In the end, they all fell in, screaming their throats out as they rushed down the infinite darkness below.

"On the other hand," she paused as the wind billowed at her face, her hair whipping at her face. "I'm gonna kill you all!" Valeriana yelled furiously, her stomach clenching uncomfortably as they continued to fall.

Omar was screaming his throats out along with everybody else, but his voice was louder than the rest. Their surroundings got darker as they got deeper and, in no time at all, they could not see a thing.

"Gavin! Fire! Light some fire!"

"I—" The lord stuttered. "The wind is too strong and I—"

And then it clicked.

"Do you guys know rocket ships?!" She screamed.

"What?"

"Of course you don't! Why did I ask?" She grumbled. "Saeed! Omar! You two are fire-wielders right?"

"Yes!" Omar replied.

"Sorry! But my element is wind!" Saeed yelled back.

"Can you two somehow work against this thing?"

"You mean—"

"Yes! And do it now! We'll probably fall to our—"

Gavin was first, he prepared himself. "Hold onto me!" He yelled to the person next to him. When he felt that the grip was more secure, he held out both his hands to the direction of the ground and released a wild bout of flames.

The force of his element roaring at the ground's direction moved them at a better and slower speed. Omar immediately came after him and did the same.

"Saeed!"

"What?"

"Do something, fool!" Omar screamed.

"What—fine!" Saeed commanded the currents to circle beneath them.

Valeriana felt a stir beneath her feet, and with everyone working together, they felt their fall further slowing down into a safer pace. She could finally give a sigh of relief, however, it did not last long. Having to keep up everything was not that easy.

"This is—this is hard!" Gavin said. "I cannot . . ."

When Gavin gave in, Omar followed, and Saeed as well.

The darkness surrounded them once again, their screams resuming. The echo bounced right back at them and, suddenly, they came in contact with the ground.

Though it was a bit painful, considering the length felt like a two-story building after the rocket incident, they could've not asked for a better ending. Despite the aches on her lower back, Valeriana was thankful—it really did seriously feel like she was going to die. She looked up at the distant sky—a very distant sky. The opening of the abyss looked like a trek worth a month of walking and climbing.

A light burst to light up the surroundings. Omar, with a ball of fire in his hand, looked to be on the verge of crying.

"Great, you guys. You just managed to get us into an abyss. How in the name of Arland are we going to go back?!" He screamed at them.

Valeriana sat up with a frown and winced as she uncomfortably moved her bruising arm. She had a hard time moving, as though her entire body was made of lead. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't dance and stomp your feet like a stupid child!" She blamed him.

"I was only trying to help! If you hadn't started singing, that creature wouldn't have woken! If it didn't roar, we would still be up there!"

"So you're blaming me?!" Valeriana angrily huffed, lifting her head to glare at him.

"Hey, stop it." Saeed grunted. "Take that argument elsewhere. The creature from a while ago may still be around. We aren't sure what to make of it."

Omar's fire quickly died. "Why is this happening? Why is it so hard to conjure fire?"

"Wait. I cannot move." Gavin grunted to their right. "Is it only me or is it incredibly hard to . . ."

"Yes." Saeed agreed. "It feels as though I'm carrying a sack of sand on my shoulders. I don't think I'm injured that bad, though."

Valeriana moved to stand on her feet and fell flat on her rear end trying. "Is the gravity so strong down here our weight practically doubled?" She concluded.

"Which must be why it was so hard to sustain fire." Gavin followed.

"Right. I just remembered Indirect Power Control is directly tied to gravity." Valeriana recalled. "Can someone help me?"

Saeed made a sound of struggle as he stood. Later on, heavy footfalls echoed and they heard the guy saying, "Come on, light some fire." He said.

"Didn't you hear?" Omar growled. "It's hard to use our elements!"

"I'm not saying you light some fire. Just use a torch or something!"

"I may have a solution." Gavin's voice echoed.

Fire roared in his hands for the second time that hour. He then tightly enclosed his palms and released a ball. Valeriana's mind clicked back to Corvan's aureoles and remembered the moment he had conjured it specifically to keep themselves warm while they were in Preluresia. The ball floated to Gavin's side and illuminated their immediate surroundings.

