Sun Fueled Rage

by PhotonicCyclone

Two years after the Battle of the Storm Spire, Azymondias has taken on the role as King of the Dragons and together with Ezran, has been helping relations improve between the two halves of the continent. However, no change is without opposition, and trouble begins to brew when a certain Sun Dragon begins to take action against the growing unity. Alternate Universe: Older Zym

4. The Summer Snow

Hi there! MAN, it's been a long time, hasn't it? The last chapter was uploaded in June of last year believe it or not... so it's been quite a while. I do apologize for it, it's been a mix of things such as procrastination and life getting in the way. For that though, I've got a bit of a treat for you, chapters 4 and 5 are being released in rapid succession! This was originally written as one chapter, but it got WAYYY too long, so I split em into two. Chapter 5 will be released about a week from now so look forward to that. I'm still very much interested in this story and really want to finish it! With that being said, I hope you enjoy chapter 4!

Also, thank you so much for gagaball88 for the beta reading. You've been a massive help in catching errors and getting these chapters polished for release!

---

A cold breeze whipped through the Xadian desert as the late night made its arrival. The once baked sand was now devoid of energy, having sacrificed all of it to the skies above. The last crackles and pops emerged from the structure that Sol Regem had lit during his coronation earlier that day, the previous fire leaving only the soft orange glow of embers. This was accompanied by a similar glow from the border, faintly lighting the horizon and seemingly projecting the chaos that was occurring behind it.

The commotion from earlier that day had long since dissipated, leaving a relaxing quiet as small and low conversations emerged from the few remaining Knights of Sol Regem, who had stayed behind on guard duty for the recently crowned King of The Dragons. These consisted only of those who had been part of the Knights of Sol Regem from the very beginning and had assisted in overthrowing the old monarchs. Sol Regem had decided to base himself here, at least for now, due to the proximity to his old home. The dragon in question lay behind the knights, curled up and fast asleep. His deep, slow, and rhythmic breaths acted almost like background noise as the knights talked on.

This peaceful mood continued for several minutes before suddenly being broken by the screech of a hawk. Some guards craned their heads to the western sky, where the sound had come from, and watched as a blue, glistening bird quickly approached them, stirring more and more faint mutters from the scene. Sol Regem himself awakened from the sudden disturbance, his breaths getting louder and faster as he slowly rose from his state of rest.

The hawk touched down right in front of the Sun Dragon and quickly dissipated, leaving nothing but an arrow with an attached letter in its wake. Sol Regem's head followed the sound of footsteps coming from one of the knights as they approached.

The knight in question, Irida, slowly picked up the arrow and undid the knot binding the letter to the shaft. It was then that she noticed the seal.

Irida stared up at the expressionless Sun Dragon towering over her before she cleared her throat and began to speak. "Good morning, Your Majesty," the knight said respectfully. "It appears that we have received a message from Katolis."

Sol Regem let out a long exhale as he thought it over. He wouldn't get his hopes up just yet. This could, of course, be a message of defiance just as much as it could be a message of surrender. However, Sol Regem was never going to find out by just doing nothing.

"Open it." Sol Regem commanded.

Irida did as ordered and then proceeded to read the letter out loud. A smile slowly crept onto Sol Regem's face as the contents of the letter spilled out for everyone to hear. Once she had finished, a cheer erupted from all the other knights on the scene with Sol Regem's smile having now fully evolved into a wide grin.

"My my, that is excellent news," he said, satisfied.

Sol Regem could hardly believe that he had received a surrender this early. He had expected Katolis to give up quickly due to their current condition, but this quickly? He couldn't keep from chuckling to himself. That was actually quite pathetic. He didn't dwell on it too long, however, as the next order was already waiting to be submitted. "Irida, get a shadowhawk ready for our reply. We will accept their surrender."

Irida bowed and responded with the typical "Yes, Your Majesty" before walking off to fulfill her duties.

"The rest of you, get shadowhawks ready for the Knights of Sol Regem stationed in Katolis, inform them of our victory, and to be prepared for the next incursion into Duren," Sol Regem ordered. "Once you have completed that, you may distribute the news to the rest of Xadia." A wide smile was still present on the dragon's face as he finished.

After seizing Katolis, Duren was the most logical next step. In addition to bordering Katolis, they also still had a solid military force and, unlike Katolis, still had their natural monarch. They were now Xadia's biggest threat. The rest of the kingdoms he wasn't worried about at all. If Katolis had fallen this easily, the rest would follow in no time.

Everything was falling into place just as he had hoped.

---

A long while passed after the news of Katolis' surrender was distributed before a new shape appeared on the horizon. Due to the darkness, it wasn't noticed by much of anyone at first, only being visible by blocking out the light from the stars as it approached.

It was then that some of the knights noticed it and craned their necks to attempt to get a better view of what was coming. The figure in the sky was in the distinct shape of a mid-sized dragon.

"Your Majesty, we have a visitor."

As the sound of flapping wings became audible, Sol Regem managed to lock on to the approaching beast, waiting calmly for its arrival.

On the back of the dragon, the outline of a rider appeared as well, carrying a noticeable golden shimmer.

The armor of one of their own.

The knights quickly backed off as the dragon descended, allowing it space to land. Particles of dust from the rocky terrain whipped up into the air and gently began to settle again as the dragon touched down with a highly audible thump.

Everyone on the ground watched silently as their ally slowly began to climb off the back of the creature. It was definitely a Sun Dragon, its red top and dark legs now clearly visible. They could see its wings, red with a black underside, the black cut occasionally by red lines showing where its bones stretched across their surface. Blue eyes, glowing brightly, stared back at them with an unreadable expression.

The knight had finally finished demounting the dragon after what had seemed like a long, uncomfortable silence and approached Sol Regem before stopping to bow and announce herself with a formal voice. "Greetings, your majesty. I bring news coming from the settlements that could not attend your coronation."

Sol Regem's expression instantly curled up into a cheerful smile. "Ahh! Meera! You've returned! Please, do tell us."

Meera nodded (an action that Sol Regem obviously couldn't see) and then explained. "We have received several replies to your coronation speech, and to your request for new members of the Knights of Sol Regem. I am pleased to say that from the settlements that have responded, all of them have agreed to join our cause and are preparing their militaries as we speak. We have elves coming from almost every primal source."

Sol Regem's smile widened. "Thank you, Meera. It seems we are getting a lot of good news today. Is there anything else?"

Meera took a moment to nod again before starting. "Yes, there is in fact something else that I've wanted to add on. Along with the aforementioned forces, many more dragons have also agreed to join our movement. One of them being the one that has agreed to fly me here."

"King Sol Regem, may I introduce Pyrrah, the Sun Dragon."

Pyrrah's head titled up towards the Archdragon in front of her, her expression still unchanging.

Sol Regem's smile, however, faltered for a brief moment as he thought something over.

"I see…" Sol Regem started. "Well, Pyrrah, I am honored that you have decided to join our ranks, considering that I remember you being quite close with the likes of Azymondias and Zubeia."

Pyrrah briefly glanced to the floor, a slightly more aggravated expression taking hold on her face, before looking back up at the Sun King and grunting as acknowledgment.

It was then that Meera spoke up for her. "Oh, indeed she was. However, like many of those joining us, she was moved by your speech and shares our view of what we're doing here to be the next necessary step forward."

Sol Regem chuckled. "I'm glad you were able to see the truth. The Knights of Sol Regem will be overjoyed to have you. We will begin our next incursion soon, so until then, you may rest up. I must ask you, however, are you prepared to do whatever it takes to secure Xadia's future?"

Pyrrah slowly turned her head to look past Sol Regem and to the warm light of the border. Her eyelids seemed to narrow in determination, and she produced a slight growl as she focused on it. She then slowly turned back to Sol Regem and gave a particular nod along with a grunt to signify her response.

"That seems to be a yes, your majesty!" Meera said excitedly, causing Sol Regem to nod back.

"Well then, Pyrrah? Rest up. You will be notified once we begin."

Pyrrah, without much of an acknowledgement, swooped around to face the east, her eyes still lit with the fire of fury as she swiftly took off with a loud whoosh and promptly disappeared into the black, starry sky.

"Oh, and Meera…?" Sol Regem started as she had just begun to walk away.

Stopping on a dime, Meera turned around and tilted her head in curiosity. "Yes, your majesty?"

