The dragon lord Celdora was running inside a large cave in his human form, breathing heavily. Only, calling it a cave would be a huge understatement. The chambers were so numerous, divided into many different sections and connected through a tunnelling system that was so large even a caravan could pass through easily. But Celdora wasn't trying to find out just how large this cave was nor was he strolling around without a purpose. Rather, the worried expression on his face has already offered hindsight on what was on his mind at the moment: his only loving daughter. Upon hearing the news from Malick, he has rushed here with haste.

Opening a door of one of the many rooms at this place, the dragon walked in. Unlike the other wards, this section of the cave was dedicated to something that many would rather avoid, for it did not have a joyous and happy atmosphere as the others quarters because it was the medical section, where the wounded and sick were taken care of. But since there hasn't been an open war yet as the preparation was still underway in its final phase, it would be weird for anyone to be in this place, except for one little girl who hasn't woken up for a while now.

"How is she?" entering the room, Celdora yelled at the first person he saw, the white dragon Malick who was also in his human form and wore a white garb like a priest. With his white eyes and long silver hair, Malick looked almost too bright to see.

"Fine! Too fine!" Malick turned his head toward the little girl behind him who was playing house on the ground with Kaiser.

"SYRALTH!" Celdora rushed to his daughter, lifting her up. "I am so glad that you are."

"Daddy!" the little draconian hugged her father tightly, exposing her draconic tail and horns.

"The moment she wakes up, miss Syra insists on seeing you immediately. I have to keep her company here while waiting for you. Else she would just run out right off the door." Kaiser joked.

"Hahaha! That's my girl. So full of energy! Alright, I will play with you all day! Whatever you want, my dear!" Celdora lifted the small girl up and down.

"YAY!" the girl shrieked.

"So she is fine to go right?" asked Celdora.

"Of course! Though I do recommend to not exhaust her too much! The girl still needs some rest after all, considering what she has gone through." Recommended Malick.

"I see. Honey, how about go home for the day? Tomorrow we can go play as much as you want." Celdora turned to his daughter.

"But I want to play now...." The girl sobbed.

"But mommy wants to see you too you know? She has been worried sick about you."

"Mommy is sick? Then I have to go see her!!! Goodbye Mr.Kaiser! Goodbye Mr.Malick!" waved Syralth as she ran to the door.

"Wait for me! Guys, see you later! And thanks for taking care of Syralth! I wouldn't have known what to do without you." Celdora said.

"Don't mention it! Just keep her safe now! We will take care of things here!" Kaiser spoke.

"You bet I will! Any bastard or cursed crown dares to approach her again, I will beat them to pulp and feed them to the wyverns. Alright, bye!" And with that said, the dragon lord and his daughter disappeared from the room, leaving only Malick and Kaiser by themselves.

"Like father like daughter! What a handful, the lot of them!" sighed Malick. To be frank, he was getting tired of seeing Celdora constantly but not in a bad way. It was just that Malick has forbad the father to stay in the medical ward but instead of going home, the guy just kept showing up every now and then, asking about Syralth, to the point of being so annoying that he just couldn't stand up to it anymore. Still, he was glad that the girl was alright in the end. Else things would have been much more...complicated.

But as for Kaiser, seeing the two together, the close and special bond between a parent and their child, it manifested a faint sense of envy inside the faceless entity toward the girl. Of course, he saw himself too old, despite his actual age which was even smaller than Sylrath, for being lifted or played with like that. Still, perhaps some kind of recognition from his father, a small feeling of being desired that could somehow affirm his existence...that was what Kaiser longed for. His silence and the way he looked at the pair, so intensively, as they went out of the room expressed that feeling. What was his father doing right now? He wondered. But he must not distract himself from the current goal. Once Oros was conquered, he could go back to see Alastor and that time was near. He just had to finish what he started in this place.

Realizing the awkwardness of silence in the room, Kaiser regained himself and decided to take the initiative.

