In the sea of souls, three figures watch the countless souls travelling from one end of the universe to the other.

"Another boring day. Are we going to do this again?"

"When was the last time a soul came to our realm? Despite our best efforts, we don't exactly attract them here. It's purely by chance."

"So, can't you do something about it?"

"The souls come and go of their volition. Coming from one existence to another. Yet, I'm not sure if this sea entirely consists of the souls from our realm. Or others."

"Are you saying that there might be more than one universe out there?"

"I'm not ruling out the possibility. But…" Suddenly, they saw a pulsating yellow soul mixed in the sea of white souls.

"There."

"I don't even have to look at it too long. This soul. So much lament. So much pain."

"The soul has lived an unjust life. Now it seemed fated to fade into nothing."

"As if I'm going to let that happen." One of the figures outstretched her arms towards the sky. The yellow soul stopped in its tracks.

"Trying again, are we? You know you can't get it down from there by yourself."

"And yet, I'm oddly compelled to do so as well." Another figure outstretched her arms. "Together now."

Sighing, the last figure outstretched her arms. The yellow soul began to pull from going back into the sea and coming down towards the figures.

"Come on, come on!"

"Move down!"

"Almost…. almost!"

Soon, the yellow soul stopped. It then starts to fall from the sky. One of the figures yelled ecstatically, "Yes, Yes, Yes!"

"After all this time."

"It has been a long while." She turned in the opposite direction of the others. "I will let her know that another has finally descended. One of you, greet our little soul.

"On it."

"You're going to have to bear with us here. My sisters are running a bit late."

In a white void, there were four plain brown chairs; one for each side of a small round white table. Two figures occupied the space. On one side, a yellow soul floating; pulsating slowly. Its glow was partially dim. On the other, there was a young woman. Probably early thirties, wearing her yellow hair in a ponytail with a red bangle; a white toga dress with red accents and matching sandals. Her red eyes had a fierce look about her. She had an air of power and playfulness.

"Certainly," said the soul. It made no inflection on his voice. "Besides, I don't think I have a choice in the matter."

"Yeah, you don't," said the woman, smugly. Making a sly grin, she sat her elbows on the table and stared at the soul. "Unfortunate that I'm the first one here. I'm not that good of a conversationalist."

The soul did nothing in response. Both stood there, in the empty void, silent. It was apparent that the silence was bothering the woman because she groaned in frustration after a few minutes. "Oh, come on! Say something!"

"What would you like me to say?"

"I don't know. Anything? 'Where am I' or 'How did I get here' or 'Who are you and what happened'! You don't seem to be concerned about any of this!" She huffed. "This is boring."

"That sounds like a 'you' problem." The red woman snorted in response. "Would it make any difference if I asked those questions?" the soul asked. "Besides, you're the one who's getting worked up. All I know now is that I had a life. A short, existence on the blue ball that is planet Earth."

The woman took a deep breath. "Okay…Earth. Earth. That's where you're from. Can you tell me more about this Earth?"

The soul was silent for a moment. "It was an ordinary life. I worked and lived in a big city. Only one of my family. I had no one else. Every day I travelled to an old office building, worked for a black computer testing company, worked overtime some days, and went home, contemplating life before starting the whole thing all over again. And it would have begun again if it weren't for that truck hitting me. You know, to be fair, I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Huh." The woman crossed her arms, in contemplation. "I don't understand half of the things you just said. Let's just say that this life of yours was not all that cracked up to be."

"It could have been more. I wish it was. But I did not have the means." There was a sound of resignation coming from the soul when it said this.

"And had you had the means, would you have changed it?"

"Well, it depends on which aspects of my life would change. My job, my work, my network of friends. Everything's relative, really."

"Net…work?" The woman asked, slowly.

"A circle of friends."

"Well, why didn't you say that in the first place?!" The woman got up and gestured wildly. "Like I said, half of the stuff you're saying doesn't make sense to me! Okay, okay, getting off-topic here." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Let's say that you have all the power in the world to do whatever you want. How would you go and change your life?"

Silence once again. No doubt that the soul was pondering. Just as the woman was showing signs of agitation, it answered her. "I wouldn't want that type of power for myself or anyone."

She squinted her eyes, slightly. "Oh?"

"Power corrupts, after all. Besides, it sounds like a lot of work trying to either consolidate it or fighting off against rivals."

