Dak and Adelaide were visiting Leo at the Crimson Lion Kings headquarters, who was watching over Thuggory.

"It's nice of you to stop by, even though we're rivals," said Leo. "According to my sister, the two of you were scrappy enough to be selected for the Royal Knights, which was very impressive."

"Yeah, and we're about to take down the Eye of the Midnight Sun," Dak nodded.

"We're departing in three days," said Adelaide. "Until then, we're staying at the capital to keep info from leaking."

"Gotta," Leo nodded.

Adelaide and looked at Thuggory. "So, uh, how is Thuggry doing?"

"He still unconscious; after the capital was attacked, he was abducted," said Leo, looking at his brother. "They must have done something to him, but we never figured out what it was. Whatever it is, it's bad, though if he were conscious, I know exactly how he would react. He'd say: 'I failed to overpower my opponent because I lack experience.' He then clenched his fist. "Either way, it's not the end for me. I'll train harder and surpass you both; just watch me."

"Oh, Leo," Adelaide smiled.

"I'll get revenge for Captain Thuggory, don't worry about that," Dak vowed. "Unlike most people, he did laugh at my dream of becoming the next Wizard King, even calling me arrival. I am who I am now because Captain Thuggoy believed in me."

"And so I," said Adelaide, remembering what Thuggory told her during the attack on the capital. "What he said helped me to grow stronger."

"Dak! Adelaide! I'm counting on you," said Leo.

"Trust me, we're going to bring peace to the Clover Kingdom," said Dak.

"By stopping the Eye of the Midnight Sun," said Dak and Adelaide.

Leo smiled at them, and they nodded to one another.

"We're going to fight together soon, Leo," Dak promised.

"You're on, Pal," said Leo. "Be careful out there."

"Right," Dak nodded.

"We will be back," said Adelaide.

Snotlout was leaning against the wall outside her the entire conversation and then began to make his leave.

Later that evening, Dak and Adelaide were returning to headquarters.

"So Captain Thuggory and Finral are both unconscious now," said Dak. "I hope they wake up before too long."

"Actually, the way that mana felt before might have something to do with the Eye of the Midnight Sun," said Adelaide, remembering the dark presence emanating from Langris. "We've got to defeat them fast."

"You're right," Dak nodded, folding his arms. "But you know there's something that's been bugging me for a long time now."

Adelaide just stared at him.

"Well, back when I was fighting that big hairy guy," said Dak, remembering his fight with Vetto. "He said that they would never forgive us, that we were fighting because we have a grudge. So, does that mean if we forgive each other, we wouldn't have to find, but who is 'we'?"

"I'm assuming he means the members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun," said Adelaide. "Though the way he talked sounded like he didn't even consider himself human."

"That story that the Queen of Witches told us about the elves. Do you think he was talking about them?"

"It sounds very possible," said a voice.

Dak and Adelaide turned to see Leyla approaching them with Maple, Klaus and Summer by her side.

"Hey, Ley," said Dak.

"Did all of you come here to visit Captain Thuggory too?" Adelaide asked.

"No, I'm afraid not," said Klaus.

He then began talking, but Maple approached Dak.

"We heard most of your conversation. Do you really think it's so easy to forgive?" Maple asked.

Dak shrugged. "I don't know, but clinging onto grudges is not healthy. Captain Hiccup told me that vengeance can go down a treat, but it is short-lived and leaves an emptiness. You always say that vengeance is no plan."

"Sounds like a wise man," said Maple.

"He always does give great advice," said Leyla. "He's given me a few words of advice occasionally."

"He's certainly an unusual character," said Summer.

"Not to mention secretive; we don't even know the identity of his wife," said Dak.

"Back to business," said Klaus, keeping his composure. "The decisive battle is at hand, but you don't seem nervous at all. What will we do if an enemy spy happens to find us out?"

"A spy, huh?" said Dak.

"It is certainly a possibility, after all. Think of the individuals who bribed the Captain of the Purple Orcas and opened up the royal capital to attack. No amount of caution would be unwarranted."

"I guess not," said Adelaide.

"We'll be on guard," said Dak.

Klaus then opened his grimoire. "Anyway, if all of us are heading towards the capital. What a left? We'll take my vessel."

He then created the steel chariot.

"You sure you don't mind?" Dak asked.

"If you insist," said Adelaide.

Unbeknownst to them, something latched onto Dak's shadow.

Later that night, they were at the lodgings of the Royal Knights, and a massive feast had been given to them.

"Yummy," said Dak as he began to stuff his face. "The food is definitely way back in the capital, huh?"

