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The young Vulpkin closed her brown eyes and slowly drew in the crisp morning air. She stretched her arms out in the sunlight of the waking dawn, warming the black and white fur all over her body, lifting her spirits. Ferne could feel a strong presence that surrounded and flowed through her. She bent her mind to it, followed its minute differences and took in its influence. Throwing her arms forward with her paws wide open in one quick motion, the presence changed. It obeyed her will, and a jet of blue fire shot forth from her paws. Ferne was in control of this power now, she demonstrated her mastery of the Augury.

The flames engulfed a dome, the details obscured by the deep blue fire. Ferne continued to fire the jet, causing the air to shimmer from the immense heat, until a voice called out to her from inside the dome, "Ferne, ow! Stop! It's too hot!" The young Vulpkin female extinguished the flames, revealing her younger brother Darwyn with his gray paws in the air. The air around Darwyn gleamed a bright turquoise, the dome was a shield that protected him from the hot fire.

"What's wrong Darwyne?" Ferne asked with concern.

Darwyn put down his paws and the shield dissipated instantly. He bent over, answering between labored breaths, "I... I can't focus right now." The younger, gray Vulpkin shuffled over and sat against a stone parapet lining the edge of the great stone tower they were practicing on. This stone tower was the home of their teacher Arvanis Arul. All Giakin since ancient times lived in structures like these, watching over the land and the people who lived there with great care.

"How come little brother?" Ferne inquired, looking over the parapet at the surrounding forest of maple and oak.

"I don't want to go back to the farm Ferne. I want to go with Arvanis." Darwyn said angrily, curling his paws into fists.

Ferne sighed with her ears folded back, "Me neither." Here, the two Vulpkin were at peace and free to study the Augury at their own pace. At the farm, their father made their home a living hell. He was physically and emotionally abusive, especially towards Darwyn ever since he was born. Arvanis knew about his ways, and to protect the children, he always took them to his tower in the off seasons. Here he would teach them not only about the Augury, but everything in and about the world of Terrarexia.

Darwyn smacked his fists on the stone he sat on, "It's even worse that we have to go back so much earlier because of his expedition."

"He doesn't like it either Darwyn" Ferne countered, she stopped looking at the landscape and sat down next to her brother. "You can see it in his eyes when he tells us we can't go."

"It's not fair Ferne!" The gray furred Vulpkin began to tear up.

"Darwyn, he must have a good reason why we can't go." Ferne put her hand on her little brother's shoulder and asked, "Have you noticed that nothing has been feeling right lately?"

"Yeah... For a while now."

"I think that's why Arvanis won't let us go. Ever since the lecture in Brooktown, all he's done is pour over his notes and write in his books. Every time I see him, he looks like he's... scared, and in pain." Ferne paused to watch the rising sun break over the parapets of the tower. "It has to be the Augury, I feel like there's been a huge surge of it everywhere, like a rising tide. It makes it easier for me to use it, but for a Giakin... it has to be a lot different. They have more of a deeper connection to it, maybe he understands why it's been surging."

Darwyn hugged his knees and hung his head, "I still don't want to go home."

"Me neither..."

...

Arvanis' horse-drawn carriage bounced lightly on the dirt road, his equipment rattled in the back compartment and the two Vulpkin siblings sat next to him in the front seat. Darwyn sat furthest from his mentor, arms folded with a frown plastered on his face.

Ferne was telling Arvanis about their father. "...He gets angry at us for everything. He even threatened to tie Darwyn to one of the scarecrows last summer when you were gone."

They had been riding for two hours now and had cleared the forest that surrounded Arvanis' tower. Now they rode past large fields of dirt ready for tilling. The copper skinned Giakin uttered a sigh with a combination of annoyance and depression, "I'm sorry you two have to deal with that. It's not right and none of it is your fault."

"Yeah, it's yours!" Darwyn barked.

Ferne was about to scold him when Arvanis put his hand up, "Ferne its alright... I understand. You both are upset, and for good reasons."

"Can you please tell us why you won't let us go?" Ferne pleaded.

"It's best I don't tell you now. I've been discovering some very... unsettling things as of late. It has nothing to do with you two not being ready or capable, you very much are." The Giakin surveyed the landscape, as if he was looking for danger. "If it wasn't for these strange circumstances I would bring you two with me. But every bone in my body is telling me otherwise."

