After departing from the port, Ivy led the group through the snowy landscape as they now stood before a victorian-like castle as the sun was setting.
"Here we are. Elusia Castle." Ivy said.
"So this is your home. Pretty classy." Connor said. "Ready to take back ownership?"
"It's strange. I'm only getting two readings from inside that's alive in different areas." Hermit said.
"That means the rest of the hostiles inside must be Corrupted. So whaddya think? Which hounds got stuck on guard duty?" DW typed.
"We sent Marni and Mauvier retreating awhile ago… so I'd have to assume one of them is Griss." Lysithea said. "The other one I'm not sure."
"I'm not getting a draconic reading, so the other one isn't Zephia." Hermit said. "She has to be with Veyle's evil side, using magic to make her even stronger."
"If Zephia is able to power her up enough, forget getting to Sombron. Let's get inside, fast." Ty said.
The group soon entered the castle as they stood in the main hall.
"Griss! We know you're here, come out! We know you can't resist a good fight, especially if it means you get seriously hurt!" Ty called.
"Do you honestly have to say it like that?" Gregory asked.
"They know we're coming anyway." Ty replied.
"Been a while, Divine One! Welcome. You must be tired after that long journey." Griss said as he approached. "Oh, and look, the long-lost princess! Got homesick, huh?" he asked Ivy.
"Save it, sadist. We came here to take Elusia back from Sombron's claws." Legolia said.
"I gotta hand it to you, two more rings in your pocket. Not bad. But for the complete set, you'll need more. Like…this one." Griss said as he held up the Ring of the Caring Princess.
"The Ring of the Caring Princess!" Alear said.
"It's the real deal too. I'll prove it." Griss said as he slipped it on and Celica appeared with her eyes closed.
"Celica!" Alfred called.
"I'll give her back. All you gotta do is beat me." Griss said.
"What is this?" Alear asked.
"Nothing. What, you think Lord Sombron's gonna show up?" Griss asked.
"It's one against many. We'll crush you." Alear said.
"Mmm, you know just what to say. Relax. No one's coming. If I'm wrong, I'll bite off my tongue and choke on my blood." Griss said.
"What are you hiding?" Nel asked.
"You want answers, you'll have to whack 'em outta me." Griss said.
"We'll gladly oblige. One way or another, we will make you talk and give back the ring." Rafal said.
"Don't underestimate him, Lord Rafal. He's the same as me, so he's skilled with magic. His abilities will be increased dramatically since he has Lady Celica with him." Gregory said.
"And he must be confident he can take us, even if he's by himself." Hope said.
"Tear me limb, from limb, from limb…" Griss said.
"Uh… I think he's more interested in thinking about all the ways we're gonna hurt him." Glimmer said.
"This guy is nuttier than a fruitcake…" David said.
"But we have to get Celica's ring back. So just this once, we will give him what he wants." Cheetah said.
(Cue- Shiver- Star Ocean: The 2nd Story)
"Yeah, that's the spirit! Don't hold anything back, because I sure as hell won't!" Griss said.
As excited as he was to take everyone on himself, Griss wasn't alone. An army of Corrupted and Elusian soldiers stood in between him and the group.
"Let's be careful as we fight. Griss is no doubt gonna use Celica's Engage Attack to cause mayhem." Hope said.
"Let me borrow this for a bit." Ajna said as she held Leif's ring.
"What do you need, Ajna?" Leif asked as she slipped the Ring of the Sage Lord on.
"We're gonna need your help for this fight. Can I count on you?" Ajna asked.
"You can. I will gladly lend my power to you." Leif said.
"Ajna actually knows her way around a weapon or two, Leif. I'm sure you can help her." Hope said.
"It's gonna feel weird, mixing Emblem Energy with my Iddhi. But I'd better save it for when we're close to Griss. Gotta make every bit count." Ajna said.
The group then fought their way through the Corrupted and Elusian Soldiers as they soon reached Griss.
