Arc 1: Wyvern Rebellion - Chapter 12|

The ride home one the train was somewhat quiet. Quiet in the sense that the conversation about the Wyverns was avoided. They barely made it out alive, and now their focus was ensuring they were ready for this threat from a different world. There were only two things that couldn't be avoided on that train ride. The first being Zephyr staring out the window, wishing he did a better job at leading. And the second being Fiora holding on to Tiffy.

"Fi, Tiffy looks like she wants to get down." Gideon stated.

"But she's so cute and fluffy." Fiora replied, continuing to hug the little lupicyn. She had returned to her canine form. Gideon sighed.

"Okay, that's enough. Tiffy needs to rest." He said. He leaned over and took Tiffy out of Fiora's arms. Fiora looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

"But- But..." She begged.

"This is my first time seeing Fiora-san being so nice to something." Viperion commented.

"Fiora can be nice. It's just that she likes to pretend to be a badass." Gideon replied.

"You guys are mean." Fiora said, crossing her arms and looking away.

"No. You are adorable." Viperion complimented. Fiora blushed.

"Thank you, Vi." She said, her eyes avoiding anyone else's.

"Are we going to talk about the elephant in the room finally?" Lyra asked everyone.

"There's nothing to talk about. We were caught off guard. We just need to train and get stronger. Then we can stop those Wyverns. They won't stand a chance against us." Fiora said, giving herself a pep talk.

"Actually, we have a bigger problem to deal with." Luna said. She opened her pouch and pulled out a small communication lacrima.

"Luna, don't tell me that's..." Lyra started. Luna nodded.

"A direct communication from the Magic Council." She said.

"It can't be a coincidence that the Magic Council would contact us." Gideon added. Lyra looked to her sister.

"How did you get that?" She asked.

"I'll tell you later." She replied.

"It must be serious." Lyra concluded. Luna nodded and placed the Lacrima on the table. The image of a tree-like man appeared. He smiled widely and waved at the group.

"Hello, hello!" He greeted.

"Uh, hi." Fiora said awkwardly.

"You all must be Basil's guild. I am Warrod Sequen, a member of the magic council. We received some disturbing news from the guild, Oath Talisman. Come to find out it was Emerald Oasis who was involved. I've come to get to the bottom of this. So, what do you have to say for yourselves?" He asked.

"Well, it's like this. We were up on Mount Hakobe. We heard the mountain rumbling. We got into some trouble. The ground opened up and a portal appeared. We went through the portal, found some ancient Wyvern bones. And we found some kind of gem in the heart of the bones. Then-" Lyra started rambling but was swiftly interrupted.

"There's no need to be nervous. I'm not here to reprimand you." He began to chuckle to himself, amused his serious demeanor made the group nervous.

"As you know, there have been some strange reports coming in from all over Fiore. People reporting seeing dragons flying around. What do you know about all this?" He asked the group. They all looked to Lyra. She began to sweat a bit.

"I didn't mean to lie! I got nervous..." She admitted. Zephyr pet her on the head. Luna faced the projection and bowed.

"Hello, Warrod-san. I am Luna Moonshadow of Emerald Oasis. The... truth is that those dragons are not dragons. They are actually Wyverns." She explained.

"Wyverns? Are you sure? They seemed to be on par with the dragons that came through the Eclipse Gate during the Grand Magic Games." Warrod looked to the group for further explanation. They didn't expect to be contacted by magic council. That's when a second image appeared on screen. It was Basil.

"My my, if it isn't my guild. You five have caused quite the stir. Did Ewan find what he and Alister were looking for?" He asked. Warrod was shocked.

"Basil?! How did you get into the council chambers?!" He demanded. Basil turned and smiled widely.

"Warrod! It's so good to see you! I just walked in." He stated.

"What do you mean 'you just walked in'?!" Warrod demanded. Basil shrugged.

"I've always been able to do that. The council never put a stop to it. I always let myself in like this." He said casually.

