The game is set in Hyrule, outside of the official Zelda timeline. Long ago, Ganondorf was defeated and his soul splintered into four fragments. Three of them were sealed in different moments in time, while the Master Sword trapped the fourth. Ganondorf plots his resurrection through Cia, a sorceress who protects the balance of the Triforce. Cia becomes fascinated with the spirit of the hero of legend, with her romantic feelings for the hero providing Ganondorf an opportunity to purge her inner light. As a result, Cia becomes consumed in her desires, opening the Gate of Souls, a portal to different time-space realities of Hyrule, to amass an army of monsters. Seeking to unite the Triforce and conquer Hyrule, she uses her subordinates Wizzro and Volga to wage war against Princess Zelda and the Hylian army.