The ancestors guided Leo and Ethan through the ancestral plane. The Veiled Ones’ ancestral realm was divided into twelve parts. Each of the nine clans had their portion and there was a common area shared by all. Then there was a hellish part of the realm where all evil Veiled Ones went to. Lastly, prime ancestor Lapis Lazuli Paradigm, along with the very first Veiled Ones, lived in a special zone. They lived on the mountain present in the middle of the ancestral realm.

  Leo explained what he promised to do to get Ivan’s help to Kendall and Dorian. During this conversation, four other ghost wolves approached the kids. “Ah, Leo. Let me introduce you to your grandmother and uncles. The black wolf is Leona, your grandmother. Calaren named you after her. The white wolf is Kazdin, Calaren’s older brother. The two brown wolves are Camdin and Camren, twin younger brothers of your father,” said Kendall.

  “Which one is Camdin and which one is Camren?” Leo asked.

  “The one with brown eyes is Camdin, and the one with green eyes is Camren,” replied Kendall.

  “Oh, hello everyone! It’s nice to finally meet you! Don’t get me wrong, I love grandfather and ancestor Dorian, but it got boring with just the two of them. So, I’m really glad to see some new faces!” said Leo.

  “Hey, who are you calling boring?” asked Dorian.

  “Probably the one who asked that question,” Ethan said smugly.

  “I don’t remember asking you, Gainsworth. So, keep quiet,” said a miffed Dorian.

  ”As you wish,” replied Ethan.

  “I said quiet!” yelled Dorian.

  While Ethan and Dorian were squabbling, the brown wolves jumped at Leo and brought him down to the ground. Then they started to sniff and lick him. The black wolf helped Leo get up and chased the brown ones away.

  “Give the boy some space!” said Leona.

  “He smells like Cal!” said Camdin.

  “Yeah, but he has June’s features!” Camren chimed in.

  “Of course, Uncles! I’m both of their son after all!” said Leo.

  “Haha, we know. By the way, don’t call us uncles. It makes us feel old. I go by Ren, Camdin goes by Din, and Kazdin goes by Kaz. So, call us by those nicknames,” said Camren.

  “Will do, Ren!” said Leo.

  The white wolf, however, approached Ethan instead of Leo with a low growl. He encircled Ethan from afar, searching for the best angle of attack. Ethan in turn also readied himself to fight.

  “No, Kaz! Stop! He is on our side,” said Kendall.

  “A Gainsworth can never be on our side! Especially this one. He is Edwin’s son. We need to punish him for his father’s sins,” said Kaz.

  “No, it’s true! Ethan is a friend, and he is going to help us save both our people and Areliam.” Leo hurriedly butted in to calm his uncle. He also went to Ethan and softly said, “Please don’t say that I’m not a friend right now!” Ethan begrudgingly nodded in response.

  “I don’t trust him!” said Kaz.

  “I don’t either. However, we don’t have a choice,” Dorian said resentfully.

  “Enough! We have to move on to our next steps. Honey, take Leo to my mother. He has to discuss something urgent with her,” said Kendall.

  ”Is that wise?” asked a nervous Leona.

  “Wise or not, it needs to be done. Leo has promised Father that he’ll convince all the clans to work together, as well as make them agree to dissolve the interclan exchange. Mother needs to be a part of this as well” said Kendall.

  “It won’t work,” said Kaz.

  “Never give up before trying, son,” said Kendall.

  “Then at least you should accompany Leo. You know how mother-in-law gets. If there is anyone here who can somewhat handle her, it’s you,” said Leona.

  “Oh, don’t worry, honey. I think our grandson will be more than a match for her. Isn’t that right, Leo?” Kendall asked Leo.

  “Don’t you worry, Grandfather. I’ll take care of it!” replied Leo.

  “Good. Then Dorian, go to the Keepers and convince them to join us. Ren, go to the Warhammers. Din, go to the Craftmasters. Kaz, go convince the Transenders. I’ll go with Ethan to convince the Gainsworths. Once they are convinced, we can reach out to the Renegaders. After that, we’ll all go to convince the Paradigms,” said Kendall.

  “Oh, and remember this is urgent. We only have a few hours to make this work. So, please make haste!” said Leo.

  “Fine. We’ll get to it then. Meet you back in the common area in a few hours,” said Ren and Din before running off.

  “I don’t think it’ll work, but I’ll give it a try,” said Kaz before leaving.

  “I’ll get going too,” said Dorian as he spread his wings to fly off to meet the Keepers.

  “We should get going too, honey,” Kendall said to Leona.

  “Please convince the Gainsworth ancestors. They must join us,” Leo said to Ethan.

  “I’ll do my part. You just make sure to get that evil great-grandmother of yours on our side,” Ethan retorted back.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll get it done for sure!” said Leo excitedly.

  “We’ll see,” Ethan replied. Then the children went their separate ways, unaware of the trials awaiting them.

