Chapter 2: Chasing the Manual...

The next day, having got the western gate opened for them thanks to Boken's help, Bleu and his group continued their journey to the country of mages, Manarina.

Their group was a lot of human girls except for Bleu and Cerberus, and the gatekeepers of Rindo advised them to be careful. They warned that a couple of days ago, a suspicious group had been seen heading to the mountaneous region of Bustoke close by.

Patting Cerberus' head, Krin laughed to her sister that they had no reason to worry.

Unlike their journey on sea so far, this time they were on land, walking with their own legs.

The one enjoying this change the most was Krin's pet and protector, Cerberus. She ran happily through the grassy paths scattered across the forest. She had certainly been too confined back in the ship. With all that pent up energy, she kept running off ahead and coming back afterwards. That way, she was basically a scout for the team, so they let her do as she pleased.

After doing so many rounds that everyone but Krin got tired of counting, Cerberus suddenly began barking furiously as soon as she returned to the group. She shook her head, pointing it at the direction they were headed to.

"There's something up ahead, I suppose."

Karin grabbed the long bow she carried on her back, along with an arrow from her quiver. Her hunter eyes scanned the area diligently.

"Yes, and it's probably nothing good."

Krin took a moment to quiet Cerberus down, keeping her gaze fixed straight ahead.

"I'll check the area."

Bleu opened his wings, and took to the skies in a blast of wind. He rose until he could watch the forest and river from above.

He saw a group next to the bridge they intended to cross. They were moving quite fast.

The one in the front seemed to be a human girl. Many fog-like monsters and bloodsucking bats chased after her.

A forgotten rage began to burn within Bleu. Those monsters were full of evil intent. He spewed his dragon breath in midair.

Closing his wings halfway, he dropped from the sky aiming at the monsters.

"Bleu came down. Let's go, follow my lead," Karin rallied the others and ran.

*

Karna was running close to the bridge, out of breath. Her heart felt like it would burst. She had a great urge to cast a healing spell, but it didn't look like the monsters right behind her would give her the time.

Running around with the hem of her priest robes rolled up, she figured she should be looking very unseemly, but didn't have the luxury to care about that.

Karna freed her young and healthy legs from those robes as much as she could, and kept running.

She could see the bridge. And some people.

She was saved.

The instant she thought that, a quite ill-timed shame burst within her. Her hands holding off her robe weakened their grip a bit. It fell down and got caught on her legs, and she tumbled down hard, the bridge right in front of her eyes.

The monsters would catch up to her!

Karna twisted around to look behind her. The fog-like monsters made horrifying smiles in the air, as if mocking their prey. She recoiled from them.

The monsters' bodies spread out as if to enwrap her.

She thought that was the end, and then a white figure cut through the deadly fog. Dispersed, the fog lost its devilish lifeforce and disappeared.

Karna raised her head, and saw what kind of creature had attacked the monsters. She instinctively backed away, dragged herself through the ground. The thing in front of her was a ferocious dragon. The other monsters were nothing but kittens compared to a dragon. She was out of the frying pan, but maybe into the fire.

"My friends are coming. Don't move."

The white dragon spoke with an unexpectedly kind voice, and flew towards the monsters. Covering her face with her arm against the wind he whipped up, she heard the voices of girls who had crossed the bridge.

"Are you alright?"

Karin helped the fallen girl to her feet.

"Yes, I'm fine. Never mind that, what's with the white dragon?" Karna asked, pointing at Bleu.

"He's Bleu, a Sacred Dragon. A member of the old Shining Force."

"The Shining Force…"

Karna's eyes sparkled with excitement at Karin's words.

"I'll help him."

Leaving Karna to Krin, Karin took an arrow from her quiver. With fluid motions she held it in her fingers while drawing her bow fully as she lowered the aim at the same time. The string released with a thwack. The bow twirled forward in Karin's hand. The arrow pierced a Vampire Bat as if sucked towards it.

Karna sighed with admiration as she watched the beautiful and smooth sequence of movements.

"And next…"

Karin prepared a second arrow.

"There is no need for this. Unskilled interference will only cause trouble for Sir Bleu," Camallia stopped Karin, her voice calm, and her eyes watching Bleu full of interest.

Karin slowly lowered her longbow.

Camallia was right, those monsters were nothing to Bleu. A single swish of his claws was enough to scatter the living lumps of fog. His lightning breath burned Vampire Bats to a crisp in an instant.

Watching that overwhelming power, Karin doubted if the creature fighting there was even Bleu. There was no sign of the shy, peaceful little dragon that liked to read. The kid who always needed Karin to take care of him was gone.

"What a shame. We didn't get a turn," Krin commented as if she really wanted to cast a Blaze spell, opening and closing her hand nonstop.

"…Yeah, how sad."

Time had passed differently for them, and Karin hated that.

“You're Gong's pupil!?”

Bleu freaked out when Karna introduced herself. Because he thought his huge Master Monk ally from the Shining Force and that dainty girl made a weird combination.

“It shouldn't be that shocking…” Karna pouted, her cheeks glowing by the bonfire's light. Her hair, silver with a rosy tint and in a tall updo, looked like it had an orange glow to it when against the night scenery.

“Also, I'm not officially his pupil yet. That's why I'm chasing after a master as great as him, I want to be accepted properly.”

She put her chartreuse shawl back on, and hugged her knees within her white robe with golden embroidery.

“Gong never stays in a place for long. Looking for him must be tough.”

Bleu gave a wry smile as he reminisced of Gong, who always had a serious look on his face as he walked in silence. He was a strange man, who preferred to be under the stars than having a roof over his head.

“Yeah. I had a loooot of trouble to find out he's in Manarina. And after aaall that… I did hear that the mages there use monsters to protect their country, but I didn't think they'd be this bad.”

“That's not it,” Krin rebuffed loudly from the other side of the fire. Cerberus, laying down on the ground, perked her ears at the sudden shout of her master. Both of her heads stared at Krin with worry.

“We're a whole day away from reaching Manarina. Who knows how many monsters you'd need to protect a radius that wide. They wouldn't do something so absurd no matter what. Or attack people without mercy like that. And most of all, Manarina has no reason to be on lockdown…”

She cut herself off.

“Or there might be one now,” Karin completed her sister's dark thoughts.

“But, I never saw a fog-like monster like that at Manarina. There's no summoning magic capable of bringing something like that.”

“Indeed. Those demons are Dark Smokes, malice given shape,” Camallia told them after being silent so far.

“If you know them, does that mean they're from Parmecia?” Bleu asked, and she nodded.

“Clearly, something has come to this land of Rune.”

Camallia narrowed her emerald green eyes, as if thinking of something.

“We'll be fine as long as nothing has happened to Manarina. Let's set out as early as possible tomorrow.”

By Bleu's suggestion, they all went to sleep.

Save for Bleu and Karin who stood doing watch, everyone wrapped themselves on their traveling cloaks and laid down. It was a warm night. With the thick cloaks and bonfire, the night air didn't help the girls cool down one bit.

The firewood cracked occasionally, making Cerberus' ears twitch. Save for those noises, the night went on silently.

“Karin…” Bleu whispered, turning to the girl at the other side of the fire, who had her back turned to him. They had been staring in opposite directions to watch over the whole area. The others slept quietly next to them.

“Karin…” he whispered again. No answer.

“Why are you angry?”

“I'm not angry,” she replied this time. “I might be looking like it because I'm sleepy. Once the moon rises a bit more, I'll let Camallia take my place.”

She still had her back turned on him as she answered, but, as if suddenly thinking of something, she looked at him.

“Never mind that, are you okay without sleeping?”

“Haha, that's because I'm different from you all. It's no problem for me,” he laughed.

“Yeah… Of course. You're different from us. You're a Sacred Dragon. Sorry, I'm tired so I'll switch with Camallia now.”

She went to wake up Camallia without giving him time to reply. With drowsy eyes now opened, Camallia nodded in understanding without saying anything. Karin wrapped herself in the cloak next to her and curled into sleeping position, her conversation with Bleu ending there.

The embers reflected in Bleu's eyes danced weakly to the wind.

*

The following dawn came. The group hurried to Manarina, with Karna having joined them.

