Arren soared down the mountain as Pluto and Xera held on for dear life. The cool wind on their faces felt pleasant after the battle with the frenzied Arren.

They made their way over the field, silently thankful that they didn't have to make their way through the mountain path again. Their brief respite was soon broken as they neared the city and saw black smoke rising from it.

"Arren, could you land at the castle?" Xera fretted.

"Yes, that won't be a problem." He said in her head.

To their horror, the castle was broken apart. Some of the buildings surrounding it, including the library, were on fire. Arren landed on the edge of a wall that was part of the now-open throne room. Xera and Pluto disembarked and she rushed to find the king.

"Have you not had enough?!" A voice shouted.

The pair turned and looked in the direction the voice came from. Lady Thermina stood between two lifeless bodies, her weapon readied, with blood running down her face. When she saw the princess her face softened. As her defenses fell, her body shook and she used her weapon to lean on.

"Your Highness." She gasped.

Xera, despite being dressed in her travel attire, ran to Lady Thermina and embraced her.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked.

"I've always been able to tell the difference between you and your double. I never thought it was the business of anyone else."

"What happened here? Where is my father?"

Tears welled up in Lady Thermina's eyes.

"We were attacked. They called themselves the Cult of Cheron. They believed that ancient stones were hiding in our kingdom. They sneaked in from a ship above and made it through several Royal guards. I overheard them shouting about the stones as I was trying to evacuate some of the staff. The king, your father, said he didn't know anything of the sort. They swore he was lying and threatened his life. When he denied them a second time, they attacked him. I did what I could to fight them off." She pointed to the bodies on the ground.

"The ship from the air fired at the castle and then took off as the cannon defense system activated. Unfortunately, I survived, but your father was gravely injured in the attack. I couldn't save him."

Xera screamed and wept.

"This is my fault! I should've never left; I should've been here. I should've..." She collapsed on the floor with a flurry of sobs.

"My dear." Thermina tried to calm her. "If you were here then you would have suffered the same fate. I know the pain you feel, but you can't take responsibility for this alone. The kingdom will be looking to you for rebuilding and for hope."

Xera wiped her eyes and took three deep breaths. She saw Pluto standing there forlorn and out of place. Her hands shook. Her eyes, wet, bloodshot, and sharp as daggers stared at him.

"It was you." Her voice trembled. He looked around, confused.

"If it wasn't for you and your stones," she spat. "My kingdom would be safe! My father would still be alive! This is all your fault!"

"Your highness..." Thermina said softly.

"Get OUT!" Xera screamed.

Pluto's eyes began to tear up. His eyes danced wildly around the room. He bit his lip to keep his thoughts from spilling out. He ran away from her, hopped on Arren, and told him to fly him below to the library.

I don't need her, his thoughts screamed. I can do this alone!

The library was still ablaze and Arren used his great wings to quell the flames. They landed right outside the library. The building was all but in ruins. Burnt papers floated down around them like snowfall. Pluto made his way through a hole in the wall, and Arren waited outside. The librarian with the funny suit was nowhere to be seen.

Pluto tried to recollect the path to the temple, but with the building a disheveled mess and not having the stone he had last time, he felt hopelessly lost. He persisted through heaps of burnt and ruined books. Frustrated, he climbed one of the bookshelves to get a better look at the landscape.

Time moved slowly as he gazed across the room. His head pivoted sharply as he heard a noise come from nearby. He readied his spear and slank through the debris. The mysterious figure grumbled as they threw books in multiple directions. He peered around the corner from a bookshelf and a charred book flew past his face. His knuckles turned red as he clenched the rod of his spear with a death grip. He took a breath before he leaped into action.

The figure screamed a high-pitched scream as they were revealed to be Xera. Pluto had to completely throw away the spear to avoid hitting her. He crashed at her feet into a pile of books.

Xera took a breath.

"Well, it's good to see that your fighting is getting better." She remarked.

"What are you doing here?! I could've hurt you!"

"Well, I am glad you didn't" She stared at the floor. "I came to apologize. I shouldn't have treated you the way I did. I know it's not an excuse, but the news of my father's passing...I couldn't control my tongue. I am hoping that you will forgive my rashness and we can solve this mystery together."

She offered him her hand which he accepted. She lifted him from the ground and they shook hands.

"What about the kingdom?" Pluto inquired.

"Lady Thermina is going to work in my stead. She knows more about the going ons of the kingdom than I do. She knows my heart is here; to figure out about the stones and maybe even get some revenge in the process."