  ***

  The Gainsworths’ area was protected with a sealing dome, similar to the one around Ragonia’s First Fire Pit. After what the Gainsworths had done, all the other ancestors had turned against them. So, it was a defensive measure to protect the Gainsworth ancestors. However, it also imprisoned them and made them easy prey for power-draining by Emanuel.

  Kendall and Ethan traversed silently until they reached the dome. Ethan was happy to finally have some peace and quiet. However, a part of him missed Leo’s undying optimism about everything turning out all right. Ethan looked at Kendall and they both nodded at each other.

  Ethan approached the sealed dome and called out to his father. “Father! Father! Are you in there? I need to talk to you!”

  A silhouette started to form inside the dome. Soon it took the ghostly shape of Edwin. “Ethan! Where have you been? You had us all worried! We couldn’t get in touch with you at all. What happened? Wait, how are you in the ancestral realm? Don’t tell me you are dead!” asked a nervous Edwin.

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  “He is not dead. He came here with my grandson via a death-link ritual,” Kendall clarified.

  “Your grandson… You mean that over-smart Leon Hearth-Bringer? How is he still alive?” asked Edwin.

  “Luck, trickery, and the use of his Pathfinder powers kept him alive, and we should be really thankful for that,” replied Ethan.

  “Did he force you to say this?” asked Edwin suspiciously.

  “No,” said Ethan.

  “Then did you hit your head hard or something?” Edwin asked.

  “Father…please, I need to discuss something important with you,” said Ethan as he tried to steer the conversation towards saving Areliam and the rest of the Veiled Ones.

  “Ok, I’ll hear you out. However, I would like some privacy,” Edwin said while looking at Kendall.

  Kendall understood and started to go away. However, Ethan stopped him.

  “No. He needs to stay. What I’m about to say affects all of us,” said Ethan.

  “Ah, finally someone in my family understands the value of inclusion!” said the apparition of Edward, who now emerged by Edwin’s side.

  “Yes, he does. He even willingly helped us revive the First Fire Pit in Ragonia,” said Kendall.

  ”Is that true?” asked a shocked Edwin.

  “Yes, it is,” Ethan said.

  “Why?” Edwin asked.

  “Did you know that Emanuel is draining all of you to boost his powers?” asked Ethan.

  “I wasn’t aware of it before I died. But I know that now.” Edwin answered.

  “Uncle Ran was aware of it though. Did he never say anything to you?” asked Ethan.

  “No!” said a surprised Edwin.

  “Let me get straight to the point. We Veiled Ones as a race are suffering and Areliam is dying. We need to support each other to get out of this crisis. That is why I teamed up with Leon Hearth-Bringer and need you to do the same,” said Ethan.

  “No! Never!” yelled Edwin

  “I guess some people never change,” said a female voice in the shadows.

  “Who?” Kendall and Edward asked in unison.

  “Calico!” Edwin said softly.

  “Good to know you still remember my voice,” said a beautiful black woman with honey-colored eyes and braided hair as she walked out of the shadow. “Let’s see if your son can make sacrifices for the greater good that you never could.” Calico grabbed Ethan, and both of them disappeared into the shadows.

  ***

  Leo and Leona stood in front of the gates to the hellish lands within the ancestral realm. The path leading up to the gates was fantastic. Leo bonded more with his grandmother in this short while than he ever did with his grandfather. She told him how Calaren was her favorite son, and Leo told her how happy his family life was. However, that all stopped as they faced the frightening gates. If those doors were any indication of what was inside, then they were in for some turbulent times ahead.

  The gates opened when Leona touched them with her snout, revealing the terrifying scenario inside. The hellish lands resembled the insides of an overactive volcano. Metal cases containing sinful Veiled Ones were hanging in the air. The inhabitants inside the cases were slowly roasting in the heat, experiencing never-ending excruciating pain.

  Scorching hot air hit Leo in the face as they entered. Soon, one of the flying metal cases flew down to meet them. Khalifa Hearth-Bringer was in it. The case had a small, barred window that allowed the occupant to see the world outside. Khalifa’s half-burnt face appeared in it.

  “Hello, Mother-in-Law. This is your great-grandson, Leon. He came to talk about something important today,” said Leona, stepping away from the case immediately after.

  “There is only one traitorous grandson I had who could produce a child. So, this must be Calaren’s son with that Pathfinder woman,” said Khalifa grimly.

  In front of Khalifa, Leo felt like a pickpocket facing a crime lord. He knew no matter what he did, he would not be able to convince her of anything she didn’t want to do. Damn! I can see why everyone is scared of her. However, I can’t back down now! I have to gain her cooperation for saving Areliam and the rest of the Veiled Ones. So, let’s act tough and make her see that working with me will be beneficial for her, too. That is the only way to get her to help us, thought Leo, and said, “June Pathfinder Hearth-Bringer. That is her name. I know it’s a long one, so why don’t you just call her June instead?” retorted Leo.

  “Well, at least you have your mother’s spirit,” said Khalifa.

