You open your eyes to sunlight coming in from the window. You roll over and see Link still asleep.

'Huh... no nightmare last night,' you note thankfully. You actually slept peacefully.

You sit up and let the covers slide off of you. Your stomach growled of hunger, leading you down the stairs and to the kitchen. You take out a pan as quietly as possible and light the stove to cook yourself some eggs. By the time you are done making omelet and rice, Link wakes up. He walks downstairs as you set the plates on the table.

"Good morning," he mumbles.

"Good morning," you smile. He sits down and yawns. "So... I was thinking," you mutter. He looks up and begins eating. "Maybe before we go to Medoh... we could go to Korok Forest... and Typhlo Ruins?"

"How come?" he asks.

"The last time we were in Kakariko," you explain, "Impa told me about our past weapons. Both of them are part of the legend and are apart of who we are. She said it would be a challenge to get them back, but I think we're ready. It would be a nice change of pace."

"You had a weapon too?"

"Yeah. A sword like yours. But unlike yours, mine was stolen. Yours is in Korok Forest, placed there by Zelda herself."

"Korok Forest and... Typhlo Ruins, you said?" he fishes out his Sheikah Slate as you hum in confirmation. "Do you know what region they are in?"

"The one above Central Hyrule," you answer. "I don't know where exactly, but I think two cursed forests shouldn't be hard to find."

"Cursed," Link echoes in monotone. "That's inviting."

"Yeah, what's a journey without some cryptic woods, right?"

Link half laughs and drops his bite of eggs back on the plate. "We could head north," he traces the path on the slate with his finger once he focused his attention again. "The main road is on the outskirts of central Central Hyrule, so we shouldn't run into any guardians if we're careful. Sound good?"

"Sound's good," you answer.

Both of you finish your breakfast and head out.

Day ten of taking back Hyrule, and you already appeased two Divine Beasts. The princess won't have to wait much longer.

~

You ride Ginger west out of Dueling Peaks and north to follow the boarder of Central Hyrule, all beside Link. A few hours later, and you two arrive at the base of the Woodland Tower.

"Do you want to come with me this time?" Link offers.

"Sure," you say, slightly nervous. It's not that you're afraid of heights, scaling a tower is just a little out of your comfort zone.

Nevertheless, you ascend the tower along side Link, hanging onto the ancient stone design and stopping at small platforms. Link helps you up and you finally stumble onto the tower, out of breath. Link walks over to the pedestal and places the Sheikah Slate on the centerpiece.

You stand up and gasp.

The view was breathtaking.

You can see mountains miles and miles away. In the way distance, you can see Dueling Peaks seemingly unreachable, though you were just there hours ago. To your right, you can see the snow capped mountains that was your next destination. Faintly, the shape of a bird circled in the distance: the next Divine Beast.

You are brought back to reality as you hear the Sheikah chime resonate from the tower. A signature blue light swirls around it and the waypoint lights up in sync with the song the technology seems to be singing.

Link grabs the Sheikah Slate and looks at the newly printed map. You walk over to him, and see over his shoulder that Korok forest was just up the road. Typhlo Ruins stood northwest of it, smaller, with no direct path.

"Let's go," Link says and clips the Sheikah Slate to his belt.

He nears the edge and gets out his paraglider. You grab one handle and he grabs the other. Together, you fall off the tower and safely descend down.

You mount Ginger and direct him to the path surrounded by trees. The closer you are to the woods, the more eerie your surroundings get. A faint mist hangs in the air and strange glowing lights float in the trees like fireflies.

A gateway led to the entrance of the Lost Woods. You and Link dismount your horses, completely on edge. The atmosphere was shrouded in ominous silence.

You walk forward and approach an unlit torch leaning against a fire lamp. You pick up the torch and feed the head into the ready lit flame, spreading the orange glow onto it.

In response, to your right, you can hear another fire flicker alive and see a line of torches being lit one by one by an unknown source.

