North Clock Town was silent after the attack, and all that remained in the small park near the Great Fairy Shrine was nothing but wreckage. The trees had fallen, some split in half, and even crevices in the ground had opened on account of the explosion which apparently annihilated those who were within the vicinity.

All except perhaps one child.

Caught between the thick leaves of small shrubbery was a small fox child, his tail swishing side to side irritably as he attempted to free himself from the bush. When he finally fell out, his rubbed the dirt from his eyes, and when he managed to see better, his emerald eyes widened in disbelief.

Everyone was gone.

"Inuyasha?" His small voice called out, but there was no sign of him, or any of his friends. "Link?"

Shippo's small feet carried him half the distance across the small path which led him to the edge of the crater; that was the last place he saw his friends. At the last possible second, he remembered Kagome suddenly throwing him out of harm's path, where he eventually landed safely some distance away. After that, he heard the explosion and the cries from his teammates. Afterward, there was only silence.

Tears prickled his eyes and he couldn't help but fall to his knees despondently. This couldn't be happening. Everything they had tried so hard to achieve was gone, including his loved ones. His bottom lip trembled and his shoulders shook, and the small child couldn't help but let his tears fall. "Mother!"

OOO

Dirt and dust were the first things the priestess saw when she awakened from her slumber beside Link. She took in her surroundings warily, briefly recalling what had happened before their descent into this place. There had been an explosion, and she remembered throwing Shippo before they were hit. After that, everything was a blur, except for that voice, which she presumed belonged to the Happy Mask Salesman.

Noticing that Link had yet to awaken, she shook his shoulders lightly. "Link…Link," From her shaking he awoke, his hand instinctually gripping his sheathed sword.

When he realized she had only been arousing him from his slumber, he sat up and shook his head, wiping the dirt from his face before examining the girl beside him. From the looks of it, she seemed just as fine as he did.

The two took in their surroundings warily, noting that they seemed to have woken up in a desolate valley, nearly void of any life. There was a lack of greenery in the field, and that of animals as well. Instead, the only thing present in this field was a small settlement, somewhat positioned like that of Clock Town; it sat a few miles from where they were both sitting. There was no Clock Tower to be seen there, only thick, high grayish walls, its size smaller in comparison to the town they once knew.

The sky over head was dark and gray, the sun hidden as a cool breeze swept past them, pulling with it debris from the soil and stray rocks and pebbles. A storm seemed to linger far off toward the East, the sky black and ominous.

"Where…are we?" Kagome asked, but her question was cut short when she and Link heard a startling sound escape the half demon's throat. "Inuyasha?"

The half demon was standing there with his back to them, snarling aggressively as he looked on in the distance to where Ikana stood near the East. From what both the priestess and Link observed, he was without his sword, just standing there with his claws and fangs bared.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Kagome cried, reaching out to touch his arm, and immediately, he turned and pushed her to the ground, his arm raised as he prepared to strike down at his friend.

Thankfully Link had stepped in to save her from a very painful injury. Link grabbed his wrist before any damage could be inflicted upon the priestess, and narrowed his blue eyes at the raging half demon. A pain enveloped his left hand where the Triforce was hidden by his bandages, and he realized that it was the demonic energy it was reacting to. "Snap out of it, Inuyasha."

But it did not work. Inuyasha had lunged at Link, and this in turn caused the priestess to shriek when she saw the two rolling around in the dirt, each fighting for dominance.

"Kagome!" Link called before pushing the half demon off him.

Understanding his plight, she pointed her finger at Inuyasha. "Sit boy!"

At this command, the half demon ceased his attack, but instead of slamming into the ground like he was supposed to due to the spell of the beads around his neck, he didn't, and instead growled at the priestess before he resumed his attack on Link yet again.

Why hadn't it worked? Why hadn't the beads stopped him?

As Link was on his back trying to push the half demon off him, Kagome suddenly saw blood spilling from Link's upper arm and chest; it was a result of Inuyasha's attack, and she hurriedly ran to his side, both her hands upon Inuyasha's shoulders trying to pry him off, but it was to no avail. "Stop it Inuyasha!"

