The balmy July evening meant nothing atop Mt Pyre, and Maxie shivered as he finally reached the summit. The peak was so high that the mountain was forever surrounded by a chilling, damp mist. The unseen presence of ghost Pokémon also unnerved the leader of Team Magma – but he couldn't let that deter him – he had come this far. Still breathing heavily from his exertion, and his teeth chattering as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, Maxie made his tentative way along the path – the path that would take him to the Orbs. His hot breath left his mouth in swirling spirals, and his eyes darted restlessly left and right – but he could see nothing and hear no one. He was very much alone.

The path was longer than he had anticipated, and his nervousness lessened as impatience took over. Where were the bloody things? He didn't want to linger in this creepy, cold place. All he wanted was to grab the Orb and get the hell out. Maxie found himself wanting to run along the path, to speed up his endeavour, for the mountain top was oppressively quiet, the silence pressing uncomfortably against his ear drums. But the mist was becoming so thick that he had to squint so as not to lose his footing – there was no chance of him being able to run now.

Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, and the hairs on the back of the team leader's neck stood on end; the power that the Orbs exuded was palpable – he must be close.

About twenty yards away through the gloom, he thought he could make out a purplish glow that was reflected in the small pool directly in front of the dais. Increasing his speed, Maxie continued down the gravelly path. As he grew closer, the purple glow changed, and one glow separated into two; the left was red in colour and the right blue. Maxie had been almost certain that both Orbs would be present, but still he felt giddying relief to see the Red Orb next to its sister. So Archie had not yet come, and he did not yet have control over Kyogre…

It took much restraint to leave the Blue Orb untouched – for it was truly the Blue Orb that Maxie wanted, and only one could be removed from the altar. But Archie had won the battle – he apparently knew the location of Kyogre's sleeping place, and yet still Groudon's eluded Maxie. Yes…Archie had won the battle, but Maxie would prevent him from winning the war. Smiling maliciously, he lifted the Red Orb into his gloved hand, and braced himself for the howling winds that were prophesised to come when the Orbs were separated.

-o-

Rarely did Morty and Jasper's Pokémon training consist of battling. Due to Morty's specialism in ghost types, and Jasper's single (normal) type Pokémon, battling never really went anywhere, as neither side was likely to ever cause damage to the other. However, for five years now, Morty had devised drills for his son and his Eevee, and the pair had grown from strength to strength. But Morty knew that, despite Jasper's natural instinct and skill in battle, his heart was never truly in it.

"Come on Jas," Morty called across the battlefield as he pushed his headband further back on his head, "you've got to focus! Eevee won't be able to perform unless you're both set on the task!"

Gengar was directing his hypnotic waves in an assault course of sorts around the Gym. Eevee was practicing her jumping ability. Her and Jasper's aim was to time the jumps perfectly so that Eevee could clear the hypnotic rings without touching them – and thus falling asleep. It was a difficult task, for some rings were smaller than others, and some were far higher off the ground, but Jasper's lack of focus meant that, today, Eevee was frequently falling asleep – and Morty was running out of Awakenings.

"Sorry," Jasper sighed, as he caught the medicine that Morty threw to him, and bent to awaken the sleeping Eevee once again.

"What's the matter with you today?" his father frowned, "you've got to hone your strength of mind, you can't let anything get in your way, you have to be one hundred percent focused on -"

"I know dad! Okay?!" Jasper interrupted.

Morty raised his eyebrows coolly, but did not speak.

"I…I'm sorry," Jasper sighed, glancing over at his father nervously, "I'm just not feeling it today…I get a bit bored of drills."

It was true that every weekend afternoon, and two evenings in the week, father and son could be found training in the Gym and, although the drills were often varied, testing Eevee's strength, speed, and endurance, Jasper found that he was growing jaded with the whole exercise.

Morty surveyed Jasper through narrowed violet eyes. Of late, his son had been frustrating him. He was so talented as a Pokémon trainer, but Morty felt that he just never tried. In his own youth, Morty had trained for hours a day, determined to be the best that he could be, but then again, that had always been his dream. It would appear that it had never been Jasper's.

"What do you want to do instead?" he asked his son calmly.

The hypnotic rings faded, leaving the Gym significantly darker than before. Jasper chewed on his lower lip, and ran a hand through his untidy dark blond hair, but still he had no answer.

"Are you bored of training?" Morty asked patiently.

"No," Jasper said truthfully. He loved the hours spent with his father in the Gym.

