Nathan had just reached the entrance of the castle when his communicator went off, the morning light rising as he pulled it up. "What's up," Nathan asked, his voice hinting the worry he had as he was talking on the communicator. "Did something go wrong? Is Eric okay?"

"He's fine," came Zika's voice, making Nathan sigh in relief as he leaned against the wall by the gate entrance to the castle, his focus on his morpher. "He managed to hold Horn back until the Purple ranger saved him. He even broke Horn's sword at the end of the fight."

"Wait, Eric did?" Nathan asked, looking at his communicator surprised now as he was imagining it. "I know he was strong when we were kids, but it takes a lot to break a sword with a strike, especially one that's from Horn's arsenal..."

"That's the weird thing I wanted to ask you about," came Zika's voice, the tone different as Nathan looked to the statue in front of the castle gate, a gold pterodactyl resting on top of a fountain. "There was a video of his fight with Horn, and the way he was moving was beyond anything I would've guessed him to be capable of. It looked similar to Marianne's fighting style too, which was reminding me of something you were talking about back then…"

"Where I was commenting about how her style reminded me of my brother." Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "You're wondering if there's a connection between Eric and Marianne, I'm guessing?"

"I can't simply nod that notion off when I remember how you commented about it back then," Zika responded, making Nathan chuckle as he looked over to the sunrise. "Especially since the warping on the blade was similar to the ones from the Phoenix Strike that Marianne used on that training dummy in the past."

"…There's no recorded connection between our family and Marianne's, or at least to my knowledge there isn't, if that's what you're wondering." Nathan finally spoke after a while, soon looking back to the morpher. "From what I remember, our family comes from a wandering knight who made a name for himself and gained a lordship in Zandar around thirty years after what would've been the appearance of the Stone of Zandar and the disappearance of Ivan, which would've been twenty five years after the final fight with Furio…"

Nathan could still remember the story that Eric found about their ancestor: a man who traveled in the lands around Zandar after leaving the legacy of his family, he made a name for himself protecting others and improving the conditions of towns which he visited. It was because of his insight and strength that an older King Collin knighted him, granting him his own land in the northern parts of Zandar and granting him the title of a Lord. As Nathan went to recall the name, however, his mind seemed to turn up a blank, despite how hard he was trying to remember it. 'I know it's been three thousand years, but how could I forget something that my brother worked so hard on…' Nathan thought to himself as the other side of the morpher was silent.

"…There weren't any points where the families mixed?" Zika finally asked, making Nathan snap out of his memories as he looked at the morpher. "Like a branched family that went and joined with yours?"

"Not to my knowledge." Nathan responded. "From what I remember from what my brother told me, our ancestor solely focused upon defending the northern areas of Zandar after he was officially made a lord, starting his own line. Before that, there wasn't anything about him outside of his travels around the lands."

"And you didn't think that was important," Zika asked, making Nathan sigh as he shook his head.

"I was eight when Eric worked on the project that he wrote about him," Nathan responded before he shook his head, focusing on the present. "More importantly, I hadn't even cared for history anywhere near as much as my brother did, so I wouldn't have remembered it as well anyway..."

His response was soon followed by an audible sigh from the morpher, making him imagine Zika slumping his head as he was standing somewhere. "Well, either way I'll be following Eric at the moment," Zika finally spoke, his voice having a new tension to it. "He was able to hold his own against Horn and break one of the weapons that they stole, so there's bound to be a chance that he may go after him later."

"Maybe," Nathan responded as he thought over the situation, a thought running into his head. "By the way, you said that one of his attacks was like Marianne's. How similar was it?"

"Right down to a blue glow coming from the blade," Zika responded, making Nathan tense before he pushed himself off the wall.

