"You Majesty, was that wise? He doesn't remember a thing," a tiny spirit asked Lunarias after watching Zackary disappear through the portal.
"This was for the best. She'll thank us sorely," Lunarias replied as he looked up at the moon in the sky.
"Alright kids, we gotta be careful, alright?" Zackary said as Amelia tugged on his sleeve.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. She made a gesture, signaling she wanted to be picked up. Unable to resist, Zackary lifted her immediately—only to feel another tug on his sleeve.
"Gray?" Just like Amelia, Gray made the same gesture. Without hesitation, Zackary picked them both up and started walking.
"Master!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Zackary turned to see Fenrir—now in human form—running toward him.
"I've been looking everywhere for you, Master. Do you know how worried I was?" Fenrir said, sounding upset. Zackary felt somewhat guilty for making Fenrir, who looked like a grown man, appear so distressed. He looked away.
"Anyway… who are these kids? Don't tell me you had a mate all this time?" Fenrir asked as he noticed how much the children resembled Zackary.
"No, they're not mine. And no, I don't have a mate," Zackary answered. Fenrir frowned, clearly confused.
"Can you transform? We need to get out of this forest fast. We can go straight toward our destination—the others can meet us there," Zackary explained.
Fenrir pouted. "What? Why are you making that face?"
"Because my paws hurt from searching for you. And now you want me to transform again…"
"Aurelius, please. I can't risk fighting with the children around," Zackary said.
Hearing his true name, Aurelius immediately transformed.
"Get on, Master," Aurelius said. Zackary climbed onto his back with the children, who looked amazed at Aurelius's massive wolf form.
"Let's go."
At Zackary's command, Aurelius ran at blinding speed through the trees, making their way toward the northern mountains.
After a while, they reached the forest's end. There, they spotted Reages along with Finn and Penelope, riding on a giant Phoenix. Zackary stared in amazement as the flaming bird soared into the sky.
"What took you so long?" Xoraxys called, leaping out of Aurelius's shadow atop his shadow leopard. The beast dashed forward, leaving Zackary behind.
"Well… seems I won't have to wait for them," Zackary muttered as Gray and Amelia gazed in awe at the Phoenix and shadow leopard.
After about an hour, Zackary and the others finally reached the foot of the northern mountains.
"Your Graces, you made it!" Cassarian called out excitedly, standing up from his makeshift camp.
"How did he get here before us?" Reages asked, confused as he dismounted his Phoenix.
"He left the night before we did," Xoraxys explained, helping Nia down from the shadow beast.
"I've been waiting patiently for—" Cassarian stopped mid-sentence as Zackary and Xoraxys caught his attention.
"Your Graces… I didn't know you had children," Cassarian said in confusion.
"What's with the kids?" Reages asked, eyeing Zackary as he held both Gray and Amelia.
"You really were chasing a bride," Xoraxys said, somewhat surprised himself.
"It's a long story. I'll explain later. I'm sure you have one too," Zackary replied, looking at Xoraxys and Nia.
"So where are these dwarves?" Reages asked Cassarian.
"There—"
Ahwooooo!
Before Cassarian could speak, a loud howl echoed from the massive mountain behind them.
"Master, may I leave for a bit?" Aurelius asked, bowing before Zackary.
"Why?" Zackary asked, confused.
"My mate… she's run out of magic and is stuck in humanoid form," Aurelius explained. Zackary realized how dangerous that situation was.
"Go."
"Thank you, Master." Aurelius vanished instantly.
"Lead us to the dwarves," Zackary ordered. Cassarian nodded and led the way.
They approached what seemed like a normal flat section of the mountain. To everyone's surprise, Cassarian walked straight through the rock. Without hesitation, the others followed.
"Well, you don't see this every day," Reages muttered as they entered the beautiful cave village the dwarves had built.
"Cassarian, my boy! How have you been?" an old dwarf greeted warmly. Cassarian walked up to him and whispered in his ear. Within a minute, the dwarf straightened his posture and approached Zackary and the others.
"I respectfully greet the Grand Duke Vermillion, as well as Dukes Stardumn and Flare of the Twilight Territory. Thank you for accepting our request," the old dwarf said nervously. Zackary and the others found his nervousness amusing, though none of them laughed aloud.
