The Black Dragons had successfully repelled the Eye of the Midnight Sun, a notorious group of dark wizards, but their headquarters were in ruins.

"We've managed to fend them off, but our hideout is in ruins. What's our next move?" Grey asked, her voice filled with urgency.

"We won't be inviting those guests back again," said Gordon.

"Hmm, Henry, are you sure you can't fix the hideout?" Grey asked, looking at him, who was currently sitting on the rubble.

Henry shook his head. "Not now, my magic is all spent."

"What are we going to do, Gaspard?" Grey asked.

Gaspard, undeterred by the chaos, was busy digging through the rubble. "I'm not doing anything until I find my Marie treasures! Now, where did they go?"

"Crush to bits, I bet, into tiny little pieces," said Henry.

"If you're going to piss me off, at least hurry up!" Gaspard snapped. "And while you're at it, get down here and help me, would you?"

"You sure?" Henry asked.

"Get your big slow-talking mop head off that wall right now!" Gaspard demanded.

"Hmm, Gaspard, wait," said Grey.

"I wouldn't recommend that, actually," said Gordon.

Gaspard ignored them and glared up at Henry. "Hurry up!"

"You know…" said Henry.

"Whatever it is, I don't care!" Gaspard snapped. "Get down here!"

"Okey dokey," said Henry and jumped down off the wall.

Grey and Gordon quickly retreated, their fear palpable as they put as much distance between them and Gaspard as possible.

"Was that so hard?" Gaspard asked, but then he suddenly collapsed as he felt his magic power shooting straight out of him.

"When Henry gets too close to someone, he sat all their power away," Grey explained.

"We try to warn you, Gaspard," said Gordon.

Once Gaspard had finally recovered from his magic being drained away, he continued digging through the rubble until he eventually found a chest.

"I found it!" he said.

He then quickly opened it and inside was a picture of Marie, a letter and a doll.

"Thank goodness you're safe," he said, pulling out the doll. "And look, there's not a scratch on you, not even a speck of—" He noticed a small smack of dirt on the doll's right cheek. "You've been tainted! I'll kill them all! The Eye of the Midnight Sun is dead!"

"How are you going to do that? They're all gone?" Henry asked.

"Shut up, or I'll kill you while I'm at it!" Gaspard snapped.

He then tried to create a pair of mirrors to surround Henry, but no sooner had they appeared than they disappeared as his magic was depleted.

"I'll behave," Henry promised.

"Give me my magic back!" he demanded.

"Nope. Can't."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"I can't."

"I'm worried, though," said Grey. "The Eye of the Midnight Sun said they came here looking for something a member, but we still don't know what that is or what it might do."

"Probably just a bluff," said Gaspard, looking at his doll, earning himself a nosebleed. "The only thing worth anything here is my Marie merchandise."

"You don't think they were coming from my dolls," said Gordon as he cradled his dolls in his arms.

"I don't think so, guys," said Grey.

"Well, if there was something viable here, then it must be…" said Gaspard, thinking about the other members of the Black Dragons.

"What do you mean?" Grey asked.

"Is it me?" Gordon asked.

"Forget it all right," said Gaspard, looking slightly embarrassed. "Whatever this is about, Captain Hiccup can figure it out once he decides to come back."

"I hope so," Grey cried.

"Such unlucky timing, too," Gaspard frowned. "'Don't let the place get overrun by robbers,' he said. Is he psychic?"

Hiccup was at the Golden Dawn headquarters waiting for Vangeance, but he had been waiting for hours, and there was no sign of him. Toothless was sleeping by his feet, and the twins were fidgeting in the corner.

Other members of the Golden Dawn were aware of their presence.

"Isn't that the captain of the Black Dragons?"

"What's he doing here?"

"Waiting for Captain Vangeance, I heard."

"He's been sitting there forever though."

"Same with his subordinates."

"Should we say hello or something?"

"Those twins look pissed. You go."

"No, you."

Hiccup's eyes turned towards them. "What are you gawking at?"

They immediately shuffled away, and then two senior Golden Dawn members approached with a teapot.

"Captain Hiccup, sir. Would you care for some more tea?"

"Our captain has better things to do than drinking tea!" Ruffnut scolded.

"Yeah, you are giving him so much tea he'll drown himself in it!" Tuffnut nodded.

Hiccup raised his hand to calm them down and looked at the senior Golden Dawn members. "I was under the impression that you'll captain invited me here to apologise, but instead, he's been keeping me waiting. How much longer does he think I can wait?"

"I'm sure he'll be here as soon as possible."

"Here's some tea in the meantime," he said, pouring a cup of tea.

"I'm getting quite sick of tea," said Tuffnut.

"You and me both," said Ruffnut.

Hiccup folded his arms. "Without our portal user, getting here was rather inconvenient. I'll be frank, I know examination battles can get pretty intense, but that Vice Captain of yours went off the rails."

"Yeah, he busted Finral up so badly he's still in a coma!" Ruffnut nodded.

"And then he tried to kill him when he was flat on the ground," said Tuffnut.

"Additionally, your Vice Captain was brought in for questioning, but so far, they haven't got any bit of information from him," said Hiccup. "Personally, I think if your captain had any manners, he would come to my base instead of the other way around."

