"Termina? The strange land said to run parallel to Hyrule? I thought this place was just an old myth!"

"Ahahaha! I see you know your Hylian mythology. Look around yourself child, does this look like a myth to you?"

With a gesturing arm, the happy mask salesman signaled to the crowd before them. To and fro, people rushed about the square of the town, all determined to accomplish their own tasks. Choice merchants heckled after various passerby, while children ran around and played, with a guard standing at the gate, keeping an eye around the perimeter. Startled by a loud ring, Saria span around to find something she was not quite familiar with, a clock tower.

"It's all marvelous... but what does any of this have to do with Link?"

"Oh child... everything here has to do with your friend. Look around yourself... what do you see?"

"Well... lots and lots of people, not at all like Plurbiocris."

"Right you are, little girl! Everyone here was once between a rock and a hard place. And that is where your friend comes in."

"Has Link been here before?"

"Oho! You could most certainly say that! He once spent three days in this town. Yet, his soul has dwelled here for much longer."

"His soul? You're not making any sense."

"Well... perhaps there is a simpler way to explain it. Weren't you playing the ocarina of time earlier? Perhaps it could help?"

At the mention of the instrument, Saria's face paled. She didn't need this strange man getting his hands on a relic of such power, he could easily bring upheaval to the world with it, possibly even accidentally.

"No... I wasn't..."

"Come now child, don't lie to me. If you really want to know what has caused your friend to stray from his heroic ways, I will need it."

Reluctantly, she handed the blueish flute to the mask man. Upon receiving it, the odd fellow almost seemed to coo with excitement, he looked it over from several angles and gave it a rub.

"Well... you had better give it back as soon as you're done... I'll be needing it too, to get home."

"Magnificent... truly remarkable craftsmanship. You know, in the days of my youth, I would have done just about anything to get my hand on this wonderful tool... but now... I deal only in happiness and masks. I take it you know of the ocarina's power?"

"Yes... in some ways, you could say it's the reason I'm here."

"So I have no need to explain what I'm fixing to do? Brilliant! Oh, before we go, put this on so no one can see you."

From his oversized pack, the happy mask salesman pulled two stone masks, both with disturbing faces chiseled into their surface, and handed one to the girl. Saria looked over the accessory in slight disgust, it seemed quite ugly to her, but she put it on anyway.

"How will this keep anyone from seeing me? Why can't they see me? Where are we going?"

"You'll find out in a moment. Do hang on to me, this may get a bit bumpy."

Donning a stone mask himself, the strange man put the ocarina of time to his lips, and played a song. Though it sounded much like the Song of Time, it seemed somehow distorted, something about it was played different. A moment later, Saria and the happy mask salesman were whisked away in a flash of light.


Though the palace of lost souls was essentially empty, the atmosphere was still one of unease. While darkness was always a fun thing to deal with, the air was also filled with odd voices, calling out to no one in particular. As Link and Mari crept along, both kept a tight lookout for anything bad or good alike.

"Eesh, this place is creepy. I feel like some spook is going to materialize from thin air and scare us. I mean, it's not like anything scares you, though. You've seen it all. I shouldn't feel afraid with you by my side, I'm sure you can take care of whatever baddies are lurking."

"Perhaps your confidence is misplaced... like Saria's."

"Don't beat yourself up Link, so what if you're less than the hero Saria wants? You've still got a fighting spirit in you. Yes, I can't really say I'm comfortable that you killed an innocent behind my back, and yes, it does leave me wondering what else you've done, but hey, I can always count on you to see something through to the end. You've got determination, and that's quite an admirable trait."

"Thanks... I guess..."

"Now c'mon, lets find the harp, and get out of here... something about this place is just flat out wrong."

"Hey... Link... can you hear me?"

When the boy heard his name called, he nearly jumped straight into the roof. That someone knew his name wasn't what caught him off guard, however, as much who it was calling it. But she left. Yet, he could swear...

"Please Link, I need your help..."

After hearing the voice a second time, Link was certain who was calling.

"Saria?"

"I'm sorry Link... I was wrong... I was so wrong... you really are a hero you know. Please, save me..."

Judging purely from her tone, the girl had to of been wounded. Something must've gotten to her! Determined as a moblin, Link rushed down the halls to find his childhood friend, Mari stooping behind him.

"Hey, wait up! Something about this seems off!"

"She needs my help!"

"Oh.. Link... I need you... I'm scared!"

"Don't worry Saria! I'm coming!"

Round corridors and corners, Link raced frantically. Whatever had messed with Saria, its days were numbered. Soon, Link came across a blood trail, green stains across the ground. He stalked along them, until finally, they led him to the girl, laying on the floor, covered in slices and scratches, green blood pouring from her lesions. Weakly, she lifted her head up towards the boy, and smiled.

"Link... I knew you would come... you always do the right thing..."

Something about the way Saria spoke made Link wrinkle his nose. Over his shoulder, Mari raced ahead, frantic as ever.