You and Link exchange glances and then follow the path to the next torch. You follow the trail for several more torches until you can't see another. The trail ended, but no entrance to the inner woods was in sight.

"Do you see the next one?" you whisper to Link.

"No," he says with a low volume to match yours. "It's around here somewhere."

You both slowly walk forward, looking in all directions for an orange light. The more steps you take away from the torch, the thicker the fog around you grows. "I don't think this is the right way," you try to say before the fog swallows you both entirely.

You gasp as you lose your eyesight to the mist. You can hear faint, childish laughter of something inhuman. Sudden fear envelops you.

"(Y/N)?" Link calls to you through the blank white.

"I'm here," you call back. "Where are you?"

You step backwards and sharply gasp as you feel yourself collide with something stone and cold. You jump and nearly smother the flames of the torch you carried by your sudden movements. You turn around to see it was the gateway you passed under that was at the entrance of the Lost Woods.

You spin around and see Link beside you, equally puzzled and freaked out. "We're back at the beginning?" he wonders.

You look to your right and see the same trail of torches you followed before. "We are..."

"I guess going in blind isn't the way to do it," Link says.

"Let's try again."

You follow the trail made for you once more and then stop where the trail seems to end.

"Where to now?" you say. A beat of silence hangs in the air as the two of you think.

"The embers," Link speaks. You turn to him and see his eyes focused right above the flame you carry. You look where he's looking. "Do you feel any wind?"

"... I don't," you answer in wonder. You twist the torch in your hands and see the embers of the flame refuse to switch directions.

Cautiously, you follow the embers, walking at a slow pace, hoping no step you take angers the spirits of this forest.

With the sound of a candle nearly blowing out, the torch alerted you in the direction change of the embers. You stop in your tracks, watch the embers move, and then make the turn.

You continue following the path's puzzle until the mist eventually lightens up. The thick trees part into a clearing, and you are able to see a direct path in front of you, leading through the tunnel of a massive, carved out tree trunk.

You extinguish the flames and walk at a faster pace. The trees grow greener and the path turns back into a forest, lush and mystery-less.

Tiny, children like creatures made of wood watch you and Link walk down the path, giggling and jittering. Ahead, you can see the light beam down on a stone platform. You walk closer and see that it is the Master Sword.

You look at Link and see his emotionless expression. He walks up to the stone and grabs the handle.

He then startles back, like the blade was made of electricity. You are about to open your mouth to say something, when another voice makes itself present in the air.

You look up, startled, and see the giant tree in front of the pedestal yawning. Its mouth wide open and sighing a sleepy breath. "Who is that?" it voices. "Did I doze off again?"

The tree takes a closer look at Link and then spies you off to the side. "Well well, it's you two," the tree says. "You finally decided to return. Better late than never. After 100 years, I've nearly given up on seeing you again. Even my patience has limits, you know."

The small wooden koroks poke out of their hiding spots to listen to the tree speak.

"The looks on your faces tell me you have no recollection of me, however. I have watched over Hyrule since time immemorial. Many have referred to me over the ages as the Deku Tree," the tree declares. You stare at the Master sword, and the tree does as well.

"That is the weapon created by the ancient goddess with the purpose to seal the darkness-- that only the chosen knight can wield against the Calamity Ganon. Believe it or not, it was actually you who wielded that sword 100 years ago, hero. But I must warn you to take extreme caution. That sword stands as a test to anyone who dare attempt to posses it. As you are now, I cannot say whether you are worthy or not. If you sought to free the sword in any sort of weakened state, you would surely loose your life where you stand," the Deku Tree gives a laugh and says, "best of luck, young one."

Link looks over at you with an uncertain expression, as if asking your advice. You debate in your head for a moment, and then give Link a nod. He turns to the sword and clutches the handle. You grip your hood and anxiously watch him tug the sword.

The base glows a powerful blue light, similar to the spirits. You bite your lip as you feel the tension rise and rise. You can see Link's energy physically drain as she strains to free the sealed sword. The sword loosens and the lights stop in a flash. One final effort, and the sword is pried free.

