Lore woke up in a dark and uneasy quietness. She was still strapped to Ethan’s back. So, she tried reaching out and waking the unconscious Ethan. When that didn’t work, she kept repeating her famous line, “Gugugahgahgagaga,” in hopes of someone getting up and answering her. However, both Ethan and Leo were in no position to reply, and the others weren’t present. Desdemona was dead, and Kendall and Dorian returned to the ancestral plane after exhausting their energies in saving them from the blast.

  Even though Kendall and Dorian’s intervention saved the children’s lives, it still left the boys severely burned. Ethan’s body took most of the damage and shielded Lore from being burnt. However, he and Leo were in very bad shape.

  Lore tried to use her powers to ice their wounds, but she too was running on fumes. Dorian’s use of her power to transport the children had taken a toll. Also, Calaren’s ring had run out of juice. So, the rest of Lore’s powers were primarily being used to protect her from the toxic air. She would’ve succumbed to this toxicity already if she weren’t a first-generation Anon controlling the healing element of water.

  Feeling all alone and unable to help anyone, Lore started crying loudly. Her voice traveled far and wide in the silent and lonely night. However, it is said that no one is truly alone, for Goddess Anorea watches over all. The Goddess always aids those who remain on the righteous path. So, it was She who appeared in this time of need for the children.

  Slowly, the darkness around Lore started to morph. It took a shape of a beautiful black woman, with long and brilliant black, wavy hair, and a pair of mesmerizing green catlike eyes.

  “Do not cry, little Lore. For I am here for you now and always,” said the Goddess as she scooped Lore in her arms. Next, she healed the severely burnt and toxic air filled bodies of Leo and Ethan. She then walked up to the First Firepit, now burning brightly. She reached out and a burning ball of fire flew out from the pit and landed on her hand. She breathed life into that fire and gave it the form of Desdemona, bringing her back from death.

  Suddenly, the Mother felt the presence of another entity. Not living yet, not quite dead. “Desdemona must survive. Desdemona must survive,” said the half-broken skeleton of Diandra.

  Diandra had survived the explosion. Or at least a part of her had. The blast blew away the other dead, holding her down. Unfortunately, it also blew away the lower half of her body. Still, she crawled her way to her daughter.

  “Fret not, warrior. As one mother to another, I promise to look after your daughter. You can rest now,” said the Goddess as she laid the bodies of each of the children by the fire.

  Diandra took one last longing look at Desdemona and another at Mother Anorea. Then, many cracks appeared near both of her eyes which then spread to the end of her chin. It was like tears of sorrow were flowing down her face. A few moments later, Diandra’s skeleton crumbled to dust.

  After shedding a tear for Diandra’s motherly love, Eternal Mother Anorea set Lore down and addressed the children. “My dear children, I’m so proud of you. For eons, most Primordials have done nothing but harm each other. It was hard for me. Tired of seeing them exercising their free will this way, I left. Never to return. However, your efforts and dedication to set things right called me back,” said the mother Goddess, while smiling down on them.

  ”As a reward, let me give you gifts that will support you in your journey. To Desdemona, I give an indestructible body and powers of a Creation Elemental. To Ethan, I return the ability to use his Gainsworth powers and give the power to master the infinity spells. To little Leo trying to right all wrongs, I give everlasting energy and stamina. So, you can fully channel the Veiled One ancestors.

  “Lastly, to Lore, the mightiest of Anons, I give the ability to channel my powers directly. Your race has done much wrong. You will need access to my powers to fix it all. So, call upon me in your darkest hour. I will come to your aid.”

  “Now, my children, it is time for a change of place,” said the Goddess, for She knew the Anons and Cursebinders must have sensed what happened in Ragonia by now. So, she decided to send them far away from their reach. With a snap of her fingers, She activated the cosmos traveling ability of Ragonia.

  All four of the primal planets had a special ability, the power to teleport around the cosmos. Ragonia’s capability to teleport was hampered due to the drowsing of its Creation Fires. However, with Anorea’s help and the relighting of the First Fire Pit, Ragonia was once again cruising through the cosmos. Voyaging towards an unknown destination selected by the Mother.

