Tweeg scrambles out of his bed, landing face-first onto the floor as he usually does, and bounds for the door, throwing it open and jolting to the foot of the stairs. His optimism is untethered as he rushes down the stairs, nearly killing himself and falling down once again. What he has to show is extremely important. The others must know.

Tweeg: "Ruxpins! Grubby! Come here, quick!"

Everyone rushes into the living room, filled with the utmost urgency, only to be met with immediate confusion upon arrival.

Teddy: "What is it, Tweeg?"

Tweeg lays the Crystal on the table. Grubby looks at it and is immediately confused. This is a common situation for Grubby, unfortunately.

Grubby: "It's a Crystal. We all got 'em."

Tweeg darts his eyes to Grubby, shooting him a sharply sarcastic look.

Tweeg: "No duh, it's a Crystal. Don't you see? This is the black box... or what used to be the black box."

The parents rush into the room, startled by the sudden sense of urgency.

Burl: "What happened? What's all the fuss about?"

Ilana: "Is everything alright? Nobody is hurt, right?"

Teddy: "We're all fine, mom."

Tweeg: "I don't know how it happened. I went up to my room and I was just thinking about stuff and the box started to glow and then the box shattered in my hand and I was left with this."

Teddy is quite shocked by this revelation, and curious.

Teddy: "Incredible. Tweeg, what were you thinking about?"

Tweeg becomes beet red, he doesn't want to confess what he was thinking about in front of everyone.

Teddy: "Tweeg, if this can help you wield the magic of the Crystal, it's very important that you tell us."

Tweeg: "Okay, okay. I was just starting to think about... how much I kinda sorta enjoy it here with you guys."

Grubby and Teddy look at each other with raised brows... They're so underwhelmed by this revelation.

Teddy: "That's it? Hmm."

Teddy ponders his response, not entirely sure whether or not Tweeg is being honest with him.

Grubby: "I mean, it's kinda weird, uncharacteristic of Tweeg to enjoy our company, but I guess that's a good thing."

They both shrug, seemingly convinced by the vagueness of Tweeg's answer. Tweeg breathes a sigh of relief on the inside knowing that he doesn't have to be honest about how he feels around them. Teddy stares at Tweeg's Crystal with a keen sense of curiosity.

Teddy: "I wonder what this could possibly mean."

Teddy stares at it for so long that Grubby feels compelled to snap his finger just to get his attention.

Teddy: "Huh? What?"

Grubby: "I was just about to tell ya, the Illiops around town been talkin' about a shipment of goodies arriving via boat, and I was wonderin', what if it's Captain Zelza and she's en route back to Octagania afterward? Teddy, you know how I was talkin' about wanting to see my family again?"

Teddy: "Yeah, I remember."

Grubby: "Well, with you bein' safe and sound at home and Tweeg kinda enjoying it here, I was thinkin', I miss my folks, Teddy. I wanna see my family and make sure they're safe."

Teddy smiles empathetically at Grubby.

Teddy: "I understand. If Captain Zelza is indeed the one dropping off supplies, we can meet her at the docks and see if she'll give you a ride back home."

Grubby: "You won't miss me being around?"

Grubby raises a brow, not knowing whether or not to feel hurt.

Teddy: "Of course I'll miss you, Grubby, but your happiness is more important to me than always having you present. If you want to go home because you're homesick, I'm behind you all the way. You do what's best for you."

Grubby: "Gee, thanks, buddy. I'll miss ya. You too, Tweeg."

Tweeg is taken aback.

Tweeg: "You'd miss me?"

Grubby finds himself getting slightly defensive of his stance.

Grubby: "Well, yeah. I was just starting to get used to you being around."

Tweeg: "Well then, I guess I'd miss you too. Now, get out there and be ready to meet the ship. I know you're anxious to meet that little blonde-haired Octopede you're so fond of."

Grubby becomes beet red at the mention of Xena the Octopede.

Grubby: "Hehe, better than nothing, I guess, and yeah, I have been lookin' forward to catching up with Xena."

The awkwardness is making the air thick, so they find themselves dispersing quite abruptly. Later that day, a ship arrives along the docks, and the famous Captain Zelza, along with her daughter Xena, pulls up along the shore to deliver a much overdue shipment. An older Illiop man wearing a flat cap awaits her on the docks and immediately begins signing away on the clipboard, merely looking for the lines and signing along them to confirm payment of the shipment so the other Illiops on standby can get cracking on sending everything where it belongs.

Captain Zelza: "Sorry about that, folks. Wasn't expecting such a big storm to cause such a delay."

Teddy looks around, thoroughly confused. He turns a complete rotation.

Teddy: "Umm, what storm?"

Xena: "All along the shores of Ying and throughout most of Grundo, there's a massive storm raging about and the winds are something fierce."

Captain Zelza: "I've never seen anything like it in all my years at sea. Those were the nastiest storm clouds I ever saw."

Grubby looks up, noticing that it's nice and warm and there isn't a single cloud in the sky, at least in the immediate vicinity.

Grubby: "That's so strange. It's nice and bright and sunny here."

Xena: "It probably just hasn't made its way down south yet. Just you wait. It's gonna be crazy."

Teddy remembers that their friends departed north not too long ago and he finds himself filled with worry as to whether or not Prince Arin, Princess Aruzia, and Gimmick made it back to the Illiper Kingdom in time.

Teddy: "Gosh. I hope the airship made it back to the Illiper Kingdom alright."

Grubby: "I hope there's an Illiper Kingdom to go back to."

Captain Zelza and Xena's expressions turn to ones of great concern. They look back and forth at each other and back at the boys.

Captain Zelza: "That's right. I heard there was a huge invasion. I sure hope everyone's okay."

Grubby looks quite dour and faces the ground.

Grubby: "It's a little too late for that."

Xena walks up to Grubby, lifting his head up. He smiles meekly at her.

Xena: "We brought lots of medical supplies with us. I hope they could be of some help to the Illipers."

Teddy: "That's awfully kind of you."

Grubby: "Actually, I was gonna ask you guys for a favor."

Captain Zelza: "Sure thing. Anything for my favorite little man."

She places her arm around Grubby.

Grubby: "Are you heading back to Octagania anytime soon?"

Captain Zelza: "We will be heading back to Octagania. Unfortunately, we're gonna have to ride straight into that storm first. There's a place in Ying we gotta stop at first and then it's home sweet home."