With his eyes bleeding red and the marks returning onto his face, Inuyasha swiped his claws at the girl behind him, and she fell back with a cry. Kagome knew it was hopeless to get through to him; whenever Inuyasha was subject to such, it was difficult to get him to come to his senses and without his sword, what could she and Link do? Speaking of which, where was that sword?

Eventually it was Link who had kicked the half demon off his person, and after sending Link another snarl, the half demon, instead of attacking them again, simply turned away and darted toward Ikana where he had felt the strange power emanating from.

"Inuyasha!" The priestess cried out, and as she stood up to chase after him, Link caught her wrist to stop her.

"Wait," Was Link's reply before shaking his head. "We can't do anything for him, Kagome." What was the point in chasing after him if he wouldn't listen? Inuyasha was the fastest of his companions, and with his and Kagome's speed alone, it would prove impossible to catch up. "We'll catch up to him later," He explained.

Kagome nodded sadly. Link was right, but she was very much afraid of what kind of harm her friend would do if he decided to attack innocent people along the way. "You don't know what he's capable of…"

Link had a pretty good idea of what the half demon was capable of in his demon form, and just thinking about it left as nasty taste in his mouth. If he remembered correctly, while he had been sleeping, before they were sent here, he remembered hearing the Happy Mask Salesman voice.

"But time is short, so listen closely. What you have lost can be regained if you go to the castle. In return, I ask that you put a stop to the one stealing the mask from the tower. Be quick about it, my friends and believe in your strengths, believe…"

What they most needed to summon the Goddesses was in the possession of the merchant, and he was willing to give that object to them only if he and his friends were able to stop the peddler from stealing Majora's Mask from the Tower. Somehow, Link had a fairly good hunch where that mask had originally been sealed. It was in Ikana…the very temple he had climbed through in its maze like structure where he fought one of his strongest opponents.

Out of nowhere, as if seemingly by incredible speed, people shrouded in brown cloaks, their faces hidden by their hoods, surrounded them from all sides. Their swords were drawn intent on drawing blood if they made any move to escape, and Link recognized them as the ghosts that once haunted Ikana's Wasteland. But they weren't ghosts.

From Pamela's father, Nathaniel, Link learned that the Garo were a tribe that existed long ago, during a Great War and were spies whose origins were unknown to him. Apparently the Garo spent their time in Termina spying on the Kingdom of Ikana long ago, but for whatever purpose, Nathaniel had not specified.

According to Tatl, a friend of Link's four years ago, she mentioned that the ghosts of the Garo had this strange thirst for blood; this was during the time Link had first began his exploration in the wasteland, but the Garo were still a mystery to the youth. Discerning the dead from the living at this moment was not difficult for the swordsman; these people from ancient times, at least near the creation of this world, had existed long ago and it was obvious that Link and Kagome had traveled back in time. This was all due to the Happy Mask Salesman's strange magic.

The priestess immediately found herself clinging to Link fearfully, her brown eyes darting around anxiously as she observed the hooded figures encircling them with their blades drawn. Who were these people? Did they intend to hurt them?

But Link didn't show his fear. Rather, he remained cool, his eyes narrowed when one of the tribesman pointed their blade towards him and Kagome.

"Identify yourselves!" A gruff male voice exclaimed loudly.

Though he could have fought them, he knew that by doing so would place Kagome in harm's way, and he could not guarantee her safety if he took his eyes off her for just a second. There were too many, and he felt that it would be in their best interest to try and persuade them rather than start a battle.

OOO

In a dimly lit room of a small building housing many important and old documents of Ikana, a young man in his late twenties, with burgundy hair and tired eyes, sat within a small space in the corner of the room. Books by the dozen were piled up upon the small desk, along with many inked parchments lying strewn upon the stone flooring at his slippered feet abandoned.

A noise of irritation resounded deeply from his throat as he scanned over the ancient writing. Somehow he couldn't make sense of what he was reading, nor did he expect to stumble upon this breaking development in which he had been secretly studying.

