Stoney eyes rested on his weakened form. The perpetual smile carved into her features. She was a pleasant representation of the goddess, motherly and watchful, but nothing could compare to the real thing.

Faron had left him in the Temple of Time as she gathered a search party of the remaining deities to go looking for Zelda. He prayed to the three that she would be found before...

Why didn't he follow her back? He could have protected her. That semi-reasonable voice in his head told him that he wouldn't have been able to. It made him feel sick with shame at how quickly he had been worn out. Hero. The way Ghirahim said that word with such contempt replayed itself over and over in his mind.

How did he, the chosen hero of the goddess, saviour of the land, slayer of Demise, fall so low? He, the one that ancient prophecies spoke of, fell at the mere grasp of a demon? Demon king Ghirahim may be, but a demon nonetheless. He had killed their source, their god to save his own, yet he was so easily subdued by the one who tracked him down for doing so, the one he had defeated three times, for Din's sake!

"Kwee"

Link turned around to find Lopsa gingerly tapping his shoulder.

"Mister Hero, isn't it a bit cold for you out here?" he piped, somehow managing to look concerned despite his extremely simple facial features.

It was the night after Zelda's abduction. The storm had passed, but a strong breeze still lingered. He had been sitting in the middle of the courtyard, staring at the statue's face for quite a while. In fact, that's mostly what he'd been doing the whole day.

"We've been worried about you, Mister Hero- kyoo- are you alright?"

"I..." He briefly turned back to the statue. "I'm alright, thank you."

"It's not your fault- koowee- that man took her away." Lopsa turned to the statue. "Especially since you lost her before."

It was then Lopsa wrapped his little arms around Link's body.

"There, there," he said in his tiny, hushed voice.

Link scooped up the little creature with one arm, cradling him close. Despite being partially plant, the Kikwi was surprisingly warm.

He felt someone gently tapping on his knee. He repeated the process with Machi, then Oloo, followed by everyone else. Before he knew it, Link was covered in the little bush people, a small "kwee" would occasionally escape from one of them.

He felt warm and fuzzy, taking his mind off the matter that had been troubling him all day. He looked up from the pile of Kikwis, noticing a silhouette in the the temple's doorway.

The person was tall and slender, wearing a long robe and sporting hair that cascaded down their back. Slowly but surely the person made their way into the moonlight, and it was then Link stared dumbfounded.

There he was, Kikwi by his side, Instructor Owlan. Link gave a joyful cry, for here he was, whom he had feared dead for so long. Tears blurred his vision as his long-lost teacher made wide strides towards him. Owlan kneeled, looking Link in the eye.

"Link?" His eyes too were filled with tears.

Link nodded at his teacher, having to knit his brow and scrunch up his face to prevent falling into a sobbing fit. Without warning Owlan threw himself around Link, potentially squishing a few Kikwis while doing so.

The Kikwis made way for the tall man as he held his former student tight, resting his head against Link's. The hero heard him sob, and felt the urge to do the same. Link lay his head on the other's shoulder, returning the embrace. It was wonderful to meet a survivor after questioning for several months whether there were any. That some were still out there, hopefully out of the demon's grasp.

"I... missed you–" Link managed to choke out before being overwhelmed by another fit.

"Where have you been all this time?!" the instructor said, drawing him closer. "I–I've been searching the entire wood for you!"

"I'd thought you died. I am so glad to see you haven't!"

They both gave a short laugh, finally drawing apart. Link wiped his tears on the back of his sleeve, smile wide. "So, how've you been?" he asked.

"Aside from wandering the woods alone while trying to find anyone else and fending off many a beast, I haven't been too bad." He gave Erla a brief glance. "Honestly, Link, had Erla not found me but a few days ago I would have surely perished."

Now that they had withdrawn, Link was able to see the condition the former instructor was in. Robe soaked, ripped and dirty. Face pale and gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes. His white hair was greasy and knotted. But the one thing that stood out from all was that he was missing his right forefinger.

Owlan gently reached a hand out to touch the left side of Link's face. He carefully brushed his fingers along the surface of his skin, feeling the burns and lacerations that were once there. His brows were knit together, mouth slightly agape in horror.

"...We should go inside, it's quite chilly out here."

"Yeah..."

They got up, although Link was clutching his side where the Bokoblin had injured him.

"Are you alright?", Owlan asked with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Got distracted and got hit by a Bokoblin."

Owlan's eyes widened. He helped Link up, offering himself as a crutch.

"Don't worry, it's not too big of a deal; just some bruising."

As they made their way through the temple, its disrepair causing it to resemble its predecessor, they looked at whatever was left of the stained-glass windows. Link remembered when the temple was barely in it's infancy.

