Chapter 15: Advice from beyond

Impa swiftly arrived in the remnants of Kakariko Village, stopping for a moment to see that her old house, the Windmill and the Shooting Gallery were spared from the lava that landed after the eruption of Death Mountain. She sighed at seeing the once prospering village now desolate and deserted. As if the Kingdom of Hyrule was taken swiftly and without error it seemed by this power-hungry warlord and a homicidal, mask-wearing freak whose disturbing and insane mannerisms and behavior could make the crazy lab professor at the Lake Hylia lab look perfectly normal in comparison. She moved on towards the Royal Graveyard, now somewhat unattended as Dampé the Gravekeeper had recently passed away himself, although that was some time before the fateful attack.
'Let's hope the Tomb has something useful, otherwise I'll have to look through the Kakariko Well or the Shadow Temple as alternatives.' She thought to herself as she proceeded along to the largest tomb, the tomb of the Royal Family which was flanked on either side by one grave of one of the Composer Brothers, Flat and Sharp. Seeing that the tomb itself was still open, Impa hopped down the hole, landing in the area where Link had gone in first more than a year ago, in the small, dungeon-like area where Link discovered the gravestone where the melody of the Sun's Song was engraved into it. Walking down the slope, Impa arrived in the room where the numerous skeletons laid and where some of the recent corpses of the soldiers whom perished in the initial attacked were taken in as well. She shook her head as she observed the area, before proceeding to the next room, which contained the poison water as well as the ReDeads, whom had remained on their places. Using her Shadow powers to pass the ReDeads by, Impa arrived at the stone slab that contained the Sun's Song. It was there that Impa softly chanted a short Sheikah incantation that began to lift the slab… revealing a hidden door. Entering it, Impa was now wandering in a different gravesite, where in the past the people of the Sheikah had been laid to rest. Once there, she was looking over the graves, hoping to find something that could be of use to her…

Ganondorf and Majora in the meantime were already beginning to spread their influence now back over Hyrule, now that they have secured their main tower into a nigh-impenetrable fort. In the first part, they set up a base below the surface from where they could keep their prisoners, brainwash the more feisty ones into working for them or otherwise have them work on the materials needed in preparation for their expansion. Ganondorf also expressed a high interest in Ikana Canyon after being told about its history by Majora, intending to make that cursed land into a perfect stronghold for his base in Termina, once Hyrule was under full control. Now that Link and most of the Sages were out of the way and the Master Sword rendered useless, Ganondorf was now more than ready to spread his influence over the lands first, before he would go and collect the remaining Triforce pieces that Link and Zelda still had in their possession. While he could have extracted them already before, Majora was more eager to finish them off in such an extreme manner, so that they would first establish their rule first. Although initially against the idea, Ganondorf decided to follow along. However, he also gained an increased interest in Majora himself; in particular Majora's Mask itself. Ganondorf wondered what it would be like if Majora's powers were added to his own, wondering if he would have obtained ultimate power in case he did get his grubby hands on the remaining Triforce pieces. The mere thought of having all that extra power brought a smirk to his face, as it would allow him to spread his rule to far beyond Hyrule… However, he did wince at the wounds that Link and Zelda had inflicted on him before their deaths. It was actually still hurting him even, despite the wounds having healed over mostly. It was as if those wounds would definitely going to be a bother for a long time to come.

Tatl and Tael were currently moving into the Kokiri Forest, as Tael had noticed the presence of other Fairies there, so he went to see if he could get help or something else there in regards to his personal mission. Tatl just didn't get why Tael decided to become so determined to do something radical like this, yet she had to give her brother credit for putting some effort in it. It was quite elaborate, that was definitely true, but she had to admit that he genuinely wanted to help, just like when he wanted to go in her stead to help Link defeat Majora before. Oh, if she only knew how bad the mask the Skull Kid was wearing had been... perhaps she would have asked for help to save the imp… all these memories didn't do Tatl any good; while she remained her stubborn self, deep down she did regret the things she had done to Link, even though she had already apologized to him after they had solved the Woodfall Temple…