"You're as troublesome as Makarov..." He groaned. Basil laughed.

"How is the old man anyway?" He asked.

"Don't you see him enough? You live in the same town!" Warrod pointed out.

"I've been busy." He stated. He looked back to his guild. His face turned back to serious. "You're not in trouble, but we need the details when you come back. Yulia sent correspondence but..." Basil's eyes drifted over to Warrod without moving his head. "They can't just leave us younger generation to handle things." He expressed with a smile that returned.

"Always the joker." Warrod muttered. "Now, we need to talk about your guild's role in all this." He said.

"Warrod, Basil, what's going on?" Makarov asked walking into the room as well. The group could only see the top of someone's head get into view. Basil turned and smiled.

"Hey, Makarov! Long time no see!" Basil said excitedly.

"Basil. I didn't think you'd ever have anything to do with the Magic Council. Not since-" Makarov was saying but Basil laugh nervously.

"A-anyway I'll see you all when you get here." The lacrima turned off.

The seven of them looked to each other.

"This blew up faster than I expected." Lyra said breaking the silence. Zephyr looked to everyone. He realized that everyone was distracted. Zephyr looked to Sylph who returned a concerned look, wondering if the young wind mage was caught up in the feeling too. He hopped down and got in the middle between the train seats. He inhaled deeply then-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Everyone was surprised, some clutching their chest.

"What the hell was that for?!" Fiora demanded angrily. Zephyr put his hands on his hips and smiled proudly.

"It's simple. We need to stay focused. If we keep thinking about what happened, we won't get anywhere. We need to be the ones who figure out what to do next. If we let this get us down, then we're no better than chickens without heads. Now, the way I see it, we're not gonna just roll over and let them take this world. We have to fight back." He declared. Sylph fluttered over to Zephyr and stood on his head.

"When have we ever let something silly like this get us upset?" She asked them. She turned to face Lyra. "Have you forgotten the first mission Zeph and I went on with you, Abe, and Coral? It was a disaster, wasn't it?" She asked. Lyra smiled and chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, that was a disaster." She agreed. "Zeph blew a village chief's home over when we came back to report the job was complete." She said. Zephyr put his hands on his hips and looked up to Sylph.

"How was I supposed to know that he didn't want to be awakened? If he kept sleeping, he would have never known the job was done." He excused. Sylph stomped her tiny feet, giving Zephyr a small knock. "Point is that just because we didn't solve it the first time around, doesn't mean we won't. Wyrnxoth won't put us on the back foot. We'll get him to see that they shouldn't mess with Fiore." she declared.

Everyone felt a rush of relief come over them. Viperion nodded.

"I'll show them what it means to mess with a Fenrir Ant!" She exclaimed. The others cheered, except Lyra, who quickly looked to Ewan.

"A what?" He asked, confused on what he just heard Viperion say.

"Uh what she meant was-" Lyra tried to excuse it.

"I think the jig is up, Lyra. We weren't very good at keeping it under wraps anyway. Yeah, Vi ain't human." Fiora explained, reaching over and poking Viperion's antenna. Viperion frowned and smacked her hand away.

"Will you stop that?" She hissed.

"I'm sorry. I just love your little antenna. They're so cute." Fiora said, giggled evilly.

As the communication cut off, Basil turned to face Makarov and Warrod.

"You heard everything they said." He said. Makarov nodded.

"Indeed. This is troubling." He said.

"We need to get more information." Warrod said. He looked at Basil. "To think it's your guild now that's causing a ruckus and not Makarov's." He teased. Makarov looked up at Warrod.

"The guild you used to be a part of?" He pointed out. Basil smiled at him.

"I take that as a compliment." He said. He turned back to Warrod. "It's just like how you used to be, Warrod. Causing chaos and getting into trouble. Only I'm not as reckless." He stated. Warrod rolled his eyes.

"Just like how I used to be, huh?" He questioned. Basil turned to Makarov and winked. Makarov crossed his arms and sighed. He looked up with one eye open.

