The rocky pillars of Cathrul towered above the five, the sun giving it a yellowish-pink hue. Cliffs surrounded either side. The group tied their horses to rocky stakes before continuing. Passing through revealed what appeared to be a town? The Aecerians couldn't tell. Huts and caves were scattered throughout the town with no clear sign of roads or paths. Save for one red path- Was that lava?

Near the center of town appeared to be most of Cathrul's population singing and dancing as the nearby volcano erupted. It was as if they were completely oblivious to everything around them. Or was that the point?

"I don't understand," Gwyneth began. "This should be Catrhul's capital where the royal family lives. Yet..."

"It's quite modest, isn't it?" Isla gave a sheepish smile.

Aston took a hesitant step, careful to avoid the lava that was streaming from the volcano. "Shouldn't they be evacuating? Why are they so...happy?"

"I'm... not sure." Gwyneth blinked at the sight before her.

"Huh?" One of the Cathruli turned, noticing the group that had stealthily approached. She had a light brown complexion (as were nearly all Cathruli in the area) with mahogany brown hair and bore the signature cat ears of the Cathruli. "Humans! And a Fae! Two Fae...? Now that's something you don't see every day!" She beamed. "Oh, did you come because of the volcano eruption? I bet that's it. Come! Take a seat and join us!"

"Isn't the volcano eruption a problem?" Aston asked.

"Problem?" Her laugh bellowed in the air joining with the music around them. "As if! This is the best thing to happen in my lifetime! In my grandma's grandma's lifetime! Well, if she were around."

"There is literally lava flowing through the town destroying several homes! Why aren't you more concerned?" Gwyneth flailed her arms around.

"The Cathruli worship fire," Notus added. "A volcanic eruption is usually the sign of a prosperous future."

"Okay, we don't worship fire; it's just an important part of our culture. But that last part's pretty spot on." The Cathruli crossed her arms. "Wait, if you're not here for the volcano, why are you here?"

"We were told someone here could fix this." Elric pulled out the cubic shield from his satchel.

"OH!" The Cathruli gawked. "Haven't seen one of those in ages! My sister would probably know more about it. Come on! I'll take you to our hall."

"Hall?" Isla questioned.

"Er, if you don't mind, you haven't introduced yourself," Gwyneth said hesitantly as she followed. "Oh, but I suppose we haven't either. I'm Princess Gwyneth of Aeceria escorting the prophesized savior Aston. These are my friends Elric and Isla. ...And Notus."

"Prophesized savior, huh? Well, it's an honor to meet you!" She shook Aston's hand firmly, nearly yanking him off his feet. "I'm Cetri."

"Cetri?! As in Princess Cetri?!" Gwyneth's jaw dropped.

"Right, I guess I would be called that where you're from." She deadpanned. "Anyway, we're here!" Well, that wasn't very far.

"This is a cave..." Aston stared at the structure before them. A cave with a large opening, tall enough to fit several flying Fae at once. Above were several smaller openings resembling balconies. Besides its sheer size, there wasn't anything remotely remarkable about it.

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"Yeah? Something wrong with that?"

"This is your... castle?" Elric asked tentatively.

"'Spose you could call it that, yeah."

"I, for one, am very eager to explore this "castle"!" Isla beamed, rushing ahead.

"Isla, wait!" Gwyneth called out before sighing.

Inside the cave wasn't much more remarkable. Torches lined the floor and ceilings creating an adequate amount of light. It was the first time the group — besides Aston and Isla — had seen indoor spaces illuminated by anything other than isabells. Only the upper classes could afford isabells in Aeceria; they were considered something of a luxury. Lower-class households like Aston's relied on candles, not unlike these torches.

Gwyneth only caught a glimpse of a gold throne through a room in the back before being dragged to an entirely different room on the left. It was mostly empty save for a metallic table and some metallic shelves with various items strewn about.

"Mitra! Come take a look at what this Aecerian knight has!" Cetri called out to her sister. Compared to Cetri, Mitra was a bit taller, her face thinner than her sister's round one. Long brown hair draped across her shoulders, though a hair tie could be found around her wrist.

"Aecerian...?" Mitra trailed off after noticing the group of misfits filing into the room one by one. "Three Aecerians and two Fae. Tell me, what brought you together? And all the way to Cathrul at that!"

"The shield! Duh!" Cetri waved the cubic gadget in front of her sister's face. "And alsobecauseAshtownisthesavioroftheprophecyorsomethingsotheyneedto pass through here because...?" She slowly turned to the rest of the group.

"We're going to Zetheria," Gwyneth finished, only catching onto the last part about passing through.

"Right!" Cetri threw the device at her sister who caught it in one hand.

"Let me guess; your trip through Losufea didn't end too well, did it?" Mitra smiled, placing the device down on the table before resting her hands on her hips.

"Not quite the way we expected, but still better than we had hoped? I think?" Isla explained.

"You're a half-Fae. From Aeceria, I presume? But this one..." She turned to Notus.

"Very astute. I am to escort Aston and his companions to Cathrul," Notus explained.

"Well, you've done that. Are you gonna leave now? Can't imagine you have any other reason to stick around. Or do you?" Mitra crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently.

Gwyneth winced. The tension between the Cathruli and Fae was potentially worse than Aeceria's. Though, Cathrul did have half of their kingdom cursed to an eternal winter and Aeceria didn't. Perhaps that was the difference.

"And here I was under the impression that the Cathruli were a hospitable people." Notus smirked, leaning his back against the rocky wall.

"If you want hospitality then go to Aquariot. You're here for another reason entirely. What is it?" Mitra was quickly losing her patience.

"The Elemental Spirit of Fire. Have they awoken, yet?"

"None of your business."

"You haven't even checked, have you?"

"No, we have not," she said; her words full of confidence that seemed unfitting. "Why do you want to know?"

"One can't help but wonder about the recent volcanic eruptions. Either they are responsible for the eruptions or would have otherwise taken notice. It must be difficult to live in a kingdom where your element has all but abandoned you-"

"I don't like you. You're very annoying," Mitra said bluntly, catching the rest of the group off-guard. "You've got a lot of nerve strutting through here and insulting us. I don't have the answers you want, so see yourself out."

"Wait!" Gwyneth interrupted. "If the Elemental Spirit of Fire is somehow related to these volcanic eruptions, wouldn't that mean that the Elemental Spirit of Earth would be related to Aeceria's elemental phenomenon? I would like to meet with your Elemental Spirit, please."

"And who are you to care so much about Aeceria's Elemental Spirit?" Mitra asked, a slight grin appearing.

"Princess Gwyneth of Aeceria." She curtsied.

"Cetri, why didn't you tell me we had royalty among us?" Mitra flicked the back of Cetri's head, causing her to wince and let out a small "ouch". "We'll see what we can do. For now, you should get some rest. It's a long journey from Losufea. ...Your friend doesn't look too well either." She glanced at Isla who was swaying back and forth with a dazed look. Elric was quick to run over to her, supporting her with his shoulder.

"Mitra and knight boy can take her somewhere to cool off. I'll show the rest of you to some abandoned caves!"

That didn't sound all too pleasant.