Clouds illuminated with various shades of blues, greens and gold swirled in a perpetually overcast sky. A faint, misty, greenish-blue haze shrouded the air and clung to the surroundings of the large, flat plains, giving off an otherworldly appearance to the grass and small flowers that stood still from the lack of wind. Floating all around the open air were strange, small orbs of the same color, which slowly flickered in and out of existence. Link opened his eyes and observed his surroundings, taking it all in. Confused, the hero looked down at himself and let out a gasp of shock. He frantically turned himself around as he investigated his entire body before lifting his hands up to his face in disbelief of what he was seeing. His body shimmered like the world around him, as if he wasn't solidly there, but he also seemed to be giving off a strange, golden-green light. His frame illuminated his surroundings with a faint glow, one that he could see reflected off of the grass. He wore no clothes save his underwear and carried no equipment with him. But the biggest thing he observed on himself was the secret stone he had grabbed earlier planted firmly on his chest. It lay in the middle of an elongated, diamond-shaped, ornamental chest piece adorned with jewels, and appeared to be imbued into his body, fused together with no apparent way of removing it. Link ran his fingers over the secret stone and the bracing that held it. The chest piece puzzled him, as it caused him no pain, and yet it felt like it was rooted deep inside of him. The four small jewels that surrounded the secret stone were clearly recognizable: the jewel at the top was a green emerald, the one on the right was a red ruby, the left side bore a blue sapphire, and the bottom jewel was a golden topaz. This fascinated Link, as he had not seen any of the other Sages' secret stone bracings take on this kind of appearance. Secret stones adapted to the holder's innate ability, which also included the bracing that held it to the individual. Link speculated that there must be a reason why his appeared this way. But he chose not to dwell on it for too long, as just then, something else popped into his mind and distracted him from all other thoughts.

The pain he had felt from his fight with Ganondorf was gone, replaced now with a surge of energy that suddenly returned to him tenfold. Link inhaled deeply through his nose and stretched his arms above his head. Then, he stretched his legs out and briefly ran in place, a huge smile spreading on his face. Oh, how he had missed the feeling of being at his true strength again, and quite possibly even better. He no longer felt suffocated from the gloom that squeezed at his insides and fed off of his vitality. The constant aching in his leg was gone, and Link felt that he could run the entirety of this field without breaking a sweat. He closed his eyes and took a minute to bask in this feeling, before the novelty wore off and apprehension of his whereabouts set in.

Where in the world am I? Link thought to himself. He placed his hand under his chin as he thought back to the last memory he could think of. Purah handed him Zelda's secret stone. He had grabbed it, and for a brief moment, he thought that maybe he didn't possess any innate abilities as the secret stone remained dormant. Until suddenly, he felt an immense surge of power flowing through his body, igniting his every cell with energy, and the world blinded with greenish gold around him. The next thing he knew, he was here in this strange, ethereal world that did not resemble the Hyrule he was so familiar with. Link briefly entertained the thought that maybe he had been struck by lightning, and now he was dreaming. He shook his head to dismiss the thought. Very unlikely, he said to himself. Link looked above him to the overcast sky. The clouds were the exact same green and gold that he had seen in his dream with Farosh. And when he changed Zelda back to her original form with the spirits of Sonia and Rauru. He cast his eyes back on his surroundings.

This place did not look familiar to him in the slightest, and he had traversed the entirety of Hyrule…twice. He looked down at his right arm; it was still the same as when Rauru had fused it to him up on the Great Sky Island. It, too, was glowing a bright golden-green, similar to when he used his Zonai abilities but with a very apparent color difference.

Does this mean I'm using an ability right now? Strange, it doesn't feel like it, Link speculated. Usually, he had to focus his energy in a certain way in order to perform a specific ability, such as Ascend, Ultrahand, or even summoning a Sage's spirit. Each ability felt like it utilized a different kind of energy, and with enough practice, as well as a lot of trial and error, Link could control each of his Zonai abilities with ease. By now, he could quickly switch between different abilities with little required effort. However, this felt different. He wasn't focusing his energy on a specific ability, but rather it felt as though the power that flowed through him was completely unfocused and encompassed the entirety of his body. To him, this power felt much stronger in comparison to anything he had done before. Link turned his hand over to inspect the back of it, and there in the center, lay a glowing symbol.

The symbol for "Spirit."

Link glanced around, expecting to see Mineru's construct standing somewhere close by. Perhaps he was somehow summoning her spirit and didn't know it? But the hero stood alone, with nothing but the faintly-glowing, hazy, blue-green plains and the various flora that lived within it.

