Warm sunlight washed over the green grass and trees awaiting Link outside the strange chamber. Its mouth sat halfway up the side of a stony hill, where a raised path meandered down to his right. Birds twittered and flitted in high branches, and the nearby yelp of a startled fox briefly cut through the mid-morning peace.

The scene was nothing short of beautiful, and Link recognized none of it. Where he stood was just as much a mystery as who he was. There had been no other exit from his resting place, but if he had entered this way, nothing jogged the memory to life.

He was momentarily at a loss. Now what?

A grassy cleft protruded from the hillside, lending an easy perch from where he could get his bearings. Maybe I'll see something familiar from there, he thought.

Link trotted to the edge, where he beheld for the first time - according to his memory, anyway - the land in which he dwelled.

Vast variety greeted his eyes. Link immediately realized his hill stood on a giant plateau, which allowed him to see much further than he otherwise would have. A small forest spread from the base of the hill below. Further out, the edge of the plateau was lined by what appeared to be man-made walls, crumbling and far removed from their original glory. It was what lay beyond the plateau, however, that arrested his gaze.

A magnificent castle dominated the center of a great, open field to the north. The edifice sprawled outward from a central spire, with smaller towers only just visible among the palace's distant grandeur. Link supposed that if there was a ruling power in this land, its hand extended from that place.

The plateau's hills and other rises interrupted Link's view to the west, where he could see only the summits of red, flat-topped mountains eddied by icy mist. Far to the northwest, Link glimpsed long hill ranges. Between them, for but an instant, something massive glinted in the air. Before he could blink and refocus on the phenomenon, it was gone.

Frowning at his own fancies, Link lifted his gaze beyond the castle to the northeast. There reared a mighty mountain of smoke, stone and fire. Wherever he was going, Link doubted it would be there.

Turning to face more eastward still, Link beheld two mountains smaller than the volcano, but still massive in their own right. One appeared slightly shorter than the other, with only a narrow divide between them. The larger of the two, which sat to the south, trailed off into a much larger and rockier range than its smaller sibling.

Link's visual track of that range was interrupted by a much closer object, and a man-made one at that. At the bottom of his hill's eastern slope, beyond a small pond, squatted a spired building. Like the walls surrounding the plateau, the structure clung to broken and decayed life. Link doubted very much that it was still used for whatever its original purpose had been. What that was, he could only guess, but its spire and gable roof gave Link the strong impression of a place of worship.

All of these observations failed to recall anything to Link's absent memory, a sensation that grew more alarming with every passing moment. The world he could see was vast, his place in it forgotten. Is there somewhere— or someone — waiting for me out there? No one answered, not even the mysterious voice from within the chamber, and the silence seemed almost stifling.

I need to find someone, Link thought, fighting down his panic. Someone who can at least tell me where I am.

The castle was far too distant and off the plateau besides, leaving only the ruined building east of the hill. Perhaps someone could be found there. Refreshed with desperate purpose, Link started down the hillside path. He had only just begun his descent before discovering the object of his search.

Halfway down the path, sheltered under a lean-to of stone, sat a man by a fire.

Link wondered whether the man had seen him appear only to turn and hide behind a nearby boulder. A brief glance, however, showed that the stranger had not moved. Link could discern little else, as the hood of the man's cloak all but hid his face from view.

I wanted to find someone, Link berated himself. And when I do, I hide like a flighty fool. He could not fathom why he had done so. Instinct had taken hold before thought could reason. As it was, there seemed little to fear.

If that's the case, Link thought bracingly, there's no point in staying here. As he rose from his hiding place, however, Link noticed a branch long fallen and hardened in the ground. It was sturdy, and roughly the same length of a short sword.

How do I know that? Link wondered. The lack of an answer did not stop him from sliding the poor excuse for a weapon over his shoulder and into his sword belt. Satisfied that he now had at least some means of defending himself if necessary, Link emerged back onto the path.

It was a short walk down to the man and his fire, and Link made sure to keep himself in full view so as not to surprise him - or miss any surprises himself. The stranger, however, still showed no signs of stirring, except perhaps a slight shift to show he was at last monitoring his new visitor's progress.

Link was just suppressing the temptation to reach for his branch when something else arrested his attention completely. A hot, delicious aroma invaded his nostrils, making his mouth water insatiably. The smell's source could only be the old man's fire, and indeed, Link saw him holding a branch over it, on the end of which was stuck a large apple. Two more apples, already roasted, sat at the man's side.

