(POV: Arkaid-First)

With the footsteps drawing closer, I thought that I would be frightened to finally witness the end. 400 years of loyalty and hardship, only to be silenced and unable to fight on my own. I must admit that, under normal circumstances, I would be completely mortified. However, my eternal partner was beside me. We had ourselves in each other's sights, refusing to look away. I felt the touch of his weakened hand, his skin against my scales. When I saw our fears leave us, we both must have agreed without the need for words; it would be fine to die like this.

It was then that shadow peered above us. My hand tightened around CJ's fingers, and he did the same to me. We embraced the unknown but wanted to go down as eternal partners should, refusing to let each other go.

But when nothing happened, I felt a slight sign of relief. I was confused; I didn't understand what was going on. I saw CJ's eyes turn to the individual standing above us. The figure peered over the small rock formation we fruitlessly hid behind. A wave of solace swept over us as the silhouette become much clearer. CJ's eyes watered as he croaked from the rawest form of relief I witnessed from him. We were saved, by an interesting savior to say the least. In the moment, I found it too humorous to see my partner smiling at the sight of the arrogant, red dragon. CJ's voice cracked as he wept openly. Never before have I seen him so happy to see the cocky dragon with his familiar grin. "Doble!"

My partner's body shifted as he eagerly attempted to stand. He shot himself up, but he collapsed almost immediately. Doble's grin faded once he understood how dreadful CJ's situation was. He grasped onto my partner's arms, keeping him from falling. "Whoa! You okay?!" CJ was heaving heavily. His heart could barely take the sweet embrace of tomorrow. His eyes scanned my partner's body, seeing just how worn he was. Hastily, he turned away. He must have the others with him! "Guys, I found them! Come here, now!"

The first one to rush over was Alliot. His eyes saw CJ's, immediately grasping him away and holding him tightly. Despite his rather petit body, he was able to hold my comrade with ease. Alliot wanted to be excited for our buddy's return, but he too saw how weary CJ became. As Doble attempted to hoist me back to my feet, I saw Doble hastily catching CJ again. CJ was barely able to keep himself up, even with the assisting help. Doble noticed this too, but I had to tell him just how severe my case was. "It is important to know that I cannot move. I'm sorry for making you-"

Doble scoffed. "Jeez, come on! I'm your comrade, don't worry about it," he hastily replied. The others soon rushed over, gasping as they saw how ruined we were. They must have not expected us to look so sickly and worn. Even so, they swarmed around us. I noticed that Alliot was putting most of his focus on looking after CJ, maintaining his stance carefully. Alliot's eyes never left my partner. "Anything else?"

"…Keep me close to CJ," I tiredly voiced. "We've been through a lot."

Doble nodded. With me in his arms, he started to bring me towards my comrades. I wasn't even looking at anyone else, but I was able to hear soft mutterings. Everything turned quiet as Alliot carefully laid my eternal partner on the ground. The orange dragon set him up to sit upright before sitting beside him. The others must have been tired as well. We definitely have plenty to explain to them, so they must have agreed to take this chance as a period of rest. Doble set me down, sitting me up as the others sat around us. Mizaru took the initiative as he tentatively spoke. I could tell he was worried about asking so much when my partner and I were in such terrible shape. "What happened to you two?"

I meekly shook my head. "Where could I possibly even begin?"

"You could start about your physical conditions, if you wish to do so," Mizaru returned. "If you are still too exhausted, then please take as much time as you need."

The others leaned closely to listen. Melanie appeared wary about saying anything. She noticed my thinning wall. I tried to restrain myself by taking in a deep breath. "Okay…." I tried taking in another, for I felt my throat starting to dry. Everything was starting to make me so anxious all of a sudden. I had to be strong; I needed to be up front about all of this. I didn't want to cry. But then I happened to look to my partner. CJ was gazing back. His smile was heartwarming. He was telling me that it was okay now. Everything just melted away. I felt myself burst. Tears rushed from my eyes. I tried to hold them back by shutting my eyes, but nothing worked.

Mizaru looked at me with concern. "Arkaid…."

"I'm fine," I returned with a weakened voice. "It's just… you have no idea how happy we are that you found us."

