Droplets of rain pelted Jona's skin and face as he and Ixy soared through the sky. Up ahead, dark clouds paraded around, covering the sun's rays with their thick bodies. Somewhere to his left, thunder rumbled after a blade of lightning flashed. Of all the times a storm could have arrived, why now?

He looked behind him, expecting to see a whole cohort of the Natura bearing down on him. Instead, he realized they were alone—a zipping red dot against the gray landscape. What was his father doing back at the palace to stop him? Had the Grand Monarch really let Jona go?

Where in Ardgate was the Living Throne, anyway? It wasn't like Eldan revealed anything in their hurried interactions. One of the things Jona hadn't thought through, of course.

He clicked his tongue and scanned the horizon, as well as the multicolored canopies whizzing under him. At some point of the journey, his teeth started chattering as his clothes took in more and more raindrops. His hair had stuck together in clumps and splayed against his back in a wet schlop. How much more flying was he supposed to do?

Acosa's border went by Ixy's talons, the characteristic red and white line of leaves visible from between the parvade's toes. Okay. Ardgate was somewhere to the south-east. With a grunt, he steered Ixy to that direction, praying to the gods he wasn't wasting time. Let him hope his father wouldn't catch up to him too.

They tore through the hazy veil of rain, Ixy's feathers becoming heavier as water slowly crept into their vanes. She wouldn't be able to fly longer if her feathers clumped together. They had to hurry. This rain didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon.

He patted Ixy's neck and urged her to fly lower. It would take up less energy that way. The parvade followed without a chirp, she, too, conserving her strength to get them both to their destination.

Soon, Ardgate's mountains replaced the empty horizon, first a gray silhouette, then a huge wall of stone rising from the ground. Jona's breath left his throat as he craned his neck at the impossible height of the walls of stone carved by Wikone herself. They didn't reach the clouds, thankfully, but still towered over everything within a mile's radius.

Their jagged edges and pointed tips reminded Jona of graspel teeth he had the pleasure of seeing once in the enclosures. It was almost like these spikes of rock were a fortress, closing in on something like how a flower's petals would protect their centers. Jona blinked. Fortress. Protection. A small laugh void of amusement flew out of his lips.

Gandrik.

That's where it was.

"Okay, Ixy," he patted the parvade's neck once more. She answered with a curious chirp. "Take us down."

The bird twittered, clicking her beak in a language Jona wouldn't ever know, and dove towards the edge of the stone walls. The canopies of the forest clawing at the sides drew nearer and nearer, their colors becoming distinct shades as Jona whizzed forward. Ixy let out a loud caw, her lids widening. Her talons shone with the rain as she extended them, ready to close around the first branch they would catch.

Jona held on to Ixy's feathers as she slammed into the first shoots, squeezing water from them as he did. The world bobbed up and down as Ixy searched the perimeter of a possible opening for her body to punch through. He did the same, but his eyes were glued on the stone walls. There's got to be some way inside without dropping to the forest floor. Ixy chirped at the same time as Jona's eyes caught a space between two huge rocks. It was enough for him to slip into but he would have to get Ixy to leave him.

"Hey," he rubbed Ixy's neck feathers knowing she liked it. Her beady eye flicked to his face as she turned her head sideways. "I need you to bring me to that gap over there."

He pointed to it, Ixy's head swiveling the opposite way. She studied the walls for a moment, deep, thoughtful chirps rumbling inside her throat. Finally, she opened her beak and Jona's breath hitched. Oh, no. She's going to cause a scene. It had to be the forest floor with Ixy. Always. She's going to alert the guards with her caw. She—

A cold bone pressed against Jona's sleeves. He looked down to see Ixy nuzzling him. She remained quiet as if she knew what was inside the jagged fortress and what Jona was planning to do. Jona brushed his fingers against her crown, smoothing down the curving feathers atop her head.

Then, she launched off the branch with a flap of her wings and zipped closer to the stone walls. Jona's world roiled and spun as Ixy suddenly gripped the wall's edge with her claws, the gray talons digging against the rock. Cracks spread from the point where they punctured the stone. He had to file a mental note to never go near Ixy's legs.