"Oops," said Maple as he brushed some sort of his cheek with a napkin. "You silly, there some source on your face." Maple then suddenly became more flustered and quickly spun around. "I'm so sorry I was far too presumptuous."

"It's cool," Dak smiled. "Thanks a lot."

"Don't stuff your face," said Klaus. "You're supposed to be on alert, remember."

"And you're definitely not supposed to get your face wiped by a… I mean, it's not like I care. Do whatever you want, stupid Dork," said Adelaide, blushing slightly.

"Look, I promise you guys I'm totally on the ball," Dak assured them. "I'm not pigging out. I normally eat twice this much."

"I can vouch for that," said Leyla, rolling her eyes.

Klaus looked around and noticed some of the Royal Knights needed to set a much better example. 'It's not just Dak, they may be talented, but some of the Royal Knights have… issues.'

"Ha, ha, I can't wait to start fighting," said Luck as he began prodding a state with his fork. "I'll pulverise those Midnight Sun guys until they're black and blue."

Gustav noticed that Zora was leaning against the wall, drinking by himself.

'Zora's all by himself,' he frowned. 'He's probably too shy to strike up a conversation. Maybe I can bring him out of his shell.'

He then approached Zora. "Look what I do."

Zora looked up and saw that he was pulling a face to resemble his. "Look, I'm Zora Ideale."

Zora responded by tossing him a rainbow stink bug, which landed on his forehead and began unleashing its thinking substance all over him.

"Gross!" he yelled and fainted.

"Oh no, Captain Gustav!" Fragil panicked and rushed over to help.

"Do none of you worms have any manners," said Carl, turning his head away in disgust. "When you're eating a meal, you're supposed to enjoy it in the most graceful and beautiful fashion you possibly can."

He tried to eat the mushroom, but it scurried away every time he brought his fork towards them. He was slowly starting to lose his patience.

"Running away from my fork because you do not desire me to consume you," he said. "What decidedly unbeautiful thing you are."

En was easy on the opposite end of the table, and his talking mushroom was watching with tears.

"That's my brother, you monster!" the talking mushroom cried.

Hamon then tapped his glass, getting everyone's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, it would seem like Puli would like to entertain us with a song."

Puli then began to sing, but she sounded like a drowning cat, making everyone cover their ears.

"My ears! What's happening?!" Dak cried.

"This is the worst song I've ever heard," said Adelaide.

"I hate to be rude, but I feel the urge to kill someone," said Klaus.

"Shut up already!" Dak pleaded.

Then suddenly, the shadow that was attached to Dak decided to split and scurried off.

"I'll never get any viable intel as long as I'm stuck to him," he said.

On the roof, Mereoleona was looking at the starry night sky when Snotlout joined her.

"Snotlout," she said. "What is it you would like to discuss with me?"

"The fact that we're taking three days to set our plan into motion," said Snotlout. "Is another little too cautious?"

"What are you implying? Do you think I'm some kind of paranoid coward?"

"No. It would appear that my reservations were unfounded."

Mereolenoa smirked. "Somebody is a fast learner. I set a trap to find out the extent to which the enemy knows our movements. Everything is under control. Now, I have a question, too…" She then turned her eyes towards her shadow. "Did you really believe you could deceive me with such an insipid spell?"

Then suddenly, the shadow that had latched onto Dak and was now latching onto Mereoleona's panicked. It then tried to slither away, but Snotlout used his magic to pin him to the ground. As he desperately tried to free himself, Mereoleona walked up and created a flaming paw that lifted him directly out of his own shadow.

"End of the line, spy," she smirked viciously.

The spy was absolutely terrified.

After interrogating the spy, Mereoleona and Snotlout returned to the banquet hall. They explained what had happened to the rest of the Royal Knights.

"He's from the Eye of the Midnight Sun?" Dak gasped.

"Whoa, so they did have spies," said Adelaide.

"What a rotten trick," said En's talking mushroom.

"Hey, you newbie," said Mereoleona, looking at Dak. "Apparently, he chose you to be his can't do it so he could tail us on our mission."

"I can't believe I never noticed that there was something amiss," Klaus cursed. "What an absolute disgrace."

"I've questioned this rodent with an inch of his life, and I concluded the enemy is not yet aware of our activities," said Mereoleona. "Therefore, I have moved up the day of departure, which means we storm their hideout first thing in the morning."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Wait, so soon?" said Fragil.

"But I thought we had three days?" said Puli.

"I want everyone to be at their best, so get plenty of rest tonight, that is all," Mereoleona instructed.

She then walked off with Snotlout, dragging the spy along with her.

"If you asked me, it seems like Captain Mereoleona must've been planning this from the very beginning to leave immediately if she caught an enemy sneaking around," said Ben.

