Chapter One: A Prologue: The Legacy of Time

The book lay on a marbled pedestal in the Temple of Light, in the innermost sanctum, deeper even than the Chamber of Sages, in the very heart of the tallest tower. The cover of book was green, a pattern embossed in what appeared to be gold filigree, the tiny loops and curls of the metal on the cover forming an intricate design. In the center of the book, golden triangles rested, drawing the eye. These three equilateral triangles connected at the innermost points to form a fourth, larger triangle—the Triforce, the symbol of the Gods. Three crests marked the points of the points of the triangle. The first looked like a stylized musical staff. The Seal of Din. The second was three circles cased by three crescents facing outwards, their curves touching. The Seal of Nayru. The third, a circle cradled by a crescent, cradled by a larger crescent. The Seal of Farore. A thin script, written in a language long forgotten by even the most erudite scholars, also graced the cover and gave the book its name:

Mudora.

Popular legend spoke of it as a book of history, but its pages chronicled past, present, and future in unerring detail. Once it had been a guiding light to those within, but now it stood open on faded words, its binding cracked, its pages covered in dust. Even the four columns surrounding the pedestal had cracked with the weight of time.

The Temple of Light had long since been empty. Eons past, the Order of the Goddesses had dwelt here, taking care of the grounds and guarding it from all who would dare attack. Now, only one remained, the Light Sage, Rauru.

Rauru wasn't a terribly tall man, but he was built widely, giving him the appearance of a man much larger than he was. His hair had long since fled from the top of his head; indeed, all of his hair seemed concentrated in sideburns and a thick, bushy mustache, with enough for a small tail at the back of his head. The vermillion damask collar and sash offset the orange robes he wore—the vestments of the Sage of Light. He was the Guardian of the Power of the Gods.

Former guardian, he should say. He sighed as he walked through the Temple of Light on his daily rounds, casting a weary eye on the crumbling stone walls. The Seven Fountains that lined the sides and back of the main sanctuary had long since dried up, no more water spouting from the walls to the half-circle pools that collected it and pumped it back through the walls. Debris littered the worn red carpet. The door that led to the Chamber of Sages hung on loose hinges, the wood rotten, eaten by the darkness. And that was the least of the damages done to the great Temple. Remnants of Ganon's attack over a century ago.

He had been in the Temple since time immemorial, watching over it. He had seen many kingdoms rise and fall; men, with good intentions and evil ones, intent on remaking the world in their image. To Rauru's eyes, all were the same. In the end, they fell under the lure of power as it ruled over their weak hearts. But only one had ever managed to breach the Temple in all the wars for the Triforce.

He alone remained to guard the Temple of Light, the last stronghold against the forces of evil, inside the very heart of the Sacred Realm. The golden Triforce was over a century gone, and the protections of Light were weakening by the hour. While no longer perverted by the dark wishes of Ganon since Princess Zelda restored time, the Sacred Realm still held the taint of his malevolent miasma. Remnants of ill intent ate away at the light, leaving pockets of ever-hungry shadow.

Rauru was doing all that he could to combat it, but he feared that it would not be enough. With only five sages, and the other four bound outside of the Sacred Realm, it would fail in a matter of time. The Temple of Light would become lost, swallowed forever by the pockets of darkness.

And when that happened, the mortal realm would not survive the spread of the taint. Until then, however, Rauru would do his very best protect it for as long as possible.

He was deep within his daily meditations, fortifying the defenses of the Temple, when he heard a noise behind him. "Rauru," a strong voice commanded. Rauru started in surprise, folding his hands inside his long sleeves and straightening. He took a deep breath and prepared to defend against an attack. Announcing oneself before an attack was unusual, but he dare not take the chance. No one came to the Temple of Light anymore.

He turned, magic at the ready, and saw two shadowed figures enter. Upon seeing their faces, he bowed low, forehead and palms touching the floor. He refused to meet their eyes. Such was blasphemy.

"Rise, Rauru, eldest of the Sages. You need not prostrate yourself before us. We do not have much time, and therefore cannot stand on ceremony," she said. He glanced up. The figure in the lead raised her hand, palm up, gesturing him to rise. He did and finally looked upon their blessed forms.

