Link had climbed up the Great Tree to one of the highest tree limbs he could reach, before calling his Crimson Loftwing. He heard a motion near the top of the tree where he knew his Loftwing was nesting, and then a moment later it landed near the edge of the limb, and Link made his way over to the magnificent creature.
"Hey pal, did you have a good night?" his Loftwing rubbed his head against Link's hand and made a sound that almost resembled a purring noise. "Well that's good, because we've got quite the day ahead of us: Ilysa said that I should be able to meet with her chieftain today, but that I should probably be prepared to negotiate terms." The Loftwing lowered its head, and Link mounted the bird. Within mere seconds, Link and his Loftwing ascended into the sky, and began their journey to Lanayru Desert.
Link watched as the trees blurred past beneath him, and they eventually became less dense until they were soaring over large prairie like fields. Soon, the fields became sparse and barren as they neared Eldin Province and the familiar landscape of mountains and Lava Rivers were also blurred from his view in the sky. As they neared Lanayru, which appeared to him as an enormous sand coloured horizon with mountains surrounding it on all sides, the humidity in the air dropped and Link eased his Loftwing into a descent. Link and his Loftwing soared over the Lanayru Mines and the Lanayru Gorges and they made a final descent towards the ancient port on the Sand Sea. Link dismounted from his Loftwing, which flew away towards some cliffs, presumably to rest. Link scanned the area, and saw a very large timeshift stone in the centre of the port.
"Alright Fi," Link said over his shoulder. He then drew the Master Sword out of its sheath and pointed it skywards; the sword charged with energy and he released the strike into the stone. As the radius of the time shift zone grew, Fi appeared beside Link. The region around him continued to transform from its baron desert climate to an arid port, full of life. On the opposite side of the stone from Link stood a small group of people; they were each garbed in dark robes, and most of them with their hoods drawn over their heads. A woman stood in front of the small group, and she bore a remarkable resemblance to the young Impa that Link had known: she was tall and slim, her skin was tanned, and her long almost-white hair was pulled back – probably braided – so that it did not obstruct her face in any way. Unlike Impa, this woman's tattoos were red, not white. Along with the group, she walked around the stone to Link, where she formally bowed before him:
"Hero of the Goddess, Saviour to the Surface, I am honoured to meet you once more, however I do not believe we were ever properly introduced: I am Irsia, chieftain of the Sheikah. I presume you are aware of why I agreed to meet with you today?"
"The winds in the Ice Mountains have been unnaturally active lately, yes. I was told that your tribe already investigated and that you'd be willing to share with me what you learned."
"Ah, yes. I did send a small troop of my finest to investigate the mountains, and they returned with some rather disturbing discoveries. But why does the wind fascinate you so much? Surely it is of no concern to your people, who are tucked away deeply in the lands of Faron."
"I was informed you might not be willing to simply tell me what is developing in the mountains, so I brought an incentive for you." Link pulled out a bright orange crystal from his Adventure Pouch and held it in front of Irsia. "Hylia's Stone of Trials: I believe this is something your people are interested in." Irsia looked at the crystal with high intrigue, then after a moment she shifted her red eyes to Link.
"Ilysa must have told you about our interest in Hylia's manipulation of truth then?"
"Yes, but before I exchange this for information on the mountains, please do enlighten me as to how this stone will unlock the secrets of truth for you."
"The stone you hold was forged by Hylia, and could only ever be retrieved by completing her spirit trials. Those trials, in a sense, reveal the truth of one's spirit. We believe that the two stones could unlock a limitless amount of knowledge about truth and how to reveal it."
"I suppose revealing the truth is better than hiding it," Link said.
"Indeed…" Irsia shifted her eyes back to the stone and then to Link a few times before she crossed her arms. "In the mountains, my tribesmen witnessed what they believe was a demonic presence: they spoke of a cold wind and of a shadow that bore the shape of a man. If what they witnessed was indeed truthful and factual, then it would be fair to believe that a new demonic usurper is rising in the mountains."
"Thank you Irsia, for your knowledge. As promised, the Stone of Trials is yours," Link held out the stone to Irsia who hesitantly grabbed it. "Can I also thank you for your friendship and partnership, should this demonic presence gain power? We would make strong allies of each other, and I would prefer to have your people at my side than anywhere else."
"Should the time arise, we will always protect the divine lineage of Hylia."