  ***

  Inside the royal palace of the Anons existed a beautiful garden full of blooming flowers and water fountains. Small seating arrangements enjoying the best views were placed throughout. One of these spots was hidden away from the rest. It was Zine’s favorite place to be. That is where he went when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts.

  Something is wrong! I haven’t seen Ethan or Lore at all for the past few days. The palace is on high alert, and everyone has become secretive. “What is going on!” Zine spoke out loud.

  “Aww, poor orphan boy doesn’t know what is going on? No one cared enough to fill you in is it?” taunted Karenitz.

  “Where did you come from?” asked a surprised Zine.

  “Oh please! I’ve been around here a lot longer than you. So, obviously, I know every nook and cranny in this place. You can’t hide from me in here!”

  “Wasn’t trying to hide. Just wanted to be alone…”

  “If you want to be alone, then go to your room. Don’t walk around everywhere with your gloomy face.”

  “Sorry.”

  “If you are really sorry, then get out of here and let me rest in peace. This spot is well-hidden, so no one can bother me if I rest here.”

  “Ok,” said Zine as he got up to leave. Before he left, though, he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “Excuse me, but do you know what is going on? Everyone is on edge and not answering my requests of meeting Ethan or Lore.”

  “I guess what they say is true. Blood is thicker than water. They would’ve told you already—if you were truly a royal. Guess they don’t think of you as their own,” said Karenitz haughtily.

  “Who we call our own is none of your business, Karenitz Swordsbane,” said King Ran, who heard the children’s conversation quietly up to this point from behind a bush. Finally, he emerged to put an end to Karenitz’s bad behavior.

  “Your Majesty, I, uh…” Karenitz fumbled her words.

  “Speak when spoken to. Did your father not teach you any manners?” asked King Ran.

  “Um…” Karenitz tried to put an answer together.

  “No need to say anything. Things are evident from the way you act. Next time you talk to any of my children like this, be it Zine, Ethan, or Lore, you will be severely punished. Do you understand?”

  Karenitz nodded her head in submission.

  “Good. Also, you are banned from entering the royal gardens ever again. Now go, get out of my sight,” said King Ran in a grim tone.

  Karenitz bowed low before sprinting away. Zine couldn’t help but smile at her condition. Then he turned to King Ran and said, “Please tell me what is happening?”

  King Ran looked down at Zine and smiled gently. “That is why I’m here, son. Come, let’s have a seat first.” King Ran took Zine’s hand in his and guided him back to the spot. “Ethan and Lore have been kidnapped.”

  “What?” asked an astonished Zine.

  “Shortly after your sparing session ended Ethan responded to a situation, and we haven’t heard from him since. Unfortunately, at that time, Lore was with him too. So, both of them are currently missing.”

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  “Why didn’t anyone tell me about this before?”

  “We didn’t want to worry you, son.”

  “But…”

  “Hear me out, son. It was my decision. I wanted to keep you safe and worry-free about this. I love you. I want to make you king one day. I also wanted to make Lore your queen and Ethan your chief advisor. However, you are the only one left to me now. So, I need you to be in good health in both mind and body. That wouldn’t happen if you kept thinking about all this.”

  Zine kept quiet for a while before asking, “Any news on them?”

  “Not yet, but all of you are our children. Your security is the most important. Trust me, I’ll find Ethan and Lore if it is the last thing I do. However, I need you to remain safe by my side until that happens. So, you need to remain in your chambers, guarded by our best soldiers and protected by magic seals. Think you can do that, son?”

  “Yes, Father,” answered Zine.

  “Good,” said King Ran.

  At that time, Emanuel and Orias rushed in calling out for Ran. “Ran, Ran, where are you?” Orias loudly called out.

  “What is it?” asked an alarmed Ran.

  “Ragonia. Ethan, and Lore are in Ragonia, most probably kidnapped by what’s left of the Elementals,” said Emanuel.

  “How do you know this?” asked King Ran.

