12 hours later…

It was a normal day at the Jewel Kingdom. Birds are singing, Cheep-cheeps are swimming peacefully in the lakes, and the many inhabitants are happily playing, working, or doing what they're supposed to do on a Sunday.

The same thing could be said at one of the richest residential areas, where almost all the houses are at least two stories high. The house was a large white house with two floors. The red roof has two round windows, letting some light inside the attic, while each room has a square or rectangular window. In an isolated part of the property stood a garage where a blue kart made for a child (though there was a place behind in case of co-karting) was standing between the opening of the sole batiment and the alley to the gate.

"Are you really sure about this, Joachim ?"

Letting out a groan from his throat, Joachim looked at his sister, who was busy opening the gate, with exasperation for what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour before turning the contact of his kart on. "Of course I'm sure Clara. I wanna be sure that it works this time."

"Then why don't you simply wait for dad to come home ? I'm sure he'll be glad to help."

"That would be too long." He waved his arms frantically. "I want to do it now !"

Clara sighed as she closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her muzzle. She knew that her baby brother can be passionate about the things he loves, but that also means that he can be very impatient.

Clara is, under all appearances, a very pretty teenager. At fourteen years old, she's a young and average-sized Dragon-Koopa with a yellow and tan skin, a four-ribbed, plated belly and has legs that are a tad thinner than normality. Her head is of a light green color and has beautiful gray eyes. She has a lavender spiked shell with rings of a darker purple along with seven spikes. Clara's hairs were of the same colors as her shell, and she's wearing a purple bow with the same color as the rings so her hairs were pulled into a short ponytail.

Also, she wears a beautiful quartz attached by a thick black lace, a gift from her aunt for her 11th birthday. Everyone says that the more Clara grows, the more she looks like her late mother, the princess Mary-Anne. People who told her that (or that she has a cute smile) would only receive a blush and a silent thank you as an answer.

Don't misunderstand, Clara is not a modest girl in the slightest. She is polite most of the time, but she doesn't see the interest in faking modesty when she knows who she is and the extent of her abilities..

Joachim, at seven of age, was the almost perfect image of his father. Where Clara is average, lavender and purple, he was slightly short and pudgy, blue and orange.

Her little brother, as said, is slightly shorter and a bit pudgier than the majority of Dragon-Koopas, though Joachim insisted, and quite loudly, that it was just baby fat and that he would be as big as their Dad. He has a yellow and tan skin, a four-ribbed, plated belly and padded feet. He has a dark blue spiked shell with orange rings. Looking at him we can see that his normally dark green head and muzzle were covered in soot. He has thick blue eyebrows which should give a serious and mature look, but his wide light green eyes and childish expressions make them fail at the job, instead giving a kinder expression. Joachim also has wild dark blue hair, a tad messier than his father's, though there was a bit of soot on the tips. The two last details about him are his overbite and the orange goggles placed on his forehead. But unlike normal goggles, who are either round or square, they were of a triangular form.

Unlike Clara, Joachim is rarely, if not, polite at all. Though he can be out of obligation during ceremonies or formal parties, he is rarely well-mannered with anyone outside and always has a knack for getting into trouble. But that didn't stop her little brother from being social and having friends. And sometimes, she was sure that it was his natural insolence and energy that allowed him to talk easily to people, unlike Clara and their father who could be very quiet unless you talk to them.

"...to be sure that an ice flower can boost my turbo. Sooo… Tschuss !"

"Wait ! Joachim !"

Clara snapped out of her trance by Joachim speeding towards the alley, but as soon as he was gone she heard a crash and the sound of someone colliding against Joachim's kart.

A bit worried, the lavender Koopa ran to Joachim and saw him and a familiar red-robed Magikoopa piled under Joachim who hid himself in his shell. The kart was surprisingly standing on the side, perfectly fine, as if it wasn't involved in this accident.

"Kamilia !" Clara ran and kneeled close to the Magikoopa and helped her stand up. "Are you alright ?"

"Ngghh… My bones weren't what they were…" she groaned as she leaned on her cane-slash-wand.

"Ugh…" Joachim groaned as he stood up before he pointed at Kamilia, "Kamilia ?! What are you doing here ?!"

"I wouldn't mind an apology at first." Clara couldn't help but smile sheepishly and let out a sweatdrop appear when she saw Kamilia pinching at the youngest Koopa's cheek who whined and complained that it hurts.

Kamilia the Magikoopa. Advisor and personal nanny of their mother when she was a child. She was working for the royal family for almost 40 years. Princess Mary-Anne was, at the time, a victim of multiple attacks and kidnapping attempts, and her mother and sisters were often traveling, so she hired the best Magikoopa to take care of the young princess. Rumors said that she would be able to surpass Darkland's royal advisor Kamek in a magic battle, which gave her the nickname of the Scarlet Magikoopa. Even before Mary-Anne died, Kamilia took care of the siblings when both parents were too busy to take care of them, but it became more frequent after that. Especially when Joachim was only five when…

"Anyway." Clara snapped out of her trance (again) when Kamilia began to talk, "The reason I am here is because your father and Her Highness are waiting for you at the castle. It concerns the Eight Prisms."

At these words, the light expressions from Clara and Joachim fell immediatly. Whenever they heard these two famous words, the calmness that emanated from Clara and the childishness in Joachim's face were replaced by something only members of the royal family could have when something grave happened to their kingdom.

"You can go, Kamelia." Clara said calmly as the siblings climbed on the kart and Joachim turned on the contact again. "We will join you as fast as possible."

That answer seemed to satisfy the eldest as she used her wand to make her broom appear and flew away in the direction of the castle. Clara took out a helmet from her hammerspace and clipsed it.

"Come on Joachim. It is time to see if it's what Kamelia was talking about."

Joachim, who put his goggles on his eyes, put his helmet on his head with a smirk.

"Great ! I can finally put my icy boost on practice !"

"Wait, you didn't use it before crashing into Kamilia ?"

"It was an accident ! And it was before I activated it."

"Alright, alright Joachim. Calm down." Clara put her claws in front of her as an attempt to calm her brother down. "So ? When are we going ?"

When she saw Joachim's smirk as he turned the contact on, Clara knew that she had to hang on. And tightly.