With the Twilight month (as the mass hallucination-like effects of Zant’s efforts to cover Hyrule in Twilight became known) in the past, the people of Hyrule hoped that their hardships would be over. There would be no such luck.

Shortly after the turn of the millennium (though the people did not know it; after the Great Flood and the re-population of the world afterwards, any records of how long the world had existed had been lost), Ganon’s spirit was renewed enough to regain consciousness and awareness. When Ganon had been killed by Link III, his body had been thrown in the fires of Death Mountain and the Sages conducted a rite that would contain Ganon’s spirit in the Sacred Realm. This may seem like folly, but the rite was designed to separate spirit from power and physical form. Ganon’s spirit would rest harmlessly without any power.

The Sages underestimated Ganon’s evil magic, however, as he was able to establish a connection with what remained of his physical form. With his body having been cast into the volcano, some of his physical being escaped into the air as an ashy smoke, covering the mountain side. Through submersion in the lava, Ganon’s body was spread, diluted through the very rock formations of the mountain itself. If his body was still whole, it would have been little problem for Ganon to resurrect himself, but he trying to establish a connection with millions of tiny molecules of his former physical form is another matter entirely. As such, it took him over 300 years of intense concentration before Ganon was could extend his magic past his own body. Once he was capable, Ganon’s magic cast an intangible presence over Death Mountain.

Ganon, as he may have appeared in the Sacred Realm. The Sacred Realm is reflection of the Triforce, so when one claims it, the Realm changes to suit their wishes and personality. When no one has claimed it, the Sacred Realm is a shapeless void. Without a physical form in the Realm, Ganon could not take the Triforce, though he could sense it.

Ganon’s first victims were the Gorons. Through his powerful magic, the very rocks of the mountain that the Gorons ate to sustain themselves slowly turned poisonous. Within a year, 90% of the Gorons perished. It remains to be seen if the Gorons are completely extinct. The next victims were the Zoras. Sensing the evil magic surrounding them, the Zoras fled their waterfall which was also part of Death Mountain. They took up residence in the Lake Hylia and various other bodies of water.

When contact with the Gorons stopped, the King of Hyrule became suspicious. He commissioned a group of explorers to see if they could find the Gorons, and if not, what had happened to them. The group included four of the knights of Hyrule, three scientists, a mage (and member of the long lost Sheikah tribe, who were for the most part extinct) and his son/apprentice, the half-Sheikah, half-human Agahnim. After a few days camping on Death Mountain, Ganon was able to influence their minds. Of the group, the four knights and Agahnim were the most susceptable to Ganon’s magic. Agahnim would be of particular use, with his Sheikah lineage giving him unaturally long life. Soon, the group turned on each other. Early one morning, the knights slaughtered the scientists, throwing their bodies over the mountain. Convincing the mage that they had simply fallen, the knights then left father and son alone. In a final symbol of Ganon’s control, Agahnim killed his own father, strangling him with a rope.

Agahnim, spent his earliest years as the son and apprentice of a powerful mage. After Ganon poisoned his young mind, he killed his father and spent years learning black magic and sorcery. Later he would exploit his Sheikan heritage to position himself as a saviour.

Agahnim and the four knights soon set up permenant shelters in the caves once inhabited by the Gorons. There, Agahnim matured, learning much of the ways of magic from his father’s texts, and more from Ganon’s influence. By age 18, Agahnim was a much more powerful sorcerer than his father, almost as powerful as Ganon had been. Through Agahnim’s magic, the bodies of the four knights would be restored, essentially giving them long life as well. By this time, the King realized there was something evil on Death Mountain, and forbid anyone enter there without his permission. Now it was time for Ganon’s plan to begin.

With his spirit suspended in the Sacred Realm, Ganon determined that if the Sages seal was broken, he could reclaim physical form in the Sacred Realm. Then, he could claim the Triforce for his own without anyone to stop him. The seal was powered by the bloodline of the Sages, thus if they could remove the descendants of the Sages from the world, the seal would be broken. The identities of the Sages’ descendants, however, was a closely guarded secret. There were only two in the Kingdom that knew: the King of Hyrule and the current Princess Zelda.

Agahnim would have to infiltrate the loyalties of the royal family. To do so, he would have to cost them their faith and bring the people to their lowest point. Thus began a long period of disasters, called the Second Cataclysm. For over 300 years, Hyrule was almost constantly beset by “natural” disasters that would have drastic effects to the terrain. New and old Kakariko Villages were destroyed in an earthquake, that also caused Snowpeak Mountain to collapse. Later, a huge heatwave would cause all the snow to melt. Lake Hylia dried up, and the rock faces surrounding collapsed in the earthquakes, leaving the area a marshy wasteland. Parts of the Gerudo Desert were rained out in a massive storm and the Arbiter’s Ground prison sank deep into the wet ground. The rain also caused a huge forest to grow in the reckage of Snowpeak Mountain, creating a natural maze of trees around the pedestal where Link III had laid the Master Sword to rest. Then, the Zolas, long thought extinct made their resurgence under the influence of Agahnim’s magic. The Zolas emerged far more violent than their previous “Fishmen,” guise and immediately launched a war against the Zoras. The Zoras were unprepared for battle and for years it seemed as though all the water bodies in Hyrule ran red with the blood of the Zoras. Much like the Gorons, the Zoras appear to have gone extinct as a result. This was also a period of apostasy, as the people believed that the Goddesses had abandoned them.