"…I'll see if I can find something in the royal library while I'm here then," Nathan responded as he looked to the entrance of the gate. "I can't say I remember everything for certain, but I still remember my family's last name came from our ancestor. Maybe I can find something that might answer the question from there…"

With that he shut off his morpher, soon walking to the entrance of the gate as he saw the guards reaching for a walkie talkie on their side as he sighed. "Hey, sorry to trouble you, but I need to see Prince Philip," Nathan spoke as he looked at the guards, soon stopping a few feet away from them as he watched them look at each other. "I know it may seem abrupt or out of the ordinary, but could you tell him that Nathan's arrived to deliver what he asked for?"

-Eric, home-

"You passed out after using the strike?" A chuckle came from Eric's phone as he was sitting at his table, a soda beside him as he was leaning back in his chair, listening to his master on the other side of the phone. "I told you that you would need to push yourself to the brink and probably pass out, especially given how you love to keep from going too far, but I didn't expect you to actually do it. It's almost ironic…"

"That's beside the point, Master Manō," Eric sighed as he kept the phone by his ear. "The fact of the matter is that I don't even know if I managed it or not, but now that feeling you told me to feel for is stronger than ever."

"That simply means that you actually did use the abilities you've been training to awaken," Manō responded with a laugh, making Eric's eyes widen as he listened to his master. "Earth Power, the power you were using, connects to the natural elements best suited for your spirits affinity. For you, it's the freedom of the wind and the purification through flame. You've tapped into the power, so now it's adjusting to your body and accumulating based on your willingness to it."

"Wait, is it really called Earth Power?" Eric asked, picking up his drink before he took a sip and setting it back down. "It sounds like something a kid would make up…"

"You can blame whoever made the style thousands of years ago for the naming process, but the fact is that it's a style trained for those who would face threats beyond normal humans," Manō responded, making Eric remember his fight with the Stingwingers and against that monster. "It can't be used to take on massive monsters like that one which popped up three years ago in that town you're in now, but its traits can be used for more than combat and expand the more you understand its nature."

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Eric asked as he held up his free hand, feeling that same sensation again as he tried to draw it to the tips of his fingers, failing as it felt like it was being pushed further away. "Any time I try to use it now just has the feeling seem to keep itself away."

"Knowing you, it's probably because you're trying to force it," Manō responded, making Eric flinch as he closed his hand. Then, in a more serious tone, Manō spoke again. "When you were fighting and you felt like it was happening, what did you feel during the fight?"

Eric just closed his eyes, trying to remember the feeling as his mind went back to the strikes that were used in it. "…I felt like I had done all I could, but knew I couldn't stop," Eric finally spoke, a tension in his voice as he leaned forward in his chair onto the table. "I was angry at the belittling of life, and worried that if I failed fighting then it would cause problems for those who were still in the area. After feeling like I was going to pass out from the exertion, my mind set itself on trying to at least give it my all until I black out. It was like a strange calm as the feeling swirled within me, like something switched on in my head..."

"Then focus on that for now, and let it pass through only if it wants to." Manō responded, making Eric opened his hand again, this time feeling the same calmness as it seemed to wash over him, the feeling he had felt before now passing through his arm and into his hand like a current this time before seeming to burst out of his hands, making him hear a sound as he opened his eyes. What he saw then was a small blue flame coming out of it, spinning up like it was in a wind tunnel as it wrapped up a foot high before dispersing, letting a warm breeze that hit him as he looked at the flame in wonder. As he watched it, the flame seemed to dance along the spirals of wind coming out of his hand, moving in a way that he wanted it to as it thinned and expanded.

"No way…" Eric spoke as he looked at the flame, watching it die out in his hand. "I need to start training with this immediately!"

With that he quickly stood up, regretting it immediately as he felt his entire body ache from the action, making him lean over the table grunting as he dropped the phone on it. "If what you said is true, you have no way of doing that right now," Manō responded with a chuckle, making Eric sigh as he slowly pushed himself back up, sitting down in his chair as he grabbed the phone again. "Even then, you've only just learned how to tap into your own Earth Power, so you can't simply expect to learn what it does on your own."

