Month 1, Day 4, 23:35:06; Arvium, Legend Castle

Garron frowned as his eyes opened to darkness. Intense heat surrounded his body, and he heard flames crackling in the distance. Wolf howls filled the air, and he turned his body, his eyes widening at the weightlessness.

He jerked, pulling his arms together in front of him and deactivating the spell.

The teleport spell activated, and he coughed as he landed on the ground. His breath left his lungs with a whump sound as he landed on his side, and he coughed as he inhaled smoke. He shivered as cold rain pelted him from the downpour, and he pushed himself up off of the ground, his vision blurring as he stood.

He stared up at the castle, his shoulders falling as he saw the hollowed sections where explosions had ripped apart walls, and the white smoke pouring out of the roof. The barrier's gone. Holes in the ground marked the entry of five death wolves, and the death of a team. He glanced down at the map on his menu, feeling a spasm of cold move through his limbs as he saw Aella's caret was missing. He had several notifications to his chat box, and he felt a weight settle on his chest.

He glanced up as Noir flew overhead, angling low over the tops of the trees, her wings breaking the tips as she crashed. The dragon skidding to a halt on the other side of the castle, and he ran forward.

He paused as he turned the corner, seeing the ice blue body of Cicle, Ender's dragon, laying in a fetal position. Black ribbons cut across her scales, blood dripping into puddles from the wounds.

Noir had landed near them, her wings drooped across the ground. She roared softly, the sound low and soft, and moved her head toward him as he ran to the dragons. Ender lay against Cicle's stomach, his armor bent and dirty. His sword was broken into two pieces next to him, and his skin was pale.

He scrambled over the rubble, calling out spells as he ran to Ender and Cicle, stopping next to Ender's limp body. Three death wolves appeared next to him, waiting for his commands. "Find Aella," he said, pointing to the forest. The wolves growled, then took off toward the forest, their hides turning into smoke as they teleported.

Garron knelt next to Ender, placing his fingers on the man's neck, feeling a shallow heartbeat. "You're too grouchy to die, aren't you?" he said softly.

He pulled a white crystal from the pouch at his side, crushing it and closing his eyes. He opened them, seeing the fragments glow with a white light and he opened Ender's mouth, placing some of the fragment's on his tongue, then sprinkling them on the gashes in his armor.

He laid one hand on Ender's shoulder, and another on Cicle's body. "Healing spell, Magic Restoration Spell," he whispered. Green light came from his hands, and he blinked as his stomach turned. He coughed, keeping the nausea at bay.

Slowly, the bruises on Ender's face disappeared, bringing his skin back to a healthy tan color. Several of the deepest gashes on Cicle's body started to close, leaving faint pink lines where the wounds had been.

He lifted his hands and sighed, his stomach growling behind his armor. "Noir," he said. "Where's Aella?"

He closed his eyes as the dragon let him access the memories.

Noir had flown over the forest, tracing the outline of the ravine. A red barrier had surrounded Aella and a team of mercenaries.

Garron's hand tightened into fists as he watched the battle ensue between Noir and the mercenaries, until only Noir was left, badly wounded. He groaned as he felt pain sting his arms, legs, and back in accordance to where the gashes and burns on Noir body were.

"Aella," he whispered, activating the chat. "Aella, are you safe?"

He hissed at the silence, then turned to Noir. he laid his hands on her cheek, his glove rubbing her nose as her golden eyes closed. "There, there, girl." He activated the healing spell, green magic flowing from his hands into her body. Slowly, the pain started to fade from his body and the dragon moved, her wings tucking into her sides. She snorted as she pulled her head from Garron's hands and sat up, her head turning toward the forest.

"Go to the village," Garron said, looking up the dragon. "Take Cicle with you, and wait for my command."

The dragon turned its head to him, then dipped it, a low rumble coming from her throat.

"Garron," Ender called to him, his voice hoarse.

Garron twisted to face the man, his eyes narrowing. "Where's Aella?"

Ender coughed, wincing as he sat up. "The cave--I sent her there when we were attacked--Mortia mercenaries."

Garron nodded as he helped Ender stand, letting the man lean against him. "Where?" "Where are they now?"

He closed his eyes as teleported them. He opened his eyes in the small, one-room cottage, sparsely furnished. He walked Ender over to the cot in the corner, letting the man lay down.

"Underworld," Ender groaned. "But the second squad went into the forest."

Garron nodded and stood, walking over to the small window on the opposite wall, covered with a dark curtain. The door was locked, and he stood to the side of the window, pulling back the curtain an inch to look outside. The city was dark, save for the street lamps and fireflies. In the distance, the city center was glowing with bright light, the white smoke obscuring some of the stars.

"I'm going after Aella," he said, stumbling as he stepped backward. He shook his head, blinking through the headache. He turned to Ender, seeing his closed eyes. "Be careful."

He closed his eyes, activating the teleport spell. Thunder rumbled across the sky as he opened his eyes on the destruction of the castle, and he coughed, feeling a spasm of pain across his abdomen. He glanced down, seeing a gash in his armor, and thin tendrils of smoke rising from the twisted metal. He touched it with his glove, his eyes narrowing as he saw the black, sticky substance on the fingers of his glove.

Cerci.

He glanced at the time, his eyes widening as he saw that four hours had passed. Aella--she's been out there for four hours. He ran around the perimeter of the castle, passing under the back portico and to the small door that was hanging open. He held up a hand, concentrating as his lips moved. An orb appeared over his hand, the soft light illuminating the area. He held it over the ground, searching for footprints. He nodded as he saw a small bird imprinted in a boot print. The ground was slick, and muddy, obscuring most of the footprints.

He sighed, holding the orb toward the forest. The wind whipped through the air, rustling the trees. He looked up as Noir flew over the castle, holding Cicle in her claws. He nodded, then tapped the side of his helmet, watching as the forest lit up with green light.

He sighed, looking up at the castle. "Aella," he said. "Aella, if you can hear me, please respond."

"Garron," Ender's voice said, sounding strained.

Garron paused, frowning. "Yeah?"

"You need to put the force field back up before you go looking for her. She made it to the cave--I saw that much before the fighting got too spicy. It will do us no good if you bring her back and we get attacked again."

Garron nodded. "I know."

There was a grunt on the other side of the chat, followed by a soft rustle of a blanket. "Garron?"

He winced, resting his hand on his abdomen. "Lay back down, Ender--no nagging while you're resting." He dropped to one knee, placing his hands on the ground, closing his eyes while he concentrated.

Around him, the water from the puddles lifted from the ground, rising into the sky. He moved his hands, the water joining into a sphere high above the castle. He took a deep breath, feeling sweat start to form on his forehead. He stood, lifting both hands above his head and taking a deep breath.

"Expand," he said. The sphere extended, turning into a barrier that covered the castle and the area surrounding it, reaching down to the ground. "Crystal Protection Spell; Barrier Spell: enact," he said, closing his eyes as he concentrated. The air crackled and light flashed in his vision.

He opened his eyes, and released his fists, and the water barrier fell, sending a heavy shower dousing the fires. Above him, the black barrier crystallized and hardened, turning translucent as the last of the sparks raced toward the ground. He groaned as the rain drenched him, thundering as it hit his armor. He stumbled as he felt his head swim.

"Garron," Ender said, his tone harsh.

"We'll talk later," he said, taking a deep breath. "I have to go get Aella."

"Garron," Ender said, his tone changing to a plea.

Garron shook his head, turning and heading into the forest. "I promised her."