Falcon entered the room where Commander Ghastly was waiting for him. The old Aniwing with the dark spot on his back gave him a smile. "Ah, here's our spy." He said, greeting Falcon. Two APF guards stood behind him, and Ghastly gave them the signal to leave. They quickly departed, closing the carved wooden doors behind them. "Care for a drink?" Ghastly asked Falcon. "No thank you." Falcon said. "It's only eleven."

"Suit yourself." Ghastly said, pouring a bit of wine for himself. "This stuff came all the way from Larreselles." Falcon nodded. He hated small talk. "So… I've heard you had some… unexpected experiences over in Pyrrhia. Tell me everything." Ghastly insisted.

Falcon searched his mind for the beginning. "Well… the ship dropped me off near their west coast. I flew to their shore to find the beginning of their half of the Central Deserts. I flew southeast, towards what would have been the Abu Tahjin Jungle in search of a safe place to begin, but eventually got too tired. I ended up resting outside a large mountain. Jade Mountain actually. They kept the name." Ghastly nodded. "And is this where you taught?"

"Well, when I found out it was an academy for all tribes that taught about the society and history of Pyrrhia, I figured there was no better place to blend in and collect information. It was hard to try and pinpoint how advanced they were and try to fake it, but I managed to convince these dragonets who ran the place that I was a fired teacher from their Skywing ethno-state. They needed a teacher of my expertise, sciences. I planned not to teach them of anything important. I later learned that they had just had a massive war that had lasted 18 years over who would rule the Sandwing nation, and a Nightwing had prophesized that some of the teachers would stop the war. They had done exactly that."

Ghastly drank a sip of the wine as Falcon explained more. "But I was informed of something amazing nearly as soon as I joined. They had just had a horrible attack from a crazed Mudwing student. Three of their students had been killed by him, and then he himself was killed." "Of course. All they do is fight each other, those monsters." Ghastly barked a laugh. "But then, one of the students who had just died, walked right in along with a Rainwing that didn't exist!"

Falcon explained to a wide eyed Ghastly about Demons, and the other worlds. "Abyss did not explain much to Swordfish and Vine, but it was more than I had ever dreamed of getting from these dragonets." Falcon said. He continued to tell the story of the broken, apathetic Stonemover, the anxious Turtle, and the buried Darkstalker. Multiple students had gone missing, along with Swordfish and Vine, only to return with Old Monarchy, which Falcon had recognized on the uniforms of the two humans in the library. That had been the final straw, and Falcon had left to go report on their weak animuses, but that they had brought back Old Monarchy. "Which means that the Necklace of Eclis is on Pyrrhia somewhere." Falcon finished.

"The only thing about these dragonets is that they taught me something." Falcon said. Ghastly looked up, surprised. "Oh, and what could that be?" "That we were wrong. Yes, their animus dragons are in no able position to fight back an invasion. Yes, they have a Relic there. Yes, there is a lot of racism. But it's not all of them. The Pyrrhians are not the monsters that we have thought they were for so long." Ghastly gave Falcon a cold, hard look. "What are you saying?" He asked darkly. "I'm saying that they are just dragons like you or me. All of their history has been distorted so that they didn't even know anywhere beyond Pyrrhia existed. They were unaware that the tribes they massacred existed. The first Pyrrhian monarchs manipulated information so that every generation after them had no idea anything even happened. Even the War of Supremacy is something different over there. It's simply called the Scorching, an event when all the dragons rose up and killed the humans, which they call 'Scavengers.'"

"So… they got to you. And you've been spreading this around?" Ghastly asked. "Instilling doubt in Anibia and beyond?" "Wha… No!" Falcon insisted. "I'm just telling the truth! The Pyrrhians are not monsters. We can't continue…" Ghastly spread his wings wide and the sniper across the street shot.

Falcon's blood splattered on the white wall behind him. His body fell to the ground, his head against the wall, the bullet hole through his forehead. The police burst in and looked down at the dead Skywing. "Shame." Said one of the police, a Rockwing. "Yes. The evils of the Pyrrhians know no bounds. He was spreading lies. They messed with his brain. They turned our spy into their spy." "Shall we wait until the sniper is gone?" "Yes." Ghastly said, looking at the dead professor. "How tragic." The commander turned and looked out the window over the streets and the garden of the Westham building. Some dragons were looking around, as they had heard the shot go off.