How odd, he thought, I don't feel any connections to my friends. As if to prove this thought, Link attempted to summon the Sage of Wind's spirit, one that he had done so many times before that it had become a reflex whenever he jumped from somewhere high. He focused the energy needed to call forth Tulin's spirit into his arm only to find that nothing happened. Just as I thought…wherever I am, it's definitely not in Hyrule.

Link turned around once more and only now noticed that a tall hill jutted out in the distance near the horizon. Hmmm, I didn't see that before…was it always there? Not being the type to wait it out, Link began his trek through the field to the tall, grassy hill. Perhaps some elevation will give me a clue to where I am or what this place is, Link thought.

At some point during his hike through the expansive field, Link began to sense a presence behind him. He quickly spun around and found that the open, grassy plains he had just traversed was now replaced by a dark, ominous forest. The trees were thick and gnarled, with leaves the color of burnt ash. No light penetrated through the thick canopy, and its interior was kept hidden from Link's view. A blackened purple shadowy mist leaked outward from deep within the forest, and it was there that Link could sense this presence. He could not tell if the presence was good or evil, but given the environment it was in he could hazard a guess. That definitely was not there before. One look into that forest, and Link knew that it was bad news. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to stay away. And yet, the presence inside the forest was indistinguishable. Despite this, he didn't want to stick around to find out which it was. Keeping his eyes fixed on the dark forest, he walked backwards toward the hill. The trees did not move or follow him, and the eerie, shadow-like mist that seemed to reach out to him never quite caught up to where he was. When he felt he was a good distance away, he turned his body around and walked forward a few steps before snapping his head back to look at the forest. Again, it did not move except for the dark mist that continued to seep into the surrounding air. He turned and sprinted toward the hill, glancing back every ten steps to ensure that he was not being followed.

The presence Link felt within the forest continued to watch him slip further away until he was no more than a tiny figure.

#####

Link arrived at the base of the tall hill and glanced up to the peak. It rose in a steady incline, with a smooth, grass-covered slope that gradually increased until it reached a rounded apex. He noted that the shape and size compared to that of Whistling Hill in Central Hyrule. As he began his ascent upward, a sudden realization hit him, causing his feet to abruptly stop moving.

Link had felt no sense of time here.

Ever since he had first opened his eyes in this strange land, Link hadn't the faintest idea as to how long he had been here. It could have been mere minutes, or entire weeks, and he would be none the wiser. No sky existed beyond the swirling clouds that seemed to give off their own light to give any indication to the passage of time.

Surely it couldn't have been that long, he thought, since I woke up in this grassy field, and this hill is also in the same field. He turned around to look in the direction he had come from only to find that the field stretched onward infinitely into the misty greenish-blue haze. The ominous dark forest he had seen earlier had disappeared, as if it had never existed at all, and only the grass and some small flowers covered the ground. His body gave an involuntary shudder in an attempt to shake off the foreboding feeling arising within him.

Well, this is new.

Link closed his eyes and inhaled deeply through his nose. As he exhaled, he opened his eyes while turning back toward the top of the hill. With his nerves settled and determination set on his face, Link climbed on.

#####

At the top of the hill, Link surveyed his surroundings. As luck would have it, this hill marked the edge of the field, for down below on the other side of where he came from lay a forest of odd-looking trees. Instead of leaves, what clung to the branches were feathery wisps of darkened purple energy. The trees themselves looked to be rotting, with sickly trunks and wrinkled old branches that sprouted off of them. Its presence wasn't quite as ominous as the shadowy forest he had seen earlier, but something about it felt off to Link. As if this were not its original state, but was caused by something else. The mist and the orbs that hung in the air made it difficult to see anything in the distance. However, when Link squinted his eyes, he could just barely make out a landmark located opposite of the trees from his position. The landmark was gray like stone, but its shape gave it the impression that it was constructed, rather than something nature would have created.

Maybe someone here can finally give me some answers, he thought.

Link observed the trees once more, scouting out the area for potential danger, but saw nor heard any movement from within. The forest was wide, spanning far to the left and right of the hill, but it did not go out far into the distance. He could see the landmark even with the trees tightly packed in together. He felt confident that he could make his way through it with relative ease and speed, even while being unarmed. As long as he kept moving, he could probably outrun most animals that might be living inside the forest. And if he needed to fight, he could always use the branches of the trees and fuse them with any surrounding rocks. He internally nodded to himself as he set his plan in place, then took his first steps down the hill, quickly making his way and stopped right at the forest's edge.

