Tales of Xalthia

by xXGhostStalker

*DISCLAIMER: This holds no relation to Tales of VS. This is an original story* A mysterious lineage. An unimaginative power. Oblivious to Tsuki Himura, he defends his kingdom from evil and learns of a sinister plot. Forced to seek help, he travels the globe for much needed allies. Join him as he learns more about the world and about himself as something awakens inside him

44. Inferno's Heart

Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 43: Inferno's Heart

It took Tsuki and everyone else about 40 minutes to reach the entrance to the lava tunnels. Because of the recent quake, parts of the lava fields had cracked and broke apart, resulting in new streams of lava to spill out. The ground all across the fields were unstable and there were times that the paths that they walked broke out from under them as they walked across them. Thankfully, they managed to reach the lava tunnels unscathed. They didn't have to worry about monsters due to the fact that they most likely sought shelter from the quake. There was one thing that they picked up on immediately, however. Before they even reached the entrance to the lava tunnels, they began to feel the effects of the Wellspring. This caused the Aetherial Veil attached to Tsuki's waist to activate, putting up an invisible barrier around them the circulated the Aer around them to reduce the harmful effects.

When they arrived at the entrance to the tunnels, they could already feel the intensity coming from within. The Wellspring's effects were already far more stronger than they were at the Glacier. Not only that, the air around them was hot as was to be expected for being this close to an active volcano. Thanks to the assistance of Frost, they were each coated with a special layer of protection that would spare them from intense heat, but considering where they had to go, such protections wouldn't last long.

As they stepped through the entrance of the tunnels, Allie felt an overwhelming and crushing energy. It was the same type of feeling she got back in town when Efreet had spoken to her. "This feeling…it's so strong…" she said. She almost found it hard to breathe.

Unlike Allie, Tsuki and the others weren't able to feel what she was feeling. At least, not as intensely. It had to be because of the fact that she harbors Efreet's essence inside of her. "Try to take it easy. Don't overexert yourself" he said.

Soon, a pocket of cold air appeared between the group as Frost appeared. Much like Allie, she also seemed to be struggling with it, though for a different reason. "That's definitely…Efreet's aura. But, something's wrong…it's almost as if he's…losing control" she said, finding it hard to speak.

Nagi looked over towards Frost as she appeared to be short of breath. "Are you going to be okay…?" she asked.

Frost couldn't answer that as she had her own doubts about that question. "My dominant element is Ice while Efreet's is Fire, two opposing elements. It's only natural…for Spirits to feel the effects of the one that's…most dominant" she said. Efreet was in a class of his own compared to her and it wasn't just him either but the rest of the Great Spirits too. After all, she was the weakest out of all of them. "My blessings may shield you from the heat, but it's best that you don't idle around too much. I can't guarantee how long they'll hold especially as you get closer to the Wellspring…" she said. She appeared to grow more weaker by the second the longer she was out.

Elle could feel her energy draining at a staggering rate. "We'll handle things out here. You stay inside of me until we can awaken Efreet" she said. She didn't want her to push herself to the point of exhaustion especially if they were going to need her blessings.

Frost nodded slowly and soon faded back into Elle. Meanwhile, Melphi and Cesela were using their heightened senses in an attempt to pick up any trail to follow. Melphi came up short, but Cesela was able to make out a path that would lead them to the Wellspring. "I believe I've picked up a stream of Aer to follow that should lead us to the Wellspring" she said.

Tsuki nodded and looked into the lava tunnels. They were going to be in narrow corridors, so they had to be careful when it came to fighting within the tunnels. "Lead the way, but don't go too far ahead of us" he said.

Cesela nodded, giving him a casual salute as her fox ears twitched. "Leave it to me!" she said.

With Cesela leading the group, they made their first steps into the lava tunnels. Almost immediately after entering, Tsuki ended up with a strange feeling of familiarity. However, considering how far away they were on top of the swirling energies of the Wellspring, he couldn't put his finger on it and he wasn't the only person to pick up on this feeling. Phi also felt the same feeling too, although she seemed to feel it more strongly. She didn't want to put much thought into it until she knew what it was without any doubts, but it was a feeling that made her upset and angry, though she tried not to show it. Despite that though, Allie was quick to pick up on this from the both of them but kept silent about it. When she looked up at Phi, it was brief, but she had a scary look on her face.

The group made their way into the narrow tunnels. Along the walls were small streams of lava spilling out into a channel of lava that ran along the length of the tunnel. Thankfully for them, it was a straightforward path, so they didn't have to worry about crossing any streams of lava. The deeper the walked into the volcano, the hotter it became. The blessings given to them by Frost were holding, but were starting to lose their effects. Within the tunnels, there were a new variety of monsters that they had to fend off against. Molten Slimes, Pyro Golems, Fire Lizards and the occasional salamanders that made their home within the lava. The narrow space and the rising heat provided an increased difficulty when it came to fighting, but they were able to adjust. They also had to be careful on what Artes they used while within the lava tunnels. Anything that could cause significant damage could set off a whole chain reaction of events.

After traversing through the various tunnels, they soon spilled them out into the massive shaft of the volcano itself. Below them was a lake of molten lava and the temperatures skyrocketed. In addition of the volcano, they also had to take the smoke intake into account. The air within the volcano's shaft was filled with pyroclastic fumes and ash and breathing it all in for an extended period of time would have deadly consequences.

Allie stepped up to the edge of the path they were on and looked down at the lake of lava. The heat that hits up against her face was so intense and it only made her sweat even more than she already was. "So, this is what the inside of a volcano looks like…" she said.

Tsuki sighed and walked over to her, grabbing her and lifting her up. "Didn't I say to be careful? This isn't like the Glacier's frigid waters, you know" he said. He ended up carrying her back towards everyone else.

Allie squirmed around in his arms as she was carried back. "Ohh, you're such a buzzkill, Master! I just wanted to look!" she said.

Tsuki set her back down on the ground and folded his arms. "You can get a good look at it from here. Staying so close to the edge is too risky" he said.

Lynette tilted her head a bit. "Wait, are Spirits even affected by a physical substance like lava? After all, they don't possess a physical form…" she said. She was curious if they were able to "swim" through the molten hot liquid that would otherwise be lethal to people.

Elle was silent for a moment as she was nodding to herself. "According to Frost, no they aren't. They're beings made out of Aer, so anything physical, be it molten lava or bone-numbing ice, doesn't affect them. However, Allie possesses a physical form despite the fact that she wields power that only Spirits should have. It stands to reason that molten lava would pose a danger to her as it does everyone else" she said. Allie has been an interesting case that she can't seem to shake from her mind. She has all the qualities and powers that resemble a Great Spirit, but she has a physical body that can appear and disappear at will. It was tough to classify just what she was.

Lynette scratched the back of her head. Thinking about it, the answer to her question should have been obvious. However, they haven't exactly had many interactions with Spirits that don't have a physical form. "Must be pretty convenient in situations like these" she said.

Nagi wiped the sweat from her forehead and tried to fan herself to keep cool. "Can we keep moving? It's getting more hot around here by just standing still" she said. The heat was so intense. It was obvious now that the blessings that Frost had given them were all but gone.

Ramza nodded in agreement. It was in their best interests to keep moving. He looked around the volcano's shaft and noticed that they were at an intersection with two other pathways leading into opposite directions. The one off to the left headed deeper through the volcano's shaft and into a tunnel on the other side while the right headed off into a nearby side tunnel that appeared to lead away from the shaft. There was an issue with this route, however. The pathway was crumbling away, most likely due to the recent quake. It wasn't exactly safe to cross it with a lake of lava right underneath them. "Well, if the Wellspring lies in the heart of the volcano, I'd assume it would be in that direction" he said, pointing towards the left path. He then glanced over towards Cesela. "Are you able to pick up the Wellspring's Aer?" he asked.

Cesela looked over towards the cave that was on the other side of the volcano's shaft. There was an abundance of Aer swirling around the shaft, but she was able to see a concentrated, powerful flow of Aer pouring out from the cave. "Through that cave over there, no doubt about it" she said.

Cheria nodded, pulling the collar of her shirt to try and fan herself as sweat dripped down. "Let's get moving then. The sooner we can get away from this shaft, the further we can get away from this heat" she said. The intense heat was taking so much out of her plus the air conditions within the shaft also made breathing difficult.

The group nodded and made their way down the left pathway, all except for Phi, who stood there in a motionless gaze. She had a terrifying look on her face. Tsuki stopped and headed back up towards her to see if she was okay. "Phi, what is it?" he asked.

Phi knew it. The feeling she felt before was unmistakable, even with so much energy flowing around them right now. "Tsuki, are you feeling what I'm feeling too…?" she asked.

Tsuki didn't even have to answer her. There was no way he'd forget a feeling like that. "Definitely. There's not a doubt in my mind. This presence belongs to him, doesn't it?" he asked. Thinking about the presence he was feeling earlier made him angry.

Phi nodded. She took a moment to gather herself before turning to face Tsuki, giving him a serious look. "I know you must feel the same as I do, but if it turns out to be him, I want to be the one that deals with it. After all, there's a score that needs to be settled between us" she said.

Tsuki looked at the eyes she was giving him. It was a fierce look that he hasn't seen from her before. It was the look that a hunter would give after locking their eyes on the prey they were hunting. "Be my guest. Just make sure you save some for me afterwards" he said. She wasn't the only one that had a score to settle with what they were feeling.

The two of them nodded at each other before turning back down the left path and chased after the rest of the group that had walked off from them. Upon regrouping, they made there way deeper into the volcano's shaft until the pathway brought them down to the same level as the lava. Inside the volcano's shaft, more salamanders and fire lizards kept creeping out from the lava and more golems came to life to block their way forward. Being so close to the lava now, they needed to be careful of their footing and surroundings. One false step and it'll be over for them.

Eventually, the group made it across the shaft and to the other side where the cave was. From there, they headed off through a new section of tunnels that led away from the mouth of the volcano. While the heat started to wear down a bit the further they got away, the stronger the Wellspring's effects became. By this point, anyone without some form of protection, be it a specialized suit or something like the Aetherial Veil, were at major risk of aether corruption which would soon result into an explosion of an over-abundance of aether. While the Veil protected the group from majority of the effects, they could still feel it a little, but not enough that it would put them in danger.

Their travels soon took them through various tunnels that had split off from the main path as other tunnels had caved in. The path they were walking on appeared to take them off track as the density of the Aer seemed to die down a bit though the effects were still felt. What shocked them the most though was where the path they were talking on ended up taking them. The tunnel eventually opened up to a massive chamber that had what appeared to be dwellings carved out from the stone walls. Based off appearances, it looked to be an old, ancient community hidden deep underground that housed up to 20 people. What was most curious about the dwellings though was how small they were and how they were made. The stone dwellings had strange carvings on them and in a language that was unrecognizable.

Nagi walked up to one of the small dwellings and ran her hand across some of the carvings etched into the walls. "Look at this place. It's…incredible" she said. The dwellings were so small that a fully grown adult wouldn't be able to fit into them. However, Cesela and Allie were short enough to check out the insides.

Cesela entered one of the dwellings located on the first level. The dwellings were lined up in rows and went up two levels. Inside of the one she entered appeared to be an old, dirty mat made out of straw and not much else. "Who do you think lived here?" she asked as she felt around the walls.

Ramza knew the only likely ones that were capable of living in such a place. Small huts carved out from the stone walls and located deep underground. "Dwarves. They make their homes underground and within the mountains. The size of the dwellings seem to match up to the average size of a Dwarf too" he said. He walked around the chamber and noticed was appeared to be an old, rusted and damaged anvil as well as a broken cauldron off to the side along with what appeared to be what remained of a workshop. There were no other tools or equipment around, so he assumed that this was where the Dwarves would craft their own tools. The cauldron was probably used to hold molten lava to power their furnaces while the old anvils were used to sharpen and repair their tools and equipment. "This place looks ancient though. The tools around here seem very primitive…" he said. Even with how the dwellings were made, the method that was used looked old-fashioned.

Dwarves lived similar lives that the Elves do. Just as Elves isolate themselves within their forests, Dwarves tend to keep to themselves underground and deep within the mountains and deeply worshipped the Earth. Being so attuned to the Earth, it was only natural to assume that they were masters of Earth-based Artes and followers of the Great Spirit, Gnome. This would mean that they would have the means to easily carve out a small community of houses within the stone. These dwellings, however, looked like they were carved out by hand.

Melphi looked around the area with a baffled expression on her face. She's lived around these parts of Nargelond all of her life and not once has she heard about a place like this. Though considering that one of the pathways had a direct connection with the volcano, it shouldn't have come as much of a surprise to her. "How old do you think this place is?" she asked.

Elle examined the old tools that were left behind and how the dwellings were made. Nothing about this area suggests a date that was recent. "I don't know. Maybe a couple hundred years? All I can say is that this isn't something you'd see in the modern day" she said. She walked over to what appeared to be old pottery on the other side of the chamber near what seemed to be a well. Of course, the well has been long dried up. "Even the craftsmanship of the pottery seems ancient…" she added.

Ramza couldn't believe a place like this still existed especially so close to the volcano. It's a miracle the chamber hasn't been filled with lava. "Luan would have a field day if she knew about places like these" he said. He wasn't a researcher like she was, so he didn't have that keen eye. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that she would be able to make a discovery about something that he'd normally overlook.

As they talked amongst themselves, Allie's voice spoke out from one of the dwellings up on the second level. "Hey guys, I found something!" she said. She soon came out from one of the dwellings carrying what looked like a stone slab with markings carved into it. She walked down the stone steps nearby and showed them what she had. "Look at this…" she said, holding the stone slab in front of her.

The stone slab had unique markings, designs and symbols etched into the stone. In the top center of the slab appeared to be chunk of land floating high up in the sky surrounded by some type of fog or haze. On the ground were stick figures most likely meant to symbolize people as they gazed up at the floating chunk of land. Underneath these "drawings" were what appeared to be some type of ancient language.

Tsuki examined the stone slab closely. Naturally, he had no idea what he was looking at nor knew what was etched into the stone. "What…is this? It's clear that the figures are looking up at this…floating piece of land, but what does it mean?" he asked. He stroked his chin as he fell into thought. He could only speculate what the meaning behind it was.

Just then, Cliff's voice soon spoke out. "I knew I recognized this place" he said. Moments later, a red aura started to form in front of them before the translucent figure of Cliff appeared in front of everyone. "It saddens me to see this place fall into such disarray" he said.

Melphi looked over towards Cliff as he appeared in front of them. Since she wasn't with Tsuki and the others in the Glacier when the souls of the Sigil first appeared in front of everyone, this was the first time she was seeing the fabled Dragon King and Crimson Spark himself. Even in spiritual form, he carried a powerful presence. "The Dragon King…!?" she shouted out.

Cliff looked over towards Melphi and casually waved at her. "Former Dragon King. That time has long passed. Now, it's just Cliff, a lingering soul" he said.

Tsuki looked over towards Cliff. "Do you know what this place is?" he asked. Based off his reaction, it was obvious that he knew something.

Cliff nodded slowly, folding his arms in front of him as he looked around. There was a hint of sadness on his face as he gazed over towards the dwellings and the old workshop area. "This place used to be the home of a group of legendary blacksmiths well-known throughout the world. Their works were much sought after by adventurers for their high quality and long-lasting durability" he said. As he looked around the chamber, images of a long-forgotten past flashed before his eyes. The now empty chamber briefly showed a bustling and busy community of Dwarves dedicated to their craft. The empty barrels around the chamber showed that they once held various types of weapons and suits of armor lined the walls. "I used to come here often for new equipment, get repairs done and to enhance our gear" he said. He scratched the back of his head, letting out a heavy sigh as he soon recalled a not-so pleasant memory. "I had heard, however, that the tunnels leading to this place suffered a major cave-in and thus cut off the Dwarves here from the rest of the world. I never did find out what happened to them after that" he said.

Phi thought about what he said for a moment. If he said that he had once frequented this place, that would offer them a few answers. "So, you're saying this place is over 1,500 years old? Well, this place does look ancient, after all…" she said.

Lynette was almost lost for words as she still couldn't believe this place still existed. "This place definitely withstood the test of time, that's for sure…" she said. What she fails to understand is why the Dwarves would form a settlement here of all places. "But why did they live here? With it being so close to the volcano and the many tunnels of lava, it seems like quite the dangerous place to live…" she said. She's surprised such a place even still exists, practically untouched for centuries despite all of the seismic activity and the ever-shifting flows of lava.

