Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Deep in Elusia, there was a village full of Mage Dragons. In one Elyos, the Mage Dragons happily joined Sombron when given the opportunity and paid dearly once he was sealed away. In the other Elyos, the opposite occurred.

The Mage Dragons were peaceful but curious dragons that wanted to live alone, but venture out to help others if they were courageous enough. Mage Dragons lived in harmony and did not want to get involved in any sort of conflict. Despite the antagonism Elusia had toward them, they left them alone as long as they didn't step out of line. That didn't stop Mage Dragons from developing powerful magic. Most spells they made were used to defend themselves and help others.

Zelestia wished she was able to do something with magic. As the daughter of the village leader, she was nothing short of a disappointment. She was born with a lack of magical talent and had no future in any magic related career. Her little brother though was a prodigy with his magic and had a bright future awaiting him.

His name was Zabith. He was everything Zelestia wasn't. He had the magic. He had the patience. He had the approval of all the Mage Dragons. Everyone expected great things from him, but Zabith was a humble little boy. He paid close attention to his elder sister who still doted on him despite her inadequacies.

Her parents wanted Zabith to focus on himself, but he and his sister were similar in that regard. Zabith loved his older sister and wanted to help her with her magic. She might not have magic now, but that doesn't mean she will in the future. His way of helping her jumpstart her magic involved giving her an item that could awaken her dragonic urges and then turn that urge into what she needs. He intended to make her a present before her birthday. He would convince the Mage Dragons that there was always hope for those who were born without talent. He would make them see they were closeminded for labeling her as a failure early on.

However, the world was heading to a dark place. The Mage Dragons weren't safe. Sombron headed toward their village with a proposition. They would either join him or die. In Sombron's twisted mind, he was being benevolent to his dragon kin. He wouldn't give humans a chance even if they worshipped him.

The memories start becoming hazy. Zelestia was certain she didn't receive the present on the day her people were massacred. It had to be the day before everything went wrong. The present wasn't complete. The yellow ribbon on her horns were a memento to remember Zabith by. There were supposed to be four ribbons, but he never got to finish the last one. As long as she wore them, she would be able to channel magic and grow from there.

It's hard to remember how happy she was when it was followed by a burning village, red snow and the death of those she grew up with. The Mage Dragons rejected Sombron's offer without a second thought and paid dearly. Zabith knew resistance was futile and running away also seemed impossible. For his sister who had no magic presence, it was easy to convince her to hide in a place where Sombron wouldn't look…so long as she didn't make a sound.

"Wait, don't do this…" Zelestia heard herself crying. "We can hide in here together. You don't have to prove yourself."

Zabith smiled cutely. "It's okay Big Sis. I'm going to make sure you survive."

"But…"

"Live. That's my last request from me."

Zelestia wanted to scream but Zabith had closed the hidden door behind him. It was locked with his magic, so she had no way of escaping. She could only sit in the darkness and listen as her beloved little brother was slain by Sombron. She wanted to fight back so bad, but she had no magic. That was the only reason Sombron didn't sense her. Even when Zabith perished, his magic would die with it.

"What a waste…" Zelestia recalled Sombron saying to her little brother. It filled her heart with such grief. How could a monster like him do this to her brother?

The worst part was there was no corpse to find after she knew it was safe to leave. The Corrupted had taken potential corpses that they could use as food. Zabith was no exception. Zelestia glanced around her once lively village seeing nothing but a ghost town filled with miasma and the wailing souls of the deceased…

Zelestia opens her eyes after awakening from her not so peaceful slumber. She failed to take care of herself to avoid the dreams that plagued her. Events from her Elyos that she was too powerless to stop due to her own weakness.

That's right. Had I been a better sister, I could have saved my little brother. Zelestia thinks to herself.

Unlike her counterpart, Zelestia was born with no magic talent. No one in the village but her little brother expected anything from her. Zabith had tried to find a way to give her something that could jumpstart her magic genes that were in slumber. He was successful, but his project was incomplete due to his untimely death. Even now, Zelestia feels like the magic she is able to use now is not her own. Her brother gave her the ribbons as a parting gift and it's the only thing she has of him. She's scared what would happen if she were to ever take the ribbons off of her horns. Would she be unable to use magic? Would the magic completely disappear if she removed them once? There have been many close calls with the ribbons getting torn or burned in battle, but that hasn't stopped her magic flow.

She's not allowed to be lost in her own thoughts for long. Her stomach growls reminding her that she was famished. Once again, she had forgotten to eat dinner and went to bed without going to the dining room. She wouldn't be surprised if the Divine One or Nel saved her a meal. Sighing to herself, she forces herself out of bed. She tries to force a smile, but the dream she had would linger in her mind. If anyone saw her right now, they would know something was bugging her.

It's just her luck that the first person she sees this morning is none other than Veyle. Usually, Veyle didn't wake up early. Like Alear, she struggled to get out of bed. Today was different today and she was up before a lot of the other residents in the Somniel. Zelesita failed to cover her fatigue in time when the young dragon approached her.

"Good morning Zelestia! Did you sleep okay?"

"Ah, good morning to you too Lady Veyle. I am quite alright."

Her false smile didn't get past Veyle though. She weakly tried to walk away, but that simply wasn't happening.

"Zelestia, what's wrong? It's like the exact opposite of what you're saying."

"I'm fine Lady Veyle. Honest." Her words are less convincing than her smile. Zelestia sighs in defeat. She's a terrible liar. "Apologies. I dreamt about my little brother when he was still alive."

Veyle expected Zelestia to cave, but she's not expecting this revelation. "Little brother? You…used to have a younger sibling?"

Zelestia nods her head. "Zabith was a wonderful boy. He was a prodigy in my village. Unlike me, he was born with magical talent. Even when everyone looked to him as the future head, he always came back to me for advice." The Mage Dragon hums thinking about her adorable little brother. "He had so much going for him…but alas…he died while I survived…"

Veyle lets out a small gasp. "I'm so sorry…"

"Don't apologize, Lady Veyle. I knew it was impossible from the start. My brother's magic was too powerful for Sombron not to notice him."

That's a detail Zelestia tried to ignore for the longest time. Even if she wanted her brother to hide with her, Sombron would have sniffed him out and killed them both. It's why Zabith made sure to put up some sort of fight to lure Sombron away from her hiding place. He thought about his elder sister until the end…

"These ribbons were the last present I received from my brother before Sombron killed him."
Zelestia gestures to the three yellow ribbons tied to her horns. They made Zelestia stand out. Veyle recalled how Zephia had three red ribbons tied to her horns, but she never told Veyle (or anyone by that matter) who she got it from. If Veyle were to make an educated guess, Zephia probably got the ribbons from her little brother.

"Zephia too had similar ribbons…most likely from her little brother."

Zelestia perks up at the mention of him. "Really? Is he alive? What happened to him?"

"I don't know. The Mage Dragons sided with Sombron 1000 years ago, but I don't recall Zephia ever mentioning having a little brother much less one that sided with Papa…"

"...He wasn't by my other self's side?"

"No. It was always the Four Hounds. There was never anyone else…"

Veyle regrets saying that once she sees Zelestia deflate.

"Oh, but there were a few Mage Dragons that defected during the war!" Veyle quickly says. "Because there were so many things going on, they were able to disappear without anyone noticing. If your brother died fighting Sombron, then Zephia's brother might have done the opposite."

While Veyle doesn't believe that Zephia's brother suffered the same fate as Zelestia, it would be the only reasonable explanation. Zephia only vaguely mentioned her parents, but never about a sibling. From befriending the Four Winds and interacting with the other Diamant, Veyle understands that their lives are nearly identical to one another but fate took things in the opposite direction.

"Even if what you say is true Lady Veyle, but I have all but given up on the idea of meeting my family again…much less my little Zabith."

As much as she would wish for a miracle to see her brother again and apologize for failing him as a sister, meeting someone with the face of her brother wouldn't do her any good. Veyle knows this and everyone from the other Elyos knows this when they interact with those from their past.

"Oh Zelestia…"

"Besides…I don't think the Zabith of this world would want to meet someone with the face of his sister who has just recently passed. If he has magical talent like his sister, he'll notice immediately."

"But we won't know unless we try."

Zelestia smiles weakly as she approaches Veyle. Veyle almost flinches when the Mage Dragon pats her on the head.

"You're very sweet, Lady Veyle. Thank you for listening to me ramble."

Veyle doesn't want to end the conversation there. Zelestia says one thing, but her eyes tell another story. The young Fell Dragon feels her heart sink. Zelestia has been nothing but kind to her, but all she has done is make her feel inferior to Zephia. Veyle can never talk to her about the abuse she endured under the former leader of the Four Hounds, but Zelestia is smart enough to pick up the social cues. It's why when Zelestia dismisses herself that Veyle makes a vow to find a way to reunite Zelestia with Zephia's brother. Zabith is most likely all alone in this world now without his older sister. Surely, he'll accept the love of someone with her face…right?

