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Akkelas felt something weird.

He thought that Madsen's life sign had gone, but he hadn't even received his soul, five hours after he sensed the disappearance of his life sign. He could sense any dragons he had 'tagged' whether they are alive or not, then he took their souls before letting them go or taking them with him, as a form of a 'curse'. He had reserved a very special place for Madsen, one where his soul would be tortured for all eternity with a fate worse than death, all for his hatred to the barbaric dragon.

Yet, his life sign was gone, but he hadn't received his soul. Did he manage to find a way to not being detected? It wasn't supposed to be like him, given that Madsen was driven by instinct instead of brains.

He was distracted by one of the servants, who approached him and said, "Do you wish for a meal, my lord?"

Akkelas wasn't actually distracted by that servant's question, but actually from his soul. His soul wasn't human, but instead it was that of an animal, possibly a canine. When Akkelas wanted to make sure, he found out that the 'human' had fur, but most of them weren't visible due to his servant uniform. It also effectively covered his ears, which were two floppy ears akin to that of a dog.

Realizing that this 'human' is a spy, Akkelas asked, "Nothing...I just want to ask you. Does anyone knows about your...inhumanity?"

Since they were in a room, Akkelas felt safe to ask him that, which made him jumped and checked his uniform. Feeling that this demi-human was scared, and since he wasn't even a part of Gothen's plan, the disguised dragon moved to the shivering figure and said, "Get out from this place as soon as you can. Go to whoever sent you. Your life isn't worth sacrificing for."

"But...why?"

"You're not part of the plan. Go now before you're caught."

As the servant left, Akkelas felt that what he did would jeopardize Gothen's plan, but he didn't care. The Shifters (as the Dragonsbane called it) wasn't part of the vengeance. They were just misguided race of shapeshifters that had nothing to do with dragon-human war. When the dragons rule the world, the Shifters would be spared because they weren't human and they weren't even involved to begin with. The humans made them involved due to their inhumanity.

After the servant went out of the room, Gothen walked in. He noticed the servant's hurried pace, and said, "Something the matter?"

"He just remembered something and run back down."

"Oh...anyway, it's time for us to move."

This made Akkelas stood. "You mean..."

"They found the key. It's our turn now."

They were greeted at the base of the tower by some humans in front of a horse-drawn carriage. After they went in, they had a long journey, which Akkelas calculated as around two hours. During that time, he had a nice talk with the soul of Kaartas, which he bind into him for the time being until Gothen's plan succeeded. Unlike the rest of the souls Akkelas 'cursed', Kaartas was still talkative and not feeling betrayed or tortured. Akkelas himself let his former friend's soul to be conscious, but couldn't wander around. It couldn't be said the same with the rest of his victims, though. His curse could instantly kill anyone he got in contact with because he pulled any souls into him. It fueled his powers, and depending on his mood, the souls could be left to wander around or bound to Akkelas.

Explanation aside, after two hours, the two of them reached the place where the Dragonsbane kingdom alliance had found the key. It was in the middle of a forest which magically stayed in its state on spring time. As Gothen walked out of the carriage, he saw a soldier tried to bypass the shield. He tried to warn the soldier, but as the soldier touched the barrier, he screamed in pain as his body disintegrated.

"You fool! Magical barriers are lethal," exclaimed Gothen to some humans who would get the same fate as the disintegrated unfortunate. The disguised dragon then walked towards a nearby chipped rock, covered with fine, and found some writings of an ancient human language, long had extinct.

He read it thoroughly, slowly getting even more anxious and uneasy. His antics made Akkelas worried. He moved towards his leader and said, "What's wrong, Gothen?"

"The barrier is called the Dragon's Chain, an ancient magic that could bind a dragon into a separate...world. What we're seeing there wasn't the key. The whole place is the prison for our brethren."

"What?!"

"The magic is so ancient that only drakons could remember what it was. The one shown here...is the image of a place somewhere in the Northern Region that isn't snowing. Inside this dome is the prison...it's bigger on the inside."

"Then let's find the real key and be done with it."

"We must be patient, Akkelas. We don't even know if this prison is not our enemies, too. We've made a lot of enemies in the past, and if we end up opening the wrong one, we'll be done for."

