In the Guildhall, at her desk, Rebecca impatiently taps her finger on the table. “There must be something I can do to help them, they’re the best hope for this planet,” she contemplates, “I’ll go ask grandfather, he should have something useful I can give Cale and the others.” Making up her mind, she hurriedly stands up from her desk and heads towards the staircase.

On the top floor, having seemingly annexed the Guild Leader’s desk, the Founder observes Rebecca approaching. “Grandfather, I have a favour to ask,” she says, coming to a stop next to him. “What is it, my dear? Is it that you finally want to return home?” the Founder asks, a hint of expectation hidden in his tone.

Rebecca silently shakes her head in frustration and say, “I’ve already told you that I’ll be staying here. The few ties I still held with Elysium have long been severed. I prefer the quiet life out here on the fringes.” The Founder sighs in disappointment and says, “I respect your decision, but you must accept what happened back then was an accident. Come out of your self-imposed exile and return home, you’re meant for so much more than being a mere receptionist.”

“Swearing off magic was the only way; you know what will happen if I return. Staying here is the only option,” she replies, her eyes kindling a hint of rage as her thoughts dwell on the past. “Fine, I only wanted what’s best for you. So, why did you come here?” the Founder asks, his enthusiasm diminishing.

“The summoned heroes have decided to begin their hunt for the demonic portal. I want to give them something to help with their quests. I didn’t bring any treasures with me when I moved here, so I need your help. Do you have anything that can help them?” she asks. “Usually, this would be a simple request, but you are aware of the person following them. We’ve been instructed not to interfere,” he refutes.

Undeterred, she pleads, “I know, but there must be something we can give them to help. Even if it’s something small, I’m sure they’ll find it useful.” The Founder sighs again, confused by his granddaughter’s uncharacteristic persistence, “Fine, I’ll give them a green magic crystal each. I refuse to give them anything more substantial, lest we provoke his wrath.”

The Founder extracts four small, green crystals from his ring and hands them to Rebecca, “You can give this to them, I’d rather not meet their observer again.” She smiles in response and says, “Thank you, grandfather. This means a lot to me.” She turns around and heads towards the stairs. Behind her, the Founder says to himself, “I swear she’s going to be the death of me. They’re only some small trinkets; I pray he doesn’t mind.”

The next morning, outside a small house near the centre of the city, the four heroes gather. Each of them is equipped with the finest weapons and armour that Avalon had to offer. Their new equipment glistens in the morning light as they gather in a circle. Holding their attention, Cale asks, “I hope everyone’s ready?” The rest nod in confirmation.

Nodding his head in approval, he continues, “The plan is to head towards the border, and strike at the portal together with the remainder of the army. The shortest route would be the main road going through the kingdom, but it’s best if we avoid it. The route has become increasingly plagued by bandits and squads of soldiers that have deserted from the front lines. The route may be shorter, but we’ll lose more time if constant attacks bog us down. Thus, we’ll be taking the same route that we took when we scouted the mountain range.”

With their plan set, the heroes make their way towards the city gate. Before they’re able to leave, Rebecca steps forward in front of them. Her sudden appearance confuses them, but she quickly explains, “I’m glad I didn’t miss your departure. I’ve brought you all some gifts to help in your quest. The King might not care about your quests, but the Guild does, so I’m giving you these.”

From her pocket, Rebecca reveals the four green crystals, and she says, “Each of you will receive one crystal. They might not seem like much, but some would kill to get their hands on these. If there comes a time where your back is against the wall and you’re running low on energy, shatter the crystal with your hand, and it will restore your energy completely.”

She hands over a crystal to each of the heroes. Her hand briefly comes to a stop as she gives Cale his crystal, she says, “Make sure you come back alive, okay? I don’t want another person, whom I care about, dying a needless death.” Before Cale can reply, she steps back and says, “I wish you luck, heroes, we’re all counting on you.” She begins to walk back to the Guild, but her gaze occasionally returns to the figures of the departing heroes.

Near the gate, utterly invisible to those around him, Centum watches the exchange, “Those crystals aren’t from this planet. It seems the elf didn’t heed my warning. I’ll let this go, for now, those small trinkets are single-use, so they’ll only have a small impact.” In front of him, the heroes depart through the gate, so he follows along.

For three days, the heroes navigate the countryside as they near the border. On their left, the previously scouted mountain range looms in the distance; it’s merely one kilometre away from their current positions. Leading at the front, Cale says, “We are close to the border, from here on, we’ll turn back to the main road. The final stretch of road is probably still be guarded by the army, so we shouldn’t face any attacks when we arrive.”

They turn their backs to the mountain range as they head towards the main road. Off in the distance, near the horizon of the flat plains, a screeching cry echoes over the terrain. Emily quickly spots the source of the commotion, “Cale, there’s a wyvern approaching us! It’s completely red; I thought wyverns were exclusively green?”

The rest also spot the wyvern and Cale frantically commands the group, “It doesn’t matter what colour it is. We need to run now. I doubt the wyvern is coming here to say hello.” He quickly observes their surrounding as his gaze locks on the mountain range. “Everyone, we’re heading towards the cave we previously found. It’s the only place nearby where we can escape the wyvern’s attacks.”

Reluctant expressions surface on the heroes faces, but the wyvern’s roar easily convinces them to follow Cale’s plan. They all turn towards the mountain range and begin sprinting in its direction. As they near the mountain’s base, the wyvern nears their group. Its broad wings cast an ominous shadow against the cliffs. “Hurry!” Eric urges as the group begins their desperate ascent.

