Book 1: The Rescue of the Saviour

By JoeMoron2000

Chapter Nine: The Activation of the Keys

"Wait, what?" shouted Darunia, finally speaking. "How did he see the destruction of Hyrule when he's been in here for longer than we have?"

Hyre unbuckled the clasp and removed the sword and its case from his back, and laid it on the ground, so that everyone could see the engraving on the casing. He closed his eyes and ran his finger down the spine of the sheath, and sighed.

"This writing here is, as I'm sure you've noticed, Madam Impa, different from the modern language which we speak here. Its characters share a similar ancestor, but that isn't important. In the tongue of my homeland, it merely says the sword's name, Azurewrath. It is customary from whence I come to engrave the name of the sword upon its sheath, so that if one defeats another in battle and takes the enemy's weapon, those who challenge the victor can know whom their enemy has bested in combat."

"Great, but what does that have to do with anything?" Nabooru asked; her impatience was much less well-hidden than Impa's.

Hyre unsheathed the sword and took a few steps backwards. Its cool blue aura cast a glow on the Sages, and Saria and Ruto gasped at its beauty. Nabooru and Darunia simply stared, awe-struck. "This is Azurewrath, my sword. To be perfectly honest, I'm not quite sure why it has its glow, but it's certainly a nice touch, I think. It was crafted of powerful magic; a pure, unfiltered anguish which strikes a direct terror in the heart of anyone who is unfortunate enough to touch it.

"The metal, by itself, is nothing special – the Biggoron Sword would easily overpower it in a display of sheer force of muscle, but that is not where Azurewrath's power lies. Instead, its strength comes from the magic – the terror. On contact, it takes control of the mind and shows the victim only the truth, untarnished and whole. It then corrupts what a person holds dearest, holds closest to their heart. And the whole time, the victim feels it – the pain, the suffering, and the wrath caused by that which we hold dearest.

"That is why it has its name – 'Azure' from its colour, and 'wrath' from it power." Beside him, Rauru began silently weeping again, as he remembered the suffering he felt as the sword worked its power.

"Isn't it simply a vision, though?" Impa was determined to find something wrong with his monologues so that she could retaliate. "He saw the destruction of Hyrule, but that hasn't happened!"

"No," Hyre said, shaking his head. "As I mentioned, it shows only the truth, even if its events are in the future. That's why it's such a powerful weapon against evil – it shows them that, given enough time, they will fall. In the end, even the strongest warriors suffer. In the end, even the most fortified structures crumble. In the end, nothing is forever."

The full effect of Hyre's words hung around them, slowly being absorbed. With a scrape and a click, Hyre returned the sword to his shoulder, and waited patiently for someone to speak. All that was heard was the faint sound of breathing and Rauru's muffled crying.

Moments became minutes that passed in silence as each of the Sages waited for somebody else to speak first, to break the tension. At last, Saria cleared her throat, and ignored Ruto elbowing her head to keep quiet. As one, everybody turned to the nervous Saria.

"What next?" she asked, dumbly, and received a full-on smack in return. "Ow, Ruto, that hurt!" she said, rubbing her shoulder.

Hyre looked around him. The Sanctuary of Shadow, while potentially homily to Impa, only had one object of significant interest to Hyre, and it was broken. Returning his look to Saria, he said, "There's nothing any of us can do here," he said. "I believe that the key to preventing Rauru's foreseen disaster lies in finding Link, the Hero of Time, and rescuing him from whatever fate has befallen him. It's time we leave," he announced. "We mustn't delay ourselves further.

"I doubt that many of you will choose to return here, and such a desire is understandable. I ask you all to go, back to your own rooms, and gather your things – whatever you want to bring with you. As long as you can carry it, you may bring it. But do not let it slow you down; the longer we delay the less chance we have of finding Link alive and preventing the flood. We will leave when everyone is ready. Go!"

Saria and Ruto made for the portal, but Impa appeared in front of them, blocking it. "Stop," she said. "Nobody's going anywhere." On her command, Ruto and Saria froze mid-stride, in an almost comical fashion. Nabooru looked at her, wearing an expression of mild interest. "I won't let any of you needlessly endanger yourselves," she said, looking at Saria. "Not without a plan."