Grubby: "Ying, huh? Makes me wonder how Marty's doin' up there."

She raises her brow at him.

Xena: "Who's Marty?

Grubby smiles at her.

Grubby: "A friend."

Captain Zelza points straight into the nastiest black clouds ever formed along the coast. Teddy doesn't know why, but he suddenly feels that abdominal pressure that comes with a great sense of dread as he stares at those clouds. He finds himself not all too certain that everything is over, and a looming sense that things are only going to get worse. He banishes those uncharacteristic thoughts away, shaking his head with denial and uncertainty as he gives Grubby one long hug and waves him goodbye. As the crew reboards their ships, the shipment handler shakes his head at the clipboard in front of him. Grubby boards the ship and they sail off into the distance. Teddy finds the air starting to get cold and the wind starting to pick up as he takes one more look along the horizon before hastening his trek back to his house.

Prince Arin and crew ride right into that storm. The blackness doesn't scare him. What scares him is finding out just how bad everything is. He dreads the inevitable step onto the deck where he has to witness the madness beneath him. Newton Gimmick does not get to share that luxury, as he is the first to behold the chaos. Houses burnt to the ground, bodies still littering the streets that have already started to decay, and nothing but shadows lurking where people once walked. The violence is over and all that is left is the ghost of a quaint town of peaceful people. The whole situation makes him sick. Gimmick wants to close his eyes for fear that he'll fall into madness, but realizes that he simply can't, not while he's piloting the ship.

As he approaches King Nogburt's Castle, he notices just how much everything has changed. The once beautiful stone towers now hang in dilapidated ruins. Flags of a once proud kingdom billow feebly through the wind with holes and burn to render the crest unrecognizable. As they approach closer, the ship comes under fire from down below. Monsters have seized the castle and have made what they consider to be a permanent residence. Where once sat two thrones, now only one sits, a massive garish throne made of skulls where a large troll sits, a royal rug draped mockingly over his shoulders like a cape, and a tiny, dirty crown situated unfittingly upon his massive head. With Quellor gone, the big ogre declares himself in charge. Would anyone dare to defy him or deny him his self-given rights? Of course not.

Gimmick is ordered to lower the ship and take cover. For now, the monsters in the kingdom can merely assume that a Gutang ship has just laid in the middle of the town. The monsters and villains of M.A.V.O. Aren't exactly the brightest of bulbs, so it may take a little for them to realize that something is amiss. While in cover, Gimmick lends Wooly his Crystal. He whispers to Wooly.

Gimmick: "Alright, Wooly, this is the, uh, duplication Crystal. Now, just imagine there are many Woolys, and you'll conjure an army of Woolys to fight by your side."

Wooly: "YOU MEAN—"

Gimmick: "Shhh. Not so loud."

Wooly tries as hard as he can to whisper and not be loud enough to draw all of M.A.V.O. to their location.

Wooly: "Sorry... you mean an army of me?"

Gimmick: "Yes."

Wooly takes the Crystal and tries really hard to imagine more than one Wooly. He starts duplicating throughout the ship. The monsters at the ready down below become alerted to the notion that something isn't right and draw their weapons, approaching the airship. With no warning, an army of pink, furry goliaths leap from the ship onto the ground and begin pummeling every monster in their wake in a fit of fury. Remembering all his fallen brothers, Wooly attacks without relenting, surviving solely on brute strength and primal rage, and the army of Woolys follow with just as much aggression.

Prince Arin leaps from the ship, adorned with the invisibility Crystal and sword and shield at the ready. Vengeance flows through his veins and he decides right then and there that he will spare no monster his wrath. With deftness and agility, Arin swings his sword, decapitating and sending wave after wave of confused monsters to the ground with merciless swing after merciless swing. Princess Aruzia, with the Crystal of flight, soars through the air toward the outskirts, luring several monsters and clearing a path for Prince Arin through to the castle.

From the distance, hidden within the basement of a burnt home, an Illiper survivor, among a large pack of other survivors, spots the army of Woolys and the monsters falling to some kind of invisible warrior. He peers through a hole in the cellar door with his binoculars. As Prince Arin finishes the lot in the streets, finds that his cover no longer works and signals to Newton Gimmick to leave the ship before he is used as leverage. With the prince in clear view, the resistance leader becomes startled and so filled with excitement that he nearly drops his binoculars. He can't believe his eyes. Fumbling to catch them before they fall to the ground, he grabs them mid-air and does a double take.

The Illiper prince once believed to have fallen with his parents, along with his sister, has survived and rebounded for an attack to take back the kingdom. The resistance leader turns to the rest of the holdup, a group of barely strung-together survivors in the care of a single individual, fortunately, the most medically experienced individual in the kingdom.

Resistance Leader: "Guys! Look at this! It's Prince Arin and Princess Aruzia! The royal bloodlines have returned."

A stubborn old man situated at a table in the center of the room, surrounded by other surly individuals is not so optimistic, but rather jaded and disenchanted with the royal family. He finds the notion of the prince's return utterly absurd.

Stubborn old man: "Prince Arin and Princess Aruzia? They, along with their friends, fled aboard their airship and abandoned the kingdom in its time of need! Cowards! How dare they show their faces!"

Surly middle-aged Illiper man: "We spent the last few days cowering in this hut and you're gonna call the royals cowards? I don't see you doing anything to help."

Stubborn old man: "Of course not! I have a family to tend to here. Their lives come to me first."

The surly man rises from his chair, approaching the other Illiper who rises from his seat. Their argument becomes heated. A riled-up woman in the kitchen heating up rations marches into the room. She is a familiar brunette Perloon woman. Her hair, normally done up in space buns, had not recently had time to tend to her locks, and she looks positively dreadful, tired, and under-rested.

Eunice: "You need to keep it down. There are soldiers in the, uh, next room, resting and healing their wounds. There's only so much I can do. Also, I do not appreciate you speaking ill of the royal family like that."

Resistance Leader: "A friend of yours has returned as well."

She darts her head to him.

Eunice: "A friend? Whatever could you mean?"

Resistance Leader: "It's Newton Gimmick, ma'am."

Eunice: "Newton?!"

She marches up to him and snatches the binoculars from his hand, peering through the hole in the cellar gate.

Resistance Leader: "Hey!"

Eunice: "Pipe down!"

