The implosion effect of the spirit magic caused an unnatural stillness to permeate the air. Aisling’s expression told just how strained she was as the spirits used her as a conduit to affect the material world.

“Something is wrong,” she muttered.

“What?” Bron asked as he and Zag lost their relaxed poses and stood at the ready.

“I guess the only way to describe it would be to say it feels ‘heavy,’” Aisling tried to explain. “Just be ready, I don’t think I’m going to be much help when this finishes.”

Foro motioned Ketai to help Aisling and the legionaries took positions in front of Thea and the eggs she still carried.

“Pull her back when the spell finishes,” he quietly ordered Ketai. She nodded in return.

The green glow coalesced into four figured and Aisling collapsed. Ketai caught her under the arms and dragged her back behind the line of legionaries. Zag and Bron went forward, and after identifying who was a friend and who was a foe, they targeted their auras on the two men releasing shadowy tendrils into the celestial serpent who remained coiled around something or someone.

The tendrils retracted as the men clutched their heads. The one Zag targeted seemed to be affected to a larger extent than the other, he actually collapsed to the ground and curled into a ball.

Zag lifted his target up off the ground with one arm and glared into his eyes. He had shifted to a half-blood state in the time it had taken to reach the man and his eyes were the slit-pupiled golden hued eyes of a dragon. His wings were unfurled, and he stood as intimidating as he could be without being in his pure-blood state.

“Where do you people come from, and what is your purpose here?” Zag asked.

Bron, in the meantime, attempted to secure his target but was shocked to find him still able to fight to some extent. The man attempted to lash him with a tendril of the black mist but having experienced the damage that mist can cause Bron dodged backwards.

Unfortunately, that gave the man time to turn his attention towards his comrade’s interrogation. He lifted his hand palm out towards the two and blasted a palm-sized ball of black shadow which ate away at most of his companion’s left side, killing him almost instantly and preventing Zag from getting his answers.

The shadowy mist managed to invade the arm Zag had just regrown as well. Eating away at it in spite of his fantastic regenerative abilities and his phoenix flame. In the end, he was left with no choice but to chop off the arm using his free hand and some dragon flame,

Bron had taken the head off the man responsible as the dark sphere had been in transit. Which didn't help Zag’s mood since he had lost his chance to get information.

“Dammit,” Zag groused as he glared at the stump of his arm.

“Sorry, I was trying to knock him out,” Bron looked embarrassed.

“I just regrew this arm, too,” Zag grumbled a bit as he went over to the unconscious form of Liangfeng.

“Is she all right?” Bron asked as Zag put his hand on her head.

“Nothing difficult to deal with,” Zag answered and released a burst of golden flames that snaked along her body. “I’ll wake her up, and we can get the Qilin untangled.”

Liangfeng gave a pained groan and began to uncoil herself from around Chouyan. When she was freed, Chouyan leaped back and looked warily at Zag and Bron, she had been able to smell the dragons when she was trapped.

Chouyan gave off a snort when she realized there were no impending threats and calmed down. She went over to check on her mistress’ condition. Liangfeng panted heavily, still reeling from the effects of the corrosive mists and shadows given off by her now deceased opponents.

When she caught her breath she began to shrink down as her lithe serpentine form was replaced by the form of a petite young woman with hair the color of dark storm clouds at a length hanging below her waist. She crouched down, the strain still showing on her small and delicate face, her dark eyes slowly regained their focus and turned towards Zag.

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“Your arm?” she asked through the haze of confusion before she looked around for the two humans she had been fighting. “Where are…?”

“They’re dead, unfortunately,” Zag answered her. He walked over and placed his remaining hand on top of her head. “Welcome to the outside world once again.”

Thea, back behind the protective line of her legionaries handed her sisters off to Foro, who took them like they were going to explode if he so much as moved. She made her way behind Zag and after she placed a hand on his shoulder his arm regrew in a burst of golden fire.

“Ow, ow...ow!” he exclaimed, not even having been given time to brace himself. “I was going to handle that myself, vile woman!”

“If you wait it just hurts worse,” Thea ignored his complaints. Bron turned away and snickered.