He remembered the day that was supposed to be their wedding, all the preparations, all the plans, and, of course, all of Zelda's fussing no matter how much Gaepora told her to relax.

He remembered the utter look of wrath, contempt, and undiluted hatred on Ghirahim's face as he dragged him off the ground by his collar on that day.

Link shot his head in Owlan's direction. He was inspecting the Tree of Life with unbridled curiosity.

"My my, what a spectacular specimen," he heard him mutter. Link had to restrain himself from sniggering at the sight.

At least one thing hadn't changed.

A strong gust of wind could be heard, and before Link knew it Faron was right behind him. Link could tell by the look on her face they still hadn't found Zelda. The water dragon looked absolutely drained.

"We...checked everywhere, and yet..." she started to mumble, "...we didn't even find a clue. It's like they just dissipated from existence."

Owlan whipped his head around.

"What's this about? You couldn't find who?"

Faron motioned to one of the Kikwis.

"Please inform the instructor of our current predicament."

The Kikwi nodded and proceeded to lead Owlan away. Faron pressed her clawed fingers to her temples. The pair stood there for a long time. It was then Link made up his mind.

"Call the search party off."

Faron stopped her rubbing and stared, dumbfounded at the hero.

"Pardon?"

"Call it off, I'll search for her myself."

Faron gave a half-hearted laugh, looking more tired than ever.

"Call it off and go search for her yourself?" she scoffed. "I appreciate your boldness, hero, but with your current state you are in no condition to go searching for the spirit maiden."

"And you're going to go wandering around with the other deities, leaving your territories open for attack by the demon hordes?" He raised a sparse brow.

Faron opened her mouth to object, then closed it. That hero had quite the nerve, which was probably why the goddess chose him. He did have a good point, but there was no telling what would happen to him if he left alone and never returned.

"Alright then, I'll call the search party off."

Link's eyes lit up.

"But first you must prepare, because those"–she pointed at his dirty, shredded and bloodstained clothes–"will certainly not do."

Link nodded, barely being able to contain himself.

"Tomorrow I shall take you to the Ancient Cistern. There you will bathe yourself and I'll hand you your equipment. But for now, rest. I can tell you haven't gotten any sleep whatsoever."

Fancy that last statement coming from her.

"Alright, but you don't look so good either."

Faron muttered something incomprehensible, most likely about how he had the nerve say what he had.

Eventually Faron left to call off the search party, and Link tried to get some sleep. There he lay, by the Tree of Life, moon gently glowing through the skylight, barely touching his face.

Owlan had fallen asleep long ago, so there was nobody to talk to about his troubles. He had to get to Zelda; he had to bring her back. She was all he had. He rolled over to his side, staring at the wall.

He wondered how long ago it had really been; at some point they must have lost track. Three years... Yeah, fat chance. More like six since the destruction of Demise. Or maybe even seven. Who knew how long they spent down there in those dungeons, at the mercy of the demon king. The same demon king who took Zelda.

He was trying so hard to fall asleep so he could wake up refreshed the next day, but whether it be minutes or hours that he slept, he felt more awake than ever. Deciding he couldn't take it any longer, he got up and went to the smaller goddess statue that stood inside the temple.

He fell to his knees and prayed, prayed that there were other survivors, prayed for his strength, prayed for Zelda, and prayed for all the inhabitants of the surface world. His eyes grew red and a few tears spilled forth, but at least he wasn't in a sobbing fit.

After his prayers, he walked back out into the courtyard. He looked up at the clear night sky, silently pleading to the gods that what he was about to do would work, although he had little faith it would, not after goodness knows how long.

A shrill, mournful whistle resounded through the air. Nothing came in response. No flapping of wings, no cheerful squawk; just the silence and the moon gleaming upon him. It might as well just fall down on him right then and there.

He paced back and forth about the courtyard, recalling the time he won the wing ceremony, how he caught Zelda and how they flew up to the goddess statue. He remembered all the times she'd pushed him off the edge. Back then those were his worst problems, aside from Groose and waking up too late for breakfast.

He looked at the gaping passage to the interior of the statue and decided, for the first time in years, to enter.

It was all there, just like he remembered it. A mysterious golden light shining down on the now empty pedestal, painfully reminding him of Fi, the stone tablets that he and Fi used to break the cloud barrier and descend to the surface, goddess' crest above the case. There was no sign of decay anywhere. No ivy crawling up the walls or cracks in the stone; it were as though time had no effect here.

He lay down beside the pedestal, imagining Fi telling him about all the obvious things; while it could be a bit repetitive at times, he would give so much just to have her do it again.

