The Desert Colossus rose out of the desert like an island in a sand sea. Nabooru felt at home here, more than anywhere else. She walked up the stone steps, savoring the purity of the air. She entered the temple as she had done countless times. Something was different this time, though. It nagged at the back of her mind. Something felt not quite right. She scarcely had time to ponder what it could be when the torches in the room began to extinguish themselves, one by one. Then she heard it, cackling in the shadows. It was getting louder. Nabooru, who had stood her ground against Gerudo witches and Stalfos alike, even when the odds became dismal, felt emotions she had long defeated returning. Fear, doubt, and despair welled up in her chest. The cacophony of laughter was close now. The row of torches along the wall Nabooru had her back against began to flicker and die. She ran for the door, but it was locked. She cowered in the light of the final torch, the only one still lit. "Please... Leave me... alone..." Nabooru pleaded, truly terrified for the first time in her life. A cold, heartless chuckle resounded just outside the glow of the torchlight... Then the torch went out.

The desert air felt good in Zelda's lungs after so much time underwater. Effective as Zora magic fabric may be, it's still very unsettling to breathe water as a land dweller. Still, she wasn't here to enjoy the scenery, though the desert had its beauty. She was here because she, Link, Malon, and Sando had a job to do. Speaking of Sando, Zelda still wondered why Ruto thought she and Sando were becoming an 'item'. Sure, the guy was good-looking, and a great friend, but Zelda never really thought about him that way. Besides, Ruto seemed to be the source of all the gossip amongst their little circle of friends. She could just picture walking into the Sacred Forest Meadow and being bombarded by Saria with questions about her 'boyfriend'...

They took a break for lunch on the steps Zelda called the 'front porch' of the Temple. Simple fare: boiled lake crustacean, Hylian travel-biscuits, and dried beef, washed down with water. Zelda sat apart from Link and Malon, atop a rock a fair distance from the Temple itself. They were happy to be back together again after the dangers in the Water Temple, and Zelda doubted it wouldn't be much longer until the pent-up worry exploded into love. It still drove her to tears to see them together. She needed time to herself, time to find her balance. Her quiet meditation continued vainly, trying to prove herself stronger than the pain that gnawed at her heart. Speaking softly to herself, she tried to let the pain go. "For the last eight years I've loved him, but I could never tell him. Now, it's too late. He and Malon- They're inseparable... even if I hadn't asked her to accompany us, she would have, if only to be with him. They love one another, and what I want most is for him to be happy, so I can't even bring myself to consider trying to take him from her." Zelda sighed heavily. "Why can't I stop thinking how happy I'd be where she is? In his arms, always on his mind... Forever in his heart..." She looked to the couple on the steps, turning away as the image bit into her mind, the couple sitting hand in hand, looking so happy.

She closed her eyes softly as yet another tear rolled down her cheek, opening them to try and clear her mind- and found herself looking into Sando's eyes. "Do you mind?" she said, flustered. "You must get a kick out of scaring me... Don't you have anything better to do?" Sando gave her a warm smile as she wiped away her tears. "Sorry... I heard you, and I felt you might feel better after a reminder that someone sympathizes. I know you'll tire of hearing it before long, but there are plenty of fish in the lake. Just because Link is the one that got away doesn't mean you'll never get a bite again." Zelda softened, knowing he wasn't here to poke fun at her. He meant well, she knew, but wasn't sure how he intended to help her. "I don't know anymore, Sando. I think that when Link went beyond my reach, my heart left with him." "Zelda, remember when you told me about your illusion? You remember what I said to you that helped you fight it?" She shuddered. Not an easy thing to forget. "Love will find me, when I'm ready. But will I ever be ready?" "That's a question only your heart can answer, and it's not going to answer unless you give it a chance to." Remembering the Illusion chamber, Zelda recollected something she meant to ask him a while ago. "Speaking of the Illusions, what did you see that day? I mean, what could have been so horrible that it killed you?" Sando stared at the horizon to the west, remaining silent for a long time. His face betrayed the deep pain he still felt. She finally spoke as she stood to leave. "You can tell me another time. When you're ready."