"You didn't answer my question," the woman asked pointedly. "But I suppose I'll let it slide. You say that power corrupts, huh? That's a flawed way of looking at it. Having power means you can do anything you desire."

"It also means using that power responsibly. With power, your decisions affect those around you. Left untethered, it would bring ruin to you and everyone you hold dear."

"And what about the power to protect those around you?" The woman asked, just as quickly.

"How much power are you willing to use against those who would harm? Do you wish to kill? Are you prepared to offer your life to take someone else's? Do you wish for them to suffer? Or do you wish for them to leave you alone? An appropriate threat equals an appropriate response."

"What, are you a pacifist?"

"No. I just don't have that kind of ambition."

"Having power and using it are two very distinct things," a new voice rang aloud. A blue flame appeared, burning bright white in the centre. Another woman wore similar wear to her red counterpart, but had short blue hair and blue accents on her clothing. Her face was gentle and relaxed.

The red woman had a bored look on her face. "And here I thought I was going to be alone for this one."

The blue woman ignored her. "I would like to piggyback on this discussion." She turned to the red woman. "If you don't mind." The red woman scoffed and shrugged in response.

"You seemed very learned," the blue woman started. "What experience have you had that would constitute such an outlook on life?"

"Personal experience, I guess. Other people held significance in my life that held power. But they used it for theirgain. I was betrayed at every turn. Those who, I thought, were friends used me. I was left with nothing." There was a hint of sadness and bitterness in the voice.

"I'm sorry to hear that," the blue woman said down, on one of the empty chairs. "It must have been hard."

"Your words are appreciated, but unnecessary," the soul said, coolly. "That's all in the past now."

"All the same." The blue woman looked at the soul, with her piercing blue eyes. "What if you had the knowledge to do better? To be better? Surely, you would take the chance, yes?"

Once again, the soul pondered. Finally, it said, "We cannot stack the deck. We can only play with the hand we are dealt."

The blue woman looked at the red woman, who returned the looked quizzically. "I'm sorry. I am not familiar with that idiom."

"It means that you deal with whatever life gives you. If your life gives you sadness, death, betrayal, or despair, then that is what you work with and make something of it. Or something along those lines."

"So, you resign yourself to this fate?"

"It goes back to what you can do with the means available, but if you have not those means, then you must be willing to work with what's been given. You can't change the past. No matter how appealing it might be."

The blue woman looked down. "Yet you can't rule out the possibility of what could have been, can you? This is all purely theoretical, of course."

"The entirety of existence is made up of what-ifs and could-have-been. Victories and successions. Defeat and failures. There's no need to dwell on what could have happened. The only way through life is forward. To achieve that, you need to accept that there are some things out of your control. To know what you can and cannot do."

Everyone was silent for a moment. "Where did you learn such things?" Asked the blue woman.

"I read books. Many books."

"I will not begrudge you for having a healthy desire to obtain knowledge. It makes you well-rounded. You are a scholar, it seems."

The orb shook. "Not really. When you have a lot of time on your hands, reading is a nice escape."

As the blue woman sat down, a green fire began to grow. Out came another woman, who wore the same garb, wore her hair in pigtails and had green accents on her. She sat down and smiled. "I've been wondering what kind of soul would be able to engage my sisters in such a particular conversation. Sister?" The green woman turned to the blue woman. "May I?"

"Be my guest." Smiled the blue woman.

"From confronting one's insecurities to admonishing the guilty. From building up relationships to knowing that they could be compromised at any time. That you can be hurt by this.

Tell me, is courage an integral part of your society? Of your being? Or, let me put this question in another way." She sat down. "Had you had the means and the knowledge to change yourself, would you?"

Once again, the soul stood silent. The women looked on, with fascinated stares.

It answered. "No."

All three of them look incredulous. "N-No?" The green woman stammered. "How so?"

"Because I know what my limitations are. Even if I had the means and the wisdom to do such a thing, I could never go through it. Changing a person is easy. Accepting a person for who they are, especially when it's yourself, is the most challenging."

The green woman didn't look convinced. Her sisters were equally so. "Would you change for the sake of others? The ones you once held dear?"

"Depends on the circumstances." The soul said, with a cool inflection. "Good or evil. Humble or haughty. Noble or heartless. The reflections you see in other hearts should not be the thing that defines a person. It requires great courage to look at oneself honestly and forge a new path. That is a two-way street. Change can come from within…. or the people around you."

The green woman looked satisfied. "Excellent."

