Despite his fears, nothing was waiting ahead. Just the sands of the desert in the dusk. Corrin kept walking. He must have been traveling for hours now. From his shoulder, Azura watched with wonder as the sun set. It was quite a beautiful sight, but she thought it a shame Corrin hadn't been able to enjoy it. He was remaining alert, looking for even a single hint of an enemy.

Darkness fell soon afterward. Corrin wasn't sure where he was going now but continued to walk forward. The starlight revealed little of the terrain ahead.
Snuggled into Corrin's shoulder, Azura shivered. It was getting too cold for the tiny woman. Suddenly, a blanket-sized tissue was draped over her body.
"Thank you, Corrin," she squeaked, pulling in the blanket appreciatively. Corrin smiled, glad he had been able to do something for his companion's predicament.

Now that she was a bit warmer, Azura was better able to keep a look-out. She was the first to notice something in the distance.
"Corrin, look!" Far in the distance was the smallest of lights, like a star resting on the ground.
"I see it. Do you think there's anything good there?" Corrin asked.
"I don't know. It's somewhere to go, at least," Azura answered.
"Well then, that's where we'll go!" Corrin said, heading for the light. There was quite a distance to walk, but Corrin knew he was getting closer. After walking for a while, he felt something.
"Do you feel that, Azura?" he asked the pocket-sized princess on his shoulder.
"Yes, it's a dragon vein!" Azura confirmed.
"So it's over there..." Corrin murmured. He really didn't like the idea of Azura getting any smaller, but he knew he had no choice. He did not hurry to the dragon vein, not wanting to tire himself. He did not know when he would next get to rest, after all.

Arriving at his destination, Corrin could see that the light was merely a small lamp hanging from a lone tree.
"A lamp? Here?" Corrin questioned.
"How strange. Who would have lit this?" Azura asked. "Whoever it was must have been here recently if it's still burning."
"That makes sense," Corrin said, "but there's still so much I don't understand about this place."
"Yes," Azura agreed, "perhaps it is yet another quirk of this strange land..."
Kneeling down, Corrin could see the edge of a stone object. Brushing away the sand, he revealed the dragon vein he had been seeking. Azura hopped off his shoulder, climbing down his body before he had a chance to help her. He merely remained still, worried he might hurt her if he moved.
"You know what to do by now," Azura said, stepping onto the stone.
"Yeah," Corrin sighed, standing up, "it gets harder to protect you every time."
"Don't worry," Azura said, beginning to channel the dragon vein's power, "I know you can do it. Trust the light of the lantern."
His blade in hand, Corrin glanced about. Enemies usually appeared at these places. But from which direction? Uneasy, he kept turning, determined not to be caught off guard. As much as he wanted to see how the tiny Azura was doing, he knew he had to stay vigilant. A single mistake could cost both of their lives.

This dragon vein was also difficult for Azura to use, but she had gotten used to this strange power. It helped that she had spent much time resting, so had energy to spare. The cold air chilled her skin, making her shiver. She just wanted this over as soon as possible, so she could get back to Corrin. She knew she would shrink smaller, but no longer cared. She had long been too small to defend herself, reliant on Corrin. All was silent except for the power welling up in her, so she did not sing. She saved her strength in case Corrin needed her song. The power threatened to leave her, so she focused more of her energy on using the dragon vein, closing her eyes.

They seemed to be alone, and Corrin was anxious to check on Azura, so he glanced at the tiny singer. He could see her glowing with a blue light. Watching for a bit longer, he could just about see the bubbles rising off her tiny form. Corrin sighed. She was shrinking again. Every time she used a dragon vein, there was less of his miniature friend. How small would she be when they finally left this place, he wondered? Would he even be able to see her? He was glad she merely halved in size, so she would never shrink out of existence. Instead, she merely shrank tinier and tinier. It was harder for him to tell she was shrinking each time, but if he concentrated, he could indeed see that she was indeed dwindling smaller in size. Azura had shrunk so small that Corrin was worried he wouldn't be able to find her. Fortunately, the light of the lantern illuminated her shrunken form, even as the blue glow dissipated. He could only watch as the tiny girl collapsed.

