At the gates of the Time Tribe, a group of six being dropped in from a portal that seemingly opened in the sky itself. Mage was the first one to emerge, who stepped forward as his friends all stepped up behind him. The circular city at the top of the mountain pass stood as it had when they had last seen it. There were no longer guards at the gate as before, which made Mage at least smile a bit. Knowing that he'd succeeded in driving the Raiders off, even temporarily, was what he needed more than anything.

"This is where you live?" Over asked as he looked around the space they stood on, "It suits you."

"You haven't even seen the half of it, "Monty sighed, "Especially before it got burnt down."

"Is your purpose in any conversation to just drag the mood down?" Harumi growled at Monty.

"Dunno, is it working?" Monty gave a sideways glare at Harumi.

"Let's not fight right now, guys," Mage frowned at them,, "I'm going to go and get Acronix. He'll let us in and-"

Suddenly, Mage felt a disturbance behind him. He turned to smoke a millisecond before a spear that glowed a deep green shot straight through him. Harumi went to form a Rhotatae disc to catch it, but Over instead raised his hand. The shadow that the spear cast over the ground shot up like a pair of jaws and knocked the spear up into the air. As it spun, Over took a step forward and caught the spear in one hand.

The green coloration on it faded as it seemed to transfer into Over. He went to take a step forward, only for his body to accelerate all the way past Mage. When Over opened his eyes, he found himself having walked what seemed like ten times the distance the one step implied. He tasked, a sound none of them could hear given how fast it came out, and snapped the spear in half. At once, the green coloration seeped out of it and into the air itself.

"A most… hospitable welcome," Over summoned his massive staff and held it behind him, "Now then, who was it that did that to you?"

"Someone you don't want to tangle with, intruder!" A voice came from the wall in front of them.

Over looked up, just in time for the figure to launch right over the wall. He wore two massive gauntlets that were covered in large, rune-like symbols. One pulsed a beautiful orange, and the other a red. Over spun his staff forward and caught the two gauntlets right on it. The force of impact didn't even rattle Over, but the figure leapt away before he could swing and take out his attacker.

"Fast, I give you that," The man stood up, hefting his gauntlets up, "But that won't even-"

"Ah, Krux," Over stated casually, "You happen to be the man we wanted to see."

Krux' blinked in confusion, crossing his arms. He now wore armor of the Time Tribe, specifically a near identical replica of the one that his brother wore. Instead of green and blue highlights, however, his were interspersed with bits of red and orange. These colors built up as they went into his arm, which were connected to the two large gauntlets. They were both a deep gunmetal, shaped to look like dragon jaws reaching out on the ends. The jaws of one were pulsing orange and the other red. Krux hooked the gauntlets into his belt, pulling his hands out and stretching his fingers out. He reached up and slicked back his black hair. Here, he wasn't forty years older, but a true twin. Other than the small mustache he'd grown, he truly looked identical to his brother.

"Krux," Mage stepped forward around Over with a smile, "Did Muto give you back your powers?"

Krux looked down at his gauntlets, "Ah… somewhat. What are you doing, appearing out thin air like that, Mage? You know our guards panic when they see that!"

"Eheh…" Mage held up his new armband, "It's a long story! But we're here to seek refuge in the Time Tribe. Do you think you can let us in?"

"Of course, Dragon Lord," Krux smirked playfully at using the name, "I recognize your friends from before… aside from him," Krux pointed to Over, "...He's, new."

"Quite," Over walked past Krux, "I am his ally, do not fear. Let us skip the questions and move forward."

"Right to the point then?" Krux chuckled, "Well then, follow me!" Krux turned around and waved to the top of the wall. A young male guard rushed over and gave the order to open the large gates. Krux gestured for them to follow.

"So, do we call him Krux, or Krux'?" Lloyd whispered to Harumi as they started walking.

"Just Krux," Harumi whispered back, "Krux' is only for when we're talking about both of them."

That matter resolved, the group entered into the time Tribe. The last time they'd been there, they had been sneaking around. Mage, this time, had insisted that they not worry about that and just follow along. None of them had truly any big complaints about them, given that Mage was with them now. Thus, as Krux led them down the clock-shaped streets of the city, they were given the chance to see what had become of the city.

