The three girls stood around a small table. Each of them stared intently at an object on the table: a ball, made of crystal. It rested in the center of the table. The table had a blanket covering it, made of green, red, and blue fabric – quite possibly silk. The ball itself appeared to have an image of the blond boy, asleep. He seemed to be having a nightmare, as he was sweating horribly, and his countenance showed extreme physical pain, although he seemed fine.

"I'm showing him memories of the Hero and his descendants," Nayru stated, her voice now implying her age despite her young body. "Especially the...intense moments." The blue-haired girl looked the sister on her left: Din. "Have you prepared his test?"

Din nodded and replied, "Yes. I have...it was easy, to be truthful; replicating Ganon wasn't hard at all!" The redhead grinned, and glanced to Farore, who seemed to be ignoring them. "You all set to lead him to the Sword?"

Farore narrowed her eyes at the request. "I will lead him to the Sword," she stated, "but I will require both of you to force him to remove it from its slumber." The girl looked up from the ball, at each of her sisters. Her green eyes seemed to glow in the dark light. "Nayru, awaken him."

"As you wish," Nayru replied, pointing to the ball. A white light shot from her fingertip into the crystal, and seemingly shattered it from the inside. Each of the girls whispered something in an ancient tongue, and the crystal ball exploded, its contents scattering throughout the room in the form of a dust-like substance.

Link opened his eyes extremely quickly, and stood up. He raised his hand to his mouth to stifle a yawn as he surveyed the area. It was dark out; but he hadn't been asleep for more than an hour...right? His mom was supposed to wake him up...The teen glanced at the clock: 10:50. "Overslept..." he mumbled, stretching his arms to each side. Link stood now, and looked out the window. The moon was full, and stars were plentiful. Before he looked away, he noticed a green light; when he checked back, it wasn't there, so he pegged it as his imagination. Link made his way into the kitchen. After opening the refrigerator, he analyzed the contents. He sighed as he closed the door, and went for a nearby cabinet. "Guess I'm havin' tap water," he said, grabbing a glass and heading for the sink. Upon turning on the faucet, an eerie voice rang through his ears: "Help me..."

"What?" the teen asked, taking the time to glance around the dark room. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary...so why did he hear someone asking for help? "Help me!" the voice returned, this time, louder. Link began to doubt that he was hearing things, now. Was he actually going insane? He waited for a few moments, just to make sure that it wouldn't sound again. Much to his favor, the voice did not sound again, and Link began to pour his glass of water. After wolfing down half of it, he nearly spat it out upon hearing the voice again: "Link! Help me!" The aforementioned boy looked outside his window again to see that green light that he'd seen earlier. It seemed to be headed into the city... but why? "Am I supposed to follow it?" he asked the silence. After no answer, Link shrugged and put the glass down. Might as well see what it is...

As Link made it outside, the ball of light had returned to its position. It took the form of a girl – Farore – and made its way in a random direction. The boy sighed and chased after it, cursing himself for leaving the safety of his home. As he ran, he noticed that some things weren't exactly normal. There seemed to be a lot less people than usual on the streets, and, as he made his way through Times Square, he could have sworn he saw a giant lizard. However, Link ignored it and focused his attention on the glowing girl – obviously, nobody could miss a girl glowing in New York, even with all of the insanity in the city.

Eventually, Farore began to slow when they reached a corner that Link hadn't been to. All of a sudden, images began to flash into the boy's mind. A large, old cathedral...a busy town surrounding it...a sword in the cathedral, embedded in a stone. Link stumbled, and caught hold of a nearby wall to hold himself up. He put his hand on his forehead, which was already drenched in sweat. The images...they meant something. They seemed familiar to him. He looked up, and noticed a church similar in appearance to the one that he'd seen in his...flashback?... of sorts. Farore stood just outside, waving gently to him. She then walked, slowly, into the church.

Link, like the idiot he believed himself to be, followed her in. He glanced back...only too see a giant lizard. Holding a sword...and it was running toward him...and quickly. Almost immediately, he dashed inside, nearly tripping over an old flagpole on the floor. Link followed a faint glow, and found himself in the basement of the church.