"Azura!" Corrin shouted, at her side in an instant. She was too small to even be rolled into his hand by his fingers, so he had to pluck her tiny body from the ground between two fingers instead. Placing her in his other hand, he cradled her shrunken form. She looked to be no more than two inches tall now. He was about to shake his hand to wake her but stopped himself. Such movement might hurt her now that she was so small. He instead touched the side of her body lightly, with his index finger. She did not wake. Corrin was very worried, but he could see her chest rising and falling with her breathing. He gently brushed back her hair, free from her face. Her expression was so peaceful, like she was in a deep sleep. The sight of his tiny, content partner in his hand made Corrin feel like his heart was about to melt. He saw her shiver slightly in her sleep. Realizing she was still cold, Corrin folded his fingers over her miniature body.
"You did a good job, Azura," he said gently, "rest for now, I know what to do."
He stood up, seeing a set of stairs leading up into the sky. Such stairs looked very out of place in the desert, but Corrin was used to seeing strange things by now. Azura in hand, he began his climb.

Trading one eternal journey for another, Corrin sighed. This set of stairs was so high that he could not see where it ended. It seemed to go on forever, stretching up into the dark clouds above. He was starting to get cold now, catching himself shiver. He immediately thought of the shrunken singer in his hand. If it was cold for him, then how must she feel? He pressed his hand into his chest, hoping his body heat would be enough to keep her warm. Corrin wished she was able to tell him how she was feeling, so he knew he was helping her, but this was the best he could do. He at least hadn't felt her shiver in a while at least, reassuring the prince.

The first thing Azura noticed when she woke up was a great warmth. She couldn't move, but that didn't worry her. She opened her eyes, seeing nothing but black metal in the low light. She knew instantly that it was Corrin's armor.
"Corrin..." she called out, still groggy from slumber.
"Azura!" he responded, the strength of his voice resonating through her tiny form. She was shifted backward and tilted, before the giant fingers holding her unfurled. She sat up, now lying on Corrin's open palm.
"How are you feeling?" he asked, a worried look on his face.
"I'm fine," Azura answered, "just a bit tired." She shuddered as she felt the cold air.
"I'm glad," Corrin sighed with relief. "you're even smaller now!"
"I noticed," Azura said, looking at the fingers that now towered over her, "but I'm all right. So long as I am with you, I'll be fine."

She smiled sadly at the giant man. "Thank you for looking after me so well while I was asleep."
"I swear I'll protect you, Azura," he reiterated, "shall I put you back on my shoulder?"
"No," Azura answered, "I have a feeling I'll be too cold up there. Hold me the way you did when I was sleeping."
Corrin felt a bit embarrassed at how close and tightly he had been holding her but was glad she seemed to like it. "A-all right," he agreed, carefully gripping her. He brought her close to his chest as before, though Azura made a small adjustment. She shifted round in his hand, facing herself forward. Only her head poked out from his fist. She snuggled into his fingers, glad of the heat Corrin's body provided. He didn't just warm her body, but her heart as well.
"Oh my, it looks like we're about to reach the clouds themselves," she commented, seeing what was ahead.
"Yes, we've been climbing for quite a while," Corrin told her, "the wonders never cease..."

Now walking into the cloud, Corrin found it hard to see. He looked down, just about able to see his feet on the steps, and focused on keeping his balance. He pressed on as fast as he could, worried about the effect the cloud may have on Azura. His vision soon cleared, and he could see what was above. Corrin was now bathed in light, strong sunlight somehow shining down from above the clouds. Dotted about the clear sky were numerous small islands, somehow floating.
"Yet another strange sight..." Corrin remarked.
"Corrin, I have a theory," Azura said, "the terrain of this land changes constantly. I think we've somehow ended up in some kind of Outrealm."
"An Outrealm?" Corrin asked. He had hear the word before.
"Yes, Anything can happen in these strange places, they break the laws of time and space," she informed him.
"Well, we'd better keep trying to get out then," Corrin said. Azura's revelation hadn't changed much. He was still in an unfamiliar land, and still needed to protect the tiny woman in his grasp above all else. The stairs continued yet further, but Corrin could see that they connected to an island above.