I miss Corvan. She unconsciously thought. When she realized what she said inside her head, she blushed. "I hate that guy." She whispered.

Saeed appeared beside Valeriana and offered her a hand. She took it and pulled herself to her feet. It felt as though there were stones tied to her thighs while she did. She didn't like it one bit, it made her feel so tired easily.

But she had to endure. She would not allow herself to become a burden like she was always with the Twelve.

Now that she thought about it, she missed the Twelve dearly. It made her feel strange going with different people aside from them. It was a huge change—to not hear Charles's constant ruminations about what to do next, Tamara's jokes, Keelan's seeking for food, Aneeka's gunshots, Brindon's echoes, and everything else.

It was always so lively with those people.

As of the moment, she was in Arlandia, Corvan was not well, and they were seeking out the aid of a dragon for a ride to the Empyrean Volcano. Avaro's turned into a demon, and now, they were expecting an attack from his pack.

Goodness, what on Earth is going on?

"Come on, we have to move."

"Move? Move where?" She asked. "We don't know where to start." She told them, pushing her foot forward.

Working against gravity would give her muscles some tough exercise. If she stayed here more than an hour, she would probably become buff—which was an exaggeration. She would most probably tear her muscles trying to walk, though.

There was an animal-like rumble that echoed along with their voices that they halted. It sounded distant.

They all faced the direction of the sound. Valeriana felt herself tremble.

"Jesus Christ." She muttered. "I'm starting to regret this."

"Hey, coward." Omar glared at her. "Weren't you the one who said 'I wish he was big and red'?"

"I was caught in the moment!" She exclaimed. "But I do wish he was big and red—and kind!"

Omar scoffed.

"What's your problem?" Valeriana asked. "You're being really rude!"

"You two, stop it." Saeed stood between them. "This is not the time to be fighting like children."

"Dragons are honorable, I've heard." Gavin said. "They're one of the first creations of the gods when this world came into being. Let us go." He nodded towards the direction of the sound. "It's best if we follow it."

"We aren't going the other way?" Omar interjected.

"We came for the dragon, we go to the dragon." Was the lord's firm response.

Valeriana sighed as they moved forward. She had trouble lifting her feet so she opted for sliding across the ground. Unfortunately, because it was not so smooth, she ended up stumbling once or twice before she decided to fight against gravity and walk like she used to. She looked up at Saeed, who seemed to be struggling himself.

"So . . . um, can I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"How come you wield wind instead of fire?"

"Well . . ." He scratched his head, as though trying to figure out how to explain it. "My father is Arlandian. My mother is from Preluresia."

"Why so far?"

"Trades. My father trades products from Arlandia and ships them to different parts of Valemnia. He was a merchant of some sort. He met my mother in Preluresia and out I came."

"Cool."

"What about you?"

"It's kinda complicated." She told him, unsure how she would explain her entire dilemma. "I don't even know where to start."

"I'm all ears." Saeed answered.

"Let's just say I don't even know who or what I am exactly. My parentage is a big issue right now. The reason why I came with Corvan is because he promised me he would help me with it. Not to mention Avaro. He's the only one who can give me the next blessing."

"What blessing?"

"The blessing of fire. Only the guardian beasts of each continent can grant me these blessings. They stabilize my aura. Right now, my abilities are awry and out of control."

"You are a Direct Controller right?"

"Yes."

"What happened that made you that way?"

"Like I said, it's a long story. And I don't even know, I'm still trying to find out."

"You have a lot of problems, I see. Don't worry, take one step at a time. If you're prioritizing the stabilization of your aura, then put it first. I'm sure the parentage issue will be solved after that. The answers will come naturally."

His last sentence struck a feeling of déjà vu in Valeriana. The answers will come naturally, huh?

Valeriana was in no rush, especially after so many encounters. Besides, it had only been around four to five months since she came to Valemnia. It only seemed so long since there were so many things going on.

"Thank you." She replied.

