Makaela hated traveling with portals. They always made her skin feel as if it was covered in thick, gooey slime.

She stepped out of the magical gateway and shielded her eyes from the burning sun. It was at that moment she realized just how dark Thorian's castle was.

Her eyes were still trying to adjust to the new light. Stumbling forward, she inhaled the sweet scent of bamboo and jasmine flowers. A smile sprouted on her lips as she took in the scenery before her.

Lush grass covered the ground and a dense forest of skinny bamboo trees, stout cherry blossoms, and looming pine trees. She looked up at the blue sky and exhaled, her body relaxing as the rays from the beaming sun caressed her dark skin.

She hadn't left Nordor since she made the decision to join the Order of the Black Lotus. She didn't really mind the underworld, as she spent most time inside Castle Braexus, but nothing could compare to fresh air and warmth of the real world.

"Makaela, let's go," a Shade in front of her said, gesturing with their chin towards the towering building ahead of them.

Her smile faded as she followed behind.

In the center of the glade sat a red, Japanese-styled castle. Stone walls surrounded the red keep. Black tiles decorated the roofs while crimson flags hung from the corners. The castle narrowed with each added floor. It almost looked like a pyramid.

As they approached the building, a massive shadow passed over them. They all directed their gazes to the sky, their vayrirs summoned and their shield charms raised. Even Makaela tensed at the sight. She whipped her head around, trying to find the source of the shadow.

A deafening roar ripped through the sky, shaking the trees and the ground she stood on. She squinted at the clouds. A winged, red streak cut through the air, disappearing and reappearing every now and then. It nosedived like a downed plane before bottoming out and colliding with the grass-covered floor.

Makaela and the Shades jumped in surprise, their eyes wide with fear and confusion.

A massive, reptilian beast stood before them. Its leathery, bat-like wings flapped in the wind, the noise thundering in their ears. The creature had scales the color of a firestorm. They gleamed in the light and stretched with each movement the beast took. It swished its spiked tail behind them and roared, revealing rows of sharp teeth in its elongated snout.

Makaela's eyes widened.

A dragon.

The hairs on her arms and neck stood at attention. Her inner-Nightling whispered in her ear, ordering her to kill the animal before it killed her. She nearly listened to it, but then the dragon began to shrink.

Its wings retracted and scales faded from its body. The long tail had also shrunk inside of the new body that was forming. Seconds later, a toned, shirtless man with beige skin and black hair tied into a ponytail stood where the dragon had just been.

He wore baggy, red pants and a gold medallion with a fire pendant hung from his neck.

Amora walked up to him, smiling. The two of them embraced before pulling away from each other. Makaela arched an eyebrow at the man. She studied his features. He had a crooked nose and a small mouth which seemed to be stuck in a perpetual grin. His lidded, brown eyes glinted with hidden light.

Makaela drew in a breath.

"You didn't tell me you were visiting,'' he said to Amora.

"This was kind of a spur of the moment thing,'' she replied. "Nice to see you, Asahi."

"Likewise." He faced Makaela and clicked his tongue. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Asahi Kasai was the firstborn child of Kasumi Kasai, the fire queen of House Doragon. She remembered the boy from her younger days. Being the child of an Eldenarian councilmember meant the often saw a lot of each other. They had never been friends, though. He preferred to be with Amora, as they were both sadistic and vile.

She wondered if he had changed at all in the past decade.

He stepped up to her with a sly smile on his face. "So, Thorian really got you, huh? Eh, at least you're on the winning side."

"Thorian didn't get me," she protested. "I joined him."

Asahi blew air from his nose. "I'm having a hard time believing you willingly joined the man who murdered your parents and house members."

"Like so you said, I wanted to join the winning side."

He nodded slowly, his eyebrows raised. "You're cute now, you know. You were a bit of a weird looking kid."

Even though her face had started to warm up, she sneered at him. "Yeah, well, you're still weird looking."

Makaela scanned Asahi, furthering her assessment of him. He was about two inches taller than she was, standing at five-foot-nine. He had packed on quite a bit of muscle, despite being relatively small in frame. Sweat glistened off his defined abs. A red and black tattoo of a dragon stretched across the entirety of his left arm and most of his chest.

She wanted to ask him how he'd been able to shift. Her vague knowledge of shifters told her that only magicians from the House of Oseda could take on the appearance of an animal. His tattoo must've had something to do with it. Her question would have to wait for later, though, as they still had to meet with Asahi's mother.

The nineteen-year-old dragon shifter led them up the cracked stairs leading into House Doragon's castle. Two magicians dressed in red armored stood on either side of the entrance. Asahi nodded at them and they pulled open the bronze doors.

