The Black Moon, as Misavi soon discovered, was not really a moon at all. It had large craters and a dusty, foreboding landscape, but the floating island was not orbiting the world; it was in the sky above it. As the dragons alighted in the center of a crater, Lyruc helped Misavi dismount. Her moccasins made small prints in the gray dust. Haruko stood next to her, watching Lyruc and Tezur tie the nervous dragons to a rock. Misavi climbed the sloped crater wall, and then waited at the top for her friends. Haruko and Tezur caught up with ease, but Lyruc hobbled slowly up, panting when he finally reached the peak. "Now who's the pathetic one?" Haruko teased.

"I am…unused to walking," he said matter-of-factly. The Hillu's eyes widened when he saw what lie before them. A sandy path meandered around crater after crater, the light gravel nearly blinding in comparison to the Black Moon's dark gray soil. Tezur led the group with his deadly sword drawn. Misavi could see the muscles on his chest and arms, tense and apprehensive. Noticing the boy's body language, Haruko carried his spear under his arm, ready to wield it if anything crossed their path.

Fortunately, the first object the group encountered was far from lethal. Seated atop a short stone pillar a yard or so from the path was an unlit candle. As Misavi examined it, she felt a sudden pain in her neck. Haruko paced around the candle with a raised eyebrow. "I don't get it."

"It symbolizes the absence of light," Lyruc explained. "My people know more about this place than you humans, it seems. How sad, for even we know little." Tezur paid the lone candle no mind. He had come upon the next strange item when the others caught up.

About the same distance from the path as the candle, but farther down the road, stood a rock, shattered into pieces. "The absence of solid earth," Lyruc said before anyone asked. Though the sun was in view, the Black Moon was dark, as well as the land below it.

"Hurry," urged Tezur. "There's not much time left." Small clouds of dust rose from the group's footprints as they continued down the ominous road. The only other living thing around, a single, lonely tree, came into view.

Misavi was delighted to see it; she was hoping it bore fruit. However, as they got nearer, she sadly announced, "It's dead." The tree was almost black, and its branches bent so it resembled a cringing human. "Is this the absence of water?" asked Misavi, staring inquiringly at Lyruc.

"No. This tree has been struck by lightning; can't you see the burned spots?" He ran a feathered finger over the many dark holes and gashes in the trunk. Misavi knew not how a dead tree symbolized a lack of storms, but she kept walking. The items they encountered were getting stranger and stranger.

The next one was a pile of small logs. Haruko saw a potential fire in his mind, and set to work looking for flint. Fortunately, a pair of flint rocks was covered in dust nearby. Misavi's brother pressed the rocks together, but there was no spark. Haruko frowned; it was the first time he ever failed to light a fire on his first try. Nevertheless, he tried again. Much to his chagrin, the flame did not light. "Well I guess this one must be absence of flame," he said with sarcasm.

A bit farther down the road, the four teenagers saw naught but craters. "What's this one?" joked Misavi. "The absence of flat ground?" Tezur could not help but laugh. Lyruc shot Misavi an annoyed glare.

"No, look at the soil in that crater," said Haruko, pointing to a nearby depression. As Misavi squinted into the crater, she could see dead plants and fish skeletons at the bottom.

"Oh…water…but what does all this mean?" she asked, turning to Lyruc.

"This is what the world will be like if Damagoden succeeds," he answered grimly. Though Misavi, Haruko, and Lyruc stopped to examine each landmark, Tezur plodded onwards without hesitation.

The next of the strange items was also in the form of a crater. This time it was Tezur who first halted to stare. Misavi, who was not looking at the path ahead of her, nearly bumped into him. "What is it?" she asked him, receiving only a pointed finger as a reply. She looked towards his gesture, and saw a crater in the shape of a heart, with two human skeletons lying in the center.

"You know what this one is, don't you?" he asked, putting her frail hand into his. She felt his warmth, and Misavi moved closer to him, closing her eyes. Tezur leaned in, and their lips were about to meet when Haruko pulled Misavi away.

"The absence of love," said her brother, putting emphasis on "absence."

Soon after the group resumed walking, Lyruc's hawk eyes spotted a castle on the horizon. They trekked on the path, which seemed to be heading towards it. "Damagoden must be in there," announced Haruko, though his statement was not needed.

It seemed like a typical spooky castle from the outside, and on the inside as well. The dark gray bricks that made up the walls were covered with dead ivy. As if to complete the picture, a huge statue of a regal dragon dominated the eerie courtyard. Its ruby eyes reflected what little light was available to create the illusion that it was watching the group as they traversed across the courtyard, stepping cautiously over the dead plants that lined the path, which was now paved with cobblestones. Misavi and her friends halted at the enormous double doors on the opposite end of the courtyard. Haruko reached for one of the dragon-shaped knockers on the doors, but Tezur pushed his hand away and pulled on a golden handle. "We aren't going to a tea party. There's no point in knocking," he said, opening the creaky old door. Misavi eyed the dragon statue and its crystal eyes one last time before following her friends through the door.