The first rays of dawn streaked through the dark sky as the demon lord stood alone in the Faron woods. With a flick of his wrist, the diamond earring that lay in the tall grass was lifted from among the flora into his hand. A portion of his face was obscured by a curtain of hair, making his expression indistinguishable. He couldn't say that he was disconcerted by the girl's reaction, he had expected as much from her. However, he had not foreseen the hero's untimely appearance, nor the boy's notion that a soulmate bond could be undone.

As much as he tried to ignore the sting to his pride, Asuriel's choice of Link over himself struck him deeper than he would have liked to admit. To say that he was furious with her was an understatement. Such direct and disrespectful disobedience would be dealt with firmly. Allowing the girl to get away with a stunt like that would give her a false idea that he didn't care about her disregard to his wishes. If Asuriel wanted to run away and act like a child, he would treat her as such, but a gentle reprimand and light scolding would remedy that. Regardless, it was undeniable now that they were soulmates, and Ghirahim resolved to take his new role very seriously.

Meanwhile, Asuriel and Link were preparing to set out for the Eldin Region. Impa would be curious do discover whether they were soulmates and they decided that it was for the best if she didn't know anything about the bond with the demon lord. Hopefully, they could finish purifying the blade, open the Gate of Time, and speak with Zelda before Impa found out the truth. Worrying her wouldn't do anything for them.

Asuriel finished changing and exited her room through the trapdoor. She decided to wear more adventure-friendly attire that consisted of a long tunic, pants, and a belt. Her hair was pulled back into a lace braid ponytail and secured with a green ribbon that matched her right eye. When she arrived at the Bird Statue behind the Sealed Temple, Link was already waiting for her.

"Do you really think this is for the best, Link?"

"Yes, we don't want to worry Impa any more than we have to."

"Did you leave the note telling her where we are going?"

"It's all taken care of. We should get going before the sun rises any more."

Minutes later, they were on their way towards Skyloft to pick up some final resources.

"When we get to the Bazaar, I'm going to get my shield repaired and upgraded. I also want to buy more arrows before we go to the volcano."

By the time the pair landed in the plaza, the sky had already begun to lighten with the light pinks and oranges that signaled the coming of dawn. The shops in the bazaar would open in the next ten minutes, making their trip short. At a glance, the hero could tell that his companion was exhausted from the previous day and long night, so he took her to his room in the Knight Academy to rest.

"Link, I'll be fine. I do not wish to delay your expedition."

"Don't worry about it. The shield is badly damaged and will take a while to repair. Just rest for now."

"But-"

"Shh. I'll be back in a little bit."

Link left to buy supplies as Asuriel laid down on top of the covers and tried to get some rest. The fabric that made up the blanket was sturdy, but not very soft. It contrasted strongly with the quality of blankets that had covered Ghirahim's bed. She thought back to the soft, white blanket that was carefully tucked into one of her drawers and the events that led her to obtain it.

Perhaps... living with the demon lord couldn't be all that bad. The other time he had taken care of her, even if she did wake up in the middle of the woods.

No, Asuriel had agreed to speak to Hylia because she cared about Link. However, she couldn't help but feel guilty. For one, the choice of the person she ended up with really wasn't hers to make. Asuriel trusted Hylia, so shouldn't she should respect the goddess' choice? Still, she felt a strong connection to Link, and she could at least recognize that she cared about him. But, by staying with Link, wasn't she being a bad soulmate to Ghirahim? Despite everything he did, the demon lord deserved better.

Asuriel continued to ponder what she should do until she felt herself drift into a dreamless sleep.

She woke up to an afternoon sun beaming through the small window of the room. Link was curled up of the rug in the middle of the floor, sound asleep. His sword and shield lay propped up against a wooden chair and an array of materials such as potions and a fresh quiver of arrows were set beside them.

As Asuriel sat up, the crimson blanket that had been covering her fell away. She stretched her arms, reasoning that Link had covered her with a spare blanket when he returned to the room. Glancing over at his sleeping form, she decided against waking him yet; he should be allowed time to rest, and he would be working harder than she would once they reached Eldin.

The girl turned her attention back to the blanket. It felt much softer than the ones covering the bed, it was a wonder that Link only used it as a spare. There appeared to be a small pattern embroidered around the edges in black thread, naturally Asuriel inspected them closer. Once she did, she felt her heart drop into her stomach. Small configurations of black diamonds lined the blanket. Immediately, she called to Link so that he would wake up.

It had to be a coincidence that he had a blanket with elegant diamond embroidery in two of Ghirahim's favorite colors. Who was she kidding, of course the demon lord had something to do with this.

"Link!"

The boy woke with a start and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

"What is it, I was trying to nap."

