The warmth of sunlight fell on her eyes, Sable writhed in her bed as she pulled the blankets over her head. Her other senses also awoke, mainly due to the sound of snoring coming from across the room. She sat up to see Onox asleep partly in his bed and partly on the floor. It was illogical to think he could rest in such a painful looking position. Given her body felt rested enough, Sable left her bed and went outside. Oddly Koume was not at the front counter and the closed sign was prominent on the hut door. Instead Sable decided to venture to Kotake's glade and began a leisurely stroll down the beaten path.

Upon entering the glade she saw no smoke rising from the chimney of Kotake's home. Judging from the position of the sun it was clear that it was the crack of dawn. No one would be awake yet. There was solace to be found in this early hour. It was near impossible to think that Termina was on the verge of its demise a few months ago. The sound of the wind and water moving over the land as the earth remained the same. Some things never seemed to change with the passage of time.

At that moment, Sable watched Veran leave the Woods of Mystery. Now back in her Gomess body, Sable realised that it was nothing more than a mask to hide her true form. The vivid memories of the Twilight Realm had not left her. That Veran had willingly put Onox in such danger and practically used her for her own schemes ignited anger in Sable's heart. Letting out a guttural snarl, Sable charged, her body shifting into the form of a Fire Salamander in the process.

Veran leapt swiftly aside only to miss the violent swipe of an enraged Fire Salamander. Calling on her own magic she wove the nearby shadows into an elaborate web that entangled around her ambusher. She was not allowed a break though as the Fire Salamander shifted into a Forest Fox with ease. The drastic change in body shape and size rendered the shadow trap useless. As the fox charged, Veran created puppets of herself to throw off the creature's aim. To further disorientate the fox, Veran and all her copies unleashed a barrage of shadow bolts in all directions. Her opponent was sly though as it quickly sniffed out which one was true.

The stinger was a hair from her throat, the venom dripped upon her bodice while the needle threatened to pierce her. Veran breathed slowly but smiled confidently "Looks like that little trip did you some good after all, Sable."

The fox cloaked itself in shadows as it reverted to Sable's true body "I will admit I don't feel as tired anymore and I'm getting used to my new bodies."

"Well, that was an excellent, yet spontaneous, sparring session. May I ask what triggered it?"

"I… I was just angry because of how you used us. That's all. I'm sure I'll get over it… mainly because I know now that you're a wild deity and I wouldn't have a hope in hell of beating you."

"Please, when I'm in Termina, I'm just the reincarnation of the Great Fairy. Half the power, still capable of dying… which is unpleasant, especially because you retain your memories with each rebirth."

Sable laughed under her breath "You still could have at least told me earlier, or at least have told Ox about the Dark Dragon thing."

"I never thought he'd have it in him to actually tame that monster. Compared to his ancestors he's definitely the weakest link in the chain. Looks like I was proven wrong." Veran answered flippantly "But, if he plans to keep it under control, he'll need our help." She saw the confusion arise on Sable's face "I have a proposition, I can take your ability to possess minds to a whole new level. In return I ask that you help Ox develop his mental fortitude and train his brain to evade any form of mind control."

"Possess minds? You mean like seeing through a beast's eyes, right?"

"What if I could teach you how to see through the eyes of higher race, not just monsters, and also through the eyes of the elements?" Veran reached out her hand "Come, I'll give you a live demonstration of what I mean."

Overwhelmed by curiosity, Sable took her hand as they were both teleported out of swamplands.

The silent ruins of the Stone Tower Temple came into view. Sable found herself in the grand chamber before the room that held the statues, the doorway Veran opened to the Twilight Realm. They stood in the desolate chamber without exchanging a word. The murals covering the walls told a frightening tale of deities fighting. Some were familiar, displaying the Man Eater, the Oni and the Giants. There were others amidst them like three maidens of golden light and finally a giant parasite with yellow and black eyes. As Sable turned to face Veran her body was immobilised. Veran had snuck behind her and placed her fingers around Sable's face. Her fingertips came into synchronised positions around the skull and face. Shadowy tendrils rose from Veran's fingers and pierced the pressure points in Sable's head. The temple echoed with a long, painful scream.

In that instant, Sable began to hear the voices of those who once wandered this temple. Blurred silhouettes invaded her sight as the memories of the temple awakened to her. The Gomess tribe moved through the chambers like a typical day in Clock Town. Every one of them possessed grey or silver skin with usual eyes of red and yellow. It appeared to be a physical abnormality, an aesthetic price that marked them as wielders of dark magic. In this place, Sable did not feel like an outsider anymore, she did not appear diseased as she had been when compared to others.

She felt her heart skip a beat from shock as a familiar face emerged from the statue chamber. Sable's ancestor, Midna, walked casually down the hallway. Her loyal servants parted as she waltzed past. As Midna's shade passed through Sable, she felt the memory fade while Veran pulled back her fingers. There was no sign of injury or even lingering pain from where she placed her hands. Sable was in awe "What just happened?"

"A little taste of what I can teach you." Veran strode before her "Also I had to speed up the process and awaken your senses further."

Sable stepped forward, attempting to identify the catalyst for the stunning display "So what exactly did I see through the eyes of?"

"The temple itself, surely you know of the phrase 'if the walls could speak', well, this power allows them to. You can use it to witness the events of the past. Something I'm sure would be useful for your research into Terminan history."

"But what exactly am I tapping into? In order to possess anything it must be capable of conscious thought."

Veran let out an impressed sigh "Very astute, the second part of this power lies in your ability to sense spirits. This can be anything from the souls of the dead to the astral ley lines that pulse within the very elements themselves."

She turned to Veran "And let me guess, I can only learn how to sense spirits by refining my beast instincts?"

"So I take it you've researched this before?"