"Nabooru, It's us... Nabooru? You there?" A confused Link turned to his companions. "She must be further inside. Malon, I think you'll be safer inside than out there." The green-clad young man said, eying the flock of Guay circling overhead and the Leevers in the sand. Walking up the stone steps, the small group entered the temple proper. Link immediately noticed the change. The room was dimly lit. Normally, this was one of the brighter rooms. Easily perceptible was an aura of something sinister, the feeling that something was lurking just out of sight, waiting. Link's weapon was in his hands immediately. Sando held his blade before him like a torch, slamming the point into the stone of the floor. His weapon sparked, before giving off a bright internal glow. He swung the beam around in a circle, taking note of a few out-of-place sarcophagi. He almost passed them up when he thought he saw one move. "Anubises..." Link muttered, taking up his bow, nocking a shaft to it. The fire-arrow streaked into their midst, igniting them. They burned with a howl, reduced to drifting ashes.

In the shifting light of the flames, Malon caught a glimpse of a familiar pair of pointed shoes retreating down a hallway, red streak of hair flowing behind them. "Nabooru! Wait!" Malon called, taking off in pursuit. "Malon! Stop! We haven't cleared the place out yet, who knows what you might run into? Get back here!" Link chased her, followed by Zelda and Sando. Link lost sight of Malon around a corner. He sped up, desperate not to lose her in the labyrinthine confines of the Spirit temple. He skidded to a halt at a three-way intersection. "Which way did she go?" Link asked, a hint of panic in his voice. "I dunno, I lost sight of her at the same place you did." "Same here." Zelda and Sando replied in turn. "Look, we could split up and look for her-""No, we can't. We need to stay together, because what happens if we all run into something too big to handle solo? Like those Illusion beasts? Those were best dealt with in numbers." Link rounded on Zelda, speaking in a low threatening tone. "Do you want her to get killed? Zelda, do you think I'm blind? You're jealous of her, that much is clear!" She paled. His accusation stung like a slap. He was shouting now. "Out with it! You want her to get killed, want her to die in this place, so you could come in and be my 'crying shoulder', is that it?!?" "Link, I'd- You know I could never-" Link swung his hand to slap her. A silver blur met his hand in mid-swing. The hero fell back, clutching his wrist. Sando stood between Link and Zelda, grabbing the former by the collar. "Link, you know full well she didn't want Malon to get lost. Pull yourself together! We'll find her, I swear it. But if you try and hurt Zelda... I swore to protect her. Next time, I won't use the blunt edge." Link glowered for a moment, then froze in shock. Tears began to trickle from his eyes. "Zelda... I... I don't know what came over me... Oh, goddesses, I'm so sorry!" Zelda nodded, still stunned. Sando closed his eyes, in deep thought. "Evil lies within this place, distorting and twisting truths, sowing discord. We need to be on our guard at all times... Malon is still alive. So is Nabooru. But they are in danger nonetheless." Zelda stepped forward, still looking a little shaken. "I know Ganon well enough to say that he's not going to leave just Anubises to guard his tomes. He'd leave something big, strong, and likely ugly. We need to stick together, for Malon and Nabooru's sakes, until we can stop whatever is in this temple and find the tome." Sighing with despair, Link knew she was right.

Malon was wishing she had listened to her love when he told her to stop. Nabooru had led her here, to this big room full of torches, and somehow she disappeared down a side-passage. Then she'd heard that awful laughter. It came closer. The torches started to die. Now, she was in the middle of the room, surrounded by darkness save for the glow of but a single torch. A shadowy figure walked into the yellow light cast by the flames. It was Nabooru... "Nabooru! What's going-"She never got to finish her outcry. With a chilling smile, the Spirit Sage snuffed out the torch.

Link heard the scream, muffled though it was. "MALON!" Before any move to stop him could be made, he sprinted ahead into the darkness. He dashed far ahead of Sando and the Zelda, choosing pathways, flipping switches, until he found a room full of torches. And in the center of it all stood two figures he most wanted to see right now: Nabooru and Malon, both alive! He ran forward, his arms extended to embrace Malon, when all the torches- save the one beside him- went out. "Malon?" he ventured, softly. "Nabooru?" He turned slowly, and found himself eye-to-eye with his love. But these weren't her eyes. They were blood red, pupil-less. She cackled in a voice that was not her own. He hadn't time to call out to warn the others, didn't even have time to run before she picked him up by the neck, threw him into the darkness, and put out the torch.