"What is it then?"

"I wish I could battle you properly."

Morty sighed, but he gave a lopsided smile.

"Jas…I'd love nothing more than to battle you properly, but it's not really possible…you know that….unless you've given any more thought to your birthday present?"

Jasper looked over at his father to see that he had one eyebrow raised in interest. The truth was, Jasper had done nothing but think about his birthday present, but to him Eevee was Eevee, and he couldn't picture her as any of her possible evolutions, no matter how hard he tried. There was too much choice, and he was absolutely terrified of making the wrong decision. He knew that, by making Eevee evolve, he would be able to battle his father properly, as offensive attacks would actually make contact, but even that was not enough of an incentive. He could just never make a decision.

"Or we could always go on a little excursion…and find you a second Pokémon?"

"I wouldn't know what to get, Dad, you know that."

It was true. A few times in the last five years Morty had driven his son all over Johto in the hopes of finding a new Pokémon for him to catch – but nothing ever caught Jasper's fancy.

"Well then Jasper, I don't know what else to suggest," Morty said tiredly.

"Eevee did learn Bite last month," Jasper said imploringly, "and we haven't had a battle since then?"

"Very true," his father laughed good-naturedly, "but I'll be able to predict every move you're going to make," he winked.

Jasper laughed.

"Come on Dad, it's not like I'd ever be able to beat you anyway…why can't we just have a go?"

Morty scrutinised his son, before grinning.

"All right, here's a deal. I'll battle you now, Eevee verses Gengar but, if I beat you, you have to choose a new Pokémon to catch."

"But Dad!"

"Jas, in all seriousness, you're going away to Hoenn next month, and both your Ma and I would like you to have more than one Pokémon anyway…or we at the very least least would like you to evolve Eevee."

Jasper sighed heavily, but he could see his parents' logic.

"Okay…fine," he said, admitting defeat. He knew he would never be able to defeat Morty in battle, but he also knew his parents, and they would never let him leave for Hoenn unless he was a little better prepared - Pokémon party-wise anyway. This, Jasper knew, was just Morty's way of making it more fun – his dad had always been good at that.

"Excellent," Morty grinned, "come on then Gengar – let's show this little pipsqueak what we've got!"

Jasper rolled his eyes at the goading, but grinned back nonetheless. Morty's enthusiasm and excitement were infectious.

-o-

"Not bad," Morty shouted across the battlefield, and Jasper laughed. He could see by his father's face that he was impressed by the way that he and Eevee were handling themselves. Of course, Morty was not giving an all-out assault, but nor was he trying to defeat Jasper – he was trying to train him.

"You've done pretty well so far…but let's see how Eevee can handle Curse!"

Jasper cringed as his Pokémon succumbed to the attack. Morty's use of 'Curse' was quite unlike any other ghost trainer's. Usually the curse worked in rounds, the opponent Pokémon able to throw it off at least long enough to deal some damage itself, but Morty's connection with his Pokémon – especially his Gengar – was unique and, through the mind connection they shared, they were able to keep the Curse going – usually until the opponent fainted.

Damn it, Jasper thought, I've never been able to get out of this.

He knew he was good at Pokémon battling, he had been told so many times by many different trainers, but rarely did he have the drive to win. But he had it now. Morty's drive and competitive edge awakened Jasper's own and, although he was certain he could never beat his father, he at least wanted to hit him as hard as he could.

"Don't give up Eevee!" he yelled, his brown eyes blazing, "hang on! We both know they can't keep it up forever!"

Within the throes of the Curse, Eevee screwed her eyes tightly shut. The force of the attack was incredible, but Jasper wanted her to hang on – and so she must. She could feel the blazing light of his aura near her, and she held fast to it with her own, willing herself not to faint.

Morty was unduly impressed. It was rare for a trainer and Pokémon to last more than thirty seconds under his Gengar's Curse, and yet here was his son, his impossible-to-motivate son and his Eevee, struggling through, their minds working as one to resist the power of Gengar.

Eevee's eyes, that had been tightly shut, began to open slowly – somehow, she had learnt to deal with the pain of the Curse. Morty looked over at Jasper again – rarely had he seen his son so determined, and so focused on what he was doing. Morty worked hard to hide his smile – he himself had never been prouder, nor more excited by the development.