Even though Zelestia told her that it would be impossible to find this world's little brother, Veyle believed it was still possible. She recalled meeting a mage dragon that occasionally stopped by to visit Zephia. When Sombron returned, that dragon disappeared and didn't appear before her again. One could easily think that he was killed, but Veyle didn't think that Zephia was that cruel to a blood relative.

Plus, Veyle wanted to make up for lost time with Zelestia. She felt horrible with how jumpy she was around her. Zelestia is a kind-hearted soul that wouldn't hurt a fly unlike the leader of the Four Hounds.

She doesn't know how she would be able to look for this mage dragon. If he was alive, there was a reason he didn't want to be found. He never participated in the atrocities his sister committed and stayed hidden. If Zephia was still alive, she could probably track her little brother's magic. Zelestia was too weak to do that in comparison, so she wasn't going to try.

However, there was someone who had proven himself with his extreme magic. Nel may not approve of him, but Veyle believes that he can help her if she asks nicely.

As Veyle is thinking about approaching the person, she almost crashes into said person.

"Woah!"

The person cries out in surprise as he falls over. He was carrying a stack of books that blocked his view. The moment he stopped himself from hitting Veyle, the entire stack tumbled down with him. Veyle was only hit with one of the books.

"Eeeek! I'm so sorry Lady Veyle! I didn't know you were there!"

It's so strange to hear Diamant's voice coming from the man before her. Dia was the other Brodia's prince. He may look like Diamant, but he was as skitty as Alcryst was, if not worse. Dia's self-esteem was non-existent. It was a shame, because what Diamant lacked, Dia excelled. The other prince's magic was insanely powerful. It made sense because he was the wielder of Emblem Veronica. While Diamant trained with the sword, Dia took his training in the other direction against his father's wishes. He was never able to experiment with his magic in the way he wanted. Now that he's on the Somniel, he was encouraged to explore the magic theories he could only read about.

Diamant and especially Nel were against him using magic. Because they were pure experiments, no one would know how much damage it would cause. So far, they have been rather harmless (if accidentally transporting Lapis' clothes in a random spot in Brodia is considered harmless) but his recent incident with being able to communicate with the dead (he needed Alcryst to agree to be used as a temporary vessel) made Veyle realize that Dia was capable of so much. Something like tracking someone with powerful magic should be a cinch.

"N-No! It's okay! I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Don't apologize! It's all my fault and oh! Gregory is going to be so mad! The books!"

It's nice to know that the Four Winds are making an attempt to befriend Dia. They've been enemies for so long that it was finally okay for them to become allies fighting under one banner. Gregory wasted no time finding ways to stash books and plushies in the room given to him, so it was difficult to navigate said room. Dia wouldn't have an issue with either of these things because he always found the book he needed. In this case, he seemed to have taken half of the books in Gregory's room.

"It's okay. Here, let me help…"

"N-No! I couldn't ask that of you, Lady Veyle!"

Dia pleads with her not to assist him, but she helps him anyway. It's faster putting the books back into the stack with a helping hand. The moment she's done helping him, the Fell Child immediately requests for his assistance.

"Dia, I was wondering if you could make a spell to find someone for me."

The moment she asked for his help, Dia immediately shook his head.

"N-No! I cannot! I will get yelled at again!"

"What? No you won't. I'm the one with the request."

"It doesn't matter. Lady Nel will find a way to use it against me again. And my other self too hates it when I experiment with my magic…"

Veyle doesn't have anything to say to that. Dia enjoys learning new spells and trying them out, but due to the mysterious nature of his revival, some people in the Divine Dragon's army remain wary of his motives. To Veyle, it's apparent now that Dia really loves learning. To Nel, he could still be returning to his old ways (whatever that means). Rafal didn't seem to have a problem in comparison, but perhaps Rafal was more lenient to Dia due to his own crimes.

"Dia, I don't think tracking someone down with magic is as bad as trying to revive someone from the dead."

It's true. Even with Alcryst's consent, it was still better not to have tried that spell in case something went wrong. The worst that could happen with a spell like this is not finding the person you are searching for.

Fortunately, it wasn't going to take much to convince Dia to cooperate with her. Dia's obsession with magic always meant he was willing to experiment on a new spell even if requested by someone else. She can see the fire lighting in his usually sullen eyes.

"If I make the spell, you won't tell Nel about this?" Dia asks quietly. He looks around to see if anyone is spying on them.

"Your secret is safe," Veyle reassures him. "If you get found out, just tell them I requested it."

Dia isn't so sure that will work, but Veyle's words carried more weight than Alcryst's. Alear definitely would understand.

"Okay. To be honest, I have used a spell like this in the past…" Dia confesses. "I just need to tweak the spell so it will find the person you are looking for."

"How long will that take?"

"I estimate it will take a day or two assuming that I'm not stopped by anyone," Dia mutters. "Please, let me be of use to you Lady Veyle."

His tone changed once he realized he can have fun with the spell…assuming he doesn't go overboard. Veyle is too excited to think anything could go wrong with the spell. If all goes well, they can track down Zabith and reunite him with Zelestia. Zelestia won't look so sad and the Divine Dragon Army will potentially have another ally joining them to fight Sombron.

It only took a day for Dia to come up with the spell Veyle wanted. This wasn't without any problems. It was starting to become a common occurrence of Diamant raising his voice at Dia when he believed that his counterpart was up to no good. Diamant's intuition was very good, but Dia started pushing back as of late. He enjoys his magic experiments and as long as he's not putting anyone in danger, he should be allowed to do it. It required Alear and Citrinne to play mediator and Veyle felt sorry for Dia who was doing this for her.

Dia had managed to pass a single note to Veyle before meeting up with her tomorrow about the spell. All he needed to complete the spell was for either a strand of Zelestia's hair or a drop of her blood. Zelestia's little brother shares the same blood regardless of the world Zelestia is from, so it should work. It wouldn't be difficult for Veyle to get a strand of hair. Zelestia enjoyed brushing Veyle's hair in her spare time, so Veyle decided to return the favor just for that single strand.

Later on in the evening, Veyle would venture into Dia's room. He was still upset about Diamant arguing with him, and it showed with how much he was scribbling notes on the paper with the magic theorem on it.

"Why does he have to be so mean?" Dia grumbles to himself. "I'm not doing this spell for myself this time…"

"Umm…Dia?"

Immediately, Dia forces himself out of his negative mind, "Ah! Lady Veyle. Thank you for coming. I have finished the spell."

Veyle can't help but contain her excitement. She can finally witness one of Dia's spells. Hopefully, his spell doesn't backfire like it did with Lapis.

"Great! Is there anything else I need to do?"

"No. I would appreciate it if you shut the door though. I need the utmost concentration."

Veyle does as she is told. She gently closes the door behind her. She didn't notice anyone following her, so no one would be able to see Dia perform another experiment. Dia urges her to sit on his bed while he lays out how the spell works. She is puzzled though about the strange doll that was placed in the center of the room with a map of Elyos.

"As I explained before, Zelestia and her counterpart Zephia have the same blood despite being from a different world. This applies to all of us. Because my brother has passed on, I could use Prince Alcryst to channel his soul into his body temporarily…with consent from Alcryst of course." He needed to add that last part because it didn't matter that the archer consented when his older brother was furious that it even happened in the first place. "This spell is under the assumption that Zephia's brother is alive. I used the hair strand to tie it to this doll. If her brother is still alive, the doll will point where he is. If the spell fails…it's back to the drawing board…"

Or Zephia's little brother is dead. Veyle finishes Dia's thought in her head. It makes sense that only one or the other could occur with this spell…unless he messes up and it pinpoints a completely different person. Precision hasn't been an issue with any of Dia's spells. "I believe in you."

"R-Really? T-That's a nice thing to say…for a simple spell that even I screw up on…" Dia catches himself from saying anything more degrading as he focuses on the spell. "Okay, here we go.

Atlus se micla naviga

Bite us þine eagan

Læd us to þære forloren saule"

A pregnant pause follows after Dia chants the spell. At first, the doll refuses to move. Slowly, but surely…the doll starts moving on its own. Neither Dia or Veyle are touching the doll, so they watch as the doll scooches over toward Firene and points its paw toward a village very far to the left of the nation. It then fell over as the spell had been completed.

"..." "..."

Both couldn't believe the spell worked on the first try. Dia thought he got lucky, but the doll did move to a specific position.