But the sniper was already gone.

Just a job.

. . .

The two Icewings stood at the Great Ice Cliff. Ever since the Icewings started having an uprising, the wall had to be guarded at all times. The Ice Kingdom was weakened, and another tribe, especially whoever ended up in control of the Sandwings, may try to attack them. Glacier had been watching the Sandwing chaos with worry as she tried to quell the rebellion within her own kingdom.

Although the Gift of Defense would shoot icicle spears at any non-Icewings trying to cross, they couldn't be too careful with everything that was going on. With the technology of the humans everywhere and the revelation of another continent all together, their old animus magic was beginning to feel weak.

Laurentian stared past the wall beyond the borders of the kingdom. "What do you think is going to happen to us?" She asked the other guard. His name was Plover "Us right now? Us soldiers? Us Icewings? Us Pyrrhians?" He asked, sounding worried. There was light snow falling.

Laurentian heard a noise, and turned around, looking into the night. Only one of the moons was out tonight, and it was only at half. She looked around at the snowy rocks around her. "What are you looking at?" The other soldier asked Laurentian. She turned back around. "Nothing I guess."

But through the night and snow, she spotted something. An Icewing headed right for them. "Were we supposed to let anyone in?" Plover asked Laurentian. Each night they guarded, they were given a specific set of Icewings to let in so that no Icewings that might be from Old Monarchy, or… somewhere else could get in. "No." She said, and the two grabbed their spears and flew up to meet the dragon.

It was only a dragonet. She flew up to meet them. She was wearing a strange necklace. "Hello." She said in a friendly tone of voice. "Is there anything you want from me? As far as I was concerned, any Icewings could just fly right in." "Well, unless you've been gone for the past few weeks, you would know that's no longer the case." Said Plover. "Well, I have been gone for about the last month, gathering intel on a Talons of Peace hideout in the Rainforest." Said the dragonet. "A dragonet, sent out to do that?" Laurentian scoffed. "Right. And what's your name?" "… Blizzard." The dragonet said after a slight pause. "Well then Blizzard, you would know when to return, and we were not informed of anyone returning tonight." Laurentian said, and she and Plover moved in to grab her.

Frost summoned the knife of Adnachiel and stabbed Plover right through the heart. Laurentian screamed and blasted Frost with frostbreath, but it was ineffective. Frost flung the knife at Laurentian and it slit her throat perfectly. The knife swung back to her and it disappeared.

Frost flew through the Great Ice Cliff and flew back until she could see the whole thing in front of her. She took the necklace off and whispered what needed to be said into it for it to begin its work.

She had been tasked with taking down defenses around the continent, and this was the biggest one. Frost held out her talon towards the wall of ice and began to imagine it pulling backward. You had to imagine time like a string in front of you. You were a needle on the string that could be pulled back and forth on a flat axis.

The wall in front of her continued to look the same as she pulled it back further and further in time. She increased the speed. It started to look a little newer, but mostly the same. The ice melting a bit and freezing over and over.

Frost kept it up until she suddenly felt a strange feeling wash over her, like a wave of nausea, and then it was gone.

Did it work? Only one way to find out. Frost transformed with that familiar dark light and ringing noise into a Mudwing and flew over the cliff. No icicles shot out. It was a success.

. . .

Rainfall flew through the rain. He didn't know where he was going. He didn't know what to do. The wind blew hard at his face as the rain battered against it. He was flying above a forest, the leaves folding backwards and the trees slightly bending in the wind. Nobody should be out flying right now.

But Rainfall needed to find a safe place to be. So, he flew. He had no idea when he was. He had appeared in old Hacigbasi, what was then a desert oasis, and continued to fly west, searching for somewhere to hide properly. He had placed the Necklace in his satchel, but he was worrying that it and the scrolls inside were getting wet.

