Welcome to Gaia! ::

“The entrance is under there.” Prince Tamul walked over to the waterfall, pointing at a frozen chunk of ice blocking a small opening. “It’s a channel that goes straight for Lake Hylia. I wish you the best in freeing the Lake Spirit.”
“Alright, just let me get warmed up.” Evina’s pun received no notice as she whipped out the Fire Rod, and sent a blast at the ice. Slowly, it began to melt, and the temperature of the water slowly increased as well. Tamul was beginning to sweat, so he stepped out of the water and headed for a cooler section of the domain. Once Evina was finished, she looked at the boys. “Ready to go?”
“Ready as we’ll ever be.” Martel spoke for the party. They swam out to an area above the channel before diving, and each getting sucked into the stream, being pulled along with the current.
The channel was pretty narrow, and curved here and there, but it was quite fun. The water slowly began to turn color from blue to green, and as they got closer, it became an even brighter green. It was also getting quite thick too.
Martel tried to speak, only to find the water toxic, so he quickly held his breath until they got out of the channel and into the lake. All four quickly headed for the surface. “What is this?”
“I don’t know!” Rioan snapped. “But whatever it is, it seems poisonous.”
Sheik looked around. The water seemed to slowly sap away his energy. “Perhaps the people in that house can tell us.”
The four swam to shore, each piling out and gasping for fresh air, as they headed for the building.

Inside, it looked like a storm blew over. Books, broken beakers, vials, and other odds and ends were strewn about. One person, definitely old, was facedown over a counter, a small pool of blood seen trailing from him. Another person, this one younger, floated on the pool in the back of the room. He seemed unconscious.
“What happened?” Evina’s voice seemed worried, as the boys rushed in. Martel tried to clean everything up, though didn’t know where it went, Sheik checked on the people, as Rioan took a dip, putting his Iron boots on to see if anything was at the bottom of the pool. A large barred gate seemed busted open, and whatever was inside wasn’t there now. A wooden box lay at the other end, and bringing his hammer out, he attempted to crush it. However, the pressure of the water slowed his movements, though he was still able to break it. He found a red rupee inside, and headed back for the surface.
“They’re both alive, just knocked out.” Sheik reported to the others as Rioan climbed over the side.
“What did you go looking for?” Martel asked his brother.
“I just wondered what was at the bottom of the tub.” He looked the group over. “It looked like something was captive, but it isn’t there now.” He looked at each person. “So do we know who they are?”
“Sheik shook his head. “But we assume one of them likes to read.” He glanced to the books Martel cleaned up. “There’s a lot about various histories and other lore, so they might be a historian or something.”

The four waited in the house, until the younger started to wake up. He groaned, putting a hand on his head, where a bandage was. Evina had cleaned the wound earlier. “What happened?” He looked down. “Why are my clothes wet?”
“Good to see you’re coming around.” Martel said. “I’m Martel, we found you in the pool over there.”
The male looked over to the pool in the back. “I remember...something...a snake..?” he shook his head to clear any thoughts, his brown hair swaying with the motion. “Where are my glasses?” The four had no clue where he kept them, but they did a quick search, and Sheik found them, but they were broken. The guy set them aside. “There’s a replacement pair in my study, which is in the basement.”
“Where’s that?” Rioan asked.
“There’s a door leading to a staircase.”
Rioan decided to search for the replacement set, finding a staircase behind a door near where they entered. It was a little dark, so he had to rely on his hands and ears to find his way. He spotted a lantern on the wall, and though the light was dim, it was better than before. On the walls were shelves of books, and nothing but. Fresh skin must be the historian, he thought, but then, what does gramps do?
Looking down at a table or desk, he spotted a candle, and quickly grabbed it, touching the wick to the flame of the lantern, before setting it back on the desk. With the added light, he was able to see where everything was now, though it was still too dim for everything to be clearly defined. He spotted the glasses on the desk, neatly folded in a case, and brought them back up after hanging the lantern back where he found it.
Rioan handed the young man hi glasses, who took them rather blindly. After putting the spectacles on, his world became clear once again. “Thank you for that. I suppose I owe you now.” He turned back to the old man. “Uncle, wake up.” He rustled the old geezer. “Uncle!” he became more violent now, shaking the old man. Giving a low growl, he took a bucket from a shelf, walked over to the pool, dunked it in, and came back. Standing over the man, the younger male thrust the contents of the bucket over the old man’s head, and he woke with a start.
“Aiyee, that’s cold!” he looked around, spotting the group of kids. “Did you wake me?”
“I did, you old geezer.” The younger male set the bucket back on the shelf before collecting the books.
“Frand, how many times have I told you not to do that?”
“You were out cold, Uncle, I had no other choice.”
The old man touched his face, noticing the tips of his fingers were now covered with blood. “What the...?”
“Do you know what happened here?” Martel asked.
The old man looked up, blinking a couple times. “I remember, some odd person or creature in a robe came in, and caused a ruckus.” He jolted, quickly looking back at the pool before making his way over to it. Leaning over, he noticed the bars. “NO! It’s escaped!”
“What escaped?”
“My test subject!”
Frand leaned close to the group, “Uncle’s a marine biologist, he studies the various creatures found here in Lake Hylia.” He paused. “His ‘test subject’ was a Labrynnian Razortooth, a type of shark that was imported overseas. I fear it has now made its way into the lake.”
“Speaking of the lake,” Rioan interjected, “but have you two seen it yet?”
Frand had a look of worry, looking back to his uncle, before both ran out of the laboratory. They were shocked to see the Lake was green, and an unusual green at that. “What happened?”
“Whatever it is,” Sheik said as the kids joined them, “It’s toxic and thick.”
Frand’s uncle rushed back into the lab, returning outside with a vial and a small tool to extract a sample. However, when he was about to touch the water, it suddenly grabbed the tool out of his hands, as if the water itself was eating it. “Fascinating.”
“What do you think it is?” Martel asked.
“I don’t know, but something in the water has done this, perhaps some kind of animal or organism has spread throughout the lake and become the lake itself.” He looked to Frand, “You wouldn’t have anything like this in a book of beasts, would you?”
“Sorry Uncle. I’ve read them over and over, but there was nothing like this.”
“If only I was able to extract a sample, I could find out what it is!” the old man cursed.
As he mumbled to himself, and Frand looked at the lake, Sheik headed back into the lab, and spotted an empty jar. It looked like a bottle of some sort, and was empty. Maybe this might work... he thought, walking back outside. He gently pushed his way past Martel and Rioan, who looked at the Hylian prince, unsure what he was up to. Kneeling at the water’s edge, he gave a quick swipe with the bottle, catching some and quickly corking it before it was spilt, among other scenarios that popped into his head. Frand and his uncle were speechless, as the old man never tore his gaze from the boy. “Here, you can use this sample to study.”
The old man didn’t say anything for a while, merely looking at the contents of the bottle. He eventually took it, raising it high. “Boy, you are my savior!”

