Chapter 9: Oracle of Secrets

"Oracle of Secrets?" Link asked, bewildered.

"Yes, Link, I am the one the King of Red Lions requested you to seek. I have been waiting for you, Link, and now you have finally arrived." Her eyes a strange shade of white, the Oracle of Secrets glanced from Link to Elsa to Tetra. "Link, would you mind if we took a walk? I must speak with you alone." Link nodded and they got up to leave. "We won't be long," Farore assured Elsa, a bright smile across her face. Elsa nodded, expressionless, her mouth hung open slightly.

"What was wrong with her?" Link asked once they were outside. "Why did she act that way around you?"

"My presence leaves that expression on most, Link." She turned to him. "You are one of the few that actually has courage enough to speak to me while I'm around."

"Why is this so?" asked Link.

"Come now," the Oracle said. "Surely you have noticed there is something different about me. Most do." Link took a good look at her, noticing her unnatural eye color, her blonde hair that seemed to absorb the rays of the sun, her dazzlingly flawless peach skin.

"You say your name is Farore," Link stated. "But you can't be…the Goddess. Can you?"

She smiled, and then sighed in perceived exhaustion. "So much must be explained to you, Link, for although you think you have seen much in the time you've been here, it is but a passing glance in the scheme of things. Yes, I am the Goddess, Farore, the one who created all of the life forms that have inhabited this earth since the beginning of time. I, with my sisters Din and Nayru, created life as you know it, and of course the golden Triforce."

"Why are you here?" Link asked, eager to know more about her, and yet taken aghast by her presence.

"I will be honest with you, Link, because I know you are of noble heart. Years ago, the Sacred Realm, our home after we created the Triforce, was corrupted. The darkness consumed it, transforming it into another place entirely. It had to do with the fate of the Hero of Time, and so it was not our place to intervene. But the corruption within that world was unbearable. I was the first of my sisters to leave and take refuge here; the others are far too stubborn to give in yet, but in time they will. I took a human form when traveling here, and in doing so I gave up most of my powers as a Goddess. I came to this village when trouble began to brew here, and I promised these people that you would arrive when the time was right."

"And that brings us here," Link noted.

Farore nodded, the sun reflecting off of her golden hair. Link looked into her eyes, white mirrors that saw deep into his soul. "The cause of this evil lies in the corruption of the Sacred Realm. When it became the Dark World, vile creatures rose up from the remains of what was once good. One of those creatures was the Phantom. He and others found a way to escape into this world, and here they remain, intent on making it theirs."

"And it is my job to defeat the Phantom," Link said indifferently. "Will my journey ever end?"

"It will end when you let it do so, Link. Now, I have told you the history of the Sacred Realm and what it became; you may ask whatever questions you like."

Link thought for a moment, trying to come up with an insightful question, for he was in the presence of a glorious being. Finally, he asked, "I had a dream last night about Ganondorf. I thought that when I defeated him all those years ago I had sealed his fate. And yet the dream promised that he would return. Is this so?"

"Ganondorf will only return if the King of Red Lions himself pulls free the Sword of Evil's Bane from his stone body."

Link smiled, content with this answer, for he knew that would never occur. Still, questions came to his lips. "So the Phantom is my new enemy. I was confident that I could have killed him, Goddess, but he made me look like a fool. He took the Wind Waker, using it to destroy me. How can I defeat him?"

"To defeat the Phantom you must be at your best. There are three talismans that define you as the Hero of Winds, Link. First, of course, is the Triforce of Courage, which runs in your blood. Second is your tool of heroism, the Wind Waker. Because it was stolen from you, you are now at a disadvantage. But there is one more item, something that enabled you to defeat the King of Evil: the Hero's Sword. It remains fixed within Ganondorf's head right now, and so it is not wise to remove it. But to defeat the Phantom, one who is not part of the Triforce, there are other ways. You will need the Wind Waker back, however, for two out of three of the talismans are essential."

"I don't see why the Phantom was able to harness the power of the Wind Waker, especially if he is not the Hero of Winds," Link wondered aloud.

"Anyone can pick up a wand and thrust it forward," the Oracle answered, "but few can truly master the magic. Just as anyone can wield the Hero's Sword but only you can use it to destroy evil in the name of good, it is true here. You have changed the winds, Link. The Phantom merely picked up a draft."

"I have one last question, Farore." Link looked out onto the streets as he walked, noticing the forlorn faces of the people. He saw as they tried to pick up the broken pieces of the town, attempting to mend it back together, but to no avail. They could not keep up with the destruction the Phantom and the Poes caused, and they were desperate for a savior. "I just want to be sure," Link continued. "I am going to make it, right? Is there any chance of failure?"

"You will only die if the King of Evil returns," the Oracle answered blankly. Link smiled, for she had previously inferred this was impossible. "If that is all, Link, I must instruct you of your quest. You are to journey northwest, through the forest. You are to seek a man called the Hermit. You must make haste, Link, so say goodbye and be off quickly. The Hermit will teach you how to defeat the Phantom. He is a master of the sword, and a master of the mind. He was the one everyone thought would slay the Phantom and rid us of the Poes' darkness. Alas, when the Hermit went to confront the Phantom, he was beaten savagely. He lived, but just barely. Defeated and ashamed, the Hermit left our village then, for he knew that he had fallen. He was lucky that day, Link, for he had escaped with his life, though he had paid a dark price."