"Well then," Hyre said, approaching Impa, "I'm sorry to disappoint you, as I came unequipped with one of –"

"You mean you don't even know what you're doing? And you expect us to blindly follow you into the path of danger?" Impa blinked. Of all of the responses she had been expecting, this was certainly not the highest.

Nabooru raised an eyebrow, and asked, smirking, "Wait, you are trying to help, right?"

Hyre rubbed his face in agitation and disguised thought. "Let me try and explain this more helpfully: no, I don't have a specific plan to locate the young man. Any plan I can devise requires contacts with the kingdom's major cities. And, as I have demonstrated firsthand, a lone-man's search for a hidden boy in a kingdom as large as this is as silly as it is fruitless. But that doesn't mean I am without ideas – I am, after all, here for a reason. The six of you can act as ambassadors to your people. Somebody, somewhere, is bound to have something helpful for us, but to go alone and demand information would be foolhardy. So no, while I do not have a battle-plan, I have an idea of what to do. Is that good enough for you, Madam Impa?" Despite the Sage of Shadow's anger and frustration, Hyre kept his tone completely in check, and, to Impa's further agitation, continued addressing her as 'Madam'.

Impa sighed. It was becoming clear that, despite the man's inability to give a straight answer without repeated prompting, Hyre did in fact have good intentions. If they were being led to their deaths, she thought grimly, it certainly wasn't his plan. "I suppose that, for now, at least, your plan – or lack thereof – won't get us all killed." With that, she waved her hand, and Saria and Ruto, both of whom had been trying to keep themselves balanced mid-stride for two minutes, resumed their run to the portal, and shimmered out of view. Darunia and Nabooru cautiously followed suit.

"Get up, Rauru," the man said, aiding the aging sage to his feet. "It's time for one last adventure, isn't it?" Rauru nodded without thinking, and he hobbled onto the pedestal and vanished, too.

Finally, Impa thought, I can ask him without their prying ears… She turned to speak, but found the man, barely an inch taller, standing a foot away.

"Madam, I do not know what your issue with me is, nor does it really matter in the grand scheme of things – I probably can't help it, either, so I don't ask that you leave your anger behind. I only ask that you keep it in check; ill feelings toward your companions will prove detrimental in the end."

If only you knew, she thought to herself. She watched as Hyre walked around her, until finally, curiosity got the better of her, and she had to ask, "Are you one of us?" Hyre stopped, but didn't face her. He remained silent, so Impa finished, "Are you a Sheikah?"

Hyre stood silently for a moment, before replying, "Not quite."

"Then what are you?" Impa called after him, but he had already disappeared. "What is that even supposed to mean?!"

She turned around in resignation, and looked at her belongings. What do I have here that I could possibly want to bring along? Her only remotely valuable, or even sentimental, possession was the pendant, and that was –

The pendant, she thought excitedly, picking one of the halves up from the nightstand.

As usual, it was silent, pretending as though it were an ordinary pendant, when it previously made itself clear that it was something else, something more. But unlike both prior times shortly after it enchanted her with its music, she was not wondering what it signified; instead, she was focused on the memories that it invoked.

Impa recalled the events of the morning, before the true madness began, and remembered her thoughts. She filled her mind with the memories of the circumstances surrounding the first day she heard its music. It was many years ago; Impa had been but a teenager at the time, but, like today, she would never forget it; miraculously, the Hyrule's long-standing civil war finally ended that day. But again, she did not focus on the usual; instead, she geared her memories towards the unusual man she'd seen.

Time had warped her initially unclear image of him, but as Impa thought back upon that morning, she felt that the man now seemed… vaguely familiar to her. Perhaps it was nothing; she could simply be projecting Hyre's image onto another, equally bizarre person, but it seemed very coincidental how both of them appeared on the same day that she heard the song.