"No need to thank us," Xoraxys replied, handing Nia the shadow beast, which had now shrunk into a baby leopard. Gray and Amelia, noticing the little creature, gestured to Zackary to let them down. Once freed, they ran to Nia.
"What?" Nia asked, confused. But sensing Xoraxys's intent, the baby shadow leopard split into three, allowing each child to play with one.
"Shall we talk inside, Your Graces?" the old dwarf asked. Everyone followed him.
Trainor POV
"My name is Trainor, and I'm the leader of this village. Thank you for coming."
"How many dwarves live here, Trainor?" Xoraxys asked curiously.
"About 130, most of them women and children. Men are the minority."
"We heard you escaped from the Empire. Why?" Zackary asked.
"We dwarves once had our own kingdom in the Eclipse Mountains, but the Third Emperor enslaved us. They promised to return our kingdom if we crafted the artifacts they demanded. We were naïve… and because of that, the Holy War began. After the current Emperor took over, I followed my father's last wish—to escape with the remainder of my people before we went extinct."
Everyone listened silently, their questions growing.
"Aren't there dwarves on the Moonlight Continent? I heard it was a non-human paradise," Finn asked.
"There used to be. But after the Holy War, the Fourth Emperor murdered all the dwarves there—fearing we might forge weapons for the beastmen that could threaten the Sunlight Empire."
"What is your goal in asking us for residency in the Twilight Territory?" Zackary asked, genuinely curious.
"I've heard you treat Cassarian's people very well. I want my people to live in a place where they won't be exploited or threatened. I want them to be happy," Trainor said firmly.
Zackary smiled. "We'll allow you to live in Twilight."
"T-th-thank you!" Trainor stammered, overwhelmed with joy.
"How long will it take you to prepare?" Reages asked.
"We can be ready within an hour," Trainor replied. Zackary nodded silently as Trainor announced the news to his people.
"Well, they sure move quickly," Xoraxys remarked as the dwarves packed their belongings.
Meanwhile, in the southern Twilight Territory, Luciferus—followed by Vlad, Sabastian, and Aisha—walked through the ruined city. Kaito and Akira trailed behind, watching as Luciferus dragged Vogarth by the leg.
"I can't believe we were deceived like this," Kaito muttered quietly.
"Huh… so it was you guys?" Lysander appeared suddenly, followed by Leon and Maximilian.
"What happened here? I can hear countless souls crying out," Leon said.
Luciferus's eyes widened slightly. "Aisha, can you revive all the people who died with Leon's help?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. That is possible," Aisha replied.
"Leon, help her. I'll explain later," Luciferus ordered. Together, Leon and Aisha went to the city center to begin the revival ritual.
"I have information," Maximilian said, "but I suppose it can wait."
Luciferus turned to Lysander. "You should head back north. The monsters are out of control. Take Maximilian with you and keep them from entering other territories."
"And what are you going to do?" Lysander asked, eyeing Vogarth's unconscious body.
"I'm going to hold an interrogation," Luciferus replied as he walked away. "You two, come with me." At his command, Kaito and Akira followed him through teleportation.
"Well, I've got nothing else to do. Guess I'll help you two," Vlad said, before teleporting with Lysander and Maximilian to the north.
Back at the dwarven hideout, everyone gathered at the foot of the mountain.
"Alright, it seems everyone is ready. Let's go," Zackary said, activating teleportation magic. A massive magic circle appeared beneath them—
But before he could finish, a violent earthquake shook the ground. The circle collapsed as the mountain cracked apart.
"Barrier, now!" Zackary ordered. Reages instantly cast a barrier. Within a split second, a colossal, scaly hand slammed into it, cracking the mountain behind them.
"Your Grace, what is that?" Trainor asked in terror.
"Don't tell me that thing followed us," Zackary muttered, staring up at a gigantic earth dragon—almost the size of the mountain itself.
The dragon began channeling magic inside its mouth.
"Xoraxys, now!!!" Zackary shouted as the earth dragon unleashed a massive breath attack, annihilating everything in its path. Part of the mountain exploded into debris.
