Morgana stretched blissfully as she disembarked from the hovercraft that had transported her back to the Capital from Zenon's shack.

Having taken quite a while to recover from her wounds due to her confrontation with Nemain, she was restless and eager for news regarding Llew's progress.

But unbeknownst to her, Randolf and Epona had only just arrived at the same city with Ergodiel's cure the day before.

"Morgana, wait up!" commented Marron as he deactivated the hovercraft and tagged along.

"Hurry up, slowpoke," frowned the Knight of Roses.

Zenon had commanded Marron to escort her back. Not only to ensure her safety but also to gather information about the mysterious invader that had wounded Salome and other recent happenings in the Capital itself.

Slowing her pace to allow the young sage to catch up, Morgana then headed off in the direction of the Knight's Castle. The best way to find out anything regarding Llew's journey would be to ask the King of Knights, Alfred, himself.

But just as they were making their way to the citadel, a sudden explosion in the distance caught them by surprise.

A cloud of smoke buffeted the air at a building not too far away, followed by a thunderous crash as a massive figure propelled itself skywards.

Morgana recognised the figure at once. Sanctuary Guard Dragon. And the building that it was leaving was the city's hospital where the noble dragon had been warded for treatment for the damage it had received from the Invader.

Without thought, the knight swiftly spun on her heels and raced towards the sight of the disaster.

An ominous feeling ailed her.

…

The first thing Morgana saw was the rubble and debris of the wrecked hospital. The next was the sight of two young women crouched amongst the wreckage. One obviously wounded, one tending to her.

"Sis?" mouthed Morgana.

The wounded girl turned. "Morgana? What are you doing here?"

Her hair was the same bright chestnut as Morgana's, but her skirt-cuffed armor was brilliant and elaborate with platings of silver and gold and shining blue rivets. A circlet adorned with a pair of magnificent golden wings rested on her forehead.

Ignoring the question, Morgana continued. "Are you alright? What happened here?"

The other girl cleared her throat loudly and responded. "You may be her sister, but please do not speak to Lady Ashlei with such insolence."

Her armor was similar in design to Ashlei's but was pure ivory and was etched with floral and icy patterns, complete with full leggings. Her lilac-flavoured hair cascaded like a light waterfall behind her, beneath teardrop earrings of solid aquamarine.

Realising how agitated she was, Morgana clamped her lips shut.

"You don't have to be so harsh, Tabitha," Ashlei reprimanded. "It's good to see you're doing well in the ordinary corps, sister. I'm fine. I was just hit by a piece of the falling debris when Sanctuary Guard Dragon escaped. It's just a flesh wound."

"Sanctuary Guard Dragon.. escaped?"

"Yes. He went berserk when the nurses tried to treat him with the medicine that your friends brought back."

"My friends? You mean Llew and the others? They've returned?"

"I think so. You can ask His Highness. He's in there now, investigating the scene."

Morgana raced into the damaged building without another word.

Tabitha frowned. "An impatient one, isn't she?"

Ashlei chuckled.

…

Alfred gazed at the broken walls and pillars that surrounded him. It was fortunate that none of his knights or the members of Angel Feather that had been working in the hospital had been mortally wounded during the events of Sanctuary Guard Dragon's escape. And from what the nurses had told him, the other patients were all doing just fine.

He shook his head. It seemed like a good idea to send a platoon or two to subdue the dragon in case it started going rampant in the country but his instincts told him otherwise. He couldn't risk losing any troops in the process, and he was certain that the dragon of light would eventually come to its senses and return to the Capital. Pendragon's lifelong partner would not hurt other humans intentionally. Until then, Soul Saver Dragon could take its place as guardian of the Sanctuary.

"Your Highness!"

Alfred raised his eyes as Morgana dashed into the room, panting.

"Morgana." the King said. "Randolf and Epona told me about what happened in the forest. Have your wounds healed?"

"Yes. Zenon's treatment was very helpful."

"And you are..?"

"Marron, your highness." the boy stepped forward. "Zenon's number one disciple. He sent me here to ask you a few questions."

"I see. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Is it true?" Morgana questioned. "My sister told me that Sanctuary Guard Dragon went crazy. But it's quite hard to believe."

Alfred nodded. "It's true alright. He caused all of this. He suddenly went insane when we were about to administer him with Ergodiel's cure."

Marron gasped.

"So Llew and the others are back?" pressed Morgana.

"All of them except Llew, I'm afraid. He's continuing his journey to the other five nations, apparently, I don't know much of the details myself. Randolf and Epona weren't well-informed either. But Ezel tells me it's necessary."

"Oh.. I see."

…

"Llew, are you sure this was a good idea?" sighed Flogal.

"Hey, at least it flies, right?" the knight grinned.

The boy and his two faithful companions were seated on the back of a huge robot. One of the Angel Feather's old and disused Mobile Hospitals to be exact. Kiriel had given it to them for their trip to Star Gate. But although it had proven to be relatively speedy in its flight across the vast ocean, it seemed to lack a control panel and there were no means to control its movement whatsoever.

"What if we crash into something?"

"Don't worry, so much. There's no way we'll meet anything this high! And we can always just jump off!"

"…that's not what I wanted to hear."

Suddenly, Wingal interrupted their conversation. "Guys, look!"

Breaking the endless expanse of navy blue was a mass of silver and grey in the distant horizon. Sparks of various colours dotted the gigantic silhouette, and a huge tower stretched up into the clouds. Llew had heard of it before, the mass driver. A huge machine that enabled the residents of Star Gate to interact with space, the world beyond the sky.

"Llew!" screamed Flogal.

But as Llew turned, all he managed was a glimpse of silver and blue before he blacked out.

BOOM!