Without a thought, the twins sprinted to Ari and kneeled before her. Tears mixed with raindrops on their faces as they looked at their dearest, most loyal companion. A dragon who was family to them, who shielded them from peril countless times.

Tomas grabbed Ari's head and gently placed her on his lap. To his relief, her chest rose and fell without struggle.

"I'm so sorry, Ari," Tomas whispered to her. "We should've been more careful. But... thanks. You deserve some good rest."

Eila pet Ari's neck, leaving dark red soot on her hands. She wiped her face with her sleeve, frowning at the sound of an annoying laugh.

"Dragons are such loyal creatures, aren't they?" the Nether Oracle said in a mocking tone, "and too stubborn to know when to give up." He prepared to cast another spell. "Unfortunately, your friend's foolish sacrifice will be in vain!"

Smoke and dark magic drained the remaining warmth in the air around the twins, drawing it into the gaping void contained in the staff's crystal. Zaps and crackles leaked out of the crystal as it filled with the Oracle's rage and darkest desires.

"You should've run when you had the chance."

The twins exchanged looks and faced their enemy with frowns on their faces. Tomas took a deep breath, sweat coating the gem shard clutched inside his fist.

With a quick wave, another blast flew their way, threatening to eliminate any who stood in its path. The Oracle threw his head back and cackled, already anticipating his victory.

Without hesitation, Tomas threw the shard at Eila. "Up to you, sis!" he shouted.

The sphere flew toward the two. As it neared, the two heard eerie wails coming from inside it.

Eila joined her hands, one with the orb and the other with the shard. A flash of yellow light emerged from inside the orb and consumed Eila. Suddenly the freezing cold that enveloped her since arriving at the temple vanished. A comforting warmth embraced her, growing until it too touched Ari and Tomas.

The dark blast hit the light covering the trio but did not explode. To the Oracle's confusion and distress, the dark spell mixed with the light and vanished.

"No," he groaned. Something in the deepest corner of his heart reached out and squeezed his chest. An emotion he first recognized when he fought Xybelios. A feeling he despised yet clung onto him like a tick: despair.

The Nether Oracle screamed and cast several spells. The despair only grew as the light absorbed them.

Another beam of light fell out of the orb into the ground under the twins, filling every carving and crevice with yellow. The light coursed into each of the Sky Pillars, flowing up them until beams shot out to them like beacons lighting the night.

The twins stared in wonder, mouths agape. The Sky Pillars suddenly looked full of hope, and it melted their fears away. Rainbow-colored lights flashed from the orb as it drifted out of Eila's grasp.

The twins contemplated the orb as it stayed still midair. Suddenly, the orb jetted into the clouds faster than the two could keep up with.

Boom!

A distant explosion echoed in the clouds, like thunder without lightning. The storm became quiet, the air stilled, and the rain went away in a snap. The Nether Oracle's eyes became blank, his expression listless as he dropped his staff. His hands quivered as little sparkles appeared in the air around the Ilenes. A voiceless "no" escaped from his rotten, gnashing teeth.

Sparks of light coated the temple on the other peak, causing it to glow with beautiful aurora-like colors. Clouds were painted in a golden light, making the sky look as if night turned into day. The twins covered their eyes as the light grew ever brighter.

A loud, surreal sound shook the Ilenes. To the twins, it sounded like a dragon's mighty roar mixed with an otherworldly and indescribable noise. A sound their minds struggled to interpret, coming off as a strange, echoing whoosh underlying an animalistic growl.

Eila half-opened her eyes, using her hands to shield them from the light above. Though the glare from the wet ground hurt her eyes, she could make out the Nether Oracle's dark silhouette amid the golden lights. Beside her, Ari groaned and winced at the sudden brightness. Eila observed Ari trying to move her burned wings, but winced when she stretched them too much. Eila pet Ari, relieved to see her awake, though seeing her in pain gave the girl a tinge of sadness.

Opposite Eila, Tomas gently petted Ari's frills and muttered, "It's ok now. We're gonna be ok."

