Chapter 1
The Gift of Din

"From this day forward," bellowed the soldier, "all lands currently in jurisdiction of the Zora King Ralis will be held in control of King Daar, King of Hyrule! If you do not automatically submit to the King's will, it will be known that the Nation of Zora has declared war against the might of Hyrule!" Finishing his dreadful statement, the Hylian rolled up the scroll in conclusion of the news and glanced with anxious eyes—hidden beneath his plated steel helmet—out to the crowd of Zora. The soldier nervously noted that humanoid fish-creatures all wore no clothes and also that there was a boiling anger of resistance bubbling up in the crowd.

"That's preposterous!" countered King Ralis, his slender and youthful frame leaning forward in anger, as his normally gentle eyes glared up at the soldier's makeshift stone podium from the water. "Zora's Domain has been the homeland of our ancestors for millennia! What does King Daar think he's doing?!" The Zora King's outburst was supported by a loud cheer of agreement from the other Zora.

Uneasy sweat—or was it the mist from the massive waterfall behind him?—dribbled down the soldier's neck as he tried to reply, "As I've said, he's placing this territory under his… ahem, jurisdiction!" He shifted uncomfortably in his clanking metal armor. "If you do not automatically submit to the King's will, it will be known that the Nation of Zora has declared war against the might of Hyrule!" he repeated from his speech.

Cries of discontent roared from the crowd as several Zora surged forward to attack the soldiers. Others stayed back and cheered on the swift Zoran warriors who flew onto the rocky shore, drew dual swords, and advanced upon the Hylian soldiers' position. Stunned by the speed and strength of their foes' sudden strike, the Hylians were forced to defend as blue blurs slashed and kicked their way forward.

"Good luck Dad!" cheered a young Zora in the mob, his feet kicking rapidly to keep him on the surface of the waterfall basin. He pointed proudly to the tallest Zoran warrior who fought in the battle and announced to a nearby Zora in the crowd, "That's my dad!"

A Hylian soldier swung his sword forward, as the child's father darted at him with his two swords in the attack position. The guard's sword blocked one sword, but the other dodged his ready shield and slashed him in the chest. He fell quickly and as he did so, a desperate move was made: he swung his sword around wildly, catching the Zoran warrior on one of his swift blue legs. A red cut appeared, but the warrior continued to battle, as did the others.

"ENOUGH!" shouted the leader of the Hylian squad. "This little rebellion must be crushed before it grows out of control!" The captain quickly opened a thick leather bag crafted from a Dodongo's hide and hefted two enormous bombs. "Let it be known that this was the day Hyrule crushed the Zora!" he announced, tossing the lit bombs directly at the continuing battle between Hylian and Zora, with disregard to his own troops.

The following blasts annihilated both sides of the conflict, Hylian and Zora. A collective gasp filled Zora's Domain as the Zora realized that their most powerful warriors had fallen to a bomb blast. The Hylian soldiers remaining rushed in around the Zora to contain them, but the Zora child didn't notice. He simply stared in shock at the dead body of his father.

Temero watched absently at the rushing flow of the stream as he contemplated his thoughts and memories. He half wished that his memory could be like a stream; flowing away to the ocean, never to be seen again, but it could not be so: the memory of his father's death was far too great. He glanced briefly down to the bottom of the waterfall and the massive pool that it flowed into, his thin eyes narrowing in anger as he spotted the sight of his father's demise.

What was up with those Hylians and their king? For the last year, they had terrorized Zora's Domain, demanding payment and taxes and all sorts of crazy things. Everyday, he heard another story: an old Zora being imprisoned for not paying his taxes; another Zora crying over the loss of her beloved child; and several people being killed in the search for the kidnapped King Ralis. What had changed? Temero could still recall the times when Hylians and Zora had a cleaner relationship of diplomacy, which had all but died in the last year of tyrannical rule.

"Hey, you!" said a gruff Hylian voice from behind Temero. "Get outta here you Zora scum!" ordered the hefty soldier. "This ain't your place! The top level is the Hylians'!"

The slim Temero glanced backwards at the guard. "Really? This is where I grew up; I have every right to be here!" he replied in defiance.

"Everyday, the same story! I let you off too quick last time, you see?" grinned the soldier. "But this is your last warning, you scalawag! Take… THAT!" The enormous Hylian brought a foot backward and then swiftly forward, attempting to kick the disobedient Zora off the cliff.

