A vast temple stretched out across the island, its roof reaching far above into the sky. The whole structure was bathed in sunlight, yet a strong wind was blowing.
"What is this?" Corrin wondered aloud, nearing the top of the stairs. He had never seen such a magnificent building, only those described in books could compare.
"I don't know," Azura answered, "but it's huge!"
The ground was flat, providing no places for enemies to hide. It also meant that the temple was the only place the two travelers could go. Corrin looked down to the two-inch tall princess in his hand. Concerned that she was still cold, he pressed on towards the temple, hoping it would be safe enough to shelter inside.

Several huge, stone pillars lined the front of the entrance to the temple. Corrin took cover from the wind, stopping for a moment. He unfurled his hand, releasing his tiny passenger. She stood up and turned towards him.
"Should we keep going?" he asked Azura.
"I don't see what else we can do," Azura answered, "there's no place else for us to go up here."
"I guess you're right," Corrin agreed, looking into the entrance. He could see into a huge hall, decorated with many marble statues.
"We still need to be careful," the dancer reminded him, "the laws of the Outrealms are different from the world we live in. Anything could be waiting for us."
"You're right," Corrin nodded, "I don't think there's anything in our world that would make you this small!" He gently poked her tiny body playfully. Azura giggled, batting at his fingers with her arms in response.
"I just hope I can get back to my normal size," she said, her mood turning more serious.
"Yeah. You're still very useful even when small, though!" Corrin pointed out.
"Well, I'm glad I've been some use to you," Azura smiled.
"You've certainly kept me going. Thanks for supporting me, no matter how small you get!" Corrin chirped.
"You're welcome. It is quite worrying, being forced to relinquish my independence like this, but I know I'm in good hands!" said Azura.
"I'll look after you for as long as it takes," Corrin said. He decided to move out, stepping towards the temple entrance.

From his hand, Azura wondered if she should be feeling more worried than she currently was. Since starting this journey she had lost most of her height. Things she would once have ignored now towered over her, countless new dangers littering a much larger world. She knew Corrin was the only reason she survived, looking up at the giant man in silent appreciation. As she grew smaller and smaller, she became increasingly reliant on him, but knew she could trust him with her life. He gave her hope that they would escape from this place, and all would be normal once more. But, as she thought for the first time, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she was stuck at such a tiny size. She would be at Corrin's side at all times and would always be able to support him. Maybe that was how she was always meant to fight.
Realizing she had become lost in her daydream, Azura reminded herself to focus, looking back towards the path ahead.

Corrin looked around as he walked down the hall. High above there were windows without glass, mere holes in the wall of the temple. Light shone through these openings, illuminating the ground and the ebony statues lining the side of the path. There was no sign of wear, or any dust to be seen. Corrin thought there must be many people nearby to maintain such a place. At the end of the hall was a doorway, stood at the peak of a flight of wide steps.
"More stairs?" Corrin whined.
"At least there aren't very many." Azura said. It looked like quite a steep climb to her, but she reckoned it wasn't too bad for Corrin.
He reached the steps, gazing up at his destination.

When will I get a break from walking? Corrin wondered wearily.

Hearing a noise from behind, Corrin turned to see the statues moving! Jumping in surprise, he readied his blade.
"Watch out, Corrin!" Azura shouted as one swung at Corrin.
"They're fast!" Corrin yelled, ducking under the attack.
"Put me on your shoulder!" Azura commanded.
Unable to look away from his foes, Corrin lifted his hand to his shoulder. He waited until he could feel Azura climbing off his hand before moving. He attacked the arm of his foe, but his blade bounced off harmlessly.
"The Yato isn't having an effect!" Corrin grunted. He sidestepped his stone opponent's next attack.
"We should run!" Azura shouted.
"Good idea!" Corrin said, turning and dashing up the steps.