"The spell worked!" Veyle exclaimed. "It really worked!"

"I guess it did…" Dia mumbles in disbelief.

"Zephia's brother is in Firene? Why would he be there and not Elusia?"

"Probably because Elusia is a Corrupted nation now."

Veyle has nothing to say to that. The only way to truly know is to find and ask him. Dia's body starts to tremble suddenly.

"Uhh…why do I have a sense of deja vu?" the former king questions out loud.

Puzzled, Veyle slowly looks toward the door that had slowly creaked open. Someone was supposed to knock on the door first before opening the door. Dia pales by the second. He assumes it's Nel given his track record, but…

"It's outstanding how when your head isn't up your ass that you're able to achieve these sorts of spells."

It wasn't Nel that caught Dia working on a new spell. It just had to be Rafal. He told Veyle to close the door, but he didn't order her to lock it. It's only natural that a Fell Dragon would be drawn toward powerful magic.

"Leave me alone. I wasn't the one who put in the request…" Dia argues weakly. He can't help but get defensive at this point when everyone keeps questioning his motives.

"He's right, Rafal. I asked him to find Zephia's little brother," Veyle vouches.

"I'm not saying you didn't. You should be glad it was me and not my sister who found you messing with spells again."

For that, Dia is grateful, but he still frowns seeing the Fell Prince who turned him into a Corrupted to begin with. Rafal isn't interested too much in scaring the former Brodian King. Rather, his focus is on Veyle.

"I would advise against you following through with this idea of yours," Rafal tells her.

"What?"

"I shouldn't be the one to tell you that this family matter is none of your business. The dragon you are searching for is not the same person that was once Zelestia's younger brother."

"But-"

"If the Zelestia of this world wasn't a good person, the chances of this dragon being antagonistic is high. What are you going to do now that you found him?"

These are real questions Veyle should have thought of. The only thing on her mind was wanting to see Zelestia happy. Even if it's not her brother, getting the kid to see an older sister who would love to have him around didn't seem like a bad idea. But she wasn't aware of what their family dynamics were in this world. It could very well backfire, especially since she (or rather her other self) used to order Zephia around.

"If I talk to him, surely…"

"I honestly doubt he wants to be associated with anyone if he's hiding in the kingdom opposite of Elusia."

"We won't know unless we see him."

Rafal rolls his eyes. "It's your funeral. I'm not going to be responsible if something happens to you."

"Lord Rafal's right," Dia chimes in. "You can't expect to go alone. At least bring an emblem with you. Oh, and ask Mauvier to tag along."

Both Fell Dragons disapproved of that idea.

"I can't bring Mauvier with me. He'll tell everyone…" Veyle mutters.

"Exactly. He knows your plan is foolish and will tell Alear about it. Not to mention, if you ask anyone else, they won't agree with you."

"Then you can just come with me, Rafal."

"Pass."

"Why not?"

"You're wasting your time, and I am not going to let you waste mine."

"But…"

"I do not think it would be a waste of time," Dia says, "Zelestia's younger brother died in our world because he tried to fight Sombron. Her brother in this world is still alive after all the Mage Dragons have been wiped out. I think that stands for his tenacity and strength."

That piqued Rafal's interest. "Oh? Are you suggesting that there will be a fight?"

Dia shakes his head. "I'm not saying that. We don't know what his personality is. I'm making assumptions that he's going to be a powerful opponent. Say Lady Veyle manages to convince him to come along with us to the Somniel…assuming no underhanded tricks or assassination attempts. You will have someone to spar with."

"That's if he's the type…" Rafal grumbles. "If he's a magic user like his older sister, he'll end up studying magic with you or clinging to Zelestia. I don't know what's worse."

Still, Dia makes a good point. If everything managed to go the way Veyle wants (which it won't), he could go all out fighting another dragon. The more strong opponents, the better. But…that also meant he would have to play escort to Veyle. She can take care of herself, but he has this nagging feeling in the back of his mind that things aren't going to be so simple.

"Please Rafal? I can trust you not to tell anyone."

Rafal was more intrigued with Dia's comment about Zelestia's brother being stronger than the one that died in their world. As long as he's around to protect Veyle, Alear wouldn't be too upset with him when they returned. He's also not good at dealing with those big, puppy-dog eyes. When he used them as Nil, it was very effective. Now, he's seeing the psychological damage it has on someone who is actually cute.

"I'll go…but only if he decides to go with us."

Dia's eyes widened in horror at the implication. He wasn't going to be able to get away with this. Even though he's innocent this time around, he has to be with the three dragons in case anything were to go wrong…then they would find a way to blame him…or at least Nel will if she finds out what they were doing.

"Oh…okay…"

Veyle sighs in relief. At least she's able to do this much for Zelestia. Heck, it's going to be easy convincing her to come along without telling Nel. Rafal can order it. Dia slowly drags himself to the wall where his staff is and grabs it along with his spell book. He laughs nervously the entire time.

"Ha ha ha…I'm in danger…"

Sombron opening Elyos to outsiders served as a double-edged sword. On one hand, it allowed for beings like Arval to come in with a single goal that could not be achieved in Fodlan. On the other hand, it allowed for chaotic messengers to show up uninvited.

Arval noticed that a third party had snuck its way into Elyos from the left side of Firene. At first, they didn't intend to do anything about it, but the evil presence did not go unnoticed by one of their comrades. Mirror had been aloof as a snow queen ever since she followed them to this world. Her facade had all but cracked. She paced around the room and swirled her smooth white hair until it caused the end to knot.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Arval, you need to get rid of those trespassers," Mirror answers harshly. "We are not letting this scumbag into this world to ruin any of our plans."

Mirror was the type of person to keep her thoughts to herself unless it benefitted her otherwise. Arval hadn't seen her this distress in a while. When they don't respond immediately, Mirror pulls out her magic mirror to reveal the intruders that did not belong. Arval expected one person that Mirror had a bad past with. Instead, they see an entire cave like a galaxy making a crash course.

"...What is it I'm looking at?" Arval asks. They aren't experts of the large universe as a whole, so something like this could be dangerous for their mission long term.

"Goblin Galaxy," Mirror responds. She says these words like they were made of poison. "A galaxy where goblins reside. They found a way to uproot their home in some Netherworld and travel the universe, kidnapping women young and old alike. Men are not exempt from their kidnappings either…especially children and werewolves."

There were a lot of questions Arval had. Werewolves being real was something that came to mind, but Mirror wasn't done speaking.

"The bastard in charge of that galaxy must have found an opening and took it," Mirror hisses. "There is a goblin den in Firene, correct?"

"Oh of course there is, and the royal family is terrible at dealing with that."

It wasn't just Arval and Mirror in the room. Othello decided to make his presence known. Because Mirror was distracted, she didn't notice him until he spoke, causing her to jump away.

"Are you afraid of a little weak goblin?" Othello asks in a condescending manner.

"If it was just a goblin, I wouldn't have an issue," the summoner corrects darkly. "Hell, their leader isn't a problem either. He's a big coward that tries to hide in the shadows. It's the fucker of a slave trader that is making the calls."

Mirror never swore. It piqued Othello's interest.

"Oh, there is someone out there that can invoke fear into your heart?"

Mirror glares at her comrade in response. "If you had a child, you would understand why even someone like me wouldn't want him anywhere near here."

"Who exactly do I need to keep an eye out?" Arval asks.

"Dogura. He used to be one of the Swamp Witch's most trusted servants. Now that she bit the bucket for quite some time, many of the Swamp Witch's servants have scattered throughout the galaxy. Unfortunately, that bastard found his way to Goblin Galaxy and made it his new base of operation. The King Goblin is none the wiser."

Both Arval and Othello are lost in the context of who the Swamp Witch is and how dangerous a man Dogura is.

"Don't misunderstand. Dogura is a weak, useless goblin by himself, but he wouldn't have risen in ranks if he didn't nab himself one of the most powerful dragon warriors on the Continent. As long as she's with him, he will forever be able to hold onto his power."

Othello is only somewhat interested in the dragon warrior. If the person captured was someone of the same species as him, he might be concerned, but he had a feeling the dragon warrior was a title and not based on race.

"But will this Dogura person have any interest in my Diamant?"

Mirror shakes her head. "He would have to do research first. Again, his priorities are women, small children and endangered species such as werewolves. Dragons are not exempt, but even he knows that trying to capture another one could spell the end of his reign."

"Then I don't see why I should be concerned or why Arval should be wasting resources on trying to drive him out."

"How dare you! This man is very capable of ruining plans on a whim. He is motivated by nothing but his greed for power and his lust for control."

"Are you scared because your daughter is currently running an errand in Firene?"

The summoner flinches. He hit the bullseye.