As he tossed another tome to the side, he picked up a seemingly larger book, its cover worn by age and dust collected on the yellowed pages. As soon as he opened it, careful of damaging the bindings and loose sheets, dust immediately filled his nostrils and he fell into a small coughing fit. After which, he intently studied the text, mentally calculating the precise year in which the book was dated.

He sat there for over an hour reading, his posture slightly slouched as he silently flipped through the withered pages. The candle's flame beside him flickered as the wind outside the small window picked up; the storm just outside was raging loudly, but it made no difference to the young man.

Often he found himself secretly infiltrating the library, though he knew his actions were prohibited, as the small architecture only belonged to that of the Royal Family. Sure he knew the consequences of his actions, but he found it quite easily to sneak past the soldiers, given that he was a master of disguises. One wrong move though could result in a gruesome death, but he really didn't have time to worry about that.

Within this small prefecture were the documents containing the history and origins of Ikana and that of other worlds. What he most desired lied within this very text his eyes keenly skimmed.

What he was most interested in was in fact that of other worlds, their creation beginning from the very deities who crafted them, and he knew these beings not as the Four Giants, but rather the Three Goddesses. Din, Nayru and Farore were female deities that resided in the heavens above the Kingdom he knew well.

However, as he read through the ancient writings, he couldn't help but ponder why they disappeared so shortly after the creation of the world. In short, he recalled a time during his youth when the ascent of a new ruler was crowned King of their land; he went by Igos Du Ikana and with his word of law, he had proclaimed with much assuredness that the belief in the Great Divinity of such females would be dismissed and replaced with a new truth, one that represented the strength of their Kingdom; it was a belief that surrounded that of their four great protectors.

Of course the documents claiming the existence of the Goddesses should have been buried or burned long ago since it seemed to upset a great many of his people, especially that of the King. Instead, the Royal Family had kept them safely hidden within the library, and he was most grateful for that since his research on the topic derived in his fascination.

It was obvious since that day of welcoming a new ruler within their Kingdom, to the sudden construction of Stone Tower above the hill from the settlement, that something awfully suspicious was taking place right beneath their noses. On his command, phallic pillars were built around the massive shrine overlooking Ikana, its shape oddly distorted with various carvings engraved within the red and gray stone. Blasphemous structures, reflecting that of their Kingdom's bitter vengeance was pointed to the Heavens, many taking the form of a hand, its finger ablaze as it pointed to the sky mockingly while others were drawings with humans figures licking the lost relic of the Triforce in disdain.

The new King had deluded himself into masking the truth retaining to that of the Goddesses from his citizens, thus causing a rebellion to stir from nearly half the population of Ikana. Sadly the King ignored the protests from his people, rejoicing instead as he awaited the finishing of Stone Tower in the distance.

The main reason for his research began weeks ago when he heard rumors of a powerful artifact that housed an incredible yet fierce demon hidden somewhere in this world. Over the weeks, he had searched high and low, shuffling from each book case to the next, reading different texts. He even resorted to sneaking into high officials offices to search through the documents kept hidden there. To no avail, he found nothing sustaining to this rumor.

"Where could this have stemmed from?" He pondered deeply. The young man furrowed his brow, closing his eyes as he rested his elbow on the desk and a hand supporting his chin thoughtfully. Rumor of a cursed mask resided somewhere in this world but its origins were unknown. There was tale, or to be more frank, a legend of this written somewhere, he remembered hearing from a few he had questioned. It was said in this legend, that the user of this would be granted many wishes, and he vowed to one day uncover the truth.

While he was bemused, his eyes couldn't help but squint when he recognized the symbol of the Triforce drawn near the edge of the sheet. Looking closely, he found himself turning the page, his eyes resting on one word. Hyrule.

"What's this?"

Through his reading, there existed another world called Hyrule and its citizens, plagued by endless slaughtering over the years and it was blessed by the aid of a legendary Goddess known as Hylia. Apparently a hero blessed with the sacred emblem of the Triforce saved the land and the people rejoiced as they lived within the clouds of Skyloft until later on returning to the lands on the surface.

