Stepping off the boat onto Terapi Island was like stepping into an historical warp. Everywhere Cassandra looked, she saw memories of her first time there. Their crash landing after being swept up in a storm, their first meeting with the island's inhabitants, even their fight with the law enforcing denizens of the deep. Every iota came rushing back into her mind, forcing her to pause and calmly take a mental inventory. She wasn't there to reminisce or even to simply visit. Her unknown destiny weighed heavy on her constitution and she couldn't help but feel that Neclectia was, somehow, connected to it.

She, Fidella, and Owl made a small camp on the beach before heading inland, seeking out the small village that the Lorbs called home. Cassandra's sharp eyes flitted this way and that, trying to remember the path that Alfonse had led them on two years earlier. But with the passage of time comes change, and soon she had to admit that her small party were somewhat locationally challenged. She didn't want to admit that they were lost, but a part of her knew this to be true. So, she breathed deep and decided to rest for a minute on a nearby palm's trunk before making her next decision.

"Ugh…" She said aloud to her animal companions. "What are we doing, guys? I mean, yeah, things have changed, but certainly we can navigate a jungle as…comparatively small as this one, right?"

"Are you lost, freinfloofer?" A recognizably accented voice asked.

Cassandra turned and rolled her eyes. "Hey, Alfonse."

The Lorb leader wasn't alone. Five of his fellow Lorbs stood behind him, making a ladder for him to climb on and see Cassandra eye to eye.

"Ach, you are certainly un strange freinfloofer, aren't you? I mean, not zat ve mind you coming here, but don't you have your own home?"

Cassandra looked down sadly. "Not anymore, I'm afraid…or at least…not for a while."

Alfonse noticed Cassandra's change in emotion. "Ah, I see. Touchy subject."

"No, no, it's not that it's touchy, it's just…I mean…"

"Say no more, my freinfloofer friend," Alfonse said. "While you're here, what's ours is yours."

"Really?" Cassandra asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Last time I was here, you kinda treated me like an animal."

"Zat ve did, zat ve did," Alfonse said. "But zat vas before ve learned just how important you freinfloofers are to ze general vell being of Terapi Island. If it veren't for you, ve vouldn't have any kind of market to generate profit off our crops."

Somehow, this didn't make Cass feel better. "Um, look, Alfonse, I appreciate that you're…more appreciative of humans-er-freinfloofers now, but I didn't just come for a friendly chat. I came looking for some answers."

Alfonse smiled. "Vell, let us return to our village and see if ve can't get you some."

The Lorb leader and his contingent turned and led the way deeper into the jungle. Along the way, Cassandra finally began noticing some extremely familiar sights. They passed the harvesting fields where Pascal, in his rather misguided attempt to attain attention, nearly fought the Fire Fly. Then, there were the caves where tons of Lorb legends, including the one of the infamously poisonous happiness idol, were carved all along the walls. Finally, they came into the village itself and Cassandra was once more awash with memories.

"Ach, I see you are smiling, Cassandra," Alfonse said, noticing her facial expression.

"Yeah…you know, at first, I was a little…worried about returning. But now that I'm here, I'm not all that concerned anymore."

"You know you are safe here, fair freinfloofer," Alfonse said. "Zere's nozing zat can harm you."

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing can harm me," Cassandra said. "I mean, there were those mermen warriors…and the Fire Fly…and that idol-you know what? Just forget it. I didn't come here to give Terapi a safety inspection. I came for answers…and you said you might have some."

"Zat all depends on ze question you're asking, Cassandra," Alfonse said.

Cassandra looked around. All of the Lorbs in the village were intently staring at her. She knew that humans were considered interesting, if unintelligent, creatures. However, the manner in which their small eyes pierced the air was unnerving. It was as if they were all collectively holding their breath in anticipation of something massive. But she had other ideas. She knew that she could never get all the answers she needed in front of such a large crowd. So, she asked Alfonse if there was a spot for them to speak in private.

"Of course, dear freinfloofer," Alfonse said kindly. "Follow me."

He led her over to a quiet section of the village, past all the Lorb huts. It was a gentle, peaceful place, where the trees stooped ever so slightly. It was just leafy enough to offer shade from the sun during the day, yet it remained open enough so as to allow the moon's guiding light to shine through at night. A small lagoon opened up before them, fed by a waterfall that seemed to almost tiptoe over the rocks.

"Wow…" Cassandra breathed.

"Indeed," Alfonse said. "I often come here vhen I am feeling a bit down in ze dumps. It has a vay of soozing ze soul, don't you zink?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yeah, soothing's definitely the right word for it."

"But, enough of aesthetic pride," Alfonse said, scrambling onto a nearby rock to face Cass squarely. "What are you seeking, my dear?"

"I…I don't really know," Cassandra confessed. "But I do know it starts with some place called Neclectia."