"And then he's been keeping us waiting all day," said Tuffnut.

"Yeah, you know how boring it is hanging around here?" Ruffnut asked.

"We simply cannot apologise enough for how Vice Captain Langris behaved. That aside, I assure you that Captain Vangeance is trustworthy."

"He's a man of tremendous integrity as well. Whatever his reason for making you wait, I know that he would never be intentionally discourteous."

"Please, sir, just a bit longer."

"Have faith in the captain."

Hiccup sighed as he looked out the window. "Yeah, I know. You don't have to tell me twice."

At the Royal Capital, Fishlegs entered Julius' office.

"Julius, sir. Are you in here, sir? I need to speak with you," he said, but then he discovered that Julius was nowhere to be seen. "I take my eyes off him for one second, and he runs off. Why can't he show responsibility for one sees the Wizard King? I would love to complain about this massive pile of work he left, but my Transmission Magic isn't getting through."

Julius was outside, standing atop the castle and looking towards the sunset.

'Right now, I'm sure the Royal Knights are fighting the final battle against the Eye of the Midnight Sun deep within their hideout. Of course, I would love to swoop in and join them, but I've been watching them long enough to know they'll be fine on their own.

'Their power and desire to keep this nation safe will not fail them. I only merely have to offer them my faith, even from afar. Besides, Fishlegs would be furious if I left. I have my duty to attend to here and now, after all.'

He then heard footsteps, but he knew exactly who it was.

"How unusual for you to come to speak to me like this," Julius said, turning to face Vangeance. "What is the occasion, William?"

"First, I must thank you for taking the time to indulge in my selfish request," he said as he removed his mask. "From the start, you have acknowledged me for my worth, even though my appearance is strange. When I met you, my entire future opened up before me.

"I was raised as a cursed child in a poor village in the Forsaken Realm. I suffered such cruel treatment, even from the family where I've been welcomed as a nobleman successor, but then you showed me kindness. You showed me respect. You invited me to become a Magic Knight."

He then looked down at his mask. "When you gifted me this gift and allowed me to join your order, everything became certain to me. I would dedicate my grimoire to you and your cause. It's been 11 years, and my settlement hasn't changed. I respect no one in this world as much as you."

"Where did all this phrase come from?" Julius asked.

"I climbed the ranks bit by bit until I became a Magic Knight Captain. Guided by my mana, I selected talented squad members to create the Golden Dawn. As thanks for the kindness you showed me, I built the strongest squad of Magic Knights that I could assemble. I did that for you… …but also for someone else who is equally dear to me.

"A friend who has always been by my side, one that I've known even longer than you. And now, unfortunately, I am faced with two loved ones who desired two very different paths. I am torn between the dream we fought for and the dream of my dear friend. I've known from the start that I couldn't possibly choose between you. So, now that decision must fall upon your shoulders."

Certainly, his hair grew even longer, and the scars on his face faded until he bought a very striking resemblance to Licht.

'His scars,' Julius stared.

"William, my only human friend, I know this was hard for you," said Licht. "I'm grateful. Greetings to you, Wizard King Julius Novachrono. I am the leader of the Eye of the Midnight Sun known as Licht."

"I've dreaded this day, yet here we are," said Julius gravely. "William, I knew you had been hiding something for a long time now, a part of you you can show to anyone, not even me. Hiccup felt the same way and investigated you but couldn't find anything. Perhaps Thuggory saw your true form before his defeat; that must have come as quite a shock for him.

The day the Royal Capital was attacked by the Eye of the Midnight Sun, the profound unease I felt when confronted by Licht. I was struck by the familiar air of his mana. I couldn't help but notice that you made yourself scarce after I injured his hand. Naturally, my suspicions grew, yet I told myself it couldn't be true. I trusted you, after all, but now I've witnessed the truth. You and William are not the same, but rather two souls in one body. In that sense, I suppose I wasn't betrayed."

He then looked at him curiously. "How did you get rid of the scars on your face? It didn't seem to be magic."

"The scars belong only to William, the mark of a curse he inherited from his mother's side of the family," Licht explained. "But even if I shared this body, a human curse has nothing to do with me. In fact, I despise humans. William, of course, is the sole exception. We were able to coexist in the same body after all. He may have been human, but he accepted my feelings. He understood me. My boundless fury, sorrow, hatred and all of it."

"And Hiccup? Why, all accounts, the two of you had a conversation."

"Oh, I do respect him as a worthy at the ceremony, and his theories about my origins, while not close to the truth, were certainly insightful. I can see why William respects him so much, but he chooses to defend this kingdom, which makes him my enemy."

His memories then turned to the ancient past when he and Veto talked to one another as children.

"We're like this bird," he said. "It's not strong, but it can do something special. It can fly. As for us, we have special magic powers that humans envy, so they want to cause us pain. Still, I think we may be able to understand each other better someday."

'How wrong I was,' said Licht bitterly.

A few years passed, and Licht sat beside Tetia and began talking about her brother.

"I admit I was a bit surprised; I didn't think your brother would feel the same way as me," he said.

