EmblemQueen: I know it seemed like it after over a year, but fear not, I've not abandoned this story! Some life stuff had happened in that time, and it also takes me some time to design a Zelda dungeon, which this chapter is. I apologize anyway, however, because I really should be a little faster with this regardless. More than a year is just nuts! But this story will continue to the end!

Falchion1984: Beware of - hopefully, thematically appropriate - plugs to Lord of the Rings and Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers. Kudos if you can recognize the second, as it's less well known.

Chapter 19: The Sun Temple

Though her dark counterpart had vanished, Kelli kept one hand on the hilt of her Sun Sword for long, breathless moments. She let her eyes and ears take in the landscape, wary that Dark Kelli might poof back into existence at any moment. After what felt like hours, however, she let her sword hand fall to her side and let out a sigh of relief…

…well, tried to, anyway. Her still clogged sinuses made it sound like a credible impression of a goose that was choking on an especially stubborn bit of bread.

Still, though the young Sun Guardian was loathe to admit it, but she was actually glad that Dark Kelli had chosen not to challenge her. Despite Dark Kelli's languorous posture and the considerable distance separating them, Kelli could tell why her dark counterpart had caused Link such dread.

Though Dark Kelli mirrored the Sun Guardian in height and build, Kelli sensed that her dark counterpart's sinuous frame held far more strength than met the eye.

How could it be otherwise, considering the state Link had been in when he'd limped away from their bout in the Fortress of Ice?

More than that, however, was the way Dark Kelli…smelled.

An odd term, but Kelli couldn't think of another. Her dark counterpart stank of corruption and malice seemed to waft off of her; a lethal hatred and bloodlust that pulsed outward in a bone chilling miasma that stole the breath from any who drew too close.

Even now, the hairs on the back of the Sun Guardian's neck were standing on end from the brief encounter.

Despite her musings of feeding Dark Kelli to a Dodongo, Kelli knew that it would be some time before either she or Link were equal to the task.

"ACHOO!" a violent sneeze shook her from her reverie, pointedly reminding her of another reason to be grateful for Dark Kelli's withdrawal.

Though Kelli was a veteran hero, and had quite a few more tricks in her repertoire than Link, she knew that the former Hero of Time was very much a seasoned warrior, as well as being the more experienced adventurer.

Any foe that could best him wasn't one Kelli wanted to confront when she wasn't at her best.

And, with Kelli still stricken with a cold, and with the very real possibility that a violent sneeze might cause one of her blows to go awry or jolt her shield out of the path of an oncoming strike, she knew that she could not risk handing her evil twin such an advantage. She found herself wondering if, had Link been well enough to accompany her, he'd have been willing to challenge Dark Kelli instead. Unfortunately, Kelli knew that convincing Link would be no easy task, especially after the Hylian hero's terrible nightmare.

Letting out another mucus muffled sigh, Kelli began climbing the stairs to the Sun Temple's entrance. After seeing what the ravages of time had done to the ancient edifice, she made a slow ascent, carefully testing each foothold before putting her full weight down. In one or two breathless moments, bits of stone crumbled and fell away beneath her. Kelli reflexively sucked in a breath but, when the rest of her perch held firm, she sagged with relief and pressed on. When she finally entered the Sun Temple, she found herself in a vast corridor fashioned of the same sun colored stone as the exterior. Sconces lined the walls, the sputtering torches within casting flickering shadows across the red and gold runner that spanned the floor and shot off into darkness. Considering the bright day outside and the temple's broken windows, Kelli had expected that the Sun Temple's interior would be bright with the rays of its namesake celestial sphere. But, to her perplexity, the only illumination came from sputtering torches.

This left the Sun Guardian more than a little confused. After all, Kelli's Sun Sword was the Blade of Light, and she now stood in the very temple which had once housed it. Yet, for some strange reason, Kelli was certain that the darkness in the temple had nothing to do with the turning of the years or the nuances of its architecture.

And, she already suspected that an Elemental Jewel, cursed as the others had been, was at the root of it all.

That musing harkened her back to when she had first taken up the mantle of the Guardian of the Sun, and her efforts to piece together what she could of the lost legacy she'd inherited. Information about the Sky Guardians was scarce, but she had gleaned that the temple had also served as the proving ground for those who were believed destined to wield the blade. Those heroes that passed through successfully to reach it were true Guardians of the Sun. And even though Kelli had obtained the Sun Sword differently, fate was having her explore the temple anyway.

"Vira," Kelli spoke up as she and her fairy partner traversed some stairs which, thankfully, were as solid as they day they'd been carved. "Doesn't it strike you as odd, this place being so dark?"

"Yeah. Why would a Sun Temple be so dim?" Vira wondered.

"I think there's only one likely explanation. The Jewel of Sky is sobwhere here, and it's been cursed too."

"Are you sure? With the other jewels, the curse affected all the surrounding land, not just the temple. The Kokiri Forest became full of monsters, Death Mountain became unstable, Zora's Fountain dried up, and that blizzard blew in from Lost Hyrule. So, why didn't the same happen here?"

"…That's right. But, I did notice something odd. Haven't you noticed that the weather out there was rather…fickle? I didn't think buch of it at the time, but, before we bet Dark Kelli, didn't the air feel damp and have a salty tang to it? Like it could start raining at any second?"

"Raining? There wasn't a cloud in the sky. But, now that you mention it, the air did have a briny smell to it, just like it does when a storm will blow in. But, like I said, it didn't."

"Did you notice anything else? Anything strange about the weather?"

Kelli could, just barely, make out Vira's tiny brow furrowing in concentration. A moment later, she seemed to bob in the air, as though shaken by a sudden revelation.

"Actually, yes," the fairy admitted. "While we were outside, it seemed as though there was something else that was odd about the air around here. Sometimes I felt a little chilly one moment and, in the next, I felt like I was hovering in front of a fireplace. And you know how you mentioned the air feeling damp? Well, other times, it felt really dry."

"Exactly," Kelli replied, certain her guess had been correct. "We know that the Elebental Jewels affect their respective elebents and, when they were cursed, those elebents became chaotic. The curse on the Jewel of Ice caused that blizzard in Kakariko, and the curse on the Jewels of Wind and Water caused the waterfall from Zora's Fountain to stop flowing and Lake Hylia to dry up. The Jewel of Sky likely works to control its namesake elebent, shaping the weather and controlling light and darkness."

As Vira considered Kelli's words, and the pieces began to fall into place, her tiny lower jaw dropped.

"That…" she blurted, staggered, "that's really something."

"You have a way with understatebent," Kelli commented dryly. "But, it would explain what's happening outside the temple. The Jewel of Sky is likely the bost powerful of all the jewels. And, the Fairy of Skies bust have also been the leader and strongest of the elebental fairy sisters. Her elebent, the sky, can supersede the other elebents, since it can have such an effect on all the others. Light can be blocked with clouds, shadow can be dispelled when clouds bove out of the path of the sun's rays, water can be affected by the temperature and whether it rains or not, and so on."

"But, the curses on the other Jewels were…well, bigger. I mean, the curses on the Jewels of Wind and Ice could've finished us off. Power like you're talking about could be every bit as dangerous, so why isn't the enemy using it? Why not make it rain until most of Hyrule is underwater, or cause another blizzard, or cast a long eclipse so that we can't see the enemy?"

"If they could, they probably would've done so already. Maybe the Jewel of Sky is harder to corrupt than the others, and this was the best they could do. Or, maybe it's because the monsters would endanger themselves if they placed too strong a curse on the jewel. If they made it rain like you said, their Iron Knuckles would all rust solid, their cavalry would flounder in the mud, and the rain would throw off the shots of their ranged units. And, that's discounting the chance that they'd drown when it did start flooding. Making it too cold would mean all their Lizalfos, Dodongos, and other reptilian creatures would go into a useless torpor. As for the eclipse, the enemy only has so many monsters that can see in such darkness. Whatever the reason, it would explain why the jewel is here. This region has been closed off from the outside world for centuries; I doubt that they counted on anyone actually coming all the way out here to find the jewel."

"Good point. They'll be in for a surprise when we leave with it!"

"Ha, you said it!"

With that, the two continued down the remainder of the corridor. The darkness seemed to deepen with every step, eventually forcing Kelli to snatch a torch from one of the sconces and, hoping she wouldn't offend the temple's patron deity in so doing, cutting free some of the rug to fuel the flame. The heat of the sputtering torch caught the piece of desiccated rug and, in an instant, the brand Kelli held burned bright and clear.

Very bright and clear.

"Not exactly stealthy," Kelli opined, "but, at least we can see."

The now intense glow of the torch revealed a door at the far end of the corridor, a design of the sun glowing in the flame's light. Knowing that the light of the torch and the door opening would give any monsters within amble warning of her approach, Kelli drew the Sun Sword and slowly opened the door. The portal opened with the familiar sound of rock moving against rock and, when this was not answered by the keening of Keese or the hisses of Lizalfos, Kelli crossed the threshold and entered the next room. Sure enough, the room which the pair soon found themselves in was empty. In fact, the room, though cavernous, contained very little. Kelli and Vira found themselves in a circular chamber, so large that the ceiling was lost to shadow, and whose walls were lined with more doors bearing the image of the sun. All of these, however, were either locked or barred. In the center was a massive statue depicting the sun. It, continuing the ongoing irony of the temple, was dull and dark. Ten curving flares, also dull as lead, radiated outward from the center disc.

Like any seasoned adventurer, Kelli quickly divined that there was some significance to this.

"Hmm…" Kelli spoke up, letting her gaze roam the statue for a few moments. "This sun statue… It's important sobehow, I can sense it. It bight very well be the key to this temple."

"I don't doubt it. This seems to be the some sort of hub, a place you go through to get from one part of the temple to another. The sun being here could mean that this is where the challenges to test a Sun Guardian are meant to start," Vira suggested. "But what do we do now?"

"Hmm…" Kelli pondered as she rounded the statue, scanning every inch of the drab sun before something caught her gaze. "Wait! There's a stone tablet set into the base and there's text on it."

"Hey, you're right. That's gotta be our clue. I hope we can read it well enough. It's probably in ancient Hylian, just like that road sign was."

"Don't worry, I don't think we'll have much trouble."

