Immersed as he was in the conversation with the old man, Link was surprised to see they had already reached the summit of Mount Hylia. The icy breeze was the only distraction from the majestic view of the plateau and the lands beyond.

The shrine stood in the middle of the flat-topped peak, and Link realized with sudden discomfort that it looked like a larger version of the rusted metal monster he had seen half-submerged near the tower, though this relic did not bear clawed arms of metal. Like that creation and the chamber where Link had awoken, the shrine’s metal surface was adorned with Sheikah-carved whorls. The curious patterns emitted a visible orange glow despite the noonday sun.

At close quarters, Link could now see there was more to the structure then he had first noted from the plateau below. A doorway identical to those in the Chamber of Resurrection marked the front of the shrine. It was sealed, however, with the door’s horizontal divisions interlocked with nary a flaw or gap to be found between them. A curved metal step extended a fair distance from the doorway. At its center was an inlaid circle of bronze patterns emitting orange light, and between that and the doorway: a squat pedestal bearing the Sheikah eye sigil. Link was sure that if he held his slate to it as he had with the latter pedestal in the Chamber of Resurrection, the doorway would open.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” the old man chuckled.

The question startled Link. So fascinated was he with the shrine’s similarities to the other Sheikah structures that he had temporarily forgotten the old man was there.

“Why did the Sheikah build this?” Link asked while slowly circling the shrine. “Surely not to hide away something as petty as treasure?”

“Oh no?” the old man replied with an amused tone. “How is it you know so much of what a Sheikah shrine contains?”

Link did not answer immediately. He did not think the old man would mock the tale of his awakening, but sharing it would raise more questions than he was able to answer.

“Fair enough, sir,” Link replied with a quiet smile of his own. “Are you ready to find your treasure, or would you prefer to rest those old bones of yours?”

“Oho ho!” the old man bellowed with good humor. “Do not underestimate your elders, young man! They may yet surprise you. But as for this task, I believe we are at a misunderstanding. If you still require my paraglider, it is you alone who must earn it.”

“You are familiar with these things, or at least the legends of them,” Link protested. “At least accompany me with your knowledge, and I shall be more than willing to perform whatever labor is necessary to retrieve your prize.”

The old man shook his head while he began preparing the makings for another fire. Even at midday, the air at Mount Hylia’s summit carried a chill sharp enough to pierce cloak and gloves.

“It is you alone who must do this, Link,” he said intently without looking at him.

Link whipped around to face the old man who seemed to know everything -- including a name never spoken nor shared.

“How do you know my name?” Link demanded. “Do you know who I am? How did I come to be here? Tell me, please!”

Again, the old man shook his head, but this time he met Link’s desperate gaze with amber eyes full of compassion.

“You will know soon enough, Link,” he said, quietly but with enough force to quell the possibility of changing his mind. “Enter the shrine. Bring back what you find and I shall tell you all.”

With that, the old man went back to preparing the fire. Link stood and stared a moment longer. He could refuse. He could demand answers, make it clear he would go no further until his curiosity was satisfied to the fullest.

Looking at the old man, however, he was forced to admit such rash actions seemed unwarranted. He had been assured he would be told “all” after returning from the shrine. He did not doubt the promise, only his own patience.

What is another hour or two, Link thought humorlessly, after one hundred years?

Without another word, Link turned and faced the shrine. As soon as Link raised the Sheikah Slate to the pedestal, it flared blue, and the doorway separated into its rectangular pieces, each of them retreating into the sides of the arched frame. The inlaid circle on the step behind him also changed from orange to bright blue.

Link saw another bronzed circle on the floor just inside the doorway, a blue-glowing Sheikah eye at its center. He stepped onto it, and with a shudder it broke away from the rest of the floor and descended into the core of the mountain.

The sigil-adorned platform descended in a pillar of blue light, the source of which Link could not identify. Despite dropping ever deeper into the mountain, Link felt the air warm rather than cool, until it was all but aligned with his own body temperature. His hand strayed unconsciously to the hilt of the sword over his shoulder to grip it reassuringly.

Finally, the platform reached its destination, where the narrow well opened into an enormous cave that water and time never formed. Taking it all in was difficult. The walls of the shrine rose high before meeting a vast ceiling that emanated blue light. Link noted the same Sheikah craftsmanship that marked the Chamber of Resurrection, though on a much larger scale. Bronze constellations with orange glowing points adorned walls of the smoothest metal. Wide beams of flawless stone cross-crossed the ceilings at random. Smaller walls of the same dark stone divided the shrine into smaller rooms and hallways, with one of the latter beginning directly in front of where Link stood.

