He was completely surrounded by fog. Only the barest of landmarks could be seen in the distance, like the castle and the various mountains and towers. Link turned and saw a dark green wolf with glowing blue eyes sitting behind him. The wolf let out a howl and with a flash transformed into a skull-faced specter clad in golden and jewel-laden armor and wielding a sword and a shield bearing a symbol resembling goat horns. The shade went into a battle stance and Link drew his blade. He leapt at the ghost, who easily blocked the attack with its shield and then knocked Link down with the flat of its blade.

"A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage." The shade said. "Those were the very words told to me by the greatest of our lineage. I myself was no more than a common farmhand, yet found myself thrust into the role of hero. I beat back the threat of eternal darkness, defeated the usurper king responsible and the hand pulling his strings. I was even blessed with the most infuriating and amazing woman with a golden heart and a smile that could put the sunset to shame.

"What does that have to do with me?" Link asked.

"It has everything to do with you, boy!" The shade snapped, pointing its sword at him. "You yourself are on a similar path. The world I saved so long ago faces a danger perhaps even greater than the king of twilight. But your circumstances are far different. You are not only tasked with fighting a great evil but you must do so with the loss of your memories and a band with the same afflictions."

"And where are you going with this?"

"You must be a leader, boy! Keep their spirits strong, ensure their safety and let them know you are their equal, not their superior! By building strong bonds between each other, you will need not fear any foe, even the darkness."

"So, this was all just a big mystical pep talk? I hope it was important."

"You've got a smart mouth, boy. I hope that you can retain it in the trials to come. May the Light Spirits protect you." The Shade said as he backed away into the fog.

"The who?" Link asked as the fog rolled in to completely envelop him.

Mipha was completely surrounded by fog. Suddenly, before her appeared a dark-skinned one-eyed imp with a horned helmet appeared before her. The imp giggled and suddenly transformed into a tall woman clad in black robes with a hood over her fiery red hair and black veil covering her face, save for her laughing eyes. Mipha couldn't help but be transfixed by the woman's obscured beauty.

"He looked just like that when he truly saw me for the first time." The woman chuckled. "He was always so cute."

"Who are you?" Mipha asked

"I'm afraid my name wouldn't mean anything to you." The woman sighed. "It's been so long since the two of us saved this land. Then again, I've forgotten how long it's been since the two of us left. Time no longer has any meaning for us."

"Why have you come to me?" Mipha asked warily.

"I was in a position like yours. My hero was also given the task of saving this land from destruction. And I was with him every step of the way. Watching him fight, giving everything he had to save his world and mine…it's no wonder I fell in love with him. When we parted, I was certain we'd never see each other again but he found me. Despite the impossible odds, we were reunited and got our happily-ever-after."

"Um, I beg your pardon but that doesn't really answer my question."

"Oh yes, forgive me. Beings like us fall into nostalgia far too easily. I came to tell you that he's going to need you. You may not know why now, nor does he, but your journey is going to be long and difficult. An endeavor like the one ahead is best dealt when it's shared, something my hero and I learned firsthand. Your friends have the courage and skill to defeat the beast but you and him…well, I see so much of ourselves in you two.

"Are you trying to tell me…"

"Who, me? I'm just a long-deceased spirit. Anyway, the bottom line is stick close to him. You're both going to need each other, more than you know. And with that, I'll take my leave. See you later!"

Abruptly, Mipha awoke with the others with the sun shining through slats in the cabin walls. They stepped outside to find Link asleep in front of the remains of their campfire. The group had breakfast and, after cutting down a tree to act as a makeshift bridge across a canyon, continued on in their shrine quest.

"All right, the next shrine is atop that mountain." Link said, checking the Slate.

"Well, this shan't be a challenge for me! See you at the top!" Revali said cheerfully as he knelt to take off. When he jumped, a sharp updraft of wind sent him shooting into the air.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that but I'll take it!" He called to them. "Don't any of you drag your feet now!"

"Showoff." Daruk grumbled.

"Just ignore him and start climbing." Urbosa said.

Daruk and Urbosa began scaling the mountain at impressive speed, but Mipha hesitated.

"Um…I hate to be a hindrance," Mipha said. "But I don't think my kind were made for climbing."

Without a word, Link took Mipha on his back and began to climb with her, Mipha blushing furiously the whole way. They eventually made it to the top, met with amused looks from their compatriots.

"A bit forward, don't you think, Mr. Chivalrous?" Urbosa teased as he let Mipha down.

Link ignored her and opened the shrine. They accessed the elevator and descended.

"To you who sets foot in this shrine…I am Owa Daim. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial: the Stasis Trial."