Cliff looked over towards Lynette for a moment. "Dwarves make their homes within various caves and mountains because of all the ore and minerals they can mine. Back then, a rare type of ore called Orichalcum could once be found here" he said. He recalled some of his past. Some of the equipment he and his friends used back then were made up of that very same ore, crafted by the Dwarves that once lived here. "Dwarves shared a strong affinity with the Great Spirit, Gnome. No one was more skilled in Earth Artes than them. So much so that they developed several safety measures to protect the settlement in case of a natural disaster" he said. He then pointed over to a strange device near a well. The device had a dial and a meter that looked like it was used to record something. That was still recording something. "That's where the Seismograph comes into play" he said.

Nagi walked up to the strange device and examined it. Despite how old it was, it looked like it was still working which surprised her. "Seismograph? What does it do?" she asked.

Cliff walked up next to her and looked at the device. "It's something that the Dwarves made in order to record levels of seismic activity and lava levels within the vicinity. If the meters reach a certain level, the safety measures that the Dwarves implemented will automatically activate" he said. His gaze shifted over towards the two exits for the settlement. "Upon activation, the tunnel exits will seal themselves up in order to protect the settlement against any excessive flows of lava and toxins that would fill the tunnels during the event of an eruption. Think of it like a watertight door to prevent leaks" he said. His gaze then shifted over towards the wall near the well. It looked like an old map of the area with numerous smaller paths strung throughout the entire volcano. "The Dwarves also created more channels for excess lava to flow through in the case of an eruption. Typically, the channels fulfill their safety needs, but if things are bad, then the doors to the settlement will shut until lava levels and toxins decrease" he said.

Lynette was amazed that the Dwarves were capable of such feats. They'd be widely sought after by builders all across the world if they knew what they could do. If they were able to do something like this with just a few stones and minerals, who knows what else they could do. "The Dwarves sound like expert craftsmen. I would love to meet one someday. It's a shame such a place became abandoned" she said.

Cliff crossed his arms, mumbling to himself as he thought back on old memories. If he could recall, making a settlement in this area in particular was a bit of a risky endeavor and that wasn't because of the natural dangers. "Most likely the vein of Orichalcum they were mining from simply dried up. If there are no ore or minerals to be gathered anymore, the Dwarves will move on to find the next vein. As I said, Orichalcum is extremely rare to come by. I wouldn't think twice if the people of today were to believe that the ore was extinct" he said. It was a shame since the equipment that came from the refinement of Orichalcum was of the highest quality. If someone were to sell something like that in this day age, it would easily go for millions of Gald.

Lynette was a bit bummed out to see the state the settlement was in, but the Dwarves were a nomadic people. They don't stay in one place forever. She then shifted her gaze to the stone slab that Allie was holding. Since they were constantly on the move, it would make sense for them to leave things behind that they wouldn't need or couldn't carry. "So, what do you think was written on this?" she asked.

Melphi examined the stone slab once more and tried to make out the text that was etched into the stone but to no avail. "Well, I can tell you one thing: it's been written in the ancient draconic tongue. There are some similarities to what we have now. However, no one uses the old language anymore…" she said. The use of the ancient draconic tongue has drastically changed over the centuries to the point that it's almost an entirely new language. No one is versed in the old language anymore, not even the current oldest living Dragonkin. "Unfortunately, even though it's draconic script, I'm unable to read any of it" she said.

Cliff walked up to Allie, getting down onto one knee so that he was eye level with her. This way, it'd be easier for him to examine the stone slab. "Allow me…" he said. He read through the script with ease in his mind. However, what was etched feels disjointed. What's on the stone slab is basically the ending to a story. He immediately recognized the stone slab as there used to be eight others just like it. For a moment, he glanced up at Allie. "Were there anymore of these?" he asked.

Allie shook her head. "No, that was the only one I could find. The rest of the dwellings were empty" she said. At first, she thought the slab was just another piece of rock that could have fallen over until she lifted it up and saw the various carvings. "What does it say?" she asked. She tried to read it and although some of the script seemed a bit familiar, she wasn't able to make anything out.

Cliff mumbled to himself as he stroked his chin with a disappointed look on his face. "Well, what's etched into the slab is the end of a once fabled tale…" he said. His gaze shifted back to the ancient script and read what was there. "…And when the eight great powers come together as one, the pathway to true enlightenment shall open up. There, the ultimate power slumbers, deep within the isolated floating lands of Xalthia" he said as he ran his finger across the slab.

Cheria tilted her head a bit. "The floating lands of Xalthia? What are those?" she asked. She was curious about what kind of 'ultimate power' this place called Xalthia housed.

Cliff shook his head. Even he doesn't even know what that was nor does he know the story that came before it. He never cared for stories and myths that didn't have any proof to back up their claims of existence. "Supposedly, it's some mystical land that has been cut off from our plane of existence, but as you can probably imagine, such a place sounds like it belongs in a fairytale. Though, I do recall that the Dwarves back then were firm believers of it's existence" he said.

Elle stroked her chin as she thought about this place called Xalthia. The name didn't ring any bells, but she did remember reading a few samples of text that belonged to forbidden scrolls that the Elves kept sealed away. "I recall reading something similar that the Elves deemed 'forbidden'. They also mentioned a strange, floating island in the sky, but not much else. Although, there could be more information that the Elven Council are withholding…" she said. Even if she was a High Elf, which was considered royalty amongst Elven culture, there were things that she wasn't allowed to.

Cliff mumbled to himself a bit. He's had his fair share of interactions with Elves back when he was alive, but none of them had the same standing as Elle did. "If the Elves are aware of it as well and even go as far as calling it 'forbidden knowledge', then perhaps there's some real truth to it. It's just a shame that we don't have the other slabs for the full story" he said.

Ramza nodded slowly to himself. If there was anyone that was dedicated to uncovering the long-forgotten truth of history, he knew just who that person was. "This sounds like a job for a true history nut like Luan. When we get back to town, I'll send out a message to her and see what she can dig up" he said.

Tsuki was starting to feel a bit weak from the combination of Cliff having manifested and the Wellspring's lingering effects. "Can we discuss this later? This isn't exactly a good place for a leisurely talk…" he said, slightly out of breath.

Cliff nodded and soon stepped back from Allie. "I'll let you guys get back to it then" he said. Moments later, he disappeared back into Tsuki.

Tsuki felt the tension inside of him lighten up after Cliff vanished. He looked around the chamber and saw that there was another tunnel leading deeper into the caves. "That looks to be the only other way out of here. Let's hope it leads us back on track" he said.

Allie tilted her head a bit, still holding onto the stone slab. "Master, what should I do with this?" she asked.

Tsuki glanced back at her. The stone slab was too heavy for them to carry with them, but they've memorized what was on the slab. "When you think about it, this is a memorial site of sorts. It'd be disrespectful if we were to remove anything" he said. Since they already knew what was on it, there was no reason for them to bring it with.

Allie nodded and turned to face the stairs leading up to the second level "I'll go put it back then" she said. She ran off to return the stone slab to the dwelling that she took it from.

After a few moments, Allie had stepped out from the dwelling she entered. As she started to approach the stairs, there was another violent quake that rocked the chamber. This caused Allie to stumble around a bit before slipping off the edge of the second level. Tsuki was quick to react and ran over to her and caught her in his arms. At the same time, stalagmites came falling down from the ceiling which forced the others to dodge around so they wouldn't get hit. The quake continued for about a minute or two before it finally settled down.

Allie looked up at Tsuki as he held her in his arms. "Th-thanks…" she said. The fall from the second level wasn't exactly high, so she would have been fine if she had hit the ground. If she had fallen from a height that would have caused injury, she would have used her wings. Even though she didn't need him to catch her, she felt happy that he did.

Ramza let out a soft groan, holding onto his right arm. "The quake's seem to be getting stronger" he said. As he moved around to avoid the falling stalagmites, he ended up being grazed by one, causing his arm to bleed a bit.

Lynette went over to him and started to do some minor healing on his arm. "We should get moving. I don't want to be in here if this erupts" she said. She still couldn't believe a group of Dwarves used to live in such an environment at one point in time.

Tsuki nodded and set Allie down on the ground. "I second that. Let's keep an eye on our surroundings. We can't be that much further from the Wellspring" he said. Not only do they need to deal with the Wellspring, but they also have to find where the Shogunate were as well as Queen Amelia and Ramza's niece.

The group gathered themselves before heading out through the other tunnel on the other side of the chamber. This was a straightforward tunnel which ended up putting them back onto the main path on the other side of the cave-in that previously blocked their way. As soon as they got back onto the path, they could feel the Wellspring's effects become stronger again. Thankfully, the Aetherial Veil around them was still holding strong.

The tunnels only lead deeper into the volcano and by this point in time, they've been exposed intense heat and dangerous effects from the Wellspring for a good hour now. The number of monsters along the tunnels were at a noticeable decline until they stopped appearing entirely. It wasn't much longer until the tunnel they were passing through had opened to a large chamber. The chamber contained a circular platform that was surrounded by a stream of lava with more of it pouring out from along the walls around the chamber. They had reached a dead end but that dead end had what they were looking for.

On the other side of the chamber was a massive crystal surrounded by smaller ones and lava. Within the crystal, they could see a heavily concentration of Aer swirling around inside of it along with a strange figure which looked completely different to what Frost's silhouette looked like. It had a bulky, muscular upper body with three-fingered claws and a pair of what looked to be iron gauntlets attached to both arms with a giant blue crystal-like objet embedded in them. The figure had a pair of sharp horns on it's head with a pair of wings and some type of metal plating over the figure's left breast and it's lower body coiled around like a snake.

The intensity from the Wellspring skyrocketed to unimaginable heights as they entered within close proximity to it. While the Aetherial Veil shielded them from the harmful effects, they could still feel it's pressure and it was almost suffocating. The addition of the heated chamber from the flowing lava only made it worse. Swirling around the giant crystal formation was an incredibly dense flow of Aer.

When they stepped onto the circular platform and approached the crystal formation, Ramza felt something in his pocket start to vibrate and pulsate. He reached in and took out the Prismatic Crystal he had got from Gael which appeared to be reacting to the crystal formation. At the same time, the giant crystal itself started to glow in response. "Looks like we found the Wellspring" he said.

Cesela could "see" the intense Aer flows all throughout the chamber. It was unlike anything she's ever seen before. The Aer coiled and moved around as if it had a free will. "What…is all this? The Aer in here feels much more…alive" she said.

Lynette placed her hand up to her forehead, feeling slightly dizzy from the intense pressure within the chamber. They knew that the other Wellsprings were going to be much stronger and intense than the one from the Glacier, but she didn't think it'd be like this. "This feels…nothing like what we felt at the Glacier. This pressure…I can't even describe it…" she said. The pressure ended up becoming too much for her and ended up dropping down to one knee.

Ruko was hunched over with his hands on his knees as he tried his best to gather himself. "I don't even…want to know…what it must feel like…without proper protection…" he said.

Ramza wiped the sweat from his forehead. After experiencing the true experience of what it was like to be so close to a Wellspring, he felt like he hasn't given the people doing research on Wellsprings enough credit. "I think I've found some new respect for Luan and the other Wellspring researchers…" he said. He didn't feel as drained and pressured as the rest of the group was.

Cheria leaned up against a nearby rock to keep her balance as she glanced over to Ramza who seemingly wasn't as affected. "Does this…not bother you…?" she asked.

Ramza moved around a bit and while he did feel some of the pressure, he was otherwise fine. "Not really. I mean, not as much as it's bothering everyone else" he said. He glanced around at the rest of the group and saw that they were all being weighted down from the intense pressure.

Elle thought back to how she felt back at the Glacier. Even though the Wellspring in the Glacier was weak, she didn't really feel most of it's effects. "It must be…because of that crystal that you're holding. It was the same thing…with the Frozen Tear…for me…" she said.

Phi tried her best to conserve her strength as she shakes her head. "Talk later…deal with the Wellspring first…" she said.

Allie was already subconsciously approaching the large crystal formation, stopping within a few steps from the lava. As she walked up to it, her body started to emit a red glow. At the same time, a deep, craggy voice spoke out from somewhere that everyone heard. "Finally. What was once stolen by Human hands has finally returned to it's rightful place…" the voice said.

Ramza walked up alongside her and held out the Prismatic Crystal. As he did so, both crystals started to strongly resonate with each other as the one he held started to emit a glow moments before a stream of Aer shot out from it and attached to the larger crystal formation. Once he established a connection with the Wellspring, he looked down at Allie. "You ready?" he asked.

Allie looked up at him and nodded with a trance-like expression on her face without giving a response. Her gaze returned to the giant crystal before holding her hand out towards it. Just like what happened with the Glacier, a thick stream of Aer shot out from Allie and started to flow into the crystal in front of them. This only strengthened the resonance happening between Ramza and the Wellspring. After about a minute or two, they could start to see the swirling Aer start to be absorbed into the Prismatic Crystal though at a slow rate. Considering how dense the Aer was compared to back at the Glacier, it looked like it would take a bit longer to fully absorb the Wellspring and awaken Efreet.

During all of this, within the same chamber but on a much higher ledge that overlooked the circular platform below, an armored figure was looking down at them. The figure had a wide grin on their face as they lifted their hand up and took aim at Allie and Ramza. Moments later, several swords of light formed behind the figure as they emitted a yellow, pulsating glow.

Cesela's fox ears twitched a bit as she soon started to sense an additional presence of Aer that felt sinister. She looked around the chamber before shifting her eyes upwards towards the ledge where the unknown figure was standing. However, from her angle, she could only make out the swords of light that they had formed. She sensed the malicious intent behind them and noticed that the swords of light were being aimed at Allie and Ramza. "Guys, watch out! Above you!" she shouted.

Just as she said that, the figure motioned their hand and the swords of light shot past them and flew straight at Allie and Ramza. With Allie and Ramza occupied and unable to defend themselves, Tsuki charged over towards them, putting himself between them and the oncoming attack. He closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them back up, they had shifted from the normal dark blue color to yellow. Just before the swords reached them, an energized shield manifested on his left arm and he used it to slam it on the ground to erect a barrier around them. The swords collided with the barrier and were easily brushed off.

In retaliation, both Nagi and Lynette drew their weapons as both the spellbook and staff started to emit a light and dark glow. They both did an incantation where they combined their opposing powers as a magic circle appeared in front of them. After a few moments, a blast of light and darkness shot out from the circle and was aimed at where the swords of light came from. The figure saw the attack coming and jumped up off the ledge just before the blast collided into it and exploded, causing the chamber to shake. As the figure descended from the sky above them, they drew a pair of twin swords and threw them out as they multiplied into six before being thrown towards the rest of the group.

Cheria drew her bow, attaching one of her arrows onto it. She ran her hand across the attached arrow as it turned into a magical arrow before pulling back on the bowstring and releasing it. The magic arrow whistled up towards the falling swords as it soon broke apart into multiple arrows and collided with the swords and exploding. At the same time, she pulled back on her bowstring again as another energized arrow appeared that surged with power before letting it loose up towards the falling figure.

The figure appeared to call back his twin swords into his hands as Cheria's attack came flying towards him. As he got closer to it, he slashed downwards with his swords and sliced through her attack as his swords started to emit a brighter glow. When he sliced through her attack completely, he soon landed on the ground and slammed his swords down, releasing a blast of energy towards the others. Elle got in front of them and erected a wall of thick ice just before the blast made contact with them, causing yet another explosion and filling the chamber in smoke.

Ruko let out a series of violent coughs as he inhaled the smoke. "What's going on here!?" he asked as he waved his arm out in front of him to push the smoke away.

Tsuki stood in place outside of the smoke as the energized shield disappeared and his eyes turned back to the normal dark blue shade. His eyes were locked onto the plume of smoke with an angry gaze. The presence he was feeling since entering the tunnels was now right in front of him. "So, you finally deigned to appear. Got tired of skulking around in the shadows, have we?" he asked.

Moments after he spoke, someone could be heard letting out a loud chuckle within the smoke. Soon after, a male's voice spoke out from within. "Bravo. Quite splendid, indeed. It makes me so happy to see you alive and well. I can finally cut off some loose ends that have been left out to grow" the voice said.

It was a voice that was all too familiar with Tsuki, Cheria, Elle and Phi. As the smoke started to dissipate, a figure started to emerge. The figure was wearing black and silver armor from head to toe with the crest of Honegroth etched into the breastplate. He carried a menacing pair of twin swords with jagged edges which would maximize the level of injury to be inflicted. When the male's face could finally be seen, it left both Cheria and Elle in complete shock.

Cheria felt frozen in place as her heart dropped upon seeing the figure's face. She was in disbelief at what she was seeing. The person that she was looking at was undoubtedly recognizable, but he looked completely different. He wore a twisted and evil expression on his face with what looked like veins of dark energy going down from is face and under his armor. "No…it can't be…" she said.