Corrin ran as fast as he could. He was worried about Azura falling off his shoulder, but he knew she would be holding on. Through the doorway was a large room, with what seemed like bookcases lining the walls. The wooden furniture looked out of place in such a grand temple. Unfortunately, Corrin couldn't see any other ways out.
"A dead end!" Corrin exclaimed.
"Then we'll just have to fight them," Azura concluded.
"But how? I can't hurt them!" Corrin argued.
"I have an idea," Azura said. Corrin turned to see one of the golems coming in through the door. Standing up to its full height, it was slightly taller than the prince.
"Attack when you hear my song," The tiny princess instructed.
"All right," Corrin nodded, not sure what was going on. But he had a great trust in Azura at this point.

Azura started to sing. Hearing her lyrics, Corrin felt strength surging through him. He thought her high-pitched singing voice was adorable, but he didn't lose his focus. The edge of his blade glowed blue, a small stream of water flowing around his weapon. Corrin lunged forward, slashing at his foe. His water-empowered blade sliced through the golem's arm, the heavy stone thudding to the ground.
"It's working!" Corrin marveled as he swiped through its waist. Cut in two, the pieces fell to the ground, now lifeless.
Azura wanted to tell him to keep going but couldn't, still singing her song. Corrin seemed to realize that he had little time to turn the tables, quickly squaring up for his next foe. Now that Azura was giving him power, the golems were only as strong as the shadows that had plagued them earlier. Keeping up the momentum, he flowed through his enemies. In a short space of time, he dispatched all six of them. Satisfied that they were safe, Azura stopped singing.

"That was incredible!" Corrin exclaimed, "with your power, dealing with them was easy!"
Azura didn't answer. Puzzled, Corrin looked at his shoulder to see the shrunken songstress panting, a hand on her chest.
"Azura! What's the matter?" he asked, now very worried.
"I'm... All right," she breathed.
Corrin quickly realized what was wrong. "Wait, is using your song exhausting?"
"Yes... When I use the power of my pendant..." Azura explained between breaths, "I can increase the power of my song, but... It drains me every time I do it."
"That can't be good!" Corrin said.
"But I have to use it..." Azura continued. "If I didn't use it just now, you would be..."
Corrin sighed. "I'm glad you did. I wouldn't have had a chance against those things otherwise."
"So, you understand..." Azura said, starting to get her breath back.
"But! I want you to use it only when you absolutely have to!" Corrin insisted.
"No!" Azura argued, "If it's to save you, then…"
"No, Azura!" Corrin was starting to get annoyed, concerned for what might happen to his tiny partner. Azura gasped, surprised at his outburst.
"I'm sorry," Corrin said, regaining his composure, "but I want you to promise me not to use your pendant, unless it's absolutely necessary!"
"But I..."
"Azura!"
Azura sighed. She could tell Corrin was just worried for her safety. He really was kind to a fault. Perhaps Corrin was starting to care for her too much, but who was she to deny his request?
"Very well," Azura conceded, "I promise not to use it, unless I absolutely have to."
"Thank you, Azura. I know you're helping, but I won't have you risk your life for it."
She nodded, deciding not to take the conversation further. She didn't want to annoy him, but she would gladly trade her life for his.

"So where do we go now?" Corrin asked, looking around the room. A large pile of stone body parts had formed, looking like they were never alive in the first place. There was nothing of note other than the bookcases. Walking to the end of the room, Corrin grabbed a book and opened it, rifling through the pages.
"Every page is blank..." He noted, showing the book to his tiny companion.
"How strange... Perhaps there's more to this room than meets the eye..." Azura wondered.
"You may be right," Corrin said, placing the book back. There was an unsettling air in this room, and he didn't want to be stuck here for too long.
"Put me down on the bookshelf," Azura instructed. Corrin complied, carefully placing the small dancer on a nearby shelf. Even the books were much larger than the shrunken Azura.
"I guess I'll go look over there..." Corrin said, stepping to an adjacent bookshelf.
"Let me know if you find anything odd," Azura said, inspecting the spines of the books.