There was a tenseness about Alana for the remainder of the day that was very noticeable even to the trainee soldiers. No one dared to speak a word to her unless they were spoken to out of the fear that she would tear their heads off if they even said 'hello'. Only Sylos had the sneaking suspicion that she wasn't necessarily angry, but rather frustrated.

"Do you like the princess?" a solider asks Sylos out of the blue.

Sylos smiles a little. "Who doesn't? She's a kind and generous princess. A bit of a harsh trainer but easy to like nonetheless"

The soldier blinks at him, grinning slyly. "That's not what I meant, but I'll take that as an answer to my question"

Sylos sputters, only then realizing what the solider meant by his question. "Oh, Gods no. I don't like her in THAT way, you buffoon. I would rather be her friend than anything else"

"Mhm, sure" the soldier rolled his eyes and promptly went back to his training.

At one point, Sylos did have a crush on the princess, but later realized he had no chance with her and instead wanted to be her friend. He'd grown up knowing the princess a little more than the other trainee soldiers, but not enough for him to be considered a friend. He knew he was more like a younger sibling to her, which also played a part in the 'I only want to be her friend' thing.

:::

Vivian continues to wander down the cracked black stone path that winds all the way up to the castle, and the further she wanders up the path, the less cracked it becomes. At some point, she fins herself slipping a little on the polished iridescent path as she arrives at the richer area of Laanfier.

There were more rubies scattered about throughout both the path and the two to three story buildings with intricate design of the sun Wolf Diviniya; one of the three higher beings in which the people here worship and send prayers to. As she begins to close in on th castle, the volcano comes into view in all it's bubbling and spitting glory. She could see the river of lava that has continued to flow for thousands of years to the right side of the volcano; could see the flowing lava river bend around to the front where a large pool of water sat.

From what she remembered, the lava flowed underneath the pool and made the water so scalding hot that it could melt the flesh from your bones in mere seconds.

Vivian gazes around at the people walking on, and off, the path, and can see some gaze back at her with a look of utter confusion. Of course, it's not exactly everyday that you get to see a barefoot, blue dressed Elf Angel hybrid waltz into Laanfier, but she knew some Elves from her home loved to visit here frequently and so she was equally confused as to why every other person she happened across would send her an odd look.

She knows she's coming closer to the entrance to the castle itself as there are more guards stationed about. None of the guards are suspicious of her, however, until she comes up to the actual entrance which is a large black iron gate.

"Halt! State your name and business here" One guard speaks gruffly, though by the pitch she could tell it was a female under the black and red knight helmet.

"My name is Vivian Raed, and I'm here on business concerning the princess"

The female guard glances over to the guard opposite her on the left, then turns her gaze back to Vivian. "Shall I alert the princess that you are here?"

"That won't be necessary, as I know she's not in the castle. I came here to talk to King Alonzo and Queen Karrissa"

The female guard nods. "I shall go inform them you are here"

Vivian bows her head respectfully, uttering a 'thank you' as she watches the guard leave. While she waits, her gaze returns to the volcano, her brows furrowing together.

The moment she set foot in Laanfier, she had a terrible feeling something was wrong. The volcano seemed to bubble and rumble more than she remembered from the last time she was here on official business. Vivian also found herself thinking back to the fact that Alana had mentioned that the Fallen had attacked a couple of days prior; an event that hasn't occurred since the War of the Fallen 500 years ago.

Vivian was snapped out of those thoughts when she saw the guard walking toward her with the King and Queen following close behind. Vivian smiled and curtsied, tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ears as she straightened her back.

"King Alonzo, Queen Karrissa, my name is Vivian Raed, daughter of the infamous Seer of Brindor, Violette. I have come here to inform you of a quest of which your daughter must accomplish alongside others who will aid her"

Alonzo and Karrissa glance at one another before either of them dare to speak.

"And why would it be you informing my daughter of this quest?" Karrissa asks, her voice soft but firm.

"I have had a vision of a terrible darkness that will soon befall Arraila; a darkness of which has not been seen for a thousand years. From what this vision has told me, I can confirm that your daughter will be the only one able to stop this darkness"

Karrissa frowns thoughtfully, glancing up at her husband. Alonzo doesn't glance back, but he knows that Karrissa is waiting for his thoughts about all of this.