But that was over, now. The pendant had smashed, and its song was lost. Impa shook her head and cleared her mind. Packing, she thought, and she reorganized herself accordingly. Reluctant though she was to trust the stranger, she knew that her first priority as a Sheikah was the protection of the Royal Family of Hyrule and its kingdom. She came last.

Her wardrobe was simple, organized… efficient. A sense of fashion had never been one of her strong suits, and what little knack she'd had as a teenager quickly faded to obscurity with age and training. As a result, her choice of garments was sorely limited. But today there were fewer than usual, and Impa frowned. Oh, that's right, she thought, as she was met with the sound of a whoosh behind her and the fresh scent of soap. She turned around and took her clothes from the basket Ruto held with a "Thank you." It's laundry day…

"Hey, Impa, where'd he go?" Ruto asked, looking around.

With a sigh, Impa carefully laid her clothes on her bed as she answered, "He went into the Chamber to wait."

Ruto looked at the portal, and muttered to herself, "Well, he isn't there now…"

She turned around to leave, but Impa stopped her. "Ruto – hey, Ruto, wait a second," she said, reaching out for a hold of the girl's forearm – and missing – to prevent her from leaving.

"Ow, that's my fin!" Ruto yelped, dropping the basket to smack Impa's hand. "I bet you wouldn't like me crumpling one of your important extremities, would you?"

"Sorry, Ruto," Impa said distractedly, "It's just – There's just – When did this get here?" she managed to say.

Ruto flattened her fin against her arm, muttered, "overreaction, much?", and watched in bemusement as Impa pulled a long dress from a large violet box inside the wardrobe. The dress was equally violet, and it gracefully flowed from the container from which it was being pulled. Upon the chest, her six-pointed star, an exact replica of the insignia on the Shadow Pedestal, was embroidered in a fine gold thread. Ruto allowed a momentary grin to pass over her face before she put on her most convincing 'what else is new' expression, and said, "Oh, that. Yeah, Saria made those for us about two years ago." She turned around and headed towards the portal.

Impa gazed in mild disbelief at the dress she was holding. "But – but this would probably fit me…"

Ruto gave a light chuckle, and said, "That's the point, right?" and left the Sanctuary.

It certainly was beautiful, there was no question about that in Impa's mind, but she quickly realized that she'd let herself get distracted again, and returned to packing. She refolded the dress and replaced it within the box, and, after a short pause, began putting the rest of her clothing into the box, as well, as tightly as possible, so that she could put her other belongings in, too. However, as she quickly realized, there was little else here she owned; they had the few items they'd brought, and the fewer items they'd made.

It would be a shame to leave it here, she thought, looking at the two halves of the now-broken pendant. Impa refitted the pieces together, and looked at its image, engraved upon it centuries – if not millennia – ago. The Watchful Iris, as it was called, with its three eyelashes, symbolizing Wisdom, Power, and Courage, respectively, was cracked through its centre. The slip of yellowed parchment lay tightly wedged in the small crevice in the larger half.

With one last sigh, she carefully placed the already-broken heirloom into the clothing box, closed the top, picked it up, and left. Behind her, the amethyst crystal twinkled in the glow of the portal.

"Mumble, mumble, 'pick the vegetables'… Mumble, mumble, 'tomatoes aren't veggies'… Mumble, mumble, 'that wasn't funny'," Nabooru muttered to herself. "You aren't funny, Imp!" she shouted at the wall as she practiced her left hook. A whooshing noise startled her, and in one fluid motion, she drew her sabre and whirled it at the source of the disturbance. However, as she realized again, not even a perfectly-aimed sword toss is a match for a tidal wave, and yelped as the wave of water crashed upon her head.

"Damnit, Ruto, I'm sorry!" she said as the water drained around her and reshaped itself into the disgruntled Zora princess. "But just because you've figured out how to morph into a monsoon doesn't mean you actually have to every week!" She shook her hands to dry off the remaining droplets. Ruto handed the sword back, and Nabooru took it with a very unenthusiastic expression on her face.

"How long will it take for you to realize that I'm only bringing your laundry? Yeah, I've figured out that you can't skewer me the moment I come in if I'm water!"