Karna had said that, with a Sacred Dragon by her side, she could surely get to Manarina safe and sound. Bleu allowed her to come along. He only meant to protect her until they arrived. He and Karin had no clue just how deeply grateful and interested in them she had become.

Bleu went flying to survey the way ahead. With his wings spread out horizontally, and his head and tail stretched out, he looked like a beautiful cross.

The group crossed the desert region surrounding Manarina. Krin had done just fine by being smart and riding on Cerberus' back, but Karna dragged things out quite literally by getting her legs stuck in the sand.

Though it wasn't just her; Karin and Camallia also struggled for having never traveled through a desert before.

At last, they could see the walls surrounding Manarina. It was a beautiful construction, covered entirely in reliefs of geometrical patterns. Spells and magic stones were placed in strategic points. This magical wall powered a strong barrier that protected the town.

Once they arrived, the group went straight to Otrant's mansion, taking no time to rest.

Within the walls were a bunch of houses of many different shapes crammed together. It looked like an architectural exhibition. Otrant's mansion was in the very center of that agglomeration.

The mage who welcomed them only wanted to let the Sacred Dragon and Krin inside, but Bleu rejected that.

“These girls have information that needs to be discussed with the Great Wizard Otrant.”

His words carried weight as a Sacred Dragon, so the mage with a dull green beard reluctantly let them all inside.

They all entered the majestic place, with even Karna coming in last, seizing the opportunity as no one would stop her. She threw a mischievous and smug grin at the stern bearded mage at the doorway, then quickly got inside.

The mage made a displeased face, and closed the door without a sound.

Surrounded by many silent mages, the greatest wizard of Manarina was laying down on a bed.

“I'm sorry, Sir Bleu,” was the first thing Otrant said.

“What happened?” Bleu asked, “I did not hear that an illness had befallen you.”

“No, it is no illness. It is shameful, but I fell to a monster attack the other day. Please forgive me for the discourtesy of receiving you in bed. No, more important than that, forgive me for letting the Manual be stolen.”

“What did you…”

Surprised, Camallia approached the great wizard. The feelings that had spurned her on were written in her creased eyebrows.

“Tyrin, I told you to not let anyone uninvolved come in…”

Noticing the girls behind Bleu, Otrant questioned the stern mage from before.

Vexed, the mage named Tyrin apologized. Bleu hastily intervened for him. Though it was late to do it, he introduced Camallia and the other girls.

“So, you say you came from a distant continent to Rune, seeking the Manual?”

Camallia nodded at Otrant.

“Yet, the Manual can be a great danger depending on who possesses it. We intended to get Sir Bleu's approval here to seal it forever.”

“Certainly, the Manual should not be used for the resurrection of things such as the Demon King Darksol, and the Dark Dragon that received his soul. We must avoid this. However, in my land to the north, the Manual is urgently needed. The Sacred Dragons who protect the power of the earth need its power. Should they fall, the uncontrolled earth will run wild, and bring meaningless destruction.”

“There is no destruction with meaning anywhere in this world… Also, could you explain what is this ‘Power of the Earth'?”

“It is power within the earth. Used well, it brings great blessings to the people, but used by evil, it will tear the earth apart and swallow everything. It is clear that evil creatures who desire this power have come to this land. The ship that brought me here was assaulted, and monsters of Parmecia attacked us on our way here as well, likely trying to delay us.”

“Monsters attacked your party and stole the Manual. It might have been the same group, or they might be allies. From a distant, foreign land…”

Otrant's face contorted with growing anxiety.

“Then, wouldn't all of this be the work of people trying to revive Dark Dragon?”

Tyrin spoke from the row of mages gathered in the room. The others chided him for speaking without being asked.

“The monsters went from Rindo to Shade Abbey. If they wished to revive Dark Dragon, they would head straight to the Gate of the Ancients to the south. They seem to be heading to the opposite direction. If their aim is a continent to the north, they must get a ship. But our forces extend to both Rindo and the western bay. Given that, there's only one place where they could get a ship.”

“Uranbatol, or perhaps Waral,” Krin answered Otrant, “that's where they're headed.”

“Camallia, can't you pinpoint the Manual's location again?” Bleu requested, remembering what she had done back at Rudo Village.

“No, it's impossible here. It seems to be because of the barrier, so unless I leave the town for a moment…” Looking a bit scared, she touched her circlet's jewel.

“So, chasing after them will be a bit complicated…”

Bleu mumbled to himself. Karin immediately complained.

“Don't tell me you want to chase after them. That's impossible, you won't reach them in time.”

“But we can't just stay still here, can we?”

“Those devils should be past Shade Abbey already. It's too late, there's no way we would catch up to them.”

“If I fly, I can definitely catch up to them as they enter the Pao Plains. Besides, I shouldn't take you all to something this dangerous anyway. I'm going, by myself,” Bleu told her like she was an unruly child. Perhaps looking at her like that was an excuse to justify his idea.

“There's no point in going alone, what do you think you can do by yourself?” Watching Karin raise her voice, Krin and Karna frantically got between the two.

“Sir Bleu, Lady Karin is correct,” Camallia stated plainly, supporting Karin. “The Manual is not something that belongs to you only.”

At a loss for words, Bleu stared blankly at the two girls, moving his head to one and the other multiple times.

The one who lent him an unexpected helping hand was none other than Otrant.

“The Manual has been under the Sacred Dragons' control for a long time. The responsibility and rights to it now fall upon Sir Bleu as one of them. He was destined to be part of the Shining Force since the beginning, just as the hero Max and the robot Adam. Protecting the Manual is his duty as Sacred Dragon. We have no right to intervene.”

“But we shouldn't put up with a right that forces one to do the impossible, or throw reason away,” Karin argued head on with Otrant. Brushing away Krin, who tried to keep her quiet, she took a step forward. Krin was stuck in a big dilemma, her sister's unyielding spirit being a terrible headache at the moment.

“Then, it would be great to have a possible, reasonable, well planned pursuit.”

Surprising everyone in the room, Tyrin spoke. The other mages all scorned at his impertinence. Otrant quelled their ire, and let him continue.

“A dwarf acquaintance of mine knows a way through the northern mountains. Crossing that path and going through the Pao Plains, how about we enlist the mercenaries at the Pao Train to ambush the devils? A safe, necessary strategy.”

Otrant showed interest in Tyrin's suggestion.

“It is not a bad idea. Around this time of the year, the Pao Train should be staying at the west. It things go well, we might be able to surround them with the pursuing party we sent earlier, or with the soldiers of Bustoke. But, this quick path over the mountains that you speak of, does it really exist?”

“It is not over them. The dwarf path goes through the mountains. In either case, we cannot send a force bigger than this one from here. It would take too much time to ask Shade Abbey or Bustoke for reinforcements. I believe relying on the people of Pao is the wise thing to do.”

“True. Do you agree? Sacred Dragon Bleu, and, Karin of Rudo Village.”

If they could depart right away, Bleu had no objection to it. He could decide between heading to Pao or taking a detour to Bustoke depending on how things went.

Karin reluctantly agreed with the plan as well. There was no reason to continue to be stubborn there. At least she could stop Bleu from running ahead and obsessing over the Manual so much. She held the edge of his wing like she would never let go.

She had made it clear that she would be coming along, and Bleu didn't want to fight on that there. On the contrary, without freeing himself from her grip, he opened his wing slightly in her direction.

“Then, I leave to you, Tyrin, the choice of who will go along Sir Bleu. I will prepare you provisions and a proof of your identity to Queen Koron. As a representative of Manarina, go with Sir Bleu until the Manual's fate is decided.”

Tyrin bowed in reverence to Otrant.

“Sir Bleu, is it fine for you to take Tyrin along?”

Bleu nodded slightly when asked. No reason to refuse it then and there as well.

“Should you successfully reach the monsters, retrieving the Manual takes priority to defeating them. Once the Manual is recovered, you decide what should be done with it. We can lend our power to seal it back in Dragonia, or you might destroy it immediately, do as you wish.”

“What did you… Destroy it, that's…”

Bleu looked shocked at the bedridden great wizard. Everyone else did as much. Camallia remained quiet.