The contents were placed in a small glass box, and the substance, whatever it was, seemed to be alive, trying to get out. The old man, who introduced himself as Janto, couldn’t express his gratitude enough to Sheik. Janto described the substance as a living gelatin, like a ChuChu. The boys had heard that word before, and Sheik told him he heard tales of ChuChu from distant lands.
“Exactly!” Janto said, turning from the specimen to Sheik. “Perhaps this particular species was also imported from that same land.” He turned back to the specimen, which seemed to be spread out, as if losing its shape and molecular density. “And yet, this species is different from the ones I’ve heard about. It doesn’t have the same upright position as some ChuChus have, but rather a more serpentine one. Not uncommon, as some ChuChus are known for that, but this one seems...energetic...” he trailed, scratching his stubbly chin. Almost like it’s a whole new breed.”
“You think you’ll be able to do something with the sample?” Martel asked, stepping closer.
Janto turned to the boy, “Son, I‘ve been able to create antidotes from toxic chemicals with lesser amounts to study.”
“So he says.” Frand interjected, who was off in the corner, nose buried in a book.
Janto gave his nephew a glare, “Like I was saying; I’ll be able to whip something up once I’m done studying this sample. Frand,” he lifted his head to address the young man, who’s ears perked up upon hearing his name. “Why don’t you entertain our guests until I’m done?”
Frand gave a sigh. He wasn’t exactly a socialite, but it was nice to have company other than his uncle. “Come on, I’ll show you my study.” He opened the door leading to the basement, before standing up from his seat and heading into the dark staircase. The four kids followed. “It’s a little dark down here, so watch your step.” He grabbed the lantern off its hook, but was surprised to see the candle aflame. He ignored the thought, and proceeded to his desk, sitting down in the chair, and setting the lantern on a cleared section of the desk. “So, this is my lair, as I like to call it sometimes.” Frand joked, but it wasn’t well-received. “There’re books about everything in the world on the shelves, from cultures, to monsters, to myth and legends. I have a few copies that even tell about the future, though it was hard to find those. I picked them up from a land called Labrynna, when my uncle and I spent our summer vacation there, which is where he found the Razortooth that recently escaped.” Frand’s gaze then shifted, as if he was looking into the distance, “Mind you, he had it shipped when we returned, but...” Frand then looked at them. “Sorry, I must be boring you with this drivel.”
“Hm, wha-no, not at all!” Martel snapped to focus as Rioan gave a big yawn.
“I see he disagrees.” Frand leaned to look at the boy, who looked at him back with a gaze that suggested something was going through his mind about Frand’s intrigue. “I know I can’t be of much help to you right now, but if the past is your cup of Takkuri Tea, I’m your guy.”
Sheik took the lantern as Evina ignited her fire magic, both searching the shelves. “Just how many books do you have?” Sheik turned back to look at Frand.
Frand rested an arm on the back of his chair. “Eight hundred and forty-six, precisely, all of which I’ve read countless times.”
Rioan whistled. “Do you ever leave much?”
“Not really, unless it means travelling with my uncle, if only to help him with some business matters...” Frand sighed. “So, is there something you’d like to know?”
The boys looked at each other from across the desk. “Do you know about Ganon?”
“Sure, I can spin dozens of tales about that shady character.” Frand seemed to perk up, as if he gained a sudden confidence boost. “For instance, he once had a battle right here in Hyrule against a lone hero wielding the legendary Master Sword. His journey was recorded by someone at the castle, and I managed to sneak a copy, granted it wasn’t the noblest thing to do, but it intrigued me nonetheless.”
“Are you saying...” Rioan began, pressing his index finger on the desk. “That our father battled that creep before?”
“Well, yes-wait, your-“ Frand paused, blinking. “Did you say...your...father!?” the boys nodded, and Frand seemed to faint as he fell backwards with a thud.

It was late into the night when Frand eventually woke up. The others were outside, surrounding a bonfire as they swapped stories, Janto telling one about his worst case specimen, and the boys telling him about their responsibility as heroes. Evina was along to pay them back, and Sheik, well, he just said he wanted to help, and had no real reason or excuse to be tagging along. Frand sat next to Sheik when he stepped out of the lab.
“Ah, Frand, our guests are certainly an amazing bunch!” Janto exclaimed, intrigued by their stories.
“They certainly are.” Frand seemed a little glum. He just met two legends, something he never thought would happen in his life, and it was almost as if he was brushing it off.
“Something wrong?” Janto seemed a little worried.
“Oh, uh, nothing,” Frand poked at the fire with a stick he had found, “don’t worry about it.” The boys looked at each other. Did they do something?
Janto stood up. “Well, I guess I better finish making that antidote.” He strode into the lab, as awkward silence washed over the bonfire. Sheik looked out to the lake, as Evina scratched the back of her head. Martel coughed inconspicuously, while Rioan remained silent. Frand poked at the fire some more.
Before any of them decided to break the silence, Frand stood up. “I think I’ll look at that book again.” and with that, he disappeared back inside the lab.
“He seems a little strange.” Rioan commented. His eyes caught sight of a bridge, which led out towards a couple of islands on the lake’s surface.
“Bookworms will be bookworms.” Sheik said, his eyes not straying. “Maybe he’s still overwhelmed by all the information you two gave him.” It was a plausible theory.
“Possibly.” Martel said, not noticing his brother slip away. “It’s bigger than all of us, really, but being chosen, for lack of a better word, to put an end to it...” he paused. “It’s insane on the face of it.”
“Amen.” Sheik chimed. “I mean, it would be better if adults were chosen, but kids?” he looked at Martel, “What are they thinking?”
As Martel and Sheik continued to talk, Evina hovered high overhead, wondering what Rioan was up to. The boy, however, was already across one of the bridges and almost near the next, wandering past a gravestone that seemed unmarked. He wondered who’s it was. When he made it to the larger island, with a single tree on it, he looked around. If the water wasn’t contaminated, it might be a nice view. He walked around, and spotted a small tablet or something. Kneeling on the flat half, he found an inscription; “’When water fills the lake, shoot for the morning light’...” he stood up, scratching his head. “Morning light?” looking out at the horizon, he found it was nearly sunup. “Morning...light?” Is it the sun the tablet is talking about? Taking a gamble, he readied his bow and stood there until the sun peeked over the mountain ridge.

Inside, Janto was putting the finishing touches on a special antidote as Frand came up from the basement, nose buried in a book. “Don’t you ever take your nose out of those things?”
Frand looked up, lowering his arms. “I’m trying to solve a riddle here, you wouldn’t understand.”
“Of course I wouldn’t, you’ve got so many damn books, it’s a wonder you manage to keep all of their information in your head.”
“Har har,” Frand opened the door to leave. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe I’ve got something to speculate with our guests.”
Janto shrugged, returning to the antidote. “That boy is becoming more like a book, getting harder and harder to decipher.”
Frand sat between Martel and Sheik, sharing some points he believes he understands now, and Martel adding in any other details to help Frand along. Sheik had nothing to contribute, so his gaze remained out at the lake. He noticed the sun was slowly coming up, and told Evina she could put out the bonfire now. However, Evina’s focus lay on Rioan, and the boy’s words flew right past her.
“Evina?” Sheik looked up. “Evina, you listening?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah.” She said, dousing the flames, before returning her gaze to Rioan, who still stood on the larger island.
“What are you looking at anyway?” Martel asked.
“Your brother.” The group turned their heads in the direction she was looking, to see Rioan, waiting for something.
“What’s he doing?” Frand thought aloud.
“I don’t know.” Martel stood up and tried shouting to get his attention. “Hey, Rioan, get back over here!”
Come on, just a little higher... Rioan thought, adjusting his aim as the sun came up. “Gotcha!” he let an arrow fly, which seemed to head off into nowhere. Nothing happened for a bit, until a flash of light over a small island just east of his with two pillars revealed an arrow in some kind of red, pristine glass. He contemplated swimming over to fetch it, but he didn’t know if he could leave it until they resolved the toxic water issue. The anticipation being too much, he dove in recklessly, holding his breath until he surfaced at the small island to claim his prize. Picking it up, the red crystal burst aflame and spreading to those in his quiver. “Cool, Fire Arrows!” As he went to go back, he found the water thicker than when he first dove in. Quickly making his way to the large island, he came out.
“What in Hyrule is that boy doing?” Frand stood up, to find Martel quickly rushing for the bridge. Janto walked out, wondering what was going on.
Before anyone could answer, a large head of some kind burst forth from the lake, appearing between the large island and the smaller where Rioan picked up his new arrows. As he tried to make a dash for the other side, seeing Martel coming down the first bridge, another head shot up, destroying the second bridge and pinning the boy.
Martel skid to a halt. He would be unable to rescue his idiotic brother, so he ran back to the lab.
“So...what now?” Sheik asked.
Martel looked at what Janto was holding. “That the antidote?”
“Yes.”
“Great, lay it on me!” he rolled up a sleeve, ready for the needle.
“But, I only have enough for one person!” Janto protested.
“That’s good enough!” Martel, serious about this, looked the old man dead in the eye. Janto, hesitating, poked the needle into Martel’s arm, and applied the antidote. Once he did, Martel let his sleeve down and rushed for a diving point. The only one closest to them seemed to be by the island with the gravestone, so he dove in there, kicking and stroking fiercely. The antidote must be fast-working, as he didn’t feel any of the toxic effects as opposed to when they first arrived.
One of the heads noticed Martel, and dove in to fetch the boy, giving a hiss and merging with the rest of the water. Martel was lifted out of the air, constricted by the head, as it shocked him, not letting go.
“Hey! Hands off!” Rioan shouted, shooting a Fire Arrow at the gelatinous mass. It punctured the head, leaving a burning stain, as the head screamed, dropping Martel, who splashed back in the water. The first head, however, lunged at Rioan, gaping its maw as he readied another Fire Arrow. However, he was just a tad slow, and was swallowed by the creature, its toxic effects taking hold. He tried again, his energy slowly sapping, firing the flaming projectile, which, amazingly, punctured from the inside just as good as it did on the outside. It left another burning stain on this head, and he quickly swam through the odd creature’s neck to reach the hole he created, gasping for air. However, the beast seemed to quickly heal, so he scrambled out, wanting to at least get his upper body and arms out. It congealed around his lower legs, and he looked like a bad appendage. The second head rushed in to try and grab the boy’s head, but he saw it coming and let an arrow fly, its fiery tip puncturing right through the slime beast. It wailed some more, before dropping below the surface. Its partner did the same, and the green substance it was a part of retreated into the large island Rioan was standing on, the water clean again.
Once Rioan made his way back by swimming, Martel conked him on the head, giving him a scold, as Evina gave him a hug.
“Well, I don’t know what I just witnessed...” Frand seemed exasperated, blinking a couple of times to regain his senses.
“I know we gotta tail it to that island!” Martel said.
“Wait!” Janto said, halting them before they got carried away. “Whatever that was, it’s likely to be more concentrated now that it’s in an enclosed space.” He turned to face the door. “Let me make three more antidotes.”