When did I last eat? Link wondered. Surely not since before his "slumber," however long that had been. At this point, his stomach was as devoid of memories as his mind. Link was desperate to fill both, though he could hardly invite himself to the old man's meal.

Link was close enough now to see that the stranger was indeed observing him from underneath his hood, though his expression did not betray whether he found his visitor to be welcome or not.

Just as Link gathered himself for some kind of greeting, the old man beat him to the opportunity.

"Oho ho!" he cried with immediately disarming cheer. "Well met, stranger! It's rather unusual to see another soul in these parts."

Link could not help but warm to the old man, so enthusiastic was his salutation. His was a voice he could trust, though Link could not have said why. Amber eyes twinkled merrily underneath a pair of extremely bushy, white eyebrows. Those were matched by as impressive a beard as Link could imagine, a well-groomed mass of white blooming from the man's face and spilling down the front of his tunic.

Link thought of returning the greeting, perhaps saying something equally friendly, but instead heard himself speak with alarming directness.

"Who are you?"

The old man paused for a moment as if considering, and for that Link was grateful. He was still savoring the sound of his own voice, which like his hunger had lain forgotten for lack of attention. It sounded easy enough to his ears, though there was a strength in it he felt appropriate. Link felt - or at least hoped - that the straightforward nature of his question was softened by his quietly sure tone.

"Me?" the old man mused. "I'll spare you my life story. I'm just an old fool who has lived here, alone, for quite some time now. What brings a bright-eyed young man like you to a place like this?"

Link took no offense at his question being met with another. The old man was under no obligation to divulge more than he felt comfortable. That was just fine with Link, for he planned on exercising the same liberty. Who would believe him, anyway?

"I'm only just passing through as well, though I seem to have lost my way," Link replied quite truthfully. "Could you tell me where I am?"

"You are in luck then, for I am one of very few who live here!" The old man gestured grandly from his seat by the fire. "This is the Great Plateau. According to legend, this is the birthplace of the entire kingdom of Hyrule."

The name of the plateau sparked no recollection, but his last words did touch on a more recent memory. What was it that voice in the cave had said? "You are the light — our light — that must shine upon Hyrule once again."

Link shook his head and turned his attention back to the old man, who was slowly getting to his feet. He was stout, with a barrel chest and gut to match.

"How do you mean, Hyrule was born here?" Link asked, hoping to add whatever he could to his bare cupboard of knowledge.

Grabbing a nearby staff topped with a four-sided lantern, the old man turned and gestured further down the eastward path, toward the large building Link had seen from outside the chamber.

"That temple there," the old man began with more than a note of wistfulness. "According to legend, the creation of this world began there. For generations it was the site of sacred ceremonies. Since the decline of the kingdom a century ago, it has sat abandoned, in a state of decay. Yet another forgotten entity. A mere ghost of its former self…"

The old man trailed off with a tinge of bitterness. Looking again at the temple, Link thought he could understand. Perhaps the old man had listened to tales of the temple from his grandfather or another elder, and now that place was a crumbling reminder of those stories learned as a child. Even without knowing fully what troubled him, Link could not help but feel for this vagabond, alone in a place that had clearly seen better days.

"I am sorry, sir," Link said, and he meant it. "You are well met. I am new here, and unfamiliar with this place.

"Think nothing of it, my boy," the old man said with a wave of his thick hand. "If you are new here, you should acquaint yourself with the place! There are many interesting things to see. The temple is old, but enough of it remains to earn an appreciation of what it once was. I shall be here for some time," he added, "so please let me know if I may be of service."

Though a shred of melancholy remained in the old man's voice, Link understood the old man wished to be alone. Perhaps speaking with another living person after so long was too much for him. Still, it might be worth asking…

"Thank you, sir," Link responded. "That is very kind of you. I was wondering, if, perhaps…"

Even as he struggled to put his hunger into words, the old man apparently saw the object of Link's ravenous gaze.

"Oh, please, help yourself!" the elder warmly invited. "An apple and an open flame are small things to share."

Again offering his thanks, Link bent down and retrieved one of the apples that lay near the fire. It was still warm to the touch, and he immediately sank his teeth into the first bite of food he could remember.