-o-

Eevee had never known such pain – every inch of her being was aching and screaming – but she held on. She knew that the pain was an illusion; being a normal type Pokémon, ghost type moves could not harm her – but this particular attack was not physical, it was mental, and the strength of it would surely cause her to faint if she didn't fight it. She could feel how desperately Jasper wanted her to hang on, and so she did.

Eevee loved Jasper with all her heart, and in the last few months she had been fearing for him once more. It seemed that his soul - his light, warm soul - was again under threat of being corrupted. Even Jasper himself was not aware of it, but Eevee was. She was so attuned to her trainer, so connected with the light that they shared, that she was able to detect when it was even the slightest bit off. It was worse when Jasper was alone. In the presence of his parents, the whispers of darkness seemed to shrivel and die – no, not die, Eevee wasn't sure it was able to die – but Morty and Rose's presence seemed to stop it in its tracks. Eevee didn't know what she could do to help him. When he had been a small child she had known that she could easily hold off the malevolence within him, but as Jasper grew, so too seemed to grow that darkness in his soul. She somehow felt, that if she could only withstand this Curse, that she would be able to save Jasper when the time came.

Morty, Jasper's father, so full of Firelight himself, had trained and honed his Gengar with the strength of it. The force behind Gengar's Curse, therefore, although heinously powerful, did not contain any evil or any malice at all. All of the ghost Pokémon's strength came from the mind connection that he shared with Morty – and Morty's inner strength resonated with a roaring light. It was this light, this painfully powerful force of good that Eevee was trying to resist to help Jasper. But would she be able to help him when he finally left home? It was clear that her light alone was not enough to quell the evil inside of him, but, then again, neither was his parents' light. Only together might they be able to save him…

Gengar and Morty's power was enveloping Eevee – she was choking with the strength of it, but still she held on. For Jasper. The attack, powered by the light of Jasper's father, was coursing through her and she knew that before long she wouldn't be able to fight it any longer.

It was then she realised that she could not fight it…but she could use it.

-o-

Jasper frowned. Eevee, unless he was mistaken, was beginning to glow. His initial instinct was to call out, to stop her evolving, because he had not decided on an Espeon, and yet here she was, glowing in the daytime. But he stopped himself. He had been reading more on Eevees since February than he had in his whole life. Yes, Eevee evolved into Espeon during the day, but Eevee also required the sun. It was a well-established fact that Eevee could not evolve into Espeon or Umbreon unless it was outside - physically underneath the sun or the moon. But they were indoors.

Across the battlefield, Morty's frown mirrored his son's as the exact same thought process whirled through his head. He began to worry then, for he had never known a Pokémon to last so long under the Curse without fainting. Was Eevee in trouble? Was she seriously hurt? But he did not intervene. Call it intuition, but he knew that the blinding light was not harming the little fox-like Pokémon.

In silence Jasper and Morty watched, wide-eyed, as Eevee continued to glow more brightly, until none of her features could be seen clearly. Then slowly, very, very slowly, her form began to distort.

Keep the Curse going, Gengar.

Gengar too was aware of the phenomenon before him. He held the Curse in place, before instinctively letting it go at the appropriate time. As the Curse receded, it left a still, flatness in the previously static air. But the father and son did not notice. Eevee's morphing began to speed up, and the light blazed so intensely that Morty and Jasper automatically shielded their eyes. And then it stopped.

-o-

Jasper stared at the creature standing alone in the centre of the battlefield, and she stared back at him through almond-shaped, red-pink eyes. She was taller and leaner than Eevee had been, and her coat was a pale, silvery grey. Like Eevee, she had a ruff around her slender neck, but this ruff was a deep, velvety charcoal, and the peripheries of it seemed to fade into the surrounding air like smoke. Likewise, the tip of her lion-like, tufted tail too seemed to blend into the surrounding air, fading, ghost-like into nothingness. The same could be said of her long, tapered ears that, like Eevee's had, pointed directly upwards. Her feet were also a darker, deeper grey than her body and, when she walked towards Jasper, her movements caused the smoky tips of her ears and tail to glimmer in a rich purple that blended seamlessly with the grey.

"Eevee?" Jasper murmured, tentatively reaching out a hand to the Pokémon.

"Wraitheon," she corrected with a smile, before licking at Jasper's hand in earnest.

-o-

Damn! It's so cold up here!

