As the white mist cleared, he saw the knight standing in front of him, just like the previous training session. "We meet again." Link nodded, eager to learn more from his mysterious mentor.

The knight looked at him for a moment, before speaking again. "It appears your efforts have begun to return some vigor to Hyrule, but it is far too early to relax."

Link frowned. "But my journey will be done soon, won't it?"

The knight shook his head. "Even if your quest is near its completion, your journey has only just begun. And you still have much to learn." He unsheathed his sword. "But first, show me how well you have learned the first two of my lost arts. I will not teach you new skills until I am certain you've mastered what I've already taught."

Like the knight had taught him, the two crossed their swords before beginning their spar. Then they raised their shields and began circling each other. Link watched the knight, waiting to see if he would attack first. When he didn't, Link moved closer until he could shove his shield forward into the knight's, knocking him off balance. A couple of sword swings, and the knight fell to the ground on his back, allowing Link to execute an ending blow.

After a few moments, the knight stood, nodding. "Well done. It appears you are certainly capable of performing my lost art." Pride swelled in Link's chest at that, even with now two spirits having told him his journey wasn't even close to done. "Very well. My third hidden skill is the back slice.

"A mere shield attack is no match for an enemy protected not just by a shield, but by a thick, full-body coat of armor. Such enemies are often focused on guarding against frequent frontal attacks. They often leave their rear unprotected, however. When you face such a foe, keep your focus on them as you roll around behind them. If you are quick enough, you will find an opportunity to take advantage of their failure to guard their backside." The knight paused. Then he ducked and rolled behind Link, who spun around just in time to see the knight's sword swinging through the air behind him - thankfully at a safe distance. Link couldn't help but grin. That looked like fun!

The knight nodded. "Now, try it for yourself!" The two of them crossed their swords again, then raised their shields to begin a new sparring match. Again Link watched the knight. This time, however, the knight swung his sword at Link, forcing him to jump backwards to dodge in time.

The knight grunted. "Your instinct to observe your opponent is a wise instinct to have. However, in the heat of battle you will have precious few seconds to spend observing."

Link frowned. "But how else will I learn their patterns, if I don't observe?"

"I am not telling you to stop observing. I am telling you that you need to get faster at it, so your foe isn't given extra opportunity to strike. It is a skill that comes with time, but you must begin practicing it now in earnest if you wish to master it."

"How do I practice it, when I'm fighting so many new enemies all the time?"

"The key is observation while in combat. Do not rely on making all of your observations before the fight begins. Make a quick assessment at the start, move forward with what you saw, and make more observations as the battle continues." The knight cleared his throat - did he even need to? - and nodded at Link. "Now, try the back slice for yourself!"

This time, Link approached the ghostly knight. As the knight had instructed him, he ducked into a roll to his right that carried him around behind the knight. However, he stumbled when he finished the roll and tried to stand, falling onto his side.

The knight turned around to face Link. "That was a good first attempt, however you must keep your balance when coming out of the roll. Losing your balance will cost you your opportunity for attack, and often open you to being attacked. Try again."

Again Link rolled around behind the knight, though this time he forced himself to pay attention to his footing. Unfortunately, this meant that when he felt his balance begin to slip, he spent so long correcting himself that the knight had already turned around to face him.

"That is an improvement, though your overcorrection cost you your opportunity. Try again."

It continued like that for some time, with Link slowly making more progress. Soon he was able to stand up from the roll without stumbling, and from there he began to be able to strike at the knight when coming out of the roll. Just as he was starting to feel tired, Link finally was able to land a strike on the knight almost the instant he was out of the roll.

The knight staggered forwards, before turning and nodding at Link. "Good. That is how it is done. Now, do it again." Link nodded, and without hesitation dove back into practicing. Again and again and again, until the timing of the roll felt like second nature, until he lost count of the successful attempts. The tiredness set in, and yet Link kept practicing. In battle, a foe wouldn't allow Link time to catch his breath.

Finally, the knight nodded at Link and sheathed his sword. "You carry yourself well, now. But do not forget the proper timing for swinging your sword." Link nodded, sheathing his own sword. "There are yet four hidden skills for you to learn and master. Do not neglect your daily training between now and the next time we meet!"

Link grinned. "You sound like Rusl."

"Your first mentor is a wise man, then."

Link blinked in surprise. "You... know who Rusl is?"

The knight nodded. "As a spirit, I am not bound to any one physical location. And, as I cannot rest, I decided instead to keep watch over my successor."

Link stared at the knight in silence for some moments. "Who... are you?"

The knight gave a rare laugh, at that. "Only now are you asking that question?" The knight sighed. "I am your predecessor, the one that they now call the ancient hero."

"So... your name is Link, too?"

The knight shook his head. "When I was alive, yes, that was my name. But my time as the hero has long passed, and that name now belongs to you."

