Link nearly lost his footing. It was bad enough that he could barely see with the fog in the mountains, but the pathway toward Zora Domain was littered with large rocks and equally annoying holes. He wasn't sure why he tripped this time, as it was relatively flat terrain, with spritzes of grass here and there. He just had a funny feeling.

"Did anyone notice that?" Link blurted out. They were now far enough away from Drigoor that they could speak freely. However, the present company apparently enjoyed their solitude, as everyone kept quiet.

After they left the cave, Aryll continued to berate Link, at least until she got sweaty and ran to the side of the path to vomit. Link would've felt worse for her being ill if he hadn't gotten such a severe shouting.

Fortunately, Sahasrahla enjoyed Link's escapade into Drigoor, for it provided the company with bombs. Link hadn't realized how he would need them, but an hour into their trek they came across a boulder that blocked their path. Six matches (most of them breaking easily) and one explosion later, they were able to continue. The old man and Bouer both laughed for a few minutes over what else they could explode, but still felt guilty about earlier.

After the frenzy of the bomb ended, everyone returned to their quiet selves. Sahasrahla remained at the front of the pack, reading an old map that seemed to guide them properly. Aryll kept her left hand on her stomach and her right hand on the sword she bought. Bouer, meanwhile, kept running from side to side along the path. He was the odd one out, and Link wasn't quite sure what the boy's story was.

The lack of noise along the rocky path made Link all the more acute toward any sudden changes. He wanted to be ready in case any enemy, either Hylian, Arcadian, or other, would attack. With nothing to do, he was able to reflect on past events for the first time in a while. He was thinking about what he thought being a legal adult would be, and what thrills it would be like going on a grand adventure.

He was slightly annoyed that no one responded to him, so he asked differently. "I think I felt something. Might that be something worth investigating?" Link gave an annoyed look at Bouer, who merely gave a noncommittal glance back.

"Aryll? What do you think?" Link was growing tired of the silence. He thought that going on a journey would be much more enjoyable.

"Will you keep quiet lad? There are still shadow spirits among us, in case you forgot," Aryll uttered darkly. Link wouldn't soon forget his encounters with the dark version of himself.

Aryll's words echoed in Link's head as the four continued onward. He thought about the shadow figures. Nothing made sense anymore in his life. It seemed that every time he got an answer, there were five more questions that came with it. He couldn't help but feel that everything stemmed from Bouer's arrival in Torrhes. After all, there weren't any problems until the first fire happened, and shortly afterward Link met the new boy in town. As much as in the past few weeks he wanted to avoid thinking the worst about his new friend, he couldn't keep his mind away from such thoughts much longer.

"Hey Link, I think I see something down there," uttered Bouer, who was looking down from the pathway. Link rushed over, eager at what it might be. It was getting late in the day, and it was getting harder and harder to see the valleys below. However, there was a circular black shape that appeared to be getting bigger.

"We got one headed for us!" Link shouted to Aryll and Sahasrahla. The old man hurriedly put the map in his pocket and steadied his walking cane. His daughter pulled out a sword, although she seemed less prepared than usual to begin a fight.

The black figure came more into view and coalesced into an angle-like figure, only it was entirely dark. The being flew above the four of them and paused in mid-air. No one moved at first, until Bouer dove behind a rock. The creature lunged after the boy, the first to move. Link ran toward it with his sword held high.

"Stay away from my friend!" he shouted. His blade intercepted the being's attack. Both Sahasrahla and Aryll stood back as Link stared down the being.

"You want him? Well you can't have him!" Link shouted back at the black creature.

The darkling let out a horrendous shriek and dove toward Link. He was ready and stepped a bit to the side, letting the creature fly directly by him. In one swift move, Link slashed his sword with such energy that flames erupted from its end.

The beast yelled out again, apparently wounded and unable to fly. Link yelled out in response with a bloodthirsty scream. He ran toward the shadow creature and devoted his mental energy toward Din. He felt a familiar rush of energy flow through his body. He thrust his sword into the creature as fire escaped his hands. With one final scream, the shadow creature seized and collapsed to the ground.

"Are you OK?" Link asked to Bouer. The boy trembled but gave a small nod. Link looked around and saw the stunned faces of Sahasrahla and Aryll. Was that a small smirk of approval on her face? Link thought to himself.

"Let's go, there might be more," Aryll muttered. With complete disregard to any feminine grace, she spat on the shadow creature and kicked it off the pathway. The four of them watched as it skipped down the mountain.

Without any further hesitation, the four of them walked onward. After the small skirmish, Link realized how hungry he was getting, and with a bit of panic, he realized he didn't bring any food with him. He was inwardly rather disappointed, particularly after he had been at the market only hours earlier.

Once the skies turned to a pinkish-blue, Sahasrahla announced that they wouldn't travel any further that night. They were only a few hours away from Zora's Domain, but their trek was too dangerous without being able to see properly. They settled upon a large opening along the pathway.

Despite being located high in the mountains, they managed to be more than comfortable at their campsite. Sahasrahla quickly started a fire with magic, and Aryll left to find some food. Within minutes, she returned with two captured rabbits. She prepared dinner for the four of them, adding the meat to a pouch of rice that her father had brought along. Link hadn't realized how well the two of them had packed.

Having settled much earlier than the previous night, the four sat around the fire, not saying much. Link grew uncomfortable by the silence. If this was to be an adventure worth repeating to future generations, he wanted to be sure that it was with four people who wanted to talk to each other.

