"This is an ancient legend," explained Thyra as her fingers hovered over the writings on the cave's wall, "in the beginning of of our era, four brothers and their wives were the last survivors after the Spirits took over the realm of man. They found refuge under the shadow of silver tree named Yggdra..."

"We call it Heaven's Shrine." Said Verano as he pointed towards the image. "It’s a giant tower that stretches into the sky. They say the Grey Guardian inhabits it."

"They taught me it was a tree."

"Don't trees have leaves?"

"Anyways," Thyra rolled her eyes and continued, "the Yggdra gave each of the brothers the power over one element of nature - Fire, Water, Earth and Air -, so that they could venture into the wilds and feed their families. Yet generations passed and the descendants of the brothers grew numerous and powerful. They started to climb the tower and the combined power of their elements rivaled the power of the Yggdra. Threatened, the tree had no option but to separate the descendants of the four brothers across the Wild Lands..."

"Wrong again." Interrupted Verano. "We're taught that humans grew greedy. They did the Original Sin. They invaded Heaven's Shrine in search of more power. That is why the Grey Guardian expelled us all to different lands and gave us different tongues. That way the Four Elements would never be united again and no human would ever desecrate the holy ground."

"Excuse me, firescum, this is the story of my people. When I want to hear your penitent proselytism rubbish, I'll call you."

"What is that white square with a bunch of 'X's hanging on top of it?" Asked Verano nonchalantly. He pointed towards the drawing that came after.

"T-T-That's not a white square, you stupid fire scum! It's an iceberg with people on top of it."

Verano squeezed his eyes.

"I don't see it." He insisted.

"They are not bloody sticks! Är du dum? (Are you stupid?)"

"The drawing is not helping.”

"Shut up!" Thyra screamed at him. “We are warriors, not artists!”

“It shows.”

"These people that you are disrespecting," she thrusted her fingers against the drawings, "these are my ancestors. They are nothing like yours! The Yggdra was crueler with my people than with all the others. They banished us to the top of an iceberg where we had no hope to survive. For years, our people floated on the oceans. The resources were limited. We had to fight among each other to survive. You can imagine how this type of violence – caused by hunger and despair - rots people's souls."

"That is..." Verano frowned. "Terrible."

"It was. It only ended when the sound of our battles and cries of pain grew so loud that they dove deep into the ocean and awakened the Spirits of the Deep. They rose from the sea in our time of greatest despair and comforted what remained of our tribe. They gave us news of our sacrificed comrades. They said that they did not die and vanish, but rested in Val-Hella - the realm of the Spirits -; and that they awaited to join us once again when the End Times come. They said that heroes never die, and these words never left our tribe."

"Was it your father who told you that?”

Thyra nodded. A rare smile crossed her damaged lips. She continued:

"The Spirits of the Deep taught us that we only did what it was necessary to survive. We had done no wrong. Just like the water that fills a lake will still shrink to fit through a crack in the stone and breathe life into a cave. Waterbending is about accepting who you are, where you are in the world and changing so that you can survive." She frowned upon the water that filled the puddles in the cave. “The Spirits of the Deep taught us how to bend the ice so that we could build ships and escape the iceberg. Yet we had no idea how to farm and mine once we reached the shores, so the Spirits gave us good winds so that we could raid other lands and survive. That was easier for us than hunting. The Spirits of the Deep freed us from the fear of death. We saw no good and evil in the world, only good and bad. We were like the waves and the floods: unstoppable.”

She stared at a puddle and the tear stains on her reflection’s cheeks ashamed her. "And I’m not going to be the exception," she kicked the waters and unmade her morose reflection, "sobbing and laying down hopeless is not who I am. I am the Queen of the Northmen for a reason. I will come back to crush Hagen and whoever..."

"Thanks!" Chuckled Verano.

"F-For what?"

"I see..." Verano frowned upon his reflection. "I think I understand now. I am the Avatar. For better or for worse, that's just who I must be. Even if I don't like this hole where I'm in," he beamed upon a flower that blossomed by a puddle's side, "I'll never see what's on the other side if I keep hiding behind my doubts.”

“That’s way too positive interpretation. Were you even listening--”

“Thank you, Thyra! If anything, you're inspiring." He grabbed her hand and released it. "Your family taught you all that--"

"H-How dare you!" She pulled her head away from him. "I-I'm not inspiring!"

