Prologue
Before time began, before spirits and life existed there were the gods. The three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule. Din, the goddess of power, Nayru, the goddess of wisdom, and Farore, the goddess of courage created the land known as Hyrule.
Din, with her strong, flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru, with her wisdom, gave a spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, produced living beings to uphold the law. The three golden goddesses, with their work complete, departed for the heavens; the point where they left this world became the Triforce. The golden, sacred triangles became the basis for Hyrule's prosperity and the resting place of the sacred triangle became the Sacred Realm.
They left behind a sacred guardian to protect the Triforce. He formed Termina, creating four great spirits and uniting Hyrule into one land. As a final act, the guardian created a lesser god to watch over and protect the Sacred Realm. This lesser god would pass on the legend of the Triforce. With this final creation complete, the guardian sealed the Triforce and departed for the high heavens. In so doing, he sealed the Sacred Realm from the mortal realm.
Sheik, the lesser god, knew that even though the Triforce was pure, corruption was still possible. Therefore, Sheik created six other lesser gods and goddesses to guard the Sacred Realm with him. Sheik created one god or goddess to watch over and protect each region of the world.
One to watch over the forests and swamps, Deku, god of innocence.
One to watch over the waters, Jabu-Jabu, god of merriment.
One to watch over the land of Hyrule, Hylia, goddess of love. The golden goddesses directly blessed her. She was the daughter of the goddesses themselves.
One to watch over Termina, Faeria, goddess of magic.
One to watch over the western mountains, Kaepora Gaebora, god of light.
One to watch over the desert lands, Ganon, god of strength.
From Sheik came the Sheikah, a mysterious race of shadow-like beings. Sheik's creation was to serve and protect the three golden goddesses, so his children were dedicated to serving and protecting the Hylians.
From Deku came a race of small, plant-like children known as Scrubs.
From Jabu-Jabu came the fish-like race known as the Zora, a race whose purpose was to protect the waters of Hyrule.
From Hylia came the race created in the image of the goddesses, the Hylians.
From Kaepora Gaebora came the counterpart race to the Hylians, the Ikana.
From Faeria came a mysterious, magical race known as faeries.
From Ganon came a race of warrior-like women known as the Gerudo. Ganon held the greatest favour with the golden goddesses and therefore created his race in their likeness: females of beauty, power and grace.
Thus, the races of Hyrule were born.
Sheik knew that there were further steps necessary to protect the Triforce and the Sacred Realm. He called for a meeting of the lesser gods and goddesses at the entrance into the Sacred Realm itself. For it was here that they needed to build a fortress strong enough to turn back the tides of evil.
"Why hast thou called us, brother?" asked Deku.
"Much work is to be done to protect the Triforce," said Sheik.
"What do you speak of, exactly?" asked Faeria.
"We shall build a fortress to protect the Sacred Realm from evil," said Sheik.
"A fortress?" asked Jabu-Jabu.
"But why?" asked Hylia.
"Yes, brother, what is this evil you speak of?" asked Ganon. Sheik did not answer.
"Sheik, tell us what we must do," said Kaepora Gaebora.
"A strong fortress must be constructed to be the entrance into the Sacred Realm. It will connect the mortal realm with the spiritual plane," said Sheik.
"But a fortress alone won't be strong enough to hold back the forces of evil. I will construct a temple inside the Sacred Realm itself, a smaller fortress to protect the Triforce. It shall be a temple of light that no evil may enter," said Kaepora.
"Yes, but that is not all. We need another stronger thing to bind all mortals from the Sacred Realm," said Ganon.
"Shouldst we create a stronger race?" asked Deku.
"No, that is not the answer," said Sheik.
"We should combine our powers to create death," said Ganon.
"Death?" asked Faeria.
"Yes, death. It will bind all races of Hyrule," said Ganon.
"They won't be immortal as we?" asked Jabu-jabu.
"I think that this is the best way to protect the Sacred Realm and the Triforce within. We will also build a fortress untouched by time, sealed by time itself as a testament to this," said Sheik.
