A few years had passed and Shiro had almost forgotten about the boy from the temple and the man in dark armor. He would have thought it all a dream if it weren't for the voices that still plagued him.

Nothing much had happened since that day, the princess had left and there were whispers of some nefarious plot to overthrow the kingdom. These rumors meant nothing to Shiro. He was more concerned with the whispering voices that seemed to haunt him every waking minute.

While the voices haunted him in his waking hours, there were dreams that plagued him every night while he slumbered. Dreams or nightmares of a child of the forest, innocently walking toward a temple, and disappearing from the stone pedestal. Soon after disappearing, the child is replaced by a horrible demon wearing a shredded green tunic.

This monster, always with dripping fangs and claws covered with a thick, deep red substance that was clearly blood would stalk toward him. Shiro would try to run, try to scream, but the horrible apparition would merely laugh cruelly. Inching closer and closer, it would get right up to where Shiro could feel the heat of its rancid breath streaming over him. It would rear back one blood soaked claw and swipe downward causing Shiro to awaken, screaming and drenched in sweat.

When it first started, his mother would run in to check on him without fail, but her mission to save her son became less and less frequent with each passing day.

She took him to see that old quack by Lake Hylia who would give him potion after potion, tonic after tonic to "take care of the problem." When that had failed, the old crone in Kakariko was the next stop but to no avail. Not surprising really since her solution was also to throw potion upon potion. Soon enough, his mother decided that it would just be easier to ignore his screams of terror and avoid the topic of the voices altogether.

Though this is true, word often travels fast in a small town. Shiro soon became something akin to a plague, someone to be avoided at all costs, the loon of Hyrule. It hurt him greatly at first but he soon came to accept it and would often stay alone near the temple where he became doomed to be feared.

On one such day, Shiro was sitting on a low hanging branch near the temple, listening to the voice bickering in his head. That's something he never could understand. Sometimes, it seemed like they were trying to convince him of something but other times, they seemed to be like two children arguing over something silly. However, it would never take long before their spat ended and they seemed to turn on him again.

Suddenly, screaming erupted from the direction of the town. Shiro sat upright, shifting his balance so as not to topple from the tree. The smell of smoke quickly filled his nose. Crashes could be heard from all directions. He jumped from his perch and made his way to the town but the sight that he found there was more than anyone could ever imagine.

Hoards of monsters crept along cobblestone walkways. His mouth hung agape as he watched creatures resembling humanoid boars running toward some villagers, his spear lowered to impale his helpless victims. Two skeletal warriors wielding swords and shields were locked in battle with one of the few remaining guards. Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice screaming for mercy.

Shiro ran to his home knowing that his mother was in trouble. He rounded the corner and heard an otherworldly scream. His feet came to an abrupt halt, completely paralyzed by the horrible cry.

A withered figure skulked closer to his mother, its mouth open in a horrible gaping maw. He watched, horrified as the creature crept ever closer, his mother unable to move because of whatever force this monster had to control them.

Finally, his mother seemed able to move. She began to run, to find a suitable hiding place from such a monstrosity. Before she could escape the grasp of the creature it released another scream, its spell taking control once again.

Its shriveled arms wrapped around his mother's thin frame. Shiro, frozen in place, could do nothing but watch as the creature slowly drained the life from his mother. The color faded from her rosy skin, replacing it with a sickly, ashen gray. She released a final strangled gasp as the last of her life force left her body.

The spell finally lifted causing Shiro to buckle under the weight of what he had just witnessed. He stared at his mother's still form, lying limply on the cobblestone. Hot, stinging tears welled in his eyes. He screamed in anger, causing the monster to turn its attentions on him.

Shiro's blood boiled throughout him as he watched the creature stalk closer to him. He knew that the creature was trying to cast its horrible spell on him but it was drowned out by the pounding in his ears. His eyes became clouded over, tinting everything with red. His hands groped blindly for anything that may be used as a weapon. Finally, his hands grasped what felt to be the handle of an old mallet that the local carpenter used to repair buildings with.

He lunged at the creature, tackling it to the ground. The mallet came crashing down on the creatures gaping visage. A ghastly cracking resounded throughout the alley. Shiro lifted the mallet and brought it back down quickly upon the monster. Again and again he struck it until nothing remained of its head except for an indiscernible mass of rotted flesh and coagulated blood.

Shiro crawled to his mother's side, lifting her head gently and brushing her hair from her face.

"Mom?" he called brokenly.

He waited a moment before calling again. Still, no reply came from her lips. Tears streamed down Shiro's face as he leaned forward to kiss his mother tenderly on the forehead.

The crackling of a burning wood soon brought Shiro back to the situation at hand. He looked around to see a wall of flames erupting from the building in front of him. Desperately, he tried to carry his mother's limp body but to no avail. Feeling powerless, he leaned forward, apologizing for being so weak and for being unable to give her a proper burial.

Shiro followed the hoards of people as they made their way quickly to the open drawbridge. He felt the wooden bridge begin to crack and bow beneath his feet but did not stop until his feet were on the solid ground of Hyrule field. Turning back to the town, he watch helplessly as smoke billowed from the place he had called home for so long.

Taking a few steps toward the mote, the weight of what had just happened began to tumble down on him. He fell to his knees, retching.

"He could have prevented this but he refused..." whispered one of the voices that had plagued him since that fateful day in front of the temple in Hyrule Castle Town.

"Who?" Shiro asked through bitter tears.

"The child of the forest..." whispered the other.

"How could he prevent something like this?"

"He opened the Gates of Time..."

"He removed the blade of evil's bane..."

"The Master Sword has been in his possession..."

"And he disappeared..."

"Hiding..."

"Running..."

The voices seemed to circle him, pounding in his ears.

"How do you know all this?"

Evil cackling reverberated in his head. Suddenly two elderly women sitting atop of ragged old brooms spun into existence.

"I am Koume," said one of the women, a large red jewel prominent upon her forehead.

"And I am Kotake," said the other who was wearing a large blue gem.

"We are known as the sorceresses Twinrova" they spoke in unison.

Shiro looked around him frantically at the other villagers that had escaped with him but found himself to be alone with the two elderly women.

"Why have you been haunting me for these past years?" Shiro questioned, his eyes darting between the two.

"Our lord has seen some potential in you..." Koume stated simply.

"We just wish to unlock that potential..." Kotake replied.

"You could be powerful..."

"Strong..."

"The hero you've always wanted to be..."

"How?" Shiro asked skeptically.

"Take up the mantle of our master..."

"Become his champion..."

"Help to take back the Master Sword..."

"And to stop the one from the forest from taking the power of the sages..."

The two sorceresses suddenly spun around and they were gone. Shiro found himself in Hyrule field again, other towns people surrounded him but seemed oblivious to him.

"Take up his mantle..."

"We will be waiting at Lake Hylia come twilight..."