Xeik was one of the first to arrive, and had it not been for his connection with Angela, he doubted that he would have been much use in an emergency situation like this. The world was in chaos, and it was up to those who lived in it to do their part and help correct the balance. Still, as a healer in training, the poor man had no idea how to readily assist. He had a few different tools that might help, but overall, he was winging it as he did with most things in his life.

The healer’s gate opened at the edge of the temple, depositing Xeik in front of where the great dragon Etanu had been kept for so long. The prison itself had lost most of its power, but there were still wisps of lightning that crackled around them, remnants of the powerful storm that had kept the primal dragon at bay for so long.

Xeik took a breath. The air crackled with energy still, plenty of mana that could be drawn. As he walked towards the center of the great temple, he scattered the Divine Sands about, creating runic like symbols with them. Magic was one of his worst aspects of body, and thus he learned to utilize runes and charms. By the time he reached the center of the Temple, the pouch was empty save for a few grains.

“Hope I don’t need them,” he muttered aloud as he closed his eyes. He clasped his hands together, and starting to focus on the sands. Divine Sands, guide me… He could feel the raw mana around him. Absorb. Channel. Release. He inhaled, and the sands reacted, drawing the mana from around it. He exhaled, and he felt the mana flow through the sands and into him. It was hard for him to, to force such raw mana into his system, but it had to be done. He wasn’t like his companions…he wasn’t a demon or phoenix, he was merely human, and one that barely held magical potential.

“Just keep it up,” he muttered to himself. “Can complain to Angela and Raine later. Fix things now…” He breathed in again, and started the process over. Around the third time, though, he felt a rumble. At first, he wasn’t sure if he had felt it at all. But the temperature around the temple suddenly started to rise.

Uh… He opened his eyes. Another rumble, this time much more present. The sands in the temple shifted, and he felt several runes scatter. A rush of hot air blew past him, scattering more of the sands. Lightning erupted above him in the open skies, and a mighty roar shook the temple. He hair’s on Xeik’s arm stood up with fear.

Etanu had returned home.

The storm had arrived. Like a flash flood, by the time Onnen realized what was going on it had been too late. When she went to help a village on the Sandawe that had been torched by natural disasters, the reports from the survivors were horrifying. It had been a calm, clear day without a cloud in the sky. Then–whistling filled the skies as lightning fell to the ground. Bolts of electricity blasted the earth, leaving behind blackened scars and charred craters of what had once been. And the other two continents were being hit by the chaos of other elemental storms as well. Sularia was being blanketed by sleet and ice, the seas surrounding Itjivut were too turbulent to navigate, and Parvpora now had an ash cloud blotting out the skies. While the other two elder dragons were asserting their dominance over their respective areas, Etanu's behavior was downright erratic. The feathered serpent was destroying anything and everything it could without a reason. Mountains, the open plains, and villages–you name it. One thing all reports of the dragon had in common was the screeching sound that came before the strikes.

It was too dangerous to fly over Onnen with the primordial dragon on a rampage, but thanks to the wind barrier being lifted it was easier to reach if you were lucky. The closer she got to the temple that had been Etanu's prison, the more she could feel static electricity build up on her skin. She found some rubble that had a strange energy radiating from them, something old. It was stronger than the ambient feeling she was sensing from the temple itself. Pocketing a sample, she planned to bring it back to show her mother and other mages in Arri. As she prepared to leave, she felt a breeze that began to grow steadily stronger. A sharp whistling sound was getting louder and louder followed by a loud screech. "Oh no..don't tell me it's-" Her grey-blue eyes went wide as she quickly crouched down, covering her ears with her hands. 

A massive rainbow-feathered serpent crashed landed in the open area of the temple where the roof had caved once the ancient primal magic had come undone. Its plumage and scales were iridescent, beautiful and striking. It would've been a wonderful sight to behold if it were a statue or a painting. Blowing steam from its nostrils, the lightning dragon raised its head to the sky and let out an ear-grating scream, breathing out torrents of electricity. The scream then died down into a maniacal cackle as it took a short break from its new reign of terror. Fortunately for Chrys and anybody else in the former elemental prison, this dragon didn't seem aware of their presence. Was it oblivious or did it just not care? She wasn't planning on staying to find out. Carefully she began to creep towards the way she had come in, laying low and avoiding making too much noise. Getting in a fight here would mean death, and it was a long way down.

