A clearing was created in the middle of a forested area not too far from the mountain cabin. A massive death-link ritual was being held there. After hearing about the dire state of the Veiled Ones, Leo knew he had to do something quick. So, he lied and said Khalifa wanted Ivan to help the children restore Areliam and Veiled Ones. Of course, Ivan wanted proof. Leo and Ethan were traveling to the ancestral realm to bring Khalifa Hearth-Bringer’s spirit to confirm Leo told the truth.

  In addition to outlawing death-link ceremonies, the Gainsworths also cast spells blocking communication with the ancestors. As a result, no Veiled One, apart from the Gainsworths and Leo, has been able to commune with the ancestors. Leo knew this, and that is why he lied to Ivan. He wanted to use his connection to the ancestors to have Khalifa Hearth-Bringer convince Ivan to help them.

  Ivan needed something more though. He wanted to make sure what happened to Khalifa and him wouldn’t repeat with others. So, he made Leo promise that he’d get support from all the clans to abolish the interclan exchanges. He also asked that the clans put aside their politics and focus on the betterment of all Veiled Ones.

  A circular rope hung from the nearby trees. On it were nine flags. Each flag had the symbol and animal of the clan it represented. Empty firepits were created underneath the flags. They would be lit automatically when the ancestors belonging to a particular clan showed up in their ghost forms. The black Pegasus and the infinity symbol represented the Paradigms. The wolf and the circle represented the Hearth-Bringers. The Gainsworths had cats as both their animal and their symbol. The Pathfinders had the phoenix as their animal and the nine-pointed star as their symbol. The snake was both the animal and the symbol that represented Renegaders. Continuing with the theme of an animal being both the symbol and the creature representing a clan, gorillas were representative of the Warhammers. Chameleons were representative of the Transenders. The craftsmasters were represented with butterflies as their animal and a diamond as their symbol. Lastly, the Keepers were represented with a turtle as their animal and books as their symbol.

  Leo and Ethan were laid in the middle of the clearing. They were put to sleep with the help of Ivan’s special powder. Their conscious minds being asleep will make their souls’ journey to the ancestral realm easier. It was midday when the ritual began. Ivan gave them until the next midday to accomplish their task. Ivan, Krayola, Des, and Lore stayed behind to guard the boys while they were communing with the ancestors.

  The first hour of the death-link ceremony went without problems. However, soon trouble came looking for them when a group of Renegaders confronted them. They surrounded Ivan, with one old man leading the charge.

  “Ivan! How dare you side with the enemy?” asked the old man.

  “Watch your tone, Husk. I’m still the leader of this clan.”

  “Some leader you are, harboring enemies in our midst.”

  “They are just children!”

  “The children of the enemies are also enemies! Their parents were the ones who killed our children! Did you forget that?”

  “I remember, but I can’t hurt children. They have nothing to do with this. In fact, they are trying to fix things. My great-grandson is currently in the ancestral planes to unite all Veiled Ones and plan a counterattack against the Anons.”

  “Oh, I see what all of this is about. You found yourself a new great-grandchild and can’t bring yourself to say no to him. What about all of us? Our lines ended fighting the same Gainsworths and Anons you are protecting right now!”

  “No, you misunderstand! He has a plan to make things right. Khalifa sent him and he has the backing of all the ancestors. That is why he can still commune with them while none of us can.”

  Husk let out a long sigh and said, “Khalifa again? Your obsession with her is hurting the clan. Not just her. Your whole family has been a curse for us. It’s time we nullify that curse.”

  “What do you mean, Husk?” Ivan asked curtly.

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  “Active immediately, you are no longer the leader of our clan. We take back the role of leadership from you. Now, stand down while we finish off the enemies,” said Husk as he approached Lore and Ethan.

  “Stop, if you disturb the death-link procedure, my great-grandson will be harmed. He is too young to survive the backlash of energy from an unfinished death-link ceremony. So please wait until the ritual is done.”

  “Why should I? Calico was the daughter of my daughter. When she died, all of my family went to avenge her. Then they all lost their lives in that Battle of Behemoths, as did almost all other younglings of our clan. Now we are mostly childless. So, why should you be the one of the few who gets to continue his lineage?” asked a vindictive Husk.

