When the light finally faded away, Dak saw the robed figure had disappeared with most of the members of the Eye the Midnight Sun and the tablet.
"What just happened?" Dak asked.
"He got away," said Julius. "His pals too. A Light Magic wielder who is even faster than I am, I wonder if he's their leader? How fascinating… fascinating and troubling." He then looked at the scarred mage, who was still trapped in his binding spell. "Anyway, we still this one at least."
Fishlegs's projection then suddenly appeared in front of Julius. "Good, I got through. Now Sir, where are you?"
"Hey, hey, easy Fishlegs, I'm all right," Julius assured him. "I've been a bit busy, though. I had a Transmission Magic temporarily suspended."
"Please explain later, sir," said Fishlegs. "You're needed at the medical ward."
All the Magic Knights remaining in the capital were now standing outside the medical ward. Both Thuggory and Leon were being healed, though there were doubts whether Thuggory would wake up.
"This is horrible," said Maple. "They're pull through, right?"
"A guide. I sure hope they wake up soon," said Terra.
"As do I," Astrid nodded.
Asger and Hammond then arrived.
"We've bolstered the magic barrier," said Asger. "The Transmission Magic has been restored as well, more Knight on the ground searching for any stragglers the enemy mage left behind."
"The capital should be completely secure now and were searching for that noisy… I mean lively boy from the Black Dragons as well," said Hammond.
Klaus saw that both Maple and Adelaide were looking whether it. "They haven't had him for a long, and he's a fighter," he assured them. "When he gets back, I'm going to slap that boy silly."
Hiccup clenched his fist. "I should've been there. Not only have I failed as a Magic Knight but as a Magic Knight Captain."
Astrid then placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hiccup, I know you're kicking yourself for not rescuing him, but none of us could have foreseen this attack. Besides, we are equally as guilty; you are the very least. You were able to elude such a trap."
Hiccup seemed to relax upon feeling her hand. "Thanks, Astrid."
Suddenly everyone sensed a massive surge of magic.
"This large influx of magic," said Asger.
Then suddenly appearing in front of them was Julius with Dak under his hand and the captured mage.
"Hey, there everybody, nice work today," he said.
"It's the Wizard King!" Maple gasped.
"And Dak," Adelaide stared.
"Hi, the gang's all here," said Dak waving. "How's it going?"
"Hey, look, he's got a captive," said Terra.
"Guess he was able to find their hideout," said Heather.
"Man, for a second there, I seriously thought that was going to be it for me," said Dak as Julius placed him down on the ground.
Both Adelaide and Maple relieved upon seeing him, but then Adelaide quickly regained her composure.
"Please, you always go in over your head, and you still haven't learned anything," said Adelaide folding her arms.
'Thank goodness,' said Maple.
Hiccup sighed. "Seriously, kid, how come no matter where you go, you always seem to come back injured?"
Klaus then pushed past all of them and rushed over to him. "Dak! You're really here? Your back? They took you; I thought you were gone for good. Do you know how worried I was? I'm so glad you're okay."
He then began to cry.
"I'm fine, Klaus," Dak assured him.
'What happened about slapping him silly?' said Adelaide rolling her eyes.
Maple then pushed through them and rushed over towards Dak, and gave him a big hug. "Dak, you came back to us! Are you okay? I can't tell you how worried I've been." She then quickly released him. "I knew it good to see you."
Adelaide just frowned, looking a tiny bit jealous.
Nero then flew down and began pecking him relentlessly.
Hiccup and Astrid then began filling Julius in about the situation.
"I see, and we don't know when he'll wake up?" Julius frowned. "Losing a man like Thuggory would be quite a blow. The consequences of my misjudgement."
"No, it's our inexperience that's to blame," said Astrid.
"There's something else; we discovered that the pendant that Thuggory was wearing has disappeared," said Hiccup.
"It's missing?" Julius frowned.
"It looks like they stage the entire attack just to get their hands on it," said Hiccup folding his arms. "But attack like this is completely unprecedented; I get the feeling they were also trying to make a point. Do you have any idea who they are?"
"Well, no… but there have been rumours lately, and from what they said, it sounds like they have a grudge against the kingdom," Julius frowned. "However, I suspect it's not as simple as that."
He then remembered the tablet. 'The multicoloured jewels embedded in that tablet. They were arranged in a pattern, but some of the spots were still empty. Could Thuggory's pendant be one of the missing jewels? What happens when they're all in place? It's possible that Hiccup is right, and they targeted Thuggory because the jewel was in his possession. However, it equally likely that they sought to disable him because they were worried that he would interfere with the achievement of their goals.
'We have been covertly investigating a number of dissidents, but this is the first time I've been able to link them to a single group. They're stronger than I anticipated; this was a large-scale attack backed by immense power. Perhaps I should have remained in the capital.'
He then looked back at them. "We'll interrogate the prisoners for answers later, whoever they are. I ask only one thing from the Magic Knights that you preserve the peace of the Clover Kingdom. To achieve that, we must put everything on the line and keep fighting."
