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#25 Gate to the First Trial
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Drop into the Faron Woods via the Sealed Grounds landing point. Fi will appear to say that the gate is nearby. Go to the Sealed Temple and talk to the Priestess. She feels that the seal will not last long and the Beast will break through. She also tells Link that Groose is hard at work preparing something for the next assault. She tells Link he must move fast.
Leave the temple and go to the valley that is North/East of the pond with the cave underwater. Link will see Blue Butterflies hovering over a barren area. Walk over to the area and strum the Goddess Harp. Fi will appear over a medallion that is emitting a pulsing light ring. Strum to the beat of the light ring and bright leaves will radiate from the medallion. Fi confirms the mark. Step over the mark and thrust the sword downward. The whole area is transformed into a new realm. Fi tells Link that she can not follow him because this trial calls to him only.
Areas like this are known as "Silent Realm", accessible only to the chosen hero. This trial, "Farore’s Silent Realm" tests Links courage. Link will be undertaking the challenge in spirit only. Link receives the "Spirit Vessel". It represents his spirit. Link must fill the vessel to complete the trial. He must look for the "Tear of Farore" to fill the vessel. There are many of them in this world. Link turns and Fi points to a Tear of Farore saying he needs to collect 15. She says it is not an easy task and that he should not step out of the protective circle he stands in, or the "Guardians" will pursue him. Link will fail the trial even if hit just one time by a Guardian.
The task is not all that difficult. Link must be aware of several types of guardians and alarms. The "Flying Sky Watchers" hover overhead casting a bright light. If Link is caught in the light, all the guardians will be alerted. The "Earth Watchers" are stationary, but if Link gets too close they too will set off the alarm. There are two trees surrounded by liquid called "Waking Water". If Link touches the water the guardians will be alerted. One tree has a log crossing the water. The other tree has water that rises and falls like the tide. When it’s down, Link can pick up the Tear. Spread about the land are "Light Fruit". When picked, all the Tears will send up a light beam indicating their location. The beam only lasts a short time. As soon as Link steps out of the circle, the alarm is set and the Guardians come after him. As soon as Link grabs a Tear the alarm is turned off, but only for a period of time, say 45 seconds. Look at the top of the vessel on Links heads-up screen to see a flower. As time runs down the leaves turn dark. This happens every time Link picks up a Tear. Also note that every time Link picks up a Tear it will be shown on his map. This means that each time Link fails the trial, the Tears he had found before will show up on the map. This makes it a little easier to find them the next time.
Now leave the circle and move straight ahead to pick up the first Tear. Then walk and dash to the left avoiding the Flying Sky Watchers. Ahead is a Tear. Leave it and go up the slope to the right and to a vine-covered wall. This leads to a ledge with a Tear. Jump down and go to the wall across the way to a crawl space avoiding the Tear there. On the other side turn right and pick up the Tear in front of Link. Then go to the tree and wait for the liquid to go down, then pick up another Tear. Just keep up this pace watching the flower clock and Link will have all the Tears in no time. When Link picks up the last Tear, he still has to make it back to the circle to complete the trial. Link will receive the "Water Dragon’s Scale" as his gift. This allows Link to explore underwater. Link returns to the real world and Fi appears with her congratulations. She tells Link that he now has the power to proceed to the location of the First Flame. Fi tells Link the flame is within the Faron Woods. Turn around and talk to the Elder Kikwi. He notes that Link has the Water Dragon’s Scale and suggests that Link look in places he couldn’t get to before. Turn to the left and walk to the water on the right.