Makaela looked around in awe. She had to admit, the inside of the castle was much nicer than the outside.

Light poured in through the tall, four-paneled windows. Bright orange banners with House Doragon's sigil—the letter D enclosed by a fiery dragon—hung from the wooden rafters and fluttered like fire in the wind. Men and women, most of Eastern Asian and Indian descent, roamed around wearing shimmering cloths.

Makaela hadn't met many members of House Doragon before. In fact, the only ones she knew were Kasumi and her family. Their reputations preceded them. While often thought to be wild and erratic like the fire magic they practiced, they were anything but. They were reserved, calm, and calculated individuals; all were qualities they shared with House Tenebris.

It wasn't a surprise to see the two houses allied together.

House Doragon also happened to be the third-largest house, falling only behind House Brynjir and House Aegeon. If Thorian had any hopes of making the world in his own image, he was going to need all the numbers he could get. Makaela figured that was the driving force for his visit to Vashara—House Oseda's headquarters in Africa.

"So," Asahi began as he took the group of visitors up a staircase, "what do you need from us?"

"We couldn't just be visiting?" Amora asked with a smile.

Asahi snorted. "You showed up with a team of Shades. You're not just visiting." He glanced at the girl over his shoulder. "Now, what do you need from us?"

"We need your house's help with our mission," Makaela explained. He gestured for her to continue.

"We're taking the portal spire," Amora explained. "My brother and some others know about my father's plans. He doesn't want a war, so he's sending us to take care of them. We need to secure the spire in Gibraltar and infiltrate Thania to kill them before they alert Sirus and his soldiers."

Asahi nodded. "And you need our help." He grinned, shaking his head. He was right. They did need their help. And if he could transform into a dragon, bringing him along would tip the scales in their favor greatly.

Makaela seized on this opportunity to ask him about his ability.

He glanced at her over his shoulder while they all continued climbing up the stairs. "Our god, Pyrix, picks a champion every few generations. He gives them something called the fenrue charm and it allows them to turn into a dragon."

"And how'd you get it?"

He didn't really look like a champion to her.

"I killed a dragon," he answered boastfully. "On my own."

Makaela arched an eyebrow at him. "How'd you not get burnt to a crisp?"

"A magician never reveals his tricks."

Finally, the group reached the top floor of the castle. Wooden rafters stretched across the ceiling and multiple candles floated in the air. A throne crafted out of dark wood and polished gold sat on the other end of the room. White wallpaper with flame motifs decorated the walls.

Sitting on the chair was a beautiful woman with black hair tied into a long braid that ran down her shoulder. Her skin was the color of fine china and was smoother than silk.

Makaela recognized her immediately.

The woman was dressed in a beautiful, red kimono. Golden pieces of jewelry adorned her hands, arms, and ears.

Everyone stood rooted to their spots. Makaela hadn't noticed and kept walking towards the fire queen. Realizing she was alone, she turned around to face them. They all were kneeling. Even Amora had dropped down to one knee.

"What's going—"

"Kneel, idiot!" Asahi hissed at her.

Her face burning with embarrassment, she dropped down to one knee and bowed her head. She was starting to remember why they were never friends as children.

On the other side of the room, she heard Kasumi leave her throne and begin towards them. She lifted her eyes from the floor and met the woman's soft gaze.

"Asahi, how many times do I have to tell you that I don't want people kneeling for me," she asked while cutting her eyes to her son.

He rose to his feet. "But, okasaan, they need to show you respect."

Kasumi rolled her eyes and motioned for the others to stand up. She apologized on her child's behalf.

Makaela thanked her and smoothed down her black robes.

"Makaela," Kasumi breathed out as she took the girl's hands into hers. "What a wonderful surprise. It's been too long, my dear. I am truly sorry about what has happened to your house."

She tilted her head at the woman. The way she spoke about the purge of House Lumai suggested she didn't know who had orchestrated it. Either that or she was being incredibly callous. Then it dawned on her.

Kasumi truly didn't know. While Makaela didn't know her well, she knew about her to say she wouldn't have wittingly sided with a murderous magician like Thorian. Now that she was thinking about it, the man did keep most of the attacks against her house secret and out of the public eye. The Redfangs and other creatures of the dark carried out his dirty work. Very rarely did he kill the Lumaian magicians with his own Shades.

"Thank you," she told Kasumi, opting to keep her revelation to herself. Thorian wouldn't have been too pleased to have lost an ally because of her mouth. She squeezed the woman's hands and smiled warmly. "It's nice to see you as well." The two of them embraced. Makaela noted that Kasumi smelled like cherry blossom.

