I ran.Straight toward the well near the crop fields.
Of all the places where I'd seen Koroks over the years, that one was the clearest in my memory. It was the closest, too. If any of them were still around, it had to be there.
The sun was just beginning to rise properly, casting long shadows between the fence posts and bundles of hay. My hooves pounded against the dirt path, dry and cracked from days without rain. I didn't slow down.
The well was old, built from stone blocks covered in moss, with a tiny, slanted wooden roof above it that creaked whenever the wind blew too hard. It always looked like it was about to fall apart, but somehow never did.
And this time… something was different.
There, just under the edge of the roof—tucked against the wood—was a small clay jar shaped like a bulbous fruit. Smooth. Orange-tinted. With swirly green patterns etched into it like vines.
That wasn't there before.
I stopped abruptly and stared at it. The jar didn't move. Didn't make a sound. But something about it felt off. Not dangerous. Just... too perfectly placed.
I stepped closer.
I climbed onto the edge of the well to get a closer look.
The jar felt solid when I touched it—real. Not some illusion or trick of the light. But the moment I pulled it from where it was tucked...
It exploded in a burst of glowing lights right in my hands.
A sound echoed out with it. Not quite a thunderclap. Not as sharp as a firework. But loud enough to make my ears twitch.
And then, laughter. Bright, cheerful, familiar.
"Yahahah! You found me! Catch!"
Startled, I jumped down from the well just in time to catch something the Korok had tossed toward me.
But the second I grabbed it, I felt a strange pull—from deep inside me. Like something had yanked from the middle of my chest.
And then… whatever I'd caught vanished.
"Eh?! Where's my prize?!"
I stared at my empty hands, completely confused. I had caught it. I was sure of it.
"Haha! You just stored it, silly!" the Korok giggled, voice full of joy and innocence. He lifted his tiny arm to show me a seed. "Just think about holding the seed, and it'll come out!"
I did what he said.
And instantly, I felt it appear in my hand—like magic.
A small, warm object. Real. Solid. With swirling engravings just like the jar.
My confusion only grew. But the Korok was already giggling again, skipping off toward a new hiding spot without a care in the world.
These Koroks…They just can't stay still for one more second to explain how—or why—I can do this.
Well... at least now I have a reason to find them.
Without hesitating, I went after the next one.He wasn't far. I remembered him dragging a rock twice his size to use as a hiding spot just outside the pumpkin patch fence.
I bolted after that Korok!
It didn't take long to find the stone—overgrown with weeds, already half-swallowed by the earth. A clear sign it hadn't been moved in a long, long time.
With a grunt, I wrapped my arms around it and pulled.
It took effort. More than I expected. But eventually, the stone shifted with a dull scrape against the dirt.
And then—just like before—
The same burst of light.The same sound, not quite thunder and not quite fireworks.And the same laughter that bounced through the trees.
"Yahahah!"
I let the questions spill out as I caught the seed—only for it to vanish into my hand again.
Why can I store the seeds in my heart?Because that's where I felt them. Deep inside.
The Korok, already halfway through turning to flee, just tilted his head.
"I dunno! But Hestu uses them for magic! If you see him, he might help you!"
And just like that, the Korok dashed off into the grass.
I didn't even have time to shout another question.
So I ran toward another possible hiding spot.One up on a rooftop.
Many times I'd seen a Korok sitting there quietly at night, just watching the stars.It had to be him. That had to be his favorite place to hide.
Climbing onto the roof was easy because of the slope of the land. The dirt rose naturally near the fence, and with a small jump, I was up.
At first, I didn't see anything. There wasn't really a good place to hide.But as I stepped closer to the edge, I spotted it—a small cluster of glowing particles, dancing in place.
"Got you!" I said with a grin.
"Yahaha! You got me!"
The Korok appeared in a flash of sparkles, arms raised in victory as if he had won instead of me.
"WAIT!" I blurted out before he could vanish. "Do you know where I can find Hestu?!"
The Korok froze for a split second.
"Nope!" he chirped cheerfully, completely unbothered.
And just like the others, he vanished into the wind with a giggle and a little rustle of leaves.
I kept finding hidden Koroks.Some didn't even give me the chance to ask anything—they just threw the seed at me and vanished before I could speak.It was getting frustrating.
I wasn't even sure how many I'd found already.The seeds kept disappearing into my chest the same way, each one pulling slightly at my core.My heart felt… heavy. Not in a bad way. Just… full.
Eventually, I caught one that actually ran.I had to chase him past the fence near the corn rows, through the tall grass, and back again.He was fast. But I was faster.
When I finally caught him, I expected him to poof away like the rest.But instead, he sat down. Right on the wooden fence where I'd trapped him.Calm. Unbothered.
I stared at him, out of breath.And then asked, half annoyed, half amazed, "Why didn't you run away like the others?"
The Korok tilted his leafy face toward the sun for a moment. Then replied simply,"I like the Hylians in this village."
I climbed up onto the fence beside him to catch my breath.
"Hey… can I ask you some questions?"
"You already asked two," he said without turning his head.
"Uh… right. Well, it's just that… ever since I started getting these seeds, now I can store them inside my chest. And apparently Hestu can help me with them if I give them to him… but I don't understand any of it."
The Korok finally looked at me and tilted his leafy head.
"I'm an adult Korok," he said calmly, "but I don't really understand how it works either. You smell like us—that might be something. But you're not storing them in your chest. You're storing them in your soul."
That made me blink.
"And Hestu is traveling, like everyone else. So it's hard to say where he might be. But if you ever really need to find him, you might be able to catch him in the Lost Woods. With your gift, it shouldn't be too hard for you to get in. Nature loves you, the same way it loves us."
He paused, then added with a proud little bounce,
"But his magic only helps you carry more things in your soul. He always helps us. Look!"
The Korok raised his arms, and suddenly began pulling out random objects from... nowhere.
Hot meals, frozen meat, sticks, fruits, bugs, clay pots, and way too many leaf masks.He tossed them into the air and then poof—each one vanished as he waved a hand or blinked.
I stared at my hand, intrigued.
Then I closed my eyes and focused on that blurry, strange feeling I'd been carrying all morning.
Soon, the darkness behind my eyelids began to shift.It wasn't sight—not really. I wasn't seeing with my eyes anymore.I was seeing with... something else.
A quiet place unfolded in my mind.Dark, but not frightening.Peaceful.
There, floating in the stillness, were the seeds.A dozen of them, suspended silently, unmoving. That was all there was.
And now that I think about it…I haven't tried to store anything on purpose.Nothing I actually wanted to keep.
The seeds just stored themselves the moment I touched them.
I stood up on the fence and stepped down. Then crouched beside a loose rock near the ground.
I picked it up.
And with a single thought—It vanished.
I opened my eyes, startled, staring at my empty hand.
I had just done something… mystical.Something right out of the legends.
The Korok laughed when he saw my face.
"You remind me of the sprouts," he said, his voice soft and full of fondness."They store everything in their souls too, once they learn how to control it."He leaned forward slightly, tilting his leafy head."I did that too, once."