With that, the Sun Guardian brought her torch as close to the stone as she dared, the dancing flames casting the ancient words into sharp relief. Thankfully, the text had been largely spared the ravages of time and was still clear enough to understand. In fact, to Kelli's surprise, the words on the tablet were written in a modern Hylian dialect, which Kelli, Vira, and every other living Hylian spoke.

"But, how's that possible?" Kelli wondered aloud. "This dialect has only been in use for the past century, if even. But, this temple is thousands of years old."

"There's much magic in this place, even after all this time," Vira pointed out. "It's hard to sense, with so much evil drowning it out, but it's still here. Maybe whoever built this place wanted to make sure whatever Sun Guardians came here would be able to read the text."

Kelli had to admit, she would hardly be surprised if that was the case. Indeed, it seemed as though, the more she learned about the Sky Guardians, the more she discovered that she did not know.

A spell that can "learn" how to communicate with any reader and reshape text from solid rock accordingly? she wondered, amazed. Princess Zelda and Rauru would have a field day in here.

That brought some amusing imagery to mind. If Link managed to harness the vaunted courage of his triforce and confess his feelings to Zelda, getting dragged here while Her Highness studied the temple would likely be what passed as a "date" for some time. Idly snickering at the idea, Kelli turned her attention to the ensorcelled tablet. The text read:

Here stand the proving grounds for those who seek the light goddess's power. When the nine Halls of Light brighten the sun, the way to the sacred blade shall open.

"I knew it!" Kelli cheered. "This is telling us exactly what we have to do. There are ten flares on this sun statue, and ten doors in this room, including the one we came through. We have to go through all of them and find out how to light each flare so that the sun shines. Once that's done, the path to wherever by sword once rested will open. That bust be where the Jewel of Sky is hidden!"

"Yeah, I think you're right. But it said there are only nine "Halls of Light,"" Vira pointed out. "Could one of whatever lights up these flares be in this room? Or maybe in the area we just came from?"

"You might be onto something. Let's have a look around."

Aside from the statue and the numerous doors, the cavernous main chamber was practically empty. Kelli pondered the mass of shadow overhead, wondering if whatever she was meant to find might be concealed in its ebon depths…

…which, since she had no way of getting up there, would pose a problem. Fortunately, Vira had better luck.

"There! On the floor to the left! It's one of those floor switches. And it has a sun painted on it."

Kelli's gaze darted in the direction of Vira's voice and, sure enough, the fairy was circling over a square shaped protrusion that rose from the floor.

"Yeah, good eye. I guess I was so fixated on the statue that I never noticed it. There bust be nine bore switches behind the rest of those doors."

"Right. I doubt it will be easy to find them, though."

"I dow. We'd better get started."

With that, Kelli approached the switch. By the light of her torch, she was able to see that, in addition to bearing the symbol of the sun, the switch was also curiously untouched by time. Hoping this meant that whatever mechanism it triggered would still work, she placed one booted foot over it and pressed down. An instant later, a glow intruded upon the otherwise drab chamber. Kelli whirled and saw that one of the flares along the sun statue's lower curvature now shone brightly. Kelli had half expected that, after the dim interior of the temple, she'd spend some long moments feeling nearly blinded by the sudden illumination. But, curiously, this was not so. In fact, the strange light of the Sun Temple stung her eyes no more than the light of the campfires she so often fell asleep by on her journeys. Unbidden, she recalled the repose she'd felt nestled by the crackling flames.

Warm, gentle, familiar, and protective.

Just when I think being a Sun Guardian can't get any more curious, it does, she mused, wondering at the strange correlation for a moment before shaking herself back to attention.

If Kelli hadn't been sure before, she was now. This was, indeed, the test by which all would-be Guardians of the Sun proved their worthiness. Now, however belatedly, the time had come for Kelli to do the same. Granted, a different prize and purpose was behind this journey, but the same road blazed by her predecessors nonetheless lay before her now. To retrieve the Jewel of Sky, she needed to fight her way to the other nine switches and activate each one. Since she already carried the Sun Sword and Shield, it seemed likely that she would have an advantage, but prior experience warned the heroine that this would likely not be the case. The evil which had despoiled Hyrule showed an uncanny ability to warp and distort whatever it possessed, and the temple was not likely to be an exception. So, any of the puzzles and smaller tests which had been here in centuries past had likely been altered. In fact, Kelli suddenly found herself wondering if the layout of the temple itself might also have been changed, like the Sun Shrine had…

…and, if mysterious mechanisms that she needed to activate had survived the alterations.

Before Kelli could delve into that train of thought, however, she heard the sound of bars slamming downward, sealing off the door she had come through. Two Armosaurs leapt out from behind of the sun statue, their sudden appearance nearly sending Kelli stumbling backwards.

"Whoa!" Vira blurted, just as startled. "How did we not see them earlier?! There's nowhere for anything that big to hide in here!"

The two Armosaurs didn't bother answering the fairy, but instead let out bestial roars and charged. Thinking quickly, Kelli hurled the torch at them. The two armored saurians dodged the flying brand easily, but that was alright. The split-second of distraction she'd caused them had given her the time she needed to arm herself

"These two picked the wrong time to challenge be!" she blurted in annoyance. Her lingering frustration over her cold and the continued threat posed by Dark Kelli, as well as her perplexity over the temple's mysteries, were gone in an instant. Anger over what Dark Kelli had done to Link had set a fire in her veins, turning all else to ash. Only one of her opponents was moon-aligned, but that hardly mattered. Her anger had lent her the focused ferocity of the great hunting felines that roamed the more forbidding regions of Mayia. Even with her clogged sinuses still bothering her, Kelli still unleashed a flurry of slashes and lunges, followed by several of the techniques she had taught Link. The sun-aligned Armosaur that reached her first took her wrath full in the chest and was sent staggering backwards. The other one fared no better, as Kelli vaulted over him, launching a helm splitter halfway through her leap, cold reptilian blood spraying the air as she twisted upright to land on the balls of her feet. The sun-aligned Armosaur, quicker to recover from the Sun Sword's blows, lunged at Kelli again, but she rolled out of the way and clove into its flank with a back slice.

By then, however, the moon-aligned monster was back on its scaly feet. It raced forward and leapt at Kelli's flank, no doubt in an attempt to help its comrade by catching the Sun Guardian in a pincer movement. But having heard Link's account of the enhanced Stalchildren in the Death Forest, Kelli was ready for them. Rather than try to leap free of the trap, and risk getting hacked to pieces in midflight, she thrust her sword outward in preparation for a spin attack. Once she felt the energy thrum in her blade, she unleashed it in a torrent of deadly golden radiance, sending both Armosaurs flying into the wall. They slid to the ground a moment later and then evaporated into clouds of dark fog. With the two armored saurians dead, the bars on the door Kelli had first come through rose. The ones on the door directly to her left did so as well, opening a new path. Kelli sheathed her blade and ran a hand through her disheveled hair.

"Ah, that felt good," she commented. "I wonder what else there is to vent by anger on."

"W-Well, I guess I'm glad you're managing, but just be careful not to get too cocky," Vira warned, more than a little startled by Kelli's ferocity.

"Yeah, I dow. We still have to bake it through this place alive, after all," Kelli replied, but then found herself sneezing once again. "Curse this cold…"

"You probably should find something to blow your nose with."

"Like what? The only cloth in here is that rug. And, after using some of it to bake a torch, I don't want to press by luck with the Sun Goddess."

"Yeah, good point."

Though Kelli had barely noticed in the heat of battle, one of the Armosaurs had stepped on her torch during the fight. The extinguished brand lay in splinters not far from where the two monsters had inexplicably appeared. With a phlegm muffled groan of displeasure, the Sun Guardian went through the newly opened door, Vira fluttering after. Unsurprisingly, the room they'd newly entered was dimly lit. A few sputtering torches resting in wall sconces were the only source of light. This time, however, Kelli was sure she knew why. As she ventured further into the gloom, she discovered four golden braziers in the center of the room, though these were cold and dark. What's more, as Kelli's eyes became accustomed to the darkness and her gaze swept the chamber, she realized that the only door in view was the one they'd had just come through. This, the Sun Guardian was certain, was no coincidence, especially since there didn't appear to be any clear way to ignite the unlit braziers. And Kelli knew that this could only mean one thing.

"Vira, I think I've figured out this entire temple," she spoke up.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Vira wondered.

"All of the roobs we've gone through so far were dimly lit. And this roob is no different. Yet it has four unlit braziers with no clear way on how to ignite them."

"Yeah. And?"

"And remember the clue that stone tablet gave us? I think it has a double beaning. Not only do we have to light up the flares on that sun statue, we have to light up the temple itself. I think it beans that this very temple is also a sort of sun and the word "sun" in that tablet's bessage was referring to both it and the statue."

"…By the goddesses, I think you're right. It all makes complete sense now."

"Exactly. I'll bet you anything that once we find the bap, it'll show that the temple is shaped just like a sun. Even if the evil infesting this place has changed that, I'b sure it was sun shaped beforehand. It's literally a sun temple, just like its name says."

"You'll bet anything? How about, if I win, we go into a less stressful line of work?"

Somewhere in the back of Kelli's mind, she knew that Vira was only joking. But, the Sun Guardian nonetheless gave her fairy partner a glare that could've blistered paint.

"Not until I find Judo…at least," she hissed.

Vira drew back with a nervous beat of her gossamer wings.

"I…I'm sorry," she spluttered. "I was just—"

"I dow, I dow. I'm sorry. It's just…it's been rough since all these troubles started. Baybe I should take some tibe to unwind, but only after we find Judo."

"Yeah, I agree. Still, I think you're onto something! But… Just how do we light these braziers now? I don't see anything to light them with, and there's got to be a better way than running back to the entrance and hacking up the carpet again and again."

Kelli opened her mouth to reply, but whatever she was about to say died on her lips.

"Heh… That, I haven't figured out yet," she confessed in a sheepish tone.

"Oh brother…" Vira opined, slapping her tiny palm to her diminutive forehead.

"Well, we're not going to find the answer by just standing here. I think you might be right when you say that whoever built this test had something different in mind than that torch we improvised. Let's look around."

