EPISODE 72 PART II; REBIRTH OF SOURYU’S ANCIENT ARCHNEMESIS PART XXVII: RYUGAEIA’S HISTORY PART XIII: SAGA OF OMEGA PART II: WATCHFULNESS; BENEDICT’S ARK VS THE SEVERING

"…As the evil faerie had cursed her, she pricked her finger on the spindle and fell into a deep slumber. Thus was the princess severed from the world of reality and trapped in a world of endless dreams.

Her family had her placed in a bed woven out of expensive gold and silver threads. The seventh faerie who had blessed her was summoned. Realizing that the curse of the evil faerie had come to pass, she foresaw that the princess could possibly slumber for centuries and awaken all alone in a strange world so she placed everyone in the castle including the princess' family into a deep slumber and raised up a forest of impenetrable thorns to keep the princess safe until the day would come when a prince would break through the thorns and awaken the princess and everyone trapped in sleep with an act of true love.

So it was then that centuries passed until a prince passing by saw the castle surrounded by thorns. He was told of the tale of the Sleeping Princess and swore to himself to brave the thorns but these were not ordinary thorns for they grew when cut down…"

Reis read the novel of the Sleeping Dawn beside Aurora. He shut his eyes and found himself before Alpha, the Dragon Sovereign of All Material Light. Alpha had a grave expression on his face.

"So you intend to infiltrate the Severing and rescue Aurora Saggeese do you not, Reis Dragonhaӓrt?" Alpha asked.

"I do and I know it's what you would want me to do so don't stop me Alpha" Reis said.

"It is indeed what I would want you to do but do you understand the gravity of your decision, the weight you have chosen to carry?" Alpha asked.

"I can't say I do Alpha. If I did, I would be lying" Reis replied.

"As prudent as always and most at times foolishly brave. What your enemies have done to Aurora is not very different from what they attempted to do to you when you were just a child. The attack on your soul that manifested itself as a disease and caused you to forget your parents and 'The Heart that Destroys Darkness!' I had to intervene that day" Alpha said.

"You…saved me?" Reis wondered.

"It was on that day when I intervened that your hair turned completely silvery white signifying your bond with one of the Dragon Sovereigns and the Ancient Wisdom you had acquired. You were awakened to your identity but in my struggle with Armageddon you lost your memory of your parents. I waited this long to reveal 'The Heart that Destroys Darkness' to you because I wanted you to become strong enough to ward Armageddon off before I gave him a reason to attack you again. Reis Dragonhaӓrt, beloved one of the Dragons, I ask again, are you aware of the gravity of your choice?" Alpha asked.

"To say I am would be a lie however I cannot leave Aurora trapped within the enemy's grasp. If freeing her frees the people of Saggeese, all the better" Reis said.

Alpha sighed.

"Then I shall tell you a bit of what you are about to face. The enemy designed the Severing after the tale you and Aurora have come to cherish so much. The fundamental purpose of the Severing is to sever the ones trapped within it from their true identity. If like the Prince in the tale you intend to awaken the Sleeping Dawn, you must prepare yourself to brave the thorns the enemy has set in your path. Thorns are usually hedged plants meant to separate what is on one side of the hedge from what is at the other side of the hedge but knowing Armageddon, he is most likely without a doubt going to use the nefarious way by which thorns achieve this" Alpha said.

"What way?" Reis asked.

"By inflicting pain. What you should realize Reis is that thorns are usually planted by the one who is protected by them" Alpha said.

"What you mean by that is…" Reis began to say as the full weight of Alpha's words began to dawn on him.

"Yes Reis…Armageddon intends to torture you through Aurora Saggeese herself" Alpha said.

Reis' eyes widened in horror.

"He most likely has made the one thing that can break the Severing the least likely thing to be broken" Alpha said.

"What do you mean?" Reis asked.

"Tell me Reis…would you want to wake up to a world where you lost everything?" Alpha asked.

Reis gulped. He knew what Alpha was getting at.

"To break the Severing, you must annihilate Aurora's feelings of loss" Alpha said. "Knowing all of this, do you still intend to infiltrate the Severing? I can assure you you will find the Severing a drastically different reality from the one you are familiar with however since you are the Dragonhaӓrt you might retain your identity. Being the only one with knowledge that no one else understands will be a very trying experience for you" Alpha explained.

"Yet I still have to do this. If I don't do it, who will?" Reis asked.

Alpha shut his eyes. There were pulsating flashes of light. Reis tried to shut his eyes but just before he did, he noticed the tears of the Dragon Sovereign fall to the ground.

"You will feel utterly alone in that world. However know that I am always with you even if you cannot see or feel my presence" Alpha said.

Reis opened his eyes, Sir Raphael was watching over him with the other members of Teams Kira, Senshiiro and Ayenhayze.

