Welcome to Gaia! ::

The boys were cautious about wandering into town, knowing that if someone were to spot them, they’d be thrown in jail again. Martel told his brother that there were some guards roaming around, so they should keep to the rooftops. The only thing was, finding a ladder.
“Screw that, if we can make a break for it, we’ll be home free!”
“Then how do you propose getting past the drawbridge? By going straight through it?”
Rioan pondered. Snapping his fingers, he took his cap before strutting through town. Was he insane? But then again, Martel pulled the same stunt in fooling the guards, so townspeople should be no problem, right? Sighing, Martel removed his cap before catching up with his brother. They passed a few people who seemed to be night owls, but otherwise made it off safe and sound. As for the drawbridge...
The guard standing there immediately recognized Rioan, and quickly lifted his staff, pointing it at the boy.
Martel tried reasoning with him. “Look, we don’t know who did this, but whoever it is, they’re trying to frame us, so could you let us go?”
The guard scoffed. “What makes you think I’m going to listen to you?”
“Nice going.” Rioan muttered at Martel. “Well, I’m just going to...” he then charged the guard, elbowing him in the stomach before making a break around the back of the houses, and, finding a ladder, swiftly scaled it to the roof. Martel was dragged along, with no other choice but to follow. They managed to climb the outer wall before diving into the moat.
“See?” Free and clear.”
“And all it took was the cost of making both us and our imposters enemies of the cavalry!” Martel shouted.
“Oh shut it. At least we’re alive. Not like anything-“
Rioan was cut off as a lot of screams were heard inside the walls, followed by the drawbridge being set on fire. The boys were stricken with shock at the sight, and as the bridge’s burning remains were pushed out into the moat, two boys wearing near identical clothes to theirs were seen leaping out, one carrying a sack filled with who-knows-what, the other holding a young girl. Rioan quickly got out of the water, but Martel wasn’t so fortunate, as a frozen blast was sent in his direction, causing the moat around him to freeze solid, which encased him in it. He struggled to get out, but to no avail.
“So, you’re the two we were sent to exterminate.” One of them spoke. It almost sounded like Martel, though the voice was noticeably different. The person’s hair was red, with its friend having blue hair. Both were dressed in black tunics with white sleeves, black boots, and black gloves. Their skin, however, was normal.
“Who are you two?!” Rioan demanded.
“Isn’t it obvious?” the red-headed one said. Now that Rioan got a good look, these two did seem like the imposters they were assumed as. One could say they were their duplicates.
“Now for you.” The second said, sending off a blast like the first that struck Martel. Rioan quickly drew his sword and batted the blast back at this dark version of him. It didn’t seem to phase the boy, and as he went to go for a second, the redheaded one put a hand on his shoulder.
“Later. For now, we leave.” It then jumped away with incredible force, its partner following.
“What? Too chicken to face us now?!” Rioan called after them. This got his darker doppelganger’s attention, who set down the sack before rushing into battle. They clashed swords, which even seemed to be similar, as the darker one’s was also split like the twins’ was. The imposter of Martel was forced to back up its partner should it fail, which resulted in it freeing the girl, who unfortunately was unconscious for the time being.
As Rioan battled his duplicate, Martel drifted towards the burning bridge, which slowly melted the ice around him. Eventually, he was able to break free, and scrambled out of the moat. He rushed for the girl, being cautious not to grab the attention of his alter-ego. “Hey, are you alright?” No answer. He waved a hand in front of her face. Thinking quickly, he lifted her up and carried her over to the moat. When he splashed some water on her face, she coughed and sputtered, but before he could get a word out of her, a fireball hit the ground by his legs. Instantly, Martel got to his feet. “Get behind me!” he told the girl. She did as she was told as his alter-ego rushed in, sword flashing. Not only were they darker versions of the boys, but they knew every move too, right down to the wielding hand. The girl could only watch as her savior battled her kidnapper.
The duels seemed to last a long time, and it wasn’t going to end quickly either. Each side was evenly matched in every aspect, and the darker versions weren’t even bringing their magic to the table. The girl still stared, wishing the true versions would overcome their darker selves. But as fate would have it, a group of knights showed up at the ruined drawbridge. The alters, knowing they were caught, pulled a strange maneuver, in which they enveloped themselves and their lighter counterparts in small whirlwinds. A lot of sword clanging was heard, and suddenly the fight was over. The victors stood, in red and blue, but something was different. The alter-egos, as it seemed, were done in by their own power, feeling dizzy and unable to stand. The redhead fell to the ground, which tipped the girl off.
“They’re all yours, soldiers.” Martel said before turning, Rioan following. They headed away from the scene, but to where was uncertain.
Two soldiers picked up the culprits by their collars, before giving a smile. “Justice.” One said, as the group turned, heading back to the castle.
“No, wait!” the girl spoke up.
“What is it girl? Are you defending them?” The soldiers then laughed, continuing on. The girl stood, solemnly. Only she knew what was going on underneath it all.

The girl from earlier sat on a bench in the plaza, head hung low. Many people came up to her to ask what’s wrong, but every time she explained her story, they simply thought she was weaving an intricate lie. She sighed. Why won’t anyone listen to me? Are they afraid? Don’t they believe?
“Something on your mind?” a voice asked.
The girl looked up, but saw no one. Turning her head left and right, all she saw were townsfolk passing by. “Is someone there?”
A person came down, landing in front of her. It was Sheik, who had taken refuge on a rooftop. “You look like you have something to say.”
“So, you believe me?” the girl asked, slight hope in her voice.
Sheik hesitated briefly. “It may sound rude, but I’ve been listening to your story from up there. And to me, it sounds believable.”
“So then, you’re willing to listen?”
“No need, I know it all.” Sheik paused, brushing his hair out of the way to reveal his striking blue eyes, before it flopped back in place. “By the way, what’s your name?”
“Tessa.” The girl replied. “It was my mother’s name.”
“That’s a nice name. I’m Sheik.” He paused. “I was named after someone my mom knew.” Sheik sat beside Tessa. “Do you happen to know where those two went? The ones you mentioned?”
Tessa sighed. “Not really. I just saw them walking across Hyrule Field before the guards came.”
Sheik bounced off the bench. “It’s a start.” He offered a hand to guide the girl as they walked towards the remains of the drawbridge. Though it was no longer on fire, it was still a bit hot, so they “danced” across it before planting their feet on the field. Their little journey began in search of the truth. Sheik noticed a small trail of things that seemed to point towards the forest. He looked at Tessa, and the two made a beeline across the field.