"Everything will be fine." Saeed further reassured her. "I'm sure we'll get the dragon to help us."

"Hopefully, yeah." She agreed.

Gavin stopped in his tracks and looked around him. "Where's Omar?"

Now that she realized it, the midget was missing. Valeriana stopped at the word she thought of; midget. It suddenly dawned on her that it was true since Omar was a head smaller than she was, although he was small but terrible. Having packed a punch, he didn't seem that small at all.

But now wasn't the time to think of that now.

"Omar!" Saeed called out. "Where's he gone to?"

"He's within the vicinity. I can feel presences within a twenty-five meters approximate. He's over there." She said to her right. "Come out, midget. You can't joke us like that."

Omar emerged from behind a rock with a frown. "This isn't fair!"

"What isn't?"

"I wanted you guys to think I was kidnapped by a dragon."

"What are you, a princess?" Saeed crossed his arm.

"Enough with this nonsense."

A shadow passed them overhead. Valeriana's head snapped to the direction of the sky, her senses following the presence that appeared within the vicinity. There were now a total of five presences; herself, Gavin, Saeed, Omar, and one other thing.

"There's something here." She said.

Gavin and the others became wary at her warning and threw their gazes to different directions.

"What do you mean?" Omar asked, spooked.

"Who's scared now?" Valeriana gave him a smug look.

"I'm not scared!"

"I didn't say it was you."

Omar's face contorted with anger. "You were looking at me!"

"Shh. Children." Saeed gave them both a look. "Stop it."

"Where is the creature now, Valeriana?" Gavin cut in.

"I lost it. It's not within my radius anymore." She answered.

"It got scared away by your arguing." Saeed added.

"We should stay wary." Gavin said. "Let us move on." He instructed and nodded for them to follow him.

"Don't you guys have a map or something?"

"Do you seriously think someone would map this place out?" Saeed asked.

"No. This is obviously not a well-traveled area." She answered. "It was a rhetorical question."

Valeriana felt something behind them approaching, entering her area of sensitivity. She pulled out her weapon from her side and looked behind her whilst simultaneously screaming out, "Gavin, wait! Something's behind us!"

The creature crept into the light slowly. She saw a small thing looking up at her with the largest eyes. It had pointed ears and a scaly, reptile-like face. Its body was round and it had stout legs. "What—how come I . . . aw, you're so cute. You look just like a baby drag—holy lords, it's a baby dragon!" She looked at it with the largest eyes.

It purred, and gave Valeriana an endearing gaze.

"Oh my gosh! Come here!"

It had glossy scales the gorgeous of sky blue with eyes the brightest shade of gold. Such regal creature were worthy of blessings from the five great gods!

"Wait, Valeriana." Gavin said. "What I want to know—where is the mother?"

"Where's your mommy?" Valeriana asked it.

The dragon looked at her quizzically.

"Poor one, are you lost?"

"This is the perfect opportunity!" Omar exclaimed. "Return that thing to his mother and we'll have no problem with a ride to the Empyrean Volcano!"

"You can't keep on calling him a thing!" Valeriana glared at Omar. "Now what should we call you? You wanna go with Mikey? Nah, shucks. That's so not cool. What about Heron?"

"Are you seriously naming a dragon?" The midget asked her.

"Like I said, you can't keep calling him a thing!" She frowned at him. "Heron." Valeriana addressed the dragon, crouching. He looked up at her and gave a grin. "YOU'RE SO CUTE!" She gushed.

He was no larger than Valeriana's torso and was fairly small so he didn't have any problems cuddling with her. She took out a small meat sandwich she remember packing in her pack and offered it to Heron. Smelling food, he took a bite out of it so eagerly. He then licked his lips clean with a long tongue and purred in satisfaction before eating the whole thing in one swipe.

"I have a question." Saeed said. "I'm so confused about this whole ordeal. I thought we were waking up a sleeping dragon, not hatching an egg."

Valeriana opened her mouth to speak when she felt another presence enter her area of sensitivity. She looked past Gavin's shoulder and called out, "Who's there?!"