She watches as off in the distance, the brave three Crystal bearers make their way up to the castle. From the sidelines, a much larger group of monsters flank them, tossing a net over the flying Princess Aruzia and grounding her. They are grounded and surrounded.

Resistance Leader: "What's happening?"

Eunice: "They're surrounded! Come on, Newton, get outta there!"

Resistance Leader: "Prince Arin and crew have broken their defenses. With the monsters distracted, we might have a chance at flanking the flankers."

Eunice: "It's out of the question! You and your men are, um, in no shape to be out there fighting for your lives!"

He grabs her by the shoulders, staring into her bespeckled eyes with his large, tired, and hopelessly bloodshot ones. She can see the desperation on his face.

Resistance Leader: "This might be the only chance we actually get!"

he leaves his post and enters the bedroom where Illipers both sick and damaged lay in healing He calls to the individuals in the other room, riling them up.

Resistance Leader: "Our prince has returned! Our princess has returned! They're out there fighting the good fight while we're in here holding on by the skin of our teeth. We shan't sit idly by any longer. Pick up your armor! Unsheath your swords! Today our king calls to us one last time! In the name of the Illiper Kingdom, we shall not fall!"

All: "For the Illiper Kingdom! For King Nogburt and Queen Lillibet!"

With new fire in their bellies, they hobble out of the room in a bottlenecked fashion. Eunice pleads with them to stay before they throw their lives away for a gambit, but the men are already kicking open the cellar door and rushing into battle before she can even blink an eye.

Gimmick: "Oh no. This is not good."

Prince Arin: "These foul creatures shall taste my blade, even if I have to cut through each and every one of them. I will avenge mother and father!"

Prince Arin, with fire burning in his eyes, stares down the monsters in a standoff as Illipers swarm the monsters from all sides. He and the others are confused.

Prince Arin: "Why has this blasted Crystal stopped working?!"

He beats on the Crystal as if abusing it will cause it to suddenly work again.

Princess Aruzia: "Brother! I fear you are allowing your intense hatred of these beasts to pollute your spirit. You've lost your purity and for that reason, your Crystal rejects you!"

He lowers his balled fists to his sides and stares at his sister like a pouty teen.

Prince Arin: "Nonsense! I fight only for purity!"

Prince Arin rushes into a berzerker rage only for several Woolys as well as backup soldiers to rush in and sweep the area, beating, bashing, bludgeoning, and maiming every monster in sight.

Prince Arin: "Explain how his is working then."

Princess Aruzia is silent and looks away in disappointment as the monsters are dealt with swiftly. Many Illiper resistance fighters and Woolys surround Prince Arin.

Prince Arin: "You lot had me worried for a second. What took you so long?"

The Woolys: "Sorry, Prince Arin!"

Resistance Leader: "Prince Arin, you and your sister have returned! What in Grundo happened?"

Prince Arin: "It's quite a long story, one that I won't have time to tell until we take that castle back."

He points at the castle with his sword and everyone looks. The resistance leader is not particularly optimistic.

Resistance Leader: "But my lord, the monsters occupy the castle, and a rather large beast sits upon your rightful throne. He has declared himself king in your absence. He rules over monsters and Illipers alike."

Prince Arin: "Like hell, he does!"

Resistance Leader: "He is a large, orge-like creature. He won't be easily dispatched like these mere mooks were."

Princess Aruzia rises from the ground and approaches her brother. The sadness in her eyes is unparalleled, and Prince Arin finds himself connected at a deep level with her emotionally, in a way only siblings could bond.

Princess Aruzia: "Arin, I plead with you. Clear your mind of this hatred, lest your Crystal fails on you again and you find yourself at the end of a sword yourself! You know that it can only work with a pure heart."

Prince Arin takes a deep sigh, lowering his head, finally taking in someone else's words and letting them sink in. He finds himself coming to his senses and thinking with clarity once again, for the sake of his sister.

Prince Arin: "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Princess Aruzia: "Let us hope we will never find out."

Prince Arin takes her hand.

Prince Arin: "Right."

He turns to the resistance leader.

Resistance Leader: "Do you have a plan, my lord?"

He brushes his sweat-drenched red bangs out of his eyes and declares nonchalantly.

Prince Arin: "It's not quite as elegant as one would expect of a brilliant tactician, but here goes."

The Crystal bearers and the resistance huddle together in Eunice's basement as Prince Arin takes a piece of parchment and lays out a plan. It's simple. Wooly is to distract and cause a ruckus on the inside, luring monster guards bottle-necked through the halls to their doom where they will be trounced until there is no monster force left. Prince Arin will stealthfully make his way into the throne room and dispatch the monster king with ease. Meanwhile, inside the castle, the monster king himself leans over, sneering at Ickley Bognostraclum, treating the former gatekeeper as a mere servant, a clown for his own amusement.

Monster King: "Tell me a joke, and this time it better be funny or I'll behead you!"

Ickley Bognostraclum: "But sir, uh, I mean, your highness, you've already had three beheadings today."

Monster King: "I think we have time to work in a fourth."

The monster king looks down at his bare arm, realizing he doesn't have a watch large enough to fit his tree trunk of a wrist but continues to point at his wrist and remind his underling of the little patience he has.

Monster King: "Clock's ticking, Bognostraclum."

Ickley begins to tremble at the knees and sweat profusely as the massive yellow-eyed peer down on him from the uncanny valley of shadows that is the monster king's horrid face.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Oh my, um, uh, what do you... you, uh, call an Illiper that, uh... took his medication?"

The monster king looks unamused but humors the poor creature's pitiful joke. He leans on his balled-up fist with a bored look on his face, gesturing with his hands.

Monster King: "I don't know. What?"

Ickley Bognostraclum: "A Well-iper?"

Monster King: "... I don't get it."

Ickley facepalms and rolls his eyes.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Uggh! Are you really gonna make me explain the joke?"

He cups his massive head which surely must weigh more than a bowling ball in his massive baseball glove of a hand and rubs the cactus-like stubble on his chin, making loud bristle sounds as he does so.

Monster King: "No. I think I'd rather just kill you."

The massive monster lifts his massive fist and thrusts downward. Ickley closes his eyes, ready for punishment only to be met with the sound of someone else's pain.

Monster King: "Ow! Who poked me?"

Prince Arin: "Wow, that's some thick skin."

The monster king draws in a long, slurpy inhalation as he tries to get a beat on the direct coordinate of his target.

Monster King: "I smell the perfume of a dainty little Illiper prince."