As they entered the hollow log, the bridge that spanned the gap was broken.
“What now?” Tessa asked.
Sheik looked around, and spotted a ladder off to the side. Hold on.” He instructed, and Tessa climbed on for a piggyback ride. Sheik then leapt off the ledge, landing softly on the ground. Tessa let go, and the two made their way over to the ladder Sheik spotted. “We’ll probably have to navigate through the Lost Woods a bit...” He cautioned.

It took a while, along with a few forest monsters to kill, but the two managed to reach Kokiri Forest slightly unscathed. As they walked around, looking for signs of the two they were searching for, they were approached by a group of Kokiri.
“Hey there! Are you friends of the providers?” one of the girls asked.
Sheik and Tessa looked at each other before turning back to the group. “Yes we are.” Tessa replied. “Could you take us to them?” Sheik gave her a sly smile.
The girl turned. “Follow me!” they walked through the small village before coming to a narrow passageway. “They’re on the other side.”
“Thank you.” Tessa said, ruffling a hand through the forest girl’s hair. Sheik and Tessa wandered through the passage, fighting off Deku Babas and Scrubs that seemed more than peeved at their intrusion.
“Good thing I keep my claw with me.” Sheik said. The weapon he was referring to was a small, double bladed glove he had made himself, perfect for silent strikes and able to dig under armor of any kind.
As they entered the clearing, the first thing they saw was an old tree that was several stories tall, and in front of it was a younger, more healthy tree. However, their attention was caught by the movement of two people, who turned out to be the ones they were searching for.
The people looked up, who were Martel and Rioan. They looked at each other for a moment before turning to the two at the passageway.
“Hey you guys, funny running into you here. Last I saw, you were at the castle.” Sheik said, a smirk on his face.
“Well hey to you too.” Martel said. “How long’s it been?”
“Not long enough.”
“What’s she doing here?” Rioan asked, who quickly received a slap from Martel.
Sheik’s grin widened, and he rushed up to Martel, holding his claw up to the boy’s throat. “Drop the act; we know what’s going on.”
Martel gave a little chuckle. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“CAN IT! Now you’ll do as we say, or you’re going to die by my hand!” Sheik threatened.
“Do you really want to do that?” Martel asked with a grin. “If you know what’s going on, you’re sure to know what’ll happen to our other selves if we perish.” Sheik backed off, though still pointed his claw at Martel. “Good boy. So compliant.”
“Shut up. You’re coming with us.”
Martel looked at Rioan. “I don’t think so.” They quickly whipped out their swords and shields, ready to fight. Sheik stood his ground. “It’s two against one, kid! Do the math!”
“I don’t need to to take you creeps down.” Sheik lashed out at Martel, who back flipped out of the way before retaliating with a slash of his own. “Tessa! Get out of here!” Sheik yelled.
“After the girl!” Martel barked at Rioan, who made a dash after Tessa. However, he was suddenly snatched up by something. Sheik and Martel, surprised, looked up to see that the Deku Tree had Rioan by the ankle from a vine.
“There’ll be none of that.” The Deku Tree commanded, snatching up Martel as well. The two protested to be let go, but the Deku Tree didn’t listen. “Do you two know how much noise you’re making? You woke me up from my nap!”
“Oh boo hoo, whatcha gonna do?” Rioan crossed his arms.
Suddenly he and Martel were flung at each other, crashing into each other as the Deku Tree swung his vines that held the two in all sorts of directions. When he flung the two at the passage, and letting go, he remarked, “Now leave the forest, interlopers, and never return!”
Martel huffed, tossing a fireball at the Deku Tree, which spread rapidly. The Deku Tree let out a moan, and Sheik and Tessa were so shocked, they almost didn’t notice that the two they were chasing fled past them, so they gave chase.
Sheik finally caught up with them, and tackled “Martel” to the ground. Rioan kept on running, but was blocked by a pack of Kokiri.
“You killed the Deku Tree?” the girl from before, who had led Sheik and Tessa for a bit, asked the boy with both anger and sadness.
“We won’t let the likes of you pass after that.” Said a Kokiri boy. He seemed commanding. “You remind me of someone, but that won’t help your case, since we used to be rivals.” The rest of the Kokiris readied their slingshots, all aimed at “Rioan”. “Surrender?” the boy asked.
It seemed they were found out. He backed up as Sheik dragged his partner off the ground, hands behind his back.
“Now then...” Sheik said. “Willing to come with us?”
The red imposter growled. “Fine.”

“Impossible! Unbelievable!” Some stomps echoed throughout the dark room as more grunts and grumbles were heard. “It’s bad enough their father was a pest, but these two runts...”
“Please Majar, calm your wrath!” Farras swooped down from the ceiling where he had perched, flying close to Majar’s head.
The dark mage took a swing with his arm as if to swat the bat, though the creature flew away. “NEVER! My wrath won’t be calm until these pests are killed, do you understand me!?”
“Clear as mud.”
“SHUT UP!” Majar quickly shot at the bat. Farras fled, afraid of being attacked again. Majar turned around, addressing his guests. “And as for you, I’m not sure what you did, but I don’t want another screw-up. Go back to the Light World, and keep tabs on the runts. I don’t care what you do, just don’t get caught again.”
“Understood, master.” One spoke, revealing it to be the redhead Shadow Hero. He quickly shifted his appearance to that of Martel’s, and took off in a flash. His partner, the blue-haired Shadow, did the same, copying Rioan this time, before following.
Majar left the room. He needed to make precautions. Cobralfos and Lizzrobe were chatting each other up in the hall when he spotted them. “You two. Come here.”
“What do you requessst, Massster?” Cobralfos wrung his claws, eager to hear the news or orders, both good and bad.
“I wish for you to head for the Fire Temple.” Majar began. “There is some business there that you can take care of in my stead. I heard it was closed off by the blasted Gorons recently, so you must rely on your own power to break whatever barrier they have made.”
“It ssshall be done.” Cobralfos quickly slithered off in the opposite direction.
Majar turned to Lizzrobe. “As for you, keep an eye on the Shadow Heroes. If they fail, it will be your duty to take their place. Got it?”
“Yes, my lord.” Lizzrobe then disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Majar waved a hand to clear it. The mage then headed for Kalekos’ room. He had heard she was last seen there. Upon reaching the room, he had found the Lizalfos warrior sitting in her chair. “Something’s come up.”
“Another intrusion?”
“No. The Shadow Heroes recently lost against the brats.”
“And you want me to babysit them, is that it?” Kalekos asked with a snarky tone.
“I already sent Lizzrobe after them.” Majar paused. “I have something else in mind for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“While the Shadow Heroes do their thing, and Cobralfos is on another errand, I need you to stall the real heroes. They were last seen at the castle. You can start there.”
Kalekos rose from her seat, reaching for her sword. “I won’t let you down.”
“You better not.” Majar threatened as she walked past him.