"Would you happen to have received any news about the search for Azymondias?"

Meera took a moment to sigh, "No…not that I am aware of…"

Sol Regem's face fell into a very clear frown. This was definitely not the news he was hoping for. Azymondias hadn't had that much of a headstart, he would've hoped to have heard something by now, and this complete absence of news, well…it unsettled him.

"Hmm…" Sol Regem paused. "Do your best to monitor the situation. If you receive news of any kind, inform me immediately. If we don't hear anything in the coming days, then it may be time to move to more…desperate measures."

By desperate, Sol Regem of course meant informing the rest of the Xadian public about Azymondias' survival. It was a risky move for sure, no doubt that if he said the wrong thing people would start asking questions…he had, after all, told them that Azymondias was slain. It was, of course, necessary at the time for the safety of Xadia. However, he needed to make sure everyone else saw it that way as well. He would just have to choose his words carefully…

Despite the risk though, the benefits of such a move were certainly visible, and he figured that by now, most people in Xadia had come to accept him and his intentions. Therefore, most would come around to his reasoning. Also, if Azymondias was still loose, he would have to announce it eventually. He couldn't keep this secret forever, and he would much rather it be him that revealed the truth than the public inevitably finding out for themselves sooner or later.

Meera, in response to Sol Regem's request, bowed before turning and walking away, leaving Sol Regem in silence, calmly dwelling on his own thoughts.

---

Rays of light filtered through the windows of the Katolis castle as the sun rose, marking the progressing dawn. Callum lay face down on the soft cushions of his bed, completely awake. The bedsheets lay in complete disarray from continuous tossing and turning, halfway wrapped around his body.

Callum had not gotten an ounce of sleep last night. His eyes were trying harder and harder to force themselves closed, sweat oozed from his pores, and above all, the constant drumming of a sharp headache tortured his brain. The chirp of the birds outside frustrated him, becoming an ever-present reminder of what he had missed. Still, the thoughts of what was about to happen to Katolis persisted, sending his consciousness into a mad fury that refused to rest. The incessant what-ifs and alternate scenarios had continuously tormented him throughout the entire night.

Did I really make the right decision? Is this really the best outcome that could have come from this?

Callum tried as hard as he could to squeeze his eyes together, push the thoughts out of his head, and just get a tiny ounce of sleep.

This was the only solution. I had no choice. It was no longer up to me, Callum rationalized.

For a moment, it seemed that it was actually starting to work. That, or his mind was finally giving out due to exhaustion. At this point, either one was fine with him. He felt his grasp on reality begin to slip away as he fell deeper and deeper into the depths of his dreams.

Reality immediately ripped him right back though, with loud, rapid knocking at his door. Callum groaned and slowly moved to get out of his bed. His joints complained with every movement and he felt heavy, as if somebody had suddenly turned up the gravity. Callum moved cautiously toward his room's entrance, balancing himself on furniture as he struggled to find his footing.

At last, he convinced his body to cooperate with the commands from his brain and slowly opened the door to his room. Standing on the other side was none other than Opeli, wearing the same grim expression on her face that he had seen last night. A drop in his stomach and a series of chills radiated through Callum as he looked at it.

"O-oh, hi Opeli," Callum stuttered out, his exhaustion clearly audible in his voice.

Opeli's expression remained unchanged. "It seems that we have received a response from King Sol Regem," Opeli said as she held out the letter that Callum just now realized she was holding.

Callum's stomach dropped further as adrenaline shot through his body at the mention. Suddenly, it was like his exhaustion didn't exist anymore, giving way to a dark fear that slowly crept up his body.

"O-oh- I-I-s-see."

He was stuttering more than the crow master, although he didn't know why exactly. He didn't know what he was expecting from that letter other than Sol Regem accepting Callum's surrender. Perhaps it was the implication that Sol Regem actually knew of his surrender now, that somehow made this situation and his thoughts about the future feel more real to him.

Callum shakingly accepted the letter from Opeli's hands.

"T-Thank you," Callum said as he gained some control of his emotions.

Opeli said nothing. She simply bowed and walked away, leaving Callum alone in the doorway.

Callum didn't move for what felt like an eternity. His eyes stayed glued to the curled-up paper that he held in his hands, the letter that would very well define the future of Katolis. The gold of Sol Regem's seal glared back at him, taunting him as it reflected the sunlight. Just like with the letter that Callum had received the previous night. He did not want to open this one. The familiar dread of the possible contents again began to set in. However, he knew he now had even less of a choice in the matter than before. Important demands could be contained in this letter, demands he would need to act on to save the lives of his people.

Knowing all of this, Callum sighed, rubbed his eyes, gently closed the door to his room, and slowly wobbled his way back. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he continued to eye the letter for a long, hard while until he made the decisive move to break the seal, revealing the text hidden inside that he had been dreading to see. Just simply deciding to get it over with, he took a deep breath and began reading.

The letter began simple enough. It consisted of Sol Regem congratulating on making a wise choice in surrendering, claiming that he knew how hard it must be to be forced to make such a decision. The next part of the letter explained that Sol Regem would keep his end of the bargain, that his forces in Katolis were already being notified, and that the attacks were being called off.

Callum closed his eyes and let out a long, hard exhale as a considerable weight fell off his shoulders. He always had a lingering fear in the back of his mind that Sol Regem wouldn't keep his word, that he would simply take the surrender as an invitation to finish off everyone who hadn't been affected yet. It was the first ounce of good news he had gotten in the past couple of days, and he couldn't be more thankful for it. He no longer had to worry about the burning of towns or how many people Sol Regem was killing. At least the people of Katolis would be safer now, even if they would soon be under new leadership. He had made the right call after all.

After that comforting statement came the request, or in this case, demand to distribute the news of the surrender to all of Katolis' forces so that they would lay down their arms. Callum had expected something like this. He noted to start writing the necessary shadowhawks once he had finished reading. It was a pretty standard thing to do, so he didn't feel much seeing that.

The last part of the letter, however…was something else.

His fear and anxiety from before all surged back immediately as he read through the words on the page. His eyes widened, his breathing and heart rate accelerated, and his body began to shake ever so slightly. He felt like he had to do a double-take as he processed the writing in front of him.

As he finally reached the last word on the letter, Callum thrust the paper onto the bed next to him. He could look at nothing but the door ahead as tunnel vision seeped in, and he focused hard to try and control his breathing to prevent another panic attack.

Eventually, the breathing worked, and Callum gently lowered back into rationality. The second his body finally recovered from the scare he had received, he rocketed out of his bed, leaving the wrinkled letter from Sol Regem behind, and stormed out of his room.

Callum sprinted as fast as he possibly could through the hallways, with a few startled castle guards having to dive out of his way due to him not looking where he was going. He knew who he was looking for, and his body became fully autonomous as it quickly turned the corners, effortlessly navigating its way straight towards Opeli's study.

Callum didn't even stop to knock once he had reached the wooden door marking the entrance. Instead, he violently barged into the office. The door swung open with such incredible speed that a loud bang sang out from the door as it collided with the wall.

Opeli noticeably jumped at the display, her head immediately snapping up from her work, instantly followed by the pen clattering as it fell and jumped around on her desk.

"My GOD, Prince Callum!" Opeli yelled in surprise, clutching her heart.

Callum stopped for a moment. This was the most informal he had ever seen Opeli act. He hesitated at the sight for a moment, feeling slightly regretful for intruding like this unannounced. However, the memory of what he had come here to say quickly returned and dwarfed all of those feelings.

"S-sorry, Opeli, I just have some urgent news that I need to share...I-It's from Sol Regem's letter," Callum stammered.

Opeli's eyes quickly refocused from her shocked state and locked with Callum's own, her expression once again becoming her familiar formal face. However, this time, it seemed to be dotted with intrigue.

"Go on."

"W-well, first of all, Sol Regem will force us to hold a concession speech that he will be attending here at the castle in two days. There, I will have to sign a treaty to make the surrender official and hand Katolis over to him. T-that's not why I came running in here, though," Callum said, worry building in his voice.

Opeli's facial expression didn't change. However, she seemed to be leaning a little closer than she had been before.

"It's what will happen after this…event that I'm so worried about…you see...Sol Regem…"

Callum struggled to finish what he was saying before his emotions surged back. He realized he could no longer explain what he wanted to in a calm manner. Instead, he let his feelings take control and quickly yelled out what he wanted to say, tears forming on the bottom rims of his eyes.