Thea crouched down and grabbed Liangfeng by the shoulders. She looked her up and down inspecting her for further injuries. Chouyan, still in her qilin form moved over to them and stood next to Bron who was still smirking at his father. Zag grumbled under his breath and rotated his arm in a circle as he tried to work the aches and pains out from having it regrown for the second time that day.

“Are you feeling all right now?” Thea asked Liangfeng.

“Lady Annagenisi?” she asked in return. Thea nodded her response. “I am so sorry, I could not get a warning out to you without compromising my own safety.”

Liangfeng tried to bow her head from her crouched position.

“I doubt my family will be the last casualty of the machinations of these people,” Thea tried to hide her continued grief behind a mask of military practicality.

“Oh!” Zag exclaimed as he remembered something. “Do you know anything about where they come from and what they want? I was hoping to interrogate one of them but haven't had the opportunity.”

“Yes, I know a little,” Liangfeng stood up with Thea’s help.

“Clothes first,” Thea glared at Zag. She motioned for Chouyan to follow as well and moved them towards the packs where everyone else was standing around.

Chouyan shifted to her human form and along with Liangfeng she got dressed in whatever clothing best fit her. Liangfeng’s mood brightened, although she looked tired, as the adrenaline from the fight wore off.

Liangfeng greeted everyone individually and took the time to learn their names. She bowed her head in thanks to both Bron and Aisling as well as apologized for not thinking they could be attacked after hearing of their own fight with the shadow wielding human.

Zag looked on during all of this and tapped his foot in irritation since they had yet to get back to the subject of the motives of those very men.

"Lord Zaganursarrum,” Chouyan came over to join him. “I can answer most of the questions you might have.”

“You look uncomfortable,” Zag pointed out.

“It is...difficult to get over a fear ingrained in you since childhood. It also seems qilins just fear you on an instinctual level.”

“Well,” Zag scratched the back of his head and winced since it was his newly healed arm. “I’d like to know where they come from and what their goals are.”

“We do not know the exact location, only they come from across the southern ocean,” Chouyan answered. “Their motives include taking over The Covenant, as for why Mistress is not sure. We only know that they are familiar with the old gods and that they know of Mistress’ connection to Jann.”

“Ah, right!” Zag exclaimed. “He spoke to me in Tiantang, I take it that she has primordial wind?”

“He spoke to you?” Chouyan looked concerned. “Neter must be more compromised than we thought.”

“Maybe, maybe not,” Zag shrugged. “It isn't as if any of us could really contain the old gods aside from when they want us to, despite what Agios might say.”

“I see,” Choyan looked pale as she thought over the prospect.

“How did they get so inundated within The Covenant’s ruling class?” Zag scratched his head as he thought about it. “It is completely unnatural for humans to be a part of that.”

“Well…” Chouyan started before Liangfeng appeared and interrupted the conversation.

“My idiot brother invited them into his inner circle, and they spread like a plague from there,” she explained with a disgusted look.

“What? Why?” Zag was dumbfounded by this news.

“He has been trying to restart the war against you since you made him wet himself in the street, I think they must have promised him the power to do so,” Liangfeng sighed in frustration. “He’s been after Agios’ position since he was told, in no uncertain terms, to leave you alone.”

“Well, that explains part of the set up that had Bron and the Lady Phoenix fighting each other,” Zag pondered. “I think the humans' motives go back much further and are connected to the Old Gods somehow.”

“Why?” Liangfeng asked as everyone else joined them to listen in on the conversation.

“Because Jann was willing to get directly involved to pull you out of Tiantang and that violates all sorts of agreements,” Zag explained his reasoning, “It might even have restarted the War of the Gods.”

Everyone who had been taught history to any extent showed a pale face at that thought.

“We’ll know for sure soon enough,” Zag rubbed his palms together and looked at Liangfeng. “You’re coming to meet my mother as well.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because that is where Ifrit is and very likely where Jann is as well unless he got distracted.”

“Ifrit should be able to help my sisters, right?” Thea asked she had regained the eggs from Foro much to his relief.

“If what I’m starting to suspect is true, then he will undoubtedly help,” Zag reassured her. “It’s just that talking to gods is more or less guaranteed to leave you with a headache, they do not think like we do.”

“I see,” Thea looked hopeful.

“Zaganursarrum, can we speak privately before we leave?” Liangfeng asked him quietly.

“Sure,” Zag replied with a questioning look as he wondered what she could want.