"You are inspiring."

"I'm not!"

"You are inspiring, Thyra!"

"H-How dare you, dum (dumb) fire scum..."

Claps and laughs echoed from across the cave. Four shadows eclipsed the light from the cave's entrance.

"What is this?" Asked Thyra.

"Oh, me? Don't mind me!" Chuckled Black Teeth as he sat down on a boulder. "Why don't you just kiss the fire kid and finish destroying the legacy of your ancestors, Queeny? Pretend I'm not here."

The three Northmen by his side laughed like a chorus.

"Is this what I think it is like, Arvid?" Asked Thyra as she stepped back. Light entered through the ceiling and lightened the weapons of the Northmen. "Treason?"

"This is no treason, Queeny," Black Teeth pulled his axe from the waist, "I'm just doing what it takes. It's tradition."

Thyra laughed alongside the Northmen.

"Bad for you that you’re a traditional, Arvid," she smirked as she glanced towards the gutters. There was a large body of water flowing above the cave. “Because I am one too.”

She rose her sights towards the ceiling and drew a circle with her right hand. Concentrated water weighed upon the cracks and fell upon the Northmen's formation.

"Quick!" She pulled Verano's arm. "Run!"

"O-One moment," he yanked a stone from the ground, "let's go!"

They ran past the knocked down Northmen.

"After them, Captain?" Said one of them while he lifted a companion.

"No need to hurry, kid. Argh--," Black Teeth lifted himself from the ground and stretched his neck, "we got back up out there."

Verano and Thyra reached the rocky lakeside beneath the cave's exit, yet two more Northmen waited outside to welcome them.

"It does seem that Hagen got popular." Said the Queen as she stepped back.

"You made it easy." Chuckled Black Teeth as his men left the cave to surround Thyra and Verano.

"Damn it," she gasped as she counted the 7 Northmen that encircled her. She leaned towards Verano’s ear. "You choose one, I'll take the rest--"

Black Teeth threw his axe towards Thyra.

"Argh--" Thyra bended water around her right hand to block the attack. The weapon's strength knocked her against the ground.

"Angrepp! (Attack!)" Shouted Black Teeth as a water tentacle wrapped around his hand and pulled his axe back into his grasp. The Northmen attacked.

Verano groaned:

"There goes our strategy."

He spun around and kicked a circle of flames around him to halt the Northmen.

They faltered and staggered to block the attack. Burn marks formed on their skin and their fur burned. Yet Verano fell on his knees and coughed. The boy's heart accelerated. Firebending drained his ill body much faster than usual.

"Damn it, what's up with me? Argh--" He covered his mouth to cough.

Thyra gritted her teeth at the sign of blood around his lips. She was to blame. His pain bothered her more than him.

"Look at your opponent when you fight, Queeny!" Shouted Black Teeth as he dove his axe's blade against her.

She jumped back to dodge the attack yet she noticed that a Northman bow woman aimed from the bushes away from the lakeside.

"Chief Hagen will love this." Said the archer as water contracted into an ice arrow beneath her sights.

The projectile flew against Thyra and divided itself into a cloud of ice needles. They pierced through the queen's leg armor, and she fell on his knees.

"She fell for it! Grab the kid, I'll get the kill!" Ordered Black Teeth with a black smile that resembled a precipice. "Ha!"

He mauled his axe against Thyra. She bended the water from her canteen and formed a shield to block his attack. He repeated the blow and she once more rose the water to protect herself. Yet Verano noticed that her defense veil grew thinner with each block.

"There's no other way," rustled Verano as he picked the stone that he had brought from the cave. He closed his eyes and bashed the stone against his thigh. "Argh--"

"The rock should go against us, dumbass!" Shouted a Northman as he pulled the boy by the shirt.

Verano held his breath and blew a fiery kiss at the Northman's eyes. The man recoiled:

"Argh, it burns--"

The boy grasped his stone and threw at the lake. The blood from his thigh left the rock and drew a red circle onto the surface. Verano crossed his fingers:

"Please be awake, please be--"

Another Northman held him from behind and covered his mouth.

"We got him now, boss!" Shouted the Northman.