"They're going to destroy the castle, Opeli! They are going to burn it and destroy it until there is nothing left but ashes! He's given us until the concession speech to take everything we need with us, and if by then we don't have everything sorted, it's our tough luck!"

---

The castle was in complete disorder following Callum's words. The halls filled with the sound of rapid footsteps and yelling as everybody scrambled to get all of their belongings outside.

Callum simply lay on his bed, his legs hanging off the edge with his head touching the wall on the other side. His eyes were shut tightly as he slowly tried to calm down from everything he had experienced today. Not much remained for him to do. He had distributed all the news he needed to, and all he could do now was wait to lose the castle. The home he had lived in for most of his life.

Callum felt a choke in his throat as he remembered all the memories he had made here. That was all coming to a close now, locked away in a safe that could never be opened. He seemed to lose everything close to him. His step-father, the kingdom he loved, Zym, and now the castle. His only hope left was for Ezran to be ok along with Rayla and everyone who had gone with her, and for them to return safely. However, with no contact, he still didn't know what would become of them.

It wasn't long until the tears started flowing. Why? Why did this universe seem to hate him so much? What had he done wrong? Maybe he was just the universe's punching bag; perhaps it got some kind of enjoyment out of this. He didn't know about that. However, what he did know was that this was truly the end of the road.

He began to think of the other Human Kingdoms. It was unlikely that Sol Regem was going to stop at just Katolis. He would keep going until all of humanity was under his control. That, Callum was sure of. He just hoped that other kingdoms would fare better than he did. That's all he could do now.

Unless…

Callum's mind suddenly flared up with an idea that he couldn't ignore. Maybe he wouldn't have to be just a bystander after all. Sure, he would soon lose his power and could no longer provide aid to the other kingdoms. However, that didn't mean he couldn't warn them of what was coming for them. He still had the resources to do that. The invasion on Katolis had been so successful partly because they had no warning; had Katolis had time to prepare, maybe they might have had a chance. He hoped that by sending an alert, the other kingdoms might stand a better chance against Sol Regem. Who knew? Maybe they could even drive Xadia back completely and liberate Katolis.

Callum immediately jumped to life, a new flame of determination igniting within him. With a pen in hand and blank sheets of paper in front of him, he started hastily scribbling letters to Duren, Del Bar, Evenere, and Neolandia. Each letter would explain the current situation as well as warn about Sol Regem's likely advances into their kingdoms.

Sometime later, a knock snapped him out of what he was doing. Curiously, he approached the door and swung it open, revealing something he had not been expecting to see. Several guards were standing on the other side, enough to almost completely block his view of the hallway.

"Prince Callum," one of the guards started with a bow. "I just wanted to let you know that we are still loyal to you despite the current circumstances. If there is anything you want us to do, we are at your service."

Callum stopped for a moment, surprised. On top of the relief he felt from his guards' continued loyalty, he had nothing prepared for something like this. He had no idea what he wanted to say. He felt as if he had just been put on the spot, and his mind suddenly went blank. He was just about to reply that he had nothing for them, but then the thought of what he was writing came to mind.

Losing Katolis would most likely keep Callum out of the loop of what was happening in the other kingdoms.

While before, Callum may have preferred not knowing, now, the idea of being held in the dark was too much for him. He was already uninformed about what seemed like a lot these days. He didn't want this to be the next.

It seemed like a long-shot request, but the guards had said they were at his service, so it couldn't hurt to try. "Actually…Yes, there is something I would like you to do. I am in the middle of writing letters to the other kingdoms about everything that's been happening. I have reason to believe that Sol Regem is going to attempt to capture not only Katolis, but the rest of the pentarchy as well…I wanted to-uh…ask you…to visit the other Kingdoms. Decide amongst yourselves who goes where. I don't really care. Just report back to me with updates on what's happening there, preferably via crow if you can. Our shadowhawk supply is finite now…a-and crows may also have less of a chance to tip off Sol Regem…Are you able to do that?"

The guards looked up at him with surprise for a moment. Callum desperately hoped that there wouldn't be any sort of problem. If this all went smoothly, he might just feel a little bit better.

Finally, the guard in front sighed and began speaking. "This is quite an unusual request, but if you truly think it is necessary, we will do our best to satisfy it." He quickly bowed before he spoke again, "Is there anything else, Prince Callum?"

Callum shook his head. "No, no, that will be it, thanks."

The guard nodded and began walking down the hallway, the others behind him following suit.

Callum gently closed the door to his room and took a long breath. That certainly went well.

---

Water sloshed and splashed as a mother vigorously scrubbed the dishes from the previous meal. She smiled as she listened to the sounds of the children playing outside from within her tidy little house. She loved this time of year in Duren. It was always peaceful, always pleasantly warm. The house was also always quiet, given that her daughter was usually one of those children creating the previously mentioned harmony of summertime play that graced the town.

She didn't really have any concerns about her daughter. The girl knew to stay in front of the house when playing outside, as they had always practiced. So while the daughter was in her own little world, she could always finish up on some of the things to do inside. And so was the schedule for every summer.

However, a break in the schedule occurred when she heard her front door open and the fast pitter-patter of her young one's feet. The woman looked up from the dishes towards the source of the sound and smiled at her daughter's wide grin as she bolted towards her mother.

"Well, well, Fabiana, you're back earlier than usual. Did you have fun?" the mother asked in a warm tone.

The girl's smile only grew wider. "Mommy! Mommy! The most amazing thing started happening! Come look! It's snowing!"

The mother simply laughed and patted her daughter's head. "Oh, honey, It's too warm for snow."

Fabiana pouted and stomped her foot. "But it's true! It started just now! Everybody's out there looking at it! Please come see!"

The mother sighed, a smile still on her face. She still didn't believe a word of it, but who was she to let down her daughter like that? She was probably just playing pretend or something with her friends, and they had decided to get the parents involved.

Chuckling, she decided to play along. "Okay, Okay, Just let me finish up here, and then I'll come join you, alright?"

"Nooo!" Fabiana yelled as she grabbed her mother's arm, attempting to pull her towards the door. "You have to come now! It might be gone by the time you come, and then you won't believe me!"

The mother sighed again, this time a little more annoyed. As much as she loved her daughter, she could be a real pain sometimes. However, she eventually decided to give in to the ever-persistent young girl. "Ok, Ok, lead the way."

Fabiana cheered in excitement, pulling her parent towards the house's front door as the mother just smiled and chuckled while shaking her head. When the two got out of the house though, the mother saw something she had never expected.

Her daughter had been right. A scan of the street revealed that snowflakes had indeed become visible, gently falling from the sky and settling on the hot, stone street. It didn't seem like a tiny flurry either. It looked to be a pretty decently sized snowfall. The children in the street jumped, skipped, and played with incredible energy. They were a lot more hyper than before, seemingly worked up by the anomalous occurrence.

"See, mommy? I told you!" the daughter yelled.

Indeed she had, but this didn't make any sense. The mother could still feel the summer heat on her skin. Looking at the road, she could see that not only was snow falling, but it also seemed to be sticking as it settled, not instantly melting like it should have been. A pit in her stomach began to form as she observed the phenomenon. Something was very clearly wrong.

A quick look at the rest of the adults on the street showed that they had noticed it as well. Faces were painted with confusion, concern, and horror. Some parents were attempting to beckon their kids inside their houses while others just craned their necks and watched, frozen.

The mother held out her hand and observed the snowflakes as they made contact. They weren't cold at all, not like one would be expecting snow to be. After some closer observation, she came to a horrifying revelation. The flakes looked unnatural, completely disfigured and discolored from actual snow. Her fears confirmed, the mother took a long, deep breath as she looked towards her daughter, the child's dress already turning grey in some areas.

"I...don't think that's snow, honey..."

---

Queen Aanya managed to suppress a yawn making its way up her throat as she quickly rubbed her eyes which were slowly but surely beginning to droop. The white walls of the throne room towered around her, adding to the sunlight that was flooding in through the windows, giving the whole room a bright, warm, and welcoming feel.

Aanya had always liked it here, feeling just as much like home as her room did. However, as natural and safe as it felt, it did, on occasion, get a little boring. Aanya usually spent most of the day wrapped up in important meetings that concerned several things like diplomatic relations with other kingdoms and, primarily, seeing what needed to be done about her people. It was stressful work, for sure, but necessary. So despite how much the periods of downtime bored her, she did appreciate the break.