Rioan propped his feet on the table, leaning back in the wooden chair. Martel sat beside him, though refrained from being so carefree. They were in the castle of the most respected person in Hyrule, after all. Sheik sat across from them, a closed book beside him. This caught the eye of both boys, but Sheik still had to answer some questions the twins may have had earlier.
“As you may have guessed, Queen Zelda is my mother, and, by law or judicial terms, that would make me a prince.”
“Well you sure don’t act like one.”
“RIOAN!”
Sheik laughed. “Don’t worry Martel, it’s quite alright. Truth is, I resent being called a ‘prince’. Why? The answer is simple; I refuse to take my place among my parents as part of the royal family. All I really care about is protecting my sister, Amethia. She’s only a toddler, barely able to contain her own drool right now.” Sheik paused. “I would rather she remember me as a protective brother than a noble, egotistic fart like my father had become before he died.”
“Does that explain your clothes then?” Martel asked.
“The clothes are a different story. My mother named me after someone she knew, not your father obviously.” The boy paused. “Though I am Hylian, the person I was named after was a Sheikah. My mother referred to them as ‘Shadow Folk’, who watched over the royal family, secretly, for generations.” Sheik hesitated for a moment, before continuing. “This sparked my fascination for them, so I decided to fashion a garb similar to theirs, and study their secret ways of disappearing, sneaking up on people without making a sound; basically stealth.”
“Sounds cool.” Rioan said casually, almost as if he didn’t care.
Martel nodded. “I agree.”
“Can I share something else with you?” Sheik asked, leaning forward.
“Sure.” Rioan rocked back and forth, precariously positioning himself and making sure not to fall.
“I’m actually...envious of you two. You knew your father for a decent amount of time, before he was kidnapped, if I remember what you said.” He gestured to Martel. “I didn’t know my father at all, save for a few months right after I was born.” Martel scratched the back of his head as Sheik continued. “Looking at it now, it...inspires me to be better, to help not only my sister, but my mom and the army as well. I just wish there was more I could do in your campaign.”
“It’s quite alright.” Martel then glanced at the book. “So what’s that?”
Sheik lifted his left arm, which was covering the book. “This...” he flipped it open, “is a copy of the Legend of Hyrule.”
“Don’t tell us it’s the goddess story.” Rioan moaned, rolling his eyes. He suddenly became disinterested in the subject.
Sheik gave him a dirty look. “Though it may be the Legend of Hyrule, there is something else, at the end of the book.” He flipped through the pages, and when he stopped, there were tears, as if some pages had been ripped out. He gave the book to the boys to examine. Martel quickly picked it up, and ran his fingers where the pages were missing. “It seems there was more to the legend than just creation.”
“A lot more.” Martel said. “It looks like there are at least ten pages missing.”
“And I bet you they have a link to either this Aeon you speak of or Ganon.”
Rioan furrowed his brow, an almost sour look on his face. “Someone was trying to leave out information.”
“Good!” Sheik leaned forward again, his voice hushing. “Now the real question is, who would want to cover it up?” Martel and Rioan looked at each other before turning their gazes back to Sheik.

“Thank you for getting rid of that foul creature.” Queen Zelda congratulated. “Perhaps, for a time, peace can return here.”
“Your welcome, Your Highness.” Martel said, bowing his head. He then looked up. “Although, it did leave us some parting words.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah,” Rioan popped in, “It said it didn’t know who Twinrova was, who, from the trial, seemed to want to raise this Ganon character. Instead, it told us it served the dragon Aeon that we mentioned before.”
Queen Zelda solemnly turned to the left and walked toward a window. The land beyond was so lush and peaceful. “It seems there is more than one evil in the world. I don’t know how long this Aeon has been around, though I doubt both he and Ganon have any sort of connection.” She turned to the boys. “If they do, it is a very slim one.”
Martel pondered for a moment. “The fact that the creatures underneath Aeon are in the dark, so to say, on anything to do with Ganon suggests they have not heard of him, and are either really recent, or extremely old.”
Zelda nodded. “I would agree.” She then sat on her throne, “My vassals have not uncovered anything about Aeon for you yet. It is up to you where you go now.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Martel said before leaving the room. Rioan just waved before following his brother.

Unbeknownst to the boys, Castle Town was under siege yet again.
“Come on! We need to get out of here!”
Two figures with incredible speed rushed through the plaza, darting here and there. One went for the hot air balloon salesman, and stole all his rope, the other attacked the open-air bazaar and ransacked the Seed shop, the Shooting Gallery, the Fish market, and the Goron’s Hot Spring water kiosk. The first tied all the ropes together, before making a loop on one end, while the other tossed several Scent seeds around, creating a sort of gross-smelling fog.
“Somebody, stop those two!” Shouted the shopkeeper of the Shooting Gallery. Though he owned the store where you could use a bow, he himself was absolutely horrible at using one.
The figures climbed onto the roof of a building, revealing themselves to be that of Martel and Rioan. They overlooked the ruins of the Temple of Time, and grinned. “Good, the gate’s destroyed.” Rioan said.
“It won’t be long now, Ganon.” Martel quickly added before they ran from rooftop to rooftop, heading for the wall over the drawbridge, which was still in ruins.
“Should we jump?” Rioan asked.

A soldier came rushing into the throne room. “Your Majesty, Castle Town is under attack! Again!”
Queen Zelda rose from her seat. “Is this true?” the soldier nodded. Zelda turned to Sheik, who had been standing in the corner. “Sheik, go find Martel and Rioan.”
“You got it mom!” Sheik bolted out of the room, ready to find the heroes.