Alliot tucked CJ in close, looking at his pale figure. He could feel just how weakened his buddy had become. My eternal partner finally spoke up, chuckling softly to himself. He was so overcome with relief that he simply had a hard time believing this as reality. "We were… in a dark place. We heard you guys coming over but we didn't know it was you. We waited for the inevitable…." Alliot's arms tensed up as he brought his buddy closer to him. CJ gasped; he could tell just how worried Alliot was. "Alliot, it's fine now."

"I'm so angry with myself," Alliot growled. "I shouldn't have let ya get captured."

"Arkaid and I turned ourselves in; you couldn't have done anything. Besides, I didn't want Marissa to get hurt."

"I know, but still! He yelled back. "Just standing there with my tail between my legs; that's not what I'm here for! I'm here to protect you, just like Arkaid!"

It was indirect, but that statement hurt. I diverted my eyes away. "If anything, it's the opposite."

"The opposite?"

I sighed. My heart became heavy as I tried to remember what happened in the four dreary and torturous days of before. "CJ protected me; that's why he's in such horrible shape. I couldn't do a single thing. I was completely useless."

Rikka scoffed back. "Don't say that kind of crap."

"I'm speaking honestly," I morosely replied. "The entire time I was with him, I was nothing but a damsel. I was used in order to bring out CJ's power. They made me look like I was killed in front of him!" I barely had the energy to yell. My voice scratched against my throat as I struggled to speak. Doble kept me stable so I wouldn't fall while the others had looked pained from seeing me like this. "But I didn't die; I was left like this; I couldn't move, so CJ had to carry me here, taking care of me every step of the way…. I even told him that it would've been better off to leave me behind…."

My partner's voice pierced through the darkening clouds in my mind. "I don't regret taking you."

An exhausted chuckle left the end of my snout as I smiled. "That only makes me wish I could've done more for you."

Meglax openly nodded. "Regardless, we now know you're safe. Marissa is being looked after in Dragon World, and the Purgatory Knights are off dealing with the two dragons."

"Two?"

CJ leaned forward. "What do you mean two? I know you're talking about that scumbag Dahaka, but there's a second?"

The green dragon nodded reluctantly. "Yes… it appears that there was a second dragon with Azi Dahaka, and one can only wonder what would happen if they were left to run amuck."

Merak huffed proudly. "We mustn't let either one of those creatures go into the others worlds. Our encounter was short, but the fact remains that any single dragon that can match Azi Dahaka in strength, and then appear to be winning, is one worth fearing."

Meglax sighed with dread. "Unfortunately, we are not sure where the beast came from."

Alliot snarled. "We can worry about that later. If the Purgatory Knights fail, then it will fall to us, but we need CJ and Arkaid back to fighting shape by then; we can afford to wait!"

A sudden thought appeared to come across Mizaru's mind. He winced slightly, and I could witness his confidence wane. He gritted his teeth as a weak, demoralizing exhale left his mouth. "If all the Purgatory Knights fail, then there wouldn't even be a chance for the responsibility to fall on us."

The orange dragon turned to him. "What do you mean?"

"Out of the two dragons, the unknown one is the demon that I most dread," Merak sighed somberly. "But your comment just then… I was reminded of what CJ told me during the meeting; the Purgatory Knights block the gate between Dragon World and the one we now reside. Even if the Purgatory Knights take out one of them, if it costs all their resources, then what is stopping the demon dragons from leaving the gates open?"

"They're gonna open them?!"

"And possibly bring about another cataclysm of a war," Mizaru sighed. All of us fell silent, looking to each other for any sign of assurance or comfort. It was dreadful; we were saved, only to be thrown into the fray once again with this horrible realization. I was unable to say anything, even when I noticed my buddy stare in anguish at the dirt. His fingers scratched furiously at the crusty soil. "Even if they defeat one, I fear that the other may have something that gives it a particular advantage over all of us. It also isn't advantageous that the Purgatory Knights take time to revive; it's not instant."

"So you're saying we're screwed?"

"I'm saying that we cannot afford to leave yet!" Mizaru stood up, staring into the empty skies beyond the void of a horizon. "The Purgatory Knights will do what they can, but now that we have our comrades back, we should try to deal with what they can't."

Alliot shrugged. "What, so now you're willing to work with them?"