“I’m not weak!” Martel shouted, before opening his eyes. It was morning, closer to noon, as he sat up in the sleeping bag. Rioan popped into view.
“Chill out, you’re not weak.” He paused. “What got into you?”
Martel tried to hold his emotions back, but failed, giving Rioan a hug. “Rioan! You’re alive!” he started to cry tears of joy.
Rioan pushed Martel off of him, “Okay, rule number one, don’t ever do that without a valid reason.”
“But...you died, I killed you!”
Rioan was taken aback. “You what?”
Martel wiggled out of the sleeping bag some more. “I had an awful nightmare. There was things making unnatural noises, the water got insanely warmer, Evina was dead on the lake’s surface, and then when I came back to shore, three figures appeared, and impersonated you guys, and I couldn’t kill them, until they turned into you, and-“
“Whoa, better stop yourself, hotrod, before you combust or something.” Rioan patted his brother’s shoulder as he stood up, “We’re all fine, just so you know. Sheik’s on the roof, though I don’t know how he got up there and Evina’s in the roost, also on the roof.” Rioan seemed aloof when he spoke next. “I’ll be inside.”
“Did you have a bad dream?” Martel asked. He could tell something was up when it came to his brother.
Rioan paused. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Of course I’m going to worry about it,” Martel wrestled his way out of the sleeping bag as he followed Rioan inside, standing in the open doorway, “I’m your brother, for Din’s sake!”
“What’s going on?” Frand looked to Rioan, who had been awake longer than Martel.
“He had a nightmare.” Rioan seemed rather blunt about it.
Frand turned to Martel. “Really?”
“I’m over it now though.” Martel never took his eyes off his brother, who began to wonder why, raising an eyebrow. Martel sat by what looked like a stasis tube holding an Octorok. Rioan rolled his eyes. “Where’s Janto?”
“A colleague of his came over about doing some business in Labrynna.” Frand said, fetching Martel’s breakfast. “Come to think of it, it’s the same one who shipped the Razortooth over.”
“What about the antidotes?”
“Oh, he finished those, and set them aside. I’ll get them, don’t worry.” Frand came over with a plate that had what looked like chopped up Octorok with some weird sauce he hadn’t seen before, some bacon strips next to it, which he was glad to see, or else he would’ve hurled, and a biscuit of some kind. It didn’t look like an ordinary biscuit though, and seemed more exotic than anything. Frand handed him a fork and knife, and Martel looked at his plate with a sour face when Frand turned his back.
“Ha, he’s grossed out by it!” Rioan blurted.
Frand turned. “It’s alright, Octorok grilled with Deku Basil and a caramelized Like Like sauce is a delicacy!”
Martel looked at his plate, pointing at the dressing with his fork. “That’s Like Like!?”
“Well, yes.”
“I’ve only seen those things in the Well or at the Fire Temple!” Martel stuck his fork into a piece of Octorok with some sauce on it.
“They’re actually more abundant in the lake regions, or damp areas.” Frand said, “I’ve heard it takes some skill in extracting the juices to actually make the sauce, but I’m not one to try.”
Rioan looked at him as Martel’s face went from sour to sweet, digging into another piece of his squid-breakfast. “How’s it done?”
“I heard that, if you want to extract it, you need a knife, a vial or other container, and a lot of guts.”
“Don’t those things eat metal or something?”
“Yes, which is how they produce the juice you need. If you’re bold enough, you need to let the Like Like suck you in before you can start the process. All you need to do is, with the knife, make a small incision. However, it may take a bit to dig deep enough.” Frand was demonstrating his explanation with his hands, Martel taking a bite out of the bacon. “Once you do, get your container ready, because they’re known to violently spew you out if they don’t find anything metal. It’s not so much the process of extraction itself as it is stick the landing.”
“This is really good!” Martel noted, sopping up some of the sauce with the few pieces of Octorok he had left.
“Glad you like it for its taste, not its looks!”
He went to try the biscuit next, and found it a little rough at first, though it tasted like any other biscuit. He just didn’t know why it was so different, other than the obvious appearance. As he took a second bite, something squirted in his eye. “What the, did it just spit at me?”
“Oh, that’s a Tokay Biscuit. They have a nice, flavorful cream inside that tastes sort of like lemon, but smells like seawater mixed with barbeque grill.” Frand continued, “We found them in Labrynna, and the owner said they were imported from Tokay Island to the south. We visit it whenever we go to Labrynna, and Uncle’s been trying to figure out how they can live on a lonely little island.”
“So that’s why I suddenly see mom on the grill...” Martel told himself.
“All I can smell is the seawater.” Rioan said, sitting up. “I’ll go check on the scouts.”

Sheik stood on the roof, overlooking the lake. He heard a door open, but never bothered to see who it was. He didn’t, judging by the voice as it flowed up to him.
“So, anything new?”
“The creature hasn’t come out of the Water Temple yet Rioan,” Sheik replied, “I think it may be building a nest or something in it.”
“Not to mention the possibility of messing everything up inside...” Rioan groaned. “You don’t suppose it’s after the Lake Spirit?”
“Might be. We can’t say for sure though.”
Martel and Frand joined Rioan, Frand with the three other antidotes. Sheik jumped down, landing in front of them, as Evina came down on her broom after Martel called for her. Frand asked them to slip their sleeves up, and Evina was back in her Zora Tunic. Frand then poked the needles of the syringes into their arms, injecting every last drop.
“Alright, you guys are set if that thing is polluting the Water Temple. One can only hope it hasn’t done too much.”
“All the more reason to crash its party.” Rioan smirked. “Come on team!” he waved an arm before running off into the water. They put their Iron Boots on once their heads were under the surface, and Evina’s hair was swimming around her in the waves. It seemed to billow whenever she moved, and flowed behind her like the boys’ caps. Sheik’s bandages were slowly unraveling, but he didn’t bother trying to fix them, and removed some kind of feather stuffed in his eye patch, attaching it to his tunic like a badge.
“What’s that?” Martel pointed at the feather.
“It’s called Roc’s Feather, it allows me to jump higher.” Sheik explained.
“Is that how you got on the roof?” Rioan wondered as they continued their course.
“For the most part.”
The four found a small drop-off, with a couple broken pillars near a large doorway. It looked like someone had opened the gate, as Martel pointed out the row of “teeth” along the bottom. The group grew wary as they pressed on, leaping into the small basin and trudging through the water’s density to the Water Temple.