"So what do we do with this? Why did you ask me to bring it here?" Kaiser pointed to the crown inside a glass cube. After the incident, it was decided that even though Malick has confirmed that the danger has passed, Kaiser insisted on keeping anyone from touching it any further. Therefore, since then, the crown has been contained inside this glass box imbued with powerful magic which acted as a seal, constantly under Kaiser' supervision. However, as soon as Syralth has recovered, the white dragon has asked Kaiser to bring it here for some reasons.

"Ah yes of course. My apologies! I was taken back by Celdora's arrival and totally forgot about that. I just want to check if everything is fine with it. Do you still have any headaches since then? Strange dreams? Hearing voice even though no one was around?" asked the dragon.

"No. Nothing of sort." Kaiser confirmed. "I guess whatever you did really got rid of the evil spirit residing inside it. Though it's a pity we couldn't investigate who put it there in the first place."

"That's not entirely true..."

"What do you mean?" Kaiser inquired.

"All magic, no matter how sophisticated and skilfully concealed, no matter how strong or weak, can be traced back to its user. While it's true that it has been a long time since the magic was cast to put this evil spirit inside the crown, I believe we are still able to salvage something, a trace or at least some kind of clue about the one who did it." Malick explained.

"Really? Then let's do it!" Kaiser excitedly expressed.

"Hold your horse! This process can take quite a long time and must be done with extreme precision. We can't let an amateur do it. So here is my proposal: I will take the crown and study it in my quarter. During that time, no one is supposed to enter or even come near it, especially when I am not there. And I mean it, no one, even your guards or else it can disturb the ritual."

"Hum hum...."

"Look! I know that you only meet me recently and it's hard to trust me with something so important but..."

"Alright, I will let you have it." Kaiser said.

"...You sure?"

"Of course! I trust you, Malick!"

"...Why? You barely know me?" asked the white dragon.

"You save Syralth, my only subject. In my book, that means you are trustworthy."

"I see...Then I will take it then. Now that miss Syralth is fine, if you don't mind, I shall go to my room and start investigating it right from now." Malick took the glass box in his hands.

"Good luck with it! Do be careful though!" said Kaiser.

"I will...And thank you for trusting me, lord Kaiser!"

.....

Now back to his quarters, inside a simple room just like any other but slightly bigger with only a chair, a large desk with many magic scroll stacked one on another, Malick slowly put the glass cube on the desk as he grabbed the chair and sat down in front of it. Something was slightly off about Malick. Wasn't he supposed to research and investigate the origin of the evil spirit that was put inside the crown? If then why was he sitting here, doing nothing as he stared at it not with the curious eyes of a researcher but with anger? At the same time, his face showed a faint sadness over what he just did. Feeling of remorse and regrets resulted from his betrayal: he just lied to perhaps one of his only friends. Whether they were friends or not could still be debatable but it was undeniable that Kaiser has put his trust in Malick and Malick has just used unknowingly taken advantage of that trust.

To trace back a magic like Malick has suggested was practically impossible. Sure, by analysing the spell that was used and through a process of elimination, we could determinate a list of suspects but only if that spell was recently used. The problem in this case however was very different. Not only it dated a long time ago but there was no magic involved here. Kaiser might have not known about this but putting an evil spirit inside an object qualified as a 'possession'. Basically, a possession meant that a soul, or a fragment of a soul managed to get into an object or another living being and took over control of that body. Necromancy for example used possession for wandering souls to take over undead bodies. But unlike magic like mind control, the control of a soul was very complex as the soul had a conscience, a personality and not mindless like people thought they were. This meant that a sorcerer either needed to be a master in soul magic or has reached some kind of deal with the soul in order to control it. Once done, the soul would enter the said body and if the possession was a success, the soul could stay inside and took over the host.

In short, it was impossible to trace back to the sorcerer if the soul was obliterated. But was it? There was a reason why Malick wanted to keep the crown by his side, not for his own personal goal but for others.