"...We are looking for emblems that the Goddess had thrown into this world," Mirror reminds him slowly. "The Divine Dragon already has two on him. We only have one and it's the one that your dumbass is wearing. I'm certain there are at least two in Firene."

"Obviously, but I don't think your daughter is looking for those two. We already know the church has them."

It's true. There was a third emblem, but the owner of that one wasn't stationary. Like a nomad, that emblem moved from place to place. It stayed in Elusia for quite some time, but had recently made its way to Firene most likely due to the huge influx of Corrupted overtaking the land. White was ordered to look for this person and report to Mirror once she had sufficient data. Dogura showing up would make things more difficult. White was a Manakete after all and a young girl, which would make her a perfect target to the depraved goblin.

White can take care of herself. Mirror knows that and her comrades know that, but they don't understand the lengths Dogura goes through to claim what he wants. White wasn't going to return until she completed her mission, but there was no way to warn her of the menace heading her way.

Othello cannot hope to deliver empathy to a mother who needs it. "If you're so worried about your daughter, call off the mission. There are worse things out there that can jeopardize the mission."

"You ingrate!"

Arval continues to observe Goblin Galaxy approach Firene from the summoner's golden mirror. The only way for something this big to even get close without drawing attention is if someone called out to them. From his own observation, the goblins in Firene weren't the brightest of the bunch and followed a certain rule that allowed them to do as they pleased so long as they did not show up in front of the royal family and cause a scene. (What this entails, Arval still doesn't know.)

The royal family would never put their subjects in danger though. If Arval's assumption is correct, it's Firene's church that managed to communicate to Dogura somehow. They were playing a huge game of risk before the war with Sombron was even over. It caused Arval to scowl thinking about the corrupt heads of the church.

If they are exposed now, then they will have no power by the time I step in. Arval thinks darkly to themselves. They have two emblems that belonged to Sothis. If they expose themselves, the Divine Dragon will stop at nothing to obtain them. Mirror is right. They are ingrates.

Yet, Arval didn't have the power or information to actively stop what was transpiring. At best, they could send Mirror to warn them of what happens when they cross a line too soon. For now, he'll monitor the situation. If White's life is in danger, they will step in. They need to do all in their power to stay under The Divine Dragon and Sothis' radar.

Chapter Text

Alear has made it clear that unless you are one of the royals that you can't leave with an emblem. Even then, the heirs need to warn either the Divine Dragon or his stewards that they would be taking an emblem. There were obvious exceptions. If you're part of his family, you could take the emblem without telling him anything. Alear trusts Veyle as much as he trusts Nel and Rafal despite what the latter has done in the past. The emblems were also rather understanding and would support Alear's siblings. Emblem Marth had been Alear's emblem for the longest time, but he bestowed him to Veyle to protect her from harm. Rafal didn't have a designated emblem. He usually insisted on not having one but more often than not, Alear shoves one on him. Emblem Corrin had the best fit for him when in the other Elyos so when she wasn't being passed around to the other members of the army, she ended up around Rafal's finger. Even when Emblem Chrom was found, Rafal still ended up holding onto Corrin.

Dia had no intention of taking an emblem. The only emblem he wants to wear is Veronica and the Divine Dragon's group still haven't found her yet. He can make do without her.

"Lady Veyle, please make sure we return within the next twenty-four hours," Dia pleads with the young dragon. "I'm not confident that my spell worked and I know the Divine One wouldn't want you to be away from the Somniel for more than a day. He also wouldn't appreciate his emblems missing without being notified."

"I believe in your spell," Veyle insists. "And, I don't believe we will be out that long. I'm sure that Zelestia's little brother would love to reunite with her."

"They aren't the same person," Rafal reminds her. "And I doubt any sane dragon will believe that there is another, kinder version of their family waiting for him up here."

If they told Zelestia to come along, maybe things would run more smoothly. She is the person Veyle wants to please, so she needs to get her little brother to come to the Somniel.

"I'm sure he'll understand."

The three approached the Ring Chamber where most of the emblems stayed dormant. The guys decided to wait outside the door while Veyle went to retrieve two of the rings.

Not all the rings were there despite Alear's insistence of returning the rings after battle. Sometimes, the royal siblings needed to return home to help deal with the Corrupted, so their rings often stayed on them. Other times, the ring or bracelet needed to be repaired. The bracelet of the three houses stayed in the chamber. A crack was still visible on the side.

Rafal was only told what happened and then witnessed the fallout between Emblem Byleth and Emblem Sigurd. A subjugation mission to deal with what was left of the Elusian Army failed not because the Divine Dragon was defeated, but because Emblem Byleth had decided to decimate the entire army leaving no survivors. What triggered his disobedience was Emblem Claude getting injured by apparently taking an attack for Fogado. Emblem Marianne had attempted to repair the bracelet and while Claude had returned with no visible injuries, Rafal noticed that the Golden Deer Leader was quieter than usual. Maybe it was because his teacher lectured him after he woke up. His eyes were different now and his jokes were more forced. The Fell Dragon wonders if anyone else has taken notice outside of Byleth. Fogado is the closest person to Claude, so one would think he would notice. Then again, Fogado is too preoccupied with all the recent events. Almost dying during that mission followed by Solm taking a lot of damage from that sudden attack and also his retainer falling into a coma. He was running himself to the ground, so Claude's change of personality wouldn't be on the top of the list.

"I would love to help you, Veyle!"

He was lost in his own thoughts that he didn't see Veyle communicating with the emblems that she would take. It just so happened that everyone seemed to be out of the ring chamber. They were either in the training room, hovering over whomever had their ring or just relaxing.

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Rafal cannot stand how quickly Emblem Corrin is assisting them. She knows that Veyle is going to end up worrying Alear and Mauvier, but she's willing to contribute to their cause instead of being the smart emblem and report to the Divine Dragon what is going on. Marth is even worse than Corrin in his eyes. With how much Marth disapproved of Emblem Byleth's recent actions, one would think he would advise Veyle to be cautious.

Speaking of Byleth, Rafal feels cold eyes directed in his direction. The Somniel is a place of warmth and despite all the crimes he has committed, the people here welcome him with open arms. When someone rightfully throws a glare at him, he feels uneasy. There is only one emblem from Rafal's observation that was capable of hiding uneasy darkness. As quickly as he noted that Emblem Byleth was spying on them, it vanished instantly. He can't prove that Byleth was even there in the first place if at all. Only his gut suggests otherwise.

"You'll help me too, Marth?"

"Of course Lady Veyle. Your brother wants me to protect you with all my might."

Veyle also managed to convince Marth to go on this foolhardy mission. Rafal stops trying to think too much about how the emblems are as naive as the Divine Dragon they serve. Veyle returns to him with Corrin's ring to wear while she has Marth's ring to protect her. Hopefully, it won't get too dangerous down there.

"If everyone is ready, let us head out…" Dia mumbles. The circle in the center of the Somniel was set to take them directly to the ruined village. From there, they should be able to go through the forest and find the hidden village within…

The village the trio will head to has a small shop set up by their target. In the shop is a young boy that looks like a mini Zephia. One should have been able to deduce that he was a dragon from the pointy ears, but they were hidden behind his light green hair. His hair was tied in a messy bun and was held together by a quill of all things. Purple eyes observed his surroundings before he continued with his task.

His clothes were basic in comparison. He had a simple green coat that went over his black shirt. The coat came with a hood that allowed him to conceal his face as well as many pockets to stuff items in.

What wouldn't stand out to a normal person is the bracelet he wore around his left wrist. At first glance, it was a well-kept bracelet. On further inspection, one could see a pattern identical to the Bracelet of the Brash General with the main difference being that instead of a royal blue color, it was a royal red.

The boy had medicine and spellbooks laid out throughout his small shop. With his magic, he was able to create a small pocket dimension that allowed him to store the goods he found over the years. Whenever he arrived at a new destination, he could set the shop up and none were the wiser. As long as the topic involved magic or medicine, he would be able to assist.

This village was small and had no need for magic. Medicine was a different story. The population consisted of older people, who could use affordable medicine. The boy was willing to part ways with the medicine regardless especially if he saw the person was in dire need of it.

Today was another day of the boy handing out medicine to an elderly couple. The husband has been having back pains and his wife has had intense headaches over the past couple of days. They are not the richest people around seeing as how they retired to the far off forest.

"Thank you kindly, young one. There aren't that many apothecaries your age nowadays."

The boy nods his head slowly. "I know. With the Corrupted everywhere, it makes traveling alone difficult."

"How can someone so young be able to avoid them for so long?" the elderly lady questions.

"I am smart," the boy answers. "I know running away is always the best way to survive another day. Let those who can pick up a weapon handle the Corrupted. I can only attend to the wounded and those in need."

