Hey everyone it's me again! So I had a blast writing the first story and as a result, I came up with a sequel plot~ Compared to the first, this adventure will be a bit more challenging for our kiddie trio who are already fourteen-fifteen after a one year timeskip. A certain group of old faces will make a more prominent appearance and I'm super excited to introduce a character belonging to a dear friend that will appear somewhere in the middle of the story. Who he is will be revealed in time~ - Florafionpetals.

Balthazar idly gazed about in his new surroundings. One moment, he was tucking the kids in their beds and calling out goodnight to his siblings before going to bed. But now, he seemed to be in a special setting. It was an indescribable landscape that resembled a starry sky, only there was no flooring to speak off. It looked as if Balthazar was standing in mid air. "H-Hello? Anybody here?" Called out the First Guardian as he was clearly confused. "Where am I? Is this a dream?" He wondered aloud.

His wonders were promptly responded with an extremely familiar voice, that made Balthazar freeze. A voice he hadn't heard for over a hundred years. A low, gentle chuckle sounded and a taller, older man appeared before his son. The former First Guardian named Mendel stood in the purest of white robes laced with emerald accents and his eyes were a twinkling cerulean, slightly darker than Balthazar's and full of wisdom.

The man had nearly resembled his son from head to toe if it weren't for his snowy white hair and moustache along with the locks of hair sticking out from under his top hat - Balthazar wore the exact same thing and he instinctively reached to still feel the hat there. Great joy at seeing his old role model and parent for the first time since his death overwhelmed Balthazar at once.

"Father, oh father! It's you!"

The aging father and son locked in a short yet meaningful embrace, the first one they ever had since death had taken Mendel away to live amongst the stars. "My son, Balthazar! It's so good to see you again.. Why, you've certainly grown older these past few years." Mendel mused, his eyes full of great joy and one could see the tears brimming his eyes as he brushed his hand against his son's cheek.

Balthazar could only gaze tearfully at his father and he shakily inhaled before blinking his tears away. "I certainly have." He murmured, and then there was another presence.

Another former Guardian, appeared and he went to stand by Mendel with a warm smile. It was Matthias, the Time Guardian before Orton. He looked so much like the latter with the pronounced jaw and grey eyes. "I hope my oldest nephew hasn't forgotten his uncle Matt," Teased the man and he was given an embrace by Balthazar as well.

"Orton will never believe that you're seeing me. I ought to tell him," Balthazar then looked inbetween his elders with emotion. "You two, aunts Florina, Sylvia and Viridia.. A-And uncle Alexander! So much has happened in Anacardia you wished you'd be here! The Gethens, the kids.. Everything!"

Both of the formers' faces lot up at the mention of their grandchildren and Mendel looked wistful. Matthias had clasped his hands together in adoring. "Oh you mean the young'uns Milo and Melissa? Ah the little rascals that they are - The women won't stop gushing on about them and neither can I. Milo is such a brave little tyke and Melissa looks so much like her father that dearest Florina and I cried like there is no tomorrow-!"

A purposeful cough from Mendel made Matthias stop himself before he could ramble more about the youngsters. A small frown from his elder made the former time guardian recall why they were here in the first place. Balthazar had heard an exchange of murmurs going on between the two elders and it was then did the current Guardian suspect that his father and uncle are not here just to talk about life.

"Is there a reason why you're here?" Balthazar asked, to which the elders exchanged grave looks. Mendel squeezed Balthazar's hands, his cerulean pools now filling with seriousness. "Oh yes there is. We are here to warn you," Matthias had answered on Mendel's behalf. The former time guardian inhaled. "A terrible fate will befall upon the land.. You and the others have to prepare."

The First Guardian narrowed his eyes. A danger is definitely something. "So you say trouble is coming? Hmph," He crossed his arms with an eye roll. "What could it possibly be this time? A Gethen going rogue? Lord Block coming back? Oh I won't be surprised if that horrid, selfish hog comes crawling back. But alas, it shouldn't be hard to defeat him now that his tribe changed their ways."

"Balthazar, the danger has absolutely nothing to do with young Block. Not this time." Mendel quickly said before Balthazar could get over-confident. The younger Cavendish's eyes widened while the looks of Mendel and Matthias' faces darkened. "In fact, this is going to be a threat that is much graver than even the Gethens - A threat that all the tribes of your generation have yet to face. The Queen and all of us ancestors are worried you won't know what to do, or survive for the matter. We have sensed it from afar. It is going to be peril for all of you.."

Balthazar stood in dazed silence as he let this all sink in. It had only been a year since the last danger upon their realm. Even the war against the Shadows that the other Guardians had to face felt like yesterday. But now a danger like that is happening again?

"N-No… Oh please no! You can't be serious!" Balthazar cried in great distress. "Are you not aware on how many times our tribe had to suffer? How frequently we had to brush with death? We went through so much for our people… You can't let this happen to us! To me, to Orton, and everyone, father and Matthias! Not after all the madness we've been through!" Mendel and Matthias could only give their descendant crestfallen expressions.

"Forgive us, Balthazar. As much as we care strongly about all of Anacardia and yourselves, we can't control what befalls upon our worlds. It is not in our power to do that. Even the Queen can't.." Said Matthias quietly, his silvery eyes full of dread. "The realm's imbalance is causing it destruction. Little by little, the paralysis will come. Corruption will occur. And Anacardia and those living in it, will be no more."

The two men gasped when Balthazar had fallen to his knees in great distraught. While Matthias had gravely spoken, Balthazar had broken down from the stress. Mendel had immediately enveloped his grown son in his arms like he used to when he was still alive. Poor Balthazar was breaking, sobbing 'no' repeatedly.