"Hand that dragon over." Said a deep voice.

They all backed up in wariness.

"Who are you?"

"Don't! He's probably some sort of poacher or something!" Saeed accused. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh come on, you're making my job harder!" Cried the man. "I should be asking you that question, intruders!"

A person appeared within the light's reach and revealed himself, looking utterly devastated. To their surprise, he didn't look like the ordinary person. He had scales under his cheeks, narrowed eyes, and thick brows. In place of his ears were pointy ones and he also had on a thick cape.



"Whoa! It's a half-dragon dude!" Valeriana exclaimed. "What are you—"

"Haven't you heard of dragon keepers?" He asked, irritated. "Whatever, just hand over Femella! I don't need to explain myself!"

"Femella?" Valeriana looked down at the dragon in his arms. "His name is Heron!"

"His?" He seemed horrified. "You blind damsel, do you not see she's a girl?"

"Wha—oh . . . Heron is unisex anyway!"

"That's not the point!" He looked angered and approached Valeriana. "What are you doing in the Abyss? You people should just go back to your civilization. This place is not where you belong!"

He gathered 'Femella' in his arms and took her off Valeriana's hands. The dragon cried in distress and bit his arm, forcing her to drop her. She came crawling back to Valeriana, climbing her legs and sitting in her arms.

"Agh—great!" He yelled. "Now she's imprinted on you!"

"What?"

"She's imprinted! She thinks you're her mother!"

Valeriana's eyes widened in shock. "I didn't mean to—"

"What am I supposed to do now, huh? You just ruined a hundred years' worth of work! What a headache!"

Gavin approached the man quizzically. "I did not know dragon keepers were real."

"Of course you didn't." He replied, glaring at the baby dragon. "Now, you there, young dragon. You are coming with me! You aren't supposed to be with these people!"

Heron bit at him, growling.

"Arland!" He exclaimed. "See what you did?"

"Please, we are in need of your assistance." Gavin pleaded.

"I don't talk to people who scream off cliffs and sing like banshees to wake up my dragons!" He exclaimed. "And steal my babies!"

"Why do you have to include us too?!" Omar exclaimed. "It was only her!"

"You're all at fault! That horrible dancing and that horrible song!"

Omar blushed.

"You basically just woke up all the dragons I try to keep track off, and now all the babies are running rampant, hatching off their eggs! Just when I finally find one, I discover she's been stolen by a complete stranger!"

"How come you can see us all the way up there?" Saeed asked.

"See these eyes, smart boy?" He pointed to his face. His pupils were slits and narrowed dangerously the moment he made eye contact with him.

"So you saw us fall! How come you didn't help us?"

"You brought that to yourself due to your own stupidity." He replied. "I could care less whether you survived or not. Besides, I've waited a hundred years for those eggs to hatch! Do you seriously think I have the time to save you?"

"Look, we'll help!" She said. "I'm so sorry if we inconvenienced you a lot! We really just need some help that's why we came here."

"I'm busy with my job, so I don't have the time to lend you a hand." He said.

"Please! The guardian beasts turned into demons!"

He stopped. "What?"

"We need to lure them to the Empyrean Volcano to have them turn back to normal."

"Are you joking? The guardian beasts cannot be turned into demons! They're—"

"Infected." She finished. "Believe us. We have seen the Gilerads of Preluresia."

"Even if that is true, I cannot risk my dragons. They are necessary to keep the balance between all of the continents. They carry the weight of fire." He said.

"Sounds heavy." Saeed commented.

"Of course it is!" He replied.

"Aren't the twin-tailed lions beholder of the fire's essence?" Valeriana asked, hoping her reasoning would get him to help. "If they are to be completely lost, what do you think will happen to these dragons?"

"She's right. While you have the weight of fire, you cannot quite let it burn without the core." Gavin said. "The dragons may be essential in keeping the balance but without the guardian beasts, it will be all futile."

"How do I know you're speaking the truth?" The dragon keeper asked.

"We only bear our candor, unfortunately." Gavin sighed.

"I will agree to help you." He said. "Once we have the dragons under control."