"I heard from Shin. You really intend to infiltrate the Severing and awaken Aurora do you not?" Master Jin asked.

Reis nodded.

"I could probably infiltrate it too. I should come with you" Shin said.

"No, don't forget that we're in enemy territory. With everyone else unconscious, we are practically defenceless however Shin, since you're bonded with a Dragon Sovereign, I'm pretty sure you should be able to resonate with me. You can keep me updated on what goes on outside the Severing and just in case the enemy chooses to attack, you should be able to resonate with the Kaignis King within me to call forth the Kaisers to aid you in defending the others. The Kaisers are quite a formidable force" Reis informed Shin.

"I'm not sure I can do all that. Your expectations may be just a little too high" Shin said.

"No, it's in your soul Shin. The Silver hair doesn't just mean you're wise Shin, it also means…you're a Dragonhaӓrt" Reis said.

Shin opened his eyes in surprise.

"W-Wait a minute…back up…are you saying we're related?" Shin asked.

"I'm pretty sure we are though I'm still not sure where you fit in the family tree" Reis said with a laugh.

Shin hooked Reis by the collar.

"If that's the case it changes a lot. You'd better get Aurora out soon. If the enemy attacks, I'll try to hold him off by summoning the Kaisers. I'm pretty sure the Dragonlord will send a force to attempt shattering the dome if he perceives we are in danger. It might not be as unbreakable as we think it is but I must tell you Reis…it won't be easy protecting this many unconscious people while fighting off a horde of Wyverns with an army we can't even measure and I mean that in a really bad way" Shin said.

"Well look who has suddenly become articulate" Kyla teased.

"Not when I'm being serious, for once will you be silent woman!" Shin growled at her.

"Hmmph!" Kyla folded her arms.

"Don't worry, it's not all in your hands alone Shin. You have formidable help. My sister Reia…she too I felt was able to break out of the Severing and she's bonded with Omega, the Dragon Sovereign of Immaterial Light. Among the Dragon Sovereigns, Omega's domain is Wisdom itself so you should not be lacking in terms of strategy" Reis said. "It would help though if you could summon the Kaisers as well" Reis said with a laugh.

Finally Reis took in a deep breath and lay on the ground beside Aurora's bed.

"I'm ready to leave" he said.

"Take care" Kyla said worriedly.

"I will be careful" Reis nodded.

"Be sure to raise hell in the Severing" Darak said.

"I can assure you it will be more than just a little ruckus" Reis laughed.

"Wake Aurora up quickly" Erasa said.

"You'll have your best friend back soon" Reis assured her.

"Don't worry, I'll keep watch over everyone while you're gone" Shin said.

"Of course, you're a Dragonhaӓrt" Reis said.

Then Reis shut his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself in a familiar room. The sights, the scents, the sounds, everything was so familiar. He could hear chopping sounds and walked outside the house. He found his grandfather chopping logs.

"So you returned, my foolish grandson. As expected, you're just like your father. Dragon Knight that he was, he never listened to anyone, not when it got in the way of his duty" his grandfather said.

"Yeah, I remember" Reis said.

"Y-You remember your parents?" his grandfather exclaimed in surprise.

"Alpha revealed everything to me and the ancient lullaby that's been passed down through generations in our family, the song about 'The Heart That Destroys Darkness'" Reis said.

"If Alpha chose this time to reveal everything to you and our enemy is pulling major moves coinciding with the timing of this revelation…then things are finally coming to a head" Reis' grandfather said.

"But first things first, I need to find Aurora, do you know where she's located within the Severing?" Reis asked.

"If you're asking about the Saggeesian princess, she's at the Royal Castle with the prince and her parents" Reis' grandfather said.

"But I thought her parents were…" Reis couldn't bring himself to complete his sentence.

"I imagine the ones acting as her parents in this realm are powerful illusions cast by her memories" Reis' grandfather said.

"Are they harmful?" Reis asked.

"I doubt they are. They are projected from Aurora's memories so they are most likely how she remembers them to be" Reis' grandfather said.

"How do you know all this?" Reis asked.

"An old man's got his means" Reis' grandfather said as he picked up shears and squeezed them twice.

Reis shook his head.

"Gramps…you didn't" he said.

"I can pretty much guess why the enemy cast this Severing and I knew for certain though part of me hoped against it that you would infiltrate it a second time to break the spell so I took a pre-emptive measure in our favour and got myself hired as a gardener of the Royal Family" Reis' grandfather said.

"This way, you should be able to make contact with Aurora Saggeese by escorting me to the castle as my helper" Reis' grandfather informed him.

"I'm impressed" Reis said with a smile.

"Whenever you're ready, we can depart" Reis' grandfather said.

"Let me change into something unassuming before we depart. I can't go there looking like some knight no one has heard of before" Reis said.

His grandfather nodded.