Hyrule after the Second Cataclysm. The terrain was shaped dramatically by the constant earthquakes, deluges, and other effects of Agahnim’s magic. The three Triforce markings denote the approximate locations where the Hero of Winds placed the Goddess’ Pearls to raise the Tower of the Gods. The Pendants, which were made from the Pearls, were then moved to Palaces not far from each location.

After three centuries of these disasters, Agahnim revealed himself. He claimed to be sent by Din, the Goddess of Power, to save the land. In the courtyard of Hyrule Castle, before a large crowd and the royal family, Agahnim performed a ritual he claimed would beseech the Goddess to use her power to save the land. In reality, he simply halted the earthquakes that he himself had created. A loud cheer rose up from the assembled crowd. Agahnim had saved Hyrule, they said, we have a new saviour. In appreciation for his work, the King of Hyrule gave Agahnim the position of his chief advisor. Agahnim’s four knights were even rejoined the other knights of Hyrule, slowly turning their loyalties to Agahnim rather than the King.

Princess Zelda, sensing great trouble ahead, decided to hide the Three Pendants. The Pendants were simply the Goddess Pearls used on the Great Sea attached to a chain. The Pearls themselves were actually made from the Spiritual Stones of the old tribes of Deku, Goron and Zora. They still functioned as a lock on the powers of the Master Sword, as one would need all three to be able to draw the Master Sword (if they could find it).

Based on charts of the Great Sea, Zelda discovered that the Hero of Winds had placed the three Pearls in the locations that were now the Sacred Grove, the Holy Sanctuary, and the remains of encampments that had been at the southern foothills of Death Mountain, before they collapsed. The Pendant of Power would be hidden in the Desert Palace, near the Sacred Grove. The Pendant of Courage was taken to the ruins of the Eastern Palace, near the former mountain camps. The Pendant of Wisdom would be entrusted to the priests of the Sanctuary. Unfortunately, the knights in charge of delivering the Pendant of Wisdom were loyal to Agahnim. Under his orders, the Pendant was brought to Death Mountain. Agahnims’ minions (now numbering in the hundreds, largely comprised of knights and wanderers seduced by the dark magic of Death Mountain), placed it on the highest floor of the Tower of Hera, a giant construct where Agahnim would commune with Ganon.

Zelda’s fears were unwarranted, however, because Ganon and Agahnim knew they could never wield the Master Sword. Being well aware of the past and how often a new legendary Hero would appear, it was in their interest to keep anyone from claiming the Pendants. Agahnim led a battalion of soldiers into the Eastern Palace, and using a dark ritual, transformed them into an army of Armos Knights, mindless warriors. Next, he summoned giant sandworms called Lanmolas to infest the Desert Palace. Finally, a fierce insect-like berserker called the Moldorm was set to protect the Pendant of Wisdom in the Tower of Hera.

Zelda was unaware that evil had conspired to keep the Pendants from any future Heroes, but even still she worried. Was the Bloodline of the Hero still intact?

Interlude - The Hero of Time, Termina and Majora’s Mask.

The Hero of Time during his adventure in Termina, a parallel world to Hyrule. Here we see the large clock tower for which Clock Town is named.

During the adventure of The Hero of Time, Link I came to know a Skull Kid in the Lost Woods. After Link’s defeat of Ganon, the Skull Kid discovered an interdimensional portal in the Lost Woods. This portal took him to the alternate dimension where Hyrule was called Termina. There, the skull kid came became friends with four giants who were dedicated to protect the land. The giants enjoyed the company of the Skull Kid, but they couldn’t play forever. The giants knew they would have to use their strength to save the world at some point, so they travelled, one in each compass direction, to find places to hibernate until their power was needed.

The Skull Kid, wearing Majora’s Mask.

The Skull Kid took this as an insult, however. He felt that they were abandoning him. Bitterness and sadness consumed him and the Skull Kid became a bitter trickster and thief. In spite of this, he became friends with two faeries, Tatl and Tael. The three of them played happily, though some of their games involved robbing people. Skull Kid took the two faeries back through the portal and they soon spied the Happy Mask Salesman travelling through the woods. Skull Kid knocked the Mask Salesman out, and looted his bag. The Skull Kid had intended to steal all of his masks, but he stopped and stared when he saw an ancient artifact known as Majora’s Mask.