And then he saw it. A small cavern was protruding out of the side of a large hill. Rainfall flew towards it and landed inside. It was dark, but that was okay. He collapsed to the dry ground and threw his satchel against a log. Hopefully there were no bears in the cavern.

It wasn't long until Rainfall heard a noise outside. He picked his head up and peaked outside the cavern. Thunder rolled somewhere nearby. Outside in the rain was a small trail of lights, moving through the forest. Rainfall made sure his things were in a safe place behind the log and flew down to see what was going on. It must have been early morning, because there was a faint light coming from the east.

Rainfall tree jumped down to get closer. It was still raining hard, and he was having trouble seeing what was going on. There was a faint row of torches moving along a path through the forest. Rainfall could hear faint talking and the noise of wood rattling and hooves clopping through the heavy rain. Humans? Rainfall thought, slowly getting closer, invisible now.

A sudden bright, blinding light surprised Rainfall, and the following noise even more, as thunder struck a nearby tree. Rainfall didn't have time to react as the tree fell on top of him, a large branch clocking him right on the head. Rainfall collapsed in the leaves, turning to a pale and acid green, unconscious in the rain.

Rainfall woke up chained and muzzled inside a cart being pulled by horses. His head shot up and looked around. He turned invisible instinctively, but it didn't do him much good. The cart hit a bump and he let out a small noise as his arm was smacked into the wood. Rainfall looked to see who his captors were.

Humans were riding on horseback through the wooded path. They were wearing brown military uniforms and had old rifles on their backs. They were definitely less advanced than some humans Rainfall had seen in other worlds. But then again, this was the past of Rainfall's world. He just had to find out what year it was.

Rainfall made a muffled noise through the muzzle and got the attention of a dark-skinned woman riding next to the cart. "Quiet, Camaelist." A man driving the cart ordered briskly. Camaelist. I must be in the War of Supremacy. What amazing luck. He thought with sarcasm. Rainfall looked at the uniforms again and was relieved to see the crest of Old Monarchy on their chests. If this had been Black Star, or some kind of survivor group, he would have been done for. He left the Necklace of Eclis back in the cave, and escaping through his World Jumping might cause some… unwanted followers joining him.

"You're going in for questioning and rehabilitation." Said the woman on the horse. "We're going to find out if you're a Camaelist or not." "He was out here in Old Monarchy territory without proper identification Marie. He's definitely a Camaelist spy." Said another soldier. "He was also underneath a tree, Markus. Not to mention he's just a dragonet." Marie argued back with the bearded soldier. "We all know the Camaelists have used child soldiers before." Markus grumbled. "And what better tribe to send in as a spy than a Rainwing?"

It wasn't long until the soldiers brought Rainfall to a city and dropped him off on a train. The smell of the musty wooden floor pierced Rainfall's nostrils as he was unshackled and dropped into the car. He saw a man with a plaid coat on walk over to him with a syringe. He said nothing as he walked towards Rainfall, who squirmed in his restraints. Rainfall felt the needle enter his neck, and then he blacked out.

. . .

I spent some time in a dragon prison, and then they took me out to perform rehabilitation on me. I was taken to a room many days in a row, and they had different dragons come to me from Old Monarchy and explain to me that my Camaelist ways were wrong. I played along, hoping to become a free dragon as quick as I could so I could get out of this time.

I played the part of an amnesiac that had hit his head when a tree fell on him. All I told them was my name, weary of any of the strange new dragons or people I was meeting not being who they said they were. But as far as I could tell, I was right. The Demons couldn't follow me into the past, and wherever the Demons of the past were, they didn't care that I was there. But I wasn't completely sure. I had to stay alert.

Among the mass of new faces I was meeting, one I recognized. The woman who had talked to me before, Marie LaToin, had been repositioned into a fortress in the city I was being held in. She had come and sought me out. She said she didn't think I was bad like everyone else around me did and was worried that my wounds were too bad. She didn't think that the prison guards were treating my head wound right. When she talked to me, I could see a kind of sadness in her eyes. A familiar sadness. She had lost someone.

But I wasn't going to do anything. Not yet. I still didn't know if I could trust anyone here. For all I knew, it could have been an elaborate trap. Everyone here could be fake, and it was some kind of plot to get me somewhere.