Aanya turned her head to look outside one of the windows situated just to her left, a view that was high enough to look over the palace walls and into the land surrounding it. The picturesque green grass that spread out in all directions, the trees gently swaying in the breeze, the farmers hard at work. Aanya smiled at the peace her kingdom had maintained throughout the years. The sight always seemed to work to cure her aforementioned boredom as she became lost in the life of it all. It reminded her of the importance of her job. These peaceful lands needed someone to maintain them, after all.

The creaking sound of moving doors suddenly pulled Aanya from her daze. Turning her head towards the massive entrance, she witnessed two guards opening the doors for a tall, skinny man with black hair and brown eyes, wearing the typical Durenian colors.

Aanya's messenger.

Aanya eyed him with curiosity as the doors shut behind him with an audible slam, and he slowly approached, a letter in his hand. Stopping just short of the throne, the messenger closed his eyes and bowed before speaking.

"Your Majesty, forgive my intrusion, but there has been a shadowhawk sent to us from Prince Callum of Katolis. It has been marked as urgent." The messenger said in a formal tone, his expression neutral.

Aanya sighed. This was definitely interesting. News of King Ezran, perhaps? That was really the only thing she could pinpoint this on. She remembered having received Katolis' message when the king went missing, and given Duren's close relationship with its southern neighbor, had agreed to provide assistance via her own kingdom's search.

Aanya slowly got up from her throne and approached the messenger, her expression matching his.

"Thank you, I will read it at once."

The messenger bowed again before heading back to the entrance as Aanya stepped back up to her throne. The same two guards began to walk alongside the messenger before, again, opening the doors for him. Aanya waited for the slam signifying that the messenger had left before getting to work on the seal.

As she read through the words on the page, Aanya covered her mouth with her hand, her face filling with shock.

The head advisor noticed this, as she looked at her queen with a worrying expression."Is something the matter, Queen Aanya?" she said in a caring tone.

Aanya didn't respond until she had finished. She then carefully rolled the letter back up and placed it on her lap, turning her head towards her advisor with a much more severe and determined expression. "It seems that King Azymondias and Queen Zubeia are dead, and Sol Regem has taken their place. Sol Regem has invaded Katolis, who have subsequently surrendered. Now Prince Callum worries that Sol Regem's army may be coming for the rest of us."

Everyone in the room gasped. Aanya's expression, however, didn't change. She looked just as determined as ever.

"Prince Callum has given us this warning," Aanya started, "and we will ensure that we heed it."

Aanya immediately rocketed up from her throne. Her stance taking an authoritative form as she addressed the entire room. "Notify the messenger, have him send shadowhawks to General Livus. Have our forces fortify our eastern and southern border to the best of their ability. We don't know where Sol Regem's army will be coming from, but we know that, as of now, they can come from either Xadia or Katolis. So, for the time being, nobody gets in through those borders. Is that understood?" Aanya ordered, her volume increasing.

Everyone bowed and responded with a "Yes, your Majesty."

Aanya nodded before immediately continuing. "According to Callum's letter, it seems that Sol Regem's army has no mercy for the common people. They will burn towns and take civilian lives until they get a surrender. Therefore, effective immediately, all towns near the previously mentioned borders will be under mandatory evacuation until further notice. Everyone will be moved to the capital of Duren, no exceptions!" Aanya's voice had risen to powerful levels at this point, a tone that nobody in the throne room dared to question.

Everyone simply repeated their bow and responded with another "Yes, your Majesty."

Aanya's expression hardened. "Duren will never back down to the people who mean us harm, no matter what they try to threaten or scare us with. Even if the rest of humanity falls, we shall keep fighting, fighting to preserve a stronghold and a beacon of hope where people can live in peace, liberty, and happiness!"

Everyone in the throne room nodded, some smiling, some with determined looks. They found it extremely hard not to start cheering and eventually gave up on attempting to suppress their excitement, letting lose their applause and praise to their queen, her expression still unchanged.

"Now go!" She pointed to the guards. "Make sure my orders are carried out without delay. We do not know how much time we have!"

The guards quickly bowed and ran out of the room as Aanya watched their departure. It was after they had left that one of the advisors spoke up. "Queen Aanya-"

A shush with a hand held up in response quickly silenced that comment causing the advisor to look down, embarrassed. As Aanya slowly sat back down, the thoughts of what was happening in Xadia and Katolis continued to linger in her mind. Her eyes lit up in fury as she pictured Sol Regem ordering around his army and invading the pentarchy, invoking terror and anguish as he intruded on each and every town, and the troops as they advanced towards Duren with the intent of spreading that same fear and expanding Sol Regem's control.

So you want to play with me, huh, Sol Regem? Ok then. I'll give you what you asked for.

I'll play.

---

The harsh sun beamed down through the ever-thinning Xadian tree canopy, boiling the likes of Rayla, Soren, Corvus, Amaya, Gren, and Nyx. They had just recently left the dense jungle in exchange for what looked like just a regular Xadian forest. The trees that surrounded them were shorter and more spaced out, and the soundscape had quieted down significantly. Gone was the over-active symphony from earlier, now being replaced with the occasional bird chatter or wild animal skittering around. Despite the fact that the team was getting grilled by more and more direct sunlight crashing through the growing spaces in the treetops, the absence of the jungle humidity was still a relief, at least to Rayla.

She assumed it made sense that she preferred the dry heat much more over the humid jungle, even if it felt harsher, due to her general opinion about most things relating to water. An opinion she had verified just moments earlier as they were forced to take a journey across a stream. It had been an experience that had required the team to get off of their moonstriders and trudge through the roaring water themselves with the animals in tow. Even though the water had only went up to her knees at most, the experience had still been miserable because it was a harsh reminder that her clothes and armor weren't exactly watertight. She felt the sogginess for what seemed like hours after she had drained her footwear. She couldn't be the only one who despised all of this, could she?

It seemed like Rayla may have been the only one to prefer this new climate, though, as she once again heard Soren groan from one of the moonstriders behind her, causing her to emit a long sigh and close her eyes to vent the frustration.

"Ughhh, I really wish we were on those mountain tops right now…" Soren complained from behind them.

Said mountains marking the border between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms towered to the right of them. Most of them were tall enough to be dipped in bright, white, heavenly snow that looked as if it was oozing down the ridges like hot fudge oozing down an ice cream cone.

"Well, unfortunately for you, we're gonna be stuck down here…Just hang in there a wee bit longer, big guy. We're quite close now to the Earthblood settlement anyway," Rayla quipped back, still looking ahead, feeling the beginnings of a smile pulling at her lips.

"How far are we from that, really? It seems like we've been close for a while."

Rayla rolled her eyes. "Ask me that again, and so help me, I will get off this moonstrider and slap you right across the face," Rayla responded, staring right back at Soren.

His lips curled up into a challenging smile. "Hah! You don't have the guts!"

Rayla flashed an equally challenging smirk. "Try me."

Nyx seemed to be enjoying this whole display. An entertained grin marked her face while Corvus and Gren looked off in different directions, not wanting to get involved. Amaya just looked confused at what was happening, as she hadn't been able to read lips during most of the conversation, and Gren hadn't bothered to interpret it for her.

"Fortunately for you, though," Rayla started, looking ahead again, "We are really close. We just need to turn right pretty soon-"

"Aha! So we are climbing those mountains," Soren said confidently, looking rather pleased with himself.

It took all the strength in the universe to prevent Rayla's face from meeting her palm right there. "No, dummy, the settlement is at the base of the mountains. Not the top."

Soren sighed and rolled his eyes, looking defeated as the trip went on without more banter.

They made the turn Rayla had been talking about, and soon the peaks began rising higher and higher over their heads. It wasn't long, perhaps a couple of minutes, until the trees around them gave way to a clearing. The ground ahead of them seemed to gradually slope upwards, becoming more and more devoid of vegetation as it progressed.

One extensive, main stone pathway stretched out from where they were standing up to the mountain in front of them, splitting up into several narrower paths that led up to small, cube-like stone structures built out of the mountainside, each being accompanied by a door. The exterior of the buildings became less and less visible as the slope gradually became steeper.