Prince Arin: "Perfume? Sir, I wear cologne, like a man!"

Foolishly, Prince Arin couldn't abandon his pride and has therefore given away his presence, just as the monster king had hoped.

Monster King: "There you are!"

Using nothing but the sound of his voice, the giant monster king swings his club, sending Arin hurdling across the room, the only thing preventing the destruction of his ribcage the magnificent princely armor he's clad in. Prince Arin is winded and has dropped his Crystal. Ickley Bognostraclum is confused. In the confusion he looks around, leaping for the freed Crystal in an attempt to escape only to be kicked aside by Prince Arin, denied his only means of exiting the battlefield.

Prince Arin: "Oh, no you don't, you bugger!"

The monster king slams his giant club, forcing Prince Arin to leap out of the way, tackling Bognostraclum with him.

Prince Arin: "This is the second time I've saved your hide."

Ickley shoots him a dry and sarcastic retort.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Didn't ask you to."

Prince Arin: "You ungrateful little—"

The monster king swings his massive club once again. With great agility, Arin dodges once again. He finds himself to be a bit in over his head so he maintains his distance as he comes up with a plan.

Prince Arin: "So... that massive dullard is capable of finding me through my scent. I'll have to do something about that."

Leaping out and taunting the big lummox, Prince Arin lures the monster king into the dining area. Enraged, the beast starts flipping over tables, nearly slamming them into the invisible Prince Arin. He dives, dropping his Crystal as the big lug approaches.

Monster King: "There you are!"

He reaches over to grab Prince Arin off the ground by the leg, and as he holds the prince upside down in front of his face, Prince Arin reaches for a pile of black pepper on the ground left by a broken shaker. He blows the dust right into the creature's face, simultaneously blinding him and causing him to sneeze uncontrollably. Prince Arin holds his breath as he sneaks away, the monster king swinging his massive club back and forth recklessly.

The monster king inadvertently pummels the foundational column beneath him and the room shakes from instability. As Arin backs away, he realizes that the ceiling is giving in. Bognostraclum, spectating curiously from the other room backs away as Prince Arin plows through him into the main hall as the roof caves in on the monster king. The entire room is demolished and the monster king is trapped under hundreds of tons of stone, wood, and steel. The castle is even more of a wreck, but Prince Arin finds himself relieved that the immediate threat is over.

Having taken hold of the castle finally, the Woolys and the members of the resistance storm the room where Prince Arin is and they are relieved that he is okay. Bognostraclum's eyes grow wide as he is vastly outnumbered and surrounded. The resistance moves in to strike him down as Prince Arin calls them off.

Prince Arin: "Stand down, men!"

Resistance Fighter: "Huh? But your highness, he's just another one of them."

Prince Arin looks over to the resistance fighter with a stern look, picking himself up and brushing himself off, and then back to a confused Bognostraclum. He stares right into his eyes.

Prince Arin: "Take him to the dungeon. I'll have words with this one."

The guards grab Bognostraclum around the arms, and he fights them, trying to struggle free.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "My loyalty is to M.A.V.O.! I'll tell ya nothin'! Ya hear? Nothin'!"

Ickley Bognostraclum is hauled away, quite temperamentally, to the dungeon cells in the basement of the nearest tower.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Hey! Watch the horns, pal!"

Prince Arin sighs as the screaming Bognostraclum fades away into the distance.

Prince Arin: "Thank goodness that's over."

In the background, the army of Woolys, a bunch of tired resistance fighters, and a clever Newton Gimmick using his scientific knowledge of all things to spring traps onto unsuspecting monsters, either trapping or crushing them, defeating seemingly endless foe after foe. The flying Princess Aruzia, acting as some sort of crowd control, swoops in to grab enemies from below, hoisting them into the air and dropping them to their deaths, is capable of wrangling many straggler monsters below her. The chaos ensues until the remaining few flee or surrender.

The red-headed prince beholds his former home for the first time since the incident, seeing the whole thing in ruins. It would take many months to fix the walls, floors, and ceilings from the damage, and much, much longer to ever heal from the damage that's been done to his psyche from the back-to-back losses he's suffered, but he looks around the room once again and realizes that all is not lost, and that, no matter what, he has the most loyal friends a young man could ask for.

He shoots an eye at a tired Wooly, who disbands the clones by imagining them away. Newton Gimmick cautiously enters the room to behold the aftermath of the chaos. He doesn't look too pleased. He approaches Wooly.

Wooly: "Oh! Uh, here's your Crystal thingy back, Gimmick! It was really useful!"

Gimmick: "The duplication stone is very, er, uh, powerful. In hindsight, after seeing that big lug, we should have brought the growth Crystal with us as well."

Prince Arin laughs weakly.

Prince Arin: "It would have been nice to fight that beast on even terms. As is, I had to fight a bit dirty."

Wooly: "With a guy like that, you gotta use any means of fighting you can!"

Prince Arin nods.

Prince Arin: "Indeed."

After a moment, Wooly asks to be excused, to which Prince Arin is quite shocked and confused.

Wooly: "Hey, Prince Arin?!"

Prince Arin: "Yes, my friend?"

Wooly: "Brrr! I think I should check in on my old pals in Boggley Woods! I wonder how Leota and the other creatures are faring with those M.A.V.O. jerks running amok!"

Prince Arin: "Very well, Wooly. You have served your purpose well and fought valiantly and courageously. We have things under control in the castle now, but do be careful. Who knows just how many of M.A.V.O.'s goons are still lurking around out there?"

Wooly: "Probably not nearly as many as before, but if I see 'em, I'll beat some sense into 'em!"

Prince Arin cheers on the Snowzo with a jaunty fist pump.

Prince Arin: "That's the spirit!"

With that, Wooly departs. Despite his size, Wooly proves to have fantastic stamina and is capable of walking miles effortlessly. The large, pink Snowzo stomps through the forest with fierce intimidation, warding away any fiend that would dare to cross his path. As he leaves the outskirts of the Illiper Kingdom, Wooly starts to notice that it has become increasingly quiet and that the sky has become an unnervingly dense and angry shade of black. Wooly had never seen such threatening storm clouds in his life. Even he has the intuition to realize there is something very unnatural about them. Still, he perseveres, the wind picking up immensely.