It eventually became an everyday thing. She would come by, and we would talk for about half an hour. I think she had been left alone with her thoughts for too long. And in a war like that, it can lead to some pretty horrible feelings. She would make her way up to my spot on the towers built for imprisoning dragons, and talk to me.

One day, they let me out. They said that I had proven myself, and that they had done a great job fixing me. They didn't even consider the possibility that I could have just been a regular amnesiac. Regardless, I was given proper identification, and was free to go. I didn't know how long it had been. Maybe a month.

I returned to the cave and retrieved my things, but I felt compelled to go back and see Marie. I thought that maybe I could help her.

She introduced me to her friends. A quiet one named Anthony Conwell, a profane one named Michael Bridger, a tough Icewing named Polar, and a talkative woman named Gabi Sitz. Marie convinced me to stay, and I did, worried for her.

I figured I could help Old Monarchy in what little ways I could. I didn't know if I would affect the future or not with my actions in the past, so I tried to be as discrete about things as I could. I didn't remember exact dates of things, and I didn't want to change big things out of fear I could mess with the timeline.

So, I didn't warn them of Camael's attack. To whoever reads this, if you know more about this than I do, maybe you could save them.

I would appreciate it.

I came to become friends with them. They believed that I was never a Camaelist. I met a commander in their military named Daniel Seilbrenner. He was eccentric and strange. He reminded me of someone from the Travelers. I think. I was introduced to him after I stopped a Black Star spy from killing Michael, who had blown his cover.

They were stationed at the outpost in Hollaway, Arnia. Watching the borders to make sure things were going correctly. I remembered the map of Augustia and Consania, which Apollo made us study borders of fiercely, so that we understood where the split had occurred.

I started drawing in the moments of boredom. I drew the Hollaway skyline, smokestacks reaching high into the sky. One night, I had a nightmare where the Scorching had begun. I awoke and drew with shaky talons, an image of what I had seen. The Arnish queen, Hecate, being blessed by the Goddesses as Hamza had. Around her, dark dragons bearing down on her. Fire behind her. I never showed this to anyone.

After that dream, I realized Marie's time may be limited. I went and talked to her. I knew sadness. I knew that pain. I got her to talk.

Her mother and father had been violently anti-dragon. They brought her to protests, petitioned for the execution of all dragons, believing us to be invaders. She had believed them. When the first Human-Dragon war was fought, Marie had stood by and watched dragons die. She had felt no remorse. She had contributed to the deaths of at least six dragons, who she believed now, were just refugees.

When the thirteen years of peace came to pass, Marie's view began to change. If dragons wanted to work towards peace, they must not be all bad. Maybe the world could become whole again. Her parents didn't agree. When tensions rose again with the panic caused by Camael, her parents began to side with Axton Lloyd, and kicked her out of the house when she argued. Marie said she saw her mother smash a photograph of her as a child.

They had moved to Cheng, a place where dragons were being rounded up and imprisoned by the government. The Camaelists attacked a city where a large prison was, the city where Marie's parents had moved to. There were very few survivors.

Marie believed she didn't deserve to live. She had done bad things. Her parents had become enemies, and then she believed it was her fault they died. That she should have been there, or stopped them, instead of pushing them away.

Its hard to give others hope, when you yourself have lost all of it. But somehow, I managed. Some of it was lies. Some of it was truth.

I told her that it was the past. I told her that things like that had happened to me, yet I was here. I had given myself a purpose. "Protecting the soul and informing others of the danger that threatens the multiverse." That is the reason for my continued existence. I didn't tell her that, but that is what I think.

I told her to find a new meaning. Find something that makes her feel redeemed if she truly feels that bad. I told her to keep pressing forward to that new sunrise. Persistence. "Death, or rebirth." I told her. "Which do you choose?"

When we were done, she had hugged me.

I later found out from Anthony that she said I had stopped her from killing herself. At least I did something right.

When I was convinced that this wasn't a trap laid by Demons, I told them the truth. Or, at least, some of it. I pulled Marie, Anthony, Michael, and Polar aside, and I told them that I was from the future. I told them about the Necklace of Eclis, but I didn't tell them that I had it on me. I didn't want Old Monarchy to take it, because I didn't trust them not to. I claimed I had left the portal open, and it was still there.