Some homes at the very base of the mountain, where the ground was still flat, were built more like typical houses, using wood, sticks, and leaves.

Several Earthblood elves of different shapes and sizes, bearing antler-like horns walked around the premises, proceeding with their daily lives, not even noticing the group that had just entered their home.

That is until the team began to make advances. That's when some of the inhabitants stopped and stared as they passed by.

It's alright, Rayla thought. Probably not used to outsiders. Heck, my years in the Silvegrove have taught me all about that.

Despite Rayla's rationalizing though, something about how these people were looking seemed… off. Some of them stared with fearful expressions. Others bore into the group's faces with a hateful glare. Some parents were even trying to usher their children inside of their houses.

The rest of the team seemed to have noticed this as well. "Jeez…what did we do to them?" Rayla heard Soren muttering quietly under his breath.

It wasn't much later until a tall, strong-looking Earthblood elf with broad shoulders blocked the path in front of them with heavy disdain in his eyes.

"Halt!" he yelled.

His face did not soften as Rayla and the others complied and stopped dead in their tracks, eyeing the man in front of them with curiosity.

"You there!" He pointed to Rayla. "You seem to be the one in charge. Mind explaining why you have humans with you? Are they your prisoners?"

Rayla looked utterly dumbfounded, as did all of her companions.

Are these guys behind with the times or something? Rayla thought.

The humans in question stared at the man ahead of them with their expressions twisting into a scowl but said nothing. Rayla let out a chuckle to hopefully try to de-escalate the situation as more and more spectators arrived to watch the ongoing exchange.

"No…They aren't prisoners…They came with me willingly…We're actually on a bit of a mission right now, and we were hoping this town could provide some assistance. Are you the one in charge here?"

The man's expression bent into even more of a snarl. "No, but I am the head of the town guard, and you have no business being here. Especially not with them…Their kind is not allowed in Xadia."

Corvus's muted voice rang out from behind Rayla. "Hey, listen, maybe we should go… I don't want to start something," he said timidly. The rest of the humans on the team were still glowering while Nyx just bore an uncaring expression.

Rayla, however, was not backing down. She immediately jumped down from her moonstrider and walked up to the man in front of her, the two now exchanging harsh glares. A few more of the town guard had shown up now and, sensing the tension, had their hands on their weapons, ready for a possible confrontation. Meanwhile, the look between Rayla and the head guard continued to burn like a flame, a thousand words being exchanged without so much as a mouth movement.

After what seemed like forever, Rayla finally opened her mouth and spoke in a hushed voice, dripping with venom. "Now you listen to me. I don't know what time period you're stuck in, but peace with humans was established two years ago. I have known these people for a long time, and there's nothing evil about them. That's beside the point, however. We're here on the business of the King of The Dragons, to locate and rescue King Ezran, who was recently abducted. We came to this town seeking any possible information you had, as we thought you would've gotten the memo, but apparently that isn't the case."

Unexpectedly for Rayla, the guard looked totally taken by surprise, before his face curled into a smile as he began to chuckle, a chuckle which quickly devolved into laughter at the Moonshadow elf in front of him. As Rayla looked around her, it seemed like some of the spectators were joining in. Rayla had a baffled expression at the display at first but quickly put it away before going back into her old glare.

"What's so funny?" Rayla demanded.

It took some time for the guard in front of them to calm down so that he could speak again. He then flashed Rayla a sardonic smile and began to explain. "It seems like you're the one who needs to catch up with the times, lass."

Rayla raised an eyebrow in confusion, but still kept her face stern.

"We are very well aware of the fake peace. However, the human's true intentions were discovered by Sol Regem not too long ago. King Azymondias and Queen Zubeia were too naive to see their plans, and so, were… disposed of. Sol Regem is now your king, and I'm pretty sure he won't appreciate you committing treason by freeing his prisoner…So, unfortunately, you're going to have to abandon your little mission and take those humans back to the West-side of the border where they belong..."

Rayla's eyes went wide with shock as she struggled to absorb the wall of information thrown at her. Everyone around her instantly disappeared and she became trapped in a dark, silent void, attempting to process what she never thought she would hear. After all that, after all of her, Callum, and Ezran's struggles to bring Zym back to his mother and unite the two sides of the continent, it had all been for nothing. They were back to square one. A lump formed in Rayla's throat, and despite her best efforts, she was unable to keep it down. Small gusts of wind formed in her little black void, quickly kicking up into a swirling cyclone. Involuntary tears formed in her eyes as she thought back through the memories with Zym, him hatching at the moon nexus; his close bond with Ezran; the time he had blocked out the sun for them on their way into Xadia; and Zym playing with Ezran at the Storm Spire, running around on the grass fields, both with wide smiles on their faces.

Rayla collapsed into herself as the thoughts flooded into her mind. They were so excited for the future, so happy to finally bring an end to the war that had hurt so many people. For a while, it finally looked like they had achieved what they set out to do. It seemed like peace was indeed possible. The tears began to stream down her face. All she wanted to do was hold her head and scream, scream until the pain went away, scream to wipe away her failure. But her failure never gave way. It seemed the people back in the Silvergrove had been right about her after all. She was worthless. She couldn't even achieve something that she truly believed in.

And what was she to do now? Ignore all the advances that they had made in the past two years? Pretend like it all never happened? Ignore the friendships she had established just to serve the new King of the Dragons and his hateful views?

Her mind stopped at that. Sol Regem. The Sun Dragon that gave Zym and Zubeia so much trouble. Now that same Sun Dragon had slaughtered them both and turned back time. The grief filling her body was beginning to change. Instead of the previous hallow feeling came a burning sensation, a blazing and seething hatred for the dragon that had ruined everything. Her teeth clenched together, and Rayla began to shake slightly as the grief and the hatred mixed, forming a concoction of perfected chaos. The tears were unstoppable at this point. It felt like the heat of her face was going to turn them to steam instantaneously as they made contact.

She finally began to hear faint mumbling from around her as the dark void slowly slipped away, allowing the real world to fade back into existence.

"Hey! Did you hear me?"

Rayla slowly turned her head up to face the guard in front of her, her bloodshot eyes and tear tracks reflecting in the sun's light with an expression of fury visible across her face.

"I told you to either take those humans back to the West-side of the border, or we will arrest all of you and hand you over to the Knights of Sol Re-"

The guard's speech was cut off as Rayla's body moved autonomously. In an instant, Rayla had taken out her swords and slashed the guard across the face, the sword leaving a long trail of blood in its wake as the guard stumbled and fell to the floor, clutching his face in pain. Some of the spectators screamed and ran for their houses while the rest of the guards on scene drew their swords and bows at Rayla, who was still standing in the exact same position, completely unmoving.

The rest of Rayla's team behind her got off their moonstriders and extended their weapons for the confrontation ahead. For a brief while, nobody moved, until an arrow was shot by one of the settlement's guards which Rayla instinctively dodged. Then, without saying a word, she changed her swords into hooks and ran towards the one who had shot and, before he could react, knocked him off his feet.

More arrows flew at Rayla as she dropped and rolled on the ground to dodge them. Most of them either missed or hit her armor and bounced right off, but one of them had lodged itself into her right shoulder. She quickly tore the arrow out, somehow not feeling any sort of pain as the blood began to ooze down her arm. She still heard next to nothing, she could see that people were yelling and screaming, but the sound that reached her ears was faint and extremely muffled. She only briefly noticed as one of the guards who had shot her was slammed with Amaya's shield.

Rayla got up to her feet, still unable to feel the pain but noticing the lack of power in her right shoulder. She sprinted to engage one of the other guards. However, this one was faster, and managed to slam his boot into Rayla's stomach, knocking the wind out of her system and sending her back to the floor. The guard got on top of the thrashing Rayla and attempted to pin her down. He, however, soon found a chain wrapped around his abdomen and was pulled through the air, out of Rayla's sight. Rayla slowly sat up, and a brief glance showed her opponent on the floor near Corvus. She then saw his launcher kick back as it fired its chain towards the next guard who was out of her view.

A quick look around revealed the chaos of the battlefield. Two guards were stumbling backwards, further into the settlement, each with boomerangs etched in their cheeks, only to be divebombed by an airborne Nyx who aggressively ripped the weapons back out, the blades dripping with crimson. A defensive Gren was being backed up against a tree, two enemies gaining on him, weapons drawn as he clutched his sword tightly, ready to fend off the approaching attackers.

