Link awoke the following morning feeling refreshed, his mind clear and focused on the task at hand. The previous day's events - remembering Mipha, arriving at Zora's Domain, revealing himself to Sidon, Dorephan and the Council - were a blur that did not weigh on him as it might have just a few days before.

I am Link of Hyrule.

Too many holes in his memory yet remained. So much was left to be done. Yet accepting aloud who he was had unburdened him. The responsibilities Link faced no longer felt like ill-fitted clothes or a mistakenly delivered parcel. They were his, and claiming them - and himself - no longer felt foreign, but familiar and right.

Hylia knows your heart, and She will place you where you are needed most. Never doubt Her - or yourself, my son.

"I won't, father," Link vowed quietly to himself as he secured his sword to his back. "Not anymore."

Link exited the beautifully ornate guest wing where he had slept, his bed one of several within the place. Sidon had told him that before the Calamity Hylians, Gorons and even Gerudo often come in and out of Zora's Domain to eagerly to trade with their water-bound hosts. Vah Ruta's outburst had halted even the smallest trickle of Hylian traders that remained since the Calamity. None remained that were willing brave their wares or lives on the sodden mountain path.

Sidon and Dorephan had accompanied Link to the guest wing the previous night, with the Zora receiving a broad explanation of the Hylian Champion's return to the world of the living. No doubt Sidon has told him more by now, Link thought to himself. He was fine with that. Dorephan invited trust even had he not known the Zora to be a friend from his previous life.

Though exhausted, Link had been glad to stop and appreciate the illuminated statue he had only glimpsed upon entering the Domain. Mipha's small stature and kind features were captured perfectly in the carved stone. Her delicate face smiled gently upon passerby. And though it was pointed downward in a position of peace, the artist had not failed to include the same fearsome trident Link now so clearly remembered.

His fascination with the statue had been distracted by a faint orange light directly behind it. Link had been shocked to find that its source was an active Sheikah shrine nestled into a Zora-made alcove. Dorephan had dismissed the pair of guards stationed there. He and his son marveled when Link used his slate to activate the shrine, changing its light to a bright, lurid blue and opening its interlocked door.

"What do you know of this shrine, Your Highness?" Link had asked. "Do your histories hint at what lies within?"

"Only vaguely," Dorephan had affirmed. "Even among my people, the text is ancient. 'It will open to one who is friend of the water, but not of the water, for those of the water cannot wield the weapon within.' Naturally, King Rhoam and Princess Zelda were quite keen to enter in the days leading up to the Calamity's return. Their efforts, however, yielded nothing."

Link had been paying rapt attention, but found himself disappointed at the end of the tale. For an instant, hope had roared to life within him. Perhaps The Sword That Seals The Darkness lay within the shrine's depths. Logic doused the idea completely. The shrine had lain closed for an age, and he had borne the Sword only a century ago.

Still, Link was sorely tempted to enter the shrine and retrieve whatever it contained. Sidon had voiced a similar line of thought.

"Should tomorrow go ill, such a weapon would serve Link in good stead, father," the prince offered.

"Hopefully, it will not come to that," Dorephan sagely returned. "But I leave it to you, Link. You bear the Sheikah Slate. You have every right to enter."

In his mind's eye, Link once again glimpsed the lynel near Mount Lanayru, its unstoppable rage, and Dorian's face melting under its onslaught.

"I will not leave your people's hope to any chance that can be avoided," Link finally said. "I will enter."

Remembering the Guardian he had faced at Kakariko, Link had been on the verge of telling the king and prince to not follow should he fail to return. He decided against it. Such a warning might convince Dorephan the risk was too great. To Link, knowingly leaving behind a weapon that could tip the scales in his favor was an even greater gamble.

He had entered, descending on the familiar Sheikah-sigiled platform into a vast chamber filled with strange designs and blue light. He had found no test waiting for him, only the familiar sight of a long-dead Sheikah seated within a chamber of blue light.

"To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Tahno O'ah. By entering this place, you have already proven your worth. Take our offering with Hylia's blessing."

The Sheikah's remains had disappeared in a waft of blue light, leaving Link alone in the shrine. Only then did he notice the small, eye-adorned chest directly in front of Tahno O'ah's resting place.

Opening it had revealed not one, but two objects of interest. One was as foreign to Link as the small, glowing sphere he had received at the shrine in Kakariko. Two pieces of metal, one curved and the other straight, were cunningly joined by a bolt at their respective ends. Other than its ability to hinge one way or the other, it served no purpose that Link could decipher.

