Flying over the vast ocean, Mythbird sees something emerging from the horizon...

"Hey, Vektor, wake up!"

"Mmmm... hm? Mythbird? What happened?"

"We're approaching the Ancient Castle. Look!"

"Hmm... Indeed, I can see a castle far away."

"We'll be there in a few minutes."

"Alright, thanks for letting me know."

Vektor waits patiently while admiring the scenery around him.

"Wow, what a beautiful view of the sky from up here... Wait a minute, sunset?! Hey, Mythbird, do you know what time it is now?"

"Judging by the angle of view of the Sun and the gradual drop in temperature, I would say around 5:30 to 6 PM."

"Damn it! I'll be summoned back to my world any moment now! Hey, Mythbird, could you please speed it up?"

"Of course I can, but are you really sure about that? After our battle, your body still isn't in perfect condition."

"Don't mind me, I can handle this. Just hurry, please!"

"Understood. So hold on tight!"

Mythbird suddenly starts flying at much higher speed towards the Drenn Ancient Castle. Even though he is injured, Vektor tries his best to hold on to Mythbird's large feathers and not fall into the ocean.

After 10 minutes of flying at top speed, Mythbird slows down as he approaches the entrance to the island where the castle is located.

"We are here. You can open your eyes, Vektor."

After slowly standing up and opening his eyes, Vektor sees a large castle floating in the air over a vast lake of fire. The entrance to the castle is connected to a stone bridge, which connects the castle to the edge of the island, which separates the lake of fire from the ocean of water.

The edge of the island is made of stone blocks, and near the bridge, there is a kind of arch, which marks the entrance to the island.

Mythbird calmly lands near the arch as he says:

"Okay, I can only take you this far."

"Huh? Why don't you take me straight to where I need to go?"

"Did you forget what I said before? I can't go in. That castle is protected by an ancient power even stronger than that of the Ancient Temple. Only those with Drenn ancestry can enter the island. From here on, you'll have to go alone."

"So, I'm on my own... But what about you, what's gonna happen to you? You're just gonna leave? Are we supposed to say goodbye here?"

"Not exactly. Now that I am free, I can fly anywhere in Drettonus, no matter which universe. As a Mythbird, I possess the power to cross the boundary between dimensions at any time. As long as I'm alone, I can go to any side of Netern whenever I want. When you return to your world, call on me at any time and I shall go to your aid."

"That's a relief, but how do I call you?"

"When you obtain your ancient power, you shall find out."

"If you say so... But now, what do I have to do?"

"First, drop down to the surface and go through that arch in front of us."

Vektor follows the instructions, and as he passes through the entrance archway, he begins to feel a pleasant warmth enveloping him. All the wounds he suffered in his battle against Mythbird are instantly healed.

"What's this?! Purple flames?!"

"No. This place carries a great concentration of ancient energy, causing any Drenn to be instantly invigorated upon entering, healing any wounds the visitor has suffered. However, this energy is of sacred origin, so do not expect the same effect when you obtain your ancient power."

"It's so cozy... I feel like I'm getting a massage straight to my soul... Wait, what's that?!"

A large medieval-looking dragon emerges from behind the castle, and begins to fly around the castle.

"That is the castle's guardian dragon, an extremely powerful dark monster that prevents the Drenn from reaching the top of the castle. It is said that that dragon is one of the most powerful monsters of all time, on a level far above the monster born from my curse."

"What?! I'll fight against that thing now?! I almost died back at the temple, I won't stand a chance against that thing!"

"Don't worry, that won't be necessary. All you have to do is climb to the highest floor of the castle, and there you will acquire your ancient power. Just be careful not to get hit by the dragon's attacks or fall into the lake of fire."

"But what if either of those two things happens...?"

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"Obviously, you die."

"How can you say that so calmly and directly?!"

"Do not panic. Knowing your power, I can say that you have a chance of confronting the dragon without taking much risk."

"What?! Did you forget that the Slasher Platinum broke in our fight?! I didn't even bring what was left of the sword!"

"Extend your hand upward and, keeping it open, focus your Etykiran energy into that hand."

Vektor follows Mythbird's instructions, extending his right hand. He doesn't know exactly how to control his Etykiran energy under normal conditions, but somehow the atmosphere of the place makes him feel something similar to when his hands are holding the Slasher Platinum, as if he has some sort of guide to channel his energy.

As he concentrates Etykiran energy into his hand, a translucent scarlet flame, unlike anything Vektor has ever seen, begins to glow in his hand.

"What's this?!"

"That is the ancient flame of the Drenn. You can use it on this island because of the atmosphere charged with ancient energy. You can use it in your world only when you have finished what you came here to do."

"Then this is the power I will get..."

"Now, draw a straight line down and close your fist as if you were holding something."

As Vektor lowers his hand, the flame slowly forms into the shape of a sword, and as he closes his fist, the flame materializes, with the hilt in his hand.

"Awesome! Then I'll learn to do this in my world too?!"

"The real sword is even more powerful than that one. However, that is the current limit of what you can do without acquiring your ancient power."

"So, all I have to do is climb to the top of the castle, right?"

