A/N: So Cecil heads to Mythril; he'll be very shocked once he reaches there, and this is where the fic shifts some gears.

Chapter 2

Within a few minutes time, Cecil went to Mythril using the advanced airship. He noticed there were some thick, black smokestacks coming from a distant island, so he followed them posthaste. Sure enough, as he landed, it was indeed the distant mining ground! The whole town was still ablaze from the Injukhal assault.

Witnessing the horror, Cecil just gasped and stood there floored to the beach. This was very similar to the Signet he unintentionally used that torched the unfortunate village of summoners, Mist. "No! How could they do such a treacherous thing!?" he thought aloud.

As he heard the trees and the houses snapping from the licking flames, he began to listen to the civilians screaming! His first instinct was to save as many people as he possibly could, without stomping on them, of course. Carefully and quickly, he managed not to crush the midgets and he even saved a family of toads trapped in a burning building before it collapsed onto itself. From the forest, he heard and followed some screeches as he saw another midget, toad, and pig race deeper into it. He knew from common sense that the wildfire would shortly catch up to them, since the woods are the worst place to be. He ran in after he got something vital from the Enterprise's storage.

The trio were trying desperately to escape from the raging arson; however, it kept gaining on them as they got deeper. There was a wall of fire that was already burning ahead of them, and then it encircled causing them to frantically turn back. Unfortunately, it climbed a nearby tall tree, causing it to topple over and trap them in an inevitable ring! They knew they were going to wind up as roasted pork, fried frog legs, and a molten man for sure!

Meanwhile, Cecil followed the cries and saw the newly formed ring. Quickly, he took out a Dwarven Axe he once obtained from the underworld, and chopped down a mature oak tree. With all his strength and the ax's advanced material, he was able to make the tree fall and use it as a temporary bridge! Startled, the three looked upon the fallen oak.

"Hurry! Climb across the tree before the fire catches!" Cecil shouted over the burning inferno.

The toad jumped with the midget on top his back, and the swine struggled to climb the slippery bark. The duo pulled him up and they raced across the trunk before it incinerated. Since it was younger and more resistant, it took slightly longer than the other ones. They followed the huge human away from the blaze and eventually to the village. He paused and asked if the trio were all right, they obliged and hugged his legs for saving them. That was when he recognized the three as the Mythril Brothers; he remembered them as they used to put on a show for him when he first visited the island.

By the time they reached the town, almost all the flames were extinguished. He assisted them with a few Antarctic Winds from the airship's inventory and the civilians appeared to be safe for the moment. Cecil wondered why the Injukhal would attack this place to begin with; Mythril, as the name implied, was known as a mining island for that same component. Whereas the toads refine the mythril, the little people process it, and the pigs forge weapons out of the material. He figured they stole whatever they had and burnt the whole place down... His fists began to clench in his anger.

"Cecil! Is that you?" A squeaky voice greeted him below. He thought it belonged to a mouse, but he was just a mere human, about a few inches tall. He recognized him as the Tail Collector, an inhabitant from Mythril's neighboring island. On it was the Adamant Isle Grotto, a small cave in which he made a variety of weapons and armor by gathering rare tails of various monsters. Cecil recalled giving him the Rat Tail from the Feymarch and he was able to exchange him for a special metal, Adamantite, that upgraded his Mythgraven Blade into the legendary Excalibur! He couldn't thank the dwarf blacksmith and the father enough.

The greet snapped the Paladin out of his reverie, and he looked down to see an old acquaintance. "You! You're the Tail Collector!" He bent down and shook his little hand with his index finger. "I can't believe it. What brings you here to this torched town?"

"I sometimes stop by every now and then, and I saw the plight taking place. So I decided to help out. I just hope those dreaded red giants didn't ravage through my collection..."

Cecil worried for the same thing, but he asked, "Say, do you know where I could find the Glamour Greens? It's said it is a rare herb that could cure various diseases. My wife, Rosa, is gravely ill, do you happen to have them?"

He nodded, "Yes, I do. Follow me." Cecil's face brightened as he crept past more of the tiny inhabitants.

He wound up next to a very little garden; it was probably no bigger than about twenty anthills. He did notice the fences were broken in, and much of the produce had been destroyed. And so have the Glamour Greens...

"No..." He lamented over the devastated patches; the savages did destroy everything, even his hopes on healing Rosa and their child. He collapsed to his knees. Seeing his sorrow, the Tail Collector laid an assuring hand on his tall leg.

"I'm so sorry, Cecil. I never wanted them to be destroyed. It wasn't easy to obtain them from that island in the northeast. All those monsters overrunning the place."

"Wait, where?" he queried when he faced the man.