The church was abandoned, from what Link could have seen from the interior. The pews were either overturned or broken in places; the image at the back of the church was scratched out completely. There was a faint stench of mold, but it wasn't exactly too noticeable. It'd been that way for years, since the owners could barely afford to pay, and nobody visited. The church in question believed in Hylia, the supposed goddess that created another world called Hyrule. Personally, Link was sheltered from these kinds of people – his parents believed that they were spouting lies, so, as a kid, Link was forced to stay away from him. Nonetheless, he had to enter it, now...that girl called for his help.

Almost as soon as Link hit the bottom step, he nearly had a coronary. There, at the edge of the room, sat Farore, next to a sword, laid in stone – the Master Sword. The one from his vision. It was real. The boy's eyes widened, as he glanced between the girl and the sword. "That's..." he began.

"The blade of evil's bane," Farore finished, her eyes fixed on Link. She seemed to have a calm smile on her face, as if she knew his reaction from the beginning. "Yes, Link. Hyrule is real. The goddesses are real. The Master Sword is real. The visions are real. This church? It was built here so that when we found the descendant of the Hero...we would lead him here." As she finished, Link had begun to approach her, as if entranced. After a few moments of silence, Farore continued. "Of course, you would have all sorts of questions about why you're here, and why you've been chosen...take a seat." She motioned toward a chair not too far from where she was sitting. "Don't worry about the Lizalfos, right now, dear...it's preoccupied."

As Link took a seat, Farore began to explain things. She told him about the Hero of Time, and what he'd done in the beginning of Hyrule until the fall. She explained the great Hyrulean Flood, and the monster known as Ganon. She explained the Triforce. She explained how Din, Nayru, and herself, were chosen by the goddess Hylia to watch over the world, and how they'd flooded it to prevent Ganon from escaping Hyrule. Farore even explained that, over time, people had forgotten the legend of Hyrule and the Hero of Time. Link had remained silent during the whole speech, nodding and asking questions about each detail. Farore obliged, and explained each of the points into further detail. By the end, Link had a small understanding of his supposed heritage. However, there was but one question the boy had left to ask: "Why did you choose me?"

With a sigh, Farore laid a hand on the boy's lap and said, "I chose you because you're brave. You're headstrong. You're also smart and resourceful. Remember when you were but a year old, and you got out of your crib to get a toy that'd landed on the floor? Nobody helped you. You got it yourself." She smiled at the memory, as if it amused her. "And remember when you were seven, and you got into a fight with your school's bully? You didn't even need to directly hit him to knock him out, Link. When you were nine, you were running around in a forest, and you came across a wild dog. Even though it was rabid...and you were scared, you didn't back down. And...when you were twelve, you stood up to your father for the first time, and even hit him with a frying pan. You're courageous...strong...and wise. I know that you can save the world."

"But I'm just a kid," Link argued, glancing at the sword, which shone purple, even though there was but a single light illuminating the room. "I don't know how to use a sword. I don't even know what I have to do."

"You'd be surprised," Farore mumbled. She leaned back in her seat, and motioned toward the sword. "Pick it up. The magic holding that Lizalfos back isn't going to hold much longer, anyway."

"But you said it was preoccupied!" Link growled, daring a glance at the entrance.

"Yes, but did I say for how long?" Farore retorted, an uncaring expression plastered across her features. "If I were you, Link, I'd take the sword..." The goddess' voice seemed to trail off. As the boy looked back, she began to fade away.

"Wait! Farore!" Link began, jumping toward her in an attempt to grab her arm. But he was too late. Farore was gone. And he was alone...well, not completely alone – he began to hear heavy footfalls coming down the stairs. He quickly eyed the purple blade. As he approached, Link felt a sense of warmth, despite the cool night...as if every stress in the world were just washed away. "Should I...?" he asked the silence, hands twitching.

