Chereads / Nextgen Kids: Legend of the Nine Newborn / Chapter 87 - The Twilight Isles

Chapter 87 - The Twilight Isles

Link sailed the Ancient Lion to the western sea, stopping his boat as they came upon a wall of towering stalagmites. "This formation appears to extend for miles. Link, I surmise this is the point at which we must dive into the sea."

"You're right, Ayri. It's time to warm things up." Link readied a Fire Arrow and fired into the sea. The surrounding ice melted as steam emitted. Link stuck his hand in the water, feeling its warmth. "Sigh…I really hope this mask works." Link said as he put on the Mask Enguarde. "I've never had to swim underwater, let alone for a long time."

"Don't worry, Master. Based on my understanding, large air bubbles should be a natural occurrence under the sea for any diver. Also, you can make sure to keep your Bottled Oxygen handy."

Indeed, Link had visited a shop in town and had his bottle filled with a condensed oxygen, which resembled a white, gaseous light. He would be able to inhale this underwater for a fresh breath of oxygen. "We should also get you dressed for the occasion." Link entered the outfit customization and fit Ayri in a cute one-piece swimsuit with dark-blue digital fish. He also let her hair hang long. "There. My sister wore a suit like this when she used to swim."

"Your sister does not swim, anymore?"

"I mean, she probably still does, it's just… y'know, it's been a long time."

"Also, in case you are curious, Link, I am equipped with a special personality setting called 'Mermaid Song,' which can only be used underwater."

"You'll sing a song for me underwater? …Heck, let's try it out." Link clicked on the personality customization and found an image of a mermaid with a note. "All right… you ready, Ayri?"

"I am always ready, Link!"

"Yeah…" Still fearing whether the mask would make him a natural swimmer, Link took a courageous breath and dove in. Ayri's voice setting activated, soothing Link's ears with an angelic melody that corresponded with the music. (Play "Funky Waters" from Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze.)

Stage 8: Twilight Isles

Mission: Find a way to the Twilight Realm.

Act 1: The Deep Sea

"Under the ocean… Going for a swim… Nothing to stop us… Just me… and him. Fish in the water… Birds in the sky… When I'm underwater… I feel I can fly!"

Entranced by her melody, Link joined her in a duet.

"Oh, I remember how the water, Feels flowin' through my hair~" They surfed up and down with a school of fish. "And I love the salty scent of sea, Blowing through the air~"

"So many things here… So much to see. No better way than to, Swim… with you… and me!"

Link held her hands and asked her directly, "Hey, do – you – remember when… I came – to – find you across the ocean~? If we – could – meet up again…" Ayri smiled from the sweet feeling her friend was presenting, "I would – tell you – everything up from then!"

"For a hundred days now…" The sun rays were blocked by the clouds. "I have been waiting for you… And I would sail a thousand waves… Just to be right beside you again~"

"I miss you dear…" Link pulled her into a gentle embrace as they flowed under the shadow of a pillar. "I hope you can hear…" Ayri returned the hug, closing her eyes in peace. "Just wait for me until… I come home… for you…"

Ayri felt an image spark inside her memory banks. It was almost as if Link's words were triggering it, but it wouldn't fully appear. "A thousand days…" Link finished his lyric. "I can't wait… to see… you, too…"

The beautiful sun rays returned, and both opened their eyes and spread apart, still holding the other's hand. "Just how long haaaas it been, Where'll I see you and when?" Link shrugged with a clueless smile. "I've grown aaangry aaaand impatient…" Link faced forward, a determined smile on his features. "If you come baaaaack to me, I'll hear your explanation… You can explain it, theeeeen!"

Of course, Link couldn't sing his lines without swimming through an air bubble, but once they had finished their song, Ayri would repeat it on loop so long as they were under the depths. But Link had completely forgot his fears and allowed the gentle waves to guide him. After years of only seeing the surface of the ocean, he just loved the view of its vast underside. The fish painted the sea with their colors, and keeping the Fire Arrow equipped ensured them a warm journey. But the ocean was not without peril: an Octoroll (an Octorok spinning like a wheel) flew at them, but Link performed a Sword Spin with his mask, countering the creature as it stopped, after which he could stab it.