For a split second, Temero grew angry; everyday, these acts were tolerated, by Zora, by Hylian, everyone. When would this tyranny be removed? Then, the young Zora reacted with speed; leaping over the guard's helm, Temero gave the man a quick kick on the back and a blow to the leg with a concealed fin boomerang, which was a popular weapon among Zora in this age. With a surprised scream, the soldier tumbled off the rocky waterfall cliff. Temero tensed, waiting as the man plunged toward the water; a great grin spread across Temero's adolescent face when the noise of the satisfactory splash reached his ears.

Then, Temero realized what he just did. Assaulting a Hylian guard was a serious offense and would be punishable by imprisonment or oftentimes death. Again, his spontaneous and rash actions would cost him a great deal. Instantly, his actions were noticed by the squad of soldiers that constantly patrolled the upper level of Zora's Domain.

"Well, well, well… If it isn't little Temero!" sneered a heavily mustached man. His sneering face was all but obscured by his enormous bush of facial hair, but Temero could slightly make out his glaring eyes beneath his helmet. "This is such a surprise; I knew you were trouble, but now murder?" He raised his eyebrows in mocking shock. He clicked his tongue in a parental scolding manner and motioned to his guards, who moved forward to grab Temero.

To Temero, time appeared to freeze again as he recalled the memory of his father's death at the hand of the evil Hylians. He could just imagine his father gently reminding him, "Don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in!" That memory was enough for Temero to jump swiftly into action mode. Two fin boomerangs—essentially two Zoran knives attached to his arms—flew from his wrists and smacked the two guards behind Mr. Mustache directly in their faces. Stunned, they fell to the ground, while the mustached one gaped in bewilderment at Temero's speed.

Temero leaped at the remaining guard, who quickly recovered from his shock and prepared his spear. Temero slammed into him, knocking them both to the ground. The man tried to reposition his spear for a strike, but his arms were grabbed by the skilled Zora. The guard roared and smacked his head into Temero, loosening his grip. Mr. Mustache quickly rolled over onto Temero and raised his spear for a deathblow! Temero stopped struggling and grinned.

"Oh, you happy to die?" the mustached man snarled.

Temero only smiled and whispered, "Look behind you!"

"I ain't fallin' for that!" the soldier replied. Suddenly, a sharp pain stabbed into his lower back and he groaned. The man fell forward, unconscious.

"You guys always forget about the boomerangs, don't you?" laughed Temero, roughly pushing the guard's body aside and leaping to his feet. There, impaled into the guard's back, lay two sharp blades, which Temero quickly withdrew and attached to his arms again. The soldier had been slain by his two boomerangs, magically created to return to its user—unless something was in the way.

At last, he had time to think about his actions. Temero was still tense, feeling surprisingly angry. Where did that anger come from? The memory of his father dying was still strong in his mind, but did it really control him that much to react with such speed? Ah, the speed; that was surprising too. Temero wasn't a weakling, but he had never known himself to tackle three guards and remain alive. Temero shook these thoughts away and turned to more important matters.

What would he do now? That was a problem, he realized. Four guards assaulted, perhaps one dead. Certainly he would be a fugitive after his actions today, but what did it really matter? The guards were ruthless, the king merciless. It didn't even matter what side of the "law" he was on, especially if that law was unjust. Temero had to think quickly; more guards had probably heard the commotion. He scanned the area, searching for an escape route. There, that tunnel—that one leading to the mountain range of Snowpeak. With no thought to the dangers ahead, Temero sprinted straight into the cold gray tunnel.

"There he is! Seize him, the scoundrel!" roared a guard. "Hurry!" The squad rushed to into the area, their spears twirling around as they tried to pinpoint their quarry. Then, one guard spied a motion in the Snowpeak tunnel and stopped dead in his tracks. Shouting to his teammates, they began to discuss their next actions.

The leader commanded, "After him, you fools!" Not a single movement. "You idiots; you'd disobey a direct order!?" His face contorted in rage.

"Sir, have you not heard the stories? About Snowpeak?" The shorter guard glanced at the tunnel in fear.

"Why? What's so bad about it that no one wants to go in there?!" demanded the captain. "Well? Anyone?" He looked angrily at his underlings expectantly.

"S-Sir? There's this dreadful beast that lives up in the mountains! It feeds on human flesh and-and it crushes your bones with horrid weapons of torture! Then, it sucks your blood dry!" The guard waggled his fingers ominously, only to be smacked in the face by his superior officer.

The leader interrupted, "Does anyone have a more… plausible idea?" He turned to another soldier. "How 'bout you?"

"Sir, as you may know, the Snowpeak region is still controlled by the Zora Resistance. I believe it would be folly to dash right into their land without proper back up."