A noble reasoning, but it ignores one very important detail about the boy besides the fact he's a Mage Dragon. The elderly couple accepts his words and give their best wishes as they exit the store.

The moment they leave, a ghostly figure appears behind the young boy.

"Zabith, are you sure this is a safe place to hide? They're on patrol again."

Zabith was the person Veyle was looking for. He frowns when the voice mentions his name.

"Lilina, I told you not to come out until I gave the signal. I cannot trust anyone to know of your existence."

Emblems not listed in the history books were starting to pop up all over Elyos. Zabith was only aware of the bracelets from another world after digging deep into forgotten history and alternate universes. Lilina was different. She was a bracelet but not from that other world. She didn't need to be summoned by a Divine or Fell Dragon. You simply touched the ring and the emblem appeared before you. Zabith doesn't know if the emblem changed depending on who awoke him or her. And unfortunately for the mage dragon, Lilina was talkative and friendly. There was no off button, so he was stuck with her. He won't admit it, but for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel so alone. Zephia was his older sister, but she only visited him if she wanted something from him. For someone to be interested in him as a person…

"It will be fine. You can just say that the Divine Dragon allowed you to walk around with me."

"No one is that stupid…"

Zabith knows that if the Divine Dragon and his army were to ever find him, he would have to give up his emblem. He wasn't associated with Sombron or his sister, but he could still be labeled as a dangerous threat. Understandable as it may be, he got used to Lilina to part ways with her.

He was always on the run now just so the Four Hounds couldn't find him. Let the Divine Dragon hunt them down. Zabith just wants to have a peaceful existence. That is difficult given the area he's currently staying in. The Church of Firene were on the hunt for potential Fell Dragons. All Zabith heard was bullshit seeing as how most of the Fell Dragons have been slain by Lumera over 1000 years ago. The only one who would fit the description is Sombron's surviving daughter. She put herself in that situation to where if she were to step foot in Firene, the church would deal with her. Only the Divine Dragon can protect her for whatever reason.

Zabith isn't in the best position though. He's not a Fell Dragon, but people don't know the difference. He will be tried as one if he were to be caught. It's why he makes a mental note he can't stick around for long. Otherwise, someone might catch on. Zephia didn't give anyone a good impression…

"But really. Is it safe for you to not have your hood up? You stand out."

"So do you."

"I can disappear anytime. You still have to pack your stuff."

One more day. He tells himself. One more day and he'll be on the move again. He likes quiet places like this where everyone is nice and no one interrogates him. The weather is perfect unlike Elusia's frosty climate. If he really wants to escape, he should probably go to Brodia, but the Corrupted in that area was higher than any other kingdom except Elusia where the Corrupted manifested themselves. He heard rumors that the Queen of Brodia had taken things into her own hands to help her son while he was out fighting Sombron with the Divine Dragon. Perhaps, he can play it off as a traveling apothecary again.

"...I like it here."

"Yes…"

"I wish the church would hunt Corrupted instead of a single Fell Dragon under the protection of the Divine Dragon," Zabith finds himself complaining. "Makes it hard for us not Fell Dragons to live in peace."

Before he can continue ranting, another customer enters the shop. A girl with a mysterious mask casually waltzes in. He instantly clocks the girl as a dragon. She is neither Divine or Fell but something otherworldly. Zabith's first reaction is to flee, but he pretends that he's not sweating bullets…especially since this is not the first time he has met her.

"Welcome! How may I help you?"

He has to pretend that this is their first meeting. The problem? The girl is not willing to play along.

"Give me your emblem."

"Excuse me?"

"Give me your emblem!"

Zabith hates dealing with difficult people. She really just barged in and demanded something from him.

"Just like that?" the mage dragon snarks.

"I need that emblem to help Mommy find Daddy!"

Not only was she demanding, but she was confusing too.

"The hell is a bracelet gonna help you find your old man?!"

He resorts to arguing instead of trying to figure out what his stalker really wants. Perhaps her immaturity brought out the child in him. The girl glares at the mage dragon. She pulls her sword out without warning.

"I will take it by force!"

Zabith just wanted a quiet day, but he had no choice but to fight.

Normally, Byleth isn't someone who would snitch. As a professor his students looked up to, snitching would hurt their trust. This was not one of those times. Dia wasn't the most reliable person to watch over Rafal and Veyle. Those two could handle themselves especially with an emblem. However, Byleth's intuition has only gotten sharper as an emblem. He had a nagging feeling that something was going to go down. Instead of alerting everyone, it was best to tell one person and suggest they bring Marianne to give him the details he needs. This time, it would be easier to rile up Zelestia. She was looking forward to speaking with Veyle today, but the young Fell Dragon was nowhere to be found. She would soon notice Rafal wasn't in his usual spot either. Before she had a chance to look for Nel and ask them for their whereabouts, Byleth spooked her.

"They went to search for your little brother."

"Ahhhhh!"

Byleth remains stone faced in the face of scaring the poor Mage Dragon.

"Byleth, please don't scare me like that!" Zelestia whines as she struggles to put herself back together. "What do you mean by that?"

"Like I said. Veyle left to search for your younger brother. She has found a lead that he is alive. Rafal is accompanying her."

He leaves out Dia is with them. If she doesn't listen to him and reports to Nel, the poor guy will be on the receiving end of her wrath again.

"What? But how? And why? I only mentioned him in passing yesterday morning…"

"She wanted to reunite you two…even if it's not your brother per say."

"That's…" Zelestia doesn't know how to feel. She wants to be elastic and hopeful, but all she feels right now is dread. Even if Rafal is with her, she doesn't know where they are and how long it will take for them to return.

"I suggest you take Marianne with you and head to Firene. That is where they think your brother is."

So many things were running through her head. How was Veyle able to track down the Zabith of this world? Why didn't Rafal say anything? Did the other emblems know?

"I need to tell Lady Nel…"

"And lose your chance to see your brother?"

Zelestia is puzzled by the tone Byleth is using. "Excuse me?"

"I suggest you leave now. I do not believe Veyle or Rafal will be in any danger. Marth and Corrin are with them, but their destination seems to be a village that has not been attacked by Corrupted. If you leave now, you can catch up to them and return before Nel even notices."

Byleth is good with his words even if they are rather manipulative this time around. Zelestia wants to do the smart thing and call in reinforcements, but Byleth senses one of Sothis' emblems. A fight can be avoided entirely if only a few people are there. Yes, having Roy or Hector might have made things even easier, but if certain emblems ended up missing while the people who normally used them were still in the Somniel, some would be suspicious.

"Are you sure Byleth?"

Byleth nods his head firmly. "Marianne will protect you all. She is one of my most trusted students."

If Marianne was nearby, she would become flustered from his compliment. It's hard for many of his students to take one from their favorite professor.

"A-Alright."

Byleth made a good case anyway. If she waited too long, not only would she not be able to see the little brother from this world, but lose the chance to scold Veyle and Rafal for going on their own without telling anyone. She knows they are both capable dragons, but she can't help but worry for them.

She wasn't going to regret informing Nel of their disappearance.

Dia leads the two Fell Dragons to the place his magic pinpointed. Unlike the village that had been ravaged by bandits, this one was protected by the forest. It's deeper inside that it's easy to get lost without a marker.

The forest protects the people who decided to live farther from civilization. It's perfect for anyone to hide. Zephia's brother would be able to blend in quite well. This area is also far away from Firene so the people wouldn't be able to recognize someone like Veyle. Her evil side had caused a lot of destruction in their nation, but if far away from everything, she too can blend in. Dia might have an issue. Just because the forest is isolated doesn't mean they wouldn't recognize the prince from the neighboring nation.

There is a single gatekeeper that stood between the outside and the village. If something were to happen to him, this village could end up like the ruined village before it. It's still one guy though…

"Greetings travelers! What brings you to our quaint village?"

So far, he didn't notice the oddities with the trio. Dia still passed off as Brodia's Prince and Rafal and Veyle were still Fell Dragons.

Veyle wastes no time telling him why they are there. "Hello. We are looking for a young boy around my age. We heard that he only arrived here a few days ago."

"A young boy you say?"

"Yes. He's a young boy who practices magic and sells spellbooks and medicine," Dia adds.

Immediately, the gatekeeper knew who Dia was speaking of. "Oh, you mean that nice kid? Yeah, he did settle in for a few days. He's been nothing but helpful to us in these dire times. I imagine you want to buy something from him, or are you friends?"

"Both," Dia answers before Veyle could say they were friends. "Our friend has been helpful to us during our travels as well. He always has a new tome ready for me to learn or medicine for us to use when we pass by other villages. We're currently running low, so we needed to track him down sooner rather than later."

