Crossing the threshold allowed them to meet the Silver Orchid for the first time. Like Galya, this dorean was surrounded by mountains, although in a different way. After all, it was nestled in a deep valley, and they had to descend a path to reach the city. At that time of day, where the setting sun offered warm and dark tones simultaneously, it possessed a beauty beyond what their senses were able to grasp.

"How did you achieve such a powerful shield?" Ead said, unable to contain his curiosity at such a feat.

Not to mention its camouflage capabilities. As Anwil explained, the Silver Orchid was open to anyone who wished to visit. It possessed the same defences as the others, though the spreading chaos forced them to take measures. The roads were guarded, not to mention the sky, but there were always elthean guarding the entrances if anyone needed help. However, the storm itself noticed him, expecting trouble and evaluating its surroundings before taking action. For that reason, they saw hardly any movement in the streets (broad enough on most of them for Nero to move through), although there was light inside the homes.

"Life here is generally quiet, but we don't like to be overconfident," Anwil said.

Anwil was referring to the previous crisis. He may not have been there to witness it, but even Finnian could see its effects. However, the elthean preferred not to speak more than necessary while he led them into the Orchid. This was not a forest but a city that also worked with nature. Some canals carried water, lakes and cultivation, although they could not explore them as they would have liked. Instead, they ended up in the centre, just past a large square that led to a single mansion.

"This..." Finnian muttered, stopping and looking around.

"This isn't your first visit, am I right?" Anwil said.

That place was familiar to him, and not only because of the dream he'd had. He didn't quite know how to answer him, mainly because the smile he gave him, although warm and fatherly, at the same time showed a slight hint of sadness as if something was missing.

"I am not sure."

"You need answers. It's understandable," Anwil nodded. "After all, this is where it all began. "

The Guardian's mansion was larger than Ailfryd's, although they did not know how spacious it would be or what it would contain. Being made of white stone led them to a small room where they could gather, though they doubted they would be interrupted by anyone.

"First of all, you spoke of Avira."

"We met the princess in Kiyeira," Aer began to explain.

At least in summary form, telling him what had happened there allowed them to inform him about how things were going in Hawell. Anyone else would have used messenger arrows or trusted elthean, but since the arrival of Calamity and the Eroder, both methods lost effectiveness because of the constant problems they caused.

"That's why he entrusted us with this," Finnian said.

Holding out the circular pendant, a slight smile crossed his face. They didn't know what relationship he would have with the Aurean princess, and although they were dying to talk more about it, Anwil seemed to be in a hurry. He was always on the lookout for a time, as if he lacked it.

"Where is Leander?" Aer said. "Ailfryd told us he was the Guardian unless something happened to him."

"He's fine, just..."

"Busy?" Rune finished the sentence.

"Anwil. What happened?" Finnian said.

"You will understand later," the Guardian promised them. "Especially since you came here for a reason."

Something more than knowing in greater detail what happened there. They already knew part of its story from Ailfryd and Lelile, and Anwil's fast-talking didn't take long to corroborate the facts. It all began with the previous crisis, where the Lord of Calamity planned to do the same as his predecessors, controlling the elthean with his evil powers.

"Though they learn," Finnian muttered, "They may seek the same thing, but their methods of achieving it are different."

"And this particular Lord of Calamity did the unthinkable," Anwil said, continuing his tale.

As expected, the Signers arrived in Elthea when they were needed most. They fought Calamity's forces and defeated them one after another. However, aware of his limitations, Calamity urged a plan that would change everything. He lured the Signers there and attacked them with his full power to the point where the previous Guardian came to their aid, unable to stay away. They won, or so they thought, for instead, something unprecedented happened. Calamity destroyed the Guardian."

"Destroyed the Guardian? Why?" Leith said.

"What did he gain by all that? Aren't the Signers supposed to be his rivals?" Nero added.

"You're not wrong, but..." Ead muttered.

"The Guardian's intervention and the chaos of the battle made Calamity see his chance to surprise them," Anwil continued.