Not long after, Michael told one of the generals, Henrik Solberg. I was right to not tell them the whole truth. The military came to me and asked to know the location of the necklace. I refused. I could tell that they were weary of me. I was a suspected Camaelist, who now claimed was from a bleak future where humanity had lost the war, and Camael had won. They knew I could know more about the relics than they did, and I used that to my advantage, coming up with ways of avoiding bringing them the necklace.

When I had heard that the Camaelists had taken down the Cheng government, I realized that it was very close to the time when Old Monarchy would start to collapse. I needed to leave. If the Demons started attacking Old Monarchy, they would find me. I informed Seilbrenner I had to leave, the only one there that really trusted me beyond my friends. He asked that I take someone with me, and bring them back. So that they might be able to study the future world and predict how the war would end, and how to win.

I didn't know if it would work, so I agreed, hoping to save them. I was going to take Marie, but she was still too mentally unwell. Anthony volunteered.

I figured that if I were to take someone with me, possibly to Pyrrhia, they would need to look like a pet scavenger. I came up with a name. Sloth. I asked Seilbrenner to find clothes that would match what Pyrrhian scavengers would wear. They provided. I told Anthony not to talk to anyone. And finally, I disguised myself.

I figured that if I wanted to go under the radar, I needed to be the least interesting dragon possible. Someone that nobody could think is up to anything. I would need to act sleepy, boring, and overall as bland as possible. I needed to become the exact thing I once hated.

When I perfected my cover story, a dragonet who had been raised by Rainwings who had been captured by the Nightwings, I said my goodbyes to Old Monarchy. I took Anthony with me.

Remembering the map of where the continents had split, I took Anthony to Lochberg, Verlassen, knowing it would put us into Pyrrhia when I used the necklace again. It also gave us a place to go back into Augustia when I returned to the past to bring him back.

We entered into what I knew from the Travelers to be the Lost City of Night.

Rainfall stepped into the square, Anthony by his side. "This place was where the Nightwings once lived." Rainfall said. "It's been abandoned for centuries since the tribe ran away from Darkstalker." "Darkstalker?" Anthony asked. "Yeah. A Nightwing with mind-reading, prophecy, and animus." Rainfall had explained animus magic without giving anything away that might mess with the timeline. Anthony was still unaware it was the Power of Hamza, created when Old Monarchy was in a state of panic.

"He was too powerful and was going to take over the tribe, and then Pyrrhia. He knew everything, knew everyone, and had all the power in the world." Rainfall said, and then stopped.

"What's wrong?" Anthony asked, scanning the area with his eyes. "Did you hear that?" Rainfall asked. He had heard the distant high-pitched noise of a Demon transforming. Rainfall turned to Anthony. "We need to go." He said. "What? Where? Why?" He asked. "Back through the necklace?" "No." Rainfall said. "Somewhere else. I'm being hunted." "By who?" Anthony asked, scared and confused. "Adnachiel." Rainfall said, and then cursed himself for letting something like that slip.

To Anthony's bewilderment, Rainfall opened a rift, and ushered Anthony through it, following after him. He quickly closed it behind them. "WHAT?!" Anthony asked. "I think I lost it." Rainfall said.

I never explained to him. Maybe I should have. Maybe I made the right choice. Who knows.

I knew I was being followed now. The Demons couldn't follow me into the past, and they thought they had lost me. When I appeared again, the entire Council must have sent their forces into pursuit. We couldn't stay in one place for too long before escaping again.

There was so much. A war between to great human powers. A strange land populated by those who had all once died. A Pyrrhia ruled by Blister. It made me realize something about it all.

They were all… perfectly made to be… interesting. Like every world is full of hidden secrets and interesting dragons and people. There's always drama, love, or something else.

It makes me wonder about the Visitors, and what they all have in common to make things like this. If each visitor is the creator of a universe, why are some of them so similar? Why is the Console the original, and why are all the Visitors making things "based on" it?