With haggard breaths, they near the cave’s mouth. The winds kick up as the wyvern’s wings carry its body down. “Inside!” Cale commands. The ground shakes as the wyvern lands next to the cave. The wyvern’s body is six meters wide, easily allowing it to enter the cave if it wanted to.

Eric’s gaze hardens with determination. He steps forward, towards the cave mouth and shouts, “Mia, help me block the wyvern. Cale, please find us another way out of here. Go, we don’t have any time to waste!” Eric slams his kite shield into the stone, cave floor, embedding its bottom half in the layers of rock. Mia hurriedly casts her holy power on his shield, its power expanding to cover the whole cave entrance.

“We’ll quickly find another exit, don’t worry. We’ll be back before you know it,” Cale reassures them before he and Emily disappear into the cave’s depths. Outside, the wyvern roars in rage at their display of defiance. It rushes at the holy shield, battering it with its body. The mountain trembles from the impact, but the shield remains firm.

Standing next to them, Centum observes the deteriorating situation. Frustration grows in his heart as he contemplates, “That’s a demonic wyvern, it’s most likely one of the demonic lords who emerged from the portal. The heroes have grown exceedingly strong, but they’re still woefully unprepared to face its might. I know I shouldn’t interfere, but this situation isn’t their fault.”

Cale and Emily nimbly rush deeper into the cave, its tunnel continuously arching downwards. “Are you sure there’s another exit?!” Emily asks in concern. “There has to be,” Cale replies, his resolve beginning to waver. As they turn a corner, their bodies lock in place. In front of them, a translucent figure materialises.

The figure, standing five meters tale, raises its empty hand and a flood of strange power washes over the duo, instantly knocking them unconscious. They collapse to the floor, completely helpless to resist the figure’s power. The figure steps over their bodies, seemingly ignoring them as it heads towards the cave’s entrance.

At the entrance, Mia’s shield begins to crack from the wyvern’s relentless assault. “Please tell me they’re almost back?” Eric desperately pleads. Blow after blow; the wyvern forces him back. “Just a couple more minutes, I’m sure they’re already heading back,” Mia says, helplessly trying to motivate Eric.

“I need to do something; their shield is one hit away from collapsing. I have no choice but to act, if they die here, then their story would be incomplete. I pray my predecessors can forgive this discretion,” Centum concludes, his determination mounting. Outside, the wyvern steps back. It can sense the shield is about to collapse. With vicious glee, it rams the shield a final time.

Like a balloon popping, the shield collapses. Completely drained from the fight, Eric is thrown back against the cave wall. The impact instantly knocks him unconscious. Fatigued from supplying the shield power, Mia shakily faces the approaching wyvern. The demonic lord leisurely approaches her shivering figure, a cruel grin revealing its rows of teeth.

Mia falls to the ground, a paralysing fear sweeping over her. Her gaze is locked on the approaching wyvern as it salivates its next meal. From his stealth, Centum step forward between them, revealing himself. He snorts with frustration and says, “I don’t know why you’ve decided to break convention and hunt the heroes, but I refuse to let that happen. Everything has a proper order, and those who break it deserve only death.” The wyvern stops in place, apprehensive from Centum’s intrusion.

Baffled at Centum’s sudden appearance, Mia stares at his figure with wide eyes. Silent tears drip from her face as she watches Centum stepping forward to protect her. “Please help us,” she begs, her vision growing blurry through the tears. Centum turns towards her. On the ground, Mia manages to see Centum’s youthful appearance. A confident smile stretches on his face as he says, “Don’t worry, this will be over soon.”

Mia subconsciously nods in response, Centum’s confidence easing her heart. Turning towards the wyvern, Centum grips his white, metal tome. Power flows through his body as it accumulates in the tome. The tome bursts open, it’s numerous pages chaotically flipping between each other. “I’ll end this quickly,” Centum comments.

The power contained in the tome begins to awaken, a dreadful aura seeping into the surroundings. “It’s not time for you to awaken, this attack is more than enough,” Centum says, his hands slamming the tome shut. The power within diverts into his body, empowering him beyond measure. Their gazes lock as Centum prepares to charge, both sides having gathered their strength to their maximum degree.

From the cave’s impenetrable darkness, heavy steps begin to echo out. Like a rhythmic bell, the sound vibrates throughout the cavern walls. The sound turns deafening, forcing Centum and the wyvern to divert their attention towards its source. From the depths, the translucent, five-meter-tall figure reveals itself, its ethereal light illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Mia almost screams in fright, her previous encounter with the figure having traumatised her. The figure’s beaming aura locks everyone in place. Centum’s gaze hardens as he considers his remaining options. The wyvern tries to cower, the aura frightening it to its core.

Without stopping, the figure opens its empty hand. From its aura, a glowing spear takes form. Towering at almost twice the figure’s height, the spear radiates a shocking power. The figure clutches the spear and launches it forward with blinding speed. The air howls in pain as the spear rips its way past the sound barrier.

Unable to even try defending, the spear strikes the demonic wyvern. Its whole body is thrown backwards as the spear penetrates its chest, impaling it into the cave floor. The cave rumbles in response, its entrance collapsing from the impact of the spear. Centum rushes to grab Eric and manages to move him inside the cave as the entrance collapses.

Completely trapped inside, Centum’s gaze turns toward the translucent figure. The figure beckons him to cave’s depths as it disappears into thin air. “I guess we have no choice. Fine, let’s see what secrets you’re hiding within this cursed place,” Centum says, his gaze drawn towards the cave’s depths.