"So just how long do you think it will be to get to Hyrule?" Link asked, having lost track how many times he had asked that question that day. Each time, he got a noncommittal answer, although this time Sahasrahla spoke up.

"With our detour to the Zora lands, it may be weeks before we end up in Kakariko, and who knows what we will find there." He let his words ring out before he spoke again. "However, the winds tell me we'll find a shortcut once we reach the Zora lands tomorrow."

"Well that's a relief. I wouldn't want to spend any more time than I had to with those people," Bouer blurted out. Link realized why their travels had been so quiet that day: no one quite knew what to say around the boy from Hyrule that they hardly knew.

"So Bouer, tell us more about yourself. After all, I saved your head earlier from that shadow guy," Link remarked to his friend. He was more eager than ever to get some answers from the boy. He wouldn't have cared if the boy flunked out of school or ran away from his parents, so long as he gave a specific answer.

"Well, I don't know what you want to know. I think I'm gonna turn it in though. Night everyone!" Bouer uttered kindly. Link wasn't willing to take that for a response.

"No, I think we're all entitled to some answers. You may be able to provide us passage into Hyrule, but as long as you're in Arcadia with me, you're in danger that only we can protect you from," Link replied darkly. He wasn't sure what came over him, but he looked across the fire and saw another smile of approval from Aryll.

"I, uh…." started Bouer, but he trailed off to a string of incomprehensible words.

"Go ahead son," replied Sahasrahla. If Link didn't know better, he'd swear that the old man already knew what the boy was about to say.

"I…. can't tell you," remarked the boy. Link was starting to get annoyed.

"How can you give us that, when you already know our secrets? I don't care that you're Hylian, so long as you're not working with Ganon," Link complained.

"And if I was?" Bouer whispered. Aryll and Link stood up at the same time, clenching their swords.

"What?" Aryll and Link shouted at the same time. Aryll held her swords and lunged toward the boy. However, Sahasrahla, in his old age, was too fast for the both of her, and walked in front of the boy.

"Move! How can you defend him like that?" Link asked.

"This is nothing more than what he told me last night," Sahasrahla spoke calmly. Link made a mental note to ask why the old man didn't speak of this earlier.

"I should've known!" Aryll shrieked as the red-haired boy stayed silent. "After my poor Ingo died, I took a sample of that poison to the professors at Drigoor. They confirmed it was of Hylian origin! If it hadn't been for you," she said, pointing toward Sahasrahla, "I would've taken the boy's life just like he took Ingo's!"

"But…" Bouer spoke up.

"So after all of this time, you've just been spying on us? Some creepy little boy who's been behind everything in our little town - who set the town on fire to see who would save the day? Who killed an innocent man, what, to rattle the successor to the throne of Hyrule's enemy?" Link's anger was quickly building.

"And worst, who set…" Linked pulled out his sword.

"Free…" he stepped toward Bouer.

"A shadow beast…" he pulled the sword up to the boy, who was starting to shake uncontrollably.

"That is trying to kill us all!" Link finished with a shout. He stabbed the sword onto the ground.

"Well, erm…" Bouer started, looking wildly between Aryll and Link. "That's not quite true."

"Of course it isn't. Let's just kill him and be done with him!" Aryll shouted as she raised her sword, but her father held her hand and simply shook his head.

"You see, I didn't set the town on fire that night, and I have no idea what's up with those shadow figures," Bouer replied confidently, shaking slightly less. Link felt a shiver go up his spine; he could tell the boy was not lying.

"What about Ingo…" Aryll asked, trying to hold back tears.

"I… uh… I… he was the traitor, not me! I swear!" Bouer shouted. He anticipated a backlash, so he rolled off the log he was sitting on and curled into a ball. Aryll broke free of her father's grip and held her sword menacingly toward the boy's chest.

"Put the sword down," Sahasrahla muttered quietly. Link was surprised at Aryll's reaction – he didn't want to kill the boy, at least.

"Why should I? He is calling Ingo a traitor, when all the man did was love his life!" Aryll remarked with clenched teeth.

"I was ordered to kill him, I'm sorry! Ingo failed his mission with the train and the Moon Orb, so I had to!" Bouer replied, still curled in a ball.

Aryll's face grew livid at first, but then softened when she asked her father, "you told me to be careful of him. You knew then?"

"I am sorry my child," Sahasrahla responded. Link wasn't sure whether that meant the old man knew or not, but Aryll accepted the response regardless.

"And to think, I've been carrying the child of a traitor for weeks," Aryll sobbed. Link stared at the women, not quite sure what was going on.

"I've been the traitor too," Bouer uttered, starting to sit up. "Thanks for saving my life so many times Link. I suppose I owe you the truth then." He reached his arm into his shirt and pulled out a bronze necklace. It fit around his neck so tightly that it appeared impossible to take off. On the bottom end was a tiny gold heart that appeared to flutter every few seconds. If Link didn't know better, he'd swear that…

"It is beating, yes," the boy whispered. Link couldn't believe he never noticed it before, but then the boy always had a habit of covering his neck up.

"You see… I'm actually… related to the prime minister," Bouer said slowly, letting out a smirk.

"But Ganon is an only child, and he's too young to have a boy of his own!" Aryll shouted, but she stopped and put her hand over her mouth. Link didn't realize what she had figured out, until Bouer said it himself.

"I'm actually Ganon's clone... There, it feels pretty good to come out and say that!" Bouer laughed. Link and Aryll eyed each other. Neither remembered putting their swords away. Meanwhile, Sahasrahla was finishing the last bits of the meal that they prepared.

Link couldn't imagine how the rest of his adventure would end up after how the first day ended up.