Link aimed carefully as the giant warrior began to dance and chant, once again trying to summon demonic forest insects with every intent on killing him. The shot flew straight, wedging itself into the wooden creature's head as it collapsed, dissipating into blue flame.

Link approached the crystal container lying on the ground where the corpse had dissolved. Lying next to it was a wooden mask, roughly carved and painted. Not as refined and preserved as the one for which he was searching. The face was pained, angry. Remnants of the troubled spirit now put to rest.

Link picked it up, the feel of the rough bark slipping away as the mask rose slowly into the air, and the room filled with fog. The air was chilled, moving rapidly around him, but there was no wind to push him over. The walls of space were gone; small water droplets floated in the misty-green air, and a deep, sad sound surrounded the boy.

"Listen…" Tatl said, directing Link's attention to the source. An enormous creature stood in the distance, swaying back and forth to its own rhythm.

"Could that crying be its way of teaching us some sort of melody?"

Link pulled the Ocarina from out of his pouch and began to mimic the tune this giant was singing. Crying. A lonely cry.

"Call us."

Us. So he was not alone. This giant guardian was weeping over the land. Over Termina. Over the moon. He had to save this place; Link was a hero.

A hero? A voice sat at the back of his mind, so familiar…

It told him he was a hero. A hero of…time? An ache began to grow in the back of Link's head as the mist faded and the room of Odolwa reformed around him. He shook his head, pushing the too familiar voice out of his mind. Maybe he was a hero, but did it matter? He had to help these people, hero or not. He had to get his mask back from the skullkid.

His mask? He seemed to remember the mask salesman giving it to him, but…didn't he also say it was stolen in the woods?

Link shook his head again. It didn't matter. He had to get the mask back to the salesman. Even if the man had given it to Link, he didn't want anything that could cause so much suffering.

Link cracked open the crystal heart lying next to him and began to drink the sparkling liquid inside. It was warm and thick, uncomfortable as it slid down his throat, but it gave him energy, strength. It gave him courage.

He would get the mask. He would stop the moon. He would get Epona back. That's all that mattered.

The laugh seemed to hang, staining the air with its mocking tone. It was pounding in the princess' ears, reminding her of the Kokiri girl lying behind her, and pushing tears from her eyes again. Zelda's eyes began to sting, panic setting in as she realized the pain was not from crying.

Smoke.

A scream cracked through the forest as Zelda broke into a run; bolting through the Lost Woods as quickly as she could manage. Her heart shattered as she emerged into the small village, its inhabitants fleeing the destruction.

The air was thick and black; smoke, leaves, and bark swirling in the smothering warmth. Some of the Kokiri were running into the woods, others tried to flee to Hyrule Field. The flames were just starting to lick the tips of the shrubs closest to her, the green youth of the plants barely hindering the fire as it spread. The shrill laugh sounded again, seemingly impervious to the ash and heavy air.

Zelda pushed her way South, trying to find her way through the panic and soot to the source of the flames. She collapsed at the edge of the Deku Tree's Meadow, smothering the singed edges of her cloak, coughing as her lungs resisted the burning air. Her head aching, her throat scorched, her muscles weak from grief and oxygen deprivation, Zelda sat, watching in disbelief. The Great Deku Tree, the source of life and hope for the Kokiris, was entirely engulfed in flames. She could hear the wood cracking, the wood screaming for relief from its torment.

A small creature danced around the young Deku Sprout, the only part of the meadow not blazing. The bright yellow eyes pierced through the smoke and stared, unblinking, at the sad princess. Another laugh mixed with the smoke and fire. The child-like being reached down, wrapping its arms around the Sprout in a wiry hug. In one smooth motion, with more strength than any child or Kokiri would have, the masked figure yanked the Deku Sprout from the dry soil, roots wiggling and shaking as through trying to reach back and bury into the ground.

With a bouncy, bow-legged gait, the figure danced around the mass of dead tree for a few seconds before flinging the sprout into the base of the flames.
Zelda tried to scream, tried to cry, tried to move. Her body refused to cooperate, strained to its limit. The laugh still flooded her ears, sending a chill up her spine as the world began to spin. She felt arms reach around and yank at her waist, lifting her off the ground as the flames went dark.