"Open your eyes…"

The words were distant and drummed on the inside of Link's head, echoing around but not really meaning anything. They were just words, floating in an endless abyss of black. He was warm, and could have been floating for all he knew. In fact, he didn't know anything, just those words and the feeling of warmth.

"Open your eyes…"

The words came again, this time entering Link's mind as if from a voice, one he thought he knew. It was soft, gentle, and comfortingly familiar. He tried to think of the last time he'd heard of a voice, the last time he'd done anything. The thought of action and the attempt to form memories seemed to stir something within him. It was that fleeting feeling of slipping out of sleep and back into reality, but it was much more tangible. He felt as though he was coming up for air after having been swimming for a long time. For the first time in a while, he could remember breathing, he could feel the air's weight on his chest and its chill entering his throat. His eyelids fluttered, heavy and awkward, only allowing him a fraction of a second of sight. The harshness of light entering his pupils for the first time in ages blinded him, being the force that made his eyes shut more than their lids' weight.

"Wake up, Link…"

The voice again, though he couldn't remember it. It frustrated him. It was so familiar, and felt so reassuring, like it was a voice he had been waiting to hear for a very long time. So why could he not figure out who it was? The more he tried to think, the more aware of himself he became, and the more he realized he'd forgotten. Where was he? How had he gotten here? Curiosity forced his eyes open again, slowly this time, letting the light in bit by bit. Gradually, the world came into focus.

It was very dark, and still he had no recollection of where he was. He didn't remember falling asleep, in fact he remembered little else than his name, and the familiarity of that voice. Those thoughts were lost to the back of his mind as he took in the pulsating blue lights above him, beating rhythmically and reassuringly. It soothed him, helping his body to loosen and eventually getting him to the point where he could sit up.

He looked from his resting place to see some sort of cavern walls. They were a strange mixture of cave-like and intentionally molded and built upon, with some being slick and marble-like. What was this place? Carefully, he braced his hands against the bed he rested in, itself a strange rock structure filled with that pulsing blue light, forcing himself upright. Link looked back at the bed and took in the strange symbol upon it: it looked like an eye with a single tear drop. That, too, felt familiar, but he could not recall why. He grit his teeth gently. Why couldn't he remember anything?

Twisting his neck from side to side to stretch it, he looked around more. The room was rather barren, aside from another strange structure by a wall. Again motivated by his curiosity, he slung one leg over the side of the bed, then the other. The room felt much cooler once he was out of his nest, though how a carved-out rock could be so warm and comfortable he couldn't figure out. He stretched, hearing his limbs crack and moan as though he hadn't moved in eons. He froze at the thought. Eons. Why had he thought that? He was one for exaggeration sometimes, but that particular thought had struck him a lot more strongly than it should have. What did that mean? How long, exactly, had he been sleeping? And why in such a strange place?

Link's eyes fell back on the other odd structure. Perhaps it held the answers, though he expected to find nothing more than perhaps another strange bed. As he crossed over to the stalagmite, he glanced around to find there was no apparent way to get out of the cavern. How had he even gotten in here, then? He shuddered at the thought, wondering if perhaps during his sleep the way out had collapsed on itself. Would he be stuck here forever? No, he knew he was more resourceful than that. He'd figure out something.

He came to the stalagmite and folded his arms over his chest, realizing for the first time he was in naught but his underwear. No wonder his skin felt clammy; the cavern, outside of his bed, wasn't the warmest place he could remember being (not that that was saying much, since this was currently the only room he could remember). Shaking his chill to the back of his mind, he looked upon the stone and saw something was placed upon it. Through its design, which matched that of the headrest in his bed, the same blue light from everywhere else in the room streamed through in a rhythmic beat. Though it was small, rectangular, and otherwise unimpressive, Link was enticed to touch it, and so reached out to grab it.

"That is a Sheikah Slate."

The voice came so abruptly that he nearly fell over in his attempt to spin around and find the source. However, no matter where he looked, no one was anywhere to be found. He frowned, but turned back to the slate.

"Take it," the voice encouraged. "It will help guide you after your long slumber."