Akkelas understood what Gothen said. Thousands of years ago, the four of them betrayed so many drakons to the enemy (at that time, the humans and dragons were in a constant conflict) that they ended up having more enemies than allies. It was actually Gothen's insistence that they sacrificed the lesser, weaker dragons so they could have the master races survive and rule the world.

He still remembered how Gothen was angered that the humans weren't outright killing those they sacrificed, all because of not having a lethal dragon-slaying magic or weapon runes. Funny thing is, despite of not having that kind of basic knowledge, they had the room compression knowledge which basically made another world inside a world. Those who ever saw the interior always said 'It's bigger on the inside!'

Now, with no lead whatsoever, their search returned to zero.

"So what now, Gothen?" said Akkelas.

"How do I know? This is a trap for dragons! If I ever try to breach the barrier, chains will ensnare me and made me trapped inside! I may be a dragon, but this is outrageous!"

"Hey, those trees look weird," said one of the soldiers. "I've never seen that kind of tree up here."

"Oh that tree is closer to the subtropical region down," said another. "It looks like there's no snow. Nice time during this time of the year."

"Really? Damn, you know your trees, huh?"

Gothen heard that and a sudden idea came to his mind. He walked toward the human soldier and said, "Hu...I mean, soldier, where is the place indicated by the trees?"

"The trees? All I know it's around the border between Western and Northern Region. It's along the Western borders."

"So the forest in the image was from somewhere in the Western side of the Border? Then what are you waiting for? We need to go there!"

The humans quickly asked the group to go towards the border. Akkelas thought that Gothen was too frantic; in the state of tension between borders, mobilization of troops would erupt into conflict and the Dragonsbane would be massacred. This could jeopardize their plan. But on the other hand, Akkelas trusted the dragon, seeing that most of his strategies would otherwise prove to hit the point.

While Gothen and Akkelas were contemplating on their decision, Gordon and Ernest, the only two conscious members of the fallen party, had crossed the border to the Central Region. Ernest was straining not to fly to low, but it was a hasty repair he made from the available minerals and the remains of his body, thus he couldn't hold carrying even a slim dragon like Xerocia.

Fortunately, after 7 hours of flying through the region, they found the outer rim of Qeveriyt city. Some dragons flying there found the group and flew for their aid, even helping Ernest carry Xerocia. Carrying another dragon was straining his artificial limbs (modelled after Raithorakh's own artificial limbs). Just as the dragons managed to help Ernest, he said, "Take Rex with you. Ride the dragon."

"Why? Are you okay?"

"My systems sustained great damaged and it still crashed and rebooting. I am trying to reroute my energy for processing, but I guess this is my limit."

"God, you're not going to die, right?"

Ernest smiled. "I won't. I just need time to reboot."

After Rex and Gordon jumped dragon, Ernest promptly disabled himself and flew slowly down, where he rested in place, immobile. Gordon's concern was for Rex. Since activating his Eye, he hadn't gained consciousness yet. The blood out from his Eye had dried, and he was breathing fast and hard, like labored. For a fellow immortal, they had been very close, as if they were brothers. This is why Gordon is very worried with his friend.

After they landed, they were greeted by Avila and Seraphor. Both dragons saw Rex's condition and said, "Ancestors...he used his right eye again, huh?"

"He saved me from a Northern dragon, that's for sure. Xerocia needs medical attention, and Rex needed to stabilize."

"Right. Shirdan, give me a hand, will you?"

Shirdan came to them and helped carry Rex away, while some dragons tended to Xerocia. While they were doing their jobs, Seraphor turned back towards Gordon and said, "Which Northern dragon?"

"A Northern dragon that just right up destroyed a whole village and manipulate time! Goddamn it! If not for Rex's Eye of Chronos we wouldn't be meeting here right now."

"You straight up named a mystical object now?"

"Hey, it had a name even before I met you! That dragon was somehow...thrown into a vortex and lost in time. But by doing so, Rex became like...that."

"Just when was the last time he ever used it?"