"But it's not like I can go and take a flight over to you at the moment for training," Eric responded with a sigh, leaning back in his chair as he looked up at the ceiling. "I don't exactly have the money for it at the moment, and your home is still on an island considered a tourist trap…"

"That is true, and I know how you feel about being stuck in those kinds of places from your last visit," Manō responded, making Eric flinch as he heard his master chuckle again. "However, Earth Power is also best trained in areas it's best attuned to, so why don't we first start with what you can use with your Earth Power, and from there find a place we can both go to for you to train?"

-Zandar-

Nathan was surprised by how fast he was let into the palace when he ended up there with his notebook. There were times when he had come to Zandar in the past to help out or to check up on things, but that was normally without needing to head to the palace itself. Any time he did want to go in, however, he would end up sneaking in through one of the old entrances that he remembered from the past which weren't watched. This most recent time, however, he found himself easily walked in after he gave his name, leading to his current situation where he was walking down a hallway with Phillip, who was having him talk about his adventures with Ivan as they were heading to the royal treasury.

"So your first interaction together was against Furio's monsters, yet neither of you morphed," Phillip asked as the two took a turn down another hallway.

"There weren't any of his commanders helping the Stingwingers at the time, so neither of us had a reason to morph." Nathan responded with a chuckle, shaking his head. "It wasn't until the third time we worked together that we discovered our identities, when a monster had taken the form of a mutual friend and we were forced to morph to help each other. Needless to say, back then I didn't take the discovery well…"

"From what I heard from your perspective, I understand why," Phillip responded as he looked ahead of the hallway, Nathan looking at him surprised from the statement. "When the Earth was sucked into that black hole in the original timeline, I felt as if I had not only betrayed all of Zandar, but also the world itself. All those people who helped us that were lost… I had nightmares the following months remembering it, imagining the screams. I couldn't even hope to imagine what it would look like on your end, seeing everything you fought to get back to vanish in the blink of an eye..."

This statement made Nathan stop as he processed Phillips words, making the prince look over to him confused to see Nathan with his eyes closed. "…I understand why Ivan spoke so highly of you eight hundred years ago, as well as why the Graphite Energem chose you," Nathan spoke as he opened his eyes, looking at Phillip with a smile. "Keeper's explanation of how the Energems worked in their process of rewriting time helped me understand the action, but you and Ivan are probably the only two of your group that I've spoken to who've shown me their view of that situation. It's a bit grim, but it helps my own end to hear how you felt from what happened."

"Well I would say just start talking more with the others, they're bound to be more open on it than you would expect," Phillip responded before they finally made it to a large door with Zandar's royal seal upon it, two guards at the entrance as they opened the doors for the two. As Phillip and Nathan went in, the guards shut the doors behind them, leaving the two in a room that was filled with items held in display cases, a large statue at the far end. "In the meantime, however, here's the treasure room, or rather the middle floor of it."

"Well, at least this place is still on the middle floor like it was a few decades back." Nathan spoke as he was walking past Phillip and the displays, the prince following him confused as Nathan made it to the statue, where a elevator door was at. "Can it get to the bottom floor where the old treasury is?"

"Yes, though there was a segment on the original treasury which has never been worked on," Phillip responded, making Nathan only nod in response before something clicked. "Wait, is that where the entrance for the treasury is? I was thinking it would've been near a set of statues I found of you and Ivan on the higher floors…"

"That's the main goal for why they were made, great with misleading people that might search for them," Nathan responded as the door to the elevator opened, the two walking in. "If it's the same as your great grandfather's time, then the king should be the only other person who knows of it at the moment."

"I see." Phillip spoke, making Nathan chuckle as he pressed the button for the basement, the elevator doors shutting in front of them as it started to go down. "You said the same as my great grandfather's time, right? Were you here then?"

"I had snuck in back then to check up on a few things that were inside, and it just so happened to be the same time that he had gone down to check it. Needless to say, we surprised each other when he walked in as I was about to walk out," Nathan responded, chuckling at the memory as Phillip looked at him confused. "It wasn't that difficult to sneak in then, and given how the Defender Armor works I probably would've been able to do the same with ease now."