"I believe there are further steps that we can take," said Kaepora.
"And what would they be?" asked Hylia.
"Seven guardians to watch over the lands of Hyrule and protect the sacred temple; seven guardians to live in seven temples," said Kaepora. "We must choose one from each of our races to be these guardians."
"Yes, this is for the best. You shall lead these guardians; however, one from the race of Hylians will be the greatest of them all," said Sheik.
"My children are far too mischievous to hold such a responsibility," said Deku with downcast eyes.
"You can create another race," said Sheik.
"I shall! They shall share my innocence," said Deku.
"The only way for them to remain innocent is if they were mere children," said Ganon.
"Verily, thou hast spoken truth. I shall create the Kokiri. They shall live in the forest with me. None others shall be able to enter my enchanted forests and corrupt my children," said Deku.
"What about my race? My daughters aren't suitable to be one of these guardians," said Faeria.
"I will also create another race. They will live in Mother Din's two great mountains and shall have my strength. I will call them the Gorons. One of them will take your place, Faeria," said Ganon.
"I believe that these guardians should come of our races' royal lines," said Jabu-Jabu.
"Truly, this is a good idea," said Sheik.
"We will need to erect temples for these guardians," said Ganon.
"Yes, I will build a water temple," said Jabu-Jabu.
"You must choose a pure water source," said Kaepora.
"I will create a great lake in southern Hyrule. That is where the temple will be, where the Zora shall worship the water spirits," said Jabu-Jabu
"I will build a temple in the farthest desert so it will unreachable to the wicked. The guardian from the Gerudo shall be the matriarchs of the Gerudo, the twin sisters based after Mother Din's two great mountains," said Ganon.
"Very good," said Sheik, beginning to feel a measure of protection for the sacred triangle.
"I shall erect a temple hidden deep within the forest. The guardian shall come out of the Kokiri," said Deku.
"Since the Sheikah serve and protect the Hylians, none of them can be the guardian, for they must fulfill their duty. I shall be the guardian and will build a temple hidden to all except the royal family of Hyrule," said Sheik.
"I will build a temple in the Great Fire Mountain for the Gorons. Furthermore, I will create a great fire beast to guard the temple itself," said Ganon.
Therefore, it was that the gods built the seven great temples of Hyrule and chose the seven guardians.
"More must be done. It is necessary for the Hylians to access the Sacred Realm so that when evil rises they may strike it down," said Sheik.
"What about time? The Hylians are bound by it and must follow its flow," said Jabu-Jabu.
"A great hero is needed," said Faeria.
"A great hero whose blade is evil's bane. I will forge this blade, this sword. It shall be the greatest of all swords, a master sword that evil ones may never touch," said Ganon.
"That can be one of the keys to the Sacred Realm. Only this hero may touch that sword," said Kaepora.
"There will be one, great Hylian to be this hero," said Sheik.
"He will be the link between the gods and mortals," said Hylia.
"But there must be more than just a hero and a sword. Further keys are necessary to protect the Triforce from evil. The sword must be protected until that hero is needed," said Sheik.
"What about a great door? A magical door that can only be opened by the proper key," said Faeria.
"Yes and the key for that door can be three spiritual stones, each one representing an element," said Kaepora.
"One shall be hidden in the forest, for only the Kokiri may dwell there and cannot be corrupted," said Deku.
"There will also be one hidden with the Gorons in the Great Fire Mountain," said Ganon.
"One can be hidden with my children," said Jabu-Jabu.
"But these three stones are not the only thing. To activate the key to the door there must be something else," said Sheik.
"A magical item that only Hyrule's royal family may have," said Hylia.
"Yes, to activate the keys to open the door one must have this item in addition to the stones," said Kaepora.
"This is for the best. I will construct an altar in the great temple for these spiritual stones. Behind the altar will be the door and behind the door will stand the sword, waiting for the one meant to wield it. Only when all of these keys are gathered can the Sacred Realm be opened and the Triforce obtained," said Sheik.