The other item was more familiar, at least in part. Link recognized it as a sword hilt, but one made of stone rather than metal. It bore no blade, only a slot where it should be.

Picking it up, Link had been surprised to find that the bladeless hilt was considerably heavy. Further examination revealed nothing until he came to the pommel stone, which bore a Sheikah sigil within a small, engraved circle. Unconsciously, he had brushed his finger lightly across the thrice-lashed eye.

A bright yellow blade emerged from the hilt with an electric hiss, its sudden appearance nearly causing Link to drop it in shock. Turning it slowly in his hand, he realized that the metallic blade was suffused with the same yellow light he had glimpsed in the lynel's shock arrows at Mount Lanayru. The blade was narrowly split down three quarters of its length, leaving it forked into two vicious points. A pair of experimental swings had seen the sword emit small, jagged sparks. Pressing the pommel stone once more returned the blade safely into the hilt.

Link then understood the cryptic warning passed down among the Zora. Like the shock arrows he was setting out to retrieve, this weapon would spell instant death to any Zora.

He now secured the stone hilt to the back of his belt, well out of the way of idle hands. The majority of his supplies would remain behind. The only exceptions were the hilt, Sheikah Slate, his paraglider and a small bundle, tightly wrapped. He would not need the latter for long, and hopefully not the first two at all.

Link exited the guest wing quickly, but even haste did not prevent the many stares and pointing gestures from the Zora already out and about. Young adults from Sidon's party boasted of having fought alongside the Hylian at Inogo Bridge, while their elders whispered of what had taken place the night before. Link ignored them as he ascended the steps to the second level before turning right.

The Domain boasted three bridges by which entry and exit on foot was possible. Only the Great Zora Bridge, which Link had traversed with Sidon the day before, served those without the Zora's gift to ascend waterfalls. The two others, which extended east and west from the Domain, fed into the surrounding mountains. It was there that, by traveling up and down the range's many cataracts, the Zora mined for the precious luminous stone that made their home and trade with the outside world possible.

Link crossed the eastern bridge, growing increasingly relieved as the number of surrounding Zora thinned. A lone, cream-skinned Zora guard manned the edge of the span, and he smiled as Link approached.

"Good morning, Sir Link," the Zora warmly greeted. "I am Gaddison. You likely do not remember me, but I played with you and Prince Sidon often when we were small. I must say, it does me good to see you alive and well."

"Thank you, Gaddison," Link gratefully returned.

"The prince waits just ahead at Mikau Lake," the Zora informed him in much quieter tones. "He bid me tell you as much. Word travels fast in the Domain, Sir Link," he added seriously. "Be careful, and may Hylia swim with you."

Link reached up to give the kind-hearted Zora's shoulder a thankful squeeze. "Thank you again, Gaddison," he said quietly. "May Hylia swim with us all."

Mikau Lake was, in fact, the bottom-most pool formed by a series of three waterfalls cascading down the western face of Ploymus Mountain. Link was forced to crane his head back as far as he could to glimpse its summit from below. Shatterback Point was clearly visible, jutting out from the mountain's southern side. It was, Link thought, aptly named. The stone spike's length was covered in craggy protrusions far harsher than the rest of Ploymus.

As he drew closer, Link's attention was drawn back to the waterfalls. Though they had undoubtedly been natural cataracts at one point, the clear waters now cascaded over Zora-made walls made of the same flawless metal that comprised the Domain. They were built into the mountain itself, forming a magnificent, silver-blue channel. The enormous beauty of the structure left Link in awe.

"Impressive, is it not?"

Sidon's good-natured boast brought Link's attention to the Zora himself. The prince stood near the edge of the waterfall's basin, looking positively braced for the day ahead. His only possessions were a large rendering of the silver bows his people favored and a small quiver of arrows.

"Why build under the falls, Sidon?" Link asked curiously as he removed his small bundle and began untying it.

"My father has a saying," the prince grinned. "'The mountain is strong, the fire mighty, but neither can stand forever against the river.' It is a lesson for patience, but it also applies to the falls. Our ancestors did not want Ploymus to wear down under the weight of its own waters, so they built channels made of Zora metal that will never rust nor wear away."

"A truly gifted people," Link said admiringly as he separated the Zora tunic and leggings from his drycloth bundle. He had purposefully left the pauldrons, vambraces and greaves behind. He would not need them today. "Speaking of which, how is it your sister was able to endow these clothes with the Zora's ability to swim?"

