Waking up in the morning, the group gets together; Aurelia, now wearing a leather tunic and pants, stands behind the group with a yawn as her baby dragons surround her, squeaking."No, no, my sweets! Mama will be back soon! Stay safe, and don't eat each other again! Mmmhmm! Mmhmm!" She says in a baby voice as she kisses their little foreheads. She gives a saddened sigh as she turns around, facing the group. "Alright! I'm ready!" As Ishan and Alatar take the lead, she walks next to Mira.

"We can travel down the way I came. It'll be a day or two, but we will make it there without a problem." Ishan says as he begins to descend. Alatar stops him. "No, we will do it my way." He uses his hand to grab Mira's hand. "Everyone hold hands." Mira grabs Aurelia's hand as Aurelia grabs Ishan's. "Transmutation: Falling Feathers." Magical leaves begin to float around them as Alatar jumps off the top of the mountain. "Longstrider X10!" He shouts as they break through the rushing wind currents and soar towards the bronze castle below. Ishan screams as they soar across the sky, moving at an extreme speed. Mira and Aurelia Holler are joyous as they pretend to be flying.

A screech is heard as they see Alatar staring at enormous wings blocking the sun. Alatar looks back, twirls mid-air, and throws them toward the castle. "No! Alatar! What are you doing?" Says Ishan. Alatar gets smaller and smaller, and Ishan says, "That's a Griffin!" They land softly in a valley next to the Bronze Castle. Mira got up and dusted off her dress. "Ishan, are you okay?" She says, helping him up. He nods. "What is he doing?! He can't fight a Griffin that size!" "I beg to differ," Aurelia says as she stands up, watching with her arms crossed. "I've seen him handle bigger."  

The Griffin screeches at Alatar as they both fly at each other. "Embrace it. Use more of my power, Alatar..." Vorgrimm says in Alatar's head as his eyes glow orange. Alatar stares down at the Griffin. "You're in my way..." The air around him vibrates at his feet. "Thunder Step...x3!" In three thunderous booms, Alatar maneuvers closer, quickly to the right, and then finally propels himself through the griffin's head. Another boom is heard as he shoots upward and comes down onto the Griffin's neck. Ishan looks in awe. "The amount of times he's constantly using that spell...That takes a huge amount of Mana, and the pressure he showed at the Exhibitions doesn't even come close to what he has now." The Griffin crashes into the ground as Alatar steps onto what is left of its head. His eyes turn back to normal as he walks towards the group.

"Let's continue before more gets here. This should keep the smaller creatures at bay for now." He says as he continues. Aurelia nods her head, impressed with Alatar's performance. Mira nudges Ishan, who is still bewildered. "Don't be too shocked! Just be glad he isn't an enemy!" Aurelia sides and eyes her with a sly look. "You could have said that better, you know?"

They head deeper into the valley. They see it's filled with vibrant flora. Enormous trees with sprawling canopies that cast shadows upon the forest floor. "The foliage is so beautiful..." Mira says, looking at all of them. Aurelia picks up a handful of wildflowers with a variety of colors. She smells them with a deep sigh. "It smells so lovely." Ishan nods as he looks back. "They did get this right about the Bronze Kingdom. It doesn't compare to the kingdom itself, but it will do." Foxes with golden and brown hues scurry across the forest as the group moves past.

They walk across a stream using a wooden bridge. It creaks with age. "We will be there shortly. I'm sure they heard the fall of the griffin." Ishan says that as rabbits, the colors of quartz drink in the glistening water. They look at the group, catching Alatar's eyes. In doing so, they run away in fear. Mira catches it as she looks at Alatar, who watching the rabbits run away. "I wonder what he looks like with a smile..." Aurelia giggles as she leans on the back of Mira's head. "Princess, be wary of your surroundings..." she purrs as Mira's face grows red. "I-I'm very aware!" Aurelia ruffles Mira's hair as she moves ahead and latches on to Alatar's arm. He looks up at her, "Why are you touching me?"

Aurelia smirks, peering at Mira. Mira's face becomes even more flustered. "Teasing me...Really?" She looks down at Alatar and purrs at him. "It's because I need some help-" Alatar jerks his arm away. "Don't mess with the formation. We don't know what is all in these woods." He grabs Mira's arm gently. "Come on, Princess, stay by my side. Aurelia thinks everything's a game." They continue forward as Mira smiles softly to herself. Turning her head, she looks at Aurelia, who gives her a thumbs-up with a wink. Mira's smile grows more prominent as she grabs Alatar's hand. "You're squeezing my hand too hard." He says as he continues to walk forward. "Well, maybe if you didn't walk so fast!" Mira says with a huff.

