Link climbed the rope ladder at first light, the broken hilt of the Master Sword knocking against his hip. He had come to Hollowsong to reforge it. He had come to end the storm. Rain dripped from every leaf, and the treehouse above him stood silent in a way homes were not supposed to stand. The door hung open. Inside, a cup of tea sat cold on the table. A child's wooden toy lay on the floor. Outside on the platform, a ring of stones still held a fire from the night before, the embers gone gray under the drizzle. A small masked creature with thin wings crept out from under a chair. It carried something in its teeth and dropped it at Link's boots. A pendant, carved from bone, shaped like a tiny skull. A child's charm. Link knew the woman who wore one like it. He had spoken to her two days ago. He picked up the pendant. His hand shook, and he hated that it shook. The darkness had not taken a stranger. It had taken someone who had smiled at him. Link closed his fist around the bone. He climbed back down the ladder without looking at the cold fire again. The old methods waited. He would use them today.