Brutus stood up and walked to his desk. He picked up the letter from Eledar and opened it, his eyes scanning the lines from right to left, top to bottom. As he read, his expression grew increasingly grim. He looked over at Ard and Eva, who were still talking with Beatrice and Rosalind. Brutus walked straight toward Ard, sat down, and handed him the letter. Naturally, Ard took it and began to read, while Eva leaned in close to read along with him.

Their faces transformed the moment they reached the bottom of the letter—a plea from Eledar asking Brutus to inform them that several angels had descended from the sky and were now prowling around the Qoaldriog seal. Ard and Eva stood up instantly and handed the letter back to Brutus.

"Uncle, Eva and I have to go. Please watch over my sister while we're gone," Ard said.

"Alright, I understand. Go quickly... use the palace balcony," Brutus replied.

"Thank you, Uncle," Ard said.

"What's wrong?" Beatrice asked.

"We'll explain later. This is something only Ard and I can handle. Please wait here and let the others know," Eva answered.

"Okay, I understand," Beatrice replied.

"Be careful, Ard... Eva," Rosalind added.

Ard and Eva nodded, then bolted out of Brutus's study and sprinted through the hallway. As soon as they found a balcony, they threw the doors open. Ard immediately summoned Ace the Garuda and commanded him to grow large. Once Ace had become massive, they both climbed onto his back, and the bird shot into the air, racing toward the Qoaldriog seal.

As they flew, Eva asked, "How could Goddess Ophelia know we were here?"

"It has to be the mark on Abel's body... I should have seen this coming," Ard answered.

"Hurry, Ard. If they manage to break the Qoaldriog seal, it's going to be a disaster," Eva said.

"Yeah. Faster, Ace!" Ard urged, stroking the bird's feathers.

"Kieeek!" Ace responded with a piercing shriek that echoed through the air.

Ace continued to streak toward the massive tree visible from the air, crossing over the dense jungle. In an instant, they passed the elven village and pushed on toward the seal. When they arrived, Ard and Eva spotted several one-winged angels standing before the seal, attempting to unlock it. Without wasting a second, Ard ordered Ace to dive. Meanwhile, he and Eva pulled Exgrandal and Exelion from their dimensional storage.

As they neared the ground, the two of them leaped down. Ace lunged at one angel in front of the sealing stone, snatching him up with his talons and dragging him into the sky, leaving a trail of falling feathers. The three remaining angels spun around to see Ard and Eva standing behind them. Without a word, the three angels charged. Ard and Eva parried their strikes and countered, catching them off guard and killing two of them instantly.

The final angel retreated, but suddenly, the sky split open again. An angel clad in magnificent golden armor with six wings descended through a beam of light, gripping a spear and a shield. The angel looked at them and raised his spear. As they braced for impact, the angel vanished and reappeared right between them. "Clang!" Ard and Eva spun to parry his spear's sweep, both being pushed back a step. The angel stared at them, expressionless, and prepared to strike again.

"Huh... what a coward, trying to sneak up from behind," Eva remarked.

"Here he comes," Ard replied.

"Clang!" The angel thrust his spear at Ard while slamming the edge of his serrated golden shield toward Eva's face. "Clang!" Eva immediately kicked the shield upward and countered with Exelion, grazing the angel's shoulder. Meanwhile, Ard pushed the spear aside and delivered a front kick to the angel's stomach, forcing him back.

The angel lifted his head to see Ard and Eva gesturing for him to "bring it on." Although he remained expressionless, his movements betrayed his rage. He charged again, swinging his spear and shield. Ard and Eva parried his blows and launched their own attacks, which the angel managed to deflect.

After several close-quarters clashes, the angel finally retreated. He pointed his spear at them and began chanting. A beam of white light shot toward Ard and Eva, but Ard stepped forward and caught the light with his palm. Above Ard, a dark gate began to emerge from a black portal. Ard smiled at the angel; the dark gate was one of his counter-magic spells designed specifically for holy or white elements.

"Darkness Gate... open," Ard commanded.