Given that it hadn't been more than a few weeks since they'd left, nothing major had changed about the city itself. It was still in that pre-industrialization state, with cobble streets, simple brick homes and lamps of the Light Tribe crystals lighting the path. The first thing that was apparent was that there were more stalls from other tribes set up around the marketplace area. A new Ice Tribe woman was trying to sell specialty cases, and a Poison Tribe member had bags of fertilizer on them. But the major change was when they entered the town square. The last time they'd been there, they'd nearly been caught up in a social conflict. Instead, Krux smirked as he saw a familiar man walking towards them.

"Sir Krux," Teran sighed as he walked up to the group, "I've been looking for you. Sir Acronix has been trying to reach you since last night! Where were…" Teran trailed off as he looked over the group, confusion filling his eyes.

"Guys , this is Teran!" Mage waved his hand, "Krux's former assistant!"

"We've already met," Lloyd smiled awkwardly waving his hand, "Hey. You probably don't remember us, but-"

"You're that group I helped pull away during the brawl," Teran answered for them, "I never forget a face… though, I guess I didn't see much of it given how you all look."

"You were Krux's assistant?" Harumi blinked in confusion.

"Yes, as well as their kin," Teran explained, "Third cousin, to be specific. I was chosen to assist them three years ago. I assumed that was common knowledge. Though, I guess looking at you all, you wouldn't know that. Especially… well, two I don't recognize."

"I was possessing a guard," Monty waved his hand, "Just sort of how it worked."

"So this world does indeed work on a tribal system…" Over commented dryly, "Such a primitive thing. But it appears you're not in a system of complete disarray and culture, so I suppose that will do."

"...Mage always did make the weirdest friends," Krux smirked to that comment, "You even befriended Ash. That guy is pretty weird."

"Once you get over the whole 'wolf pack' thing, it's pretty cool!" Mage explained, then told his friend, "He's the leader of the Smoke Tribe, if you didn't know!"

"We figured that," Monty sighed, "Can we just get going? We came here to talk to your friend, not get some weird exposition."

Krux just rolled his eyes at Monty, walking away and through the square. Teran gave a neutral gaze before following along. It was odd to be following an alternate version of someone that had been attempting to kill them for so long, but this Krux had betrayed the Twins just to give Mage the chance to truly fight the Time Twins all out. Had she not intervened, the adventure may have just ended then and there. It was cause enough to trust the man enough, at least for the time being.

The tribe itself, being laid out as it was, had been one the group had barely even explored. The '12' mark on the clock, if one assumed that the entrance was the '6' mark, had a rather large building built partially into the mountains the city was surrounded by. It looked to be some sort of palace, perhaps four or so stories tall. It shared the brick and simple colors of the town, yet its size drew the eye. What also drew the eye was the fact that the palace was shaped like a large arrow pointing up in the air, hence why it was built into the mountain to support the diamond-shaped top of it.

"...How did we not see this when we were here?" Lulloyd asked as he saw it, "That's… uh. Wow."

"Because we weren't looking for it," Harumi pointed out, "The map we looked at didn't have anything mentioning it either."

"We didn't build that thing," Krux called back to them, "We're not sure why they built it like that. But we didn't want to take it down. There's a path behind it that leads up to where Muto is."

"Muto's the Time Tribe dragon!" Mage pointed out to them, "You've only met Firsty! But there's a dragon for each tribe."

Once the group approached the palace, Krux turned back towards them and began to walk backwards up the stairs. Just watching that was enough to make Lloyd narrow his gaze and for Mage to chuckle. Teran had no reaction to this. Krux waved his hands as they walked up towards a large opening that served as the first floor, showing that they were in a large space that served as a throne room. There were two seats inside, both identical and sitting next to each other. One, however, looked newer than the other. As they walked inside to see that the thrones were empty, Teran frowned.

"Acronix must be training," Teran informed them.

"He's been training nonstop since I came back," Krux crossed his arms, "It sounds like him. I guess we're heading up to the training area."

By heading 'up,' Krux truly did mean going up. A set of stairs flanked both sides of the room, leading up to the next floor. It seemed that this pattern continued all the way further up the building. The fourth floor was one that was rather small, but had a large opening that was filled with sunlight. Krux led them through it, showing that it backed up to a large clearing in the mountains. The space was filled with gravel and small bits of sand, and appeared to have been cleared away by hand at some point. The sounds of swords clashing brought their attention as soon as the group arrived.