Can different Visitors look at other Visitors' worlds? Why do some worlds, known as SYOCs, have stronger connections to the Visitor's realm? Do the Visitors know about the Demons?

When I ran out of things to do, I realized I needed to find someone. I was lucky enough to find her on the continent of Pantala.

Clearsight.

"…Wow…" Clearsight said. Rainfall had told her everything. He knew he could trust her. "What should I do? Can you look into all possible futures? Can you see everything now that I've opened your eyes?" Anthony and Sunstreak were outside the house Clearsight had built when she arrived on the continent. Pantala was an interesting place. The Silkwings and the Leafwings were intriguing to Rainfall. They were rarely found in the multiverse.

Clearsight closed her eyes. She was aging, an older dragon now. Rainfall could see emotions slightly flicker across her face. Most of them negative. "There are… some. Not many, but some." "Some what?" Rainfall asked anxiously. "Some futures where everything ends right. There will be… war, bloodshed, and loss. But in order to stop the whole multiverse from being ripped apart, you can only do so much. So much of it lies in the choices of… so many." Clearsight's talons twitched. "There are… so many paths. So much of this is up to chance." "What's the best plan of action for me?" Rainfall asked eagerly. Clearsight put her talon on his. She closed her eyes and a sad look crossed her face. "How much does your life mean to you?" She asked. She had a serious look on her face.

"My reason is to protect the soul and inform the right dragons about what's going on." Rainfall said. "That is why I survived the attack on the hideout, and why I continue to live." "Would you be okay with death when those things have been completed?" Clearsight asked.

Rainfall thought about everything he had done, and everything that had happened. He had been convinced long ago that it was all his fault that these things had happened. From his forceful curiosity in the Rainforest, to taking Anthony with him. "Yes." Rainfall said. "When I know that things are going to end right, I'm okay with dying for it."

"Well then…" Clearsight said, nodding. "I know the path to attempt. Go to this world." Clearsight ripped a piece of paper out of a book and wrote eight numbers on it. 12261326. She brought out a small wooden box and placed the paper inside. "Walk into Jade Mountain Academy and say that you're there for the new winglets. Amethyst specifically. You'll get accepted for sure. Take Anthony with you. Continue to write down everything. Everything you can. Secure the scrolls in a place nobody could get them if they didn't know where to look." Rainfall paid attention to everything she said with urgency. "Things may be strange in this world. But don't try to leave until you've found someone." "Who? Who am I looking for?" Rainfall asked loudly. Clearsight paused. "Someone who can see through the lies. You'll understand when you're there." Rainfall looked at the Nightwing, confused. "Everything alright in there?" Sunstreak asked from outside. "Yes! Don't worry!" Clearsight called.

"When you've finished the scrolls, and you've found the dragon you're looking for, you can rest." Clearsight said quietly. "The soul will take care of itself." Rainfall nodded. He took the black box with the number inside. "Uh…" Rainfall began. He knew he shouldn't ask, but he had to. Clearsight looked up at him with a sad smile. "Did you see Mahogany anywhere?" Rainfall asked. Clearsight shook her head sadly. Rainfall knew she probably already knew what he was going to ask next. "Did you see Frost anywhere in all the futures? Is she alive?" Clearsight closed her eyes, and Rainfall could see tears forming in the corners of them. "N- no." She responded. "She's dead Rainfall. Adnachiel killed her."

Rainfall didn't say anything. Clearsight exhaled deeply, blinking fast. "I'm sorry." She said. "It's okay." Rainfall said softly. "Thank you." Rainfall turned to leave. "Good luck." Clearsight said after him.

Rainfall stepped outside the house and looked up at two moons shining brightly down on him. In that moment, he was back on the bridge in Possibility. Frost was beside him. "You alright?" Anthony asked him, walking up to him. "…yeah." Rainfall said as Sunstreak passed them to go back inside. "I know what I need to do now."

Marvelous, Chameleon, Papyrus, Swiftwind, Mahogany, Frost. They were all dead. Marie, Michael, Polar, Gabi, Azure, and maybe Anthony would all die too.

I knew what I had to do next.

There was nothing else to live for.

Give my life for the multiverse.

I thought I was someone special, but I guess not.