It was the object to the left of the hallway that seized Link’s interest. He had seen it before atop the tower: a man-made stalactite, its blunt point hovering just above a squat pedestal. Link saw at once that, like its counterpart at the tower, the pedestal sported a rectangular hollow in its center that was sized perfectly to hold his Sheikah Slate.

Link was on the verge of stepping toward it when a voice sounded from everywhere and nowhere in the chamber.

To you who sets foot in this shrine, I am Oman Au. In the name of the Goddess Hylia, I offer this trial.

The voice sounded old, like a man at the edge of long-lived life save that it did not lack for volume. Its tone did not threaten, but the mention of a “trial” was enough to send Link’s hand back to the hilt of his sword, ready to unsheathe it should something appear.

Nothing did. The eerie blue and orange lights continued to cast their pale glow. Other than that, no sign of life revealed itself.

Slowly releasing his sword, Link realized this “trial” would not commence until he initiated it himself. Hoping the old man’s treasure was worth whatever he was about to face, Link walked forward and placed the Sheikah Slate into the pedestal. Just as it had on the tower, the pedestal accepted the slate and rotated it until the smooth surface faced upward.

Sheikah Slate authenticated. Distilling runes.

It was the lifeless, monotonous voice Link had heard upon activating the tower. The glowing constellation around the slate flared blue light, and blue-glowing symbols began flowing down the pillar. As inexplicably as they had on the tower, the symbols coalesced into a tangible tear of blue liquid, which dropped and splashed onto the smooth surface of the slate.

Four small, empty squares appeared on the slate’s face, aligned along the right side of the map. Each contained different symbols within them: a sideways ‘U,’ a circle, a lock, and a snowflake.

Task complete, the pedestal proffered the slate back to Link, who took it no wiser as to what had just happened. No other instructions were shown or spoken, leaving him no choice but to follow the narrow hallway into the depths of the shrine.

Link drew his sword this time, unwilling to allow the element of surprise to whatever “trial” awaited him. The end of the hallway, however, did not reveal any foe. It was just another large room, its two side walls made of the same flawless metal. The opposite wall of the room, however, was made of several large squares of stone wedged tight. In the middle of the room rested a large sphere of iron.

Sheathing his blade, Link wandered around the sphere and to the far wall. There was no pedestal to indicate an unopened door, nor did a mysterious voice offer further instruction. What manner of trial was this?

Link paused his pacing and racked his brain. His experience with other Sheikah structures had revolved around the use of his slate. The Chamber of Resurrection had released him from sleep. The tower had shown him his location. The shrine?

Link removed the slate from its belt hooks and brought it within view. The smooth surface immediately displayed the map, his yellow arrow glowing on the top of Mount Hylia. The “runes” were also there. Recalling how certain objects on the map had reacted to his touch, he poked a finger at the U-shaped rune.

The rune flashed blue, and words appeared below the map:

Magnesis: manipulate metallic objects

Link frowned. It couldn’t mean what…

His eyes widened with understanding. He looked up and ran over to the iron sphere. One rap of the knuckles revealed what he had hoped: the thing was solid throughout. His idea should work. But how to go about it?

A quick look at the slate showed the Magnesis rune still glowed blue. Unsure what would happen, he held the Sheikah Slate up toward the sphere, and pressed the rune again with his thumb.

A rope of red light shot forth from the slate and struck the sphere. Link could feel the weight of it on the other end, knew he was now connected to it through the power of the rune. Trusting that feeling, he raised the slate higher, and was rewarded with the sight of the metal orb also rising effortlessly into the air.

So that was it. The runes were the key to unlocking this trial. Elated with his discovery and awed by the slate’s power, Link moved forward until he was close enough to the stone-blocked wall. Swinging the slate and sphere like some enormous mace and chain, Link smashed a large portion of the wall out of the way. Beyond it lay another hallway.

The passage was too narrow to bring the sphere with him. Another tap of the Magnesis rune deactivated it, leaving the metal orb to fall with a thud onto the floor before he moved on.

This hallway also opened into another room which, like its predecessor, it sported a wall of tightly packed stone blocks. There was no sphere, here, however, and Link was forced again to consult the Sheikah Slate for answers.

The magnesis rune was the top-most to appear on the slate, and that had been the first rune needed. Hoping he was correct, Link pressed the second, which was a simple circle. Words appeared.

Bomb: Damage or destroy objects

Link understood the concept now, even if he was not sure how this specific rune would respond. Raising and pointing the slate toward the far wall, he pressed the rune. He nearly jumped, however, when a bright blue sphere appeared in his right hand.

He held it up to better examine it. It seemed made entirely of blue light, but it was smooth and solid to the touch and fit perfectly in his hand. A different light in his left hand caught his attention. The Bomb rune on the slate, rather than remaining solid blue, was flashing.

