POV Link

The night is clear today. The full moon illuminates the island's landscape, allowing me to see the structure ahead without difficulty. Not wanting to waste more time, I decided to try entering the Dream Shrine the same day Marin told me about it. I finished my regular shift at the kiosk and headed straight north of the village, where I easily found the ruin.

Marin didn't want to come with me.

"I already discovered this thing exists, to begin with. Now you want me to go there, in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, to help push stones? And then enter an ABANDONED temple in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT? No, thank you. I value my life. But have fun."

So here I am, standing in front of the boulders, deciding how to proceed. I walk around the building, which isn't very large. The stones are only in front of the door, and there are no windows.

I miss the bombs from the Sheikah Slate. They would be very useful now.

I run a hand through my hair, thinking.

"Just push the stones; it's not that hard!" a voice echoes in my head.

Startled, I look around. I try to identify if the sound came from somewhere external, even though I'm sure it didn't. It sounded like a very loud thought, and it wasn't mine. Have I been isolated for so long that... I'm losing my sanity?

"No, you're not crazy," another voice responds in my head.

I would argue that a second voice is even more evidence that I am losing my mind.

"Just do what he said. I needed a magical bracelet to get enough leverage to push them, but you've spent years training and climbing mountains. You have more than enough strength. Just go for it."

Too confused to question the voices—and my sanity—I just obey. And I see they're right. Even without training as much in recent years, I realize, happily, that I still have the same physical strength—which makes no sense. Maybe it's because I gained vitality from the Sheikah Shrines?

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and focus on the task ahead. With some effort but no major difficulties, I manage to push the larger stone blocking the main entrance. I move it just enough for me to pass through.

I see the ruin has no door—which might explain the stone blockade. Wiping the sweat from my forehead with my arm, I take a deep breath and enter the cold room.

The room is lit by a single candle that seems to burn without consuming anything. I see the wax isn't melting, but the flame remains strong.

This isn't the strangest thing I've seen in my life and probably won't be the last. I don't waste time questioning it and look around, analyzing the room. It's very small. An old, dusty bed is to my right. To its left, the bedside table with the candle. And nothing else.

I approach and see a piece of paper on the nightstand. I blow off the dust and pick it up. It has only one sentence.

To access the realm of dreams, lie on the bed and sleep.

Don't I do this every day?

Maybe the point is that it has to be this specific bed. It's dirty and without sheets, but I've slept in much worse places. Anyway, it's been a long day, so I don't think twice and accept the note's suggestion, wishing the challenges I face were always like this. I lie down on the bed and, as soon as I close my eyes, I fall asleep immediately.

"Helloooo, is anyone there?" I hear a voice say.

"Is he alive?" another one responds.

"Of course he is; he entered here through the Dream Shrine. Weren't you paying attention?" a third one replies, annoyed.

"Calm down. Wild? Can you hear me?" says a fourth.

"He won't recognize the nickname. Call him by his name. Link, wake up," says a fifth. How I can identify them, I have no idea. But I feel like I should know them.

"But I am awake!" responds the first.

"Not you, HIM!" exclaims the third, exasperated.

Confused, I try to open my eyes, but they're unusually heavy. I don't remember drinking alcohol yesterday—or in the past few years—but the feeling is similar to a severe hangover. My head feels like it's going to explode, I'm nauseous, and my whole body aches.

It feels like my soul is trying to leave my body, and my chest hurts as if I'm being torn in half. My consciousness begins to fade.

"LOOK! He's dematerializing," one of the voices shouts, and now I can't distinguish them anymore. Chaos ensues in the room.

"I knew this was a bad idea; we've never gathered with one of us STILL ALIVE."

"We have no other option; it has to work. LINK!" hearing my name, my mind regains a bit of clarity. "Focus on your memories! The ones that make you, you!"

I follow the advice. I think of Hyrule, my training, the Calamity.

"It seems to be working," one of them says. "But not enough."

"Think of Zelda, Link!" suggests a voice.

Her face floods my mind, and I regain control of my body. Flashes of our last day together hit me, and I become instantly alert.

"Whoa, dude. We kind of share a mind here, so keep it in your pants, please."

Frightened but finally in control of my body, I open my eyes and sit up. I realize I was lying on the floor of a white room. Even more confused, I see several young men who look a lot like me standing in a semi-circle around me.

I shake my head, not understanding anything.

"Wil...," one of them, younger—practically a child—begins to speak excitedly, but another interrupts.

"Calm down, Wind. He's still getting his bearings."

"But, Twilight...," protests the child but falls silent under the older one's gaze.

Looking more closely, I see that they are quite different, actually. Despite all having light skin and hair, the similarity ends there. The ages vary—the youngest is a child, and the oldest seems to be my age. Their physiques also differ.

"Why are you all dressed in green?" I ask, confused. "Is this some kind of cult? Are you going to try to sell me something?"

The one called "Twilight" looks indignant at my question.

"That's your first question?"

One of them approaches me and extends a hand, helping me to my feet.

"Don't mind them; you'll get used to it. I'm Link," one of the youths introduces himself with a smile.

"I... am too?" I respond, bewildered. "Nice to meet you?" I say, shaking his hand.

"Yes. And so is he," he says, pointing to another. "And him, and him... you get the idea. We're all Links."

"That sounds confusing."

"It is. That's why we identify ourselves by the nicknames that signal the mission we accomplished during our time with the Spirit of the Hero. Don't worry, we'll explain everything," he adds quickly, seeing my expression. "They call me 'the one from the Sky' because I lived on an island floating thousands of meters above what would become Hyrule."