"Look at this."

He picked up on her anxious tone and hurried to her side.

"What's wrong?"

Asuriel showed the cloth to Link, who instinctively retrieved his sword and glanced around the room as if he expected Ghirahim to materialize out of thin air like he usually did.

"How did he even get to Skyloft? I had no idea he was able to get up here."

Link seemed quite concerned with the new discovery.

"It's a good thing we got up anyway, we can't waste any more time, especially now that we know that Skyloft isn't as safe as we thought."

In less than ten minutes, they were flying towards the beacon that marked the Eldin Province. A thoughtful silence had fallen between them, both wondering what the demon's intentions were.

Meanwhile, Ghirahim stood in front of the rubble that once was a Gate of Time. He was looking for any information he could get concerning the gate, and so far he had been bitterly disappointed. His mood became slightly better when he thought back to what had happened that morning. Naturally, after the whole 'incident' in the woods, he wanted to make sure that Link was at least taking care of his soulmate. Yes, he was initially very frustrated with Asuriel to say the least, but he found that he could not stay mad at her for long. He had teleported up to the floating island and followed the little hero around for at least one incredibly boring hour before concluding that he and the girl had separated for the day.

It didn't take long to find what he was looking for and reassure himself that she was mostly fine. Aside from looking like she had been crying being chilled to the touch, she was in decent shape. However, if Link was going to invite guests, especially a demon's soulmate, to stay in his room, he should at least provide them with a decent blanket. The sorry excuse for a comforter that currently lay across the bed was much to rough and would rub dreadfully against the girl's skin, no wonder she didn't bother laying underneath the covers.

He had no choice but to provide better covering, so he summoned one of his own blankets. It was made of the same delicate material as his bed sheets, although it was slightly thicker and warmer. As much as Asuriel wanted to live in her little fantasy world where she and that brat could be soulmates, she was due for a reminder that it was not her reality.

The crimson blanket suited his taste better than the white one he had given her before. It was subtle enough to not scream "A flamboyant, fabulous, fashionable Demon Lord owns this blanket", but still it would show anyone who knew him that it belonged to him. It was perfect to remind her that he had dropped by for a visit.

The blanket fulfilled its purpose, for both Asuriel and Link were slightly disturbed by what had happened. Even after they landed, the distant silence continued. The only conversation that occurred during the search for the final entrance to the Silent Realm was a mutual agreement that they should stay together and not separate unless it was unavoidable. Asuriel determined to remain beside Link as he completed the trial, and Fi agreed to keep her company so she wouldn't have any unexpected company.

The sword spirit floated stoically as she watched her master with what appeared to be a curious gaze. Asuriel, not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to speak privately with another of Hylia's creation, attempted to start up a conversation.

"Fi, what is it like to be in your sword all the time?"

"There is a 95% chance that you would not understand if I were to explain it to you."

"Oh. Well... um, can you see when you are in the sword."

"Yes, I am aware of what is going on."

"Do you enjoy watching Link fight? He is pretty good at it."

"Master Link has certainly grown in his ability to fight, however I have seen more practiced swordsmanship."

"Can you tell how experienced someone is when they wield your blade?"

"Yes, there are many subtle and significant differences. For example, from the experience I had when Ghirahim took my sword from Master Link, it was obvious to me the the Demon Lord was well practiced with swordplay and had a substantial prowess of skill, agility, and physical strength."

Fi seemed to lose interest in the conversation as she turned back to face Link. The rest of the time was passed in silence as he completed the trial. After Link rose and sheathed the sword, into which Fi had gone, he gave Asuriel a half smile and handed her an oddly shaped red earring.

"These will protect us from extreme heat. We will probably be going somewhere that is very hot."

"Thank you."

"We should try to get to the next temple and find a place to sleep before it gets too dark."

They set out again, walking higher and higher towards the top of the volcano. Eventually, they reached a room with walls made out of molten rock. Each of their earring gave off a bright flash, most likely indicating that they were protecting them from extreme heat. Beyond a small slope in that room was another, larger extension of the cave. The walls appeared to be glowing and Asuriel felt suffocated by the heat, even with the special jewelry.

After looking around the volcano summit for a few minutes, they discovered a large pool of lava with two, circular surfaces floating on top. Flanking these stepping stones were two giant, frog-like creatures. While Asuriel passed over the lava first, Link distracted the monsters long enough for her to reach the other side. The hero easily crossed over afterwards, leading the girl through a passage to the outside of the volcano.

A light breeze stirred and Asuriel took a deep breath as she felt the cooler air blow across her face. It was much nicer outside the volcano, and they both agreed that they could spend the night beside the miniature spring that was there. Each of them chose a part of the wall to lean against and quickly fell asleep.