He paused as his instincts kicked in. Something wasn't right. Link listened hard for any movement or noise, but did not hear anything. Which was the problem. Usually, forests are full of wildlife and their various sounds. However, this forest was unnervingly silent. He couldn't see or hear any movement, and the rotting, sickly trees only intensified his uneasiness. But his only way forward was through this forest. Link tightened his hands into balled up fists, steeled himself mentally, keep moving forward, and crossed through the barrier of the tree line. As soon as he stepped foot into the forest, a sudden explosion of sensations rushed through him, causing him to double over and cry out in shock. He covered his ears and squeezed his eyes shut against the cacophony of stimulation that seemed to come at him in all directions. But this did nothing to block out the abrupt emergence of stimuli that cut through him to his core.

What is this?! he yelled to himself over the noise, and it was then that Link realized that he could not hear or see them with his physical senses. Rather, it was as if he were sensing them from within himself. He slowly opened his eyes and lowered his hands while continuing to sense a variety of different stimuli that Link could finally interpret as sights and sounds. It was then that he noticed a multitude of orb-like, dark blue flames, almost black in appearance, scattered throughout the forest in all different sizes.

These look just like the Poes I found within the Depths! But…the color looks off.

As the initial shock of being bombarded with so much stimulation at once faded, Link began to focus his attention inward to try and identify the original forms of these flames. Much to his surprise, the more that he focused some of his energy on the orb-like flames, the more they also began to take shape before his eyes. Soon, creatures unlike any he had ever seen before slowly apparated all throughout the forest. They were almost monstrous in appearance, grotesque animal creatures that resembled no animal found in Hyrule. Link saw a creature with the body of some kind of mutant bird and the head of a small canine; it clung to the branch of a tree overhead with sharp talons, their wings tucked in close. Even from the ground, Link could see rows of pointed teeth sticking out beyond its snout. Beneath them on the forest floor stood beings that closely resembled the Satori, deer-like spirits found near cherry blossom trees, but were smaller in size with sharp, jagged antlers protruding from its head. They peered out from behind the trees and watched him with weary, red-glowing eyes. He could sense the small, furry critters that scurried in the underbrush hidden from view, as well as the larger, monstrous boar-like creatures that had now stopped their travel and watched him apprehensively. Link could even sense the smallest of insect-like orbs as they gave off tiny sparks of energy, some of which he could see as they flew in and out of sight beyond the trees.

Dozens of differently-sized creatures all stood before him now, with one thing in common between them: they were now all staring at Link. A hushed quiet fell over the forest, and the normally well-composed hero felt an uneasiness growing inside of him.

The silent staring contest between them seemed to stretch on for far too long. Then, he heard something. A small, higher-pitched voice emanating from one of the deer-like creatures broke the silence as it softly spoke.

"It's a human! A human has emerged from the Forbidden Fields! I've never seen anything come from there before."

The spell was broken and murmuring began to rise from the other creatures as they rushed to speak all at once.

"How could this happen? Nothing has ever come back from the Forbidden Fields before!"

"The human is glowing! Do humans normally glow like that?"

"Not the ones in the village at least."

"Is it dangerous?"

"Maybe we should attack it before it attacks us!"

"I don't know, its spirit feels much too strong for us to handle. Maybe we should see what it wants?"

One of the larger boars made a sound that resembled a laugh when it heard this, silencing the group of mysterious creatures.

"I'd like to see it try and face me! Remember what I did to the last human dumb enough to wander through our domain? Now that was a good meal!"

Link wondered if they knew that he could understand them, as they were communicating so openly in front of him. He himself wasn't quite sure how he could understand them. Their words did not come from their mouths; instead, it just seemed to emanate out from within the creatures' body. Link focused back in on the conversation right when one of the mutant birds spoke.

"If we all charge at once, I think we could kill it."

"Oooh, I wonder what it tastes like? Maybe it's extra tasty because it's glowing so bright!"

"Nah, it probably tastes like the other humans who foolishly try and take from our forest."

"But this one seems special! I can sense it!"

Link did not like where this discussion was headed. As the creatures continued to talk amongst themselves, Link quickly tried to come up with his next course of action. Given that he could understand the creatures, he could probably also communicate with them. But as Link attempted to think of something to say to these beings, he realized that nothing he could come up with would probably help his situation. He rehearsed what he would say in his mind, "Hi, I'm Link. I just woke up here and have no idea where I am or what's going on. Would you mind showing me the way back to Hyrule?" It was almost laughable how poorly that would go over with these monstrous beings, especially as they now looked at him like he was their next meal.