Suddenly, Alfonse's face seemed to go pale with fear. His eyes, small as they were, appeared to shrink into his leafy face. He gulped, kneading his hands together and looking as if the entire world was going to crumble down around him. Quickly, he darted off the rock towards the waterfall, sitting down next to it and speaking something in his native tongue that Cassandra couldn't quite make out. He breathed deeply and returned to the rock, pushing his arms out and back as if to try and ward off some great evil.

"Zat's better," he said. "I'm so sorry, Cassandra, but…it's just…ze kingdom of Neclectia hasn't been spoken of on zis island for centuries! It's…forbidden!"

"Forbidden? Why?" Cassandra asked.

"I really shouldn't be telling you zis, but I trust you…zat and I believe you are strong enough to handle ze truth of Neclectia."

"Well, I mean, Calliope back at The Spire spoke of its founding, but…"

"Ach, so you know of ze Equisians, zen?"

Cass nodded.

"Vell…ze story doesn't exactly end zere. You see, my dear, five hundred years ago, ze Lorbs first came to zis island. It vas bountiful and lush, just as it is now…but it vasn't alvays ze peaceable, vonderful place zat ve've come to know. A few years after ze Lorbs migrated to Terapi, it vas attacked…by Neclectians! My great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather vas ze leader of ze tribe and he tried to reason vith zem, but zey vouldn't hear of it. Zey said zat all ze fruit on ze island belonged to zem, along vith all of its treasures and natural resources.

Since zeese Neclectian freinfloofers vould not listen, my ancestor made ze difficult choice to send Lorbs into battle for ze first time. Our entire tribe vas nearly wiped out by ze Neclectians! But among ze ashes, a hero arose…Sir Kinbenfloofen. He vas ze greatest of all Lorbs, giving of himself so zat ze rest of ze colony could survive."

"Wait-wait-wait," Cassandra said. "Look, Alfonse, I'm sorry to interrupt, but if Neclectia is so bad and awful and you never speak of it, then…why is it connected to your greatest hero?"

"Ach, you are un perceptive freinfloofer, aren't you?" Alfonse asked rhetorically. "But, yes, as much as it pains me to say…ve can never tell Sir Kinbenfloofen's story. It should be something to celebrate, but instead, ve have swept it under ze rug."

"But, why?"

"Because of ze continuous threat zat Neclectia has always posed to Terapi Island. Ve have always been suspicious of freinfloofers simply because of ze Neclectian incident."

"But Neclectia was destroyed…or at least, I'm under the impression that it was. Calliope said that-"

"Calliope says lots of zings, dear freinfloofer," Alfonse said. "I should know, for she is a regular visitor to our island. She does good business vith us, but she's always prattling on and on. It's hard to differentiate her truths from her exaggerations. I'm afraid, vile ze story of ze founding of Neclectia vas true, everything else vas not."

Cassandra was shocked. Calliope had gone and put words in the Old Keeper's mouth after all. She knew Calliope was a rather pompous person, but she never thought that the new Keeper would stoop so low. The only question was what Calliope would receive from fibbing in such a manner.

"I don't get it," she said frankly. "Why did Calliope lie to me?"

"Ze very same reason zat speaking of Neclectia is forbidden on our shores," Alfonse said. "Protection."

"Protection?"

"Indeed," the Lorb leader said, nodding his tiny head. "Cassandra, Neclectia is a terrifyingly awful place. Ve have attempted to send Lorbs zere to make peace vith its people and none have returned. Von of zese Lorbs…vas….my own brother, Ludwig."

"Oh, Alfonse," Cassandra said sympathetically. "I…I'm so sorry."

"Zank you," Alfonse said, wiping a small tear from his eye. "It vas two years ago…in fact, it vas right before you and Hapunzel showed up on our island. Ludwig and his small crew set off for ze lands beyond Ze Dark Kingdom. Vonce zey reached Neclectia, his letters stopped coming back. Zen, von day, not long after you and your friends left…von of ze crew returned…vith ze news zat Neclectia's ruler had killed them all. Only he had managed to escape."

Cassandra shook her head. "Wow…alright, so Neclectia definitely still exists. But why doesn't the world speak of it?"

"Because Neclectians are reviled throughout ze vorld, dear freinfloofer. Zey take and take and take and never once give. Zey hold no zought for zeir fellow freinfloofers. Not only zat, but zere are stories swirling from zere zat zeir queen is going to attempt a violent overthrow of ze Seven Kingdoms…and you, my dear Cassandra, are going to stop it."

"Wait-me?"

"You vant a destiny, no? Zis banishment from Corona is just another vay to chase it?"

"Of course. But…I…I mean, it's me against a whole kingdom."

"Do not fear, Cassandra," Alfonse said kindly. "Destinies are terrifying zings…but ve all must face ours eventually. I believe very strongly zat you are ze freinfloofer who vill set ze world free from ze Neclectian threat."