Kelli then began searching the room, scanning her surroundings for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. As she approached the center, however, the floor suddenly trembled beneath her feet. As she pin-wheeled her arms for balance, a skeletal claw burst through the stone.

It clasped an all too familiar rusted sword.

Sure enough, a Stalfos clawed its way up from below, and a rattling sound from one side indicated that a second has also arrived. As with the Armosaurs she'd encountered earlier, one was sun-aligned and the other was moon-aligned. Although these two had shields unlike the reptilian beasts, Kelli knew defeating them would hardly be different…

…or, so she thought.

As the moon-aligned Stalfos was more vulnerable to her attacks, Kelli chose to focus on it first, so that she could quickly even the odds. However, just as she blocked its attack and drew back her blade to retaliate, that familiar feeling in her nose returned.

"Ah… Ah…!" she gasped.

"Oh no…" Vira groaned.

"AAACHOO!"

Kelli's sneeze sent mucus flying into the Stalfos's face. Kelli frantically brought up her shield. Blood thundered in her ears during the stretching second that followed as she realized that she was already too late. With its speed and skill, the Stalfos should cleave through her neck well before she could recover and defend herself…

…should, but did not.

To her amazement, she realized that the Stalfos had instead raised its shield over its face…

….and, that shield was now bespangled with greenish phlegm.

Too confused to do anything else, Kelli took advantage of the Stalfos's inexplicable distraction and thrust her sword into its spine. Her blow struck home, sending the skeletal warrior staggering and, with a quick back slice, the Stalfos crumbled into a pile of bones in seconds.

"Well, that's one way to defeat these bonsters, I suppose," she said, sniffling again.

"Ugh, just be careful!" Vira insisted. "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Heh, sorry…"

Kelli was still puzzled by her inexplicable luck, but she had no time to ponder it. The remaining Stalfos wasn't relenting. She quickly brought up her sword to deflect the rusted blade and then thrust the Sun Sword into the creature's torso. As the creature was sun-aligned, it suffered little harm, however. Still, Kelli had little trouble ducking and leaping away from the Stalfos's blade and, with a few parries and ripostes, the second Stalfos fell. As the bones clattered to the ground, a stone panel at the top of the wall opposite of where Kelli came in slid open, revealing a dark blue diamond shaped crystal containing clear orbs.

Kelli recognized it as a crystal switch, though one of a color unlike any she'd seen before. Still, it didn't take her long to guess what must've happened. Likely, the device she now beheld was once a normal crystal switch, but the evil which had tainted the temple had changed it. Kelli could sense that it was infused with moon-aligned dark power. Undoubtedly, normal projectiles would have no effect on it, and the monsters likely believed this would prove an insurmountable obstacle to the Sun Guardian. Thankfully, however, it seemed that the monsters hadn't anticipated that she would have Sun Arrows, courtesy of Daphnes.

"Well, I think I know how to activate that switch up there, but before I do…" Kelli trailed off. She turned a reluctant gaze upon the remains of the Stalfos. Though both were evaporating into clouds of evil smelling vapor, several bits and pieces remained, including the tattered rags they wore along with their armor. The course cloth looked as though the Stalfos, when it had been alive, was killed, buried, exhumed, and reanimated in it. This made what she was about to do even less appealing, but Kelli knew she could not risk fighting this cold any longer.

Whatever good fortune had prevented that sneeze from costing her head, she doubted she could count on it a second time.

Working too fast for her to change her mind, Kelli ripped off a piece of cloth from the remains and blew her nose on it. The thing was cold as death and stank of the grave, but Kelli idly realized that this mean it had worked…

…though, she wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not.

"By the goddesses!" she howled, alternately coughing and inhaling deeply to ensure her sinuses were clear. "This thing sticks like a Redead's armpit! But, at least I can breathe again…sort of."

"Good. Hopefully it'll keep you from sneezing again in the middle of a fight," Vira replied.

"Yeah," Kelli murmured, valiantly keeping her stomach from turning as she tossed the revolting cloth onto the pile of bones she'd grabbed it from. "You can keep that, by the way. But, I still don't get why that Stalfos didn't kill me when it had the chance."

The Stalfos, obviously, wasn't providing any answers. Indeed, all the crumbled undead did was sorely test Kelli's control over her gag reflex.

"Wait, maybe that's it!" she chimed as realization dawned.

"What? What's it?" Vira wondered, puzzled.

"Stalfos are more intelligent than most undead, right? They fight like trained swordsman, in fact, that's probably what they were when they were alive, so they retain at least a little of what they were when they lived. That's why they bother to block and dodge when most undead just lurch and stumble through attacks to reach their prey."

"And, this means...?"

"Suppose they still have some of their old reflexes and habits from when they were alive? It would explain why that one covered his face when I sneezed into it."

"…Remarkably, that makes sense. But, I wouldn't use that trick again. Whoever's behind this, I think he's smart enough to learn from his mistakes."

"Yeah, my thought exactly."

Kelli then un-slung her bow and notched a Sun Arrow to the string. The blue crystal was an easy target, and as soon as the arrow struck home, it flared a brilliant gold. In the same instant, the four unlit braziers on the floor then ignited, burning clear and bright. They also illuminated that what Kelli had taken for a blank section of wall was sliding downward to reveal a short tunnel. Heady with this success, Kelli and Vira bolted through, eager to reach the switch that would activate the next of the sun statue's flares

The next room, however, presented a far more complicated challenge for the duo. The door on the other side of the room wasn't locked or barred, but an enormous chasm lay between it and the adventurers. Hundreds of spikes rose from the depths and, as with much of the temple, the passing of centuries had done nothing to dull them. Kelli drew back, her brow furrowed as she mulled over this obstacle. The chasm was far too wide for her to jump across. Using the Pegasus Boots sprang to mind, but she quickly discarded that notion. The span of floor she stood upon was too small for her to build up the speed she needed to make the jump. She wondered if the boots could help her to run over the tips of the spikes, but that notion promptly withered on the vine. The Fairy of Winds only said that the boots would help her run over water, not air. Even if she could run across the tips of the spikes without impaling herself, she'd likely end up shredding her own feet. And, that was assuming she didn't lose her balance and fall to her death. Biting back a curse, Kelli let her gaze roam the chamber, seeking some other means to reach the door while yellow and navy blue Bubbles floated idly about the room. Ultimately, she spied a stone staircase to her left, partly hidden by pillars that flanked it on either side.

"Well, I guess that's our only path for now," Kelli spoke up.

"Yeah, no question about that," Vira replied.

The two then hurried up the stairs, only to be greeted by an Armozard leaping at them, its sword angled for the kill. Kelli, no stranger to surprise attacks, managed to bring up her sword just in time to parry the blow. The Armozard, overconfident in the element of surprise, had unwittingly allowed its own momentum to carry it to the very edge of the top stair. With a firm shield bash, Kelli sent the scaled monster crashing down the stairs and saw it land in a twisted heap. Now able to further explore this room's second level, she spied three blocks, each painted with the symbol of the sun, situated at the center. But, these lay behind a barricade of iron spikes.

"This just isn't my day," Kelli said sourly.

Through the gaps between the spikes, Kelli was able to gauge the size and probable weight of the blocks. She quickly determined that, if she could get them to the lower level, she could push them into the chasm. There, with the iron spikes holding them up, they could serve as a bridge for to cross. However, that wouldn't happen unless she could find a way to lower the spikes barring her way. Squeezing between them would be pointless; even if she could fit, the blocks never would, and the spikes looked much too sturdy for her to break. Fortunately, something else caught her eye. An orange sun rested on the wall opposite her, but this one was very different than the others which were seemingly everywhere in the temple. Whereas the others were painted sigils, this one was a raised carving, like a bas relief. What's more, it had a face. A pair of eyes, a nose, and a mouth all stared back at her, though its eyes were closed as if in sleep. Examining the odd carving caused something to tease at the back of Kelli's mind and, when she recalled it, she snapped her fingers in realization.

"Hey, I think I know what that sun on the wall is," Kelli said.

"Yeah? What is it for?" Vira wondered.

"I think it's some sort of switch. Awhile back, Link told me my sword reminded him of these sun switches he encountered in the dark future. He said that in one of the temples he'd visited, there were switches which were activated by shining light upon them."

"Oh! That would make sense, given that this is the Sun Temple. And there's a little bit of light coming down from the ceiling in front of it. Do you think that's enough to activate it?"

"Only one way to find out. And I think I know how!"

With that, Kelli pulled Judo's sword charm out from underneath her tunic. As she felt the cool metal beneath her fingertips, she paused a moment, briefly lost in recollection. The familiar ache of Judo's absence welled up in her once more as she despairingly pondered where he might be and how he was doing. Clues to his whereabouts were few, and she sensed that those who might know were holding back…

…and, she shuddered to contemplate why.

Still, she wondered if learning whatever they kept silent about was worse than not knowing. Not wanting to dwell on such dark musings, she willed her thoughts to the long and wonderful friendship they'd shared; his youthful daring, his humor, and how, regardless of what anyone said about the "tomboyish scarecrow" she'd been, he'd always accepted her just as she was.

That train of thought stirred something in Kelli, something strange that teased at the back of her mind, but it vanished when Vira's voice snapped her back to attention.

"Oh!" she blurted, embarrassed. "Sorry about that."

Grateful that Vira didn't offer comment, she walked over to the light speared the sunbeam with the charm's blade. Just as she suspected, the gleaming charm reflected the beam of light and, with a turn of the wrist, Kelli sent it right onto the carving of the sun. The carving, which apparently it was not, opened its eyes and its mouth curled into a broad smile. Before Kelli or Vira could make sense of this, the animated carving's orange color intensified into a bright golden radiance and its array of flares began rotating like a child's pinwheel in a gentle breeze. Kelli realized in wonderment that this was indeed one of the very same sun switches that Link had mentioned, fanciful details and all. The Sun Guardian was shaken back to attention as the spike surrounding the three blocks retreated into the floor. A crackling sound and a sudden burst of light signaled that the torches along the walls had also ignited.

"Oh wow, you were right!" Vira commented. "Though that smile is kind of creepy…"

"Yeah, ear-to-ear grins like that usually make me wary," Kelli replied, her tone turning thoughtful. "I am wondering, though. Why does the Spirit Temple in the Desert Colossus also have switches like this? The details, both here and in Link's stories, are much too close for it to be coincidence. The people that built the Spirit Temple would have had to know about them."

