This was it.

A journey like no other was finally underway. A journey for the fate of the world. For a moment, Cayde pondered on how much his life had changed in a matter of weeks. With how high the stakes were now, it made something like the Trial of the Mountain seem like child's play.

Because it was.

Having departed from the Kimlascan Pack, he hoped that he would have the chance to see them all again. Although, he knew what he had signed up for, and knew that such a thing was unlikely. He'd be entering the realm of two gods, after all, and the chance of returning to his home after all of this was small.

He knew it wasn't about him, though. He didn't embark on this quest to be known as a hero, or for any sort of glory. The fate of the world was at stake, and he played a vital role in the only plan that had any chance in saving it.

Cayde, Uldrich, and Ozma... it seemed as of they were the only three wolves capable of saving the world. Ozma and Cayde were fully bent on doing just that, but as for Uldrich, it was a mystery. The Wolf of Chaos had done so much, yet at the same time he had lost so much. His motives, his morals, his heart... all darkened. Uldrich was merciless, cruel, and wicked, and after all he had done, Cayde would have to team up with him if there was any hope of saving the world.

Cayde and Uldrich were enemies, and true rivals... but were they truly rivals in their heart? After everything the Wolf of Chaos had done to Cayde, he was left wondering why Uldrich would do such a thing to begin with. Was it pure hatred? Jealousy? Perhaps both? Or was it manipulation?

Cayde pondered on his own morals. He was willing to give his life at the Shrine of Kimlasca, thinking that he was doing something noble, something that would protect his land. In the end, his sacrifice served as a mere beacon for Uldrich. More importantly, a beacon for Mystearica.

Cayde had been used as a pawn several times, and his sacrifice was just another one of those moments. Cayde and his morals were taken advantage of, and used by Kimlasca to carry out his plans. Perhaps Mystearica had done the same to Uldrich.

After all, others always saw Cayde as a noble, selfless, and protective wolf even at first glance, all because of the Mark of Harmony on his head. He imagined that it was the exact opposite for Uldrich. The Mark of Chaos on Uldrich's head would make anyone fear him, hate him, and perhaps both. A life of solitude, a life without purpose or bright memories, all because of the Mark of Chaos... Uldrich must have considered it a curse.

And Mystearica... the original Wolf of Chaos fed off of the loneliness of Uldrich, manifested his hatred in himself and his mark, and forged it into purpose. Mystearica gave Uldrich a false sense of purpose. Cayde was certain of it.

While Kimlasca used Cayde's morals and motives to his advantage, Mystearica used Uldrich's loneliness and hatred to his advantage, creating two perfect pawns to carry out their plans.

Cayde couldn't believe himself for a moment. After everything that Uldrich had done, not only was he going to try and team up with him, he was sympathizing with him. In a way, Cayde understood. Living a life of solitude and sadness surely must have taken its toll, reaching a point where Uldrich was so easily manipulated by someone who gave him even the smallest sense of purpose... and after years of scorn, Uldrich surely would have done anything to have purpose in his life.

Cayde could ponder all he wanted to, but it wouldn't get him any closer to advancing his journey. When he inevitably reached the wasteland that Uldrich lived in, he would have his resolve tested... one way or another.

As the day continued on, Cayde trekked onward. He had a rough idea of where to go in order to find the Wolf of Chaos. In the past, there was talk of a wasteland far to the northeast. A land where fierce storms ravaged the area, and trees never blossomed. However, there was never any reason nor incentive to go to such a perilous place, and so there was no guarantee that Uldrich would live there.

But it all made sense. A place where no trees blossomed, ravaged by fierce storms... it all added up. The power of Chaos must have flowed consistently through that wasteland in order for it to be in a perpetual state of emptiness, and such a thing could only be possible if there was a force powerful enough to produce so much Chaos. It HAD to be where Uldrich resided.

If it wasn't... there wouldn't be enough time to go anywhere else, but Cayde was certain that Uldrich would be there. He had to be.

It would take at least two days to reach the outskirts of such a place, but Cayde was aiming to find Uldrich in that wasteland within three days.

He kept a steady pace throughout the day. The hours came and went, and the day went on. The skies remained clear for most of the day, and eventually the sky was painted with a beautiful array of sunset colors once more.

