Alphen awoke suddenly in Ulzebek, everyone close around him.
"Hey there." Ace smiled.
"What happened?" Alphen said.
"After you screamed your name, you kinda passed out, probably from using that sword too long. It's been about a week since we took on Balseph." Catra said.
"A week? You mean that whole time I was-" Alphen said.
"Out cold? Yeah." Zephyr II said.
"But the good news is, most of the Renan Soldiers have fled or surrendered." Philia said. "And that attack you unleashed with the Blazing Sword destroyed the Gates of Fire. We were waiting for you to awaken so we could all go together." she said, clasping her hands in a prayer motion.
"By the way, it's nice to finally know your real name. Alphen, huh? I like it." Flamberge noted.
"Thanks. But it seems like my name is all I can remember right now. I still don't have all my memories back." Alphen said.
"Don't worry about it too much, Alphen. I'm sure that you'll regain your memories soon." David said.
"For now…let's show you something." Dan said.
The group then took Alphen into the wilds.
"No Zeugles around either." Alphen said.
"Probably fled with the soldiers. But that's not what we're showing you." Asta said before they arrived to a large chasm where the fire wall used to be.
"Whoa… That looks deep." Meitenkun said.
"And beyond it lies the other realms." Garr said.
"The other realms… Four more territories of Dahnans being oppressed." Shun'ei said.
"And four lords that need to be brought down." Veigue added.
"Hmm…? Hey, I see someone there." Alphamon said.
A young girl wearing a white and blue striped shirt, with the blue stripes reaching to the bottom part of her short black and blue shorts, along with a sleeveless blue coat with a hood with gold outlines was slowly walking towards them as a small owl was flying next to her as she breathed heavily in exhaustion before she soon began to fall to the ground.
The group hurried and got her back to town.
"Hmmm…her injuries aren't serious. But it looks like she's been running on fumes for a while. Likely from lots of fighting." Chopper said.
"Sheesh… A young girl like her braving the wilderness on her own. She's a very strong girl." Ramona said.
"I have some herbs that should help her recover." Ginseng said.
"Thanks. I can use them for medicine. For now, she just needs rest." Chopper said.
"She's a member of the Silver Swords Resistance in Cyslodia. She must've been the only one who made it through." Zephyr II said.
"If she came wandering here, something probably happened to that resistance." Jet said.
"Meaning…we have our next destination." Jexi said.
"Yes. We'll head to Cyslodia as soon as we are able." Sectonia said.
"Let's at least wait until the girl recovers." Leon said.
"Good idea. She should be able to give us some idea of what's happening there." Shun'ei said.
As the young girl recovered, the group decided to share some insight on what they were doing here with Alphen and Shionne.
"Really? You're out to liberate Cyslodia from oppression too?" Alphen asked.
"Yes. Lately, our people's oppression has become more and more severe. When we heard rumors that you had staged a successful rebellion in Calaglia… We hoped that maybe you could help us." the girl said.
"Easy choice. We were going to do that anyway." David said.
"He's right. But not all of the Crimson Crows can go. So we'll play it like we did with Balseph." Zephyr II said.
The group soon gathered where the gate was along with Alphen, Shionne, Zephyr II and the girl.
"I'm a bit nervous. I mean, we don't know what the other Renan Lords are like." Sachiko said.
"All the more reason to cross to their territories ourselves." Crusadermon said.
"We'll just have to take it one step at a time." Emil said.
They started walking through the chasm.
"By the way…we never got your name." Izuku asked the girl.
"It's Rinwell. And this owl is Hootle." she said.
"Cute little guy, is he?" Petra asked.
"Hoo." Hootle said.
"I betcha Tear would go gaga over this adorable little guy." Rutee said.
"I can imagine she would." Genis said. "But she and her own group are doing their own thing right now, so it's probably best we don't disturb them from anything important."
"Obviously." A2 said.
"In any case, it's great to be working with you, Rinwell." Gemini said.
"Yes, though…" Rinwell said as she glared at Shionne.
"Ah, right. I think I know what this is about." Genis said.
"Not very trusting considering Shionne's a Renan, huh? I guess that kinda front would be warranted." Hope said.
"Her anger is understandable, one of my old comrades was the same way." Veigue said.
"And considering how oppressive the Renans were the last 300 years, I can understand what she's going through to an extent." Genis said.
"Right, the journey of World Regeneration." Marta said.
"Yeah. There was a time where I hated humans too." Genis said. "As a half-elf, our kind was constantly prejudiced by both sides, so we had pretty much nowhere to go."
"But slowly, you managed to create peace between both races after reuniting the worlds at the end of your journey." Emil said.
"So, yeah. I can understand Rinwell's animosity pretty well." Genis said.
"Let's hope Rinwell will come around to that outlook." Gohan said.
"Eventually." Veigue said. "Only time will tell."
And so they ventured off, passing through an underground grotto as they entered a massive icy land.
"Whoa, it's a snowy landscape out here." Francisca said.
"Compared to Calaglia, Cyslodia is so different." Alphen said.
"It'll be awhile before we reach the capital. And the Zeugles here are a lot different from the ones in Calaglia." Rinwell said.
"I can imagine. Different climates and all." David said.
"Knowing you, Dave, this place is probably gonna be a plus for your ice." Jesse said.
"Not just me. But the other ice-specialists too." David said.
"So…what is this place like?" Jexi asked.
"This realm…is a place where no one trusts no one." Rinwell said as they looked out to the snowy landscape.