Soldiers from the castle flooded the streets like locusts, trying to locate the criminals by running through every alley. The two boys, however, were hiding out in an abandoned house, pressed up against the walls so as not to be seen. They peeked their heads out when they couldn’t hear any more footsteps or clanking armor.
“They’re gone for the moment” Martel said.
“They’ll be back soon enough.”
They proceeded cautiously towards the plaza, keeping to the shadows so as to not be seen. Soldiers swarmed almost every inch of the town. “Keep searching! They’re around here somewhere!” One soldier said, and the others continued the search. Now that the soldier was alone, he could keep an eye on the plaza...
But was also a prime target as Rioan quickly dashed out, thrusting his sword into the soldier’s gut. The knight collapsed, dead, as Martel casually walked up to his cohort. However, their escape was another matter, as a soldier spotted him, and everywhere they turned, knights of the army rushed in, closing off any possible means of escape.
“You’re surrounded! Give up!” A knight spoke. The knight was Liam.
The boys paced around, looking here and there for any means of escape. But there were none.
“HEY!” shouted a voice from the direction of the castle. It was Rioan’s voice, which befuddled the knights to no end. Martel was close by, along with Sheik and Holo.
Not again... the one in red, surrounded by knights, thought.
As the boys came closer, the knights opened up to let them in. Before a word was said, Rioan rushed into the fray, delivering a solid punch to “Martel’s” gut, sending him to the cobblestone. He quickly withdrew his sword. “I thought you two left?” Martel-the real Martel-pointed his sword at Rioan’s imposter right as it whipped out its own.
“What’d you do, come back to sightsee?” Martel asked humorously.
The imposters were found out. Again. The false Martel grunted, standing up. “So...we meet again.”
Rioan gave a cocky grin. “Yes. And I sense this isn’t the last time we’ll see your faces around here.”
The false Martel grinned as well. “Perhaps. We’ll just see.”
Martel glanced over to his copy. “No magic this time. And get rid of our clothes.”
“My, you two certainly are killjoys.” The false Martel rose into the air. “The answer is no.”
“Have it your way.”
The battle soon ensued, and the soldiers gave them space. Sheik stood next to a house, coincidentally it was someone’s he knew, as Tessa soon came out.
“Tessa! What-“
“I live here, prince.” Sheik was caught off guard. How’d she know? Did she figure it out from the trial? “So they’re at it again?” a fireball struck the cobblestone, the sound of swords clanging echoed down the alleys. But neither one flinched.
“It seems the imposters are back, yes.” Sheik quickly dodged left to avoid a blast of ice, which clung to the wall behind him.
Meanwhile, Rioan’s cap was on fire, so he tossed it aside. Martel’s left leg was frozen in the well, as he landed in it by accident, but both boys continued to stand their ground no matter how many times the imposters attacked.
“I’ll save you bro!” Rioan called, leaping towards Martel and striking the ice with his sword. The ice cracked under the steel of the blade, and Martel yanked his leg out He quickly defended a stream of fire with his shield, though wondered how much longer he could hold out. Rioan hucked a Scent Seed at Shadow Martel, which broke open on his face. The imposter coughed, forcing him to stop his attack.
“Thanks.” Martel said. He then headed towards the Seed shop. “Quick, give me some more, we’re running low.”
“This is all that’s left.” The shopkeeper handed Martel four Scent Seeds, two Mystery Seeds, two Gale Seeds, and one Ember Seed , before a blast of ice froze him in place.
“Cheaters!” Shadow Rioan called. “We’ll have none of that!”
“Too late!” Martel tossed an Ember seed at Shadow Rioan once he was a fair distance from the foe, which burnt his clothes. He managed to put out the flames with ice, but there were now rips and tatters in his garb.
Rioan quickly snatched up a bow and quiver full of arrows at a nearby kiosk and readied an arrow. This was the first time he wielded the weapon, but it shouldn’t be too different from the slingshot he had as a toddler. He fired off an arrow at Shadow Martel, who quickly reacted by searing it with a fireball. However, the arrow kept going, and punctured Shadow Martel’s side, the flame now burning his clothes. He absorbed the flame, increasing his power, and blasted the cobblestone with a large stream of fire, headed right for Rioan!
Rioan dodged, firing off another arrow. This time, his doppelganger froze the projectile-but it still came! It shot through the small ice cloud, now imbued with its power, and punctured Martel’s copycat in the stomach.
“Aaagh!” Shadow Martel cried out. He looked down at the arrow, pulled it out, and tossed it to the ground. He then whipped around and punched his buddy square in the face. “Idiot!”
As Shadow Rioan recovered from the blow, Holo flew close to Martel. “Martel! Did you see how the red one reacted when it took the frozen arrow?”
“What?”
“Their weakness!”
Martel took a second to figure it out. When he did, he ran towards his brother, dodging blasts from his imposter, which ignited the cobblestone.
“Rioan, we’ve figured out what their weakness is!”
Rioan looked at his brother. “So, spill.” He fired off another arrow, still aimed at Shadow Martel, who dodged this time.
“Their weakness is each other’s power!” Martel said. The red one is susceptible to ice, and the blue one must be susceptible to fire.”
“But how do we turn their power against each other?”
Holo sat on the boy’s shoulder. “That, we haven’t figured out.”
A fireball soon landed near the boys, which seemed to stick there. Using the newfound knowledge, Rioan shot an arrow through the flames at his own counterpart. It reeled from the blow, screaming in agony. It ripped the arrow out, before looking at its partner, somewhat exhausted.
Shadow Martel looked at the heroes. “Remember our words; we WILL cross paths again. Of that, you can be sure!” The two then disappeared in a black flash of light.
It was silent for a moment, before loud cheers rang throughout the streets. The soldiers had gathered around the boys, lifting each up on their shoulders. “Thanks to you two, peace will return for a bit!”
“You’re welcome!” Martel said.
“When it comes to those two? Please.” Rioan said sarcastically.
“Three cheers for the heroes!”

