"Huh," Sylvando said as he stood on the prow of the Salty Stallion, gazing ahead. "Well, I haven't seen Gallopolis like that before."

"Told you it looked weird," Erik said, crossing his arms. "So what are we going to do about that?"

"Well, I had Gondolia as a backup in mind in case the Gallopolis port wasn't open. But it seems like the port isn't going to be our problem." Sylvando looked back at the rest of the group. "Darlings, we have a bit of a situation."

Jade looked up from her match with Hendrik, Rab nearby also looking up from his book. "What's that, laddie?"

"Well, it's really the sort of thing you have to see for yourself."

Rab hopped up, joining them at the prow. He squinted at the sea ahead. "What am I looking at? That's a mighty impressive sand dune."

"That's Gallopolis, honey," Sylvando said. "Or at least, it's supposed to be. It seems to be a bit covered up at the moment."

Rab studied it, then frowned. "If that's where the city is, is it completely buried, then? What's happened to the people?"

"Who knows? The city was fine last time I was in it."

"Is this perhaps the work of another of these monsters?" Hendrik asked as he stood behind them.

"Seems like a possibility, doesn't it?" Jade said. "First water, then shadows, now sand... It's almost like we're fighting the elements themselves."

"Och, let's hope not," Rab said. "All these monsters getting more violent is bad enough. Veronica just finished scraping off the last batch."

"I suppose the first step is going to be getting closer," Sylvando said. "Let's make anchor closer to shore, and then we can take the ship's tender to the beach and take a look at this sand castle up close."

"What's everyone looking at?" Junichi asked as he approached, tossing Jade something. "Here, try this."

She caught the spear one-handed, giving it an experimental flick. "Ooh, nice weight to it."

"Thanks for letting me use the materials in the hold, Sylvando," Junichi said to him. "We're both back to armed again. If we've got more time, I might try making some armor. How close are we to Gallopolis?"

"Physically, or in terms of actually getting into it?" Erik gestured over his shoulder at the dune.

Junichi blinked. "It's not supposed to look like that."

"So I've been told."

He leaned forward, squinting. "Is it just me, or is the sand moving?"

"No, I think ye're right, laddie," Rab said. "That's a wee bit unsettling, isn't it?"

"Does support the monster theory, doesn't it?" Sylvando said. "Dave, dear! Get us as close to the shore as you can, will you?"

"Righto, Boss."

Erik glanced at Junichi's hip. "New sword?"

"Yeah. Since I sort of broke the last one." Junichi beamed. "The forge you gave me is coming in really handy. Oh, speaking of," he pulled something out of his bag. "I found some good recipes in the Heliodor library, so I thought I'd try again."

Erik accepted it, twirled the new boomerang around. Unlike the previous one, a simple arc shape, this one was more like a five-pointed star. He gave it an experimental throw upwards. Still moved like a boomerang. "Thanks. It sure looks dangerous." He caught it, hooking it on a loop in his belt. It was nice, but he couldn't quite bring himself to give up on the other one, either. Maybe he could learn to use both at once.

Up close, the sand was indeed moving. Veronica immediately threw some fire at it. The sand hit melted into glass easily, but just as easily, it was covered with more sand. "Well, that didn't work," she said. "Maybe I should throw more fire at it."

"I don't think that's going to be very effective," Sylvando said, "unless you can Frizzle us an entire doorway. And we don't know how deep this wall of sand is."

Junichi considered, then put his hand up to it, touching it. But for the fact it was sand and not water, it was like sticking his hand into a waterfall, a slow, steady pressure. He reached in further, pushing in past his elbow.

"Prince, that isn't safe," Hendrik said, calmly pulling him back.

"I didn't feel anything but sand," he noted. "So I guess it's more than a foot or two, at least." He stepped back, crossing his arms. "Jade?"

She was standing in the shallows, ignoring the foam lapping around her boots. "I'm having a thought," she said. "Hold on a moment." With that, she ran into the deeper water, diving underneath.

He didn't hear so much as feel the sigh Hendrik was holding in. "Pretty good swimmer, isn't she?" Veronica said.

"Want me to go in after her?" Erik offered to Hendrik.

Sylvando tilted his head back, looking up the side of the dome. "If we're battling a sand monster, I don't really see where we're supposed to start."

Jade's head popped up in the water, near the edge of the dome. "What are you doing?" Veronica called to her.