Link closed his eyes, and tried to picture the scene. He imagined that the stone beneath him was a mattress covered with a quilt, that instead of a bright light piercing through his eyelids there was a dim one–just barely there.

He could hear her calling out to him beyond the door, faint ghostly whispers. He got off his bed, and slowly made his way to the door. He reached out for the handle, and there she was. There she was.

Fi floated up the academy stairs with grace, a trail of light behind her. Link eagerly made his way up. As soon as he got close, Fi drifted further away. There was a small smile dancing on her lips. A playful one.

She passed through the door like it was water, leaving small ripples in her wake. Link opened the door, and slid out into the open air. This time, there were no torches; Fi was the only light. Fi was his guide. He followed her along the precipice that lead to the back of the goddess statue.

There weren't any monsters, not even Mia. As he made his way to the courtyard, he noticed the entrance to the goddess statue was already open. Fi slid into the passage, beckoned him to follow, and floated into the darkness.

When he emerged into the room, he saw the complete Master Sword sitting in the pedestal. Fi was simply floating above it. For a moment, they just looked at one another.

"It has been a long time, Link," she said.

Link nodded, unable to form words. This was just a dream, it wasn't like he was actually seeing her again after all these years.

"Do you not trust what you see?"

She lowered herself onto the ground and walked toward him. He had never seen her walk before; it was rather unsettling. When she was barely a foot away from him, a hand emerged from the cloak. With no arm attached, it floated up to Link's face, cupping the left side of his face.

"Does this not feel, real?" she said as her thumb gently brushed over where his eyebrow should have been. Link shuddered slightly at the feel of cool metal over such sensitive skin.

"If this is real, then why didn't you come to me in the cell, when Ghirahim was ripping me apart? Why didn't you come when Zelda had been completely numb for the entire month after our escape?" He tried to remove her hand, but couldn't motivate himself to. His voice lowered to a whisper. "Where were you, when I considered ending it all?"

Fi pulled him in, wrapping him in her cape-arms, or what her had though were arms. She planted a kiss on his forehead, as her hand felt his left ear.

He opened his eyes, and looked at her face. She looked so sad, so...

Guilty.

He realized that she wasn't there, because she couldn't be.

"I'm sorry," she said, barely above a whisper. "I believe what I feel, is what you call regret. Regret that I couldn't be of any use to you, Master."

"It's fine, you were meant have your rest anyways," he said, resting head on her shoulder.

"Then I must have gotten a little insomniac." She gave what sounded like a small chuckle. She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I know that you must find Zelda, and so I shall give you a gift; a gift that you and you alone shall possess."

She raised her hand up to his left eye, gently hovering over it.

"Close your eyes."

Link closed his eyes, and for a second all was black. Then there was a soft violet glow that pierced the darkness. He could feel a throbbing in his eye, and it was getting stronger and stronger with each passing second.

"Please, only a little longer."

His eyelids were glowing with violet. It was so bright that he was beginning to see his veins. He was struggling not to open them. Then, she lowered her hand.

"You can open them now."

And just like that, the throbbing was gone.

"I have given you the ability to dowse. Just close your right eye, focus your mind on a particular person or object, and scan your vision. The throbbing will get more intense as you look in the target's direction."

Link bit his chapped lips. Dowsing, probably the best thing he could have gotten seeing as he didn't even know where to start looking for Zelda.

"I suggest you test it when you wake up, as there will be tangible objects to target."

"I... I don't know what to say," Link said. "You have no idea how much of a life-saver this is. Thank you, Fi, I mean it!"

"My pleasure, Master." She smiled, motioning toward the entrance. "I suggest you go through the exit and awaken. The longer Zelda is in the hands of the demon king, the lower the likelihood of your success."

Link turned heel and made his way to the entrance. He turned to face Fi one last time, and nodded. She gave a light smile.

"You know, even though you could be little bit much at times, I'll miss you." Fi was never one to judge; it was just so easy to vent to her all his troubles. She had seen everything he'd been through. It wasn't easy just leaving her behind.

"And I you, but my duty ended seven years ago. I too need my rest, I can't stay awake forever. Just know that I'll never forget the memories we shared, and that I wish the best for you."

Link gave her one last smile, and turned away from her for the last time. As he made his way to the light at the tunnel's end, he uttered:

"Thank you."

Link awoke to the holy light shining above the pedestal pouring down upon his face.

He took some time to just lie there, thinking about Fi. He closed his right eye, leaving open his left as Fi had instructed him to, and could see a faint purple bordering his vision. Time to test it. He sensed a small, instinctual feeling in the back of his mind, telling him what to do.