Hot, bubbling heaven erupted in his mouth, an explosion of flavor that destroyed whatever decorum remained him. Ignoring the pockets of heat that seared in his mouth and the juice spilling out of it, Link tore out ravenous bite after bite, nibbling all but the most stubborn strings of the fruit's meat before ruefully tossing the core aside.

Without thinking of how it must look, Link allowed his gaze to find and linger on the remaining apple by the fire.

"Oho ho!" exclaimed the old man again, though with much good-natured humor. "Hungry, are you? Go on then, help yourself. Have two more in fact!" he added, removing the apple from his cooking stick.

Link gratefully accepted, tucking one away in his haversack with one hand while sinking his teeth into the other.

"There are many more apples — and game as well — in the forest north of here if you have the means to hunt it," added the old man kindly. "Again, I wish you good luck. I look forward to seeing you again."

And with that, the old man sat down again, contentedly rustling out another apple to roast and leaning his back against the inside of the lean-to.

"Thank you…" Link began. He had been about to address the old man by name, but realized he did not know it. Now that he thought about it, the old man had not once asked for his name, either. It's just as well, Link thought. He let his thanks trail off as the man's eyes closed contentedly, and slipped away so as not to disturb him further.

He had just turned onto the path when Link suddenly became aware of a soft, repeating noise coming from the slate on his hip. He looked quickly over his shoulder, but the old man's back was to him and he appeared to have slumped further against his resting place. Perhaps he was sleeping.

Satisfied with his privacy, Link took up the slate. Its black surface once again flashed a blue eye sigil before it was replaced with what Link immediately recognized as a map. It was black and bore no details aside from being divided by blue lines into several different regions. The smallest of them — which was near the center of the map — contained the only details of note: a small blue diamond, a pulsing yellow arrow and a blinking, gold dot to the arrow's northeast. Turning to face that direction, Link immediately saw the arrow also turn to point toward the blinking dot. He, then, was the arrow. If he had to guess by its location in relation to himself, the diamond must be the sleeping chamber.

On a whim, Link touched the diamond with a finger. Slanted blue words instantly appeared next to it: Shrine of Resurrection.

Dread drove away his marvel over the small device. Resurrection. Had he been dead then? The thought gutted him. For worse or better, he had awoken in safe ignorance. This first drop of how and why he might be here was no comfort.

Willing the morbid thought away, Link tapped the yellow arrow. Sure enough, the words "Current Location" appeared next to it. Finally, he tapped the curious golden point. "Follow the Sheikah Slate."

What kind of object was this? Link could think of nothing that brought such living detail to life. And why had the slate been kept with him in the "shrine"? More questions with no answers readily at hand save the slate's halting knowledge. Am I doomed to know nothing for myself?

Link lifted his gaze from the slate to the northeast, where the blinking dot's real-life counterpart should be. Judging from the distance between the shrine and his arrow on the map, his destination was not far ahead. The path continued to the bottom of the hill, with occasional groups of wide, crumbling stairs jutting out from the grass that had conquered them. Beyond a flat stretch of brick, grass, and dirt, a sizable dirt mound rose to the height of a large tree. Deciding that must at least be near his destination, Link replaced the slate on his belt and set off northeast.

The old man smiled as he watched Link's reflection on the glass window of his lantern. The boy had paused on the path for a good moment before eventually moving on. Had he set off in the wrong direction, the old man would have been forced to intervene on some pretense. Luckily, that had not been necessary. Link had, as usual, known what to do.

The old man chuckled as he watched the distorted image disappear from the lantern face. A century's churning had changed much, but Link appeared — at least at first glance — the same as ever. He had always been a boy of few words and much action. How he might have changed remained to be seen.

His eyebrows furrowed at that last thought. It seemed that Link truly remembered nothing. That much had been expected, true, but to see that blankness staring him in the face was something else entirely. Could the boy do what need be done without the most essential knowledge of all?

He would find the truth eventually. The old man was determined to reveal a good part of it to the boy himself, but being told something paled in comparison to the power of discovering it - of knowing it - for oneself. Link would need that before the end.

Rising to his feet, the old man saw with satisfaction that the boy was about to run into an early reminder of who he was. That would do for now. Seizing his lantern, the mysterious elder allowed himself another smile, then vanished in a swirl of blue-green flame.