Link discovered a cluster of ice rocks on the ground, and it seemed like a blocked hole. They were too strong and cold for even the Fire Arrow to puncture in this water. There was a Froak nearby, a blue explosive puffer-fish. Link rammed it with a Torpedo Spin, but his sword-nose stabbed and exploded it. Another Froak appeared, so Link knocked it dizzy with the boomerang, then shot a Fire Arrow to explode it and destroy the ice boulders. With that, the swordfish-swimmer dove into a cavern of darkness, using the light of his Sheikah Slate to see.

The jellyfish known as Bari provided light in the depths, but were trying to approach Link and electrify him. Link kept away and used the boomerang to take the creatures down. Link noticed two generators on the ground, each with two antennae. He had to trick the Bari into following him between the generators, where they would get stuck as they powered up the devices. Once both were powered, Link saw a gate open, allowing him to swim through a wide pipe. There were eye spheres rotating in the pipe; these Aqua Beamos shot lasers when he got close. Link would wait for them to rotate, then jab into their rear weak point.

Link entered a large chamber, where an enormous blue Sheikah eye glowed to life, almost terrifying Link. Luckily, he was able to see inside the room, breaking some large pots to collect air bubbles and Rupees. There was a smaller, unlit Sheikah eye on a door. Looking between it and the higher, larger eye, Link realized he could hold his Lens of Truth up at the right angle, to where the larger eye would peer through it onto the smaller eye. The small eye glowed and opened the door. The duo swam into what seemed like an underwater restaurant, where dreary-eyed crabs were resting at the tables.

Those crabs skittered up to Link and nipped him, causing him to drop Rupees. The Crook Crabs would scoop the gems up into bags and try to escape, but Link would clash his sword-nose against their claws and take his money back! In the process, he would collect their severed claws to be used as ingredients for Koko later. A crab was wiping a Rupee behind the counter, and Link noticed a Small Key on its person. Sadly, Link would have to KO that crab and take the key to enter the locked door.

Link swam through a narrow, but tall corridor where squares would emerge from the wall and try to crush Link against the other wall. These squares were marked with Sheikah eyes, so Link took care to avoid them. He had to take down a Bari guarding the passage, too. "Liiiink, it seems liiiike this structure is buuuilt with Shei-kah Teeeech." Ayri sang. "I wonder whaaaat this baaaase was foooor?"

Link spared a chuckle at her song. They bypassed the corridor and entered a natural sea cavern. He gasped at seeing a pink Zora woman unconscious on the ground, surrounded by two Gyorgs. Angered, Link bravely swam up and drilled into the sharks with Torpedo Spins. The sharks managed to land some strong bites, but Link slew them first. Afterwards, he shook the Zora woman, and she weakly awakened.

"Oh…young man? What happened to the Gyorgs that were just here?" she asked in a soft voice.

"They looked like they were about to eat you, so…"

"You… saved me? Oh, thank you…! My eggs! No! Those nasty Shell Blades stole my eggs! After the ocean's temperature suddenly decreased, I tried to find a warm cave to hatch my eggs… but when I finally got here, the Gyorgs attacked. I buried my eggs under the sand to hide them, but then I saw a group of Shell Blades come. I saw them come from that small tunnel!" She pointed at the tunnel in question.

"I'll get the eggs back. Just wait here a minute."

Side Quest: Shell Blade Burglary

Link was able to fit through the cramped tunnel, finding a surface that led into an air bubble cavern. He welcomed the breath of air and noticed the giant chest in the cavern. It was too big to open, but Link was able to push a narrow, tiny staircase block in front of the chest. He could shrink into Minish form and go up to the chest's keyhole. Inside were stacks of Rupees and giant clams resting on them. Link could climb up the Rupee piles, and he could use the boomerang to link ropes between a Rupee shard and a tooth on each of the clams' open mouths. Link would find a Zora Egg inside each of the five Shell Blades, but first, he had to shoot Fire Arrows to burn the connecting points of the clams' shells. That way, the clams wouldn't be able to seal their mouths, and Link could then grow to normal size in the chest and gather all the eggs in his pocket. He then shrank back down to exit the keyhole and return the Zora Eggs to their mother.

