Was it morning already?Link had been sailing for the past few hours with no breaks or rests. He must have drifted off to sleep, he was that tired! The sun was already high in the sky, and he could see the massive landmass that was Hyrule. Link reached into his sack and grabbed a traveler's sword and shield. It would be hard to fight Ganondorf with one arm. Strapping them onto his back, Link grabbed the oar and continued to row. His arm ached and his muscles strained after rowing all night. Link couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the nations of Hyrule as he drew nearer to the shore. He gently set the oar down. His stomach was aching! Grabbing an apple and stuffing it into his mouth, he picked the oar back up.

"Little Hero...you've returned. You thought you could escape my power?"

Link jerked up. How could Ganondorf have known he'd come back? "Ganondorf! You will pay for everything that you've done!"

Ganondorf laughed, a cold, cruel sound."That's what Rauru said too, right before he died. Just as you will."

A loud rumbling sound echoed behind Link. He slowly turned around, slightly afraid of what he would find. A huge tsunami the size of Mount Lanayru was zooming towards him! Link grabbed the oar and frantically started rowing as fast as he could with one arm. He couldn't die like this! Zelda, Hyrule, everyone was counting on him! Link gave up and jumped out of the boat as 500 pounds of liquid came crashing down on him, roaring like a lynel. Everything slowed down. Link was mid-air, flying towards the water, desperately trying to get away. The water's roar was deafening, as it came flooding down upon him. Link was sure he was about to die. His life was literally flashing before his eyes. Drawing the Master Sword, meeting Zelda, facing the Calamity, going into the past, and everything else that followed. Everything seemed so insignificant now. For the first time in years, Link was actually afraid for his life. The long-dreaded moment finally came. On impact, the water first felt cool and refreshing. Then came the pain. The excruciating pain. Link screamed as he felt his back snap. The pops sounded like fireworks. Then he was plunged into the ocean. Salty water streamed into his nose, burning like sulfur. Link tried to swim, but his efforts went to waste. His equipment weighed him down like a rock. Link was starting to run out of breath. Delirious, random thoughts that meant nothing floated through his head. Where was his boat? Did it get washed away with the flood? It had some stuff he needed! His food! Ah. There it was. Right above him. The boat sank down, pinning him to the sandy floor, crushing his legs. Link tried to scream, but all that came out were bubbles. His lungs ached like a Goron was sitting on him. The water pressure was starting to crush him. He felt his bones start to crack. Everything was going blurry. He couldn't see.Was that a...hand?And with that, everything went dark.

Link jerked out of his slumber, his face covered in sweat. What had just happened? Where was he? Did he die? Using both hands to push himself up, he looked around the room. He was in some sort of stone building, under a dome of massive vines.Wait.He used his hands to push himself up.Bothhands.

Link looked down at his hand and gasped in shock. He had an arm! A glowing arm made out of some sort of Zonai looking tech. An arm that looked...familiar. Like he had seen it somewhere.

Before he could place where he had seen it, an otherworldly voice echoed throughout the cavern."Ah. Link. I see you're finally awake."What was that? He recognized that voice from somewhere!"You don't remember me? Well, you'll find out soon enough."The voice sounded disappointed."Make your way out of this cave, and I will direct you from there."Link blinked as the mysterious voice dissapated. He slowly walked towards where he presumed would be the exit, still stuck on the fact that he had an arm. His new arm was, to put it best,weird.It was glowing, pulsing almost, and had strange blocks of Zonai tech sticking out of it. There was also always this constant pull taking him towards the exit. Link, tired of waking up in caves, continued his way out, following the pull. The rocky walls were well structured, as if someone had constructed them from stone. They looked ancient and mossy. Link, still getting used to his new arm, reached a platform that led to a dropoff.

"Jump."

And so he did, trusting the voice not to betray him. Link landed in water with a splash. There had been a small pool of water right where he had landed. And over there, Link gasped, the exit! Daylight! Streaming through the cave entrance! Link jumped out of the pool and rushed towards the light, drops of water flinging off of him. Out into the open and...

Link immediately halted, all the breath knocked out of him. He was in the sky, possibly thousands of feet above the grounds.Cloudswere below him. He was standing on the highest of a group of islands that weresomehowfloating in the air.

"You made it! For a moment I thought we were going to lose you again!" Link turned around, and immediately recognized the voice and the arm."Rauru! You're alive!"Filled with excitement and hope, Link rushed towards Rauru and folded his arms around him. They went right through.