She kept her face stoic, calm as a deep pool. He gave her a once over, struck by the opportunity to see them in the physical plane, still avoiding her eyes in obeisance. What struck Rauru the most was the regal way the shape stood, her hands now clasped in front of her. Head up, shoulders back; every inch a queen. Her long blue hair fanned out behind her, like the wind on the waves, rippling almost to the floor. A translucent blue veil covered the lower half of her face, but it made her pursed scarlet lips stand out in the light of the sconces. The dress she wore hugged her curves, a pale blue train falling behind her and trailing along the floor. Its asymmetrical high cut showed one shapely leg from thigh to delicate bare foot. A circlet of sapphires adorned her ankle, matching the heavy sapphire pendant that rested between her breasts.

"We have come to seek your aid, Light Sage," said the figure behind her, clasping herself in a tight hug, rubbing her bare arms up and down as if to warm herself. Unlike the calm of the first, she was constantly moving. Rauru saw tear tracks dusting her high cheekbones, casting a great shadow on expressive features. "Our sister is gone," she said, biting a full lip. Her short green hair stood up in an array of spikes. She ran her hand through it, before running it back through in the other direction in a vain attempt to pat it down. She wore a loose emerald tunic, belted with a deep shimmering viridian sash and pale green trousers. Brown leather boots reached to mid-thigh. She danced from foot to foot with frenetic energy, as if she couldn't keep still. A choker with a gold-lined emerald encircled her neck.

A most momentous occasion. Unprecedented, in his memory, which stretched from the dawn of the world. The Aspects of the Goddesses, descended from the heavens. Rauru dared not even think their names. He would instead refer to them by the gems they wore, praying they did not take offense.

"Lost to us," Sapphire echoed. "Perhaps forever." She lifted her head, her eyes distant, and closed them. Though she appeared unaffected, Rauru saw her jaw and temple flex. She hid it well, but she was more affected than she appeared at first glance.

"The Eidolon has been set free," said Emerald. "Our sister has fallen," she said, practically vibrating with emotion. She started pacing with short staccato steps walking the short breadth of the room and back before speaking again. "You yourself know of whom we speak. He that has broken the laws crafted before time," said Emerald, crossing her arms.

"I do, Great Ones," said Rauru, averting his eyes, so as not to linger upon the figures in their splendor. They radiated light. Even looking at them made him uneasy. "You speak of origin of all monsters, Demi—"

"Do not speak his name!" The green-haired figure cut in. She looked around, as if someone else were present. "He will hear and will be drawn here. As Eidolon the primordial he holds power, but that name does not yet hold the power that the other does."

"Our sister tried to interfere directly and used her soul in the mortal realm, feeling guilt for all that has been done in her name," said Sapphire. "She knew the price of the Imprisoned. As our power binds him, so does it bind us. Like calls to like, and the seal bound to his descendants has begun to unravel with the careless touch of our power." She touched her fingertips to the palm of her other hand and pulled upwards, showing ethereal green, blue, and red balls of light circle and contain a dark mass. It turned golden. Yet the small red ball darted away, and the black threads wormed their way through the heart of the golden mass before devouring the thing whole.

"The ancient pact is broken, the prison unlocked, the balance skewed in Eidolon's favor. Easily fixed. But," Emerald said fervently, "she was returning to help us seal it away again..."

"...And in her carelessness, the Dark King trapped her with the key she herself provided," Sapphire said. "Her essence trapped, her body bound in mortal chains. It is this key he uses to consolidate his power. Another sister lost to us, perhaps forever." She bowed her head, clenching her hands together so tightly her knuckles turned white.

"Like the Rebirth," Rauru said, stroking his chin, understanding dawning on his face. "Zelda..."

Emerald looked away. Sapphire reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder, pulling her to her chest in an embrace. She spoke over Emerald's head. "And unlike Hylia, this is not her choice."

Emerald smiled faintly at the taller figure, took a deep breath, stepped away, and continued. "And The Light before Dawn is missing, obscured from us, transformed by the shadows. Our scrying has revealed nothing. If the Dark King allies with the Eidolon, reunites with his earlier incarnation, all is lost," said Emerald. "He and his army nearly succeeded once."

"The Hero stopped him then."