"Better to ask how we breathe underwater, my friend," Sidon laughed before his expression became thoughtful. "Hylia blessed my sister with the power to heal. I can only assume that it was also by Her grace that Mipha was able to create this marvelous gift. It is obviously unique, for my people do not require such clothes nor an ability they already possess. Zora maidens usually forge the armor and pendant alone."

"Why armor?" Link asked, thinking of his own people's customs. "Why not a ring or some other token?"

"It is a gesture inherited from an age long past," Sidon explained enthusiastically as Link began to dress. "Long ago, Zora's Domain was ruled by a king with no talent for war. But what he lacked in skill with a blade, he made up for in love for his people, and especially for his queen.

"One day, news reached the Domain of a lizalfo army gathering in the Zodobon Highlands. Though the king vowed to defend his people, his queen knew how ill-suited he was for the task. Worried for her beloved's life, she wove one of her own scales into his armor and prayed to Hylia that her love would protect him in battle.

Despite the urgency of the day's plans, Link found himself taken in by the moving tale.

"Though the Zora fought bravely," Sidon continued with a definite note of pride, "they were eventually driven to the mountain walls. The lizalfo general himself sought out the king. Its furious attack caused His Highness to fall to his back, helpless to the point of the lizardspawn's sword."

Sidon had undoubtedly heard and told the story countless times before, but Link could hear the genuine respect and awe in the Zora prince voice as he reached the story's climax.

"Just as the general was about to deliver its final blow, an errant sunbeam reflected off the scale on the king's armor. It blinded the lizardspawn, causing its strike to miss completely. The king slew the general with his own spear, rallied his forces and claimed victory by virtue of what came to be known as the Miracle of the White Scale."

"Since then," Sidon concluded significantly, "all Zora maidens have forged a set of armor for their intended, including a pendant bearing the white scale no male possesses."

Having only just drawn the tunic over his head, Link looked down at his chest to see the pendant woven fast into the cloth. The white scale at its center dully reflected the cloud-covered daylight. His hand unconsciously drifted over and clasped it tightly as he envisioned Mipha's delicately beautiful face near his own.

The Zora prince had paused for a moment as Link dressed. When he spoke again, his tone was heavy.

"It is strange, is it not?" Sidon mused. "Had things turned out differently, you might have been my sister's husband."

The idea all but echoed Link's final thoughts before falling asleep the night before. What would have happened? It was a door his mind had scurried fruitlessly to open, only to find it wedged shut by reality. How could he imagine what his life would have been without the Calamity?

"Forgive my childish wonderings, my friend," Sidon cut in apologetically. "Sometimes I allow myself to be carried away by romantic fancies. Still," he added with a grin, "it is hard not to do so seeing you as you are now. I dare say my sister would find you quite dashing."

Now that he was wearing them, Link realized the clothes were made to mimic a Zora's body. The leggings enveloping his feet disposed of the need for boots. Both they and the tunic fit him snugly, but as had been the case the night before, Link felt no undue warmth from wearing them.

"Come then, Link," Sidon beckoned with a free arm. "Give me your bundle. Best you do this as unencumbered as possible."

Despite the Zora garments and Sidon's inspiring tale, Link still felt dubious as he neared the water. When he stepped into the pool, however, he was shocked to feel that none of the moisture penetrated his clothes at all. He was aware only of the motion of the water around him. The unique sensation increased as Link ventured into the deeper portion of the basin, gently using his arms and legs to stay afloat. Perhaps it was his imagination, but he felt as though he was swimming far more easily than he normally could.

"Very good," Sidon observed loudly over the roar of the waterfall. "You have a feel for the water already. Now then, the trick to ascending the falls is to use your legs as much as possible. Leap out of the water every so often to see where you are going. When you reach the top, give an extra kick to free yourself from the falls."

Link had only half-heard Sidon's instructions and understood even less, but he nodded anyway. He suspected this skill was easier to do than explain, especially for a Zora accustomed to the ability for most of his life. He followed closely behind Sidon to the very base of the waterfall. Link should have been buried by the relentless torrent, but instead found himself kicking only slightly harder to remain afloat.

"Ready?" Sidon shouted. "Now, then!"

Link barely glimpsed the red-skinned Zora launch himself up the fall. Hoping he had the right idea, Link kicked upward with all his might.