"Maybe those people were the Gerudo tribe's ancestors," Vira surmised. "We know the Zoras relocated to their Domain from the Fortress of Ice. Maybe the Gerudo originally lived near here, and recreated the sun switch mechanisms in homage of their former home."

"Maybe there's more to it than that. What if, during the time they lived here, the Gerudo were part of the lore of the Sky Guardians? Link also mentioned seeing moon symbols in both the Spirit Temple and in the Gerudo Fortress. I doubt that's a coincidence. In fact, maybe the Gerudo were involved in building the Sun and Moon Temples and selecting the Guardians?"

"That could be, but we'll have to find out later. Let's move on."

Kelli nodded and approached the nearest block. had already gleaned that the stairway she'd climbed earlier had led up to a small gallery above the room with the chasm, which explained why this room was open on one side. The edge of the floor on that side had been raised, preventing her from pushing the blocks over the edge, but there was a gap in one corner. Gauging the distance and direction, she limbered up her fingers and began to push and pull the first block towards the open ledge. It was fairly heavy, and perspiration soon dotted her brow, but she managed to shove the block through the gap and send it to plummeting to the floor below. It was exhausting, but Kelli repeated the process with the other two blocks and returned to the lower floor. After descending the stairs, she took hold of one of the blocks again and pushed it towards the chasm. With a final heave, she shoved it over the threshold and on top of the spikes. Kelli had expected the numerous iron needles to hold firm but, a moment later, she heard the groan of tortured metal. Then, the spikes shattered under the block's weight and it plummeted out of sight. Fearing she'd just made a fatal blunder, Kelli felt her stomach plummet as well, until her heard a loud thud…

…far louder and closer than she would have expected.

Curious, she approached the chasm and looked into its depths. When she'd first laid eyes on it, she'd believed the chasm to be a bottomless abyss, yet the light of the torches revealed that it was instead a trench, no more than a few feet deep. The walls and bottom of the pit had been lined with jet black stone, the newly lit torches illuminating their glossy surfaces and revealing that the block was laying atop the crushed spikes rather than plummeting to invisible destruction below.

"Okay, I'll admit it, that had me going," she opined.

"Yeah, same here," Vira said, letting out a relieved sigh.

Kelli repeated the process with the remaining two blocks, keeping a wary eye on the Bubbles hovering above. Once the bridge was finally complete, she raced across and through the next door.

The room behind it, however, would also pose yet another challenge. This time, the door ahead was sealed with a lock and chains, meaning that Kelli would need to find a key. The room also contained several large, free standing mirrors with golden orange frames and stands. After her earlier surmise about the possible connection between the Gerudo and the Sky Guardians, Kelli had half expected these to operate much like the rotating mirrors Link had described in the Spirit Temple. These, however, seemed fixed in place. That disparity, however, was forgotten when Kelli noticed what else was in the room. Guarding the mirrors were a pair of beings that resembled animated suits of golden armor. They were smaller than the daunting Iron Knuckles though, and wielded golden swords and shields rather than battle axes. Kelli could not tell if these were magical automatons, like the Iron Knuckles, or if there might be a flesh and blood person beneath. But, the golden eyes that glowed balefully from behind their helmets suggested that they weren't friendly.

"Oh…" Kelli uttered, reaching for her sword.

"Kel, what are those things?" Vira wondered anxiously.

"I…I think they're the temple's guards," Kelli replied. "I'm not entirely sure about this, since I've only ever had scraps of information about this place. But it would make sense that each potential Sky Guardian was tested in combat. These knights probably served the goddess of the sun by testing would-be Sun Guardians, as well as protecting the temple against wrongdoers and to make sure none disturb the Sun Sword."

"I see. But why are they active now? We already have the Sun Sword, so shouldn't they let us pass?"

"Yeah, I'm wondering that myself. Maybe, since we didn't get the Sun Sword in the "traditional" way, they're wondering if we stole it. Or, maybe they've been corrupted by whoever's behind the attacks in Hyrule. I'm betting on the latter."

"I don't take sucker bets."

"Yeah, I figured. If I'm right, that means the enemy knows of Lost Hyrule as well. We have to be careful around these knights."

"I don't suppose you discovered anything about these knights that could help us?"

"Just that they're called Sun Knights."

"Not exactly what I had in mind. But, I'm guessing this must mean that the Moon Temple also has "Moon Knights?""

"Most likely. They're sun-aligned, so my blade won't help much, and I haven't found the Moon Arrow yet. This won't be an easy fight, but I think I can handle it."

"Okay, but be careful. If these things were chosen to guard the Sun Sword, I doubt it was because of their pretty armor."

"Right."

With that, Kelli drew the Sun Sword. The moment the blade was free of its sheath, the eyes of the Sun Knights flared with a startling intensity and, from within the golden armor, low voices echoed.

"Destroyers and usurpers, curse them!" they rumbled.

Yeah, definitely not friendly, Kelli mused. I guess they do think I stole it. And, I kinda doubt they'll believe the real story.

Knowing that a pair of sun-aligned armored foes could prove truly deadly, Kelli decided that her best chance was to focus on one and defeat it as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, as soon as the Sun Knight's had spoken, they moved to bracket her on either side, leaving her trapped between them. Kelli growled in frustration as she fended off attacks from both sides with sword and shield. She'd expected the Sun Knights to unleash a relentless series of attacks, pressing on her defenses until her arms gave out. A few minutes would be all it took for them to exhaust her and finish her off. But, strangely, their blows seemed jerky, clumsy, and impossible predictable. More curious still, they struck in an alternating fashion, rather than striking together in order to force Kelli to divide her attention, and her strength, between both at once.

These oddities offered Kelli small but precious moments to get her breath and keep fending off their blades, but she knew she couldn't hold them off much longer. When the Sun Knight who'd been battering at her shield drew back for an overhead chop, Kelli managed to deliver a shield attack to its torso. The impact made both shield and knight clang like a gong and sent vibrations running from her fingertips to her teeth. But, it gave her the opening she needed.

With the second Sun Knight's sword whistling past her ear, she launched into a roll that carried her behind her staggering opponent and clove into the golden armor with a back slice. She came to her feet and brought up her shield, certain that the Sun Knight would shake off the blow and be on her in an instant.

And, shake the Sun Knight did…

…to pieces.

Before the slack jawed Sun Guardian's eyes, the shuddering Sun Knight clattered to the floor in a heap of metal. Kelli was so bewildered that a sun-aligned monster could be killed so easily that she almost failed to notice the second Sun Knight closing in on her. Once Kelli regained her wits, however, she realized that this Sun Knight was also behaving strangely. Its slashes and lunges had a large wind-up which telegraphed them so obviously that the Sun Knight might as well have had its battle plan engraved upon its forehead. Not one of its blows so much as grazed her.

I'm usually not one to complain about good luck, but this is bizarre! she mused.

Still, she knew that luck had a nasty habit of turning sour, so she wasted no time repeating her earlier tactic. Again, the Sun Knight crumbled after one solid back slice.

"Vira, did that make sense to you?" she asked her fairy partner.

"Definitely not," the fairy said, hovering in near the crumbled Sun Knights. "That was way too easy. I thought you said people who failed this test got killed."

"It wasn't that explicit, but is said "those who failed rarely emerged at all." Seems to be the general idea, but why were those things so weak?"

"Beats me. Seemed strange how their movements were so jerky and…wait, do you hear something?"

Kelli had been about to shake her head when a strange hissing noise suddenly reached her ears. In the same instant, a burning smell billowed out from the crumbled armor, leaving both adventurers gasping for breath.

"Acid!" Kelli coughed out. "Keep your distance, and don't breathe it in!"

Hardly needing the warning, Vira shot off towards the far side of the room. Kelli followed suit, a quick glance over her shoulder revealing that the strange acid, which seemed more akin to a dragon's stomach pile, had reduced the golden armor to molten puddles. Once the hissing stopped and burning smell dissipated, Kelli judged it safe to approach.

"That was close," Vira gasped. "If we'd breathed in enough that stuff, our insides would've burned to a crisp."

"Except, it didn't kill us," Kelli noted, her brow furrowing. "It doesn't make sense. These were sun-aligned monsters, but I killed them with one back slice each. They had me outflanked and should've hacked me to pieces, but their attacks were a joke. They had a bellyful of acid that should've splashed all over us when we killed them and left us burnt to death, but instead it stayed inside long enough for us to get to a safe distance. I'm…I'm at a loss."

"That acid could explain why they were so weak, though. It was eating them up from the inside."

"Maybe. Well, there's no way to find out more at this point. Let's see if we can figure out these mirrors."

"Ah, yeah. You had to reflect light onto that sun switch in the last room," Vira recalled. "I bet you have to get light to reflect off of these big mirrors too."

"That's probably right. But onto what?"

When Kelli's question was answered only with a shrug, the pair decided to split up and search the room for some sort of clue, taking care to give the steaming pools that had once been the Sun Knights a wide berth. At first, nothing presented itself to their searching eyes. A second search of the room, however, revealed some large cracks on the wall directly in front of the mirror closest to the locked door.

"Ah ha…" Kelli uttered with a smile, quickly setting a bomb in front of the cracks. After she darted away and covered her ears, the bomb blew a hole in the cracked wall. The smoke cleared to reveal, just as Kelli suspected, another sun switch.

"Well, that answers that question," Vira commented. "Now we just need some light."

"Yeah. But, the only light was that thin sunbeam in the next room. I don't think Judo's charm can reflect enough light for it to travel that far."

"You might be right. Still, whoever set up this test wanted somebody to pass it. Maybe there's something in here that can help us. A switch to open a skylight, maybe."

The walls of the room were bare and solid, so the pair quickly discarded the idea of searching them. Instead, they decided to examine the mirrors themselves. Perhaps one of them concealed the switch and, since they appeared quite immovable, the ones with the best angle on the sun switch seemed the most likely place to look. Yet, there no cracks, or knobs, or levers to indicate that it held some secret within. And, after a cursory glance at the ceiling, and seeing that there was nothing to indicate the supposed skylight was even there, Kelli and Vira were left baffled. When Vira landed on the ground to ponder the matter, however, she finally spotted something on the mirror itself that provided a possible answer.