As she walked, she noticed sand that had gotten into the nooks and crannies. That was strange; this place was too high up for the winds to carry this much from the coastline. She was sure the dragon didn't carry it on its way up either. Taking a small pinch, Chrys could feel a different kind of energy resonating from the grains. It was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why.

Revaliir was in a state of chaos. A cruel chaos that only focused on destruction, not the kind that Ciara usually enjoyed. She had arrived at the abandoned island and sought to do her part in harvesting the mana. General fighting was out of her realm of expertise but when it came to mana and the use of mana, she regarded herself a professional. She stepped further into the temple when she heard a massive roar that shook the entire structure, causing Ciara to fall to her knees. Her eyes widened as she realized the dragon had returned home. Ciara was one of the corners when she noticed another stranger. Two strangers in fact and both were human. 

She made her way towards one of them, a girl with blonde hair, and decided to follow her lead. As she walked, she focused half of her energy on picking up the mana remnants that still lingered in the walls of the prison. Ciara could feel the magic tingle through her spine as she began harvesting the mana. The dragon hadn't noticed any of them yet, either because they were too small to see or too insignificant to draw attention. The fae woman knew if the dragon chose to attack, they would be screwed. Especially her, who could withstand a hit as much as a rabbit could. 

Her main defense was dodging and evasion. But in a closed room such as the temple with a massive creature, that technique would only do her so much. The girl in front of her seemed to be following the quiet and avoid strategy and held weapons. Perfect. With a quiet spell, Ciara managed to summon an old tattered cloak with the ability to turn the wearer invisible. She stepped towards Chrys and held out the cloak towards the girl. There was a small note on the cloak that read -invisible- to indicate what it was. The gift was not from any kindness but a practically realization that if they needed to fight, having an invisible person with actual weapons seemed like the best idea.

With the magnificent dragon landing, Xeik was at a terrible disadvantage now. Not only were his sand runes knocked out of synch, but he had little hope of fighting the dragon head on. Given a quick thought, he wasn’t sure anyone could face the dragon head on in a fight, but that wasn’t something he could really focus the time or effort on figuring out. All he knew was that the dragon was either too preoccupied with something else, or didn’t seem to care that there were now three intruders in its domain. Regardless of the reasoning, Xeik had to move.

Normally, the healer would use Ixentus and the power of its wind magic to correct his runes, but the temple was not designed to let the winds flow easily through it, and the focus and power that it required would take far too much time to really be of any use. Besides that, the use of magic, even if in a relic, might set off the dragon. There was no way of knowing if Etanu was in tune with nature like that.

Still, he had to do something. He thought quickly, and determined that, at the worst he needed to use a little magic. Ixentus mixed with the Divine Sands. Just enough to reform some of the runes. Hopefully the primal dragon would not notice, or better yet, might get bored and leave. But what does one with all that power really want?

He started to walk back the path that he had made to the center of the temple, letting the bracelets around his wrists flow with half mana, whipping up small gusts to correct the sand runes he had made. It was here that he noticed to others who had come to aid in gathering mana to correct the world.

Damn it. Of all the times…if something happens, I doubt I can protect them. He frowned. The way that they were acting meant they knew well the danger they were in. That was when he noticed the sand in the blond one’s hands. He whipped up a small batch from the ground nearby, and it formed an aerial rune.

This is for runes. Leave it be, please… He settled the rune back to the ground, his eyes locked with hers to try and get her to understand. There was another crash in the sky as Etanu roared again, and Xei winced, his hands covering his ears. By the time I fix these runes, they’re just going to get messed up again. There’s got to be a better way to do this.

The dragon’s screech thundered throughout the empty temple as it landed and coiled its body. The sun shone through the darkened clouds and struck the dragon’s shining scales, the light bouncing off and filling the surroundings with a beautiful spectrum of colored light.

The scales themselves appeared sturdy and in the mesmerizing mess of colors, the already small gaps in the dragon’s impenetrable armor were well hidden. Hermennia stepped forth from the shadows into the colorful light, his footsteps loud and ominous. As he confidently approached the large dragon, he took a quick glance at the other adventurers that were with him.

“Three adventurers, lightly armed, little to no armor.” He thought to himself as he analyzed the impromptu adventuring group that were with him inside the temple.