Rayla quickly got back up on her feet and rushed to assist the Crownguard, running through the sheer chaos that the field had devolved into on the way. Still having her swords in hook form, she attempted to bring the hook around the right guard's neck to take him to the floor, but the move suddenly reminded her of the state of her arm. As a result, she was unable to fully disable her opponent, who instead gripped the appendage and used it as a lever to throw her over his shoulder, sending her crashing down and impacting the floor next to Gren as the two guards advanced.

Rayla leaned up against the tree, breathing deeply, attempting to regain her lost air as Gren moved to engage. As she felt the tree bark push into her neck, she got an idea. Looking up at the branches swaying above her, she mustered up all the strength she could and immediately moved to climb the tree as Gren struggled with the two guards in front of him.

Both guards had seen her, and the one on the left attempted to track her movement, unable to do much about it wielding only a sword. However, his attention was divided between Rayla and combatting the still-fighting Gren.

Rayla used this window of opportunity as best she could, jumping off of the tree branch with a backflip and landing directly in front of the guard Rayla had attacked before, who was now disoriented. Using her left arm this time, Rayla pulled out her hook and swept the leg of her adversary as Gren moved to disable the one to her right.

After those two had been dealt with, Rayla, out of the corner of her eye, suddenly noticed a much greater number of combatants on the battlefield than before, paired with what looked to be a wall of arrows flying at the rest of the team. One of them managed to hit an airborne Nyx in the side of her torso as she attempted to dive out of the way. Stunned from the shock, Nyx lost complete control of her wings and fell, failing to break the fall and landing hard on her front, struggling to get up. The rest of her team was beginning to be pushed further and further back, some taking their own shots from arrows. Amaya and Soren were fine as nothing had managed to penetrate their armor. However, Amaya seemed to be carrying Corvus, who was dragging himself along with an arrow lodged into his left leg, while Soren ran up to help a disoriented and struggling Nyx. Looking towards the mountain, she watched as what appeared to be a whole wave of armed earthblood elves flooded down the side of the slope. Rayla, in response, changed her hooks back into swords and moved to sprint into the crowd.

However, before she could gain any footing, she was suddenly jolted back by a hand on her left arm. Rayla spun around and almost began slashing reflexively until she saw Gren's eyes staring desperately back at her. He was yelling something. It took a while for Rayla to hear and process what exactly was being said as the sound was only just now beginning to return to her, and Gren's voice was also suppressed among an ongoing battle.

"Come on, Rayla! We need to go! We can't fight them all like this!" Gren yelled, an urgent expression on his face.

"But-" Rayla started, not really knowing why she was opposing.

A stinging, burning sensation in her right shoulder chimed in to agree with Gren's sentiment as she yelped and clutched the wound, trying to dampen the pain. She finally looked at Gren with a worried look in her eyes and nodded.

The two proceeded to sprint back and managed to climb onto the closest moonstrider which was moving erratically near the back of the field. Rayla whistled to get the attention of the two remaining moonstriders who had been startled even more by the confrontation and gestured towards the rest of the group. The moonstriders did as instructed and ran into the battlefield at blazing speeds to pick up the stranded teammates. Rayla herself galloped quickly in front of everyone else, performing a variety of maneuvers that helped draw enemy fire as her friends desperately tried to climb onto the animals.

While Soren quickly helped Nyx onto one of the mounts, Amaya was helping Corvus onto the other, both still doing their best to block off stray arrows and finish before the enemy wave reached them.

Once the entire team had made it on, Rayla commanded her mount to take off at full speed, with the other two following closely behind. The thumping of arrows landing behind them was the last thing they heard from the battle as they disappeared into the trees.

Tears flew into the air behind Rayla as the wind from the front hit her face. She wanted to cry again, she wanted to cry hard. But she couldn't now. She had to get everyone as far away from the mess she had caused as possible. She didn't know how far those soldiers would chase them. All she knew was that she needed to keep going. Actually, she wanted to keep going forever. She wanted those trees to continue to become a blur, speeding past her for the rest of her life as she got lost in these woods, never to come out.

Damn it all! she thought. I guess this is just what I get.

I'm sorry. I let everyone down.

I'm sorry.

---

The atmosphere in Windrip, the southeast border town of Duren, was muted and sullen. The usual vibrant light of the descending sun felt washed out and grey. The joy that had been felt just earlier that day had long since been removed, reduced to dead and empty streets, all except for the silent traffic that occasionally trod through them. The streets themselves had been blanketed by a thin layer of ash. Tiny flakes of the burned material continued occasionally falling from the sky, gently floating down and settling onto the growing blanket, creating a twisted flurry of fear and confusion.

Nobody knew why the ash had fallen. Rumors circulated in hushed whispers like an out-of-control virus, and opinions varied significantly. However, due to eyewitnesses who had originally seen the ash cloud roll in from the south, everyone could agree that the ash had most likely come from some horrible disaster that had occurred in Katolis.

"Attention, citizens of Duren!"

The voices were sudden, harsh, and demanding, signaling the arrival of a massive wave of people covered in Duren's national armor.

The Town Guard.

They seemed to seep from every corner and turn, flowing through the streets like blood rushing through veins. At the head of each column of guards stood a lead, barking out a message to any civilian in hearing radius.

"We have recently been notified that King Azymondias and Queen Zubeia of Xadia are now deceased, and that Sol Regem has risen to power in their wake!"

Gasps of shock rang out through the passing townspeople as some covered their mouths with their hands. Several families also held their children close as they began to weep. The name "Sol Regem" was not unheard of in Duren. He had been in several history books as the angry Dragon King who had burnt down the human city of Elarion all those years ago, and the more recent complications with him at the border only served to increase his notoriety. With Sol Regem in Azymondias' place, most humans could only guess what the future would hold.

"It has also been confirmed that Sol Regem has already amassed an army and has begun a merciless incursion into our kingdoms, one which Katolis has already fallen to!"

Some citizens now began emerging from their houses to see what all the commotion was about, and a general sense of fear and panic began radiating through everyone at the incoming news. The ash flurry continued as more people began to break down. Others just watched the squad of town guards, unsure of what would happen next.

"Sol Regem's army has been known to kill civilians in an attempt to receive a surrender! Therefore, Queen Aanya has ordered the immediate and mandatory evacuation of all towns near the Eastern and Southern borders! Civilians will be evacuated to the capital and will only return once their safety has been assured!"

Having filled the roads, the town guards split off from each other. Some proceeded to move towards any inhabitant they could and gestured for them to follow while other guards began to go house to house, banging on doors and attempting to retrieve their residents.

"Please remain calm. We will do our best to ensure that you are safe and that your needs are cared for on your journey! Only take what you need! Your life is the only thing that cannot be replaced!"

The streets soon became an ocean of people, being fed by the endless flow of civilians pouring out of buildings. The town guards struggled to control the panicked population while also attempting to provide aid to those who couldn't walk well. Questions were shouted at officials who didn't know the answers, babies were crying in the chaos, and people ran around, confused or at a loss of what to do. Anyone who fell over now would be lost, trampled by the stampede. All the while, the flurry of ash continued to rain down.

"Rest assured! We will not fall! Our borders will be safeguarded to prevent this attack! We will drive back this force!"

The evacuation message continued to be yelled out by every leading guard on repeat, sounding in the background as guards continued to get the crowd under control. Eventually, after what felt like hours, every civilian was finally lined up in the middle of the street with guards walking at their sides, prepared to escort the population out of the town.

Slowly, Windrip began to empty as the herd seeped from its exits, heading along the cobblestone streets that cut a path through lush plains and forest. The trees and grass slowly swayed in the wind as the people passed, almost as if bowing in sympathy for the population who may soon lose everything. The sun itself burned more and more vibrantly as everyone began to emerge from under the ash cloud, radiating its warmth on all who were traveling and illuminating the way ahead. It gave some people the impression that maybe everything would be alright. Perhaps they were indeed being watched over and protected by a higher power.

It at least made it easier for them to look at the place they were leaving behind. The lifeless, soulless husk of a town that had once been home to hundreds of people, now was only home to the ash and dust, remaining in complete and deafening silence.

---

The darkness of Ezran's cell continued its assault on him at all hours of the day. Not having access to any sort of window, Ezran had completely lost track of the time ticking away from him. Every minute felt the same as the last, as did every hour.