"All I could remember is that time when you almost got cut in half by Malgoroth, hundreds of years ago. I can't believe the repaired timeline is as crazy as the original one..."

"Hey, at least Avila is not dead and Malgoroth doesn't have a son, right? Rex never mentioned a Northern Dragon threat."

But then, Rex woke up just as Shirdan tried to gently took him towards Bartoz. He was taking a deep breath, as if breathless, when he saw Shirdan. He then slapped his head and said, "Oh, so you're his replacement? This timeline is fucked up bad."

Seraphor and Gordon heard that, but the silver red couldn't get any explanation from Rex as Shirdan insisted that he needed medical care for his eye. Thus, he turned toward Gordon and said, "What does he mean?"

"He once told me that the consequences of temporal paradox is that the future timeline would be erased and those in that timeline would cease to happen. Since Rex is a time traveler, he's immune to this status."

"I understand that temporal paradox is something that can destroy the universe, but I can't believe it's actually happening."

"He also said that the universe will try to correct the timeline, and thus to preserve any events that's happening in the erased timeline, there are 'replacement events' that parallels what happened. So...since Rex is the one killing Malgoroth, not you, he had no time to find anyone to inherit his soul, yet the hellish invasion did happen, albeit around 75 years ago in a neighboring continent...by hellhounds. You're still trapped in another world, so you don't know.

"Next is your destructive tendencies after Avila's death. It might had happened when Yort died. Then, Raithorakh's disappearance. It has happened when Richard and him never returned from the draconian world. At least...the Seventh War might never happen...if not for some northern dragons...and possibly our insistence in helping our race."

"It's not your fault, Gordon. One day after another, this peace will break. I just never thought I am barely 200 to see it. Now that your explanation happens...I guess we're living in a science fiction world."

"Except this is real."

"But then, Gordon...how about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Being a living time paradox might cost you something. By this time...Melissa and Thorusk had both died. Wyverns doesn't live as long as dragons do. How do you cope with that?"

"I'll find my own happiness, Sera. Thank you for mentioning it, though."

Seraphor then saw Avila approached him. She saw Gordon and smiled to him sadly, and said, "I miss our old team."

"I really miss them. I really wish one day...we can meet again. Either in this world or another."

"Either way, I still don't want you to meet them. We really need to talk about that cardiac arrest..."

Gordon let the dragon couple to talk their own problems while he walked towards Rex. The black wolf Shifter was feeling better after drinking some herbal concoction Bartoz gave him, though his Eye was still soaked with blood. Both of them stared at each other before Rex said, "You know we can't alter the timeline completely, right? There's always an event similar to the erased timeline."

"I know that. It makes me worried. If the horror of the Seventh War is as you described it is, then we'll experience the same thing again."

"And there is still a dragon that will die, replacing Avila."

This statement shocked Gordon. "What?!" he exclaimed. "Isn't that supposed to be Yort's role? Why haven't it finished yet?!"

"When I saw Ernest and Xerocia got injured and near death, all I can remember is how their deaths are supposed to happen in my original timeline. I only know that five dragons we know were killed, one of them is Avila. Now Yort is dead, so still four dragons that will die during the Seventh War."

"Which dragon?"

"I can't tell you more than this, Gordon. I appreciate your assurance that you won't change the timeline to create a worse replacement events, but if I tell you the names, it will be different altogether. Remember. 300 years ago, we only change the fate of one dragon. That change created a butterfly effect that is trying to fill the erased timeline. Ray still died, Seraphor, Avila, and Richard were missing for years, Dracokin city is in ruins, and now Yort dies. I have broken three definite laws of time, and I don't intend to break another one for my own desire."

"So...we can't do anything to save them?"

"Time is a complex thing to understand, for it isn't from our own dimension. It's beyond our rights, even for a time traveler or a time paradox like you, to change it for our own gains. I have seen another time manipulator, and I don't want more of that."

Gordon then went silent. Rex saw his distress and made a warm smile on his wolfish face.

"Why's the gloomy face? Hey, at least the world is still here."

I guess you're right. I'm going to find Kumiho and the others. Rest up."

"Give my hello to your kitsune girlfriend."