"Well, sand turns to mud in water, right? I thought it might have some problems getting too deep into the water. I'm going to take a further look," she said before her head went back under.

Erik glanced at Hendrik. "I'm going after her," he said, wading in.

Serena and Rab came around the corner of the dome. "Goes as far as we can see," Rab said, taking a seat on a rock. "Nae a sign of the gate or anything else. Nae a sign of any people, either. If they evacuated, I would think there'd be some visible signal or trace of them."

"Are they all trapped under there, do you think?" Serena said. "That would be terrible."

Jade and Erik's heads both popped out of the water, the princess waving to them. "I think we might have a way in."

"What's that, lass?"

Both of them swam a little closer to shore so they could stand. "The sand thins out underwater. I think between that and Uncle Rab's magic, we can get underneath. If we put up a big chunk of ice, like a wedge, we can slip underneath."

"Did you see any signs of people or the city?" Junichi asked.

"No. But we were underwater. Not much to see down there."

"Let's take the boat out," Sylvando said. "Think we can give ourselves enough of a gap to slide through on top of the water, Jade darling?"

She shook her head. "I doubt it."

"Oh, goody," Veronica said. "Looks like we're swimming again."

Again, Junichi thought he could hear the sigh Hendrik wasn't making. "I should take off my armor, in that case."

"I'll give you a hand," Junichi offered.

Hendrik nodded acceptance gratefully. They had a few pieces off by the time Sylvando brought the boat over, placing them in the boat as they got on. "Oh, so it does come off," Veronica remarked as she hopped aboard.

"Of course it does." Hendrik gave her a confused look.

"It is rather unusual to see you out of armor, Sir Hendrik," Serena agreed. "You should do it more often. It must be heavy."

"I'm used to its weight," he said with a slight shrug. "And I don't have the training weights attached to it at the moment, so it's lighter than it normally is."

Veronica gave him a stare. "You add weights to your armor."

"It's a good method for passive training," Hendrik said. "With the proper positioning to ensure it is supported by the muscles and doesn't put strain on the joints, it's a very effective tool. Of course, one must also take care to wear an amount that is appropriate for your body type and level of muscle."

Veronica turned to Jade as the boat stopped next to her and Erik. "What is wrong with your bodyguard?"

"I know, right?" Jade crossed her arms. "When I did it, he scolded me."

"Because fabric tears, Princess."

Veronica shook her head. "Never mind. I got my answer."

Rab pointed at the wall of sand, conjuring up a triangular block of ice. Erik dove underwater again, popping up a minute later. "Yeah, looks like we can get through here. It's not that thick a wall. Maybe ten feet."

Rab nodded. "So are we all sticking together, or do we want to split up?"

"I think we should stick together," Junichi spoke up. "If something goes bad on the inside, it's not like we'll have any way to tell those on the outside."

"We're all in it together," Sylvando agreed. "Let me just signal Dave to let him know to reel the tender in."

Veronica made a face as she lowered herself into the water, Jade giving her a hand. "Let's pair up," Jade said. "Who's good at swimming? Me, Hendrik, Erik, Junichi? Let's pair ourselves with the others so we can watch out for them," she said. "Uncle Rab, I'll pair up with you."

"Och, that's appreciated, lassie. Cannae say I'm quite as good as I used to be."

Erik nodded, then offered a hand to Serena, who had just edged into the water. "Here, I'll give you a hand."

Junichi hopped in after Veronica. "Let's go."

That left Hendrik and Sylvando on the boat, who looked at each other. "I can swim just fine, darling, so no need to worry about me," he said. "But I don't mind being paired up with you."

Hendrik raised his eyebrows. "Where'd you learn to swim?"

"Honey, I've been all over the world and spent a good bit of time on that ship in the bay. You think I could have not swam in that time?" Sylvando winked, and then did a perfect swan dive into the water.

As Erik had said, the pathway through the water under the sand wasn't that long, allowing them to resurface not far in. Inside, the sand dome blocked the sky completely, covering everything in blackness, with only a few lights inside the city walls visible. "Goodness," Serena said. "I don't know what I expected, but it's very dark."

Veronica held a fireball over her head as she treaded water. "I can't tell what I'm looking at. Does anyone know this city?"

