 From a gate inside Clock Tower, Link and Tatl enter Clock Town while its population prepares for the town's annual Carnival of Time also scheduled to take place in three days. Together they learn that the Skull Kid is waiting at the top of the tower, which is only accessible during the eve of the carnival. After conditions are met, Link and Tatl arrive at the top of the Clock Tower to witness Tael hurriedly speak a riddle to them: "Swamp. Mountain. Ocean. Canyon ... hurry, the four who are there ... bring them here!" Link is unable to fight the Skull Kid, nor does he have any means to take the mask from him, but manages to get the Ocarina of Time back from his hands. After playing the "Song of Time" on the ocarina, Link and Tatl are brought backwards through time three days earlier — with the ocarina still in his possession and with both him and Tatl having complete memory of all that happened. Meeting with the Happy Mask Salesman again, he sees Link has retrieved his ocarina, and hence teaches him the "Song of Healing", which breaks the curse, returns Link to his human form and seals his Deku Scrub form into a mask which has the power to turn him back into a Deku Scrub if needed. After he finds out Link did not bring back the mask, he panics and explains that the mask conceals an evil, apocalyptic power that was once used by an ancient tribe in hexing rituals. The troubles caused by the mask were so great, that the ancient ones "sealed the mask in shadow forever" to prevent it from being misused. Link must then travel between the four cardinal regions of Termina: Woodfall, Snowhead, the Great Bay, and Ikana Canyon, for each region conceals one of the Four Giants who will be able, once reunited, to halt the moon's crashing. At the same time, each region has been struck with a terrible curse by the Skull Kid which plagues its inhabitants and seals away its giant. To lift the curse and free the giants, Link must enter a dungeon in each region and defeat its boss. After doing so, he obtains the power to summon the giant he has set free.