“Should it fall on evil hands once more, unsealed, there will be no choice but destroying it. I believe only you can do it. Should the time come, if you may, do not hesitate,” Otrant said severely, and then took a deep, tired breath. Just talking seemed to have exhausted the great wizard significantly. Pretty much everything had already been discussed. All that remained was to decide what to do. Prompted by the mages, Bleu and his group left Otrant's mansion.

“Well, shall we go then?”

Tyrin, who had left with them, did a light stretch. He must have been holding it back to keep a proper stance in front of Otrant. And there was someone else who had been patiently holding back on speaking all this time.

“They finally let us go. That kind of uptight place isn't my thing.”

Karna took an exaggerated deep breath, then abruptly called Tyrin.

“Old man, old man.”

“Hey, hey, who are you calling an old man. I'm still young, I'd rather you don't treat me like an elder. You seem to have elf blood as well, you could be quite old,” Tyrin threw back at her, looking terribly upset. Though to Karin, who was in her twenties, he really looked like the perfect image of an old man and nothing else.

“But I'm just about to be seventeen...”

Hearing that, Tyrin was speechless. To a long lived elf, that was basically a baby.

He sighed, and Karin and Krin laughed awkwardly at that. Though Bleu and Camallia didn't make a sound, their lips quivered as well.

“So, I just wanted to ask you something, do you know a monk called Gong?”

Karna brought up her main question, unconcerned for the mental damage she had just inflicted on him.

“A monk? I do have the feeling I've seen one around,” Tyrin answered, scratching his beard as he recalled a faint memory. Karna's face brightened up at the answer.

“Where where where, wheeere is he?”

“In the place we're going now,” Tyrin jumped away in a panic from the girl who had grabbed him with plenty of strength.

“And where are you taking us?” Krin asked, pushing him away with her arms as he came flying at her all of a sudden.

“I believe you know that better than anyone. Come, let's not waste time.”

He winked at her, and hurried off.

*

“No.”

The old lady flatly refused.

“Please, master. Don't be selfish. We just need Randolf's help for a little while,” Krin begged the old lady with her hands clasped together.

This lady, known as Granny of the Experiments to the mages of Manarina, was Krin's teacher, Tyrin's friend, and Randolf's employer. She was an exceptional weirdo among the already weird mages.

As his boss, the old lady refused to grant Randolf permission to leave. No matter how one looked at it, she seemed to just be having fun causing problems for Tyrin and the rest.

He and Krin were at a loss on how to deal with her tantrum.

The other four, standing outside her laboratory, gathered near the half opened door without thinking, listening in to the discussion.

“If I said no that's a no. If I let Randolf go, I won't be able to continue my sublime research, will I?”

“Ma'am, this is an order from Master Otrant,” Tyrin told her gravely. At least he hoped to impart the gravity of the situation. But it didn't work with her in the slightest.

“Otrant was once just a naughty brat I gave plenty of beatings and scoldings to. That one's a hundred years too young to order me around!”

She laughed, and Tyrin began sweating as he tried to persuade her.

“So this is the kind of place my sister's been studying at?” Karin whispered.

“I guess.” Bleu scratched his nose at her words.

“Who was that? Is there someone outside?”

The old lady had heard Karin speak, and went to look outside her room. Her ears were apparently in pretty good shape for her age. With a bit of regret for having talked so carelessly, Bleu and the others entered the room.

“Ooh, if it isn't a Sacred Dragon. Good. Excellent. Alright, if you all help with my experiment, I'll let you have the dwarf.”

The old lady's eyes shined as she saw Bleu, and Randolf angrily raised an eyebrow at what she had said.

“Hey hey hey, I'm not a thing. Don't go handing me over as you want. First of all, to let him help on the experiments, what do you want to turn him into? Or, are you gonna turn someone into a dragon...?”

Randolf looked at the machine in the corner of the room. It was bigger than Bleu. The imposing contraption, covered by a transparent dome, was a shapeshifting machine.

The reason the old lady was known as Granny of the Experiments was due to turning people into a bunch of different animals with that machine. That's why even the bulletin boards in Manarina had posters warning to beware of her.

“Even I can't turn people into Sacred Dragons. That's why I'm still researching. I hardly get the chance to pick up such a rare material to experiment with. Hohoho!”

“Bleu isn't any sort of lab animal!” Karin shouted.

“To me, all creatures are lab material, me included. You, and you, and you, and you...”

She spun around pointing each one of them.

“This machine, it looks a lot like the one in the Ancient Tower at Prompt... So you want me to get inside?” Bleu asked. Camallia wanted to say something, but the old lady was faster.

“The machine in the Ancient Tower was only for breathing lifeforce into an artificial creature, like Dark Dragon. It sucked out the life of living beings that entered it and transferred it to something else. This machine here is very different. It was dug out from the Bustoke Quarry a long time ago. Good ol' me here restored it, and it became usable again.”

The old lady scolded Krin for not being awed and clapping like a pupil should. The poor girl praised her after way too long. A bit angry, she continued to explain the machine.

“This machine can transform a creature into another kind of creature. For example, it can turn giant worms and such into cute chickens and cows. Oh, it's such a groundbreaking invention.”

She made a dreamy face, enchanted by her own words.

“But, I don't think anyone would want milk or stew from a cow that used to be a worm…” Karin mumbled, disgusted. Karna nodded, her lips tightened together.

“You don't understand the greatness of this research. Foolish little girls.”

Karna got terribly angry at the old lady's insult, puffing her cheeks. But, suddenly remembering her reason for being there, she quickly calmed down.

“Old lady, have you seen a man called Gong, maybe?”

“Gong? Let's see…” She inclined her head, trying to gather her memories. “Ah, do you mean that huge monk? He helped me here a couple of days ago.”

Karna beamed.

“It could be him. So, could you tell me where he is now?”

“He left.”

“Ehh?”

She froze instantly, after having jumped in joy at first.

“He just suddenly walked out. I have no clue where he went.”

He ran away, whispered Tyrin in Karna's ear. Probably, thought everyone who heard him.

Bleu too started wishing to ran away like Gong. He didn't have time to waste with this stuff.

“We can't spend too much time here. I enter that, then you give us him, right?”

“Don't give in, Bleu. This is a waste of time too,” Karin rushed to stop him as he touched the machine.

“Whoa, whoa, who told you to enter? What I want is your cells. Turning a Sacred Dragon into a frog or a snake wouldn't be much fun now, would it?”

Rummaging through a box, the old lady chided the hasty dragon. Right after, she exclaimed “here, found it,” and took out an odd tool with a needle.

“What, I'm just gonna take some blood from you all.”

Her face contorted with glee as she carried the giant injection needle.

“Hey, hey, you don't mean even from me, do you?”

Randolf took a step away from her.

“I don't see why not. I still don't have many dwarf cells, after all.”

Hurried by Bleu and Tyrin, who were fed up with all that, everyone agreed to her procedure against their will. Even Randolf and Cerberus fell in her clutches. The one who resisted the most was Camallia, who tried to plead religious reasons, and that she was a foreigner, but the old lady didn't care at all for that. In the end, she went after half of the group had already done it.

“One Sacred Dragon, one dwarf, one elf, one half-elf, three humans, and one cerberus… Hohoho. Now, what crystals should I use…”

This time, she began rummaging through another box, full of crystal slabs shining in every color of rainbow. It was as if she had immediately forgotten about everyone else in the room.

“Hey, you're a bother to my work. Out.”

She ushered them out of the lab. Camallia wished from the bottom of her heart that this old mage's research with their cells never got completed.

“Well then,” Tyrin relaxed his shoulders, then asked his old friend, “guide us.”

“Hang on, why do I have to do this?”

Randolf grabbed Tyrin's orange-brown robe, stopping him from running ahead.

“What do you mean ‘why', I explained everything before. And the old lady has allowed you to.”

“The old lady is the old lady, I'm talking about me. I'm no kid to be sent out by my guardian. I do what I want to.”

“Then, can't you consider it?” Tyrin requested once more.

Randolf stubbornly rejected it. “I refuse. I shouldn't take anyone who isn't a dwarf through the secret path. Besides, I have nothing to do with this Manual and what it will be used for. I'm not sticking my nose in that kind of trouble when it's not worth a cent.”