Only Reages, Zackary, and Xoraxys remained, standing on floating rocks in the sky.
"Thank goodness he got them all into his shadow in time," Zackary thought—until he saw Amelia and Gray falling toward the dragon's head.
The beast noticed them too, opening its jaws for another breath attack. Without hesitation, Zackary launched himself off his rock, grabbing the children just in time to escape the blast. His jump was so forceful it sent his rock crashing into Reages.
The dragon's red breath lit up the snowy sky as Zackary flew toward the mountain with the children.
"That was close. My bad… my shadow didn't work on them for some reason," Xoraxys explained, but Zackary kept his focus on escaping.
"We can't use magic around that thing. Its anti-magic field is too powerful," Reages warned.
"I can't gather enough magic to teleport," Zackary admitted. "All I have right now is Draconic energy—and I can't use that to escape."
Amelia and Gray tugged on his clothes, signaling him to look behind. A massive breath attack was incoming.
"You two, take care of them!" Zackary shouted, handing the children to Reages and Xoraxys. He turned to face the blast.
"I haven't done this in a while… but here goes."
Drawing in power, his body heated as he gathered Draconic energy. Just in time, Zackary unleashed his own blue breath attack, clashing with the dragon's red breath.
The collision shook the sky. He held his ground until he saw Reages and Xoraxys at a safe distance, then tried to fly away—but was instantly struck by the blast.
After what felt like hours of climbing, Xoraxys saw the mountain peak ahead.
"Dukes Stardumn, Flare!" Aurelius appeared, running beside them in human form while carrying a long-haired wolf-eared woman.
"If you have the children, where's my Master?" Aurelius asked.
"Don't know. He might be dead," Reages answered bluntly.
"I'm sure he's fine… but he could be injured," Xoraxys added, pointing at the earth dragon climbing close behind. Aurelius's eyes widened.
"If only I was there," Aurelius muttered.
"You were protecting your mate. Don't regret that," Reages said firmly, still running with Gray.
"He's right. Zackary would probably scold you if he heard you now," Xoraxys added.
"Don't you know me so well," Zackary's voice rang out as he landed in the snow, wings and scales fading as he immediately started running again.
"Master!" Aurelius cried, seeing Zackary's injuries.
"Say what you want later. Right now, we have to cross the mountain," Zackary ordered.
The earth dragon suddenly leapt, landing behind them with a shockwave that hurled them across the peak—straight into Twilight Territory. The anti-magic field vanished.
As they flew, Amelia and Gray jumped from Xoraxys and Reages' arms toward Zackary. He caught them, but noticed the dragon still trying to cross.
"Got you," Zackary said, then exchanged looks with Xoraxys and Reages. The three of them began channeling magic.
At the foot of the mountain, Vlad, Maximilian, and Lysander looked up.
"What are they doing?" Vlad asked.
"I don't know… but it looks like they're trying to keep that dragon out of the Territory," Maximilian replied.
"Then let's help them!" Lysander roared, charging magic in his hand.
"Guess we'll follow his lead," Vlad said, slicing his arm to summon a massive blood magic circle. Beside him, Maximilian conjured a giant bow of purple energy.
Zackary noticed the surge behind him. Maximilian, Vlad, and Lysander were all ready.
"Now that's what I'm talking about," Xoraxys grinned.
Together, everyone unleashed their attacks. A rainbow of magic surged toward the earth dragon, blasting it with overwhelming force. The giant beast was hurled into the ground, crashing at the mountain's base outside the Territory.
"Jeez, that was close," Zackary muttered as he landed.
"I see you had fun," Maximilian said with a smile.
"Why do you have two children with you? What did I miss?" Vlad asked, baffled.
"I'll explain later. But what's with that massive surge of magic in the south—and the stench of death?" Zackary asked.
"I'll explain later," Vlad replied. Zackary sighed, finally catching his breath.
"Well, I guess we should take the dwarves to the Demon King's castle," Zackary suggested. Xoraxys stepped closer, ready for teleportation—but to Zackary's surprise, everyone else joined in as well.
"Well… this should be interesting," Zackary muttered.
Casting a massive teleportation spell, he transported them all at once.