“Let’s see where this leads...” Martel opened a door located on the west side of the room. He kept it open for his brother, who grabbed it and once through, held it open for the rest of their group.
The room looked relatively similar to the one they had come from, except the water was normal, there didn’t appear to be a repugnant fish lurking about, and the central structure was intact. The four jumped into the water and swam over to it, unaware that a Blue Tektite had spotted them and began to close in.
“Look out!” Evina shouted, and the other three turned their heads. Martel swiftly brought his blade down on its head when it paused, and the creature died. “That was close.”
“Nah, not really.” Martel said, putting his sword away. He then looked around. “Anyone else getting déjà vu?”
“Sort of.” Rioan responded. He walked along the ledge, seeing where it would go, but only found another Tektite. When he met back up with the crew, he said, “Nope, nothing along here.
Sheik, meanwhile, looked at the odd marking on the wall, and how a strange hook was attached to it. “Anyone know what this is for?” As the three looked at it, each shook their heads. “It seems to be apparent throughout this whole place.”
As they pressed on, seeing one of those strange hooks on virtually each wall, they tried looking for a way forward. However, they didn’t exactly know where they were going to begin with. And with each door they came across, somehow, they found themselves in the same room.
“What kind of temple is this?” Rioan called from his position.
Evina, who had taken a door on a slightly higher ledge from the water’s surface, looked back, only to see the twins, but on opposite sides of the room than the one she had entered. “I’m not sure.”
“This sort of feels like the Lost Woods all over again.” He grumbled.
“That’s it!” Martel exclaimed. “Maybe someone is playing tricks on us so we keep going in circles!”
“Okay, so now the question is, how do we get out of here?”
Sheik surfaced just then, “We seem to be cut off at every turn.” He climbed onto the central structure. “Even the tunnels lead back here.” The others joined him, and Martel sat down to think.
“The doors on the surface lead back here,” the boy mused, “the submerged doors lead back here...”
“Does someone want us to die?” Rioan was growing impatient.
“Apparently...” Sheik tilted his head back, trying to stretch out his neck muscles so they wouldn’t cramp up later.
Rioan plopped down, arms crossed, and a sour look on his face. “We’re supposed to be saving the Lake Spirit; not be saved.”
“I know, I know...” Martel dragged his hand down his face, giving a sigh.
“Why not ask the other two?” Evina suggested. “They may be able to help.”
It took a moment for the boys to understand what Evina meant. “Maybe.” Martel said.
At the sound of a plea, the two spirits emerged from who-knows-where on the boys, turning from their fairy forms to human. Melauen danced across the water, while Fima just stood next to the group. Melauen opened the closest door, only to find the same room they were currently in.
“You guys need a guide?” she asked, hopping back over to the group. “To answer your question, someone is playing a trick on you. I just don’t know who...”
Fima closed her eyes, concentrating on finding a source of magic. The west door flashed before her eyes. “Come sis.” She said, heading around to the other side of the structure. The group followed, unsure of what was going on. The two spirits looked at the door, before readying their power. Hopefully, it would call out to Lavurna, and they’d be able to break this spell.
Unleashing their strength, they shot it at the door, which reverberated in a white ripple. But suddenly, the ripple was sucked back in on itself before blasting back at the spirits, who leapt out of the way as it struck the tower they were standing on. It started to shake, as if an earthquake was happening, and the spirits flew the group to the platform by the door as the entire structure collapsed, sinking into the water and unable to support itself.
Rioan looked over the side, “Nice show. But that doesn’t really help us now.”
Melauen turned, and reached a hand out to the door. She retracted it violently, as an unknown magic zapped the tips of her fingers. Looking at the door, she softly grasped her hand. “What is that?”
“Are you able to fix it?” Martel looked up at her.
The two spirits remained silent. After a brief glance at each other, they turned to the group. “Not without Lavurna.”
Rioan felt like punching something, his anger overflowing at the temple. “Arrgh! How are we supposed to save her if we can’t even get there!?!”
Martel decided to continue as normal, opening the door, and saw something odd. Across the room, peering through a door, was someone that looked a lot like him. “Shadows!” he tore off through the room, but the copy didn’t move. Rioan followed close behind, as Evina flew through with the Spirits as fairies, Sheik bringing up the rear and diving into the water. The copy just followed their movements with its eyes, and it wasn’t until Martel reached the small platform held aloft by the water that it shut the door in his face. “Hey, open up!” he shouted, tugging and turning the knob. It seemed locked.
“Now what?” Rioan asked, treading water.
“I’m thinking.” Martel tried kicking the door, but that only caused pain in his foot. “Augh!” he yelled, grabbing his foot and falling backwards into the water, making a splash.
“Nice job, Goron.” Rioan said sarcastically. Something then caught his eye, and it disappeared into one of the tunnels below the surface. “Down there!” he put on his Iron Boots and promptly followed the copy.
“If they’re the same ‘shadows’ from the Ice Cavern...” Evina continued, gaining the two boys’ attention, “why would they be leading you somewhere?”
“Who knows?” Martel said, “But whether they are or not, they know something we don’t!”
“Doesn’t hurt to try.” Sheik said, following after Rioan.
The three met back up with Rioan in the next room, as he seemed to be waiting for them. “It went for the surface!” he pointed, removing the boots and kicking fiercely. The group followed, finding the copy on the ledge of the central structure. It quickly bounded for the northern door, hopping across the water as if it was moving across air. Aside from Evina, the group was stunned to see it move so swiftly. Melauen and Fima flew the four over there in a ball of light to continue the chase.
After thrusting the door open, Rioan charged in headlong, only to skid, frantically pushing his feet against the small ledge several times. “I really oughta pay more attention to where I’m going.”
“Was that an epiphany I heard?” Martel asked as he strolled through.
“Shut up.”
“See where it went?”
The boys looked around. This structure was broken, but the copy wasn’t anywhere on the floor they were on. Looking down to the water, they didn’t see anything either. Rioan was about to jump in, but Martel stopped him, tugging on his collar. He then pointed to a figure as it seemed to move through the rubble, disappearing like a ghost into it.
“Now we gotcha!” Rioan dove into the water, immediately putting on his boots, followed by the other three. They took two steps toward the large pile of rubble, but stopped when a violent rumble shook the room. An odd sound came next, and Evina pointed up, noticing the water level was dropping. That’s when they figured the sound was the water being drained. But where was it going? As soon as the water came past their heads, they figured they didn’t need the boots.
Another copy came from the tunnel to the right, a small instrument in hand. Rioan immediately rushed for it, but it bounded over him, landing on the opposite side. Giving a brief glance over its shoulder, it vaulted up to the top floor, quickly passing through the door.
Another rumble came, but seemed different than the last. The group noticed that the rubble in the center began to shift, debris rolling down the sides until it hit some pieces that stopped it. For a second, it stopped, but soon was blasted away, and a loud yell rang through the room as a fierce-looking armored soldier stood in the middle, crude sword in hand.
“Um, Holo...” Martel quivered, “What’s that?”
Holo peeked out of Martel’s cap. His eyes widened. “That...is a Darknut.”