Even though he had a small idea of what would happen afterward, Link wanted to grab the blade. But at the same time, obviously, he didn't. He'd have to go on adventures? And possibly die...there was always that possibility. But...it would make for one hell of a story, right? After all, he'd been in a gigantic rut for the last three years. Maybe an adventure would be a change from the monotony-

Link's thoughts were interrupted by a crash from behind. He looked back, to see the – Lizalfos? – reaching the bottom step, its bladed tail slashing at the walls. "Damn it," the boy mumbled, as he took the sword with both hands. Link pulled upward, with all of his strength. At first, the blade made no signs of budging. Then, inch by inch, it began to tear itself from the stone. Suddenly, Link lifted the sword completely, and turned to combat the giant lizard, who was only several feet from the boy. "You want some?" he asked the lizard, beginning to swing the sword. It was light...almost unnaturally light. Link took note of this, and dashed toward the Lizalfos, sword tightly gripped.

The Lizalfos was extremely fast for its size, and quickly took advantage of this. Almost immediately, it slashed at Link, but he managed to parry the blow with the hilt of the Master Sword. Link retaliated with a simple horizontal slash, but it was easily deflected. The Lizalfos replied with a thrust, in which Link pulled off a swift back-flip. His eyes widened at this, but he figured a better time to worry would be later. But Link had pondered too long. He felt a severe, burning pain stemming from the back of his left hand. He took another few steps back, and looked to his hand only to see blood trickling down the length of his fingers. Blood also poured from the wound, which made Link a bit panicky. "I need to end this soon," he whispered, and placed his focus back onto the battle at hand. Link attempted a stab. It missed, and the Lizalfos responded with a slap from the broad side of its blade. The boy attempted a vertical slash. He was kicked in the stomach after the blow was deflected. Once the teen picked himself up, he began to feel extremely weary. His vision was blurry, and it became extremely hard to see. The last thing he remembered, before blacking out, was a blinding light, and the sound of his screaming.

"Ack!" Link shouted, as he sat up. He expected to be in the basement of an old church, with a crazy-looking giant lizard, standing over him. He expected to be cut down by the aforementioned lizard, and see whatever imagery he used to describe Hell as a child. But he wasn't. Link sat, on his bed, inside his own room. Everything...it felt like a dream. Waking up in the middle of the night, running to the old church...fighting that monster...getting that sword... The sword!

The boy quickly looked around the interior of his room from the comfort of his bed. No sign of anything out of the ordinary...posters littering his walls, minimal trash on the floor...It wasn't until Link left his bed that he knew something was wrong. He felt something brush against his leg. Glancing down, he noticed a sword, hilt purple, in a violet sheath emblazoned with a triad. As he noticed this, however, the boy also saw his hand...a scar ran across the middle of the back of his left hand. It wasn't bandaged, nor was there a trace of blood. Link, in all honesty, felt horrified. What happened before he passed out...it was real. Everything that Farore that told him...it was true. The thought of an old world...filled with magical creatures, and such wondrous beauty. And then it was ripped away by a greedy and powerful figure. The stories that Farore had told him didn't really register to the boy until now. He began to recall each story she'd explained to him, now, as if he'd been there. Slaying a dragon in a burning volcano...fighting a horde of zombies...saving his home. Suddenly, a pain in his hand caused him to be released from his trance. The scar on his left hand burned, and Link brought it up into view so that he could examine it, but nothing seemed wrong. It was just a scar. No throbbing in his skin, no redness...nothing. How long had he been out?

Again, Link's thoughts were interrupted. But instead of pain, he heard his mother coming into his room. Quickly, he shoved the sheathed blade under his bed and hid his hand from view just as his parent entered.

"Sorry for not waking you up, honey, your dad came home and told me to go to bed," said his mother, almost too quickly for him to even decipher. The woman sighed and said, "It's a bit early, but I want you to get ready for school."

With a smile and a nod, Link said, "All right, Mom. And I don't mind...I didn't want to wake up." And his day had begun.

Getting dressed and leaving his home was a blur for Link. It seemed to go by almost instantaneously. One second, he was putting his shirt on, and the next, he was out on the street, munching on a piece of toast. It was cloudy, as well as rainy out, but it felt good, for once. The boy wore a smile on his face as he attempted to forget the memories of the previous night. But it still haunted him...he had so many questions for the three girls. Even though their answers would probably be cryptic and confusing to him, he still wanted to ask them.

To be honest, Link did not want to accept this whole "saving the world" duty. He hoped that the whole thing was a prank, and that he was supposed to go with it. But...even then, everything still wouldn't make sense if it was simply a joke. Why would someone deliberately cut him with a blade? Maybe it was a slip-up. Maybe it was just to toy with him. Either way, Link didn't want to have to save the world, nor did he want to be part of this sick joke any longer.