"Gleng!" The terrifying gate swung open, releasing a thick black mist. Suddenly, hundreds of shadow hands reached out from the gate and seized the angel's arms and legs. The angel fought back, slamming his spear into the ground to anchor himself, but "clang!" Eva slashed his spear, snapping it in two. The shadow hands immediately dragged the angel into the gate, which slammed shut like a mouth swallowing its prey. The gate then receded into the misty black portal and vanished.

"Huh, that was easy," Ard said.

"Too easy... something isn't right," Eva replied, her mind racing.

Suddenly, the two of them locked eyes as the same realization hit them both. Ard let out a sharp whistle to call Ace. They leaped onto the Garuda's back and streaked toward the elven village. When they soared over it, the sounds of chaos rose from below. Angels were raiding the village, and the elves were fighting back with everything they had.

"Damn it! Their real goal was to capture or kill Abel. Get us down there, Ace!" Ard shouted.

"Hurry, Ace!" Eva added.

Ace dove instantly. The two of them jumped into the heart of the battlefield between the angels and the elves. "Blam!" They landed with a heavy impact that brought the fighting to a dead stop. They immediately spun toward the angels and swung their blades. Two black crescent-shaped energy waves—the afterimages of their strike—slammed into the group of about ten angels. Out of the entire squad, only three managed to parry the blow; the rest were cut down and vanished instantly.

Suddenly, the sky split open again. The surviving angels took flight, trying to retreat upward, but Ard and Eva weren't about to let them escape. They held Exgrandal and Exelion together above their heads and fired a spiraling black-and-white beam. The blast chased the angels down, obliterating them before surging straight into the rift in the sky. "Blam!" A massive explosion echoed as the beam struck the opening, and the sky slammed shut.

Once they were sure no angels remained, Ard and Eva sprinted up the hill toward Eledar's home. "Blam!" Ard threw the door open with force and rushed inside with Eva, bypassing any formalities. He headed straight for the room where Abel was being treated. His heart finally settled when he saw Abel still lying in bed with Eledar sitting by his side. They also saw Xeria in the room, still standing guard. Eledar turned to see Ard and Eva at the door, their hands still gripping Exgrandal and Exelion.

"Thank you for coming. I never expected Goddess Ophelia to attack us," Eledar said.

"The mark on Abel's body acts as a beacon for them to find this place. What now, Chief? Should we move him to a safer location?" Ard asked.

"No, leave him here. Goddess Ophelia never strikes twice if her first attempt fails," Eledar answered.

"I hope you're right about that," Eva remarked.

"But they didn't even try to come in here... I watched from the window, and it seemed they were more interested in attacking the elves than taking Prince Abel," Xeria noted.

"That is true. The reason we live in hiding is to avoid Goddess Ophelia and observe the world from a safe distance," Eledar added.

"I'm sorry. Because I brought Abel here, you all have been exposed," Ard said.

"There is no need to apologize. The Fredonian royal family has always been kind to us. It would be impossible for us not to help them," Eledar replied.

"Thank you, Chief. Eva and I will stay here for the day to make sure everything is secure," Ard said.

"Right. You can rest easy now, Chief," Eva added.

"Thank you, Prince Ard, Princess Eva," Eledar replied, bowing his head in respect.

"I'm sorry... even though I was here, I couldn't do anything to help," Xeria said quietly.

"It's okay. I'm actually grateful you stayed here to keep Abel safe," Ard replied with a smile.

"If you had gone out to join the fight, they would have slipped in here. Because you stayed, this room remained safe. Thank you, Xeria," Eva added.

"You're very welcome, Your Highnesses. I'm just glad I could help. Thank you," Xeria replied, looking visibly relieved.

"Alright, I'll go prepare your rooms. Just wait here for a moment," Eledar said, standing up and walking toward the door.

"Thank you, Chief," Ard and Eva replied, stepping aside to let him pass.

Eledar nodded and left the room. Ard and Eva turned their attention back to Abel, who was still lying stiffly on the bed. They stayed one more night in the elven village to ensure the area was truly safe before they headed back to the Kingdom of Rellios to begin their journey toward the Dragon God.

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