“Cheapskate.”

Someone murmured.

“What did you say?”

Randolf turned around, and saw Karna with her puffed cheeks.

“I said you're a stingy miser, that's what you are. Lending a hand to people in trouble is the right thing to do.”

She began preaching to the stubborn dwarf as a priest was bound to do.

“That's my decision to make.”

“Cheapskate,” she made the same face again. Of course, it was useless to preach to a man several times her age. Besides, Karna wasn't one to keep a dignified front for long.

“C'mon now, a young girl shouldn't talk like that. Not to mention, you seem to be a priest too.”

“Oh, I can speak however I want to a dwarf like you. I don't think the gods will forgive your actions.”

“My, what a difficult kid.”

“You're the difficult one!”

Karna had got angry to the point of tears, and Karin hurried to calm her down. She hugged Karin, burying her face in the older girl's chest.

Randolf felt a bit troubled, as he did not intend to make her cry.

His gaze fell downwards, and when he raised his head again, the white dragon was right in front of him.

“Randolf the dwarf, I beg you once more. We need your help.”

Bleu's long neck was bowed down all the way to the dwarf's face.

“Bleu, you shouldn't ever have to go this far.”

Karin tried to push his head up. A proud and noble Sacred Dragon, hero of times past, shouldn't lower himself to a mere dwarf. But, Bleu's head stayed firmly where it was.

“If you want us to beg, then, please.”

Joining the plea for help, Karin also bowed down towards Randolf, by Bleu's side and as deeply as him. Not leaving her sister alone in that, Krin also bowed by her side.

“I ask of you as well, dwarf, sir.”

A bit late, Camallia joined them. Hers was a more elegant gesture, bending her upper body without lowering her head as much.

“Now, what will you do, dear friend. I will ask of you once more as well. To retrieve the stolen Manual, we require a dwarf's assistance…”

Tyrin bowed.

Karna quickly lowered her head as well by Karin's side, her face stained with tears.

“Fine, I get it, stop pestering me, you all. I'll guide you, now get these heads back up already.”

Randolf had at last joined the group.

*

“Why are you still coming with me?”

“Leaving us behind is just selfish of you. You can't run off doing whatever you want.”

“That's not it.”

Tyrin had arranged desert vehicles, Sand Rovers, for the team, and Bleu and Karin bickered to no end in front of them. Krin and Karna were with Karin as well.

It was as if she had got a second little sister, and she was also more headstrong than ever.

Bleu absolutely wanted the two sisters and Karna to stay in Manarina. He had perhaps been too naive on that. Had he thought about it just a bit, he would have easily realized that those sisters would never accept being left behind like burdens.

Karna too wanted to come no matter what. She knew already that Gong was not in Manarina, so she had no reason to stay.

“First of all, why even Karna came…”

Bleu changed the focus of his arguments.

“Well, I have no clue where Master went. I can't go after him, so I have to wait. If I follow you, a fellow hero of the Shining Force, we might find him at some point.”

“No way it would be that easy!” He shouted, fed up with that.

“Besides, while I can't meet my master, I thought I could get physical training with Karin. Get the basics down before I become a monk,” she flexed her skinny arm as she spoke.

“Huh!? What do you mean, what do you see me as?”

“I don't think she meant anything bad…” Krin murmured at her sister's side, who got mad at being seen like a muscular monster.

“Aah, don't get me wrong. I just think Karin is stronger than Sir Bleu.”

Karna rushed to correct herself, as she didn't intend to make Karin angry. But it still didn't fix things.

“In spirit, maybe,” Bleu nodded with his arms crossed.

“And I'm telling you to take us with you, Bleu!” Karin got back on topic.

They kept getting more heated as time went by, wasted.

“So what now? I'm not waiting any more. I've got no interest at spending the whole night like this. Tyrin, can't we leave them here and go just the three of us?”

Randolf had already lost his patience. Annoyed, he went to talk to the four still quarreling.

“Hey, figure it out already. That's right, Tyrin. You were the one responsible for picking out the team. Do it now, c'mon!”

Tyrin was deeply troubled once Randolf named him all of a sudden. The pressure from everyone's eyes was heavy on him.

“That's… You want me to decide!?” He faltered, and Randolf pressed him on. “So, I think talking here is a waste of time… What if we finish packing up, and discuss things on the move?”

Bleu told him to stop joking around. But it was too late, the girls had already shrewdly loaded the back of the vehicle with their baggage and climbed on.

Bleu resented Tyrin from the bottom of his heart. Once they left Manarina, there would no point in telling the girls to go back.

“Alright, let's go.”

By Randolf's order, the staff on the two vehicles began to work. Bleu bitterly got on one of the machines.

With the skilled driving of the Sand Rover's soldiers, the group headed to the northern mountain range under the moonlight.

“They really don't get tired, do they?”

Krin looked to Karna by her side, and she nodded.

Bleu and Karin had got on the second vehicle, and continued to argue since then. They were certainly a bother to Camallia and the soldiers driving there, while Tyrin and Randolf were on the same vehicle as Krin and Karna. Karna quietly prayed for them all to get some peace and rest.

While they worried, Camallia seemed to be enjoying the situation. Resting her arms on the edge of the trunk, she had watched their discussion the whole time.

In the end, those two were merely worried about each other. Thinking that staying together was dangerous, or that going alone was dangerous. That was the only difference between the two's points.

Thinking only of physical power in a battle, Bleu was right. But, would it really be all that was to it? Camallia was confident that, in a direct battle, there was no guarantee Bleu would win against her. Putting aside how much did that even matter... Camallia felt confused and surprised as she recognized the essential difference of the strengths Bleu and Karin stood for.

Her intention had been to keep an eye on Bleu only, but she had begun to see them all as a unit, and secretly berated herself for it. Bleu and Karin, and everyone else there. She felt something would change just from watching over them like this. That hadn't occurred to her from the start. She felt confused at her own change of view, feeling not out of place on a journey she began for very different reasons.

When Karin's voice started to get hoarse, Camallia intervened.

“Sir Bleu, you have lost this time. Lady Karin as well, how about taking some rest?”

As she spoke, she threw some fruit to the two. She had procured them in Manarina, a fruit typical of arid lands called Aquin, with juicy flesh within its hard shell.

Perhaps it could help refresh her throat. Karin accepted it without saying anything. But because the shell was hard, she couldn't break it open. Bleu couldn't stay just watching that, and cut it in half for her. However, his hands couldn't reach the pulp inside. She took the pulpy segments out the shell without issue, and gave one to Bleu.

To Bleu, the fruit was sweet and slightly bitter. He turned his face in Camallia's direction. Locking eyes with the meddling girl, he narrowed his at her.

His blue eyes, taking in the stillness of the night, had a deeper color.

“Geez, next time I wish you helped me out.”

He jumped off the trunk. Without his weight, the trunk and the Sand Rover jumped up. Angry as he wanted to go to the driving soldiers in silence, he scowled again. The girls looked at his face, giggling.

“Lady Karin, has Sir Bleu always been like this?” Camallia whispered. Karin asked what she meant.

“I mean if he has always been that kind.”

“I'm not.”

Bleu answered as he overheard their talk. Karin laughed at that.

“You are, though.”

“No, I mean that the dragon races I know are far more ferocious. Since ancient times, they are the ultimate guardians. And yet Sir Bleu is, how do I say… He is, oddly human-like…”

“Yeah, I'm weird,” Bleu sulked even more.

“Sure, you might be. Maybe it's because you were raised alongside us humans all this time. But, I don't know any Sacred Dragons except you. If you asked me about them, I can only think of you. So, I don't know.”

Camallia didn't seem to agree, but she didn't push further on the subject.

The Sand Rovers continued to ran through the dark night.

Further on, the trees grew thicker, and they were no longer capable of advancing through that terrain.

“From here on, there's no going back.”

Randolf got off the vehicle and announced that, while running his eyes through everyone. His face was especially scary when looking at Karna and Krin.

“He's right. From here on we might get into a battle. In particular, Karna would be better off leaving.”

Karna was undaunted by Bleu's words.