"Then what should I call you?"

The knight shrugged. "Call me whatever you wish. I have little use for names, as the spirit of a forgotten hero."

Link pondered this. Calling the knight Link would be far too confusing, but what else could he call him?

"Do not worry yourself if you cannot think of something right now. There are more pressing matters for you to attend to, Link." Hearing the spirit say his name sent a chill down Link's spine, not of fear but of something else that Link couldn't quite name. He nodded up at the knight - spirit? - who responded with his own nod.

"May we meet again." With that, Link's vision faded to white. When he opened his eyes, he was laying on the platform where the golden wolf had been sitting. As expected, no time had passed in the normal world, and the tiredness was gone from his body. He didn't hesitate to stand up and make his way into the city as quickly as he could.

The city was as full of people as it had been the times he'd been here as a wolf. To his right he noticed a stable with horses. How much might it cost to let Epona stay here? He brushed that thought aside as he walked toward the center of the city, where the fountain was. It was by far the busiest part of the city, with people everywhere. People who barely paid him any mind as he tried to walk through the crowd without getting in anyone's way. Soldiers who patrolled the city in orderly lines, a far cry from the panicked spirits he'd seen in the dungeon.

He needed to focus. He wasn't here for sightseeing. He had to help Prince Ralis, before it was too late. No more distractions.

An irritated man was storming out of the bar as Link stepped through the door. "That is a Zora child! This is beyond my expertise!" The man roughly shoved Link out of the way, glaring at him as he slammed the door shut behind him.

Ilia ran to the door, almost in tears. "Doctor, please wait! If something isn't done, this child will..." Her voice trailed off as she realized that the man - the doctor, apparently - was long gone. Her shoulders slumped and her head dropped. She must have noticed Link, looking up at him, but there was no recognition in her eyes. She just nodded at him and slowly walked back to sitting by Prince Ralis' side, where she finally began sobbing.

Telma put a hand on Ilia's shoulder. "Well, this isn't good. A Hylian doctor won't do, huh... Who else could we go to?"

Link cleared his throat as he stepped closer to the two. "Um, excuse me, miss." Telma turned to look at him, an eyebrow raised. "I know a shaman in the village of Kakariko, maybe he could help?"

Ilia perked up, staring at Link hopefully. "Is that true?! Perhaps, if we took him there-"

A group of soldiers had walked over, and one cleared his throat harshly. "Inadvisable! Too dangerous!"

A second soldier laughed. "But we can't turn a blind eye to a pretty girl in need, now can we boys?" The others chuckled together. "Yes, we'd better escort you!" The soldiers excitedly cheered.

Telma turned to Illia. "Well, isn't that nice of them? To reach Kakariko, we'll need to cross Hyrule Field, through the south pass since we'll need a wagon for the three of us." The soldiers let out another enthusiastic cheer. "Rumor has it that the fields have been overrun with dangerous beasts as of late, even as far as the Bridge of Hylia!" At this, the cheering abruptly cut, quickly replaced by the sounds of running as stealthily as can be done in full armor, dashing past Link and out the door. "But with all these knights, we shouldn't have anything to worry about now, will we hun-" she was cut off by a loud thud, followed by the clanking of metal on stone. Wheeling around, Link could see that the last of the knights, in his rush to get out the door, had slammed into the doorframe instead, knocking his spear loose and sending him to the floor.

Telma's face shriveled in rage as the knight stood up and ran again. "YOU SNIVELING COWARDS!" Her voice echoed in the still air as the door slammed shut. She scowled as she walked to the door, picking up the spear from where it fell. "Not like they'll be needing this anytime soon. And if those curs ever show their faces here again, they'll be getting it back, right between their teeth."

She turned and began to walk back, stopping as she noticed Link. Then she sighed. "You there, you look like a swordsman. Are you willing to do what those useless deserters weren't?" Link quickly nodded, and Telma's smile returned.

She turned to Ilia. "Get ready to go, honey. Pronto!" Ilia nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes as she ran to somewhere else in the bar.

Telma walked over to Link, a gentler smile on her face now. "You know that girl, don't you?" Her voice was softer, quieter. Link nodded.

Telma sighed. "It's a real shame. She can't even remember her own name, right now." Link's heart dropped to his stomach.

Telma turned to look at Prince Ralis. "She has such a kind heart... She found this poor boy collapsed in the road, so she did all she could to save him." Telma scoffed. "More courage in that girl than in all the soldiers of Hyrule, for sure!" She turned back to Link. "You lend your strength to her, you hear me?" Link nodded. He owed her that much.

"Do you have a horse, swordsman?" Link almost nodded. And then he remembered.

"I do have a horse, but she's in Kakariko right now."

Telma hummed to herself. "I'll see what I can do."