"You've done quite well for yourself since being released from prison. Though, I wasn't around when you since you turned a new leaf, from what I was told, you did some amazing things for the Council. You've be a great addition to the guilds of Fiore." He said. Basil laughed nervously.

"Yeah, a great addition..." He said, not wanting to get into it. Warrod looked to Basil, the seriousness returning.

"There is a reason I called you here Basil. Though you took it upon yourself to enter before you were allowed in." The Wizard Saint said giving Basil an accusatory look. Basil nodded with a smile.

"I'll make sure to not get caught next time I come in." Was his response. Makarov laughed while Warrod shook his head.

"How did you get the position of guild master anyway? You're still young." Warrod said. Basil crossed his arms and smiled proudly. Warrod cleared his throat.

"Your old guild master escaped. Malachai Vex." He said. Basil looked at him with a worried expression.

"He escaped?" He questioned. "How is that possible? He was in maximum security." He added.

"Yes. It's very troubling. However, we are looking into it. But for now, we have no information. As of right now, we can guess he'll be coming for you. Watch your back, Basil." Warrod said. Basil nodded. He knew there was truth in that statement. Basil stood up and bowed to Makarov and Warrod.

"Thank you for your time, gentlemen. I'll be on my way. Master Makarov, if you could consider allowing my guild to fix this Wyvern problem. I understand your guild is full of go getters. However, perhaps it's time to let another guild share in that destructive spotlight. Who knows? We might surprise you." He said. Makarov chuckled.

"You know, when I first met you, I thought you were a meek little plant wizard. You've really come out of your shell since then. Very well. You've earned that right. The Magic Council is still very impressed with the work you did as a prisoner. Ishgar thanks you for turning a new leaf, Basil. It's been an honor working with you. It will be interesting to see what you and your guild members do. They have very unique magic as well." Makarov said. Basil nodded. He took a deep breath.

"Thank you. I'm honored to work with you as well. I'll be on my way then. Thank you again for your time, gentlemen." Basil said. He turned and left. He stepped out of the building to return to his guild.

-Magnolia town, Emerald Oasis, 1 week later-

The group had returned to the guild, Coral greeting them.

"You're back! It's wonderful to have you all return safe and sound." She expressed. Lyra dragged herself to Coral and began to drop her weight onto her.

"It was hell." She said. Coral quickly supported her.

"It's not so bad. You just had a little mishap. Nothing a bit of healing couldn't fix." Coral said.

"Where is the master?" Luna asked. She walked in and began to look for the wooden golems.

"He's outside. He's having a bit of a meeting with Alister. He's here to see Ewan." Coral informed them. Lyra nodded and looked to the group.

"Unfortunately, it'll just be us senior members for now. You four should head home and recover." She said with a smile and nod. Abernathy stretched out and let out a yawn.

"Right on. I'll go take a nap. Catch you guys later." He said. He slowly left and headed for home. Coral snatched him by the collar and dragged him the other way.

"That excludes you, Abernathy." Coral said with her infamous smiled. Abernathy sighed.

"Aw man..." He muttered. Zephyr groaned.

"Does that include me?" He asked. Lyra looked to Coral and nodded her head.

"You're a senior member too, aren't you?" Coral inquired, ensuring her grip on Abernathy's shirt was tight. Zephyr's face pulled into a wide smile.

"Hell yeah I am!" He exclaimed. He punched the air. "Alright, let's go kick some ass!" He said.

"Language young man!" Coral scolded. Zephyr cringed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Sorry, Coral..." He apologized. The four went out back. Fiora crossed her arm.

"Why do they get to know what's going on?" She complained. Gideon pat Fiora's shoulder.

"This type of stuff is best left to the grownups, Fi." He said half-jokingly. Fiora growled and swung her fist at Gideon's direction.

"You shut up! I am a grown up!" She declared. Gideon leaned back, allowing the fist fly by.

"I do not think Gideon-san meant to be funny, Fi-san. This situation is much bigger than the missions we've gone on before. We should wait and allow them to determine our course of action before anything else." She said. Fiora turned to her with a growl.