"There remains one more question: Who is to be this great hero?" asked Ganon.
"And, who shall be the sage from the Hylians?" asked Deku.
"Hylia and I shall reproduce and our offspring will answer these questions," said Kaepora.
"Yes, twins will come from of my womb, one male and one female. The male child will become this great hero and the female will become the seventh sage, destined to be the greatest of them all," said Hylia.
"This is for the best. But these children must be Hylian, of the royal family, and not immortal as we," said Sheik.
"When the time is right we will send our children to Hyrule. They will be born of the royal family," said Hylia.
"So be it!" said Sheik.
"But, Sheik, we still do not know what evil we are fighting against. How will we know if it comes?" asked Ganon.
Sheik knew that by revealing to them the evil, its powerful grip could more easily corrupt them, especially the ones who were already powerful. Alas, he knew he must. The golden goddesses revealed the future to him and the events that must take place for the good of Hyrule.
"There is a fourth goddess. A goddess of chaos and destruction," said Sheik.
"So, this fourth goddess is evil," said Ganon.
"Yes and her name is Majora."
Countless aeons passed after the construction of the temples and the appointing of the sages. The world was at peace. The Triforce caused the land of Hyrule to prosper and the inhabitants to flourish. They erected great cities and castles, living their lives mostly separate from each other. Because the peoples of Hyrule lived cut off from each other, they knew little about each other. As a result, each race wanted more territory and disputes would arise. The lesser gods and goddesses could not directly control the people of Hyrule so war was imminent.
Deku's spirit settled in the mortal plane and inhabited a great tree, which towered over the every other tree in the world. The forest became a special barrier against the influence of evil into the world. To help Deku's children, Faeria's created a special kind of faerie to live with each of the Kokiri and only the Kokiri. It was to protect the Kokiri, the only innocent race in Hyrule. Therefore, it was that each Kokiri had his or her own guardian faerie. Even Deku's first children, the Scrubs, prospered and made their own kingdom in the swamps of eastern Hyrule.
Jabu-Jabu's spirit also settled in the mortal plane. He inhabited a great fish that dwarfed even the size of whales. The Zora protected Hyrule's water source and had some contact with the Hylian royal family. The Zora served Hyrule's royal family through protecting the water supply for the land, creating a fragile alliance between the two races.
Kaepora Gaebora became great in the eyes of the Hylians and Ikanans. His symbol, the owl, spread across the lands in statues dedicated to him.
Hylia was known as the mother of the Hylians and as an honour to her, they named the great southern lake after her.
Ganon became a great figure to the Gerudo and the Hylians. The Hylians favoured him and trained an elite fighting force of warriors whose heavy armour alone was too much for mere mortals to hold. The Gerudo adapted well to living in the desert and even found a way through the wasteland to Ganon's hidden temple. However, the twin sisters Koume and Kotake guarded the temple and forbade any Gerudo to enter its sacred walls.
The Sheikah only held ties with Hyrule's royal family, serving as guardians to the royal family. The Sheikah were a dark, mysterious people steeped in myth and lore. They knew much about the gods and the Triforce. Sheik did little with them after creating his children, but was content to live in the temple hidden near the village founded by the Sheikah.
Faeria lived happily. She was the only lesser god or goddess to directly appear to the people of Hyrule. Her daughters, known as great faeries, helped the people through magic. The lesser goddess of magic created other faeries that roamed freely throughout the land to aid Hylians whenever necessary. Faeria directly served and helped the Hylian royal family.
The guardians of the temples, the sages, also prospered. A great chamber for them rested inside the temple built by Kaepora, the Light Sage. He would remain the head sage until the seventh, great sage would come. Sheik was the Shadow Sage. Koume and Kotake together became Twinrova, the Spirit Sage. The Goron chosen to be the Fire Sage was the first king of the Goron who wielded a great hammer. The Zora chosen to be the Water Sage was yet to be born. She was destined to be the greatest leader of the Zora. The Forest Sage was chosen out of the Kokiri. Should something ever happen to one of the sages, they would be reincarnated in the next one destined to be a sage.