"The Hero had help. The Hero's Spirit grows weary, while the Eidolon grows in strength. The cycle takes its toll. We are here to seek your aid, for we cannot interfere without the risk of adding our power to the Eidolon," Sapphire added, her façade now abandoned, pain showing freely behind her veil. "Bound by the ancient law, the Source awakens. Time itself is no longer safe, for he conquered her long ago."

"We cannot afford alter the balance any more than we already have," Emerald said as she strode back and forth. "Should our sister stay in the hands of darkness, they will use her and the shattered golden power to find their way to us; corrupting it with darkness so great even we will no longer be able to combat it in its entirety, and he shall have his revenge. All the heavens shall sunder and eternal war will reign. It will be the end of everything."

He paled, taking a step back at the intensity of her speech. It was up to him.

"We know your mortal form, Rauru. Fly faster than the wind, and soar beyond the skies," said Sapphire, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her face earnest. "You must find the Shadow of Time. You must reach his living form at all costs. You must find the Light before Dawn. Tell them of our sister's plight. Her life lays in mortal hands now."

"The shadows grow deeper. Even now, those who would otherwise be true rail against us. Even the stouthearted are losing faith. You must find them at all costs," Emerald said. "We cannot lose her. We have already lost enough."

Tension thrummed throughout Rauru. He could imagine it so easily. They laid a heavy charge at his feet. But he had no choice. He must do this. "Great Ones, the protection of the Temple?" he dared to question. He raised a hand and gestured at the crumbling walls, the dimming light.

"Yes. That is still within our power. We do not yet risk him finding his way here. Yet, the Eidolon is rising, searching hungrily for access to our power and this sanctuary. We shall maintain the Temple while you are gone. Hurry! Find him, Rauru," said Sapphire. "You will find the Shadow of Time beyond the realm, in the care of another. The Light before Dawn must be found at all costs! Our sister must be freed!" She struck her fist on the palm of her hand.

"May the Light always protect you, and guide your every move," said Emerald. She reached out with a finger and inscribed a closed y with a branching tail. It glowed brightly for a moment before touching his forehead and disappearing inside his mind. "This shall help you find them. Both contain traces of my essence. The Triforce was never meant to leave Hyrule."

The glowing figures began to disappear, shining brightly. "You must remember, make haste," they said together. "All will perish, if they fail." They faded completely from his sight.

Ah, this was terrible news indeed! What other horrible things have befallen the kingdom of Hyrule whilst I have been here? Rauru concentrated deep inside himself, forming a connection to the mortal plane. In his mind, feathers sprouted around a dark form, coalescing into an owl. He made the connection from a spiritual body from a mortal one, feeling slightly disoriented. He lifted from the ruins of the Temple of Time as the emblem shone inside his mind, winging his way to the portal between dimensions.

Mudora's pages turned, fluttering as if in a breeze, freeing itself from the dust. Pages blanked. Words shifted into spidery threads, winding their way across the pages, at times taking new shapes, at times disappearing altogether. Elegantly scripted words filled the newly blanked pages at a rapid pace, written in flowing, ancient Hylian.

"...Wherefore a world filled with wonder and life

Fell into Chaos, in struggle and strife

Forgetting the lessons of a Golden Age

Control of the country wrested by knaves

Held hope for a hero, in darkness deep

As around them evil began to creep:

Oh Muse! Nayru, goddess of Wisdom true

Sing your song and sound the story anew!

A twisted up tale of twilight and time

With fierce foes that have no reason or rhyme

And fiercer heroes, fighting for freedom

The weight of the world held fast between them—

Two men with entwined destiny and fate

One trapped as a wolf, the other too late

To save his belovéd kingdom Hyrule.

Time, it seems, is a mistress quite cruel.

A portal closed, stone doors shut seven years

A fateful fulfilling of the child's fears

Homeless, alone, he grew up in an inn

Foresworn by fate, he grew up again.

The child-shrub, the man-rock, the fleet-of-fin

Will meet another of Farore's kin.

Both men are threatened by power, Din's child

And will find in themselves, courage most wild.

Our story begins in that far off land

In provincial Ordon, with a ranch hand

Man into wolf, in a forest alone

Finds a place that eerily feels like home..."