"This is a very strange soul," announced the red woman. "Not at all what I was expecting."

"It seems we lucked out this time. All the others had such predictable answers. Here, however…" The blue woman said with a smile. "This soul has an air about him. He desires to set himself apart from the common rabble."

"If you're saying that I am…or I was conceited you would be right. I can admit that now."

The green woman frowned slightly. "Do you enjoy putting yourself down? Surely, there are some positive qualities you have."

The orb gave a depreciating laugh. "If it wasn't for my arrogance and pride, maybe my life wouldn't have ended the way it did. All I ever thought was about myself. You know how I said I had a lot of time to read? I did it, so I could lord my knowledge over everyone else. Part of the narcissist mindset. Everyone was wrong and I was right. Perhaps that's why everyone turned against me. Just because you're smart, it doesn't make you always right."

"So, you realized this too late? When you lost everything?"

"Yes."

"So basically," the red woman crossed her arms in annoyance, "you were being a prig to everyone, and they didn't like that. They told you to piss off, some even took advantage of your nature and milked out everything you had for all your worth? That right?"

The two other sisters stared at her with a look of "Really?"

"That's just about the short of it. I wasn't the very best in my life. I regret it all the same. It doesn't matter, though. It's too late, anyway. My life is over."

"What if we told you if your life isn't over?" Each of the women had a smile on their faces.

"I don't understand. It sounds like you're offering me another chance or something."

"Exactly," said the blue woman. "But I digress. I believe we haven't introduced ourselves. What terrible hostesses we are!"

The red woman was first, shooting up from the table with a smile. "I'm Din! Goddess of Power and Fire!"

The blue woman stood up and bowed. "And I am Nayru. Goddess of Wisdom and Water."

The green woman stood up and smiled gently. "I am Farore. Goddess of Courage and Wind."

At once, the white void slowly receded. Soon they were all standing in the middle of the sky. Floating islands full of plants and wildlife. Rushing rivers and waterfalls. A bright light that shone from above that wasn't a sun. Rainbows, cries of birds, and a feeling of tranquil calm.

In the centre of it were three golden triangles. Two on the bottom, with the third on top.

At that moment, all three goddesses stood up and were dumbfounded. Confusion and shock wore on their faces. Suddenly, Nayru spoke in a calm, jittery voice. "Usually, this place reflects a soul's understanding of the divine. Normally, it would have stayed a white void…but…"

"Why are we in the Sacred Realm?" Farore asked quietly.

"Better question," Din asked with rising suspicion. "How did he know all this?" All three stared at the soul.

Nayru spoke again, returning to a sort of calm. "My dear soul. Perhaps you have heard of us?"

The soul, floating now in the realm, replied quietly, "Probably."

"Probably! He says probably!" Din had her hands up.

"Din. Calm." Nayru spoke with firmness. "What have you heard?"

The soul hummed for a minute. Made a small laugh. Then, with an audible sigh, began. "Before time began. Before spirits and life existed. Three golden goddesses descended upon the chaos that was Hyrule."

Din shook her head while the other two astonished goddesses looked on. "Din, the goddess of power. Nayru, the goddess of wisdom. Farore, the goddess of courage. Din, with her strong flaming arms, cultivated the land and created the red earth. Nayru poured her wisdom onto the earth and gave the spirit of law to the world. Farore, with her rich soul, produced all life forms who would uphold the law."

The soul continued with his captive audience. "The three great goddesses, their labours completed, departed for the heavens." The soul gestured towards the triangles. "And the golden sacred triangles remained at the point where the goddesses left the world. Since then, the sacred triangles have become the basis of the world's providence. And the resting place of the triangles has become the Sacred Realm."

There was silence for a palpable minute. "The name of the triangles?" asked Farore softly.

The soul sighed again. "…The Triforce."

Suddenly, as fast as the wind, Din grabbed the soul with her two hands and started to shake him. "That doesn't answer how you know all that!" The other two goddesses tried to wrestle the soul from out of Din's hands, but she was too powerful.

Finally, Nayru yelled out, "Din! Enough! Drop him, now!"

Din, looking at her sisters, clicked her tongue and released the soul. "I still want answers. Start explaining! Who are you, really?!"

The soul was silent for another moment. Din's fury started to wear on her face. Nayru had an expression of puzzlement and confusion. Meanwhile, Farore stared deeply.

