The wind and soft raindrops softened the stinging in the twins' legs once they hit the end of the stairs. The twins plopped on the reddish soil, eagerly gulping down water from their bottles. They felt their heads pulsing, not used to the thinner air yet. Their stomachs groaned. Didn't they have dinner just a few minutes ago? Their climb felt like it zipped by as fast as the lightning around them.

Tomas looked down at his watch, its time blurred by the water covering the glass. He ran his finger across, wiping off some of the drops. "What?" he gasped. "This isn't right."

But the watch didn't lie. Its arms pointed to just past 8 pm.

Eila gazed up. The clouds above made it nearly impossible to tell whether the sun or the moon hid behind them. The wind did feel colder than before, so much that Eila saw her breath come out as little clouds.

After a snack break, the group approached two small clay towers joined by a red wooden arch. Both towers had torn, faded flags atop them, and the structure itself looked pale and worn by the weather. The group cautiously passed under the arch and into what was once the housing area for the monks. It had a central plaza much like Mount Reilu's temple, though instead of walls the mountain peak itself served as its protective barrier. Rocky peaks with dark green bushes, trees, and grass patches surrounded the plaza in a sort of circle, with the humble, purple-roofed houses all facing the plaza's center.

The group walked toward the center, casting gazes at the battered homes around them. Occasionally Ari jerked her head toward any creaking tree or door, her pupils as small as needles.

At the center, they spotted a large statue of a jade dragon, no doubt supposed to be Xybelios. On top of the statue base was half of the dragon's serpentine body, while the other half lay motionless on the ground. One of its golden horns had broken off, while the other horn looked brittle, as if it'd shatter completely with a little touch. And yet, its yellow eyes still shone fiercely as the twins passed by.

The group approached a stone bridge just past a large house that once belonged to the oracle. The man in green briefly glanced at the house and bowed his head. His lips quivered at the sight of tattered monk robes hanging off a window, his stoic expression faltering just a little. A reminder of his failure as a guardian, and even more heart-wrenching, to his trusted friend.

As they crossed the bridge, sheltered from the rain with its stony roof, the man observed the twins and the little dragon that had accompanied him for so long. They all seemed so little in his eyes, yet they continued onward with heads held high. A stark difference to the frail and scared children he'd found on Mount Reilu.

A year ago, he swore to atone for his mistake alone, for it was his overconfidence that allowed the Netherworld Oracle to cause so much harm. Yet here he was, surrounded by humans, dragons, and a cat.

A smile formed on his lips.

♦♦♦♦♦

Eila's jaw dropped as she looked up at the temple before her. Lightning struck all around it, causing the towering building to glow in beautiful colors, as if painted with an aurora. Clouds cloaked the temple, its top stretching infinitely into the sky. Eila snapped photos from all angles, her mouth still hanging open.

"Incredible," she whispered before shaking her head. "But I've got a shard to find!"

She followed Tomas and the man into the temple's entrance. Giant wooden doors painted in faded silver creaked open as the man in green pushed them. Stale wind poured out between the doors and hit the group with its smell. Eila could only describe the scent as "musty", a bit like the abandoned houses by the beach. The air felt warmer than outside, but it was far from welcoming.

The twins tiptoed into the temple, following the man in green and their parents in. The yellow dragons guarded them from behind and the sides, almost looking like a golden barrier around them. All three plus Ari jerked their heads from side to side, scanning the entire chamber.

Much like Mount Reilu's temple, stairs at the far back of the chamber led to the next floor. The space between them and the stairs, however, felt enormous. The twins could barely see much in the dark, with the only light coming from their little flashlights, the sparks coming from the yellow dragons' horns, and the occasional lightning bolt flashing outside the opened doors. Moving their lights around, they could see broken vases below faded paper scrolls hanging on the walls, along with another Xybelios statue resting in the middle of the chamber. Moldy books rested on shelves on the right wall, with striped floor mats in front of the shelves.

Rain pattered against the ground outside.

Seeing no signs of an orb shard, the group climbed the stairs at the end of the room to the second floor. Like the first floor, it had scrolls, vases, and bookshelves. However, it had many large desks with paper, paintbrushes, pencils, and what looked like dry paint scattered over them.

"The monks practiced their painting here," the man in green commented.

Once again, no shard to be found. Same result for the next three floors, all in a similar state of ruin.