"Oh, young man… I can't thank you enough for finding my eggs. It seems they are unharmed, too. I'm certain they'll be able to hatch soon. I don't have much to offer, but you seem like you're having trouble breathing underwater. I had this with me just in case."

You got a Bottle of Oxygen! This condensed oxygen will give you a boost of air underwater! While it will temporarily upgrade your Oxygen Meter, it will return to normal once that amount goes down. At least you can recycle the bottle!

"Hey, thanks! I actually had one handy, but I appreciate the extra bottle."

"My pleasure. If it's not too much trouble, I hope you will return to see my children."

Smiling brightly from his good deed, Link continued to the next tunnel. The ground and walls were covered in Dexihands, skinny turquoise arms that would grab Link and shake him around. In doing so, his Oxygen Meter would quickly deplete, and though he could slice them with the boomerang, they would respawn shortly. There was a hole that was cluttered with Dexihands, and the current blowing from the hole prevented Link from entering. He was required to let a Dexihand catch him, and it would pass him to the next and so on as he was brought down the hole. The hands passed him through a passage where the current wasn't blowing, and it ended at a Heart Piece. However, Link was now short of oxygen, so he drank one of his bottles and replenished himself.

The Dexihands passed him back through the tunnel, and Link would soon bypass their little garden. Link arrived at a shaft, seeing a light shining from the top. He ascended up the shaft, evading the Bari that hungered for him. At last, he had touched the surface, climbing out onto an island under a cloudy sky.

Act 2: Dim Light Isles

Right away, Link discovered a Sheikah Warp and used the slate to activate it. He was now able to freely warp to this island without swimming through there again. The island seemed rather muggy in this weather with withered houses and some wrecked ships. The ground was rather muddy with little grass in-between. "Master, these appear to be the Dim Light Isles. While this archipelago is shabby in appearance, it serves as a gateway to the Twilight Realm through use of its Twilight Mirrors."

Link looked around this isle and broke some boxes open for money and nuts. There was a boardwalk that would lead to the next island, but Octorok burst out of random parts of the board to shoot Link. Those Octoroks had stone armor, so he would have to shoot Earth Arrows to defeat them. Link arrived at the next island and saw an unlit torch beside a gate. There was a pot with some Deku Sticks. Link explored the island and found a torch behind a ruined wall, and one near a shore. Link used the Fire Arrow to light the gate torch, then lit up a Deku Stick to quickly go around and light the other torches (using more arrows would've taken longer).

With all torches lit, the gate opened, revealing an altar with a round mirror with intricate designs. "Link, subject identified as a Twilight Mirror. This mystical device acts as a portal to the Twilight Realm. It can only be opened by asking the aid of the shadows."

"Then let's hope this works." Link drew the Wind Waker and conducted the Ode to Twilight. Before his eyes, the mirror glowed to life and became a spiraling white portal. Before entering, Link gave the island one final look-around. He couldn't swim across the sea due to the giant beasts that lurked beneath. With that, he proceeded to climb into the portal. (Play "Island in Violet Parallel" from Mario: Color Splash.)

It was virtually the same island… but the realm around it had completely changed. Beyond the horizon was twilight: a beautiful, glistening eternal sunset that bathed the world in a lukewarm light. The sky over this world was a reflective, wavy image of the normal world, but it seemed that same reflection was depicted deep into the surface. …Just as well, the isles appeared to be floating in the air, and the ocean was completely absent. Link would have to be extra cautious not to fall.

"Link, it appears we have arrived in the Twilight Realm. Specifically, the Twilight Isles. This world exists in a sub-dimension interlinking your world with the Negative World. The eternal sunset is a symbol of perfect balance between those worlds of 'light' and 'dark.' The Twili and other beings of shadow live in peace within this blissful realm."