However, not everyone prospered.
Majora watched and waited in the darkness and chaos beyond the universe. Just when the people thought their lives were perfect, just when the gods thought they could rest, she would strike. The evil goddess would turn the sages to her side. She would corrupt the very thing that protected the Triforce. If Majora could lay her hands on that sacred triangle then she could destroy the golden goddesses and plunge reality into darkness and chaos, as it once had been.
The perfect time to strike was at hand. Majora appeared before the first sage, the Forest Sage.
"Who are you?" asked the sage.
"My name is Majora," said the evil goddess.
"What do you want? Why are you here?"
"I have come to request your help," said Majora. The Forest Sage could feel the evil of the goddess and could sense something was terribly wrong.
"Help with what?"
"I am going to invade the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce."
"I won't help your evil plans," said the sage, bravely standing up to the evil goddess.
"If you won't help me by choice then I shall curse you. Now taste my wrath!" said Majora as tendrils of dark energy began to swim around, choking the air and violently shaking the temple.
"What is this?" asked the Forest Sage. He could feel the raw powers extending from the evil goddess.
Majora let out a psychotic laugh that shook the ground and suddenly began to change. Dark energy swarmed around Majora as she changed shape. She morphed and changed into a terrifying figure. The goddess was now much darker, so black that she became a void of light. Her red eyes pierced through the Forest Sage. The sage attempted to use his powers to call for help but it was useless. Majora's power was too much and the sage found himself swallowed up.
"You have called down Majora's Wrath. I curse you to live forever, wandering in this forest without any friends. You shall be shunned forever by the Kokiri!" said Majora.
The ground shook violently as black tendrils of energy snaked out from Majora and around the sage. He cried out but it was too late. Majora used her godly powers to transform the sage. No longer was he the Forest Sage. He became a hideous being, cursed to remain in the forest and forever wander. The evil goddess left the weak child alone in the deepest part of the forest.
Majora was furious. She thought for sure that the innocent Forest Sage would follow her by choice. Majora knew that she would have to set her eyes on a new target, someone older and wiser. She headed towards the temple in the desert. The beautiful twins felt her coming and could sense her evil before she even crossed the desert. They used their powers to let the lesser gods and goddesses know about Majora's presence in the mortal realm. Twinrova, and the other sages, felt when the Forest Sage died. Majora appeared in front of the two sisters.
"Majora," said Kotake.
"Why are you here?" asked Koume, already knowing the answer.
"Join me," said Majora as she extended a dark hand to the sisters.
"Never!" they replied in unison. Majora's red eyes flared.
"Then I curse you too. I strip away your youth and beauty. I curse you two to be witches, destined to live forever as wicked one trapped in this temple," said Majora, unleashing her wrath again.
Dark energy consumed Koume and Kotake and the Spirit Sage was no more. Majora left the two witches to themselves. Majora knew that the sages did not have the potential to be corrupt because they did not possess a lust for more power. Majora knew there was one who would desire more power. She appeared before him.
"Hello, Ganon."
"You are Majora, the evil goddess," said Ganon.
"Ganon, I have come to acquire your help. I am going to invade the Sacred Realm and obtain the Triforce. Join me, and together we shall rule all," said Majora.
Majora's evil, red eyes flashed as she tasted Ganon slip toward evil. The strength and power Ganon already possessed came with a deadly counterpart: pride.
"Finally, me strength and power can be used for my desires," said Ganon as Majora began to corrupt his power.
Ganon smiled wickedly and laughed with Majora. The evil goddess's plans were coming together. Together Majora and Ganon wiped away Jabu-Jabu's memory and power, Deku's memory and power and warped the mind of Twinrova.
"I cannot directly control my people but I can control the beast I created. Volvagia, the fire beast, I command you to kill the Gorons," said Ganon as he fell further into evil.