He walked closer to the gigantic serpent as the clouds overhead darkened, blocking out the sunlight, and the radiant lights dimmed. The dragon reared its head. Their presence was known, and the dragon, furious. Etanu screeched, yet Hermennia stood his ground. Translucent blue arrows began to materialize around Etanu’s body, hovering. They pierced the dragon’s exposed flesh between the shining scales like needles. The more Etanu moved, the deeper the arrows would pierce. Electricity ran through the dragon as it uncoiled its body, dwarfing all four of the adventurers in size

Its scales began to fall from its body like rain, and even more spectral arrows appeared to accommodate for the newly exposed flesh. He held his hands out as he twisted the shadows to his will. Several humanoid figures arose from the darkness and began to move in a pattern around Etanu.

The dragon’s attempts to strike these figures would prove fruitless, burning balls of fire and freezing frost were hurled at the dragon from different positions to disorient it and positively charged lightning balls hovered to attract stray bursts of electricity away from Hermennia and his companions.

“I.. suggest that you… begin collecting.. I.. can’t keep this up… for much longer” Hermennia broke his silence, his voice strained, casting a multitude of small spells would normally be easy, but keeping them active is physically taxing, even for a master spellcaster.

None of the spells Hermennia are casting would harm the dragon in any meaningful way, but it proved effective as a distraction and to take the heat off his companions as they gathered mana. Etanu’s movements became less erratic and more rhythmic as if in a strange dance, Hermennia’s hands moved as if he was puppeteering the dragon itself, as it became more and more disoriented.

The sand she was looking at suddenly began to move, and created a shape in the air. The power she had felt from it was slightly different this time, and she noticed she wasn't alone. A dark-haired young man about her age was looking her way, and she figured he might have something to do with it. Gathering mana here would be easier said than done. Another lady was here too, with blue hair and exotic clothes. Approaching the cloak in her hand, she saw the note and gave the lady a nod of acknowledgment. Hopefully they wouldn't need to use it. Fighting in here was a bad idea. Even with her crossbow, a dragon of that size wouldn't go down easily. There was the problem of its aerial advantage too. Escaping would be difficult to say the least. Seeing the runes created by sand, Chrys had an idea. Manipulating the stone of the temple, she elevated a small portion of it around the shape formed from sand to create a raised edge. It wouldn't prevent a vortex from taking the sand away, but it could at least protect the rune from being blown away by the wind. Her satisfaction in doing her part to help others like her who had braved the temple's dangers immediately wilted when she heard Etanu scream again–this time with anger.

She turned to see a person she hadn't noticed before casting a spell in an attempt to attack the elder dragon. While she was no stranger to impending danger, Chrys screamed mentally as she saw what the person was doing. The dragon had just returned and probably would have left to go back to terrorizing the land below if they had waited. But now somebody was trying to fight the massive drake in the temple itself! Just one blast from Etanu alone could char a body beyond hope and it would take Lady Angela herself to resurrect someone from that. And what if the dragon damaged the temple even further in the battle? The ancient prison at least could provide cover and places to hide for those who had come to restore its power. Throwing a look of terror at the dark-haired man and the azure-haired lady, her face said it all. "We need to get out of here, now!" 

Etanu by all intents and purposes, was mad in more ways than one. While the spells damaging the radiant feathered serpent were inconsequential, it was overreacting to the slightest amount of pain. Whatever stupor it had fallen into was shattered when the dragon began to send blasts of wind throughout the temple by beating its wings and conjuring up a frightening maelstrom above the broken Prison of Howling Gales. Thunder boomed as the tell-tale whistle of the incoming lightning strikes warned everyone to evacuate out of harm's way. And last but not least, Etanu reared its head to the skies letting out a deafening, high-pitched shriek. 

Etanu would see them as nothing more than ants on a pavement, this Ciara knew. Dragons in general were prideful and wouldn't bother with those they saw as lesser beings, no matter how evil or mad they may be. To someone like him, they must all be inconsequential at best. As long as nobody attacked or messed with the dragon, he would most likely ignore them and fly off to fight his siblings again. Ciara raised up her hands and continued harvesting mana. There wasn't a lot of time and if they made any sudden moves or disturbances, it might catch the attention of Etanu. Luckily few people would be so stupid as to try to attack-

The sound of an ear-shattering scream pierced the air, proving to Ciara that there were such idiotic people in the world. The masked stranger had made the foolish decision to attack the dragon while it was in the temple. As the giant dragon prepared its first attack, the air was filled with electric magic, effectively blocking the ability to harvest mana without getting electrocuted. Ciara felt a zap and quickly drew back her hands, seeing them burnt and damaged. She looked to the blonde and dark haired-man and noticed both their looks of terror. At least some people were able to understand the danger. 

