Xix, Maddie, Troy and Hathor flew above the Terpolite Wastelands on the back of Xix's dragon. His large, smooth black wings tore through the air like it was nothing. Xix pet the beast's head. She could swear he smiled.

A clap of thunder. Electricity sparked around the dragon's body, making everyone jump.

"Easy, Rai," Xix said.

"Is he okay?" Hathor asked.

"Yeah." Xix gave Rai's head another gentle stroke. "He's just not a fan of this place."

Troy snorted. "Who is?"

Xix smiled but couldn't blame Troy for feeling that way. Ilsbrook gave her the shivers, and it wasn't just because of the residual Photon power. Her sister had destroyed it, brought it to ruin and murdered the inhabitants in cold blood. Just the thought of going there . . . If it weren't for the sake all of Yenari was at stake, Xix would never have considered coming back here.

Rai let out a roar. Xix looked down. The ruined city was coming up quickly, the remains of a few towers reaching high. Xix pointed to the ground. Rai changed his direction. The three kids yelped, grasping tighter as they made a quick decent. Rai flapped his wings strongly as they reached the ground, landing heavily in the dirt.

Troy was first off, running to the side and bracing his hands on his knees. He looked kind of sick. Sky helped Hathor from the dragon's back before she ran to check on Troy, Sky quickly following as he rooted around in his backpack.

Xix place her hand on Rai's snout. "Thank you. You can wait here if you don't want to come." The dragon nuzzled her hand. Xix cooed and scratched under his chin.

"Interesting pet you got there," Troy said, still looking pale.

"Oh, he's a sweetie." Xix rubbed her cheek against Rai's. "Aren't you? Yes, you are. You're an adorable dragon." Rai roared proudly.

Hathor braced a hand on her hip. "Nice to know we have a lightning dragon for if any of those plant monsters come up." She shivered, starting toward the city. "I hated those things so much."

Troy and Sky exchanged glances.

"Plant monsters?" Sky asked.

Troy went after her calling, "I think you need to tell us something!"

* * * * * * * *

The four made the trek toward the city. As they entered its boarders, a chill overcame the group. It just felt wrong. They knew they shouldn't be here, but they didn't have a choice. Just like the last time, they had to make sure Yenari remained in one piece. Xix tugged the bottom of her jacket. She seriously hated this place. The less time spent here the better.

A deep fog slowly descended upon the city. It begun feeling like something straight out of a horror movie. Xix rubbed at her armour-covered arms. She would never not be grateful to Zoe for making something so useful. Inbuilt heating protected her from the cold, as did the armour the others wore. One could never be too careful in Ilsbrook. Many angry spirits haunted this place.

"What are we looking for, exactly?"

Xix turned to her niece. "I have no idea."

Hathor's eyes narrowed. "So helpful."

"This city is massive," Sky awed, holding a holographic map. "It will take days to search all of it."

Troy crossed his arms. "I don't like that idea. This place gives me the fucking creeps. Can smell the death."

Wolves were known for their keen sense of smell, Xix remembered. Even so, being able to smell the millions of deaths five thousand years after they took place, that was pretty impressive. Almost as impressive as that girl who could actually see the spirits trying to keep them here. Xix shivered. She didn't want to feel that again. Surely it wouldn't be long until the angry dead made their move.

"Come on," she said. "Let's try the centre."

The group followed the main road, thankfully still mostly intact, toward the city centre. Unlike last time, the closer they got to the centre, the colder it got. A layer of frost covered the dirt and ruined buildings. The group turned on the inbuilt heating in their armour. Xix would never not be happy for that feature in these temperatures. She had no idea why it was suddenly getting cold. It hadn't been like this the last time. Another climate shift? Another after effect of Naiu's power? It would be impossible to tell without further research.

Frost soon turned to ice. Progress became slow. The group had to be careful where they stepped. Some of the ice was brittle, hiding long drops into broken buildings hidden by many years of sand. It was hard to tell the difference between them and solid ground. Several times, the group had to turn around and try another way, moving off the blocked road and into the maze of broken buildings.

Troy shifted into his wolf form, somehow finding a path through the maze. Xix, Hathor and Sky followed close behind. Hathor used her power to keep him warm, covering him a light orange glow. Xix used her own magic to create a shield, keeping the cold wind off them all. The sun was beginning to set. Soon enough, it would be well below freezing. Hopefully Rai found somewhere out of the cold to spend the night. She didn't like leaving him alone like that. The sooner the found out of the Goddess was here, the better for everyone.

"So, what do we do if Thecuaras isn't here?" Hathor asked, arms folded across her chest.

"We move to the next place, I guess," Xix said with a sigh. "No idea where that would be, off the top of my head."