"We're in the port," Sylvando said. "Can you hold that up a little higher, Veronica dear?" She hefted her staff out of the water. "Now, Hendrik, if I can just borrow you for a moment..." He climbed onto the other man's shoulder, then stood, looking around. "We're in the port, as I expected. Looks like the closest pier to get us out of the water is that way," he pointed. "From there, the port's pretty open. We should be able to just walk in."

"I think I see it," Jade said. "Just hold onto me, Uncle Rab."

"I said I wasnae as good as I used to be, not that I was unable. I can get that far."

"I'm all wet again," Veronica groused as she crawled onto the pier with Junichi assisting from below. "Can we not make a habit of this, please?"

"Do you see anyone?" Junichi asked Hendrik as the prince pulled himself up.

"I do not. I suppose it makes sense. I doubt they are expecting visitors through the port right now. But it still is cause for concern."

"Agreed." Rab said, wringing out his robe as best he could. "Well, let's get into Gallopolis for real and go see the Sultan. He should be able to tell us what's happened, if he's here."

Next to Junichi, Jade let out a sigh, but didn't say anything. They walked through the port without fuss, unless one counted the sand that clung to their wet clothes. "This is odd," Rab said as he looked around under Veronica's firelight. "Nae a sign of any person around. Did they evacuate after all?"

"If that is the case, then who is keeping the lanterns lit?" Hendrik pointed out.

"Well, I suppose we won't find out just standing around."

"If they are here, they're certainly being creepy about it," Veronica said. "We're not asking them to roll out a red carpet, but a 'hello' would be nice."

Rab led the way up the steps to the palace's entrance. There, they finally saw their first sign of people: two guards posted at the entrance. Both jumped in alarm as they spotted the party. "Monsters!" one of them yelped, readying his spear. "We're under attack!"

"Has being in the dark knocked all your sense loose?" Veronica snorted, holding her fireball up a little higher. "Open your eyes and put that stupid mass between your ears to work."

"There's nae need for alarm," Rab said, raising a hand in a pacifying gesture. "I'm Robert of Dundrasil, and this is Prince Junichi of Dundrasil. As well as Princess Jade of Heliodor. We've come to check on ye."

The names registered, and they lowered their weapons. "L-lord Robert," one of them got out. "Please forgive us."

"Yer fine, lad. Is the Sultan in?"

"Y-yes, of course. We'll let him know you're here. Please, come in." The guards pushed open the doors, one running ahead. "How did you manage to get inside. Are... are you wet?"

"We had to take a wee swim to get under yer new ceiling," Rab said. "I hope it's all right if we drip on yer floors a bit."

"No, of course not, I mean, of course it's all right, but do be careful not to slip on the floors. I'll have someone go for towels. Hey, you!" he called to a maid gawking at the open doors.

They'd managed to procure some towels and reduce themselves to "damp" when the first guard returned, breathlessly inviting them up to the throne room. The inside of the palace was more lit than the outside, but not by much, so Veronica kept her fire going as they walked up the stairs. The Sultan hopped off his throne as they approached, grasping Rab's hands warmly. "Lord Robert! It does my heart good to see you. However did you make it here?"

"We took a wee swim, so I hope ye'll forgive our appearance."

"You swam? I see... so there's a way out through the water somehow." The Sultan sighed. "If you had to swim, I imagine it's not much use for an evacuation route, but it's something to keep in mind. Thank you."

"What's happened here?" Rab gestured around. "I take it this was not something ye were trying to do."

The Sultan shook his head. "No. Some days ago-at least, I assume it was some days ago, it's hard to tell-it just... appeared over the city. No one's managed to find a way in or out. And we're a desert city. We only have so much in the way of food and water and oil for the lamps before we run dry. We've been rationing things out, but we don't know how long we'll be under here for. It's only because of our mages that we've made it this long. They've been repelling the sand from coming down on top of us. I don't know what will happen when they're exhausted."

"So it's actively trying to crush the city, then?" Hendrik spoke up.

The Sultan nodded. "Nothing's attempted to give us demands. It's just trying to destroy my Gallopolis and I don't even know why. Why were we targeted?"

"It's not just ye, I'm afraid," Rab said. "Zwaardsrust and Heliodor have also come under attack by monsters."

"Monsters? Those, at least, we could handle. The Knights of Gallopolis would make short work of them. But this?" He waved helplessly. "How do you fight sand?"