"If that was the case, why did you go to ask for me to come with you then?" Phillip asked, making Nathan look over to the prince. "With the fact you could get in on your own, I could've caused a distraction so you could get into the area yourself."

Nathan just sighed at the question, thinking up a response as the elevator dinged. "…I wanted to see the kind of person you were." Nathan's statement made the prince look at him surprised as the man walked past him, the area lighting up as it revealed an older looking room that held a medieval feel to it, though the torch posts along the edges were replaced with lightbulbs hanging along them, connected by wires. "My brother used to talk about the history of Zandar's royal family after his project on our ancestor, and spoke high praises for most of them. It's nice to see you proving him right, which is also a gripe since he'd probably never let me live it down if he found out…"

"Your brother?" Phillip questioned, making Nathan nod as the two walked through the room, in particular a large wall that jutted out that had the royal seal on it. "The records I read about you said you had a family that passed away, but it never specified the members…"

"As it should, Ivan wanted my tale known in Zandar after all our fights together, but I wanted it plain that I didn't want the fact I had a brother known," Nathan spoke as the two made it to the front of the seal, placing his hand by a small hole in the wall. Then, with a smirk, he looked over to Phillip as he held up the ring. "My parents and brother are a few of the reasons I've continued fighting for this long, and since they're actually alive now I have every reason to make sure they're not known by my enemies."

With that Nathan pushed the black gem on the ring into the hole, causing a green glow to shoot through the bricks as they began separating around it. "Incredible," Phillip spoke as Nathan pulled the ring off the spot, walking ahead as Phillip followed behind, the wall shutting behind them. As soon as it closed, the area seemed to light up with lights, revealing various items and treasures around them, with a stairway ahead leading down. "How big is this place?"

"Big enough to contain some weapons that Zika's father had left Zandar after our fight against Furio," Nathan responded as he walked towards the stairwell, his mind on the task at hand. "If Zandar found the key fragment, then it's going to be in the lower level, where the most important items are kept."

With that the two walked down to the lower level, which was a hallway that seemed more advanced in structure, the walls made of metal while each item was placed at a pedestal like a container. The items were things that Phillip didn't expect to see, some blasters, swords, and even a communicator on one pedestal. At the centerpoint at the end of the hallway, however, seemed a item completely different from the rest: a statue of a knight that seemed to be wearing armor that was shaped like a rino, a crack in the visor showing the figure's eye as their hands were outward and together as if holding something. In front of the statue, however, stood a small pedestal, and on it a emerald with a diamond shape, two sides of it with metal rimming it while the others seemed like they were cut to make it this shape.

"Is that…" Phillip started, Nathan walking up to it as he looked it over.

"It's the key fragment," Nathan responded as he looked over to Phillip, nodding. "Now that we know it's here, we can worry over the other two fragments."

Phillip nodded. "I'll tell the others," Phillip spoke as he pulled out his communicator, only to open it and find static in its wake. "Strange, it usually works in the castle…"

"I'm not surprised, this place was specifically made to hide all of this, so it's dense enough that not even the faintest communication can reach outside of it." Nathan responded as he walked to the statue, looking between it and the gem before he placed a hand on its shoulder. "Thank you for keeping a close eye on this, old friend…"

"You know who that is a statue of?" Phillip asked, making Nathan look over to him with a somber smile.

"I know the man the statue once was," Nathan responded as he removed his hand from the statue, looking at it again. "This is what remains of Sir Randalph, the Scarlet Knight…"

" That's Sir Randalph?" Phillip asked, looking at the statue in surprise as he walked over to it. "What happened to him?"