Ferne's eyes and ears fell downward, "It's because of the Augury, isn't it."

Arvanis frowned, a painful look was in his eyes when he heard his pupil say those words. "The Augury is just a symptom of the true issue at hand. It would be too complicated to explain and I'm hoping against hope that this is only temporary."

Darwyn started to yell, "You say you think we're ready, and yet you keep hiding things from us! Why can't you be honest with us Arvanis! Always be truthful with each other you say, but you don't even practice what you preach!"

"Darwyn." The Giakin said calmly, "This isn't easy for me, you should know that."

"You're so full of crap!" Darwyn looked away with his arms tightly folded.

"Darwyn! Don't talk to Arvanis like that!" Ferne shouted at her younger brother, she began to choke, trying her best to hold back her tears.

The Giakin sighed again. "I deserve this."

"But you don-"

"Yes I do!" Arvanis cut Ferne off, "I don't know if all of this is my fault, or if something bigger is at play here. I wish I knew all the answers. Regardless, you two shouldn't be suffering because of it."

Nobody said anything after that as they continued down the dirt road. Stopping at a flimsy wooden gate, a weed littered dirt pathway lead to a farmhouse in the distance. All three passengers got out of the carriage, The Vulpkin waited by the gate as the Giakin took out two small bags that belonged to the siblings. He handed them their bags, then bent to his knees in front of them.

"Kids... Can I have a hug?" Arvanis asked with a hint of sadness in his voice and almond shaped eyes. Ferne immediately embraced him burying her teary-eyed face in his broad shoulders. Darwyn looked away for a moment, still angry. But soon enough, he gave in and hugged his Giakin mentor much like his sister. The three held each other long enough for the sobbing to stop.

Arvanis looked both the Vulpkin in the eyes and said, "I promise both of you, I will come back as soon as I can." He then hugged them tight a second time and then departed.

With their teacher gone, the two Vulpkin lingered at the gate. They looked at the dirt fields. Though they were empty now, the siblings would soon be working arduously, tilling the soil. It was backbreaking work because their father refused to buy any oxen to help plow the fields. From sunrise to sunset, the siblings would plow the fields themselves with rusted hoes. Every night they would go to bed with aches and sores on their hands. They marched down the path towards the farmhouse, every step becoming harder to take.

"I hope he means it." Darwyn muttered.

"He does little brother" Ferne replied, she was trying her best to sound cheerful. "It won't be long until he's back to take us away from here. I bet he'll even show us what he discovered in Reliloess."

"Aw... I was looking forward to meeting one of them." Ferne's brother whined.

"Who?"

"The Saurkin." Darwyn had a small smile on his face, "I thought it would be amazing to see a real one, especially a tyrant."

Ferne giggled slightly, "I thought so too."

As they came closer to the farmhouse, they could see that he was standing on the porch, watching their every move. Penn Durward had greasy unkempt fur of brownish red with a white underside. He was wearing a tattered green button up shirt, blue overalls and a wide brimmed straw hat, he had an unsympathetic air about him. "You runts are back early this year. Good." Penn had a smile of crooked brown and yellow teeth. "It's about time that Augury swirling freak brought back my favorite workers." He smelled of cheap booze and manure. Penn motioned towards the only decent clothes they had. "You think those are proper work clothes? Go get changed you fucking runts! Land needs a tilling!"

"Yes Penn." The siblings said in unison and trudged into their house and into their bedrooms. There they quickly changed from the clean white cotton clothes that Arvanis had given them to their usual attire that could only be described as torn brown rags.

"This is going to take forever." Darwyn grumbled. They then proceeded outside to begin their grueling labor.

...

The long wet spring grew old and turned to a young hot summer, once muddy and empty fields were now loaded with barley. During one night that was hot and still, loud screams could be heard from the Durward farmhouse. Ferne and Darwyn flew out the back door and ran threw the fields illuminated by a bright and silvery full moon. They were heading towards the back end of the property where a forest thicket lie beyond. Penn staggered out shortly behind them with drunken steps, carrying an old rifle, screaming hotly and throwing obscenities into the night. The young Vulpkin's legs were pumping as hard as they could. Ferne looked back at the farmhouse to see Penn aiming his rifle shakily and shouting, "You little fucking runts! Teach you two to disobey me!"