"Your comment opened my eyes," Mizaru returned with a dark groan. "I may not like it, but CJ was right about the gates; they need the Purgatory Knights there in order to keep them sealed. And if the army suffers heavy casualties if they're only able to fight off one of them, then dealing with the second will not be an easy task. They said it themselves; their forces in this world are spread too thin."

"But… Arkaid and CJ can't fight!"

"We may not need them," Mizaru returned sternly. "Doble, Meglax and I have access to Lord Tenbu's power. Our evolved forms would be more than beneficial to us."

Hearing such a thing brought me to my senses. "Mizaru, you also unlocked your power?"

The black dragon nodded, making my partner's confidence come back to life. "Yes, I have access to the Magical Blade of the Deity, blessing me with newfound power. However, I will only be able to access the form for a short time, so we must be prepared to use what we have wisely."

Merak nodded. "I believe it would be best to regroup back in the village," the dragon began. "If the Purgatory Knights did not succeed, we shall go in their direction and follow forth in their stead."

Alliot shook his head. Such behavior was different from him. He became too adamant about such a position. "I still don't like it; CJ and Arkaid need to rest, and we should be putting that as our priority."

The sound of my partner's voice intervened. He sounded fairly reserved while doing so. "Actually, I think we need to worry about something else." Everyone turned to him, giving him their attention. "It involves why Arkaid and I are in this state in the first place. I'm just finding everything to be confusing; where's Alvis, Eirik, and Gale in all of this?"

Mizaru leaned forward. "What do you mean?"

"Back at their castle, Azi Dahaka was with them."

"You must be joking."

"I'm not; Arkaid and I saw it all," he sternly continued. I nodded as best as I could, confirming his claim. "They were after my power. Once they knocked Arkaid out in front of me, I went mad. My mind broke apart. My hidden power came out in a way unlike anything before…" CJ ducked his head, weakly staring into his hands. "That power… it was insane! I was even able to fight off Sinblade with ease! And then … just when I was reaching my breaking point, Alvis took it all; he took it from me. I … I don't remember anything else after that, but I woke up with the castle in ruins with only Arkaid's stiff body beside me."

"If that is true, then we have an additional party to consider," Mizaru quietly pondered to himself. "If those three individuals are still out here, then our duty is clear. If what CJ says about that power is true, then it is something that even Azi Dahaka would fear. We should be heading out n-" Mizaru's eyes just so happened to look over at Melanie. He stopped himself, soon noticing Melanie's shivering body. "M-Melly?" She turned her fragile body towards her partner. "Melly, what's wrong?" He was right to worry; Melanie looked like she was about to cry.

She rushed over to CJ and me, innocently placing her hands on my lap. She had a daughter's eyes as she wearily looked down. "… Miss Arkaid?"

I softly smiled back at her, but I was still feeling very concerned for her. She spoke with such a guilty tone that I was worried that she blamed herself for something. "Melly, it is okay. Is something on your mind?"

"I… It was something I sensed before," she weakly returned. "We … we encountered those two dragons fighting. I could… feel their power."

"Melly, I am proud that your abilities are improving at the rate they are," I replied sweetly. "I know that things may seem rough. However, even though they may appear strong, I trust that you and the others will perform brilliantly."

"No, that's not it!" Melanie pulled herself in. "I didn't want to say anything…. I know I should've, but I just couldn't believe it, and I didn't think it would make sense. I was worried that they would doubt me." She weakly turned around, facing her buddy with her shaking body. "Mizaru… CJ says that Alvis took his power. Now I have no doubt what I felt in that town…. When we avoided their attack, I felt it all. Both dragons had the same sort of energy, but the unknown one… it had something else, but I felt him; I felt Alvis! I!-" She froze. Her shivers got worse. Mizaru quickly knelt to her side and held her close. But I knew what she was now feeling; I knew what cut her off; I felt it too. I felt a horrifying power, one that surpassed even that of Azi Dahaka. Not only did I sense the origin of the Disaster Force, but I could feel the pulsing energy that once existed within my precious partner. Melanie looked to the south. I did as well. The others were speechless, watching on as thunder boomed overhead. The absolute worst case scenario had been cursed upon us. As we saw the demonic beast soaring towards us, gliding just underneath the clouds with its corroding wings, I realized that it truly was Alvis, but he became something else.

Speak the Devil's name and he doth appear.