"And what does my daughter think of this quest?"

"She is...hesitant to leave. I understand that she is somewhat preoccupied training new soldiers, and she feels as though she has more responsibilities here than anywhere else in the world"

Alonzo nods. "So, I take it you came to us to see if we could make her listen?"

Vivian, feeling a little sheepish, smiles and answers, "yes. If she'll listen to anyone, it would be her own mother and father"

:::

Alana paces back and forth, keeping a keen eye on the training soldiers. Chase had returned to watch alongside her, even agreeing to be a sparring partner for the soldiers who asked nicely. Of course, their asses were kicked to the ground in mere seconds, but at least they'd get some sort of experience fighting against someone who was much stronger than them.

Alana hadn't spoken a single word in hours, however, and the soldiers were getting nervous. Chase could tell that Alana wasn't exactly angry, but rather lost in her own head.

Alana was having an extremely difficult time trying to let go of Vivian's words from earlier that morning. Something in her told her that this quest will bring her the recognition she deserved throughout all four Kingdoms, but then on the other hand, she felt her responsibilities here in Laanfier were more important than that.

It was only a few moments later when she felt it; the rumbling of the volcano. It happened every now and again, so she paid no mind to it...until it happened again not even five minutes later. She stopped her pacing, and noticed some of the soldiers staring at her curiously, but she immediately tells them to go back to training.

Chase casts a worried gaze her way when it happens a third time.

"Wait" Alana instructs them.

Every one of the soldiers in training stopped what they were doing, Sylos chewing on his bottom lip. Deep in her gut, Alana felt a sense of dread settle there. If it happened a fourth time, then something was deeply wrong. She waited, and waited, and waited for a further five minutes to see if anything would happen, but it was calm.

Too calm.

In the training area, she could usually hear some amount of noise from the surrounding area, but she heard nothing now and it set her nerves alight. Her heart pounded in her chest as she waited a few more moments.

Then, it happened.

She heard the cracking before she heard the explosion, and the breath is knocked out of her as her and Chase rush out of the training area. Both of them thought the same exact thing, and turned to look up towards the Volcano. Alana's heart sinks down into her stomach in shock and fear, but she keeps her outward expression as neutral as she can.

"Chase, get the other soldiers out of the training area now. I need to find out what's going on"

"Ala" Chase starts, his voice wavering, "the volcano hasn't erupted in over a thousand years. I think we all know what this might mean"

Alana stays silent, and the earlier words of Vivian circle around her mind again. The quest...

Whatever the quest entails, Alana knows that the volcano erupting like this is a definite sign.

"Once the soldiers are out of there, get Frederick. We need to prepare for our journey...whatever this journey is anyway"

Chase nods and races back into the training area, ushering the in training soldiers out. Sylos was quick to catch on, and begins to help Chase. The War Wolf sends him a grateful look, Sylos responding with a simple nod and a smile. Meanwhile, Alana is running toward the castle at full speed, her heart still pounding as the volcano spits and spews lava, the lava river flowing off to the side growing larger with the amount that's spilling out. Alana doesn't see Vivian already standing there with her parents until she gets closer, slowing herself to a jog and then to a stop.

"Alana Flare-" "I know" Alana sighs. "The volcano hasn't erupted for the last thousand years, and considering the Fallen attack as well, I have a terrible feeling Arraila's in danger"

Vivian nods. "Your closest friends should accompany you, too. You will need everyone you know you can trust. Except your parents. If I were you, I would say your goodbyes now, because beginning this quest is of the utmost importance"

Alana doesn't respond, pushing past the hybrid to pull her parents into a bone crushing hug. They're quick to hug her as well, their arms like a safe haven for the princess.

"We love you, Ala" Alonzo mutters.

"Be safe, my daughter" Karrissa sniffles, and Alana internally chuckles at how soft her mother is.

"I will mother, and I love you both so very very much"

Alana holds back the tears the entire exchange, but the moment she starts walking away from her parents and into the castle to pack her things, she allows the tears to fall. She won't be seeing her parents for a very long time, and she hopes her parents will still be living when she returns...