Tears of the Kingdom takes place years after Breath of the Wild, at the end of the Zelda timeline.[12] Link and Zelda set out to explore the cavern beneath Hyrule Castle, from which a poisonous substance called gloom has been seeping out and causing people to fall ill. There, they find murals depicting the founding of Hyrule and a subsequent conflict known as the Imprisoning War—an ancient battle against a being referred to as the "Demon King"—which Zelda believes to be related to the mysterious Zonai race. Upon venturing deeper, they discover a mummy who was being restrained by a disembodied arm, but reawakens and attacks them. In the aftermath, Link's right arm is wounded and the Master Sword is shattered, Hyrule Castle is raised into the sky, and Zelda falls into the depths below; as Link tries to catch her, she vanishes along with a mysterious artifact. Link is rescued by the arm and awakens on the Great Sky Island to find that it has replaced his damaged limb. He meets the spirit of Rauru, a Zonai and the source of his new arm, who helps him traverse the Great Sky Island. Once he reaches his destination, the shattered Master Sword vanishes and he returns to the surface below.