Nabooru, sensing defeat, changed the subject. "Anyway, what are you bringing with you?" she asked hastily.

Ruto put a thoughtful finger to her lips and looked up. "What? Oh, I was thinking that I could bring some of my fish friends," she said after a moment. "But I'd need to bring a tank for them, and water is heavy!" Nabooru caught herself before she smacked the girl in frustration. "I have to bring lots of clothes, because what's a gal without clothing? And those dresses are still gorgeous; I don't know how Newt did it…"

"Wait, 'dresses?'" Nabooru asked, confused. "As in, more than one, you mean?" But Ruto was already past clothing in her mental list.

"…jewellery, too, of course… those earrings would be perfect for my wedding. Oh, yeah, and I'm bringing a lot of fruit, because we could be walking for a few weeks, and I don't want to starve, do you?"

Okay, she's lost it, Nabooru thought dryly, rolling her eyes. Taking her laundry from the abandoned basket behind Ruto, she patiently stuffed the clothes into her rucksack while Ruto continued her rambling. "Mumble, mumble, they're all crazy," she muttered.

"…when you mumble, you know. What was that last one, again – oh yeah, and soap."

Nabooru looked up in surprise, and asked, "What was that last one, again?"

"Soap," Ruto said again, "it's such a precious commodity; I don't know how I could live without things being clean."

"No, not the soap, the one before it – you said something about mumbling?"

"Sham—oh, that," Ruto said, rolling her eyes. "I said, 'You aren't supposed to actually say "mumble" when you mumble, you know.' I heard you muttering to yourself, and decided to comment on it," she said with a wink. "So what's in the knapsack?" Ruto asked, nodding towards the bed.

Nabooru grunted, and said, "It's not a 'knapsack', it's a rucksack—but whatever; the point is that it's none of your business."

Ruto eyed the 'rucksack' with intrigue, and noted how aside from a slightly bulky box at the bottom, there appeared to be little, if any, else in it. Curiosity getting the better of her, she asked, "You're only taking that? Are you sure you're not going to need anything else?"

"A Gerudo warrior is trained to travel lightly," Nabooru retorted. "And besides, aren't you bringing enough supplies for everyone?"

Ruto snapped back, saying, "And what if something happens to me while we're out there? What're you going to do if I suddenly, I don't know, vanish, or get… or if I'm eaten by some monster, or something? What's going to happen then?" She took a small, threatening step towards Nabooru.

"Then be a responsible little girl and leave the supplies behind if you wander off! Or, instead, just don't wander!" Slowly, Nabooru, too, closed the gap between them.

"And what do we do if my supply of food suddenly goes bad?" Ruto asked, stepping forward again.

"Then I guess we're having fillet of Zora for dinner!" Nabooru shouted, and the two women growled angrily at one another. They stood just face to face now, and the tension built. A whooshing noise interrupted their contest, and Nabooru instinctively drew her sabre again and hurled it at the portal. Ruto, too, reacted, turning into the usual monsoon. There was a squeal, followed by a sudden thud and splash, indicating that their assaults hit, but it took the moment for Ruto to reform to realize just what it had hit.

Ruto looked at Nabooru, who nodded in agreement. "Saria," they both said together, looking at the large oak tree that had formed in front of them. A few cracking noises later, and the giant tree sank back into the ground, revealing Saria, arms crossed in defence, behind it.

"What was that?!" Saria shouted, peeking out from behind her arms. "I just wanted to give something back!"

Ruto pointed at Nabooru, and said, "Offensive reaction," and then she pointed to herself, and said, "Defensive reaction." Nabooru punched Ruto in the shoulder.

Saria shook her head, and pulled out a small pocket knife, which she handed to Nabooru. "Thanks for letting me borrow that, Nab," she said, and turned to Ruto. "Well, now that I've found you, are you coming, Ruto?" She picked up the sabre, which had clunked to the floor when the tree disappeared, and handed it back to Nabooru, too.

"Yeah, I'll be there in a few minutes," Ruto said, picking up the laundry basket and shooting a dirty look at Nabooru. "I've got to give back Rauru and Darunia their stuff, and I'll be there right after, okay?"