Acronix threw his body back as a large ornate staff was sent flying around his head. The one that had swung at him was a man in Time Tribe armor, with said staff sparking with orange energy. Acronix stood back up and held up a short sword that was sparking blue. He was panting heavily, with sweat dripping down his body. Several other Time Tribe guards were around him, each holding some weapon, and many of them were looking at him in concern.

"Again!" Acronix shouted, "We must be prepared for anything! Attack me as you would any Raider!"

While some guards gave an apprehensive tense, the one with the staff rushed him and attacked. Acronix turned his sword to the ground and held it up, catching the staff by his head and straining. One with two knives sparking green came running at him. Acronix strained to hold back the staff and shot one hand out towards the knife wielding guard, waiting just as he was about to strike before the Time Matrix formed on his hand and the hands turned down. The guard was blasted with green time energy and appeared on the other side of Acronix, his knives extended. Acronix shut his eyes and ducked, letting the staff swing over his head. Acronix then jumped in the air and kicked out, knocking the staff away and striking the guard with the hilt of his sword. Two more guards attempted to rush him, but Acronix turned his Time Matrix to the right and let it turn blue. The two guards were slowed in time, letting him rush around and strike both of them in the back with his sword. As they went down, another guard managed to strike Acronix in the back with his own glowing red staff. Arconix was paused in time for a brief second. The guard attempted to attack, but Acronix instead sent a blast of slowed time around him, momentarily slowing down the entire arena just to disarm the guard and kick him back. With his attackers stopped, Acronix fell to one knee and panted hard as the pain of the strike washed over him.

"C-Come at me again!" Acronix barked to his men now lying on the ground, "Battle is not decided by who has the skill, but the stamina! We must-"

"You're overdoing it again," Krux sighed as he walked into the arena around the men, "I thought you agreed you'd stop training this hard. You're already the strongest in the tribe."

"Krux…" Acronix huffed, clutching his chest with one hand, "I'm fine. I'm doing fine. I have to be ready. If the Raiders return… if some other threat arises like that, I must…"

"'You must calm down, brother," Krux extended his hand to Acronix, "The people believe in you. Let's leave it at that and not break our backs just yet."

Acronix stared at his brother, then took his hand. Krux helped to pull him, smiling at him. Acronix took a few gulps of air and stumbled towards the exit of the arena. Krux went to help the other guards up. This gave enough time for Acronix to lay eyes on the group that Krux had brought with him… namely, the one that was looking at him directly.

"Mage?" Acronix asked through his panting.

"H-Hey…" Mage raised his hand, a nervous bolt going through him. Acronix took a moment to catch his breath, then slowly hardened his features. Mage lowered his hand in turn.

"What are you all here about?" Acronix narrowed his eyes, "Is there some other threat that we must worry about? Have you come to say you finished your quest?"

"Unlikely," Krux rolled his eyes, "They're carrying another one around with them."

"Refer to me like that again and I will show you no amount of time will save your from punishment," Over groaned out. Krux just laughed, annoying him further.

Acronix looked to the side, trying to parse what thoughts he wanted to say. He found nothing, and instead just moved to step forward with the strange new sword he held. He stumbled to sheath it, his hand trembling from exertion. He moved up towards the group, taking a stance in front of them. He panted for several seconds, then wiped sweat from his brow and gestured behind them.

"It's not comfortable out here to talk," Acronix informed them, "Let us speak in the palace, where we can-"

"Actually," Harumi smiled gently, "We all want to talk to your brother. Mage wants to talk to you."

Acronix blinked in surprise, turning his gaze down at Mage. Mage gave a small sheepish smile and just tried to look at him again. Before Acronix could say anything, Krux came up beside him and gave a small grin, leaning up against his brother's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me when we were in town?" Krux waved his hand, "I'd have sent Teran ahead to prepare you all something."

"We aren't royalty," Lloyd shook his head, "And, well, Mage said he would tell you."

"Did he now?" Acronix looked down to Mage, who just lowered his head to the ground. After a moment, Acronix nodded his head, "Mage, follow me. We'll meet in my quarters"

Mage gave a small nod. Acronix stepped forward, forcing all of them to part ways, sans Monty who simply let Acronix pass through his side. Mage took a small breath, then he gripped his fists and stepped to follow after his former mentor. Once they had disappeared into the palace, Krux reached up and rubbed his neck.

"He feels bad, you know," Krux sighed, "He really doesn't like how he parted with Mage. Says he got too angry and all that. He's worried Mage will hurt him when… Mage was the one that helped support him, during everything I was doing to try to undermine the Twins. I hope those two don't end up drifting apart."