Link went over to the nearby pedestal and unlocked the stasis rune on the Shiekah Slate. Using it, Link was able to temporarily freeze the gear of a revolving platform and large stone balls that blovked their progress, allowing them to reach Owa Daim and receive his Spirit Orb.

"All right, team, just one to go!" Daruk said upon exiting.

"Hmm." Link said, looking at the map. "That's one pretty far. The other side of Mount Hylia. Here, I think I can get us a quicker route."

He pressed the symbol and the group was warped back to the Shrine of Resurrection. From there, they made their way to the River of the Dead where they were struck by the sudden change in the elements, especially Link, Mipha and Urbosa.

"Why is there snow here?" Urbosa complained as she shivered. "We can't possibly be up that high!"

"Regardless, we gotta do something or you guys are gonna freeze." Daruk said.

"Here." Revali said, suddenly brandishing three warm doublets. "I nicked these from the old man's cabin. His journal said he'd give this to whoever could make him a certain recipe, but I thought 'To hell with that'."

"I'll let it slide." Urbosa said as she put on her doublet.

"Now you can't say I never did anything for you."

Now protected from the cold, the group followed the river until they reached a broken bridge. Link used the magnesis rune to move a metal door and used it to replace the missing piece of the bridge. They crossed it and made their way up the mountain on the other side until they reached the shrine at the peak and accessed it.

"To you who sets foot in this shrine…I am Keh Namut. In the name of Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial: the Cryonis Trial." The familiar voice of the shrine monk said.

Link added the rune to the Shiekah Slate, allowing him to create pillars of ice from watery surfaces. Using it, they were able to reach high ledges and boost open gates to make their way to Keh Namut and receive his Spirit Orb. As they stepped out of the shrine, a voice called out. The old man dropped down in front of them on his paraglider.

"With this, you have now acquired all of the Spirit Orbs from the shrines on this plateau. Oho ho! Extraordinary! That means…it is finally time. It is finally time for me to tell you all everything. But first…"

He turned away.

"Imagine an X on your map, with the four shrines as end points. Find the spot where those lines intersect. I shall wait for you there."

He turned back to them and became enveloped in ghostly light.

"Do you understand? Where two lines connecting the shrines would cross…There…I will…be waiting…" The old man as vanished right before their eyes.

"What the dookie?" Daruk said in bewilderment.

"So that's how he did it." Link breathed.

"Yes, don't give us an exact location or anything!" Revali snapped at the spot where the old man had been.

"It's the Temple of Time, you big whiner!" Urbosa told him before turning to Link. "Link, do your thing. It looks like we're finally going to get answers and we're long overdue for them."

Link nodded tapped the Shiekah Slate and the five of them were warped to the Shrine of Resurrection. From there, they practically flew back to the Temple of Time. Once inside, they approached the goddess statue, which became enveloped in holy light.

"You who have conquered the shrines and claimed their Spirit Orbs." An unearthly voice said. "I can offer you great power. It appears you have claimed four Spirit Orbs. In exchange for four Spirit Orbs, I will amplify your beings."

The Spirit Orbs drifted out of Link's body and into the statue. Then red hearts and green drops slowly descended out of nowhere and onto each of the five, strengthening their lifeforce and stamina.

"Go, and bring peace to Hyrule…" With that, the heavenly light vanished and the voice was stilled.

The old man's voice called out. They looked up and saw him gazing down at them through a large hole in the roof.

"The blessing of the Goddess has made you that much more resilient, I see…Here I am…Get up here-quickly!"

"The roof?" Daruk grumbled. "What, did the ground make too much sense?"

Nevertheless, the group climbed the outside wall of the temple and carefully maneuvered across the roof to the steeple where the old man was waiting.

"Well done there, young ones." The old man chortled. "Now, then…the time has come to show you who I truly am. I was King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule. I was…the last leader of Hyrule. A kingdom which no longer exists."

The old man let out a brilliant glow, forcing them to shield their eyes. When they were able to look again, the old man was floating several inches off the ground, clad in the regalia of a king.

"It devastated everything in its path, lo, a century ago." Rhoam said. "It was then that my life was taken away from me. And since that time, here I have remained in spirit form. I did not think it wise to overwhelm you while your memories were still fragile. So rather than that, I thought it best to assume a temporary form. Forgive me."

Rhoam turned to look at Hyrule Castle.

"I think you are now ready. Ready to hear what happened 100 years ago. To know Calamity Ganon's true form, one must know the story from an age long past. The demon king was born into this kingdom, but his transformation into Malice created the horror you see now. Stories of Ganon were passed from generation to generation in the form of legends and fairy tales. But there was also…a prophecy.

