Two days later, before the sun had peaked in the sky, the trio stopped to overlook a valley running across their path. Within the narrow valley sat a sparkling lake being fed by a waterfall spilling off the cliffs to the north and drained by a small stream bleeding through a crevice in the rock on the east side. It was beautiful to behold, but what drew Dart's attention was the strange structure perched atop a small island that jutted above the center of the lake.

The shrine was carved from gray stone that shone almost white in the bright sun, and it was surrounded by massive oak and maple trees, nearly hiding the building from their view. From the south side of the island, a long bridge of the same design stretched across the water, meeting the valley half a mile from where the dragoons sat on their horses.

"I can't believe it's real," muttered Dart. "I honestly didn't expect to find it."

"And what a grand showcase," added Lavitz. "I wonder who the shrine is for. Rose, do you know anything about it?"

She shook her head. "I've been here before, but it's been a long time."

"Where would the plant be?" said Dart, thinking aloud.

"I say we start by going into the shrine itself," replied Lavitz. "If they're anywhere, that would be the place. If we don't find any, then maybe we can try circling the lake after."

Nodding, Dart urged his horse forward, eager to find the plant and head back to Shana. Rose and Lavitz followed, and soon enough, they were at the end of the bridge dismounting.

"The horses will stay, right?" he asked Lavitz.

"Most likely. Unless something spooks them again, like a virage."

"Not funny."

Lavitz chuckled as they stepped onto the bridge. Upon getting a closer look, Dart noticed that the stones had been weathering in the exposed environment for quite some time. Their faces were rough and uneven, forcing Dart to carefully place each foot so that he did not trip and fall. Even so, he sped along as quickly as he dared.

Several great arches passed over them as they walked along the bridge, each one stretching several feet above their heads. Faint sounds of water lapping against rock eased by them periodically as they passed over the bridge supports, but all else was eerily silent. Something about this place put Dart on edge, and his left hand settled on his sword hilt.

At long last, they reached the end of the bridge, where another archway towered over them. Dart started to pass under it, but Lavitz called out.

"Come look at this!"

Dart retreated and followed his gaze up to the arch, where he now saw an old relief carving. The many years of being beaten by wind and rain had made it appear faded and misshapen, but he thought that he could see evidence of some sort of animal: a head, legs, and a tail.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's a white silver dragon," replied Rose as she studied the image.

Eyeing the carving, Dart had no idea how Rose could possibly have been able to tell what it was. Perhaps what could be taken as wings sat above the creature, but there were no other distinguishing characteristics; they had been lost through time.

"That book I got that talked about the shrine said something about white silver dragons," he said. "Their magic is what made the dragoni plant grow, I think. So, if there's a dragon here, maybe we'll be able to find the plant, too!"

"I doubt there's an actual dragon," said Rose sharply.

"Let's go find out!" said Lavitz.

He and Dart charged through the archway, and their boots hit the soft, verdant ground of the island. They paused and glanced around at the trees that dappled them with shade, their trunks several feet thick. Nestled among them was the building they'd seen from afar. Up close, it looked like a temple, with grand pillars supporting the roof that came to a high peak. The shrine was open on three sides, and the far wall was decorated with more relief carvings. In the center of the building was a tomb, a small structure whose doors had not been opened in centuries.

"I wonder who this was built for," muttered Dart as he looked around at the strange architecture.

"I was guessing that it was the last white dragon," replied Lavitz. "But that tomb is way too small for one."

"Not a dragon… Her name was Shirley," inserted Rose from behind them. "I heard a legend once that she was a human reincarnation of a white silver dragon and had a similar healing ability. They say that one who lives in this shrine will never die."

"Where did you hear this?" asked Lavitz, eyes narrowed. "I've never heard of this place before, and I've traveled all over Serdio for many years. As a matter of fact, I'm not entirely convinced that some kind of magic hasn't kept this place hidden for a long time."

As Rose meandered toward one of the large oaks, she said, "Just hearsay."

"If what you said were true, this place would be swarming with people."

"Funny you should say that."

She pointed past the tree, and Dart and Lavitz ran over to peek around. There amid a pile of stones were the smoldering ashes of an extinguished fire.

"Someone's here," muttered Dart as he drew his sword. "We should split up. Look for the plant, and then we can get out."

