As the lanterns were lit, I could see a round arena, raised above the floor of the hexagonal room and fenced off with tall metal spears, save at the top of the steps leading up to the arena, where the Metal Guardian stood with his katana drawn.

The Metal Guardian wore lacquered armor made of tempered steel, a fluttering banner mounted on a pole behind his back, and underneath his helmet, was a golden, demonic-looking Bull mask that looked down on me as I stepped into the arena. "So you would seek the key of water? First, you must solve the Riddle of Steel."

I blinked. Well, that was a surprise. Rena would probably have an easier time with this, seeing as how she's read every piece of fiction in her mother's shop, but she wasn't here now, so I had to step up to the challenge in her stead. "Alright then, let's be about it."

The Metal Guardian nodded as he took a deep, quiet breath. The tension grew the longer he paused, and then he finally spoke. "What is the true strength of steel?"

The most obvious answer was that it was harder than iron, but I suspected that wasn't the answer, and without much hope, I drew my sword and stared at its blade in hope of an answer.

In the blade of my sword, sixteen-year old boy with dark hair stared back at me with blue eyes before smiling, and somehow, my reflection turned into an image of a sea battle. I recognized the shape of a Royal Navy ship sailing towards a line of Polarian ships, and as it broke the Polarian line-of-battle, I saw the name of the ship on the stern: Victory.

I realized that I was seeing the Battle of Trafalgar, the decisive naval battle of the Polarian Wars, where Admiral Horatio Nelson led twenty-seven ships-of-the-line against a Polarian fleet of thirty-three, and won. The answer to the riddle of steel then hit me harder than any cannonball, and the Metal Guardian asked, "Do you have an answer?"

I nodded as I took a deep breath to steady myself. "The true strength of steel is in the hand that wields it - or in other words, it's the person's determination that brings success, not the quality or amount of his tools."

The Metal Guardian nodded as he readied his sword. "That is wise. A warrior's true strength is found inside himself, not in his blade, but I trust you've practiced your strikes. Draw your sword!"

Steel clashed against steel in this duel, and I ducked to avoid a horizontal slash from the Metal Guardian before lunging forward, only to be batted away by his sword. I turned around just in time to deflect his blade over my shoulder before kicking him in the chest, sending him stumbling back a few steps, but he recovered quickly in time for my next attack.

Our toes tried to dig into the floor as we struggled against each other with locked blades, but I lost that contest of brute strength, sending me sprawling onto the floor. As the Metal Guardian raised his sword, I rolled to the right just in time to avoid the sharp tip and get up to lunge at his exposed side.

This time, my attack was successful, but I only managed to make a dent before the Metal Guardian spun to attack me with his sword, narrowly missing my foot by a centimeter as I hopped back, drawing my pistol. "Time for the big guns!"

My attack crashed directly into the Metal Guardian's chest, and I rushed forward to attack, blades glowing with blue energy, the safety version modified to retain the swords' sharpness. Backhanded slashes cross the lacquered metal of his breastplate, and I reversed my grip on my swords.

Two slashes later, I had already switched between grips again to stab the Metal Guardian's chest twice, and I felt a tension on the tips of my blades disappear as the Metal Guardian spoke. "I have never met my equal before today. You showed suppleness and strength in equal measure. You may enter the Water Temple."

I withdrew my blades from the Metal Guardian's breastplate, and he removed the punctured front to reveal that he was hollow inside, but a key made of a blueish ice hung from a string. I sheathed my swords to bring out a knife, and the string cut easily as the cold key fell into my hands.

Turning around to leave, the bright sunlight dazzled my eyes as I stepped outside, and the Water Temple, as mighty as any natural glacier, awaited me on the next hill.