Elle immediately drew her sword and stood in front of Cheria and taking a defensive stance. This was an encounter that they expected would happen at some point. "Why are you here!?" she asked.

The male looked over towards Elle with a cool, confident grin on his face. "I would think it'd be obvious. Your little group is starting to prove to be a threat to His Majesty's plans, so I figured it'd be best to nip this problem in the bud before it blossoms" he said. His gaze soon shifted over towards Allie and Ramza who were interrupted in their attempt to absorb the Wellspring and awaken Efreet with Tsuki standing guard in front of them. "As such, I can't allow you to tamper with that Wellspring" he said.

Cesela could feel the evil vibes coming off of the man in front of them. His Aer was twisted and corrupted into something else entirely. It felt similar to Reis, only much stronger and vile. "Such twisted Aer. Is he even human anymore…?" she asked. She couldn't feel or sense any humanity in this person. All she could see and feel was pure hatred and evil akin to that of a Daemon. As she stared at the man in front of him, she noticed that there was a missing presence which caused her to look around. Everyone was accounted for except for one person. "…Phi?" she said. Her presence was completely gone. She couldn't even pick up traces of her Aer.

Tsuki gritted his teeth as he rolled his hands into tight fists, his gaze locked onto the man. "You've got a lot of nerve to show your face in front of me after everything that you've done…" he said, trailing off at the end. While he knew this was going to happen from the beginning, he had small hopes that what he was feeling wasn't really him. After what has happened, he wasn't mentally prepared to face off against him. "…Stahler" he said after a bit of internal struggle.

The person standing before them was none other than Stahler Tokesu, former member of the Royal Eight and one of the two traitors that turned their backs on Eresseas. Even with his drastically altered physical appearance, his face was easily recognizable.

Stahler let out a soft chuckle as he extended his arm out and rolled his hand into a fist. "Tsuki. It's been a while, hasn't it? You've grown much stronger since the last time I saw you. It's too bad that even with that newfound strength, you need to rely on a flimsy device like that thing on your waist in order to thrive here" he said. It was clear that he wasn't under any form of protection that would otherwise shield him from the Wellspring's harmful effects. In fact, he didn't even look bothered in the slightest despite being so close to it. "Arcanum truly is a powerful tool. It makes the Wellsprings look like a child's toy. Despite that though, they wield a power that could oppose His Majesty and I can't afford that to happen" he said. He glanced over towards Elle as he immediately picked up on Frost within her. "You may have resurrected one Great Spirit, but you shall not do it again. I shall put a stop to your fool plan here and now" he said. His gaze slightly shifted as his gaze landed on Cheria. "His Majesty will be quite pleased when I bring the runaway princess back. She'll serve as an excellent tool in order to bring down Taichi and Emma" he said.

Cheria was still in shock with what she was hearing and seeing. This seemed like a bad dream to her. This may be Stahler in front of her, but his entire demeanor and personality was completely different. So different that he was totally unrecognizable for her. She looked into his eyes and couldn't find a trace of his former self anymore. "Stahler…what in the world happened to you…?" she asked.

It took Melphi a few minutes, but she soon was able to recognize the energy he was giving off. "Is this…Augmentation…?" she asked, soon shaking her head in disbelief from such an absurd thought.

Nagi tilted her head a bit, looking over towards her. "Augmentation? What's that?" she asked.

Melphi found it hard to grasp the idea that it was Augmentation, but all the signs were there, most notably the veins of dark energy embedded in his skin. "It's a technique that was said to have been lost to time. Not much about it is known outside of certain Elven circles and for good reason. It allows one to fuse together with another entity in order to blend the two different powers. It essentially augments the initiators own capabilities and depending on what entity was used, the results could be terrifying" she said. While she's never personally read up on anything regarding Augmentation in forbidden texts and tomes, she has heard faint whispers here and there. "But how? That technique was lost back in Year 2000!" she said.

Stahler chuckled more as he found amusement in their shock and confusion. "There is no secrets to be held when it comes to His Majesty. It's only a matter of time before the world bends to his might" he said. His gaze soon shifted over towards Tsuki, lifting up one of his arms and extending one of his swords out towards him. "Before that though, there's some trash that needs to be taken out. Will you not bear your sword against me?" he asked. He had noticed that Tsuki seemed to almost hesitate to draw his sword.

Tsuki tightened his fists more as he tried his best to compose himself. However, he was struggling to keep himself from lunging at him. Memories of the time they had spent together as comrades and friends during the peaceful times played through his mind. Stahler was always looking out for him when he was still training as a knight and would often give him lessons. Must like everyone else in the Royal Eight, he had a deep bond with him. All those happy memories, however, would soon be engulfed in an all-consuming flame of betrayal. "After everything that you did…you're right…" he said. He felt himself lose control of himself temporarily as he quickly drew his sword and pointed it at him. The look in his dark blue eyes resembled that of one with unimaginable rage with malicious intent. "I should bear my sword against you. There's nothing I'd like to see more than my sword plunging through that vile heart of yours…" he said in a very aggressive tone.

Cheria was completely stunned by the expression on Tsuki's face. She's never seen such a malicious gaze on him before and that tone of voice he was using was something she's never heard before either. Right now, he looked like someone who was out for blood. "Tsuki…" she muttered to herself, holding her hand up to her chest, slightly trembling.

Tsuki soon regained control over his emotions, letting out a heavy sigh. His expression softened a bit as he reluctantly lowered his sword down to his side. It was at this time that the words that Phi spoke to him before back in the volcano's main shaft rang through his mind. "However, it's not my blade that you need to be concerned about" he said.

Stahler tilted his head a bit at his response. "Not your blade…?" he asked. He wasn't sure what he was talking about. There was no other amongst his group that would otherwise hold a grudge against him aside from Elle and Cheria. In that moment, he felt the hairs on his neck stand up as the air around him suddenly became electrified. This set him on immediate guard considering he took one of Shana's most powerful attacks to the face a while ago. At first, he thought it was her that was causing this feeling. "Is this…?" he mumbled to himself. He found himself on edge at the possible prospect of encountering Shana again. However, his started to dampen when he felt that the energy was different. "No…it's weaker than hers and yet it's oddly familiar…" he said. It didn't take him long to come to a realization. "It can't be…!" he said.

Suddenly, several blasts of electricity came shooting down from another ledge above them and targeted Stahler. He quickly dodged the blasts and prepared to launch his own counter attack as his blades started to emit a faint glow. As he started to swing his swords, Phi suddenly appeared in front of him and clashed her swords with his. There was a short clash as the two exchanged looks which surprised Stahler greatly. Before he could do or say anything, the electricity around her blades strengthened as she pushed him back and breaking the clash, releasing a cross-shaped blast of electricity as she swung her swords and sending him crashing into a nearby boulder.

Because of her sudden attack, Stahler had no time to put up any solid defenses, so he took the full brunt of his attack. As he pulled himself out from the rubble of the boulder, he took another at Phi that was standing before him. At first, he thought he was seeing things because he didn't think she was still alive. "You…! But how!? You were stabbed, inflicted with Deixide and drowned! There's no way you could have survived that!" he shouted in disbelief.

Phi locked her eyes on him with a menacing glare as electricity sparked around her. "And you would have successfully killed me if not for Tsuki and everyone else that put in the work and effort to save me" she said. She put her hand up over the area where he had stabbed her as memories from that fateful night flashed in her mind. "Thanks to them, I'm able to stand here now, stronger than before…" she said. Suddenly, a spark of electricity shot out from beside her and buzzed past his face, grazing him slightly. "And I intend to use that strength to fry you into ash" she said. The electricity around her only seemed to grow stronger as she grew more threatening.

Stahler composed himself and pulled away from the boulder, brushing himself off. He took light damage to his armor with a few cuts and dents, but was otherwise fine. "I don't know how you survived, but I do see that you've gotten stronger since Eresseas…" he said. He soon started to charge up his blades for an attack, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Unfortunately, you're still the same, old-" he said.

With blinding speed and an intense burst of electricity, Phi shot forward like a bullet and in mere seconds, faster than anyone could react, she was within arm's reach of him and swung one of her swords at him without hesitation, shredding through his armor and slashing him across his stomach, inflicting a deep wound as blood shot out from him. In the same motion, she took her other sword and plunged it through his right shoulder, also without hesitation.

Stahler couldn't even see her movements, let alone her sword swings. It took him a few moments to realize that he had just been cut and stabbed before coughing up some blood. Again, he was in disbelief at Phi. She was so much more faster than before and almost looked and fought like a completely different person. "Agh…!" he groaned.

In retaliation, he swung his swords up in a vertical motion, releasing two arc-shaped blasts from his blades at her. Phi removed her sword from his shoulder as he swung and jumped back a bit before slicing through his blasts of energy, cutting them in half. The two exchanged more looks with each other and despite receiving two serious injuries, it only appeared to slow him down a little bit. It was obvious to Stahler that Phi wasn't the same person she was before. Her movements were much more fluid and refined and the fact that she had concealed herself completely made him re-evaluate her.

Lynette couldn't believe that he was able to tank her two strikes and still be able to stand despite the injuries. More than that, however, was the blood that he coughed up and was spilling out from his shoulder and stomach. It looked darker and more thick than normal blood. "Is that really…blood?" she asked.

Melphi had a gut feeling revolving around his Augmentation and feared the worst. "You...augmented with a Daemon, didn't you?" she asked. It was the only explanation for his drastically altered appearance and the aura he gives off.

Stahler let out an evil chuckle with a wide grin on his face. "That is correct. You see, after being struck down by Shana, I was on death's door. I would have died if it hadn't been for this new power that was given to me…" he said. He opened his arms up as he lifted them up over his head. "Now, I feel like a new man. This would be the first time I've gotten a chance to use it and I can't think of a more worthy opponent" he said.

Melphi shook her head, glaring at him. "You're no longer a man, let alone a Human. You've allowed yourself to be corrupted by Daemon influence, both in body and soul. You're an abomination" she said. Augmenting with a Daemon was different than simply turning into one. By augmenting with one, he's able to retain his consciousness and self-awareness while being boosted by that Daemon's power. In some ways, it can be more dangerous to augment with one than it is to become one through pure corruption and ritual. Thankfully for them though, the Daemon that he had augmented with wasn't too strong, so they should still be a match for him. He was stronger than that of a Lesser Daemon but weaker than a Devil-class Daemon. Which means, he wasn't as much of a threat as the one they fought in the desert outside of Chesberry.

Stahler glanced over towards Melphi for a moment. For a brief moment, he visualized that Shana was beside her. The only time he's seen Melphi was when the both of them were approaching the castle in Eresseas after Phi fell into the lake, so he knew that they were both acquainted. "This world requires the strong to lead. If this power allows me to do that, then so be it" he said.

Suddenly, he shot out a blast of light towards Melphi without warning. Melphi dodged the blast and retaliated by forming her dragon claws and wings before flying towards him, swinging on of her claws at him. Stahler blocked her attack with one sword as his blade clashed against the hardened scales and used his other sword to swing at her. Melphi grabbed hold of the other blade where the two shared a brief look. Then, she jumped and used her feet to kick him in the stomach with force to knock him back a little bit, doing a backflip up into the air before shooting out a breath of fire at him. Stahler staggered back when she kicked him and barely had enough time to dodge her flames by rolling off to the side.

At the same time, Tsuki came rushing at him as he slammed his right shoulder against him as he dragged his sword along the ground and swinging upwards, striking him up across his torso and knocking him up into the air. Once he was in the air, Cheria launched another series of magical arrows at him, all making contact with him and forced him back close to the edge of the circular platform as he skidded and rolled back against the ground. Not giving him any wiggle room, Phi came in for another attack with incredible speed with her swords sheathed. Her hands hovered over the hilts in her Raijutsu stance and when she was close enough, she drew her swords with blinding speed, accelerated even more by her fast movements.

Stahler quickly regained himself and made a high jump over Phi as she drew and swung her swords at him, landing behind her and swinging at her. Phi spun her body around and blocked the attack with one sword as Aer was concentrated in the other. Moments later, she swung that sword at him and firing off an arc-shaped blast of energy which forced him to defend against and blowing him back towards the center of the circular platform. Once he was there, a magic incantation circle appeared beneath him and moments later, chains of light shot out from it and wrapped around his arms and legs. Lynette used her chains in an attempt to bind him in place to be an easier target. However, they didn't hold him long as he was able to break free from them with a bit of effort.

He soon set his eyes on Lynette and charged at her as his twin blades glowed brightly. Lynette fired off several blasts of light at him as he charged, but he ended up dodging all of them with ease. She then gathered Aer into her staff and spun around, swinging her staff from left to right and launched a wave of Light energy toward him that traveled close to the ground. Like before, he dodged the simple attack by leaping high up into the air, bringing his swords up over his head and swung them down as he came down over her.

Ruko got between them and used his metal gauntlets to block his attack as the sound of iron clashing rang throughout the chamber. Before Stahler's feet were able to touch the ground, Ruko channeled his Aer and slammed his left foot onto the ground, causing a chunk of it to shoot up, striking Stahler in the chest, knocking him back and crashing into the ground. Stahler quickly jumped back up onto his feet as Ruko came charging in at him. He threw several fists at him as Stahler blocked his attacks as the sound of iron clashing continued to ring out.

Their exchange of blows continued for about another minute or two. Throughout the whole time, Stahler was gathering his strength and soon came at him with increased power, swinging both his swords at diagonally at the same time as he swung open his arms. Ruko used his gauntlets to block the attack, but there was more than enough power and force in his attack that knocked him back, his feet skidding across the ground and stunning him for a few moments. As Stahler attempted to attack him while he was stunned, Nagi used her spellbook to call forth serpent-like creatures of darkness from within it's pages. The serpents locked eyes with Stahler and shot out towards him. Stahler stopped in his tracks and sliced through the serpents coming at him, but his attacks were ineffective as his swords basically went through them as if they were transparent. The serpents came back around and closed in on him once more and since Stahler's attacks weren't effective, he was forced to defend by putting up a barrier around in just before they made contact with him. The serpents tried to bite through the barrier, but Stahler turned his defensive move into an offensive one as he made the barrier explode outwards, sending out numerous shards of light and killing the serpents.

While he was recovering, Elle came rushing at him from behind and swung her sword, managing to strike him across his back. Stahler let out a pained groan and staggered forward a bit before quickly spinning around and releasing a wave of energy at her without warning. Elle blocked the attack, but was pushed back a bit in the process. She formed several shards of ice around her and sent them flying towards him. Stahler dodged some of the ice shards while cutting through the rest. He retaliated by forming several swords of light around him and sending those straight towards her. Elle formed a wall of ice in front of her and the swords all plunged into it. There was a faint chuckle heard from Stahler with a grin on his face before he snapped his fingers, causing the swords to detonate, blowing up the wall of ice in an instant and sending Elle skidding back against the ground.

As smoke and a cold chill filled the chamber, Tsuki and Phi both came at Stahler at the same time, attempting to strike him from both sides. As they swung their swords, Stahler used his to block both of their attacks, clashing with the two of them. It was in this moment that the three of them shared looks. While Tsuki and Phi's were that of anger and hate, Stahler almost seemed to be enjoying this. Despite all the damage he's taken, he still showed no signs of slowing down.

Ruko took a few moments to catch his breath and regain his bearings as he looked on at Stahler. "Man, this guy is a tank. All those injuries and it doesn't even look like he's even fazed" he said.

Cheria couldn't believe what she was seeing. The more this encounter dragged on, the more she doesn't recognize him. "He's not the same Stahler we know. He's…different" she said. Looking at Stahler caused images of Devil they fought back in Chesberry as well as the cloaked figure they encountered back in the Glacier. "Just what has he become…?" she asked, shaking her head.

Melphi stood next to Cheria, trying to learn all she can about Stahler by examining his movements. "The Daemon he's augmented with may not be particularly strong, but that doesn't change the fact that it is a Daemon nonetheless. Which means…" she said, trailing off at the end.

Elle pulled herself up to one knee, wiping the blood coming from the side of her mouth. She had received several scratches across her body because of the shards of ice that blasted all across the chamber. "He'll be just as tough to take down" she said.

Back over by the Wellspring, Ramza and Allie watched as the group engaged with Stahler and despite having him outnumbered, they had found themselves at a deadlock. Ramza could feel the unnatural power coming from Stahler as it poured out like a leaking faucet. Allie could also feel the tension in the air between Tsuki, Phi and Stahler.

Ramza looked down at Allie, who was almost transfixed on the fight that was going on. "Allie, let them handle him. We need to awaken Efreet while they have his attention" he said.

Allie wanted to help them out, but without her, they wouldn't be able to awaken Efreet and get the Wellspring under control. "I know…" she said. She took a deep breath and looked up at Ramza, nodding at him. "Let's hurry" she said.