Navi the fairy had in the meantime cried herself to sleep, leaving Darunia to brood by himself. At the same moment, Rauru reached the top of Death Mountain, discovering that the entrance to the Great Fairy's Fountain was still intact. This brought a smile to his face as he moved into the Fountain itself, moving towards the pedestal in front of the fountain to summon her. Sure enough, the Great Fairy of Power appeared before him in response to the summoning.
"Huh? Rauru?" The Great Fairy asked, blinking as she recognized the one before her.
"Yes, it is I, Rauru, the Sage of Light. I have come here to seek your help on a rather distressful situation." He said.
"I am listening." The Great Fairy said.
"I am certain you have been aware of Ganondorf's return and the fact that he has found an ally in a malevolent being known as Majora, am I correct?" He asked.
"That I am, considering the way Death Mountain has been erupting… I'm surprised that this place has remained untouched so far…" The Great Fairy replied.
"Well, a rather disastrous event has occurred shortly after. I was confident that the Hero of Time and the Seven Sages, myself included, would be able to defeat this new threat altogether, but I underestimated just in what ways they can use their vile and wicked powers. It is with my deepest regret to inform you that the Hero of Time, the Princess of Destiny and the Sages of the Forest, Water and Spirit did not survive."
The Great Fairy was shocked at this.
"Which brings me here, as I am trying to find a way to bring the group back to life and undo my mistake of overconfidence, so that we may find a different way that will bring peace to Hyrule once more." Rauru then said.
"So you want to bring the ones whom had died back to life, correct?" The Great Fairy asked.
"Yes. My question to you is if you are able to help me with this." Rauru said.
The Great Fairy of Power crossed her arms, evidently thinking as she closed her eyes for about a minute along the way. Eventually she opened her eyes again.
"I have to inform you that I cannot heed to your request personally; we can resurrect fallen people yes, but our powers remain limited to reviving them after only several seconds have passed, so we can properly restore their life force either completely or to a degree. This is why Red Fairies have to be carried in bottles by travelers to ensure of this. However, in regards to your question, I may have to redirect you to Her Royal Highness Venus, the Fairy Queen. She may be able to grant you your request in this situation. I do not know the location of her current residence, but perhaps my friend whom lives by Hyrule Castle may be of help to you." The Great Fairy then said.
"Very well, I will go and see your friend. I thank you for your time and the help." Rauru said, bowing.
"No problem at all, Rauru. Come back anytime if you're feeling weary, I'll fix you up in no time." The Great Fairy said, before she vanished, leaving Rauru alone.
With this new information in his possession, Rauru exited her fountain and, using his wisp form, traveled all the way down Death Mountain and back to Kakariko Village, landing there. Rauru knew that the road to Hyrule Castle itself would be a dangerous trip, so he decided to first move into the houses that were still intact if he could find something like a disguise that could be of his aid to traverse the road to Hyrule Castle unsuspected.