Rafal wants to ask how Dia can come up with this stuff on the fly. Perhaps lying was something that came so naturally to the prince of the other Brodia. The gatekeeper was easily persuaded by his logic.

"If that is the case, welcome to our village. Please, enjoy your stay."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Dia thanks softly.

Veyle also thanks the gatekeeper as she rushes in. Rafal stops himself from shouting but walks inside the village with Dia.

"How do you even know what our target looks like?" Rafal asks once they are out of hearing range of the gatekeeper.

"It's based on observation from what Zelestia has said about her younger brother in the past and the different life he has in this world. I don't think I'll be far off when we do meet him."

More sound logic meant there was no use trying to argue with him, so Rafal kept his eyes on Veyle while looking around the village.

The village was incredibly small. One could identify it as a small community where everyone knew each other. The village seems to consist of many older individuals. Some elderly folks who have retired to the outskirts of Firene in peace. Single, older women stayed in this village for a variety of reasons. Only a few young people stuck around and there seemed to be a single newly wed couple living in the village with a young boy.

It was a miracle the village wasn't attacked by the Corrupted. Rafal recalled that depending on the territory, the Corrupted simply couldn't enter. It seemed to apply to just fairytale stories with the fae being able to repel the dead, but it seemed like other species are able to push back because the Corrupted doesn't register them as enemies.

But just because there are no enemies doesn't mean the village isn't prepared. There is a lookout on the other side of the village to catch any sort of anonymity. The front has the gatekeeper, but he's a little too friendly to let anyone in without inspecting their belongings.

"Veyle, do not go off on your own," Emblem Marth warns her as Veyle finally stops after looking at her surroundings. "We will find Zelestia's brother together."

"I know, but where do we start?"

"You can start by not running off," Rafal reminds her, "The Divine Dragon will kill me if something happens to you."

"I'm sure that isn't the case…"

Veyle fails to understand how important of a person she is now in her older brother's life. Rafal is also starting to see her as a younger sibling, but he's not going to admit that out loud. He has lost so much in his life. He doesn't want to get his hopes up again.

"We should head to the item shop first," Dia suggests. "I think that will be our best bet in finding him.

Dia's logic would have continued had it not been for the ground suddenly shaking and a surge of power could be felt not far from where the group was standing. Rafal can't stop himself from grinning. There is a powerful dragon nearby. He won't feel bored if given the chance to let loose.

The power didn't come from the dragon they were searching for. It came from another dragon that had killer instincts. The young boy they were searching for ran away from the attacks aimed at him. A tiny detail that wasn't apparent while hiding was that he was a Mage Dragon with tiny wings. It allowed him to hover, but his disguise prevented him from truly being able to fly away. He's barely dodging his attacker's moves.

"Stop running! Fight me!"

The girl takes out her sword from her sheath and tries swinging it at the boy's head. Zabith dodges at the last minute resulting in only a few strands of white hair being lost.

"Why are you so violent?" He questions out loud.

All eyes were on the sudden fight. Something like this should never happen in a village this quiet. Zabith knows he has to end this before things get progressively worse. The girl has only been targeting him and hasn't destroyed public property yet.

That girl's sword. Rafal thinks. It looks exactly like Corrin's…

Perhaps it was a coincidence that the sword looked like the Yato or at least a replica of it. The girl also had the exact same hair color as Corrin on top of being an obvious dragon…

"Get over here!"

Another thing she could do that was exactly like Corrin was turn her hand into a dragonic mouth. Rafal is surprised upon seeing how easy the young girl was able to do it. She attempts to bite at Zabith's hand that had the bracelet around it. Again, he dodges at the last minute, but he's cutting it very close.

"You know, if we talked things out first, we would be able to avoid this senseless violence," Zabith casually lectures knowing full well the dragon girl isn't listening to a word he said. "You leave yourself wide open."

If the water dragon lashes out with water spells, Zabith hits her back with a darkness spell. A mage dragon always comes prepared with spells that no one has seen and while the water dragon might have seen the spell from her world, it was unheard of in this one. Dark magic easily wrapped itself around the waterball until it turned pitch black and fell to the ground like mud.

The girl attempts to shoot another water ball his way. The boy stands his ground expecting to tank the shot this time.

"Lilina!"

Flames appeared above him. With a tome in hand, Lilina cast a spell that also destroyed the water attack. Normally, water would extinguish the fire, but this was from a powerful emblem of unknown origins. The blast gave Zabith the time he needed to bridge the gap between him and his attacker.

"Got you."

The dragon girl thinks he's going to hit her with a dark spell up close. Instead, he takes the dark magic to strengthen his grip as he grabs her by the arm and throws her to the ground. He then grabs her arm again and keeps her in place.

When he pinned her down, he effectively knocked the mask off her face. The girl snarls as she tries to get away, but Zabith already chanted a binding spell to keep her in place.

"I hate when I have to work this hard to keep the peace…" Zabith growls. It's then he notices the villagers were watching him carefully. He doesn't lose his composure at the audience he attracts. "I apologize. She is my student. I had requested that she show me her ambushing tactics. She still has much to work on, but do not worry. This is how far the training goes for today. Please, continue on."

Zabith has only been in the village for a few days, but already won the trust of the people. They assumed he was more than a traveling apothecary. What he demonstrated was the opposite of what he claimed, but he still kept damage to a bare minimum.

Dia hums, impressed at how quickly he dealt with the situation. It meant they wouldn't have to step in. In contrast, Veyle and Rafal looked at each other after seeing a new emblem in front of them.

"I'm starting to think that these conveniences are not so convenient," Rafal snarks. "Who will be the next family member with an emblem we haven't seen or heard of?"

"We won't know until we ask him," Veyle tells him.

"That's assuming many things, Veyle."

They needed to be able to talk to the young boy, convince him they're not on Sombron's side and then someone convince him that his not-sister is waiting for him on the Somniel. This plan was doomed to fail, but Veyle was determined. The three headed toward the item shop where the Mage Dragon dragged the water dragon.

Even with the girl kicking and screaming, Zabith wasn't all that interested in her verbal diarrhea. He could get a rope and tie her up, but that's too much effort. The binding spell he had wasn't going to last long, but it would be enough to tire her out to where she would no longer be a nuisance.

"I'm going to ask you again. Who are you and why are you attacking me?"

He isn't expecting the girl to give out either answer. He can make calculated deductions on his own. He's not surprised how he ends up getting the why question answered again.

"Give me your emblem! I need it!" She screams. "Why do you even have one?!"

Lilina appears before Zabith again with a worried expression. "Is she working for Sombron? There aren't that many people that know I'm an emblem, much less exist."

"She's probably part of that annoying group that decided to reside here because of Sombron," Zabith responds. "And if that's the case, this is not something that is going to go away."

Zabith stayed in Elusia for as long as possible due to the rare occasion Zephia visited him. Recently, she hasn't made any attempt to contact him, but he decided to flee anyway once Sombron had regained his powers. The Corrupted were too much of a hassle to deal with, and the new threat that came in when Sombron opened Elyos to the outside universe was bound to give him a bigger headache. He was right in that regard because this girl had been pursuing him. They never spoke to each other until today, so he was able to hide his presence. He traveled to Firene by going through Brodia and taking the path with the least amount of people. He gave her the slip on multiple occasions. When he finally decided to settle down in this quiet settlement, she finally tracked him despite his best effort to keep himself out of sight. He can't underestimate a dragon's hearing though and rumors might have spread about his item shop again. This girl attacking him isn't a surprise once he concludes that she was probably frustrated at his evasive nature. And then she lost to him in combat without him breaking a sweat.

"My emblem doesn't have the power to help you for whatever you want to do," Zabith tells her as a matter of fact statement. "And I have no intention of giving her to anyone either. I like to protect myself from the Corrupted, thank you very much."

The girl didn't believe him. "I won't know until I try. If I don't get the emblem, Papa will…"

"You aren't going to be able to track him with this emblem. Lilina is only good for magic and nothing else. You need a specialist to locate him."

"What do you mean I'm only good for magic? I'm a great travel companion!" Lilina complains.

"Yes, one that chatters about everything and nothing."

"Has anyone told you that you're a very rude dragon?"

"My sister has on multiple occasions."

"She doesn't count. She never praises you honestly."

Zabith has no counter to that.

Their constant back and forth wasn't doing either of them any good. On top of that, both of them heard the sounds of voices outside signaling that they were being eavesdropped on. It was too late for the girl to stay silent after what she blurted out. Zabith rolls his eyes. His store is still considered "open" despite what just happened, so he can't just shoo them away.

"...I know you're all there."