The two of them returned their attention onto the Wellspring. Allie resumed channeling Efreet's stolen Aer inside of her into the Wellspring and Ramza continued to absorb it into the Prismatic Crystal. It was difficult for them, but they had to do their best to tune out the sounds of battle behind them. Unbeknownst to them, Stahler had attempted to interrupt them several times, but were stopped each time by Tsuki and Phi, who kept him on the backfoot. With the others launching their own attacks at Stahler, he wasn't able to interfere with them.

After several minutes had passed, Allie could feel Efreet's Aer completely vanish from inside of her. Almost immediately after feeling this, it was as if her own body let out a breath of fresh air. She could feel her own Aer lighten up and significantly less restricted. It was like a huge weight being lifted off her shoulders. She felt a warm, powerful light start to smoothly flow and channel through her. Much of her Aer was still restricted by the presence of the other foreign bits of Aer that belong to the other Great Spirits, but it was still a big improvement, even bigger when she released Frost's Aer.

It was in this moment that time seemed to freeze around her as she soon found herself in a seemingly empty void of light. In the middle of this calming warmth, a soft female voice could be heard speaking into her mind. However, much of what the voice was saying was hard to make out. "….nnection…tablished…!? Can…hear me? It's….so long…last felt…presence…!" the voice said.

Allie tilted her voice as the voice that spoke into her head came in broken. Despite that though, the sound of the girl's voice seemed familiar to her. However, she couldn't remember who the voice belonged to. All she knew was that it definitely wasn't Tsuki. "Who…are you? Where are you…?" she asked.

Once again, the voice spoke out though just as broken as it was before. "…member me!? …akes sense…detonated…Quake. Call….raph…" the voice said.

Allie didn't know what the voice was saying as her voice came in too broken up and garbled. Though, for some reason, her broken words seemed to make her feel relaxed. She didn't know why, but she felt very safe right now. "I'm sorry. I can't understand what you're saying…" she said, shaking her head.

The female's voice could be heard mumbling before speaking again. "…nnection…unstable…release…Aer…Great Spirits…talk soon…" the voice said.

Even though Allie couldn't make out what she was saying for the most part, she did pick up on some important notes. "Releasing the Aer of the Great Spirits…?" she asked.

Unfortunately for Allie, the voice never spoke to her again. However, she knew what she needed to do if she wanted to figure out who that voice was. She soon snapped back to reality as the sounds of battle behind her seemed to intensify. Tsuki and everyone else were being pushed on the defensive as Stahler unleashed several barrages of attacks at them. Meanwhile, the Wellspring started to pulsate and shrink as it's energy was being absorbed into the Prismatic Crystal. Ramza could feel the strain of absorbing such vast power through his whole body as it took all of his strength to stay up on his feet. Allie saw that he was starting to struggle, so she held onto him and tried her best to support him.

After an intense minute or two, the Wellspring was completely absorbed into the Prismatic Crystal. The powerful surge of Aer throughout the chamber, and subsequently the entire volcano itself, slowly started to fade. It didn't take long to feel the negative effects of the Wellspring start to lift. Ramza found himself short of breath as he looked down at the Prismatic Crystal in his hand. The once transparent crystal now had Aer swirling inside of it that brimmed of intense power. It wasn't just the Prismatic Crystal that felt powerful either; he felt his own abilities and strength significantly increase almost to the point that he felt like a whole new person.

Ramza rolled his hands into fists as flames soon engulfed them. The flames didn't seem to hurt him as he could feel literal power in his grasps. "This power...it's so intense" he said.

Allie also felt a newfound power flowing through her. She felt that her Light-based abilities and powers have significantly gotten stronger too with one less foreign strand of Aer inside of her. "Me too. I feel like I have a stronger connection with my power" she said.

As the two of them were coming to grips with their new power, they heard the pained shouts of Tsuki and Phi behind them. They turned around and saw that the both of them were pushed back with Tsuki dropping down to one knee. It would seem that finally, after all of their attacks, Stahler was starting to show signs of exhaustion. However, it would take more to bring him down. Phi soon charged at him again, clashing blades with Stahler several times and in one of the clashes, she managed to knock one of his swords out from his hands and sending it across the chamber. With one less weapon to deal with, she pressed on with her attacks, but this resulted in him knocking one of her swords out from her hands as well in a separate clash.

Phi was pushing herself to her limits as she breathed heavily. Despite that, she continued to attack Stahler, but this only caused her to be more careless in her attacks. As she swung her sword at him, Stahler did something she didn't expect. He dropped the last sword he was holding and reached his arm out, grabbing onto the wrist of the arm holding the sword, stopping her attack in it's tracks. A look of shock could be seen on Phi's face as a wide grin was on Stahler's. Moments later, light was concentrated into his right fist before punching her in the stomach and blasting her away in a condensed explosion.

Phi shot back, crashing and rolling against the ground towards the group, a good portion of her armor destroyed by the explosion. She received heavy injuries from his attack as she heavily bled from her forehead and arms. Lynette quickly rushed over towards her and started to apply Healing Artes on her to try and patch her up. By this point, with the added factor of the Wellspring's lingering effects, everyone was just about at their limit.

Stahler wiped the blood from his mouth, spitting some out as he gazed over towards the group. He was surprised to see that they could put up a fight like this for so long with the lingering effects in the area. He then briefly looked over towards Ramza and Allie where he could feel the presence of not one, but two powerful entities. Feeling Efreet was to be expected considering their location, but the other entity he felt inside of Allie was deeply concerning. "Looks like you've gone and done it, huh? I guess it's time I bring an end to this charade then. You'll die before you get to use that new power of yours" he said.

Suddenly, the Aer around him intensified to greater heights as violet sparks of energy started to generate around him. The chamber grew heavy as a strong sense of dread and evil filled the space. This caused the surrounding area to shake which ended up breaking open parts of the inner walls and allowing more lava to flow into the chamber. As Tsuki and the others prepared themselves for what was to come, a violet aura appeared around Stahler as armor of darkness covered his body. In his hand, a sword made out of pure Darkness formed.

The feeling that Stahler was giving off was beyond overwhelming. Cesela could see all of the twisted, corrupted Aer swirling around him like a tornado. It was unlike anything she's ever seen before. It felt so ominous that she was becoming terrified of it as her fox ears pressed down against her head, instinctively hiding behind Tsuki while holding onto his shirt. "Such a foul presence…! Tsuki..." she said, her voice slightly trembling. Her body started to shake as evil presence makes itself known.

Tsuki was almost reminded of what happened when Gepard turned into a Daemon. The only difference this time was that the feeling of power and dread wasmuch more powerful. It almost made him take a few steps back from him as he felt the crushing, overwhelming power coming off him. "What is this power? Is this part of Augmentation too…?" he asked. He tried to reach out to the souls of Cliff, Fumiko and Alexander, but the connection wouldn't go through. The power that he was emitting seemed to be somehow blocking it. This was a problem because it also prevents him from being able to tap into their power as well. "This isn't good…" he said. The situation had gone from bad to worse. He knew that they were in a very bad situation right now. There wasn't any chance that they would be able to go up against him now in this state.

Stahler soon let out a deep, maniacal laugh before speaking in a deeper, darker tone of voice. "How do you like me now, Tsuki? Think you still have what it takes to defeat me? Go ahead and try. See how futile it is" he said. This was the first time he's been able to fully utilize his new power and he couldn't feel any better than this.

Tsuki gritted his teeth before climbing back up to his feet and charging at him again. Stahler didn't even offer up any defense as he stood there while Tsuki slashed him down across his torso. To his expected shock, his attack didn't do anything. It didn't even pierce through the dark armor he was now wearing and it almost felt like his sword was almost repelled by the aura that surrounded him. He attempted several more swings of his sword, but the result was still the same. He took several steps back as Lynette and Nagi tried to hit him with their spells. Lynette fired off blasts of light while Nagi called forth three rifts over his head that shot out blasts of darkness at him. Their attacks made contact with him as smoke rose through the chamber. However, when it dissipated, he was left completely unscathed.

Elle formed a shard of ice and launched it at Stahler, but the shard didn't even make direct contact with him. Instead, it crashed into the aura that was generating off of him, leaving him unharmed. Melphi and Ruko both got in close to him and swung her claws at him, but much like with Tsuki's sword, her claws didn't seem to have any effect on him. Phi struggled up onto one knee as her hand started to spark with electricity. After a few moments, she slammed her hand onto the ground and sent out an electric blast of energy through the ground and having it shoot out from underneath him. Again, it had no effect on him whatsoever. Cheria attempted to fire off a volley of arrows at him, both magical and physical ones, but they either bounced off his armor or were repelled by the aura. It would appear that the aura that surrounded him shielded him from magic while the dark armor that he wore protected him against physical hits.

Cheria shook her head as she started to become very nervous about their situation. "Our attacks aren't working anymore!" she said. It was like he now had impenetrable defenses which posed a significant danger to them.

Melphi didn't know what technique he was using. It's clear that it was related to Augmentation because of the energy he was emitting though. "Tch...if only Shana were here. She'd probably know what this is" she said. With both Physical and Magical Artes seemingly rendered useless, she had no idea on how to break through his defenses.

Stahler let out another maniacal laugh as he watched Tsuki and the others squirm. "My defenses are impenetrable now. Your feeble attacks are no more than a tickle" he said. His gaze soon shifted over towards Ramza and Allie once more. The others were no longer a threat to him, but those two were a different story. "Why don't I show you just how outclassed you all are…" he said.

Stahler turned to face them as he lifted his sword of darkness, pointing it towards them. Just over the tip of the blade, a ball of condensed dark energy started to form. It was a small ball of energy, but it contained an enormous amount of power inside of it. The sphere of darkness started to whir and crackle for a few moments before firing off an intense blast of dark energy towards Ramza and Allie. The others were too far away to be able to do anything to stop the attack, so they could do nothing but watch. The blast closed in on them so fast that the two of them didn't have much time to react before the blast reached them and exploded on impact, causing the chamber to shake even more violently and making more parts of the walls to break open. The shockwave from the blast ended up knocking the rest of the group back even further.

Cheria was knocked onto her back from the shockwave and when she looked over towards where Ramza and Allie were, there was nothing but a thick plume of smoke. "Ramza! Allie!" she shouted.

Stahler let out a loud, evil laugh as he felt the power coursing through his veins. He felt omnipotent, as if nothing could touch him. "Yes…yes! This feels good!" he shouted. Immediately, he spun around towards the rest of the group, his blade glowing brightly as more Aer surged from within and swung it, releasing a wave of dark energy towards them.

Feeling the intensity behind his attack, Tsuki, Elle and Lynette all put up their barriers in an attempt to block the attack and while all three of them soaked up some of the damage, they quickly shattered, resulting in the group taking a direct hit from his attack, causing yet another explosion with even more smoke filling the air.

There was no answer from within the smoke. The chamber was silent for about a minute before Stahler broke it by letting out a loud, crazed laughter. "You see!? This is the power bestowed upon me by His Majesty! This is the might that will lead our world to prosperity! Nothing shall stand in our way!" he shouted. He could still feel their presence, so he knew that they were still alive. He pointed his sword over towards their direction and prepared to fire off the finishing blow. "Now, it's about high time you guys exited the stage. Your deaths shall wrangle in a new age" he said.

Stahler started to form the ball of darkness at the tip of his blade again. Tsuki and the others knew that there was nothing they could do to defend against such an attack. However, just before he could fire it off, a spear of pure light shot out from the plume of smoke behind him and pierced through his chest. Stahler took a moment to figure out what just happened as he looked down at the light that was coming through him. He didn't understand how it was possible, but it was an attack that was powerful enough to not only pierce his armor of darkness, but the aura that shielded him. Before he could react further, two more spears of light pierced through him, one through his left shoulder and the other through his right leg. The ball of darkness over the tip of his sword disappeared as his concentration was broken.

Stahler felt an intense level of pain shoot through his whole body as the light pierced him. It wasn't the pain of being pierced, but more so that of the light that was touching him. It felt like he was being burned with intensity as he let out sharp groans of pain and anguish. "Aggghh...! Wh-what is this light…!?" he shouted. He slowly turned back around, facing the plume of smoke. What awaited him as the smoke cleared up shocked him.

As the smoke cleared, Allie was standing in front of Ramza with her angel wings out to shield them from his attack. When she opened up her wings, it was revealed that her appearance had changed quite a bit as well. Similarly to his armor of darkness, Allie was now wearing armor that was imbued with the Light. However, it wasn't the normal Light, but a far more powerful and ancient one. The light felt almost divine in nature as it radiated around her. Her hair color had also changed from silver to pure white and her eyes from the mix of blue and green to a glowing white. Even the halo over her head had a different shape to it with her wings looking more majestic than before.

When the other plume of smoke cleared up, Tsuki and the others were all down on the ground, badly wounded. They had taken a big hit and if it weren't for the three barriers they put up, it could have been the end for them right then and there. When they looked up over towards the other side of the chamber, they saw Allie's drastic change in appearance. They could feel the power of her Light as they felt it almost wrap around them in a warm embrace. This was vastly different than the previous times she's used her angel-like powers. Lynette could feel the immediate difference between her Light-based abilities and hers. She couldn't even begin to compare the two. Even though they were still wielding the element of Light, it felt like Allie was now wielding something far beyond that of Light. The group was left stunned and speechless as her transformation.

Cesela looked at her with widened eyes as she saw the Aer flowing around her. She had always suspected her on the identity in which her angel-like powers spawns from ever since she saw them back on top of Nobuo Shrine. Seeing the state that she was now all but confirms her identity for her. "I knew it. Ryoka…it really is her…." she mumbled to herself, thinking back to one of the last conversations she had with him back in Haven Village.

Stahler locked eyes with Allie's new form, almost too stunned to speak. He put his hands on the spears of light that had pierced him as he could continue to feel an intense burning sensation. After exerting a bit of force, he managed to shatter them into particles of light, coughing up more blood. It may not seem like it, but it took an incredible amount of his power to break them. "Who…what are you?" he asked. The power he felt coming from her was almost on par with his and he didn't understand where it came from. There wasn't a hint or trace of it before now.

Allie locked eyes onto Stahler and soon spoke out in a different, more softer tone of voice. It was almost like a completely different person was speaking through her, similarly to what happens when the souls of the Sigil take control over Tsuki's body. "Minion of Darkness, your vile touch holds no place in this world. A poisonous touch like yours can't be allowed to linger" she said.

Stahler gritted his teeth in frustration for a brief moment before calming himself and letting out an evil chuckle, pointing his sword at her. "If you think you have what it takes to remove me, why don't you come and try it?" he asked.

Allie shook her head slowly as sword of unique design and shape that was different from that of the Caliburn formed in her hand along with a shield on her left arm. "It is foolish for a malformed entity like you to face off against me" she said, readying herself for combat.

Ramza didn't know what was going on with Allie, but she wasn't the only one that was brimming with newfound power. He could feel the intense flames burning inside of him, ready to burst. He started to gather Aer around him as embers started to form around his arms. "I hope you don't mind me joining in on the fun. After all, I don't think I can quite contain this power yet" he said.

Moments later, both of his arms from below his elbows were encased with molten rock as more flames started to generate around him. He lifted his arms up and slammed the sides of his fists together as the flames around him wrapped around the molten gauntlets on his arms. Moments later, he opened up his arms and "drew" what looked to resemble a sword made out of molten rock and scorching flames. He wasn't sure how he did it, but something his instincts told him to do, most likely due to the added influence and knowledge of Efreet's power that now surged through his body.

Stahler looked back and forth at them. It didn't matter what kind of new power they had; nothing could compare to his as far as he believed. "Be it one or two, your futile attempts end here regardless. Now, begone to the realm of Darkness!" he shouted. Once again, he charged up Aer into the tip of his sword and soon fired off another blast of energy towards them.

As the blast closed in on the two of them, the sword that Allie was wielding started to glow with an intense light. She soon lifted it up over her head and swung it down hard with the blade clashing with the blast of dark energy for a brief moment before slicing through it effortlessly, releasing an arc-shaped blast through it. Stahler was too shocked to see that his attack was repelled so easily and ended up taking a direct hit from the blast of light, shouting out in pain as he felt that same burning sensation all over his body. The dark aura that had surrounded him the whole time started to fade away as Stahler found it hard to move his body. Allie saw that he was trying to recover, so she pressed on with her attacks. She flapped her wings and released a multitude of white feathers around her before. They all started to glow and resonate when she sent them raining towards him, the feathers shredding through what remained of the dark aura.