Link got up; there was a small throbbing sensation whenever he looked in the direction of the passageway. He made his way out, and began to look around, the throbbing growing stronger when he looked in the direction of the temple, as expected. He also noticed the purple in his vision intensified the closer he was to his target.

Once inside the temple he looked toward the Tree of Life and drew closer. By this point the throbbing had become nearly unbearable and his vision consumed by purple.

He poked his head around the trunk of the tree, and saw Machi sleeping, or at least what appeared to be sleeping.

He opened his other eye and the throbbing was gone. While dowsing was rather straightforward, it wasn't the most comfortable experience.

He noticed that Owlan and the rest of the Kikwis weren't present, probably strolling out in Faron Woods. Ever since the storm died down, the weather had been really good so far.

Link cocked his head to the temple entrance. Faron was there to pick him up. When they had arrived at the temple, Faron set him on the doorstep.

"Wash yourself, but don't take too long. The longer we wait, the less of a chance the spirit maiden is found."

Link nodded and went inside. The room was lit with a divine-looking glow; the lily pads on crystal-clear water and the statue of an unknown deity stood in the centre as he had remembered.

He undressed and slowly lowered himself into the water. He wondered how many tales there were that had been lost to the sands of time, and if they would make the reason of certain occurrences any clearer. He dunked his head in the water, washing himself thoroughly. He saw all the dirt, dried blood, and other gunk come off, and yet it never seemed to taint the pure water.

He rose up to the surface once more, looking at his reflection once the ripples had calmed down. Feeling along the left side of his face, he felt around his eye. He could see was slightly more purple through his left eye than the other, but it wasn't all too prominent. He closed his right eye and saw that the scarred dents in his skin began to light up in a violet hue. When he opened the other eye, however, they were gone.

He took some time to just relax in the pool, knowing fully well that he'd have no time for that once he was off on his search for Zelda. This was probably the last wash he'd have in a long time.

And then what Faron said about being quick hit him, and he hastily left the pool.

He dried off, put on his old, smelly and very dirty clothes and rushed out of the cistern. When he had come outside he saw Faron waiting for him, and, with her, his new supplies.

"Well," she said, half-lidding her eyes, "you took your time, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry–but it was so nice!"

"Whatever you say, now take a look at your equipment."

She handed him the bundle, and he began to lay out all its contents.

There was a set of clothes that looked like the ones he once wore, but upon closer inspection it was clear they were of a higher quality. His hands tugged at the hem of the shirt; even though they clearly weren't his original clothes, they still held a strange familiarity.

He noticed the bow, made of a strong, fine wood with silver accents. He picked it up, closed an eye and pulled back the string. He had right-eye dominance, so he didn't have the issue of purple filling his vision along with that bothersome throbbing distracting him. It stretched back with ease, but felt nice and firm. He let go, and the string snapped back in place.

He put the bow down, and looked at the sword.

For a moment he thought it was the Master Sword, but when he picked it up, it didn't have that same, almost alive, buzzing sort of feel to it.

It just felt like his training sword: dead, cold steel. It fit perfectly in his hand, but everything still felt wrong. It was the perfect length, the perfect width, the perfect weight, but still it was just an object. Just a tool.

"Is everything alright, hero?"

"I'm fine, it's just..."

"Doesn't feel the same? I understand, I imagined that after all this time you'd have gotten attached." In an unexpected gesture, she gently ruffled his hair.

Link was rather taken aback, but eventually he eased himself and gently closed his eyes.

"I understand, hero, I understand..." There was a hint of sorrow in her tone, and it had a sense sentimentality in it too. It left Link to wonder what the water dragon had experienced from all these years, what scars she bore.

She retracted her hand and nudged the shield toward him.

Link expected to see yet another imitation, but upon closer inspection it was clear this was no dupe. Those were the same scratches, especially the dents where Demise had jabbed his sword. He quickly pulled the shield tight to his chest upon realisation. He never thought he'd see the day where he'd be hugging a shield, but here he was: hugging a shield. This was the only thing left from his journey that hadn't gone missing or been destroyed, now that he had lost the clawshots.

He snapped his head up at Faron, smile on her face.

"How... how did you find it?" he asked, eager to know the details.

"For a few days, weeks before you were found, I was checking about the town ruins, feeling remorse over my inability to have prevented–" She stopped mid-sentence, trying to recollect herself. It was clear she felt shame over not being able to prevent the attack that day, nor the attack that happened the day after–and they had been so close to her domain.

"So, while checking over, a bright gleam caught my eye. At first I thought that some foolish monster had attempted to draw its weapon on me, but when I focused... I noticed it was the sacred shield that Lanayru had bestowed upon you. I thought it'd be best to take it into my care, just in case I needed to give it to someone."