"Watch out!" yelled Rose, and she grabbed his arm and jerked him backward as a whistling sound rushed past him. Then an arrow landed where he'd stood a second before, and he turned a surprised eye up to see a short man nestled twenty feet up in the branches, loading another arrow into a shortbow.

"We're not here to fight you!" called Dart, but another arrow already sailed through the air.

A stream of air blustered across the island and deflected the arrow into the tree. Throwing his hand out, Dart summoned a tiny ball of fire that streaked through the air and struck the man in the chest. He fell out of the tree, thumped to the ground, and did not move.

"Are there any others?" asked Dart, glancing around nervously.

"I don't see any, but that doesn't mean anything," replied Lavitz. "Bandits are good at hiding."

"Let's split up and look around for the plant," repeated Dart. "Then we can search for bandits while we're at it."

"I'll stay and watch this one," added Rose as she drew her sword and neared the unconscious man.

With a frustrated sigh, Dart nodded, glanced at Lavitz and then began searching north along the shore of the island. He was impressed to find quite the arrangement for their new acquaintance; the bandit had set up fishing nets and tanning racks along the shore, and a sturdy tent was attached to the shrine's walls, the floor laced with multiple skins and furs. It seemed that he'd been living here for a long time, and Dart wondered if there was any reason beyond the basic shelter that the shrine provided.

As he walked, he scanned the ground for any sign of a silvery plant with dark red stripes, and he saw a surprising diversity of flora, but nothing so unique as the dragoni plant. Ivy climbed up the crumbling walls of the shrine, and a bush in full bloom boasted pink petals that faced the north side of the lake. Moss had taken to the ground on the northwest side of the shrine, and several berry bushes were beginning to push out tiny buds that would bloom in the coming months. But nothing was a dragoni plant.

In a huff, he reached Lavitz on the west side of the island and reported his findings.

"Me, too," frowned Lavitz. "No bandits, no dragoni, no nothing."

"Why did we come here?" spouted Dart as his eyes well with tears. He turned away from Lavitz and looked out at the lake, waiting for the tears to subside. "We could be spending this time with Shana."

"You wouldn't have been able to rest if you hadn't come. You know that."

"But at least I could have been there!" he snapped as he spun and marched toward Rose. "She's all alone, and she's dying!"

Dart wiped his eyes and approached Rose, who was leaning over the bandit with the tip of her rapier resting on his chest.

"Please," muttered the bandit, and Dart noticed that he hadn't even twitched during their survey.

"Then tell me why you're here," growled Rose, her face turned to a livid scowl.

"I protect the shrine from the likes of you!"

"Likely story. You're here for something else, aren't you?"

"Don't assume to know my reasons."

"Very well," said Rose as she drew back her arm.

"Wait!" called Lavitz, rushing forward and drawing Rose's attention. "He didn't do anything wrong. He doesn't deserve to die."

"He's a bandit," snapped Rose. "We don't know why he's here. Maybe he tried to break into the tomb."

Lavitz glanced into the building. "It doesn't look broken to me."

Rose glared at the bandit for several long seconds before turning suddenly and marching through the pillars with Lavitz trailing after her.

"Let's see for ourselves," she muttered.

Hesitating, Dart turned back to the bandit, who was now reaching for his legs but couldn't seem to push himself off the ground. He patted his hips and closed his eyes in resigned grief, gritting his teeth even as tears welled in his eyes.

"You can't feel them, can you?" asked Dart tentatively.

"What's it to you? Just kill me already and get this over with."

"I didn't mean—"

"Kill me or leave me to die," he snarled. "It doesn't matter."

"Dart!" called Lavitz, and he turned to see the pair eyeing the wall on the far side of the shrine. With a forlorn glance at the bandit, he shook his head and trotted over before taking in the relief.

Taking up most of the wall was a carving of a woman wreathed in light. She held her hands out, offering a gift to those below her. Above her head, flying through the sky, was a slender and gentle dragon, unlike the tough, muscular Feyrbrand.

"Is this Shirley?" asked Dart.

"Yes," replied Rose sadly.

"And look at this," added Lavitz, pointing at the tomb itself.

Turning, Dart saw another carving: a circular eye, slit vertically like a serpent, casting light in every direction.

"A dragon's eye?"

"Most likely," nodded Rose. "Take out your dragoon spirits."