Stahler ended up being cut up by the feathers that flew past him, some of which even penetrated his armor. He could that his body was starting to wear down. "Th-this can't be possible…! How…!?" he shouted. He knew that the feeling he was getting from Allie were troublesome, but not to this extent. He didn't expect his outer defenses to be broken so easily. He didn't let this deter him, though as he still had the dark armor on. "No matter…! My armor still holds!" he said. He prepared to launch another attack towards Allie, but that's when he soon realized that Ramza wasn't by her side anymore.

Ramza used the opportunity while he was distracted by Allie to approach him from the side. He held the molten sword over his head and swung it downwards. Stahler took notice of him as he turned to face him and block his attack, but he was too slow from the hits he took from Allie. The molten sword ended up slicing through his dark armor, almost melting it instantaneously on contact as he slashed down across his chest. It was only thanks to his armor that prevented him from suffering any bodily injury from his attack. His dark armor was now compromised and appeared to crack and break apart.

Stahler quickly swung his sword at from and stumbled back a bit. Ramza jumped back to avoid his attack and then swung his molten sword once more, the tip of the blade grinding against the ground as he swung vertically, releasing a blast of molten fire and rock along the ground towards him. Stahler couldn't recover fast enough to dodge the attack, so he ended up taking a direct hit with it. The flames surrounded him and moments later, a pillar of fire shot out from underneath him, engulfing him whole. Stahler screamed out in pain as the flames that were burning him were hotter than normal.

When the pillar of flames dissipated, most of his dark armor was now gone. Stahler looked at the two of them as he had now found himself pushed into a corner by them. They were both able to break through his defenses that should have been impenetrable. He didn't want to admit it, but he had gravely underestimated them. He had been warned about the power of Efreet and especially the power that dwelled inside of Allie. He could only think back to his last conversation with Caius just before leaving Eresseas.

In a flashback sequence, Stahler was standing in the newly repaired audience hall of Eresseas Castle, though with a different set of decorations, with Caius sitting where the throne was. The purple sky could still be seen from the windows behind him, indicating that the Anti-Arte Field was still active across the surrounding areas. This was when he was ordered to stop Tsuki from awakening Efreet, a mission he didn't hesitate to accept.

Caius was glad to see that he was so eager to hunt down his former ally, but he didn't want him to go in there unprepared. An example had already been made by Utaru and Delvin. "Before you go, I have two words of warning to offer you" he said.

Stahler bowed to him slightly, his head hanging low. "Yes, my Liege" he said.

Caius knew that Stahler was far stronger than he once was with the Augmentation that was imbued on him. However, there were still threats that he needed to be aware of with his current objective. "Efreet's power is not one that is to be trifled with easily. His power could very easily rival to that of Volt's. As such, it is paramount that you prevent his awakening. The power of that Daemon of which you've been augmented with for this mission will not be able to stand up to the might of the Blazing Inferno himself" he said. Even he acknowledged how big of a threat someone would be if they were to obtain Efreet's power.

Stahler knew what he said was serious otherwise, he wouldn't have brought it up. "I understand" he said.

Caius nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. For a brief moment, the vision of Allie appeared in his mind. "Second, keep your eye on the young Spirit girl that travels with Tsuki. Sleeping deep within her is an ancient, all-powerful Light that will pierce even the darkest of dark power as if it were tissue. Consider her as much of a threat, if not a greater one, if she were to wield that power against you" he said. As she was in her current state, she doesn't pose much of a problem, but things will change considerably if she's able to tap into her real power.

Stahler didn't understand what about Allie that caused him enough alarm to specifically point her out. He did find it a bit concerning, but considering that she was still a young Spirit, a part of him felt that she wasn't as big of a threat. "I'll keep those words in mind" he said.

Caius nodded and waved him off from his throne. "Go then. I shall await good tidings" he said. He went silent for a moment before giving out one last order to him. "Oh and make sure you don't kill the Princess. I'll need her alive in order to make Taichi and Emma bend" he said.

Stahler had a sinister grin on his face as he bowed to him. "Of course, my Liege" he said. Soon after, a portal of shadow appeared behind him. He turned around and walked into it and moments later, it closed.

Time shifted back to the present as Caius' words of warnings had all come to pass and because he was too arrogant to fully take them into consideration, he was forced into a corner with all of his defenses broken by the two things he had been warned about. If he had taken his warnings into account, then maybe he could have prevented this from happening. He was too blinded by his own actions and desires that it clouded his judgment. With his trump card now broken, he found himself on the losing end of this battle.

Stahler looked around the room, almost panicked as he tried to assess what his options were. Unfortunately for him, he didn't have many, if any at all. As he tried to figure out what his next move was, he noticed that both Allie and Ramza were slowly approaching him, ready to strike him. He had no other choice but to retreat. "Tch…damn it all!" he said. A portal of shadow appeared behind him as he walked back towards it, keeping his eyes on Tsuki and his group. "You may have won this battle, but the war is far from done! You won't get off so easily next time!" he shouted. He jumped back into the portal before it closed around him.

After the portal closed, his presence had completely disappeared from the surrounding area. The heaviness from the power he emitted had dissipated and the Aer around them began to stabilize. There was a quiet, stillness in the chamber for a moment before realized that they were no longer being protected by the Aetherial Veil, most likely because all of the negative effects from the Wellspring were either gone or had weakened to the point where they weren't harmful. With Stahler now gone, the group could let out a collective sigh of relief. It allowed Lynette to apply group-wide Healing Artes on everyone.

Out of everyone, Phi had the worst injuries, but they weren't serious or life-threatening. Phi was still hurt though and needed help just being able to stand up. She, along with everyone else, was going to need some rest in order to fully recover from their injuries. However, that was something they couldn't afford to right now. They've only completed one of two objectives. Now that Efreet has been awakened and the Wellspring has been removed, they now needed to track down the Shogunate and their pursuers.

As Lynette was healing everyone, Allie started to approach the group before feeling the power she was wielding suddenly disappear, causing her to make a loud gasp of air before dropping down on all fours. Her wings suddenly burst into countless feathers and the halo, sword and armor she wore all shattered into particles of light. Her hair color turned back to silver and her eyes to their normal mix of blue and green. She had a hard time catching her breath.

Tsuki immediately rushed over to her, sliding down onto one knee and putting a hand on her back. "Allie! Are you okay!?" he said with concern.

Allie took several moments to try and catch her breath before speaking to him. "Y-yes…I-I'm fine…" she said. She soon tried to stand up, but ended up falling over.

Tsuki caught her as she fell, sitting them both down on the ground and pulling her up towards him, using his body to help support her so she could sit up. "Yeah? You sure don't look like you're fine" he said

Cheria walked up to the both of them and crouched down in front of them. "Try and take it easy for a bit so you can get your bearings back" she said. She's never seen her in such a wrecked state before.

Cesela walked up next to Allie and down onto her knees, putting her hand over hers. "…what was that?" she asked, feigning ignorance to what she already knew.

Allie slowly shook her head as her breathing started to steady. "I…don't know. I felt a familiar sensation that felt powerful and warm and before I knew it, it was as if I was acting on instinct. Everything felt so…nostalgic" she said. She's definitely felt that feeling before. She may not remember how she did the things she did or knew what she said, it was clear that her body remembered. "And then, there was this voice. A girl's voice…speaking to me" she said.

Tsuki tilted his head a bit. "A voice? Could it be another Great Spirit calling you?" he asked.

Suddenly, a deep male's voice spoke out within the chamber. "Highly doubtful. There are no other Great Spirits around here than I" the voice said. Suddenly, a burst of flames appeared in thin air and out from the flames hovered a creature of monstrous proportions. It was the same creature that had been encased in the giant slab of crystal. It's body was made out of pure molten rock as flames circled around it's body and the tip of it's horns glowing brightly.

Ruko assumed a defensive stance at the sight of the creature. "What the hell is that!? A Daemon!?" he asked.

The creature looked over towards Ruko, shaking it's head. Just like the souls within Tsuki and Frost, it's body was almost completely transparent, meaning that it was a Spirit and not just any Spirit either. "Stand down, Human. I am of no threat to you" he said. His gaze shifted over to the rest of the group. "Allow to introduce myself as well as extending my appreciation. I am the Great Spirit of Fire, Efreet. Thanks to you all, I've finally been able to awake and had what was stolen from me returned. For that, you have my gratitude" he said.

Lynette was curious about something and now that they've awakened another Great Spirit, now was a good time to ask. "Why did Humans steal a chunk of your Aer? What was it used for?" she asked.

Efreet glanced over towards Lynette. "Humans once thought to eradicate us Spirits. They realized that conventional means wouldn't render them much good, so they thought to use the power of the Spirits themselves in order to forge powerful weapons capable of killing us" he said. He thought back to a long, distant past as old memories flashed through his mind. Spirits being absorbed into objects, others being killed by magically-imbued weapons. "They wanted a perfect weapon, so they stole the power of the most powerful Spirits out there in order to achieve their goal. Fortunately, their plot was stopped before it could be realized" he said. He then shifted his gaze over towards Allie for a moment. "I would say more, but it'd be best for the girl to learn about it herself rather than being told" he said.

Allie tilted her head a bit, not understanding what he meant by those words. "What…do you mean…?" she asked. Suddenly, she felt an intense pain in her head, causing her to lash out in pain and putting her hands up to her head. Various memories played through her mind, but they went by so fast that she wasn't able to make sense of them. There were a few words of interest that were spoken though. Something about magic weapons and something else known as the Artiface Project, a term she remembered hearing about before during her little flashback moment back in the Glacier. The images that flashed through her head were strangely familiar to her, but she still couldn't remember anything.

It was in this moment that she had found herself standing in what appeared to be in the center of a battlefield, alone and in corporeal form. People around her were engaged in a high-stakes battle with what seemed to be heavy losses on both sides. Her presence on that battlefield was totally invisible to everyone else as people continue to fight without batting an eye to her. She had no idea where she was, but her surroundings felt oddly familiar to her.

Allie soon started to wander around the battlefield, trying to learn about her surroundings. She had no idea how she got there, but something told her that she could find some answers to her mysterious past. After walking around the field for a little bit, she soon found herself at the edge of a clearing. "These barren fields...the smell of sulfur in the air…why does this make my chest feel so tight?" she asked, holding her hand up to her chest.

She would soon find her answer when her gaze locked onto a pair of people in the center of the clearing. She was so shocked to see what was in front of her that it froze her in place. The two people that stood in the center of the clearing, facing each other down with weapons drawn were two very familiar figures. One of them was a younger version of Cliff Steele and the other one was almost the spitting image of herself. The only difference between her and the image that she was seeing was that she had shorter hair, had seemingly lifeless eyes, had no visible emotions in her expression and wore some strange-looking power suit with a matching collar around her neck while holding an equally strange-looking sword. The two of them didn't look like they were allies and moments after she laid eyes on them, the two of them charged at each other and engaged in combat. Their blows were powerful and merciless. It was obvious they both had intentions to kill.

Both Cliff and the image of Allie exchanged a number of different blows for a few minutes as they found themselves at a stalemate. Cliff came in, swinging his axe at her only to make contact with a barrier that Allie had put around herself. The barrier ended up taking the power of his swing and shot it back at him, blowing him away. Cliff struck his axe into the ground to slow him down as he dug back into the ground.

Allie didn't know what was going on. She didn't understand why she was fighting against cliff or why her sword and armor was stained with blood. "Is that…really me…? Why am I…fighting Cliff…?" she asked.

Suddenly, another voice soon spoke out from somewhere. This time, it was a male's voice that spoke and the words he spoke echoed through her mind. "Because you are a weapon. Our weapon" the voice said. There was a devilishly sinister tone in how the voice spoke to her.

In that moment, the other Allie used this chance to charge at him as her blade ignited in flames. She took a massive leap and swung her sword down at him, leaving a trail of embers behind her. Cliff quickly recovered from his knockback and swung his axe upwards with full force, deflecting her attack and knocking her back into the air in a loud clash of iron.

Unfortunately for the real Allie, this was when the strange flashback ended, leaving her unsure of how the battle with Cliff ended with the new mystery of who that voice belonged to. It was a voice that was capable of sending a shiver down her spine. She may not recognize the voice, but it was clear that she's heard it before based off how her body reacted. Soon after, the voice of Tsuki could be heard calling out to her and it was in this moment that she returned to reality.

Tsuki had been trying to get through to her for the last few minutes, but nothing seemed to reach her. It was as if she was sucked into some other realm where his voice couldn't reach. When he noticed that she had returned to her senses, he breathed a sigh of relief. "There you are. Finally!" he said.

Allie took a moment to recollect herself before looking at Tsuki. "Master…" she said. She was still having a hard time coming to grips with what she had just seen. She was still feeling weak when she was forcibly reverted to normal.

Cheria was down on her knees in front of her as she put her hands gently up against her arms. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked. She not only looked weak, but her face was looking a bit pale too.

Allie slowly nodded, but felt as if she didn't have the energy to move. "My body feels…heavy" she said.

Efreet mumbled a bit to himself as she spoke. "It's to be expected. After all, your body just experienced having a good chunk of Aer, foreign as it was, suddenly removed. It's only natural for your body to a lethargic reaction" he said. Considering how long she's held his Aer within her, even if it were a small piece of it, her body had adapted to it along with the rest of the other foreign Aer inside of her.

Lynette tilted her head a bit as she thought back to the events at the Glacier. None of what she was experiencing now happened before. "But, this didn't happen when we awakened Frost" she said.

Soon after she spoke, Frost's voice answered her question. "Remember that I'm considered the weakest of the Great Spirits. Part of the reason for that is also due to the fact that Undine still lies in slumber. She holds the greater half of my power" she said. Moments later, a cold chill blew by them before Frost appeared in front of them.

Efreet looked over towards Frost and even though one couldn't tell through his facial expressions, he was beyond pleased and relieved to see her again. "Frost! It's been an age and a half since I last saw you. It brings me relief to see that you are well" he said.

Frost returned her look towards him with a slight smile on her face. "The same goes for you, Efreet. The centuries haven't doused your flames, it seems" she said.

Ramza walked up to the group as the molten sword and gauntlets soon disappeared. It was a small portion of power that he felt, but he could feel how deep Efreet's power ran. It was like he was empowered by the very volcano itself. "Now that Efreet has been reawakened and the Wellspring is no more, this should relief a significant amount of stress on the volcano. Hopefully, this will result in fewer eruptions and seismic activity in the region" he said.

Phi was grasping onto her left arm, still feeling the sting from her injuries. Even though they've all been healed, the pain was still there. "Now we just need to…find the Shogunate…" she said.

Efreet tilted his head a bit, seemingly confused about the situation. Since he had been asleep for so long with his mind shut off from the world, he didn't know what was happening or anything that has recently took place. "The Shogunate? I detect a sense of urgency still" he said.

Ramza scratched his head a bit. His confusion should have been expected. Even Frost was unfamiliar about the current world when she was awoken. "We'll walk and talk. Not only have we not seen any trace of the Shogunate, but Queen Amelia and my niece" he said.

Efreet glanced over towards Ramza and nodded. "Sounds good. Since my Aer has bonded with yours, my power is yours as you see fit, Master" he said.

Ruko felt a little bit more confident with the group. Not only do they have the Sigil on their side, but two of the Great Spirits as well. He had a feeling though that things were only going to get harder from here. As he was indulging in positive vibes, however, there was yet another seismic quake that rocked the volcano. He noticed that more parts of the wall were starting to break off too and he could almost see a noticeable change with the lava as it looked like it had gotten higher than when they first arrived. "Uh guys? I think we should start heading back. I'd rather not be swallowed up by lava" he said. If the lava was starting to rise, then they were all in a very bad place.

Efreet was in agreement with the sentiment. As expected, with the loss of the Wellspring and it's negative effects, the volcano has started to show signs of shifting. The increasing number of quakes are also a very bad sign. "We can talk later. Right now, it's becoming less safe here by the minute" he said.

Allie knew that she would just slow them down right now. She was too weak to stand. "Master…I'm going to get some rest, okay…?" she asked.

Tsuki looked down at her and nodded, patting her on the head. "Sounds good. Sleep tight, okay?" he asked.

Allie smiled up at him before disappearing in his arms, her energy retreating into the Caliburn. When she was safely snugged away, Tsuki stood up and walked over towards Phi, grabbing her arm and putting it around his neck to help her up. Frost and Efreet also soon disappeared and everyone quickly gathered their things. Not only was the lava starting to show signs of rising, but it was also starting to become much hotter within the tunnels.

Melphi could start to hear the faint rumbles of the volcano. Time was growing short and they still had another task to accomplish. "Come on, we better get moving" she said.

Elle nodded as the words Cliff spoke of about the settlement echoed through her mind. About how the settlement would seal itself off in the event of an eruption. If it does that, then they'd be trapped with no way out. "Better double time it too. If what Cliff said about that settlement is true, then we need to get through it before those safety measures go off" she said.