"Bra! (Good!)" Replied Black Teeth as he swung his axe and pierced through Thyra's defense. His weapon's wood hit her head and knocked her against the ground. "Send my regards to dad when you get to Val-Hella, Queeny. Argh--"

He rose his weapon over his shoulder to finish her. Yet the ground quaked. He lost his balance and looked back to find the source of the agitation. The Northmen rose their voices as they faced the lake:

"In the name of Bewulf, that is a--"

Ness, the Sea Serpent, sprung out of the lake. Its body rose a massive wave that consumed the rocky beach.

“Well done, brain.” Said Verano to himself.

"Fall back!" Shouted a Northman as the creature stood on the shore. Thyra's axe remained on the monster's neck and maddened Ness.

"No, you cowards!" Intervened Black Teeth as he held his fleeing comrade by the shoulder. "We can't lose them--"

Ness dove its mouth against the escaping Northman and swallowed him whole. The creature only spilled the man's sword.

“Well,” faltered Black Teeth as he saw his reflection in his dead comrade's fallen blade. He gathered air in his lungs. "Fall back!"

The Northmen's cries disturbed Ness. The serpent pursued them across the beach. One by one, the sound of their steps became silent.

Thyra's eyes widened as she witnessed the feast. She glanced at Verano and rose her voice:

"Quick, argh--" The ice particles that pierced her skin had melted. "Let's get outta here, fast--"

"Stay where you are!" Replied Verano with his sights laid upon Ness.

"W-Why would I do that?”

"That's what happens when you move." Said Verano as he glanced towards the sword from the swallowed Northman.

"Then what are we gonna do?" Asked Thyra as she watched Black Teeth's Northmen fall.

"She's hurt and confused." Said Verano as he pointed towards the axe that Thyra had thrown to scare Ness a couple days before. The weapon had went deeper into the Sea Serpent's flesh. "If I only I could catch my breath and bend, argh--"

Verano struggled to stand up. His heart felt as if a flame burned in his chest.

"Let me go, you stupid creature!" Shouted Black Teeth as he punched the creature's head. Ness had his chest in its jaw. "H-Help me, my Queen! Help--" cried the man as he disappeared in the creature's entrails.

"We gotta leave," murmured Thyra as she glanced towards Verano, "we are next."

"The only way is if I do the bond with Ness," he referred to the Verbündnis, the ritual through which a Fire Knight subdues a creature and forms an alliance with it. "But I can't bend anymore. Not like this."

"Maybe not Fire." She looked into his eyes as Ness turned towards them. "Water is not about stamina,” she said as she faced the Sea Serpent, “i-it is about confident, timed, precise movement,". A shiver rose through her spine. The Northmen did not consider dying in the stomach of a creature different from being buried. She feared that there would be no Val-Hella for her. "You can do it, Verano. You're the White Wolf, right? The Avatar?"

That word weighed in his head. Yet he felt ready to carry the responsibility on his shoulders. Verano stood up and mimicked her posture.

"I am the Avatar." He replied.

Thyra rose her right hand and the puddles rose from the ground and formed a floating ring of water.

“It’s coming!” She yelled.

Ness dove its head to swallow Thyra. Yet her water ring immobilized the Serpent's jaw like a muzzle. The creature recoiled and struggled to free itself.

“Is it working?” Asked Verano.

“No,” she closed her eyes as the creature stretched the ring of water and dove its jaw against her.

Verano’s eyes flashed white as he beat of his hands together and the ring around Ness tightened. The creature only tossed Thyra with its nose.

“Ness, look at me!” He walked towards the creature. His hands repeated a circular motion as he walked towards the axe that harmed the monster.

The Sea Serpent contorted and fought to bite Thyra, yet Verano tightened the ring. He moved the creature’s neck so that it would stare at him.

“Let her go,” he ordered. The creature leaned forward to bite his hand yet the water muzzle stopped the attack. “I’m here to help,” he said as he glanced towards Thyra, “take your axe away.”

She glanced at him and followed his orders. Her hand grasped the weapon’s hilt.

“I’ll pull it out now,” she announced, “get ready.”

Verano murmured without taking his eyes off Ness:

“It’s going to hurt.”

