The four last defenders of the weather left the ThunderDragon’s Castle to give chase to Gladus. The remaining four elements were still at the ThunderDragon’s Castle and they wanted to help the others. However the air was bright and blue and everything seemed to have gone well for the weather creators but the ThunderDragon felt something was going to happen.
“ThunderDragon, we must come to the aid of Ice and Wind. We have to for their sake,” Water stated to leader.
“I must agree with Water for once. We can’t sit around and wait for the outcome. It could be bad what happens out there for the four of them,” Fire said.
The ThunderDragon faced the two elements and tossed his head and looked out to the sky.
“Our part in the quest is finished. You must understand that, Fire and Water. For Ice and Wind their part is not over yet but I know the end is coming very soon. Do not worry, I have faith in the two elements to capture him,” Their leader said to them.
Fire looked disheartened at the ThunderDragon’s answer, looked outside of the castle and waved his arms.
“We sit here and wait. I don’t like this,” Fire cried.
“Be quiet,” boomed the dragon, “You will wait here until they return. Do you understand me?”
“Yes I do,” Fire sighed and his face changed to doubt. He wasn’t sure about the future of the world. He felt something was going to happen in the future.
“ThunderDragon, what if there are more like Morcar and Draken who wish to make other lives a living nightmare? I just feel this could be the beginning of something,” Fire said.
“There will people like them but I don’t think they will have neither the power nor the determination to try something like this again. You see Fire I believe the world will become a better place for all after this battle with these foes,” the ThunderDragon answered.
Thunder and Earth were looking at the frozen statue of Alfred and Earth was worried about Alfred’s future.
“What will happen when he unfreezes? There won’t be a life for him left. All of his friends will be gone,” Earth said to Thunder.
“He’ll have us and the castle age will always be around. He’ll find another job as a wizard at a new castle,” Thunder answered him.
“Don’t be so sure about that. Many ages have come and gone and this one will go one day and the next begin. Alfred will be released in an unknown world to him.”
The ThunderDragon moved some steps towards the two elements and spoke to Earth.
“I understand what you mean, Earth, that the new age will be when Alfred is free again. I fear the same thing Morcar and Draken. Will we be able to stop the problems or will the people of that time understand it,” ThunderDragon questioned Earth.
“Well. That’s a long time to go and we’ll be ready,” Thunder said. “Indeed. It is a long time and we do not need to worry about them,” the ThunderDragon said to Thunder.
Fire cried out from the other side of the castle at the ThunderDragon and asked him something, “When will they return?”
“When the task is finished and the quest is over,” the ThunderDragon answered.
The ThunderDragon walked over to the outside gates of the castle and looked down towards the ground of the earth. A worried look appeared on his face and he knew the future battle wasn’t to be easy for the good allies of the earth.
“What games will be played in this final battle,” he asked to himself in wonder.
The dusty sandstorms were blowing in the eyes of the dragonflies as their eyes were bright red. Wind was trying to calm the air down but he was having trouble with his power. He held his arm up to signal to the winds to cease but it wouldn’t listen, as if they were controlled by someone else. Wind looked discouraged and put his arm up and thought about it.
“This is strange I’m experiencing trouble at this point. Gladus doesn’t live here Ice. I keep telling you this,” Wind cried out to Ice.
The four of them were wearing hoods and Ice was disappointed that they had wasted time searching in holes for Gladus. The two elements had their staffs for battle out and Alex was tiring from the storm.
“Come inside the cave for now and we’ll think of a new place to search for him,” Ice cried out and the four went inside leaving the dragonflies under some cover from the sandstorm.
Inside it was somewhat cold and Celia and Alex shook themselves to warm up and Ice was looking at Wind for an idea.
“Well Ice the main plan to get ourselves out of this sand storm mess. We can go to the Richardson Castle ruins and seek out another place for Gladus,” Wind said.
“If you had more control over your power Wind then none of this would have happened,” Ice remonstrated.
“You think Gladus left here because there was a sandstorm. He doesn’t live here, Ice. You’ve got to hear me out here,” Wind cried at Ice.
“Quiet the two of you. We will go to the Richardson Castle ruins and I will pick the place to go,” Alex shouted at the two.
“Will we now,” Wind complained.
“We shall and you will listen to me Wind. Do you understand?” Alex cried at Wind.