Archie shivered and cursed his stupidity: of course it was bound to be colder up here than at the base of the mountain, but he had had no idea exactly how much colder. He pulled his denim jacket tighter around his middle but, being sleeveless, it made not one bit of difference. The undulating mist clung to the bare skin of his arms and Archie rubbed at them, but his hands themselves were so cold that the action was pointless. He began to jog along the path to keep himself warmer, but his toes were so numb that he found it difficult to keep his balance. He swallowed audibly as he recalled the sheer height of Mt Pyre, and stopped running abruptly. He did not fancy meeting his end by tumbling down its fathomless face.

Despite the unbearable cold, Archie was ecstatic, and he could barely keep the self-satisfied grin from his face. He could not wait to see the looks of awe and respect upon the faces of his grunts when he descended the mountain with the Red Orb in hand. Their dream, his dream, was so close. Archie's grin widened as he considered Maxie, the land-loving fool. He couldn't deny that Team Magma's leader had fought hard but…well. Only one could win, and Maxie had just been too slow.

Kyogre was slumbering now, but not for much longer; Archie felt a pleasant tingle erupt over the skin of his back. He should take his time to appreciate this, he thought, half a lifetime's worth of effort was finally here for the taking…there was no need to rush so.

It was at a leisurely pace that Archie approached the stone dais, but his pale blue eyes narrowed when he realised that there was but one glowing Orb…and it was blue. Breathing heavily he ran the final few meters to where the raised platform lay, but there was no mistaking it. The Red Orb had gone.

-o-

Ernest and Edna jolted awake as a scream of frustration rent the usually still air. Never, in their sixty years of guarding the mountain top, had they heard anything like it.

"What can this mean?" Edna croaked, as she gripped at her husband's frail arm. Only three nights ago the Red Orb had been stolen. The old couple were at a loss as to what they could do. The Orbs should never be separated; only by keeping them together could the land beast and the sea beast exist in harmony…and nobody wanted to disturb the Dragon.

"I-I don't know," Ernest whispered as he heaved himself from the bed, and wrapped his thick black cloak around his shoulders.

Edna braced herself to join him. It was their duty as the Guardians of the Orbs to ensure no harm came to them. They had already failed, but that did not mean that they could give up.

The mountain top was the same as always; cloaked in ethereal white mist, and yet illuminated by the stars and the moon that seemed eerily close at this great height. And yet something was different: of course the purple glow emitted by the two Orbs sitting side by side was absent, but even now, the solitary blue glow shone light on the fact that things were not right up here – and never had they been more wrong.

Through the choking mist a silhouette was visible, a silhouette that raged and stormed with fury, but stopped when it sensed that other living beings were near.

"Who's there?" a gruff voice called aggressively.

"Who are you?" Ernest called, "and why have you come to this place? You are disturbing the peace…"

"Peace?" the voice laughed harshly, "interesting…tell me, if you're so insistent on keeping the 'peace' up here, then why have you hidden the fucking Red Orb?"

The stranger's breathing became ragged and, through the gloom, Ernest saw the man's hands curl into fists. He instinctively stepped in front of his wife.

"You are right, the peace has been disturbed. But neither myself nor my wife has hidden the Red Orb – we do not know where it is."

"You're lying!" the man roared, taking a step closer to the old couple.

They could see him clearly now. He was heavily built, his black hair pulled back from his face by a black bandana emblazoned with the Jolly Roger. His sleeveless denim jacket emphasised the colossal bands of muscle that were his biceps, and a thick, pale pink scar in the shape of an 'X' stood out starkly against the dark tan of his face.

Team Aqua, Ernest thought.

"I assure you I am telling the truth," Ernest said quietly.

"And please, young man," Edna continued, "please lower your voice and show respect to the Pokémon lying buried here…"

"I think it's time you two showed some respect to me!" the man growled, selecting a Pokéball from his belt.

"I beg you," Edna said earnestly, "do not attempt to engage in combat up here, the spirits of the Pokémon –"

"Fuck their spirits!" he interrupted rudely as he spat at the old couple's feet, "Give me the Red Orb, or things are gonna get nasty."

As he said this, he removed the Blue Orb from its rightful place, and enlarged his Pokéball.

"We will not fight you," Ernest said steadily, "we have no Pokémon of our own."

"You asked for it," the man snarled, his pale blue eyes gleaming through the mist, "Tentacruel – let's get them talking!"

The old man and old woman did not budge, and did not flinch in the face of the Pokémon, but Ernest took Edna's hand silently.

"We have nothing to tell."