"'Negative World'? Sounds like an interesting thing to just bring up. But somehow, I feel like it isn't too peaceful at the moment."

The ruin where Link had lit the torch now resembled a small house. Link walked in and found a Twili man. Ayri translated his language. "Ohh…you're not from this world. And you're awfully young for a traveler. Hmmm…it is best that you leave, young one. Our home is cursed. If you do not leave, you will be cursed, too."

"I'll be fine. Are there more people?"

"Our town is further across the isles. Many of us have scattered in fear of not harming others. Eventually, the curse will touch us as well."

"Don't worry. I'll put a stop to this curse." Link left the house and saw a set of platforms leading to the next island (those platforms would've been underwater in the Light World). Link became a Rito to glide to the first platform. There were lanterns floating around as Poe appeared. The ghosts were intangible, but were able to bash Link with their lanterns. Link jumped to the next platform, then used the boomerang to make a rope between it and the following platform. However, he was too low to reach a platform on the side of the island, until he jumped on the formed tightrope and bounced high enough to glide over. He could climb a ladder to get up to the island.

Poes lurked around the island, Link staying away. He found a cog at one shore with a bridge, in which that bridge was hanging down in the abyss via ropes along twin arches. Link spun the cog and made the bridge lift up, but a Poe attacked him and spun it again, sinking the bridge. Link fled and tried to look for a way to fight the Poes. There was a spiral hill in the center of the island, and there was a small cave with a white, glowing orb. "This is a Sol. It is a source of pure Light Chi that the Twili use to warm their homes and keep away evil spirits."

Curious, Link picked it up and tried to bring it near the Poes, but it had no affect on the ghosts. Link decided to carry it up the spiral mountain, watching out for holes with slippery slopes that would send him to the bottom. At the top of the mountain, he could set the Sol on an altar with a magnifying lens. The Sol would send a light beam through the lens onto the island. Link held his Lens of Truth to make a Dark Light. He could rotate the altar and shine it on all the Poes to make them solid. Link then jumped down to slice the ghosts to nothing. Their lanterns dropped as purple, spiritual flames appeared from them. Link caught one of the Poe Souls in his free bottle.

Link turned the cog again to raise the bridge to the next island, but even after crossing it, a strong wood gate blocked the way to that island. Using his Fire Arrows had no effect on the wood… for some reason. When Link returned to the island, he noticed another Twilight Mirror. He conducted the Ode to Twilight and warped back to the Light World. In place of Poes, Miniblin frolicked around the island, but Link dealt with the monsters easily. The bridge was risen in this world, so Link crossed it, ignoring the Octoroks that were apparently pulled up on the bridge.

The gate was torn down on this end, so Link entered the island. There were a lot of dead trees around and piles of dead leaves. The piles were surprisingly thick, but Fire Arrows could burn them. Underneath one of the piles was a hole into a cavern. Link dropped in and followed a passage filled with Blue Tektite jumping around the shallow water. He ignored the water spiders and reached the end, using an Earth Arrow to destroy a boulder blocking the exit. Link climbed out and found himself inside a ruined house. He exited to another shabby island and noticed parallel rows of rocks connecting to the next island. He destroyed a massive pile of leaves with fire and uncovered a Twilight Mirror.

After warping, Link saw a Twili man and woman fearfully backing away from two small Shadow Beasts. "Hey! You stay away from them!" Link yelled, attracting the monsters' attention.

"No! Don't hurt them!" the woman yelled. "Those are our children! They're under a curse!"

"Don't worry about it, I know how to cure them!" Link used his boomerang to knock the creatures dizzy, then conducted the Song of Healing. The living masks were forced off the children's faces, and Link stabbed them before they could reattach.

One of the Twili was a 10-year-old boy, and the other was a baby, crying as the mother ran to pick it up. "You…You saved our kids. Who… are you?"

"The only guy in this world that tries to make a difference." Link remarked.

"Are you with one of the masked men that came through earlier?" the dad asked.

"M…Masked men?"

"There were these men in brownish uniforms, with masks that seemed like upside-down eyes."

"The…The Yiga Clan?!" Link gasped. "Those guys are evil, where are they?!"