Reading the rune’s description once more, Link decided to back up to the wall with the hallway he had just exited. Then he turned and threw the sphere at the far stone wall. It hit the floor without making a sound, but nothing else of interest occurred. Wondering whether he had run into a dead end, Link half-consciously pressed the rune to ensure it was working correctly.

The blue sphere exploded, showering the room in debris and dust. Link was grateful he had placed himself on the other side of the chamber, as shards of stone ricocheted off the metal walls with great speed. After a short coughing spell, Link looked up and saw the far wall now sported a gaping hole through which he could climb.

“The old man will owe me more than a paraglider and a story after this,” Link murmured wryly as he shook his head to rid himself of the bomb’s sound and dust.

The subsequent chamber was far larger than the previous. Unlike its predecessors, the far hallway was clearly visible, save that a continuous line of large stone spheres rolled unceasingly across the front of the entrance. Link could not fathom where the boulders came from nor where their narrow track took them after disappearing into a tunnel through the other wall, but he knew he could not chance running between them without being crushed.

He consulted his slate once again, this time selecting the rune shaped like a basic padlock. Words once again appeared below the map.

Stasis: Stop an object’s flow in time

Stop time? It sounded like something from a child’s fantasy. Link was dubious, but the Sheikah technology had not failed him yet. Holding up the slate once again, he pointed it toward the tunnel from which the stones entered the room and pressed the rune.

A flash of golden light emitted from the slate, striking a boulder just as it emerged. It stopped in place, and the spheres behind it began stacking up, their weight and momentum completely failing to budge their halted leader. Link was momentarily flabbergasted. This power stretched the imagination to breaking point, but here it was, happening in front of his own disbelieving eyes.

Then he saw the frozen sphere begin to flash with the same golden light with which it had been struck. It blinked faster and faster, and Link immediately realized the rune’s effect could only be temporary. He bounded through to the hallway just before the boulder sprang to life, speeding along its track once again with its fellows close behind. Catching his breath after the brief moment of panic, Link moved on to what he hoped was the final portion of the trial.

Another large chamber awaited him, but this one was covered with a thin sheet of water. Instead of a hallway, a raised platform stood on the other end. Its sides were made of the same flawless metal that covered the walls of the shrine, and no obvious stairs or handholds presented themselves as a path to the top. Link could see part of a blue-glowing something on top of the platform, which rose twice his height above the water-covered chamber.

He consulted the Sheikah Slate for a fourth time, and pressed his index finger on the final rune shaped like a perfect snowflake.

Cryonis: Create pillar of ice from liquid surface

Link thought this was by far the most detailed and understandable description of all the runes. It did not prevent him from marveling, however, upon seeing it function. Walking to the very front of the platform, he pointed the slate toward the floor directly beneath him and touched the final sigil.

A perfect square of ice appeared beneath his feet and began rising rapidly. It did not appear to use up any of the existing water in the chamber. The ice pillar merely sprang from it, emerging smoothly before stopping exactly level with the platform.

Wondering at the miracle of it all, Link stepped off the ice and onto the platform, only to halt upon seeing what awaited him. Encased in an enormous box of glowing blue light sat the remains of a man, long dead, on a dust-covered throne of bronze. The bones bore only a pendant around the neck, on which was engraved the Sheikah eye sigil Link had seen numerous times.

He approached slowly, wondering how long these human remains had been here. He briefly entertained the wild thought that this was some sort of trick, that the old man had lured him here so he, too, would live out his days in this underground tomb before suffering a slow, agonizing death.

Your resourcefulness speaks to the promise of a hero.

It was the old, paper-thin voice Link had heard upon first entering the shrine, but this time it seemed to emit directly from the dead Sheikah. It did not move. Even its face was stationary, making Link wonder if he had only imagined the voice and its origin. Then it spoke again.

May the Goddess smile upon you.

Blue light flared to Link’s right, and he saw a door in the wall open to reveal a circular platform identical to the one that had taken him down into this place. With a last glance at the box and its dead occupant — neither of which seemed to require any further attention — Link realized with a start that he had yet to find the treasure for which he had come in the first place. He knew none were to be found in the previous rooms, and he looked around eagerly, assuming it would await here, at the end of the trial.

Nothing presented itself. No chests or tables containing riches or valuables. No hidden door opened to reveal fiscal rewards. Link wondered if someone had indeed already been here, had perhaps used his or her own Sheikah Slate to obtain the riches within the shrine.

If they have, Link thought firmly, there is nothing I can do about it. At least I have the runes. Perhaps those can help me if the old man won’t.

Securing the Sheikah Slate onto his belt, Link walked to and stood on the platform. As it began to rise, he could not help wondering why such an unusual set of events were happening to someone who simply wanted to remember who he was.