"You know, you're not really, anything like the Krux we're chasing," Lulloyd blinked, "You're… not as grumpy."

"He's like the big hand on the clock, long in the tooth!" Krux grinned, "I still have my youth and my pride. I put myself on the line to make sure my tribe was safe. I have to work hard to gain back some of my people's trust… but that's time that I have to spend."

"And a lot more optimistic," Lloyd pointed out, "We wanted to talk to you about that, the things you were doing for the Twins when you were deceiving them."

"...I didn't kill anyone," Krux frowned, "Not… not by my own hand. I had to order raids but, I tried to ensure they were out of the way," His look grew mistrustful, "Are you here to accuse me of that?"

"That's a pretty big thing to get defensive about, but no," Monty sighed, "The Twins are planning something. Something big. We want to know if you know anything about it."

"Planning something?" Krux rubbed his chin, closing his eyes in thought, "...Yes, I might have something for you. Let's go somewhere else to talk about it."

With that, Krux waved his hand to guide them through the palace once more. Lloyd gave the others a small look, letting themselves go after the one person that might know what the Twins were planning.

Mage sat on his knees in front of Acronix. He was on the floor, with Aevum unstrapped from his hip and laid out on the floor in front of him. The blue runes along the sword's length pulsed with time energy, almost casting a glow inside Acronix's rather dark room. Acronix's love for deep reds accented with blue and green, along with his lack of windows in his room, made the room almost look sinister with the shadows that it cast. Several large pieces of furniture, including several tables and a large dresser, lined the walls. In the middle of the room was a step that led to the large bed he slept on, carved from obsidian of the Fire Tribe and filled with sheets made by the finest craftsman of the Sound Tribe. Acronix stood in front of his bed, looking down at Mage.

"You didn't need to sit like that," Acronix narrowed his gaze, "I thought perhaps my table would be more comfortable."

"I'm fine like this," Mage shook his head, "...You, started making a new sword?"

Acronix looked down to the smaller sword he wore on his hip, nodding his head, "Yes, since I gave you Aevum, I decided to craft my own. I'm hoping to make one that can make use of both of my abilities."

Acronix drew the sword from his hip, letting Mage see the new runes that had been recently carved into the blade to store the energy inside. Acronix focused, then slid his hand in front of the sword. As his fingers passed by the blue symbols, they turned to green. Acronix's Time Matrix turned blue, letting him hold the sword bathed in forward energy and slash the air with it. He spun it back and slid it into the sheath.

"It's a work in progress, but I will master this," Acronix crossed his arms, "I can't have my brother outpacing me after not having any powers to speak of for months, after all."

"I'm glad, your dragon gave him his powers back," Mage smiled gently, "I was worried about that. I, I'm glad that he's working with you again."

"I am too," Acronix leaned back against the frame of his bed, "I was worried for a time that he would never be allowed back. The people are shocked, but we have told them the lie needed. They believe he was captured by Raiders to be extorted, but he broke out and helped to drive back the Raiders during the Fall of the Summit. Those guards that saw him then, we have sworn to secrecy. As far as the world is concerned… Krux is a hero."

"He is a hero," Mage muttered, "Without him, I wouldn't have made it through that battle. He stopped me before I got there to make sure I was thinking clearly and, saved my life too."

"Yes…." Acronix sighed, "Mage. This isn't like you. You've never prostrated yourself before me before. What is it you want to talk to me about?"

Mage tensed up, unsure of what to say. He'd asked the others to let him meet Acronix like this. He'd thought of what he wanted to say as soon as Harumi had suggested they come here for information. But, now that he was like this, in front of his friend that had all but given up on him, he felt his breath clench up. He tried to speak, but he couldn't think of anything to say. For a few moments, he could only just stare at the floor.

Gently, Mage reached forward and wrapped his fingers around Aevum, lifting the sword up with both hands. Acronix raised his eyebrow in confusion as Mage held his sword out for Acronix, forcing himself to meet Acronix's gaze. And as they did, Mage gave a small inhale.

"I… I want you to teach me again, Acronix," Mage shook his head, "This sword isn't, mine. It doesn't belong to me. You, gave it to me so I could defend myself, but Aevum belongs to you. Teach me how to fight again, so I don't need it."

"You want me to teach you again?" Acronix spoke with a small bit of surprise in his voice, but it quickly turned to a sigh, "Mage… it's been only a few weeks since you left. Do you truly think that you've grown enough to make up for what you've done?"