Long slumber? So it had been an unnatural sleep. Perhaps that was why his memory was so hazy. Whoever this voice was in his head, she definitely knew more about things than he did. As it was the only thing he could communicate with – albeit one-sidedly – he decided to trust it, and reached out to pick up the slate.

It was warm in his hand, and seemed to pulse in his palm as if greeting him. A small smile pulled on the corner of his mouth, and he took the strap hanging from it to fasten it over his shoulder and around his hips. It fit comfortably there, and while he was pleased, he was still confused on how to go anywhere but here (wherever here was).

"Hold the Sheikah Slate up to the pedestal. That will show you the way."

Link's brow furrowed. Hadn't he just released the slate from a pedestal? That was when he noticed yet another stalagmite on his right several paces away. He shrugged to himself and decided there was no harm in obeying the voice. If this was a trap, well, at least something would get interesting.

With no hesitation, he freed the Sheikah Slate from his waist and tapped it against the smooth face of the pedestal. Almost immediately, the room began to rumble. Link practically dropped the slate in his attempt to put it back on his hip, ready to jump out of the way of falling rocks if need be. However, rather than anything bad happening, the wall in front of him began to move downward, letting a small sliver of white light to come bursting into the room. It cut into Link's eyes, making him hiss and squint them to mere slits. As his eyes adapted and the rumbling of the room stopped, he found the wall had opened to reveal a passageway.

The passage was filled with ornate pillars and other marble-like structures, similar to the ones in the room Link had just left. There were rocks here and there, all covered in dust and wedged into place as though they had been left undisturbed for quite some time. Again he couldn't help but wonder just how long he'd been in that room, although it was now apparent to him that he hadn't been trapped inside. Rather, it seemed, something else had been kept out.

The light was blocked by a large stone before him, and over its edge, Link could make out the exit to the cave just barely if he stood on his toes. So that was his destination then. His muscles twitched excitedly, ready to exercise for the first time in a while. He was eager to feel the air burn the back of his throat and the wind to pull his hair out of his face. Before he could even think to surmount the wall, however, he noticed something else in the passageway.

If he hadn't been so hyper-aware of all his senses being newly awakened, he might not have noticed the decrepit, old trunk tucked in the corner. It was absolutely covered in dust, but that did not stop him from kneeling beside it and wriggling his fingers in between its lid and body. With a wooden creak it opened, and inside he found a folded piece of cloth. Curious, Link pulled it out and let it fall open, revealing it to be a rather tattered old cream-colored shirt with blue detailing near the collar. It felt familiar to him. Had he put his clothes away here when he'd come to go to sleep? It seemed like an odd place to leave his clothes, so perhaps not. Either way, something was better than nothing, so he slipped the shirt on, ignoring the fact that the sleeves were shredded and loose threads tickled him everywhere.

Now this wasn't bad, but if he could find some pants and shoes he would really be feeling better. He scanned the passageway, sure that whoever had decided to leave him clothes would have left him a full set. Sure enough, on the opposite side of the pathway was another chest. He opened it much like the first, and to his delight found a pair of brown pants and brown shoes. The shoes looked like they had no sole left and the pants were torn all over the place, but again, this was better than nothing. Link tried not to laugh when he pulled on the pants to find they barely reached past he knees, but he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, any kind of shoe would help him get over that rock.

Much more confident now in his abilities than before, and a good deal more comfortable, he again turned to the rock blocking his path. He took a deep break, focusing as much energy as he could to his legs, and jolted forward. With a great leap, he managed to clutch the top edge of the rock and dug his feet into its side. It was much easier to pull himself up than he'd thought it would be, and it seemed that among all the things he'd forgotten, his own strength was one of them.

He straightened himself out, now looking at the exit of the cave just before him. The world waited just outside, and he was eager to get to it. He took a few steps forward, about to break into a run when the voice in his head spoke again.

"Link…" it said, making him stop in his tracks. "You are the light – our light – that must shine upon Hyrule once again."

Hyrule? Was that where he was? He smirked softly. Well, at least now he had a name to put to the place. It sounded quite regal. He could get used to that.

"Now, go…"

The wind picked up, sweeping into the cave and slipping behind Link, pulling him forward. He didn't need to be told twice. Taking a deep breath, his eyes became alight with excitement and he raced forward, ready to see what waited for him outside the cave.