“It seems everyone is mistaken about me. I'm not that weak. I've fought off thieves alongside my travel partners before. Priests are people who seek trials. Especially someone in training like me, we have to move onwards and face peril. Besides, running away alone while others rise up despite the danger would be unforgivable. Asking me to turn back here is asking me to throw away what makes me a priest. That's a great offense. I'm sure Camallia understands.”

As she looked for her approval, Camallia nodded vaguely.

“Still, knowing your limits is another side to wisdom.”

Karna's thick eyebrows frowned at Tyrin's words.

“As long as I have faith in people, I'll be fine no matter what happens. And should I die while acting with conviction, it will stand as a holy sacrfice.”

“I don't care for doctrines or whatever, but to each their own waste of time. I know that when someone holds on to faith like that, nothing can change their mind. Now, we walk from here on.”

Randolf sent off the vehicles back to Manarina, and walked off, leading the group.

He was well used to the path, while the others followed with great effort. With his large body, Bleu had to be careful to not hurt his wings on tree branches. Karin couldn't bear to watch that, and covered his wings with her cloak.

After a while, the forest began to vary in elevation. Randolf seemed to navigate through the ups and downs as he moved forward, and then he stopped.

In front of him, there were fine tree roots covering a spot of elevated ground.

“This is the entrance. Follow me.”

He pushed the roots away like a curtain, and headed in. The inside was like a cave.

Krin held a lantern. There was a stairway heading down further into the narrow path.

“Not fair, you told Tyrin about this but hid it from me all this time,” she lamented, staring at the stairs that went too deep to be illuminated by the lantern's faint light. The frustration of not knowing something started bubbling into anger typical of a researcher.

“It's the first time I bring Tyrin here.”

Tyrin nodded a couple times at Randolf's words. Randolf didn't even look at his reaction, quickly heading down the stairs instead.

After descending for quite a while, the path became level. While covered in soil and moss of many years, it was a bright artificial tunnel.

“It might be a shortcut, but going through a long and dark place like this isn't great.”

Karin strained her eyes in the darkness, Karna clinging close to her back. She felt like she had got another little sister. That was some quick attachment.

“Don't worry, there's a ride for us.”

Randolf pointed to a door that had suddenly appeared in the way, and pushed it open with both his arms. He went in, gesturing with his head for everyone to follow.

The group went inside after him and winced at how bright it was. They groaned as their eyes struggled to adjust to light again.

Once their vision returned, everyone but Randolf exclaimed in surprise.

The room was as wide as a palace hall. Many black lines spread out from the center, and disappeared into the depths of arched tunnels connected to the walls.

“What is all this?” Krin asked, wiping her fogged glasses.

“Stopping point for an ark, that's all we've learned,” Randolf replied bluntly.

“So there are still things like this around, besides the Castle of the Ancients.”

Bleu's face was a mix of shock and anxiety and nostalgia, as he walked along the walls of the hall.

There were frames of pitch black pictures decorating them here and there.

“Why is it decorated like this? Or, could it be that the pictures faded out?”

He blew off the dust over the pictures, and moved his face closer to the wall. Right then, what he thought was a dark picture started to shine with a bright light. Startled, Bleu backed away.

“Hey, what are you messing up with there?”

Randolf rushed over.

The brightly shining picture began to fill with mysterious patterns. At the same time, a high pitched and gentle female voice echoed through the hall. No one could make understand the words being said in a strange intonation.

“These patterns repeat through the picture. They are characters.”

Krin brought her face closer to the wall, inspecting it with eyes wide open.

“It's painful that we cannot read them.”

Krin nodded at Tyrin's words.

Eventually, the characters faded out, and a map was displayed.

“It's a map of this place. Perhaps this is an information board.”

“You seem to be familiar with this,” Randolf looked suspicious at Camallia.

“It's because there is something similar to this in the land of the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia.”

“What? You mean there's a place like this in your homeland? But, our ancestors didn't see anything like what we just saw, no matter how much they searched.”

“That is because, perhaps, it recognized Sir Bleu as an authority. This too, might be a place once oversaw by the Sacred Dragons. If that's true, it must obey a Sacred Dragon's orders without question.”

“So, with this Sacred Dragon, we might be able to use anything in this place. He could open all the locked tunnels.”

Randolf pressed her on. His eyes shined with the light of curiosity and ambition.

“I didn't order it to do anything. It just started working on its own when I touched it.”

Confused, Bleu tried to stop the expectations piling up on him all of a sudden.

“You could make it work, so why don't you know how to use it?”

“Bleu's parents didn't have time to teach him. I'm sure that was it.” Karin jumped in Bleu's defense.

“So, the Sacred Dragons of this Parmecia land, they should know how to use this, right?”

“Yes, that's likely,” Camallia nodded.

“Then, I'm going there. I want to find out all the secrets of this place. With that, I'll be able to use all the sealed tunnels. Maybe I'll even find new mines. I might strike it rich here. Come, let's hurry and board the ark. I expect we'll be able to sleep in the time that thing will take to get to the other side of the mountains.”

Randolf hurried them, pointing to a vessel over the lines. This vessel he called an ark looked like a huge upside-down boat. It had no wheels. Karin secretly questioned if it would really move.

The group got inside the ark through a door in the back. The empty insides looked like a cargo hold of sorts.

Randolf used the control panel in the front, and the ark began to gently float, with them inside. And then it sped forward, as if gliding through the black lines.

“Waaaah, awesome, my eyes are spiiining! This was built by your ancestors!?” Karna asked as she watched the flickering lights of the tunnel fly by.

“They didn't built it, I said that they found it. This is a legacy of the gods. I also didn't explore everything inside here. All I did was find mines of precious metals and crystals in the depths of the cavern and the exits on the other side.”

“Crystals?”

At Karin's question, Randolf showed a thin crystal shining like the rainbow.

“These are the key to making the old lady's machine work,” Krin explained to her sister. “There are many kinds of them, and each affect the machine in a different way. But, only a few are in perfect shape, most have some cracks on them and end up being just pretty rocks.”

“All fine by me, I get to sell these rocks to the old lady for a good penny. It's more profit than selling crafts.”

He roared with laughter, putting the crystal away.

“The point is, if I find jewels or gold or silver mines, I can live without digging this strange stuff anymore. And if I hit the jackpot with the greatest ore of all, I'll be rich in an instant. I could call back my family who got tired of protecting a bunch of ruins they didn't understand. It'd be a dream to build a dwarf town in this underground too. I'm excited to cross the ocean now!”

Bleu and Karin exchanged looks at that.

“Hey, hey, you just chase wherever the money go, don't you?” Bleu said.

“Besides,” Tyrin added with a reprimanding tone, “the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia are warring with devils right now.”

Bleu wanted to make Randolf give up. They already had to take care of Karna, why did he want to come along too.

“Interesting. That much won't stop me. I don't think getting my hands on these secrets will be easy, I'm no idiot. Dwarves are top-notch warriors. How about that, Sacred Dragon, why not employ me as your protection?”

Everyone blinked when he said that. Offering protection to a Sacred Dragon, the audacity.

“I don't believe Sir Bleu has the need. It's plain to see who's the strongest one,” Tyrin chided Randolf.

“No, I'm counting on you.”

Everyone but Randolf turned in surprise as Bleu said that. He had changed his mind all of a sudden.

He wouldn't be able to always be at Karin's side. He had to intention of taking her to Parmecia, but he wasn't sure even the journey to Pao would be safe. Should anything happen, he needed someone besides Tyrin to protect the girls.

“Glad to be on board.”

Randolf slapped Tyrin on the back with all his strength. The mage coughed helplessly.

“Now, this ark will go on just fine without us doing anything, so you should all go to sleep. Like that girl over there.”

Randolf pointed with his chin at Karna, wrapped up like a ball in her cloak. Seems she hadn't got used to the ride and felt sick. Quietly laughing at what a relief that was, Randolf laid down as well.

With no wheels to jostle it, the ark ran silently at high speed through the stripes of light. Except for the queasy Karna, everyone killed time as they pleased until they reached their destination.

Moving away from Tyrin and Krin, who inspected the control panel without rest, Karin sat down with Bleu and Camallia.

“Do the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia live in a place like this?” Bleu asked the foreign girl.

“Are you curious?” Camallia asked back to gauge his reaction.