“So...where exactly are we?” Rioan looked around. It seemed he spoke for the whole group, as the others looked in awe. The room was almost bare, some sort of strange place that could be described as almost heavenly. They actually saw sky, though it wasn’t quite the same as the sky they were used to. Wherever they were, in the temple or not, it stretched on endlessly, a giant, very shallow lake with a strange air about it, and a single, small island in the center with a lonely little tree that appeared dead.
Evina looked behind herself to see the door on a small plot of land before it touched the water. Yet there was no walls attached to the door, only a very elaborate frame. She went to move behind the door, only to be blocked by something. It felt like a wall, but there was none, just the pool that stretched on for miles.
Martel took a couple steps out into the water, cutting distance between himself and the island as he surveyed the room, if it could be called that. “Is there even anything here?”
In answer to his question, a voice that sounded almost like his own spoke up. “Indeed there is.”
This caught all of their attention, and Rioan instinctively whipped out his sword. “Shadow!” he yelled.
“Hm?” The person said, moving from behind the tree to a more open view. Though looking around, everything was open. “I don’t know any ‘shadows’ you speak of...”
“Shut up, stop trying to deny it!”
“Wait!” Martel tried to subdue any anger his brother was building before he turned to the identical stranger. “One question; who are you?”
“Who am I” they spoke. “More like, ‘what am I?’” this set the boys on edge, and even Sheik was debating whether to trust this person. “If you seek to find out who I am, you’re wasting your time. Besides,” he spoke, giving a light grin, “aren’t you already searching for me?” The group didn’t know how to answer that. “No? Perhaps I was too subtle.” He turned, walking back over to the tree. “You’ll find out in due time.”
“Give it to us direct, you phony!” Rioan barked.
The stranger looked at the boy before addressing the four of them. “It is approaching. You’ve seen this before. Waste no time.”
“Why are you trying to help us?”Martel asked.
The person turned to the boy and gave a small laugh. “If you know who or what I am, you’ll surely figure out my purpose.” A roar was heard far off. “Hurry. For all of us.” the being then jumped skyward, disappearing into the air. Another roar came.
“We better follow what he said!” Evina called. The boys, in agreement, rushed for the door at the other end of the room. However, they were stopped as a Darknut dropped from the sky, landing right in front of them, its armor black this time. Another came, dressed in red armor, landing in front of the door they came through, before the doors themselves shut with iron bars. The group backed up onto the small island as the Darknuts closed in.
“Not again.” Rioan seethed.
“Any ideas?” Sheik whipped out his Twin Claw as he glanced between the twins.
“Pair up.” Martel said. “I’ll take Evina. You and Rioan can go after the black one.”
“Wait, don’t I get a say?” Rioan yelled, but everybody was already enacting the plan. Grumbling, the boy sauntered over to the Darknut as Sheik continually assaulted it.
Martel and Evina worked in tandem, Martel dodging the attacks to rip off the armor as Evina blasted her fire magic at the exposed areas. The Darknut swung, always missing Martel because the boy was quick and nimble. He went to attack by leaping at it, but the Darknut jumped back, retaliating with a jump attack of its own. Evina quickly blasted it before the monster’s sword hit Martel, though he was quite fine hiding behind his shield. The Darknut was hardly phased by her fire attacks, continuing to charge its way through to exterminate the pests.
“I don’t think fire is very effective against him.” Martel yelled over the chaos.
“Uh...yeah.” Evina doubted her earth magic would work either, remembering how the first they faced blasted out of the pile of debris in the main room like it was nothing. Still, she could always try pounding it.
Sheik and Rioan, meanwhile, had their own share of problems. This Darknut was particularly stubborn, often raising its shield and counterattacking whenever either tried to bash its front. Rioan went to try to knock off its armor, but it was insanely speedy! It always seemed to focus on one boy at a time, continually changing between them so they wouldn’t go unchecked.
“Should we try splitting up?” Sheik asked, getting weary.
Rioan thought for a moment. This foe just wasn’t cooperating today. “You’re faster, try to run behind while I whale on it.”
“Got it!” Sheik exclaimed. He waited for his chance as Rioan kept attacking the front of the monster and dodging sword swipes. He found it on the next attack as it spun around. He slid under the blade, careful not to get up until it stopped, and popped up at its backside. “Alright, time to strip this off you.” He said quietly to himself, slashing at the cape repeatedly until he found the red strings. It was a hassle, however, as the Darknut kept moving, forcing the boy to keep up and keep caution. Son enough, he cut the strings, and the whole piece of armor fell off, leaving only the helmet. The Darknut, noticing it had lost its armor, quickly made another spin attack before facing Sheik. It then raised its sword, and some odd energy wrapped around it. Sheik waited until the last moment to dodge, leaping onto the nearby wall by the door and kicking off as the Darknut stabbed forward, the energy turning the blade into some sort of drill. Where did it pick that up? The boy thought.
“Gonna try something new here!” Rioan called, whipping out his hammer. He then leapt into the air and brought the weapon down on the Darknut’s head, splitting the helmet in half and temporarily confusing the beast.
Both boys were struck with awe as Sheik rushed in to slash it while its defense was down. “See if that works on his shield!”
“Right!” Rioan readied his hammer again, waiting for his chance to jump in. The Darknut didn’t seem to want to face him, focusing solely on Sheik now, so he got fed up, and shouted, “Pay attention to me!” before whacking it in the side, which sent it across the room, and caused the foe to drop its sword. “Whoa...” he looked from the Darknut as it got up from the attack to the hammer, and smiled. “Alright, again!” Once more, as Sheik held off the beast, Rioan attacked. Leaping at it with hammer raised over his head, he gave a sound “Hyaa!” before striking its chest, pushing it into the ground, and sending its signature shockwaves throughout the room, before the foe disappeared in a brilliant display of flame and smoke. He looked to the one Martel and Evina were struggling with, and dashed over, Sheik on his tail.
“What was that?” Martel asked, dodging a swipe. He didn’t get an oral answer, but simply saw his brother leap at the beast, ready to pound it flat into the ground, but as he noticed the Darknut get ready to swipe, quickly feinted and smacked the side of its head, launching it across the room as it dropped its sword. Martel and Evina were stunned.
“What in Din’s name was that?” the young witch turned to Rioan.
“A finishing blow.” Sheik answered as Rioan went to assault it again, leaping at it and pounding its head in, dazing the beast. He followed up with a second smack to the side and a quick jump attack, halfway through the air as the Darknut landed. When it went to get up, it met Rioan’s hammer, and then the ground, causing more shockwaves and killing the beast. Rioan rested the hammer on his shoulder as he watched it burn away before walking back to the group.
“I think I’ll use this on any other Darknuts we come across.” A smile remained on his lips, and Martel thought he must’ve enjoyed it.
At the defeat of the two Darknuts, the room seemed to fade away. Or was it? The group looked at the walls, and saw that it was just some kind of illusion! Even the island with the tree was gone, but the water was all that stayed.
“Well, that’s new.” Sheik remarked.
“But the sand...” Evina started, “It felt so real...”
Once it all faded away and the room was normal, did a chest appear. Swirls of light in the center of the room rose from the floor as the large object took shape. The group made their way over to it.
“Mine!” Rioan called, as he tried to open it, but for some reason, it wouldn’t budge. Was it locked? The other two boys tried as well, and got the same result. Evina was up to bat, and she was able to open it, a flash of light blinding them all. Shoving the lid back and reaching in, she found some kind of cane, red in color. She saw some writing etched on one of its sides. “Somaria...” she read. “This is Somaria’s cane?”
“Who’s Somaria?” Rioan asked, scratching his head. The others shrugged. “More importantly, what does it do?”
Evina found out as she gave it a wave, and a small red block appeared. “Oh, cool, it can create blocks!” she gave it another wave in a different direction, and another block appeared of the same size, while the first vanished in a puff of red smoke.
“Looks like only one can be out at a time.” Sheik theorized.
Suddenly the roar came again, and a pound at the door, as the iron bars relinquished themselves. The four kids were suddenly reminded that something was after them, something large, and they all seemed to figure they knew just what it was.
“Quick! We need to get out of here!” Martel ordered as he headed for the other end. The others didn’t seem to move, and as he looked back, he stopped. “What?”
Evina gave another wave of the cane, and this time held it out. A block appeared, seeming to grow in size. “Maybe we can buy some time.”
Martel was about to regret his decision, but he reluctantly jogged over to the group. Well, let’s shove it over and be done with this!”
It didn’t take much effort, as the block seemed pretty light, and all four were shoving it against the wall. Once they heard a thud, they stopped, the block now doing its duty. They wasted no time in escape, heading out the other door and into a smaller room. Some more thuds could be heard, and it seemed whatever was after them wouldn’t give up. A short while later, they stopped.
“Did it leave?” Evina wondered, turning to the door.
“Who cares, let’s find a way out of here!”
“What’s gotten into you?” Rioan looked at his brother, before noticing Sheik drop down into a hole across the room. “Seriously, it’s like something got down your pants and bit your butt.” He then too jumped in the hole. Evina followed, sailing through the air on her broom, as Martel contemplated his brother’s words for a moment as he too, dropped down.
Meanwhile, in the previous room, something green and sticky started to wrap around the block, before crushing it.

