Link wondered if he should wait for the fire to exhaust itself or try to find a way around it to get to the temple. He scoured the area for an alternate path, seeing that this particular cliff extended itself past the fire's reach and a little bit closer to the temple. That was at least a start. Wiping his brow, he trotted down the hill, still too pumped up on adrenaline from his battle to walk at a reasonable pace.

Why had that been so exhilarating? For all intents and purposes, it should have been terrifying and something he hadn't at the very least mildly enjoyed. He could've easily been killed by that Bokoblin. And yet, it felt so comfortable to hold a weapon in one hand and a shield in the other, to take turns parrying blows with something. And not just something, but something also familiar. How had he been able to predict its attacks so effortlessly, like he'd done it before? He thought long and hard, trying to remember a time from before waking up in that strange cavern, but came up with nothing. Although he very well knew his own name and how to walk and cook and fight, he couldn't think of what he'd been doing before he woke up, or more importantly, before he'd fallen asleep.

Maybe the Temple of Time would give him some answers, he reasoned with himself. After all, the old man had said all stories began and ended there. It did make him question, however, whether this was his beginning or ending. How much had happened before he'd fallen asleep? Was this just the tail-end of his story that he was remembering and experiencing? How much came before it, if any?

The thought made him uncomfortable, and so he shook it from his mind as he reached the cliff's edge. Instead, he took to looking out from this point and seeing that a large lake was below him. The fire was still raging to his left, though it seemed to have lost steam. Still, he wasn't fond of venturing to that grassy area again, for fear of running into more monsters. He was tired, despite the thrill battling gave him, and he wasn't sure if he could handle a horde of them should he be particularly unlucky. They didn't seem to be the kind of creatures to travel solo, making him less eager to test his luck.

To his right were more jagged mountains of varying heights. If he did decide to go that way, he would have to climb a majority of the time, and he wasn't sure he was up to that either. He wiped his brow again, considering his options. Well, he was hot, and taking a dip in the water didn't sound too terrible. He considered its depth and temperature and decided it was definitely deep enough for him to jump in from this height, and he figured if it was cold it would encourage him to move forward more quickly.

Sitting down, Link pulled off his shoes and tied them together, then stripped off his shirt and rolled it up to fit in his satchel. Hanging his shoes around his neck, he stood and pulled off his pants as well and secured them in his pouch, hoping they wouldn't get too drenched. He wrapped his shirt inside the pants just in case. If he had to pick, he'd rather one set of clothes get drenched than both, and the pants were a little hardier.

Pulling his shoe laces tight to the back of his neck, he shuffled to the very tip of the cliff and looked down. Closing his eyes, he jumped off the ledge, falling feet-first into the water. It quickly rushed over his body, its chill raising the hair on his arms and legs immediately. He sunk for a moment, then opened an eye to see how foggy the water was. To his surprise, it was quite clear, and he could even make out the bottom of the lake several yards below him. He wondered if it still qualified as a lake if it was so deep.

Link turned his gaze upward to see the surface of the water wasn't too far from him. Releasing the shoes that were still anchored securely around his neck, he swam upwards. The feeling of water moving through his fingers and toes was relaxing, and he appreciated the way it seemed to lift the dirt and sweat from his skin. His hair floated beside him, the tip of his ponytail tickling the nape of his neck but not getting tangled in the shoes' laces. He felt so weightless and carefree in the water, and couldn't help but be reminded of the feeling he'd had inside that strange bed in the cavern he'd woken from.

His head broke the surface of the water and air filled his lungs, making the back of his throat go raw. The sun sparkled on the glassy lake and felt soothing on his face, making a grin pull on the corners of his mouth. He treaded water there for a moment, taking in the feeling and again observing his surroundings. Everything looked so big from down here. The mountain he'd jumped from was much higher than he'd though while up there, and even further back he could see the edge he'd first stood on when he'd come out from the cavern. Somewhere up there was the old man, and Link wondered if he would laugh at him for jumping in the water like a child. He chuckled to himself, then set his sights forward again.

Just up a small hill stood the temple, its shadows casting darkness over the grass. It appeared much more broken up close, with huge chunks of wall on the ground. What was inside was still hidden from him, and so he swam forward, coming up on the bank and sitting there a moment to dry before putting his clothes back on and heading up.

Out of curiosity, Link looked over his shoulder back at the forest he'd come from to see thin clouds of smoke drifting far away. That was the remnant of his fire, he thought with relief. At least it hadn't done too much damage. He turned forward and nearly tripped when he saw a giant, spiderlike creature sprawled out before him.

The sight of the thing nearly gave him a heart attack. It didn't seem natural, what with its intricate detailing and lack of anything Link could call alive. However, it had six very long legs spread out in every direction. It towered over him, at least two or three times his size, and he could have easily wrapped five of his own bodies around its fatter bottom half. It took him a moment to realize that, whatever it was, seemed to be stone, with grass overgrown on it. It looked as though it had been there a very long time and was turning to nature itself.