The trio exchanged glances as another booming roar surged from above the clouds. The clouds parted, letting in a starry sky as the light slowly dimmed. The trio looked up awe, contemplating the skies and the land below the Ilenes. Yellow sparkles floated down and around them still, reflecting their joyous glow in the trio's eyes.

Beyond the twinkles, however, two blazing red eyes glared at them with wrathful, scalding hatred. The Nether Oracle hissed and screamed so loud it competed with the heavens' otherworldly sounds.

The twins jumped in front of Ari, spreading their arms out without hesitation. They scowled in response to the Oracle's unbridled shrieking, no longer fearing the demonic sorcerer's empty threat.

"You miserable, weak, insolent mortals!" the Oracle cried out, his voice breaking with unrestrained rage. He charged toward them with his staff poised for one last dark spell. "I will not be defeated by insects such as you. I defeated Xybelios once, and I'll do so again!"

He stopped midair, right in front of the twins' unwavering faces. A putrid smell invaded their noses, and their arms shuddered from the cold and the scornful stare piercing into them. However, they refused to budge, even as the Oracle showed a broken smile, raised his bony hand, and imbued it with a dark shroud of magic.

"Enjoy a slow, agonizing death as thorns wrap around your hearts," he growled, "starting with you!"

Ari whined, too weak from her injuries to move. The Oracle joined his fingers together and jerked his hand forward in a stabbing motion, right towards Tomas' chest. The boy took a fast breath in and shut his eyes.

A second passed. The trio only heard Tomas's rapid breathing.

Eila stared at the Nether Oracle, frozen in place with the tips of his fingers just touching her brother's chest. Tomas opened one eye and looked down, seeing no dark shroud on him.

Several lightning bolts struck the surrounding pillars, followed by thunderclaps. The clouds swirled into a vortex above the group, then sunk down, forming a giant column that seemed to contain a storm within. The column went behind the stone triangle and dissipated, blasting clouds out with a boom.

From below, a dark green body emerged. The trio's jaws dropped open, and their hearts felt as if about to burst with excitement and joy.

With the clouds gone, they beheld a gigantic, serpent-like dragon whose body wrapped around the mountain peak. Just as the man in green described, it had an aurora for a mane that billowed down the entire length of its body. Its jade scales reflected the mane's vibrant colors, and large gold horns crowned the dragon's head. Its whiskers shone like lightning bolts coming from powerful jaws.

The dragon's yellow eyes peered down at the group, who looked as small as ants in comparison. The twins looked up at the dragon, meeting its stare, and quickly huddled together. Though the dragon had a familiar stare, the sheer size and power difference struck fear in the tiny twins. The Nether Oracle remained paralyzed, with his whole body overtaken by pure dread.

They all stared at the embodiment of thunderstorms in all his unrestrained, almighty splendor—Xybelios's true form.

The Nether Oracle backed away from the twins with paused, shaky steps. Left alone against a revitalized Xybelios, the demon stammered, "Forgive me, Your Wickedness."

Xybelios's eyes narrowed, piercing the Oracle's soul with focused rage. His roar caused the Ilenes to rumble, calling forth more lightning bolts to strike his long-awaited justice onto the Oracle. The sorcerer lifted his staff as a bolt struck down, decimating its wooden frame and shattering its exhausted crystal.

Defenseless, the Oracle dashed toward the stairs. Several bolts crashed onto him, with more flashing toward the Lightning Temple's top floor. The cacophony of lights and sounds made the twins duck and cover their ears. Xybelios's eyes shone furiously as he exposed his sharp teeth with a grimace. He snapped his jaws open when a light rose from within his throat. In a snap, he shot a large lightning bolt from his mouth toward the cowering sorcerer.

It was over in a few moments. The twins and Ari gazed where the Oracle once stood, but saw no sign of the demon sorcerer aside from a burnt patch of cloth with Nocturna's sigil on the ground. Dark smoke rose around the cloth and disappeared as a gust of wind blew by, taking the last vestiges of evil with it.

"Is it over?" Tomas asked in a daze.

Eila clutched his hand and whispered, "I think it is."

The two sat in stunned silence, staring at the sigil that plagued their vacation since that night on Mount Reilu. Ari grunted beside them, contemplating the cloth in silent reflection.