"There's another island in the northeast, it's far more larger than these two put together. It had a foreboding name, too. Tenebre, was it?"

Cecil gasped, "What? It can't be..." He couldn't believe that the medicinal herbs were growing there of all places. Still, his motivation became stronger; he had to treat his beloved no matter what, even if he would get into the redskins' thrall again.

"I managed to sneak in and take some of those patches with me. There used to be large fields of them, but they started to wilt and later became very scarce. Maybe that's how they followed me here, and burnt our village down..."

"I believe they might have followed you, and perhaps they realized this was the place for forging stronger weapons and armor, and mining for the material. But I guess they decided to torch the place thinking the inhabitants were too weak, instead of enslaving them..?" He shook his head as his mind began to wander. "No use dwelling. I will find the Glamour Greens with my own life to save hers. Thank you, Collector, you've been most helpful." he smiled.

"Be very careful, my friend. I don't want you to end up like us." he looked up as the mountain stood above him.

"You know I will." He exited Mythril and returned to the Enterprise, but he had a different plan of action in mind. Seeing the destruction made him anxious to save the other nearby nations from the Injukhal's raids. He wasn't sure where he should head to next, Mysidia or Fabul. But after a few minutes of deep thinking, he made the decision to flee south.

The continent looked more promising than the distant tropical island. There was no smoke or fire, and it seemed more tranquil. There weren't any screams of terror and people weren't running around. He landed a few feet away and walked into the quiet city of Mages. Strangely, there was no one in sight. Kids weren't frolicking in the grass, spellcasters weren't roaming around; this wasn't the same place he remembered. He had a sudden feeling of dread and he rushed to the Tower of Prayer looming over him.

"Elder! Elder!" He stormed into the main hall and saw no one. He grew immensely worried about his fate. What could the Injukhal do to him, and his prominent students, unless...

Still, he pressed onto the Crystal Room. He was startled as he saw their precious Crystal of Water stolen from the sacred pedestal. "Oh no... The Water Crystal, it's gone..." Then his mind shifted to his last mission as Lord Captain of the Red Wings. His men massacred a few defenseless wizards and he was the last one who took the Crystal for his so-called, merciless king. He could still remember the fresh blood on his hands from that fateful day.

Never wanting history to repeat itself, he rushed through the rear doors an up the spiral staircase to the chamber dais. He kept calling the Elder drastically, but there was no response. Then, he had his answer: the old man with the balding brown hair laid lifeless on the sacred floor. Blood was oozing from his broken body.

"No!" He ran to his side and turned him on his back. He pleaded the Elder to awaken and look at his innocent eyes again.

"Cecil..." He was surprised he could still recognize his voice without opening a single eye. He felt his pulse fading and he grabbed his hand tightly. Before he broke down, he conjured up as much energy as he could and casted a Raise and a Cura spell. The former made the Elder's body glow in a heavenly light as life was being restored to him through his warm palm; however, he wasn't fully healed. So he used the latter to finish the job.

Eventually, the Elder opened his green eyes and was so grateful to see his savior. "Cecil. Praise be you're here." They made a short embrace as the Paladin assured he was safe. "For now, yes. For how long, I cannot be sure."

"What happened?" he asked as they broke away.

"While I was praying with my disciples for all the life on Earth, we heard a very strange noise. They sounded like drums, but we could never see who was playing them. In the distance, it was growing louder and stronger, until eventually, the Mages became incredibly fixed. They wouldn't respond as they listened more and more. I couldn't stop them as they grew enthralled. And the next thing I knew, they used their magic on me."

Cecil's throat tightened after hearing it. He felt almost the same way as the Mysidians did, when he turned aggressive at Kain on the summit of Mount Ordeals. He also recalled the drums and the incantations deep within his mind while it happened. He knew that the Injukhal must've gotten their spells on the Mages, as if they were using them as their own army.

The Elder went on from the moment they abducted Palom and Porom; he said they fought back as bravely as they could. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and they were taken along with the Water Crystal. Much like Mythril, even Mysidia had fallen. Cecil figured their next target would be Fabul. and that would complete their dominance over the archipelago!

"Elder, you must head to Baron via the Devil's Road. You'll be safe there." Cecil then explained his predicament with Rosa and the Glamour Greens.

"Rosa...She's with child?"

"Was...The baby is trapped inside her. I fear for the worst. And I must save her if I could find the rare herbs. I believe that could wait, I should also go to Fabul. I'm certain it's doomed just like Mythril, and here."

"Determined as ever I see. You should leave now when you still have the chance. I'm sure I'll be protected under Baron's fortitude. I will pray for Rosa to keep fighting her sickness. However..." his face fell. "I cannot leave the children behind." He was after all like a father to them.