"Hey! Kelli, look at the base of the mirror!" she blurted, shooting back into the air. "Isn't that a blue crystal switch like we saw earlier?"

Kelli's gaze darted in the fairy's direction, and sure enough, a moon crystal was embedded in the mirror's base.

"Yeah! You're right! Activating it will do something, I'm sure of it."

Kelli then notched a Sun Arrow to her bow and fired. She was more than a little curious as to where the expected light would come from, since there didn't seem to be any panel in the ceiling that would spring open to let light in. To her surprise, the light instead burst forth from the mirror itself, shooting forth in a concentrated beam not unlike that fired by a Beamos statue. It reflected off of the second mirror, and struck the sun switch dead on. As the vaguely sinister smile dawned on the lambent sun's face, a small gold and burnt orange treasure chest shimmered into existence on the floor below it.

"Whoa!" Kelli cried, nearly stumbling from amazement.

"Now there's something you don't see every day," Vira commented.

"That's for sure. This thing was really a giant lens, kinda like the ones used in lighthouses to guide ships at night. It was disguised as a mirror to throw us off."

"Well, it worked like a charm. I was completely fooled."

"Same here; whoever set this up was pretty clever. But, we got lucky. Let's grab our key and move on now."

Kelli approached the treasure chest and opened it with a swift kick. As expected, it held the key to the locked door. Kelli unlocked the door and passed through without breaking strike, hoping that she was finally nearing the next switch to reignite the flares of the main chamber's sun statue. Beyond, she discovered a long, dimly lit hall that contained nothing but rows of torches resting in wall sconces and a fine red and gold runner. The corridor was seemingly identical to the one she'd passed through upon first entering the temple. The eager Sun Guardian, suspecting what this might mean, also saw that the door at the far side wasn't barricaded. Kelli simply hurried through, flinging the door aside and charging in.

On the other side, she finally found what she'd been looking for. In a tiny, mostly empty chamber, another sun-painted switch protruded from a raised section of floor. On the wall above it was a mural depicting the sun statue in the temple's main chamber. Much like the genuine article, the mural was dull and dark…

…except that its bottom-most flare was glowing, just as the bottom flare on the sun statue itself was now ignited. Two unlit braziers stood on either side of the switch.

"Yes! Two down, eight to go," Kelli cheered as she hopped onto the switch. The crackled and roared to life, and a flare on the bottom left of the sun mural began to glow, signifying that another flare on the sun statue had been lit. Just as Kelli was about to begin the return journey to the main chamber, she saw swirling lights play about on the left side of the room. Sure enough, a large chest with the same coloring as the small chest from before shimmered into being. Moments later, the entire room was also lit up as a section of floor to the right turned a brilliant golden color. This, Kelli suspected, was a warp portal that would take her and Vira back to the main chamber. Her grin broadening until Vira accused her of trying to imitate an activated sun switch, she approached the treasure chest, already having a good idea of what was inside.

"Ah, the map!" she spoke up once she opened the chest. "Now we won't get lost or lose track of which doors lead where."

"Good. With so many doors in this place, it was bound to get confusing!" Vira replied. "Now let's take that warp portal. This temple's going to take a while, so let's get moving."

The two then stepped into the golden radiance and soon found themselves levitating heavenward and then floating gently down to land in front of the door through which they'd first entered the main chamber. No sooner had Kelli's boots touched the floor, then the bars that barricaded a nearby door retreated, giving them access to another wing of the Sun Guardians' ancient proving ground.

The next few "Halls of Light" proved to be no more forgiving than the first. Each hall was a little more challenging than the previous one, with new foes and puzzles being thrown in their path and familiar obstacles reappearing with some new, confounding twists. At times, Kelli found herself pushing mirrors in order to guide beams of light to sun switches. In some instances, she found herself racing through chambers to rapidly light groups of braziers to unseal a door, and then sprinting through before a brazier burned out and caused the bars on the door to slam shut again. There were more blocks to be pushed, more walls to be blown up, and more sun switches to be activated. Many a time, she'd used Judo's charm to reflect shafts of light whenever needed, and others she was able to discover more "lenses" by triggering another dark crystal. Dinolfos, Fire Keese, and other such enemies sought to bar her way, but these were more an annoyance than a threat.

Kelli did encounter more of the strange Sun Knights, and each displayed the same oddities as the first pair she'd crossed swords with. These too were vanquished with conspicuous ease, bled acid upon death, and chanted "Destroyers and usurpers, curse them!" again and again.

Strangely, after the eighth Sun Knight had fallen, Kelli found a curious notion tickling at the back of her mind. There was anger in those words, but something else.

Something that almost sounded like…regret, or grief.

Kelli had no idea where that notion had come from, and even less information on why the Sun Knights were behaving so strangely. Vexed, she squared her shoulders and pressed on. In the fifth hall, Kelli also managed to locate the compass, which caused marks denoting treasure chests to dot her map. It also revealed that the temple guardian was in the basement, which had likely also been where her blade once rested. That surmise, however, led her thoughts probing at enigmas once more. What had become of the guardian? It had obviously been centuries since the last time anyone stepped into the temple to be tested for the right to wield the Sun Sword. And now, evil had despoiled the temple and left it overrun with monsters. At this point, anything could have happened. The guardian could have left its post believing that there would never be another Guardian of the Sun. Or, seeing as it was very, very old by this time, it could have passed on. Or…had an even worse fate befallen it? Kelli had to find out, and fast.

Again, the strange undertones of the Sun Knights' words tickled at the back of her mind.

And, again, she resigned herself to pressing on with far more questions than answers. As she studied the map again, something even more intriguing caught her eye. The compass also indicated a chest hidden in a tiny room behind the temple guardian's chamber. Neither she nor Link had ever explored a dungeon where a chest was unreachable until after defeating the boss. Even by the measure of this strange temple's oddities, that was unusual. And seeing as she would have to get past the temple guardian to reach that particular chest, she was certain it had to contain something of great value. Could it be the Jewel of Sky itself? Eager to find out for sure, Kelli pressed on.

By the time Kelli reached the fifth sun-painted floor switch, the temple had grown vexingly complicated. More than once, Kelli encountered a puzzle or a locked door in one hall which forced her to backtrack through previous halls to search for solutions or keys. As the once dim temple was growing steadily brighter, doors and hallways previously hidden in the gloom were revealed, often containing what she sought. All the racing back and forth she'd done had left her footsore and breathing hard by the time she reignited the fifty flare, but she finally felt as though this temple was well in hand.

What awaited her in the main chamber when returned to the sun statue, however, soundly contradicted her. Instead of another hall becoming accessible to her, bars plunged in front of every open door in the room, sealing Kelli and Vira inside. Sensing danger, Kelli drew her blade as a huge mass of shadow dropped from above. It landed with such a crash that the floor trembled beneath her, nearly sending the Sun Guardian sprawling.

"What the—?!" she blurted, springing to her feet as fast as she could. Before her stood what looked like some sort of relative to the Lizalfos and Dinolfos...and which, incredibly, was more disgusting than either reptile. It resembled a bipedal alligator, taller than its lizard-like cousins, with its blunt teeth bared in a grin of predatory malice.

Or, more likely, hunger. The creature was also distinguished by its sagging distended stomach which, amazingly, was somehow covered by its silver armor, though the creature's lower back and tail were exposed. It also wielded a weapon Kelli wasn't quite familiar with. It looked like a crossbow, but one that was designed to fire spherical projectiles, like a slingshot. Its navy blue eyes glaring at Kelli, the creature let out some ghastly mingling of a ferocious roar and a pungent belch.

"EEEEP!" Vira cried, darting behind Kelli as much from revulsion as from fear. "W-What is that gross lizard thing?!"

"I don't think I want to know," Kelli replied, an abrupt sensation in her nostrils turning her disgust to worry. "Ugh, my sinuses are starting to act up again."

"Ugh! NOW?!"

"I know, the worst timing ever!"

"Well, just—!"

"GET DOWN!"

Kelli cupped Vira in her hand and dove to the floor. The gator monster, taking advantage of its foe's preoccupation, had loaded its weapon and had the pair in its sights. It pulled the trigger and fired three small projectiles in their direction. Luckily, Kelli had noticed just in time and managed to get Vira and herself out of their path. The small spheres whistled past the pair and exploded against the far wall.

"Y-Yikes…" Vira squeaked. "Kelli, destroy that thing! And fast!"

"Believe me, I int…inte…!" Kelli stammered as her nose began to twitch. "AAACHOO!"

Vira sighed before replying.

"This just isn't my day…"

The creature, which Kelli and Vira tentatively dubbed Blast Gator, withdrew more of the projectiles the pair dubbed pellet bombs from a small compartment concealed in the stock of its odd weapon. It loaded them and fired repeatedly at the two. Despite its slovenly appearance, the creature was an able marksman. It fired quickly and only missed Kelli by the narrowest of margins, forcing her on the defensive and leaving her no chance to close within reach of her blade or to draw her bow. Kelli continued to duck and dodge the blasts, wracking her brain for some strategy to turn the tables on the rotund reptile. When her legs began to fail her, she found herself having to deflect a salvo of pellet bombs with her shield. She'd braced her shield arm, expecting the bombs to explode upon impact, however, the result was not what she had expected. Instead, the bombs bounced harmlessly off of the metal and were sent hurtling right back at their owner. The Blast Gator, apparently surprised by this development, was too startled, and indeed too large and slow, to escape its own bombs. The small explosives hit it square in the chest. The creature's tough armor and scales had borne the brunt of the damage, but the creature was had been left dazed from the blast.

"Whoa! Vira, I just stumbled upon our tactic!" Kelli blurted happily through a noisy sniffle. Remembering the gap in Blast Gator's armor, she urged her aching legs into motion and raced to the monster's back side. The Sun Sword bit deep, and Blast Gator bellowed in pain with every strike. Regaining its senses, and angered at the Sun Guardian's affront, it let out roar and swung its tail towards Kelli's legs, seeking to knock them out from under her. And unfortunately, it succeeded. Kelli noticed the creature's ploy half a second too slow and was sent sprawling.

"Agh!"

