ENTER ETREYL It had been six months since the ceremony, but Link hadn't done much but accept awards and help train academy students since it happened. But that was today to change. As Link was flying with Zelda above the cloud barrier, a giant black hole appeared on the cloud barrier. "Link! What is that thing?" Link didn't respond, but instead tried to fly away. "I don't know, but I don't think it is trying to pull us in!" All of the sudden, the black hole pulled them in and left Link's Crimson Loftwing alone in the skies, as if responding to his statement. As Link and Zelda plummeted into the black hole, the clouds parted, and they fell right through, avoiding it. "Grab on!" Zelda grabbed on to Link as he released the Sail Cloth and floated down safely. As they landed, Link felt a strange force tugging him into the ground. "LINK!" Zelda cried, only to be grasped up by a weird rock on the ground, fastening her to the floor. In seconds, the stone had surrounded her, and she had been completely petrified. "Zelda! I'll-" Link was cut off when the stone wrapped around him too, encasing him- no, turning him to stone. Link and Zelda had been petrified, but who would save them? There is only one boy in the world who could save them, and he just so happens to live near them; in the Forgotten Woods. * * * Etreyl awoke to the sound of voices, but no one was talking to him. He figured it had been a bad dream, but it was more like a bad reality. He walked out of his house and grabbed his sword. "Something's not right, I'm going to visit the sealed grounds," He looked at his father, who simply nodded and looked down to his stew. As Etreyl was getting his adventure pack ready, a girl walked up to him. She looked almost exactly like Zelda, but she had red hair. "I want to come with you!" Etreyl finished packing his sword and an odd yellow potion. "I guess it couldn't hurt. After all, you have been training lately! Who says a six year old can't adventure to?" "I do!" It was their father, who appeared to have finished his stew. He was a hefty man with a garment similar to a peasant, but more worn. He had long and muscled arms, and dark gray hair. "I will not allow you to go!" Raylyn gave him a begging look, but he simply went on talking: "He is 14! I already told you that you can once you turn seven, but even that's too young!" He went to mumble more, but Raylyn stopped him. "But that's the thing, it's my birthday!" Her father's face lit up with surprise, and then regret. He led them into the living room and went away. After five minutes, he came back with a satchel of assorted items and a fresh batch of bread. "Here's the bread, baked specially for today! Uhh… Sorry about forgetting…" Ignoring his apology, Raylyn took a huge bite of the bread and smiled. She liked it. "Your present that I have for you isn't much… Since I forgot… But y-you can have this extra sword that I had in the basement… Uh…" She grabbed the sword out of his hand, took it out of the scabbard, and chopped the bread into eighths in less than a second. Her father was astonished. "All that practice on my toy sword payed off! Let's go on our adventure!" It was noon now, and the two siblings had already set off for the sealed grounds. In fact, they were almost there. When they arrived, Etreyl ran ahead and found the petrified Link and Zelda. He was stunned. "I remember these two… Yes, my dream! The ones with the pointed ears! They need our help!" Raylyn, looking puzzled, wondered why their ears were special. "What do you mean? All Hylians have pointed ears!" Etreyl nodded, then patted Link's scabbard. It felt heavy beneath his hand. He wondered what sword would produce such energy. Etreyl pulled out his sword and turned around, startled, "Alright Raylyn, stay behind me!" She ran to his back, and with a puzzled look, peeked from behind his arm. She saw a black beast with sharp claws and a cracked forehead with spiky black hair. She ducked further behind her older brother. "I AM NOT HERE TO HURT YOU, BUT YOU MUST NOT STAY IN THIS AREA" The creature disappeared, but Etreyl and Raylyn were still startled from the encounter. Who was this strange being? Suddenly, as if in answer to their puzzled expressions, a man appeared. "Take this, It is a mask that will give you the power to become invisible to the Forsaken, those black beasts you just met." Etreyl grabbed a mask and put it on Raylyn's face, and then on his. The man giving out the masks did not put one on. "Do not worry, I don't need one. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Aleht, but you can call me… THE HAPPY MASK SALESMEN."