Soon, Reis was clothed in a green T-shirt and leather trousers.

By afternoon, they were at the castle. Reis' grandfather introduced Reis as his grandson who had come to help him with gardening so Reis was let in. Reis' grandfather showed him the basics of cutting and shaping the hedges and other ornamental plants as well as arranging some of the potted plants. Reis helped him while looking around to see whether he could catch a glimpse of Aurora. He didn't so the day ended quite uneventfully.

As they ate their supper that night, Reis sighed in exasperation.

"This is going to be harder than I thought" he complained.

"Tomorrow, why don't you bring your father's sword along eh? I'd like for you to demonstrate how much you've improved your sword skills. Nothing proves how good you are with a sword than using it to perform a delicate task like gardening eh?" Reis' grandfather said with a sly grin.

"Gramps, seriously? You want me to use a family heirloom for gardening?" Reis was shocked and appalled by the idea.

"Who knows, maybe the princess will be impressed" Reis' grandfather said.

"Aurora knows me well enough to not be impressed by silly antics" Reis argued.

"You never know" Reis' grandfather laughed.

"I suppose I'll listen to you just so you'll stop hounding me about it" Reis said.

The following day, they were back at the castle but this time, Reis was there with his father's sword. That morning, Aurora woke up feeling that something was off. Something she knew…something she cherished, something she was very familiar with…no longer existed she felt. For days now, it felt like she had been having a recurring dream. The dream always felt real. More so than the reality she was currently familiar with however when she awakened from the dream, she lost her memories of it. She couldn't recall the details or the images from her dream. All that she could remember were wounds, severe, almost fatal wounds and the words '…dragon ranger, my partner and someone very dear to me". She didn't know what those words meant, why they were said, she could not recall who said them. She felt a strange feeling of warmth and a slight feeling of fear when she recalled those words. Something important…something she had always known…was gone.

The days felt dreary and she tired of the routine. She was happy to be with her parents and her brother but something within her told her that her current happiness could not replace the more profound happiness she felt in her dreams.

"What is a…dragon ranger? What is a dragon?" Aurora asked herself.

Just as she wondered what these were, she looked out her window into the gardens below and saw an unfamiliar, yet strangely familiar boy decimating her precious ornamental plants with a sword.

"What does that idiot think he's doing?!" she flared up and decided she was going to speak her mind to that troublesome young lad.

She flew out of her room, down the stairs and into the courtyard almost bumping into her brother Jared on the way.

"What are you doing sis?" Jared asked with a nervous look on his face.

He knew better than to get in Aurora's way when she was furious but as her brother he at least needed to know why she was so furious.

She charged past him and into the gardens and would have immediately given the young lad a piece of her mind was it not for her respect for the elderly gardener.

"Good morning your highness" the elderly gardener greeted.

"Good morning Mr Dragonhaӓrt" she said with slight impatience.

"I'm glad you could join us today" the elderly man said.

"What…is he doing?" Aurora pointed to the lad while trying her best to contain her anger.

The young lad was performing skilled strikes to the hedged plants.

"Severing thorns…uh…um…I mean shaping the hedges" Reis stopped what he was doing and said with a nervous laugh.

Then he turned to face her. She was ready to vent her spleen but when she saw him, she froze.

"I finally found you Aurora" Reis said with a smile.

"I…I know you but…how could this be…it was all a dream" Aurora wondered.

"Hello Aurora" Reis greeted again.

She came back to her senses.

"I don't recall ever giving you the permission to address me so informally" Aurora said.

"What're you talking about? You're Aurora Saggeese, Dragon Ranger of Ryugaeia" Reis said.

"Wh-What is a Dragon Ranger? What are dragons?" Aurora asked him.

"What are you talking about? You know what dragons are, they represent and guard the elements" Reis said.

"Th-That's all folklore. Dragons can't be real" Aurora said.

Reis opened his eyes in horror.

"Aurora, don't you remember the guild? Your friends? Darak, Erasa, Shin and Kyla? Don't you remember me?" Reis asked.

"A guild? Like a trade guild? Your friends? Darak, Erasa, Shin, Kyla, who are those? The names sound familiar but I can't tell why. You must be the grandson of Mr Dragonhaӓrt here. Stop damaging the plants!" Aurora finally recalled why she was in the garden.

"Oh no…Armageddon is wiping away any elements that could potentially lead to his defeat" Reis realized.

Reis lowered his head and clutched his sword.

"Gramps…I'm not going home with you" he said.

"Reis, what are you…?" but before Reis' grandfather could complete his sentence, Reis unsheathed his sword and aimed a near fatal strike to Aurora's jugular.

In an instant, Aurora's fingers were moving along the side of his arm. She let Reis' momentum propel him forward, discharged his momentum behind him, then placing her foot behind him, she threw him to the ground.