He answered slowly, "Let me answer your question with a question. Which would you rather have? A painful truth or a peaceful lie?" The goddesses looked at each other, concerned. "If I tell you the truth, most likely your perception of the universe and everything in it might change and will destroy all law and reason within the realms. However,"

"…If you told the lie, nothing would change," finished Farore. "Are you asking us if we wish to live in ignorance?"

"Up to you," the soul said, completely.

"And how do you know that this will be the result?" Nayru asked, pointedly. "You can tell us the truth and the realms would still be intact!"

"Using this train of thought, my ladies. You are the Creation Goddesses. If your perception changes. If your cognition of creation changes, then all the things you have made will be undone by that single thought."

"Once again, you sound as if you are an authority on this subject." Nayru's voice started to rise a little. "A mortal knowing the affairs of a god? I've never heard such-"

"Nayru," Farore warned. "He speaks of a world that is not this one. I must agree, this is something that we've never encountered before. A truth that would question our entire existence; that can destroy us."

"Destroy us?" Din asked, moving a little forward. "We're the Goddesses! No one can destroy us!"

"Even still. Now we know that there are other realms out there. Perhaps other gods and goddesses. Of all shapes and sizes. Most of all, how powerful they are. Let's take a page out of this soul's book and not let pride be our downfall."

Nayru sighed heavily. "You're right. I almost let my pride take hold of me." She turned to the soul, "but I still wish to know what you have to base your hypothesis."

The soul gave a gentle shrug. "These types of phenomena are studied in my world as works of fiction. Because we never had an opportunity for a case study. What it comes down to is this: do you trust me with this warning or not?"

The goddesses, disheartened, spoke with one another.

"Always wondered what it would be like to be on the other end of that stick," Din said glumly.

"If he believes that the truth is something that would undo all creation," Farore answered in a somewhat cautious voice, "it must be horrid indeed."

"And yet, we are to decide whether we wish to know." Nayru put her hand on her chin. "Quite the conundrum."

"If I may offer a suggestion, my ladies?" The trio turned to the soul again. "You can always erase me from existence. This meeting would never have happened. No harm, no foul."

"Not happening," said Din.

The soul shook a little. "Wait. No, what, why?"

"Despite what you know, you are still a dear soul," Nayru said, shaking her head. "It wouldn't be right after all the personal trials you went through in your old life. Such an injustice I could never stand by. My sisters, also." She shook her head, slowly. "Besides, I'm interested in what you can do."

"You're sending me to Hyrule, then?"

"Yes." Farore confirmed. "To live another life. The life you should have had."

"Do you know when?" asked the soul.

"We do." Din smiled. "But we won't tell."

"Of course." The soul stood silent a little while longer. "Then, may I offer up this alternative? You can send me on this second life. I live, I die, and, in the end, my soul returns to the wheel."

"What wheel?" asked Nayru.

"Ah…cycle of death and rebirth. I am reborn as someone new, with no new memories of my old life."

The three goddesses looked at each other. "Sounds amicable," Nayru said finally.

"This still concerns me, though." Farore walked forward. "Despite your good nature, you can disrupt the flow of time with your knowledge."

"My lady. The flow of time has already been fractured. Many possibilities have already been created. Millions of people equalling to millions of choices, every second of every day."

The goddesses knew. What had happened? What is happening and what is to be.

"The lifespan of a human is about eighty years, if careful. A drop in the bucket for your lot. Even if I did interfere with the timeline, only one possibility from a billion more would have been created. What's one more? Notwithstanding my actions, nothing would change. For me. For you. Or this world."

"You make a compelling argument." Nayru nodded her head. Looking at her sisters uneasily, she studied their faces. She knew she felt the same as her sisters. They didn't like the situation they were in. However, the soul had been forthcoming of his faults and weaknesses. He wasn't a liar. There was no benefit to being one, either. Finally, she spoke again. "Very well. We will do as you prescribe, my little soul."

The soul bounced up and down slightly. As if to bow.

Nayru looked at the Sacred Realm. "Other universes. Gods and goddesses that could be more powerful than ourselves. The sea of souls connecting all of them, through an invisible string of fate."

"Creation just became bigger today." Din stretched her arms. "I didn't have these many surprises in a long while."

"Nor I." Farore smiled again. "Then we will live with the knowledge of creation we have. And watch your future with great interest." She held up her hand and a green glow came from it.

"Yeah." Din nodded her head and held up her hand. It had a red glow.

