The Essence of Time
Prologue
"In the land of Hyrule there echoes a legend.
A legend held dearly by the Royal Family that tells of a boy…
A boy who, after battling evil and saving Hyrule,
crept away from the land that made him a hero…
Done with his battles that he had once waged
across time, he embarked on a journey.
A secret and personal journey…
A journey in search of a beloved
and invaluable friend…
A friend with whom he had parted ways
when he finally fulfilled his heroic destiny
and took his place among legends…"
- The Legend of Zelda
Majora's Mask
Opening Lines
A strange creature dressed in strange clothes laughing a strange laugh and wearing a strange mask, sat in the flickering yellow glow of the torch light. The world below the ground was cold and moist, with a thick, humid weight on the air. The strange figure half walked, half danced to the small Deku Scrub on the ground.
"Haha. Hehe. Hahaho!" the strange person with the mask on yowled and crowed as he somersaulted towards the figure, "My brother, my love, my friend. Which were you again? I forget sometimes. Hehehe. Hahaha. Hehe. Ha. Well. No matter."
The young Deku Scrub simply looked up at the figure and glared with tears in his eyes. His legs and arms were bent and broken at odd angles and blood-like sap was flowing down from his face and back, soaking the ground.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean. To hurt. You." Half giggled, half cried the insane mask wearer, "But you were trying to. Run. You were. Not willing. To be mine. Mine. MINE!"
The glare of hatred fluttered only for a second as a grimace of pain crossed the face of the young Deku Scrub.
"But no matter. No matter. Hahaha. Heheho. Ha. I have come. To heal. You. Yes." And so the mask wearing Skullkid began to play a tune on his flute.
The Deku Scrub shivered and swooned as he felt a deathly numbness begin to claim his body. He knew he was being "healed" but not by a gentle magic. There were notes of ownership to the song, and notes of imprisonment. As the song drew a close, before darkness took his mind, the Deku Scrub spoke through his bleeding mouth in a hoarse whisper.
"O Four Great Ones, who sleep in the cardinal points. Hear me, North, East, South, and West. Let your vengeance come upon this evil. Do not… let me blood go unpunished. Cursed be this creature, and cursed everything he… touches! I invoke your wrath… I invoke… your vengeance… hear me… do… not… forget…"
And then a Deku mask cluttered to the floor of the empty chamber. And all was silent, save the two fairies bouncing in the air above the mask wearer's head. He picked up the mask and smirked.
"Hehehe. I'll save this for later." Then taking one last look, and kissing the mask, he said, "The Four Great Ones? Ha! They will not be so great once I am done with them. I will lock them in mask as I have locked you. They won't stop me! No one can stop me!"