"If you excuse me, Wizard King," said Snotlout.
"We're right behind you," said Scoldlout.
Everyone then watched as the Silver Eagles left abruptly.
'Why is he walking off like that?' Dak frowned. 'I thought we were doing the whole group solidarity thing. Talk about ruining the moment.'
"There's a saying, don't wake a sleeping lion," said Julius. "Our mysterious enemy may have woken an eagle instead." His eyes then turned towards Hiccup. "As well as a Dragon."
'Inexcusable,' said Snotlout. 'What a spectacular failure. I can never allow that to happen again. Thuggory, I swear, I will find the people who did this to you. I will hunt them down, and I will bury them.'
Hammond sighed. "I've never felt so useless in my life. I hope something like that never happens again."
"We won't let it," Terra vowed.
"I promise we will get stronger," said Astrid to Julius.
"Good," Julius nodded.
"And I'm going to be the strongest one of all!" a voice yelled.
Everyone turned and saw Leon was limping out of the medical ward.
"Leon?" Maple stared.
"You should still be resting," said Adelaide.
"Dak!" Leon yelled, looking directly at him. "I'm glad to see that we both survived; it is appropriate that my rival abraded death too! We must grow stronger together; I work until I surpass even my brother, and then I will become the next Wizard King! And now for this…" He then lit a flame on his finger and then pressed against his forehead, creating the same mark that was on Thuggory's head.
"Brother?" said a young Leon. "That diamond mark on your forehead, what is it?"
"It's a sign," he said. "This mark means that I'm committed to overcoming my limitations and becoming King. It's the House Vermillion symbol of both made to oneself. I bestow this mark upon my forehead when I saw the determination of a young Magic Knight surpassing those above him."
Leon then looked at Dak with the new diamond mark on his forehead. "This mark is the symbol of my personal oath."
"I can tell by looking at you I've got a good rival," Dak smiled.
Astrid looked at Hiccup with a small smile. "It would seem as if things have really gone full circle."
Hiccup smiled. "I'm still going to have a long talk with him about thinking before leaping, but it would seem as if the next generation of Magic Knights is promising."
After the attack on the Royal Capital, guardian mage and Magic Knight alike began repairing the damages during the attack. During this, the Wizard King concluded that the attack on the Royal capital was the work of terrorists targeting the Clover Kingdom.
He soon made a public speech to make clear his determination to continue to fight at the people who created this decoration with full-hearted support. However, the invasion was only possible because some of the mages in charge of maintaining the city's magic barrier had disappeared. There were only two possibilities they either were eliminated, or they went willingly.
Immediately after assessing the situation, Julius came to his own conclusion, but it was one that he did not wish to make public.
'I don't want to believe it, but there must be a traitor among the Royal Capital mages,' he said.
They soon started to interrogate both Catherine and the scarred mage, but even with Fishlegs' Memory Magic, they weren't able to learn anything.
"It's no use," he said, looking back at Julius. "We Protect Magic cast on, then we can't get any information."
"We're not keeping quiet because of some spell," said Catherine. "The master is a light within the darkness. He is more than a man; he is our God!"
"We were abandoned, but he always stood by us," said the scarred mage. "You can do what you want, but we would sooner die than betray him."
After that, both Julius and Fishlegs left the interrogation room.
"Whatever the identity of this master, the loyalty commands is undeniable," said Fishlegs. "As is the breath of his power. He is most likely the one that brought down Thuggory; I doubt his minions could have."
"Indeed," Julius nodded. "We'll have to ask the captain; perhaps he can tell us more about the attack. Let's bide our time until the King of Lions awakens."
In some deep dark catacombs were Rades, and he began destroying stalactites and stalagmites alike with his magic.
"Damn you! Damn you! Damn you!" he yelled, placing a hand over the large scar that Dak had left on him. "I'm in pain, and it's all your fault! You did this to me! You miserable, useless brat Dak! I'm going to enjoy destroying you; I'll assemble a wraith army and tear you limb from limb!"
"Wait, are you talking about the Anti-Magic kid?" said Sally as he wandered into the open. "Dak? No! You can't kill him, I've got research to do, and I need him alive and wiggling if I'm going to get the best results. What's more, I feel that scratch of you also there's no way you're feeling any pain now."
"No!" Rades yelled. "It's real; it still hurts! And as for that kid, I saw him first, so you stay away! Hands off, you understand me?"
Sally merely covered her ears. "I'm not listening! I'm not listening!" She then began to walk off. "Dak and I are going to have so much fun together!"
She then made her way to her laboratory.
"It's too bad I don't know when I'm going to see him again, but fortunately, I was able to snag a good sample while he was in my gel," she said. "Now for the little Anti-Magic research."
Valtos was kneeling before his master.
"I was unable to save Georg or Catherine," said the master as he held Thuggory's pendant.
"Those two may be wilful, but they worship you," said Valtos. "The loyalty to the cause is absolute; I doubt they will reveal anything."