Wind went quiet and Ice gave a small smile, “Wind, I think Alex has been learning a little from the ThunderDragon about ordering people around,” Ice said.
Alex led the party out of the cave and they climbed aboard the red eyed and sore dragonflies. They flew up into the sandstorm air.
“Come with me,” piped Alex, “Richardson Castle is this way,” and the party disappeared from the desert lands.
The environment of the Richardson Castle had changed since the destruction of it. The villages had no king to protect them but crime was very little in these parts of the country. It was the feeling and look that had changed without warning. Dark red skies had overtaken the castle ruins and it looked like a waste land. The four dragonflies landed by the broken gates of Richardson and Ice was first to land on his feet.
“We are safe and sound for now but Gladus is long gone to where he lives,” said the element walking towards the gates.
“Not if we think like him and know where he could be. Then our chances have doubled,” Alex told Ice.
Wind stayed on his dragonfly and watched over three figures talking. Ice suggested the forest but Alex dismissed it.
“What about the dead trees area?” Celia asked Alex.
“I don’t think we checked some of that when we came over to here,” Alex answered her.
“So now Gladus has disappeared into thin air?” Ice asked the young couple.
“Maybe, just maybe,” sighed Alex.
The group fell quiet for a moment and Wind was watching the distance over the towns of Richardson shire. Something caught his eye and he turned around to grab the party’s attention.
“What about over there?” Wind pointed with his finger to the ocean.
“The ocean, that is a place we haven’t tried but I fear it won’t help us a lot,” Ice commented.
“No, not the ocean itself but what is beyond the ocean?” asked Wind to the group.
Alex and Celia looked at each other in fear. They had had a number of adventures together with the ocean.
“That’s where the green lightning came from and the ThunderDragon crash,” whispered Celia to Alex.
“I know. What I saw over the ocean is some kind of castle. Then it disappeared from sight!” whispered Alex back.
“We shall adventure over the ocean to see what is there,” Ice said and Alex gave a concerned look and followed.
The four dragonflies slowly flew up into the air and flew off to the ocean. Alex and Firwing moved closer to Ice and Artice and the knight spoke to Ice.
“Don’t you think we should miss the ocean? I have heard bad things about this place,” Alex said.
Ice returned with a disappointing look at Alex, “I thought you would be the first person to explore this place. A real chance to see Gladus’s world, is here a problem with the ocean?” asked Ice.
Alex took a deep breath and thought about telling Ice about the ThunderDragon’s crash but his face changed to a more relaxed look.
“Don’t worry, Ice. We’ll explore this place and search out for Gladus as planned,” Alex said to Ice as the dragonflies crossed over the ocean and Celia watched out for lightning like last time.
Celia and Electron flew up higher than the other three dragonflies to watch the clouds in the sky. Alex watched Celia and Electron and his eyebrows lifted at the sight of the clouds.
“Alex, what will happen to these clouds? It’s too quiet, too quiet,” he whispered to himself. The clouds remained unchanged when they first arrived at the ocean, light grey clouds with some build up of rain. The side of Richardson started to disappear to a point where there was only water to be seen. A small coldness in Alex’s heart crept in and he started to frown when he thought he was seeing the other side. Wind was staying in focus about the quest but still wasn’t sure where they were going.
“Does anyone know where this ocean leads?” asked Wind. Ice and Artice flew closer next to Cyclend and spoke to Wind, “I don’t know. I
know where the road takes us but the scenes are the ones I remember, as if we are going to a place out of time and space.”
Concern over the two elements started to creep in to them as well and Celia opened her mouth when she started to see the green clouds rise from the unknown. A small noise of thunder started to turn to a larger one. Celia shouted from high in the sky down to the other dragonflies, “The green fog is coming, the dark skies are coming!”
“I don’t see it,” answered a cold hearted Ice.
“I do, what on earth is that. That isn’t our weather works. Dare I say that?” asked Wind pointing to the green clouds and storms coming at them.
The storms of green fog acted like it were human, circled the dragonflies and followed them. It grew in size and soon it covered the skies of the land and trapped the dragonflies inside. Alex and Celia started to cough and the air was growing thinner. The calm blue seas were long gone from their sights.
“We better stay away from them but they’re coming after us. Like they are controlled or something,” Ice said out loud.