"So, you're saying I should sit this one out?!" She demanded.

"Fi, calm down. We all get it. You want to fight that Wyvern, but you saw how power Wyrnxoth was. And he wasn't even at full strength. I don't think we should be in a rush to get killed." Gideon said. Fiora turned to Gideon with her scowl. But she blew out air and smacked her teeth.

"Fine." She gave in. Gideon nodded.

"Someone matured." He teased. Fiora kicked him in the leg.

"Shut up!" She yelled. "I just want to kill that big ass lizard. That's all!" She exclaimed. Viperion approached the three.

"If it's no trouble, I too would like to fight that Wyvern. He broke my exoskeleton when I punched him. He seems to be a worthy opponent." She said. Fiora gave a thumbs up.

"That's the spirit!" She cheered. Viperion smiled.

Basil reentered with everyone in tow, including the golems.

"Now that we're all caught up, allow me to share the plan." He urged everyone to had a seat around the bar area. Once everyone was settled, he began.

"First and foremost, I'd like to congratulate Ewan for officially joining our guild." He announced. Ewan looked to Alister with wide eyes.

"When was this decided, old man? I didn't agree to this!" He argued. Basil held up a hand to stop him.

"Allow me to finish. If you still disagree, then you're free to go." Basil explained. Ewan folded his arms. Alister stood quietly. Basil looked to his guild.

"I've petitioned us to be the ones to address this Wyvern situation. The magic council will convene soon and they will disseminate this decision to the other guilds in Fiore. It's up to them whether they will accept this decision or not. However, they must heed the Magic Council." Basil explained. Alister stepped forward.

"Basil, are you sure about this? There are plenty of guilds in Magnolia that can help. One extra person won't be enough." He asked. Basil shook his head.

"I have no doubt that there are many guilds capable of dealing with this issue. But I have faith that our guild will be successful." He assured. He called over the wooden golems. They waddled over and Uno held up a small wooden key.

"Because of our newly assigned mission, we have to train as hard as we can." He raised the key to show everyone. "I have a special place to do just that. This is the reason that you've been inducted to our guild, Ewan. Where we're going, only guild members can go. And as far as I know, you're the one who needs this the most. Your cute companion there explained some of the mechanics of your magic, but the best way is to put it to use." Basil said. Ewan stood and walked up to Basil.

"Just tell me where we're going." He said. Basil nodded.

"Master, you can't be serious. You're taking us 'there' to train? You sure the guardians will let us in? They're super picky." Abernathy argued. Basil sighed.

"I know, Abernathy. But they'll have to let us in. We don't have time to wait. I'd rather be in and out, but I know how they are." Basil replied.

"I apologize master, but what place are we using to train?" Luna asked. Lyra turned to the guild members.

"Emerald Grove. It's a spot right outside Magnolia town that is filled to the brim with Ethernano. Master Basil took us there one time to train. I'd tell you about it, but I don't want to spoil it. It's pretty amazing." Lyra explained. Luna nodded.

"I see. Our village has a similar place that we used to go to practice magic." She said. Lyra looked at her sister.

"They took you there?" She asked. The Lunar Haven was a place where the moon's light was at its strongest. Luna nodded.

"Yes. But I haven't been there since I left." She explained. Lyra nodded.

"Yeah. Same here." She replied. The two were referring to the Lunar Fissure that happened when they were kids.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get rolling!" Fiora exclaimed, walking towards the door. Gideon stopped her.

"Fi, we have to wait for Master Basil. He hasn't told us when to leave." Gideon said. Fiora jumped to face Basil.

"Well?" She asked. Basil clapped his hands together.

"We will be staying in the Emerald Grove. The council will keep an eye on things while we train. The moment the Wyverns make their move is when we'll leave." Basil said. Fiora looked back to the group.

"There, are we good now?" She asked. Gideon let out a sigh and nodded.

"Alright, Fi." He agreed. She pumped her fist.