The most unsettling part, however, was the crystal atop its smaller section. It resembled an eye, and it was frozen in place, staring right at him. He made the mistake of looking at it too long, to the point where he felt that it was following his every step. Whatever it was, though it was unmoving now, gave him the feeling that it had once been very much alive, if not sentient. His curiosity tortured him to no end, forcing him to slowly approach the creature, if he could even call it that. His hand extended without his conscious effort, fingertips just hovering over its rocklike body.

Snap.

Link's hand retracted so quickly it was as if it had disappeared and reappeared at his side. His eyes cut to slits as he turned his head in the direction of the sound, which had come from the temple. It wasn't too far away now, perhaps a couple yards, close enough that he could hear something moving inside it. As cautiously and quietly as he had before with the Bokoblins, he walked forward, making barely a sound as he raised his hand to rest it on the hilt of his sword.

Link entered the Temple of Time, walking through where a wall should have been but existed no longer. There were many windows and few holes in the walls as well, letting in plenty of sunlight, but the shadows inside the temple made it hard to see anything distinguishable. He stood still for a moment, listening hard for another sound from whatever he'd thought he'd heard inside. All was still, and there was no sign of anyone having been inside in years.

He relaxed, now sure whatever he'd heard was simply part of the building falling off and hitting the ground. There sure was enough debris to make a case for that, at any rate. Now calm, he released his hold on his sword and stepped further into the temple. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the lack of light when they finally focused on something interesting. To his left was a statue of some nature, humanlike in appearance, but appearing far more grandiose. It seemed like a female, whose sweet smile reached her eyes. The look she gave him made Link's breath catch, and his brow furrowed softly. Who was this woman?

"Who's there?"

The voice rang out and echoed off the stone walls of the temple, setting Link's nerves on edge once more. Perhaps he should've trusted his initial instincts after all. However, it occurred to him the voice wasn't coming from the statue, rather somewhere else in the temple. Choosing to trust his instincts this time, he ducked down behind some rubble and inched closer to the statue to hide behind it.

"You can't hide forever. Reveal yourself now!"

The voice was strong and hard to distinguish as male or female. It was low, but he couldn't describe it as a man with any certainty. Either way, it was demanding and harsh, and following its commands didn't seem to be advantageous. He stayed low to the ground, now fully behind the temple where he could press his back up against it and peek around its side to try and find the speaker. He stayed quiet, hoping his silence would force the other to continue talking. He was correct.

"Do you really think you can hide from me? My people have been guarding this temple since it was created," the voice rang out, seeming to be holding a smirk of confidence in its tone. "I know this place like the back of my hand and saw you come in. I know you're near the statue of Goddess Hylia. So come out before I make you."

Goddess… Hylia? Link couldn't help but gasp at the name. It seemed familiar, too, but still didn't seem to be the name he was looking for. It caught him off-guard all the same, and so when a figure appeared seemingly out of nowhere beside him, he had no time to react as it pulled him out from behind the statue and pinned it against its front, plastering him in the light.

The figure that held him in place was thin, tall, and strong. Its face was shrouded in the shadows of the cloak it wore, a hood concealing most of its features. From what little he could tell, their skin was dark, but the only part that was visible were the fingers that were screwed up in his shirt as he was restrained. The clothes the figure wore were strange: dark blue, and decorated with gold detailing. Again, most of it was hidden in their black cloak. It, too, was interesting, with white and red symbols scattered across it, none of which made any sense to him.

"Caught you, little rat," the figure growled, voice still low and indiscernible. "Now, what are you doing in the Temple of Time?"

To be fair, he could ask them that same question.

The figure's grip tightened on him, pressing his chest hard and restricting his breath.

"I don't think you're in the position to be asking any questions, intruder," they hissed. "Now I'll ask you again, why are you here?"

He stayed quiet.

"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I'll skip to the part where I tell you to leave and never come back. Understand?"

He didn't understand. Why should he be taking orders from this person that wouldn't even show him their face?

The figure seemed exasperated to the point where they weren't thinking clearly. They loosened their grip on him, supposedly to slam him into the statue again, but he took advantage of the momentary release. He followed their momentum forward, snapping his free hand to their wrist and pulling their hand away from him. He followed suit with the other arm and gave the figure a shove to push them away. Surprised, the figure staggered backwards but was fast. They lunged forward, catching his bicep and twisting him so that his back was to them. With great force and a knee to the small of his back, the figure pulled him to the ground, pinning him in the dirt and giving him a mouthful of grass.

Link sputtered and struggled, but the stranger's hold was too strong. Eventually he gave up and laid there, dormant, but the figure's pressure didn't lessen.

"Not bad, intruder, but you're no match for a Sheikah," they snarled. Link's brows raised as he spit out some grass and tried not to inhale it. Sheikah!? He started to speak but the stranger took their free hand and used it to push his face back into the ground. He grunted and tried to get some words out of his mouth, but it sounded like nothing more than a struggle.