“I would be lying if I said no. Isn't it strange? The gods could build things like this. Why did the Sacred Dragons, who should be their chosen ones, end up down a road of destruction? Be it in Rune, or in Parmecia…”

“But, aren't you still here?” Karin said, “And the dragons of Parmecia aren't gone yet. The gods were the one who disappeared first.”

“Yeah, even the gods were destroyed, so it's not that weird if the Sacred Dragons are too.”

Karin had tried to cheer Bleu up, but realized she had done the opposite.

“My problem is, why did it happen,” Bleu continued.

“That was because they were cut from the Manual. The Sacred Dragons's lives and the Manual are tied together by an inescapable fate.”

“I don't think it's their fate.”

Karin objected to Camallia's choice of words.

“It is, the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia receive their Flame of Life through the Power of the Earth.”

“Flame of Life?” Bleu echoed a term he was unfamiliar with.

Camallia nodded. “With the secret arts of the Manual, they receive their life force. That was set up by the gods in distant times. Thanks to the gods, as long as they can take the Power of the Earth into their bodies, they are immortal. Because of that, they, no, you became known as the dragons of the gods. Did you not know that?”

Camallia asked, turning to face Bleu.

What was he if he didn't know even that, Bleu asked himself. What was he, after all? And what kind of creature were the Sacred Dragons? He didn't have a clear answer for these questions. Finding the answers was the big challenge in his life.

But, the more he mulled over it, the more differences he realized between Sacred Dragons and humans, between him and Karin. In particular, the more they learned of the physical differences, the harder it was to get past them.

Karin wanted to say something to him. But even someone from Rudo Village like her, so deeply connected with the Sacred Dragons, didn't know any more than him. But unlike Bleu, she was not facing their differences, but focusing on their similarities, with a feeling other than sadness.

“After we retrieve the Manual from the devils, and meet the Sacred Dragons in Parmecia, all might be explained. The knowledge you missed on learning should be there. In the mountain of the Sacred Dragons.” She paused. “What I really wish to know is, why are you the only Sacred Dragon left in Rune, you and no one else...”

Bleu found himself captive of Camallia's eyes.

Breathing became slightly harder. He felt as if his soul was melting inside his body.

“Let's go to sleep.”

Karin broke the spell. She got in the middle of the two, and tried to push Bleu to lie down.

“You're right, Lady Karin. We should rest as well.”

Laughing softly, she undid her sash and started to take off her surcoat. She then took off her long gloves and boots, exposing as much skin as she could. She was glad she was in a safe place where she could relax and sleep like that. Stretching her long legs as she laid down, she turned over her wide cloak and covered herself.

“From tomorrow on we can't waste any time. Let's rest well.”

Bleu sprawled himself on the floor.

Karin laid down happily by his side. Bleu curved his long tail, supporting her head like a pillow. And then covered her with his wings like a blanket. Like it was the usual for them.

Camallia rested her head on her hands, and looked on as they slept happily. She continued to stare at them with deep interest until falling asleep.

*

The group emerged back into the fields, after safely crossing the mountains. They hurried on their journey, heading towards the Pao Plains.

By Krin and Tyrin's calculations, they should be a day ahead of the monsters. If they could get the mercenaries at Pao and come back, they would be able to ambush the enemies at the mountain path that led to the plains. The devils wouldn't be able to escape a trap in such a narrow pathway.

In the forest, Karin replaced Randolf as the lead. Tyrin gave the general directions by her side, and she decided the exact path to traverse according to the condition of the plants and other forest signs. Bleu was speechless on how observant she was, not letting the slightest detail pass unnoticed.

Bleu struggled the most with the thick cluster of trees. Unlike Camallia and Karna, he didn't have the power to heal everyone's exhaustion either. He grew frustrated with himself. Once they got to a wider place or a road he'd be able to stretch out his wings. He did his best to put up with it.

Once the sun had gone down, the group had finally come out the end of the forest, reaching the road between Bustoke and the Pao Plains.

And there, their calculations failed them.

They ran right into the monster squad that had stolen the Manual. A sudden encounter, one could say.

“They shouldn't be here by our calculations, so why…” Krin complained about the unexpected turn of events, as she stared at the twenty or so monsters that had appeared in front of them.

The devils were just as shocked as them.

“Impossible! Why is there a Sacred Dragon here?”

One of the monsters, accompanying the squad of harpies and armed lizardmen, stared wide-eyed at Bleu, with empty eyes devoid of light. Those eyes caught sight of Camallia by his side. The devil then understood everything.

“So you survived. And you guided them here. It's always you, always... Fine, if you'll be this much of a hindrance, then I, Ziduur, will end you just like those pursuing mages.”

The monster's fangs showed over the corner of his lips, and his two horns, atop his head like a moth's antennas, swung backwards in a menacing stance. Deep crimson hair ran from the nape of his neck to his back like a mane, bristling. As if answering to that, the lizardmen raised their slimy triangular heads, their bifurcated tongues flickering through their lips. The harpies let out ear-piercing shrieks.

“If you want this, come and take it.”

Ziduur held a box made of ebony. It was full of intricate inlay decorations with a foreign feel.

“Sir Bleu, there's no doubt, the Manual is in there!”

With Tyrin's shout, the battle began.

“Randolf, Tyrin, take care of the girls!”

While shouting, Bleu bolted towards Ziduur, as if drawn to the Manual in his hands. Cerberus followed behind him.

“Wait, don't just rush in, it won't go well if we fight separated,” Randolf hastily stopped Camallia, who wanted to jump ahead as well.

“Bleu, come back right now! Bleu!”

All his pent up feelings were unleashed at once. And at the same time, he had confidence in being the one who always broke through the enemy lines. With that amount of enemies, he believed he could strike the commander at once and end the battle with that. There was no reason to eliminate them all. Once he retrieved the Manual, he could just disperse the rest of the enemies. The shorter the battle, the less likely it would be for Karin and the others to get hurt. And by defeating all the monsters himself, he could prove his power to them. Maybe then the girls would stay behind without a fuss, Bleu thought.

However, his reckless advance did not go as he expected.

Superior to him in speed and number, the harpies put up a tough fight against him. Wanting to rush to Ziduur straight away, he had become isolated from his allies.

Randolf and Camallia shielded the others, facing the incoming lizardmen head on.

“Bleu, I'll burn down these enemies, get out of the way!”

Krin began chanting a Blaze spell, but Karin stopped her. If she cast the flames in a wide area, Bleu would certainly get caught in them.

“Krin, give up and target a single enemy,” Karin ordered, while shooting down an enemy away from Bleu with perfect accuracy. Their lack of coordination was apparent. Karin bit down her anger at Bleu's stupid actions.

“I won't show mercy to any who interfere. Join the hateful corpses that sleep under this earth.”

Ziduur took out a piece of a crimson jewel, and held it tightly within his left hand, as if squeezing it. Beams of light came through between his fingers.

“That light!” Camallia shouted, alerting everyone.

Ziduur punched the ground. Thin sparks of crimson lightning ran at once over the surface.

“What did he do?”

Karna watched in awe as the ground in front of her began to stir, and something jumped out from within.

“Eep!” She let out a strangled scream as she came face to face with a skeleton.

“Get down!”

Hearing that shout from behind her, Karna got down while covering her head with both arms. The end of a flail flew past her, sending the skeleton's skull flying like a football. As she pulled the weapon back, Camallia smashed its upper body as well.

In the brief moment where Karna breathed a sigh of relief, more skeletons jumped from below, one after the other. Those skeletal warriors, carrying all kinds of different weapons, were the warped forms of monsters once defeated in that land, and the travelers they once killed.

“Are we surrounded?”

Watching the growing swarm of skeletons and lizardmen around them, Randolf swung his Battle Axe once again. If the monsters attacked all at once, they certainly wouldn't manage to defend against all of them.

Karna shouted for everyone to get closer together.

“O benevolent ones who watch upon all, please hear our prayers. Gather the righteous light within our hearts, and make it into a shield of holy brilliance!!”

By her incantation, the faint shine of the supporting spell Boost enveloped the whole group from within. The monsters with no flesh nor blood were driven away by that light.

