After exploring a nearby island, I headed down to Faron Woods. After dousing to find the right area, I played Farore’s Courage on my harp. Smurf-Fi sang along, which is a freaky sight to behold.
A strange mark appeared on the ground; I had to thrust my sword into it. Once I did, everything changed colors. There is an eerie atmosphere and a surreal look. The first trial, Farore’s Silent Realm, has begun.
Apparently to achieve spiritual growth, I have to collect 15 glowing seeds…oh excuse me, Tears of Farore. The look of this area and the collecting objective reminded me of Twilight Princess, which I wasn’t a huge fan of. This area has a catch though; if you get hit by an enemy even once, you fail the trial. The good news is that collecting a Tear of Farore freezes most enemies for 90 seconds. On my third try, I completed the trial. My reward was the Water Dragon’s Scale. It allows me to swim and dive underwater (finally).
My next task was to use my newfound swimming ability to explore a new area of Faron Woods and find the first sacred flame. Water shows up on the map, so it wasn’t hard to get started on my way. It eventually led to me climbing up the Great Tree. Here I’m encountering a very large new enemy.
Once I reached a bird statue, I stopped and saved my game.