"That's alright with me," Saria said, and she and Ruto stepped onto the portal and were taken to the Sacred Chamber, leaving Nabooru, cross-armed, behind them. Saria turned to her friend and said, "Just don't take too long, okay?" and walked back to her pedestal, avoiding Hyre and Impa, who were standing silently in the way.

Oh, well, NOW you're here, Ruto thought to herself, as she carried the basket of clothing to Darunia's room. Hyre was looking around curiously, as though he was enjoying the sights, and Impa was pointedly staring at the distant 'walls' with her back toward him. Ruto giggled and entered the Sanctuary of Fire, where she found Darunia sitting at a desk, and was greeted with the customary blast of hot air and what could only be attributed to the natural Goron odour.

The usual whoosh signalled her arrival, and Darunia made sure to wipe his desk and face before he turned around. "Ah, there you are," he said, with a slight waver in his voice, which Ruto pretended not to notice. "I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you…"

The stone floor beneath her feet trapped heat throughout the day, and by now, it was scalding hot; as she walked, Ruto produced a layer of water beneath her as to not burn herself.

"Sorry," Ruto said, putting the basket on the bed and unloading Darunia's laundered clothes. "Nabooru and her antics slowed me down again." The Sage of Fire, however, was not his usual enthusiastic self. Ruto walked over to the Goron leader and asked, "Is something wrong, big guy?"

Darunia stood up, said "Nothing," and walked away from her. He loudly clunked over to his bed, took his clothes, and added them as padding to a large hollowed stone basin. A few moments passed, during which Ruto made to leave, before he amended his statement, saying, "My son, Link… he was six when I… when we awoke as sages… He will be nine years old now, but I wonder… Will he still remember his father?"

Ruto turned around and looked at the man. In the three years they had gotten to know each other, he had spoken about all of the wonderful things that he and his son had done together, all of the bomb flowers they grew, what kinds of rocks he liked to eat, what they would do together when he returned; all stuff that bored Ruto mindless. But now, for the first time she had seen, Darunia seemed – and was, judging by his statement – sad.

Ruto sat down on the bed, which was fortunately much cooler than the floor, found something fascinating on her hands, and answered. "When I was… when I was about five, my mother… I stopped seeing my mother – she just stopped being there at night, or at mealtimes, or whatever. I would ask Father where she had gone, and he would tell me that she was on vacation, or that she was travelling the world, or visiting our friends in Termina… all of these excuses." She paused for a moment, closed her eyes, and smiled. "I remember writing all these letters and asking Father to send them to her, and I always asked when she would be coming home." Ruto laughed slightly, and continued, "My writing was awful, but I kept writing, because I wanted Mother to know that I missed her.

"It wasn't until I was, I think, eight or nine, when I found where my father had hidden the letters that I wrote when he finally told me what actually happened to her." Ruto found a more interesting spot on her hands, just below a knuckle, and started fidgeting with it, instead. Her voice, however, was strong, steady, and focused, as she spoke. "It turns out she died tending to the Water Temple. M—Morpha got loose and my mom tried to go contain her." She smiled and looked at Darunia again, who was slightly surprised to see happiness showing on her face after such a recollection.

"How she died isn't important, though; what matters is how I felt, as that's what I'm trying to say by all of this. Before I found out what had happened, yeah, I was a bit frustrated by my mom not responding, but the whole time, I always loved her, and I made sure to mention that every week – I wrote 'to' her once or twice a week. Even though I hadn't seen her for like two and a half years, and I didn't even know where she was, I still loved her. So yeah, your son, Link, will still remember you, his father, and will still love you."

After a moment, Darunia managed a smile, and thanked Ruto. "I may be a Goron warrior, but I am also a father. Just don't tell anyone of my worry, okay?" He winked at Ruto, scooped up the basin into his arms, and said, "Let's go."