"Two of them passed this island an hour ago. They saw us in danger, but they didn't do anything…"

"I hate to say it, but they were probably just enjoying the suffering."

"The path to the next island is covered in Shadow Fog." the mother said. "It's dangerous for outsiders to touch. We'll give you the Sol in our house."

"Sure, thanks." After being given the Sol, Link considered progressing along the path covered in black fog, but he first asked to come into the house and asked about the underground passage he had just come from. That passage indeed existed in this world and was filled with Shadow Tektite, which did more damage than their physical selves, but Link still handled them without trouble. Link climbed out on the other end, and the dead forest of the Light World was a beautiful, lively wood in Twilight. The trees glowed golden with dim blue areas around them. These must have been the Dusk Trees Madim talked about.

Link rolled into a tree to make some of its glistening Gold Leaves fall off. He collected them, figuring they would make great ingredients. He returned to the family's island and used the Sol to clear a path through the fog, with Shadow Vermin ambushing him. A stairway would take him up to the island. There was another altar with a lens, so Link set the Sol on it. Across the chasm was a waterfall of Shadow Fog, so Link aimed the light that direction to puncture a hole through the fog, thus clearing the underside of it. There was a draft blowing from underneath the ledge, so Link became a Rito to fly across and through the fog's opening.

Link landed on a pier very far below the island's shore. There were higher platforms that Yiga Assassins appeared on, shooting arrows imbued with Shadow Chi down at the hero. Link launched Fire Arrows to defeat the ninjas, using a ladder to climb onto a left platform, then linked a tightrope between pegs on this and the next platform. There was a Yiga Blademaster watching him adamantly on a higher platform. Though it seemed like there was no way up there, Link could become a Minish and enter a tiny tunnel on his platform. It led onto the Blademaster's platform. Link quickly returned to normal and PUSHED the burly Yiga off.

Link walked up a flight of stairs onto the island's shore. There, he found four Yiga in shadowy uniforms, along with a familiar boy in a mask. (End song.)

"Heh heh heh. Well, fair Hero, it looks like we meet again." The Yiga boy smirked.

"You…Your name is Kigo, right?" Link inquired. "Are you harassing all of these Twili?!"

"What does it matter to you? The people of the Light World fear the Twili. They see them as the monsters they now resemble."

"You're the only monsters I see right now."

"I guess you're not wrong. You see, the masked girl gave me a special instrument that I could use to open the Twilight Mirrors. We've been reaping this world of its resources, and we've found ways to inject ourselves with the Shadow Chi of this world. Take him down, boys."

"You got it, boss!" declared one of the Yiga as they submerged into the shadows, slithering up. Link dodged as they popped out and tried to cut him, performing spin attacks to slice the ninjas. Link was able to defeat one of them, so the others slithered away and fired Shadow Arrows. Link countered with his own arrows and KO'ed the 2nd one. Afterwards, the remaining two sank in the shadows and slithered up to Link. One of them yanked him into the shadows and pummeled him, throwing him out afterwards. Link reused the same trick with Madim and shot Fire Arrows over them, scaring them out of the shadows. Afterwards, he leapt to slash the Yiga until they were down for good.

"Sigh, you just can't find good help these days." Kigo shook his head. "Honestly… what do you do this for, anyway?" Kigo pulled off his mask to look Link in the eye. "I mean, getting cooking stuff for that Sheikah girl, helping out those salvagers and all the Twili people here… Are you just in it for the rewards? Otherwise, shouldn't your top priority be to save the Maidens?"

"I'll admit the rewards are very helpful… otherwise, I couldn't really explain why I do these things. It's just in my nature. Even when I set off to rescue my sister, I got sidetracked by so many people who weren't really relevant to the mission, generally speaking. I think the best answer I could provide is just…"

Kigo raised a brow, interested in his answer. Ayri also looked at her master curiously. "…I love the world!" Link sported a shiny grin.

"W…What?!" Kigo choked with disbelief.

"Eh heh heh. I just like everything about this world. I love the sea and the sky… and I love the people, too!"

