Now that Link had the eight Instruments of the Sirens, he knew that he had the power to wake the Wind Fish, and possibly to bring to an end the existence of Koholint Island and everything on it. Torn with indecision, Link wandered Koholint, taking a long last look at the beautiful isle. In Mabe Village he found Marin standing by the rooster statue, and they talked for a while. Marin told Link,

Thank you for everything! Link, you are the kindest boy I know. One day I made a wish to the Wind Fish... What was the wish? It was... No, it's a secret! Link, some day you will leave this island... I just know it in my heart. Don't ever forget me... If you do, I'll never forgive you!

As Link flipped through the books in the Mabe Village library, he found a book called "Dark Secrets and Mysteries of Koholint." He couldn't read the tiny print of this book without the aid of a magnifying glass, so he took out the one he had found. One page of the book said, "Round and round, the passageways of the Egg," and gave several compass directions. Puzzled, Link put away the book that reeked of secrets, and left Mabe. He had made his decision: he must return to Hyrule, his homeland, to protect his people and the Triforce from evil hands. His heart set, he hiked to the base of Mount Tamaranch, and looked up to the peak, where the huge, spotted Egg rested. The owl landed nearby, and told Link,

Hoooot! The Wind Fish sleeps long and dreamily in the Egg above... When you play the eight Siren Instruments in front of the Egg he will awaken. This, my friend, is the only way for you to leave the island! Hoo!

The climb to the top of Mount Tamaranch was a long one, and when he reached the top Link was tired. Taking out the Ocarina, Link played the song of awakening, Marin's Ballad of the Wind Fish. The Instruments of the Sirens floated above Link's head, accompanying Link while he played. The song of awakening was both beautiful and tumultuous, and when the song had been completed, a huge earthquake shook the ground and a single hole burst in the side of the Egg. Just then, the owl flew in and landed on top of the Egg. He said that the time had come and the Wind Fish awaited, and told Link to enter the Egg.

The inside of the Egg was completely dark, and as Link stepped forward he fell screaming into a deep pit. He landed inside of a twisted maze, and remembered how the book in Mabe Village had given him directions. Following these directions, Link found himself in front of another pit, and jumped in. The room he landed in had a picture of the Wind Fish on the floor, and Link stood up, ready to fight. A malicious voice sounded, telling Link,

We were born of nightmares... To take over this world, we made the Wind Fish sleep endlessly! If the Wind Fish doesn't wake up, this island will never disappear! We would have been the masters of this place... But you had to come here and disrupt our plans! Heh heh! You can never defeat us!!! Let's rumble!

Link looked down at his feet and saw a Nightmare materializing underneath him. He jumped out of the way, and the fight began. The final Nightmare, a monster of shadows, took on many different shapes, changing at will. It changed into a Giant Gel, hopping towards Link. Link sprinkled Magic Powder on it, and after a while the Nightmare turned into Agahnim's Shadow. Link's worst nightmares were coming true as he was forced to fight shadows of his most powerful arch-enemies. He flung the balls of energy back at Agahnim's Shadow until the Nightmare decided to changed shape again. This time it changed into a huge Shadow Moldorm, which Link defeated in the same way he had defeated the other Moldorms he had faced.

Changing shapes again, the Nightmare turned into Ganon's Shadow. Link was horrified to realize that he no longer had the weapons necessary to defeat Ganon, but taking courage, he hoped that Ganon's Shadow would not require such powerful weapons. Shadow Ganon threw his trident at Link and sent the shadows of fire bats after him, and Link quickly dodged these deadly attacks. Putting on the Pegasus Shoes, Link charged at Shadow Ganon, hoping to catch him off-guard. This strategy worked, and the Nightmare realized that he couldn't defeat Link with the shadows of enemies he had already fought.

The Nightmare changed one last time into his true form, a one-eyed monster named Dethyl whose two arms rotated slowly, trying to knock Link off his feet. Dethyl moved slowly around the room, and Link used Roc's Feather to jump over Dethyl's arms. Dethyl kept his single eye closed most of the time, but the few times that he opened it Link shot an arrow into it. Link shot arrow after arrow into Dethyl's eye, and Dethyl's arms swung faster and faster. After many arrows, Dethyl could take no more, and before he disappeared forever he moaned that "this island is going to disappear... our world is going to disappear... Our world..."

A voice told Link that he had beaten all the Nightmares, and instructed him to climb the stairs before him. He climbed and climbed, entering a starry realm where bright clouds floated in the darkness, where peace was still a powerful force. Reaching the platform at the top, Link watched as the owl materialized before him, and listened as the owl said,

Hoot! Young lad, I mean... Link, the hero! You have defeated the Nightmares! You have proven your wisdom, courage and power!

As part of the Wind Fish's spirit, I am the guardian of his dream world... But one day, the Nightmares entered the dream and began wreaking havoc. Then you, Link, came to rescue the island... I have always trusted in your courage to turn back the Nightmares. Thank you, Link ... My work is done... The Wind Fish will wake soon. Good bye...Hoot!

The owl disappeared, and in his place the Wind Fish materialized before Link's eyes. The whale deity made a beautiful sound, halfway between a roar and a whale's high-pitched music. In a booming voice he told Link,

The Wind Fish disappeared, and his voice told him to play the eight Instruments, to play the song of awakening! Link took out the Instruments, and as they floated above his head they played the Ballad of the Wind Fish. As this haunting song drifted over the island of Koholint, the land and all its inhabitants slowly vanished from existence. A huge geyser took Link himself out of the Wind Fish's dream.

When Link awoke, he was floating in the ocean, hanging onto a piece of driftwood from the wreckage of his ship. Now that the storm had passed, the sun burned brightly overhead, and fluffy clouds billowed in a clear blue sky. Link thought he could hear Marin singing the Ballad of the Wind Fish in the distance. He lifted himself on top of the piece of flotsam and sat down. As he wondered what to do with himself, he noticed that a shadow was passing overhead, and looked up. The Wind Fish was flying over the sun, high in the sky, and nearby flew Marin in the form of a seagull, bound for far-away lands. Link's wonder turned to joy, and he smiled, knowing that Marin had gotten her wish, and that Koholint Island would always exist in their hearts.