Footsteps on the stairs interrupted them as someone came running up the stairs. The Prince of Gallopolis paused at the top, and then made a beeline for the party... well, one member in particular. "Jade!" he exclaimed with joy, arms reaching for her. "You came to save u-"

She responded with a kick to his face, knocking him backwards. "Oh, it's you again."

"Ah, such scorn you greet me with every time!" Faris dabbed at his nose, beaming at her all the while.

So at least that hadn't changed, Junichi thought ruefully. "Hello, Prince Faris. It's good to see you again."

"Oh... Junichi. You're here too?" Faris got back up to his feet, offering Junichi a hand politely. "Good to see you again, I suppose. How did you all get down here?"

"We swam." Junichi smiled at Faris. "It's good to see you in good health, Prince Faris."

"Yes, well... you too, I suppose. Did you come to help Gallopolis?"

"We're going to try," Junichi said. "Do you know anything about what's going on?"

Faris looked to the side. "No, I don't know any more than Father does. But I'm sure you can think of something, Jade!" he added brightly, turning to her again.

She held him at arm's length with the butt end of her spear. "Yes, I'm working very hard on it right now, so you shouldn't disturb my delicate thought processes."

Erik and Veronica both made noises that sounded suspiciously like strangled laughter. "Well, if you insist, Princess-"

"I do. Heartily."

"-then I'll leave you be for now, but please, come see me later in my room. I'm sure we'll think of something if we put our heads together." Faris backed away and bowed. "Just having you here is surely a sign that we have been blessed by Yggdrasil!"

"I'm sure you'll come up with a good plan on your own," Jade said.

"Faris," the Sultan addressed him, "Why don't you go prepare some rooms for our guests? I'm sure they'll want to rest and dry off properly."

"Oh! That's a good idea, Father!" He turned on his heel quickly and dashed down the stairs, yelling for some servants.

Sylvando leaned in toward Junichi. "He's a prince?"

"Yes, that's Prince Faris. He's pretty close to my age, so we've visited before."

"To be truthful, I keept forgetting the Sultan has a son," Sylvando muttered. "Doesn't have much of a presence normally, does he? That's the most spunk I've seen out of him."

"Yeah, seems he's rather attached to Jade, huh?" Erik commented.

She made a face. "I know. Nothing I do seems to discourage him."

"I think the blows to the face are only encouraging him, honestly," Veronica pointed out.

Rab let out a soft sigh. "The first heartbreak is always the hardest, poor lad." He turned back to the Sultan. "At any rate, let's see what we can do to assist. May I speak with yer mages, if they're not too tired?"

"Of course, Lord Robert. We would appreciate anything you can do to help."

Footsteps came up the stairs again, but not the light patter of Faris's steps, but the heavy plod of someone wearing armor. An older man came up the stairs, his eyes toward the Sultan. "Your Excellency. I've examined the perimeter, but I cannot find a suitable exit point."

"We may have a way through the water," the Sultan said, "though it's not an option for many here. Lord Robert brought it to my attention. Lord Robert, I believe you're familiar with Don Rodrigo of Puerto Valor?"

Next to Junichi, Sylvando stiffened, taking a half-step behind him. Don Rodrigo's eyes went over the group, and stopped as they spotted Sylvando, widening in surprise. "You...!"

Sy;vando gave him a little wave with his fingers. "Ah... Hello, Papi."

"Norberto!" Rodrigo pointed at Sylvando. "Sixteen years you have been absent from home, and you dare show your face in front of me now?"

"Ahh I'm sorry Papi!" Sylvando blurted out, now fully hiding behind Junichi. "I didn't know you were here, honest!"

"What are you doing here?" Rodrigo demanded. "Have you come to bring smiles to a people who do not even have daylight? How goes your plan to bring smiles to all the people of the world? Have you completed your goal?"

"Ah, well... I'm still working on it..."

Rodrigo scowled. "There is no use for a circus in a place that cannot see it perform. Stand aside and let the knights do their work. Your Excellency," he turned to the Sultan. "If you will lend me some of your able swimmers, I will investigate the port and see if we can establish a route through."

"Of course, Don Rodrigo. Take as many as you need."

He saluted, then turned on his heel, not even glancing back at the rest of the party. As he retreated down the stairs, a maid came up them. "Your Excellency, the rooms are ready."

"Oh, good. Thank you." The Sultan turned to the rest of the group. "Please, take some time and get dry and comfortable again. We don't have much at the moment, but you are our guests, and you have already been of great help to us."

