Frigid gales gnaw at the mountaintops, scarring the roads with frost. Untouched by civilisation for many eons, these mountains are neglected by mankind, left to gather snow like dust. Yet, the snaking white path is stained by deep, dark footprints, winding towards the summit.
An unidentifiable shape battles through the blizzard, clutching the cloak which shields its face from the snow. The path ahead is treacherous, curling around the mountainside, weaving between trees laden with thick snow, branches which could break at any moment. Yet, this fearless stranger persists without consideration for the perils which lies ahead.
Imogen tears the lilac cloak away from her face. She emerges from the blanketed forest onto the mountaintop, she wants a clear view of the expanse before her: grey clouds shrouding a mountain range of battered trees and boulders. She brushes her platinum-blonde hair out of her eyes, and gazes beyond the blizzards raging below. She glimpses the distant sunlit peaks of Hyrule: the land from whence she came.
For many months, Imogen had been journeying through the various provincial regions of Hyrule and beyond, in search of answers. She had been dispatched on a mission by her tribe's leader, Sherifu. As she was a relatively new member of the tribe, she was keen to impress him. Little did she know what fate had in store for her.
It began many years ago, shortly after the Hyrulean Civil War. Hyrule enjoyed a short-lived era of prosperity: the Queen gave birth to a beautiful daughter who, through her teachings of the Royal Family's Attendant Impa, would grow up to be the heir to the throne.
Then came the great cataclysm and the rise of the King of Evil, Ganondorf. Impa rescued the Princess from Hyrule Castle and sought sanctuary in a place known as the Hidden Village: a community of Sheikah, a tribe long believed to be extinct. Soon after Impa's arrival with the endangered Princess, a bewildered young boy was discovered in Kakariko Village: this boy was identified as Impa's son. Under the name of Ningan, he was welcomed into the Hidden Village and adopted by his family. They trained him into a fearless and highly-skilled ninja warrior.
While the Sheikah flourished, the kingdom around them fell into ruin and darkness under the Ganondorf's reign. It was not until the Hero of Time awakened from his seven-year slumber that hope arrived. Impa awakened as the Sage of Shadow and fulfilled her duties alongside the six Sages to seal Ganondorf and banish the evil from Hyrule. The Sheikah honoured her legacy with a celebration and the Princess returned to her rightful throne. When it was thought that peace had finally been restored to the kingdom, the tribe's prophet uttered a cryptic verse:
Servants to the King and Queen.
Loyal were three, one was a fiend.
Banished from Court, the Count did flee,
But his lust for vengeance did not cease.
With thirst for blood, he will return.
Although not seen, he will be heard.
The student will have much to learn;
The sacred power he must earn.
Brother and sister shed their blood;
Reuniting mother with son.
When winter settles on the Peak,
The graduate must face the Beast.
Her prophecy spoke of two men. The Count was named as Count Caedis: once a disciple of the old King Hyrule, who was banished from the Hyrule court after committing an unforgivable act of betrayal. The tribe's elders determined the student's identity as Impa's son. As young ninja warrior in training, he was far from capable of challenging any threat that might arise. Thus, Sherifu covertly assigned him on an exodus to hone his skills and mature his mind.
During his absence, the remaining Sheikah conducted relentless research on the whereabouts of the Count. Since all records of their existence had perished in the fire during Ganondorf's invasion of Hyrule Castle, leads were sparse. Henceforth, the Princess and the Sheikah leader colluded in formulating an outlandish plan to dispatch one of their best agents back to the era of the Hyrule King using the Ocarina of Time. Imogen was selected for the mission and bravely ventured into the unknown in search of answers. Against all odds, she succeeded.
So, there she stands, on the summit of the forsaken mountain at the very edge of the world; aptly christened 'Snake Peak'. She has braved the blizzards and triumphed the treacherous slope. Now, Imogen's gaze turns to the gulf of fog, which conceals Snake Peak's darkest secret. This is her destination.