"We've met new enemies, Acronix!" Mage asked in desperation, "They're stronger than me. And they're able to hurt a lot of people. I need to know how to use Time so I can stop them before they hurt others!"

"So that's why you're here?" Acronix scoffed, "To beg me to teach you how to fight better? You truly haven't given any thought to my last words to you, have you?"

"I have!" Mage shook the sword in his hands desperately, "I know what I did wrong! I let my emotions consume me. I let them drive me to do something horrible. I didn't stop myself before it, and then I tried to justify it by saying it was for Skylar. That's what I did wrong!"

Acronix looked down to Mage, a look of somewhat restrained anger on it. Then, with a small groan, he walked forward and placed his hand on the top of Aevum. Mage blinked as Acronix pushed it down until Mage was holding it in his lap. When Mage looked up from it, Acronix had a sad smile on his face.

"I can't teach you, Mage… especially not when you need power to defeat someone," Acronix sighed, "Power that you gain only to defeat someone else… that isn't power. That's just cruelty. You're asking me to teach you how to alter a fundamental fabric of the world to beat your enemy. I can't do that for you. Especially when I don't know how you might use it."

"B-But…" Mage shook his head a few tears falling from his eyes, "I made a promise, Acronix! I promised someone I wouldn't hurt my enemy. I meant it! They aren't hurt by my normal elements. I… I want to use time to help stop them! To bring them home! But, but I can't do that, not without your help!"

Acronix turned his head away from Mage, a pained look spreading over his face. Acronix went over and gripped the edge of his bed, leaning over it. Mage blinked, sniffing as he tried to get ahold of himself. Acronix tensed his shoulders as he shook his head, his back hiding his expression.

"Mage… you act like I'm sort of a wise mentor here," Acronix spoke hollowly, "I'm not. I'm not even an adult. I'm not that much older than you are. I'm just someone that's lived with responsibility for longer than I should have. I'm someone that grew up with the need to help guide my tribe. I learned how to do that. But, right now? I don't know how I'm meant to teach you."

Mage remained silent as Acronix kept talking, gripping the bed a bit more, "When I heard you'd killed someone, Mage, I'd never felt more terrified before. I'd never thought of what I was teaching you could actually do. You wouldn't have been able to do that if it wasn't for me. I'm not upset at you, not like you think I am. I'm upset because I know I'm the one that taught you how to kill someone like that!"

Mage felt a pang go through him he couldn't place. I wasn't one of guilt, or one of sympathy. It was something he couldn't place. Acronix remained like that, hunched over and looking down at the sheets, back turned to Mage. Mage put a hand to his chest, trying to understand the feeling. But nothing he could think of would describe it.

"Right now… I'm not strong enough to guide you," Acronix gave a hollow chuckle, "Mage, I wasn't even strong enough to know my brother was planning something. I lost to him, when I should have beat him. And then, I left my tribe to get swallowed up by it all. I wasn't there to help you, not when you needed me the most. But that's my burden to bear. It's… it's my own fault to go with. I wasn't strong enough. I'm never strong enough, not like I should be. Do you know who I am, Mage?"

Acronix turned around, showing that his eyes were stained with tears, "I'm just a child, pretending he knows what a tribe needs, pretending like I helped my brother and my Tribe. Krux did everything. He was the one that guided you to the Twins. He was the one that figured out the Twins. And the only thing you took from me… was how to kill," Acornix gripped his chest, "...I'm sorry, Mage. But… right now, I can't, I can't live with that. I can't live with that guilt. I can't live with that. Maybe… maybe one day, I can figure it out. But until then… I need you to restrain yourself from touching time and… and just use Aevum."

Mage felt ashamed. He felt ashamed for ever even thinking of asking Acronix for this. He'd never thought of why Acronix was upset with him. He was only thinking about himself. He lowered his head and tried to hold onto his desire to move forward, lest the guilt right now take him and send him right into the same boat as Acronix was. He needed… he needed to be strong. He needed to push forward for his friend.

"...Acronix…" Mage had to be strong, right now, he had to keep being strong, "...I'm sorry. I didn't know that I was doing that to you. I… I don't mean that, like every other time I've said sorry. This time I… I know what I did wrong. And, I won't do it again. If you aren't ready to teach me right now then… I won't ask for it," Mage shook his head, "This… this quest I'm going on is my burden to bear. I have to do this, Acronix. And…. and I won't make you worry about me like that anymore. I won't."