"Eleven years already and you are still this powerful...I would say you are increasing in power." Malick spoke as he gazed upon the crown.

"...." The room remained silent before Malick raised his voice.

"Don't try to pretend you didn't hear me! I know you are still there. I know that the spell I used that day wasn't enough to kill you but merely sealed you away for a while. Enough of this game, Fallen One!"

"...bring me to Alastor!" a disembodied, inhuman voice spoke in a grave tone. Perhaps because it was a voice from an evil spirit inside a crown or perhaps the culprit deliberately changed their voice, it was difficult to determinate whether the voice belonged to a man or a woman as it was a bit of a mixture of both.

"Not a chance! As long as I am here, you won't ever be near him or anyone. Your magic doesn't work against me." Malick said.

"The passage of fate has already been set. If I can't come to him, then he will come to me. And there is nothing you can do about it." The voice said in an insidious tone.

"You won't get what you want. I will make sure of that." The dragon threatened.

"Tempus Machina will be whole once more. When that time comes, you can say goodbye to your wretched world. But you won't be around when it happens, won't you? Because of your precious plan."

"...Is that why you killed Asgore? To interfere with our plan?" Malick hit the table, questioning in a loud voice.

"You can't stop us, Malick!"

"We will see about that. For now, it's time for you to say goodbye to this world. There may be more fragments of your soul out there but at the very least, this one will never get to meet the boy." A warm holy light enshrouded the dragon's hands as he reached to the crown.

"...Your days are numbered, Malick, whether you want it or not." the voice uttered its final words being a bright light shined from it as the white dragon touched the crown.

"Be gone!!!"

* * *

That evening, the Whispering Forest was illuminated as bright as day. Large pyres of fire erected from piles of timber arranged in cubic shape were set up the many camps with a gigantic one in the central camp. The sound of laughter and festive music played by the bards echoed throughout the entire forest as the beastmen celebrated their victory. People dancing around in joyful manner, accompanied with the cheers of the drunkards only added to this already merry atmosphere.

The four chief of the beastmen, sitting around a long table right in front of the largest bonfire, were watching the multiple performances of the jovial soldiers. Tricks, magic shows, dances, there were all kinds of shows possible.

However, as they said, one's happiness was another' sadness. The beastmen may be content with the result of the war but the same could not be said for the remaining elves. They have lost everything, from the war to their land. It was safe to say that the country of the elves was no more and the survivors were now wanderers, rogues after the loss of their homeland. It was only after an intensive discussion between the top members and the representatives of the public that the elves have reached a mutual agreement to follow Alastor back to Zagon. But to be fair, the result was already predicted beforehand. At the moment, most of the political power have fallen in the hands of the two priestesses after Aldol's fall. Meanwhile, Cynthia had developed quite a reputation among the general public when she decided to stay and rescue the left behind, constantly checking on the refugees handing out rations, unlike her counterpart Eris who was seen as a pure noble who knew nothing of the suffering of the common people. Of course, that was not to say that there hasn't been any opposition from the remaining nobles or between the two factions but in the end it was not like they had any other alternative to go by. Still, it meant that the leadership of the remaining elves was not as stable as it may seem at first, considering how chaotic things might be at the moment.

So while the jubilant melody and noises could be heard from the beastmen's camps, the zagonian camp where the elves were staying was rather in a gloomy mood. But at least, there wasn't any open clash between the two sides. One part because the elves have realized the situation they were in so they couldn't afford to go find trouble or retaliation. It was their own fault after all for letting Aldol take power. Right now, they were lucky that commander Luvik and his troops were here or else things might have gone very ugly as many of the beastmen would not take it kindly for wandering elves at the moment.

Sitting around a small campfire, Alastor and Cynthia together with Luvik were discussing on their future.

"Prince Alastor, if you don't mind me saying but we haven't actually heard from the Empress about any of this engagement. Are you sure that Empress Morrigan, long may she lives, actually allows the elven refugees to go seek shelter in Zagon?" asked Luvik.

