How long had it been, since he discovered that aging temple lost in the twisting paths and sudden blockades that forest set up. That forest who lived and saw the passing of time through its many eyes, the one who held the greatest of all powers. And the mage who remained within the collapsing stone walls, awaiting the day his Goddesses' chosen hero would arrive?

How many…

How many years did Heavenly D'nayore wait?

Waiting for his arrival, the day in which all that was lost from the world would be regained.

Why would he?

These and many other questions like them battered his mind like a sludge hammer to a stone wall; unforgiving and cruel in its nature.

So many memories….

So many lives….

Will it ever end?

The day when evil no longer exists in the world.

That day, in which the Hero can finally rest without doubts of ever awakening again.

Will it ever come?

"One day Hero."

Ben looked up to where he figured the mage's voice originated from, somewhere around the ruins of the wall. For some reason, the green-eyed hero thought the mage was smiling.

"There will be a day when darkness no longer exists within the heart of man."

"Really?" the hero couldn't help but ask.

"Yes….. But one must ask if no evil exists, will that world be worth living in?"

"Ah," Ben muttered, "Light cannot live without Darkness, otherwise a great unbalance will occur and chaos will spread through-out the world. They cannot survive without the other….Right?"

"Correct. Darkness must exist. No world can survive on light alone."

He sighed, "That's what I figured."

Again, he felt that the mage was smiling at him, wherever he was.

That was over two weeks ago.

With the master sword strapped to his back, Ben found his way towards the familiar land marks of his former kingdom; Raging mountains that spewed out fiery-boulders at random intervals, a great lake with a large river leading up to the domain of the Zoras, and the lost ruins of an ancient city.

He had known a great amount of time had passed, but to be there, within the ruins of the city he once gave his existence to save wretched at his heart. The monsters were still around, roaming the land in search of wondering travelers. Though with the increase of alien activities, were being mistaken as said beings and taken in by the Plumbers.

This upset him greatly. The people he sought to protect abandoned everything, their culture, their religion, their way of life to the advances of modern time. There was no one to protect in the land where the Gods resided.

No one….

A presence made itself known just at that particular moment, startling the hero who drew his sword in retaliation. Whoever this was extremely wise to hide their presence from him, and that type of wisdom had been lost to the passing of time.

Streams of sunlight bounced off his blade unto the person's face, laminating their features. It was a female, with long brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Her hair was tied in a loose ponytail by strands of gold and bright sapphires, ones that complimented her eyes and made them stand out even more. She wore very modern clothing, very inconsistent with the aged hair accessories she had, a purplish colored vest over a white shirt, tan markings sewed into the fabric. She had on a white-tinted pair of pants with the same tan markings on them and brown tennis shoes.

Her eyes were old and wise, giving her the appearance of someone much older than her apparent age of 16. He could see several emotions flash in her eyes, and feeling of familiarity overwritten his warrior instinct.

He knew this girl.

As she did him.

She smiled, as he did, sheathing his sword back into place.

"Link."

It wasn't a question, but a statement of his identity, just like his was.

"Zelda."

The smile was still on her face as she brought her hand up to his face.

"The mage was right." She said, "You do have the Goddess Farore's eyes."

"As you Goddess Nayru's."

Her hand fell then, her expression saddening as she gazed back towards her ruined home. Stone walls and pathways crumbled to stone as years of wind and rain eroded details and writings away from the rock. The empty corpse of a great castle towered in the distance, shining dully in the sun-lit sky.

"I wonder," she spoke softly, "How long has it been?"

Zelda glanced back at him, disappointment in her eyes, "I had hoped that I would once again see Hyrule at its greatest, to see all the people, joyful, as they went about without a care in the world. And, that when I saw you again, it wouldn't be due to the evil of man."

Ben smiled, "But we have met now, without Ganon or anyone threatening Hyrule."

"Yes." She smiled again, "Although I had hoped Hyrule would still be standing by then."

A snicker was heard just as a certain mage's voice called out.

"Not a problem, your highness."

The two stared in confusion at the spot where the voice came from, slightly upset about his sudden appearance.

"What do you mean D'nayore?" the reincarnated princess wondered.

"Ah, have you forgotten about me in your old age Princess? Pity me."

Zelda's eye twitched, "It seems you have forgotten that while my spirit is old, you are far older than both me and Link….Or is it Ben now?"

"Link's okay." He told her, smiling brightly at her greatly expression.

"I see your point." D'nayore said, slightly disappointed, "However, it seems you have forgotten about my ability to control time Princess."

They both felt like he was smirking with his next sentence, "Would you like to visit Old Time Hyrule for one more day?"

The two grinned, did he really need to ask?