"Thank ye, Sultan."

They managed to make it down the stairs before Veronica spoke up. "What a completely stuffed jerk that guy was. Who peed in his porridge?"

"That is Don Rodrigo, the leader of Puerto Valor and the commander of its knights," Hendrik said. "They are well known around the world for their skill and honor. I myself trained under Don Rodrigo for many years."

"It doesn't give him an excuse to go yelling at Sylvando like that, though. Who does he think he is?"

"Well, he's my father," Sylvando said from ahead of them. "I suppose that gives him as much right as anyone."

"Wha-" Veronica looked back the way they had come, as if she might see Rodrigo again, and then back at Sylvando. "Wait a minute, is 'Norberto' your real name?"

"I don't believe in the concept of 'real names' and 'fake names', honey. If you call yourself it, it's a real name. Yes, Norberto is the name I was born with. But it doesn't roll of an announcer's tongue quite as well as 'Sylvando', don't you think?"

"Um," the maid paused, hesitant to interrupt the conversation. "The suite of rooms is right this way. We've already prepared some dry clothes for you. If you'll leave your wet ones in the basket outside, we'll clean them for you. Please, make yourselves at home."

"Thank you," Serena said to her. "That's very helpful of you."

"Darlings, why don't you go ahead?" Sylvando said. "I have some friends in town I'm worried about, so I'd like to go check on them real quick. I'll be back later." WIthout waiting for a response, he walked toward the front door.

Junichi moved to follow, to stop him, but Erik grabbed his arm. "Leave him be, Junichi," he said quietly. "He clearly wants to be alone for a little bit."

"...all right." Junichi let himself be led through a common area to a single bedroom, where he quickly changed out of his wet things. It did feel nice to be in something dry, he had to admit.

When he returned to the common area, Hendrik was already there, drying off his sword with a spare towel. He nodded as Junichi entered the room. "You should dry off your sword and sheath as well. Here." Hendrik tossed him a spare towel.

"With my luck, I'll break it before it gets a chance to rust," Junichi joked as he pulled it out, setting it on top of the towel. He then set to work unthreading the sheath from his belt.

Hendrik looked over at him, gaze disapproving. "Perhaps while we are maintaining our weapons, we can also avoid that."

"It's not the sword's fault." He looked down the length of the blade, examining it for cracks. "I guess I just can't control my power that well yet."

"Well, that is understandable," Hendrik said as Jade and Veronica entered the room from separate doors. "We do not have any instructions for how to harness the Luminary power. What have you been doing thus far to try and control it?"

"Just... kind of feeling my way through it, I guess. It's sort of like using magic, but it's sort of not?" Junichi shrugged. "I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Sylvando's not back yet?" Serena asked as she poked her head out. "Maybe we should fetch him. It wouldn't do if he caught a cold."

"It looked like it was a pretty big shock to run into that guy, Rodrigo," Erik said. "I guess neither of them was expecting the other."

"Indeed." Hendrik held out a hand for Jade's weapon, and she handed it over. "I suppose Sylvando did not expect to find Don Rodrigo here of all places. And Don Rodrigo would hardly have expected his son to... be Sylvando."

Jade took a seat as she watched Hendrik carefully polish her spear blade. "Did you know, Hendrik?"

"I had my suspicions, but I didn't think I was correct." Hendrik shook his head. "He is completely different from the Norberto I knew."

"Huh. So you knew him?"

"He was a child when I first went to train under Don Rodrigo, but he was already starting to train, himself. He was such a serious, diligent boy who never showed any emotion. What could have happened to make him change so much?"

"Poor Sylvando," Serena said. "He must have been really unhappy, if he never showed any emotion."

Hendrik frowned. "I don't think he was unhappy, he was just not prone to emotional outbursts. I am the same way."

"But Hendrik, you do show emotion, all the time," Serena said. "It's in your eyes and voice. But if someone as expressive as Sylvando was showing even less than you... I can't help but think he must have been in a lot of pain."

No one really seemed to know how to respond to that. Junichi put his sword into his belt, leaving the sheath behind. "I'm going to go look for him. Erik said he wanted to be alone, and I think he probably does, but... maybe he shouldn't be."

"All right," Jade spoke up for the rest of the group. "We probably shouldn't leave him too long on his own in this situation, anyway. We don't know what might happen."