"No, just call it a lucky guess."

"It shouldn't prove too challenging as you are now, to be honest I thought you'd run back to town after your first day of training." Veran put an arm around Sable with a mischievous grin "Now here we are, a little over three years later and you've proven me wrong in every way imaginable. Usually I do not pass on this magic to just anyone, but I believe that with enough determination and training you may be able to achieve it."

Sable then recalled the reason for this demonstration "And you'll help me train, if I help Ox learn to defend himself from mind control?"

Veran nodded back "Seems like a fair exchange of services."

"I guess that means we'll have to travel together."

"Oh yes, my dear, we'll be going all over Termina."

Sable smiled back to Veran as they shook on the arrangement "Well, what are we waiting for? We have a whole temple to explore."

"As much as I admire your enthusiasm, but you just woke up from a week long sleep." Veran reminded "I think you need to eat something," she sniffed the air "And possibly bathe."

Sable was already marching over the bridge "I can do that later, we're in the temple now!"

"Which reminds me, only come here when I can warp you in. If you just flew in as a dragon you might be attacked by the Ikana when you pass through the valley."

She froze and turned on her heels "But… aren't the Ikana dead now?"

"Not quite, it's a long story and one you'll see for yourself as I train you here." Veran then grabbed Sable by one of her braids "For now, we're returning to the swamp so you can sort yourself out."

The late morning cascaded sunlight through the swamps. The overgrowth of wild plants filtered the light as streams of gold through the air. Thick canopies created by tree tops huddled over the rivers and muddy earth. Nature retreated around the glade that housed the potion bottle shapes home. The earth was firmer here and home to many young saplings who needed the sun to flourish. A fire burned in a makeshift pit for cooking as Iris masterfully flipped yet another pancake. By then she had lost track of how many she had made but she was sure the pile was getting smaller whenever she turned around. "Cut that out!" Iris snapped as she solved the mystery "I thought you said you were going to wait for the others to arrive!"

Onox swallowed the rest of the pancake he had stolen, in all honesty he wanted to see how long he could do it before she even noticed. Iris always seemed to a little too fascinated by fire for a Deku. He did not expect it to last this long as his stomach churned from being stuffed. Letting out a breath he stretched and arched his back, a sated smirk on his face.

"Wow, Veran was right. You are getting fat."

His smirk instantly turned into a frown while he glared at Iris. She was at his side and prodding his midsection out of curiosity. Swatting her hand aside he growled "I think you need to stop talking to Veran about me. It's just training weight, in a few months it'll decrease."

"Nope, you've definitely got a gut. Looks like I owe her twenty rupees." Iris sighed from annoyance "Damn, I had no idea, I mean you're always in that armour and then the big coat, not to mention you're really muscular everywhere, how else could you lift that huge flail? I always thought you were some freak half Goron, half Terminan, thing."

He adjusted the hem of his tunic "Be quiet now, my body is none of your business and I don't wish to discuss it."

"Discuss what?" Tael piped up as he flew over, alongside Tatl. The two fairies had spent most of the morning enjoying a fly around the swamp and darting between the trees.

Tatl teased "Who's the fatty?"

Onox growled under his breath and folded his arms over his chest. Iris spoke on his behalf while he seethed "That's Ox, he's another friend of mine." She heard a rustling in the bushes as Sable and Veran emerged from the overgrowth "That's Sable and you already met Veran earlier… wait a minute, where did you two go?"

Veran casually replied, brushing her hair from her face "Just for a nice morning walk, the swamps are beautiful this time of morning."

Tael floated over her "I know, they're amazing! I had no idea the plants here for so colourful."

"Carnivorous breeds tend to be pretty to attract their prey." She took a seat near the fire pit to ward off the crisp air "I'm sure you saw plenty of them on your flight."

"Oh…" Tael's wings drooped as he shivered "I don't think I like those plants anymore."

"Don't listen to her, the plants are only problems if you have flesh." Iris laughed as she resumed making pancakes, pouring a large amount of the batter into the heated frying pan. Although her words did not comfort Tael in the slightest.

Veran sat back and breathed in the scenery, all the sights and smells that greeted her senses. Even though she liked the Twilight Realm, there was something quite pleasant about life beneath the light of a sun and moon. The way it shifted with the flow of time, the kinds of people she had crossed paths with and generally the glorious patchwork of land that made Termina. It was a realm of discovery and change, something that was lacking from the monotony of the Twilight Realm. That factor was enough for her to don the mask of a mortal so that she may live in Termina.

Sable snarled, rousing her from her reverie, "You ate the breakfast before we got here!?"

Onox laughed to himself "I wanted to see if Iris would notice."

"Well it's pretty clear when your gut is sticking out like that." Sable punctuated the remark with a poke to his stomach. She sat cross legged beside him and pouted like a child.

"It's not sticking out that far!" He knew he was lying as he instinctively kept his arms around his torso.

Tatl perched on his head "Oh yes it is. Looks really clear from up here." She then quickly floated upwards as he tried to grab her.

Sable coldly informed "You're not the only one who just woke up."

Onox let out a sigh as he admitted defeat "Sorry, I'll be more considerate in the future."

In the meantime, Skull Kid finally emerged from the Woods of Mystery. Twinrova, no, Koume and Kotake, had not followed as they wished to have some time to meditate before the business day began. He looked over to the campfire to see Iris, Veran, Tatl and Tael. There were also two others, a large brute of a man with blood red eyes like a dragon, alongside him was a jester girl who looked rather diseased with her grey skin and yellow and mud brown eyes. He physically hesitated to approach them until Iris noticed him and waved. The others also acknowledged him, calling his name and beckoning him to join them.

For the first time since Link had saved him from Majora's Mask, Skull Kid smiled.