The fae woman bolted towards the entrance and didn't even wait to see what the others would do. The large doors to the temple were already opened. She dashed out them and into the courtyard that led a massive drop. Ciara had forgotten about one thing. They were on a floating island in the sky! Kneeling to the ground, Ciara quickly began trying to cast a portal spell that would be large enough for all three of them to fit into. That stranger that had caused this whole mess would have to find his own way off the island. A small magical circle began opening but she was unable to make it open further. Her hands were still damaged from the earlier electrocution. 

"You two!" She called out to Xeix and Chrys, "I need a bandage or something. NOW!"

If she could get a bandage or something to help with the injuries, she would be able to push through the spell easier. The portal began opening, revealing a spot on the ground where it would be safe. The portal became large enough for a person to squeeze through. Clouds gathered in the sky as the wind blew harshly. If she didn't hurry, they all would be blown off of the temple by the winds. At the other end of the portal was the ground, a distance away from the temple.

"One of you go through already!" She insisted. 

Meanwhile, back inside the temple with the dragon, a storm had grown around the dragon. Etanu sent a wave of electricity into the room, enough to electrocute anybody remaining and dealing massive amounts of damage. Even Ciara, who was outside in the courtyard, could feel its power. Even if she combined her powers with everybody else and multiplied it by a thousand, they still would barely make a scratch on the dragon. That was how powerful this creature truly was. If the gods themselves couldn't simply take down these monsters, then they stood no chance. 

As Xeik and the blonde interacted, it was apparent that they had an idea to help with the runes, something to keep them from being blown away. It was an obvious solution, and one that the healer should have been able to come up with, but given the scenario and what they were facing, he had to give himself a little room for mistakes. That being said, he felt something off, and before he could really understand what, and why he felt off, the result was made known.

Xeik knew of a few people who would face down a dragon single handedly. One of them was a dragon, so it made sense. The other was a nigh unbreakable idiot, but he wasn’t here. So whoever had decided that it was a good idea to try and fight Etanu head on was either incredibly powerful, or incredibly stupid. After living with Angela for so long, and having healed many a foolish warrior, he assumed the latter. While it seemed to be caught off guard from the initial assault, it retailated quickly, and what little Xeik had fixed of the sand runes were immediately blown away.

At this point, Xeik had given up on stealth, and used what little control over wind he was granted with Ixentus to recover the sands around him. It was barely enough to fill a fourth of the bag, but it was better than nothing. Angela might kill me for losing so much… He only hoped that he could find the rest of it if they survived.

“Any ideas on an escape plan!?” Xeik yelled over the now roaring winds. He was still trying to use the magical bands to lessen the impact, but as Etanu’s anger grew, so did its power. The fae woman seemed to ignore the question, and bolted off as if she had some idea of how to escape, leaving the others behind. “Oh just great….” Xeik was trying to think. A portal was no good, as it required the sands. He could possibly jump, but that didn’t account for the others, and what kind of Champion would he be if he just abandoned those in need? Besides, the Guardian Rings were strong, but he doubted they would guarantee survival from this height.

What was a surprise, though, was that the fae woman was trying to open a gate. Perhaps they had a change of heart? Xeik ran towards her, noting her wounds. The mana backlash from Etanu had wounded her earlier, and it was proving an obstacle in casting. Xeik knelt down next to her, raising his hands. “Stay still!” he called out over the blasts of wind. Even without the sands, he could manage this.

The mana veins are burnt out. Not much I can do to fix them, but… he closed his eyes, and saw the flow of magic through Ciara. It was in her hands and wrists that the flow of mana was restricted, and it was here that he worked his magic. A temporary fix, a magical bypass of sorts using mana resistant spells.

“It won’t last for long, maybe twenty minutes at best. You’ll have full access to magic, but it’ll hurt like hell. Not much I can do about the pain.” Still, even with the work he had done, she managed to have the portal open just wide enough for one. He looked to the other traveler, and nodded.