The Tentacruel moved so quickly that they did not even have the time to take a breath. Before they could register what was happening, their heads were forced into the water of the Reflection Pool, their necks held down by thick, cold tentacles. It seemed that as quickly as it happened, it stopped. The Tentacruel wrenched their heads above the surface of the pool, and Edna and Ernest spluttered and gasped as the freezing night air hit their wet faces.

"Where. Is. It?" the man snarled.

"I-I've told you," Ernest croaked, "we don't have it –"

Back underwater the grey heads were plunged. Archie left them there longer this time. He wasn't leaving without the Orb.

The old couple heaved and coughed as their faces broke the water's surface once again.

"Well?"

"We don't have it," Edna told him her voice trembling, "it was stolen from us – three nights ago!"

"Stolen?" Archie repeated, one black eyebrow raised in disbelief, "who stole it?!"

"We do not know," Edna said as she began to sob, "but those poor Pokémon…Groudon and Kyogre…how confused they must –"

Archie saw red, and ordered Tentacruel to force the heads under the water of the pool once again. He clenched his teeth so hard that his jaw began to ache, but still he could make no sense of it. Who would steal the Red Orb? Nobody had any use for it but him! Team Magma wouldn't want it – they were only interested in the Blue Orb! And besides, Maxie was not aware of Groudon's sleeping place, Archie knew that he wasn't, for only he had discovered it…

Maxie.

Maxie did not know of Groudon's sleeping place, it was true, but Maxie did know that Archie knew of Kyogre's…

The blood drained from Archie's face as he contemplated his stupidity. In their last encounter, only four nights ago, he had been unable to prevent himself boasting that he knew Kyogre's sleeping place…it was all so clear now. Maxie had taken the Red Orb – not because he had any use for it, but because he wanted to deprive Archie of it.

With a roar of fury, Archie called off Tentacruel, but the heads did not resurface. Blinking in confusion, Archie kicked at the legs of the old man, but he did not stir. The grey heads bobbed grotesquely in the water, the faces still submerged.

Archie took a step back in shock. This had never been his intention. Eyes wide, he returned Tentacruel to its Pokéball, and began to sprint back down the gravelly path, the Blue Orb clutched tightly in his left hand.

-o-

The Orange Islands were scorching in midsummer, and Cleopatra Island was said to be the hottest of them all. A single volcano dominated the centre of the island; it was long dormant, but the top of it was often seen to be belching smoke due to the training sessions that the island's Dragon Tamers conducted there.

Cadmus had spent the better part of the morning pacing up and down his bedroom chamber, running his hands repeatedly through his black, spiky hair. He was incredibly nervous, although he knew he shouldn't be. He didn't exactly require permission to leave the island, but he wanted his great grandmother's blessing. She, Delphina, was the Elder of his Dragon Clan, and her opinion had always mattered greatly to him – as it did to all of the Dragon Clan who called Cleopatra Island their home.

Sighing heavily, he grabbed his long, lightweight cape and, ensuring it was covering his neck and shoulders, he stepped outdoors into the blaring midday sun. Despite the protection of his cape, Cadmus could still feel the sun's rays penetrating the cloth. Sweat began to bead upon his forehead and he wiped at it absentmindedly; getting overheated was a normal part of Orange Island life, and Orange Island life was all that Cadmus had ever known. Today however, was one of the hottest he could ever recall. He shielded his hazel eyes with his forearm as he made his way to the base of the volcano, puffing in relief as he reached the entrance and took shelter from the sun underneath the canvas canopy.

"Master Cadmus," the sentry nodded upon spotting the young man. He and his Shelgon moved to the side, allowing Cadmus to enter the volcano.

The cool air was an inexplicable relief after the heat wave outside, and Cadmus longed to remove his cape, but he knew that if he wished to curry favour with his great grandmother that he should leave it in place. She was very fond of tradition.

A small, dark passageway led to an open chamber and, sitting upon a roughly hewn stone throne, with her pink Dratini around her shoulders, sat Delphina: Cadmus's great grandmother and the Elder of the Orange Island Dragon Clan. She was incredibly old and frail-looking: her white hair was scarce and wispy, and her knotted brown hands were dotted with liver spots and bulbous purple veins. Nevertheless, her green eyes were alive and snapping and, with these eyes, she surveyed her great grandson shrewdly.

"Cadmus dear, to what do I owe the pleasure? I trust, from the desperation with which you tried to arrange this meeting that you aren't here for a social call alone?"

