As Eila slowly lifted her head, Khiboreas stared at her with keen, curious eyes. She took a step back, mouth agape and leaning away from the wyvern.

"W-what the— is the fluffy wyvern talking to me? How did he get in my head?" thought Eila.

The pompous wyvern said in an echoed, insulted voice, "First, you dare address me as "fluffy"? Hmph, clearly someone did not teach you proper manners. Second, I am not "in your head", per se, for we guardians use telepathic communication to speak with our oracles."

"Telepathy? Oh yeah! That's what the naga in Tommy's favorite movie uses when he's talking to the travelers! Wow...My head feels tingly."

"Yes, yes, that may happen. Now, my patience wears thin, mortal. Especially when your companion uses me as a free ride. The nerve! My precious feathers...Now I have to rid them of human stench after that shameful ordeal."

The wyvern shook his head and preened his neck feathers as if to relieve frustration. Once he felt slightly cleaner, he continued, "No matter, I was to speak with Lady Larya today regarding the invaders and I have a feeling that your friend will attend our discussion as well. Before we part ways, I...apologize for my negligence the previous night."

Eila felt the tiniest, yet sincere regret from his delicate voice.

"Oh, I, uh, accept your apology! On behalf of, um, me and my brother. Or is it 'my brother and I'?"

The wyvern nodded in silence and took to the skies and towards the temple tower, leaving a trail of snow crystals and a pair of feathers below him as a parting gift.

His fading voice resonated in Eila's mind, "Ice is a fickle element. Its cooling allure is a relief against the chaos of fire, but can be a silent, cruel killer if you allow yourself to fall for its charms. The night has shown me I have much to learn if I am to fully embody such an element."

Eila raised an eyebrow, unsure if she understood the wyvern's words. She then called Tomas over, picking up the feathers from the ground.

"What took you so long, sis? Were you and Khiboreas having a staring contest?"

"Nah, he talked a bit in my head and said he was sorry for what happened to us last night. And he gave us these! Aren't they pretty?"

Eila handed one of the feathers to Tomas and placed the other in her hair, above her ear. The boy marveled the feather's soft, chilly touch as it emitted an icy vapor around itself.

"A feather with ice properties...So this is what visitors think is a 'token of protection', huh. Cool!"

The twins hurried over to where the man in green stood, ready to call the guards to open the doors. Eila lightly pushed Tomas to knock on the doors first, so he sighed and complied.

After knocking three times on the doors, they began opening ever so slowly. Instead of the lively temple grounds they had been in yesterday, they were met with a place full of melancholy. The two guards who greeted Joanne before were absent, and they were faced with an elderly man who kept his eyes on the ground, barely acknowledging them with a weak wave of his hand. As they watched the monk walk down the road with slow, somber steps, the trio noticed the streets where fellow monks and clerics would walk and sell their craft were barren, and the lanterns lining the houses and streets burned with dim flames, despite being daytime.

Khiboreas sat on top of the temple tower on the golden crescent, wings resting on his body as a bird would. The snow resting on the slanted roofs between each floor slid off whenever he shifted his body. He looked over the grounds, assessing the damage done the previous night alongside the amount of snow piled on the floors.

The twins recognized Joanne standing at end of the main road, in the center plaza, with her hands on her hips facing away from them. Their parents were beside her, with Mr. Diderot discussing something with her with arms crossed. As elated as they were to see their parents after the scary ordeal, watching them upset only brought concern. Though they could not discern it, something felt very off in the temple grounds.

Then, they saw the open doors behind them, full of large scratch marks and brown stains, though there were signs that an attempt to clean them off the wood was made. Now that Tomas recalled, there were no guards present to open the door.

The man in green merely glanced at the doors and closed his eyes, "As you said, they did arrive here last night...and they did not enter without a struggle, it seems."

The trio, with Ari following behind, walked down the road observing the empty houses. Everyone must be inside the temple with Larya, Tomas guessed. Eila maintained her gaze on her parents, resisting the urge to run up to them with arms wide open and jumping for a hug. They seemed so distant, even as they conversed with Joanne, overwhelmed with fear and doubt over their children's fates.

Upon hearing the noises of the man's short-heeled boots, Joanne quickly swiveled her body to face them, with the Diderot couple following her gaze. A mix of emotions filled the air between the groups, but the strongest of all was the sincere relief and joy the Diderot family felt at finally reuniting.

After a quick glance at the man in green, Eila ran toward her parents, Tomas following her with a large grin. The Diderot couple embraced their children tightly, both barely holding back the tears that streamed from their sunken eyes, down their pallid cheeks.

The man in green gave a small, warm smile to the family before approaching Joanne. She in turn, scanned her eyes up and down him, raising an eyebrow over his appearance.

"An' I'm guessin' you're the fine gentleman who brought these kids back safe n' sound?"