"Are you okay my sweet forest blossom?! You've been beat up pretty good! Oh there's blood every-... where..."

"You're my hero, Link."

At the same precise moment, both Link and Mari made the same realization.

"Link... run."

"Eehahahaha!"

The wounded child let out an ear piercing cackle, and floated up from the ground. Suddenly, Saria faded from vision, and a specter wielding a lantern appeared in her place. It took a wild swing at the boy, and had he not pulled his shield in time, it would have knocked him clean in the face.

"It's a Poe! It's a Poe! Oh goodness it's a ghost!"

After rebounding another two swings, Link managed to pull his bow from his quiver, and when the opportunity presented itself, he shot the Poe right out of the air. Squealing almost like a pig, the specter vanished, save for its lantern, which fell to the ground and shattered.

"What... what was that?! How did it- why did that thing pretend to be Saria!?"

"It's a ghost... apparently the Poes here have gained the ability to read minds... they were imitating my memories... using them against me..."

"Ooh... this isn't going to be fun..."


In a terrific flash, the two odd travelers appeared in clock town square. After a quick gaze around himself, the happy mask salesman breathed a sigh and smiled.

"Here we are! Please, don't touch anything, lest you affect the time stream."

"We were just here! What kind of a trick are you trying to pull?!"

"Ah, yes, we were here... but look, is everything how you remembered it?"

Scanning her surroundings again, Saria picked up several small details that either she hadn't noticed, or weren't there before. Instead of several stalls set up in the cleared area, a crew of men worked to assemble a tower. As she traced the crowd, her eyes fell upon a young man with his eyes glued to the sky. What was he looking at? Turning her own head toward the sky, Saria nearly fell over at what greeted her. A massive moon stared back down at her, quite literally. It had its own eerie face attached to it, with a grimace that would give her nightmares.

"Great blazes of din! What did you do!?"

"Weren't you paying attention? I played the ocarina of time! We're in the past!"

Despite Saria's less than enthusiastic mood, the happy mask salesman proclaimed his information like he had accomplished something miraculous.

"What kind of messed up reality did you send me to?! What in Hyrule is going on?!"

"At a point in time, Termina was condemned to a terrible fate by a mischievous imp who possessed a very powerful mask. Driven mad by the the mask's influence, he used its power and pulled the very moon out of the sky, setting it on a collision course with the land."

"Wait... so you're telling me the moon is going to fall down and crush everyone?"

"Yes, in three days."

"Then what are we doing here, instead of ducking for cover?"

"Because, in about three seconds, we'll be meeting your friend."

"Huh?"

Exactly three seconds later, an oddly dressed Deku Scrub boy walked from the clock tower. He nearly plowed through the girl, it was clear he couldn't see her.

"Wait... that hat... is that..."

"Yes. Here's your hero, child!"

"But... what happened to him?"

"Shh, pay attention!"

From behind the scrub, a white fairy buzzed, she seemed quite irritable.

"He gives me the creeps! That mask salesman was just the... Sorry... just thinking aloud."

Saria shot a suspect glare at her companion. Was the fairy talking about the mask man she stood next to? Who was this mysterious sprite?

"But three days? Even if we never sleep, that still leaves us with a measly seventy-two hours! Talk about demanding!"

Much like the boy he resembled, the deku scrub stuttered in an attempt to respond.

"Well, don't just stand there! We're going to see the great fairy!"

"Who is that little sprite? Why hasn't Link ever told me about her?"

"Hush, please wait until they're finished talking! You're going to want to catch this the first time."

"Look, you wanna find skull kid, don't you?"

"Y-yeah..."

"The great fairy will know what he's up to. She watches over everything."

As the pair walked off, the strange fairy continued rambling, but the boy seemed to have tuned her out. After just the one conversation, Saria was already full of questions.

"Who was that fairy? That deku boy was Link? How did he end up like that? What's going on here?!"

"Tch, you ask many questions. Yes, the deku boy is your friend, he had a curse cast upon him. That fairy is a recent acquaintance of his, and as far as what's going on... that's why we're here."

"They mentioned a skull kid? I wonder..."

"Yes?"

"No... nothing... should we follow them?"

"Inadvisable, as their efforts prove fruitless these first few days. Perhaps it would be best we skip further down the timeline?"

"You say it like its a stroll through the meadow. How are you so certain you won't just mess things up worse?"

"Where there exists permeations in the timeline, the ocarina can take us. Much like how you got here, am I correct?"

"How did you-"

"Please, you even smell like a time traveler. You quite obviously have wisdom beyond your years. Are you ready to get to our next stop, time traveler?"

"I mean, I never knew Link had been here, heck, I didn't even know here existed, but it just doesn't make sense. What is the point of all this?"

"Don't worry, child... this will all make sense soon enough. Now then... shall we?"


Author's Note

Sorry for the hiatus, I've had a case of writers block as of late.
But I'm over it now, so I should be able to update more regularly.