He nodded, then exited the common area. The palace was pretty easy to navigate, the guards giving him a salute, which he returned as he left. The outside of the palace was about as dim as the inside, making it hard to see where he was going, let alone signs of anyone else. Now, where would Sylvando be? He decided to try circling around the inner wall. Maybe he could get a better view from above.

He didn't have far to go-as he approached the side of the wall opposite the circus tent, he saw a single figure sitting on the roof, gazing over at it. "Sylvando," he called as he jumped over the railing, landing on the other side of the roof. "Here you are. Did you find your friends?"

"Sort of. That's their venue," he pointed to the big top. "But looks like they're not doing any shows right now, since no one would be able to see them. The desert nights can get dark, but they're not used to having the night go on this long, so I guess they have to save the fuel for the lamps."

Junichi sat down next to him, careful not to bang his bare blade against anything, including himself. "Are you okay, Sylvando?"

"Aw, honey, did you come out here because you were worried about me? I'm fine. It was just a bit of a surprise, that's all."

"You... sounded like you were scared of him."

Sylvando laughed, but it didn't sound as merry as his usual laugh. "My papi's very intimidating. Most people get at least a little scared when he starts yelling. Oh, but he's not a bad person. He's just very strict. But that strictness produces good knights. Like Hendrik, right?"

"So you knew Hendrik, Sylvando?"

"Oh, yes. Everyone knew Hendrik. My papi never had such a hard worker. I'm sure Papi never said as much, but he liked Hendrik a lot."

"So I guess you knew him when we started this trip. He didn't seem to recognize you. He said he started to suspect, but..."

"That doesn't surprise me. He's not as keen as his friend Jasper, but Hendrik is a pretty smart man. And I'm sure he wouldn't have brought it up if he didn't need to. He's kind like that."

"That's true. It's very like Hendrik." Junichi paused. "I'm sorry. I guess I should call you 'Norberto', shouldn't I?"

"Like I said, they're both my name," Sylvando said. "You can use either one. But it would make me happy if you continued to call me Sylvando. That is the name I chose for myself, after all."

"Why did you change your name, then?"

"Because everyone knew who Norberto was-the son of Don Rodrigo. If I wanted to make a name for myself as an entertainer, I didn't want to do it with any help from my papi, intentional or not. I had to prove I could do it on my own."

"Sylvando... Why did you become an entertainer, anyway? What happened with your father and you?" Junichi leaned his chin on his knees. "I don't think I'll be able to offer much advice, because my father and I have always gotten along well. But I can at least listen if you want to talk."

"Of course you do. Your father is a kind, understanding man and you're a lot like him. But I doubt you've ever done anything to go against his expectations of you, either. Have you ever considered not being a prince, a swordsman?" Junichi shook his head. "See? I doubt even a man like King Irwin would take it very well if you told him you wanted to be a minstrel."

"But... it must have been important to you, right?" Junichi looked up at him. "Why does being an entertainer mean so much to you, Sylvando?"

"I don't know that I can explain it, honey. Have you ever had a life's calling? Considered doing something for the rest of your life, and been seized by such a powerful feeling of completeness that you didn't think you could defy it if you tried? That complete surety of 'yes, this is it' that brings color to your world and gives you a purpose?" Sylvando waved a hand at the circus tent. "Mami once took me to see a performing troupe when I was young. The show was amazing, but... what else was amazing was how it made me feel, and seeing how it made everyone else in the tent feel. I wanted to be able to do that for everyone else, you know? Maybe I can't solve the problems of everyone I meet, but I can at least make things a little better for a while."

"I think that's great, Sylvando. You're so passionate about helping others. I've only thought about my home and the people I've met, but you're thinking about everyone around the world. If I were your father, I'd be so proud of you."

"Aww, aren't you sweet, honey?" Sylvando smiled at him, but then it faltered. "He's not a bad person, you know. He's actually very good. I respect him a lot. I think it must be hard for him too, to have a son that doesn't live up to his expectations. My family has been knights for generations. He wanted a knight. But he got me."

"But you're amazing, Sylvando. Maybe you're not a knight in the traditional sense, but you're still helping to protect the weak. And here you are on a journey to save the world. How is that not knight-like?"

"It's not that simple, honey. I mean, imagine if you told your papi that you didn't want to be a prince. What would your kingdom do?" Sylvando waved a hand. "Anyway, when I told him what I wanted to do, we... had a bit of an argument over it. And I left home. I haven't been back to Puerto Valor since I was a teenager."