. . .

Rainfall walked into the room with Anthony in his pouch. Something… did seem off about this world. He just walked in and said he was the Rainwing for the Amethyst winglet and the Seawing named Tsunami just let him in. An Icewing was already in the room. He looked up at Rainfall and said, "Hi I'm Frigid." He went back to reading. "Hello Frigid." Rainfall said, trying to keep up his lazy persona he had shown Tsunami. "I guess you're my clawmate." "Yeah." Frigid said, and then went back to silence. Alright. Rainfall thought and brought out Anthony. "This is Sloth. I hope you're okay with him being here." "Sure." Frigid said, and then went back to reading.

Intrigued by his strange clawmate, Rainfall plunked a chest he had bought when he had come to this world down near the end of his bed of leaves. How accommodating of them to make him a bed of things he hadn't slept on since he was little. The chest was reinforced with steel and hard oak wood. He had used Atesi change, calling it rare treasure, appealing to the Sandwing vendor's dragon instincts.

The dragon instincts of treasure seemed to be more prevalent in Pyrrhia outside the Rainforest. Why? Rainfall had no idea. The Travelers had taught him to suppress them to the point of nonexistence and dragons beyond the continent seemed to have evolved past it.

Rainfall had to set a code for it. He chose something that would make sense to the dragon who opened it, maybe. 12261326. The number of this weird world.

And weird it was. The dragons here seemed, fake. Almost as if this entire world was a set up. Rainfall got to work writing. Anthony had fallen asleep near the bottom of his bed, and now was a better time than ever to write as much down as he could.

. . .

"Let's all begin this year with learning the names of your peers." Said Webs, the dry history teacher at the school. Rainfall pretended to be nearly asleep. He looked around the room at the other dragonets. There was one from every tribe. "Let's start with the Amethyst Winglet."

The opposites Delta and Typhoon went first, triggering a short talk about the strange outcome of the war in this world, where Blaze had won. The teacher turned his attention to Rainfall. He let his eyelids droop as he said his name in a slightly slurred way. Perfect. The class simply turned away from him and went on to the angry Nightwing named Scaleslasher. Rainfall focused his attention on the Icewing from the Amber Winglet. She had been looking at him before. She looked… a bit like Frost. It wasn't her, but kind of like her. Rainfall was so focused on her that he didn't even hear the insults thrown at him by the snotty Skywing Scorch.

The talkative Cedar went, and then a shaky Seawing named Swordfish introduced himself. Then Vulture, and then the Icewing spoke. "My name is Blizzard. I am top of the Third Circle. I have served Queen Glacier with utmost loyalty. I assisted in the hunt for Prince Winter. My father is well-respected with the Nobles. I have no idea why he thought it best for me to go to a non-Icewing school with lower-ranked dragonets." She didn't look at Rainfall. Blizzard. Rainfall thought. Frost's cousin who had been killed.

Something was up with this world. It was definitely linked with the Demons. Anthony had been peering out of the pouch with curiosity the whole time. The Nightwing called Darkseer went, introducing the name of the Sandwing too. Rattlesnake. Wait, she hadn't been there before, had she? Anthony began to quietly crawl out of the bag he was in as Rattlesnake introduce herself.

"Why does the Amethyst Winglet have a Rainwing, but we don't?" Asked the one called Swordfish. Rainfall turned his attention to the small Rainwing sitting near Swordfish and Cedar. What is he talking about? Rainfall thought. "Oh, you have one. She's right there. Say hello Vine. Glory told us all about you." Said Webs, pointing to the Rainwing.

Something seemed weird about her. She was sitting perfectly, staring straight ahead. She looked almost… fake. Like something pretending to be a dragon. The whole class was silent as Swordfish stared at the dragon, and then slumped over, unconscious. Rainfall turned down to Anthony, who looked panicked. He touched Rainfall's face, and Rainfall felt something wash over him, like he had suddenly sobered up from eating some fermented fruit. When he looked back, Vine was gone. Oh no. Rainfall thought. It is a fake world.

. . .