Mage picked up Aevum, then reached out and strapped it to his side. Until now, he'd never even thought about the sword. He barely drew it, and didn't even care for it. But now, now he knew why Acronix gave it to him. He knew why he had to use it. And he was determined to see through all that Acronix wanted from him. He tightened the straps on the sword sheath, then placed his left hand on Aevum's hilt. His Time Matrix formed on top of it, the hands turning down to turn the clock green. He gave Acronix a small smile.

"Thank you, Mage…" Acronix turned to fully sit down on his bed, "It will, help me sleep more at night, knowing you don't resent me for what I said to you. I know that I didn't make you very happy. I… I was worried you'd come to despise me for it."

Mage shook his head, "No, Acronix. We're friends! Friends don't have to fight like that. Right?"

Acronix felt a smile prick at his lips, "Yes, friends. You're right," He sighed, "Was that all you wanted to speak to me about, Mage?"

"Actually…" Mage took a step forward, "I don't think we're going to be here for long, so I want you to send a message to my father and Skylar. I want to tell them that I'm doing fine, and nxt time I'm here that I'll visit them in full. I promise."

"I can do that," Acronix leaned forward, "I'm sure they'll be rather happy to hear that."

"I'll make sure to give them more reason to be happy," Mage smirked, "Because we have a plan now. We're going to finish what I started here."

"Really?" Acronix blinked, "Where does it start?"

"Project Dark Dawn," Krux spoke to the gathered group.

"...What?" Lloyd blinked, "Project… Dark Dawn?"

Krux nodded his head. The group had been moved to the room they had entered in, with Krux having taken a seat on the large seat that he claimed was not a throne. The light from the tribe outside shone at Lloyd's back, casting a small shadow in front of them. Krux nodded his head, hopping down from the seat and walking down the small steps to stand in front of the assembled travelers.

"I heard them use that name once," Krux frowned, "When I was with them, they kept me confined to a single room in that cave. I snuck out when I could to try to eavesdrop on their planes and lay my own. It was just after the attack on the Summit that I heard the two of them say that this was just the first step to them enacting Project Red Dawn."

"What did they say about this Project?" Overlloyd narrowed his gaze, "Surely you heard more than just a single name?"

"I was only able to get a piece of it, but from what I understand… it's something that goes far beyond what they have already planned," Krux placed his hands on his gauntlets hanging from his belt, "They said that once they have gathered enough of their forces, they will bring a Red Dawn upon any world that's defied them. I can't remember what they said specifically, but I remember what that older Krux said," Krux frowned, "'When the Iron Doom is ready, nothing will stand in the way of annihilation.'"

There was a silence as the group mulled over those words. Krux moved to sit down on the stairs, slightly lowering his stance to the group. Lloyd tried to think about what those words truly meant, and what it was that the Twins could be planning. The Twins had some plan, and clearly, they were working to enact it.

"So, that's why the Twins are stealing Vermillion?" Harumi shook her head, "They could just be rebuilding their forces."

"The Twins murdered their counterpart in Monty's world, just to ensure they had no competition," Over pointed out, "If they simply wished to steal Vermillion, they could have bred it. They have a purpose."

"Stealing Vermillion?" Krux stood up, "Did you say that they've taken other Vermillion?"

"Yeah?" Monty raised his eyebrow, "What about it?"

"Over the past few weeks, some of the tribes have been reporting the Vermillion we captured from the war have been going missing," Krux shook his head, "We split them up among the tribes so they couldn't group up and pose a threat. Last week, we went to check on the Vermillion we had locked up and found all of them were missing."

"Missing?" Harumi bit her lip, "So they really are planning something…"

"If they were already here," Over shook his head, "They must have had reason they did not kill him already," Over gestured to Krux, "He humiliated them, yet he still breathes. Why?"

Lulloyd stepped in, "The Twins have a lot of pride, right? If they're planning something, they'd do it. I mean, if they have a lot of Vermillion, they could send it to just fight us. But, they haven't. They, must be waiting for something. Waiting to, like, play their hand?" Over gave Lulloyd a look.

"I think I know what he means," Harumi stepped forward, only to have her words quelled by Over's gaze, "...He, means that the Twins have been shown that only plans where they account for, everything, work. They didn't factor in Mage when they went to take over this world. And then, he humbled them. They won't make any moves unless they control every outcome."