Despite their confusion, Dart and Lavitz complied, and the same moment that all three spirits were exposed, the tomb itself began to shine with radiant, white light. The light grew brighter and brighter, and Dart could hear the bandit screaming something, and then the light disappeared.

"Dragoons have descended on this place," said a voice behind them.

Dart and Lavitz spun in their fright only to behold a woman draped in silvery cloth. Her hair was a fiery red, and her eyes were kind and gentle. She clasped her hands before her as she took them in, eyeing the now dully glowing dragoon spirits in their hands, and as she moved, her image shimmered as if they were beholding a reflection on water.

"I had begun to think they would never return to this world," she added with a smile. "Whether this bodes good or ill, I cannot say."

"Shirley," said Rose flatly. "It's been a long time."

"Rose," replied Shirley with a smile. "It certainly has. I am glad to see you with friends this time."

"Can you help us?" blurted Dart as he took a step forward.

"No!" came a cry from near the shore. "Shirley, no!"

There, the bandit was dragging himself toward them with his arms, his legs following behind uselessly. Shame swept over Dart, and he turned away even as Shirley took several steps toward the bandit.

"What happened?" she demanded.

"It was an accident," said Dart quietly.

Glittering in the sunlight, she ran to the bandit and knelt beside him. Placing a hand on his face, she beheld him with pity.

"Drake, I'm sorry that this happened," she said.

"Don't give it to them, Shirley," pleaded Drake, weeping as he looked into her eyes. "You can't sustain yourself without it."

"Oh, hush," she replied, though her tone was gentle and playful. "It is you that cannot be sustained should it leave."

Bewildered, Dart pressed forward again, ready to be rid of this confusion and on the road to Shana.

"Can you help us?" he repeated. "Our friend is sick, and she—" His voice caught, and he looked down as Shirley stood to face them with a concerned expression.

"She's been poisoned," affirmed Lavitz. "She's… dying."

"Poisoned?" asked Shirley.

"A jade dragon," added Rose.

Then Shirley smiled. "They still cling to existence."

"Just barely."

"Forget the dragon," spat Dart. "Shana is dying, and we need dragoni plant to save her!"

Shirley's frown disappeared, and she watched Dart carefully. "Your soul is in turmoil," she whispered. "Your grief is… unbounded." Dart swallowed and clenched his jaw. "I am afraid to say that the dragoni plant no longer exists."

All at once, Dart felt that he could not breathe. His jaw trembled, and he turned away from them, trying to hide his tear-filled eyes, and he placed a hand over his mouth as he realized that there was nothing they could do. Shana was going to die.

Then a soft hand touched his shoulder, the contact so light that Dart thought he'd imagined it. Sniffing, he turned around to see Shirley watching him with compassionate eyes that searched him. A tear fell to the ground, and she wiped his cheek.

"You love her."

Unable to reply, Dart merely watched. Then, Shirley glanced down at the red gem still clasped tightly in his hand.

"If dragoons have emerged again, then perhaps it is time," she muttered to herself. Then louder, she added, "There may yet be a way to save her."

The ember of hope rekindled within him, and he said, "I'll try anything."

With a wave of her hand, Shirley held out her palm wherein appeared a white gem – exactly like Dart's except in color. It glowed with a soft, warm light like what had radiated from the tomb earlier, and Dart instinctively reached toward it.

"A dragoon spirit?" he said.

Retracting her hand, Shirley stepped back from him, and the dragoon spirit disappeared.

"Not just any dragoon spirit. The dragoon spirit of the white silver dragon, filled with healing power. The magic held within it can cure any hurt or illness. It should be able to cure dragon's poison as well."

"We'll try anything," confirmed Dart.

"As you can imagine, this is not something that I can hand over to just anyone, even if that person is a dragoon. Drake here has kept it safe for centuries now, fending off those who have come to try to steal it from me. None have proved worthy of it."

"Centuries?" said Lavitz. "So, it's true? One who lives here lives forever?"

Shirley nodded. "Although, the dragoon spirit is selective. When he came, I sensed Drake's heart and appeared to him and tested him. Afterward, the spirit seemed to accept him as its guardian, and he has lived here ever since, not aging, not dying."

"Will his legs be restored then, in time?" asked Dart.