As the harsh winds become stronger and stronger, he realizes that this is no mere storm, and he pushes onward with increasing speed toward his destination. If the storm is this bad this far out, he imagines it must be awful for Leota, the elves, and the wood sprites of the forest if they made the unwise decision to go out in this mess. As Wooly approaches the woods, he notices some rather peculiar carrots along the side of the road.

Wooly: "Huh?! This is odd! Why are these carrots here?!"

He leans over, scratching his head rather stupidly.

Carrot: "We're not carrots."

Immediately before him, three strange creatures shapeshift from carrots into their native forms. Before him stands three furry creatures, each unique in design and color. These are the Anythings. The first one, a small yellow rabbit-like creature with a high-pitched, squeaky voice, addresses him.

Anything 1: "We saw a bunch of monsters storming through here heading in the direction you came from."

A chubby blue anything slightly resembling a donkey intercepts the first one with a follow-up retort.

Anything 2: "Ever since we were so scared we never came out of our vegetable form."

Wooly stands proudly, folding his long arms and looking at them sternly.

Wooly: "Well, I'm not scared of no monsters! They better not show up here in the woods again!"

A red creature with floppy ears and a mohawk admires Wooly's bravery with utmost envy. He speaks in a low-pitched and somewhat dopey voice.

Anything 3: "I wish I was big and brave like you, Wooly."

Wooly points at them, ordering them, but in a kind and caring way.

Wooly: "You guys take care of yourselves, and stay hidden! I don't want those M.A.V.O. goons hurting any of my friends!"

They all turn back into carrots and bury themselves in the dirt.

Carrot: "You don't have to tell us twice."

Wooly looks up at the sky.

Wooly: "Be careful in this storm! Those clouds look mighty angry!"

Carrot: "If it gets too harsh, we'll find shelter. Don't you worry."

Wooly continues his trek through the woods. The winds pick up the closer he gets to his old house in the woods. It starts to irritate him with dust blowing into his eyes and his fur becoming filled with dirt and leaves.

Wooly: "Urgh, this wind is so irritating! I can barely walk! What kinda storm is this?!"

Through the harsh winds calls the tiniest of voices. He picks up the sound, but through the blustering winds, it is so faint that he can barely make it out. He looks around in all different directions and sees nothing but trees and branches blowing like crazy.

Tiny voice: "Up here! I'm up here! Help!"

From high in the tree above him, a wood sprite with tiny translucent wings clings to a branch for dear life for fear of being blown far away by the winds. Wooly looks up and spots the small creature.

Wooly: "Leota!"

She finds that she can no longer hold on and is slipping from the branch. Wooly, with his long arms, reaches out, catching her as she loses her grip. Practicing great care and caution, he realizes he must remember his strength to avoid crushing the tiny sprite in his hand.

Leota: "Thank you, Wooly! Now hurry, we must get out of these terrible winds."

He cups the tiny wood sprite in his massive hands and pushes forward, right into the wind.

Wooly: "I'll take you to my place in the woods! You'll be safe there until this crazy hurricane of a storm blows over!"

Pushing and persevering through the gale-force winds, Wooly approaches a rather large house in the woods with a tall gable roof lined with hay. The tall, grey stone structure was built to handle Wooly of all creatures, so a mere storm would prove to be nothing to the structure. Pulling open the heavy wooden door, Wooly pushes the thing closed and barricades it with a large wooden board to keep it from blowing open. He lets go of the wood sprite, who shakes the rain off onto the floor like a dog as Wooly shakes his head at his disheveled appearance. He mumbles and grumbles to himself.

Wooly: "Brrr! All this mud and dirt and leaves! It's all stuck in my fur now! Just look at this mess!"

He continues to pull leaf after leaf out of his fur, littering the floor with them.

Leota: "I have no idea where that storm came from."

Wooly: "Me neither! I'm just glad you're safe!"

Leota: "It was a good thing you came to check up on me. A moment longer and I would have been pulled into the storm."

Wooly wrings out his wet tail. He looks at the tiny wood sprite sitting on his dining table with a look of grave concern.

Wooly: "I had to see how everyone in the woods was doing after being gone for so long and finding out that M.A.V.O. was outta control!"

She sits on the table, inquiring of him with a high amount of whimsical curiosity.

Leota: "Where did you go, Wooly?"

Wooly: "After Quellor unleashed all that darkness with the Crystals last time, King Nogburt gave me the special task of finding somewhere safe to hide the Crystals! The best place I could think of to take them was far up north to the land of the Snowzos! My Snowzo brothers and I would take care of the Crystals there! Nobody in their right mind would travel that far to the north!"

Leota looks surprised that Wooly was able to come up with such a clever solution, but is also more surprised that something as important as the Crystals would be entrusted to him in the first place. In hindsight, the shock means that nobody would have ever expected it.

Leota: "So, you've been quite busy, acting for a noble cause."

He walks over to a towel draped over his stove, rubbing the whole thing through the messy fur on his head and inadvertently dropping it onto the floor.

Wooly: "Yeah! It's a shame that everything had to go this way! This is all Quellor's fault!"

He slams the table in anger, and the wood sprite rises to the air in flight, shocked by his sudden burst of anger.

Leota: "What happened, Wooly?"

Wooly: "Brrr! That Quellor and M.A.V.O., they stormed the Illiper Kingdom and tore it all down! Our friends barely escaped, but then they fled for the Crystals, that I was protecting, right, so I showed them where I took the Crystals, but we were followed, and... and... a whole bunch of people died! So many people! So many Snowzos!"

Wooly loses it. He couldn't bear to lose his cool in front of his friends because he knew they all looked to him for strength and fortitude, but even he has his limits. He breaks down right in front of Leota, and she stays there, quietly, watching him and knowing there isn't a thing she could say to alleviate that stress for him. Wooly may be a large, bombastic creature on the surface, but his soul is that of a gentle and loving creature and she knows that such devastation is wrecking him internally. She knew it was bad out there, but never imagined it being so horrible.

Another thought dawns on her, the sudden realization that the ferocious storm outside may very well be an indication that things are going to get worse before they get better. Curiously, she waits for him to calm down before she inquires of him any further. Wooly, in his sullen nature, soon finds himself quiet once again.

Leota: "Wooly, I overheard some monsters as they were strolling by, and they mentioned something about 'Astranalogous', a name that hadn't been uttered in many years."

Wooly sits at one of his massive chairs at the table, leaning on his hands and staring down at the table.