"Let's go!" She yelled.

The guild left the town limits, walking an unmarked path in the forests.

"The way there will take us several hours. So try your best not to waste any unnecessary energy. If you get tired, there are plenty of trees around to lean on." Basil warned. The members of the guild nodded.

"The trip is long but once we get there, the view is worth it." Lyra assured them. "Plus, you can just tell how much magical energy is in that place." She added.

"Oh yeah, I can feel it on the wind from here." Zephyr exclaimed. Lyra nodded.

"Right? It's almost like magic itself is calling you in. Like it's just saying 'come inside'." She said. Luna looked at her.

"Is it a voice, or just a feeling?" She asked. Lyra shook her head.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that once you set foot inside, it's like you're in another world entirely." Lyra said. Coral chuckled.

"You'd do best not to get them too excited. Let them experience it for themselves." She advised. Lyra nodded.

"Fair enough, Coral." Lyra replied. She turned back to the others. "But if I had to guess, I'd say it's a bit of both." Lyra answered. Luna nodded.

"I see." She responded. Lyra smiled at her sister. Abernathy was glumly walking with the group. Viperion approached Coral.

"Coral-san, is Abe-san ok? He seems down." She pointed out. Coral looked back at the Chrono Anchor mage. He let out a deep sigh.

"The guardians of the grove gave Abernathy a hard time when we were there the last time. They picked on him and teased him relentlessly." Coral explained. Lyra heard the conversation and turned around.

"I think they just like Abernathy. They were just being playful." She said. Abernathy groaned.

"Playful?" He questioned. "That was plain cruel! They wouldn't let me rest at all! Every time I did anything they'd score me. Even if I was drinking water. I had to do that perfectly or they'd score me." He complained.

"Sounds like you had a rough time. You can rest easy now. We're not going there to slack off." Lyra assured him. "Or, at least we're not going there to slack off." She specified while pointing to everyone except Abe. He let out an extra hard sigh. Viperion looked at Lyra.

"I am not familiar with the guardians of the grove. Could you tell me what they look like, so that I may know them when I meet them?" She asked. Lyra scratched her chin, trying to figure out how to best describe them. Zephyr jumped in.

"Oh oh! Let me describe them!" He said. Lyra chuckled and shrugged.

"Ok Zeph, go ahead." She said. Zephyr cleared his throat and faced Viperion.

"Ok. So, you know how Uno, Dos, and Tres are like master's helpers?" He asked. Viperion nodded.

"Yes." She confirmed. Zephyr nodded.

"Right. So think of them like his parents." He said. Viperion blinked, not understanding.

"They're his parents?" She asked. Zephyr shook his head.

"No. What I mean is, they're like his parents, but they're not his real parents. Like-" Basil turned around.

"There's no need to confuse them, Zeph. I'll explain." Basil said. Zephyr smiled.

"Ok Master!" He exclaimed. Basil nodded and turned to Viperion.

"My magic is plant magic. As you saw, I was able to make that arena for our sparring session. The thing is, when it comes to magic of that magnitude, I rely on tree spirits to do so." He explained. Fiora raised an eyebrow.

"Tree spirits? Like Sylph over here?" She asked. Basil shook his head.

"Not quite. Sylph is a wind spirit. The tree spirits are closer to the planet and nature. They have a certain consciousness that other spirits don't have. They are able to think on their own. They're a facet of the earth spirit Gnome than they are Sylph. Each tree has a spirit, though the spirits can't do much on their own. They must rely on the tree as much as the tree relies on them. You can't have one without the other." He explained. Fiora looked up in thought. She traced the air with her hand.

"Huh, I understand." She said. Luna nodded.

"I see. The tree spirits are the ones that help you with your magic." She inferred. Basil nodded.

"That's correct. If you ever encounter a tree spirit, they may not have the strength to talk to you, but they are there." He finished. Gideon raised his hand. Basil pointed at him.

"Gideon! A question!" Basil exclaimed.