Link looked ahead into the forest. He had no idea what sort of things awaited him beyond the trees. But he did know that the landmark he had seen while on the hill was straight ahead of him, and it wasn't too far of a distance from where he was now. Link glanced at the dozens of creatures before him, who were slowly starting to coalesce around him. If he didn't act now, he would be completely surrounded. He hadn't any more time to think it over. So, like many other times in his adventures when he entered into a battle unprepared, he settled on taking the brave course of action; he would run away.

Link gathered his energy, his body glowing even brighter as he built up his power. All eyes snapped to Link as they noticed the sudden shift in energy. Finally, when he surmised that he had enough power within him, Link released it all in an explosion of energy as he took off sprinting into the forest. A gust of wind trailed behind him sending a shockwave through the undergrowth and against the faces of the forest-dwellers, knocking several of them back. The creatures were left staring at the now-empty spot the strange, glowing human once stood in for a few moments, the shock of his sudden speedy departure dazing them briefly. Then, the confident boar-like being who spoke earlier now timidly said, "Hey…uhhh…where did the human go? It was there, and then suddenly it vanished."

A mutant bird shook out its wings and responded in a shrill voice, "It ran! I saw a blur go by heading into the forest. It was so quick that I almost missed it. I've never seen a human run that fast before."

"I've never seen anything run that fast before," one of the smaller creatures said quietly. Silence befell the group as they processed this statement, each one of them agreeing that they, too, had never seen anything move that quickly. And anything that moved that fast must have an enormous amount of spiritual energy.

"It probably wouldn't have tasted that great anyway. Best to let it be for now."

"Yes, I agree, I'm too full anyway."

"We could have caught him if we had actually tried."

"It was lucky that we were all distracted."

The large boar spoke up once more, "Let's just not tell Mato that we let a human go into the forest." At the mention of the name, the creatures collectively shuddered and made a pact to never mention this incident again.

#####

Link's speed surprised even him. As he ran deep into the forest, trees blurred by him at an incredible pace. His reflexes also appeared to be heightened as he weaved in and out of trees with ease. It was as if he knew exactly where each tree would be in advance and danced out of the way ahead of time, never once slowing down. He gave a wide grin as he ran on; he felt so free and light, as if he could run this way forever. Link never tired as he sprinted through the forest, his energy seemingly never-ending. The thrill and excitement of being in the wild filled him with joy, and the experiences with the creatures soon left his mind.

Sometime later, for he couldn't guess how long it's been, the trees began to thin and Link could see an opening into the tree line filled with light. That must be the way out, he thought as he slowed his sprint into a light jog. He tried to see what was beyond the tree line, but as he continued to approach, the light did not lessen. Link came to a stop at the tree line. The light in front of him acted as a door to the other side and hid whatever lay in front of him from view. His hands instinctively lifted in front of his eyes, shielding him so he would not be blinded. With slight trepidation, he slowly entered the opening of light.

As he crossed the tree line, the light immediately faded back into its usual brightness, and Link lowered his hands to look around. What he had entered was a large clearing, still within the forest; the dark, wispy trees surrounded the area. The ground within the clearing did not contain grass or any other kind of plant, but lay bare with dirt. A small pond of blackened water sat in the center with stones of various sizes bordering its edges. One large stone was placed on the opposite end of the pond from Link, its shape reminiscent of the stones used to mark graves. Link gave a shuddering breath as he gazed upon the large stone; he knew he had just stumbled upon something important. An ominous presence radiated from the pond that lay before the stone.

This clearing wasn't visible from atop the hill…I should probably avoid whatever's here and continue on.

But despite the foreboding feeling the pond was giving him, something was drawing Link closer to it, as if an invisible string was tugging him in, desperate for him to look at the surface. Link took a deep breath and gathered his courage. Slowly, he walked toward the black pool of water. When he reached its edge he peered over into the water, trying to see its depths. But he could only see his own reflection. Suddenly, a ripple formed on his reflection, distorting its image. As the water quickly settled again, Link's reflection became replaced by a different image. One with glowing red eyes.

The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood up as he rapidly felt the presence of danger fill him. His instincts screamed at him to move and Link obliged as he backflipped away from the pond. As soon as his feet hit the ground, the earth began to shake. The black water bubbled and frothed about until a huge mass of a shadow ascended from the water's surface into the air. It came down hard directly in front of Link, who gasped aloud as he saw its appearance.