"We will watch. And we will wait." Nayru held her hand up with a blue glow.

The realm shook as Din declared loudly, "By fire, I bestow upon you the power to protect yourself and all those you hold dear. When the battlefield trembles, know that you are not alone. Strength in your sinews, fire in your veins. Power has no distinction. Good or ill, use it as you see fit!"

"By wind, I bestow upon you the power of life itself! May your hands shape wonders-Potters clay, painter's brush, or poet's quill – each stroke a prayer to the universe. Create or destroy. Bound and unbound. Use it as you see fit."

"By water, I bestow upon you the wisdom of all. Wisdom is not a stagnant pool. It flows like a river, carving canyons into the soul. In learning, you ascend to a higher plane. Through knowledge, you touch the very essence of the divine. Use it as you see fit."

The realms continued to shake, as the colours of red, blue, and green mixed within the soul. All the while, the soul stood completely still. Soon, the shaking stopped, the lights faded, and the goddesses lowered their hands.

"She comes," Farore says, with a hint of mischief. "She won't be too happy with us, I imagine."

Din laughed. "So, what! It's interesting to do these kinds of things! Especially when it hasn't happened as often as you'd like it to. Um, don't tell her we did this again, though."

Nayru smiled at the soul. "Once again, little soul. We will be watching. And waiting." As she said this, all three of the goddesses slowly faded away. So, too, did the sacred realm.

The soul was now alone again in the white, cloudy void. Suddenly, a gentle light appeared. An orb of light descended in front of the soul. It then took the form of a girl. She had long, flowing, golden hair and wore a pale blue dress.

She spoke, and her words were like a gentle breeze. "Greetings. I am Hylia. I am the Goddess of Light."

The soul did a little bounce. "Your Grace."

She gave a bright smile. "Please, no need for formalities. I am a helper; an aide to the goddesses of this world." She looked around the void. "No one else appeared here, right?"

"No, your Grace." Better to feign ignorance in this instance.

She continued, unbothered by the continued referral of her style. "At any rate, are you aware of why you are here?"

The soul paused for a moment. "I would assume that I've died in my world. My soul was taken to this one and is to be reincarnated into a new body."

Hylia looked pleased. "Indeed. Is this a common phenomenon in your world?"

"It is in fiction."

"Haah…" Putting that aside, she continued, "You have indeed been chosen, by the grace of the goddesses, to live a new life. A life that you may create of your choosing." She closed her eyes. "Tell me, what is it that you desire."

The soul was silent for a moment. Taking his time; thinking about what his life in Hyrule might be. Something impossible happened, and he wasn't going to squander it. "All I ever wanted was a quiet and peaceful life. Simple. Where hard work is rewarded. A life where I can go at my pace." He paused. "I wish for the life of a farmer."

Hylia quickly opened her eyes and squinted at the soul. "A farmer?" She had a look of surprise. "I would assume that you would want the life of a noble. At best, a middle-class merchant. There's no holding back. Any life that you wish for can be yours."

"I am sure. It sounds like a lot of mental gymnastics if I had the life of either of those two. I would imagine a farmer's life wouldn't pay much, but it's honest work. All I wish for is a healthy body, a plot of land, and some beginner items to get started." There was a beat. "And maybe some money."

Smiling, she nodded. "How very humble of you. Very few reach here, and all had ostentatious visions of what their life should be."

"Not me, your Grace. This is fine."

"Very well. There is one more thing that needs to be done. You will need to choose a name."

"A name?"

"Yes. The old you died in your world. It wouldn't be fitting to live your new life in the shadow of your old one."

"A name, huh?" The soul thought for a moment. A name defines someone. One of life's important features of a being. But even something like this. "I would be honoured if you would grant me a name, your Grace."

"Me?" Hylia asked. As paused for a moment. "I've never named a reincarnated soul before."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't wish for it."

She nodded after this and stood still. After a few moments of silence, she answered, "Bato."

"Bato?"

"Yes. Bato. What do you think?"

She couldn't see, but she felt as if the soul was smiling. "Bato would be a fine name, your Grace."

She held out her hands and the soul began to glow. "Then let your name be the contract in which this new life is forged. A healthy body, a plot of land and some farming tools to get you started on your life as a farmer. May it be as you wish it to be."

"I am honoured, your Grace. Thank you." The soul glowed for a few moments. Then, it was gone.

Hylia smiled towards the sky. "May it be blessed."