"Dragon parry!" she called out.

"I knew it…" Reis said as Aurora stared at her palms in shock. "You still remember your swordsmanship. I'm guessing since you've mastered it at an instinctual level, now you don't need to recall it to execute it" Reis said.

Suddenly, whistles began to sound all around the castle. The guards rushed over and pinned Reis to the ground.

"Try to remember it Aurora! You should be able to! The Dragonhaӓrt Fencing style my father and I have taught you! Remember Jinrai the Lightning Blade!" Reis called out as he was dragged by the guards to the dungeons.

"Sir Jinrai?" Aurora muttered in surprise. "Why does that name sound so familiar?" she wondered as flashes of a knight with silver hair and blue eyes flashed in her mind.

Reis' grandfather sighed.

"That foolish grandson of mine has gone and gotten himself into another tight scrape. This time dear Reis I hope you know what you are doing" Reis' grandfather said.

Reis was thrown into a dimly lit cell.

"Infidel! How dare you attack the princess?! You can rot in here while we decide on how best to deal with you" one of the guards said and locked Reis in.

"Haha, I guess attacking the princess was taking it a little too far" Reis laughed and scratched his head.

"It's too late to regret it now" the guard said.

Reis sighed and sat down. Then he took in a deep breath.

"I guess these are the 'thorns' Alpha spoke of. Armageddon is forcing everyone to live a lie. A lie he has invented to separate everyone in Saggeese from one another and from the royal bloodline of Saggeese while he prepares to overwhelm them in reality. Dragons, Dragon Rangers, friends we know, Aurora can't remember a single thing that is real. Sheesh, the lie runs so deep even my Dragon Ring has turned invisible" Reis said as he stared at his hand.

"Do you believe in primal memories Reis?" he recalled Ryu's question from when he was within Benedict's Ark.

"However…" Reis smiled as he recalled Aurora's Dragon Parry.

"Her body still remembers her training at an instinctual level and I'm willing to bet that her spirit recalls the truth though her mind cannot quite process it as a result of the effects of the Severing. It must exist within her as a fragment. If only I can piece those fragments together" Reis said and thought about Aurora for a while. "I can! I must! Right now, the only cracks in the Severing are linked to Aurora's primal memories! Her true memories of Ryugaeia!" Reis said to himself.

"The seven faeries moved by the efforts of the brave prince gifted him with an enchanted blade that could sever the thorns and armour impenetrable to resist them. So it was that with sword in hand, the prince began to pave a path through the thorns and towards the Sleeping Castle. The prince would pave a way through the thorns only to discover that the entire castle was trapped in stasis. A form of stasis called an enchanted sleep".

Reis stood in court. The prosecutor brought forth the charges, premeditated attempt at assassinating royalty which was considered high treason. The guards were called forth to give their testimony and they testified of what they saw, "the accused attempted to dismember the princess' head from her body".

The defence brought Reis' grandfather to testify on Reis' behalf and he did his best to explain that Reis was not harmful to the princess. Next, Aurora herself was brought to testify.

"He did attack me but I did not get the impression that he attempted to harm me in anyway. He spoke of strange things" she said.

"What are these strange things he spoke of?" the prosecutor asked Aurora.

"Something about dragons and Dragon Rangers. He spoke of people I was supposed to know and he acted like he was very familiar with me" Aurora explained.

"Do not listen to his babble your highness. Apparently this rabble is trying to confuse you. Reis Dragonhaӓrt, I order you to tell us of these strange things you attempted to fill the princess' head with" the prosecutor demanded.

"I doubt it will make much sense to you your honour so I'd rather remain silent if you do not mind" Reis said seriously.

"I do mind and you do not have a choice" the prosecutor said.

Reis sighed.

"To begin, I would have to tell you of the Tragic Legend, a tale which is not simply folklore but truth" Reis said.

"I'm sure we all want to hear this 'truth'" the prosecutor said and everyone in the courtroom except for Aurora, Jared and Reis' grandfather as well as the defence attorney laughed at him.

"Fine, here goes;

Long ago, there was a Great War in the world of Ryugaeia. It was known as the Drӓkan War. An evil Dark Dragon by the name of Armageddon sought to exterminate humans and rule Ryugaeia. To accomplish his dark purpose, Armageddon raised a legion of Dark Dragons, then joining forces with an equally evil warlord, he terrorized Ryugaeia. The Dragon Knights fought back with their elemental Dragon Partners. Many lives were lost in that battle and Armageddon was winning the war.

It was when all hope seemed lost that the surviving dragons combined their spirits and a Dragonhaӓrt was born. The Dragonhaӓrt being made of countless pure souls was supreme and defeated Armageddon in a duel of massive elemental display. Armageddon was defeated and sealed but at great cost. Dragons suffered the Great Extinction and the Dragonhaӓrt lost and without purpose faded away.