"I cannot say… But if it were so, it would only be possible if the spirit remained here with me. Take it with you, and he is doomed to remain this way until his body decays into death."

"We can bring it back, once Shana is healed," said Lavitz.

Shirley smiled. "We will see. Show me your hearts, and I will decide whether you are worthy."

"How do we—"

Dart was interrupted when Shirley clapped her hands once, cracking the air as Dart was blinded by a flash. A second later, he was surrounded in darkness, as if the world around him had vanished.

"Lavitz! Rose!"

No reply or echo came from the still silence.

Just as he began to panic, a sliver of light shone from the far distance, and he ran toward it. It grew larger and larger until the world came to light around him, and he spun in confusion to see himself back in Seles, just as he remembered it from his youth. In awe, he gazed at the buildings and their thatched roofs and saw people milling about on the dirt paths. Laughter echoed in his mind, and he turned to see the distant fields, the wheat green and lush, swaying in the early summer breeze. Two children ran among the stalks, and he thought he recognized them.

He sprinted after them, determined to confirm their identities, and as he spilled into the field, he saw them cross his vision once more. The girl was laughing, only six or so, giggling as her brown hair bounced around her face. The boy was older but still full of youth as he chased her and laughed. He held a stick aloft, brandishing it like a sword.

Smiling, Dart watched as they played, both full of joy and devoid of grief. Their souls were free.

The environment shifted, and he turned to see that he was now in a forest. The children stood before him, but they were older now. The girl splashed in the puddles of a creek while the boy sat on a nearby log and watched, his eyes ever focused on the distance. A twig snapped, and he jerked to attention, scanning the trees for movement. The boy jumped when he beheld a snake slithering through the underbrush, and he leapt off the log when its tail began to rattle.

"Shana, we have to go," he urged with fearful eyes. "Quick, let's go home."

Heeding his words, the girl turned and ran.

Dart followed them, but when he finally caught up to them, they stood at the edge of the trees near Seles. They were older again, the boy now a young man with a crude sword at his hip. The girl looked down as adults bid the boy goodbye, and then as he walked away into the trees, she began to cry. He looked back at her, but then he slipped away.

Then he was near a small camp in a mountainous forest, and he saw the boy even older. He was enraged, flailing around with his sword, hacking at the vines and bushes, screaming in his anger. Then when his tantrum was over, he fell to the ground and wept.

Sadness came over Dart to see himself this way. He recalled that day – his last attempt to find the Black Monster had ended in failure. It was not long after that he'd abandoned his chase in favor of mercenary work.

Someone came alongside him, and he sensed that it was Shirley, but he did not turn to see her. Instead, he remained focused on the grieving boy in front of him.

"Your life has been defined by two things," said Shirley. "From your youth, you have always protected Shana. But you have always been filled with rage at the deaths of your parents. For a long while, you have warred between these two drives. For twelve years, Shana kept you from hunting the Black Monster. For five years after that, the Black Monster kept you from Shana. Now, you finally have a chance to make a proper decision."

She turned to him, and he finally tore his eyes off his younger self and watched Shirley. She held her hand out to the side, and he turned to see a glimpse of the clinic at Lohan. There, in one of the beds lay Shana, unconscious and pale. Pain sprung into his heart, and he ached to be next to her.

Shirley held out her other hand, and he turned back to the forest only to find that it had changed into a pit of darkness, a deep void within which something stirred. Deep within him, he knew that it was the Black Monster. Black flame sprung up at its heart, and the monster growled, inviting him to face it. Rage built within him, and his soul was overcome with a desire to kill the beast and avenge his parents. If only he could reach it, he was certain that dragoon fire could bring it to its end.

"To choose Shana is to abandon your hatred and anger," said Shirley. "To choose to fight the Black Monster is to abandon Shana to her death."

As tears ran down his face, Dart looked back and forth, feeling pulled in both directions. But then, as he watched Shana's peaceful body fight to breathe, his decision was made.

"Killing the Black Monster won't bring my parents back," he whispered. "But I can still save Shana. I can't lose her, too." He looked forcefully down at Shirley. "I can't lose her, too."

Shirley smiled. "Then the decision is made. You choose life and the future, rather than the death in the past. Your father would be proud." He started, and she placed a gentle hand on his face. "You look so much like him," she added.