Cayde had traveled for several hours, but he still had quite a ways to go. There was no point in rushing and exhausting himself, even if it covered ground faster. He couldn't afford to take risks, he would have to be efficient... and he couldn't do that if he wasn't careful.

Throughout the day, he had traveled through forests and fields, climbing hills and crossing streams, all moving one step closer to his destination. He occasionally passed a few locations he recalled from his journey to the Shrine of Kimlasca. He remembered that, in order to reach the wasteland, he would be going even further than the Shrine of Kimlasca... and that meant that he would have the chance to see it again.

But he would ponder on that more once he reached the Shrine of Kimlasca along the way. For now, as night fell, Cayde got as comfortable as possible on the forest floor, closing his eyes and trying to peacefully drift off to sleep.

It was difficult, however. Within the span of a day, he learned so much, experienced so much. He learned the truth, stepped down as Master Alpha... and said goodbye to his mother for the last time. It took some time, and he processed all that happened once more, but eventually he was able to fall asleep.

With no contact from Kimlasca ever since Cayde entered the Realm of Balance, he expected to fall asleep and wake up with no contact from him.

But he was wrong.

As Cayde slept, his dreams manifested into something that felt almost like reality. He knew what that meant... Kimlasca was communicating with him.

In his dream, a field of beautiful green grass manifested before Cayde. Up above, he saw millions of stars, and even within a dream he could feel the cool breeze as if it were real.

Cayde wasn't alone, however. A familiar force made Cayde narrow his eyes, and before long, a ray of golden light appeared, turning into one of Kimlasca's reflections. Cayde didn't speak, instead keeping his eyes narrowed as he gazed at him.

"Hello, Cayde." Kimlasca spoke.

"Kimlasca."

"You seem troubled." He noted.

Cayde growled softly, "You lied, Kimlasca. About everything... you lied to me, to my friends, to this land, to everyone! So yes, I AM troubled."

Kimlasca lowered his head, "It is as I feared... I wish you hadn't jumped into that mountain."

"Why? So you could keep on lying?"

"To shield you from the truth, Cayde. You would never understand why I did the things I did, and so it was best for you not to know." Kimlasca explained.

"You used me as a pawn! You used so many just so you could carry out your plans, and it all worked in your favor!" Cayde yelled.

"It was necessary, there was no other way. You would not understand."

"I understand one thing, Kimlasca: you're a liar. Do you really care for this world, or do you care more about YOUR vision of the world? A world you can only create by sacrificing countless lives and using countless more just to do that?" Cayde asked with a snarl.

"The world is plagued by Chaos, Cayde. The only way to rid the world of such a plague is to defeat the Mystearica, and I must carry out that plan. We worked together to achieve this plan, yes, but we are doing such things to prove ourselves. I will defeat Mystearica and save this world, Cayde." Kimlasca said.

"You don't know what you're doing, Kimlasca. Do you understand what would happen if you fought Mystearica? You would destroy this world with your combined powers, there would be NOTHING left to fight for, and both of you would die!" Cayde yelled.

Kimlasca closed his eyes and smiled, "What good is a world where Chaos thrives? Even if this world does end, it is far better than the world being ruled by Chaos, and so I will fight him."

"Your ideals will kill us all!" Cayde countered.

"There is no other way, Cayde. Had you not learned the truth, you could have lived your days in peace. If the world ended, then so be it... if it did not, then you could have lived knowing that I won, and that this world will forever be Harmonious. There will never be Chaos again." Kimlasca countered back.

"Why fight? You will kill us all! If you just stopped, and let the world choose its own destiny, giving everyone the chance to choose their own path, then the world wouldn't be shackled by your ideals!"

"That's easy for YOU to say! Mystearica will NEVER quit, he will always fight and wage war. The only way to save this cursed world is to kill Mystearica! You don't know the first thing about holding the weight of the world on your shoulders, Cayde." Kimlasca responded.

"You're wrong," Cayde got into a defensive stance, "You and Mystearica can never see past your one-sided morals and ideals. You'd much rather spell doom for the world than to admit that you're both wrong! There are very few who can try and save this world, and if I have to face you to protect the world, then so be it. This world, and all of its inhabitants, should be free to choose their destiny!"