"You're working with Thorian now, I see," Kasumi said.

Makaela nodded, her expression darkening.

The head of the House of Kasai chuckled. "I know how you feel."

Kasumi glanced at Amora. "What are you doing here, girl?" Her tone was colder than an unlit candle.

"Play nice," Asahi warned.

Kasumi drew her lips together. "Just because we are allied with Thorian doesn't mean I have to kiss up to his children." Makaela snuck a peek at Amora, who seemed to be fighting back a sneer. Instead of firing back a rude comment, she smiled and clasped her hands across her midsection.

She looked exactly like her father.

"Hello, Queen Kasumi," she said, her voice rigid and carrying a sense of diplomacy. "I have come to ask for your assistance."

"Assistance with what?"

Makaela stepped in and answered, hoping the fire queen would consider it more if she was the one to present it to her. After she finished, Kasumi nodded.

"I see. And what exactly are you asking for?"

Her son stepped forward. "They'll need help taking the spire, mother. Let me and a few others go with them."

She shook her head and slashed her hand throw the air. "You will not be going anywhere. I am not sending you off on a suicide mission."

Makaela pursed her lips at the woman's choice of words. She knew their task was dangerous, but she didn't think it would result in their deaths. Thorian wouldn't have sent her and his last remaining child on a mission if he didn't think they would come back alive.

At least she hoped he wouldn't.

Asahi stomped up to his mother. "Please, let me do this. What have I been training for if I can't do something good for our people? Pyrix chose me as his champion for a reason. Let me prove that he was correct in doing so."

Pausing, Kasumi stared at her son's face. Makaela eyed her curiously.

"Please, okasaan," he pleaded.

She exhaled, shaking her head. "I'm going to regret this."

Asahi wrapped his mother into a crushing hug, lifting her off her feet. "You won't," he promised after setting her down. "I'll make you proud."

Makaela beamed at them. At least someone had a relationship with their mother. She glanced at Amora, who was simply standing with her arms folded and a bored expression on her sharp features.

"You may take Asahi, four of our magicians, and two dragons," Kasumi told Makaela, intentionally bypassing Amora. She then pointed a finger at the Thauvin girl. "But if my boy gets killed helping you, I will kill you myself."

Amora pressed a hand to her heart. "I swear on my life nothing will happen to your son."

Kasumi huffed. "You'd better hope so." She then waved them off. "Now, get going. I need to meditate and finish my tea. You've brought too much dark energy into my castle. It's messing with my feng shui."

After Asahi had collected two dragons and a few fire elementalists from his house, they all left for Gibraltar using House Doragon's portal.

She grumbled obscenities under her breath after stepping out the rift for the second time that day. Once the feeling on her skin subsided, she took a look around herself. She and the others were standing on the beach of a peninsula. Behind them was a forest shrouded in the morning twilight.

The sea-green water reflected the dwindling light of the rising sun. The time exchange between Japan and Gibraltar was massive, at it had just been the middle of the afternoon where they came from.

Above them, the two dragons Asahi brought with him flew in circles above the clouds. Their shadows passed over the ground every now and then. Makaela hoped no Ordinaires were around. They'd surely have a heart attack after seeing two massive reptilian beasts flying in the sky.

The sea-green color of the water reflected the dwindling light of the rising sun. The time exchange between Japan and Gibraltar was massive, at it had just been the middle of the afternoon where they came from.

On the other side of the peninsula was the famous rock of Gibraltar. Though, its name did no justice to its appearance. The rugged belt of land jutted out of the water like a tower. It was a mountain formed out of limestone, sandstone, and other light-colored rocks covering most of the area. Patches of greenery decorated the rock along with a few tall trees.

It was truly a sight to behold.

In the stretch of water between the two landmasses, a cloud of mist, barely visible, swirled in the center. Cloaking magic resonated from the fog. To any Ordinaires who might've been passing through the strait, they would see nothing but fog.

"There it is," Makaela said, pointing at the massive cloud hanging over the water.

"The guardian is most likely hiding around the barrier," Amora said. "The two dragons and the rest of you will be heading into the spire. Me, Amora, and Asahi will be handling the guardian."

Everyone nodded, satisfied with her plan. For such a young girl, she was quite the tactician. If she wasn't so evil, Makaela could have seen her as a great general for the Eldai.

Amora clasped her hands across her stomach, her face looking towards the water. "Everyone ready?"

Makaela, Asahi, and the Shades nodded. The dragons in the sky came back down to the earth after Asahi called them back down with the whistle in his pocket. The pawed at the ground and spouted fire into the air.

Amora smiled.

"Let's begin."