"How are they your parents?" He asked. Basil nodded.

"Right. While they may not be my biological parents, they treat me as their own. I was orphaned as a child and grew up on the streets. It's thanks to the tree spirits that I've even become who I am today. They took me in and taught me their magic. I owe them my life." He explained. Viperion nodded.

"Ah, that explains much. Thank you." She said. Basil nodded.

Ewan simply listened in on the conversation, following along. Tiffy bounded in front of him.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She asked. Ewan waved dismissively.

"No need. This guild thing is temporary. Not my place to add anything. And besides, I don't need a guild. I'm a researcher. I never stay anywhere long enough to need one." Ewan stated. Tiffy looked at him, confused.

"Ewannnn. Come on. Don't be like that. It's gonna be fun!" She said, smiling. Ewan sighed.

"You're a little ball of positivity, aren't you? What, do you always wear that smile?" He asked. Tiffy nodded.

"Mmhmm!" She replied. Ewan shook his head with a chuckle.

"Guess I'll have to get used to it. Can't be helped. Now then, how about you tell me more about this Wyvern Slayer magic, eh?" He asked. Tiffy nodded.

"I could, but, maybe we do what master said and wait till we get there to use it instead of talk about it. It'll be funner that way!" She stated. Ewan laughed.

"I'm sure. But give me a hint or something. I'm an intellectual, I like to know things ahead of time." He said. Tiffy tilted her head.

"But, then it wouldn't be a surprise!" She exclaimed. Ewan shook his head. Tiffy giggled.

"Hmph. You're no fun, Ewan." She retorted.

"I'm plenty of fun! I'm a good amount of fun!" He replied.

"We'll have to see. If you're as much fun as you say you are, we should have a contest!" She challenged. Ewan raised an eyebrow.

"Contest? You've piqued my interest. What kind of contest?" He asked. Tiffy's tail started wagging.

"Oh, you'll love this! I haven't played it in a while, so it's gonna be a blast! I used to play it with the other Lupicyns in my pack. We'd play it whenever we went out exploring. The objective was to find the coolest thing first. Whoever found the coolest thing won." She explained. Ewan chuckled.

"So, you want to challenge me to a competition to see who can find the coolest thing first? You're on." He agreed. Tiffy smiled widely.

"Awesome! This is gonna be so much fun!" She exclaimed. Basil turned to the two.

"You can go ahead and play your game. However, I expect you to be fully rested when we reach the Emerald Grove." He reminded. But then he looked to both sides of the path and pointed to a flower. "But if anything, that's the coolest thing." He said. Tiffy rushed to the flower.

"Yeah! It is super cool!" She said. She sniffed the flower and gave it a lick.

"Don't eat it. Leave the poor thing alone." Ewan scolded.

"I wasn't going to eat it. But it tastes like yuck." She said, sticking her tongue out. Basil smiled.

-Several hours later, Wilderness of Fiore-

The guild has reached the end of the path and stood before a giant wall of green. Trees stood high, their branches interweaving, blocking out the sky. The guild could still see the sky, however. Basil walked to the front of the group. He waved at the at the trees.

"Oakwise... I'm back." Basil said meekly. There was a pause of silence. Fiora leaned toward Luna.

"If he didn't tell us these were spirits, I'd think he was crazy." She whispered. Luna nodded.

"Shhhh. They are watching." She said. Fiora shrugged.

"They're just trees. No offense, but-" She was cut off by one of the trees wiggling. Her eyes widened. Suddenly, the tree rotated to reveal a large face on the park and it contained a leaf mustache.

"Oh! Is that Basil?" The tree asked squinting its eyes. Basil nodded.

"Yes, Oakwise. It is I, Basil. I've returned. I brought some of my guild with me to train in the Emerald Grove." He explained.

"Basil! You've gotten so old. What happened? Did you not drink your tea every day?" Oakwise asked. Basil chuckled, trying to play it off.

"Of course. Every single day. I just, uh, must be aging faster than normal." He said, laughing. The tree stared at Basil, narrowing its eyes.

