Prologue
Many things happened all at once. The enormous double wooden doors leading into the throne room of King Link and Queen Zelda was blasted open by powerful magic. Several guards withered into nothing on the spot, their armor hitting the stone floor with a disturbing empty clanging sound. Link was already on his feet, his shield and sword both drawn and ready to face whatever threat was coming.
A man strode into the long room. He was wearing a long gray cloak with a hood shrouding his face. A long metallic staff with a golden clock like design at the top was clutched in his right hand. Underneath the cloak he appeared to be wearing a matching gray tunic. "So it is true. The Hero yet lives," said the stranger quietly.
"I don't know who you are sorcerer, but you have two options. Leave this castle in peace, or I will be forced to cut you down," warned the green clad King. His adversary cackled like a madman, throwing his head back. "You think your Master Sword will save you from me?" he laughed. Link gripped his weapon tight and rushed the lunatic, blade glowing with the power of it's magic. The sorcerer waved his staff and the Hero froze. He was maneuvered through the air until he was twenty feet over the sword of a decorative statue. The gray clad magician let him drop, and Link plummeted towards certain death. As he fell, Link used all of his might to pull his shield into the path of the statue, succeeding just in time. The impact split his shield and shattered his right forearm, but he was alive.
Link stood on shaky legs, and he noticed that something was horribly wrong. It was much harder to breath than it had been thirty seconds ago at the start of this fight. His eyesight was blurry at best and his joints ached. He looked at his hand to find it was thin and wrinkled. Finally Link realized what he was fighting, and it terrified him more than Ganon ever had. His enemy was a Master Chronomancer.