"Like I told the Purple Ranger, he sacrificed himself to save us all when Furio had intended to petrify the planet when his last great plan failed in the Battle of Steel and Fang," Nathan sighed, looking to Phillip as the prince was soon beside him, staring at the statue in wonder. "This is the sacrifice he took, using his own connection and power from the Rhino Galactabeast to redirect Furio's abilities to himself, turning him to stone…"

"But why keep him here?" Phillip asked, looking over the statue and noting the details upon the armor, something which couldn't have been done so easily by a craftsman. The more Phillip looked at it, the more that Randalph still seemed alive within the stone, as if he was still staring at whatever conflict he had faced. "He could've been given a tomb for his sacrifice alone…"

"Because he was the only man I know of who made Furio fear him before he attained his power as the Scarlet Knight, and there's nothing Furio would want more than to destroy these remains if he ever discovered they were untouched up till now," Nathan responded, looking back at the statue again. "Tell me, have you read the Tales of Azure and Scarlet?"

"I can't say I have, especially given that it wasn't something that existed in our timeline," Phillip responded, making Nathan chuckle as he turned from the statue, signalling the prince to follow as they started to leave the hallway.

"Then today's a good day to hear them from a first-hand perspective, as well as some fun facts behind them," Nathan responded as they started going up the steps. "The tales begin with ' The Bridge of Orathan' , a point where Sir Ivan meets Randalph while he's battling a horde of Stingwingers, but that isn't the first time Randalph faced those monsters, nor the first time he met Ivan…"

-Eric-

"So then, judging from what you've told me, your power seems joined between fire and wind…" Manō muttered over the phone, Eric looking on his computer through locations around Amber Beach. "If it was a normal red flame, then I would say the best training spot would be around active heat and flames, which would be possible at where you live now since there's some active magma pools in some of the caves…"

"But since it's blue that means it's a no go?" Eric heard a grunt from Manō in response, a usual sign that Eric was correct on his thoughts.

"The blue flame is one of purification and rebirth in many legends, whereas red flame usually represents raw power. To train in such a cavern would harm more than improve your training…" Eric just sighed in response, slumping in front of his computer before he heard Manō chuckle from the phone. "Don't sound so glum. While it's true you can't properly train in any nearby locations before seeing me, that doesn't mean you can't still train it. That is why we're looking this over, after all."

"And why you want to train me face-to-face." Eric concluded as he leaned back, looking at the ceiling while keeping attention on his phone. "Don't suppose you have any special training areas hidden in your head from when you were traveling near here, right?"

Manō's laugh echoed from the phone at the question, confirming Eric's worries. "None that can be reached without hardship, but there is a good starting point that I can see you at." Eric's head shot up from where he was resting it, looking at his phone. "The mountain ranges near Amber Beach have a diverse setting between stone and wildlife compared to the regions around it, so it's a good spot to search for a place to train at before we decide on anything."

"I guess…" Eric soon picked himself up, grunting as he felt his muscles screaming at him again before he picked up his phone. "Does that mean you'll be heading this way soon?"

"I already got a ticket for myself to Amber Beach while we were talking, so I'll be flying in on Wednesday." Came Manō's response, chuckling as he did so. "Fortunately for me, people still pay well for learning the story of this island, so unlike you I can move more freely around."

"So you're still acting like some tour guide on the island?" Eric sighed, shaking his head as he walked out of his room with his phone, his gaze soon turning to the hallway walls as he chuckled to himself. "Well, at least it lets you get some funds in..."

"In the meantime Eric, be careful." Manō's voice suddenly sounded serious, catching Eric's attention as he stopped moving. "If that monster really got as riled from your taunts as you claimed, they probably didn't want to leave you alive and were prevented from taking you out."

"Meaning they'll probably try to attack me again…" Eric took a deep breath, closing his eyes as he did so. "Any recommendations?"

"A few, none of them exactly how you would want to deal with it." Manō responded, his voice gruff. "Stay in large crowds, first off. If the monster had intended to sneak around without the rangers finding them like you had guessed, then they will possibly be afraid of having to deal with the rangers if they go after you in those groups. Also, you'll want to keep from going to secluded areas in the park and forests for a while, despite how much you want to train with those abilities in secluded locations. The longer you're alone, the more likely they'll probably go after you."