"How do you like to be hurt, Divine One? I'm a people pleaser." Griss said.
"Hand over the ring, Griss." Alear demanded.
"Haha! Ignoring me? Aw, that hurts my feelings. Fine, I'll give you the ring. As soon as I've gotten my fill!" Griss said.
Having said that, Griss then fired a blast of magic from Celica's Seraphim tome, which was heavily effective against Corrupted and monsters. Thankfully, Alear rolled out of the way before she got hit.
"Don't you dare hurt her, Griss!" Veyle said, firing an Obscurite blast at him, which Griss dodged.
"Aw, you still mad at me Veyle? Even though I was the one who took care of you the most? I'm hurt, really." Griss said sarcastically.
"Maybe you did at first, but that was before I found out the truth." Veyle said before pulling out her personal knife, Misericorde and throwing it.
Griss evaded, the dagger nicking his face a bit, before he swapped Seraphim for Celica's Ragnarok tome.
"He's gonna use Warp Ragnarok again. Everyone, defensive positions! We don't know who he is going for." David said.
Griss then disappeared as everyone stayed defensive. There was no telling who he'd blast, or when.
"Word of advice, don't always rely on your eyes, rely on your other senses such as smell or hearing." Fu Hua advised.
"I can still trace the blood from his wound. Ishihara, he's coming for you! Get ready!" Cheetah said.
"Right." David said.
As if on cue, Griss appears in front of David. "This is gonna hurt!" he said as he prepared a magic blast and fired it. David was able to tank through the blast and nail Griss with a kick to the chest.
"Hahahaha! This feels good! So good! I'm gonna kill you! All of you!" Griss said.
"Then let's see how you like this. Emblem, Engage!" Ajna said as she engaged with Leif, her hair turning a creamy yellow as she donned a version of Leif's armor before activating his Engage Ability, Quadruple Hit as she attacked with Light Brand, a Master Lance, and a Killer Axe before leaping into the air as she notched an arrow from a Master Bow. "I'll destroy you!" she said as she fired, dealing massive damage, causing him to drop Celica's ring.
"Hahaha! That's good stuff right there…" Griss said.
"Alear." Ajna said as she held Celica's ring to her.
"The ring! We got it back!" Alear said as Griss laughed.
"What's so funny, Griss? You haven't had enough?" Ty asked.
"Me? Nothing. Better summon her. Want to free her from Lord Sombron's power, don't you?" Griss asked.
"He's daring us to do it? That's…never a good thing." Eddy remarked.
"Griss… You know something, don't you?" David asked.
"Only one way to find out, is there?" Griss asked.
"Care for us, Emblem of Echoes!" Alear said.
"I thank you, Alear!" Celica said.
"Emblem Celica, it's such a relief to have you back again." Alear said as Griss began laughing maniacally.
"So, Griss… I take it you saw what you needed to know?" David asked.
"Yes, very much so! This proves it, alright! She's playing this whole thing up like she's a god. But she's fighting on the wrong side." Griss said.
"Wrong side? Wait, are you saying…" Cheetah started. "I knew it… I had a feeling…"
"Cheetah, you… When did you start suspecting this?" David asked.
"I had my suspicions from the moment we first laid eyes on Alear. Her heterochromatic eyes and dual-colored hair." Cheetah said. "Think for a moment. Didn't you notice that whenever she Engages with an Emblem, the red part of her hair never changes color like the blue part does?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah… I did notice that." David said.
"That's right. She's not a Divine Dragon. I'll let you guys make the big reveal. Go on, put the pieces together." Griss insisted.
"Oh my god…" Adora said.
"So that vision I saw wasn't a fluke then. She's Sombron's child." Rime said.
"And that means… Alear, you're actually a Fell Dragon!" Sachiko said.
"I'm a Fell Dragon?" Alear repeated, as silence fell over the castle. The team watched to see what Alear's reaction would be, before… "Is that all?"