"Oh, yes. I cared for them as the blizzard subsided, with assistance on behalf of the blue one." Ari growled in agreement.

Mrs. Diderot, with arms wrapped around Eila, said with a trembling voice, "I can't tell you how grateful we are for bringing our babies back. I don't think we could give you anything as great as what you've done for us. And, well, thank you so much!"

"Mom, a little 'thanks' is enough!" Tomas complained as his father ruffled the boy's hair, shaking off small ice particles picked up during their flight.

After a few introductions and a million "thank yous" from the Diderot couple, Joanne chuckled, glad to see her guests were relatively unscathed. The new visitor was a nice surprise, though she found it difficult assessing his intentions. Figuring he was just a good Samaritan hiking by his lonesome, she invited everyone to join her inside for lunch.

The group all entered the temple, where the hiking group and the congregation conversed in the safety of the temple's walls. Oracle Larya placed a hand over her chest once she saw the twins, with a relieved smile and lowered eyes. Her face had gained a few wrinkles after the events of the previous night, having spent most of it in prayer and intense meditation. Zippy skittered toward Ari, exchanging playful screeches and circling around her like a little stray spark.

When the man in green walked toward her, drawing the attention of the people sitting on the floor, Larya steadied herself and said, "Oh, and who might you be? A little bird made it known you brought the children back safely. For that, I am grateful on behalf of the immaculate Khiboreas."

The two exchanged bows, when Larya took notice of the man's unusual features and expensive apparel, save for his cloak.

"Forgive me for gawking, but I cannot help but think you may be a nobleman. Where do you hail from, good sir?"

"From the Isle of Trusa, Lady Larya. I believe you were well acquainted with the sky temple and their congregation, yes? I was close to their oracle and inner affairs, for I visited them frequently."

She laughed softly and smiled as she reminisced the periodic visits from the sky monks, "Yes, they were a quiet bunch, but oh, so humble! My heart cried for them when I heard the news about the fate of their home...tell me, do you know what happened to the survivors, if any?"

A shadow cast over the man's shimmering eyes, thus Larya closed hers and placed her hands together.

"I...am so very sorry. I held hope for them, verily, but I assume you were the only one that survived that night then...May their souls find peace in the heavens above."

The man finally broke his mournful silence, saying, "I was barely associated to them, but their oracle was a wise, dutiful man and close friend. But reminiscing in tragic memories is not my intention here, for you know your congregation nearly suffered the same fate."

Larya was taken aback at his suggestion but remained eager to listen. "Er, for the sake of our guests, please, let us discuss this in private. Khiboreas awaits me as we speak, perhaps you can join and tell us everything that you know, noble one."

The man nodded, and the two quietly retreated to the upper chambers, leaving the twins to tell their harrowing tale with Ari and the creatures in the blizzard. Their parents eagerly checked both to make sure they had sustained no troubling injuries. Much to the twins' chagrin, Mrs. Diderot insisted on trying to patch up their scratched pajamas right then and there. Fortunately, Tomas convinced her to let them change into something warmer first and get a good shower above all else.

Larya, Khiboreas, and the man in green remained in the upper chambers for most of the day, leaving Joanne to look after her group while the congregation cautiously returned to their homes. She advised packing up to begin the trip back to the resort before nighttime falls, though she awaited Larya's word to be sure it would be safe to leave.

By the time Khiboreas took flight and left the temple, the sun was beginning its descent upon the horizon. Larya and the man in green met with Joanne, wishing to speak with the Diderot family.

Larya approached the parents, taking a deep breath, "The stranger who brought your children and dragon here has told me of your children's escapade the previous night. In fact, they may have prevented a worse tragedy. By deterring those creatures however..."

"Their actions have made you a target for the perpetrators."

The man's interruption caught Larya off-guard, which slightly annoyed her. She sighed, "It is as he says, in more brutal words. Do take the utmost precaution on the remainder of your vacation, dears."

With those warnings told, the hiking group began preparations to leave. Bathroom and snack breaks, the like. However, this time they brought an extra guest onboard, as the man in green insisted on accompanying them on their return trip.

The recently reunited family felt a weight on their back that put a damper on their happiness. Sure, they were together after a stressful night, but Larya's words and the man's presence among their group compelled Mrs. Diderot to be much more cautious, perhaps borderline paranoid, when it came to their surroundings.

"What if those things come back for my kids tonight? No way am I letting them out of my sight," she thought.

Mr. Diderot was not one to express displeasure but remained pensive as he watched their children take photographs and see the sights during the hike down the mountain, as cheerful as always.

Having their friend with them certainly brought a sense of security for the twins. Since they were on their merry way back to the warm, peaceful resort and away from the cold, ominous Mt. Reilu, the threat of the cloaked ones seemed to diminish as they descended.