"I understood him fine," Over curtly responded, "But thank you nonetheless."

"They're trying to say the Twins are being careful this time around," Monty yawned and waved his hand, "They've been shown rushing in without a plan is gonna get them killed. So now they're hanging back to work on this big plan that'll work. The fact they sent snakey and cocky to come and keep us away from them is proof of that."

"That's just conjecture," Over shook his head, "We have no way of knowing that is true. But I concede that the fact they aren't attacking us or showing their faces mean they are likely planning something."

"Do you all just like bickering for no reason?" Krux cocked his head, "Or are you just that good of friends already?"

Over didn't say anything to that. Krux grinned warmly and stood up, stretching his back out turning around to look off into the palace.

"Well," Krux placed his hands on his hips, "If I were them, and I'm not saying I am, I'd hide somewhere they'd never be able to find me. Or keep on the move. Whichever one works better."

"Hrmm…" Harumi paused, "Then that just means we'll have to go forward with the plan."

"Plan?" Acronix's voice startled the group as both he and Mage descended from the stairs above to join them. Mage hopped over to stand with his friends, while Acronix went to stand beside his twin brother.

"Yeah, we all made up a little plan," Monty sighed, "It's not a good one."

"But it is a plan," Lloyd pointed out, "We all came up with it."

"May we hear it?" Acronix asked, "Our world has been caught up in your conflict. We would like to know what your plan to ending it will be."

The others all looked to each other, then they nodded, letting Lloyd begin, "We can't find the Twins right now, and we have two of their allies that are trying to chase us down. We need to make them see we aren't going to just go down without a fight. If the Twins won't let us bring the fight to them, we'll bring them to the fight."

"Really?" Krux chuckled, "Those two seem rather akin to hiding and waiting. What exactly is the plan that you're working on?"

"Well… it has to do with how we travel through universes," Harumi tapped her outfit over where she let her crystal shard reside, "We travel by locking on to a point in another world and jumping there. But, what if instead of letting ourselves get pulled to another world, we try to instead pull that something to us?"

Both of the Time Tribe Twins looked at each other, confused as to what she was saying. Monty thought for a minute, then he reached up with his wind and looked around. He saw a large banner on the wall, then grabbed it with his wind. He pulled it off the wall, extracting the rope that was used to hang it with. He then twisted the rope to wrap around Krux, who blinked in surprise and nearly stuck his hands in his gauntlets to attack out of reflex.

"Basically, instead of pulling ourselves to the Twins, like we have been, we're going to pull them to us," Monty tugged the rope, "See what I mean now?"

"Yes…" Acronix sighed, "It will be a pain to hang that thing again, you know."

"Not my problem," Monty dropped the rope, "That's our working plan."

"And, how do you plan to do that?" Acronix asked.

"...We're figuring that out," Lulloyd rubbed his head, "But we're figuring that out!"

"Right now, we need to find a way to get the guys that are chasing us off our backs," Monty crossed his arms, "Meaning we need to track them down and corner them."

"And what's your plan for that?" Acronix asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I had a thought about that," Lloyd smiled gently, "If you guys are willing to hear it."

"Well, we're not getting anywhere without it," Monty groaned, "You should just spit it out."

All of the group turned to Lloyd. At once, he felt a sudden blush of tension rise on his face. He focused for a moment, then he cleared his throat.

"We can fight Ophiod and win if we plan it right, but only Over right now can even stand up to Invictus," Lloyd nodded, "But… there was something that we thought we couldn't stand up to. And we made something that could stand up to it too. It was when I was younger, we were being chased by-"

"The Great Devourer," Over nodded his head, "That creature that you tried to defeat using the Sonic Raider, yes?"

"...Yeah, actually," Lloyd nodded, "I was thinking, what if we used that? Not the Raider but… what if we got together some supplies we could use to create something. Using the Tornado of Creation."

"The… what?" Acronix chuckled, "I'm sorry, friends, but you've lost me completely."

"If we were to use the…" Harumi's eyes widened, "That's… that's not a bad idea at all! We could build something instantly without having to hide from those two! And if we were to figure out what we could use to try to deactivate that core of his…."

"Prime did not look like someone used to fighting by hand," Over pointed out, "I'm certain the only training he has is inside that massive eyesore. I believe this plan may work."

"Alright… but then, what will work on that core?" Lulloyd asked.