"Hmph. You are the most pathetic soldiers I have ever seen… I once fought off an entire squad of Goron elites! And you? You are frightened of a little cold and couple fishes. Very well; if you can't handle that, I'll have to call in some reinforcements after all…"

"No need for that, captain," interrupted a smooth and cool voice. "I'm here. You won't need reinforcements, but I brought some anyway." A gloved hand motioned behind the man's lanky body. The group of one hundred soldier behind him cheered loudly and raised enthusiastic hands.

"My lord!" The captain bowed down low to the ground, placing his head at the newcomer's booted feet. "I am honored by your presence!"

""I do not need your empty compliments, captain. Come, we must capture the Zora fugitive." The man strode casually toward the icy tunnel, glancing back at his troops. "Let's go! That's a direct order!" he shouted.

Temero was lost; badly. The white and jagged peaks of Snowpeak loomed all around him. Mazes of gray rock formations created a labyrinth that was near impossible to navigate. Temero scrutinized a nearby doleful boulder. Was this a place he had already passed? Then, he spied a dark scratch across smooth surface of a rock. He sighed; that was the same mark he had placed earlier to track his progress. Not much progress had been made, as far as he could tell.

Storm clouds began to build up overhead, their drab tufts gathering into a black, murky mass. Temero's feet were getting drained of his typical full stores of energy, as he continued to tread upon the icy cold ground. The Zora felt the cold sink deep into his smooth Zora skin, as the freezing winds buffeted his body. His distant memory of the fiery hot anger was feeble compared to the might of Snowpeak's horrid frigidity.

He tried to convince himself that this was the right way to go, how could he know? Temero vaguely remembering discovering information about a certain Zora Resistance who made their homes high up in these mountains, but how did they manage to endure such extreme freezing temperatures? Temero had no proposal for such a thing, so he was forced to hope that they would find him.

There! What was that? A bright blue flag—its surface adorned with an ornate symbol—hung from a high cliff, waving rapidly in the thick mountain wind. Temero watched it for a moment, realizing that its symbol was the crest of the Zora. Encouraged by this sign, the adolescent Zora picked up his pace, searching for another clue. For a time, he was disappointed, for no blue flag could be seen. Lowering his head, he nearly allowed despair to fall upon him, but then—at that very moment—an identical blue flag appeared, draped upon a massive pine tree.

"Who is guiding me?" he asked aloud, not expecting any sort of answer, not even from Nayru, the guardian of the Zora. The snow continued to fall lightly upon the ground of the mountain pass as Temero continued his journey.

Through the bitter night, he walked. Over the rocky ground of Snowpeak. Across the vast snow-blasted plateaus. On and on, Temero walked, the series of blue flags his only guide to the paths of Snowpeak. Around him, the sky constantly changed. Lightning repeatedly traced serrated routes across the sky, illuminated the crooked mountaintops around him. Clouds cleared and the moon rose and fell. Stars twinkled into existence and blinked away as the light of day returned. Still, Temero walked constantly, fatigue threatening to overcome his strength.

It was during this time—while Temero seemed to be in a walking-dreaming state—that he became conscious of something strange that occasionally took place. Whispers twisted lightly about him and distant voices called out inaudible phrases to Temero's muddled consciousness. The voices grew closer and farther, acting as a phantom that constantly pursued Temero.

At this point, the mountains suddenly began to drop, their altitude closing in on that of sea level. The peaks encircling on the sides of him seemed as high as ever, but ahead, there lay a breach leading out of the treacherous mountain pass. Never before had he heard of anything on the other side of the Snowpeak range, but his curiosity and adventurous courage took hold and spurred him on. Temero began to sprint with the last reserves of his energy. His cold Zora feet left imprints on the snow as he ran, on and on.

Before he knew it, the snow had vanished. The peaks were left behind; a distant memory now. Swaying grass appeared beneath his bare feet and a warm tropical breeze lazed slowly through the air. Temero's weary eyes abruptly spied a deadly obstacle in his running path: directly ahead was an almost sheer cliff—and Temero did not know what was over it. Temero's eyes snapped wide open and he pulled himself back just in time, so he would not plunge to his death—or whatever was beneath the cliff. With anxious curiosity, Temero peered over the edge and was stunned—flabbergasted, in fact.

There, spread out before him, was a vast ocean—its blue and crystal clear hue a piece of amazing beauty. Light from the brilliant sun, refracted by the leisurely rolling waves, created a shimmering haze off the shore of the beach. Green islands of the tropical variety tantalized him the horizon, while a long and sandy stretch of beach—littered with sparkling stones and dazzling shells—ran parallel with the sea and with the cliffs. Temero—mouth agape—had never seen anything so amazing in his entire life. After the cold of Snowpeak, such a drastic change was unimaginable to his mind.