"Ink...Earth to Link..." said a voice. Link's eyes widened to find that he'd already made his way to school. The boy also found that he'd somehow stopped walking. Suddenly, he found Mido and Zelda – his best friends – standing in front of him, Mido waving a hand in his face. Zelda was merely standing off to the side, examining him. "Hey, buddy! You in there?" Mido called, slapping him lightly on the cheeks. "Oh, no...Aliens got his brain!"

"Calm down, Mido," said Zelda, with a giggle. "He's probably just zoned out. I don't think he got much sleep, last night." The girl turned and waved to a group of boys that had called her name.

However, calming down was the last thing that Mido wanted to do. He grinned at Zelda, and then at Link. "Maybe those aliens activated some sorta code phrase to make him act normally." The short boy tapped his chin in thought, and then began to mutter to himself. After about a minute, Mido began to say things like, "Jumba juice," "Kilroy," "Silly Sam Sells Shoes to Simian Sailors on Sundays." But Link remained silent, and unmoving.

"I got it!" said Mido with a snap of his fingers. "Valoo!"

Link sprang to life, at that moment. He began to move his arms in a robotic manner, saying, "Experiment Seven-Eight-Three activated." With fearful eyes, Mido yelled as Link started toward him. "Exterminate! Exterminate!" It wasn't until Link began to laugh that Mido caught that the boy was joking around.

"That was a dick move, man," the boy growled, folding his arms across his chest, face red. He pushed the scarlet hair of his eyes and then looked to the sky. "The rain feels good. It's light...almost like a mist."

"Almost like it's washing away our worries," Link whispered, closing his eyes. He let out a soft, relieved sigh before he noticed that both Zelda and Mido were staring at him as if he were insane. "Heh...sorry..." he said, and walked into the building.

Most of the day went by smoothly, except for one fact – Link did not see a sign of Farore, Din, or even Nayru. It seemed like nobody even knew they existed. He'd asked everyone, even his teacher, if they'd seen any of the three: they told him that they'd never even heard of a Nayru, Farore, or Din. Did those three use magic to mess with minds? Yesterday, they'd just entered his class, and today, nobody had ever heard of them. It frustrated him...but he assumed that they were simply messengers...and that Link had to do it – "it" meaning "figure out what to do to save the world" – himself.

A surprise came to him when he arrived home, that evening. An envelope sat on the coffee table next to a small pile of the day's mail. Link took a glance at his mother, and at his father. "Is that for me?" he asked, pointing at the envelope. His father nodded, although it seemed half-heartedly. With a bit of trepidation, Link grabbed the envelope and examined it. There was no return address. The only thing on the folded paper was "LINK" in a sort of scripted writing. As he pushed down the feeling that something bad was going to happen, Link pried open the envelope. Inside sat a letter, and a slip of paper.

Link sat on his bed and glared at the pieces of paper sitting before him. One of them was a letter, addressed from Farore. The other was a plane ticket, with a date on it – three days from today. Link had spent about an hour rereading the letter, and staring at the ticket...but it angered hm, somewhat. With a groan, Link grasped the letter in hand once more and read softly:

Link

Your first objective is to travel to the Amazon Rainforest on the content of South America. Your first source of help is in the heart of the rainforest. You have a sword, and a shield will be crafted for you. It will be given upon your arrival in South America, along with a few words of advice from me. I trust that you will make the right decision in attending this flight. The entire world is counting on you.

Farore

"If I go... I die. If I stay... I die." Link grunted, crumbling the letter up and tossing it on the side of his bed. He saw the balled-up piece of paper hit his desk and roll under the bed. The boy then took the ticket and examined it once more before placing it on his bedside table, under his alarm clock. "I don't think I can do this," he said to himself. While he readied himself for bed, Link thrust the thoughts of death and leaving out of his mind for now. He'd talk to Zelda and Mido about it tomorrow... maybe they'd give him some insight. Or maybe they'll think he's crazy. The last thing that Link saw before drifting into a dreamless slumber was the face of the Lizalfos that he'd battled the night prior, laughing and taunting him.