Blast Gator, of course, was only too eager to take aim at the heroine again. Kelli scrambled to her feet as fast as she could and barely managed to evade the oncoming salvo of pellet bombs. The small explosive detonated so close that Kelli swore it crisped a few strands of her hair, but she also knew that the momentum of the battle was shifting in her favor. Sure enough, she was able to repeat her earlier tactic a few more times, doing grievous damage to Blast Gator.

Afterward, however, the beast was on to her. Now, by anticipating that Kelli would try to deflect its pellet bombs, Blast Gator was able to shift its stance so that, in spite of its girth, it was able to sidestep the bombs Kelli sent hurtling at it.

"Ugh, blast!" she blurted in annoyance. "No pun intended. I should've known this thing would wise up after a while!"

"Yeah," Vira agreed. "I want this ugly thing dead already! …Wait, Kel! I think I'm onto something. You see how it turns away from you when dodging the bombs, probably to make sure it's far enough away from the explosion? That creates a blind spot, since it's turned away from you. Maybe, if you move while it's distracted, you can hit it with an arrow!"

"Ah, of course!"

Kelli then feigned an attempt at hitting Blast Gator with his own bombs again. As expected, it side-stepped the hurtling explosives, unwittingly taking its eyes off its prey. Seeing her opening, Kelli darted behind Blast Gator, leaving the creature standing stupefied when it realized its prey was nowhere in sight. She aimed her bow and fired a Sun Arrow as fast as she could right at the creature's back. The arrow buried itself in the thick scales, stunning Blast Gator in its tracks. Kelli proceeded to hack away once more at its back side, and with a few more blows, she sealed her enemy's fate. Blast Gator let out one last roar of agony and collapsed to the floor, its weapon clattering to the stones. The bars retreated from the doors leading to the halls that Kelli had already completed, along with those which had been over another door that she had not yet explored.

"Hey, that thing left behind its bomb shooting weapon," Vira spoke up. "I bet something like that could come in handy later!"

"Yeah, you're right. I think I'll take it!" Kelli decided. "If we need to blow up something we can't get at with a regular bomb, this little trinket should do the trick."

With that, Kelli picked up her new weapon, acquainting herself with its weight and aiming accoutrements. She also discovered a button on the stock which, when pressed, opened a small panel, revealing a number of pellet bombs stored within.

Clever, she silently opined. Since you don't need to fumble through your bomb bag to find the pellet bombs, you can load and fire this thing much faster.

"It's definitely similar to a slingshot, and since it's specially made for pellet bombs, why don't we call it the Bombshot?" she then suggested.

"Makes sense to me," Vira replied. "Just be careful with that thing. You take too long aiming and those little bombs will blow up on you instead!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

With that, the two proceeded through the newly opened door, eager to finish exploring the temple.

As fate would have it, Kelli soon found herself grateful that she'd taken the Bombshot. More sun switches needed to be activated in the remaining halls, and she put her new weapon to good use blowing open holes in the ceiling or high sections of the walls to let the light in. She also found that reflecting the light onto the moon-aligned monsters stunned them, leaving them vulnerable to attack. It had no effect on the Sun Knights, unsurprisingly, so they remained an annoyance and a mystery. Her explorations were further complicated when she discovered several rooms which, seemingly, had several sun switches. Kelli discovered, the hard way, that most of them were decoys and that, when activated, they triggered traps. Most would summon Fire Keese and Lizalfos, or cause bombs to rain down upon her from the ceiling. One especially cunning trap switch caused a small chest to appear, beguiling Kelli into thinking she's chosen the right switch. When she opened it, however, a gout of flame erupted from within, and only the Sun Guardian's reflexes allowed her to escape with no more than a few singed hair tips. Another chest summoned by a false sun switch, however, yielded pellet bombs for her Bombshot. Kelli was glad of this, as she had begun to fear that she would run out by the time she reached the temple guardian. And she didn't want to go in with no pellet bombs only to find out that she couldn't win without them.

The final four halls, however, proved a far sterner challenge than the five she'd explored prior to battling Blast Gator. It seemed that every other hall yielded a larger group of Sun Knights alongside the Bubbles, Keese, Armosaurs, and Armozards. Still, Kelli prevailed over them…though, not always through her own skill.

Not only were the Sun Knights still strangely ineffective but, when they were coupled with other monsters, they proved far more dangerous to Kelli's enemies than to Kelli herself.

The Sun Knights would get in the way of Kelli's other foes and, when an enemy pursued her within reach of a Sun Knight's jerky sword arm, the blow would invariably hit the wrong target.

And, again, Kelli sensed something odd about their incessantly chanting "Destroyers and usurpers, curse them!"

This odd behavior allowed Kelli to prevail, though it had begun to take its toll on the already exhausted Sun Guardian. And, in the last two halls, she came upon yet another sun switch. But, this one was much more massive than any Kelli had ever seen. In fact, they couldn't have been much smaller than the sun statue in the main chamber. Experimentation revealed that these switches had to be fully bathed in light in order for them to activate. One beam of light would only accomplish half the task, so Kelli had to trigger two sources of light in order to fully activate these enormous mechanisms. But, the second large sun switch granted her access to the tenth and final floor switch that would, at long last, light the sun statue's final flare.

"Finally…" the weary Sun Guardian rasped and eagerly pressed the switch. The flare at the very top of the sun mural lit up, showing in brilliant finality that the sun statue was fully relit. An instant later, the entire image of the sun glowed as well, signifying that Kelli's mission was nearly complete.

"Yeah, now we just have to get past whatever's behind the statue…" Vira pointed out with a shudder. "Hopefully, it won't be as bad as Blast Gator…or, failing that, it won't be as disgusting."

"I agree. And, I thought fat drunks from by species were gross. Still, I hope it's just a battle with a boss bonster and that's it," Kelli replied in a phlegm muffled voice. "Then again, we never did come across a boss key."

"Oh yeah… I guess if there is one, it's still ahead too."

"Right. Ugh, this cold is going to be the death of be, perhaps literally."

The two companions entered the nearby portal and were whisked back to the main chamber. They watched as the sun statue lit up gloriously, brightening the entire room. Again, rather than pain or disorientation, Kelli felt only repose at the sudden sunburst. Then, with a grating sound, the statue began slowly moving backwards, revealing a carpeted spiral staircase underneath. Kelli and Vira traversed it immediately, eager to finish their mission and return to Kakariko.

Link might very well have recuperated in Kelli's absence and was ready to adventure again.

And, whether that was so or not, Kelli felt it best to be at Kakariko in case the enemy decided to test the village's defenses.

Halfway down, however, they found themselves in another chamber with a large sun switch and a large door. Chains held an equally large sun-shaped lock in place upon the door, leaving no doubt as to what lay beyond. There also cracks along two separate sections of the wall opposite the switch. Kelli blasted open both with the Bombshot, revealing mirrors with moon crystals embedded in them like the "lenses" she had seen earlier. She knew what she had to do. While avoiding the Bubbles and fending off the three Sun Knights in the room, she aimed her bow at the crystals and fired, activating the light sources which shone upon the sun switch and triggered it. Below the switch, a stone panel ground open, revealing the ornate gold and orange chest which surely contained the key Kelli needed. The chest, despite having been finely made, was covered in dust and some areas were darkened with tarnish.

"Oh… I should've known it would look like this," Kelli commented. "This temple is ancient and hasn't been touched for centuries until these monsters came in."

"Yeah. But now I'm afraid the key might not work anymore," Vira pointed out. "Suppose it's too corroded to turn without breaking it, or tarnish prevents it from fitting in the lock?"

"Oh yeah… But let's try it anyway. We won't know for sure until we do."

Kelli then opened the chest and discovered the key in question. Just as she and Vira feared, however, time had not been kind to it. Flecks of rust and stains of tarnish marred what must've once been a beautiful sun-shaped bow, as well as an exquisite bit fashioned like an array of sun flares. Curiously, both bow and bit were still perfectly serviceable. In fact, an experimental sniff revealed that the key had been polished recently, likely just enough to ensure that the corroding tarnish did not render it useless.

"The monsters must have restored it. I should've guessed," Vira spoke up.

"Well, time to face the temple guardian…I think," Kelli replied. She still wasn't sure if that was who awaited her. For all she knew, it could just as easily be a different monster which had killed the original guardian. Regardless, something was being kept on the other side of that door and Kelli needed to find out what. With a steadying breath that promptly turned into a sneeze, she unlocked the door and strode inside.

Beyond lay another carpeted staircase, spiraling downward to an open doorway flanked by torches. Kelli darted through without hesitation and found herself inside a massive circular chamber, large enough to accommodate a knights' tournament and its audience. The floor was dominated by a gigantic image of the sun ringed by calligraphic circles. Ensconced torches lined the wall, seemingly doing more to cast shadows than illuminate the chamber. On the far side of the expansive room, there was what appeared to be another sun statue suspended from the wall. What was odd, however, was that there appeared to be some sort of dark stain marring the upper flares of this statue.

Suddenly, a blue light flared to life just underneath the stain and the outer portion of the statue began to tremble at its outer curvature. Kelli did a double take before realizing what she was actually looking at. That light was an eye, and the outer curvature of the statue, where the flares radiated outward, was actually some sort of creature coiled about the center disc. The creature then uncoiled itself and took to the air, floating above the floor and circling about the Sun Guardian. Its long, serpentine body was lined with spines that served as that sun statue's flares. The dark stain Kelli had seen before still marred its head, only now she knew it was no mere dark stain. It was some sort of moon-aligned parasitic monster, and it had attached itself to this giant serpent. As the serpent swooped in close, Kelli saw that the parasite resembled an enormous dung beetle, making it as disgusting in appearance as in purpose. Kelli was shaken back to attention, however, as the serpent let out a bone chilling hiss and locked its fierce gaze on Kelli.

And, though Kelli hoped she was wrong, she had a strong suspicion about who this serpent actually was.

"Vira, I think this is the temple guardian!" she blurted, horrified at this depravity. "Only, it's been possessed by a monster!"

"A gross one, at that! Ugh!" Vira replied. "I don't know if we can save the guardian, but all we can do is attack that…thing on its face."

The likelihood that the guardian would have to die in order for Kelli to complete her mission caused a chill to ripple at her heart, but she forced it down.