"You haven't seen your parents in that long?"

"I'm like my papi in that regard. We're both very stubborn," Sylvando said. "I imagine he's still mad at me for running off and becoming a performer."

"But is being mad worth being separated from your family for years?" Junichi sighed. "Sylvando... maybe I could talk to him? I don't want to leave your family split apart like this."

"Oh, that's so like you. But we have bigger things to worry about, don't we? We have to save Gallopolis first."

Junichi frowned. "I think you're just trying to avoid talking to him. Please, Sylvando?"

Sylvando smiled and patted Junichi's shoulder. "You're very difficult to say no to when you get those sad eyes like that. All right, honey. After we save Gallopolis, I'll talk to him, okay?"

"Good. You give smiles to everyone, so someone needs to put a smile on your face, too. Now, you should get dried off for real. Serena's worried you'll catch a cold."

He laughed, getting to his feet. "All right, all right, honey. I'll go get changed right n-"

Something rumbled, a vibration that went from the earth to the air. Junichi looked around, then up just in time to see sand spilling forward, falling down onto them. For a moment, he heard Sylvando's voice, and then everything became black as he was slammed to the ground, the air knocked out of him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even move. It was like when the tidal wave in Zwaardsrust had slammed into them, except he couldn't even fight against this. Panic began to set in as he tried to move, tried to do anything to escape the sudden prison.

His hand found his bag, found the inside of it, and he prayed for something, anything that would help. Something brushed against his fingers, something smooth and round, and he dragged it out. Whatever it was, it was warm. He felt the pressure lifting around him, enough that he could move, and he held onto the object with both hands, trying to channel his Luminary power into whatever it was doing.

In a sphere, it expanded out from him, allowing him to stand. With the light from his hand and the object itself, he could see he was holding the Yellow Orb, which pulsed as the sand moved away from him. "Junichi?" he heard Sylvando's voice.

Oh, good, Sylvando was safe. But there were probably other people that had been outside, might've been caught as well. Junichi grimaced, pushing more power into the Orb. He could only hope that the mysterious sphere could handle Luminary power better than his weapons could. Hands folded over his own, and then Sylvando's voice again: "Don't stop, honey, keep going."

Junichi managed a nod, trying to shove it even further. It resisted, trying to swarm into the city again, but he shoved it back, reassured by Sylvando's presence. He pushed, upward and outward, feeling the sand lift off the ground and back into the sky.

"Junichi!" He heard Jade's voice. So the others had found them, had been able to get out of the palace. But he didn't dare open his eyes or stop his concentration. "What are you-"

"Let him concentrate," Sylvando said. "I don't know how, but he's using the Yellow Orb to move that sand back to where it belongs."

"Can we help, do ye think?" Rab was here too.

"I don't know, but you can try." Junichi felt Sylvando's hands leave, and his power wavered. Then Rab's hands clasped on top of his own, his grandfather's magic flooding into him. "So what happened? Did the barrier collapse?"

"Seems like it. They said it got much heavier all of a sudden. It's pretty impressive that Junichi could force it back," Veronica said. "They're trying to get it up and running again, but..."

"Can we assist them, do you think?" Serena asked.

"We could try. It shouldn't be that much more difficult than any other kind of cooperative magic. Let's go check."

"We have another problem," Erik's voice. "That prince has gone missing."

"Gone missing? How?" Jade asked.

"One of the servants saw him leaving the palace, heading outside. You didn't see him, Sylvando?"

"I didn't, but my attention was elsewhere. They're sure he's not just covered in sand somewhere out here?"

"That's what I thought, too, but the servant said he was wearing desert gear, so she thought he might be trying to catch up to Don Rodrigo."

Right, Don Rodrigo had been going to investigate the port. Junichi hoped he was all right. "But if he was coming this way, that's the opposite of the direction of the port. That's over beyond the racetrack."

"Yeah, something seems weird about this. Should we join up with the search group, then?" Erik said.

"Well, Gallopolis needs Junichi and Uncle Rab, and probably the twins too," Jade said. "That leaves the four of us. Shall we go take a look, then?"

A soft hand touched his shoulder, Sylvando's. "Do you think you can handle this, honey? Or do you want us here?"

He managed a jerky nod. "Go."

"All right. You stay here and hold things steady until we get back, all right?"