The shadow was an enormous beast with glowing red eyes and large, razor-sharp teeth. It stood on four legs but its height was nearly three times the size of Link. A black mist clung to its form and shrouded its features. It let out a snarl and bared its fangs at the glowing human in front of it. Link took a step back as it stepped out to approach him. Then, he heard it speak.

"A human…in my domain…just how did you make it here? No one has ever stepped foot in my clearing except for the spirits of this forest."

For the first time since he had awoken in this strange land, Link uttered a response.

"Spirits? So that's what those creatures were…" Link looked down in thought. Even though this beast gave off dangerous vibes, and every fiber of his being screamed at him to get away, Link knew he needed to get some answers. He looked back up at the beast and asked, "where am I exactly?"

"Ahh, so you can understand me? There is more to you than what you seem at first glance. It is exceptionally rare for anyone to be able to see the forms of us spirits. But not once have I met an outsider who could communicate with our kind. There is something special about you."

The beast began to circle around Link and sniffed the air. Link kept his eyes trained ahead forward. How interesting, it thought, this human has an exceptionally strong spirit. To keep his eyes forward while I'm at his back tells me that he trusts me enough to not attack him. He's either brave or extremely foolish.

"You smell like one of our kind. Just how can that be? I know not of any spirits with the ability to shapeshift into a human." It pondered aloud as it continued to pace around Link, who was growing more confused by the minute. He shook his head and followed the enormous monster out of the corner of his eyes.

"I'm just a human, looking to find a way back home. Please, I'm trying to find a land called Hyrule. Do you know how I might go about finding my way back? And what is this place? You never answered my question."

"I will answer your question if you can answer mine. Who is it that sent you here to me?"

Link blinked in confusion and turned his head back toward the beast. "I'm sorry, what?"

The shadow beast growled and stopped its pacing behind the hero. "They sent you here to try and control me. Countless other humans have tried and failed to find me. My comrades, the spirits of the forest, have been enough to keep them all away, up until today. But know that you too will end up like the rest of them: destroyed and eaten, with your spirit becoming absorbed into my own. And if I swallow your energy, I will become unstoppable!"

The large beast suddenly lunged at the unsuspecting hero. Time seemed to slow as Link jumped sideways out of the way. As soon as he landed, he yelled out, "Please, wait! There must be a misunderstanding, I wasn't sent here by anyone. I don't even know where here is!" Another lunge from the beast and a dodge by the hero. "If you could just tell me how to get back to Hyrule, I will leave immediately."

The beast halted its movement, but Link's words seemed to only enrage it further. As it spoke, fury dripped from its words like acid. The shadows clinging to its body grew as it flamed outward like fiery smoke.

"Do you take me for a fool? There is no place called 'Hyrule' anywhere within the Spirit Realm."

Link gasped. So that's where I am…the Spirit Realm. I must be a spirit now. But how did I get here? He looked down at his glowing arm and saw the symbol for "Spirit" on his hand. Somehow, he must have transported his spirit here. He touched the illuminated secret stone on his chest. Its power must have sent me here. Does that mean I have the power of Spirit? How did I never notice this before?

However, the beast was not yet done speaking, and it continued, "All you humans are the same; you lie and betray those you call your allies. You take endlessly and greedily, and destroy those who differ from you. This once expansive forest that served as a proud and strong border for the Spirit Realm, protecting it from the Forbidden Fields, was cut down by greedy humans. Humans who initially claimed to need it for protection. They said they wanted to live in harmony with us spirits, but it was all a lie. They took from the forest that protected them. They hunted and killed my brethren. All humans are a plague upon us original spirits…all humans must be destroyed!"

It gave a mighty roar as it leapt high in the air. Link, who had been listening aptly to the beast's story, snapped into action. He backflipped away just as the beast landed right where he had been standing a moment earlier. However, when the beast landed a gust of shadow energy rushed forth from his feet. The gust struck Link hard and sent him flying backwards, colliding with a tree before he fell to the ground. That had taken him by surprise. He propped himself up with his arms and shook his head clear. Some of the golden-green glow that surrounded his body evaporated away in a misty trail, and suddenly, Link felt a bit more tired. He had no time to think about what this meant however, as the beast quickly lunged again with a roar. Link rolled away as it landed and rushed to get on his feet. He needed a way to calm this beast down, fast. Try as he might, Link did not actually want to harm this being.