Confused, Link looked at Rauru, his arms still inside of him."You're...you're not alive?"He asked, his heart sinking with despair. "No, alas, I am not. I failed my duty." Rauru replied sadly. "I fell to the Demon King. The least I could do was imprison him until he woke you up."

Link sighed. Of course Rauru was dead. Even if he had stopped Ganondorf, this was a couple thousand years in the future.

Rauru looked Link in the eyes. "Look. I know you're disappointed. But we still have a chance. There are shrines located around these islands that will give you aid on your journey to defeat the Demon King. All you have to do is take a leap of faith."

Link glanced in the direction that Rauru was looking. He understood what to do. Mustering up all of his courage, Link ran over to the edge of the island. This was for Rauru, Sonia, Ilia, himself, and most importantly, Zelda.

Taking a deep breath in. Link jumped.

Placing his trust completely in Rauru, Link jumped. He closed his eyes, afraid to look down. He felt the cool air rushing through his hair as he fell eternally downwards. Sensing that he was close to the end of his fall, Link leaned down and covered his face with his hands, expecting the worst. But it never came.

He plunged into a vast, deep, lake full of cool water. Opening his eyes now that his death was not imminent, he swam slowly up through the water. Popping his head out above the water, he gasped for breath. After his lungs had been filled with air, Link looked around. As he had thought, he had landed on one of the lower sky islands. Luckily, he wasn't dead like he had also thought.

But hewassoaking wet. And his whole body ached from the height of the fall. Link gave up on reaching the shore and just laid back, floating there like a starfish. He heaved a sigh. The past few days had gone by so fast, and he was already back in Hyrule. Link stared up into the beautiful blue heaven above. He had wasted enough time. he had a job to do. Besides, the water was starting to get uncomfortable.

Stretching as best as he could in the water, Link started to doggy paddle to the shore. He reached out to the shore, which was a huge slab of rock, and climbed over onto the warm stone. Rolling over, he spread out to soak in the warmth of the sun. The heat felt so good. He just wanted to sleep here for awhile. As he started to nod off, Link felt a tap on his shoulder. Jolting up, he whipped his head around to face...Rauru. Link sighed. He had been jumped a little too often in these past few weeks.

Rauru smiled. "I see you've been through quite the wringer! You must be tired. I have the perfect thing for you." He gestured towards the other sky islands, "There are shrines filled with holy light placed around these islands. They will give some strength to your new arm."

Link gasped. He had completely forgotten about his arm! Looking where Rauru had gestured, something huge stood out in his vision.

Looking closer, he realized it was a tree. A massive tree the size of Death Mountain. It stood towering overhead, higher than the other sky islands. Its branches twisted in the slight breeze, and its leaves sported many different shades of yellow, much like a tree in fall.

Link glanced over at Rauru questioningly.

Rauru thought for a few moments before he spoke. "The Elder Tree. The last good one of its kind. All others have turned to the Demon King. He's been here for longer that even I can tell." Looking down at Link, he suddenly looked very serious. "And I believe you've met the most despicable one of all." Rauru sighed.

"His son, the Great Deku Tree."

He couldn't believe it.

Hestillcouldn't believe it.

The past few days had gone by in a blur. Link barely remembered venturing across the rest of the sky islands. The shrines and the abilities he had gained were left in a hazy stupor. And now, as he was gliding down from the Great Sky Island, he started to recall what had happened with the Elder Tree.

(Flashback)

"His son, the Great Deku Tree."

Link, too startled to use sign, began to shout in surprise. "What do you mean? His son? Despicable?" Rauru sighed. "Yes. The Great Deku Tree is his son. And he is the most vile one of his kind." "What do you mean?" Link interrupted. "Hold on, let me finish." Rauru stated calmly. "The Great Deku Tree, one of the great evils that was never extinguished. His accursed roots spread throughout the depths of Hyrule spreading gloom wherever they touch. And your sword, he healed it, correct?"

Link, still in a state of shock, stammered. "I...I think so, y...yes." Rauru sighed, clearly disappointed. "Then he has most likely cursed it. It's only a matter of time before it shatters."

Link stopped, and everything slowed down around him, thoughts flooding through his head. "How can the Master Sword break! I don't even have it right now!" Rauru paced around, his brows furrowed. "That," he stated, "Is the other problem." He turned around to face Link, who was still in shock. "There is a way..." He mumbled. "But it will be nearly impossible to find." Link, having slightly recovered, stood up and faced Rauru. "How? It's left in the past. And, on top of that, it's Dark Link's sword. It was the one sent back into the past, and I never saw it there."