  “It has to be Ragonia, because that is one of the only places out of our reach. So, the kidnappers knew we cannot easily chase after them there. It has connections to the attack on us on Mother’s Womb as well. So, they must have found a way to survive the toxic environment. Also, most importantly, Ragonia has started moving again,” said Emanuel.

  “What? That could only happen if the First Fire Pit was relit!” said King Ran.

  “Relighting the First Firepit requires Creation Flames from the Volcano of Creation. We believe Ethan caught them doing so and was abducted because of it. Then, they forced him to override the seal and relit the First Fire Pit. Setting Ragonia free again,” said Orias.

  “Well, then let’s catch up to Ragonia as soon as possible,” said King Ran.

  “We can’t,” replied Orias.

  “Why not?” asked King Ran.

  “All the wards placed in and around Ragonia have been dispelled. Also, we have no clue where it is traveling to,” said Emanuel.

  ***

  It was just another day at Sanctuary. Atlas was taking stock of supplies inside the cold and dreary storage room. For most people, life remained the same as before Desdemona and Leo’s departure. The same rationing of food and water. The same maintenance of the amassing stone-powered purifiers that kept Sanctuary’s air breathable. The same age-old politics raged on between the Creation and Destruction Elementals as well. The only thing that changed inside the old, dark all-encompassing walls of Sanctuary was the tension levels of its inhabitants.

  One indeed sees the world through the lenses of his or her characteristics. The Creation Elementals had always shunned and outcasted the Destruction Elementals. So, they couldn’t digest that now their lives depended on the mercy of the Destruction Elementals. As a result, they were extremely dissatisfied living in Sanctuary. Many times, they falsely accused the Destruction Elementals of hoarding resources and discriminating against them.

  A rebellion almost arose when Sanctuary ran out of food and other resources. Things had only calmed down when Leo had brought enough supplies to keep everyone happy. However, people became afraid again ever since he left to revive Ragonia.

  At first, everyone was convinced by Leo’s inspirational speech about resurrecting Ragonia using the prince and princess of the Anons. Today, though, people were more worried about what would happen if Leo didn’t make it back. Not to mention the Creation Elementals were unhappy about Desdemona, a Destruction Elemental, being the carrier of the Creation Flames. Meanwhile, the Destruction Elementals are miffed with having to share the glory of reviving Ragonia with a Veiled One. Most, however, thought this to be a fool’s errand. And no one wanted to lose Leon Hearth-Bringer, their primary supplier of resources, to it.

  All of this was running through Atlas’s mind while he finished his inspection of the food to be rationed out. This much will not even last three months, thought Atlas, as he grappled with the possibility of stretching their provisions if Leo didn’t return. They have to return, though! Other than Atlas, no one else currently living in Sanctuary had to deal with that evil machine blocking the path. Thus, they didn't know of its destructive powers. So, Atlas, was the only one who knew that the meager weapons given to the children was nowhere near enough to bring it down. However, under the pressure of the masses, he had to let the children go and face it alone. Everything can still turn out alright in the end, though, hoped Atlas. No one can survive that machine and the children will find this out too. Once they reach the machine, they’ll understand they can’t get through and will come back then.

  “You need to eat something. You haven’t eaten properly since the children left. I’m sure Desdemona would want you to be in good health upon her triumphant return,” said Calaren.

  Atlas immediately wanted to give a snappy reply, but stopped himself in fear of June’s retaliation. “Thank you for your concern, but I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t think so. You aged a couple of decades in these past few days and your unhealthy eating patterns are adding to it.”

  “Since when do you care, and why?”

  ”As a parent of one unruly kid to another, I know the feeling of having your child out of sight. Don’t worry. All of them will come back alive and well.”

  “You know nothing! This is not Solem where your child roamed around safely. Ragonia is a ruined planet with nothing but death to offer. It’s filled with deadly traps and a toxic environment capable of killing able-bodied men in hours. Most importantly, the machine…” Atlas fell silent, remembering his escape to Sanctuary with the last of his people as the machine had become active.

  “They are protected from the toxic atmosphere. Also, I’m sure you guys gave them the best resources to deal with everything.”