Ruto stood up and picked up her basket. "I have two more stops to make, then I'll get my stuff from my room, and we'll go." She smiled at Darunia, and stepped through the portal after him. The big Goron's thundering footsteps alerted the three already waiting for his arrival. Ruto passed by Saria's green pedestal, as well as the two unlit platforms, and muttered to herself, now what? She stepped into the Sanctuary of Light, accompanied by the usual yellow sparkling and tingling sensation.

Rauru's room felt more like a citadel than a Sanctuary; the walls seemed dozens of feet high, and everything shimmered in the sunlight, which streamed in from equally tall windows. In the centre of the room, Rauru paced, muttering to himself, with his bald head and long, white beard gleaming in the flood of light.

"Hiya, Rauru," Ruto said in a friendly voice. "Are you feeling better? You seemed… unusually stressed and anxious earlier; is everything okay?"

Rauru looked up, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly. "I am feeling better; thank you for your concern – and for my laundry, I might add," he said, as Ruto handed it to him. "Thank you for always lending a helping hand… I never said it enough, so now that I have the chance, I must thank you immensely."

Ruto tilted her head and raised an eyebrow – or rather, a scale above her left eye that functioned similarly to an eyebrow. "You make it sound like I'm leaving."

"Not you, my dear… not you…" Rauru looked sadly at the topaz crystal on his nightstand, and then back at the Zora princess. As he turned, the sunlight, whose source was rapidly rising in the 'sky' outside, bounced off Rauru's head and into Ruto's face; she moved slightly to escape the bright beam. Rauru was now facing one of the magnificent windows, with his back to the Sage of Water as he spoke.

"I must apologize, Ruto… I have been here for many, many years more than you have yourself. I do not have the same luxuries to which I may return as the rest of you might. In fact, I'm afraid that I would have little, if any, to which I can return." A few seconds passed in silence, before Rauru seemed to snap back into focus; the depressed air about him seemed to vanish, and he turned back to Ruto with a smile on his face. "Don't let my baggage sadden you, my dear; this is not goodbye forever. I have no doubts that we shall cross paths again in the near future. Go, finish your preparations; the longer you stay here talking to this old man, the less time you have to rescue your friend."

Ruto made to protest, but Rauru interrupted with a chuckle, and said, "Don't worry, I'll finish up in here and meet the six of you out there momentarily. Don't think I'd let you all leave without a proper goodbye first!"

With that, he waved Ruto out, who awkwardly said, "Alright, then, I'll see you soon…" She turned around and walked to the portal, and, behind her, she heard Rauru resume his muttering.

There were four of them waiting, now; the eagerness the Sages shared was obvious, and spread to Ruto herself, too, as she walked around the edge of the dulled ivy-green seal between Rauru's and Saria's seals. She looked in Hyre's direction, but he wasn't facing her; he was looking at the greyish step off to the side with apparent fascination. Ruto rolled her eyes, and with the usual whoosh, arrived in the lush Sanctuary of Forest.

"Sorry I'm late, Newt," Ruto apologized, "you wouldn't believe the things they tell me…"

"Yes – well, in your absence, I've pretty much gathered everything I'm taking," Saria said, taking her Kokiri robes from the bottom of the now-empty basket. Ruto frowned, slightly disappointed, and began apologizing again, but Saria cut her off. "Don't worry about it, Iketh; it's not like hurrying would have made much of a difference. I started packing stuff as soon as I got back from Impa's place…" She placed the robes neatly inside a backpack that seemed altogether too small to hold her belongings.

"Newt, are you sure that that's all your bringing?" Ruto asked, looking around the room. It was much emptier than it had been that morning, she noted.

"Nope, this is all I'm bringing," Saria said, and slung the back over her shoulder.

Ruto picked up her basket, tilted her head, and walked out of the room, with Saria right behind her. "It looks a bit small, doesn't it? How'd you fit everything in there?"

"Like me, it's bigger on the inside!" Saria declared proudly, head high and eyes closed. She waited a moment before slowly opening an eye and looking at Ruto, who shrugged, and Saria giggled, saying "Nah, I just pack really well."

"I'll be right back," Ruto said as she gave Saria a friendly one-armed hug, and hurried past the other Sages, who were beginning to gather around Hyre.