Not wasting the opportunity, Randolf and Camallia attacked. The mages covered the openings between them, Tyrin freezing the enemies to stand as shields, and Krin erecting walls of fire with her Blaze spells. They were doing their best to defend themselves, but the situation still wasn't good as they were outnumbered.

On one swing, Camallia's flail became entangled in another flail wielded by a skeleton. The resulting forces made both of them lose their grips on their weapons. Without delay, the skeleton took a short sword from the back of its shield, and charged at the now empty-handed girl. Another short sword was thrown at the skeleton as it did that. By reflex, the skeleton knocked it down with its shield. Camallia jumped at the fallen sword, grabbing it and swinging it at the skeleton's leg to cut it down. The monster fell down as it lost its balance, and Camallia stepped on its bony body from over its shield, using all of her strength to crush it.

“Thank you, Sir Randolf.”

Picking up her flail, she stood back to back with Randolf, who had moved backwards. She extended a hand in his direction, trying to return his short sword that had saved her from her predicament.

“I don't mind. Keep it. Without a spare weapon, something like this might happen to you again.”

Answering that, he swung his blade at another monster.

At that time, Bleu was also surrounded by even more enemies than before.

Sacred Dragons had tough bodies and powerful attacks, but were in no way invincible. Their thick hide was hard to penetrate with a blade, yet at some point he had been wounded, and it bled. While he had finished off many of the harpies, he had also hurt his wings. The injury was not severe, but it made him unable to fight the remaining harpies in the air. Having fallen to the ground, Bleu faced a concentrated assault from the group of enemies.

Sustaining minor injuries all over his body, Bleu had made a pile of corpses out of his enemies. Yet he was clearly exhausted. Taking a fierce blow to his chest, he began to cough violently.

In this terrible moment, a lizardman brandished his Large Axe. In Bleu's current condition, he couldn't dodge or spew out his lightning breath.

The monsters became agitated.

Steeling himself for the fatal blow, Bleu saw a silver blur pass through the corner of his vision. Fresh blue blood spilled by. With a deep gash on his torso, the lizardman turned around only to be cut again like a paper doll by sharp claws, this time on the chest.

“Zylo!?” Bleu exclaimed in surprise, seeing the werewolf that had showed up behind the fallen lizardman.

“It's been a long time, Bleu.”

Zylo's eyes had the glint of a wild beast hidden within, and he narrowed them in recognition for an instant.

Taking that as an opening, the harpies attacked from the sky.

“Watch out!”

Faster than Bleu's cry, Zylo jumped to the air. He spun next to harpy like a gear, hitting it with a somersault, and knocking it down hard to the ground. The blood from the harpy's torn neck ran in lines across her dead body.

“Before worrying for others, worry about yourself. Honestly, what a pathetic fight you put up. Have you forgotten your past experience? I'll show you how it is to fight as a group. Watch and learn.”

Zylo howled.

The lizardmen and harpies flinched at the incoming chants of beast hunters. From its direction came the rushing sound of rain. A merciless rain of arrows...

Once the synchronized barrage of arrows ended, Zylo had also disappeared. Too fast for Bleu's eyes to keep up, he ran between the disoriented enemies, cutting them down as he passed them by. One by one they fell to the ground.

Having broken through the enemies surrounding them, Zylo reached Karin's group.

“It's Zylo, the king of Bustoke.”

Krin calmed down the others, who were on guard, unsure if he was a new enemy.

“We'll regroup with Bleu. Follow me without delay,” Zylo ordered, and turned away from them without waiting for an answer. He spoke as if certain that they'd obey. Not forceful. Just showing unwavering confidence.

“Diane!!” He shouted. In answer, a squad of archers appeared from the forest shadows, led by an elf girl. Their bowstrings rang as they once again released their arrows in unison.

Diane's archers concentrated their assault on the skeletons. The ropes tied in their arrows perfectly wrapped around their enemies. The skeletons hit by them fell down and tumbled through the ground. It seemed as if they knew what enemies they'd be facing, which made Krin impressed, but also a bit suspicious.

“Let's go!”

Zylo dashed away, heading towards Bleu, who had recovered some energy and continued to fight on his own. The others ran behind him as fast as they could.

“Karna, Camallia, heal Bleu, quickly!”

As Zylo and Randolf took the surrounding enemies down, Karin immediately asked the priests to tend to Bleu. While the archers of Bustoke kept lending them support, Camallia healed everyone who had been injured with Aura, the high level healing spell.

“Thank you, Camallia. You too, Karin…” Bleu thanked the girls.

“There's no time to waste,” Zylo urged Bleu. “Let's retrieve the Manual at once with this.”

Led by the wolf king, the group split apart the confused enemies. Separated from each other, they had no time to recover, and were shot down by Diane's squad.

“Now. Sir Bleu, the Manual!” Tyrin shouted.

Spreading his healed wings, Bleu flew over the skeletons. The monsters were knocked down by the wings and the gust of wind.

Ziduur held up the ruby in his hand. His body was enveloped in red light.

“Like I'll let you teleport!”

The monster had jumped away, but Bleu sliced him with his claws.

Ziduur's arm was torn and sent flying, tracing an arc in midair, weighted down by the ebony box it carried.

Bleu had his attention drawn to the Manual for a moment. Ziduur didn't miss that, casting a Blaze spell in that time. Bleu crossed his arms in front of him as the flames burst in front of him.

“Bleu!!”

Karin and Camallia left the few remaining monsters to Zylo, and ran to the dragon.

He looked down bitterly at the space Ziduur had teleported away from. It shimmered like hot air, proving that a devil stood there just a moment before.

He picked up the box with the Manual, and Camallia saw that both his arms were bleeding.

“Are you wounded?” she asked, walking to him.

“It's no big deal. Just scratches.”

“Even a small injury cannot be left alone.”

While he insisted that he was fine, Camallia softly kissed his wounds.

Bleu suddenly felt eyes on him, and tried to pull away from her.

“Please stay still.”

Camallia's warm lips moved over his skin as she said the words. Her hot tongue traced over his wound, licking off the blood. Her throat made a glugging noise as she drank it. Her lips continued to move over it, trembling with her incomprehensible chants and sighs.

She let go after a while, and no trace of the wound was left.

“Bleu, the king of Bustoke is calling.”

Karin only said that before turning her back and running away.

*

A small twig cracked in the campfire.

The sun had already set, and the dark of the night spread around them.

“This is the Manual…”

Bleu had opened the ebony box, and stared at the Manual inside. It was a bunch of semi-transparent slabs, set atop the felt covering the box.

He furrowed his brows slightly at the dread he felt coming from the artifact. It seemed he was the only one feeling such pressure from those crystals, due to being a Sacred Dragon.

The moment he extended his fingers towards it, he felt a shock, as if his soul had been gripped tight, so he pulled away in panic. He shuddered, feeling like his soul could be crushed if he did touch it like that.

He felt that it was not meant to be held. But it felt different from something sacred.

“What’s wrong,” Karin asked, getting the wrong idea from how he acted, “if you can’t take it out, I’ll do it.”

“Right, thanks,” he gave the box to her.

As their hands touched, Karin instinctively noticed his fear. She gave a suspicious glance to the Manual. Its crystal sheets shined beautifully, and she couldn’t see anything else to it. She took it out of the box with ease, and held it against the light of the fire.

“How is this called a book?” Zylo asked, tilting his head at the object.

It was more comparable to stone slates than a book. The three rectangular crystal slabs shone in all the colors of the rainbow as they reflected the light in a diffuse way. Maybe that was due to an irregular composition, or due to some unseen pattern carved in them. No one could figure out the exact reason. The only thing clear to all of them was that it was in no way a regular book.

“It looks like my crystals, but the shape and size aren’t the same,” Randolf said, taking a crystal piece from his pocket for comparison. The Manual was larger than a person’s two hands placed together, while his piece was slightly bigger than a nail. It was absurd trying to compare them at all.

“Maybe the crystals and the Manual are pieces of the same material. Even if not, I think they were both created by the ancient gods in similar ways.”

Krin had her face almost glued to the Manual, inspecting its surface, clear of any writings, as if about to lick the thing.

“If that’s the case, then the Manual might be a key to activate something. Yes. That’s likely. Very likely.”