"So, you like it?" asked a kindly voice from behind. The newcomer's voice would lead one to believe that Temero was barely older than him. It was very true, which Temero realized once he whirled around to greet the other Zora, who was considerably shorter than Temero, his elegant head barely reaching the bottom of Temero's protruding chin.

"Um, can I help you?" Temero asked, bewildered at the other Zora's arrival.

"No. I can help myself perfectly." The Zora kid placed his hands casually on the back of his head, his eyes glittering with exuberance. His eyes shined almost as much as the beautiful silver crown that was imbued with the symbol of Zora's Sapphire that he wore upon his head—hold on, a crown?

"King Ralis?" Temero squinted at the other in confusion and tried to recognize the other face. "It is you! The people are wondering where you have been!"

"Ah, I thought you'd never notice!" The youthful king raised his head and laughed—a clear and truly happy laugh of the kind before the arrival of the Hylians.

"What are you doing here?! The people need you! The Hylians are—"

"Don't worry, I figured that all out. Over there, on that island," Ralis pointed to an island off the coast, "is the academy where the Zora Resistance meets. We just need to gather our strength and attack the Hylians at that time," he explained with a bright grin. Temero was still stunned by the enthusiasm in Ralis's smile and he smiled slightly too.

"Come," ordered Ralis, "let me show you the academy." He leapt gracefully off the cliff, followed by the more nervous Temero. Both landed on the soft white sand below and ran to the sea. Ralis laughed with joy at the freedom that he could have in a place that the Hylians could not control. Temero laughed too and sprinted faster to beat the king to the edge of the water.

The bobbing water swallowed them both and the two Zora zoomed off to the island. Soon after, they reached the massive island on which the academy was located. The island was shaped like a great circle, for a channel across the island linked a vast lake to the even vaster ocean beyond. Cliffs rose and fell along the island's shores, while groves of tall palm trees swayed in the gentle breeze. In the distance—across the lake—an enormous glittering blue structure loomed: the academy itself; the center of the Zora rebellion. The academy had a thin tower shooting from the center of a rectangular building with two triangular structures adjacent to the needle in the middle.

"Here, look," Ralis said, motioning to the channel linking the two bodies of water. "Down there is a volcano, but it's not active anymore. See?" Temero obeyed and observed the magnificent cone that had formed deep underwater.

"Wow," he muttered. "Was this whole island made from that volcano?" He turned to Ralis.

"Yes… Temero, do you know how I discovered this paradise?" Ralis asked.

"How?" Temero wondered.

"The Hylians had just instigated their invasion of Zora's Domain and only a few Zoran warriors remained to protect me. I had to escape somewhere, correct? To put it simple, we just climbed straight up the mountain of Snowpeak. What else could we do? We followed the Zora's River source, higher and higher… Well, we certainly found it; the source. But, there was another river it fed. We named it Snowpeak River and it lead straight down to this very ocean!"

"Fascinating," interrupted a bored voice. "You are all under arrest!" shouted the captain's voice. He motioned, and a dozen guards surrounded Temero and Ralis, spears shaking nervously to strike at any sudden movement.

Temero's eyes widened when he realized what had happened. "The guards followed me," he murmured slowly.

"That's right, sonny. And we're taking you in on these charges: murder, assault, and active rebellion against King Daar and the Hyrulian crown."

Temero turned to Ralis in rising panic. "What do we do now!?" Suddenly, Temero stared in shock at Ralis's solemn and serious face, a drastic change from his previous carefree nature.

The Zora King then spoke, "Where is the leader of this group? I wish to speak with him."

Instantly, a young man stepped forward, his pointy green hat flopping behind him in the wind. In one hand, a great Hylian Shield he clutched. A Triforce rested alone in the middle of the metal barrier and beneath a giant red bird—a phoenix—blazed across the metal barrier. In his left hand, he held a magnificent and deadly blade—the Master Sword, the Blade of Evil's Bane. A hilt of deep indigo inlaid with a golden jewel was where it was held. Temero looked at the Master Sword with an emotion made up of a combination of fear and fascination.

"Well, if it isn't King Ralis himself," stated Link, his Master Sword resting upon the ground casually.

"The Hero of the Twilight himself," said Ralis. Temero was stunned; this man was Link, the great hero?! "I never imagined you would get caught up in this!" continued Ralis. "You are a hero, defender of the innocent, and here you are, working for the tyrant Daar himself," spat Ralis with such venom the Temero shuddered.