  “Husk, stop! These are innocent children. They do not deserve this. Even the Anons didn’t kill children. You who claim to be better than them have to act better than them, too.”

  “No, I’m done with all the civilities. Now it’s time for justice to be served,” said Husk as he took out his knife and walked menacingly towards Leo and Ethan.

  ***

  Leo opened his eyes in the darkness of the ancestral realm. He looked around for the illuminated spot that usually appeared right away, signaling him where to go. However, nothing but darkness greeted him.

  “This is strange,” said Leo.

  “Stranger than you lying to your great-grandfather?” asked Ethan who woke up beside Leo.

  “Technically, it wasn’t a lie. The ancestors did send me, and since Khalifa Hearth-Bringer is one of my direct ancestors, she wants great-grandfather to help out too,” said Leo.

  “That is not true,” said Kendall Hearth-Bringer.

  An illuminated spot finally did appear, and Kendall was sitting in it. However, a moving red spot of light rushed past him like a flash and headed directly for Leo. It collided with him with such force that Leo fell backward.

  “Ancestor Dorian!” said a surprised Leo while being embraced by Dorian’s wings.

  “I’m so happy you are all right, boy!” said Dorian.

  “Aww. I’m really happy to see both of you are all right as well! I was worried!” said Leo.

  “Worried? Worried for what? Nothing could’ve happened to us because we were already dead. It's you all we were worried about. By the way, did that Des girl survive?" asked Dorian and was relieved when Leo nodded yes. Then he continued speaking, "After Ragonia we couldn’t get a hold of you, though, and that made us nervous,” said Dorian.

  “Don’t know why, but our connection seemed to have severed after the events in Ragonia. I just started feeling connected to you guys again a few hours ago. Anyways, thank you for everything you did for us in Ragonia. We would’ve never survived without your help,” said a grateful Leo while happily hugging Dorian back.

  “Anytime, my boy!” said Dorian.

  Kendall slowly walked towards Leo and stopped to give a nod to Ethan before continuing. Once he reached Leo, he gave him a look around and said, “You seem healthy. A little while ago, we felt you using your Hearth-Bringer healing powers.”

  “Oh, that’s because I was hurt by the acid of a giant scorpion, who was once a Transender. By the way, we have reached Kracten and…”

  “We know,” Dorian said, cutting Leo off. “We can feel the death-link ritual originated from Kracten. We also heard that you lied about Khalifa wanting Ivan to help you out. You shouldn’t have done that.”

  “Why not?” asked Leo.

  “My mother does not know what is going on. She and most of her coconspirators are being imprisoned in the hellish portion of the ancestral realm. Even mere mention of her name can get you punished,” said Kendall.

  Silence echoed within the ancestral realm. It reflected Leo’s weariness of all the things that he didn’t know yet. Why do things keep getting more and more complicated?

  “Ok, so who’ll tell me what crime great-grandmother is being punished for?” asked a dejected Leo.

  “Khalifa Hearth-Bringer never forgot that she was a Renegader. She started an inter-clan war by unjustly aiding the Renegaders to gain a ruling position amongst the clans,” said Ethan, who had been quiet for a while now.

  “What is this about ruling positions now?”

  “Paradigms, Hearth-Bringers, and Pathfinders were the most powerful clans of the Veiled Ones. Followed by Gainsworths, Renegaders, Transenders, Warhammers, Craftmasters, and Keepers. The top three clans had the utmost say about how Veiled Ones should live. When the Pathfinders lost their powers, a ruling position opened up that should have gone to the Gainsworths. However, your great-grandmother manipulated things so that it went to the Renegaders. This started an internal war that the Anons and Elementals took advantage of. All this eventually led to our collective downfall. So, I guess she is paying for that now,” explained Ethan.

  “Plus, she is extremely angry at Calaren for marrying June,” blurted out Dorian.

  “Now why is that?” asked Leo.

  “June is a powerless Pathfinder. Mother wanted Calaren to marry Quintessa Transender to cement an alliance with the Transenders. However, he refused, so Calaren was cast out of the Hearth-Bringer family,” Kendall answered.

  “Fine. Let’s go and recruit her to our cause then,” said Leo.

  “Hey, idiot, did you not hear anything we have said so far? She won’t help us!” said Ethan.

  “She will because I’ll make her,” replied Leo.