"Maybe, but that's if I even managed to leave an impression on the monster, given how little I could even do against them…." Eric heard a laugh as a response from the phone as he made it into the living room. "You think otherwise?"

"You fought the monster consistently without getting hit, and still managed it till you passed out, correct?" Manō's voice was calm, Eric practically feeling his master's gaze from the phone. "You always sell yourself short, but make no mistake that even managing to keep from getting hit before was enough to catch their attention, especially since your last strike unleashed your abilities. Whether you like it or not, whoever's in charge is probably going to keep their eye on you the longer you stay in this town."

This left Eric silent, contemplating Manō's words as he made it to the fridge, opening it and looking over the contents as Manō continued. "I'll let you go for now, but we'll talk more on some training you can do while recovering. Keep safe till I arrive, okay?" with that the call ended, leaving Eric alone with his thoughts as he pulled out a bowl of leftovers from his fridge.

"Earth Power, huh?" As he muttered to himself, Eric lifted his hand, focusing on the feeling again before the blue flame returned, this time easier than it did the first time. slowly he turned his hand, looking over the blue flame as it swirled in his palm, his mind returning to the fight he had with the monster, and how one sided it was despite how he was fighting. He then sighed, his gaze focused on the flame as he tried willing it to swirl together, seeming to compact itself together despite his strain. "Maybe with this I can actually protect everyone…"

"So you want to protect people, then?" A voice called out behind him, making Eric spin around and throw the flame in front of him, making him grunt from the motion as the flame left his hand. However, his gaze soon found a familiar armored figure in front of him, who held up his arm in response and blocked the flame, tilting his head at it as it scattered off of his arm. "Blue flames?"

Eric just stared surprised at the figure as they lowered their arm, his mind already remembering the moment he was saved by them. "You're that guy I saw before… Zika, right?" Eric's voice was hesitant as he leaned back on the counter, his body still aching from his sudden motion as he looked at the armored man in his kitchen. "How did you get into my house?"

"The back door was unlocked." Zika responded, shaking his arm of the remaining flames, Eric watching as they scattered cleanly from his arm. "More importantly, your master was right to be worried if you can use flames like this. You wouldn't even have a good rest tonight if I hadn't dealt with the Stingwingers that decided to trail after you when you left the zoo."

"Stingwingers? You mean those bug-like things that attacked?" Eric asked as Zika came into the kitchen, looking over to the window as he did so.

"Minions of Scorpius, or rather Furio in this case." Zika soon walked out of the kitchen, Eric following him into the living room before he turned his head to the sword on the wall, walking to it to examine it. "Nice sword. Is it usable?"

"It's a ceremonial sword passed down by my family, granted to us by King Colin over eight hundred years ago." Eric replied, watching Zika's hand move onto the blue feather design on the sheath, his gaze soon finding the bow he had knocked out of Horn's hand on Zika's back. "The Phoenix bow…"

Hearing that, Zika turned his head to Eric, nodding. "You know the bow then, right?" Zika soon lifted it off his back holding it towards Eric. "Since Horn happened to drop it in your fight with him, I decided to swipe it back so they couldn't try to get away." As Zika spoke, he noticed Eric's gaze resting on the bow, the weapon practically catching his attention as he started walking to the armored man. "How much do you know of it?"

Eric just shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze as he looked back at Zika again. "Only what the Tales of Azure and Scarlet say." Eric then looked back at the bow, his focus resting on the yellow grip on the center that Zika held it by. " 'A weapon both ranged and close, it could cut through pillars and shoot through clouds…' or at least that's how the writing goes."

"Then you know more about it than the Rangers do." Zika responded, soon setting the bow under where the sword was resting. "Speaking of this bow, I heard you fought Horn with the sword I gave you. You even broke his sword with that last strike of yours."

"Horn… that monster who was leading the Stingwingers?" Eric asked, soon putting two and two together, his mind soon remembering earlier today as he sighed. "I lost your sword after the fight, though…"

"There's no need to apologize, the ranger who found you gave it back to me, so you don't have to worry over it being stolen by Horn." Zika responded naturally, making Eric look at him confused. "However, Horn's love for weapons will have him extremely angry over the fact that you managed to break his sword, so he'll probably want to have some revenge for the matter."