"Such excellent ideologies that won't matter if Mystearica wins!" Kimlasca countered again.

"Neither of you can see past your selfishness. You'd rather destroy this world and all its inhabitants than to admit you're wrong! You wouldn't even try to convince Mystearica, you wouldn't even try to admit that you're wrong in front of him, and to tell him that he's wrong too! You think you're both right in your own eyes, but you're both wrong!" Cayde yelled.

"You will never understand, Cayde."

"Listen to me!"

"No, YOU listen!" Kimlasca yelled back, "I know what I must do, and I intend to do it."

"You'll kill us all." Cayde reminded him.

"I'm accustomed to making sacrifices. I'll do whatever it takes for the chance for this world to live in pure Harmony." Kimlasca concluded.

"You and I are far different from one another. Kimlasca, you would rather destroy this world than to admit you're wrong. You'd rather destroy this world than to die trying to protect it and stop Mystearica from fighting." Cayde growled.

"You wish to fight me?" Kimlasca narrowed his eyes.

Cayde didn't answer, instead continuing what he said before, "You'd rather destroy this world to try and prove you're right. Your life, your ideology, means more to you than the world you're supposed to protect. As for me... I'll gladly give my life protecting this world."

"I'm accustomed to sacrifices, Cayde. I will do whatever it takes." Kimlasca reminded him.

"Then you're no better than Mystearica." Cayde replied with narrowed eyes. The sword of golden light manifested before him again, and he held it in his jaws.

Wanting to end this dream, Cayde ran forward, charging at the reflection of Kimlasca with all his might. He leapt forward, swinging his sword to crash it down on the reflection of Kimlasca.

All Kimlasca had to do was lift a single paw, and extend a single claw, to block the attack that Cayde mustered with all of his strength. A mere reflection of Kimlasca, a tiny ounce of his power... and all he needed to do was move a single claw to block Cayde's attack within his own dream.

Cayde was stopped dead in his tracks. He was stuck in the air as his sword collided with Kimlasca's claw. It was as if time had stopped.

Kimlasca looked at him, "My own power... used against me." Kimlasca sighed, and with a single, small burst of Harmony, Cayde was sent flying backwards. He landed and slid across the ground, and willingly let his sword of golden light fade away.

"I don't want to fight you, Kimlasca! You're leaving me no choice, I just want you to see past your selfish ideals!" Cayde exclaimed.

Kimlasca didn't speak. He merely looked at Cayde.

"I saw you as a mentor! You were supposed to guide me, that's what I thought you were supposed to do! Instead you used me as a pawn!" Cayde yelled.

Kimlasca softened for a moment, wracked with guilt. For a split second, he realized all that he had done, but as quickly as his guilt came, his selfishness snuffed it out just as fast. His eyes narrowed again. In his heart, he was full of guilt, but his mind was fixated on his selfish ideals... and for nothing to stand in the way of them.

"Mentor... is what a true Wolf of Harmony gets to call me..." Kimlasca said, wincing for a moment as he spoke, conflicted with himself. His heart and mind were at war with one another.

"To you..."

In the end, his selfishness won.

"...it's just Kimlasca."

He lifted a single paw, and a powerful burst of golden light was sent towards Cayde, piercing through him. There was no visible wound, and no pain, but Cayde felt himself fly backwards, his eyes wide as he realized the raw power of Kimlasca... and his reflection only contained the smallest ounce of it.

His vision went white and the dream shattered.

Cayde opened his eyes, gasping in surprise for a moment and pawing at himself, making sure he was still in one piece. The dream was over, and morning had arrived.

He reached a paw out, creating a small orb of golden light which floated above his paw for a few moments before he cast it away, simply testing to make sure that he still had the power of Harmony after his encounter with Kimlasca in his dream.

He was still able to use his power. It was something that could never be taken away.

But Cayde felt different... he felt as if something else was gone. He didn't need to test anything to find out.

Much like how Mystearica cut off his communication with Uldrich once and for all, Cayde knew that Kimlasca had done the same.

Kimlasca had cut off his communication with Cayde for good.

In his heart, he knew exactly what was gone.

Their bond was broken.