Warned

"Hero of Darkness."

Riku looked over his shoulder. He had expected to see Zelda there, but there was a young woman wearing a green dress standing behind him. Her hair was green, done up in two buns on either side of her head. Wrapped around her legs were leather straps, intertwining and twisting together around her shins. She wore no shoes, and, to Riku, she almost seemed to be glowing.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the Goddess of Courage and Wind, Farore." She answered. "My sister, Din, the Goddess of Fire and Power, has been taken by a deity you'd be familiar with."

"Death."

Farore nodded. "Yes, Death. I need your help to save Din before Hyrule falls apart. Without her the planet would not exist, for she created the red earth from an asteroid field out in space."

"Huh. Well, do I really have a choice but to help you?" Riku crossed his arms.

"I guess not… but," Farore paused, "while I don't know much, I do know this, you won't be able to save Din alone. Find the help you need."

"Sora's coming here, I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help out." And knowing Tara, she wouldn't want the Hylian Deity to die.

"And the Hero of Time is with him, too. There is no doubt that The Juror of Courage will follow to save Din." Farore nodded.

"Farore," Riku began, "I'm curious, what are the creation stories of Hyrule?"

Farore smiled. "The stories are worded differently…"

"…but they all say pretty much the same thing." Tara told Sora and Roxas. They were walking across a bridge above a large lake below, Lake Hylia, as Tara had called it. "I'll tell you the two I know off by heart…

"'Din... With her strong flaming arms, she cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru... Poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore... With her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law '

"And there's the longer, fancier version I know…

"'According to the Hylian Scrolls, the mythical gods descended from a distant nebula to the world that was and created life

'The God of Power dyed the mountains red with fire and created land. The God of Wisdom created science and wizardry and brought order to nature. And the God of Courage, through justice and vigor, created life – the animals that crawl the land and the bids that soar in the sky.

' After the gods had finished their work, they left the world, but not before creating a symbol of their strength, a golden triangle known as the Triforce. A small but powerful portion of the essence of the gods was held in this mighty artifact, which was to guide intelligent life on the world of Hyrule.

'Although it was an inanimate object, the Triforce had the power to bestow three titles which gave the person who received them great powers: 'The Forger of Strength,' 'The Keeper of Knowledge,' and 'The Juror of Courage.'"

Sora whistled.

"Hey, Link," Tara glanced over at the green-clad Hero of Time, "do you think Impaz would know how to enter the Twilight Realm?" She asked. Link thought for a moment. Sure, Impaz seemed to know a lot about Hylian history… but…

"I guess it can't hurt."

Tara nodded. "Then, to the Hidden Village via the Bridge of Eldin?"

"To the Hidden Village." Link agreed.

The Hidden Village; a small, rundown town that looked like a ghost town from the old western movies. Nothing moved at all, except maybe a few stray cats. And of course, the small group wandering towards the house furthest back. Tara skipped ahead of the others, obviously excited to meet the person she had mentioned named Impaz. She stopped at the stairs to the porch, waiting for Link. After all, she didn't think it would be considered polite at all to just barge into the house when she hadn't even met the inhabitant. Link walked up to the door and knocked, before opening the door and stepping inside.

"Impaz?" He called.

"Ah, the young swordsman, you've returned."

"Hello, Impaz."

Impaz was short, and was dressed in what resembled a cross between a dress and a set of robes, complete with Hylian insignia.

"What brings you and your friends to the Hidden Village?" Impaz asked as Tara, Sora and Roxas slowly entered the house.

"We need help." Link answered, somewhat ashamedly.

"Do not be ashamed of asking for help, my dear boy. If you cannot confidently ask for help, then what courage do you possess? Pride comes from power, not courage, just as knowledge comes from wisdom, not power."

Link bowed his head in acknowledgement to the snippet of wisdom Impaz had shared.

"We need a way into the Sacred Realm." Tara spoke up. Impaz seemed surprised for a moment.

"These days no one speaks of it as the Sacred Realm."

"No one knows the truth any more." Tara responded.

"That is true, my child." Impaz nodded. "Tell me, do you know any of the old inscriptions?"

"The rising sun will eventually set
A newborn's life will fade.
From sun to moon, moon to sun...
Give peaceful rest to the living dead.

Restless souls wander
where they don't belong,
bring them calm with
the Sun's Song." Tara recited. A smile spread onto Impaz's lips at the sound of the familiar inscriptions of Sharp the Elder and Younger.

"What of prophecies and lore?"

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. Together with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world…" Tara knew that Sheik was from the Adult Timeline, and this was the Child Timeline, but she wouldn't be surprised if Sheik's quotes were turned into prophecies. Impaz smiled.

"Those were passed down through the family of the Sheikha for many years. As the last living one of my kind, I am glad to hear that the stories won't fade away." Impaz smiled, then paused. "Child, as I cannot leave this town, would you please pass on the ancient stories and legends of the Sheikha to the Hylians, so that we are not forgotten?"