"Are you doubting my words, commander?" said Alastor. "My mother has given me the full authority on this matter. My words are her words."

"No of course not. It's just that Zagon is actually in the midst of a crisis right now. We still haven't fully recovered from the famine and destruction caused by the calamity. Although the situation has subsided ever since the Empress' return, I have a hard time to imagine that the people would think kindly of this action. To bring in hundreds of thousands of additional refugees while there still are people dying of hunger in our own country....Somehow that seems like a rather....." Luvik stuttered.

"Stupid idea? Is that what you mean?" asked Alastor.

"No no..I mean..."

"Haha no need for formality, commander! Both me and my mother understand your concern. But you need not to worry about that. It's true that the rations and food have been low like you said. However, what you didn't take into consideration was the fact that at this moment as we speak, a huge amount of supplies is on their way to Eisenheim. More than enough to supply our country's citizens and the new refugees."

"A huge amount of supplies? From where?" Luvik uttered.

"Take a guess, commander!" dictated the boy.

"Hum....I don't really....!!!"

"Caelum! Is that the source you are referring to?" Cynthia joined the conversation.

"Excellent, milady! Indeed, the supplies come from Caelum. After the fall of the Church, Caelum has been integrated into Zagon as a separate province. As according to the laws of our country, each major municipality has to contribute a minimum amount of supplies to the capital whenever the Empress demands. One of those times is now. Those clergies might seem humble at first but I can assure you that those big clothes they were wearing only serve to hide their big fat bellies." Explained Alastor.

"I see. But won't Caelum protest against that? I mean we take over their country and now we demand them to provide us supplies? I would be surprised if the people of Caelum didn't revolt." Analysed Luvik.

"What you said is true. But Caelum is a special case. First of all, they don't really have a choice. Their city is now left undefended after most of their army was destroyed by the undeads. That means they need us to protect them. On top of that, there has been discontentment toward the Church over the past few years and what my mother did was seen as a liberation, at least from the view of the common folk. In addition, she did not impose any strict law and instead let Caelum's people govern themselves, allowing her to be seen in a higher light than simply a barbaric conqueror people might thought she would be. If they want to start a new Church, let them. Hopefully, the new one will be better than the last or history might just repeat itself. Still, that doesn't mean there wasn't any opposition to our occupation but that was kept to a minimum.

Also we only take half the amount we need in term of supplies and rations. Compared to what is actually in the stocks of Caelum, it's nothing too unreasonable."

"But then where does the other half come from? Surely not Ceadric. They have been at odds with us for centuries. The dragons? Impossible. And I am pretty sure their rations are very different from us. So where?" Luvik wondered.

"Commander, let me ask you a question: what is the one particularity of Zagon that no other country has?" Alastor asked.

"Black steel?" the commander replied in doubt as he realized this didn't have anything to do with the current problem.

"Something more. You can find it right inside your army right here. I would say a third...Does that ring a bell?" Alastor queried, looking at the commander who immediately jumped up, looking stunned upon realizing what Alastor was talking about.

"How do you know ???" uttered Luvik in disbelief. "Only the very top officials know about these."

"I am the prince of Zagon, commander! You would think that my mother, the Empress herself, would have told me this kind of thing. My guess is that she already trusted you enough to send you to assist me in this mission."

"May I ask what are you two talking about?" Cynthia asked curiously.

"....." the commander looked to the boy in despair. The secret he was holding could not be allowed to be known outside those who were officially informed. Just what was the boy thinking when he talked about this in front of the leader of another country?

"It's alright, Luvik! Cynthia is a trustworthy person" Alastor then turned to the woman with an intense look, implying her to follow. "In fact, she also shares my...or rather our opinion about this matter."

"Lady Cynthia? But..." Luvik muttered in surprise.

"Is there something wrong with me, commander Luvik?" the priestess spoke in a soft tone.