Surely a creature such as the guardian, whose very purpose was to test warriors so that they might fight against evil and prevail, would rather die than live as a slave.

"I'll make someone pay for this, I swear it!" she thundered. "I can't get a clear shot from down here, though. It's too high, and it's moving too fast."

The serpent soon remedied that…by swooping in and going on the offensive. It inhaled, so deeply that Vira had to get behind Kelli to avoid being swallowed, and belched out a massive gout of yellow flames right in Kelli's direction. Luckily, the Sun Shield was able to withstand the flames, though the flesh of Kelli's arm turned pink from the heat. Seeing this, the serpent went into a frenzy, snapping at her with its fangs and trying to crush her with whistling strikes of its tail.

"By the Goddesses!" Kelli gasped out after narrowly escaping the serpent's jaws. "This thing's as fast as I am!"

"Um…uh…!" Vira stammered, trying to force the terror out of her mind so she could think clearly. "Maybe if you used that Bombshot to slow it down?"

"You know, that just might work! With the way this thing moves, though, the timing will be tricky. I might be able to try it when the serpent tries to bite me again."

Forcing her arms to stop trembling, Kelli then began firing pellet bombs at the flying serpent. Each projectile found its mark, though the creature slowed but a little. The impacts did indeed start slowing it down, though not by a lot. Still, while dodging its flames, Kelli managed to roll in close and sink her blade into its side. The creature trashed in pain, sending Kelli's intended target whipping in every direction. Sucking in a breath, Kelli fired and, to her amazement, her shot exploded against the creature's snout. The serpent hissed in pain, lost control of its flight, and crashed head first into a wall. The stone cratered under the impact and the serpent sagged to the floor, dazed. More out of instinct than eagerness, Kelli raced to the beast's head. The parasite was even uglier close up, and she once again found herself wondering if killing it meant that the guardian would die as well. Stealing her nerve, Kelli drew her sword and clove deep.

After several blows, a faint voice suddenly reached the heroine's ears. It was weak and rang with sorrow, but it was most definitely coming from the serpent.

"Please… Keep…fighting…Don't let…this abomination…keep…me enthralled…"

Kelli must have weakened the monster and, in turn, loosened its hold on the serpent. She'd hoped the serpent might break free on its own, but the parasite soon seized control once again. Once more a slave to the forces it had been bred to fight, the guardian was forced back into the air.

"Vira, did you hear that? I was hoping I was wrong, but this serpent is definitely the guardian!" Kelli cried.

"Yeah!" Vira replied. "I don't know if it'll save him, but we have to kill that parasite."

A sigh, impossibly heavy coming from one so small, passed Vira's tiny lips.

"I wish it hadn't come to this, but we don't have a choice. For all we know, this thing will kill the guardian anyway."

"I know. I must hurry!"

Her heartbeat thudding in her ears and her palms growing slick, Kelli attempted to bring down the serpent again. Hopefully, the guardian was still trying to break free of the parasite's control and might lend her some aid. However, either the guardian couldn't muster the strength, or it had succumbed. Whatever the reason, it swooped upon Kelli mercilessly, unleashing a relentless onslaught with its fiery breath and fangs. And, whether from reluctance to harm a creature being made to attack her against its will or the serpent's remarkable speed, Kelli found more and more of her salvos missing their mark. The serpent, having been driven past any similar constraints by the parasite, managed several blows with its tail that sent her sprawling to the floor. Kelli rolled away from its snapping fangs with inches to spare, somehow managing to avoid dropping the Bombshot.

After the serpent closed in and its fanged maw yawned wide to bite her in half, Kelli resigned herself to the grim truth; whether the guardian could be saved or not was out of her hands. And, in either case, it wouldn't matter if the possessed serpent killed her. Her death would likely spell defeat for Hyrule and, much as she hated to admit it, the thousands of lives that were at stake far outweighed the life of the guardian.

Being a Sun Guardian surely entailed making hard choices, more than a few of which being ones she'd regret.

This was neither the first nor the last that she'd faced, but it would likely be the worst.

When her opportunity finally came, Kelli fired three more pellet bombs into the serpent's maw. They detonated against the roof of its mouth, causing it to crash into the wall once again. Forcibly clearing her head, Kelli plunged her blade deep into the parasitic monster, tore it free, and thrust it in again.

"It's…growing weaker… Please… Keep going…" the temple guardian rasped again in a pleading voice.

By this time, Kelli was simply too exhausted to do anything else but obey. Getting a clear shot with the Bombshot became more and more difficult, as the Guardian of the Sun's parasitic jailer drove it to ever greater speeds. Still, what pellet bombs struck the serpent's body still slowed it down, and Kelli needed every advantage she could get. And, she was growing ever wearier from evading the guardian's tireless attacks.

After Kelli finally managed to bring down and strike the serpent a third time, however, the parasitic monster became enraged. The serpent glowered at her and began bombarding the floor beneath him with fireballs while, when airborne, he flew so fast that he became little more than a blur across the ceiling. Soon enough, the guardian managed to coil its tail around Kelli and throw her across the room. The impact knocked the breath from her lungs and she let out a scream of agony as the unforgiving stone broke her fall.

"Agh…!"

"Kelli! Are you alright?!" Vira wondered desperately.

"I…think so," Kelli uttered as she staggered to her feet. Miraculously, the landing hadn't caused her to break any bones. She sensed some spectacular bruises forming and her battered torso would only let in so much air, but she could still fight. She armed herself with the Bombshot once more. Unfortunately, a cursory peek into the Bombshot's ammunition compartment revealed that she was running out of pellet bombs. The next few shots had to count, or else she would be done for. The Sun Arrows would surely affect the parasite, but she feared they wouldn't have the same effect as the blasts from the pellet bombs. The bombs dealt three blows in one volley and filled the creature's vision with choking smoke. They were her only chance of leaving this temple alive.

The serpent, sensing her weakened state, came charging towards Kelli once more. The Sun Guardian had only seconds to act, and knew that failure meant death, so Kelli fired her last three pellet bombs as fast as she could. Her shots had been blind, as she'd had no time to aim; but, amazingly, they managed to hit their mark. The serpent went crashing into the wall yet again, finally giving Kelli an opening to strike.

Her heart heavy, Kelli impaled the parasite with her blade, causing the serpent to flail wildly. She drew back her blade and thrust again, sending the serpent into spasms that caused her eyes to mist. Then, with one more blow, the parasite sprang free of the serpent. The vile insect went sprawling to the floor, its tentacle-like legs buckling underneath it as it fell, and exploded into dust.

The temple guardian let out one last bellow of agony and then collapsed, the air blowing out of its lungs in a terrible death rattle.

With the danger having passed, Kelli could no longer keep her mutinous heart at bay. She fell to her knees and wept, sickened by the senseless tragedy the enemy had just orchestrated and how she'd been maneuvered into playing a role. Had the creature she'd just slain been truly expected to kill her, or had using him against the new Sky Guardians been just some profane amusement for the enemy? Either way, the aches and pains from being tossed into the wall and the weariness of evading the guardian's relentless attacks was barely felt after the guilt and remorse that now stabbed at her.

Kelli knew she needed to retrieve the Jewel of Sky, if only to ensure that this tragedy ultimately counted for something, but she simply could not muster the will to rise just yet. Her gaze roamed the chamber, the halls of her predecessors causing bitterness to seep into her blood as she silently vowed that, whatever her commitment to being a Sun Guardian might entail, she would never set foot in this place again.

Her head bowed in mourning, her eyes brimmed with tears once more.

"I will not tell you not to weep, for not all tears are an evil."

The sudden voice caused her head to snap up and, to her amazement, the Guardian of the Sun was staring right back at her.

The ancient creature was still visibly weakened, but its breathing was strong and regular, and its eyes and the flare-shaped spines on its back were now a proper glowing golden.

"You're…you're alive!" she gasped out.

"I am no less surprise at that, o chosen Guardian of the Sun…" the guardian began, pausing to heave air into its lungs. "Thank you for ridding me of that foul creature. Though I was prepared to die by your blade rather than serve the forces of evil, I am glad that this day was not my last."

"As am I…" Kelli gasped out. "Are you the ancient guardian of this temple?"

"I am. My name is Soleil. I am a divine beast in the service of the gods and I was tasked by the goddess of the sun herself to guard this temple and to test those who would wield her power. As you likely know, long ago, those destined to become Sky Guardians made pilgrimages to this temple. When they reached this chamber, I presented them with their final test. Those who passed it won the right to claim the sacred blade which you now carry."

"I came by the Sun Sword and Shield…differently."

"Yet, since then, you have acquitted yourself well. And, you have passed the final test."

At this, Kelli was left dumbstruck.

""Test?"" she repeated, bewildered. "What test?"

Soleil let out a rattling noise that Kelli assumed was laughter.

"It was not by design, but perhaps it is best that way," he opined. "When you realized I was possessed, you were faced with an impossible choice. My predicament and your mission set your set your conscience and your duty in direct conflict. You were given an impossible choice, and you chose."

"…What sort of test is that?!" Kelli blurted, horror-stricken.

"Why, the sort that determines what makes a Sky Guardian: decisiveness, determination, and conscience. Tests of similar mien have been used over the ages, with would-be Sky Guardians facing what they dread. For the test our enemy unwittingly devised for you, that was the prospect of having to take an innocent life in order to save others."

That left Kelli speechless for a long moment as she weighed Soliel's words. And, she could see his point. Ever since Link had returned to Hyrule, he'd been wrestling with the fear that, with evil having despoiled the realm, his efforts to overturn the dark future had been in vain. Yet, that fear had galvanized him. She had seen it in how, even with his enemies deadlier than ever, his will refused to be broken.

Perhaps, in facing a similar fear, Kelli, too, would come into her own as a heroine.

Still, these revelations disquieted her.

"Did I make the right choice?" she inquired.

Again, laughter rattled in Soliel's scaly body.

"There is no "right" choice," he answered, noting Kelli's surprise. "You were faced with two, deeply flawed choices; either to kill me outright, or risk that trying to save me would end your life and doom your mission. You chose, you followed through, and bore the consequences of that choice. That is imperative to being a Sky Guardian. Do you think we could entrust such power to one who wilts in the face of a dilemma? Or, one who commits to a mission, but lacks the will to complete it? Or, one so callous as to do what you thought you'd done to me and not even shed a tear?"