As the boys resumed their debate over where to start, Holo piped up that their father grew up in the forest. Though it wasn’t much, it was still a lead.
“So who was that back there?” Martel never really got the answer he had hoped for.
Holo rubbed any remaining sleep from his eyes. “I do remember him, but his name...” The way the lizard kept mentioning their father...it made Holo uneasy. He tried searching through his memory to find it, but turned up nothing. “Sorry, I’ll try again later.”
Rioan noticed a lot more trees dotted the prairie, and he assumed they were getting closer. “So there’s supposed to be a village in the forest?”
“Yes, the Kokiri village.” Holo said. “The inhabitants, the Kokiri, are a race that never seems to grow up. They remain kids their entire lives.”
“Sounds like the life for me!”
“That may be, but they aren’t accustomed to seeing outsiders, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
They made a sharp left turn, which led into a hollow log. The boys figured it was the entrance to the forest, so they marched on.
“There they are!” shouted a kid’s voice on the other side. Martel and Rioan looked from the broken bridge to a small group of children, most wielding slingshots. One who did not, a boy with reddish hair, shouted “Fire!” and the other children let loose, firing Deku Seeds at the twins.
Martel and Rioan guarded with their shields as another wave of pellets came at them. “Is this the standard greeting?” Martel asked.
“No. They seem different, influenced almost.” Holo said, and he flew over to the Kokiri. They seemed to calm down now that there was a fairy in sight. “What’s going on here?”
“Oh, I’ll tell you what’s going on!” The redhead shouted. He pointed an accusing finger at the two across the bridge. “These two practically destroyed our village! They broke the bridge, robbed our houses, and set the Deku Tree on fire!”
Martel and Rioan looked at each other. “Shadows.” Rioan simply said. Martel nodded.
“Look,” Martel began, standing up. “Whoever did this was trying to frame us. They disguised themselves as us in order to fool you.”
“Enough!” The Kokiri boy shouted, and pointed a finger at them, in which the others let loose another round of seeds.
“Come on, we just got here!” Rioan shouted back. “What is this Deku Tree?” The Kokiri then seemed confused. Did they really not know?
“I said enough!” a third round was shot, and the boys leapt down into the pit. “Fado, Tain, follow them! Everybody else, come with me!”
Great, they won’t listen... Martel thought. “Any ideas?”
“Just run!” Rioan called, hustling up an oddly placed ladder and reaching down to heave his brother up the rest of the way. One of the kids grabbed onto Martel’s foot, and he tried to shake them free, only to lose his boot, a small price to pay for their escape. They weaved in and out of trees, coming to a new opening each time, with only a limited number of options to proceed forward. They haphazardly picked a direction, only to find another opening similar to the last.
“Well, I think we lost the Kokiri.” Martel huffed.
“I think we lost ourselves.” Rioan’s tone was slightly snarky, though moreover concerned.
Martel looked up. It seemed true, each time they picked a path, they wound up in a new one. Or worse... “What is this place?”
“This is the Lost Woods.” Holo flew overhead, almost forgotten. “Wander too long, and you’ll turn into Stalfos. Or so I’ve heard.”
“Aw man, I don’t wanna become a monster!” Rioan started tugging on strands of his hair, gritting his teeth. “There’s gotta be a way out of here!” He grabbed Martel by the collar, “You’re the brainiac, think of something!”
“Fine, just let go.” Martel looked around, scratching his chin. His ears then perked up. “That way!” He pointed to the path on the left. Without hesitation, they went through, only to find the same clearing. He turned his head to the right, and trotted over to the path leading to the next part.
“How do you know where to go?” Rioan asked when he caught up.
“Listen.” Martel was silent, looking around. “Hear that?”
Rioan did his best to perk up his ears. He heard nothing. Then, softly, he heard something. A voice? “What is that?”
“There!” Martel twisted to the right, and went through the path. With each area, he kept picking a different path.
Rioan kept following, as his brother went ahead. Slowly, the voice he heard faintly before turned out to be someone singing. But who?
Out of the mess of woods, they came to a different area, this one larger than before. There were only two points of entry, something the boys liked a lot. They headed through a large, hollow log, and wound up in the place they were trying to reach earlier-Kokiri Village sprawled out before them, many large tree stumps which served as houses, along with a lake, and lots of lush plants.
“So, you made it.” The redhead from before congratulated.
“What was the point of that anyway?” Rioan asked.
“I just wanted to see if you could get out. Is that so much to ask?”
“Then, what about the others?” Martel looked behind him. He then heard singing-the same kind as from before! He whipped around to see the Kokiri girl that was ordered to chase them.
“Y’see, we know our way around the forest.” The redhead shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I figured we’d help you along to get out.” Martel and Rioan gave curious glances at the boy. “So, you say you didn’t come here earlier and destroy our way of life?” he leaned in close, a cheesy grin on his face. “Prove it.”
Martel quickly removed his left glove, revealing the dull triangle on the back of his hand. The Kokiri children gasped. Rioan went to remove his left glove, but remembered which hand had the mark. “Whoops, wrong hand.” He silently said, removing his right glove.
“Just like he had...” the Kokiri boy said, exasperated. “Only...”
“Different, we know.” Martel finished. “That’s because we’re twins.”
The boy’s jaw seemed to drop. “So, are you...friends of his?” Martel and Rioan each raised an eyebrow.
Holo flew close to Martel’s ear, and whispered, “Link was brought here as a baby after a war broke out. He was raised as a Kokiri, and since Kokiri don’t age, the others assumed he never did either.”
I see... “Er, yeah, we’re friends of his.” Martel paused. “So, what’s your names?”
The redhead took a proud stance. “They call me Mido! I’m the boss around here.”
“Except you still wet the bed whenever you think of it.”Fado mocked.
“Shut up, that was one time!” Mido snapped. “This is Fado.” He then gestured to the rest. “And that’s Tain,” he pointed to another boy who’s hair seemed to flop in front of his face, covering his eyes. Mido then gestured to his right, “And these two are Baki and Voal.” The Kokiri girls being addressed just waved. They sure looked similar. “They’re twins as well.”
“I’m Martel, and this is Rioan.” Martel gestured to himself and his brother. “So, could you take us to this Deku Tree?”
Mido crossed his arms. “Hmmm...I don’t know...” His gaze then fell to the ground, before returning to the boys. “Just this once. I don’t want any funny business.”
“We promise.”
Mido led them through the village, and the boys took in the sights. “Sorry about your boot, we confiscated it, but didn’t know what to do with it. It should be in one of the houses around here.” They encountered a narrow passageway, as Mido gestured towards it. “He’s just up ahead. But there’s a few monsters lurking about.” His tone suddenly became a bit frightful.
“Nothing to worry about, we eat monsters for breakfast!” Rioan said boldly, charging headlong through the passage. A Deku Baba sprung up, and lunged at the boy, outstretching its neck. Rioan scoffed and simply severed the vine that attached the creature to the ground, which disappeared in a small burst of smoke and flame. “Is that it?” Rioan asked sarcastically.”Piece of Zora cake!”
Continuing down the passage, a slightly larger Deku Baba tried to attack, but met the same fate. It wasn’t until they were out in the opening where the charred Deku Tree was, that it started to heat up. The ground rumbled, and all three boys tried to stabilize themselves. Then suddenly, as quick as the rumbling came, it stopped.
“What was that?” Martel asked.
“I don’t know.” Mido said, cowardice in his voice.
A small leaf poked out of the ground, midway between where they were standing and the Deku Tree. Another leaf followed, along with two more. Then, a giant Deku Baba head sprang up attached to a rather thick vine, followed by another head.
“Something tells me this isn’t the garden variety.” Martel withdrew his sword and shield, eager to take down the behemoth plant.
The Giant Deku Baba lashed forward with one of its heads, knocking into Rioan’s shield and causing him to lose balance. The other head seemed to watch as it waited, but for what, the boys didn’t know. It lashed again, sending Rioan to the ground. It licked its lips with a rather thick, purple tongue, ready to snack on the boy.
Martel had to act fast, and sprang at the beast just as it had lashed out to grab Rioan. He dug his blade partway into the vine, only to be batted aside by the other head. Is that how you want it? Fine. “Rioan, back off!” He ordered, digging through a small bag filled with seeds they had gotten in town. He found an Ember seed and tossed t at one of the heads. “Eat this instead!”
The Giant Deku Baba clamped one of its mouths over the seed. Then, a second later, flames bellowed from both its heads as it writhed around, eventually consumed by the fire. Slowly, it turned to ash, as the flames somehow doused themselves, and the beast’s remains lay in a small, black pile.
The three boys walked up to the ashes. “Huh.” Rioan said, kicking the ashes. “Nice one bro!” he patted Martel on the back.
“Simple elemental physics. Fire beats plant.” Martel softly pounded a fist on Rioan’s shoulder. “You oughta study up on it, before going in with just your sword.”
“I knew that.”
The boys then looked at Mido as he walked past, and eventually up at the Deku Tree, which was nothing more than a charred husk, pieces of bark splinting in random areas, some scraps on the ground. “Oh Great Deku Tree...” he put a hand on a large root, softly, so as not to break anything off by accident. Martel and Rioan somehow felt responsible. Mido then turned to the boys. “There were also two others, a boy and girl, who tried to stop the ones disguised as you.”
“Really?” Martel lifted his head. “Who were they?”
“I didn’t catch names,” Mido glared away for a moment, “But I could never forget the boy’s outfit. It was odd, and he had some kind of wrapping across part of his face.”
Martel thought for a moment, scratching his head. “The only person we know that might fit is Sheik.”
“But then who was the girl?” Rioan asked, slight seriousness in his tone.
“I wish I knew, but sadly, I don’t.” Mido shrugged, walking back towards the twins. “Maybe you should ask this Sheik next time you see them.”