The Dorean has a system always to keep a guardian active. When he retires or dies, his second in command takes over. However, Calamity assimilated him and disguised herself as him. Because their energy and essence were mixed, it was enough with the help of the Signers to penetrate the defences of that place. In this way, too, he managed to reach the Heart of the Orchid.

"What Ailfryd showed me," Finnian thought.

It could be considered an open secret. Everyone understood that such a thing existed, although only those who were guardians managed to see it with their own eyes. His buddies knew of his visit, so they were not entirely surprised by the revelation.

"Here, you need to understand one detail. No matter what Calamity looks like or what powers it has, they do not follow the life cycle of the other elthean," Anwil said.

"As much as they consider themselves as such, they do not turn into eggs, nor can they be reborn," Ead said, understanding their doubts.

Elthean hatch from eggs, grow and eventually die. But their essence is not entirely lost, and sometimes they can be reborn. They believed that Calamidad emerged from Hell, from a breach that opens up from time to time. It is one of his most significant weaknesses, and he saw the opportunity to change it.

"How, by conquering the Orchid? By having dominion over it?" Finnian exclaimed, getting more than one of his friends to wince. "What good is that?"

"Because conquering it and getting to its heart could affect the way eggs appear. It would open a door for others of their own or elthean from Hell to resurface here."

"The consequences of such a thing would be irreparable," Rune said, unable to add anything more.

"They are under normal circumstances," Anwil said.

However, Calamity ignored his enemies as victory was close to his hold. The Signers and the second Guardian, now become the protector, fought Azazel for the heart of the Silver Orchid. They defeated him, though not wholly. With his last strength, Calamity infected this area with his energy to corrupt it. He would have won had it not been for the intervention of the partner of one of the Signers. Wounded but not defeated, she sacrificed her life to reverse what he had done.

"That act succeeded in averting an even worse evil than what would have happened."

"But with just as great a sacrifice," Finnian murmured as he felt the ice inside. "They won, and they lost."

"The Orchid was able to repair the damage, but it lost something in the process, the splendour that had characterized it until now. They stopped calling it 'Golden Orchid', and instead, it became 'Silver Orchid'," the Guardian pointed out.

"That's why there are fewer elthean around, isn't it?" Rune asked. "There are so many more on Galya. There's always movement."

"There are wounds that take time to heal," Anwil said, "and that's why everything is so different now."

"Although that doesn't explain why this key came up here," Finnian said.

He hid it close to him, so close that he rarely took it out. He had chosen not to do so since they left Galya, especially since Blanche would be envious of such a thing, although he did well to avoid such a confrontation, especially with the way things were now.

"It corrupted an elthean protecting it, but the key stopped paying attention to her as soon as I got close. We decided it was best not to talk about it with anyone to avoid potential problems. Besides, I didn't want to test the effect it would have on others," Finnian explained.

"You say you've had it almost since you came to our world, don't you?" Anwil muttered. "You must claim what is hidden here. Your visions and this key have guided you for a reason."

Something came out of all this that went beyond what affected the Orchid. An egg emerged from Calamity's death and the sacrifice of an elthean, but it would not open. The previous Signers understood that it belonged to another one of their own, who should fix their mistakes."

"And that's you, Finnian," Aer said, nudging him gently.

"So, the door I saw... Is it real?"

"So much as your mission goes beyond defeating Calamity," Anwil said.

So far, he had accepted that his time there would never be free of complications. He had experienced it on his skin and recalled it while learning on the Galya and while travelling. However, having it confirmed gave it all a different meaning. After all, he had never stood out in his world, so in Elthea, it was the opposite.

"What is to be done?" Finnian said, taking a deep breath.

Since they were there, he wouldn't be the one to ask for dinner and sleep when many of his questions lacked answers, and he didn't want to leave without finding them out. From the way Anwil nodded and rubbed his hands together as he smiled, he wasn't one to waste time either.

"I was hoping you would tell me that."