"Huh?" almost everyone asked in confusion.
"I…thought you'd be more shocked than that…" Griss said, equally confused.
"I am surprised by this, don't get me wrong. However…in my travels with these people, I've seen proof that a person's origins don't define them." she said, images of Fei, Hikari, and most prominently, Veyle, appearing in her mind. "It doesn't matter what I am, Divine or Fell. I choose my path, no one else."
"That's right, regardless of who she is, after everything we've been through. She's our friend and ally, and we'll always stick by her side till the very end." Ace said.
"Looks like your big bombshell was a dud, Griss." Connor said.
Griss was silent before he groaned. "Aw man! And I was looking forward to seeing you all fall apart! Damn it!" he cursed, before recomposing himself. "You know what? Fine, go ahead and act that way. At least I've confirmed it."
"I would suggest getting the hell out of here, runt." Boss advised, raising his glowing red hand and conjured up a red sphere. "But before you go, where's Lord Sombron?"
At that, Griss's smile returned. "Oh, you all just missed him! I was told to buy time, and I did. He's long gone with the real Lady Veyle." he said, aiming the emphasis on real at Veyle.
"I've heard enough." Nel said.
Griss read the situation, and immediately bolted. "Have fun with your fraud Divine Dragon. Keep that attitude all you want, it'll make snuffing it out all the better." he said before he vanished from the group's sight.
"Hmph." Boss scoffed, dispersing his red glow.
"If you're Papa's child, then are you really my…?" Veyle asked.
"Sister? Yes. Apologies for not saying anything sooner. I didn't wish to spoil the moment when Veyle was split in two." Cheetah said.
"It's okay. I understand why you did it, but I'm just really happy now." Veyle said as she turned Alear. "I've been searching for you for so long, but you've been with me all this time. I missed you so much!" she said as she ran to Alear and hugged her.
"Ah, heartwarming moments like this are the best part of the job." Cap-P said.
"Divine Dragon. Lady Veyle." a voice said as the group turned to see Mauvier behind them.
"Mauvier. I thought you fled with Marni." Alear said.
"We returned here, but Zephia punished Marni for borrowing the Emblem rings without permission, and myself when I defended her." Mauvier explained.
"So what do you and Marni plan to do now?" Kiana asked.
"You know, we wouldn't mind having you join forces with us." Jexi said.
"He's right." Cure Starlight agreed. "It's only a matter of time before Lord Sombron kills both of you, so it's better for you and Marni to join us."
"Thank you." Mauvier said.
"Though…if what Griss said was true, and Sombron and Eveyle aren't here, where'd they go?" Maple asked.
"Eveyle?" David asked.
"Yeah. Evil Veyle. Eveyle." Theo said.
"Seems fitting." Hapi said.
"They went to Lythos. Sombron plans on restoring Gradlon." Mauvier said.
"The land that was lost under the ocean?" Spade asked.
"To raise and revive it, Sombron needs to destroy the Divine Dragon Shard in Lythos. That shard is what chains Gradlon beneath the waves. Lord Sombron finds it…problematic." Mauvier explained. "And his desire, if such a word is fitting for Lord Sombron, is to invade other worlds."
"Why am I not surprised." Geiz remarked. "But, there has to be a reason why he wants to invade those worlds. Do you know, Mauvier?"
"I'm well beyond what I know for certain. Lord Sombron has shared little of this with me." Mauvier said.
"Then there's only one way to find out. We'll have to ask him ourselves." Hibiki deduced.
"Well…guess we're changing our course then. We're going back to Lythos!" Ty said.
"Marni is back at the port. We shall take your ship to Lythos Castle." Mauvier said.
"Much appreciated. Glad to have you back with us. The Four Winds are whole once more." Zelestia said.
"Four…Winds?" Mauvier asked.
"We'll explain during the voyage." Gregory said as they left the castle.