"Always running off, eh?" He commented with a friendly smirk. "What now, then? I was trying to find the entrance to the temple but was helplessly lost."

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"You sure were! You weren't even in the right direction. Here, help me clear out this pile of books and we should find the stairs leading to the temple. Unfortunately, the library has burnt that far down. There is nothing we can do about it now. Thermina will have it rebuilt once the rest of the city is put back together."

The pair then worked together to uncover the stairs that led down to the temple. The room was just in ruins as it had been but the fire darkened the walls even further and burnt the carpet that was below. Xera motioned to the wall and Pluto reached for the secret recess and pulled the stone out it flew into the crevice which brought the image of Nevus to life.

"So, you made it back alive?" Nevus said coolly. "Do you have what I asked for?"

"Not quite, but what we have is even better."

Pluto went up into the library again and told Arren that Nevus wanted to see him. Whilst Arren was too big to fit down the stairs, he hopped over to the entrance of the stairs and squawked down the tunnel. He then used his beak to pluck one of his feathers and gave it to Pluto.

Pluto ran down the stairs and displayed the feather to a misty-eyed Nevus. Nevus reached out for the feather and instantly her fingers solidified. Holding the feather, the rest of her came into being. She flew up the stairs in one leap and embraced Arren.

"It is so good to see you, my friend."

"You as well." He said telepathically. "If it wasn't for your friends we probably would've never met again."

She let go of the bird and regained her posture.

"I owe you a world of thanks." She said. "I know now that you are not thieves and the honor of the kingdom is restored in my eyes."

She looked around the room.

"What has happened here?"

"The Cult of Cheron attacked while we were away." Xera lamented. "Many, including the King, have lost their lives or their homes."

"I am sorry for your loss, young princess. They must have a way of tracking the stones. They are very powerful when they are together. I may have a way of keeping them from the Cult's eyes."

Nevus and Arren stood together. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A light formed around the four of them as the kingdom around them blurred. It felt like someone was tugging on the back of their clothing, taking them somewhere different.

They were still standing together, but now they were outside of a giant temple covered in vines. They were surrounded by massive trees and vines. There was no sound and the air was humid.

She pet Arren. "You're safe now, friend." And he took off flying, enjoying his freedom for the first time in ages.

She walked over to the temple and raised her hand and part of the wall in front of them lowered into the ground granting access. Inside, the temple sputtered to life, and lights lit around the expansive, circular room. Vines grew in from the outside, but not dangerously or overwhelmingly, but one that enhanced the features of the room; giving it a breath of life.

At the center of the room was a wide, round, black table. There were nine seats around the table as if great meetings were once held in an age passed.

"Welcome to Sanctus Jungulus." Nevus said, "We are one second out of sync with the rest of the planet; the cult won't be able to find us or the stones here."

"Wow, this place is amazing," Xera said.

"It feels a little like home." Pluto sighed.

Xera looked at him and saw the longing in his eyes and for a moment a personal touch of remorse. She knew that he was far from his home, but with the attack on the kingdom, his pain felt more real than before. She moved a step closer to him.

How do I show him I care?

She touched his shoulder and consoled him.

"We will set things right. When it is all over, we will get you."

Pluto felt heat rising in his cheeks. He was immediately thankful that they had found each other again in the library.

There's no way I could've done this alone.

"With all that said," Nevus' voice cut through the friendship that was forming. "There are pressing matters at hand. You two will still need to take the stones to their proper temples and wake the guardians that are bound there. They will need to be persuaded, as I was, to return to Sanctus Jungulus. When we can all gather together here, our full power will be restored and we can fully stop the Cult and any ideas of bringing Cheron back for good."

She placed the bag of stones on the table and set each one around the edges. She took two of them and wrapped them individually in a white, soft cloth. She handed one to Pluto and the other to Xera. She motioned for them to follow to the other end of the room to a circular platform, similar to the one that Pluto used to escape from Nix Berdra.

"I will send you as close as I can to one of the temples. It is up to you to convince the guardians there to trust you. I gave you the stones of Artsun and Bahruna; they are the mildest of our group so it shouldn't be impossible to gain their trust. Keep the stones apart and you should be able to travel virtually undetectable from the Cult. I will be here restoring power until I hear from you again, but I will make sure that Arren will be able to travel to your kingdom and help out from time to time as gratitude for you undertaking this task. Good luck and may the song flow through you."

She pressed a few buttons and the pair were teleported away from Sanctus Jungulus. Nevus stepped outside of the temple and breathed in the silence around her. She prayed a silent prayer for Pluto and Xera then went inside to rest.