Despite of Rex mentioning the fact, Gordon couldn't help but feel embarrassed by it. He could never forget Melissa and Thorusk as they were his family. Yet, he was given an immortality, which means, he must endure the fact that everyone he loved would surely die. Despite of the saying that the father must not see his children die before him, he couldn't bear the fact that Thorusk had died after an extended lifespan of a wyvern shifter, after years of accepting the truth that both of them had outlived the important female in their family.

Remembering that felt as if the reason he went to the far east to find ally Shifters was just to make him forget of his sorrow. If he never got conned by Kumiho, or even helping her solving her own problems, he would have no way to live anymore. With him being unable to die, it would be a fate worse than death.

Despite of the white kitsune Shifter's claim that she practically lived forever by absorbing life energy, when the universe ends, would she be alive? He knew the 'curse' Rex gave to him always had sacrifices. It was when a familiar white figure approached him did he felt relieved.

"Kumiho..."

"Are you alright, Gordon?"

"I'm alright. I couldn't die and have any injuries, remember?"

"I know that. But how about your feelings? You may be immortal, but your feelings are not."

He hesitated to say his past, but Kumiho assured him that he had the bravery she needed to know. He then said, "Every time I see myself regenerating, I always remembered my son and my wife."

"You're...married?"

"Were married. Unfortunately, they are not immortals. My wife died hundreds of years ago, and my son...two years before I met you. Before you ask, he's a wyvern Shifter, hence his extended life."

"But have you...moved on from her death?"

Now Gordon felt that Kumiho began to doubt their relationship. No...it was when she knew that Gordon was a living temporal paradox. He's someone who existed but didn't exist at the same time, which could cast a doubt on Kumiho's mind when he said that (Eastern Region people doesn't believe in conscious self, thus the idea of something or someone that exist and doesn't exist at the same time is against what they believe, as it's a nature's bane). Now that he mentioned that he had a wife and a son, it casted her doubt enough to make her ask that Gordon had moved on from his past life. To be truth, he didn't even know.

"I...can't tell you anything about that." Gordon thought that this could make him lose Kumiho. The kitsune had sensed that and said, "No matter how many times you deny it, immortality is a curse and a blessing at the same time. Until you can truly accept the infinite life you've been bestowed upon...I'll let you think it through."

Kumiho left him there, contemplating on his dilemma. For him, the kitsune could be a perfect companion, but as much as she's a con and a natural liar, she couldn't hide her feelings. Her eyes dilated for a moment when she told Gordon to think about it. She was holding her tears, thinking that to preserve her own feelings and Gordon's, they must separate.

"No, goddamn it! Don't think like that," said Gordon in his mind. "I can't let my chance of being happy again be wasted."

He shouted, "Wait!" to Kumiho, stunning her in place. "I admit...I went to the east to find peace and anything to distract me from my sadness of losing my only family. I admit I cannot move on from their deaths, even after centuries. But, Kumiho...I can't let myself drowning in sorrow or I won't be able to live anymore. I don't want to suffer a fate worse than death itself by unable to die. So, please..."

Kumiho smiled and walked towards him. Her snout and Gordon's met. That moment made the wolf calmed somewhat, assisted by the kitsune's magic. She then said, "You're one interesting fellow, Gordon Rainer-san. You might be someone I like to know more than just being companions."

"You're okay with me?"

She smiled. "Kitsunes craved for immortality. There's a legend that when a kitsune finally have their ninth tail, they will achieve eternal youth. I let myself age for I cannot let myself be a hungry witch, or else I will be a demon instead of a benevolent being. It's our ultimate goal in life. With you, I might be able to do that, considering that you're so easily conned...again."

"Wait, what? Did you con me again?"

Kumiho made a small graceful laugh. "I want to see your expression when I pretend to walk away like a mad girlfriend. You are thinking too much, Gordon. Well, maybe now you need to think more than ever, but at least give yourself some credit for saving more lives than you let on."

Gordon smiled. "Yeah..." then walked with Kumiho towards where the rest of the Shifters had gathered. They watched them as if he's their savior, though Gordon knew that if not for him, there would be no group like this, as he and Rex were the ones that changed their lives forever.