Darwyn had just leaped over the rotting fence when Ferne heard the loud clap from Penn's rifle. A fencepost not even an arms length away from Ferne exploded into wooden confetti, bits of wood cutting into the side of her face. Holding a paw against her now bleeding muzzle, she jumped over the fence and followed Darwyn into the forest. Penn's shouts subsided into faint whispers and then nothing.

They kept running for as long as their lungs would allow, ducking under fallen logs and jumping through thorny bramble bushes. Shortly thereafter, they began to tire and fell to the ground in a small clearing surrounded by thick bushes. All the two could hear for the longest time was the sound of their hoarse breathing. They huddled close, the tears came as they studied each other's wounds in what moonlight managed to cut through the branches above. Ferne noticed Darwyn's puffy, swollen face and the several cuts that lined the edges of it. Touching her own face, she drew back her hand, lightly speckled with blood.

"Are you okay little brother?" Ferne wheezed with tears running down her cheeks.

"No..." her brother choked, "But thanks for getting him off of me."

"This is all my fault..." Ferne looked at the dirt with her ears flat against her head.

Darwyn spat, a majority of it blood, "He shouldn't have touched you like that Ferne."

"I don't care!" The black and white Vulpkin shouted, "I can deal with him as long as he doesn't hurt you! He was going to kill you for pushing him!"

"Now he'll probably kill both of us..."

There was nothing else to say or do at that moment but lay down and sleep till the morning. A cool gentle breeze whistled in the thicket, a relief from the still, hot air. Holding each other tightly, both little brother and older sister fell fast asleep.

Ferne dreamed that she was flying over a foreign landscape, over massive mountain ranges and a vast desert that went on and on. The land passed under her at great speeds and soon she was traveling over an ocean. Off in the distance, she spotted a landmass, coming fast. She eventually found herself darting between red barked conifers with trunks as wide as buildings and branches that reached outward and folded into a high ceilinged canopy. Something in the distance roared, an unfamiliar sound that filled her with a primeval fear that made her heart begin to pound, but she kept darting around the trees until her vision blurred and all she could see was white.

A familiar voice echoed nearby. Ferne could see her little brother standing to her right. Both Vulpkin looked at each other, Ferne noticed her gray furred brother did not have any of the wounds she observed when they were awake. She then asked, "Am I dreaming?"

"I was going to ask you that myself Ferne." Darwyn responded with a confused look.

"You two are asleep, but you're not dreaming." a nearby voice said. Both Vulpkin looked to find Arvanis standing in front of them, his face was twisted in a painful expression, his jaw clenched tight. "Hello children." he said weakly.

"Arvanis!" both the Vulpkin shouted at the same time, they ran and tackled him to the ground, holding their mentor tight.

"How are we able to talk with you?" Ferne asked, now becoming worried as she saw Arvanis' worn face.

"It's a form of communication via the Augury." The Giakin grunted slightly, "It takes a great deal of concentration, and it needs your minds to be clear, hence the reason why I am calling to you in your sleep. I needed to warn you two, you're both in great danger!"

Darwyn looked his mentor up and down, "What's wrong Arvanis?"

Wincing, the Giakin responded through a strained voice, "These ruins are not what I thought they would be. They are the reason why the Augury has been surging." The Vulpkin glanced at one another and then looked back at the sage as he continued his warning, "The ruins are taking their toll on Terrarexia and even as I speak to you two, the planet itself is reacting. You two are not safe at your farm, you have to run to my tower and stay there until I can return. I will contact you again, I cannot say when that will be." With those last words, Arvanis's image began to blur and fade away as the Vulpkin shouted for him to stay, then everything became dark.

When Ferne woke up, the sun was high above, shining through the green branches of the thicket, casting orange rays across the low lying vegetation. She sat up, her face was stinging, made worse when she touched it. Meanwhile Darwyn was still curled up next to her snoring softly. Ferne gently nudged her brother to wake him.

The gray furred Vulpkin sat up groaning, gingerly touching his swollen face, the visible flesh near his eyes turning a dark purple. "Oohhhhh... this hurts." he looked at Ferne, "What do you think he meant by the planet reacting?"

By now Ferne was standing up, stretching her very lean frame. "It could mean a lot of things Darwyn. Maybe he meant the weather, it has been a lot hotter than I remember last year."