It was quite a trek back to the main room, but they finally managed to reach it. The boys honestly didn’t know what they would’ve done if the Cane of Somaria was absent.
“Well, looks like we gotta go to the third floor now.” Sheik noted, quickly checking the map.
“Going up!” Evina started forming a block platform as the boys quickly climbed on top before Evina joined them. They floated up to the surface quite fast, considering all four had their Iron Boots on. Evina even made it the right size for them to climb onto the high ledge on the northern wall.
Rioan dug the key out, ready to use it since all that stood between them and the last room was a small corridor and a steep ridge. Three blade traps ricocheted against the walls at different times, so they’d have to watch their footing.
“Maybe if we pushed a block up, they’d bounce off it?” Martel suggested.
“Then what happens when we pass them?” Sheik objected. “We’d still get hit.”
“Why not just try walking?” Evina asked as she soared over all three.
“Show off...” Rioan crossed his arms, turning his attention from the young witch to the current problem. Deciding to go first, he dashed up the slope, nearly coming into contact with one as it came his way. Sheik was next, easily running up the slope and jumping over the last one, courtesy of his Pegasus Boots and Roc’s Feather respectively. Martel stuck to the right wall, beginning his ascent when he saw his chance. One almost nipped him as it ricocheted in front of the boy, but he pressed on.
“Are we all ready?” Sheik asked. The familiar roar came again as soon as he said that, though it didn’t sound like it was from behind the door.
Martel nodded. “Absolutely.” He dug into his satchel, withdrawing a single bomb. “Since its weakness seems to be fire, I’m going with this.”
Rioan readied his bow. “I’ve got plenty of arrows and a chockfull of magic.” He grinned. “It’s time for round two, and this time, we’ll kill it!”
Evina readied her magic, fists flaring as she dismounted from her broom, which stuffed itself in her satchel. “Let’s do this!”
Motivations up, Rioan unlocked the door, and it slowly rose before speedily moving into the ceiling. The four shouted random words, their eagerness showing. The door slammed shut behind them, and seemed to lock itself.
Holo flew out from under Martel’s cap. “You guys seem to be in high spirits.” He turned to the water. “It seems normal, but there’s something about it that...bugs me.”
Suddenly, a green drop of something came down in front of the fairy, who snapped to attention and hurriedly flew back to the group. The four readied their weapons of choice as more drops fell from other points of the room, quickly filling up a portion of the pool. Soon afterwards the pipe in the center of the ceiling began dripping a steady stream of water and the gelatinous monster took form once more, giving a roar in their direction before diving under its own substance.
“Everyone take a platform!” Martel ordered as he rushed for one himself. The others followed, readying for it to resurface. “Know the name of it yet, Holo?”
“Aside from what Janto mentioned, not really.” The fairy replied. “It does seem to take a lizard-like form, though..."
"We don’t care about that!” Rioan said as a head shot up near him and he shot a Fire Arrow in its mouth. “Is its weakness only fire?”
“That seems to be your ticket.” Holo replied. “Just make sure you don’t run out of magic.” With that, the fairy disappeared back into Martel’s cap.
“Something we didn’t already know.” Sheik dodged a head by dashing off the platform before quickly pivoting on a heel and rushing the beast, slicing at the neck. His attacks didn’t really seem to have an effect, but he fought nevertheless.
Martel hucked a batch of bombs at a head that came after him, which did enormous damage, sending bits of the gooey snake everywhere. The head writhed from the explosions, patches of it burnt and scarred, making it unable to heal itself.
Evina launched streams of fire at various heads, sometimes missing her target while other times ripping holes in the foe’s gelatin neck. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”
“These things seem to keep spawning despite our efforts!” Sheik noted. “We’re getting nowhere!”
This bothered everyone, but Martel was bothered the most. He was thinking of a strategy they could use against the main body. “Evina, what’s your most powerful fire-based attack?”
Evina had to think for a second. She was savvy with fire magic, but not an expert. “Um, I’m not sure.” The image of the Great Fairy granting her Din’s Fire flashed past her eyes at that moment. “Wait, I think I do!” Not really explaining her idea to the boys, who kept the heads at bay, she blasted a stream of fire in the middle of the pool directly in the center of all four platforms. She then dove into it as it started healing, though slowly.”I hope this works...” she said to herself as she closed her eyes. A flash of fire enveloped her for a brief second before her eyes flew open, now burning red as she made many graceful movements, working her magic to use magic. A small orb of fire surrounded her, swirling as its flames warmed up and struck the slime. With another motion, she thrust her arms in the air. “Din’s...FIRE!” the witch yelled and the orb of flame grew immensely as it spread out, carving up the monster in its wake before it died.
“Um, what was that?” Rioan asked. It seemed all three boys were speechless at what they witnessed.
The heads screamed in pain during the entire show, the mass now missing a large chunk where Evina had seared it. Her eyes returned to normal once she was done and stood in the pit of burnt goo. A head launched at her, attempting to eat her, and she simply let it, its jaws snapping-and merging-together, as if to prevent its meal from escaping. But Evina wasn’t scared. She simply warmed up her body, reversing her fire magic, and the head started to swing around wildly.
“Everyone! Launch all you’ve got at it!” Martel said, handing Sheik a bunch of bombs as Rioan shot some Fire Arrows at it, not wanting to hit Evina.
As the boys went full out, Evina simply remained calm inside the head as she readied her fire magic for another stream. She shot out the back of the neck, hitting a wall before firing a second blast, coming out the face of the beast as more bombs and fire arrows assaulted its exterior. There didn’t seem to be any duplicate heads around, and the boys were quite thankful.
“Seems it can only produce copies if the core head is left untouched.” Sheik deduced.
“And it has connections to the rest of the slime.” Martel added, tossing another bomb at it. “Yeah, have a face full of powder!” he shouted rather maliciously at the beast.
Evina continued launching streams of fire, slowly tearing the beast apart from the inside, when the head swung around and she accidentally shot a stream that nipped Rioan in the butt.
“YEEOOW!!” he yelled, dropping his bow as he ran around the room trying to put it out.
Martel and Sheik just watched the boy scurry over the goop and platforms. “Man down.” Sheik said, humor in his words. Martel laughed a little.
“Not funny!” Rioan slapped his rear to try and put the fire out, dragging it across the platforms to see if that would help.
“Actually it is.” Martel tossed another bomb at the foe. He heard Rioan grumble something as he came back, fire put out completely. However, the bottom of his tunic was absent, seemingly burnt off in the chaos.



“What?!?” Lizzrobe slammed his hands down on the side of the fountain. “How?!?” He seemed to be filled with rage at that moment, but quickly subsided his anger and calmed down. “No matter. Water is the enemy of fire.” He stuck his hand in the pool, touching the ceiling-a bit of a stretch-and saw that his spell had worked, as the ceiling started dripping. “I don’t know how you got out of my maze, but you will not defeat my pet so easily.”