"Well, they do say to fool your enemies first; sometimes, you must begin by fooling your friends," said Ruben.

"But still, we head out in the morning?" said Nils.

Zora chuckled. "That Captain is really something else." His eyes then turned towards Dak. "What's got you upset, punk? Are you starting to get scared?"

"It's the opposite," said Dak. "I want to become the Wizard King so I can bring peace and freedom to the Clover Kingdom. I want everybody to smile. They can't wreck our country; I won't let them."

"I feel exactly the same way," said Leyla.

"Let's do this together, Ley."

"Well, here we go," said Adelaide.

"Right," Maple nodded.

"Tomorrow is the day," said Klaus. "We will finally put an end to all this."

"The Royal Knights…" said Dak.

"… will defeat the Eye of the Midnight Sun!" they yelled in unison.

The next morning, using Cob's Spatial Magic, the Royal Knights found themselves in the Strong Magic region. When they stepped out of the portal, they saw floating rocks; one resembled a fortress, though it was difficult to tell the thick fog covering the area.

"Check that out," said Dak. "It's a floating castle."

"This is it," said Adelaide. "We're at the Eye the Midnight Sun's hideout."

"There are few people who venture into a strong magic area like this one in the first place," said Mereoleona. "And with the added security from a magical mist, even those brave enough to seek would have difficulty finding it."

She then turned her eyes to Snotlout. "Let me guess, that line of thinking is what helped you pinpoint the location, wasn't it, Captain of the Silver Eagles? I must say I'm impressed."

"The discovery was, in fact, nothing but a stroke of luck, I'm afraid," said Snotlout. "I was investigating a dungeon when I discovered the location of their hideout."

"Really?" said Mereoleona, looking at him curiously. "And would you care to tell me your reasoning for coming out here with us?"

"There's hardly time for chitchat," Snotlout rumbled, then turned and looked at Slade. "Slade, I believe your usual spell will work from here?"

"Of course," said Slade and opened his grimoire. "Stone Creation Magic: Stone Model of the World!"

Everyone watched as he created a stone sculpture of the hideout. Once the sculpture was complete, it highlighted the passageway's inside, and several bright lights were present, though one was brighter than the others.

"Awesome," said Dak in awe.

"Yes, I see," said Mereoleona, examining every inch of the model. "This place is structured like an anthill that we could enter from any angle. It should be fairly easy to invade. There are mages wielding senior-level magic power scattered throughout and someone more powerful inside the largest centre space. I would assume that is their leader."

"Yeah, that's Licht, no doubt about it," said Dak.

"Snotlout, sir, what is our battle strategy going to be?" Nils asked.

"I am the Captain of the Silver Eagles, not the Royal Knights," Snotlout reminded him. "That is a question for Mereoleona."

"Oh, right, I'm sorry," said Nils.

"Listen carefully," said Mereoleona, facing them. "The best way to beat them is to cause confusion with a surprise attack. Usually, we would enter separately to keep them from anticipating our moves, but having so many points of entry means the opponent is likely to be confident in their defences. The more spread out we are, the easier it will be for them to overpower us instead. Which means the most logical tactic is…"

"I know," said Dak, raising his hand. "We just have to sign ourselves up to find these guys even harder."

"I'm sure I can handle anything they can throw at me," said Leyla.

"I'll beat them senseless and crush their bones into powder," said Luck.

"I shall use my miraculous power to clear them out in one beautiful swoop," said Carl.

"Please just disappear," said Maple through gritted teeth.

"I'm surrounded by morons," said Adelaide rolling her eyes.

"The balance is key," said Klaus. "If the idea is to break up the numbers and still be able to overcome them, then the best plan is to split into teams of four. Don't you agree, Captain?"

"Wholeheartedly," said Mereoleona. "So, we'll divide into five teams of four and make our move."

"So long as I'm not stuck on the same team as this obnoxious brat, I guess I'll be all right with anything," said Zora, gesturing to Dak.

"Look, just because your mask is cool doesn't mean you get to be rude," Dak glared. "Plus, you're the obnoxious one around here. There again, I don't think anyone is going to want to work with you anyway, so I guess I'll be a nice person and let you be part of my team."

Zora glared at him. "Your changer to once I save your weak ass from certain death."

Mereoleona had enough of their bickering and grabbed their heads with her flaming lion paws.

"You problem children are on my team," she said with an intense glare. "Behave yourselves."

"At your service, Lady Royal; in fact, I hope that you accept this rainbow stink bug as a token of our acquaintance," said Zora, holding out the rainbow stink bug.

Dak stared at him, horrified. "Don't do it!"