Ruto entered the Sanctuary of Water, and paused. The light passing through the water outside the windows shimmered around her, and Ruto let it soak in. "I guess… I guess this is goodbye, then," she said, looking around. None of the fish were by the windows, though, so her goodbye went unnoticed – until Ruto realized that the fish would neither hear nor understand what she'd said, anyway, at which point she took a deep breath and walked to her bed. There, she'd laid out a towel with all of her possessions and supplies on it, and carefully picked it up and placed it inside the large laundry basket. She made sure it wouldn't break from the weight, then picked it up completely, and, with another "goodbye," whooshed into the Sacred Chamber.

"Are you sure you wish to remain, Rauru?" Hyre asked, putting a comforting arm on the Sage of Light's shoulder. Rauru could feel the caring in his red eyes.

"Yes, stranger, I am sure." He looked away from Hyre and at the other Sages, each holding his or her treasures. "It will be lonely again without them here, but I have survived it before; I can do it again. I will be more useful to you from here than I could ever be back in Hyrule."

"But what am I to do about the Leviathans? It is said that your people hold near eternal grudges – I do not wish to intrude on their privacy. You are an integral part of granting me access to the Light Temple, and, of course, to speaking with Melzod."

Rauru raised an eyebrow, and asked cautiously, "How do you know about Melzod?"

"I'm thorough," said Hyre.

The Sage of Light spread his arms wide and looked up to the distant ceiling. A single beam of golden light shone down between them, and, in it, a shining yellow object floated calmly down. Rauru breached the barrier of the light and grasped the disc, and the light vanished.

"Take this," he said, holding the golden object out to Hyre. "This medallion shall be proof enough to the Leviathans – and to Melzod – that I have sent you. You shall always be welcome in my city." His face broke into a wide smile as he spoke.

Hyre stepped forward to the Sage, took the medallion, and gave Rauru a large, friendly hug. "Goodbye, old friend, and thank you," he whispered. In his fist, the medallion shone with its own light, and felt warm to his skin; Rauru, however, had his focus elsewhere, and broke the embrace.

"Excuse me?" Rauru asked as the stranger turned away. "What do you mean by 'old friend'? I don't remember you from before…"

The man stopped, but didn't turn around. "Perhaps it is better that way," he said. Then, he said, speaking to the rest of the Sages, "Let's go."

But none of them moved, save Ruto, who turned away. Saria was the first to react, and she stepped forward, quietly asking, "You're not coming with us, Rauru?"

Hyre stopped again and dropped his head, and Ruto shifted uncomfortably. Rauru smiled, and beckoned for Saria to come closer, which she did. He gave the Forest Sage a small hug, and spoke to everyone, saying, "As I have already said to Ruto, I am an old man, and I've been here for a very long time before your arrivals. The only reason you remained here is that you believed there to be no escape; I feel that you would all be equally capable of performing your duties as the Sages back home. But I have been from my friends and family for so long that those who would remember me either are dead or believe me to be a traitor, as, unlike you, I had no warning before my arrival." Rauru looked down at Saria, who wiped a tear away from her eye. "Do not worry, my dear Saria," he said, smiling at her. "This is not the last time we shall be seeing one another. You, of all people, have taught me that there is a plethora of ways for friends – for that is how I think of you – to communicate from afar."

He gave Saria a friendly nudge to return to the others, and said, "Now go, find Link, rescue him from whatever perils he faces, and know that I will be watching you from here!"

There was a flurry of goodbyes, followed by the occasional hug. Then, one by one, the Sages stepped on to the Triforce symbol in the centre of the chamber, and one by one, they vanished. With a whoosh, the fresh garden air rushed around them as they arrived in the Garden of Tranquillity.

Hyre was the last to enter, and everyone watched him intently, painfully curious as to how he would open the doors that resisted all prior attempts. They watched closely as he closed his eyes and spread his arms out. They watched excitedly as he raised his head to the sky and smiled. And they watched disappointedly as nothing happened.

"What are you doing?" asked an impatient Nabooru.