He felt for it as it told its story, and sensed the sorrow that was buried deep within the walls of hatred and anger that it put up. Somewhere, deep inside of this monster, was a creature that had once been betrayed and hurt by those it trusted. Link knew that he wanted to heal this creature, to comfort it of its pain that others had inflicted upon it. He gave a big sigh and hung his head for only a moment. Link understood that he might be extremely foolish for sticking around when he could easily slip away through the forest, but he had to try anyway. Because that is what heroes do.

Link pushed off his arms, launching himself up to his feet in one fluid motion, and took off in a sudden burst of energy similar to how he did when he ran through the forest. The glowing human became a golden blur in the eyes of the beast, who had to blink several times in awe of what it had just witnessed. As the initial shock dissipated, it turned it's head back and forth, scanning the area before spotting the Hylian on the opposite side of the clearing. Before it could even think to move however, Link's gentle voice called out to it, soft yet full of reassurance.

"I understand your anger. You have been betrayed by those you trusted. They lied to you, hurt you and others you care about. I would be angry too. But this hatred and malice you hold onto is only hurting yourself and your brethren. It's hurting the forest." Link gestured around him to the rotting trees surrounding the clearing. Then, he placed his glowing, right hand over his heart and tilted his head downward in a small bow.

"I know it won't completely make up for it, but I would like to apologize on behalf of the humans who have taken your forest. I promise…I will do everything in my power to help right this wrongdoing."

The beast paused, looking contemplative. This human appeared to be sincere. It could sense the pureness that dwelled inside of the human's spirit, the spirit that smelled so strongly of an original spirit, not that of an outsider. It stepped tentatively toward Link with its eyes changing from malice red to a deep, forest green. Link smiled and also took a step forward. But just when he thought he had gotten through to it, the shadows that clung to its body seemed to constrict even tighter, as if it did not want to let the beast go. It gave a mighty howl in pain and rage as swirls of dark energy wrapped the beast in its tendrils. It shook its large head before looking back up at the Hylian, eyes glowing red once more, and he growled again.

"Your words mean nothing. More empty lies! I've had enough of this back and forth, come and face your death!" It rushed forth while baring its fangs in a snarl. It was clear that talking alone would not free this beast from the shadows.

Link gave a sigh and closed his eyes. It was now or never. He did not know if it would work, but it was his only chance at healing the angered spirit. He would heal this beast the same way he changed Princess Zelda back into her original form.

With his eyes still closed, Link focused his energy inward, gathering it together in his center before sending it out to his right arm. His secret stone began to shine with a brilliant light as it amplified Link's power further. He knew that the beast was charging directly at him, but it was as if time slowed down and it moved forward in slow motion. He raised his arm and pointed it in the direction of the beast. Then, Link thought of how much suffering and sorrow this spirit had gone through over the ages, and how he only wished for it to know peace and comfort. As he thought this, his mind automatically drifted over to his Zelda, and how much love and comfort she brought to him. He would send the strength of this feeling directly to the shadow beast. Just before the beast was on top of him, Link snapped his eyes open and released the stored energy he held in his right arm. A brilliant beam of gold and green light shot forth and enveloped the beast, causing it to shriek in fury and rage. The beast attempted to give a final lunge to attack the hero, but Link pushed back with more energy, his body glowing brighter as he sent more of his energy toward it. Wind whipped around him from the force of the blast that radiated outward, and his hair blew back behind him. The shadows that wrapped around the beast slowly dissipated into the air, replaced instead by Link's golden-green light, and its size began to shrink before his eyes. When Link felt that all of the dark shadow energy had left, he broke the connection and lowered his arm. He slowly approached the glowing creature and placed both hands on either side of its face. After touching the creature's forehead with his own, he whispered one final promise:

"I will help to heal this forest. Now please…let go of your anger."

The light surrounding them both ceased, and Link took a step back to see the creature, now free of the dark energy that shrouded and deformed it. The spirit was a large bear with the horns of a stag protruding from its head, and a long, fuzzy tail wrapped around its paws. It glowed with the same golden-green light that Link did, albeit more dimly. When it spoke, it no longer growled in anger. Now its words came through with an air of gentle regality.

"Thank you. You have freed me from the destruction of anger and hatred that threatened myself and my brethren. Please, if I may ask, what is your name?"

Link bowed respectfully in greeting, "My name is Link. I am a swordsman from the land of Hyrule."