"Which is why you said my master was right to worry," Eric responded, getting a nod from Zika. "So what, are you here to keep an eye on me then?"

"That's part of the reason, but I also wanted to sate my curiosity, and the fact you were able to channel those flames like that increased that need significantly." At the mention of the flames, Eric held up his hand the blue flame almost coming back instantly as he looked at it, though it was now significantly less than last time. "That's Earth Power, isn't it?"

Eric was caught off guard from Zika's question, causing the flame to dissipate from his hand as he looked at the defender. "You know of it?" Eric asked, only getting a chuckle from Zika as he nodded.

"I know of the ability from other planets, and learned of the name when I was last here from someone who used a blue flame similar to yours." Zika soon walked over to Eric, looking him up and down before nodding. "So then, would you like to know what they told me on it?"

-Thirteenth century, Zandar-

The sun was high overhead as a teenage Prince Colin rode ahead of Nathan and Ivan, the two warriors having their own discussion while Ivan kept his gaze upon the prince. "I'm telling you, Sir Riley could probably put your sword to the test if you let him," Ivan responded as the two rode closely behind the prince, Nathan just looking at him with a smirk as Ivan was talking about his companions from another land. "He was an excellent training partner and comrade during my time away from the Kingdom, so I'm sure he would test your steel as well if you met him."

"Well then you'll need to introduce me to him whenever you get the chance," Nathan responded with a laugh, looking around the forest surrounding their path, soon noting a stream. Apparently Colin noticed it too, as he soon halted his horse and looked to the two.

"If you two are done with your tales, I'm thirsty," Colin spoke, his voice demanding as he looked to the stream. "Let's make camp over there for a time before heading to the lord's castle in this region."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Ivan responded with a bow, Nathan simply giving a nod as Colin turned and rode his horse to the stream. As he did, Nathan sighed as he leaned back on his horse, tapping his heels into it's side as he and Ivan followed from a distance.

"I can't believe you deal with his attitude," Nathan commented, looking to Ivan who remained stoic. "The boy is looking for trouble from others with weaker personalities if he keeps to it."

" The boy is the Crown Prince of Zandar," Ivan responded, looking at Nathan with a smile. "He's immature now, but he'll eventually grow out of it when the time calls. For now, though, should we not let him bask in the freedom he has before he takes the throne?"

Nathan just looked at Ivan, an impressed look on his face as he smirked. "You would say that, being so loyal to the throne," Nathan joked, soon chuckling to himself as he looked over to Colin, who had already made it to the stream. "Though I suppose you're right. He shouldn't have to grow up too early if he can, and should live his life as he wants… even if those wants tend to make him sound rather prudish."

This caused Ivan to laugh this time, making Nathan smirk as the two reached Colin, getting off their horses. Soon, the three were sitting while resting by their horses, Nathan stroking the mane of his as he looked at the mountain range that could be seen over the trees. "So Orathan, huh?" Nathan spoke, catching Ivan's attention as the knight looked at him. "Any particular reason we're taking the young prince to meet the lord there?"

"Father wishes me to see the capacity of the son of the lord," Colin responded, making Nathan look at him confused as the young prince took a sip of water from his chalice. "He's been making notable feats in recent months, even though he is not yet a knight. Given that he will be the future lord of these lands, His Majesty wishes for him to swear fealty to me early on, and grant him a knightage for his current achievements."

"It's a common practice for Zandar for the younger knights to swear fealty to the future heirs of the kingdom," Ivan responded as he looked at Nathan, who just looked to him confused in turn. "It allows for a better connection between vassals and rulers for every transition."

"As well as ensures a lack of a need for rebellion if you're already on good terms," Nathan responded, getting a condescending glance from Colin as he chuckled from the response. "I'm not saying that as if it'll happen, mind, but it's something that's sorely needed more often than not from a leader. It's a welcome change to see compared to the neighboring kingdoms around Zandar, especially since it's our young prince here who's focusing on it."