"It's not information I'm concerned about. As long as they are alive, I will rescue them," he said and then looked down at his withered arm. "I thought that I had dodged it, but it would seem as if that attack did graze me after all. A spell that speeds up the passage of time and so drastically too. Such power, his magic is truly phenomenal. Still, we will continue to marshal our strength; revenge will be ours. Soon the once-mighty Clover Kingdom will fall, and when it does, we will form a new nation that is ours alone."
At the capital, the little girl that Dak and Adelaide had saved showing her gratitude by giving them some baked goods.
"I can't believe how brave you two work out there," she said. "Thank you so much for saving me."
"Sure, no problem," said Dak.
"We were only doing our duty as Magic Knights," said Adelaide.
"Here you," she said, holding out a basket filled with cakes. "I make them all from scratch."
"These look great," said Dak as he grabbed the basket.
"Thanks again for everything, see ya later," she said that then ran off.
"The two you did fine work out there," said Hiccup as he placed his hand on the shoulders, but then he looked directly at Dak. "However, you can't just go running off without a plan."
"But Captain, if I hadn't, that girl would have—"
"I know, things may have turned out buying this time, but you will be as lucky," said Hiccup strictly. "You need to learn to put your mind before the sword, as my father used to say."
Dak nodded. "Yes, sir."
Adelaide just looked at Hiccup. 'I guess Vice-Captain Heather was right; he is a natural-born leader.'
Dak then saw Leyla and her group walking by and immediately waved at them. "Hey, guys!"
"I know that yell anywhere," said Klaus.
"Oh hi, Dak!" Maple waved.
"Hey, Ley, are you doing all right?" Dak yelled. "I heard you had a tough time with the enemy."
"Yeah, I would be dead if it weren't for your captain," Leyla nodded. "Though I should be asking you the same question, weren't you captured by the enemy?"
"I'm good, but I'm not gonna let them get the drop me like that again!" Dak vowed.
"Then until next time," Leyla waved.
Maple just looked down at Dak. 'Dak, I'm going to get stronger. The next time we face an enemy together, I'll be able to fight by your side and then… and then…'
She then giggled.
Hiccup smiled and looked at Dak. "It would seem as if your presence has inspired other Magic Knights to push past their limits."
Dak looked at him. "You think so?"
"I can see it in their eyes. Now let's get back home."
It was afternoon when they finally got back to the hideout, and Magnus and Luck had just returned from their mission.
"Hey, guys welcome back," said Dak. "How did the mission go?"
"Not too bad, but man, I'm wiped out," said Magnus.
"It was exhausting," said Luck.
"Worth it, though. We did so well out there that we earned ourselves a shiny new star."
"That's great," said Dak.
"Tell them the rest too," said Luck looking at Magnus. "Tell them about our combo move, the Crackling Magnus Typhoon and how amazing it was."
"Do not use that move ever again," Magnus warned.
"I really wish I could have been there with you guys," said Gordon.
"That's right, the way things are going, I'm going to be leading this squad in no time," said Magnus confidently. "Get ready; we're entering the age of Magnus. Stick with me, kid. You're going to go places."
"Actually, after the attack at the capital, there was a special distinguished ceremony, and I did okay because they made me a Junior Knight 3rd Class."
Magnus and Luck just stared at him, but then they looked at one another, confused.
"Wait? What the heck is a Junior Knight 3rd Class?" Magnus asked.
"Well… uh," said Luck looking clueless.
"Seriously, you've been here how long you don't even know that," said Hiccup as he folded up the newspaper he was reading. "You see, there is a Knights ranking system. You, two clowns, haven't advanced city joined up, so you're still only Junior Knight 5th Class. In fact, Adelaide also managed to become a Junior Knight 3rd Class, you best show those two some respect."
Magnus and Luck just stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
"In fact, now that I think of it, the two of you are the only ones in this room that are still at the lowest rank," said Hiccup.
"What?" Magnus stared.
Hiccup looked at both Dak and Adelaide. "The two of you should be proud of yourselves; you did good work."
"But what if Captain Thuggory never wakes up?" Dak asked.
"I wouldn't worry too much; that man is as tough as nails," said Hiccup. "I have a hunch that when he wakes up, be even stronger than before."
"Yeah, you're right," said Dak cheering up. "Okay, I had better get back to my training so I can be all pumped up too."
"No way, kid, you need to rest," said Hiccup strictly. "This is the third time you've come back from the mission banged up; I want you to have some time to recover."
"He's right; just take some time off," said Adelaide.
"Not you too," Dak groaned.
"Don't be an idiot."
"Time off, huh?" Dak sighed.
"You got some free time, Dak?" Finral asked. "Let's go to a mixer."
Adelaide just stared at them in horror.
"A what now?" Dak stared.
"You've got work to do," Hiccup reminded Finral.
"Leave all the arrangements to me," said Finral ignoring Hiccup.
"I said work."
"So much to do, so little time."
"Oh, forget it."