The bear spirit gasped in shock, "Link?! You bare the same name as the Spirit of Legend! The glow that you have, your scent that belongs only to original spirits, and your incredible energy…are you him? Are you the Spirit of Legend reborn?"

Link had no idea what the creature was referring to. He was just, himself. He didn't know anything about this legendary spirit, let alone think that he might be it.

"I think you might be mistaken…" Link started, but the bear was already bowing down before him, his nose touching the ground by his feet.

"O' great Spirit of Legend, thank you for returning me to my original form. A wicked shadow had taken over my heart after the battle with the humans long ago left many of my brethren slain and the forest weakened. Because you have shared your light with me, I can now begin to restore this forest to how it once was."

Link took a step back and raised his arms in confusion; clearly the spirit must have mistaken him for someone else. However, before he could say anything more, the bear spirit suddenly raised himself off of the ground to full, standing height. The glowing aura around his body became a bright light before dispersing outward into the surrounding forest. Link looked around in awe as the rotting trees that once had dark, wispy shadows for leaves became renewed with life, transforming into healthy-looking, strong trees he was familiar with. The leaves grew into a full foliage and gave off a faint glow with a beautiful mix of golds, reds, and oranges that reminded Link of the perpetual autumn trees of Akkala. A gentle breeze began to flow through the trees and brushed at Link's long hair. Under his feet, grass sprung forth and covered the once-dirt floor. As life returned to the forest, Link gave the bear spirit a warm smile. This was how this forest was meant to be. The large spirit came back down on his four paws and bent his head low, and Link stepped forward to embrace it once again.

"Your forest is beautiful." Link whispered low in the bear's fur. He knew that it could hear him, as it let out a low rumble that exuded what Link could only guess was modest pride.

Before long, the approach of many spirits could be sensed by the two, and they pulled apart to see who it was. A group of creatures came to peer curiously around the tree line and into the clearing.

"What's happened?" one of them whispered. Link looked at them closely, squinting his eyes. Their presence felt familiar to him…and yet, they no longer looked to be the monstrous beings he had seen earlier. These spirits now resembled some of the wildlife he had seen all throughout Hyrule, but with the features of different species mixed together, just like the bear spirit next to him.

"You're the spirits I met earlier, right? When I first entered the forest?"

They glanced at one another with fearful eyes, remembering his earlier display of incredible power and speed. Silence filled the clearing, until finally, the same large boar spirit as before - once grotesque and deformed but now resembling a normal boar with a long, three-pronged tail and a horn on its head - spoke up, struggling to find something to say. "Uhh…we just, uhm, felt a sudden shift in energy…then we were all back to normal. We were already close to your den, trying to find out where the human might have gone…" It trailed off and looked away.

"Have no fear my brethren and come closer. This human is the reborn Spirit of Legend. It was him who has calmed my fury and restored me to my former self," the bear spirit said with gentle words.

The group of creatures, about thirty of them, wearily approached Link and the bear in the center of the clearing. One of the deer-like spirits looked at the bear with hope in its eyes.

"Is it really you Mato? You're back to normal?"

"Yes, it is I. I am so sorry that I have caused you all so much pain. I had been blinded by my own hatred. As the guardian of this forest, I have brought shame to us all." Mato bowed its head to the smaller creatures that surrounded it.

But to the bear's surprise, the other forest spirits began to cheer and rushed in to nuzzle against its soft fur. They all spoke to him at once with excitement and relief.

"Mato!"

"Thank goodness you're back!"

"It's been ages!"

"We were so afraid that we lost you to the darkness forever!"

"Can we go play later?"

Mato chuckled and leaned down to be closer with its playful, smaller comrades. The boar, who stood behind the others, turned around to look at Link.

"Are you really the Spirit of Legend?"

Upon hearing it's question, the other spirits stopped their chatter and turned around to also face Link, an unnerving hush falling over them. Link shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"Umm…I'm not really sure what, or who, that is. All I know is that I was once in a different realm, my realm, and the next thing I knew I had awoken here in a giant field. I'm looking to find a way back."

Mato walked closer to Link and looked directly at the hero. It spoke with contemplative words, "Ahh, yes, you mentioned that earlier. From Hyrule you say?" The bear spirit paused and sat back on its haunches before continuing.

"Our realm is closely linked to another, likely the one that you are from. A long time ago, eons upon eons in the past, our two realms became connected, and the people who departed from your realm would cross over here to ours. We call them "outsiders" because they are not spirits that have originated here in the Spirit Realm. But since they are beings that have spirits within them, once they shed their physical bodies, their spirits come here to live for eternity…well, as long as nothing kills them of course. Initially, the outsiders that arrived here were peaceful, and we lived in harmony with them for many eons. As their numbers grew, we spirits helped them develop their own villages that eventually led to the creation of the Great Colonies."