"And you!" countered Link. "You are a traitor, defying the King of Hyrule. As the general of Hyrule, I have no choice but to obey his orders, Ralis."

"Is that so? You do have a choice. Everyone does. And I chose to stand up for what I believe in!" Ralis asserted. Temero's eyes widened, for the words spoken struck a deep chord in his soul. Those were the same words that his father had spoken…

"Very well. You don't wish to surrender, do you? And imagine… I helped save your life all those years ago and now I must be the one to execute you in the name of Hyrule. Irony… isn't it strange?" Link chuckled briefly.

"It is," agreed Ralis. "It is very strange how one such as you—a person who was once the symbol of all that is good in the world—has committed such crimes. I'm surprised that sword has even allowed you to wield it any longer."

"You fool! This sword is the one that will punish you!" roared the hero. He lunged forward with a horizontal slash with the azure blade that refracted such great radiance from the sun. The sword seemed to move in slow motion to decapitate the Zora King, yet Ralis stood there confidently.

Temero looked away in fear, covering his eyes in aversion. He shouted out, "NO! Link, stop!"

The sword closed the distance between the blade and the blue neck that was ready to be sliced. The blade touched his smooth skin and… passed straight through, like a phantasm. Soldiers gasped, the hero sighed in half-defeat, and Ralis told them all, "Do you see that? Do you see how the Blade of Evil's Bane refused to destroy my life? I am acting in good, and so that sword cannot kill me."

Link replied, "I see that. But there is more to this world than the black and white of evil and good. There is the gray in between the two extremes of morality. I must be forced to do this, for reasons beyond good and evil. Kill them both," he ordered.

"How can you say that?!" screamed Temero in rage, remembering his father's death, suddenly. The hero… was he really doing this? How could there be such people in the world?

Ralis looked sadly at Link and cried out to the heavens, "If Link is to ever die, goddesses, do not punish him for whatever crimes he has committed!" Then, the soldiers charged straight forward to the two Zora standing on the edge of the cliff.

Temero, anger overflowing now, dove directly into the crowd of soldiers, his fists pummeling stunned guards and his boomerangs slicing through the air. Time seemed to slow to a crawl and suddenly many things happened simultaneously that would change things forever. A guard swung a sword down quickly in an attempt to behead Temero, only for the attack to be dodged. The soldier was then struck from behind by a boomerang and fell to the ground. Temero saw with his peripheral vision a squad of Zora from the academy ready to fight.

Temero turned to fight another guard, but instead, it was Link, his steely blue eyes burrowing holes into Temero. With a grunt, the Hero of the Twilight kicked Temero hard in the stomach with a heavy boot and Temero flew off the cliff in a single motion. Ralis cried out in horror and tried to grab the other Zora, but things happened much too quick. Temero plunged down into the water and began to swim, but the pain in his now bleeding stomach was extremely excruciating and he doubled over in pain as his body sank to the ocean floor.

Above, the water-distorted rallying cry of King Ralis could be heard as he too joined the fray. Temero watched in horror as red liquid billowed from his stomach out into the cool and relaxing water. He felt the calmness and quiet around him grow larger and larger. It… was comfortable. Temero smiled, feeling the tranquility overtake his body and he nearly gave up to the call of death.

But then, he remembered what had happened in his life as it flashed by. His father's death. The invasion of the Hylians. The betrayal of Link, the Hero of the Twilight. Temero's anger surged violently and radiated tempestuously through the water. The wave of emotion struck the volcano cone deep underwater and triggered something… something big. With his anger came the subsequent physical anger of the natural force of the earth itself. An earthquake rippled through the crust. Lava burst from out fiercely from the volcanic cone and rushed through the water, as Temero's body continued to sink toward the ocean floor.

Flows of red hot material appeared, stretching across the bottom of the ocean. Still inert, Temero struggled to move as he nearly touched the intensely searing substance. Out of consciousness he drifted briefly, dreadfully near the call of death once more. A subtle rumbling began at that moment and a silver structure began to rise from the lava river.

A pyramid appeared, with countless steps constructed of heavily and forged heat-resistant metal on each face. On top, there lay an altar of sorts, with strange inscriptions on it that Temero could not read in his deathly state. His body drifted tediously onto it and suddenly felt a strange power overtaking him, surging throughout him… A mysterious heat made its way deep into his veins and an ethereal voice called out to his dreams, "O Son of Nayru, accept the Gift of Din, Goddess of Power…"