Wooly: "We defeated Quellor, and this evil demon, this Astra-whatever-you-call-it, appeared from his body. It was this big, black shadow."

Leota: "So Quellor has perished as well?"

Wooly: "Yeah. But I don't know if that means it's all over. Poor Prince Arin and Princess Aruzia. They have to pick up the whole kingdom all by themselves. They're just kids."

Leota thinks for a moment before flying before Wooly, who's laid his head on his table and is lost in his thoughts. She leans over, looking him in the eyes. He turns his milky eyes up and makes eye contact with her, filled with the sorrow of the world.

Leota: "You know, Wooly, as a teacher... as your teacher... I think it's unwise to underestimate kids. Prince Arin and Princess Aruzia have so many wonderful friends: Teddy, Grubby, Gimmick, you, and me. We'll have their back all the way. They won't have to rebuild this kingdom alone. As many times as you all were here for us, we shall be there for you as well. With Quellor and so many monsters gone, as unfortunate as all the loss is, it means that M.A.V.O. is on its last legs, and they're on borrowed time. The whole organization will certainly falter eventually."

Wooly: "I hope so."

He pulls the Crystal out from his fleshy, pouchy pocket and stares into it. He wonders, just what is the Crystal? What does it mean? Why does Astranalogous fear them so much? What's the connection? The storm outside is rivaled only by the storm brewing within his mind. For now, at least, he has the company of Leota to ponder these implications. Back in the fallen Illiper Kingdom, Prince Arin is left to pick up the pieces. Old Illipers surround him, compounding him with question after question.

Guard: "Prince Arin, the northern guard tower is in ruin. The ceiling has collapsed and the armory has been cut off. What shall we do?"

Prince Arin: "Well, I—"

Baker: "My prince. I have been supplying the town with food in our time of need, but the monsters ate my goods and destroyed my entire bakery. Where will the new shipment of supplies be coming from? Who will be willing to deliver to the kingdom in such disarray."

Prince Arin: "Perhaps we could find supply from—"

Seamstress: "Prince Arin, the clothing shop is overrun!"

Farmer: "The crops have been destroyed!"

Guard: "What about the tower?"

He is overwhelmed, trying to answer just as others around him interrupt his responses with their questions. He is being bombarded. He backs away as Illipers surround him, impatiently uttering demand after demand. Princess Aruzia grows quite agitated and barges in between all of them. She whistles, as loud as she could, hurting the ears of those before her, but commanding their immediate attention. She folds her arms, looking at them authoritatively.

Princess Aruzia: "Cease this foolishness, all of you! Prince Arin will address all of your concerns, but if you don't get your acts together and stop behaving like uncivilized M.A.V.O. minions and wait your turn, none of you will be addressed! Is that understood?!"

The crowd looks down at themselves, hanging their head in shame. In unison, they respond.

Crowd: "Yes, Princess Aruzia."

She smiles at Prince Arin, and he back at her.

Princess Aruzia: "Go on, dear brother."

Prince Arin: "Correct. I will address all of your concerns. I am but one man. As the leader of my people, your concerns are my concerns. I am not without sympathy for any of you. It is imperative that not only are my decisions made with haste, but they must also be the correct decisions, ones that I shan't make without wisdom and that I must not take lightly. I understand your fury. I feel it too. I might be young and inexperienced, and without the much-needed guidance of my mother and father, but together, with Aruzia, I will bring this kingdom back from the brink of destruction. The Illiper Kingdom will not fall today, or ever, to the forces of evil! We will rise up and become even stronger than before! We will be safer than we were before! We will not rest on our laurels and be unprepared for another heinous invasion such as this! The kingdom of the Illipers will rise and stand tall and strong over Grundo once again!

"For now, I have pressing and immediate issues to attend to, ones that involve the apprehension of the creatures responsible for this. Your needs will be met. I will get to every one of them, and I will not rest until you are all satisfied. Thank you."

Prince Arin points to the guard reminding him of the guard tower.

Prince Arin: "You there, what is your name?"

Guard: "Orion, my lord, like the belt."

Prince Arin: "Get a pen and some paper and take down the wants and demands of the people in the kingdom. Make sure to get as many as you can. When you are finished, come see me and hand me the notes. I will deal with as many as I can as quickly and appropriately as I can. For now, there is a monster I must speak with."

He bows deeply before Prince Arin.

Orion: "Yes, my king."

As Prince Arin storms away, Orion is immediately overrun by the townsfolk that continue to rabble chaotically as he jots down notes with extreme haste, sweating as he scribbles everything down as hastily as he can while continuing to remain legible and proper. Prince Arin treads down the stone tower stairway into the dank, dark, and cobweb-filled dungeon, approaching the cell where Ickley Bognostraclum is being held. He looks positively bored out of his mind. He squints his eyes with distaste as Prince Arin approaches him, covering his eyes as they adjust to the light of his torch.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "What do you want? I already told ya I wasn't spilling the beans on anything. You can torture me, beat me up, do whatever you want, I ain't sayin' nothin'."

Prince Arin rolls his eyes.

Prince Arin: "Spare me the bravado, monster. I know who you are. You're Quellor's second in command. How you ended up the servant to that dullard upstairs is beyond me. Sounds like a demotion."

Ickley catches the compliment, but decides to feign not caring, folding his arms and looking away ignorantly.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Yeah? Well, I didn't like that guy anyway. I'm glad he's dead. Good riddance."

Prince Arin chuckles.

Prince Arin: "So much for loyalty."

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Did you just come here to engage in social hour and to mock my condition, or are you here for something with a bit more meat on the bone? Unless you have something important to ask, just leave me alone to rot in this cell. It's the best vacation I got in years anyway."

He flops back into his cell hammock with his arms behind his head.

Prince Arin: "From what I understand, you're loyal to M.A.V.O., and only M.A.V.O. Doesn't seem to me that a fellow like you would align yourself with outside forces such as Astranalogous."

The name makes him shudder, and this peaks Arin's attention, causing him to raise a brow.

Prince Arin: "So you are aware of the creature living within your master's body?"

He shoots Prince Arin a look with daggers in his eyes.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "I won't speak ill-will of the Supreme Oppressor, or whatever that... that THING is."

Prince Arin ponders for a moment before asking another question. He leans up against the back wall and Ickley stares at him quite perplexedly.

