... unreal."

<You also share the memories of Malu. Tell me.> The Hero's Shade waved a hand over the scene, where bodies in green tunics lay motionless. <What happened here?>

"I ..." And just as he knew the Hero of Winds, he knew Malu's life. He closed his eyes to focus. "Malu came to the Omniverse, summoned somehow. Oh." Link cleared his throat. "His best guess was that ... the Ocarina of Time brought him here." Link felt a stab of guilt. "When he arrived, he still had the Triforce of Courage. He travelled to Camelot, assuming that is where I would go, but Syla set upon him and captured him. They've been holding him in the lake using a magical barrier to seal him within. They were planning to sell him as a curiosity, a freak."

A cold wind rolled over Link's scales, but he barely felt it. "He was sure I was here. When I was captured by Syla and her leader, you went looking for me but found Malu. As a Sage ..." Link opened his eyes, staring at the Hero's Shade, "he recognised the spirit of the Hero."

The skeleton's red eye shrunk. <Yes.>

"He swore to free himself to pass on the Triforce of Courage, as you couldn't pass through the barrier. You pleaded with him to stay calm, that you would bring the true Hero of Time to him, but he was too desperate. He needed the Hero to return to Hyrule and pass back the Triforce of Courage, so he raged against the barrier and brought to bear his full power. He shattered the magical seal and attacked those who guarded him, throwing wave after wave of water from the lake. One ranger got away and informed Tralor, and Syla arrived with a new troop to quell the resistance. They were no match for Malu, but the archers found their mark. I turned up ... minutes after the fight ended." Link sighed. "Minutes."

<It is regrettable,> the Hero's Shade said. <But Malu's legacy lives on in that mask, and I know he is proud to give his life for the Hero of Time.>

Link nodded in agreement, hoping it to be true, but Malu's feelings swelled in his chest and he knew it was. Malu certainly wasn't dead. He gave a bittersweet smile, tears welling beneath his black eyes. "It is humbling that he would value me so much."

<All who value freedom and life value the Hero, Link.>

Link thought of a question, but Malu's knowledge gave him the answer. "And Malu could see you because he was a Sage, and they are innately in tune with the Hero's spirit. But why are you changing?"

The Hero's Shade nodded. The tufts of grass bent beneath his feet despite his translucency. <The more I visit this realm, the more I belong to it. I believe that our identical spiritual identity is pressing this Omnilium into me by degrees, giving me power to return to this plane of my own free will. I theorise that the Ocarina of Time is no longer needed to summon me.>

This world was incredible. The power Omni must wield to craft it may even rival the Triforce itself. "Oh, the Triforce of Courage! Where is it?"

<I do not know. But I'm sure Malu does.>

He did. Link remembered. "Before Malu visited Camelot, he travelled somewhere to stash the Triforce of Courage in case he was captured. He hid it in the verse he was summoned in. It's ... a cold place. Ice everywhere. I can see glaciers." It put him in mind of Zora's Domain after Ganondorf ravaged it in his world. "I don't know where that is. But ..." Link concentrated. "Malu remembers how to get there. And now so do I."

The skeleton nodded. <Excellent. Once we have procured the Triforce of Courage, we can then find a way to recharge the Master Sword and rid the Omniverse of Ganondorf for good.>

"Funny you should mention that," Link said. "Malu knows how to do that, too. But I still have one more question."

<And I can see it in your mind. Very well.> The Hero's Shade faced him. <The event in the prison, where you travelled into the future to see the Hero of Winds battle Bellum. I do not know how, although I have my speculations, but you have received a power beyond anything I ever knew. When you were trapped in that space between time, when you felt every Link in every era connect with you, it was more than a simple affirmation of the eternal battle. Your spirit is anchored to every Hero that has gone before you, and all those after. Link, you can see their worlds, fight their foes, learn what they know and become stronger. You can create replicas of their weapons and items from Omnilium. Such a power is unprecedented. You are the link between worlds.>

More unbelievable news. "There are no words to describe."

<Indeed. I believe this connection has played out subconsciously already, such as your accidental summoning of a Loftwing, belonging to the Hero of Legend, and the easy crafting of your clawshots, which you have never seen before.>

Link caught on. "And perhaps that's why I don't fear heights anymore. The first Link did not."

<Yes. Such a remarkable boon.>

"We can explore that in depth later," Link said, whistling. His Loftwing fluttered over and he mounted. Even in his Zora form, the bird did not flinch. "First, let's get the Triforce of Courage back."