The group went into deep thought. Despite going all the way to Prime's world, they still knew almost nothing about him. The fact they'd been hiding from him meant they didn't get as much information as they wanted. Acronix and Krux just looked to one another and just shared a look of mutual confusion. Krux gave his brother a grin and waved his hand, making some gesture with his fingers. Acronix blinked in surprise, then turned to the group.

"Do you know anyone that is good with these… things?" Acronix asked, "Perhaps this may sound silly, but neither of know how to make weapons. But when we wished to create ones to store our powers, we went to a smith. Is there, an equivalent to a smith for this?"

"No… but I might know someone who can help us," Lloyd raised his head, "Over… I think you might know who I'm talking about."

"Hmmph," Over gave a small chuckle, crossing his arms, "Sadly, we will have to settle for his lesser version. And I assume you know how we can prevent those two from fighting us?"

"I do, and I think he'll have a good solution to that, Lloyd looked around, "Who's ready to split up again?"

"Will you be alright on your quest?" Acronix asked as both he and his brother stood at the end of the path to the Time Tribe.

Harumi, Mage and Over stood to one side of the path. On the other side stood Lloyd, Monty and Lulloyd. The two groups looked to one another, then nodded their heads together.

"Make sure you take care of him," Krux gestured to Mage, "He's going ot go on to do some great things for you guys. He already has here, after all. Twice, even."

"He's, pretty special," Lulloyd smiled gently, "I mean, uh, we'll take care of him. Don't worry."

The twins took a step back, letting the two groups look down the path together. After a few moments, Harumi and Lloyd each gave a nod to the other.

"You know what you're doing?" Monty narrowed his gaze, "We're provoking a fight right now, you know."

"That's, the goal," Harumi chuckled, "We'll take care of it, don't worry. When you get there, don't turn your watches off. If they're tracking us by these things, then that'll lead them right to us. And if we're in two groups like this…"

"I'd say this is suicide," Monty narrowed his eyes, "But that's not something I have to worry about anymore." He twitched as he gripped the SoS,, "...No, I don't."

"What should we do about Prime?" Lulloyd asked, "He was… really made that we turned that thing he made into… these," He raised his arm to show the watch, "Should we, give them to him?"

"No," Over frowned, "Regardless of if we scrapped the core to make these, we need them more than he does. He has already made his choice in anger. We will ensure that we meet it with resolution."

"Over is right," Lloyd nodded his head, "We can't give these up. I… I feel bad knowing how important that was to him, but we can't afford to give them back," Lloyd looked around, then inhaled, "Alright, let's go guys. Good luck."

"You too," Harumi smiled gently, then turned to Acronix, "Thank you for your help. I know it doesn't seem like much, but just knowing we could lay low here for a bit helps. Those two aren't letting up on us."

With that said, the group all went to hit the buttons on their watches. Once more, the world around them split open into a portal, causing them each to fall through and off into another universe. Both of the twins were left stunned as they watched the display. Over held his button down for a few more seconds, then turned to face the Twins. He concentrated his gaze on Acronix, then nodded his head.

"Do not worry," Over told them, "I will watch over Mage. I will not let his efforts go to waste like mine did." With that, Over let up the button, sending him off to follow the others.

The two twins looked at the display in front of them. Krux started ot chuckle, which only brought Acronix's attention. After a few moments, Krux just gave his twin a grin.

"This world just keeps giving us new things, doesn't it?" Krux turned back towards the Time Tribe, "Especially around him."

"Mhm, it does," Acronix smiled warmly, "Mage will be our light in these dark times. But we will have to do our part in moving past them."

"You sound so mature," Krux rolled his eyes, "Might do you some good to loosen up. Like, for example…." Krux pointed towards the Tribe ahead, "Perhaps a race is in order?"

"You're a handful," Acronix smirked, "but you think you can beat me?" Acronix raised his right arm up to show his Time Matrix, "I'll forward right there."

"Just try it," Krux slid on his orange gauntlet, "You're on!"

With a shared laugh, the two Twins both vanished in time, racing each other up the path to their tribe. As the two appeared and reappeared with various flashes of color surrounding them, a shadow watching them from behind the rocks vanished. The Twins returned to their tribe, readying each other for whatever storm was to come.

Author's Note:

It seems that I've managed to time a post just on the day of Christmas. Well then! Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for reading this far into my story, and I can assure you that we are going many, many more places! Stay safe, healthy, and NINJA-GO!