Prince Arin: "Unless I am mistaken, the title of 'Supreme Oppressor' is claimed by the wielder of the black box; is this not correct? I would assume one with such extensive knowledge of rites and regulations of M.A.V.O. initiation would be familiar with this."

Ickley turns his full attention to Prince Arin.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Yeah, I've memorized the rules; I know 'em by heart. I could recite any individual rule right now."

Prince Arin: "That's quite the memory you have."

Prince Arin shrugs.

Prince Arin: "Then I suppose by that definition, Quellor and Astranalogous are no longer your 'Supreme Oppressor.'"

He rises from his bed, approaching the bars of the cell and wrapping his grey hands around them.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "What do you mean? Quellor is no longer in possession of the black box?"

Prince Arin looks at his glove as if he was examining his fingernails, quite smugly and nonchalantly.

Prince Arin: "Far from it. He is dead."

Ickley's eyes grow wide. He backs away into the corner of the cell.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "That can't be true. I'd believe he lost possession... but... dead? How? You're lying!"

He points at Prince Arin, thoroughly in denial and filled with anger.

Prince Arin: "Quellor fell to the power of the Crystals, as did Astranalogous. They are no more. Your black box is now in the possession of Jack W. Tweeg. I'm sure you must be thrilled."

Ickley kicks his foot at nothing like a spoiled child rather than some threatening or imposing monster, cursing under his breath.

Prince Arin: "The real reason I opted to have you captured rather than killed is that you do not appear as wholly evil as the vile miscreants that stormed my beloved kingdom and slaughtered my family."

Ickley takes great offense to this.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "What are you talking about? I was there. I am so evil."

Prince Arin folds his arms, looking shaking his head in displeasure at Bognostraclum's denial.

Prince Arin: "I noticed there is not so much as a speckle of dried blood anywhere on your clothes. As a matter of fact, you're the cleanest monster I've ever seen."

He balls up his fists like a petulant child.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Hey! Them's fightin' words!"

Prince Arin's face turns from an expression of smug to stoic, immediately informing Bognostraclum that he's serious in his accusations.

Prince Arin: "You cannot convince me that you're not appalled by the insidious nature of M.A.V.O.'s most recent actions."

Ickley paces back and forth in the cell, grabbing at his horns and growling to himself.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "I could understand shrouding the world in darkness, even seizing the castle, but killing all those people? The king and queen? I watched him! I watched all of them! I watched a whole bunch of my friends go down in that chaos! Do you think I wanted to be part of that?! Hmm?! Do you think I wanted to lay waste among all those bodies?! No! I have ambitions in life! Maybe I wanted to be Supreme Oppressor myself one day, to have all this knowledge and use it to run M.A.V.O. the best it's ever been run! I wasn't ready to die, not like that! But he just went on and on, kept on killing! He was like a shark, the more blood he took in, the thirstier he became until he wouldn't stop!"

Ickley finds himself hyperventilating as he lays back in the prison cell hammock, breathing heavily through his nose.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "I knew something was wrong with him. I could feel it in my bones. Ever since he went out to that castle and came back, he hasn't been the same. It was like he could suck all the air out of the room. Each day he grew more and more gaunt and sickly like that thing was eating away at him from the inside and taking Quellor to the absolute extreme of evilness."

He sits up in his hammock, looking down at the floor as he continues to speak with Arin, and the prince pays him full attention.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "I never saw M.A.V.O. as anything more than a social club for monsters, Trolls, Ogres, Grunges, just low-down people. I made friends there, like-minded individuals that felt like we had some place where we belonged, and then he turned it into a vast army and tried to kill everyone! It wasn't supposed to be that way... it wasn't."

Prince Arin's face softens from a hardened scowl to one of tiredness and pain.

Prince Arin: "It sounds to me like you cared a great deal for your fallen brothers."

Ickley Bognostraclum: "A lot of those guys were like family to me."

Prince Arin: "I suppose you even felt for Eleanor Tweeg."

That name causes the monster to emit a faint but noticeable smile.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Ah, Eleanor. Yeah, I always liked Eleanor. All five of her crooked teeth, her hair, like cobwebs, and a voice like nails on a chalkboard. What a sensational creature."

Prince Arin: "Sounds like you are quite fond of her."

He looks over to Arin with a spiteful sneer.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Why do you bring this up anyway?"

Prince Arin's face becomes dour and filled with shadows as he lowers his head.

Prince Arin: "She too was one of his victims."

Ickley's face becomes terrified and his eyes become huge. He can't even believe what he'd just heard. He swallows hard, clenching the cloth over his heart.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "H-how did it happen?"

Prince Arin: "She went down protecting her son, the one Quellor referred to as 'the redeemer', your new Supreme Oppressor, Tweeg. As one of the few that stood by his side as we thwarted the heartless monster that took our loved ones away, I think I can faithfully speak on Tweeg's behalf when I say he deserves some answers. You owe him that much, as your new leader."

Ickley is quiet for a moment. Prince Arin is nearly about to give up. He shakes his head when Ickley opens up once more.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "He wanted to incite a 'rapture', to take the bodies of the fallen and pour the souls of his wicked disciples into them. He wanted to wrap the world in a shroud and he didn't care how many people had to die to achieve his goal. He completely abandoned any sense of values and became heartless. The old Quellor was angry, wrathful, vengeful. He threatened us on an almost daily basis, but deep within, it always felt like he wanted us around, like deep down, he yearned to achieve something great for all of us. The old Quellor let us have a big costume ball. There were moments when he'd just let loose and allow himself to become a person again. He let us relish in darkness and have fun at times.

"But then something happened. He had the seven Crystals and then he lost them... and he hadn't been the same since. He started having these nightmares. He became even more irritable than usual. Gone was the fun, taken over by this period of wallowing in his own malice. He was toxic to be around, and no longer in the way we enjoyed. He sucked all the fun out of the room. I blame that Astranalogous for this. I have never seen or felt anything so lacking in empathy and filled with misery in my life. Astranalogous is like a parasite, destroying all life. It wouldn't stop until we were all dead. I fully believe that now. I can't guarantee this is over. If that storm outside is anything to go by, this is just the beginning."

Prince Arin looks at Ickley with a stern and grave look and up to the vicious winds that beat down on the compromised castle walls with all their might. He turns to Ickley once again.

Prince Arin: "Thank you for your time. This will be most helpful."

Prince Arin turns to walk away, but just as he opens the cell door, about to leave, Ickley leaves him one final message.