Prophets and seers prophesied the return of the Dragonhaӓrt and the final defeat of Armageddon but no one knew when the Dragonhaӓrt would return" Reis narrated.

"Foolishness! And you would have us believe that such a tale is fact? This is a courtroom for discussing serious legal matters and not a place for a child to spread idle fantasies about!" the prosecutor yelled.

"I told you it wouldn't make much sense to you" Reis grumbled immaturely.

"And what were your motives for sharing such a tale with the princess?" the prosecutor asked.

Reis remained silent.

"I would remind you Mr Dragonhaӓrt that you are under obligation to tell us the whole truth and you have taken an oath to do so" the prosecutor reminded Reis.

Reis frowned.

"It's because…I had to. There is no time. You have all been caught in an illusion cast by your enemy. It's a spell he calls 'The Severing' and it's interfering with your memories of Ryugaeia's true history" Reis tried to explain.

"And you would have us believe that somehow you alone were unaffected? Are you trying to imply that our memories of our lives are a lie as well as the clearly established facts of Ryugaeia's history?!" the prosecutor exclaimed in disbelief.

"It didn't come out of my mouth" Reis laughed nervously.

"Mr Dragonhaӓrt, do you believe this situation to be humorous? Depending on how the proceedings of this court end, you may be sentenced to execution. Do you still believe this to be a situation to laugh about?" the prosecutor asked.

Reis smiled.

"I have nothing to worry about because everything I've told you until now is true" Reis said.

"We shall see about that. Do you know that we are actually aware of how sketchy your background is? Parents unknown, appeared in Saggeese roughly two weeks ago and attempted to assault the princess with a sword a day after. Does this all sound familiar?" the prosecutor asked.

"It's already been two weeks?" Reis seemed surprised.

The prosecutor appeared really irritated with how lightly Reis appeared to take everything. Aurora on the other hand was amused and there were certain things about what Reis had said that seemed familiar to her.

"Princess Aurora Saggeese, you seemed to imply that though you were attacked by this lad here, you didn't get the impression that he was trying to harm you. Why is that?" the defence attorney asked.

"The way he handled the sword while dealing with the ornamental plants in my garden was far from ordinary. If he really wanted to harm me, he wouldn't have attacked me in such a clumsy way" Aurora said.

"There's no way to verify the princess' words. She only recently began training in the Saggeesian Royal Fencing Style. She shouldn't be skilled enough to tell whether this assassin is skillful with the sword or not" the prosecutor argued.

"If what the prosecutor says is true, then I would like to ask Princess Aurora Saggeese one more question" the defence attorney said.

"I see the prosecutor has already concluded that I am an assassin. What happened to 'innocent until proven guilty'?" Reis asked.

"Not when the facts against you are so glaring can we call you innocent!" the prosecutor snapped.

"If you say this lad was very skilled with the sword, then how could you who lacked experience with one disarm him practically unarmed?" the defence attorney asked.

Aurora opened her eyes in surprise as she recalled the Dragon Parry move.

"From what I've seen so far from my studies on the Saggeesian Royal Fencing Style, the technique with which you disarmed young Reis here is foreign to your martial art. I would like to ask, are you perhaps taking martial arts lessons from another person aside your instructor?" the defence attorney asked.

"No" Aurora responded but she looked confused. "I don't know" she said with a confused expression on her face.

"What do you mean?" the defence attorney asked.

Aurora remained silent.

"I don't intend to pressure you your highness but you did swear to tell the truth and you are under obligation to answer any question posed to you during this hearing" the defence attorney reminded her.

"It's strange but lately…I've been having dreams and this boy appears in a lot of them. In my most recent dream, he was teaching me swordsmanship" Aurora said.

The defence attorney sighed.

"There is no way we can verify that" he said. "But what else can you tell us about these dreams?" the defence attorney asked.

"I object your honour…the defence is attempting to infringe on the princess' privacy" the prosecutor objected.

"It's a little too late for that now. Not when you got Mr Dragonhaӓrt here to spill a secret he would rather have been silent about" the defence said.

"He is the assailant. Any attempt to conceal information only further proves his guilt" the prosecutor said.

"And the princess was the victim of the so called 'assassination attempt'. She should have nothing to hide" the defence attorney argued.

"Is there a point to this defence?" the judge asked.

"From what I can see, the princess' dreams may be tied to this strange tale the young lad is telling us" the defence attorney said.

"Objection overruled. Go on defence" the judge said.

"I will ask again your highness…what else can you tell us of these dreams?" the defence asked.

"There is always a person in front of me bleeding from a severe wound and he utters these words '…dragon ranger, my partner and someone very dear to me" Aurora said.