He warped the dragon's mind until evil consumed it. Volvagia left the volcano and attacked Goron City. Only the Fire Sage, the first king of the Gorons, could stand against Volvagia because the dragon ate the Gorons. Using his great hammer the Fire Sage killed Volvagia. However, in so doing, he died and the hammer was lost inside the temple. Thus, a third sage died and the Great Fire Mountain became known as Death Mountain.
"Enough!" a powerful voice rained down.
It belonged to the guardian. He appeared before Majora and Ganon. His and Majora's opposing powers were so immense that the mortal plane began to quake and reality began to bend.
"I was hoping you would show up," said Majora with a wicked grin, knowing the guardian had to be conquered for the Triforce to be obtained.
"Majora, your wickedness shall not spread any further," said the guardian
"It is too late, behold my son, Ganon," said the evil goddess. The guardian could feel the corruption and evil that now consumed Ganon.
"Ganon, for your folly you will be punished. My fight is with Majora," said the guardian.
He knew they could not fight directly. Not only was the guardian too weak compared to Majora but the wake of their power would consume everything and destroy the world the three goddesses created. Already, the peoples of the world began to fight because of the upset in power. Natural disaster began to spread across the world. The three goddesses finally intervened.
"Nayru, Farore and Din!" said Ganon in awe. He could feel their divine powers as the three golden goddesses descended from the highest heavens.
"Ganon, for your foolishness, you shall be punished for eternity. Your spirit will become a mere beast. We shall strip away your memory and power. You will not remember that you were once a god and you will suffer forever. Not until the right time will your spirit have a body and then you shall be destroyed for good," said the goddesses, exploding in a flash of divine power that consumed Ganon.
Majora and the guardian were alone. The universe began to groan as their powers pushed and pulled at each other.
"So, it is down to us," said Majora, her red eyes flashing. The guardian knew that there was only one way to stop Majora for good. Nevertheless, it was impossible until he arrived.
"Majora, I shall banish you to dwell within a mask," said the guardian.
"Then you will be banishing yourself!" said Majora's Wrath. However, that was what the guardian knew must happen. By so doing, Majora would seal her own fate.
The two being exploded in a charge of power and were no more. In a flash of devastating, godly power, the two great beings bound each other within masks. The world shook and the skies cried with violent lighting and thunder. Sheik had a connection to the guardian and began to die when his father was bound to dwell within the mask. However, before he passed into the afterlife he created a special mask that could reveal the truth about the Triforce and the gods. He knew that one day his spirit and power would be reborn among the Sheikah.
Kaepora was too near the battle. He tried to help but his power was nothing before that of Majora. He died in the incredible release of power but not before he and Hylia created their children. The seventh sage and the great hero would be born in the mortal realm.
Time was now the key.
Nayru, Farore, and Din cried from the high heavens. Faeria was with them. The war of the gods devastated the world, leaving dead sages and gods in its wake. The three golden goddesses watched as Hyrule slowly consumed itself in war. Natural disasters spread across the world and animals twisted into horrible monsters.
"Mothers, I do not wish to go back," cried Faeria.
"So be it," said Nayru.
Faeria slowly faded into nothingness, her essence returning to its source. The lesser gods and goddesses were no more. All of the faeries, except the guardian faeries to the Kokiri, fled from men and began to hide underground. The original children of Faeria hid too, only showing themselves to members of Hyrule's royal family. The three golden goddesses returned to the highest heavens as the world fell.
"One thousand years shall pass before the next sages shall awaken. For only through the hero can they hear their call. When Ganon's spirit is revived in man, when it seems evil has won," said Farore.
"It will be one thousand years until the wars of mortals reach their climax," said Din.
"That is when Hyrule's greatest king shall rise up and unite the races," said Farore.
"When Hylia must die," said Nayru.
"She must die. The separation must come to pass," said Farore.
"One thousand years. They will forget much," said Farore, watching their land destroy itself in war.
"One thousand years," echoed her sisters.
"It is for the good of Hyrule," said Farore.
"For the good of Hyrule," echoed her sisters.