“You first!” Xeik yelled. He looked towards the one who had angered Etanu, and sighed. “Just keep the portal open!” With that, he ran headfirst into danger. After all, all life was precious…even if they did piss of a primal dragon.

Etanu snapped out of the trance, and it wasn’t long before it began to beat its wings, roaring winds filled the temple, as the serpent began to move more violently, electrifying the air, and it risked throwing all of them off the floating island with its beating wings. Hermennia reacted quickly, reinforcing his footing, while being slightly pushed back by the winds. He could hear the others calling for him to the portal, but he wouldn’t back out. With a snap of 2 fingers and a silent incantation, the serpent’s flapping wings abruptly stopped, the roaring winds calmed, and Etanu came crashing down onto the temple ceiling. Hermennia had cast a paralysis spell on Etanu’s wings.

As Etanu fell, the preserver inched forward, leading with his right foot, with another silent incantation. The overwhelming feeling of laziness struck Etanu as its serpentine body struck the marble and stone flooring. Hermennia moved forward, following with his left foot, performing strange hand gestures. The serpent’s body suddenly felt weaker, and it felt its essence being drained and the potent electric magic that filled the air dissipated slowly. Its mind dulled.

Giant plant-like tendrils rose from the ground and wrapped themselves around the serpent’s body, restrained its movement, and similar tendrils, ethereal in nature, materialized and coiled themselves around the dragon’s neck and tail. With every spell Hermennia cast, the dragon was nearly completely immobilized, albeit temporarily. And Hermennia faced the other adventurers, his voice heavily strained and exhausted. “It.. should be safe for now, and you can.. continue gathering the mana.” The cloaked figure knelt down and gathered a sample of the dragon’s scales and feathers. “The series of spells I cast.. should immobilize Etanu for 5 hours, maximum.. That should be… more than enough time… to do whatever it is you came here to do.” He excused himself and retreated to the shadows, to both rest and gather mana on his own.

Xeik could feel the powerful mana flowing from the brazen man who had faced down Etanu. The spells that he used to try and immobilize the dragon were impressive, but not enough, The healer could see it, even if the others could not. During his extensive training as a Champion of Life and Love, he had learned to read the mana of many creatures, and see the life force of the world. And what he was seeing from Etanu was terrifying. The adventurer had no idea what he was up against.

The mana flowing through Etanu focused at its center. At first, it seemed to compress itself, getting smaller, tighter. And from what Xeik could see, it started to glow bright.

“Not good,” Xeik yelled as he skid to a halt. “What the hell is it trying to do!?” The energy inside of Etanu exploded outward, and lightning followed. Streaks of it erupted from Etanu in all directions, shattering parts of the great temple that used to house it, leveling most of the entire temple itself. The stone structures collapsed all around, forcing Xeik to use the sands he had to protect himself, throwing off the larger chunks.

Etanu was furious now, and let out another sky shattering roar. There was nowhere else to hide. Its eyes trained on those who dared to enter its domain, and it opened its great maw, preparing another powerful blast of lightning. Xeik raised his hands. There was one benefit to having nowhere to hide: he could access most of the sands that he had scattered. He could only pray it was enough to block a hit from Etanu….

But the attack never came. Both Xeik and the dragon felt it first. Another presence coming in fast.

“No…no no no…” Xeik looked off in the distance, his eyes widening with fear. “You can’t be serious…” As lightning cascaded through the skies, a luminous blue beast could be seen sliding through the air. Despite the earlier heat from the lightning, Xeik could feel the temperature around them plummeting. His breath was visible as frost started to spread across the remains of the temple.

Etanu turned to see the next dragon, and without warning ford off a shot of lightning. The primal dragon in the distance weaved through the clouds, narrowly missing the blast, and sent a frigid response. Etanu took the hit dead on, unprepared. The icy magic shook the temple, and sent out a wave of ice around Etanu.

“We might be in luck,” Xeik said to himself. “If they focus on each other, we might be able to-: Etanu let out a roar, shattering the ice around him, sending chunks of it flying. A rather large one landed close to Xeik, and it was big enough to have flattened the poor healer. “Or they’ll just kill us in the crossfire…”

Things had definitely gone from bad to worse.