Thyra pulled her weapon out and the Sea Serpent moaned loud. Yet its snake eyes widened into two black pearls. The monster’s claws retreated into its scales.

“Please stay calm,” begged Verano as he frowned upon his hands. They moved involuntarily as if he had executed those movements a hundred times before. “I’ll take the muzzle away now.”

Thyra walked away in silence as the boy ceased to move. The ring of water collapsed and Ness bemoaned in pain.

“Calm down, I know it hurts,” remarked Verano with his hand on the creature’s snout, “just wait a moment and…”

He noticed that the ring’s fallen water glowed white blue. He rose his head and noticed that Thyra bended a curative veil on top of Ness’s wound.

“It’s all over now.” She whispered.

“So...” Verano smiled. “You do have a heart?”

“No,” she replied with her hand on the creature’s scales, “this is but token of my gratitude for crushing my enemies. And for giving my dad’s axe back.”

“It’s her way of saying she loves you.” Verano rustled at Ness’s ears as if he shared a secret.

The Sea Serpent faced Verano in a tender manner. The creature guided its new friends to its hideout inside a crest.

“So it’s really a baby,” explained Thyra as she noticed that two large skulls surrounded the nest, “those must be the parents. They must have died from spear injuries while the eggs developed. People say that Sea Serpents take 5 years to hatch and 70 to mature. It’s not surprising that it’s an orphan.”

“There are two skeletons?” Asked Verano while he played with Ness.

“It’s a mom and dad. It is a monogamous species.”

“So is Ness assuming that we are…”

“I’m not this thing’s mom!” She crossed her arms and looked aside.

“I wasn’t going to suggest that.” He swung his head.

“So, you feel bonded or not?” She asked. “Think she will take us back home?”

“I think I’ll only know during a fight. We don’t have time to test now,” said Verano as he searched for a way to balance himself on top of Ness. “Edïm awaits.”

Thyra climbed the Sea Serpent and it moved towards the ocean. She did not leave her hands off the scales for a second.

“Hey, how does it feel? You’re really the White Wolf.” She rose her voice to distract herself. Her eyes did not leave Ness’s head. Her adrenaline collapsed and she imagined that the creature would lose its mind at any sign of food.

“It’s unreal,” he frowned without fear in his mind, “for a couple months; there was nothing that I longed for more than not being the Avatar. Now I just feel embarrassed. If my wishes had come true, maybe you would not be here now.” He grinned sincerely. “Yet I still have absolutely no idea how I did that Waterbending. It was as if I had another person hold my arms for me. Yet if I did it once, I am certain that I can learn it on my own.”

They sailed towards the exit of a lake and found the bow woman who had injured Thyra. The Northwoman returned in despair towards a ship to alert Hagen of what happened to Black Teeth. The ship sailed south and Ness followed. Thyra was certain that the vehicle was heading back to Edïm.

The Moon fell upon a distant hill where Hagen stood. He laid his eyes upon the Wall of Siegfrieda.

“Boss, we got some information,” said Svän as a mouse-pigeon rested a papyrus upon his hand, “some Spirit Cultists from Alba are telling us that the Marshal has bit the bait. He’s planning an incursion against these lands. It’ll be the first in ten years.”

“Just as planned.” Smirked Hagen as his long red hair gave shape to the breeze.

“But some observations, boss: the Marshal is not dumb. The spies are counting many people. It’s almost like he’s trying to intimidate us into just handing them the slaves. The men are sure that if we fight them, it’s gonna come at a high cost. We came to raid, not to war. The men are wondering if we should just leave and go raid somewhere...”

“Don’t worry. Thyra’s men will be at the frontline and my band will only reinforce them if necessary. You will be watching over Edïm during the entire duration of the battle. In exchange, I expect your silence about all information regarding the forces from the Marshal Duke de Sforza.”

“Now we are talking, boss.” Said Svän as he rubbed his hands together.

“And one last thing,” began Hagen. “I want my ships supplied and repaired in case the battle goes miraculously wrong for us. I’ll leave Thyra’s men to stall and we get outta here with the slaves and the treasure. The Kamaritan ports will welcome us with open arms.”

“So we leave Edïm open for the Fire Knights?”

“Pretty much,” Hagen crossed his arms, “I never forced them to betray Thyra, did I?”