The Legend of Zelda: Mask of the Boom (Preview)

Zelda continued walking, Link keeping pace and holding the torch up so she could see as best as she could. “So many rodents…” she remarked again, stroking her chin, “So many… wait… wait are those…”

She hurried off to the side of another wall and looked at one of the pictures engraved. “Bomb flowers!” She snapped another photo, “I had read about in the castle's library before. They were an ancient flower said to be utterly devastating if handled poorly.

“They were said to be extinct!” Zelda looked curiously at Link, “I wonder what their presence here means?” Link said nothing, just giving the peculiar flower on the wall a look.

He followed her down the passage as she hurried from wall to wall, trying her best to study the images as she saw them. She muttered a lot, most of which he couldn't hear. Some of what he could were things about the Zonai and how, maybe, the temple existed even before their time. He didn't understand but knew it was important to her so did his best to try and listen.

Their trip down the passage eventually came to a large doorway. Through it was a large, ominous chamber almost as wide and tall as the throne room of Hyrule Castle. Despite its size, the only thing that seemed to be in it were some old torches on the wall and a singular, corroded chest in the center of the room.

Link stepped into the room first to check before giving the princess the okay. She came in and took his torch, using it to light the ancient ones and illuminate the room. The new light showed even more, larger glyphs on the walls.

“Much better,” Zelda commented. She looked at the images covering every inch of the room. “Fascinating. I think… I think I might be able to understand what they mean. Give me some time, Link. I'm sure I can figure this out.”

Link gave her a nod and watched her head off to the left wall first. She started her careful, mutter-filled examination, fading into her own little world.

Left to his own devices, he turned his attention to the treasure chest in the room. He might as well do his own thing for the time being. See what was in there, check for traps and what not.

The hero approached the old box and opened it. It was a bit rusted, forcing him to really put his back into it before it popped open. A cloud of dust poured out at first, causing him to cough and brush the air away.

Once it settled, Link looked inside. There, of all things, was a mask.

It was perhaps the strangest mask that he had even seen. It was roundish and gray, the paint applied in a way that gave it a rough, almost fuzzy-esque texture. The eye holes were huge and round, yellow paint on the inside edges. The mouth was closed and stretched into a wide, painted smile, one that was deep orange. Just above the smile, the mask pulled forward. At the end of that, there was a blue bump, perhaps to represent the nose.

Link stared at it. The mask had a monsterous energy to it. It was almost similar to those hoods that Kilton had given him. However, there was just something more… off about this mask compared to those. He couldn't describe it, but he knew something was just wrong.

“Hmm, yes…” Link looked up. Zelda was already on the wall behind the chest, talking rather loudly. “I think I got it… just a little more…”

It sounded like she had made some good progress. Perhaps something in those images could explain what the mask was about as well.

Link stood up and was about to walk over, show her his peculiar find. Just as he was about to, his eyes fell back onto the mask. They lingered there, taking in its shape, its round, silly shape and visage. They stared and stared.

His attention eventually turned to those empty eye sockets. He gazed into them, one minute, then two, perhaps even three? He stared and stared. They seemed to stare back.

They stared back with yellow. Yellow eyes with black pupils that pulled into spirals. They spun and spun, pulling him deeper into it. He couldn't look away. Wait… was that smile bigger now? Bigger, more sinister… more inviting?

Link’s mind emptied of his own thoughts as his hands slowly flipped the mask over. Put it on. The hands lifted the mask slowly towards his mask. Put it on, hehehe. The mask grew closer. Put it on, silly! Closer and closer. Put it on and go boooom!

“Link, I think I understand!” Zelda called out to him, her back still turned. “I think I put it all together! This room, these symbols. It's about a treasure, probably what's in the chest! I think… I think it's something about containing the soul of a bomchu, a monster from long ago.

“This treasure grants whoever possesses it the spirit of the bombchu. It can bring about great disaster… or something silly or fun? I'm not exactly sure of the translation or what these expressions are on these glyphs over here, but I think it's something of that nature.”

Link couldn't even hear her. The mask went up against his face, its cold, dusty bottom surface touching against his cheeks.