"Keep it safe." Rainfall whispered to Anthony, giving the box with the code to the bearded man. He had nearly finished with his scroll. He was writing what he was doing as he spoke. Frigid was nearly asleep nearby. "Find someone who can see through the lies. That's what Clearsight said."

Rainfall had become convinced Swordfish may be the dragon he was looking for, according to Clearsight. He was convinced that this world was made by Cassriel, the very Demon who had brought him into this whole mess. He wondered if Swordfish had been like he was. Exactly like he was. Pulled from somewhere into a dark room in the Void and had interaction with the Visitors. After knowing Swordfish hadn't seen Vine either, who was definitely not a real dragon, and wasn't supposed to be here. Swordfish was the only one that seemed real out of them all. Even with the one conversation they had had about Anthony. He had seen him having a strange look on his face as the teachers talked about the murders.

Murderer in Jade Mountain Academy with a new group of fittingly interesting students coming together. What a basic story. Almost like it was made to lure in Visitors.

But Rainfall wasn't sure. It might not be him. He could very well be a trap set by Cassriel. The fact that a copy of Blizzard was here was no coincidence. They knew he was here. It was only a matter of time before they found him.

But he had to follow Clearsight's advice, and his own gut. If this was the end, the correct dragon would be found, and the soul would be kept out of the wrong hands, it was worth dying for.

"What is in the chest?" Anthony asked in hushed aggravation. "I'm sorry. I can't tell you." Rainfall said. He put the scroll in the chest and locked it. There was a knock at the door. Rainfall opened it as Frigid woke up. Anthony hid. It was Vulture and Darkseer. Two students from the Amber Winglet. "We're going to see Stonemover, an old animus who might be able to help us figure out who the murderer is." Said Vulture. "You two want to come?" "Sure." Frigid said, instantly rising and going out the door. "Wait a second. I'll be right out." Rainfall said. The door closed behind Frigid.

This was it. Rainfall could feel it. He could hear the wind blowing outside the window. Rainfall bent down to Anthony. "Anthony, I have a meeting with fate coming. Things I've done are coming back to haunt me. If I don't return, I want you to know that this world isn't safe. And if things aren't done soon, none of them will be. Go and tell that to Old Monarchy. There's a greater threat than Black Star and Camael. The hero of the story needs to be found, so they can fix it, because in comparison to all the others, this story is very broken." He said, and then gave the human a small hug.

Rainfall turned away from Anthony and walked out the door, leaving the chest locked behind him.

Always keep going.

Here we are. Sorry for the delay. The last month of school is always hectic.

We've reached the absolute. There is no turning back now.

I just wanted tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

A

6

"Their social climate is at a breaking point." Said Cassriel to the Council. Abyss nodded next to him. "Uprisings in the Ice Kingdom, revolution in the Sand Kingdom, unrest with the Nightwings, Solberg is dead, mass paranoia with the Darkist threat, and allegiances to Old Monarchy are rising tensions, all while under the threat of foreign attack on the whole continent." Abyss said. "Chaos has engulfed Pyrrhia." "Cassriel, did you get the bomb?" Lucifer asked. "Yes. The Soviets will not realize one bomb is missing." Cassriel said. "Adnachiel, are defenses down?" "Yes. I turned everything that could stop Stygal's Puppets to a broken state." Said the Huntress. "Escape routes blocked?" Lucifer asked Nestorats. "Yes. The Burning Sand has been spread all across Pyrrhia's Western Coast. They will not be able to escape." Said the Fire Master.

"Alright. All threats have been marked on the map." Camael said, gesturing to a map in the center of the room. "Adnachiel, Miczariel and Surgat will attack Possibility and locate the Travelers." Said Camael. "Nestorats will be waiting to set ablaze their path to Thessalstia. I will take care of the Seawings. Stygal will raise his Puppets all over the continent." Camael said, and was stopped by Lucifer, who stepped off his seat and into the middle of the room with them. "And I will take out the threat at the mountain." He said. "Remember what's at stake here." The King looked at the Demons in the room with him. "This all has to go right. No matter how bad it seems, remember, they're just characters. Our freedom depends on all of this going correctly. Whatever it takes." The other Demons nodded. "Alright." Lucifer declared. "Plan B begins now."