A loud huff made the twins gasp and turn around. Xybelios loomed above the trio, his body blending in with the night sky save for his eyes, horns, and mane. The clouds dissipated as he growled, at last revealing the grinning moon. Xybelios's scales gleamed with a beautiful green sheen thanks to the moonlight. As the twins made eye contact, his eyes softened, and his lips stretched back into a gentle smile.

The twins sighed and relaxed their bodies. Though in a different form, their friend was the same.

Xybelios lowered his head until the twins could place their hands on his snout. Eila passed one hand under his eye and giggled while Tomas marveled at Xybelios's horns. Tomas hummed and stuttered, at last saying, "I—we're glad you're ok. I thought the monsters got you and we'd lost you and—"

A deep voice echoed in his and Eila's head. "It is alright, children. I am here, thanks to your courage and efforts."

The twins' eyes watered after hearing his voice again. Eila exclaimed, "We finally beat him! No more monsters hurting people and no more creepy sorcerers trying to take over Eosia. And, um, you're back to being a dragon!"

Xybelios chuckled. "It is satisfying to a degree, yes. We have put the Netherworld Oracle's reign of terror to an end. There is much I must do, however. My island needs to recover, and I must tell my fellow guardians what has transpired. But that is of no concern to you, my friends. You all deserve rest for all you have done. You have my eternal gratitude."

"That's for sure. I just wanna lay down and—" Eila stopped as a chilling thought crossed her mind. Seeing her expression, Tomas's chest tightened.

"Mom and dad. Nino. Are they ok?" Tomas asked with wide eyes.

Xybelios glanced at the temple, his expression unwavering. "Worry not, children. I assure you; they are safe and sound. I commend how well they worked with my dragons to fend off the horde. Without their master, they shall all fall in due time." He looked back at the twins. "If you desire, I can take you to them. It is the very least I can do for you."

The twins gazed at Ari when Tomas's face fell. "What about Ari? She's hurt... much more than we are."

Xybelios scanned Ari's burnt wings and tail, Eila's shoulder, and Tomas's swollen cheek. Their hands were red, still shaking from the cold.

Xybelios half-closed his eyes and said, "All of you are injured. You need not exert yourselves any longer." He stretched out one clawed limb and gently scooped all three up, using his other hand to cradle them safely. "You have all performed wonderfully on this journey. Please... rest while I take you to your parents."

Ari let out a soft, long roar, which Xybelios responded to with a low growl. Tomas wrapped his arms around Ari's neck and hugged her tight. "You rest too Ari. We couldn't have done this without you." Ari licked and nuzzled Tomas's hair. Eila crawled over and lied down on Ari's back, whispering, "Yeah. You're the best, girl."

Ari's frills quivered as she closed her eyes in content. The soft swaying as Xybelios flew over to the temple felt like the group was back in Cherub Town, resting on hammocks tied to trees in their backyard. Xybelios's breathing resembled the air passing under the leaves, and the stars were like the tinges of light showing through the canopy of Cherub Woods.

The twins glanced at the temple roof below, spotting yellow strings squirming around. In the distance, the lightning dragons bellowed for their master. Beside them, Hector and Olivia looked up with tired, smiling faces at the guardian. Their clothes had seen better days, now soaked and tattered in some places. Nino sat with them, licking his paws with a satisfied look.

The twins smiled and remembered all that had happened in the past couple of days. Emotions rushed by like a snowstorm, then like gentle waves in the sea. They wondered how Joanne, Suilah, Larya, and Narciso were doing. They thought of Flora, waiting to greet them in Cherub Town with a warm smile and flower crowns. They experienced so many new sights, smells, even tastes, and met so many unique people and creatures... it was exhausting to think of it all, but it left the two with a calm feeling. Like a soft blanket covering them after a long day of playing in the woods.

They gazed at the stars painting the sky, at the Isle of Trusa below covered in shadow, and the seas extending into the horizon beyond. They helped save Eosia, this vast land they watched now, alongside some of the mightiest creatures they knew. One who they now called Mister Green, their friend.

Next time cousin Ana visits, they'll have plenty of stories to tell for sure.

♦ THE END ♦