Everyone was in agreement with this sentiment and began backtracking through the tunnels. They went at a faster pace before because as they walked back through the tunnels, they felt another series of quakes, some small and others pretty major. Their travels took them back through the old, abandoned settlement. Thankfully, the safety measures that Cliff mentioned hadn't activated yet, so they were able to pass through.

It wasn't until literally moments after they had passed through the settlement that they felt another rumble, but this time, it wasn't from the volcano. When the group looked back, they noticed that the entrance to the settlement had closed up tightly from a wall that appeared to have came out of the ground. When they investigated the wall, they could see no visible cracks or anything that would cause a leak.

Lynette scratched the back of her head a bit at the sight. While she did believe what Cliff had said, there was a part of her that remained a bit skeptical. Now, that skepticism was gone. One wouldn't think that an old settlement was beyond the wall that was now in front of them. "Looks like Cliff was right. The settlement is completely sealed off" she said.

Cesela was amazed to see that the safety measures the Dwarves took were still active after all of these years. "I know it's been said before but…the Dwarves are amazing craftsmen" she said.

Ruko's concerned then shifted to the reasons why the safety measures were to activate to begin with. "Which means that our time is running short. We better not idle around here" he said. If the doors to the settlement were to seal up, that would mean that the readings on the Seismograph had reached a certain level. What concerns him is that he didn't know what those levels were which makes him regret not asking Cliff what they were before when he brought it up.

The group continued through the tunnels and eventually, they placed them back out into the main shaft of the volcano. Within the shaft of the volcano, it was obvious that the lava levels had risen quite significantly since when they initially passed through. Not only that, but chunks of the shaft walls had also broken apart, allowing more lava to flow into the the shaft. An eruption was imminent and they were still in great peril.

When they reached the center platform where the pathways split into three different directions, Efreet's voice soon spoke out before reappearing in front of them, causing them all to stop. "Hold. I'm picking up the presence of other people close by" he said.

Ramza looked around the area when he said this. It was obvious to them on who those people were. "Where are they?" he asked.

Efreet looked over into the direction of the pathway they neglected to take before, the one that was falling apart and too dangerous to walk across. "From over there" he said.

Ruko looked towards the other pathway that led away from the volcano's shaft. Because of the recent quakes, the pathway that had been simply crumbling away was now all but destroyed with no other way to get across. "But we can't get over there now. What'll we do?" he asked.

Elle walked over towards the edge of the platform where the pathway once was and looked at the gap between them. There was nothing but lava beneath them that has already showed evidence of rising. "We won't be able to jump over it. The gap is too wide" she said.

Lynette shook her head. They were so close to finding them. Not only that, but they don't even realize that they've found themselves completely trapped on one side of the volcano. As things are now, it's only a matter of time before the lava spills over into the tunnels. "There has to be something we can do! Maybe there's another pathway to get over there…" she said.

Efreet shook his head, letting out a low mumble. "Unfortunately, we may not have the time to look. The volcano will soon reach it's peak and we don't want to be anywhere near this place when it does" he said. As a Spirit, he'd be unaffected by the rising lava levels and the subsequent eruption that was about to happen, but everyone else was in grave peril.

Ramza's thoughts went to Queen Amelia and his niece. They were so close that he could almost reach out and grab them. Then, a thought came to mind and looked over towards Melphi. "Mel, can you carry me over there? If I can't jump, then I can fly over" he said.

Melphi looked over towards Ramza and shared looks with him. She was thinking the same thing as he was. "I can certainly do that" she said. She didn't admit it herself, but she wanted to save Queen Amelia too. She owed a lot to her and Raiku and now was the chance to pay back some of the debt she owes.

Tsuki looked around the shaft as more low rumbles could be felt throughout. With the lava slowly rising and the tension within the volcano only increasing, it was too much of a risk for all of them to go back in. "We'll have to split up. It'll take too long to carry us all over there and back" he said.

Ramza looked over towards Tsuki and nodded. "We'll go. You guys get back to town as fast as you can" he said. This was a fight for them and them alone.

Cheria was understandably concerned with it just being the two of them. They had no idea how many Shinobi they were dealing with over there. "Just you two…? Isn't that a bit dangerous? We don't know what's over there!" she asked.

Melphi shook her head. While she understood her worries, they didn't have much of a choice. "That's just how it has to be, unfortunately. We aren't left with another option and we're running out of time" she said. Worst case scenario, she could transform and fly them out for a quick exit if they have to.

Efreet was in agreement with the two of them. "You need not worry. I shall not let any harm come to Master and his friends. In case things take a turn for the worse, I have a plan to expedite our exit" he said. If he had to, he will simply punch a hole through the earth and make their own pathway out.

Tsuki didn't like the fact that they were still going to be in great danger, but it can't be helped. "Don't take too long over there, you hear? Find Queen Amelia and your niece and get your asses out of there" he said, looking over towards Ramza.

Ramza nodded at him. "Will do. Let's get going, Mel!" he said, gazing over towards Melphi. There wasn't a minute to lose now as they were running against the clock.

Melphi formed her dragon wings on her back as she walked up behind Ramza. She wrapped her arms around him and held onto him with a tight grip before flapping her wings. It was a bit tough, but she managed to get them both off the ground and soon flew across the wide gap to the other side where the tunnel was. Once they were over the other platform, Melphi set him down and released her wings. They turned back to the group and waved them off before running down through the tunnels at full speed.

Cesela was considerably worried about them. She knew that there was no other choice, but had wished there was a better way. "Will they be okay by themselves…?" she asked, her fox ears hanging low.

Cheria placed her hand on top of her head and gently pet her, her hands brushing against the soft fur of her ears. "They'll be okay, don't worry" she said.

Ruko nodded in agreement. "It sounds like Efreet has a plan if things turn south for them. Right now, we need to worry about ourselves. We still have the lava fields to cross before we reach the safety of town" he said. With all that's been happening within the volcano, he had almost forgotten that even when they leave the tunnels, they'd still be in considerable danger until they reached town.

Phi had been carried by Tsuki up until this point, but now she couldn't allow it. They needed to move faster if they were to reach safety. Plus, she was starting to feel well enough to move around on her own. She pulled herself off Tsuki and brushed herself off, doing a few stretches. Stahler may have knocked her a bit, but she was still long from being out. "We'd better start running then" she said.

The group did their best to shake off their worries and started to run down the pathway into the nearest tunnel that would lead them back out into the lava fields. They didn't know how long they had before the whole place explodes and what made it worse was that they had no idea what the state of the lava fields were outside. They needed to move fast but also be wary of their surroundings as the fields could have gotten just as unstable as things were within the lava tunnels.

Meanwhile, the scene shifts over to another part of the volcano, presumably in the direction of where Ramza and Melphi were heading in. Walking through one of the many tunnels were two female figures. One was wearing battle robes, tailored in white and red cloth similarly to that that Lynette wore. She carried a staff on her back along with what appeared to be a dagger strapped to her right thigh. This female had long, blonde hair wrapped in a ponytail, had light blue eyes and had regal appearance to her. She looked to be somewhere in her early fifties. The other female walking alongside her wore light armor and carried a sword and shield. She had long brown hair that went slightly past her shoulders, had amber-colored eyes and looked like someone in their early twenties. She was walking in front of the other female as if she were a bodyguard. The two of them were covered in soot and ash from all the time they had spent rummaging around through the various tunnels.

As they walked through the tunnels, the younger female seemed to show a bit of apprehension about going any further. "Your Highness, is it really safe for us to proceed further?" she asked.

The older female was silent for a moment before answering her. "I know what you mean, but we've already came this far. We can't back out now" she said. She didn't show it, but she was also quite alarmed and worried about their situation. She didn't want to make her companion more anxious than she already was.

The younger female shook her head as they continued deeper through the tunnels. She could feel the vibrations of the volcano rumble beneath her feet. "Something feels off about this place. We need to find Mahrie and soon. I'm also concerned about those loud explosions we heard earlier…" she said. She was referring to the explosions that had occurred during the fight with Stahler. Obviously, she wouldn't know about the fight, so her instincts told her that they were the result of volcanic activity.

The older female put her hand on the other's shoulder as if to try and comfort her. "We'll find her, don't worry. She may be young, but you know that she's a tough girl. After all, she was the one that pulled us out from the river" she said. If it wasn't for her, who knows what would have happened to them. After all, they were in pretty rough shape when they were found. "We were the ones responsible for what happened. It's time we settle things with these Shinobi" she said.

The group they were targeting were the ones that had plans to use her against Raiku in an attempt to make him bow to their demands. At some point in their travels, the two of them found themselves in a bad predicament and it was only thanks to a young Dragonkin girl that they were saved. The girl brought them to her house when they were both seriously injured and unconscious. When they woke up, they were in the care of a Dragonkin mother who had tended to their injuries. Due to extreme circumstances, she offered them a place to stay until they fully recovered. Then, one day, they were told that her daughter was abducted. Being a mother herself, she couldn't sit idly by especially since it was the same group that they were chasing after. They've already had several run-ins with Shinobi by now at this point and were capable of fending them off. Since they've got them cornered, this was her chance to wipe them out. During their pursuit of the group, they later found out that there were more Dragonkin that had also been captured by them. After doing some investigation of their own, they found out that they were forcing the Dragonkin to mine Prismatic Crystals in order for the Shogunate to siphon their power. She couldn't leave things be after learning about this and wanted to help them.

The younger female looked back at the older one. She tries to act tough, but there was no fooling her eyes. She was too soft and kindhearted on the inside. Someone like her didn't belong on the battlefield. After all, she didn't have much combat experience, if any, prior to being abducted. It was only after the fact that she started to dabble in Healing Artes in order to assist her. It's only been a few months since the abduction happened and while she's improved her combat and healing abilities, they're still on an amateur level when one looks at it from experience. She's insisted multiple times over the last few months to return to Esseand, but she refuses to, saying that she would still be a danger until matters are resolved.

The younger female still showed signs of anxiety and apprehension. It wasn't that she didn't want to save them, but the safety of the older female was her top priority. "Even then, this is too dangerous. What if this is a trap to lure us to them?" she asked.

The older female was doing the best she could in order to calm her nerves. She realized that she was acting rather selfish and was asking a lot out of her for doing a dangerous stunt like this. "We already know most of their group split off. We'll be fine, I'm sure of it" she said. She may not belong on the battlefield, but she carried strong determination. If the last few months have taught her anything, it's that she had to become tough and fearless in the face of danger. "Besides, I have my most trusted and faithful bodyguard to keep me out of danger" she said.

The younger female scoffed at her remark as she felt a slight sting from her words. "Some bodyguard I've proven to be. My first real mission and it ended up with both of us being abducted" she said.

These two were none other than Esseand's missing Queen and her knight. The older female was Amelia Wright and the younger female was Miyuki Tokatsu several months ago. They were riding down the dirt roads towards Velika. It was a sunny, calm day like any other and the two of them were having a relaxing conversation when all of a sudden, their carriage came under attack by several people in black robes. The knights that were accompanying them did their best to fight them all off, but were easily overpowered and cut down. Miyuki tried her best to fight off against the attackers, but was soon disarmed and restrained along with Amelia. From there, they were both knocked out and when they regained consciousness, they found themselves locked in a cage with their hands bound and all of their belongings stripped from them except for the clothes on their back which were all torn up by that point. They had no idea how long they were out or where they were other than the fact that they were in some sort of compound.

They were in bound in their cages for about two days and in those two days of captivity, while nothing happened to them, they could hear what was happening to others through the empty halls of the compound from those that were also presumably captives. Screams of pain and agony could be heard, cries of anguish filled the rooms and moans of pleasure echoed throughout. The very memory was enough to bring shivers down her spine. It was obvious what kind of treatment the captives were receiving. Beatings for those who rebelled and defied the Shogunate, people made out as examples as punishment and even being forced to provide entertainment.

Eventually, Miyuki managed to cut free from the ropes the bound her by slowly cutting away at them with a sharpened piece of metal she had been able to conceal. When it came to be her turn to offer her services to them, she pretended to still be bound as she was brought out from the cage. Once she was out though, she immediately took the sharpened piece of metal and used it to kill the guard that had freed her. She took the keys to the cage and freed Amelia, cutting her loose from her ropes and they both took off running before anyone noticed. During their escape, the body of the dead guard and the two empty cages sounded the alarm and a manhunt was sent out for them.

Miraculously, they were able to escape the compound and fled into the nearby woods to try and put as much distance and as many obstacles between them and their pursuers. Somewhere during their escape through the woods, Miyuki took a brief moment of respite to quickly write down a letter before attaching it to a hawk and sending it flying. The message that she had written would be the letter that Ramza would receive a few days later. With the letter sent out, they continued to evade their pursuers by using the thick brush of the forest. This was working for a time until they came to the edge of a cliff with a raging river flowing down at the bottom. As they thought about their options, one of the Shinobi appeared and attempted to subdue them. Miyuki had stolen one of the wakizashi off the dead guard from before and used it to defend herself against her opponent. It was a struggle for her, being deprived of food and water for two days, but her fierce determination was enough for her to take down the Shinobi. Before the Shinobi died from their injuries, they had told them that they were abducted by one of the Draxus cells and sold off to the Shogunate and that they were no longer in Ersheath, but on a small island between Megrove and Cayhill.

It was in this moment that other Shinobi arrived at the scene and quickly surrounded them. Furious to see that their comrade was struck down and killed, they drew their blades with a thirst for blood. Unbeknownst to Miyuki, they only needed the older female alive. As the two of them determined that they were out of options, they both gathered up their courage, held onto each other's hands and jumped over the cliff and into the raging river below. Thankfully, the cliff wasn't high enough to cause any serious injury or death, but the river was a different story. At first, and for a while after, the Shogunate assumed that they were dead because no one should have survived such a fall and the powerful rapids of the river. In the end, they walked off almost with defeated reactions.

Some time later, Miyuki would awaken and find herself resting in a small, wooden hut with bandages wrapped all around her body in light clothing. The sounds of Amelia calling out to her frantically was what brought her back to her senses. They were both pretty heavily wrapped up in bandages with hardly any recollection of what happened to them. Unfortunately for the both of them, their sustained injuries were the least of their problems. That was when a young Dragonkin mother with long, braided brown hair walked into the room with a small girl hiding behind her. The Dragonkin mother was greatly relieved to see that the two of them had finally woke up, but her relief wouldn't last as an immediate problem became known. Somewhere along the way, they both ended up hitting their heads up against rocks as they were swept away with the river. By some miracle, they both ended up washing up on a nearby shore directly behind the wooden hut, badly injured and were both suffering from amnesia. While the two of them knew who each other were, neither of them could remember where they were or what happened that caused them to be in that state. The only thing they knew was their names.

Seeing their dilemma, the Dragonkin mother introduced herself as Nephie and allowed them to stay with her until their memories were recovered. It was an offer the two of them were in no position to refuse, so they accepted it. There, the two of them lived together with Nephie and her 5 year old daughter, Mahrie for the next several months. Life together was peaceful and full of joy though there didn't seem to be any signs showing of any of their memories returning. That would all change, however, just when things had started to finally settle down.

One day while the both of them were out hunting for food and gathering wood, the Shogunate appeared at the wooden hut and attacked Nephie and her daughter. Being a Dragonkin herself, Nephie was able to fend of herself, but resulted in a number of injuries. During the struggle, her daughter wound up being grabbed by one of the Shinobi and seeing as how Nephie was putting up too much of a fight, they fled with Mahrie. When the two of them returned to the wooden hut, they saw the carnage and were told that they were attacked by Shogunate members and how they kidnapped Mahrie. The mention of Shogunate caused a reaction for the two of them and almost in an instant, their memories came flooding back into their head. They remembered everything right up to the point of losing consciousness while fighting against the currents of the river. While this brought all three of them great joy, it came at a terrible price. However, all was not lost. It was in this moment that the two of them would set out with Nephie to pursue the Shogunate cell that attacked them and rescue Mahrie now that they have their memories back.

Their pursuit took them to a different number of port towns and villages all across the different lands. Eventually, they wound up in the mountains of Nargelond where they learned from a merchant in Marstead that someone fitting Mahrie's description had recently been seen amongst of group of enslaved Dragonkin near the town of Jibril. The three of them wasted no time and made their way to the southern region of Nargelond. Upon arriving at Jibril, they learned from the locals that a suspicious group had been spotted entering the nearby lava tunnels with a small group of Dragonkin and Mahrie was seemingly counted among them. Having finally cornered them, the two of them continued their pursuit and urged Nephie to remain at the local inn. She was reluctant at first, but decided to stay put as she would only get in their way. By this point in time, the two females had garnered sufficient battle experience to fend for themselves and were confident in their abilities. Everything they've been doing has lead them to where they currently are.