Pushing against Krin, Tyrin glued his nose on the Manual.

“Wait, don’t put your face all over it. Krin, you too, stop that already.”

Looking at how they were troubling Karin, Randolf took the two shameless researchers by the collar and dragged them away from her.

“It is a key, of course. The Manual was one of the keys used to wake Dark Dragon. That said, I wonder if the three sheets are all the same. Or if they’re meant for different things,” Diane mumbled, as she recalled the times where she fought alongside Bleu and Zylo. Her younger sister, the mage Wendy, was sat by her side.

“They might be different. In Parmecia, there’s nothing like Dark Dragon. The Sacred Dragons only need the Manual to stabilize the Power of the Earth going out of control,” Camallia answered the elf girl after a while.

“As a key, any door it can close, it can also open. Isn’t that true, Krin of Rudo Village?”

“Yes, it’s as you say, king of Bustoke. As I’ve told you in the past, the Manual is a double edged sword with the magical power to both seal and release,” she gave everyone the same description she had once found within old records.

“A thing this dangerous must be resealed by us, mages of Manarina, as fast as possible, in the temple of Dragonia.”

Camallia turned with a harsh glare to Tyrin at his words.

“Then, what about the Sacred Dragons of Parmecia? What about me and the mission I’ve come to the land for?”

“No matter the case, you don’t have the right to take something of Rune to another land.”

“…How close-minded. As a mage seeking the golden rule of this world, is this how you deal with such matters?”

“I like to believe we act with wisdom,” Tyrin frowned, offended.

“Being wise by yourself in your own little world, is there any meaning to that?” Camallia retorted, not taking a single step back.

Sitting next to Karin, Randolf made a face as if saying “what a big mess this is”.

“I’m in agreement with Camallia on this matter. We shouldn’t abandon people in need.”

Karna joined the conversation with an unusually serious face. No matter what anyone said, she was an exemplary priest.

“In the end, priests are too focused on their doctrine. They should look upon matters objectively like us, mages.”

Tyrin gave a look to Krin and Wendy, seeking agreement from them.

“That’s right. So speaking objectively, we should let Bleu decide what to do next with this Manual.”

Krin’s suggestion was not at all what Tyrin expected.

Everyone stared at Bleu, who had been quiet with a troubled face, and at the Manual in Karin’s hands.

“You’re unlucky, huh, Bleu? To get this troublesome thing pushed on you,” Diane said without any sympathy or attempt to comfort him.

“That’s not it, Diane,” Zylo corrected her. “It is not being pushed on him. He’s being trusted to deal with it. As a Sacred Dragon, the Manual is his heritage.”

Bleu raised his head to look at Zylo.

‘What should I do?’ This plea for help was on the tip of his tongue.

Zylo saw through him, and stopped him before the words could come out.

“You have to decide it by yourself. It is your responsibility. No one can push their will onto you.”

Bleu was troubled. But, no matter how much he fretted about it, he couldn’t find an answer, a light on the end of that deep tunnel.

As a Sacred Dragon, should he seal to Manual to protect it, as per their ancient duty? Or should he risk it in the journey to Parmecia to save his kind? Or maybe destroying it right there was the correct choice.

After all, what did it mean to be a Sacred Dragon? Bleu couldn’t even figure that out. Should a Sacred Dragon be someone capable of making these heavy choices? Of standing above the people and deciding everything?

The determination he had found before to cross to Parmecia had crumbled once he got here.

He felt that deciding things by himself was very risky.

If the Manual was stolen by monsters, destruction would befall the world. The only way to perfectly avoid that was to abandon his kind.

The truth is, it was possible to save the Sacred Dragons and then seal the Manual after that. However, that would require something from him. He would have to protect the Manual from all the devils...

Bleu had not found enough confidence in himself to do so.

Without help from the others, he hadn’t even been able to protect Karin.

“Bleu...”

Karin understood his pain so much it hurt.

“Don’t decide this as what a Sacred Dragon should do, but as yourself. Because before being a dragon, you are Bleu. I believe in you.”

Zylo nodded deeply at Karin’s words.

“I also trust you, that’s why I’m leaving it all in your hands. You should trust your allies more as well. The reason one hero was able to seal Dark Dragon in the past is because he had many people by his side. By himself, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything. When many people join forces, their power shine brighter. That is why we became known as the Shining Force.”

Diane agreed with him.

Bleu looked back fondly at the times he fought alongside those two. Besides them there was Gort, and Alef, and so many other companions. And now too, he found himself surrounded by many allies. Finally, he thought back on the Silver Dragon’s deep blue eyes. More people had been waiting for him far too long, beyond the ocean.

“That’s right, if you put your faith in people, you can also ask them for help. You should rely on others, us, more often.”

Krin’s words hit the mark. Yes, to not rely on others was the same as not trusting them.

“Let’s go to Uranbatol…” he declared, “we’ll defeat the beasts in the coast, and cross the ocean to Parmecia.”

Some breathed in relief, some nodded in silence, some made troubled faces, there were all kinds of conflicted reactions. But no one objected. The way ahead had been decided.

Tyrin still raised another small issue, but was reassured once Zylo told him he’d send a messenger to Otrant to communicate the situation.

“We’ll return to Bustoke tomorrow. We came here pursuing the devils that had suddenly invaded, and ended up too far from our country. We cannot leave it empty like in the past. We also have to escort back the injured party from Manarina that we rescued.”

Hearing that from Zylo, Krin knocked her hands together in realization.

“Being pursued by the forces of Bustoke, the devils hastened their pace. That’s why we encountered them sooner than we expected.”

“In the end, it turned out well for us. But, we can’t let our guard down yet. We will search the region for monsters before heading back, but it might be difficult to get them out of hiding. Until you reach the Pao Plains, take Wendy with you for more protection.”

The lively elf girl introduced herself to the group.

“Let’s place a simple seal on the Manual to protect it along the way.”

By her suggestion, the three mages prepared to seal the ebony box with the Manual.

The seal of Coeurl van Coeur.

It was classified as a simple seal. However, its strength could be increased depending on the materials used. The greatest one was dragon blood. In that case, it could also be called the Dragon Blood Crystal seal.

With Camallia and everyone else watching, the sealing ritual began.

Wendy took several drops of blood from Bleu, and inscribed the seal on the ebony box. She, Krin and Tyrin created enchanted chains with the Sacred Dragon blood, wrapping them around the box.

“With this, this box cannot be opened until it receives your blood again. Someone could still get to the Manual by destroying the box, but they’d be risking destroying the Manual itself with an attack like that.”

Three blood stains marked the box, shining like small garnets. Wendy picked the box up and gave it to Bleu.

Feeding more twigs to the bonfire, the group heading to Pao Plains went to sleep.

“Will it be okay, letting just them go ahead?” Diane asked Zylo when switch night-watch turns with him. “I’m wondering about that devil, the one the priest called Ziduur.”

“He was wounded, so he shouldn’t strike again too soon. In the off chance he does, Wendy will be with them so there isn’t much need to worry. Or, maybe you’re itching to go with them too?” Zylo laughed knowingly.

“Oh, who knows?” She played dumb.

“We left Stetra and old Kokichi taking care of Bustoke, but we can’t leave the country for any longer than this. Besides, if they didn’t ask for our help, we shouldn’t interfere. They have made their own decisions and will see them through by themselves. This is Bleu’s journey, not ours. It’s frustrating, but we don’t have a reason to be in this new Shining Force this time. Besides, you still have a lot of things to do back in Bustoke.”

“Please go a little easy on me, Lord Zylo.”

Excusing herself gently, she left back to her own spot.

*

Bleu woke up in the middle of the night, and looked over all his companions sleeping around him.

They all had very different views, yet had placed their trust in him. He had to protect them.

Camallia had said it once. Sacred Dragons are the ultimate guardians.

In that case, what should he protect? It shouldn’t be just the Manual, like his race had done so far.

But the Manual was back now.

Bleu took a look at Karin’s face, sound asleep under his wing.

It should be his responsibility to protect her. But, if one day he had to choose between the two…

As a Sacred Dragon, and as Bleu, which one would he pick?

The black of the box in Karin’s hands was as frightening to him as the darkness of the night.