Majora was a massive many-legged, insect-like beast that had killed thousands of warriors in an ancient society whose name has long been lost. Finally, a warrior known as the Fierce Deity approached Majora, and played the Song of Time on an ocarina. The song entranced Majora, causing the beast to dance. Majora could not help himself, and danced for three months solid, eventually dropping dead. The Fierce Deity then carved Majora’s Mask out of the carcass of the beast, sealing the monster’s power inside it.

The Fierce Deity was a legendary warrior in Termina, who was said to have slain the beast Majora by enchanting it with music. He then carved Majora’s Mask from the remains of the monster. The Fierce Deity resembles the Hero of Time in his adulthood, and during his time in Termina, Link I obtained the Fierce Deity’s Mask, which would allow him to assume the Deity’s powers.

When the Skull Kid put the mask on, he was slowly corrupted by Majora’s vengeful spirit. He soon returned to Hyrule to find new travellers to rob and came across Link who was now searching for Navi the faerie. Skull Kid stole the Ocarina of Time and Epona the horse from Link. Link pursued the Skull Kid and ended up being falling through the portal to Termina. Once there, the Skull Kid used his power to transform Link into a Deku Scrub. It turns out that Majora, through the Skull Kid, was using his powers to draw the moon down into the earth, killing everything. The four giants would save the world ordinarily, so Majora had each of the giants sealed away by different giant monsters.

The Happy Mask Salesman pleaded with Link to get him back Majora’s Mask before something terrible happened.

At the end of third day the moon was about to hit, but Link managed to knock his Ocarina away from the Skull Kid, and after playing The Song of Time, the world seemed to drift away. Link found himself back three days earlier. With the Ocarina of Time recovered, the Happy Mask Salesman taught Link the song of healing, which restored his original form. Link proceeded to live those three days over and over again, each time learning something more, another key piece of information that would help save the land. Finally, after spending the equivalent of six months reliving those three days, Link finally was able to call the giants to stop the moon and then he defeated the mask (who had gained sentience, no longer needing to use the Skull Kid as a puppet), sealing the evil energy back in the mask.

The moon, corrupted by Majora’s magic, slowly fell to Termina as the doomsday clock counted down to the millennial celebration.

Feeling his work in Termina was finished, Link left and found the portal back to Hyrule. When he came through the other side, he was shocked to see crags and rock instead of the Lost Woods. He didn’t know it, but Link had returned on the same day that Agahnim had deceived the people and infiltrated the royal family. Looping the flow of time around over and over again had disastrous effects. While Link had only spent six months in Termina (of his time), the damage to the time stream caused him to reappear 4000 years later.

Thinking he had arrived in yet another alternate reality, Link searched around to find out as much as he could about this new world. A roadsign pointing the way to Hyrule Castle brought him much confusion and he headed to the castle in search of Princess Zelda. As he approached, he saw a crowd gathered and joined them, soon learning of the day’s events and Agahnim’s “miracles.” On a balcony, overlooking the crowd, he saw a girl wearing a beautiful dress and crown. When the crowd called her name, he was shocked to discover that he had never seen this Princess Zelda before.

In his confusion, he set out to learn as much about the land as possible. The elder of Kakariko Village, Sahasrahla, directed him to the Book of Modura. Link was shocked to read about his own adventures, and the horror that had occurred when he was not their to fight Ganon a second time. He felt very guilty for abandoning the people of Hyrule, but reading of the deeds performed by the Hero of Winds and the Hero of Light filled his heart with pride. Knowing that other Heroes had arisen to save the Hyrule gave him closure; he finally knew that his battles were over.

He got a job working on a small farm, eventually marrying one of the farmer’s daughters and settling down. They had a son, who they also named Link (Link IV, in relation to the other important Links in history). With his new family, Link felt peace in his heart like he had not felt since his youth with Saria and the Great Deku Tree. He hoped to live out the rest of his life in happiness.

Sadly, Agahnim felt the need for another disaster to further cement his hold on the royal family.  He unleashed a plague upon the people of Hyrule (carried on the mists of Death Mountain), killing half the population before he “miraculously” stopped it. Link, his wife, his sister-in-law and father-in-law all perished during the plague. With no other options, Link’s brother-in-law, Error, raised young Link as his own. he did his best to raise Link to be a good man like his father had been.

Error, the brother-in-law of the Hero of Time and surrogate father to his son, Link IV. Error ran his father’s farm and hired Link I, where he met and fell in love with Error’s sister. Error admired Link, and learned much about sword play, archery and honor from him. He would teach those skills, to the best of his ability, to Link IV.

As the millenium drew to a close, Link IV was becomming a young adult. His uncle taught him swordfighting and many other skills that would serve him well. Link IV was, literally, a link to the past, as the bloodline of the Hero of Time had returned to the world after 4000 years. It would be just in time, as Agahnim was finally ready to launch the final step of his plan.