At the confused look on Link's face, Mato further explained, "The Great Colonies are enormous settlements of the different people of your realm. Those who cross over here usually band together with their brethren from their same place of origin in your realm, and have formed countless number of colonies spanning across the infinite space of this realm. From what I know, colonies are separated by the geographical location from which human spirits originate. So, what I mean to say is, this Hyrule land you speak of probably has its own colony here in the Spirit Realm."

Mato saw Link's eyes widen as its words shook him to his core, an indescribable, overwhelming feeling settling into his stomach. The large bear spirit rubbed its front paw on its soft belly as an uncomfortable silence spread between them. It tried to think of something comforting to say to the small, glowing human that saved him and the forest from an eternity of darkness. "Perhaps the humans in the small, neighboring village may know more about your realm or how to get to your colony."

Link could only nod in response as he continued to ruminate on Mato's words. Hyrule had its own colony here in the Spirit Realm. Every person who ever died and was able to cross over to the Spirit Realm lived here. Link thought of every person he has ever cared for and lost in his life: his fellow Champions Revali, Daruk, Urbosa, and Mipha; his family…his parents…would he be able to see them again? Did he have any siblings that he couldn't remember? Link's heart ached as he longed to see them again. To think that their spirits are dwelling here, in a place Link could now access, filled him with overwhelming hope.

The large boar brought Link back to the present moment as it spoke, looking at him with caution. "You awoke in the Forbidden Fields and did not know how you got there? No one who has ever ventured into those fields ever returned. And the spirits from your realm who enter usually appear directly into the colony they belong to." It turned to look at Mato and its brethren before continuing. "Our forest serves as a border, to stop those who try and venture into the fields unprepared." It glanced back at Link with suspicion. "Just how did you get into those Fields and make it out alive?"

"Maybe this means that he really IS the Spirit of Legend!" one of the birds squawked out.

Mato nodded as it added, "That's one explanation as to why he didn't get sent to his colony. The Spirit of Legend is one of the few spirits that transcends all borders and realms."

Link struggled to process all of the new information being told to him in such a short span of time. But he was curious to know more about this 'Spirit of Legend' they kept thinking he was. However, before he could begin to ask, his body flickered as it momentarily faded in and out of view. His head suddenly felt faint, and the glow of his secret stone slowly dimmed its light. The creatures around him gasped and approached him in concern, with Mato standing on all fours directly in front of him.

"Are you alright?" Mato asked with worry.

Link felt a strong pull within him, like an invisible rope was pulling him away from consciousness. "I…I think it might be my time to go. I guess I didn't need to find a way out of here after all." Link said sadly as he struggled to remain present for a few moments more. "But I will find a way back here. I will come back to fulfill my promise. I swear it." He stared directly into Mato's eyes with determination. He didn't want the spirit thinking that he was abandoning it. But thankfully, Mato nodded with eyes shining of trust.

"I know you will, Link."

Link smiled as it said his name for the first time. His body flickered in and out faster, and his vision was starting to fade away. The ache in his leg was starting to return once more, and Link internally groaned in unreadiness for what was to come. Before he faded away completely, Mato stepped forward and rested its large head against Link, who lifted his hands to embrace the spirit one more time. It spoke softly, humming its words against him so that only Link could hear.

"You know, they say that the Spirit of Legend takes the form of a wolf, a sacred creature that embodies great courage. It is an original spirit, not one from your realm. And despite your human appearance, that is precisely what I sense in you. Perhaps, you will be the bridge between our realms that we've desperately needed. You have the spirit of our kind, with the kinship of the outsiders. Please, come back to us soon."

Link closed his eyes and felt his body completely fade away. His light scattered and dissipated into the air, and the spirit creatures all watched him disappear from their realm entirely. Mato whispered one final goodbye before turning to leave the clearing with his comrades, trusting that Link would keep his promise and someday return to the forest.

"Thank you, Link."

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A/N: Thank you all for reading! I'm really pleased with how this chapter turned out. It sets up a lot for what's to come ;) So please let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you! This weekend will be pretty busy for me, so I hope you enjoy this quick upload. It might be a bit longer for the next chapter to come out. Thank you all for your support! It means the world to me! I hope wherever you are that good things come your way today. Until next time!