As Esther helped Cloudy Eye take his mask off, Ash couldn’t see his face, as her friend stood in front of him unlatching small clasps on his shoulder armor. She let the metal fall to the ground with a loud thud, and chucked his mask aside.

Ash was barely processing anything. Her mind was spinning from seeing Myles again. Myles was close by. Myles was hurt. The Colony had her, and if they didn’t stop her, they were going to-

She had to cut herself off. No. We’ll rescue her. We’re just regrouping is all.

But even with her mind racing, she wasn’t remotely prepared to see what was under Cloudy Eye’s mask.

“Wait…but that’s…” Ash asked. “Auren…? As in the Auren Corde? But…how?” 

“How hurt are you, really?” Esther asked. “Don’t lie, I can tell when you do.”

His eye still looked clouded under the mask. A dark scar ran down it.

“I’ll live, but that crash did a number on me.” Auren said.

“So who is this now and why is Ash freaking out about it?” Charmaine asked.

“Some guy…” Sai said, shrugging. “Shouldn’t we get back to running?”

“If they haven’t caught us yet, we still have a bit of time, I think…” Esther said.

Ash almost wanted to scold them for talking so casually. This was Auren Corde! The greatest pilot in the world, and the one Endora loved the most. One of her heroes was across from her. And her new friend knew her hero, knew him well enough to talk to him so casually.

Auren gripped his ribs and tried to take a deep breath. He yelled in pain.

“I think they’re broken.” Auren said.

“We need to find a way out of here and regroup,” Esther said. 

“No!” Auren said.

“We really don’t have much of a choice, bud,” Esther said.

“It’s by the will of the ancients that we reached this point,” Auren said. “All of you are here for a reason. We need to stay and fight.” Auren said.

“I’m not leaving without my sister.” Ash said. “I can fight.”

She wasn’t sure if she could, she hadn’t been much use in a fight so far. But to save Myles and stop this Captain Wren, she could summon the courage.

Charmaine nodded in support. Sai had shown they were capable in a fight, but their attention would likely be on the still-frozen dragon in their arms.

“Then what can we do?” Esther asked.

“I’m not doing much fighting in my current state.” Auren said.

Ash looked at Ihli’s sword. Esther held it close to Auren’s torso, and the sword glowed.

“It’s a temporary fix,” Auren said. “But much better.”

Esther looked as though she knew she couldn’t exactly send Auren away.

“I won’t let you put yourself in any more danger,” Esther said. “The first sign it’s getting bad and you get out of here.

Auren nodded, and looked out at the first ahead. The whispering wind passed by.

“Wren approaches,” Auren said. “I can sense the beasts she’s conjured, monsters held together by her dark magic. They’re restless, and eager to fight. They’ll be here with us soon.”

“Sai, you and Auren can be the backup,” Esther said. “Focus on keeping Serril safe.”

Sai nodded.

“Then me, Ash, and Charmaine will be the front line,” Esther said. "And maybe if we stop her..." Esther looked around at the landscape, a safe haven so quickly turned to decay by Wren's powers.

"You can fix this," Auren said. “This place cries out in great pain, and it’s incredible we can even stand in it. I have no doubt you can face whatever beasts Wren is preparing for us."

"And Myles," Ash said. "Can she stand in this?" She blurted the words out, thinking about how wounded her sister looked. If this place was being attacked with Captain Wren's dark powers, what effect did that have on Myles?

“Like you, she can fight.” Auren said. “She’s been fighting for a long time.”  

“When exactly…how did she….?” Ash had so many questions about her sister and her work with Auren.

"Do we have time for more questions?" Charmaine asked.

"Enough to say this," Auren said. "I met Myles through our mutual work against the Verdant Colony. She's brash, and charges into danger seemingly without a thought. But she's clever beyond her years, and her heart is kind. She's been so valuable to our work, and we'll make sure that continues."

Rumbles in the forest grew closer. The battle was about to begin. Another question entered Ash's mind, and it's one she had to ask. It may have been the last chance she had to ask it.

"If you're here, then..." Ash said. "Do you know where Ihli went? Is Endora...?"

Auren smiled, a weak smile, and Ash could see the expression she had imagined reading about as a child, one that cared so deeply about Endora.