Sky turned to Xix. "How do we find them?"

The Terpolite woman shrugged. "I wish I knew. God hunting is more a habit my sister has."

Hathor pointed at the white wolf before them. "Troy has definitely found something. Maybe it's the God?"

"Maybe it's another bone," Sky sniggered. Hathor whacked him.

Troy shifted back to Human form as they reached the centre of the city. The group paused, looking around. The city centre, as expected, was empty. There were no Gods to be seen. Even so, Xix and Hathor couldn't shake the feeling something was watching her, that someone else was here. Troy and Sky remained oblivious to it. Something only Higher Beings could sense, then.

Xix frowned thoughtfully at the ground. "There may be a way to find the God."

The three teens turned to her. "What?" they asked.

"It's something I've never tried before so I don't know if . . ."

Xix knelt on the ground, digging her hands into the frost-covered dirt. She closed her eyes, feeling the energy of the planet below. Lines of energy travelled all over the planet. They often converged at important places. Well, more specifically, important places were built where they converged. One of those places was Ilsbrook. Xix had known about the Lines her whole life but never dared try to tap into them.

Years ago, Naka had told her of a way to summon Gods. If there was enough energy, it was possible to make a God take on their corporeal form, so long as they were willing. As she was host to Naka's power, Gods often answered her calls.

Xix pulled back before slamming her hands into the ground. She grabbed onto the Lines with both hands, pulling back with all her might. The energy shot into her body. Xix yelled to the sky, "I summon Thecuaras!"

A flash of bright red light blew Xix from her feet. She was helped up by Hathor, Sky and Troy, head spinning. Tapping into the Lines wasn't a good idea, clearly.

The red light, and the dust kicked up from the small explosion, cleared, revealing someone standing in it. A brown woman with straight, shoulder-length red hair and glowing red eyes. She wore a bronze-gold dress covered in red crystals, and golden bangles which hang loosely from her arms. A scimitar was sheathed at her side, the curved blade twisting beside her.

The woman—the God—looked down at the four. Her eyes bore into Xix. "You have summoned me?"

"Yes," Xix said.

The God stood tall, one hand braced firmly on her sword. "I am Thecuaras, Keeper of the Past. Why have you summoned me?"

"We need your help." Xix stepped forward and bowed, hands pressed to her brow, palms facing the God in the God Worlds' show of respect. "Creation is fracturing and we don't know why."

The God nodded solemnly. "Creation was fractured in the past. These are merely the affects of what was to come."

"Wait, are you saying this happened because of something that happened in the past?" Hathor asked. "What happened."

"The Vessel of Time," Thecuaras said, surprised. "You would be more suited to summoning Ixasis."

"Noted," Hathor said. "So, about said past events?"

"You were there." She turned to Xix. "As were you."

The God raised her hands, holding them slightly apart. Red mist appeared, slowly forming images. A group of people standing in Ilsbrook, facing off against another two. Xix and Hathor recognised them. They were from a year ago, when the Courts and their new friends Aurora, Arthur and Lydia had stopped Jennix and Kek from fusing two Creations together.

"The visitor from Beyond damaged the Walls in an attempt to save their own world, accidently causing others to be drawn to Yenari," Thecuaras explained. "Over the past year, the Walls have slowly fallen to the strain. Yenari has weakened as Void has grown stronger."

Troy glared at the God. "And none of you thought to mention this sooner?"

The God lowered her hands. "I understand your anger, Alpha Wolf. We had thought the problem would fix itself. The damage only became this bad in the past few days." Her glowing eyes narrowed. "Void wants to overtake Yenari. It attacked. Yenari and the Walls hold strong, but it is only a matter of time before they shatter."

"We've already seen signs," Sky said. "A few worlds and people have vanished from Creation entirely."

Hathor asked the important question, "Is there anything we can do to stop this?"

Thecuaras became thoughtful. "I am not the one who would have that information. I know the events of the past. My sight of the future is limited. I would recommend speaking to Oluaz, Ixasis, Reisia'i, Kyra or Vivus." She turned back to Xix. "As First Beings, Naiu and Naka may have some insight."

"No insight here, mate," Naka said in Xix's mind.

Thecuaras lowered her head slightly. "I see. That is . . . a problem."

"You're telling me!"

Xix cut in before Naka could begin a rant. "Thank you for your help."

"I only wish I could do more," the God said. "I wish you luck."

She vanished in a flash of light. Hathor, Sky, Troy and Hathor let out a collective sigh. So much for that idea. The God had done nothing but give them a list of more Deities to track.

Xix raised her fingers to her lips and whistled. Rai flew down from above. The group jumped onto his back and begun the journey back to the Mainland.