Amelia patted her on the shoulder gently with a gentle smile on her face. "You were outnumbered and outmatched, it's not your fault. Besides, you've kept me safe all this time, even when we had lost our memories. There's no other knight I'd rather have by my side than Miyu" she said. She had known Miyuki for years prior to her enlisting into Esseand's Royal Guard. In fact, she was the one that pushed her along during her training and promotions, though from the shadows. Even before she was appointed to her as her personal knight and bodyguard, she demonstrated a loyalty and determination that not many knights possess. Even when they were both captured and locked away in cages, she knew that Miyuki would be resourceful enough to get them out.

Miyuki looked down at her hands and rolled them into fists. Their abduction was a stain to her pride and honor that she wanted wiped away. It has only been a few months since then, but she's gotten a lot stronger. "I need to get better. I need to become stronger. Strong enough to protect you and everyone else, even His Majesty" she said. In that moment, images of Ramza flashed through her mind which depicted a time where Ramza had came in to save her during what appeared to be an attempted robbery. She could see Ramza standing in front of her, fighting off waves of bandits effortlessly. She aspired to be like him. "One day, I'll show Uncle what I can do. That I'm not some defenseless child anymore" she said.

Amelia couldn't help but giggle a bit from her remark. She had always wanted to prove herself to Ramza, who was like an idol to her. She had lost her parents at a young age and Ramza was the one that took her in. He was the father figure that she should have had. "You really do love Ramza, don't you?" she asked. It was obvious to her that her need to become stronger wasn't just to protect her, but to also earn Ramza's respect. Beneath that hard exterior of a knight was just a simple girl who wanted her uncle's attention and approval.

Soon, their travels through the various tunnels eventually led to a small circular chamber that appeared to be different than the other ones they've came across. It was as if the chamber itself wasn't even a part of the volcano. The walls of the chamber were practically coated with shimmering crystals of various colors that emitted soft glows. The entire chamber was almost like a giant crystal itself. The sight in front of them was one of immense beauty. A true crystal wonderland, indeed.

On the opposite side of the chamber, they saw the targets that they were searching for. There were five Dragonkin that appeared to be mining the crystals from the walls while a squad of eight Shinobi watched them. Amongst the Dragonkin number, there were three males and two female and one of them was quite small in stature. The two of them knew right away who that small figure was and the fact that they were forcing her to do hard labor angered them. As they made their way into the chamber, the small figure ended up collapsing down onto her knees from exhaustion. This was something a small child shouldn't be doing, even for a Dragonkin. However, the Shinobi watching them didn't care one bit.

One of the Shinobi, who was dressed a bit differently than the rest, stepped out towards her and spoke in a cold, harsh tone. "Hey! Who told you that you could rest!? Get back to work, Demi-Human!" he shouted.

The young girl tried to stand back up, but barely had the energy to do so. She even had trouble picking up the pickaxe she was using to mine the crystals. "I…I can't…" she said, breathing heavily. She had some minor bruises and scrapes on her face, arms and legs and looked like she hadn't eaten in a good while.

The Shinobi walked up behind her, taking a whip off his waistband and cracked it against the ground next to her as if to intimidate her. "Of course you can. Don't think that we're fools. We know that a little mining excavation like this is a simple task for Dragonkin such as you" they said.

The young girl was clearly frightened by the man and so were the other Dragonkin with her. They all looked like they were in worse condition than her, some who looked extremely malnourished. However, despite that, one of the males worked up the courage to speak out for her. "She's just a child! What you ask of her is impossible!" he said.

The Shinobi turned his head over towards the one that spoke out with a sharp glare. "And who do you think you are, to speak out of turn!?" he asked.

In that moment, one of the other Shinobi approached behind him, took their whip and cracked it hard against the man's back. The male let out an agonized, pain shout that almost made him fall forward, but managed to stand his ground. This prompted a series of other whips from the Shinobi which brought the male more pain. The other Dragonkin were trying their best to ignore their companions screams of pain as they toiled away at the walls.

The previous Shinobi scoffed before returning his attention to the young girl. "You Dragonkin might think you're all high and mighty, but with these crystals, we'll be able to harvest your power. That way, we'll be able to wield power that was otherwise unobtainable" he said. He began to lift the whip up over his head. "All of Faeriekind will bend to our will and it will be your power that will allow this to happen" he said. He then swung the whip at the young girl without mercy or hesitation.

Before the whip could even touch the girl, a blade of wind shot through the air and sliced through the whip, cutting it in half before crashing into the crystal wall. This caused all of the Dragonkin and Shinobi to stop what they were doing. The Dragonkin were surprised of what just happened, but it didn't even appear like it bothered the Shinobi at all. The Shinobi that was holding the whip lowered his arm down to his side and slowly turned around to face the opposite direction. There, he saw two familiar figures standing by the chamber entrance.

Amelia was standing there with her staff drawn and an incantation circle beneath her as wind circled around her. It was clear that she was the one that shot off that blade of wind. Next to her was Miyuki with her sword drawn and emitting a bright light with her shield holstered on her arm. They were both visibly angry from the scene they were witnessing. The Dragonkin were obviously wary of them, but not the small girl. Upon seeing them, her eyes immediately lit up.

The young girl locked eyes with Miyuki and Amelia as she became overjoyed to see them again. "Miyu! Lia!" she shouted.

Miyuki looked at the young girl and though she was relieved to see that she was okay, the sight of her injuries only made her more angry. "Mahrie! Stay right there, okay? We're coming to get you!" she said. Her gaze soon shifted to the Shinobi that was about to hit her with the whip. "Scoundrel! You'll pay dearly for this!" she shouted.

The wind gusts around Amelia only seemed to grow stronger by the minute as she stared down the Shinobi in front of her. "There's no escape for you. Release them!" she demanded.

The Shinobi chuckled a bit, almost as if he found this amusing. "Now, why would I do that? You're clearly outnumbered and out of your element. Did you really think we'd just surrender because you ordered us to?" they asked. He pointed out towards them which prompted two of other seven Shinobi to rush towards them.

One of the Shinobi rushed towards Miyuki with incredible speed. She had almost lost sight of him because he was moving so fast, but they've dealt with a few Shinobi already and knows how their Shadow Step technique works. After calming herself and felt around the area with her senses, she was able to pick up where they would attack from. She quickly spun around, taking her shield and using it to parry his attack and throw his swinging arm out to the side which allowed a follow-up strike with her sword as she slashed down at the Shinobi, striking him down his torso. Her strike cut deep, killing the them instantly.

At the same time, the other tried to do a similar maneuver with Amelia. However, his attempts were thwarted when she conjured tornadic winds around her. Within the tornadic spiral were countless blades of wind being spun around at a fast rate. Unfortunately for the Shinobi, he was sucked right into it and was cut to shreds by the sharp winds. The Shinobi was unable to break free from the wind's grip as he shouted out in pain for a bit before falling silent. His body was tossed around for a bit before falling to the ground with a loud thud as the winds subsided.

With the two of them dead, seemingly struck down with little effort, the Shinobi who commanded them simply stood there without much reaction. "Hmm, so it appears that you're not simply all bark. I will admit that you have some skill. However, I'm afraid that it won't be enough" he said. He snapped his fingers as two more Shinobi stepped out from the line and approached them.

The two Shinobi stepped towards them, only to stop within a few feet from them. Then, they took out a Prismatic Crystal from their pocket and held it out in their hands. Moments later, the two crystals shimmered and glowed brightly as they hovered over the palms of their hands. Streams of Aer soon started to wrap around both of their arms up to their elbows as a heavy feeling started to form within the chamber. The two Shinobi let out a menacing chuckle and moments later, their arms up to their elbow transformed into that of a dragon with a pair of sharp, piercing claws. The sudden change caught Miyuki and Amelia off-guard. What they just witnessed shouldn't be possible.

Amelia shook her head, almost dumbfounded by what she just saw. "What!? A Human that can wield a dragon's abilities!?" she shouted. This defied all logic that she knew. She's never heard of ordinary Humans being able to do such a thing.

Miyuki had trouble believing what was in front of her. "This can't be happening! How is this possible!?" she asked. She's done her fair share of research when it came to dragons and Dragonkin and one of the things she learned was that only certain Dragonkin were able to wield their dragon abilities while in their half-human form. This was a trait that only Dragonkin can have as it was locked within their genetic code and was impossible to transfer over to a Human.

The commanding Shinobi let out a maniacal laugh. "Yes, I love that look on your face. Since you two have fought so admirably, I'll tell you…" he said. He took out his own Prismatic Crystal from his pocket. The one he had was bigger than the two the others took out and looked like it contained much more power. "After painstaking research and much trial and error, the Syndicate have developed a way to harvest one's power and genetics and transplant it into ourselves. This research was once lost, but was rediscovered thanks to these crystals. With these in our possessions, we will make all of Faeriekind bend to our will" he said with a menacing grin on his face. He returned the crystal to his pocket and waved his arm towards the two Shinobi. "Give them a taste of our research" he said.

The two Shinobi immediately shot towards them with even greater speed than the other two. For Miyuki, her reaction was too slow and the reveal of this shocking revelation prevented her from focusing her mind like before. As such, she couldn't launch any counterattacks. She could barely block their attacks on her, all of which caused her to stagger back. After managing to dodge one of their attacks, she swung her sword down at him, but when the blade made contact with the hard scales that now covered their arm, the blade broke like a twig. In retaliation, the Shinobi lunged their claws at her in which Miyuki attempted to block with her shield. This would prove to be ineffective as the claws pierced and shattered the shield as one of the claws dug straight up into her left arm towards her shoulder. Miyuki let out a pained cry as she staggered back even more before the Shinobi reached for her and grabbed her by the neck, lifting her up off her feet. She was unable to free herself from her grip as the Shinobi chuckled menacingly at her before tossing her towards the center of the chamber like a ragdoll.

At the same time, Amelia tried to put up as many defensive barriers as she could, but they were all shattered instantly when the other Shinobi drove their claws through them as if they were paper. Once her barriers were down, the Shinobi swung their claws at her. Amelia instinctively used her staff in an attempt to block their attack, but their claws easily sliced through the staff, breaking it into several pieces as they clattered to the ground. Before she was given the chance to do anything else, she was grabbed by the collar and slammed down, face-first onto the ground. The Shinobi took the opportunity to bind her arms behind her back.

Seeing all this unfold, the young girl turned and attempted to run over towards the two of them. "No! Miyu! Lia!" she shouted.

The commanding Shinobi swung his arm to the side and slammed it against her, knocking her onto her back. "And where do you think you're going, little girl!?" he shouted. His gaze soon returned over towards Miyuki and Amelia. "Do you see now? Augmented with the power of dragons, we Humans will become unstoppable" he said. This was the first opportunity he had to see the fruits of their labor and was quite pleased with the results. "I want to thank you for coming after us. You saved us the trouble of looking for you ourselves" he said.

Miyuki looked back and saw that Amelia was bound before shifting her attention to the commanding Shinobi as she struggled to get up onto her knees. Her left arm had a serious gash as she heavily bled. She could barely feel it. "You…knew that we…?" she asked.

The commanding Shinobi nodded at her. "Of course. When you two jumped off that cliff, we thought that was it for you. However, we learned that you had survived and planned to capture you again, at that small wooden hut. You weren't there, so we decided to abduct the girl in order to drive you out" he said, looking back at the young girl. They only took the girl because she served as excellent bait. Now, she outlived her usefulness and couldn't care what happens to her.

Amelia grew more angry with the Shinobi. "Monster! Using a small child in order to lure us out. You're no better than a common kidnapper!" she shouted. Unfortunately, with her hands behind bound behind her back and her staff broken, she was unable to do anything besides lay there.

The commanding Shinobi chuckled a bit at her remark. This was all very amusing for him, but all things must come to an end. "That's life for you. You take whatever opportunity you get in order to achieve your goals. Ours was to ensure your capture and it worked. Now, that pesky king of yours will know what it means to defy us" he said.

The Shinobi standing over Amelia grabbed her arms and dragged her up onto her feet and forced her over towards the others. Meanwhile, the other Shinobi stood in front of Miyuki as he released his dragon powers. He drew his sword and held it up high over his head.

The commanding Shinobi looked at Miyuki one last time. "We only need the Queen. You may die now" he said. He then turned away, grabbing the small girl by the collar and walked back over towards the wall of crystals.

The Shinobi standing in front of Miyuki readied himself to deliver the killing blow. The cries of Mahrie and Amelia rang in her ears, but soon deafened as if time came to a stop for her. She had no way to defend herself and she was too powerless to stop them. "I failed…again…" she mumbled to herself. Images of Ramza popped in her mind of a time when she was younger. He had given her words of courage that helped her grow stronger by the day. Memories of the times the two of them used to spar and train together also played back through her mind. "Uncle…please…" she mumbled again. Familiar images popped in her mind of the previous attempted robbery. After he had fought off all the bandits, he rushed to make sure that she was okay. She remembered that he would always be there to protect her in her greatest time of need. However, Ramza wasn't there for her. He wasn't there to protect her as she stared death in the face. The smiling face of Ramza, her uncle and protector, was the last image to pop in her mind which caused her to shed tears. "…save me…" she mumbled once again. Her tears rolled down her cheek and dripped down onto the ground.

Time seemed to move again as the Shinobi brought his sword down over her as the blade became engulfed in flames. However, before the flaming sword could touch her, an intense blast of fire shot out like a bullet from the tunnels and crashed into the Shinobi, the sound of flesh being sliced open with a loud, agonizing scream soon filling the chamber. The blast of fire engulfed the Shinobi and shot towards the adjacent wall. This caused the other Shinobi that was dragging Amelia away to stop and started to turn towards the screaming when all of a sudden, he felt a deep, piercing pain that punctured straight through his gut. When he looked down, he saw a claws and red scales sticking out from his stomach, coated with blood. He soon died afterwards and his body was viciously tossed aside and slammed into the crystal wall. Hearing all of this caused the commanding Shinobi to stop and quickly turn around and what he saw threw him off-guard. Ramza was now standing in front of Miyuki, wielding his molten sword from before with a blazing trail of fire behind him and a look of scorching rage. On the other side of the room, Melphi was seen standing there, with her claws now gone, over a pool of blood at her feet.

Ramza stood between Miyuki and the commanding Shinobi, his eyes burning with intensity as flames circled around the molten gauntlet and sword. "Yui! Are you alright!?" he shouted.

Miyuki had her eyes closed, waiting to feel the burning of her flesh. However, the hot sensation she was feeling didn't appear to burn her at all. It was more like it was enveloping her like a warm blanket. She didn't know what was happening and was too afraid to open her eyes. However, she heard a familiar voice call out to her. At first, she thought it was a trick to deceive her, but quickly realized that wasn't the case. There was only one person in the world that calls her by the nickname 'Yui'. This caused her to slowly open her eyes to look up at the figure of Ramza standing in front of her with widened eyes. "Un…cle…?" she asked. She was too frozen to speak. All the words were coming to her, but she couldn't vocalize them.

Melphi had freed Amelia from the ropes that bound her arms and looked over her for a few moments. Aside from a few bruises and scrapes, she was otherwise fine. "Your Highness, it brings me great relief to see you alive and safe" she said. Her tone may not have shown much indication, but she was incredibly relieved and happy to finally find Amelia.

Amelia turned and looked at Melphi and immediately hugged her tightly. "Mel! You're here, I can't believe it! And Ramza too! But how!?" she asked, glancing over towards Ramza.

Melphi's face was being pressed into her breasts so much that she found it a hard time to breathe. After a bit of struggle, she pushed her away gently to break out of the hug. "It's a long story. We'll tell you later. Right now…" she said. She turned over towards Ramza and walked up alongside him. "We have some unfinished trash to take out" she said.

The commanding Shinobi was visibly irritated by their unexpected arrival. The fact that they were able to strike down two dragon-imbued Shinobi in an instant and the way they carried themselves showed that they were no ordinary opponents. He shoved the young girl to the ground and turned to face the two newcomers. "Oh? What's this? A Dragonkin fighting side-by-side with a Human? Now, this is interesting…" he said. It was one thing with Miyuki and Amelia, but something felt completely different with Ramza and Melphi. Not only that, but he was puzzled at how she managed to strike down his fellow Shinobi while being completely unarmed. What he doesn't realize is that she was different than other Dragonkin. He doesn't know that she had the unique ability to use her dragon abilities in her half-human form.

Ramza was in no mood for idle chitchat. The sight of him only angered him more as the flames around him became more intense. "It's over for you now. You won't be walking out of here alive" he said, pointing his molten sword towards him.