Cadmus grinned; frail though she may seem, there were no flies on Delphina. The shiny Dratini wriggled from around the old woman's shoulders and onto her lap, where it crooned as Delphina tickled its chin.

"You're right, grandmother," he said with a bow, "I have something I'd like to run past you."

Delphina sighed inwardly as she looked into his sparkling, hazel eyes. She could sense his excitement, his thirst for adventure, and, for a moment, she felt a flicker of what it was like to be young and fit again.

"Fire away," she smiled, but it did not reach her eyes.

"I would like to travel to Hoenn next month, and I would be grateful if you let me."

"Let you, Cadmus? You know very well that I can't prevent you going anywhere."

"I know that, grandmother, but I would feel much happier leaving Cleopatra Island with your blessing to do so."

The old woman was quiet for a moment, and when she finally spoke, so did so hesitantly.

"Cadmus…the fact that you require my blessing tells me that…you have reservations about leaving?"

Cadmus blushed heavily through his tan. He was annoyed with himself because he did have those reservations, no matter how small they might be.

"As I said before," Delphina continued, leaning forwards slightly on her seat, "I cannot stop you leaving, but I wish to impress upon you how dangerous it might be for you to venture away from Cleopatra Island."

Cadmus said nothing, but he held his great-grandmother's gaze.

"Need I remind you what leaving this island has meant for some of us?"

Still Cadmus did not respond. He knew the stories, and he knew he was about to hear them again.

"My poor sister, Magdelena," Delphina said heavily, her green eyes distant, "she left this Island at the tender age of nineteen. She was happy to leave, to see somewhere new, for Blackthorn City is very different to Cleopatra Island…and she was happy, with her red-haired husband, who gave her three sons, but you know what befell her in the end."

Cadmus looked down at his boots. This story made him feel rather ill.

"The Draco Silicis," Delphina whispered, "consumed her fully, and took her life when she was but thirty-eight years old. And my son, your uncle, Drake, do you remember what happened to him upon leaving Cleopatra Island?"

Cadmus looked up, but he neither nodded nor shook his head.

"Oh, he did well for a few years. He became the captain of a great ship, and wished to sail all over the world in an attempt to discover more Dragon Pokémon…but his ship became the plaything of a great storm and, had his Shelgon not evolved to save him, his corpse would be rotting on the ocean floor."

Cadmus felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end as he tried hard not to imagine it.

"The only two of us to leave the island in the last century…such horrible, horrible stories. And I do not wish to frighten you, Cadmus, but I beg you not to overlook the events of seventeen years ago. I realise that, to you, this is literally a lifetime ago, but in the grand scheme of things it is very recent history. Our Blackthorn cousins were witness to it, and Chaos tried very hard indeed to reign supreme…and he almost accomplished it."

"Grandmother…I'm not asking to go to Sesame or Johto…"

"Perhaps I would rather that you were," Delphina replied quietly, "you see, it is Hoenn that I currently fear for."

Cadmus frowned, his dark brows meeting across his nose.

"Grandmother?"

"If the previous legend came true, what's to stop this one? The Orbs have been separated already…"

"But that doesn't mean anything," Cadmus said calmly, "Just because the Orbs were taken doesn't mean that the people who stole them will be able to find Kyogre and Groudon."

"You are correct, of course, but that doesn't tend to be the way of legends. Fate will have her say in this just as she did last time. And you never know: perhaps this time, like the last, something will be overlooked – perhaps the end we are anticipating may not come to light after all."

"I don't see how it can; if the last legend came true, surely this one is redundant? If Chaos was defeated, truly defeated, then surely there is no risk of him coming back?"

"I hope you are right, Cadmus," Delphina said, for once sounding as old as she looked, "and perhaps I'm growing paranoid in my old age. But you will see, when you become the Elder here, that Cleopatra had the right idea. She came here with her Dragons to dissociate herself from her family, the Blackthorn Dragon Clan, to avoid the risk of living these legends... for trouble seems to follow us, my darling. Who else has legends such as ours? And even if they have, have you ever heard of them coming true like ours seem to?"

She sighed once more, but gave Cadmus a genuine smile.

"Go on – go with my blessing. Find a new Dragon for us to marvel at, but my dear, take care, and be on the lookout for anything strange – you know precisely what Cleopatra was hoping to avoid all those years ago."

Cadmus looked at his grandmother questioningly.

"The golden demon."

AN: would love to hear from you as always (:

A x