  “Resources! We never had much of anything to give away! Even before the fall, scarcity was no stranger to Sanctuary. This is where most Destruction Elementals lived like prisoners. Very few ever made it out, and the ones that did were mostly forced inside the golden cage of Sanctum. Why do you think there was only one unkempt and broken traveling mirror here? It was because we were only allowed to own one of them, which was not even maintained properly. All our lives, the Creation Elementals treated us like disposable items. Limiting our growth and abusing us for their gain. Yet in the end, it is us that kept them safe.”

  Tears rolled down Atlas’s cheek as he finally buckled under all the pressure. He fell to the ground and started crying uncontrollably. Atlas of the Destruction Elementals, the man who had endured the destruction of his world and people, finally broke. Calaren signaled the rest of the people inside the food storage room to leave them alone. Once everyone left, he kneeled beside Atlas and said, “Everything will be alright. They will come back victorious.”

  “Are you out of your mind? They are mere children trying to accomplish what seasoned warriors cannot!” yelled Atlas.

  “They are miracle workers. Healing agents of the Mother.”

  “No. Only my daughter is the healing agent. Your son is the source of all evil. I should’ve never let Desdemona hang out with him.”

  “Leo only starts up trouble to address and fix bigger problems.”

  “Horseshite!”

  “Look, Atlas. Leo is a gift from Mother Anorea, born against all odds. As is Desdemona, she thrived even under such harsh conditions. She is the first Destruction Elemental in generations to hold the Creation Flame. They are also being aided by a first-generation Anon and a Gainsworth. If anyone can revitalize Ragonia, it’s them!”

  “Say what you want, but it is not their burden to carry! It’s our fault. We should be the ones to fix all of this!”

  “I think we have done more harm than good. So, the best thing we can do is not get in their way. However, we should always be ready to support them in whatever way we can. For that to happen, we have to keep ourselves alive and well,” said Calaren as he offered a piece of bread to Atlas.

  Atlas begrudgingly took the piece of bread and ate it. Once he was finished, he turned to Calaren and said, “Just so we are clear, I can take care of myself. The only reason I ate it was because I wanted to be polite. That and I do not want your wife to blow my head off on account of refusing you.”

  “Of course!” said Calaren as he broke into a smile.

  “By the way, is it true that you helped us during the invasion of Ragonia? Are you really the Wandering Soul?”

  “Yes, and yes.”

  “How and why?”

  “It was the last act of defiance I had against the Anons. I aided in the escape of Elementals from Magnum to Sanctuary through Sanctum. I also went back to take care of the pursuers. Lastly, it was I that collapsed the tunnel way so no one could follow. If it weren’t for father sending me back to Solem, I would’ve joined and fought on your behalf, too. As for why, I just wanted to save people, that’s all.”

  There was a long silence before Atlas spoke up. “Thank you. It is only because of you that a lot of the Elementals made it to Sanctuary. However, are you sure we deserved saving?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “That makes one of us.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “For my whole life, I have served the Creation Elementals. My brethren and I fought for them, bled for them, and died for them. We ventured into the toxic environment outside to find more survivors while they stayed safe in Sanctuary. Unfortunately, none who went came back. Still, it was never enough! Even now, after years of keeping them alive, the Creation Elementals plot against us in our own home. Before, when I got angry at you for letting Leo go, I wasn’t angry at you. I was angry at myself for allowing Des to risk her life for these ungrateful nuisances. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I understand.”

  “So, tell me honestly. You think our children truly have a chance of success?”

  “Of course!”

  “But they will turn back if they can’t, right? I want my daughter back alive, and we need Leo to transport goods for our survival.”

  “Don’t worry. They will succeed and return to us safely.” As soon as Calaren finished speaking, tremors rocked Sanctuary.

  Atlas and Calaren got on their feet and ran outside to find out what was going on. People were running towards them. Old man Gino and June were foremost among them.

  Before Atlas or Calaren could say anything, Gino said, “The Fire is burning again.”

  June said, “Ragonia is traveling through the cosmos again.”

  Atlas and Calaren looked at each other. Atlas was dumbfounded, while Calaren wore a proud expression on his face.