"Dragon Ranger? Your honour, we all heard very clearly when this lad mentioned the term 'Dragon Ranger' in his tale. It may be farfetched but I believe the princess' dreams and this lad's tales are somehow connected" the defence argued.

"It could also be that the princess' dreams were triggered by this lad's fictitious tales. It is factual that dwelling on a thought before going to bed can cause it to manifest as a dream" the prosecutor said.

"Your argument may be solid however it is on record that the princess said 'in her most recent dream' which begs the question, for how long has the princess been having these dreams?" the defence attorney said while straightening his glasses.

"For as long as I can remember. At first, the imagery of the dreams was very vivid but over time they became less and less vivid and I forgot them immediately I woke up but ever since he showed up…" Aurora pointed to Reis. "…they have become even more vivid than before" Aurora explained.

"The cracks in The Severing must be widening" Reis thought to himself.

"So if what you're saying is accurate, you should have been dreaming of this lad before you ever met him" the defence attorney said.

Aurora nodded.

"But how is that possible? Could this lad have infected the princess with some form of sorcery?" the prosecutor growled angrily.

"If you are so eager to accept sorcery as the cause, you might as well accept the lad's tales as truth" the defence attorney said and straightened his glasses even more till his eyes were hidden by the gleam of the light reflecting off his glasses.

"So…" the prosecutor began.

"The only way you have a valid case in pushing the whole sorcery charge deal is if the lad's claims are false and as we all have accepted sorcery doesn't in fact exist" the defence attorney said.

"Actually, the dragons of Ryugaeia are not a thing of sorcery. They represent the elements themselves so you could think of them as a vital part of nature" Reis corrected both attorneys.

"In other words regardless of the existence of sorcery in this matter, these 'dragons' as you call them should exist" the defence attorney said.

Reis laughed.

"Another thing disturbs me, from the evidence presented by the only other witness present at the scene of the supposed crime and by that I am speaking of the boy's grandfather, you were heard to have uttered the words 'I know you. No, it can't be. It was all a dream'" the defence attorney said. "Could this be because of your shock at meeting someone from a dream in reality?" he asked.

"It was more than that. If I was the only one that knew him I would have been willing to accept that it was all a dream but he knew me too and he mentioned elements from a dream I had told him nothing about" Aurora said.

"Your highness, have you told anyone else about this dream?" the defence attorney asked.

"Only my brother, Jared Saggeese" Aurora said.

"Call in Jared Saggeese" the defence attorney ordered.

Jared was called to the witness stand and made to swear to tell the truth.

"Prince Jared Saggeese, your sister Princess Aurora Saggeese claims to have told you of these 'dreams'. How far back was it when she started talking to you about them?" the defence attorney asked.

"It feels as though she had told me about them from the time we were kids" Jared said.

"What do you mean 'it feels'" the defence attorney asked.

"I mean, she did tell me except I've been having similar dreams myself and in these dreams none of us have these dreams because they are real" Jared said.

"Boy, you sure are more confused than your sister" Reis thought with a silent laugh.

"You've been having dreams yourself, and what do you see in these dreams?" the defence attorney asked.

"Objection! I fail to see where this leads. I believe we are here to discuss serious legal matters and not dreams or fantasies" the prosecutor declared.

"Except we are beginning to see a connection between this lad's 'tales' and the prince and princess' dreams" the defence attorney said.

"I would like to see where this leads, objection overruled!" the judge declared.

"I hope you are not implying that the prince and princess are making up tales as well. That would be an attack on their very honour" the defence attorney said to the prosecutor.

"Just get on with it" the prosecutor was beginning to get irritated again.

"So Prince Jared Saggeese, what do you see in your dreams? Do you see this lad?" the defence attorney asked.

"No, I've never met him before. However, my sister and I are almost always travelling with a man who has silver hair like this lad and blue eyes" Jared explained.

"What of the term 'Dragon Ranger' do you encounter it in your dreams?" the defence attorney asked.

"In my dreams, Aurora and I are Dragon Rangers" Jared declared boldly.

"What of you Princess Aurora Saggeese, are you and Jared Dragon Rangers in your dreams?" the defence attorney asked.

"I-I don't know. I can't remember" Aurora admitted.

"Since she is the target of the Severing, its effects appear to be stronger with her" Reis thought to himself.

Meanwhile, in the Eagle's Eye Guild, Sir Raphael had just returned from one of his journeys into the heart of Saggeese. The others awaited him anxiously for news.

"I've got good news and I've got bad news. Which do you wish to hear first?" he asked the members of the three teams.

The only ones unaffected by the Severing.

"We could use some good news right about now" Master Jin said.

"Fine, it appears that majority of the enemy's troops if not all of them defected to Aurora Saggeese's side and are now trapped in the Severing with her so we shouldn't expect any attack from a human army" Sir Raphael said.

"And the bad news?" Mistress Suzuna asked.