"I see. Though, this is a lot to take in," Kelli admitted.

"That is understandable. And, do not worry. As I said, you did well. But, we must speak of other matters. Some years ago, I was awakened by a message from the gods. They informed me that, at long last, a new Guardian of the Sun had appeared. But that the evil ones would reach me before you did never entered even my darkest dreams. It was long thought that knowledge of this land and temple rested only with a few good hearted souls. I know not how the monsters discovered it, only that they did so. I was soon possessed by that parasitic monster, unable to control my actions. My power alone could not allow me to break free."

"I figured as much."

"In any case, there's something else you should know. After the sacred blades were moved, I was given a new charge. I was instructed to guard a treasure which would be needed when the time came for the Sky Guardians to return. It is in the chamber ahead and lies inside a magical chest which only a proven Sky Guardian may open. As the Sun and Moon Guardians must work together, as a pair and apart, it is meant to curb the vulnerability this creates. It presents them with an item which the other Guardian already possesses. I had cast an enchantment on the door so that no evil being would ever be able to open it. If their corrupting power managed to seep inside, however, I can cleanse it now."

"Oh… Thank you. I'll use that treasure well."

Link's arsenal, which after hearing more of his previous adventures boggled Kelli's mind, included quite a lot of gear which Kelli did not have. She wondered which of his items would be duplicated for her use.

"Also, I fear that my fellow divine beast guardian in the Moon Temple on the other side of this land has met with a fate similar to my own," Soleil continued, unmistakable warning in his voice. "You must bring the chosen Guardian of the Moon there and free him. However, I must warn you to tread cautiously. His temple has likely been invaded by the evil ones as well. It will be dangerous. But you both must prevail. There is a second magical Guardian's Chest waiting there, and your companion will need what it contains in order to prevail."

"I see. We will do as you've asked, I promise," Kelli replied.

"Thank you…though, before you depart, I believe there is one last thing you must do."

Soleil paused and fixed his golden eyes on Kelli's equipment.

"If I'm right, it will be worth the delay," he surmised. "Please, walk this way."

Still battered and weary from her fierce battle and her long exploration of the temple, Kelli was past "walking" and had to settle for limping, staggering, and shuffling. Soleil, patient as only an ancient being could be, lead her to an altar which had been concealed in the room's shadows and which, incredibly, had been left unscathed by the battle. The altar was, unsurprisingly, decorated with images of the sun and the Triforce, as well as a bas relief of an exquisitely beautiful face which, Kelli assumed, was that of the Sun Goddess. Carved above the altar, in the heart of a large image of the Triforce, and in modern Hylian, was a passage of text.

"Draw your sword and raise it above your heard, wear your shield; then, kneel, read the words, and take the vow your forbearers did," Soleil instructed simply. "Though you have, by right, proven yourself long ago, I suspect that doing this will help you."

Curious, Kelli did as he asked and read the text.

"Solaris, matron of light, who battles the evils of night, upon my blood, I call thee now, consecrate me, for I avow to set my feet upon thy road, thy sword I take up for my own."

As Kelli finished speaking, a ray of golden light shot forth from the Sun Goddess' eyes, bathing her in radiance. Then, to Kelli's astonishment, her sword and shield were changing.

Before her very eyes, the Sun Sword's blade grew longer by at least a foot, and the blade widened to at least twice its previous breadth. Its edge became keener, and its tip sharp enough to pierce a mountain. No less startling, her shield grew as well, becoming larger and thicker than the famed Hylian Shields used by the Royal Knights and Army. Yet, despite their greater size, both felt barely half as heavy as beforehand. Standing, Kelli tested each. The Sun Sword, in addition to having a longer reach, was now easier to swing, allowing her to unleash consecutive attacks with greater ease. The Sun Shield, which she'd once struggled with, now felt as though she could block or shield attack a rolling Goron without so much as straining her wrist. After a few more experimental slashes, she sheathed her sword, noting that the sheath had also grown to accommodate the larger blade.

"Amazing!" she blurted.

"It is done, then!" Soleil affirmed happily. "You have long been a Sun Guardian in all but name. Now, you are one in full, and all the powers of your sacred sword and shield are yours to command."

"Congratulations!" Vira cheered, hugging Kelli's cheek as best she could. "I never doubted you for a minute!"

"Really?" Kelli quipped good-naturedly.

"Well, maybe half a minute," Vira teased. "Forty five seconds, tops."

"Be that as it may," Soleil spoke up again after another rattling laugh, "you have much work ahead of you before this realm is saved. Go forth, Sun Guardian, and bring the Sun Goddess' wrath down upon the destroyers and usurpers!"

Kelli had been about to head to the room Soleil had pointed out earlier, but his words made her jerk to a halt.

"Wait, the Sun Knights said that!" she blurted. "About "destroyers and usurpers." Do you know why?"

A sigh, which sent Kelli's hair flying, escaped Soleil's chest.

"Alas, yes," he admitted. "Just as I acted against you under compulsion, so did they. Not in the same way, as they are magical automatons, but the enemy twisted them from their true purpose for a darker one. The "acid" within them was a terrible byproduct of their enthrallment."

"I…I'm sorry, that I destroyed them," Kelli said sadly.

"Even if you hadn't, it would've made no difference. Just as you made your choice, so did they. Did you never wonder why they fell so easily to your blade, why they were a greater threat to your enemies than you? Do not grieve, for they are not truly dead. Their essences yet survive and, given time, new bodies can be built to house them. But, the life you would have lost if they'd killed you? The lives that would have been lost if you'd failed here? Those cannot be replaced. Remember that, and go forth. May the goddesses shine their light on your quest, o chosen Sky Guardian…"

With that, Soleil returned to his place upon the wall, wrapping himself around the center of the statue once more. As he did so, a stone door underneath him began to glow and slide open. Kelli and Vira, still overwhelmed by all that had transpired, went through in a daze. A slivery white jewel fashioned in the shape of a bird's wings sat on a small pedestal, shrouded in the same dark mist as the previous Elemental Jewels had been. As Soleil had promised, his magic caused the mist to vanish, and the jewel shone as pure and clean as the winds in the highest peaks. In that same moment, a brilliant flash suddenly erupted from its facets.

"Whoa!" Kelli cried, startled but not blinded by the radiance. Taking a second glance around the room, she beheld the very treasure chest that Soleil had mentioned. The Guardian's Chest looked vastly different from other chests Kelli had seen. It was, as she'd expected, very ornate. But, rather than gold and orange, it was colored a silvery blue and fashioned from some material that was mirror smooth and partly transparent. Kelli touched the strange substance experimentally, which felt almost like crystal beneath her fingertips. It had begun to glow as she's approached, likely sensing the presence of a Sky Guardian.

"Oh wow… That is one amazing chest," Kelli spoke up. "I'm eager to see what's in here, but I'm going to grab the Jewel of Sky first. After all the trouble we went through to get it, I'm not taking any chances."

"No argument here," Vira agreed. "Still, whatever else happens, you did great here."

"Yeah," Kelli replied. "You know, for a long time, I was worried about being a Sun Guardian. But, now…now, I finally feel like I made the right choice by keeping the Sun Sword and Shield."

"You can say that again. And, I'm proud of you!"

Kelli gave an answering smile as she retrieved the jewel from its pedestal and reverently tucked it amongst her belongings. She then approached the chest, more eager than ever to find out what might lie within. Would it be a Flame Staff? Or perhaps something Link hadn't yet shown her? Eager to know, she flung upon the chest effortlessly, revealing a bright light that burst forth from within. Kelli reached into it and, seconds later, pulled out what appeared to be a modified hookshot. It took a moment's study, but she soon realized exactly what it was.

"Huh? A…Grappleshot?!" she very nearly blurted. "…Wait, of course! Link must've gotten it while he was on Death Mountain! The Gorons had been guarding it for King Daphnes. It's one of a kind, there are no other tools like it."

"Until now," Vira added. "Let's just hope His Majesty doesn't think something funny happened if he sees this."

Kelli grimaced at the realization.

"Oh dear… You're right… I'll just have to do my best to explain myself if it comes to that. Truth be told, I was rather wishing for one of these earlier. But for now, let's get out of here. We need to go back to Kakariko. We've been gone for quite a while, and I want to make sure things haven't gotten worse while we were away. And, of course, there's Link. Knowing him, I doubt he listened to me about staying put in that bed. Well, here's hoping that's because he's better."

"I can agree on that."

With that, the two stepped into the warp portal which had appeared during their discussion, returning to the surface and eager to relay to Link what they had discovered in the temple. After the many, many oddities of the temple, Kelli wasn't particularly bamboozled when, while traversing the corridor leading outside, she saw that the torch she'd borrowed was back in place and the runner she's vandalized showed no sign of damage. Nor was she particularly bewildered when the crumbled stonework of the temple's exterior now looked good as new and that the shattered windows had been replaced. Indeed, Lost Hyrule had presented her with one bizarre turn after another.

Still, despite that, and despite the bruises she'd collected, the limp in her step, and the sudden desire to curl up and fall asleep for about a week, Kelli came away from the Sun Temple feeling something akin to elation. Not only had the enemy been dealt another blow, but their twisted stratagem of using Soleil as a weapon had backfired, granting Kelli more power than she had ever dreamed of.

More than that, however, she was, at long last, a Sun Guardian in truth.

With the Sun Goddess's blessing, and the Sun Sword and Shield's full potential now hers to command, she finally began to believe that the darkness was truly lifting from Hyrule. And that, soon, she would be free to find Judo.

She would find him because, just as she had chosen earlier in her battle with the possessed Soleil, she chose to discover the truth, be it for good or ill.

What she learned might bring her happiness or sadness, but she vowed she would learn the truth, and now she would follow through on that pledge and live with whatever consequences that choice entailed.

She was, after all, a Guardian of the Sun.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the temple entrance, she paused and took a long look back at the Sun Temple. Earlier, she'd very nearly vowed never to enter it again. Now, however, she found herself reconsidering.

Maybe her finding the Sun Sword did mean that there would be more Sun Guardians in the future. If so, she suspected that her part in reviving that lost legacy was only just beginning.