Realm of the Goddesses
During the creation of the Triforce, the Goddesses needed to make sure it couldn't be reached by anyone, except a very small number of individuals, in order to prevent it from being accessed by anyone evil. As part of a multi-layered seal for the Triforce, they created a new realm called the Sacred Realm, and with it, they appointed Six Sages that would help protect its secrecy, though these Sages wouldn't need to be called upon for a long time. Although there were always Six Sages hidden among the populace each generation, they never awakened as Sages for a long, long time.
Spiritual Stones
Since the Sages never needed to awaken, the Six Guardians of the world decided to band together for once and create a set of six stones that would be needed in order to access the Sacred Realm. However, with time, the Shadow and Spirit stones were lost, leaving only the Kokiri Emerald, the Goron Ruby, the Zora Sapphire, and the Hylian Stone, which would later be reforged by the Royal Family into the Ocarina of Time. In order to access the Sacred Realm, one would have to have all the stones, the Ocarina of Time, and a melody passed down only through the Royal Family known as the Song of Time.
Rauru, Sage of Light
Within the Followers of Light, its two leaders, Rauru and Orland, were up for contention to be the Sage of Light. However, the reality was that Rauru was already the Sage; he just wasn't awakened yet. He wasn't supposed to awaken for a while longer, but with the threat of Orland turning to the dark side, Luekke, Guardian of Light pre-emptively awakened Rauru as the Sage of Light, informing him of the Sacred Realm and the Triforce, and that Orland must never get his hands on it. Unfortunately, Orland didn't have to, and the knowledge Luekke gave to Rauru ended up backfiring terribly. Orland ended up using that information to have Hyrule believe that the Hylians were claiming the Triforce and its power for themselves, causing everyone to turn on the Hylians in a quest for Power, starting the Hyrulean Civil War.
Hidden Passage
When Rauru awakened as the Sage of Light, it activated the Temple of Light, a location within the Sacred Realm. Within the temple was a room called the Chamber of Sages, which would be a location for the Six Sages to convene, giving them a conduit to transfer there mystical power to, when the time comes… except Rauru was the only sage. He would’ve searched for the other sages, but with the war going on, he had to divert his attention away from the Temple of Light and the Sages in order to try and seek peace with the other races.
However, there was more to the Temple of Light than just the Chamber of Sages. There was a passageway – another way into the Sacred Realm, without the need to be a Sage or present the Spiritual Stones. But where did this passage lead?
However, there was more to the Temple of Light than just the Chamber of Sages. There was a passageway – another way into the Sacred Realm, without the need to be a Sage or present the Spiritual Stones. But where did this passage lead?
Interlopers Intervene
About a year into the war, a group of dark beings from a dimension called the Twilight Realm entered the war, called the Dark Interlopers. They swept through the land, invading with their own army and easily defeating any one race by themselves. Somehow, they were able to materialize almost anywhere in Hyrule using Twilight Portals, making it impossible to truly defend against them. With a greater threat than any one race, King Hylia was able to unite everyone in the war to fight against the Interlopers.
Spirits of Light
At the climax of the war, the Interlopers somehow accessed the hidden passage within the Realm of Light. With help from the Goddesses, they summoned four Spirits of Light – Ordana, Faron, Eldin, and Lanayru – who helped the four strongest warriors reach the Sacred Realm to fight off the Interlopers. They succeeded, then followed up by entering the Twilight Realm and destroying it. Only one warrior returned though, saying, “the Spirits of Light fulfilled their purpose, and the war is over.” Since then, Rauru has been guarding the hidden passage within the Temple of Light, in order to prevent another evil from using it to gain access to the Sacred Realm.
The Sages Awaken
Ten years later, when Link opened the door to the Sacred Realm, Ganondorf entered and acquired the Triforce of Power. With it, he was able to transform most of the Sacred Realm into a Dark World, though for some reason, he had trouble accessing the Temple of Light, which kept Rauru safe. Seven years later, because of this, Rauru was able to guide Link towards the awakening of the other Sages:
- Saria of the Kokiri
- Darunia of the Gorons
- Ruto of the Zoras
- Impa of the Sheikah
- Nabooru of the Gerudo
The Seventh Sage
When Link confronted Ganondorf, it was revealed that Princess Zelda was the Seventh Sage. It’s unknown when this awakening happened, but nevertheless, she was referred to as the Leader of the Sages. Link fought Ganondorf in an epic battle, who eventually transformed into Ganon. With the help of Zelda, they were able to defeat Ganon, and by channeling the power of the Sages, Zelda used her power as the Seventh Sage to transfer all of that power into sealing Ganon. The beast transformed back into Ganondorf and was became sealed within his own dimension, the Dark World. The Sacred Realm was restored, and the Dark World remained a prison held inside the realm.
Dark World Passage
A year after Ganondorf’s reign ended, an evil sorcerer by the name of Agahnim suddenly appeared in the Sacred Realm, with powers very similar to Ganondorf. He used his powers to try and break the seal on Ganondorf, but ultimately failed. While his attack did cause a great change to the whole world, what worried the Sages more was that he was able to even access the Sacred Realm by using the Dark World prison somehow. Since Agahnim’s attack, the Sages have actively been defending the Sacred Realm and making sure no one would ever get in again without a fight.