"I see. Thank you, Elder. Please be careful. And I promise, I'll rescue Palom and Porom for you. I doubt the Injukhal will return here."

The priest stayed at the Hall of Prayer while Cecil headed down and flew north to the oriental land of the monks. The elderly man was so relieved that at least his own prayer crystal wasn't damaged or stolen. He began to use it for the fraternal twins' safety, and for Cecil's success.

It wasn't long before he reached it. He soared north while avoiding the corrupt island. And much like Mysidia, Fabul was also silent. No monks welcomed him like they always did. It almost looked deserted to him. Same thing went on as he ventured further into the castle. Everything was too quiet, not even the nearby shops were busy. Then he heard a lot of noise as he walked toward the throne room; there were so much banging and thumping, as if some people were wrestling with each other. Before he wondered about the Wind Crystal, he followed the annoying clatter...

And found four monks beating the living daylights out of their sensei, Yang! Everyone else involved were either injured or frozen in fear! The former king was stunned, and the grandmaster's wife, Sheila, was so frightened by the onslaught, just begging her heart out to stop them. But they just kept on going, until Cecil finally had enough!

"Yang?! Yang!" Cecil stormed in front of the fray. The monks immediately stopped and turned their attention onto him. Their eyes were glimmering with some ominous hue to them. Their irises were a violent violet, while their pupils glowed red as blood! They sneered at the Paladin as they mindlessly walked up to him.

Cecil braced for the worst as he took out his Excalibur and shield. He immediately casted a Protect spell, which caused his body to brighten with the barrier. The quartet were charging up their strength before they unleashed their kicks. They weren't as powerful as Yang's, but they each inflicted some damage. Cecil was still standing and he diced each of them. Luckily they were a bit on the puny side compared to the strong onslaughts. Two fighters went down, then the others focused their energy. They became more agile and threatening. But it was nothing the king couldn't handle.

Cecil once more went on the defensive as he casted a Cura spell to seal his wounds, before the pair unleashed their fury. Sheila shielded her eyes, never wanting to see the melee. He countered and moved with each punch and kick they executed, until they were knocked out. Neither of the warriors were dead, just incapacitated. The attack barely broke the Paladin a sweat.

"Cecil...you killed them." Sheila whispered, hardly holding herself together.

"No, Lady Sheila, they are still alive. I just happened to knock the wind out of them."

Cecil and Sheila did notice that Yang and the predecessor were also unconscious. So, he casted a Cura spell once more on both of them. He was, however, afraid of reviving the fallen monks, as they could attack him again under Domin's orders. He thought it was the same way the Mages turned on the Elder; luckily, he was able to get here in time.

The two men woke up with a few grunts, and Sheila grew immensely relieved. She ran over to her husband and nearly crushed him with her sudden embrace. Her speech was in another language as she kept saying how glad he was to be alive. By the time she calmed herself, he and the former ruler stood and couldn't thank Cecil enough.

"Lord Cecil..! I'm so grateful you were able to save us and our kingdom." the past king said with a deep bow.

"Yes. I, too, can't thank you enough for all this. I'm sure our students have not been slewed by you; I know you have more compassion than that. Still, I am in your debt." Yang and Cecil both bowed to each other.

Sheila just gave him a huge perk on the cheek. "Oh, Lord Cecil, it's so good to see you again! Especially in a dire time like this."

"Of course." Then he changed his expression. "What of the Wind Crystal. Is it safe?"

"I believe it is. If you didn't show up as soon as you did, they would've taken it. And I probably would've been dead."

"They?" he asked.

"Meaning the red men we saw." Yang continued. "They were the ones who were making all that noise out there. I was inside assisting my wife just caring for our child, Ursula. Until we heard it. It was nothing we've ever experienced before; actually we thought the civilization was extinct. But as I saw them with my own eyes, it reminded me of your personal conflicts with them."

"That was Dragon Rose. She was slewed by their new chief, Domin."

"I see. Anyway. the monks were affected as they were hearing them from outside. I saw some of my disciples stand eerily still like Buddhist statues. Then, they just snapped into a trance and started beating me and my master to a bloody pulp! I'm certain they wanted the Crystal badly." he said as he remembered the Red Wing assault and Kain's betrayal, as well as the first encounter with Golbez. "The Injukhal, as you mentioned, really desired to use my men as mindless slaves!"

"Indeed, it is what transpired at Mysidia as well. The Elder was beaten to death and I managed to save his life. They also stole the Water Crystal, and Palom and Porom with it. They fought them with everything they had."

"So noble those two." Yang admired. "They must've taken everyone to Tenebre, have they not?"