"We both feel strongly about it," said Tetia. "I know it won't happen overnight, but I hope elves in humans can live in harmony. If not, what we do?"

"Don't worry, we're proof that it can happen, right?" Licht encouraged.

"Yeah," she smiled.

"If only I never met those humans," said Licht, clenching his fists. "All those lives, there's only one way to bring them the justice they deserve: to quench this blazing hatred. I will gather all the magic stones and fulfil our ambitions as last."

Julius frowned. 'So is it revenge he wants against all humanity? But how will he use the stones to accomplish that?'

"William understood my suffering; that's why he set up this little meeting between us," said Licht. "I believe the remaining stones are in your possession?"

"We thought that would be the safest course of action," said Julius.

Licht then began to tie his long hair in a ponytail. "I will obtain those stones now and bring our hopes to fruition."

"I understand," said Julius, talking to William. "You have always had such a kind heart. Your dear friend is in pain, and you would do anything to ease his suffering, wouldn't you, William? But you must be suffering as well, and just as your friend relies on you, you can rely on me. I am always on your side, which is why I will end this, no matter what."

Licht then opened his grimoire. "You may believe what you like, but his heart and mind are one on this matter. Now, Wizard King, I think it is time for you to die. As the most powerful mage in this nation, you must bear its sins. The crimes committed by its people will be paid for in your blood. Light Creation Magic: Light Swords of Conviction!"

He then conjured his light blades and sent them flying straight at Julius.

"Mana Zone: Chrono Stasis Grigora!" said Julius.

His time balls suddenly appeared, catching the blades before they even reached him, which surprised Licht.

"Light Magic may be fast, faster than other magics certainly, but that's not to say there's no defence against it," said Julius.

Licht then created more swords of light. "Very good, but even that has its limits."

He then sent his swords flying even faster than before, but once again, Julius was able to block it with his magic.

'This man's magic controls the flow of time,' said Licht as he observed. 'Slowing it down to a crawl or to bind someone in place. Or speeding up to cause ages of deterioration instantly. A single strike could result in my death, but the hand of fate is in my favour. I was born a wielder of Light Magic, and unlike any other form in this world, light will not yield even before time. Light Creation Magic: Light Whip of Judgement!'

He then created his light and swung it straight at Julius but quickly dodged it. He continued to follow Julius but kept avoiding it, moving at blinding speed, making it look like he disappeared and reappeared randomly.

Fishlegs and the rest of the staff in the castle feel the place shaking.

"What's happening?"

Fishlegs had no idea, but he didn't like it.

Licht continued swinging his whip, extending it as far as possible, but Julius was too fast. He unleashed another volley of light blades but still couldn't hit him. Julius flew alongside the castle walls, staying ahead of the attack, but Licht fired a volley right in front of him, forcing him to fly upwards.

He continued firing a volley of light blades, but Julius kept dancing. Seen his opportunity, Licht immediately launched himself into the air, swinging the sword of light. Julius saw the attack coming and skilfully dodged the attacks, firing a volley of time balls at him.

Licht quickly flew out of the way just before the expanded and exploded. 'He's combining Mana Zone with a spell that speeds up time in his vicinity. By accelerating time with the mana surrounding him, he can see how it's going to flow. Thereby proceeding with the tiniest portion of the future and predicting my attacks. Be that as it may, I won't be overtaken so easily.'

He then created a light sword and moved even faster than before, appearing directly behind Julius. Then, before he had a chance to make any move, he swung his sword, creating a gash across his chest.

The two of them then landed on the battlement wall, and Julius was clutching his chest; blood was pouring out of the wound.

"To slow," said Licht. "Even if you see into the future, you can only evade my attack so quickly. I imagine it's been quite some time since you've suffered an injury like that."

"Very true," said Julius, looking at the blood on his hand. "I've extinguished the futures of countless people in battle, but it's been ages since I see my own blood."

"Even magic that controls time itself seems to have a limit," Licht noticed.

"Actually, I don't control time so much as I steal it from my target." Licht stared at him in shock as he watched the wound he had just caused on Julius vanish, almost as if it was never there. "This stolen time is stockpiled bit by bit and then used again whenever I so please. Though the cost can be quite great."

'He's turned back time and healed,' Licht stared.

"I have the power to steal the future, but that is not my goal," Julius continued. "Rather, as the Wizard King, I hope to make a future with no discrimination, and I cannot die until I've achieved that."

"That's rich coming from a human," said Licht as he drew out his light whip and swung it at him. "Don't make me laugh!"

He began swinging the whip around, and Julius began moving at blinding speed, just like before.

'At this speed, it'll take all his power just to dodge my magic,' Licht smirked. 'Never mind counter-attacking. He can't even get close to me!'

He took to the sky and flew around Julius, planning to strike him with his sword of light while he was busy dodging the whip.

'It's over!' he said, thrusting the sword at him. However, Julius then suddenly disappeared and reappeared directly behind him. 'His predictions are improving.'

He quickly spun around, swinging the sword, but Julius shattered it with an energy blast.

"I can already see your future, and I can assure you it ends in your defeat," he said as he extended his hand out towards him.