Link turns the sword to point upward, closing his eyes, and feeling the nostalgia rush back to him. You faintly smile as Link lifts it up and lets the blade catch the light. He stands there for a second, slightly hesitant, remembering something.

He takes the blade and swings it in front of him, feeling the weight and the familiarity.

"That sword was left here 100 years ago," the Deku Tree says. "After you separated from the sword, the princess thought to bring it here where she knew it would be safe under my watch. She continues to fight, trapped deep within the confines of Hyrule Castle. Her heart cascades with faith that you will return. She has a smile like the sun... I would do much to feel its warmth upon me once again."

You walk out of the side lines and stand behind Link. "That blade has a name," the tree says, "It is the Master Sword. When used against Calamity Ganon or those tainted by his Malice, it will become suffused with holy light... At such times, the true power of the sword will manifest... but be warned. Do not rely too much on its power. If you wield it without need, its power will be exhausted and it will no longer be of use to you. Should this happen, you must wait for the sword to recover. Good luck, Link."

You turn around to see one of the tiny wooden creatures tugging at your pant leg. The creature gasps and hides in a patch of tall grass. You crouch down slowly and look closer at the creature. "You can see me?" it nervously asks you.

You nod your head. "Woah!" the creature exclaims, walking out of the brush. "No one has been able to see me in 100 years!" You smile at the korok. It steps closer to you, appearing less nervous. "Can you answer me this riddle?" it requests. "What is small, red, round, and sweet?"

You think for a second, and then come to an answer in your head. You open your pouch and grab something. You present it to the korok and say, "is it an apple?"

The korok cheers. "Aha! Brilliant!" It hops up and down and seems to make a jingle as it moved. "As a reward," it reaches behind its back and grabs a small pouch, "take this!"

You take the tiny bag and look inside. You see acorns, chickaloo tree nuts, and strange, sap colored seeds you have never seen before. "Thank you," you say politely and give the wooden creature a smile. You stand up and walk over to Link who is still getting used to his sword.

"What's that?" he asks and sheaths his sword behind his back.

"Seeds I got from a korok." You say and take out some. "I answered a riddle and got this as a reward. I think I remember the Sheikah telling me stories about woodland faries that love puzzles..."

"And they gave you seeds?"

"Yes!" You hear a small voice say. "You can give them to Hestu! Hestu is over there! I'm sure he'd love to see you!" A korok says and points to a place obscured by trees. You walk over to that direction with Link following you closely behind. You are then greeted by a larger korok, who is much taller than you, and who is holding red maracas.

"Hey! You two are the heroes!" Hestu exclaims. "Shala-kala! I knew you'd return! The Great Deku Tree and all of the children of the forest have been awaiting your arrival! And--" Hestu cut himself off and sniffed the air. "Hey, do you have korok seeds on you? You do! I know that smell anywhere!"

You take out the pouch and gather the sap colored seeds shaped like a dollop. "These?" you ask.

Hestu hums in response. "If you give them to me, I can add them to my maracas, and I can use my magic to help you!"

"Okay, here. What kind of magic do you do?" You ask.

"You'll see!" Hestu exclaims and shakes his maracas, creating red sparkles around you. He dances, hopping back and forth, and cheers with the song of his magic.

You feel a strange tingle in your shoulders and feel as if you dropped your sword on your back. You turn and see that it is still there, but somehow lighter. "Da! Na-na-na na!!" Hestu sings. You are now stronger and can carry more items on your person!"

"Oh sweet," you say, smiling. "Thank you, Hestu."

"Any time, shala-kala! If you come across more korok seeds, return here, and I can dance for you again!" Hestu says as both you and Link walk off.

You laugh quietly to yourself. "I love these little guys." You look up and watch some hang from spinning leaves or hiding in the trees as you walk toward the exit. You then realize Link has been silent for a while. You look at him to make sure he is ok. His face is blank, as if lost in thought. You wonder what he remembered. Hopefully it doesn't upset him for too long.