"Hmmmmmm." It muttered, its eyes narrowing. "Sylvara! Reldrin! Basil's back with his guild!" Oakwise exclaimed. The trees on either side of him started moving. A tree on the right with a lady's face popped out.

"Oh dear. Look at him. He's not been sleeping enough." She said. The tree on the left with a man's face popped out.

"That's all your tea, Sylvara. He needs to drink less of it if he wants to age slower." Reldrin said. Sylvara gasped.

"I resent that!" She exclaimed. Reldrin chuckled.

"He looks well enough, though." He commented. Oakwise nodded.

"Yes, yes he does." Sylvara agreed.

The newer members had their mouths agape, seeing something like this for the first time.

"Your little group got bigger, Basil. Gonna introduce us or are you getting alzheimers too? I swear, I don't know what you've been doing the past few years. But it hasn't been taking care of yourself." Oakwise said. Basil shook his head.

"No, no. I'm still here. I'm sorry I've been gone for so long. Things got busy." He said, laughing nervously. Reldrin nodded.

"Yes, Basil. We all heard about what happened. The Wyverns have returned. It's been a long time since we've seen them." He said. Basil nodded.

"Yes. It is troubling indeed." He replied. He turned to his guild. "This is my guild, Emerald Oasis. You remember Coral, Lyra, Abernathy, Zephyr, and Sylph." Basil said.

"How could I forget?" Sylvara asked. Coral walked forward. She bowed.

"Hello again, Oakwise-san." She greeted. Sylvara's eyes brightened.

"Coral! How have you been?" She asked. Coral smiled.

"I've been well, thank you." She replied. Sylvara smiled.

"That one's my favorite." She informed the other two trees. They rolled their eyes.

"Sylvara, you say that about all the kids." Reldrin said. She chuckled.

"Can you blame me? They're all so adorable." She gave the senior members loving eyes. Lyra and Zephyr walked up as well.

"It's nice to be able to visit once more." Lyra said with a bow. Sylvara nodded.

"Hello again, young Lyra. How's that sister of yours?" She asked. Lyra looked back.

"You'll get to finally meet her." She replied. All three trees looked to each other with surprise.

"She's here?" Sylvara asked. They knew the story, but didn't think they'd make up. Lyra nodded.

"I told you I'd fix it." She said. Sylvara laughed.

"That you did, dear." She replied. Zephyr walked up to Oakwise and bowed.

"How's it going, old man?" He greeted. Sylph smacked his head.

"Zeph! I'm sorry Oakwise. You know he's a dummy. He didn't mean anything by it." She apologized. Oakwise shook his head.

"Oh, no worries. I'm sure he's just joking around. He's a kid. That's what they do. How have you been Sylph-sama." He asked. Sylph smiled.

"I'm doing great Oakwise! I've been working with the master to help Zeph grow up into a good man!" She said. Oakwise chuckled.

"I'm sure he has plenty to learn from you." Reldrin commented. Sylph crossed her arms and began to stutter.

"H-how is th-that muscle brain idiot, Gnome?" She asked. Oakwise smiled.

"He's been well. He still asks about you." He replied. Sylph turned red.

"Th-that idiot. Still as annoying as ever. It's been ages since I've seen him. I don't think he'll have changed one bit. Still as dumb as ever." She said, shaking her head. Oakwise nodded.

"Well, when Basil told us you were coming, he asked if he could join us. He said he wanted to see you. But of course, he's not a member of the guild like you are, Sylph-sama. So, it's not possible." He said. Sylph's cheeks turned red.

"Gnome's an idiot. I'm sure he's moved on by now. Besides, why would he want to see me?" She complained. The three trees begin to snicker.

"Well don't stand around, come in! I want to get to know the new members." Oakwise expressed. The trees blocking the way rumbled before slowing sinking into the slowly. They all entered one by one. Abernathy crossed the threshold.

"Six."

"Four."

"I'll give him an eight."