"Khm…hmph…PAH HA HA HA ha ha ha!" Kigo couldn't contain his laughter, clutching his chest. "You love the world! That's the dumbest thing I ever heard!"

"Yeah? Well, what's your interpretation of the world?"

"Well, the world itself isn't bad, it's just…" Darkness crossed over Kigo's red eyes, his smirk twinkling. "Everybody just pisses me off."

"Oh…well, that sucks."

"Because everybody in this world is selfish! You may do all these noble things for people, but it's all for your convenience! You just want to find the Four Maidens so you don't freeze in the endless winter, and you want all these nameless nobodies to reward you!"

"Hmmm…yeah, I guess you're right." Link frowned casually. "I guess I just like to be happy, too. That's why I do these things."

"Exactly what I…wait, what?!" Kigo was baffled again by Link's remark. "UGH, forget it! It's time for Round 2, Hero!" He put his mask back on. "You aren't gonna get me with your Minish Hat this time! AYAH!"

Sub-boss: Kigo

Kigo, using his own imbued Shadow Chi, sank into a Veil and slithered up to Link. He popped out, but dodged to Link's side, sword raised in defense. Kigo rolled behind Link and back-flipped, slashing his blade at the air. …?

Link put his arms behind his head, his expression nonchalant. "…What the heck, why aren't you fighting me?!" Kigo asked.

"…Do you get a kick out of watching me?"

"What?!" Kigo flushed.

"You just said that you watched me help the salvagers and Twili. I'll bet you were watching me during the Rito, too, after you retreated. …I think you got a thing for me."

"Y-You… don't be ridiculous!" Kigo became more red behind the mask. "I was analyzing your technique, that's all it was!"

"But if you were really at all those places, you had plenty of chances to get me." Link turned to him with a sweet, knowing smile. "You said you saw me in the woods, when I was shape-shifting. You could've easily run up and stepped on me in my Minish form. You could've snuck into the Stock Pot Inn and stabbed me. Why would you want to study me when your job was simply to kill me? And if you were anything like those other Yiga, why didn't you hurt any of the innocent townspeople just for kicks?"

"I…I…"

"I think… that deep down, you're just a sweetheart!"

Kigo clenched his teeth. He was glad Link couldn't see how much his face was quivering behind the mask.

"I couldn't agree more."

Link whipped around, gasping with utmost surprise and horror. Before him was the masked girl, a blanket of ice spreading along the ground from her feet. "You… So, you finally decided to show yourself!"

"Yes, I have… unlike Kigo. Your orders, as with all the Yiga Clan, were to kill the Hero of Wind! But you refused. That first battle you had with him was merely an act, you weren't trying to kill him. I can feel the weakness in your heart… You're useless to me, Kigo!" The girl waved her arms and conjured a long icicle, thrusting it at Kigo, but Link jumped in the way and blocked with his shield. He was shoved backward into Kigo, both falling on the ground. The girl conjured another large icicle above them, bringing it down, but Kigo shoved Link off and suffered the fatal blow.

"KIGOOO! …Grrrr!" Link immediately conducted the Song of Healing in an aggressive fashion.

"GYUUUH!" The girl clasped her head from the unbearable ringing sound. "Not again! Not again! That song… why do I hate that song so much?! Ghhhhh…must return to the temple. Kill him, Frost Hammer!" With one last burst of power, a large knight made of ice exploded into being. The girl spun a sphere of snow around herself and vanished.

The Frost Hammer spun an ice-ball-and-chain and launched it at Link, the hero dodging as he quickly melted the ball with a Fire Arrow. He shot another to melt the beast's armor, exposing metal armor underneath. He was conjuring another ball-and-chain, and he would always face Link as the hero tried to get around him. When he threw the weapon, Link was able to get behind while he was pulling it back, enabling Link to stab the soft, weak tail. The Frost Hammer skied across the frozen ground, extending his chain to throw from a greater distance. Link shot Fire Arrows at the ground to melt the ice, stopping his skiing.