"Shhh... My young Balthazar, there there. It's going to be alright," Mendel soothed and he gently tipped Balthazar's chin up to look at him. "Now remember, you and the others are only two centuries of age, but you have already experienced a war, fatality.." His eyes spoke of one thing in particular he wouldn't dare bring up again. "You've led the tribe and come so far, through thick and thin. You made it then, so you can definitely pull through this again."

"B-But how could I possibly help my people go through something like this.. This realm's paralysis and corruption?!" Balthazar wailed and he pulled away harshly, his eyes were filled to the brim with extreme desperation. "You said it yourself, father, which is true - This has never happened to us before! How are we even supposed to know what to do... What can we do?!" He threw his arms up in distraught demanding.

Mendel had taken a step forward with his hand outreached. Then his mouth was moving as he spoke, but no word or voice can be heard. For instead of Mendel's voice, there was another. A somewhat raspy voice that's high with great worry. Balthazar found Mendel and Matthias fading away before him along with the starry environment they are in, just as his consciousness came in...

A hand squeezed dug into his back and began to shook him wildly. "Balthazar… Balthy come on, wake up! Wake up! Your'e having a nightmare!"

The sleeping First Guardian jolted up immediately with a gasp and he sat up breathing heavily. The hand that shook him awake was now rubbing his back in soothing and Balthazar found himself looking into the multicolored eyes of Vinnie. "Man, that must be an intense dream! You were twisting and turning under the covers!"

The Second Guardian sounded genuinely worried. Balthazar took a moment to regain his cool and his eyes scanned his surroundings; The warmth of sunshine passed through the windows, and he was in the main bedroom where he and his whole family shared. All of the canopy beds, aside from his and Vinnie's, were empty and made, meaning their owners had woken up already.

He sighed shakily and held Vinnie's hand. "I'm alright, Vinnie. Yes, it was just a.. Rough dream. Nothing out of the ordinary," Balthazar tried to assure lightly. Vinnie still frowned in concern, his eyes soft. When there is something amiss, this is when he wasn't easily fooled. "You can talk about it, you know?" He gently brushed his elder's shoulder, to which Balthazar felt the urge to tell him. He can never keep something from Vinnie. But yet for this one... He found himself hesitant.

Mendel and Matthias' words rang in Balthazar's head. They were apparently present to warn him, about an incoming danger. The realm's paralysis and corruption of its locals? There was so much plot hole left open. Balthazar didn't fully understand - He didn't get to, what with his father and uncle's abrupt farewell. There wasn't any point to tell anyone something not fully understood. That and he knew the passing of the former guardians still hurt. There's no point in bringing up the hurt where only he got to see his dead parent again in a dream while they didn't.

"Ah, that's alright, Vinnie. It's nothing too bothersome for me.. I've had worse," Balthazar let outta forced chuckle and then he acknowledged the morning sun. "My, the morning seems lovely. A bit early I daresay," He eyed Vinnie with a risen brow. "I thought you always sleep in on Saturdays?" At this, Vinnie winced with a meek grin. "Oh, well I could have done that. But you see I lost this bet with Savannah and a forfeit I had is that if I sleep in, she's gonna have Melissa scribble on my face with lipstick!"

That earned an amused snort from Balthazar, his inner worries from the dream disappearing. "Oh, I forgot about that. Savannah's taking every Saturday to have Melissa to herself. It won't be surprising if they do a thing like that. But I'm sure Orton's taught her well - Melissa would never do a thing like that to her favourite uncle. And speaking of Melissa, I wonder where she and Milo are at. Have they eaten breakfast?"

Vinnie nodded. "Yep, done and done. And now they're playing at the fields with, I think, Bradley, Amanda and their centaur buddy! Man our two have gotten real fast in flight. It's hard to believe it's already been a year since we had them and Zack living with us,"

The two Guardians' nostalgia-filled gazes at the triple canopy bunk bed fit for three youngsters. Ever since their settling down, Milo and Melissa had spent the first few nights sleeping beside Balthazar and Savannah respectively. But recently, their beds have been completed and now they get their own snug covers.

Even Zack gets a bed too, for he resides with the Guardians during school nights and he is seen as a third child by the five adults. They've been through so much a child their age then wouldn't have done. Journeyed for two days straight and climbed Mt Laurel...

Balthazar suddenly remembered something. "Say, Vinnie? Isn't there a coming-of-age ceremony being planned for Milo and Melissa?" Vinnie responded with a 'huh' in brief confusion. But then he remembered. "Oh yeah! I think the Queen talked about it just last week."

Balthazar nodded in agreeing as he spoke. "It is only fair they have it since their fourteenth birthday isn't far now. The kids didn't get to have it since they turned thirteen in the Mortal World with the Swamp Hamlet leaders raising them. There's so much preparation that needs to be done, we best start as soon as possible,"

His brother nodded along and then he elbowed Balthazar a little. "Yeah, but it's also best we tone it down in front of the kids. Don't want them to not be surprised for their birthday now so we?"

The elder nodded feebly. "Remind me to fix a short vacation period with the Murphys and Richard. We'll need the kids and Zack to be kept busy while we prepare for the ceremony here."

He followed Vinnie out of the room and the two brothers would go find the others to discuss things. On the way, Balthazar felt uneasy as the thoughts of his dream resurfaced. He shook his head with a hard frown and focused up ahead where Vinnie flew farther.

'It must be a one off..' Balthazar tried to press down the queasiness. 'This paralysis and corruption. Whatever its method of prevention is, I'm sure we'll find it.' With that, he picked up the speed in flight and joined Vinnie in the air.