"Okay," I say, rubbing my face, trying to absorb this information.

"I'm Wind because my mission was on a sailing ship at sea!" says the child excitedly.

"Call me Twilight," says the older one. I notice he seems the most bored one. "My mission was to help free Hyrule from the effects of the Twilight."

"I'm the Legend one; Curiosity: one of my missions was on the island you're on now! Well, the original version of it, at least," says one of the teenagers.

"And I'm Time," says the last one. He seems the most serious of them all. "I could spend hours explaining my adventures, but let's just say I traveled through time."

"Through time? Is that possible?" I ask, surprised.

"Oh, it is," he replies, exhausted.

As he speaks, I notice that despite Twilight's facade of boredom, he looks at Time with admiration.

"This 'Spirit of the Hero', you all had it? And what is it?"

"Ha, if only it were just us here. There are dozens more, but we thought it best for just us to meet you today," Sky responds. The others seem to respect him, and I understand he's the leader of the group.

"Sky and I would have been enough for today's agenda, but the others are curious," grumbles Time.

"And Twilight has some weird obsession with Time," Wind whispers to me, not as discreetly as he thinks.

Questions start flooding my mind.

"And what's this about sharing a mind? I can't access yours."

They exchange embarrassed looks.

"Um, we thought it best to shield ourselves so you don't access our memories. It's too much information; it would fry your brain. We, on the other hand, are already dead, so we don't have that problem," Sky says playfully.

"Usually, we only learn the whole story after we die," Time says bluntly. "But we saw a rare opportunity to end the... solve an old problem, in your generation. So we decided to risk explaining everything to you while you're still alive."

I realize he edited his speech, leaving something out. But I have more urgent questions, so I ignore it and save it for another time, then return to my main question.

"What is this Spirit of the Hero?"

I see Sky and Time exchange a look before answering me.

"Well...," Sky begins. "To understand exactly what the Spirit of the Hero is, you need to understand Zelda's story too. And we all agreed that, since it's her story... well, she should decide to share it with you."

"Are there many Zeldas too? Did you all know one?"

"Yes and no," Time says. "Her situation is slightly different... again, it's better if she explains it herself. I believe she's also recovering her memories."

"I met a Zelda, but..." says Legend, interjecting. "Tell me, Wild, is Marin okay?"

"That's not relevant now, Legend," Twilight retorts.

"Moving on," Time continues, exasperated. "What you need to know now is: whenever an evil threatens the lands, the Spirit of the Hero manifests in the chosen youth of that generation. We were all the chosen ones; including you, as you must have realized. You're still alive, so you're still sharing your body with this Spirit. It's what drives us forward, gives us resilience. It's the source of our courage."

"I used to think it was just an adrenaline addiction," Wind says in a low voice.

We all ignore him.

"We've been watching you over the years," Sky says. "Your desire to learn more about your origins, to understand who you are. We all went through this... identity crisis—some more intensely than others. Finding out who we are, beyond 'the savior of the land.' And we decided to help you on this journey."

"Because you want me to solve the 'old problem,' right? What problem is this?"

Sky has the decency to look embarrassed.

"We don't want you to feel used, Wild—that's our nickname for you, in case you didn't notice—but yes, we'd like you to try. This is a problem that has persisted for hundreds of thousands of years, and finally, an opportunity has arisen to solve it... so we need your help."

"Why didn't you solve it in your incarnations?"

"Because, as we said, we only learn the whole story after we die. So none of us knew about this... problem... before. None, except me," Sky continues. "This all started with me. I was the first to embody the Spirit of the Hero."

"What is this problem?" I insist. "And why were you the first? What happened before?"

"Again... that's part of Zelda's story. You'll need her to understand the full tale."

I sigh, frustrated.

"And what will you help me with if you're not going to give me answers?"

Time steps forward and walks toward me, stopping in front of me. He takes an oval, purple instrument from one of his pockets and hands it to me.

"This is an ocarina. Not just any... this is the Ocarina of Time."

I accept the gift and examine it curiously. It looks like a flute with some holes and a place to blow, but it has a different shape.

"I... am not very musical. But thank you."

Time doesn't seem very impressed.

"It's not difficult. It's just six notes in the song. And I'll want it back after you finish this journey. Here, pay attention," he says, taking the instrument back.

He shows me the finger positions to play what he calls the "Song of Time" but doesn't play it.

"The Ocarina is very powerful," he warns. "Don't play the song unless you want to travel through time."

"If I'm not supposed to play it, why give it to me?"

"We'd like you to visit some points in history," Sky explains diplomatically. "We believe you'll learn more by witnessing it firsthand."

I sigh, understanding the request.

"Is there any order you want me to visit the Past?"

"Well, since you asked..."

I wake up back in the Dream Shrine. It all feels like a bizarre dream, but when I look at my hand, I see I'm holding the Ocarina. It's already morning, so I prepare to start my journey. I leave the Shrine and push the stone back into place. I stop by the cabin where I've lived for the past few years, pack my few belongings, and carefully place the Ocarina in one of the bags.

I decided to return to Hyrule before starting this adventure. The Link of Time told me that before beginning the comings and goings to the Past, it was important to have a clear reference point of where to return.

And more than that, I wanted to see Zelda again.

With the bags on my back, I stop by Marin's house to say goodbye. She opens the door, irritated, still in her pajamas.

"Frankly, Link, do you know what time it is..." but she stops when she sees me ready to leave. "You're leaving," she says sadly, surprising me by giving me a hug. "I'll miss you, bro. I hope you find your way and manage to work things out with Zelda. Maybe I'll even sing at your wedding?"