Zora ignored him and flicked the bug at Mereoleona, but she easily caught it with her flaming paw. She then slammed the paw into his face, making him sniff the rainbow stink bug.

"Such a feeble odour is not nearly enough to disarm me," Mereoleona smirked.

"Great, but are you sure persons like us will be fit to accompany a lady of your noble staters?" Zora asked, pitching his nose.

Dak blinked. "Whoa, I didn't know you were a peasant just like me."

"Whether a person is a royal or a peasant, social statures doesn't make the least difference to me. What does matter is whether you're strong or weak. And you're both here because you're strong, are you not?"

She just smiled at them. 'Two fools chosen by Hicccp.'

"I hope for your sake you do not disappoint me," said Mereoleona.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Dak nodded.

"Yeah, we'll do our best to return in one piece," said Zora. "Is that good enough for ya?"

"You all should be proud that you were selected to be of Royal Knights," said Mereoleona, looking at all of them. "Now, go use your skills to the fullest!"

Moments later, everyone had been assigned to their respective teams. The first team consisted of Snotlout, Nils, Slade and En. The second team consisted of Carl, Adelaide, Luck and Ben. Team three consisted of Gustav, Puil, Fragil, and Ruben. Team 4 consisted of Leyla, Maple, Klaus and Hamon. The last team consisted of Mereoleona herself, along with Dak and Zora.

"I have assigned your teams," said Mereoleona. "Team 1 will charge from the upper left."

"Yes, Ma'am," said Nils and En.

"Of course," siad Slade.

"Team 2, take the lower left!" Mereoleona instructed.

"Yes, Ma'am!" they said, apart from Carl.

"Team 3, cover the upper right!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" said Team 3.

"Team 4, take the lower right!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" said Team 4.

"And we, three members of Team 5, will attack them head-on," said Mereoleona.

"Ma'am!" said Dak saluting.

Mereoleona then turned to Cob. "Spatial Mage, remain on standby."

"Absolutely, that won't be a problem at all," Cob saluted.

"A team like you should need a fully detailed battle plan," said Mereoleona. "Eliminate any who dare get in your way as you make your way towards the centre. And, of course, the method is up to you. Give it everything you've got, Knights. She then turned towards the fortress. "Here we go!"

Currently inside the hideout, one of the members of the Eye of Midnight Sun was torturing a poor young woman rather surreptitiously. She was currently tied to the wall, and her mouth was gagged.

"You foolish girl," said her capture. "You do know how you got into this mess, don't you? The thing is, you're a resident of the Clover Kingdom, and up until recently, that applied to me, too, but I was a bit different."

He then raised his finger, which suddenly turned into a sharp knife, and he licked his tongue across the flat of the blade.

"You see, Master Licht bestowed upon me my true name," he said as he approached her, and she began screaming frantically. What I mean is we're special, and you're not. That means you're nothing but trash, and so we can treat you however we want."

He then drew the knife closer towards her and then suddenly heard something beneath him. He looked down, and a split second later, Luck smashed through the ground and kicked him right under the chin, knocking him out instantly.

"That was way too easy," said Luck, looking disappointed. "They have stronger guys here, right?"

"I have some beautiful work to do, so try not to pick them all off on your own," said Carl.

Adelaide and untied the poor woman, who gave a sigh of relief.

"Are you all right?" Adelaide asked.

"I can't thank you enough," she said.

The Royal Knights had attacked their entry point simultaneously, no doubt confusing the Eye the Midnight Sun.

"As long as you, when I couldn't care less about how you do it," Mereoleona smiled.

She was now facing three enemy mages, and they were already casting their spells.

"The ants are coming out of the woodwork," she said. "You got some nerves swooping in when I wasn't around and rampaging all over the Royal Capital."

Snotlout and his team were also facing against three enemy mages.

"You might have managed to escape as during that encounter in the cave, but this time, it's different," Snotlout smirked.

"Eye of the Midnight Sun, this is the end for you," said Mereoleona.

"You'll pay right now," said Snotlout and clenched his fist. "This is for my rival…"

Mereoleona clenched her fist. "This is for my brother…"

"Thuggory!" they yelled in unison, charging at the enemy and taking them down within seconds. "Make no mistake, your leader's head will be mine!"

Dak and Zora just stared at the fiery path that Mereoleona created.

"Whoa, crazy," said Dak. "I feel like she doesn't even need our help."

Rhya was now fully awake and was making his way down the corridor. "Apparently, we have a real tricky bunch on our hands. Seeing as Licht isn't around."

A third eye sprouted in the middle of his forehead, burning with pure blue flames.

"This is going to be a pain," he said. "Guess I'm going to suck it up."