“Come on, you’re almost there!”
“I would be...” Rioan grunted, “if I didn’t trip on my way up here.” He finally reached the top of the staircase, panting and puffing for breath. The pathway to Kakariko wasn’t exactly easy; the steep incline made it harder to ascend, which really took a toll on the boys’ legs. They decided to rest a while before they continued their trek. As they entered past the gate, the first thing that caught their eye was something they hoped never to see loose: a cucco. Both boys tensed with fear, remembering the incident they had with a flock back on the ranch.
In order not to provoke the fowl, they pressed up against a rock face, sidling along in order not to provoke the animal. It raised its head, looking at the boys, who froze with fear, sweat dripping down their foreheads. The cucco gave a light cluck, and when it did, Martel and Rioan bolted out of there, eventually running into someone.
“Hey, watch where you’re going!” the person said. It was a voice Martel and Rioan couldn’t forget.
Martel blinked a couple times. “You!” He pointed. “The girl from the pool!”
“Hm?” she blinked, her eyes widening, and eventually a smile burst forth. “My heroes!” she lunged in for a hug, squeezing them both. Martel felt like a piece of Moblin bologna. “I was wondering when you’d get here!” she let go, and the boys gasped hard for air. Fixing her hat, she rocked back and forth on her feet, waiting for a reply.
“Uh, yeah, we were gonna come visit.” Martel felt slightly embarrassed, his eyes closed in a joyful manner. Now he understood why her business card had Kakariko on it.
“We, um, decided to take a scenic route.” Rioan coughed, also embarrassed to run into her here.
The girl laughed. She seemed too cute, which only drove the boys’ attraction to her through the roof. “Well, now that you’re here, you wanna play a game?”
“A game?” Martel asked. The boys looked at each other. “What kind of game?”
“It’s called ‘Dare’. Follow me!” The girl spun on her heel, and walked further into town. The boys followed, though slowed as the girl stopped at a dried-up well.
Rioan peeked over the edge. “Don’t tell me we’re going in there?”
“Are you sure this game of yours is safe?” Martel questioned.
“Aw come on, where’s your sense of adventure?” the girl asked, starting to get sad.
“To be honest, I lost mine at the castle.” Rioan joked. This made the girl laugh. “But if you want us to, then I suppose we could play.”
“Yay! Now, just climb over the edge so we can get started!”
Martel thought he heard something howl from deep within the well, though it could just as easily be the wind. “Are you sure we can’t do this elsewhere?”
“Come on bro, it can’t be too scary.” Rioan climbed over the edge, safely descending the ladder until he reached the bottom. He looked behind to see a large, cavernous hole shrouded in shadow. It didn’t feel right, and even he was getting second thoughts. Looking back, he saw Martel descend, along with the girl. They then headed into the shadows, not knowing what was on the other side.