"I don't know what your intentions are, but you will not come to this sacred place and defile it!" the figure exclaimed, pressing Link's head down harder. Their fingers wrapped into his hair, giving them leverage over the position of his head and they made him turn his head to the side. He gasped for air, still trying to push himself off the ground, but the stranger wasn't giving him any chances to escape. "Who are you?"

He tried to say his name, but coughed instead.

"The longer you play games with me, the harder it's going to get to breathe, do you understand that?" the figure spat.

Not that that made him want to give them any answers.

Link. His name was Link.

The figure's grip loosened again, only to be reapplied with more force. Link grit his teeth to keep from giving them the satisfaction of a pained grunt.

"I said no more games!" they shouted. "Who are you really?!"

He'd told them! His name was Link!

The stranger made the same mistake again, releasing pressure to prepare to apply more. This time, however, Link wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice. As soon as he felt them start to pull back, he dug his knees and hands into the ground and pushed himself up with all his might.

The force knocked the stranger off his back and sent them tumbling backwards, and he got to his feet and pulled his sword before the other had the chance to straighten up. They got up as quickly as they could, but in the effort, their hood fell from their head.

The figure was, in fact, a woman, though her expression was so severe and hostile it was hard to think of her as anything near feminine. She wore face paint, somewhat obscuring her appearance, but it seemed more ceremonial. Her hair was a pale blonde, pulled straight back and into a tight braid that disappeared into her cloak. Her ears were long like his own, but her features were much sharper and more pointed than his, and she had a look of someone who had fought many battles and seen many things.

Her red eyes narrowed as they fell upon his sword, then glanced up to match his.

"You would dare to pull a sword in this sacred place?" she growled, fists clenching tightly at her sides. "Hmph! And you think to call yourself that name! Being an intruder is one thing, but to forsake the gods like this is beyond dishonorable!"

Link wasn't sure if the woman had any weapons on her, but he was pretty sure she wasn't going to draw them on him in here. Still, if she was so bent on keeping this place safe, there had to be something here to protect, something that could help him.

What exactly was this place?

The woman scoffed. "You come in here and disrespect Goddess Hylia, then expect an explanation? Don't be foolish, boy."

Link took a step forward, but lowered his sword. He didn't mean to fight her, merely protect himself. He just wanted answers. Her gaze followed his blade but stopped at his hip. She gasped, taking a step back.

"You… That slate… It can't be…!" she stammered, looking between him and the Sheikah Slate. Her brow furrowed. "How do you have the Sheikah Slate? That is meant only for the—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the ground rumbled and nearly knocked them both off their feet. There was a terrible whirring sound followed by some clanking, and world shook again. Link looked around wildly, but could see nothing going on outside any of the windows. He'd seen a volcano before; perhaps that was erupting? But it was so far away, and this felt so near… and so different.

"Oh no," the woman whispered, looking past him. He wanted to hesitate, to not follow her eyes, but he knew he had to. He turned and his jaw dropped when he saw the strange towering creature from before still outside, but very much alive.

The dirt had fallen off it and all of its color had been restored. Its crystal eye spun around, scanning the area as it found its feet, stomping around clumsily until it regained its balance. And then, immediately, it focused on Link.

"Move!"

The woman had grabbed his arm and pulled him to the side just in time. A beam of energy had gathered at the creature's eye and rocketed forward, creating a gaping crater where Link had been standing. Now the two of them stood behind the statue of Goddess Hylia, but the creature clanked around outside.

What was that thing?

"A Guardian," the woman whispered. She glanced down at the Sheikah Slate before looking him in the eyes. Her expression was still harsh, but changed somehow. "Leave. Now. I will take care of things. We mustn't let it destroy the temple."

He agreed. Even though he knew nothing about it, he knew the Temple of Time was important. Whatever that Guardian was, he couldn't let it damage the building any more.

Before he could turn to make a break for it, the woman grabbed his shoulder and tore the Sheikah Slate free of its holster. He was ready to fight her for it, but she turned him back to face her and showed him the slate. She touched the eye's pupil and the lights on the slate began to change. They twisted and contorted until they resembled something like a map.

Link was taken aback, but had no time to express his surprise. The woman tapped on the corner of the map, making it expand, and then dragged a blue diamond over to the other side of the map.

"Go there. The slate will show you the way."

Link stared at her, but before he could ask any more questions, she had left his side. He peered out from behind the statue to see her approach the Guardian, making its attention focus on her rather than him. It tried to step on her, but she was far too quick for it, and even its beam didn't stand a chance.

He wanted to stay. He wanted to help. But the Sheikah Slate pulsated in his hands, the blue beacon calling for his attention. Whatever was there was going to answer his questions, not this woman. She knew that, and he knew it too. Whatever was at work here was much greater than either of them, and he had to do as he was told.

Link hoisted himself over the nearest windowsill, then ran. He ran until he reached the mountainside, and there he began to climb. He could hear the terrible sounds of the Guardian striking, but he did not hear the woman. He wasn't sure who Goddess Hylia was, but he prayed to her that the she would be safe. He climbed over the top of the small mountain, then slid down its other side, the tremors of the Guardian disappearing behind him.