From the outside, Dia was desperately trying to come up with a plan that would be the most natural explanation on why they were there. Chances of the Mage Dragon knowing Veyle's identity was rather high, so they should play off being a small group of traveling companions. Rafal found this pointless and considered just getting straight to the point. Veyle beats him at confronting Zabith.

"Hey, wait!" Dia calls out as Veyle enters the shop.

Bad move. Zabith instantly freezes upon laying eyes on the Fell Dragon. Veyle at first is puzzled by this reaction. This is the first time she has ever met him. However…that might not have applied to the other Veyle that used to live inside her.

"What the hell do you want?" the young Mage Dragon snaps, surprising her. "I already made that stupid crown for you! What else do you need from me?!"

The rage hid how scared he was to be in Veyle's presence. Dia's plan suddenly sounded more appealing than just going in after dealing with a rowdy customer.

"H-Huh? This is the first time meeting you."

"Impossible! You always showed up with my sister!"

Zabith gave himself away all too quickly. If he wanted to feign ignorance with them, he lost his chance. Veyle knew he was talking about Zephia…but he didn't know that she already passed on.

"...Zephia and the Hounds…are no more," Veyle tells him, trying to steady her voice.

At that, Zabith pauses again. His emotions change yet again. Shock, then resignation. "...So that's why she wanted the crown made…"

None of his emotions addressed how he felt about the sudden knowledge that his sister was no longer alive. Perhaps, he was still processing the news and attempted to save face. His emblem had decided to appear before him again ignoring that there was a Fell Dragon in front of them.

"Zabith, you can't bury your emotions down like that."

"Disappear from my sight."

"Hey, don't treat me like that. I'm your friend."

Rafal and Dia are able to observe Emblem Lilina and conclude that she was non-hostile. From what they learned from the previous emblems, there wouldn't be a trial like with Emblem Marianne or will be hostile like Emblem Azura and Emblem Tharja once they were possessed by their previous owners. Zabith could get violent, but it wasn't reflected with the emblem beside him.

"If Veyle won't tell you, then I will," Rafal says with a sigh. "We are here for the emblem. The Hounds are gone, so there's no point in fighting."

It's like Zabith forgot Veyle wasn't the only Fell Dragon. He's confused seeing another one alive. He tries to wrap around how this is possible, but he immediately grips onto his bracelet for dear life. "No."

"We are companions of the Divine Dragon. He needs the emblems."

"Like I care about that conflict," The Mage Dragon hisses. "I don't trust you Fell Dragons!"

"You may not trust the Fell Dragons, but I reassure you that you can trust me."

Rafal feels his eyebrow twitch. Dia attempted to sound like Diamant. The other version of Brodia's prince is not as foolproof as he is when impersonating someone. It's enough to fool someone who doesn't know the truth even if Zabith seems to be an observant kid.

"Prince Diamant?! Why are you associating yourself with Fell Dragons?!"

Dia is interrupted by Zabith's emblem who immediately hovers over to him.

"If you're Prince Diamant, then that means you have Emblem Roy with you!" she exclaims. "Please, let me see him."

"Roy?"

That's the wrong thing to say when you're supposed to be mimicking Diamant. Most people familiar with Brodia's prince would know he was allowed to always carry Roy's ring with him. Only recently did Diamant stop wearing it often due to the recent issues with the new type of Corrupted that seemed to specifically target him.

Lilina will notice Dia isn't wearing Roy's ring and immediately deflate. "Oh, he's not here…"

"I'm sorry…"

Rafal groans at how quickly Dia caved. The confidence can only last for a few seconds before he slumps. Lilina catches the dark eye rings under Dia's eyes. She may not have met Diamant in person, but from the description that she had obtained with Zabith, he always gave the impression of a proud, well-rested young man.

"Oh…you're just a body double," Zabith mumbles. "A fake."

"Please stop being rude," Emblem Lilina chides. "How do you expect to make friends like this?"

"I don't need them."

"Liar."

"And it's typical of Fell Dragons to have a fake with them. He doesn't have an emblem ring either."

"I don't, but they do," Dia says quietly.

Rafal doesn't see the point of showing him their emblem rings. Zabith will just accuse them of stealing them from the Divine Dragon or some other insane logic that will result in him ignoring them…

"Wait, Kana?! You are Kana, right?!"

Corrin finally decides to say something after the initial dialogue. While she would have preferred to have waited, there was something about the girl that caught her attention. It felt like looking at her long dead son in his youth. The girl, despite hiding behind a mask, clearly didn't react well to her name being called.

"Who is Kana? My mother named me White…" The dragon responds with a lack of confidence.

So, White is her name. Zabith thinks to himself. How…fitting.

Emblem Corrin isn't convinced as she continues to examine the girl from the head down.

"No, you are a Kana," she insists.

"What are you even talking about?" Rafal asks.

"I used to have a son. I named him Kana," Corrin says as a matter of fact.

Once again, Corrin's words continue to throw them off. Not too long ago, Corrin already confessed that she and Azura were in a relationship. Now…she has a son? What sort of dragonic magic was involved here?!

"Corrin, I have many questions," Rafal starts to grumble. "And I hate to ask Emblem Azura about this."

Corrin doesn't seem to mind, which makes this worse. White stays eerie silent as her gaze never leaves the emblem. The water dragon looks toward Emblem Lilina and then back to Emblem Corrin again. Finally, she scowls.

"...I was wrong. That isn't the emblem I need…but…" Again, her eyes remain on Corrin's bright ones. "...You're under the Divine Dragon…so I can't do anything now…"

"Kana?"

"My name is White! Do not call me by a name that is no longer mine!"

No longer mine? Zabith wonders to himself.

Corrin failed to catch her words and stared at the water dragon again. It was like looking into a mirror of her Kana except this Kana's hair is white as pure as snow. So white that one could mistake her for a Yuki-Onna. Her armor is an extremely pale version of what her son used to wear.

As much as Zabith wanted to know about his little stalker, the elephant in the room still needed to be addressed. He wished he could get them to leave, but things were getting more complicated by the minute. His mood worsened the longer he was in the presence of the two Fell Dragons.

"Explain to me again why you're here again if you don't need my assistance with helping Sombron."

Veyle sees that the young dragon isn't convinced that her evil self is gone. If she keeps talking to him, surely, he'll catch on. "We want you to reunite with your sister."

"No."

Rafal sighs as he adds onto Veyle's statement. "It's not your sister. It's your sister from another Elyos."

Zabith isn't convinced. Even with Dia being proof that two princes of Brodia can exist, he has a hard time believing there is another version of Zephia.

"Yeah, you're not going to trick me with that one."

Rafal scoffs. The kid isn't stupid, but it is annoying how talking to him isn't going to convince him. "It's no trick."

"I don't care. I need you all to leave me alone. I'm not associated with the Four Hounds anymore…much less Sombron. I am just a traveling apothecary now."

"I thought you were a traveling merchant," Lilina corrects.

"Why does it matter? I'm selling medicine regardless!"

Normally, Rafal would just walk away from this foolish mission. They already have proof that Zabith is alive and can tell Zelestia about it. However, that's impossible now due to the emblem he possesses. He may not want to work with Sombron anymore, but it's not something they can just leave alone in the hands of a dragon.

"We can't do that. You have an emblem that the Divine Dragon would like to have."

Zabith glares at the older Fell Dragon before him. He keeps his hand on her bracelet as if telling him that he'll need to fight him for it. Rafal is about to pull out his axe when Veyle speaks up.

"Rafal! That wasn't our mission! We're supposed to introduce him to Zelestia!"

"Does he look like the type of person to budge with words? Beating him is the easiest way to kill two birds with one stone."

Zabith's strength revolved around his magic. He only used a small portion of it to subdue White, and like the others who had found an emblem that wasn't listed in either stories of Elyos, he can wield Emblem Lilina just fine. It may not be a battle of physical strength, but Rafal is looking for a powerful opponent. Too bad Zabith isn't going to give him one.

"If you think I'm going to fight after I had to deal with that girl over there, you're sorely mistaken."

"If you're not going to fight, then give us the bracelet."

"No. I'm not leaving the village until I decide it's a good time to leave and I'm not handing over Lilina. You wasted your time. Go away. The shop is now closed."

This was not how Rafal wanted things to be. Veyle is in the way of him just walking over and smacking the Mage Dragon with the blunt of his axe. Zabith turns his back to him which is soon followed by Lilina copying his movement. She looks behind her to see if the two Fell Dragons got the hint before looking away again.

"We're not going to leave until you do or part ways with the emblem," Rafal growls.

"We might have to stay at the inn then…" Dia says. "I do not think we should leave an emblem unguarded."

"Isn't that obvious?" Rafal questions. His temper threatened to rise.

