The Hero's Return A cold wind swept through Hyrule. The blackness of the night enveloped all, sparing none. A child's wailing echoes in the distance beyond, and then, nothing. The land seems to get blacker and blacker into the horizen. Nothing is growing; only a few dead stumps and wizened trees remain scattered throughout. Eerie silence has condemned this poor land. How many years had it been since the evil Ganondorf had been defeated by the young unknown boy named Link? It seemed all too short. The Evil One had indeed summoned up his deepest magic and opened a tiny rift between the Sacred Realm and present-day Hyrule. His dark necromancy has manipulated this once cheerful realm into nothing but a desolate wasteland. The world stays silent, praying for the Hero, the One Hero, their last hope of survival against this truly wicked force. The voices called out to Link, probing his mind, forcing him to hear the pleas of the dying peasants in the world. Link came to with a start, having been asleep while the world was in a state of equilibrium. Seven years ago, he defeated Gannon in his most wicked form. Now, Gannon was disrupting the world again. Link felt the need to destroy him once again. He lept from his tiny Kokiri bed, lept down from the rickety platform, and dashed off to the Temple of Time. As he headed off for the Temple of Time, home to the Master Sword, slayer of evil, and the Mirror Shield, repeller of the nether forces, thinking back to past events. In that Great Battle of Good and Evil between Link and Gannon, Link had felt the power of Gannon's blows and magical incantations. It had almost overcome him and left him to his knees at one point. He remembered to the helplessness he felt when the Master Sword was knocked out of his grasp. Would this time be even more grueling for him? Link felt the magic surrounding the Temple calling for him even more, tugging at him to hurry to claim the sword and shield of the Hero. He took the Mirror Shield into his arms, feeling the safety from the gleaming surface. The Sword also stood, looming ominously in the rear chamber. He felt sure of himself when he pulled the Sword of its resting place. Power surged through his veins as he and the Master Sword became one, and he saw the world get brighter and brighter until the world was a complete whiteness. He heard the voices of the Sages whispering, "We will take you to the source of the plague. After that we can do no more. You will be all alone, at the mercy of the Dark One's power. We wish you the greatest of luck. Make Hyrule return to its shining brilliance once more!" With that, the voices silenced and Link saw himself before a barren swamp. The land burped up deep gas bubbles, and a fog rose from the ground. Link stumbled a few steps forward and heard a loud, screeching roar. He spun around quickly to find himself attacked by an unknown thing. He was knocked down and felt pain from a fang that sunk deep into his side. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a THWACK, THWACK, THWACK sound. The terrified monster ran away, making pathetic squeaking noises as it dashed off. The last thing Link heard before he lapsed into complete unconscious was a distinct maiden's voice saying, "Oh no!" and collapsed into her arms...