"The enemy appears to be mobilizing a force composed almost only of Wyverns so we might be attacked soon" Sir Raphael said.

"How does he plan to coordinate the Wyverns without a human army?" Shin asked.

"Good question. From what we've learnt so far from our previous battle with Galigaos, a very powerful person is capable of bonding with multiple Wyverns and you need to keep in mind that the Wyverns are soulless dragons so they do not really have wills of their own. This could imply that they were designed to be controlled. Since they have no souls, they cannot resist the bonding, the reason why bonding with multiple Wyverns isn't more difficult than bonding with a single Dragon. Since Galigaos bonded with quite a number of them and was under orders from the evil currently ruling Saggeese, we could infer that our foe is someone many times more powerful than Galigaos. He might be capable of bonding with all the Wyverns under his command" Sir Raphael explained.

"That doesn't sound so good" Shin said.

"The only other piece of good news I can give you is that the Wyverns are significantly weaker than the Dragons in terms of combat ability but they more than make up for that weakness with their numbers" Sir Raphael explained.

"Thanks for the info. I will try to relay it to Reis" Shin said and left the party.

Reis meanwhile was back in his cell. He heard Shin's message loud and clear.

"The enemy appears to be mobilizing a force composed almost only of Wyverns" Shin had told him.

"There isn't much time" Reis thought to himself but he was at a loss as to what to do.

Reis sat in his cell with his shirt off due to the heat. He sat patiently thinking of the terrible news Shin had just delivered him. He had relayed to Shin that if the enemy was mobilizing his Wyverns, then a hunt for the Rangers in Saggeese couldn't be far off.

As Reis sat in his cell, the door was opened and Aurora was escorted in with a guard. Reis was putting on his shirt then so his back was turned to Aurora. He did not know that she had noticed the scar on his back. She shook her head in confusion and told the guards to wait outside. They obeyed her.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked Reis.

"And what…am I doing exactly?" Reis asked her.

"Since you appeared everything has been so…confusing. I can't even trust my memories anymore" Aurora said.

"Perhaps you should. Ever considered the fact that the reason your memories are so confused right now is because your spirit hasn't forgotten what your mind has?" Reis said calmly.

"My mind tells me that everything you've been saying can't be true but I feel like I've known you even before we first met" Aurora said.

"What do you really want to know Aurora?" Reis asked her.

"I want to know why these dreams seem so real…to understand them" Aurora said.

"And I'm supposed to tell you even if you won't believe me. Even if doing so means my condemnation" Reis sighed.

"You can't know that for certain" Aurora said.

"The Severing is affecting you especially strongly because you are its target" Reis said.

"I don't understand what you're talking about" Aurora said.

Reis sighed.

"Fine, I will tell you what you need to know. A tale about the girl I love" Reis said and began to narrate to Aurora over the days, her real life.

He began with the story of his father and the death of Aurora's family and continued on to tell her how she learnt swordsmanship from his father. He told her of how Galigaos continuously hunted them and how his father disappeared while protecting her. Then he told her of Aurora Saggeese the Dragon Ranger, brave, kind, smart and stubborn. He told her of how she had initially despised him when she believed Jared to be dead. He told her of their first mission and how he'd almost died confronting Sabre-fang. How they'd become close after that and of Armageddon possessing him through his spirit. He told her of how she'd saved him. He told her of Darak, Erasa, Shin, Kyla, Master Jin and Mistress Kira. He told her of how they fought off Armageddon a second time. He told her of the siege of the Rangers' Guild.

Initially, Aurora was frightened to discover how closely his tale matched her dreams, then she was interested and finally sceptical.

"You have a rather overactive imagination don't you Reis?" she said with a laugh.

Reis sighed.

"So you didn't believe me after all" he said.

"I admit your tales and my dreams are identical however I cannot so easily believe that my memories of my life are a lie and my dreams are rather my reality" Aurora said. "Besides this reality you speak of sounds far too frightening. Just think, if it were all real, that would mean we are almost on the verge of a war" Aurora said.

Reis remained silent.

"If after all I said, I couldn't convince you, I suppose there is nothing more to be said on the matter" Reis said with a look of grief on his face.

Aurora was taken aback by his expression of grief.

"I hate to say this but the enemy may have won this time" Reis said.

Aurora left the cell.

It was night time and Aurora prepared to sleep. As she lay in bed, she recalled everything Reis had told her. She recalled the grief on his face and his words, "I hate to say this but the enemy may have won this time".

"Why Reis? Why do you care so much about me when we are strangers to each other?" she asked herself and shut her eyes.

She began to hear a heartbeat. It began as a light pulse and began to beat so strongly she felt it. She opened her eyes gradually. She found Reis before her bleeding from a severe wound on his arm where the fang of an enormous wolf was lodged.