The twins felt their hearts pounding louder the more stairs they climbed. Everything felt too quiet, too still. Despite the cold, Eila felt her hands sweating as she gripped her handbag's strap. Not even the soft rain and thunder sounded relaxing.

The sixth floor looked the same as the others at first. The twins and Ari searched the left side of the room, while their parents and the yellow dragons went to the right. The man in green went to the wall opposite the stairs, which had a small shrine and many prayer mats lined in front of it.

The twins' side had paintings along the wall, all showing various landscapes, animals, and Xybelios. Two of them showed dragons they had never seen before, however. One was black and purple with many eyes, the other had a body covered in light. It was hard to make out more details in the darkness, but the twins guessed they were guardians too. They peeked behind each painting just in case, with Eila sighing when nothing interesting hid behind them.

"I think the shard's not here," she whispered to Tomas, putting her hands on her hips. "There's nothing here but dust, moldy books, and a bunch of things that aren't glowy orb shards."

"Well, we're getting close to the top of the temple, so there's not much else to search in. But we have to make sure we don't miss anything," Tomas emphasized.

"Fine," Eila groaned, "Let's just go a little quicker, ok? This place is giving me the creeps. I think I like being out in the rain than in here."

As she spoke, Eila tripped over something hard on the floor. She stumbled but caught herself in time to avoid a fall. "Ugh, another scroll on the floor," she thought.

She turned to face her brother behind her. However, his gaze was fixed on the floor where she tripped, his face growing pale.

Eila followed his eyes. She gasped, covering her mouth.

The object was round and white. It didn't look like a gem at all. Its shape made Eila feel a bubbling, overwhelming desire to scream rise from the depths of her lungs.

A human skull.

Tomas joined Eila's side, both pursing their lips tight. They carefully backed away from the skull, its jaw broken by Eila's stumble. They exchanged looks and slowly made their way to the stairs and sat down. Their parents and the man in green continued looking around the room, neither seeming to notice their scare.

Ari purred and nuzzled both the twins, keeping close to them as they relaxed.

"So... how close are we to the top?" Eila asked, her hands still shaking.

Tomas tilted his head, feeling a slight breeze coming from above along with clearer sounds of rain. "Very close."

Eila nodded. Booming thunder sounded atop the temple. "Wanna go ahead and look up there? Our side here didn't have anything... interesting, why not speed up our search here?"

Tomas raised an eyebrow. "Mom said we couldn't leave her line of sight."

"Then you can tell her we're going up one floor while me and Ari start looking, that won't take even a minute!" Eila stood up with her shoulders perked up.

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Tomas mused, "Ok, I'll go now. You guys go on ahead, but don't go too far."

Ari and Eila quickly climbed to the top of the staircase and looked back at Tomas. "Not like we can go anywhere else up here. Besides, there's not much here except a big seat and another staircase." She squinted to the side. "I think that one leads to the top outside!"

Tomas nodded and ran over to his parents. He still felt a knot in his throat that wouldn't go away after seeing the skull. Leaving Eila and Ari only made the knot tighter.

His parents and the dragons noticed Tomas approaching them. He explained his and Eila's quick plan, but their mother's eyes only got sharper as he talked.

"And you let your sister go up there without telling me first?" she hissed. "I swear, that girl doesn't know fear. Let's join her then, and quick."

"Let us," the man added, "For this room holds no more use for us."

Tomas and the man stepped first into the room leading to the temple's top spire. Rain poured louder here, and the thunder sounded fiercer. A large mahogany seat sat at the back with gold painted on its armrests. A faded red cushion sat on the throne-like chair. Beside it was the final staircase, made of jade rather than wood and marble like the others. Rainwater coated its steps since the latch that covered it lied opened.

Tomas followed the man toward the staircase, his heartbeat racing again.

Suddenly, he bumped into something soft, yet tough as a wall.

"Um, Mister Green?" Tomas asked, noticing the man frozen in place.

Growls and crackles rose behind Tomas. The yellow dragons' horns glowed; their eyes fixed on the staircase.

Tomas slowly stepped beside the man in green. His hands curled into tight fists, so much Tomas heard his leather gloves creaking. His eyes glowed wildly in the dark, and his lips tore back to reveal four gnashing fangs.

A terrifying growl made the room vibrate. "He has arrived," the man uttered in a low, inhuman voice.

"No." Tomas's heart sank. The smell of vile, sweet incense reached his nose.