The whole place felt creepy, as if it had a gruesome vibe to it. Skulls acted as torches, nestled on the walls. Drips echoed throughout the entire area, and scratching could be heard, as if something was crawling along a hard surface. The three huddled close to each other, Rioan out in front, and the girl taking the rear. Even with the torches, the place was still dark and shadowy. As they trudged forward, something was crunching under their feet. All three looked down to see they were standing on a pile of bones. The sight grossed all of them out.
“Ugh, whose are these?” Rioan asked.
“I don’t know.” Martel quivered. “But let’s hope we don’t join them.”
Rioan nodded, fear in his heart. “Yeah. Same here.” He looked ahead, and saw a dead end. “What? Is this all there is?”
“Oh, good, show’s over.” Martel said, turning away.
The girl grabbed his collar, “Oh, no you don’t!” She walked forward, scared out of her mind. Slowly, she reached out to touch the wall...
...when her hand passed right through! The boys were wide-eyed with disbelief.
“How-?” Rioan stuttered. “How did you do that?”
The girl glanced at them, “I’ve been in here once before, with a friend.” She looked down. “He didn’t make it.”
Martel gulped. “W-well, all the m-more reason to b-b-bail.” He quivered in his boots.
“You’re staying, and that’s that.” The girl commanded. “Besides, I don’t want just your brother to take care of me.”
Martel suddenly was filled with an unknown feeling, and bravely stood his ground. “Ha! You can count on me to vanquish anything that tries to get in our way!”
Rioan leaned back, and whispered, “I think she used reverse psychology on you.” Martel was stunned, before elbowing his brother.
“Great!” The girl then disappeared through the mysterious wall. Rioan hesitated before following.
Martel stayed behind a moment. “Holo, wake up!” He removed his cap to let the fairy free. He seemed to like hiding in there. “We’re under the well, and who knows what we’ll face.
“How’d you get here?”
“I’d rather not say.” Martel’s eyes were shifty.
Holo sighed. “Whatever.”
Martel sucked in a deep breath before walking through the wall. However, fright entered his heart as he saw a giant, flaming skull come his way, before veering off to the right. Rioan quickly shot it with an arrow, as he had kept the bow he used on their second battle with their shadows, and the skull monster seemed to die, engulfed in a small display of smoke and flame.
“What was that?” Martel seemed to get more scared by the minute.
“That was a Bubble,” Holo replied, flying past his head. “They’re monsters made of reanimated skulls, surrounded by an ethereal flame. They’re capable of flight via wings attached to the sides of the skull.”
“Let’s h-hope that’s all w-we’ll encounter.”
Holo gave a small smirk. “I’d like to say that.”
“Come on bro, show some spine!” Rioan looked around. “Actually, this place isn’t that bad.”
“Say that to my friend.” The girl commented. “Come on. And watch where you step.” The boys wondered what she meant, though decided to tiptoe as they went along. They ventured down the west side first, making a right turn. A howl echoed in the distance, which didn’t sound like a normal howl. The trio stopped in their tracks, and when the howl died, they continued on.
“So do you know where you’re going?” Martel asked the girl.
“Of course.” The girl said in an assuring tone. I wish I knew...
“Somehow I doubt tha-help!” Martel screamed as he was lifted up by something. Whipping around, the girl screamed at the sight of whatever had a hold of Martel. It looked like some kind of hand. Rioan scoffed and quickly fired an arrow at the beast. It made an odd noise, and the three assumed it was the beast’s scream, as it dropped Martel, who landed on his butt. “Now what was that?”
“That was a Wallmaster. They appear as severed hands that drag unsuspecting victims off somewhere.” Holo seemed quite informative on all these monsters.
“Didn’t want it to get away with ya.” Rioan said in his most comforting tone. He offered a hand.
“Thanks.” Martel grabbed Rioan’s hand as he hauled his brother off the cold, damp floor.
“It’ll probably be back.” Rioan looked at the ceiling. “I didn’t kill it, I don’t think.”
Martel nodded, turning to the girl. “So are we going to find anything here, or just roam around willy-nilly?”
The girl shifted her gaze to the floor for only a brief moment. “I know where to go.” She then passed through the nearby wall, lending the impression the boys do the same.
“Whoa.” Martel breathed, as he saw two large beams of wood, both angled and intersecting a decent height from the floor. Blood stained the base of each beam, along with a portion of the floor. The girl wasn’t to be found, though. “Hello? Girl?”
“Down here!” her voice was faint, but seemed to come from below. Yet there was no hole.
“That’s weird...” Rioan felt for the ground, but his hand passed right through! “Another illusion?” Just then, a deep shadow began to form where his hand was. Seeing if his hand was responsible, he lifted it up and twisted his wrist. But the shadow continued to grow. Quickly he whipped around to see what was responsible, and immediately rolled out of the way as the Wallmaster came down again. It seemed confused for only a moment, as it walked around.
“Got it!” Martel decided to get his revenge, withdrawing his blade and leaping at the monster, slicing the thumb off. It made the same noise as before when Rioan shot it, before erupting into smoke and flame. A blue rupee was left where it died, and Martel picked it up. “Huh, extermination AND salary!” he stuffed it in his pocket before putting his sword away. He looked at the patch of blood on the floor where the illusion was, and slowly walked over to it. He felt where there was n ground, and carefully slipped himself through the hole. The fall was long, and when he hit bottom, a sharp pain flared through his legs. “Ow...” he moaned. Limping away, he heard a thump behind him, followed by his brother groaning from the pain.
“That hurt...” he whimpered. Holo safely flew down to join them.
Suddenly an ear-piercing screech seemed to deafen the crew, and they couldn’t move until it stopped.
“What the-?” Rioan began.
“ReDeads.” Holo explained. Another screech. “We better move away.” Once they got out of range, Holo continued. “ReDeads are zombies, to say the least. They were once normal people, but by dark magic, they’re reanimated corpses that feed on the living. That yell is to paralyze their victims as they close in for the kill.”
“Good to know.” Rioan said, getting his bow ready. Projectiles seemed to be the most logical, but once he let an arrow fly, it hit the creature, and didn’t even flinch. “What?!”
“Interesting.” Holo flew over to the monster before heading back. “It seems your arrows are ineffectual.”
“Gee, thanks.” Rioan said sarcastically.
“So close combat is the only option?” Martel questioned.
“That, or if you are able to damage it from afar with magic.”
The three turned to the girl. “Oh no, no way! I’m not going to kill it!”
“You’re a witch, aren’t you?” Martel pleaded. “You fly on a broom, surely you’ve got some powerful magic or something.”
“You’re the ones with the swords!” she countered. “Why don’t you kill it?”
“And risk being eaten? No way!” Martel whined.
She sighed. “Fine, just let me warm up.” She began to do a variety of odd moves and stretches, before conjuring up a fireball, which she tossed at the ReDead. It flinched, giving a moan, before sitting back down again.
“Alright! You injured it!” Rioan pumped a fist. “Keep it up!”
“I intend to.” The girl said with a mischievous smirk, launching another fireball at it. The creature moaned again, stood up, and fell over.
“Haha, nice one! Now we just-“ Rioan cut himself short, as he heard moaning. A lot of moaning. And it seemed to get louder. Martel and the girl heard it too. Within moments, they were surrounded, as more ReDeads were closing in.