  “I also have my father’s wisdom that I’m here to share with you,” said Leo.

  Khalifa smirked and said, “Is that right?”

  “Yes! The first lesson in wisdom is to accept opportunities as they arise. So, accept the opportunity I bring you today.”

  “What is this opportunity you speak of?” asked Khalifa.

  “The opportunity to aid in the rescue of Areliam and earn some good deeds,” said Leo.

  Khalifa didn’t reply. She just raised the eyebrow on the side of her face that wasn’t burned. So, Leo continued, “Areliam is dying. The Elementals are almost wiped out, the Veiled Ones are enslaved, and the Anons’ Amassings are destroying whatever is left. So, we need to band together to save both our people and Areliam.”

  “Our people, you say. These are the same people your father had forsaken to be with your mother.”

  “Actually, I’m speaking of Veiled Ones as a whole and not any one clan per se. Also, as far as I know, it was you that kicked him out,” said Leo.

  “He left me no choice!”

  “That’s not true. You thought he got in your way, so you brutally removed him. Yet you still didn’t get what you wanted. How sad!”

  “Insolent child! You know nothing!” yelled Khalifa while grasping the bars on the window firmly.

  “I know you wanted to bring the clans under one rule so you could dissolve the inter-clan exchanges. As a first step, you wanted Pa to marry a Transcender. However, a person like you also loves power. So, you’d never be happy until you ruled over them completely. So, did you have anything to do with wiping out the Paradigms? Is that why you are here?” asked Leo.

  “Smart child! How did you know?”

  “A friend of mine suggested Calico Paradigm, formerly known as Calico Renegader, tried to turn Veiled Ones against the Anons. However, why would she do that? Seemed like she was instigated by someone. Someone like you. Also, isn’t it convenient that only Aunt Calico survived to tell everyone of the Paradigms termination? All the Veiled Ones turned against the Anons and Gainsworths because of that, no? Not to mention, no matter how powerful the Anons are, taking down the Paradigms would’ve been nearly impossible. Unless, of course, they had some inside help. You must have had something to do with the Paradigms’ demise so you could reign supreme. Last but not the least, Veiled Ones are sent to the hellish lands only because they have sinned greatly. So, I thought you must be being punished for your role in all of this.” Said Leo who deduced all this from everything he heard about Khalifa so far. Like the conversation he had with Leona on the walk over here, about how power hungry-Khalifa is. Also, Leo referred to how Ethan told him about Khalifa being sent to the hellish lands because of her role in the war.

  Leona looked at Leo in awe. On the way over, they had discussed several things. The characteristics of Khalifa Hearth-Bringer being chief among them. However, they never talked of the reasons Khalifa was sent to the hellish lands. So, she never could’ve guessed that Leo could’ve figured out so much with just that one conversation.

  “Muhahhahhah!” Khalifa laughed manically. “It’s good to see that someone in the family inherited my brilliance. I was quite disappointed with my sons, to be frank.”

  “Why thank you! I think you should reward me for being so brilliant,” said Leo confidently.

  “What can a caged bird like me even give you?” asked Khalifa.

  “Drop the act. You and I both know you won’t be here for long,” said Leo.

  “What do you mean?” asked a confused and nervous Leona.

  “Somehow, she is still in touch with her other son, Isaac Renegader. Who will get her out of here soon. Isn’t that right, Great-Grandmother?”

  “You really are my great-grandson! Now, how did you figure this one out?”

  “Easy. My friend mentioned Isaac Renegader still being alive and that he orchestrated the Mother’s Womb mishap. However, Great-Grandfather Ivan described Isaac as an emotional being not capable of plotting all this. So, I concluded that someone else was pulling the strings, and you are ruthless and conniving enough to plan it. Also, the only upside of being in the hellish lands is retaining your body. You would’ve escaped from here long ago, if the Gainsworths hadn’t cut off access to the ancestral realm, that is. Thus, I know you will use this period where the connection has opened up because of me to escape,” said Leo.

  “Oh, you are just perfect! I’d love to have you on my side. So, join me!” offered Khalifa.

  “Let me make you a counteroffer instead. You have seen what happens when your plan for world domination fails. So, why don’t you keep me as a backup plan?” asked Leo.

  “Go on?” prompted Khalifa.

  “Our goals are currently aligned. To rule the world, you must first have a world left to rule. So, we need to save Areliam first. Secondly, you’d need loyal subjects under you as well; the Veiled Ones can fulfill that need. The best way to win them over is to free them from the Anon curse. So, I propose we work together to achieve these two goals. I will follow nonviolent ways while you can continue your wicked practices. We can deal with each other after we have defeated the Anons. Until then, though, let’s help each other. What do you say?” asked Leo.

  “A good idea, but I have to make sure you are strong enough first. So, why don’t we see if you have what it takes?” asked Khalifa. As she finished talking, the gates closed behind Leo and Leona. Then, all the other cases started coming down one by one, unleashing the evil within.