Rauru placed a hand on his shoulder. "That is my fault. We found it buried in your stomach when you were on the verge of death."

"Wha..what did you do with it?" Asked Link, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Well...I don't really know."

"What do you mean?"

Yet again, Rauru sighed. "I...I lost it. I had brought it into a room in the castle for examination, and then...it was gone. I'm terribly sorry."

Link was starting to panic. How was he going to defeat Ganondorf now? Everything was going up in flames. Thoughts racing through his mind, he frantically tried to find a solution. "There must be some way to get it back!" He shouted.

"Yes, there is a way, however it could be lost for all I know." Rauru replied. "There was a relic. An instrument of time. I passed it down to a family of priests. But, even if you could somehow find it, the Master Sword is infected with Ganondorf's gloom. You'd have to find some way to cleanse it."

When there was no reply, Rauru looked back at Link. He had fainted.

(End of flashback)

And now here he was, gliding down from the Great Sky Island, still in a state of shock. He had been directed by Rauru to help out the four regions and their plights. Not only would you save them, but you might gain some allies in this war, was what he had said. So Link had decided to head torward the home of his good friend Prince Sidon.

All he had noticed so far were large clumps of what looked like Goron poop falling from the sky. The once beautiful blue mountains of Lanayru were stained with brown, and, strangely purple. All the water was now tinted a dull brown instead of sparkling blue like it used what the heck was going on,he glided onward. Link was so focused on where he was going, he didn't notice the huge clump of brown hurdling torward him from above.

Everything went black.

Is he okay?

Where did you find him?

What happened?

Link? Friend? Can you hear me?

Link groaned as he jerked out of slumber. Everything was blurry. His vision seemed to be shrouded at the edges. But one thing he did know, was that his head hurt. A lot. Splitting spears of pain thrusted through his head in jagged attacks.

Forcing his eyes open, he glanced around at his surroundings. His eyes were slit, expecting a bright light. But he didn't have to slam his eyes shut again. A calm, comforting blue glow flooded throughout the room. Glancing at the glowing blue walls of the room he was in, it didn't take a genius to figure out where he was. Zora's Domain.

In what seemed like a split second, red flashed into his vision and strong hands pushed his chest back down onto the bed. "Link! My friend! You need to rest!" Link immediately grasped his hands to his head, the sound overwhelming with his splitting headache.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? How can I help?"

You're not helping.Link thought, gritting his teeth. But he knew that his best friend, Prince Sidon, meant no harm. After the room settled into silence, and his headache subsided, Link opened his eyes again.Yep.It was Sidon.

"Sidon, do you know anything about what's happening here? I was sent here by the ghost of a King who died thousands of years in the past and Ganondorf took over the world and he's gonna kill everyone and he caused this huge mess, and we need to stop him, and...

"Link! Hold on! I can't understand a word you're saying! Slow down!"

Link paused, and his hands stopped flying. "I'm sorry." He spoke, forsaking Hylian sign.

"Oh!" Sidon exclaimed, clearly in shock. "I didn't think you spoke anymore! It's certainly nice to hear you again, dear friend." Sidon moved in closer to help prop Link up into a sitting position. Once he had been settled in, Link began to explain everything that had happened in the past few weeks.

"So you've come here to stop the mud?" Sidon concluded. "And you think I may be one of the sages that King Rauru needs?"

"Yes." Link finished. "We need to figure out what's going on. And stop it."

"Well..." Sidon muttered, "I can't help you out much, but maybe my father can. He found an ancient stone tablet in some ruins before he was attacked. It may have the clues we need."

"Attacked!? By what?"

Sidon sighed. "A creature of this accursed mud. No one witnessed it except him. He's been forced to retreat to the secret hideout."

"Then that's where I'll need to go." Link, determined, began to get up out of the bed. This time, no one stopped him. "Alright." Sidon consented. "However I'll have to warn you. He's not doing so well. He isn't in any condition for stress."

Link stood up. "Then we'll have to be quick."

"Is this the one?" Link asked, gesturing at the waterfall in front of them. "Yes. That's where my father lies." Sidon sighed. "Please be quick."

Link nodded.The sooner this is done, the sooner I can save Zelda.Closing his eyes, he covered his head and ducked through the waterfall.