Rioan practically tore off the steel door as he opened it with extreme force, and the boys rushed in, blades ringing as they whipped them out. The girl was off in the corner, restrained by at least five hands. Six more just swayed, popping out of the dirt in a circular fashion.
Rioan rushed for the girl, but a hand grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground. Martel rushed in and swiftly chopped at the arm until it let go and sunk into the ground. What came next horrified the boys. A creature with a wide stomach that tapered off to a long neck and stubby arms rose from the dirt in the middle of the circle of arms. It waded its way over to them, but they backed up. It had forced them into a corner. A muffled yell from the girl reminded them that there was something at stake.
“Alright, time to teach this creep a thing or two about how we do it!” Martel said in his best battle speech.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Rioan replied.
The boys each took a side as the creature continued towards them. When it was in range, they leapt, slicing it’s head, but it did nothing!
“What the-? How come it didn’t work?” Rioan questioned.
“Holo! Give us the scoop!” Martel yelled.
“Hm...” the fairy flew up to the beast, its head held high. “It’s called Dead Hand. When it’s head is raised like this, it’s invulnerable. Wait until it lowers its head before attacking.”
“Got it!” Rioan said. He waited for it to turn around, as the boys would attempt to play chicken again. But it disappeared below the dirt!
“The only way to draw it out is to use bait!” Holo piped. “One of you has to get near the arms.”
“Is that all?” Rioan casually walked over to his brother and shoved him towards one of the arms, which immediately picked him up.
“What are you doing?!” Martel yelled.
“You’ll thank me later!” Rioan then proceeded to slice up the arm and set him free, right as Dead Hand surfaced again, this time in the opposite corner from where the girl was held hostage. “Alright, let’s wait until his head lowers.”
The boys were quite patient, as Dead Hand slowly waddled its way over to them. When it was close enough, it lowered its head to take a bite out of them, but the boys had other plans. They hacked away, their swords clanging together the odd time. Dead Hand then turned, as if trying to escape, before burrowing again.
“That’s the key!” Holo shouted, “You’ve almost got him!”
Martel shoved Rioan into one of the arms, and he didn’t seem to mind, actually, and managed to chop his own way free. However, his landing wasn’t up to snuff. Dead Hand appeared in relatively the center of the room again, though far from the boys. It didn’t learn its lesson, obviously, and came at them again. When it lowered its head, the boys hacked away, this time, defeating the beast, and in turn, freeing the girl, as the arms limped before fading into the dirt.
The girl rushed in and hugged her heroes, kissing them on the cheek again. “I don’t know how to repay you!”
“We don’t know either.” Martel said, exasperated.

As they left, the false wall was back, allowing them to exit the area and climb back to the surface.
“Let’s not do that again.” Martel rolled over the side of the well, gasping for air.
“Agreed.” Rioan crouched, huffing slightly.
“So you have managed to defeat the monsters lurking in the well. Excellent!” a voice unfamiliar to the boys spoke. The owner was a short man with a gray, scraggly beard and bushy eyebrows. His garb was a simple green robe that seemed too big for him, along with a small cap like the boys, only resting upright. He was carrying a faded yellow crook. “It takes a lot of courage to so boldly venture into the heart of evil.”
“Who’re you?” Rioan asked. He received a thump on the head from the old man’s crook.
“They call me Loke.” The man explained. “I was once a knight of the castle, but my time in that profession has passed.”
“You’re Loke?” Martel parroted. “Queen Zelda told us we’d find you here.”
“So, Her Majesty knew of my presence, did she?” Loke chuckled. “Not surprising. The Queen has many talents, talents that no normal person has.” Loke looked the boys over. “Now that I look at you two, I am reminded of someone I met some time ago. What was his name?” Loke scratched his beard, trying to recall.
“Link?” Rioan muttered.
“Ah yes, Link! That was his name!” Loke moved closer to the boys. “So, my next question; do you have the mark?” Martel removed his left glove, and Rioan did the same, the dull triangle evident. “Curious. Very curious.”
“What?” Martel cocked his head.
“It is told that the blood of the hero is passed onto his eldest son, generation after generation, along with the mark of the Triforce. What is curious is that you both appear to share the mark.”
“That’s because we’re twins.” Rioan commented.
Loke nodded. “I see.” He tried to stand as tall as he could. “Her Majesty no doubt told you your significance, did she not?”
“Saving the world from Ganon and Aeon?” Martel stood up, brushing himself off. “Might have mentioned it.”
“Ah. Then I hereby dub you, children of the Hero of Time, the Sons of Time, and bless you with my power that you shall quell the evil in the land, defeat the forces of evil, and bring peace back to Hyrule.” Loke paused, turning around. “Three wait for you, ready to be found. One in a deep forest, one on a high mountain, and one at a lake basin. Once you have found all three, you shall be granted the power to travel to the Dark World, and you will be one step closer to victory.” Loke turned back to face the boys. “Go and do not falter. I will remain here, praying you succeed.”
“Alright, thanks Loke!” Rioan said, ready to go. “Finally, something to look for!”
Martel nodded. “I wonder what we’ll find, though.”
“Wait a minute!” the girl said. “You two are both sons of the Hero of Time?”
“You know the legend?” Martel turned around, hand on hip.
The girl nodded. “So...You’re the Sons of Time?” her eyes widened. “THAT’S IT!”
“Not so loud...” Rioan tried to calm her down. “What’s it?”
“I know how to repay you!” She ran up to the boys. “Please, take me with you! I can be a good ally! You’ve seen my magic!”
Martel and Rioan looked at each other. “Alight, you can come along.” Martel said.
“Awesome! Oh, wait...” The girl then rushed off. A few minutes later, she came whizzing back on a new broom. “I forgot to tell you my name. Silly me!” she chuckled. “I’m Evina.”
“Let’s get this show on the road already.” Rioan said, turning his back and heading for the gate.
“Don’t mind him, he’s usually like that.” Martel whispered. “In case you didn’t catch them, I’m-“
“I know, you’re Martel, and he’s Rioan.” Evina said, a cheery smile on her face. They heard a “Let’s go!” from Rioan, who was already down the stairs.