"Unity is the foundation of Zandar's strength," Colin responded, soon looking to the trail they had been on. "I know you think I'm immature for my age, but even I know of my duties to the country demanding for this to happen."

Nathan just looked at Colin confused before he shook his head. "Ah, you heard that little comment of mine," Nathan muttered as he chuckled, soon looking at Colin. "To be fair though, you're no worse than I was at your age. I think I was worse, in fact, focusing solely on having fun and always arguing with my brother on simple things. It wasn't until I got this blade that I ended up being more mature."

As if to emphasize his statement, Nathan tapped the sheathed sword at his horses saddle, the green gem on the black hilt seeming as if it was glowing as Ivan looked at it. "It's an interesting blade now that I'm taking a closer look at it, not like many I've seen in Zandar," Ivan spoke, making Nathan nod as Ivan picked himself up. "Tell me, where did you obtain it?"

"From the one who trained me," Nathan responded as he drew the weapon, looking it over as he did so. "I was saved by him years ago, when those same monsters we faced destroyed an area I considered home. When he passed away, he granted me the weapon."

"So it's an heirloom of your master?" Colin asked this time, making Nathan look at the prince with a chuckle.

"Along with a title that was passed," Nathan responded before he looked at the blade again, his eyes resting on the zigzag line leading to the hilt. "My master was a defender in the past, and during a battle against the monsters I fought with Ivan, he lost his son. Though we didn't hit it off initially given our first meeting, I ended up thinking of him like a father after a time, which made his loss hurt all the more…"

Ivan just looked at Nathan, surprised at his current openness over his past since he hardly talked about it. "Is that why you've been fighting those monsters since then?" Ivan asked, making Nathan look at him with a smirk as he sheathed the sword.

"In a sense, though at first I was a reluctant participant literally dragged around with it," Nathan responded as he looked at the sword. "Initially he had little care for me, being solely driven by revenge while I was just carried along for the right, but over time he began to train me and actually mentor me on things. By the end of his life, I'd like to think we were fairly close…"

"And you said those creatures came from the stars if I remember right," Ivan asked, making Nathan look at him and nod. "Was your master also from the stars?"

"He was," Nathan responded, shaking his head as he sheathed the sword back on the horse. "He had lost his world to those monsters, along with his only son. During his life in seclusion, the only thing that kept him alive was his wish for revenge, and destroy the ones responsible…"

Nathan then looked at the blade again, as if thinking over his statement before he sighed. "He was a far echo of the defender at first when I met him, and it showed in how he fought against the monsters," Nathan continued, his voice almost hollow as he looked at the blade. "Because of how close I was to his son's age at the time he lost him, albeit a few years older, I think I was able to give him some memory of the man he once was…"

The three then sat in silence after that, the only sound now coming from the stream beside them and the occasional munch heard from the horses as they ate the grass. Then, in a show, Colin picked himself up, handing his glass to Ivan. "Well, I think we should get going to the lord's castle, then," Collin spoke, catching Nathan by surprise as Ivan took his glass, the prince walking to his horse with a new stride in his step. "If thy enemy is as great as you claim, then we shall need plenty of brave knights when I ascend."

Nathan just looked at him stunned, not able to process the words before he heard Ivan chuckle, making him look at the knight confused. "It seems you've made an admirer out of the young prince." Ivan spoke, making Nathan stare at him before he sighed, shaking his head.

"The last thing I need is to go causing a prince to see me as a role model in some way…" Nathan then shook his head, soon looking at Ivan concerned as the knight walked up to him. "That story didn't go and get you thinking I'm some person to look up to, did it?"

"Nay, friend, it only confirmed my former thoughts of you," Ivan responded, patting Nathan's shoulder, making him sigh as he put his sword back into its sheath on the horse. "Now then, let's be off before the young prince leaves without us."