Apparently from what he was learning, the Goddesses had favored the blessed land of Hyrule; however while it was governed lovingly by the powerful deities; its Triforce revered and sought after, his own world, Nimtera was a different story. Rather than revere the Goddesses, his people slandered their name, mockingly glaring at the portal to the Heavens above them. The Triforce was but a pathetic reminder of how the Goddesses had abandoned them long ago; at least, that's what the King had proclaimed from the beginning of his enthronement.

As he read further, the young man came to the conclusion that indeed, the Triforce no longer existed in this world but in Hyrule, as the text explained. Through the ages, there were villains in pursuit of the Triforce where it was said to have been kept within the Sacred Realm, always seemingly awaiting a hero blessed with one of the legendary and blessed fragments of the Triforce to restore peace.

He scoffed. Hyrule, though blessed as it was, seemed to encounter more wars and distress than his own. Somehow he found that ironic if not a bit laughable, but he was curious however of the land, and he knew that without a doubt locating such a world would prove somewhat difficult.

Not much was said about the founding of Nimtera, besides that of the conquests and such from that of the Royal Family. But it did; however seem to thrive well without the ever watchful eyes of the Goddesses.

How was it possible that Ikana had such documents pertaining to the Goddesses and of other realms? Well, after the creation of Nimtera, left behind in this world, were quite a few if not four Great Enchantresses, each resting on the four borders of the world; They silently, over the years, kept watch over the people, though not interfering in the cycle of humanity.

They taught the people their knowledge and their wisdom, only to those who cared to learn from female fairies, but eventually that knowledge was abused. Over the course of some years, their knowledge was writ down and later on stored away, in libraries across the land. Some feared the power of the Great Fairies, while others curiosity toward it grew to extreme heights.

Sorcery was not absent in the world in which he lived, and to speak truth, he was an apprentice in the arts of magic, weaving his way up to learning the truth and using it to harness the secrets of the tribe he joined years ago.

To say he had exceeded many of his peers was an understatement, in fact; he had risen to the top of his class, even rivaling himself with another of great wisdom yet of darker means. He wanted what he couldn't have, and it was so close within reach that he envisioned himself with that power and what he could do with it.

There was nothing within these documents that mentioned anything of the ancient artifact, and just about to call it a day, he accidentally knocked over one of the old tomes. Before he could reach down and collect it to return it to its stack, the book had flipped opened onto a particular page suddenly drawing his complete attention.

"What is this?" He lowered himself to the floor before picking it up and regaining his footing. For a moment, his eyes were glued to the text, and when he realized it was a small legend from long ago, his eyes suddenly lit up.

"In that world, of one that was not moving but not dead either, there existed a monster some ten million years ago that dwelled atop a mountain by itself. One day, he caught the scent of a creature from beyond of one not seen for years and he recognized the creature of Man. Believing the human that arrived to steal its magic armor from its body, capable of granting many wishes, the demon grew enraged."

"The son of Man claimed to have been driven to the world in which the creature inhabited by a strange force. The traveler questioned how long the monster remained in this frozen world after the cosmos, and it was said the creature dwelled their by itself for over millions of years if not longer, forgotten or not."

"Soon after the son of Man's arrival, the monster grew full of doubt, questioning why he was left there for so long. The creature told the son of Man how lonesome he was after he had eaten all the humans who had once wanted him dead, and thus, the traveler granted his wish, a wish that Time would move within the world the creature dwelled."

"For three days and nights, the monster danced to the rhythm of his drum. On the morning of the fourth day, at the same moment his breathing ceased, the world finally crumbled. In the end, all that was left was his armor."

"With his sword, the son of Man crafted the armor into a mask, firmly sealing the power of the great beast away before tossing it into a world in which it would never be touched, a world of vast deserts scorched by violent sandstorms."

A smirk gloriously graced his face. This was it! Through this small text, he knew exactly where the artifact rested, and with this, he could easily locate it using what he knew from his magic and sorcery.

Delighted, he dabbed his quill into the ink jar at the desk before scribbling away upon a separate sheet of parchment, before resting his palm over the paper to instantly dry the wetness from smearing. After which, he hastily placed the sheet inside the collar of his silken purple clothes, and he returned all the documented books back to their original shelves before blowing out the candle and quietly slipping out of the room.

It was only a matter of time…