Had he been forced to describe it, Link would have compared the sensation to rolling down a hill. It was easy as long as he kept up his momentum. With each kick of his webbed feet, Link felt himself leap further upward. Every so often he would try to impersonate a fish breaking the surface, and found it allowed him a brief moment above (or was it alongside?) the waterfall to make sure he stayed well within its width.

In what felt like no time at all, Link reached the crest of the cataract and jumped clear as Sidon had instructed. His landing felt clumsy after the sensation of swimming skyward, but he could not stop an unbidden smile of exhilaration and accomplishment from stealing across his face.

"Wish you were a Zora, do you?" Sidon laughed heartily upon seeing his friend's joy. "Come, then. Two more, then you must return to your own two feet!"

Twice more, Link enjoyed the sensation of defying the waterfall's will. He could not imagine doing such a thing whenever the whim took him.

Mipha made them with the hope you would one day swim the waters of the Domain together.

Dorephan's words from the previous night sombered the thrill of Link's aquatic climb and reminded him of the task at hand just as they arrived at the top of the third and final cataract. Sidon had already exited its fount and was now pointing noiselessly above, where the craggy underside of Shatterback Peak loomed.

"Noise is our enemy from here on, Link," Sidon whispered as Link drew up alongside him.

Nodding silently, Link took his bundle from Sidon and once again began to change. He did not, however, don his Hylian clothing, but instead dressed in the dark blue, form-fitting garments of the Sheikah. Once ready, he motioned to Sidon, who nodded and proceeded up the mountain.

During their conversation from the previous night, Link had learned that a grassy slope meandered up Ploymus' northern side. They were following that now, keeping as close to the mountain wall as possible so as to avoid being prematurely seen from above. Link desperately hoped the lynel would maintain its perch atop what Dorephan had described as a flat-topped mountain. Any encounter below that would dash all their preparations and very likely cost the lightly armed pair their lives.

Sidon knew the path well, for Ploymus and Shatterback Point were popular points of interest for the Zora. Apparently, he had been punished more than once as a calf for sneaking up the mountain at night. Link thanked Hylia that such had been the case, for it was because of his youthful misdeeds that the prince was able to lead him unerringly now. Sidon carefully navigated each bend of the path to make certain no danger lay just beyond. Link's legs were already sore from swimming and the slow, subsequent trek up the mountain. His Sheikah garments were drenched from Vah Ruta's unceasing rains, but he was relieved to note the downpour did not diminish their ability to keep him all but noiseless.

Sidon held up a forestalling hand, but his lack of alarm told Link they had merely reached their destination and not the danger therein. He sidled up alongside the Zora prince until both were crouching against the mountain face that petered out to the flat above.

"I do not see it," Sidon breathed. "It is likely toward the other side, near Shatterback."

"Well done," Link murmured in reply. "Go. Quickly."

Sidon appeared extremely reluctant to allow his friend to go on alone, but Link's look brooked no argument. A fine thing, he thought briefly, that I should reprimand a prince! Nonetheless, Link was grateful to see Sidon carefully make his way back down the mountain slopes.

Alone, Link crept out from behind the stone wall. The top of Ploymus mountain was as Dorephan and Sidon had described. Several large boulders and pines dotted the small, grassy mesa. They offered little collective cover, but for Link each rock and tree was an island of safety behind which to hide. Swift and silent as a shadow, he crept behind one of the larger boulders. Link gave himself a good moment before risking a look around the stone mass.

The lynel strode majestically into view along the other side of the mesa, and unlike at Mount Lanayru, Link was able to fully take in its primordial form. He now understood why the Zora referred to it as "demonspawn." Each hooved step thumped into the wet mountain grass, its dark, horse-like body as finely built as any prize stallion. From its front rose the body of a man replete with muscle and sinew. Every so often the lynel's head would turn to reveal the face of a wild lion, albeit one with savagely curved horns protruding from its forehead. The nightmare visage turned toward Link, who darted back behind the boulder before the beast's glowing green eyes could discern him through the falling rain.

At first, Link was terrified the monster was searching for an intruder. Further observation revealed no such urgency on the lynel's part, however. It appeared to be patrolling its prized mountain territory, nothing more. Link felt certain of this when another swift look revealed that the lynel carried neither bow nor arrows.

The beast's circuit would eventually bring it closer. Link waited until the animal was facing the opposite direction before darting from one boulder to the next. He continued doing this, keeping as much distance between the lynel and himself while scanning the area for the shock arrows he sought.