Shinobi tilted his head a bit. It was tough to see through the cloth wrapped around his face, but he was visibly irritated by their sudden appearance. "Is it now? And just what makes you say that?" he asked.

One of the female Dragonkin looked over towards Melphi and immediately recognized who she was, her radiance undeniable and her small stature unforgettable. "Hey, isn't that Varnis' future successor!?" she asked.

Another male Dragonkin followed his companion's eyes and locked onto Melphi who also recognized her. "You mean, the High Acheron's successor!? You're right, it is her!" he said.

The young girl who had been knocked down to the ground followed everyone's gaze. Since she didn't reside within the Dragon Colonies, she didn't recognize her. However, she could feel an intense fire burning inside of her that was hotter than flames. She was almost transfixed on her. "So much power…who is she…?" she asked.

Despite the situation the Dragonkin were in, they instinctively down onto their knees and bowed down to Melphi as if she were royalty. Melphi knew what it was that they were doing and a part of her disliked that. Their reaction and attitude were part of the reason why she had considered leaving the Dragon Colonies in the first place. She hated to be revered upon like she was some God. She didn't even want to become the new High Acheron and had hoped that someone would have rose up to take that mantle from her. However, it appears that doesn't seem to be the case. Despite her current situation with the Colonies though, she was surprised that there were those that still respected her.

Seeing all this caused the Shinobi to take a closer examination of Melphi. Upon a closer look, he noticed that she wielded a power that ran deep. It felt much stronger than the power of the gathered Dragonkin behind him. This caused a grin to form on his face as he let out a soft chuckle. He knew that she had the kind of power that they were looking for. "Maybe it's my lucky day, after all. Having a pawn to use would be nice, but I can't let someone like you go" he said. He extended his arm out towards her as if to welcome her over. "How about this? If you surrender yourself to us, then I'll release the others. I'll even let that Queen go and pretend that this whole thing never happened. Deal?" he asked. He had a burning desire to make her power his. He knew that she was exactly what he was looking for.

Melphi was silent for a few moments in response to his question. Then, she started to take a few steps forward, putting a bit of distance from Ramza before coming to a stop, closing her eyes and held her hands up as if to surrender herself. Ramza didn't know what she was thinking, but was confident that she knew what she was doing and didn't stop her.

Amelia, on the other hand, didn't understand what she was doing. She ran over to Ramza's side, only to be stopped by him. "Mel, stop! What are you doing!?" she shouted.

The commanding Shinobi chuckled a bit. "Good, silent and obedient. Just how I like them" he said. He dropped his arm down to his side after waving at two other Shinobi next to him. "Bind her" he said.

The Shinobi nodded and approached Melphi, each of them pulling out some rope along with what appeared to be some type of metal neckband with a green stone embedded inside of it. The same neckband the other Dragonkin wore around their necks. They got ready to restrain her and attach the neckband when all of a sudden, the air around them grew heavy and thick, almost making it hard to breathe. When the Shinobi were within arm's reach, she opened her eyes, now a piercing yellow color, as both of her arms suddenly transformed into dragon claws moments before quickly swiping down at them, her claws digging deep into their torsos as she slashed downwards, throwing out thick trails of blood. The Shinobi were dead within seconds of having their torsos ripped open.

The commanding Shinobi looked at Melphi in shock. He's encountered many Dragonkin, but not once has he seen one able to wield their abilities in her form. His Shinobi were only able to do that through extensive testing and genetic experimentation. It was clear to him that Melphi wasn't just your ordinary Dragonkin which intrigued him even more. "Quite unexpected. It would seem you're a cut above the rest. All the more reason to capture you. If you won't surrender willingly, then I'll have to force you" he said.

The Shinobi took out his Prismatic Crystal again and caused it to shine brightly, far more brighter than the previous two. The air in the chamber grew heavy and thick as a concentrated stream of Aer flowed around him before seeping into his body. The stolen power of the Dragonkin started to course through his entire body as he felt energized by it. Within the crystal he wields was the power of the Dragonkin behind him that he had sapped away. Feeling imbued with the power of multiple Dragonkin, he felt like a new man.

Miyuki could feel the intense pressure coming from him. It was almost suffocating. "What crazy power…!" she said. It was obvious to her that she would have been outmatched by him even if she had fought off his Shinobi.

The Shinobi chuckled as flames enveloped his body as if it were some type of aura. The power he felt was exhilarating. "Ah, I can feel it through my bones. This is the might of dragons and it is mine to wield" he said. He took several deep breaths as small embers cold be seen puffing out. His gaze soon fixed onto Melphi. "You might look tough, but a single Dragonkin can't possibly withstand the combined power of five" he said. He slowly started to lean his head back as more embers were huffed out. Moments later, he swung his head down and released an intense blast of fire from his mouth towards her.

Melphi was unfazed by this. In fact, she seemed almost visibly upset and irritated more than anything else. She felt a deep power well up inside her as she gathered her strength. "Insolent Human. You think you know everything, but you're wrong. Allow me to show what true might of a dragon looks like" she said. She took several deep breaths as time seemed to slow around her.

Moments after she spoke, a blue aura started to form around her. Red flames that were being huffed out from her breathing soon turned to flames of azure. The atmosphere within the chamber only grew much heavier as the minutes go back. The Shinobi's breath of fire continued it's way towards her, but she simply stood there, unwavering. It wasn't much longer when blue sparks started to generate around her dragon arms. After what felt like a few minutes had passed, Melphi took one last deep breath before breathing out her own intense blast of fire, only this time they were a vibrant azure color mixed with blue sparks of electricity. The two blasts of fire collided with each other for a very brief moment before the azure flames overtook the other and shot towards the Shinobi.

The Shinobi was enveloped by the azure flames and sparks as he screamed out in agony. While the flames burned him to a crisp, the electricity was frying him. After about a minute had passed, it all soon evaporated, leaving a scorched man in their wake, barely standing. His injuries from being burned and electrocuted by the azure flames and sparks were severe as his whole body felt incredibly hot. Melphi's attack was so much powerful than his that it caused the Prismatic Crystal he was holding to crack and shatter. He couldn't understand what just happened or how this was possible.

The Shinobi could barely feel the muscles in his body as they had all gone numb. "N-no…h-how is this…possible…?" he asked. He looked up towards Melphi and locked eyes with her. "Wh-what did you…do…?" he asked. He's never seen azure flames before, not to mention fire and electricity combined into one.

It was in this moment that the male that was being whipped before made a comment. "This is…the Azure Spark!" he said with excitement.

The third male that had been silent all this time nodded and finally spoke out. "Now, I understand why the High Acheron refuses to accept anyone else to be his successor. She's a true descendent of the Dragon King!" he said. Back in the Colonies, he didn't understand why the High Acheron kept trying to convince the people that she was the only one suited to succeed him. Like everyone else, he ostracized her because of her interaction and connection with Humans. Knowing what he knows about the Dragon King and his history, it all made sense now.

Melphi walked up to the Shinobi and glared down at him with her piercing yellow eyes, azure embers huffing out from her nostrils. "You brought this upon yourself. If you thought you had the upperhand because you had harvested their power? The Dragonkin behind you are average citizens of the Colonies. It's to be expected that they'd be overpowered by trained fighter" she said. She lifted her right claw up and stared at him with cold eyes. "It's just a shame for you that fighter had to be me" she said.

The Shinobi gritted his teeth in anger. "Why…you little…!" he said. He attempted to reach for his short sword, but it would never leave it's sheath.

Before he could even draw his weapon, Melphi brought her claw down and slashed him across his torso, her claws digging deep into his skin, killing him. After he fell, she shifted her glance over towards the remaining Shinobi who cowered in fear. He started to back away slowly as he attempted to find his chance to escape. However, he was struck in the back by Ramza's molten sword, the flames soon enveloping him and causing him to scream out in pain before falling to the ground and going quiet moments later.

Silence soon filled the chamber for about a minute after the Shogunate members had all been killed. Then, it was like everyone could breathe in some much needed fresh air as the tension subsided. The molten sword, gauntlet and flames that surrounded Ramza disappeared and Melphi turned back to normal with a much calmer expression. She went over towards the other Dragonkin and released them from the shackles that bound them before gathering around her in a commotion.

Ramza walked back over towards Amelia and Miyuki, locking his gaze onto Amelia before bowing to her. "My Queen, you have no idea how much of a relief it is to see you well. You have caused the King and everyone else much worry and grief" he said. It's been several months since he was last able to talk with her, let alone see her. The last time was the night before she was abducted.

Amelia felt reassured and safe from hearing Ramza's voice. He was Raiku's most trusted confidant and she had gotten along with him real well. He was loyal to a fault as Esseand's General which made it even more unbelievable to see that he was out here in the far reaches of Nargelond. "I can't apologize enough for all the trouble I've caused. But…" she said. She glanced over towards Miyuki for a moment and had an anxious expression. "I think you should be addressing your concerns with someone other than me" she said. She soon walked away from them towards where Melphi was. "I'll let you two have some privacy" she said.

After she walked away, the two of them stared at each other as they stood there with an awkward silence. Miyuki tried to speak up, but the words just wouldn't come out of her mouth. "Umm…I…uhhh…" she mumbled. A part of her still felt like she was dreaming and that none of this was real.

As she panicked, Ramza reached out and gently pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug as he was careful not to agitate her injuries. "Yui, words can't express how happy I am to know that you're safe. I know I'm a bit late, but you're safe now" he said, his voice quivering a bit as if he were holding back tears.

Miyuki broke instantly when Ramza pulled her into a gentle hug and reassured her. The tough girl persona that she had been putting on for so long shattered with just a single action and a few simple words. Tears started to stream down her face as if the floodgates had been opened up as she clung onto him. "Uncle…Uncle…!" she said, burying her face into his chest.

Her muffled cries filled the chamber as she could finally unload everything that she has been building up. Since the two of them were on their own for so long, she had no one to rely on but herself to ensure their safety. This was a difficult task for her since she was still basically a new knight fresh out of training. She had to be strong for both her and Amelia's sake if they were going to make it back home. While the two of them had their moment, Amelia and Melphi reconnected with each other before attending to the other Dragonkin. The young girl named Mahrie ran over to Amelia and hugged her. Despite the traumatic experience, she was a tough girl that was confident that she and Miyuki would rescue her. Melphi took the time to check up on the other Dragonkin to make sure that they weren't hurt too bad. Aside from the one man's injuries from being whipped and a noticeable lack of energy from having their powers drained, they were otherwise fine.

After a few minutes, Miyuki had calmed down enough to recompose herself. There was still the matter of her arm bleeding and Amelia's Healing Artes are rather mediocre and barely touched her injuries. She would need a more experienced Healer in order to tend to her injuries. Once everyone was seen to, they all gathered in the center of the chamber. Now that the Shogunate's efforts have been put to a stop and the Dragonkin have been rescued, they had no more reason to linger in the volcano. Ramza took the next few minutes to briefly fill Miyuki and Amelia on what's going on and what lead up to them being there. Once they heard that the volcano was becoming more unstable, everyone was keen on leaving as soon as possible.

Ramza looked around at the people that have gathered. "Alright, I suggest we all get out of here. There's no telling how long we have until-" he said.

Suddenly, the chamber started to shake violently, much more violently than the previous quakes. This caused the loose hanging crystals from the ceiling to fall. Unfortunately for them, a large chunk of crystal that fell ended up falling to the ground and blocking the only chamber entrance. Not only that, but there were small cracks in the cave walls where small streams of lava were starting to drip out.

Amelia looked towards the now blocked chamber entrance and started to panic a bit. "Oh no! We're blocked in! What do we do now!?" she shouted. With lava now coming out from the walls, they were in a very bad situation. The shaking of the chamber only grew worse by the minute. It was clear that an eruption was imminent.

Ramza debated on breaking through the crystals that blocked their path, but he came to the realization that it would be all for nothing as he had forgot that pathway to the chamber had been destroyed. With an eruption moments away, walking back through the tunnels wouldn't have been an option. That leaves them with no other choice. "Hey, Efreet! You said you had a plan to get us out of here, right? Well, now's the time for that!" he said.

Moments later, a burst of fire appeared next to the group before Efreet manifested in front of them. When he appeared, the Dragonkin looked up at him with reverence. "It would seem so" he said. He glanced over towards Melphi for a moment. "You are Melphi, correct? Can you transform still?" he asked.

Melphi tilted her head a bit. She wasn't sure what he was planning. "I can…but it's not going to do us any good in here" she said.

Ramza looked over at Efreet. "What are you planning?" he asked. He was curious to know how he planned to get them out of this situation.

Efreet chuckled a bit as a sudden surge of power started to build up around him.. "I told you before; if it comes down to it, I'll punch a whole straight through the earth" he said. A ring of fire soon formed around him. The surge of power was adding to the unstable environment, causing more parts of the wall to crack and allowed more lava to flow into the chamber. "Transform now! Once I blast a hole through the earth, you'll have to quickly fly through before the place fills with lava!" he shouted. Once he penetrates through the crust, it will open up a flood of new channels for the lava to pass through.

Melphi still had enough energy to transform and since the distance that she would fly wouldn't be as far as she's had to fly so far, there didn't seem to be too much of a problem. The other Dragonkin were too drained to transform, so she had to carry everyone out. "Got it" she said. She stepped out from the group and transformed into her dragon form. "Everyone, get on. Quick!" she said.

Ramza and the others climbed onto Melphi's back and made themselves comfortable. Ramza had to help Miyuki up because of her injuries and the fact that she had lost feeling in her left arm. Once everyone was up onto her back, Efreet finished gathering up his strength. The energy in the chamber was overwhelming, even more so than how it felt being so close to the Wellspring. For Miyuki and Amelia, they've never felt such power before. Even Ramza and Melphi were surprised at the level of power being outputted by Efreet. After a loud roar, the flames around Efreet started to form an intense ball of fire over his head. Everyone could feel just how packed full of power the fireball was. This caused the cracks in the walls to break open into giant, gaping holes which allowed thick streams of lava to dump into the chamber.

Efreet turned to face up towards the ball of fire before pulling his arms back. After another loud roar, Efreet stretched his arms out as an intense blast of fire shot out from the fireball and crashed into the ceiling. The hard stone was essentially wet paper as the intense blast of fire punched straight through. Moments later, the blast pierced through to the surface, revealing the smoke-filled skies above. The hole that he had made was quite massive and more than big enough to allow Melphi to fly up through it and even giving her enough space to dodge the now free-flowing lava that was now coming down over their heads. Once they were able to see the sky, Melphi lifted up off the ground moments before the ground below them was swallowed up by the lava that had been pouring into the chamber.

Melphi angled herself up towards the now exposed sky. "Better hang on tight! We're making a quick exit!" she shouted.

She let out a loud roar before taking flight up through the newly made hole in the earth. There were several streams of river that she had to fly around in order to evade. Below them, the lava levels increased exponentially as the crystal chamber was very quickly filled the entire thing. Unfortunately for them, this also meant that the hole they were flying up through was also quickly filling up behind them. They could hear the intense rumbling from the volcano and the distant explosions. After an intense flight up the punctured hole as the lava levels were getting closer to them, Melphi managed to break through the surface and quickly fly out and away from the tunnel. Seconds after she left the tunnel, the lava that was fast approaching behind her soon erupted high up into the air and could be seen for miles.

By the time they all flew out from the tunnel, all of them were practically covered in molten ash and dust. Not long later, the volcano soon erupted in an explosion, shooting out molten ash across the skies. Streams of lava came flowing down the volcano and out through the tunnels and quickly spread down through the fields. While Ramza and the others were now safely out of the volcano, the dangers were still widely apparent. The flow of lava across the fields were fast and showed no signs of stopping or slowing down. This posed a real danger to Jibril as their defenses to prevent excess lava flow would most likely be overtaken.

Suddenly, a thick wall of stone soon shot out from the ground on the outskirts of the lava fields and served as a barrier to prevent the fast flow of lava. Somewhere in the grasslands near the town, a small figure with a thick beard could be seen standing in front of the newly erected wall of earth that protected the surrounding area. It was there that this figure stood and maintained the stone wall until the lava flow ceased. Thanks to this small figure, the grasslands and Jibril were saved from any further disaster. The people of Jibril were unaware of what had happened, but were able to breathe a sigh of relief now that they were saved from the lava. Despite the violent and sudden eruption, the pyroclastic cloud wasn't as deadly and fast moving as most would expect and didn't pose a threat. The only thing they had to deal with was the ash that now rained down on them. Melphi took the time to scan across the lava fields and was able to confirm that the lava flows have been contained. Once she was able to do that, she flew off back to town to meet up with the others, where she had hoped that they made it back safely.

To be continued…