Impa grunted in frustration as she was unable to find something that could be of use so far, before sitting down to think properly.
'Think, Impa, think! You're being too hasty now…' Impa thought to herself, grunting as she put her head between her hands, apparently unable to thinks straight, so she needed to get something to calm her mind.
"A rupee for your thoughts?" Another voice sounded in the tomb.
Looking up, Impa the saw a Poe appearing above one of the graves… although this one looked different from the Poes that were known to harass or attack unsuspecting travelers.
"Yes, I'm looking for something that I can use for a personal mission." Impa said.
"Really, and what is this personal mission you speak of?" The Poe asked.
"Hold up, can I at least know who you are first?"
"Ah, of course. I used to be one of the Shadow Folk, the Sheikah, whom was regrettably slain during the Hyrulean Civil War while performing my duties to protect the Royal Family. My duties however forbade me to associate in the outside safely and had to assume other identities in my past existence, hence I have forgotten my own name. I can tell you're one of the Sheikah too, since only the Shadow Folk can enter this area and you're having the Sheikah garment on."
"I see. So you're a fellow Sheikah, but why your current form as a Poe?"
"Due to me having assumed multiple identities over the course of my life, I became eventually cursed in a way where no one would know who I used to be, not even myself. Hence my current undead form which you see before you."
"I understand."
"Due to my own lamentations, I was eventually left unaware that the world around me has changed. Even after passing I find myself wondering what the world has become, or if I would still be alive if I had made some decisions in life different. Alas, what's in the past is in the past. I cannot go back to the life that I once had. Even if it was to help someone related to the Royal Family or my own kind out, one last time…"
"So you've basically become a soul lingering with regrets, right?" Impa then asked.
"Basically, yes. It's a cruel world which we live in…" The Poe lamented.
Impa then responded by playing the Song of Healing before the Poe, causing the Poe to freeze in shock for a solid minute, before it spoke again.
"What?! Somehow my heart has been put at ease… I feel as if whatever regrets I have just washed away as if a pleasant procedure of cleansing has been blessed on me…"
The Poe then turned to Impa, realizing that she had healed its soul in turn.
"I thank you for healing my soul, it has brought incredible relief to me. Is there anything I can do for you in turn?" The Poe asked.
"Yes, you can. I require your help on a very important matter, which is tied to my personal mission." Impa said.
"I understand. Although my own lamentations have prevented me from bringing this up before, but you seem to carry souls of the dead with you, do you not?"
"I do. I've hid them inside my own shadow, considering the fact I am also the Shadow Sage. It is also these souls that is the matter of this mission."
"You have my attention."
"These souls were victims from a brutal attack during a fight against two powerful, evil beings, the Evil King Ganondorf and a crazed, mask-wielding lunatic known as Majora, which they and three other Sages, myself included, were involved in. It is our wish to undo their demise and get back at those two malicious beings for what they have done to them and to us," Impa said, "but there is also a great risk, if we would try to attack again now, it's likely that they will be killed again and, to make matters worse, two of them are in possession of a part of the relic known as the Triforce."
"And you fear that by releasing them now will make things worse, am I correct?" The Poe asked.
"Yes, especially since Ganondorf and Majora are still on the loose and this time without any good opposition…"
"I understand. Sadly I cannot help with the resurrection thing, but I DO know that spirit forms can be used for something else."
"And what would that be?"
"Infiltration, you see, with the right power or situation, Spirits can be used to temporarily possess the bodies of others whom are among the living, even if it's just an apparent lifeless husk of armor. This in effect can give the spirits control of those beings and interact with their 'comrades' to divulge information that can be of use in your quest to bring them down."
"So it's like taking possession of an enemy and use them to reveal information that we could use in our quest to bring them down?"
"That is correct. Perhaps this way it will allow you to keep track of the movements of the enemy while at the same time keeping a low profile. Look at it this way; you'll be able to take advantage of the fact that the group whose souls you have with you is dead and use the time you have until their resurrection at your disposal to figure out the course of enemy movements. Perhaps it will even be useful to find the lairs of those vile monsters themselves, so you have an idea of where to go. It's like preparing yourself for the unexpected." The Poe replied.
"I understand. Then I think I know what I must do." Impa said.
"Alright. Just be careful on your way though; you cannot afford to get yourself killed now. You said that the spirits of the five you hold are hidden within your shadow, but if you get killed now, chances are that they are either exposed, or they will be trapped within your shadow, which will hinder the resurrection or otherwise even render it impossible."
"I am aware of the risks that I take with me, but nonetheless thanks for the heads up."
"Don't mention it. I thank you to have brought peace to my soul, may you find peace to your friends and yourself as well as this land." The Poe said, before it vanished, now at peace enough to ascend to the heavens.
Impa watched the Poe disappear, which caused her to sigh.
"At least I have found what I was looking for. It may be a slight change of plans, but it will be a very useful change nonetheless. If Ganondorf and Majora can't be touched for the time being, the next best thing are their forces. I pray to the Goddesses that this plan may succeed… the fate of Hyrule and beyond depends on it." She said to herself, before she left and re-sealed the gravesite, making it appear that it wasn't there at all.
Making her way out of the Royal Family's Tomb, ignoring the ReDeads along her path, Impa then placed a second seal so no one could desecrate the tomb of Hyrule's Royal Family, after which she made her way out of the Kakariko Graveyard.