Cecil nodded. "Still, I do not know what Domin wants with the world's Crystals. I doubt it has to do with reopening a way to the moon. Perhaps it's to draw power from them?" He whispered the last sentence with uncertainty. Everyone went blank; why he wanted the Crystals was a mystery. Though, using people from other providences was definitely a bad sign. He turned to Yang with a brief moment of hesitation. "Master Yang... I'm sorry, but you must evacuate Fabul."

Needless to say, he was shocked at the proposition. "What?! Are you mad? We have so many civilians here! It'll take eons for them to relocate, and Leviathan..." He recalled their encounter with the vicious sea serpent who nearly killed him, Cecil, Rydia, and Edward. The captain and the sailors' bodies were never found, although it's likely that the Fabulians will be his dinner again.

The Paladin's face softened. "Yes...I understand. I'll just let your master stay here with the citizens and watch over them. The Injukhal may not return here, and they're not interested in taking innocents, too feeble." He remembered the reason for destroying Mythril. "Instead, I want you, Sheila and Ursula, and the injured monks head to Baron. I'm certain Leviathan won't think on attacking you. Ever since he became a father figure to Rydia as well as a summon, he's more docile."

Yang made a fighting stance. "Cecil, allow me to go with you to Tenebre! I shall assist."

He never budged at the gallant offer. He shook his head, "No. I can't let you go with me. You mustn't become another one of the Injukhal's victims. It's far too risky."

"It's just as risky if you go alone. Please, let me help."

"I'm sorry. But you're better off at Baron... At least as the Captain of the Royal Guard." Cecil took out something from his pocket. "I want you to have this." He handed the red key to the new master of the kingdom. "You're more worthy of the job than I am. If anything should happen to me, I will entrust you as Baron's Royal Guard once again."

"The Master Key. You shouldn't..." Yang had a loss for words after he recalled his time with that occupation; after Leviathan he wound up in Baron with no recollection on who he was, and he worked alongside some tough guards. Palom and Tellah used Break to petrify them, and then they, Porom, and Cecil were able to knock Yang back into reality. Being offered the same favor was nearly too much for him.

"Please, Yang. Let your warriors recuperate at Baron, and watch over Rosa and my people there. They must not fall into the wrong hands."

He bowed solemnly. "I will. I'll protect the kingdom with all my strength."

Sheila brought in Ursula in her arms, wrapped in a thick, bright yellow blanket. "The ship is ready, hon. We best get going." The baby cooed as she saw Cecil with wondering, indigo eyes. He smiled and kissed her on the face. She grinned back, as if she remembered seeing him for the first time after she was born. He was declared as her godfather, after all. He couldn't wait to have someone like her in his embrace...

He shook the fantasy away and turned stern again. "Yang, if the Injukhal should breach into Baron, don't hesitate to attack. Even if it's someone who fell prey to their curse, or if it's me..." He simply nodded at the order.

"Let's go, Sheila. There's not a minute to lose." Yang said as he laid a hand on her shoulder. The elder man walked in and handed Cecil the Wind Crystal. "I believe you should have this. It may help protect you against the Injukhal's darkness, since it is one of the Light. I believe it'll be safe with you." Cecil reluctantly took it from him; he was perplexed and nervous that a sacred relic would be given to him. He also had deja vu of obtaining the Dark Crystal from the Sealed Cave. Still, there was no other choice.

Yang turned to him one last time. "Farewell, my friend. And may victory be ours."

He waved goodbye to everyone who were boarding the ship, including the monks who just woke up. It was definitely a good thing they've returned to their senses. After a few moments to gather his bearings, Cecil started the Enterprise and was finally off to the island of deep darkness, Tenebre.

A/N: So the Injukhal started on their enslavement of the archipelago, as well as their plunder. Like I said on "Test of Wills," I almost felt the same way as I first listened to the Native American drums when I was young during a field trip. I, too, became a little mesmerized by them, and sometimes it wouldn't leave my mind. When I used to hear it on TV or something, it would have the same effect. I'm not sure about now, though, as I've yet to deal with it...

I can't help but wonder, has it really been used somewhere to actually have this effect? I can't be sure, but this is how Domin would achieve world domination and eventually find Cecil. But the question remains, what is he going to do with the Crystals? And what other nations would he try to control? Find out later.

I was only able to find the rare Rat Tail in the DS game; I couldn't find any others from the dragons in the Subterrane as Azurelly (my collaborator who isn't here) pointed out. And don't get me started with those fatal Red Dragons, those Thermal Rays were always the death of me! I try avoiding them at all costs. If you want to collect more tails for more advanced weaponry and armor, please enter at your own risk! I mean that!

Anyway, stand by for the next chapter. The story's going to get very intense.