Minutes passed as the lethal game of hide-and-seek played out. Link was growing desperate. Had the monster used or discarded the stolen arms? Continuing to belatedly follow the beast's path would take him too far into the open, and he dared not double back and risk running into the lynel head-on.

A glimmer of yellow. Link saw it where Ploymus' mesa began to narrow into the jagged spike that was Shatterback Point. He was behind one of the thinner trees, now, but a quick glance showed that the lynel was still well away.

Link crept to the tree nearest what he had glimpsed. There, on the ground, lay the bow and arrows, the latter still contained within their original, waterproof quiver.

Link was sorely tempted to simply seize the shafts and use the slate to travel back to Zora's Domain. He had already discarded that option the night before, however. Their plans had been arranged before Link had known of the shrine, and he had purposefully decided not to alter them after the fact. How many would die, as Brigo and Dorian had died, if the lynel was left alive?

Not daring to breathe, Link edged toward the coveted arrows. He was out in the open, now, but the lynel's patrol had not yet returned toward him. Sheathed in the Sheikah garments, Link's steps made no sound.

A hiss through the air was accompanied by an arrow, which clanged off a nearby boulder. Link's panicked look toward the lynel was met by the beast's own surprised gaze - which then turned to one of rage. With a roar savage enough to curdle the heart, the monster charged.

Link threw stealth aside for speed and raced for the arrows, his right arm already whipping the Sheikah Slate from his belt. He snatched up the quiver and, as he slung it over his shoulder, quickly turned to point the slate at the enraged monstrosity.

The gold light of the stasis rune slammed into the lynel, freezing it where it stood. Link was alarmed, however, to see the light flicker and wink out almost immediately. The rune was apparently unable to hold a creature of this size or power for more than an instant.

Link turned and sprinted up Shatterback's rapidly narrowing point, his breath raggedly battling the slope and altitude. He could hear the lynel's hooves ringing sharply against stone, could almost feel the monster's gutteral snorts of breath; it was nearly upon him. Blindly pointing the slate behind him as he ran, Link touched its surface again. Praying the stasis rune had found its target, Link seized the paraglider from his back, launched himself off the mountain and yelled with all his might.

"Zora! Zora! Zora!"

For the umpteenth time, Sidon wiped rainwater from his face and refocused his yellow eyes on Shatterback Point above. He was kneeling at the end of a smaller point that extended south from the third and highest waterfall. Though he held his bow readily, Sidon had not yet nocked an arrow for fear too much exposure to the rain would ruin it. Link had been very particular about that.

The Zora prince's ears strained to hear something, anything from above. Irrational fears clawed at him. What if the rain kept Link's voice from carrying this far? Did the demonspawn still possess the shock arrows? Had something happened to his friend?

In his mind's eye, Sidon saw each of those fears met by the cold, clear gaze Link had issued near the mountain summit. Not even in his father had he ever seen such strength of will, such a resolution to do what must be done. To Sidon, it was confirmation that Hylia had indeed sent Her Champion to help his people.

That was why he had been so reluctant to leave his friend's side. To stand with Link of Hyrule at his people's most desperate hour would have done honor to the great Zora rulers and warriors that preceded him. His father, Dorephan the Wise. Seggin, the Demon Sergeant. Laruto the Sage. Ralis the Brave.

Do what must be done and let honor fall where it may. Hylia knows your worth, my son.

The unbidden remembrance of his father's words made Sidon smile to himself. He was being foolish. His role was more than enough if it meant-

"Zora! Zora! Zora!"

Link's cry snapped Sidon out of his reverie. In one smooth motion, the Zora prince drew a shaft from his drycloth quiver - a shaft tipped with a small, heavy bag rather than the silver arrowheads his people favored. Trusting to Link's plan and timing, he loosed the bomb arrow skyward toward the belly of Shatterback Point.

A great explosion and flash of fire tore the narrow spike from the rest of Ploymus Mountain. Sidon's own perch was not in danger of the shower of boulders, shale and rockets that rained down.

Through the avalanche of rubble, the Zora prince glimpsed the lynel's horse-like body plunge from the Domain's highest peak into the East Reservoir Lake far below.

Fear and hatred waged a fierce war within Bazz as the lynel turned back toward the sparse trees of Ploymus' summit. For an instant, he had felt sure the demonspawn would become aware of the Zora crouched just below the mesa's northern edge. Then the sound of the beast's heavy hooves grew fainter, and Bazz decided to risk a look.