"Are you alright…Aurora?" she heard him say to her.

She felt her own grief as she watched him.

"Why would you do this when all I've done is hurt you?!" she recalled her desperate cry.

"Don't be silly. You are a Dragon Ranger, my partner and someone very close to me" she recalled him say.

She shut her eyes. When she opened them she found Reis pierced through the heart by the sword of…"Galigaos" she muttered as tears flowed down her face.

"Reis!" she called as she rushed to catch him before he hit the ground.

"It can't end this way Reis. I won't accept this kind of ending! You promised to teach me to love my homeland so you can't die just yet or were all of your words to me…were all of your promises just lies?!" she heard herself cry in anguish. "To me, you were more than just my saviour. You were my Arӓlpheisl" she recalled her words. "If I don't want to see you get hurt trying to protect me, then I will become strong enough to protect you" she recalled the oath she had made to herself.

Then she woke up. There were tears in her eyes. She ran to the cell. When the doors were opened, she stared at Reis. He was asleep with his shirt off. She saw the scar on his arm, the one from Sabre-fang's bite. She saw the scar over his heart, the one from Galigaos' strike. She placed her hand over her mouth and wept bitterly. Reis heard her and woke up.

"Aurora, what are you doing here?" Reis asked her, puzzled by her presence.

"How did you get those wounds?" she asked him.

"These wounds?" Reis asked. "They are battle scars. I got them protecting someone important" Reis said with a smile. "…not that you would know anything about…" Reis was saying when Aurora cut him off.

"Arӓlpheisl" he heard her say.

"What? What did you just say Aurora?" Reis asked her.

"You are more than just my saviour. You are…my Arӓlpheisl" Aurora confessed.

Reis was shocked. He was so happy he couldn't speak at first.

"You are my Dawn. When you awaken, I too will be free" Reis finally said.

Aurora ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"Oh Reis" she cried.

"With every severed thorn, the spell was weakened. With every wound obtained, the spell was infiltrated by Love. Finally, the prince stood before the Sleeping Princess. 'You are my Dawn' he said. 'When you awaken, I too will be free'. Then taking the princess' hand in his, he leaned over and kissed her and finally, the spell was broken".

"You know Reis, when I was much younger, I used to look out over the sea with Jared and dream of the future. I hoped I would find my prince when the time was right. When I believed Jared was dead and with my promise to Sir Jinrai, that dream became a plague as I began to feel that day would never come. I always used to dream of the day I'd find my prince but I found a King instead, my Arӓlpheisl" Aurora confessed.

"Your Arӓlpheisl…your First and Only King. I know Aurora…I know" Reis said as he kissed her.

There were multiple brilliant flashes of light and tears flowed down the faces of Reis and Aurora. Aurora opened her eyes. Reis opened his eyes and everyone else awakened from their slumber. The spell known as 'The Severing' had finally been broken. There was a great sound of cracking as the dome projecting the Severing fell apart.

Shin, Kyla, Darak, Erasa and everyone else noticed it and rushed to the room Reis and Aurora were in.

"You're awake!" Shin exclaimed joyfully.

"How is everyone else?" Reis asked.

"They just woke up. The Dragons preserved them with their own vital energy" Kyla explained.

Meanwhile in Nӱansa, the capital of Saggeese, Erikkus Di Devilli stood outside the castle inspecting his Wyvern army, so large in number they covered quite a large portion of geographical space.

"So Reis Dragonhaӓrt, my fated archnemesis defeated the Severing. Like Galigaos said, it's time to crush the scourge at the source. Prepare to invade Novatio! When the Light falls, only the Darkness will rule" Erikkus Di Devilli declared.

The Wyverns flapped their wings and arose, flying towards Novatio.

"While we are at it, why don't we deal with the problem in Saggeese as well" he said.

Sir Raphael returned to the guild and found everyone awake.

"The enemy has sent a large portion of his troops to Novatio. He intends on starting a full scale war. The fool has finally grown impatient" Sir Raphael said.

"Is there a way to stop this?" Aurora asked.

"There is just one way I can think of" Reis said.

"And what might that be?" Kyla asked.

"Hey Reis, you can't possibly mean…?!" Darak and Shin exclaimed.

"You know what Reis means?" Erasa asked.

They nodded.

"There is probably one way out of this. To challenge Erikkus Di Devilli to a battle between champions. The winner takes over the loser's territory" Reis suggested. "It is the most bloodless way to settle a war" Reis said.

"It's also the easiest way to surrender without a struggle" Darak reminded him.

"I think what you mean is it is the path of least resistance" Shin said.

Darak growled in anger.

"I see" Aurora said with a determined expression on her face.

"Who will fight him?" Erasa asked.

Reis frowned.

"We've always known whose destiny it was. Aurora, it's yours. It's time to reclaim your throne" Reis said.