He climbed down from Ixy's back and gripped one of the jagged edges, grateful for the ledge it provided. The wind whipped around him, driving shivers up his spine. Oh, right. He was drenched to the bone. Still, he forced himself to smile despite his teeth chattering. "Thanks," he said. "See you soon, Ixy."

The parvade tilted her head to one side. She didn't make a move to fly away. Jona's gut twisted. "'I'll be fine," he said while knowing full well he wouldn't even be alive after all this. "Go. I'll call you."

Guilt gnawed in his chest. If he succeeded, he wouldn't be able to call her ever. She'd be left alone and forever waiting for the fulfillment of a promise. Like always, it was something he didn't think all the way through. How many more of these unforeseen circumstances had he overlooked?

Then again, seeing Ixy thrive in a nature that wasn't dying was enough for Jona. Knowing the nature fairies could still enjoy Wikone's blessings even if just for a few years was enough. He was just buying time. His mother must have thought the same but still did it anyway.

He stared down at the long fall to the ground then back at Ixy who still hasn't moved. "I'll go first, then," he said. Before Ixy could chirp or grasp his collar with her beak, he let go of the ledge and let the earth's pull bring him down.

The wind roared in his ears, his hair fluttering all over his head. When he called for his magic, it answered with a rush of heat he hadn't anticipated. Was it...was it stronger now? Why?

He didn't get the answer to that as he threw his control over a strip of purple vines curling from the stone wall like the parasite it was. It stretched towards him and his fingers closed around it firmly. Then, he used the vines as a rope and began rappelling to the ground. His boots slipped and crunched against the wall. The rain wasn't helping his grip the least bit.

Shouts of alarm and aggression reached his ears just as he reached the ground and let go of the vines. Something silver flashed in his periphery and he ducked just in time before an arrow slammed into a trunk where his head had just been. What in Umazure—

"Don't move!" a deep voice bellowed from the line behind the grove of trees. It seemed like Jona had dropped straight into the middle of whatever this place was. He followed the voice's instructions, looking around instead.

Paths made of chipped cobblestones bled from his boots and curled into places he had yet to explore. The air carried a strong smell of edross flowers as well as a faint mixture of incense and upturned earth. All around him, faint blobs of pink and blue light turned the darkness of the stone walls' shadows into a pleasant and relaxing dimness. It gave enough brightness for Jona to recognize shapes and colors of various leaves, trunks, and vines. He took one look at the ground and noticed the grass was none other than magrora.

"Hands up!" the voice sounded closer now. Jona turned to its source and came face to face with a uniformed Natura. Huh, so even during Jered Azerke, these people do not rest. As instructed, Jona brought his arms up in a surrendering gesture.

Then, the soldier's eyes widened from behind the visor of his helmet. "Grand Royal," he breathed. That was a long time to recognize Jona, even by the Natura's standards. "What are you doing here?"

Jona brought his arms down despite not being explicitly told to. The soldier's hands crept to the sword strapped in his belt. "Lead me to the Living Throne," he said. "And hurry."

The soldier removed his helmet and a mop of bright yellow hair spilled out. "Does the Grand Monarch know you're here?"

"No," Jona said sharply. "And I prefer to keep it that way."

"If not the Grand Monarch," the soldier knitted his eyebrows. "Then under whose orders are you acting?"

Jona leveled his gaze at the soldier. "Mine."

Conflict flashed across the soldier's face. It was against protocol to let anyone other than the Grand Monarch or anyone with his permission in. However, it was also against protocol to refuse to follow the Grand Royal's orders. That's what Jona was hoping for. That's exactly what was going on inside the soldier's mind. Of course, he didn't say the Grand Monarch precedes the Grand Royal's orders and it should apply in this case. He didn't have to because the soldier pursed his lips and turned away.

"Follow me," he said, clasping the sword in his hip. Jona knew he wouldn't hesitate to draw it if the situation called for it.

Together, they tackled the way towards the Living Throne.