During the battle, the World Eater steals light from Link's lantern, leaving it perilously close to fading out entirely. Another blow distracts the World Eater from finishing the job, which allows Link to recover, though his lantern continues to flicker ominously throughout the fight.

The result of this flickering isn't immediately obvious. In fact, the effect is slow. Slow enough Link might not realize it is happening until it's too late. His memory starts to fade, short-term at first. Little things like what he was doing or where he was going. After a few weeks it escalates to the point he has amnesia, forgetting things about himself, his life, and his past.

Over the month, his lantern will slowly return to normal, until after about a month. Once the lantern recovers, so will his memory.