"I'm just walking!" He yells in response to their scoring. The three trees roll their eyes.

"Hey, you know the rules." Oakwise said. Abernathy groaned.

"How do you even rate me? I didn't do anything. I just walked up." He grumbled as he passes. Everyone passes and the trees return to once again block entry.

"Welcome back, Abernathy." Sylvara said. Abernathy looked at her and smiled.

"Thank you. It's nice to be back." He replied.

"I missed you." She says. Abernathy looks to her.

"You mean it?" He asks. She nods.

"I mean, you were kind of annoying with your attempts to flirt with me, but it was kind of cute. You remind me of a puppy. You're definitely not Gnome." She replies. Tears begin to fall from his eyes.

"I thought you were going to say something nice." He expressed.

As the group walks in deeper to the grove, the three spirit appear on trees, blocking Abe's way.

"Abernathy, before you pass, we need to talk about something important." Oakwise said. Sylvara and Reldrin nodded. Abernathy stopped.

"What is it?" He asked.

"How many times have you rewound time?" He asked. Abe raised an eyebrow.

"Rewound time? I've never done that." He replied. Sylvara sighed.

"You think we'd believe that? We can tell you have, Abernathy. The earth always remembers. Even if you think you're the only one that remembers what you saw, you're dead wrong. The earth remembers." Sylvara warned. Abernathy looked to the ground.

"It's been fifty times." He says quietly.

"What is the event that makes you rewind?" Sylvana asks. Abernathy looked behind them, making sure his guild is out of ear shot.

"When we fight Wyrnxoth. He wipes us out every time." He confesses.

"So you've tried to fight him fifty times?" Oakwise asks. Abe nods.

"Fifty times. And every single time, he slaughters us. He doesn't even use his full power. He just wipes us out, without hesitation, every time. It's like he's toying with us. It's like he enjoys watching us fail." He says. Oakwise's expression becomes grim. Nothing is said for the moment.

"Who is the girl with the red hair and the boy that is walking with her?" Sylvana asks. Abe turned to where the two were.

"That is Fiora Blaze and Gideon Granite." He informs them.

"In all the cycles, this is the first time they have appeared." Sylvara says. Abernathy nods.

"That is the reason why I haven't activated Chrono Anchor yet. Those two have been the X factor we've been missing." He replies.

"Do you think they are the key to defeating Wyrnxoth?" Reldrin asks. Abernathy nods.

"I hope so. If not, then we're screwed." He says. The trees watch as the guild disappears into the distance.

"That girl's magic. I can sense it's fire magic, but there's something different about it." Reldrin states.

"Her fire has emotion." Sylvara replies.

"Like, she can change the intensity of the fire based on her emotions?" Abernathy asks. Sylvara nods.

"More than that. It's burning away the threads of fate. Like, she's changing the past, present, and future purely because she's here.

"I've never seen anything like that." Reldrin adds. Abernathy starts laughing. The three trees look at the time mage confused.

"Oh sorry. It's just, the way you said that, sounds just like her. She doesn't let anything stop her, and she does as she pleases. Just like a raging fire." Abernathy explains. The three trees nod in understanding.

"What is she like?" Sylvara asks.

"Fiora? Well, she's brash, and impulsive, but loyal and kind. She has a heart of gold, she just has trouble showing it sometimes. Gideon keeps her on the straight and narrow. Those two make quite the pair." Abe answers. Sylvara smiles.

"Sounds like my kind of girl. What about Gideon?" She asks. Abe shrugs.

"Gideon's an interesting one. He's not the type of guy to take sides, or even get involved with things. But he has a righteous heart. He'll do the right thing if he can help it. But he can also be a big softie." He replied.

"That's a relief. It'd be a shame if they weren't kind." Oakwise expressed. "Go catch up with your guild. We won't say anything to Basil if we can help it. However, we can't hide it from him forever." He stated. Abe nodded.

"I understand. Thank you all so much." He expressed. With that, he walked to catch up with the guild.