“Endora is somewhere safe, and remains there until we can figure out how to awaken her.” Auren said.

"Awaken...?" Ash asked.

A low moaning sound cried out, surely one of Wren's conjured beasts nearby.

“We’re almost out of time.” Auren said. “The battle will begin soon. Just hear me a moment longer.”

Auren took a moment to stand before Ash, Esther, Charmaine, Sai, and the frozen Serril.

“The Verdant Colony is so far gone in their twisted morals that they see a place like this, one of complete servitude and misery of those beneath its leader, as a positive society," Auren said. "Through our travels to the long controlled Verdant Colony lands, it looked much like this. Those with power convinced everyone below them that they were doing what’s best for them, and that if they work hard enough, one day they could attain a higher level. But it’s a lie. Like this place. Wren wants to conquer rule with misery, but one cannot kill hope. A monster like Wren can’t understand the power of hope here. Or the power of joy, or even love.”

Auren strained as he created five spheres of light. They floated to each of the ones with him.

“In the coming battle, keep what you love close to you. It will shield you from the darkest attacks from Wren. Things that bring you joy can pull you through this nightmare. Even if it seems insignificant, still dwell on anything that’s brought a smile to your heart.”

The spheres each floated into the group's palms. The veins in Ash's hand lit up for a second, and she instantly felt rejuvenated.

“What is this?” Charmaine asked.

“A small gift,” Auren said. "You can beat her.”

Auren also shared some more conventional weapons, giving Ash a short blade and Charmaine a spare pistol. Ash and the others shared determined looks. The group turned, hearing the noises of the approaching enemy. Ash knew her mission. For a moment at least, the quest to find Ihli was paused. Right now, it was about saving Myles.

After the rescue by a luckily timed plane (Myles assumed it was Auren but supposed it could have been anyone), Wren went into a frenzy, using her powers to summon more and more creatures that she assembled before them. The Obsidian Hunters formed a perimeter around the conjuring, seemingly unsure of what to do next. Which left Myles with Raytris, watching this all unfold.

“This is madness,” Raytris said under her breath.

Myles was hurt, bad enough that she wasn't sure if she could run away. She maybe had the strength for one last dash, but she had to time that perfectly. Raytris being angry seemed like a good opening.

“And yet you stand here watching,” Myles said.

"She is my captain," Raytris said. "I follow orders."

"I miss the Raytris that first captured me," Myles said. “You lost your fangs the second she showed up."

“You’re trying to irritate me,” Raytris said, sneering.

“You went from the big lady in charge of this whole operation to a lackey,” Myles said. “Hell, I’ve accomplished more than you the last couple of days, and all I’ve done is get dragged around and beat up. But at least I’m going down swinging.”

Raytris rocked a bit. Myles was ready for another hit, but Raytris didn't.

"I know better than to try and get in the way of great and terrifying power," Raytris said.

“Great and terrifying power, sure, but she’s just a conjurer,” Myles said. "I'm still not afraid of her like you promised I would be."

“Didn’t you see her turn this place to chaos? Doesn’t that terrify you?”

“A bit, I guess,"

“You guess?”

“But not really overall," Myles said. "I've seen scarier."

"Then I suppose I can't kill you yet," Raytris said. She was still Colony scum, so Myles was braced for her to go back on her word at any moment. Still, she was onto something. Raytris was angry and clearly upset at her control being taken away.

"Hey," Myles said. "You still have my vials?"

Raytris paused for a moment, then pulled the bandolier with Myles' medication out of her side bag.

"I could really use it right now," Myles said.

Raytris considered whether or not to answer her captive's request. She glared ahead at Wren conjuring another beast, then handed Myles a single vial of the teal liquid.

"Thanks," Myles said, downing the bottle and feeling slightly better.

"It's nothing, shapeshifter," Raytris said. "Just upholding our agreement."

Raytris wasn't an ally by any stretch. This was a small act of mercy, but it didn't make up for anything she had done or the crimes she continued to commit. But still, Myles was grateful for it. And that small act of mercy did put Raytris a hair better than Captain Wren, which Myles could use to her advantage in the imminent conflict.

"I believe that should be adequate," Wren said, looking at her legion of shadowy creatures. "Come along then, we have some pests to exterminate."

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