Ickley Bognostraclum: "Wait!... If Astranalogous is out there... put it down... once and for all... Please... for everyone."

Prince Arin: "We will. I promise you this."

That last sentence dominates Prince Arin's young mind for the next ten minutes at least. What if Astranalogous is still out there? What if the defeat was only a temporary reprieve from the chaos? Prince Arin finds that he can't even concentrate on what's immediately important: the fact that he has a ruined kingdom to tend to, the fact that he must attend a coronation ceremony in mere hours, the fact that there's a raging storm outside and so many people require both shelter and food and water with all three orders being scarce to meet.

His only solace is Princess Aruzia, who, up to this point, had been nearly his entire foundational backbone, his sole support in kingly matters. He wonders if she would be a greater ruler than he, despite being younger and not yet eligible for the throne. Prince Arin ascends the long tower stairs, with each stair his feet growing heavier and heavier like anchors. He strolls through the damaged and burnt halls, now clear of bodies, and into his father's office, where a stack of papers now sits.

It's eerily quiet save for the harsh winds beating at the walls. He swears that his father's spirit still wanders these walls, probably looking at that mountain of paperwork and shaking his head with great dismay. He looks around the room seeing mirages of his father tending to the office, episodes of dropping his papers on the floor in a fit of clumsiness, moments of receiving notifications from dear Old Beanly... Beanly... the poor old chap. Rest his soul.

But he also recalls moments of brilliance from his father, the moments that made Arin proud to be the prince to his king, the moments that made the kingdom proud of his father. Prince Arin considers the aspect of receiving such praise from the kingdom himself, noting that perhaps he too may have that day when his kin looks at him with envy and pride; he looks forward to better days, days long past M.A.V.O. and Astranalogous.

Prince Arin sits down in his father's old chair, curiously, not a very regal chair, simple leather, but worn and comfortable, and not very kingly. It appears that even Nogburt had moments where he didn't behave very kingly, but that's likely what made him such a great one in the first place. Prince Arin then looks over to a damaged picture of his mother hanging loosely from the office wall, a large tapestry elegantly painted by the finest Illiper painter in the land. He misses that radiant smile so much.

Just as Aruzia, his dear sister, is his support, Queen Lillibet was Nogburt's. He remembers his father's moments of weakness as king, though very far and few, he recalls the times when Lillibet was there to get him through the rough times, the droughts, and the times of a starving kingdom. He sits there, thinking just how eerie it is when people die, how quiet and uncomfortable it becomes, that feeling of loneliness that drops over you, the silence that makes even a grandfather clock sound like a gong. It's the first moment he's had a rest since before the chaos, and he takes the time to let everything sink in.

In the meantime, Gimmick wanders the castle halls himself, looking for Eunice. He feels as though for the first time in a while he can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she's safe from the clutches of M.A.V.O. Gimmick finds her among some guards, chatting while leaning against a wall. Gimmick approaches her and she immediately notices him, barging through the guards and running to each other, Eunice wraps her arms around him, messing up his glasses and making them crooked. He draws her in tight, overwhelmed with joy to see her once again.

Eunice: "Newton!"

Gimmick: "Eunice!"

With a smile he adjusts his glasses, rubbing the fog now covering his lenses.

Eunice: "Oh Newton, I was so scared!"

She releases her hug and grabs him by the arms, and he places his hands on her face.

Gimmick: "Me too. I can only, uh, imagine the stress you've been under the last forty-eight hours."

Eunice: "I watched so many people perish. I'm no, um, stranger to bodies, but I'd never seen so many fresh ones before."

Gimmick: "At least you're safe now. There's so much work to be done. I know we're both gonna have our hands full, but I think this may help."

Gimmick removes the duplication Crystal from his pocket and Eunice is amazed. She'd seen the Crystal before, sure, but never imagined the possibility of using it. He looks at it.

Gimmick: "It turns out I have a, er, uh, special connection to this particular Crystal. When we fought Astranalogous, it called to me."

Eunice: "Astra-what-now?"

Gimmick: "When you get the time, I got quite the story to tell."

He shoots her a sideways smirk, his eyes glistening off his thick glasses. She stares at him through hers. Before they know it, both Newton and Eunice find themselves in a passionate kiss that neither of them had ever shared before. Two completely tired, overworked individuals find themselves so relieved to see each other once again they feel the need to savor every second. They part lips, Eunice having no idea what came over her, and Gimmick scratching his head, not having the foggiest clue what sparked that reaction from her. Still, they both enjoyed it. They immediately find themselves reverting to their prudish ways following the kiss, with Gimmick and Eunice mutually deciding they're too busy. Gimmick pretends to look at his watch with a shocked look on his face to turn the attention away from their previous action.

Gimmick: "Gee willickers! Look at the time. Should start to get to work on those, er, uh, airships. I'll have to tell you that story sometime."

She looks away, avoidantly, with a large grin planted firmly on her face.

Eunice: "Yeah... when I have the time."

Gimmick: "Yeah... when we're both not too busy."

Eunice and Newton go their separate ways, walking backward still facing each other until they're far enough away, and Newton Gimmick almost trips on his shoelaces from walking backward. They each immediately tend to their respective duties. A few hours from this moment, everyone in the kingdom is called to gather in the great hall, once the storm dies down a notch. There are people situated on both sides of the aisle and the path straight to the throne is left straight and narrow. In silence, Prince Arin enters through the large gated doors and approaches his father's throne where his sister awaits. The town pastor, Father Cassius, awaits before him. No other holy men in the entire kingdom survived this attack, so he would find himself a church of one.

After blessing the water in his golden grail, he anoints Prince Arin with water once believed would protect him from great evil, and he reads the rite of passage to the young prince. He swears with immense passion to faithfully perform his duties as king, and to rule with as much courage, passion, heart, and wisdom as his father before him. Princess Aruzia hands the priest a golden ornamental sword, with which he bestows blessings of further courage, strength, and wisdom. He then takes the heavy crown, Nogburt's crown, taken right from his head, cleaned and blessed to the best of their ability, and bestows it onto Arin's head.

Today is the day Arin looked forward to for a long time, but never in his youth did he ever imagine it would be so bittersweet. He once imagined great cheers and happiness rumbling through the castle halls but is instead met with solemn silence and reverent respect. Arin bowed a prince, and now he rises, a king. After a brief hug from his sister, proud tears running down her eyes, King Arin takes his throne.