The man lowered his arms and head, looked at Nabooru, and answered, "I will never cease to be amazed by what can be accomplished by so few people in such a short time." Sensing that this was not the answer they were hoping to hear, Hyre added, "Never mind that; I can marvel at these wonders another time," he said, and led the five Sages to the Doors of Time. Once they reached it, the march ended abruptly.

"How do we open it?" Darunia asked, stating the obvious question on everyone's mind.

Hyre gave a slight smile, and answered with his own question, "How does one open any locked door, Master Darunia?"

Nabooru answered, "But there's no keyhole."

"Just because you pick locks doesn't mean that's how we all open locked doors!" Ruto shouted angrily.

"You imbecile," Nabooru said, "that's not what I meant! If there's no keyhole, then a key can't open the door."

Ruto crossed her arms angrily, and Hyre watched in mild amusement. "That's true, Nabooru," he said, "but keys can come in all shapes and sizes… or forms, for that matter."

Hyre approached the doors, placed his right hand upon one of them, and Saria and Ruto gazed in awe as the stranger was enveloped in a dark violet aura. Darunia looked at Hyre with a frown on his face, and Nabooru was focused on Impa, whom she started poking.

"Ow, Nabooru, will you stop that?" she said, swatting the offending hand away, and noticed what had caught Nabooru's attention. "W…why am I glowing, too?" she asked, with slightly less stability in her voice than she would have liked. Ruto turned to look at her, and Saria tore her eyes away from the stranger to see, as well.

"Because you're connected to it, too," Hyre said, without turning. "Both of us have a connection to this place. As I mentioned before, it was your mistake not to try and open the door." Hyre resumed his silence, holding his hand in its place on the door, eyes closed, as though he were meditating.

Darunia's frown turned into a scowl, as he realized what the problem was. "Wait a moment," he said slowly, and Hyre turned to look at the Goron man. "What do you mean, 'too'? You said yourself that you're a wanderer, so how can you be connected to… whatever this place is? Are you a key, too?"

Hyre's face froze for a moment in a strange expression, but only Impa saw it for what it really was, and it intrigued her. After a second, however, Hyre reached a hand into one of his cloak's many pockets, and pulled out a large crystalline black object, inset in a wooden base, which he held out to show to Darunia. "No, I'm not a key," he said, looking at the object, which, too, had a dark aura surrounding it. "This is, though – it's an onyx stone. It came from here a long time ago; that's its connection." The man turned around again, and placed the base against the door, and the closed his eyes again. Once again, Impa made note of something that, on top of the unlikelihood of the situation they were in happening, confused her.

Moments later, the double doors, which had remained firmly inactive for three years, was engulfed by the same violet light which shone from Hyre and Impa, and the five Sages took a step back.

"There we go!" Hyre said. There was a click, followed by a swish, and Hyre stepped back, returning the stone inside his cloak. The auras around the doors, the stone, and the two people disappeared, and a bright, white light cracked through the wall. As if in slow motion, the Sages watched as, after three long years of imprisonment in the Sacred Realm, the Doors of Time finally swung inwards, open.

The expressions of shock and joy were identical on the faces of everyone, save Hyre, who looked extremely pleased with something. Even Impa's usual distrust of the stranger was put on hold as the light engulfed them. Slowly, their eyes adjusted to the light, and the inside of the Temple of Time revealed itself to them.

"Hey, that's –" Ruto said, and rushed through the doorway, despite Impa's protests. When nothing happened to her, Darunia quickly joined her side, too, fascinated by something. "It is!" Ruto shouted, and touched her gemstone. There was a plaque on the steps on the other side of the doors, and, floating on top of it were three stones – the blue Zora's Sapphire, the red Goron's Ruby, and the green Kokiri's Emerald.

"It's safe," Hyre said, and Saria and Nabooru exited into the Temple, as well. Hyre gestured to Impa with a slight bow, and said, "After you," and with no excuse, she, too, crossed the threshold between the Sacred Realm and her homeland.

At last, Hyre stepped back into the Temple of Time, and behind him, he heard what sounded like a low snarl of anger as the door slammed shut.