Tael and Tatl arrived at the spot where the Deku Tree Sprout stood, with Tael moving boldly closer to it, while Tatl was more hesitant in her approach, feeling that they were in a for them foreign land. Sure she felt somewhat comfortable at seeing other fairies and the Forest Children a bit, but she also got quite nervous because of it. The Deku Tree Sprout sensed the two fairies coming.
"Well, this is the first time I'm seeing Fairies from a different land in this area. Please introduce yourself." The sprout said.
"My name's Tael and the fairy following me is my sister Tatl. We come from Termina." Tael said.
"I see. What is the nature of your business here?"
"We bring you grave news. It is with regret that I must inform you that the two children of the forest whom resided here once have been killed by the hands of two wicked people: Ganondorf and Majora. Three other people perished too, including two princesses…" Tael said.
"I had this feeling of dread through my trunks, you confirmed the story… this is a dark era for Hyrule indeed." The sprout replied.
"Which is why we are here. We want to see if we can be of any assistance to those who remain here with us until those five can be brought back." Tatl said, speaking up before Tael could to prevent him from saying his intentions in a way where the Deku Tree Sprout could interpret it in the wrong way.
"I see. You mean well with your wish to help them, but at times the best way to help someone with such a loss is to give them some time to cope with it or just provide comfort in the time of need. While I agree people can't keep moping around, some people can take it much harder than others. But if you insist on trying to make them feel better as you apparently wish, you can be of help by just supporting them in the time of need, or offer your assistance whenever the others want to go after the ones responsible in their own way." The Deku Tree Sprout responded.
"I see, so it's like giving them some company if they want to then?" Tatl asked.
"Exactly. If they have someone whom genuinely wants to lend an ear for them or wishes to listen what's on their mind, you can be of great help already."
"Thank you, then I know what we must do." Tatl said.
"Good. I wish you good fortune, Tael and Tatl." The Deku Tree Sprout said, before the two Fairies left.
Back in the Kokiri Forest , the two fairies came across Mido and Fado, who blinked at seeing the two fairies.
"Who are you? We've never seen you before…" Mido said.
"We're Tatl and Tael, two fairies from Termina." Tatl said.
"Ah, I see. So what happened to Link and Saria? They haven't returned since yesterday…"
"I hate to break it to you, but you won't be seeing them for a while. An evil man with dark, malevolent powers killed them." Tatl said.
"WHAT?!" Mido and Fado shouted, alarming the other Kokiri around.
"You heard me." Tatl replied.
"No… Link… Saria…" Fado said, falling backwards on the ground in a sitting position, shivering all over.
"Look, we're doing the best we can to bring them back, but as long as those two are out running rampant, this is going to be very hard." Tatl said.
"What do you think we should do?" Mido then asked.
"Our best advice is to find shelter as soon as possible; if things really go downhill out here in Hyrule, then I doubt this forest will remain safe for long. Besides, Link and Saria both would be devastated when they are brought back to life, only to hear that you lot have been slaughtered by those evil forces." Tael said.
"Alright, we understand." Mido said, remaining firm as best as he could.
"Be strong. Once we get them back, those two evil monsters will wish they were NEVER born." Tael said.
Tatl sweat dropped a bit as she heard her brother talk like that, but it did have the desired effect of making Mido determined to keep his fellow Kokiri safe.
"Right. I'll do whatever I can to keep my friends here safe, just make sure you give him a beating or two in our name." He said.
"We'll make sure your autograph will be on it." Tael said, before moving off with Tatl in tow.

Rauru had made his way in Hyrule Field once more after using a disguise of being a mere peasant to remain unsuspected while on his way towards the ruins of Hyrule Castle again. He knew the trip wouldn't be easy due to fresh memories of recent events, but he had to be strong. He couldn't afford to break down or even abandon his mission, it was too important for the sake of the land he had to protect, as well as for his own sake. Using slow, soft steps to bypass the resident ReDeads in the Castle Town, Rauru made his way back into the Castle Field, where the tower that had been the place of most of his friends' demises still stood, but from what he could sense was that the tower had been abandoned after the fateful battle, while in the far distance stood an even taller tower that looked as if it was going to reach the stars. He stopped for a moment to look at the tower, seeing that the dark clouds bellowing around It were even stronger and red lightning was seen around it on occasion. It brought shivers down his spine so feel such an amount of evil coming from that tower at this distance, knowing that the final confrontation would definitely not be easy anymore. He eventually walked on, before his eyes fell on something that he also had been looking for. It was the sword that he saw Zelda using against Ganondorf, but close by, having landed blade-first into the ground as if stabbing into it was the one thing that was taken from Link and so callously tossed off the tower before… the Sword of Evil's Bane… the Master Sword. Rauru could definitely see that the Master Sword has lost its edge, which all but confirmed the story that the Sages' power was connected to it. He decided to take both swords with him, along with anything else he could find as he continued on his way, further down the path towards where he believed the Great Fairy resided.
"Hopefully I can find out where Venus resides, this whole crisis makes any effort to reach results in our favor quite hard, while evil keeps flowing forth from that dark place. I hope that someday we will be able to undo or repair the damage done, but until then..." He said as he reached the place where the Great Fairy was, according to the Great Fairy of Power.

Impa in the meantime was scouting off Hyrule Field in search of anything of value to be used as part of her new plan. She worked her way around the ranch and towards Gerudo Valley, wondering if their Gerudo allies would be of help too. She knew that she had to infiltrate the enemy camp, but since Ganondorf is a Gerudo of nature, she would have to see if the Gerudo there would have information that could be useful for her as part of her plan. She worked her way over the bridge, noticing that no Gerudo guards were around this time in the Valley, allowing her to proceed to the Fortress.
"Just hang in there, my friends. I'll reveal my plan to you soon enough." She said as she looked right at her shadow, before moving on.