As the group watched the light wander over to another platform, the two Spirits, Fima and Melauen, appeared next to them. Fima stood, as usual, whereas Melauen sat cross-legged, head resting in her hand, as she playfully moved one of her legs back and forth. The light turned blue before taking the shape of a woman. Her hair was a striking blue, cropped short and with the left side standing completely straight up, the right falling over her face in sweeping bangs. She wore no ribbons like Melauen, or fancy garments like Fima, only a deep blue suit that looked like it belonged to some sailor, a matching skirt that ended just past the knees, and black, thigh-high boots. She also wore black gloves, but the length was undetermined because of the sleeves. She paid little care to the small heroes for the moment and glared at the Mountain Spirit. “Melauen!” she yelled in an authoritative and commanding voice.
Melauen was caught off guard and almost fell off the platform. She jumped to her feet, giving a big salute. “Ma’am!” but she didn’t know why she did it, looking to the group for answers.
The woman’s stern expression soon faded into a smile. “Let’s have lunch sometime.”
It took Melauen a bit to get the joke. “Sure thing.”
The woman turned to the four heroes, sizing them up. She then nodded. “Young and valiant heroes. Something our world needs right now.” She paused, crossing one leg in front of the other before giving a big bow, stretching her left arm out. “My name is Lavurna. But I’m sure my sisters may have already mentioned it.”
“They may have at one point or another.” Martel said.
“Either way, you have my thanks. And I suppose I could have yours as well.” The four didn’t know what to say. “Still don’t get it?” Lavurna closed her eyes before a light enveloped her and she turned into the copy that had been following the group throughout the temple. The twins were shocked most of all. “Does this help?”
“Wha-?” Martel began, befuddled. “So you’re...”
“Wait,” Evina spoke, “How were you able to help us if you were trapped?”
Lavurna reverted to normal before continuing. “Thanks to my sisters, after they tried to break that mysterious spell, and I think you know the one,” Lavurna paused, “I was able to use a portion of my power to send out that copy, and in turn, eliminate the spell entirely. I didn’t expect to get such a hostile welcome.” Her gaze was directed at Rioan, who realized his mistake and rubbed the back of his neck out of embarrassment. “Nevertheless, it got your attention, so all’s fair.” She casually walked over to the group, crossing the gap as if the air was solid ground. She raised her hands in front of her and a blue flower appeared in her palms. She blew on it, the petals drifting down over the four kids along with a blue dust. “My power is to increase one’s knowledge, wit, and cunning instincts in order to overcome obstacles.” She paused. “And now that all three of us have been freed, we finally have the power to help you even further.”
“Oh, that’s right!” Melauen piped up. “I almost forgot!” she ignored the glare from Lavurna.
Fima nodded. “I hadn’t.” She looked Lavurna in the eyes, a warm smile on her face. “It’s good to finally all be free, isn’t it sis?”
“Sure is.” She looked to Melauen and back to Fima. “Ready when you are.”
“You’re always ready.” Melauen chimed. “Learn to slow down once in a while.”
“If I slowed down, I’d become like you, and that’s the last thing I want to do!” Lavurna seemed to snap on the spot, blowing her stack as she chewed the Mountain Spirit’s ear off.
“Sisters, easy! No need to bicker.” With Melauen being carefree and easygoing, and Lavurna being uptight and stubborn, Fima was seen as the control, mediating any dissent between the three. “Now, let us begin.”
“Very well.” Was the last thing Lavurna said. Melauen was too scared from her sister to reply, but followed through anyway. The three seemed to emanate an aura of their respective colors as they danced around the room in their own styles. Before long, they turned into fairies, swirling faster and faster until a blue orb formed, slowly making its way down to the group.
“That is a Moon Pearl!” Melauen cheerfully began.
“When struck by the light of the moon, it will open a gate.” Fima added.
“That gate is connected to the Dark World.” Lavurna paused. “I sense there is much to do there. And something else...”
“What ‘something else’?” Sheik asked.
“I’m afraid that knowledge will upset you. It’s better if you found out for yourself.” The Lake Spirit moved close to the boy. “The Great Fairies will give you more help with that.”
“Alright, all three of us are freed!” Melauen piped. “Let’s get out of here.”
“One moment.” Lavurna cut in, concentrating hard. “There.”
“What was that?” Rioan asked her.
“You’ll see when you exit this temple.”
With the third and final Spirit in tow, along with a Moon Pearl as their only access to the Dark World at this point, the four decided to leave, jumping into the blue ring of light and ascending towards the ceiling.

The four came down in a column of light, landing on a strange stone platform that has the Triforce emblazoned on it, along with an odd design they never saw before. They each glanced around before sighing, thankful to be out of that temple.
A large splash caught their ears as they saw a large shark or whale jump out of the water before diving back under. Before anyone could say anything, the door to the lab burst open, and Frand was seen jogging to the water’s edge. “The Razortooth! How?”
The four came over after a quick dip, to meet up with the young historian. “So your uncle hasn’t returned yet?” Martel asked.
“Returned?” Frand looked at the boy with an odd face. “Why would he return, it’s only been a day since he left.”
“Felt longer than that in there.” Rioan added with a face of disbelief.
“So how’d it go?” Frand asked the group.
“We freed the Lake Spirit.” Martel replied, as Lavurna came out in her fairy form. “And Evina got a new magic stick.”
“It’s not a stick, it’s Somaria’s Cane!” she blurted.
“I’ve heard about that.” Frand scratched his chin for a moment. “The Cane of Somaria, a long lost item from the ancient Hylia, our ancestors, so to speak. It’s one of three, partner to both the Cane of Byrna and Cane of Pacci, thought that last one has stories of Picori surrounding it.”
“Picori?” Sheik asked. “Who are they?”
“Small people that come to Hyrule from their world once in a century. But that’s a story for another time.” Frand opened his arms towards Lake Hylia. “The only things that matter right now are that the Razortooth is back and you’ve freed the Lake Spirit!” The young man turned to the kids. “So, any ideas on where to go next?”
“Other than the Dark World, not much comes to mind.” Rioan stated, gazing out at the ocean.
“I was thinking we could talk to Loke, pay him a visit and get an idea of what we’re going to do in the Dark World.” Martel looked at his brother, though his message was meant for all.
“Sounds like you guys have your adventure planned out.” Frand said. “If you would ever like to hear some more about the history of Hyrule, or about the Picori later, just come back. You’re welcome anytime!”
“Thanks Frand!” Martel said as he and the rest started to leave.

“Who’s Loke?” Sheik asked once they were back in Hyrule Field.
“He’s this old man we met in Kakariko,” Martel started as they walked along the dirt paths.
“After Evina tricked us into going down the well.” Rioan added, though his feelings for that had subsided and he meant nothing by bringing it up, only to jog their memory.
“You know very well why I had to!” Evina scolded him.
“Anyway, Loke was the one who said we needed to find the Spirits.” Martel paused. “Other than getting the Moon Pearl, I forget why...”
“I think that’s all he said...” Evina tried to remember.

“So you freed them all? Good!” Loke said through his scraggly beard. It was kind of hard to see his smile under his bushy mustache. “You’ve now got the Moon Pearl, correct?”
“Wait, you knew what it was?” Martel seemed surprised.
Loke gave a chortle. “I know many things, son. Things that boggle the mind, and shock you to your very core.”
“Okay then, gramps,” Rioan butted in, “now that we got the Moon Pearl to travel to the Dark World, what are we supposed to do there?”
Loke didn’t respond immediately, slowly turning to pace in front of the kids. “In the Dark World, know that you are stepping into enemy territory. But I’m sure I don’t need to tell you three.” His last statement was directed at the twins and Evina. “Since your last visit, many monsters have risen under the command of the Dark Mage. I think you know the one.” Loke turned to walk in the other direction. “They have spread their vile forces throughout all of Hyrule’s Shadow, and getting the next items will not be as easy as rescuing your family.” Martel and Rioan were caught off guard. He really did seem to know everything! “Six lie in the distant...One in a dark forest...one in a vast crater...one under a blanket of snow...one in a foul swamp...one in the scorching desert...and one atop a tall tower.” The old man paused. “If you wish to seek these out, you must look for the one who is waiting at the Dark Woods...” Loke waited until they leaned in to hear the rest, “The foul Blackwood Forest!”
“Alright, thanks Loke!” Martel said.
“May you strive to shine light in the darkness!” Was all Loke said before he seemed to fade away, particles of light enveloping him before he was gone completely. The four just stared in front of them, not sure what to make of the scene.
“Oookay, then...” Rioan said, looking up. “You think it would be worth our time to drop in on the rest of the town?”
“I see no harm in that.” Martel held up his empty Bomb bag and Seed Satchel. “Maybe I can refill these now that we’re out of the Water Temple.
“That reminds me!” Evina piped, “I can’t believe I forgot it before, but I could bring along some of my Gran’s Magic Powder. After all, you never know when you’ll need it, and it’s got a variety of uses.” She shrugged her arm, the other gripping her broom.
“Sounds good.” Sheik added. “We stock up on all we can before we head off to the Dark World, so we don’t run into anything and kick ourselves later.”
It was then settled, and Evina zipped on ahead, coming back a while later with a new bag, to which she showed the boys, tons of glowing dust inside. Martel asked her about the package from earlier.
“Oh, my Gran seemed to know I dropped it off just fine.”
“What was it?”
“Frog’s Eyes.”
“Hey, weren’t those stolen from you when we found you in the pool?” Rioan jogged their memory.
“Yeah. Gran provided a replacement.” Her cheery demeanor faded slightly. “It’s kinda scary how she knows all about what I’m doing, even when I’m not there.”