"Yes. Now that all instructions have been given, I shall await your return to your world. I wish you good luck, Vektor."

"See you later, Mythbird. I hope everything works out best around here..."

"Trust in your power and everything will work out. See you later...!"

Mythbird then flies away, and Vektor faces the bridge to Drenn Ancient Castle.

"Alright, let's get this over with. Time limit or not, just being here is a huge risk. Every second is a chance for instant death. So let the countdown begin!"

Vektor begins to run across the stone bridge, which crumbles as he advances. Upon noticing the boy's presence, the dragon roars in his direction, and the sky becomes increasingly cloudy.

There is no escape route or way back. An impossible battle begins, and the only way to win is to confront the enemy head on and reach the top without taking any damage.

When Vektor finally reaches the Drenn Ancient Castle, the clouds, now fully charged, begin to release lightning. The dragon tries to attack him, but he manages to enter the castle, following the only existing path. The dragon then attacks the castle itself, forcing Vektor to dodge several pieces of debris, until he reaches a corridor whose ceiling collapsed due to the dragon's attack, exposing the corridor to the open air.

The dragon starts breathing fire in Vektor's direction, but he manages to dodge the flames while crossing even more rubble, a feat of agility unprecedented for him.

Vektor arrives in a part of the corridor that is still intact, a corridor that has beautiful and colorful mosaic windows on its external walls, which beautifully break when the dragon fires a flame cannon from its mouth that crosses the entire closed corridor. Luckily, he throws himself to the ground in time to avoid being hit by the attack.

After that, the dragon moves away to load an even more powerful flaming cannon, but at the moment it fires, its target reaches a bend in the corridor, narrowly escaping the attack, and arriving at another roofless section.

Vektor finally decides to counterattack, running as fast as he can to distance himself from the dragon. When the dragon appears and finds him, he jumps while running, followed by an aerial pirouette. At the exact moment he is facing the dragon, he throws his sword forward, making it spin in the air until it sticks in the dragon's head, which in a fit of pain, screams and raises its head high. As a result, a bolt of lightning falls on the sword, electrocuting the dragon completely. The sword then disintegrates into scarlet flames.

The dragon is temporarily paralyzed. Vektor takes advantage of this and continues running down the corridor, until he approaches the top of the castle, where he sees an open door leading to a dark room, but with a small, strong light at the back, which grows as he approaches.

However, the dragon recovers and flies away, rising into the sky, beginning to charge a flame cannon that will destroy the entire top of the Drenn Ancient Castle.

Unless a miracle happens, Vektor will definitely die when this attack is fired, as there is no chance of escape this time, and even if there was, the only imaginable way to proceed would disappear, ensuring his death one way or another.

His last hope is to reach the light before him in less than 10 seconds...

9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...

Vektor reaches the top of the castle.

Zero.

The dragon unleashes its final attack and destroys the top of the Drenn Ancient Castle with a gigantic fire cannon, leaving no trace behind. Anyone who was there would have been instantly incinerated and killed...

...

"What is this place? I only see light everywhere... Am I in the Guardians' Realm again?"

"Wrong, my young descendant."

"Who said that? Where are you?! Show up!"

"No need to lose your cool. I really wanted to appear before you, but unfortunately I don't have a physical form."

"Who are you? And what is this place?"

"You are in a sealed dimension within the Drenn Ancient Castle. Practically speaking, you are still inside the castle, just in an area beyond the limitations of time and space."

"I see, something like a secret room. So, I need to find a way to get out of here before I get summoned back."

"I wouldn't worry about that. This dimension isn't affected by the Netern Crystals, so there's no way you'll be pulled out of here like that. If someone tries to summon you, you'll only go the moment you leave here."

"I see, so I don't need to rush anymore... So, again, who are you?"

"I am the embodiment of the ancient power of the Drenn. I was separated from my soul at the end of the ancient battle against the dark beings on this side of Netern."

"So, you are the ancient power..."

"My soul currently still wanders in your world, I can feel it. No matter where he is, he is probably in action now in some way."

"Please, don't tell me I'm must hunt your soul too."

"Don't worry about it. The one responsible for sharing my power with my descendants is me. My soul on the other hand has a different purpose. And if fate wishes, someday you will still find my soul somewhere, whether you look for him or not."

"(For some reason that kinda sounded like a threat or an omen to me...)"

"Now, young Vektor, I wish you to take me with you! I will help you in every way possible, I will give you my power, my memories, and my wisdom. Just accept them and take them, making them yours! Use them to win your future battles!"

"Yes, that's what I came all this way for, after all. Lend me your power, and make it a part of my soul!"

Vektor's body gets surrounded by scarlet flames, which restore his clothes, energize his body, and heal his recent wounds.

He involuntarily absorbs the flames. After this, a black tattoo of the Scarlet Tulip appears on Vektor's back, at shoulder height, near the nape of his neck. This tattoo is approximately the same size as the Eclipse Amulet symbol painted on one of his t-shirts.

"That tattoo on the back of your neck is the permanent mark of our alliance. However, once the alliance is made, you will return to the castle's default dimension, or most likely back to your world. Prepare yourself! Now, let us join forces to put an end to this dark era once and for all!"

"Let's do this!"