The cell no longer seemed as dark as it was before. He had gotten used to it by now. In fact, it had become one of his only pieces of company, along with the rhythmic dripping of the mysterious, unseen water source that had not stopped since he first arrived here.

At this point, however, he didn't know if that dripping was soothing or if it actually was causing him to lose his grip on his sanity. There were periods, for example, where that constant, slow dripping infiltrated his ears, screaming throughout the cell, forcing itself into his skull, and rotting through his brain. He could never cover his ears, as his arms were chained to the wall behind him, forcing him to absorb every sound that ricochetted off the walls of the stone chamber. Therefore, he opted to squeeze his eyelids shut as tightly as possible and scream into his mind, begging for the sound to stop. However, the more he begged, the louder it became, as if it was playing some sick, twisted game with him. He never was able to drown it out, no matter how loud he screamed internally.

Nevertheless, there was a different reason why that sound bothered him, one that may have been infinitely more painful. It was the simple fact of what that sound was.

Water.

A perfectly good water source, seemingly just out of his reach. He wanted to go there. He wanted to go there so badly. He sometimes imagined finding and walking right up to it, letting the continuous drips trail along his cracked lips and parched tongue, ending the drought that had found itself inside his mouth. However, his chains simply didn't give him enough slack to walk anywhere. He was stuck, completely, in the same position that he always was. The amount of water Ezran had actually received was minuscule. It was enough to keep him alive but not nearly enough to silence his body's cries for the life-giving fluid.

Still, every so often, he would remind himself that at least he had actually received water. Food was a different story altogether. Ezran had not eaten a single bite since the night he was taken. His stomach had long since given up its previous crusade for sustenance and now sat dormant along with the rest of his body, meekly hoping something would arrive to fill it soon.

They had to feed him at some point, right? They still needed him… they weren't just going to let him rot. Not yet, at least. Still, nobody had come into his cell since he had spoken with Sol Regem, and while he didn't have much of a sense of time anymore, he did still know that his talk with the Sun King had been quite a while ago at this point.

He remembered that he had briefly thought of them forgetting to feed him before, even considered it a possible good thing as he wouldn't be able to fulfill Sol Regem's demands then. But the thought of starving was one thing. Actually experiencing it was another, and at the end of the day…Ezran still feared death.

Suddenly, Ezran heard the clicking sound of a lock mechanism, followed by the loud, horrid, ear-piercing squeak of the heavy cell door as it slowly creaked open. And just like that, his forced solitude was finally broken, for now.

Only a minuscule amount of light made its way into his cell, given off by the torches lining the hallway. Still, with Ezran's eyes used to the constant darkness, that amount almost felt equal to that of daylight.

Ezran glanced up to the now open doorway and observed as two golden armored knights entered his cell, one walking in front of the other. The figure in front held a very familiar needle containing an equally familiar dark green liquid that sent shudders up Ezran's spine. The knight in the back came in holding what seemed to be a rat. The creature appeared to swivel its head around in curiosity, looking around the barren room, sniffing for any scent it could catch in the air before eventually focusing its eyes upon the young king.

"'Evening, Ezran!" The voice from the lead knight chirped.

Of course, it was Pyrrhos.

"I have some news you may find interesting," Pyrrhos taunted.

Ezran did his best to keep his cool and glare back with a defiant expression, trying not to look at the needle and think about what introducing that rat into the cell may mean.

"It appears that your brother has made the sensible choice of surrender."

Ezran's whole world froze. Staying strong and defiant became harder and harder as the despair filled his chest. Tears that were all too familiar to him now began to form on his blue eyes, turning them into two reflective mirrors as he struggled to keep down the oncoming sobs.

No, they were just messing with him, right? Yeah, this was all just another scheme to get him to break, and it appeared to be working.

Hold it together, Ezran! You pathetic crybaby! he screamed at himself.

Katolis hadn't actually surrendered, right? Everyone there was ok. However, the more he tried to assure himself of the fact, the more he realized how much he was lying to himself. Ezran knew what Sol Regem's objective was, and he knew that nobody in the kingdom was prepared for such an incursion. It made perfect logical sense.

Ezran could only imagine what had gone down in the streets of his kingdom. The images that flashed through his mind of his own people... and now… now what? It was only his best guess as to what Sol Regem would do with Katolis now that he had the kingdom in his grasp, and the reality of that hit even harder.

Innocent civilians, men, women, and children, who were just trying to live their lives, keep themselves fed, and pursue their dreams, were now thrust into a conflict that they probably never wanted to be a part of. He pictured the red eyes of families as they huddled together on the floor, crying, wishing for it all to end, wishing upon the stars to grant them mercy. Only for the stars to turn their backs and leave them to whatever fate that dragon had in store for them.

And… Callum, what had happened to Callum? Was he ok? Tears continued to fight their way up as he asked himself if his own brother, one of the figures he looked up to for his whole life, was even still breathing.

You were the king, Ezran. This is your fault. It was YOUR job to protect them.

He struggled harder and harder to keep down his sobs, trying to keep them suppressed under any means necessary. He had to stay strong. No matter what. He couldn't give his captors any satisfaction. Why… why was that so hard?!

You failed them. All of this suffering, all of this blood, it's on YOUR HANDS, Ezran.

The cries were breaching his defenses. With his eyes reaching their capacity for tears, it would only be a matter of time before they spilled over completely.

How dare you call yourself a king? A successor to your father? The first time you took the throne, you abdicated after three days. And now, you couldn't even hold onto the kingdom for much longer than two years. Your father would be ashamed of you. Where did he go so wrong? What did Callum do to deserve being YOUR brother?!

Despite Ezran's internal attempts to tell the voice to SHUT UP, it just continued screaming on repeat in his head, drowning out everything else.

Finally, his defenses had broken, he could no longer hold back, and the tears fell out of his eyes like a waterfall.

It was then that he felt a hand on his chin, and he looked up to see the blurry image of the golden knight that still stood in front of him. "Awww, don't cry, my little king… It's not like you could've stopped this anyway."

Through Pyrrhos' voice, Ezran could tell that he enjoyed every second of this, reveling in kid's tears.

"Anyway!" Pyrrhos clapped his hands together. "On to more important matters. We finally have some work for you to do, Ezran, as you've probably noticed." He gestured to the knight holding the rat behind him. "Before we get started on that though, I believe you are overdue on your medication…" Pyrrhos said while twirling the needle in his fingers.

Ezran didn't resist as Pyrrhos moved the needle to the injection point on Ezran's thigh. The main reason was that, recalling previous events, it was pointless even to try. The news he had just received of the situation at home also drained every last bit of energy out of the young King, or, ex-king now, he supposed, that would be needed to fight this. Therefore, Ezran just sat there, silently sobbing to himself as he looked at the wall to his left, trying to avoid eye contact with the instrument as he waited for the imminent jab.

It was no less painful than last time, despite his lack of resistance. Ezran once again yelped as the sharp pain flared through him almost immediately once the needle pierced his skin. The familiar squelching sound followed, filling his ears as Pyrrhos pushed down on the plunger.

"Wow, nice job, Ezran! We didn't have to pin you down this time! I knew you would come around eventually!" Pyrrhos said mockingly as he yanked the needle out of Ezran's skin, placing it on the floor next to him.

"Anyway," Pyrrhos started. "On to why we're really here. If you remember, King Sol Regem informed you that we would need your little ability to communicate with animals, yes? Well! Today is your first assignment. Since we've already taken Katolis, we are now focusing our efforts on Duren, and, well, you know, some intelligence would prove useful."

Pyrrhos went over the exact instructions with Ezran. Telling him where he should be sending the rat once it arrived in Duren and what specific rankings should be spied on. Ezran, realizing something, began listening to Pyrrhos' words with intense concentration. The game had changed now. He realized that while he could no longer protect his own kingdom, he could still do what he could to thwart the plans of Sol Regem and his captors. It was only Katolis that had surrendered so far, after all, all was not lost yet. A new wave of energy to resist filled Ezran. He couldn't let more people down. He couldn't let more people fall. Even if Sol Regem won, he would not be the reason. He was sure of that much. Ezran's face formed into something more defiant for the first time since Pyrrhos had wandered into his cell as an idea formed in his head. He had to be careful, but he could do this. All it took was a little bit of luck.