Afterwards, Link repeated the process, but the monster sat himself on the ground to hide his weak spot. The beast conjured an ice-chain sickle and tried to lash it at Link. The hero was able to throw his boomerang and link a rope between the sickle and Frost Hammer's helmet. When he threw the sickle, the helmet was yanked off, allowing Link to shoot his head with Fire Arrows. This dealt the final blow as the demon burst into darkness, a spirit resembling Araea's Mask floating out of it. (Play "Song of Healing" from Majora's Mask.)

"Kigo!" Link returned to the boy and melted the giant icicle. However, he stared horrified at the gaping wound in Kigo's stomach. "No… Kigo!"

"Kuh…cough…" Kigo weakly pulled off his mask, exposing his pale face, the light draining from his eyes. "Ugh…ever since… that girl appeared… I knew… bad things were gonna happen. H…H…Hero…" Kigo struggled to crack a smirk. "You're… a pretty weird kid… acting like you love everything… You're lucky… you never had to grow up like I did…"

"Don't say anything! The Twili town should be nearby, we'll see if they can treat you!"

"F…Forget it… Link… assassins like me… don't deserve this life… We're the type that's forced to hate everybody… and we hate ourselves because of it. If only we had what you had… and maybe we could… love ourselves, too."

"…" Link clutched the Wind Waker with hesitation. He knew what he had to do… but the act of doing so again… "Ugh…" Accepting the inevitable, Link conducted the Song of Healing.

Kigo's eyes half-closed in a peaceful fashion. "Ah…so, this is how it… feels…"

Whiteness engulfed the world of Kigo's memories. He was born into the world crying like any other person. He was fed a baby food made with Mighty Bananas. In his toddler years, he was given his first knife and was asked to stab small animals. A pig, a Cucco, a frog… and the Yiga would cook the remains and serve it to him. By the time he was six years old, he had been trained in fighting and hurting his own clansmen. Afterwards, his father took him out to sea, attacking innocent passenger ships, where Kigo hurt and cut many people. The family would return home, celebrating with a feast of bananas over Kigo's growth.

Sometimes, Kigo would take off his uniform and blend into the crowds at Clockwork Island. He watched the Bomber Pirates play together and silently wished he could join the fun. But then he would look at the wanted posters of the young, masked boy who killed for the Yiga Clan. He envisioned that if he were to go up to the Bombers, they would be dead by the next morning. So, Kigo would return home with a lonely, heavy heart. Instead of feeling compassion for these people and wanting to be with them… it was easier to hate them for their ignorance. It was easier to hate everyone to justify the Yiga's desire to kill… yes… it was easier to hate… (End song.)

As Kigo's body faded into nothing, he gave Link his last smile. "Is it really that easy to be you… Hero?"

He disappeared, and his essence flowed into his mask. It fell flat on the ground. Link, bowing his head with remorse, picked up the mask.

You got the Mask of Kigo! This mask inhibits the soul of a tormented young assassin of the Yiga Clan. Wearing it will transform you into a Yiga, complete with all the stealth and assassination skills. You can perform Ninja Leaps to targets marked with Sheikah Eyes, and it seems like this mask is imbued with Shadow properties…

"Kigo…" Link turned the mask around. "We share the same heart now…" And he placed the mask on.

The painful sensation overcame him as the mask's upside-down eye shot wide. Link's hair turned white as the Yiga garb replaced his own, and his sword became a miniature katana. "Master Link! I've detected an unusual change inside the Sheikah Slate. A new function has been added to the Arrow Rune!"

"?!" Link viewed the rune: a Shadow Arrow function was added. When Link clicked it, Ayri held an arrow with a tip of black flame. "How fascinating! This Shadow Arrow is connected to the energy from within Kigo's mask. I believe it can be used to temporarily blind foes."

"And we don't even have to beat a dungeon this time? Fair game. Let's keep going, Ayri." Link continued across the island, seeing a series of pillars leading across the chasm. Those pillars had Sheikah Eyes on them, which somehow enabled Link to leap across, clutch those targets, and fly to the next ones. The targets would bring him to a larger island of wooden houses, the home of the Twili, Dusk Town.