Suddenly the seas roared below the dragonflies and started to fly up towards sky trying to catch them. The green lightning shot down the sky like bullets at the dragonflies.
“The pure evil!” cried out Wind, “What on earth is it? We must race against time and space itself if we are to live through this!”
Celia and Electron flew down towards Ice and Wind and Alex with Firwing was on the lower level in the sky. A huge wave caught Alex and were lightning flashed in between the four dragonflies. They are roared in confusion and shot off Thunder, fire ice and water beams towards the sky. The lightning seemed to have stopped for the moment when a smile slowly crept its way back to Wind.
“Told you we’re safe now!” he cried out to the three party members.
Alex gave a calm look and casually looked up to the sky to see a terrorizing army of lightning heading their way.
“Fly like the wind!” he shouted at everyone and they flew madly through the sky.
Dozens of lightning sparked shots into the sea and Ice was starting to see the other side of the ocean.
“We are nearly there! Come with me and we’ll get there safely!” cried Ice and three others followed him in a line.
The line of dragonflies passed lightning and waves of terror as they grew closer to the other side of the ocean. Suddenly a lightning strike hit Electron and Celia cried out to the other three. It spun out of control.
“Celia!” shouted out Alex and the dragonflies started to attack the sky on confusion. More lightning strikes hit the other dragonflies and now they all were on their last legs of life.
Ice shook to Artice and tried to command the other flies to go down on the beach. Firwing and Electron went towards the beach and smashed themselves up on the dark and haunting beach. Alex and Celia lay on the ground as Artice and Cyclend fell on the beach after them. The dragonflies had lost all their strength and willpower. The air was very thin and the flies lay on the ground asleep to every noise in the land. Ice rose from the ground and looked at Wind on the ground. He ran over to him and rolled him one his back.
“Looks like I am wounded. You have to leave me here. The dragonflies will be fine with me. Go and find Gladus,” he said to Ice.
“No, I can’t do this. You must come with me. What if someone is here? Watching us and our movements?” asked Ice to Wind.
Wind tired to move his legs but failed and shook his head to himself, “Do not worry about me. My part is over and yours will continue until it ends too,” Wind said.
“Are you sure about this? That my time is still going? We don’t even need to be here. Gladus cannot do any harm to us now.”
“Do you believe that in your heart? I don’t believe it. Gladus is far more powerful than meets the eye. You’d better get Alex and Celia up and they can help you in the search for Gladus.”
Ice made his way up from the ground and looked at Wind and then at the beach. The beach had dark black sand and a haunting pathway up towards a dusty road. He moved over to the wounded Firwing and Electron and saw Alex and Celia.
“Are you two ok? Are you ok Celia?” asked Ice to the pair.
Alex was lying on the ground and Celia was sitting upright tired and confused.
“Where are we?” Celia asked Ice.
Ice took another look around the place and placed his hand on his chest. He was having difficultly breathing.
“The air, it’s very thin here. It’s like a place out of time and space. It’s like we’re not on earth,” he gasped for breath.
“Where do we go from here?” Celia thought.
“Wherever we go we must stay as a group. It is important not to get into any more trouble. We have lost our transport for home. We’re trapped here for the time being. Until the dragonflies have healed themselves,” Ice answered.
To that Alex woke up, sat up next to Celia and gave a look at Ice and at the fallen dragonflies.
“This isn’t our day when it comes to traveling or searching,” he said tiredly.
“No, it isn’t and it is time to move on. Wind is wounded and he will stay with the others. Grab your gear and we will look at the dusty road up the hill from the beach,” Ice told the others and they slowly made their way up to the dusty road. The air was thin and the darkness was at unbearable rates. It was hard for them to see through the darkness. Ice and Celia came to the road and they look over to see the wood that lay on the other side of the road. Alex met up with them holding the old bag of food and swords. He then turned to see what was at the end of the castle and suddenly fell to the ground.
“Arch!” he yelled and went to the ground. He was holding his head in sheer pain. Ice quickly turned around and tried to pick him.
He pulled up his head and saw his eyes were green and purple, poisoned from the sight he took from the road.
“The dark castle… the castle, it is there,” gesticulated Alex with a ghostly look as he stretched his arm and finger towards the end of the road where the dark castle stood. Their final battle had begun.