"Ah. I see that face, Ezran. You've got a little bit of fight coming back to you, don't you?" Pyrrhos gibed. "I'd recommend you drop that right now. Let's just say that we won't take too kindly to you failing us."

Ezran dropped the face, staring back at Pyrrhos blankly. However, the fire within him continued to burn.

"Now, on the assumption that you do as you're told. We've got something waiting for you after this assignment. Something I think you're going to like, seriously."

Ezran wasn't sure how honest Pyrrhos was about that and therefore didn't know whether he should fear the coming events or not. The uncertainty, however, naturally led to a building of fear in his chest regardless.

Ezran did not have much time to think about what Pyrrhos said though, because his captor immediately gestured for the knight behind him to come forward. The knight obeyed, placing the rat down by Ezran's right side but still staying close, presumably to ensure it didn't go anywhere.

Ezran was able to get a better look at the rat now. Its black beady eyes stared curiously right back at him. Soft, light gray fur covered its body. The body in question was thin and short, most likely, a relatively young animal.

Immediately, Ezran felt like he could understand the rat's language as it squeaked. It was wondering where it was, who these people were, why Ezran was here. It almost seemed just as worried as Ezran himself was. On that, he and the rat had found common ground.

Ezran couldn't concentrate on what the rat was saying for too long, though, as he heard Pyrrhos' voice echo in his left ear.

"Well?"

Here goes nothing.

All of this bet on the rat understanding several key signs that Ezran was about to give it and his captors either not understanding or not paying enough attention.

I can do this. It's all I have left now.

Ezran closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finally speaking.

"H-hey l-little guy, I need you to do me a favor."

Ezran slowly widened his eyes, quickened his breathing, and did his best to act as fearful as he could to make clear how involuntary this interaction was. Ezran didn't need to put that much effort into his acting, however, as his heart was already flying. A quick glance at Ezran's captors showed him that they had not noticed this change in demeanor, or simply didn't care, choking it up to Ezran just being scared. It was fair. After all, he was doing this under threats from people who hadn't hesitated to use physical violence against him before. This was a natural reaction. Ezran just needed to keep selling it.

Ezran uttered his assigned instructions as slow and stutteringly as possible, eyes slowly growing wider and wider.

His heartbeat was accelerating, and he was shaking hard as sweat started pouring down from his brow. Every so often, he would give his captors a passing glance just to make sure that they hadn't caught on to anything.

Every single second heightened his real anxiety, decreasing the amount of acting he needed to perform. It felt like his heart was about to burst from his chest, where a true pain was beginning to take hold. If he wasn't careful, he may just die of a heart attack. However, he wasn't going to stop there. After one last glance at the knights, he decided to pull the riskiest move he had made so far, making his intentions as clear as possible to the small animal.

Ezran thought back to the strategy his brother had used to quell his own anxiety as the young king gathered together every last drop of remaining courage found in his body and funneled it into this one simple but, considering the circumstances, dangerous action.

Breathe, He told himself.

It's either now or never. You have to go through with this. Be the protector that you are supposed to be.

Carefully, as Ezran was finishing the message he was intended to give, he clenched his teeth together and slowly, very subtly, rotated his head to the left, followed by a slow rotation to the right as he spoke. His heart continued to throb in his chest while blood shot through his body like a set of unforgiving rapids as the cell around him seemed to rise in temperature drastically.

Once it was finally over, the crushing dread of whether his captors had seen this slight, slow head shake weighed on him in the following milliseconds, milliseconds that felt like eternities. Ezran squeezed his eyes together for the inevitable beating or punishment that was to come for breaking the rules as he soaked in breath after breath.

However, nothing came. A glance at the knights showed them to be none the wiser. Relief filled Ezran's chest as his heart began to slow down gradually. He was still quivering heavily. He wanted to stop, but the residual fear from pulling the stunt was still present, unable to let go. All he could do right now was close his eyes and focus on his breathing to make sure he didn't burst.

The knight who had entered behind Pyrrhos proceeded to scoop up the rat as Pyrrhos spoke. "Nice job, Ezran! We knew we could count on you!"

Ezran never heard any sort of reply from the rat. Whether this was because it actually never said anything or because Ezran had drowned it out through his panic, he didn't know. However, this kept him slightly on edge as to whether or not the rat had gotten Ezran's intended message. He couldn't stop this question from rolling around his mind as the knight with the rat made their way out of the cell. He knew that whatever happened was out of his control now. Though, that only constituted to help his unease re-emerge. Not a short adrenaline shot like he had when he was delivering the message, but a cold, lingering, heavy stress.

Just…please…let it have gotten across…D-don't let me fail at this…at the one thing I can do.

"Now! As promised, I will give you what's currently waiting for you." Pyrrhos said while standing up. "I'll be back in a moment! Don't go anywhere!"

Pyrrhos laughed to himself, presumably at that last line he had delivered, as he walked through the cell's doorway and slammed the door shut, once again sealing Ezran into complete darkness, wondering what Pyrrhos had in store for him.

It was a couple of minutes later when Ezran once again heard the door unlock. A sound that immediately sent a jolt through his heart as the feeling of uncertainty from before peaked. However, as the door creaked open, Ezran saw something which immediately put his nerves to rest.

Pyrrhos was being honest. Ezran would like this. In the knight's hand was a thin stone tray. It was decked with what looked to be a medium-sized bowl and a cup, both made from the same material as the tray. Ezran knew what this meant.

Food

Ezran felt his dormant extreme hunger re-emerge as he eyed the tray. His stomach demanded whatever was in that bowl, and his mouth started to water despite not even knowing what it was yet.

"Ah, here we are," Pyrrhos exclaimed as he walked into the room. "Since you've been so helpful to us so far, you've earned yourself your first meal."

Pyrrhos knelt down in front of Ezran and firmly placed the tray down in front of the young king, allowing Ezran to get a better look at what was inside the dish.

In different circumstances, the food would not have looked appetizing in the slightest. However, right now, it looked like the most delicious meal Ezran had seen in his life. The bowl appeared to contain some sort of peach-colored mush with a distinct lack of smell, bearing a similar texture to apple sauce. A traditional metal spoon was neatly laid next to the bowl on its left side.

The cup seemed to be the same one that he had always received his tiny amounts of water in, always being about a third of the way full. However, this time, it was filled up all the way with the life-giving fluid, to the point where it was almost flowing over the rim.

Pyrrhos moved to undo the chains holding Ezran's arms in place. The clicks as each shackle was unlocked were all the more satisfying now.

"I'll be back in about fifteen minutes," Pyrrhos stated. "Whatever you haven't eaten by then will be thrown away, so I recommend you eat quickly."

Ezran grabbed the metal spoon with his newly freed hands as Pyrrhos stood up.

"I'll also be right outside the door the whole time, so don't think of using your newfound mobility to try anything fishy."

Ezran had to keep himself from rolling his eyes as Pyrrhos got up and started towards the door. It's not like his legs were free, and he also wouldn't even be able to unlock that door even if they were. Nothing on the tray would prove useful to him either, unless he intended to use them as weapons. However, against several trained and armored soldiers, the items he had received would not give him any sort of advantage in the slightest, and that wasn't even considering the size and strength difference.

"Enjoy!" Pyrrhos snickered.

His taunting tone echoed through the chamber as the door locked, leaving Ezran to the food he had been given.

Ezran dipped the spoon into the bowl, scooping up a whole hill of the mush. It didn't have much taste to it at all, and the small amount of flavor it did have was almost...strangely bitter. All in all, not the worst he could've received. It was definitely bearable, if a little unpleasant.

He didn't really have a choice in the matter anyway. It would be either this or starve to death, and with having had a glimpse of what the latter felt like as well as his chance to help fix things, the second was no longer an option. Therefore, Ezran proceeded to take spoonful after spoonful, eating what he could, savoring the feeling as the food filled his empty stomach, providing much-needed relief to his hunger.

If this were back home, his family and friends would've told him to slow down, as his eating rate far exceeded any sort of normal standards. However, Ezran didn't care, he had a limited time to finish this, and he wouldn't let a single molecule of it go to waste.

For the first time since he was taken, his thoughts could finally wander off of his current situation and the events happening outside. None of that mattered now. The only thing that mattered was what was in front of him. The weight of the world had finally paused its relentless push on Ezran's shoulders. And, for however long this short period of time would last, Ezran planned to enjoy every second of it.