"It's not just the emblem. Zelestia would be sad if we returned without her brother. So…I agree with Dia that we should stay."

Even though it's Dia's idea, he doesn't know how exactly he's going to update someone on the Somniel on what is transpiring in the village. He really wants to avoid Nel getting his message, but it might be inevitable if Alear gets it.

"Don't we need money to stay?" Rafal asks. "Hope one of you brought along a few coins."

Veyle obviously didn't, which makes Rafal think they aren't going to be able to do something as easy as waiting it out. Dia had them covered.

"I got a decent amount here just in case something like this happened."

I doubt that's your money. Rafal thinks as he shakes his head in annoyance. Even back in the other Elyos, Dia prepared himself for most situations. It's why he was so dangerous to fight against. He hopes that he'll be able to knock some sense into the Mage Dragon later.

Mirror isn't the only one who has the ability to spy on others from a long distance. The goblins have managed to obtain this power too, so as long as they use it while in their galaxy. While Goblin Shamans can project from a short distance, Dogura simply uses the last gift he was bestowed from his beloved Werbellia to do his spying business. He hums, enjoying how the crystal ball is in perfect condition. The slave trader wishes he could bring the Swamp Witch back to life after that one faithful battle ended with her death at the hands of her daughters. Her minions were forced to separate if they wanted to live. Dogura was lucky that he made it to Goblin Galaxy with the reputation he built up. Otherwise, he would be put in a bad situation where his own gladiator could turn on him without fear of the repercussions. He knows Melona is out there trying to find a way to bring their boss back. Menace is on standby, but she has checked out way before the infamous rebellion on the Continent. She's not that reliable unless she personally benefits from the situation. He understands her though because he's the same way. What he can't forgive are traitors to the Swamp Witch. Airi was supposed to be the most faithful maid, but that bitch swore allegiance to that bratty Overlord who had an alliance with the angels! Even if the Swamp Witch was revived, punishing her would be difficult because of who she chose to serve next. Dogura would love to wipe the smirk off her face for choosing chaotic peace over destruction.

But Dogura can't push his luck. He has power due to his reputation with the Swamp Witch, but he's not the ruler of Goblin Galaxy. That title went to Uther the Goblin King and he was more spineless than any goblin he ever encountered. Preservation of the species is important but if one thing goes wrong, he is quick to abandon the mission before he gets caught in enemy crossfire. Dogura isn't any different, but he has a certain slave gladiator to do the fighting for him if things go sour.

Goblins don't think too far ahead in general. They just need to eat and reproduce. The species is sadistic by nature due to how they get off of unwilling girls regardless of species. Dogura promised high quality meals and high quality women if he was in charge of piloting Goblin Galaxy. So far, he has delivered both and the Goblin King lets him do as he pleases.

Dogura learned too that he needed to not be greedy when it came to claiming high quality seedbeds. If they are too important, the people of that world will chase them to the ends of the earth and even if they got the numbers, they don't want to be wiped out. It only happened once in one timeline. Dogura is the only one who remembers what happened and he does not want to be put in that situation again…it's why he will avoid any place that has powerful angels.

So when he felt an odd change in frequency in a world he has never been to before, Dogura piloted Goblin Galaxy toward the new place. He quickly learns that goblins do live in this world and have semi-intelligence like him. However, he was too late to be able to do anything for them and only recently have they been wiped out. Just because the goblins were gone, it didn't mean that there was still a place where Dogura could set up a check point to abduct the women from this world.

Firene was the name of the location where the goblins used to reside. According to his research, the Goblin Lord made a deal with the Firene royal family and the church that they would be contained to this huge cave to the southern part of the map. In exchange, anyone who didn't heed the warning of staying away from the burrow would not be saved. There were always going to be people who wandered too close and were easy targets. There was also the implication that the church might have thrown innocent women nearby just to make sure that the quota was fulfilled.

But the royal family needed an item that kept them strong inside the burrow. Dogura doesn't know the details except they were exterminated from within after believing that they had caught a rare beauty. The Goblin Lord had survived for generations and to be wiped out from such arrogance forced Dogura to not underestimate this place.

Avoiding the royal family is a must. Instead, he looked toward isolated areas in Firene. It should be easy to attack a small village and leave without alerting the royal family. They seem to be proactive in taking care of their nation, and Dogura hates those types of royals. Why couldn't they be incompetent as the ones back home?

Dogura isn't even pleased with one of the villages that meets his definition. It's isolated from most places so an attack wouldn't seem out of place. He would simply have to grab the few young maidens and leave. And that's still not good enough because this place seems to have fewer women than he would like.

"Shit, it's just old people and a few wives. There's no way this trip is worth it…"

He says this until he notices pointy ears on one of the citizens in the village. On further notice, he noted that this person wasn't from the village at all. And when he squinted hard enough…he recognized the young girl.

"What is that little shit doing here?" Dogura asks out loud. "Doesn't she know she needs to stick by her Mama if she doesn't want to be caught?"

Keeping his memories of past timelines allows him to recall who White really is and her overall importance. Her mother was someone he always wanted to train, but she was always out of reach. If he didn't want to push his luck, he had to leave her alone. If he were to hypothetically capture her daughter, there is no way she could deny him. That brat is the most important thing in her life now that her husband is dead. He just needs to be careful given how violent a water dragon is when they are cornered.

White isn't the only dragon that is even there though. He sees another dragon attending the shop. That one is just another young boy and isn't all that interesting. He can take advantage of the fact it's a dragon, but he's not winning any points with other demons who would prefer a more mature dragon with female parts.

There was a third dragon. She doesn't look like the other two, but she can't hide her dragonic aura. He gets a bad feeling about her. She reminds him too much of a youthful half-elf that he foolishly captured and failed to break her mind completely. That alone almost resulted in him losing everything to that damn blind priestess. Even his slave couldn't take on two powerful opponents when they had everything to lose if they fell in that battle. So any youthful dragon needed to be dealt with carefully.

Dogura's about to call it quits, but after looking at two young female dragons, he finally sees a high quality one. The young female dragon would be the type other goblins would be interested in breeding with. It's the effeminate dragon standing besides her that keeps his perverted eyes staring. He radiated confidence despite his slim build. Dogura grins maliciously as he resists the urge to drool. Anybody who is overconfident has always been his favorite target. Capturing and breaking them until they were submissive, breedable little pets were when his job was the most fulfilling. He didn't want to do that with Branwen because he needed her to be his bodyguard, but with anyone else, if they could entertain them for a while, it was always worth it. It didn't matter if the target was a male. They had enough seedbeds to last them a while that taking a male hostage just to relieve sex wouldn't hurt their bottom line.

The little goblin can picture it now. Those cold eyes falling into a lustful state as the Fell Dragon got on his hands and knees begging for release.

As if the crystal ball could read Dogura's thoughts, Rafal's face was no longer the center focus. Instead, the camera pans toward his rear figure. No one would dare look at a menacing Fell Dragon this way but goblins knew no fear and looked wherever they wanted.

"Heh, this rope is perfect for an ass like that…" Dogura hums as he writes something down on a piece of paper. "And I think these toys will fit perfectly in that tight hole of his."

"You continue to disgust me."

Dogura rolls his eyes as his bodyguard makes her way inside the "pilot's" room in Goblin Galaxy. Branwen may be his slave, but she has gotten bolder with how she spoke to him. He should discipline her, but it was useless at this point. She can't leave him because he has her dragon hostage. He can't afford to damage her too much if he comes across a powerful opponent. All he can do is dangle the hostage in her face to shut her up.

"I didn't ask for your opinion. I asked if you got in contact with anyone of note!" Dogura snaps.

She nods. "We did some investigating and it seems like the church is at odds with the royal family. They secretly did not approve of the goblins being exterminated."

Dogura figured as much. Goblins can only thrive when corruption runs rampant.

"There is one member of the church that is willing to cooperate with us."

Dogura grins as he stands on top of his chair. "Go on."

Branwen looks at the image before her. Her frown deepens. "The man is interested in your skills of training obedient slaves. This man has been wanting a specific person for a while. Since you're going to attack the village anyway, it would be convenient to pick him up."

Dogura already knew who his servant was referring to. He's not the only one who would notice a high quality dragon on the market. Grabbing anyone else would simply be extra, but he can only see green.

"I will meet up with him later. For now, I need to secure the goods first." Branwen avoids her master's eyes knowing he's going to make her do something she doesn't want. "And you're going to help me."

Dogura will never underestimate his target after repeated losses in the past. Branwen has always been his best bet when defeating his prey. She may hate it, but if she values her mount then she will fight to the death. It's just unfortunate that no one is ready to fight the goddess of the arena.