They push past some foliage as Ishan looks at the castle surrounded by verdant valleys and dense forests. "We are here," Ishan says as they see the earth tones and walls crafted with weathered and used bronze-colored stone. Towers ascend from each corner of the stronghold, and torn and bloody banners flap in the wind. They stand at the castle's entrance, a surprisingly fortified gatehouse. Alatar rubs his hand against the deep cuts and dents in the gate. Alatar and Ishan push the gate open as they see a mound of burning dead wolves cooking on a huge bonfire. Princess Asha, Nuri, Zephyr, and Kai stand around it with five other Royal Shadows behind them awaiting command. Finally getting a more precise look at them, Alatar sees that they wear the colors of their respective kingdom with a wolf-shaped helm covering their head; they turn and stare at the group entering. The royal clothes are slightly torn and dirty, and Kai has a wound on his right arm covered in a bandage.

"Your Majesty!" Ishan says as he rushes over and kneels to her. "I have returned with even greater news. We will not be slaves today but allies with Princess Mira." A warm smile spreads across her face as she looks down at Ishan. "You've done well, Lord Ishan. Please stand. We don't have time for such formalities at the moment. We are all trying to survive." She looked at Mira and gave her a courteous bow. Mira returns the gesture. "Princess Asha, how are you holding up? Your castle is rather impressive." Ishan stands as Asha moves over to Mira. "We've been fine, besides the endless attack from these dire wolves. It's somewhat disheartening to see the very symbol of my kingdom used in such a barbaric way. Why use these beasts against us? Couldn't they have tried anyway?"

Aurelia's body language slightly shifts as Mira catches a glimpse of it. "Well, Asha, we could potentially have them join us." She gestures her hand towards Aurelia. "Meet Aurelia. She was the dragon at the mountain's peak." Asha is taken aback. "You've tamed your beast?!" Mira quickly shakes her head. "No! We did no such thing. She was forced to be here by the creators of this event. Used her to make more offspring and had her stay at the mountain peak until she died or worse tamed." Asha looked at Ishan for confirmation, and he nodded at her. "Yes, Your Majesty! What Princess Mira says is true; she came willingly. She wants to help us." Asha sighs as she plays with her thick curls on her head. "Very well, if what she says is true, we can try to have our beast join us. I will still heed a hair of caution. Ours may not be so inclined like yours. We mainly need the dire wolves; after that, we are fine."

"Then what do you need help with?" Mira asks as she notices Alatar pulling the claws from some burnt werewolves. "I need to find the location of their leader. We couldn't find anything inside our castle, and it's hard to track him when you're being attacked by wolves with every step you take." Asha says as Nuri adds on. "Not to mention they are not ordinary wolves; some can conjure elements. I believe I saw one fighting a griffin that used something dark. I couldn't tell if it was Shadow magic or not." Alatar walks over and holds out the claws. "This smells of sulfur, but the scent is also weak for me to find the source of the beast. That could either mean Demons, a cavern somewhere, or both." Kai finally speaks up as he comes forward. "Princess Asha, as Sentinel, I want to find this beast for you and deal with it immediately."

Asha shakes her head. "Kai, you're injured; I can't afford to have you hurt anymore; that bite isn't healing from any of our spells." She says as Kai looks desperate to please himself. In Alatar's head, Vorgrimm says, "He seems to want to prove himself; you notice it, right, Ala? He's the only one that has been significantly injured, and it's been what? A day or two? Pathetic." Alatar takes notice of his wound for now. Kai stumbles momentarily as his Shadow and Nuri grab him, taking him inside. Alatar looks at Mira, "I will scout around and see what I can find-" Before Mira can reply, Ishan interjects. "I will be coming too. I can't let you do everything." Alatar nods at him, then looks to Aurelia. "Protect the Princess," he says as he heads out of the gate with Ishan.

"What was that enormous crash we heard earlier?" She asks while watching Alatar and Ishan leave. "Oh, that? We were attacked by a griffin." She turned to look at Mira, who was heading inside with Aurelia. "What?! What do you mean? Did you escape?" She says, hurrying after her. Her, Zephyr, and their Shadows follow behind quickly. "No, Alatar killed it." Zephyr's gentle voice pipes in. "Singlehandedly?" She questions with a hint of disbelief. "Griffins are intelligent creatures; surely it would've given Alatar some trouble."

Mira smiles. "No, Lady Zephyr, no trouble whatsoever, even if the griffin was intelligent. Alatar didn't give it a chance to react fast enough." Aurelia shakes her head proudly at Mira's statement. "He really is something you'll have to see in person. He fought me by himself as well." Zephyr looks at Asha, "That could be why...Ishan was in a hurry to join Alatar. He was also from the Bronze Kingdom. " Ahsa shakes her head as he thinks about Ishan. "Don't let your drive for greater strength blind you, dear Guardian." Zephyr grabs Asha's hand. "Don't fret, your Majesty. I'm sure Ishan will be just fine. He is one of the strongest in our kingdom. The Guardian of Earth's Legacy!"