"You knew my father?" he called, but she had already stepped back, and when she clapped again, the visions vanished, leaving him in darkness again. Then all at once, as if he had just opened his eyes from a strange dream, he was back in the shrine with Lavitz and Rose beside him.

Overcome, he collapsed, his knees and palms pressed against the gray stone as he panted heavily. The vision had drained him, and fatigue had filled his joints. Beside him, Lavitz and Rose also struggled to regain their strength, and it was several moments until they had all stood, breathing heavily as they faced Shirley.

"I must say that I am impressed," beamed Shirley. "I had hoped that the new dragoons would be people of integrity, and I have not been disappointed. You have each shown me what is most important to you, and for this, I will grant you my dragoon spirit on one condition."

"What is it?" asked Lavitz.

"Heal Drake with it first."

"Why can't you do it?" asked Dart, and Lavitz threw him an irritated look.

The gem appeared in Shirley's hand again as she looked at it, and she said, "I am its master, but I cannot draw its power without a physical form."

She held the spirit out to Dart, who accepted it with a grateful nod. As it touched him, he could sense the great swirls of energy that resided within, but there was a veil between them. Unlike his own dragoon spirit, this one was reserved, hiding itself from him.

"How am I supposed to do anything with it?" he asked. "I can't… It won't let me use it."

"Do you feel the connection between it and your own?"

As Dart held the dragoon spirits next to each other, they both shined in their joy to be so close. He almost felt their happiness, and for a moment, it seemed as though they were communicating. Then a stream of light passed between them, and all at once, Dart could feel the magic of the white silver dragoon spirit.

"I feel it," he marveled. "How is this possible?"

"Who can explain the connection among dragoon spirits?" laughed Shirley. "Now come, let's heal my stalwart protector."

They moved over to Drake the bandit, who had rolled onto his back again and was weeping, his tears falling into the soft earth.

"Shirley, please, don't do this," he pleaded. "You can't let them take it."

"The decision has been made," she replied sternly.

Frowning, Dart stood over Drake and held the dragoon spirits before him as Shirley placed a hand on his shoulder. All at once, as if Shirley's touch had unlocked it, the healing magic presented itself to Dart for his use, and he tugged at it lightly with his mind. The dragoon spirit shone brighter, and he pulled harder, and then beams of light showered down onto Drake. The bandit flinched and covered his face, and then a moment later, the light disappeared, and Dart stepped back.

Hesitantly, Drake tapped his leg with his arm again before laughing and leaping to his feet. But his joy was short-lived, and he turned to Shirley with pleading eyes.

"If you give it away, I'll never see you again," he said.

"Drake, my spirit will not fade so quickly as that," replied Shirley gently. "I will persist beyond you. You may remain here as long as you wish, but you will begin to age again."

"I will stay," said Drake stalwartly. "I will not let others plunder your shrine."

"Even if there is nothing left to plunder?"

"Even so."

Shirley nodded. "Very well." Then she turned to the others. "Dragoons have returned to the world," she repeated. "It seems that the gears of fate turn yet again. Go, heal Shana, and become what is necessary. I suspect… that you will not return here."

"We'll do as we promised," insisted Lavitz. "We will bring the spirit back."

Holding up a hand, Shirley said, "If the dragoon spirit wishes to return, you may do so."

"What does that mean?" asked Dart.

With a smile, Shirley turned to Rose.

"Rose, my friend, I will miss you. I hope that our paths cross again in the future."

"As do I, Shirley."

"Until that time, you must continue on your journey. But do not forget what you fight for. Don't let it pass you by."

After a moment, Rose nodded, and Shirley stepped back from them.

"Until our paths cross again," she said. Then her body began to shift and shimmer and glow, and a moment later, she disappeared.

In the silence that followed, Dart dared to smile as he clenched both dragoon spirits tightly in his hands. His connection to the white silver spirit had dissipated, but he was confident now that it would be able to heal Shana, even if all three of them had to coax it to do so.

"Let's get back to Lohan," said Lavitz with a grin.

Placing both dragoon spirits in the small leather pouch, Dart tucked them away for safekeeping. He felt their warmth in his chest as he and his companions left the shrine after passing an awkward farewell to Drake.

As they rode away into the mountains, Dart felt hope inside him.

I can save her, he rejoiced. I can save her.