"'The signs of a resurrection of Calamity Ganon are clear. And the power to oppose it lies dormant beneath the ground.' We decided to heed the prophecy and began excavating large areas of land. It wasn't long before we discovered several ancient relics made by the hands of our distant ancestors. These relics, the Divine Beasts, were giant machines piloted by warriors. We also found the Guardians, an army of mechanical soldiers that fought autonomously. This coincided with ancient legends, oft repeated throughout our land.

"We also learned of a princess with a sacred power and her appointed knight, chosen by the sword that seals the darkness. It was they who sealed Ganon away using the power of these ancient relics. One hundred years ago, there was a princess set to inherit a sacred power and a skilled knight at her side. I was clear that we must follow our ancestors' path. We selected four skilled individuals from across Hyrule and tasked them with the duty of piloting the Divine Beasts. With the princess as their commander, we dubbed these pilots Champions-a name that would solidify their unique bond.

"The princess, her appointed knight, and the rest of the Champions were on the brink of sealing away Ganon…But nay…Ganon was cunning, and responded with a plan beyond our imagining. He appeared from below Hyrule Castle, seized control of the Guardians and the Divine Beasts, and turned them against us. The Champions were all beaten to the brink of death. Those residing in the castle were not so fortunate. The appointed knight, gravely wounded, collapsed while defending the princess…And thus, the kingdom of Hyrule was devastated absolutely by Calamity Ganon. However…The princess survived…to face Ganon alone.

Link and the others gaped at the ghost, completely dumbfounded by his tale. It was so unbelievable, yet they all had something inside telling them it was all true.

"That princess was my own daughter…My dear Zelda." Rhoam continued. "And the courageous knight who protected her right up to the very end…That knight was none other than you, Link. And you, Mipha, Revali, Urbosa, and Daruk, you were the four Champions and pilots of the Divine Beasts. You fought valiantly when your fates took an unfortunate turn. And then, you were taken to the Shrine of Resurrection. Here you now stand revitalized, 100 years later. The words of guidance you have been hearing since your awakening are from Princess Zelda herself.

"Even now, as she works to restrain Ganon from within Hyrule Castle, she calls out for your help. However, my daughter's power will soon be exhausted. Once that happens, Ganon will freely regenerate himself and nothing will stop him from consuming our land. Considering that I could not save my own kingdom, I have no right to ask this of you all…But I am powerless here…You must save her…my daughter. And do whatever it takes to annihilate Ganon. Somehow, Ganon has maintained control over all four Divine Beasts, as well as those Guardians swarming around Hyrule Castle. I believe it would be quite reckless for you to head to the castle directly at this point. I suggest…that you make your way east, out to one of the villages in the wilderness.

"Follow the road out to Kakariko Village." Rhoam instructed, pointing out at the distance. "There you will find the elder, Impa. She will tell you more about the path that lies ahead. Consult the map on your Shiekah Slate for the precise location of Kakariko Village. Make your way past the twin summits of the Dueling Peaks. From there, follow the road as it proceeds north…Go on…here are the paragliders, just as I promised.

Link took the paragliders from the king and passed them out, nobody taking their eyes off the specter.

"With that, you should be able to safely fly off the cliffs surrounding this area. And…I think that's it. I've told you everything I can…Link…All of you…You must save…Hyrule…"

And with that, the king vanished. Link and his companions stood for a while, staring at where he'd been.

"Geez, heavy." Daruk finally said.

"Can it really be true?" Mipha quietly asked. "Is that what really happened to us? To Hyrule?"

"As horrifying as it seems, it's the only explanation." Urbosa said, her voice as grim as her expression. "The ruins all over the plateau, the clouds around the castle, our being in the Shrine…it can't be anything but the truth."

"But if it is," A visibly shaken Revali said. "It means we failed in our duties. The king said all in the castle perished. How many others were killed? How much damage was done? All because of us?"

Revali's words hung in the air like a black cloud.

"We can't think about that!" Link suddenly declared. "You heard what the king and Zelda said! We are this land's only hope! We can't change what happened back then. But if we keep obsessing about it, we'll never be able to save the future."

"The little guy's right." Daruk said. "We screwed up royally back then but all we can do is try to redeem ourselves and we can't do that by moping. So I say we get down from here, get some rest and head for Kakariko first thing in the morning, like the king said."

The group got down from the temple roof and went back to the king's cabin, all in silence. When they'd gotten settled in, they eventually drifted off, save for Link. He was too busy staring at the ceiling, trying to get rid of the icy pit in his stomach. It occupied him so much, he almost didn't notice coming over and clinging onto him.

"Please," She quietly pleaded before he could say anything. "I know we still don't know everything about each other or what's happened but I need this. Please."

Link's face softened and he returned her embrace. Only then did they both finally sleep.