"Wow..." Link had not much else to say, he was never really too good with words anyway.

"I suggest you quickly enter the temple and put on your clothes."

He snatched up his clothing and obeyed, taking his shield for good measure. He wasn't letting it out of his sight after just getting it back.

Shortly afterwards, he emerged from the depths.

Here he was, spitting image of the hero of legend. He looked strong and stoic, like he could take anything and still get back up. His scars made him look quite intimidating; they were proof that he had been through hell and came out on the other side. It really was quite remarkable.

He secured the belt that supported his blade's sheath, hung the shield over his back before unstringing the bow, placing it in its case before tucking it away in his pack.

"So, when am I gonna go?" He exhaled, pacing back and forth along the patio.

"Well, where do you plan to start the search?"

Now came the tricky part; how was he going to explain that vision he had of Fi giving him the ability?

"Well, last night I had this vision"–that ended up sounding more awkward than he intended–"and...there was Fi. She was the sword spirit, you remember?"

"I am quite aware of her capabilities. Did she give you something to aid you?" She cocked her head to the side, intrigued.

"Yep, dowsing!" At least it seemed she knew more or less the extent of Fi's powers.

"You know, the only way that could have happened"–she nodded her head, a slight smile appearing on her face–"was if, Zelda, goddess incarnate herself, prayed for something to guide you."

"Which means..." Link's eyes widened as he came to the conclusion.

"Zelda is alive."

Link began to shake uncontrollably with sheer joy. She was alive, she was alive, and if she was alive, then he could bring her back!

"You see, Fi was made to be of assistance to you. Even though she sleeps deep in that blade, with a little push from Zelda herself, she was able to manifest in your dream, giving her the opportunity to bestow her blessing."

He closed his right eye, and while the throbbing was almost nonexistent and his vision was practically crystal clear, there was still something. He explored the very edges of his vision, sometimes stepping slightly closer in a direction to see if the throbbing became more noticeable. It seemed like it was steering him in the direction of the north, where the Eldin Province resided.

"Looks like he's keeping her in either Eldin or beyond..." he murmured, not completely sure.

"Makes sense, demons were creatures of Din."

"Wait, what?"

"You heard. Unfortunately, they possessed only pure power and nothing else. No wisdom, no courage, just pure power, and a strong lust for it." she sounded bitter and hateful about the whole ordeal. "They caused a good deal of pain. They were the ones to suck Lanayru dry even before the Great War."

As baffling as it was at first, it actually made a lot of sense the more he thought about it. Demise appeared volcanic and fiery, just like most portrayals of Din. It made sense why they were the only ones to actually cause large-scale conflict; they knew power and nothing else. It was quite a shame really. This was how they were made, without being able to comprehend anything different.

"At some point they had to be sealed away beneath the earth, but that only provided temporary solace."

He nodded with a grim expression. After a short silence of hearing the wind in the trees, the chirping of birds and watching the clouds flying overhead, Link spoke up.

"How long do you think it'll take me to get to Eldin on foot?"

"Long time boy, long time. At the very least a couple of weeks to a month; may or may not be longer."

"Can I say goodbye to Owlan before I go? I feel like he'd be hurt if I went without a word."

"That would be advised."

Faron picked him up, and flew toward the Temple of Time. Link was happy to see a beaming Owlan planting flowers in the courtyard, surrounded by Kikwis of course.

"Why hello there, Link," he chirped. "We've been out and about during this marvelous weather, and I must say, the late spring has brought us plenty of flowers!"

"I can see that!" Link couldn't keep himself from smiling; it was so nice actually seeing someone being cheerful in this grim situation.

"Although I must say, the loss of my finger made things a bit trickier, but I think I'll adapt." He raised his hand, giving the stump where a finger should've been a rather disgruntled facial expression.

"Hey, um, I know we only found each other yesterday, but–"

"...You have to go search for Zelda?"

"Yup." Link swayed his arms by his side, pulling slightly on his lower lip.

"Well"–he raised both brows–"while I am a little sad you have to leave so soon, the sooner you find her the better. Can't have that nasty blight keeping her!"

Link lowered himself down to the instructor's level and wrapped himself around him.

"Please, please do take care, I can't bear to lose another student."

"I'll try." The hero pulled himself away. "And don't go picking any nasty plants, especially the ones with teeth. You know how that ended last time."

"Oh come on, they're so interesting!" he laughed.

Link got up, and began to head for the temple doors.

"May the Goddess be with you, Link. Especially when you return."

Link looked at Owlan one last time.

"I hope."