The creature Chrono seemed to have a majestic air to it. It wasn't as deep or overwhelming as Mirage, but it carried an ancient presence much like hers.

The owl mechanically tilted its head to the side and looked toward the dragon.

"Mirage… you have finally been released. But that form…"

The dragon gave a small nod, as if telling the creature not to say anything further.

"Another powerful summon. What a strange coincidence… but also an unfortunate one."

Everyone turned toward the dragon girl who had spoken those words.

"Excuse me, but why do you say that?"

Elaruîn, one of the only ones who dared speak to her besides Fay and the children was the first to respond.

"If we, the high beings, have begun to descend, it means a strong aether current is building. This is only the beginning. Where it will end, I don't know… but you can be sure difficult days are ahead."

Everyone was surprised by the statement. Those words revealed more than some were ready to hear, but for leaders like Elaruîn and Nahrin, it was a warning they needed to start looking into.

"Correct… I can't see past a certain point. Something is interfering with time... All we can do is move forward and hope we can survive the first great wave."

Chrono turned back to Marie, its summoner, who still stood in shock at the creature before her.

"Child… I will leave you for now. When you are able to summon me properly, I will return. Work hard and grow stronger, you and everyone else who can."

Then, the creature vanished, seemingly forced to return to the spirit realm.

"Fay, do you see how great your power is? To be able to summon four and still keep me in this form... Well, we'll need to start working on the kingdom. I don't like what's happening."

Mirage, who usually acted like a child, began to look a little more mature, even if her form still resembled that of a child. Her eyes darted to Elaruîn.

"Elf, we'll need to work together. I fear your forest will wither soon, and the plains to the west as well. You treasure your tree, and that's fine, but we'll have to bring it here. The closer we work together to stabilize a part of this world, the better. We'll need a portion of this land under our control, and this is a good place to start."

Fay watched as his teacher nodded, clearly understanding the gravity of the situation.

"That's fine. I actually wanted to ask you to bring it. We don't think we can protect it from the plague's spread for much longer. As for our village, we'll need to relocate and build a new one around the holy tree again… if you don't mind us being so close, kid."

"Why would I? If anything, it helps me so I can continue my training."

The Eluwyn nodded. They had already addressed part of what he wanted to discuss with the boy; now came the next issue.

"The next part might be even more pressing. You see, with your dragon's appearance, it caused quite a stir in the surrounding regions. Especially considering you took one of the kingdom's capitals and all the wealth it had stockpiled... I have ears in some of the neighboring countries. Mistwalkers, those who abandoned our traditions but still look out for us, have warned me of a looming threat that may reach us soon. And I say 'us' because it seems there may be intentions to hunt down the Eluwyn race as well."

Fay couldn't help but gasp.

"Typical hums. Always driven by greed. So, they'll come seeking me out, hoping to pry me off my summoner? What a joke," Mirage said, laughing as if it weren't a pressing matter.

"That... well, the king has placed a bounty on Fay, on you, Lady Mirage, and on all of the demi-humans; they are probably thinking they'd all bring in more money this way. We'll have to fight them off… so coming and working together to live here might be for the best," Elaruîn added.

Nahrin, thinking about their current fighting strength, shook his head.

"They'll no doubt come in the thousands. We won't be enough as we are now. It's best to reinforce the walls and prepare weapons. As for the summoners… we won't have time to train them all. Most are still too weak."

Elaruîn nodded, placing a hand over his mouth as he began pacing, deep in thought.

"If we manage to bring the world tree here… we might have a way. It will take a toll on the tree, though, and require a lot of resources. Fay, you'll have to start hunting. If we feed the tree aether cores, it will grow stronger. In turn, it will form a faster connection with an aether body and begin producing passive aether for everyone nearby."

Fay understood the gist of it. His role would be to hunt and collect aether stones.

"Where will I hunt, though? The plains only had three creatures, and one of them was barely enough to feed Mirage…"

Elaruîn seemed to already have an answer prepared.

"Simple. A world dungeon. That will be the best place to find the creatures we need. The only issue is the danger you'll face while exploring it. Those places aren't normal. They're alive in a way, adjusting themselves to your power to fight you and pull you under. It would be best not to bring Lady Mirage."

Mirage huffed, clearly displeased, but she knew he was right. The stronger the creature, the more defensive the dungeon would become. If anything, the dungeon itself would try to destroy its own contents to prevent Mirage from taking everything it had to offer, and then relocate.

"He is right. You'll have to go alone, fight through it, and gather as many aether stones as you can. While you're inside, we'll focus on stabilizing the world tree around this place. That should help the vegetation thrive and make my earlier plan to bring in creatures for feeding come true."

Fay nodded. "Well, there's nothing more to say then. Let's all do our part. Horin, I hope you can come train with me. Maria, you'll have to join as well. I guess Selûne too…"

As he considered the lineup, Fay began to realize something: he was surrounded entirely by girls. That was when it hit him.

"I guess I'll call up Joan, too. He wasn't working with his mother when we visited the bar, so he should be free."

Horin, who had hoped to join, was pleased to be chosen, though she still felt uneasy about being in a group with Selûne. The two of them didn't get along well. Selûne was simply too friendly for the catkin girl's liking.

"Good. Then we'll move out soon. The dungeon is actually nearby. That's probably also why the capital was built here in the first place. They likely used it to train soldiers and extract resources… which also means they won't be willing to give up the capital easily. You'll have it tough, Fay, if you plan to keep this city."

Fay shrugged.

"It wasn't really my intention. But if Mirage wants it… I can't do much about it."

With that, the meeting ended.

The three girls were equipped with gear, while Fay went to find the red-haired boy, Joan. He was behind the inn, busy training with his creature.

At least, that's what it looked like at first until the small otter-like summon squirted a stream of water directly into Joan's face.

"Looks like you're having a hard time getting it to be your friend, Joan," Fay called out in a friendly tone.

Fay really just wanted a normal guy friend for once.

"You have no idea… This beast just doesn't want to listen. I can't even keep it around the house because all it wants to do is fight with my mother's little fire pig. How come that creature listens to her? It even makes the flames perfect for grilling meat… and this guy," Joan motioned toward his summon, "all it wants is to fight it."

He threw both hands forward in exasperation, as if trying to physically show Fay the extent of his problem.

"Yes… I can see that," Fay replied, watching the otter-like creature spray water around as if playing.

Still, he thought it was the perfect opportunity to gain a little respect from Joan and to train him.

"I've got a deal for you. How about you join us for some training? Horin will be there, along with a girl named Selûne… and Maria."

Even though Joan was about the same age as Fay, his eyes lit up the moment he heard Maria's name.

"I'll go! When is it? What are we doing?"

Fay chuckled but began to explain the plan in more detail.

Convincing Joan's mother to let him go into the dungeon turned out to be harder than expected. But eventually, Fay managed it by promising that the boy Joan would grow stronger, something she clearly wanted.

Soon after, they regrouped at the gate. Each person had either a creature of their own or was paired with someone who could carry them.

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