Bazz had witnessed the despised Hylian's arrival, for he had made the ascent himself some two hours previous. The wait had been long, dry and tense. Countless times he had heard the lynel approach on its circuit and feared discovery. The Zora's legs and back ached from remaining uncomfortably hidden and still for so long.

Then, mercifully, Bazz's patience had been rewarded. But, as his father had predicted, the Hylian had come prepared. Merely glimpsing Link in the garb of the Sheikah had twisted Bazz's face into a snarl. The coward was relying on stealth to earn his honor, while Seggin had been publicly shamed for honestly seeking his. The injustice rankled the young Zora.

Movement along the far side of the scattered pines caught Bazz's eye. There he was. The filth was out in the open now, carefully approaching whatever object had seized its interest. No doubt he had found the shock arrows.

But the lynel had not yet spotted its intruder. The Hylian was in danger of taking the arrows and escaping without even being noticed.

Hylia blind him! Bazz thought savagely. He has the Demon King's own luck!

But this was why the Zora had come, to ensure the Hylian faced whatever danger he might otherwise sidestep. Raising his silver Zora bow, Bazz loosed an arrow toward Shatterback's rocky base.

He was not close enough to hear the shaft land, but both Link and the lynel clearly were. Bazz's heart leaped as the demonspawn charged madly toward the exposed Hylian, who ran blindly toward the point itself. The Zora stood, smiling as he allowed himself to witness his people's revenge fulfilled.

Bazz's expression morphed to disbelief as, rather than turn and futilely face the lynel, the Hylian actually leaped off Shatterback! Then an explosion of earth and fire temporarily forced the Zora to fall to the ground. When the noise and his own shock cleared, Bazz raised his head, but he saw neither Hylian nor demonspawn.

What had happened? Had the lynel's magic somehow claimed both prey and predator?

I must be sure, Bazz thought madly. Seizing his bow, he ran toward Shatterback Point only to find that the outcropping was no longer there. Whatever force that had sewn fire and thunder had blown the point completely off the mountain. A quick glance downward revealed distant ripples on the reservoir's normally smooth surface.

It's done, Bazz thought grimly. He's dead, and my people are now free of him.

The vast view of the reservoir invited Bazz's gaze toward the bulk of Vah Ruta that lay toward the lake's southern side. Perhaps now, elders like his father and Muzu could convince the king that the Zora were best suited to help themselves.

Movement just below his line of sight caught Bazz's eyes, which went wide with shock. There, floating slowly downward like an ill-proportioned crane, was the Hylian! He was grasping some contraption that allowed him to avoid the fall that should have claimed his life!

Snarling in rage, Bazz quickly nocked another arrow to his bow. Luck was with him. The mountain breeze was slowly carrying Hylian back toward the mountain, giving Bazz a broad, bird's eye view of the paraglider.

It was a shot Bazz could not miss.

His foe's sudden absence, combined with the feeling of floating through the air, allowed Link a ludicrous moment of calm in the aftermath of the chaos he had just left behind. His eyes wandered from the lynel's violent splash to the far side of the lake. There, half-submerged like some beast from the beginning of time, lay Vah Ruta.

Link recognized it from Impa's parchment. A large head and broad back of Sheikah-forged metal and stone were visible above the lake surface. So, too, was the end of what he knew to be an elongated nose, the middle of which was still under water.

Its shape, he had somewhat expected. It was its size that left Link in awe. Vah Ruta could hold at least four stable tents on its broad back alone. It was easily as large as a small mountain, albeit one covered intermittently with red light the same color as the mists he had sign enshroud Hyrule Castle. They shone from the various joints and gaps in the Divine Beast's body: the segments of its snake-like nose, its round imitations of eyes, and the joints halfway down its trunk-like legs. Water streamed unceasingly from the end of its serpentine nose straight into the air, feeding the heavy grey clouds that blanketed Zora's Domain and the surrounding mountains. More water poured from large apertures at its sides, further raising the already dangerously full reservoir.

It was above those water vents that Link saw the red-glowing orbs Dorephan had described, supposedly the one weakness that could be exploited with the shock arrows he now carried. They were placed where the animal's shoulders would be, far too high to be reached by any bow.

How in Hylia am I to shoot those? Link wondered desperately.

The thought was cut short by another hiss on the wind. An arrow flew out of nowhere, its silver point cutting cleanly through the cloth of Link's paraglider. The resulting hole was instantly made larger by the wind escaping through it.

Like a stone, Link plummeted to the lake below.