The boys had seen some creepy stuff in the forest, but this topped them all. Strange voices shouting “Get out!”, “Turn back!”, or even some so boldly to state “You will be lost here...forever.” plagued the forest, and the four all assumed they were coming from the trees. There was the odd crow or owl along the way, which added to the creepiness. Since there was little light from the regular sky, the seemingly decaying canopies only made it that much harder to see where they were going. More than once the kids stumbled over a rock, root, or something else they didn’t want to know what it was. Evina tried lighting some fire magic, but kept taking whacks to the abdomen from tree branches. Apparently the forest seemed to want to keep them in darkness.
“Do we even know where we’re going?” Rioan asked. “I think we’ve just been wandering in circles.”
Martel looked up for a moment. “Hey forest! Are we going the right way?”
Rioan yanked him close, “Are you insane?” he whispered.
“Turn back, or your lives are forfeit!” the trees hushed.
“Apparently we’re not going to get a straight answer from them.” Sheik mumbled.
“You will become lost...”
“Doomed to wander our forest...”
“Eventually you will fall victim...”
“And become just like them...”
The trees seemed more cryptic, but their ominous message got through. The four proceeded a little more cautiously this time.
“What do you suppose it meant by ‘them’?” Evina was trembling, but so were the boys.
“I’m not sure.” Martel said. “In the Light World, Holo said that if you wander too long, you become a Stalfos.”
“Please don’t remind me.” Rioan groaned.
Evina gulped down some bile. “Well, that’s scary.”
“Scarier than the well?”
“Shut up!”
The four proceeded on, coming across a small pool, but there didn’t seem to be anything significant about it. Martel suggested they use this as some kind of indicator to let them know if they’re going in circles. No one argued. Continuing course, they spotted more and more differences, and it seemed the pool had become obsolete.
“Well, good to know we’re going somewhere.” Rioan looked around.
“You will become just like them...”
“Doomed to wander our forest...”
The group ignored the trees and simply pressed on. Eventually they came to a relatively open area, with small huts scattered everywhere. Laughing could be heard, but it was not directed at them, but rater, as if someone was simply having a good time. But how could anybody be cheerful in a place like this? Heading in, they noticed a few ridges scattered here and there, seldom trees in the clearing itself, but whoever was laughing, they weren’t seen.
“Hello?” Martel called. “Anybody here?”
“Go back!”
“You’re not welcome!”
“You will suffer! Just like they have!”
“We didn’t ask for your input!” Rioan shouted. Then realizing something, he sighed, putting a hand on his head. Great, I’m talking to the forest. He didn’t think there was anything wrong with that, since the trees could talk back. It was just the fact that he had never done this before.
Suddenly, dropping from the canopies was a kid that bore strong resemblance to the one they met in the Light World Lost Woods. They looked up, and that same creepy face that greeted the boys was seen on this kid. They laughed a little, a small row of jagged teeth visible. The group hoped they weren’t hostile in any way. “Hello.” The kid said between giggles. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you around here.” Judging by the voice, this kid was a girl, and getting a closer look at the attire, it seemed to match; a small leafy red dress with a short-sleeved shirt of red leaves made up the majority of this kid’s clothes. The skin was replaced by a wooden frame that seemed flexible enough to imitate a normal person’s, and she wore some kind of fingerless glove, made from varying forest material. A small harp was also seen under the right arm,
The twins were a little unsure about responding, and Sheik was caught slightly off guard, so Evina stepped in to address the kid. “We come from the Light World.”
“Light World?” the kid laughed some more before doing some small hops and dancing. “People from the Light World really shouldn’t wander in our land too long.”
“Yeah, we got that implication from the trees.” Rioan blurted as he crossed his arms.
“What are your names?” the kid came in closer, moving rather gracefully. The group had been asked this question enough times, they had gotten pretty used to it by now, and only figured more people would be prying at their identities.
“Martel, nice to meet you!”
“Rioan, one and only!”
“Evina, spells are my schtick!”
“Sheik. I’d rather not dive further.”
The kid laughed a little. “Those are some weird names.” She then came in closer. “I’m Hurin.”
And she thinks our names are weird... Rioan thought to himself.
“So anyway, Hurin, where are we?” Evina asked.
“Where are you?” she laughed some more before bounding backwards, landing on a branch close to the ground. “This is the Village of the Skull Kids. It’s a special place where only lost children are able to come and play, all day long.”
“Get out!”
“You don’t belong here!”
“You’ve invaded our territory, now you will pay the price!”
Martel glanced back at the forest before turning back to Hurin. “So what’s up with the woods?”
It seemed before and after every sentence, Hurin let out a laugh. “The forest is cursed, or so people say. It speaks to all, even to a simple Skull Kid like me.” She paused, giggling. “I’m not too sure myself, but rumor has it that the curse originates somewhere in the Deep Blackwood. It is located far into the forest, and is so dark it is hard to see people next to you.” Hurin then started to pluck the strings on her harp, creating a sort of slow, sad tune. To the twins, it almost sounded like a slower, more depressing version of the one the Skull Kid from the Light World played for them to lead to the Forest Temple.
“So what’s the name of that tune?” Rioan asked.
“This is a famous song of the Blackwood Forest. If you listen hard enough, you can hear it amongst the trees.” She plucked a few more strings before continuing. “They call it the Song of Woes.”
Song of Woes? Martel thought. But it sounds so familiar. Just like the one the first kid was playing for us. He never mentioned the name, but it was really upbeat. It couldn’t be the Song of Woes for that... the boy seemed lost in thought, scratching his head. He’d correct the girl if he knew the name of the first one.
“Hey, if this is a village of Skull Kids,” Sheik started, “where are the others?”
Hurin didn’t say anything, or even laugh in reply. She just played some more on her harp before strumming the whole instrument. It seemed like a wake-up call to the others, as four others came out of everywhere at once, bounding through the village to meet the newcomers, a few sniffing them, which weirded out the four. They all looked so radically different, and not one even looked the same as their Light World counterparts, who, if Martel remembered right, seemed nearly identical. One was named Foris, and he carried a pair of drums with him, to which he played along with Hurin after introducing himself. Another, Rorra, explained she managed the only thing that came close to mimicking a shop way out here. A third, Boganar, wondered why they were here in the first place, and Evina said she’d be glad to tell their story once introductions were done. Boganar then sat next to Hurin and Foris with a flute and played along with their sad melody. Lastly, Pipps, a moreover shy girl, warned them about proceeding into the Deep Blackwood, as if she had overheard theirs and Hurin’s conversation, which no doubt all of the others did. Martel thanked her for the advice as she joined the others.
“So, how about your story?” Hurin asked, giggling a bit before setting her instrument down. The four sat with them, seeing no harm, and told them how they got to the Dark World, including the Moon Pearl. The Skull Kid girl asked them to show the others said pearl, and Martel happily obliged. The Skull Kids seemed satisfied, but Hurin didn’t, and wanted to know more. Giving each other nervous glances, they each took turns sharing bits of their adventure together, Evina and Sheik starting from the time they first crossed paths with Martel and Rioan. Hurin smiled when they were done, satisfied with their information. “You don’t seem like bad people.” She said, picking up her harp again and resuming playing the Song of Woes. “Since you sound like you’re good at defeating monsters, perhaps we can help you get to the root of the curse in our woods.”
“That sounds good.” Martel quickly replied. He wanted to smile, but just listening to that sad song prevented him from doing so. It somehow kept clashing with his emotions.
“Great.” Hurin then leapt over to the four, continuing to play even as she did so. “But just so I know you’re not lying, how about a test?”
“What kind of test?” Rioan asked, getting suspicious.
“Nothing special. Just a game of hide and seek is all.” She paused, giggling a bit. “My friends and I will hide all over the Blackwood Forest. If you can find us all, I’ll deem you trustworthy.”
“Is there any time limit or rules?” Sheik wondered, illustrating with his hands.
“Nope. Good luck!” suddenly all five of them took off into the trees, disappearing from sight. Hurin’s laughing was heard echoing on the wind.
“Should we trust them?” Rioan wondered. “They don’t seem to like us very much.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Martel started, “if they say they can lead us to this source of the curse, whatever it is, then there’s probably a chance we’ll find one of the things Loke mentioned.”
“Don’t forget the ‘one who is waiting’.” Evina reminded them all.
“So, should we stick together, or split up?” Sheik asked Martel, as the boy seemed to be the leader of the group.
Martel thought for a moment. “We don’t know this forest too well, and they do. I’d say we stick together, just so we don’t lose somebody.”
The plan was flawless, it seemed. The four set out with no particular direction in mind, ready to play the Skull Kids’ game.