"Of course, Lady Impaz." Tara bowed. When she rose again, she paused. "Is the legend of the Blue Eyed Beast a Sheikha legend?"

Link stared at Tara in shock. Why would she ask Impaz tha-

"Yes, it was." Impaz answered.

Oh. Right…

"So the Sheikha were banished to the Twilight Realm?"

"All but those who remained loyal to the Royal Family."

"I thought so." Tara nodded.

"Now, the Sacred Realm?"

Tara nodded. "Please."

Impaz seemed to look at the group, examining them. Suddenly, an all too familiar raven glided in through the window and landed on the table. She fluttered about, in a panic, squawking loudly. Sora grumbled something, wrapping his hands around Hannah's midsection and glaring at her. She calmed down slightly, but bit his hand and glided away to an open space as Sora clutched his hand. Hannah's form shifted as she took on her human form.

"Lady Impaz." Hannah bowed respectfully, before turning to Sora. "The Eldin Province is slowly being covered in Twilight."

"What?!" Link's heart skipped a beat.

"Death has captured the Goddess Din. Farore has already come to seek the help of the Hero of Darkness, and Nayru has talked to the Princesses in Hyrule."

"This is getting out of hand." Sora bit his lip. "Heartless, Death taking over the Spirit World, dead people awakening…"

"It needs to stop." Hannah paused. "Your heart?"

Sora's hand trailed over the chest. Weak pangs of pain had been pulsing from his heart, but he had been ignoring it.

"I see. Well, then, next time I see you will probably be in the Twilight Realm." Hannah took a step back. "Take care… father." With that, she turned into a raven and flew out the window.

Sora stood there, stunned for a moment. So Hannah was his. She had mentioned, at one point, that she had been adopted, so he wondered what had, or rather, would, happen, to both him and her.

"Time is a cruel thing." Impaz muttered. "Those who travel it are considered blessed by the others."

"But to them, it's a curse." Tara hummed. "I know of a couple heroes who have known that. The last one was the one of the Kokiri. Hylian by birth, Kokiri by home." Tara bit her lip.

"Now, we keep getting off track." Sora interrupted. "Twilight Realm."

"Go to the location of the Sages. There is more than one way in hidden there."

The group all bowed politely, muttering 'thank you's before leaving.

"The location of the Sages…" Link muttered.

"The coliseum." Tara shrugged.

"Oh great. I hope you like flying."

Tara seemed to freeze on the spot. "Oh shit. I'll just stay here. With the grass… and the water… and the grass." Link raised an eyebrow at her. "I am deathly afraid of heights and falling. Getting shot into the desert via canon… not exactly my idea of a good idea," she shuddered at the thought. Link rolled his eyes. "How about, you guys go, and I'll wait here."

"You know more about Hyrule than the lot of us put together." Roxas commented. "We can't afford to leave you behind."

"Well… you guys go… and open a portal for me." Tara nodded. "Much better than flying." Sora sighed.

"Just come on."

They headed towards the lake, but had to make camp in the middle of the field when night began to set it and it became near impossible to see. They didn't have any tents with them (Link muttered several times about how idiotic they had been), but Tara had some matches, which she used to light a fire.

"Why did you guys come to Hyrule, anyway?" Link asked.

"We were told by a friend of ours that there was some unfinished business to attend to." Sora shrugged. "I get the feeling she knew what would happen to us once we arrived."

Link looked up at the sky. "People like that are annoying, but helpful."

Something moved nearby, and everyone got to their feet. Two human-like figures stumbled through the shadows. Sora took a couple steps forward.

"They might not be friendly!" Link snapped at him, but Sora ignored him, squinting at the darkness as he slowly continued forwards.

"Kairi? Namine?"

The two figures stopped. Tara and Roxas looked at each other in shock. How the hell could Sora figure that out?

"Sora?" There was a pause. "Sora!" One of the figures darted forward and threw her arms around his neck. Kairi buried her face against his shoulder. Namine stepped into the firelight a moment later.

Both the girls had dirt smeared all over their skin, clothes and all through their hair. They had various injuries – from bruises to scratches, even a gash across Namine's face. Kairi had one on her arm.

"What're you two doing here?" Roxas questioned.

"The Organization… Heartless… the islands…" Kairi stuttered.

"Calm down, Kairi, what about the Organization?"

"They attacked the islands… There were a couple helping us try and hold them off, as well as evacuating the townspeople… I can't remember all their names, but Axel was there… a guy with pink hair… a girl with antenna-like hair… that was it, I think."

"Axel, Marluxia and Larxene; the overground crew of Castle Oblivion." Roxas remarked. Namine nodded.

"Is everyone okay?" Sora asked.

"I don't know… when Axel said that there was no way they could win everyone just ran to a portal and got out of there. I don't know who got out and who didn't…" Kairi stopped for a moment, choking back a sob. "Sora… the islands are gone… they destroyed them…"

"Oh gods…" Tara muttered. Sora was frozen in place, unable to choose between anger or sadness. In the end, he opted for sadness and buried his face against Kairi's shoulder.

"This cannot be happening."