"Whatever, I'm glad we can go back to Arvanis' tower now." Darwyn said standing up.

Ferne dusted a few clumps of dirt that clung to her tattered shirt, "It's going to be a long walk."

"Where was the road again?"

"I believe we ran here from... that direction!"

The journey out of the thicket was a slow process. This time they didn't need to run and they carefully avoided any brambles they came across. At this time of year, wild berries were plump and juicy and the two siblings took every chance they got to pluck a few handfuls. The bright red, black and blue berries were sweet and tangy. It lifted their spirits and made their trek less of a chore and more of a little adventure.

The vegetation was becoming more sparse and allowed the Vulpkin to walk straight, but Ferne stopped, and then Darwyn did so as well, looking at her confused. "Do you hear that?" Ferne asked worriedly.

"Yeah." her little brother answered, "It's... buzzing?"

The two began treading with caution to the edge of the thicket. Through the trees they could see the fence, the post that was blown to pieces, and the field beyond it. But something was off, rather than the usual gold color of the barley, they saw smoke drifting over the field. Coming even closer to the fence, the buzzing turned into a dull roar and it became clear what this all meant. At the fence the two Vulpkin watched in horror as they saw the plumes of flying insect decimating the field of barley.

"Ferne this is ter- Ow!" The younger Vulpkin slapped his forearm, revealing a smashed chitinous insect the size of the young Vulpkin's paw. It's long, vertical, pincer like jaws were still trying to slice at Darwyn's arm. Lifting his hands in the air, Darwyn crafted a turquoise shield around him and Ferne like a protective bubble. Ferne noticed the insects trying to get to them, they collided with the shield, flicking and snapping against the dome. "I guess this is what he meant by danger!" Darwyn pointed out.

"We got to get inside and hope they go away." Ferne said, a great amount of anxiety began to brew within her stomach. What will this mean for the farm? What will Penn do to them? Will they be able to make it to Arvanis' tower? They made their way over the fence and started walking through the clouds of insects, still wildly trying to get at them through Darwyn's shield. Amidst all the buzzing and chittering of the insects around them, they heard a bloodcurdling scream coming from their farmhouse followed by the sound of a rifle firing. The two Vulpkin looked at each other with frightened faces, then started running towards the house.

When they got to the farmhouse, the door was torn off it's hinges. Walking inside the small house there were fewer of the flying insects, enough for Darwyn to stop holding his shield up. The Vulpkin siblings heard a violent crashing sound down the hallway towards their bedrooms. Ferne held her little brother back behind her as they inched their way towards the noise. Outside their father's bedroom doorway there was blood everywhere. Splatters of black crimson were all over the walls and gore pooled on the floor. Within the puddle, they noticed a bloody severed paw. It was Penn's...

Ferne and Darwyn screamed as they saw what had killed their father. It slithered out of the door, taking up the paw in its jaws like woven chitinous fingers. It reared up like a snake poised to strike, cold lifeless eyes of black studying the two Vulpkin as the mandibles clicked and dripped blood on the floor. This creature began to slither it's way towards Ferne and Darwyn, the segmented legs that ticked on the floor carried the body through the door and into the hallway. Ferne let loose a jet of blue flame at the monstrosity, it shrieked and clicked loudly, reeling back onto itself in the cramped space it occupied.

Ferne kept screaming and torching the giant insect, cooking it inside its own exoskeleton. The walls around them began to take up the flame and fill the house with black smoke. By now the monster was dead and Ferne looked at Darwyn through the dense smoke. "Can you hold your shield up until we get to Arvanis' tower?" she managed to ask between harsh coughs.

"Only one way we're gonna find out!" Darwyn wheezed as they made their way to the broken front door.

"Okay... it's gonna be a long run little brother."

The siblings started to run underneath the protective cover of Darwyn's shield. Outside the farmhouse the entirety of all the fields near and far were being consumed by the buzzing clouds. It appeared that there were more insects now than before, flowing in the air like the waves in the ocean. They had made it to the road and ran in the direction of Arvanis' tower. Not long after they had started running, Darwyn started becoming exhausted.

Ferne could see that holding the shield was taking it's toll on the young Vulpkin, "Forget the shield Darwyn, just run!"

The gray furred Vulpkin put his arms down, the shield wavered then dissipated. "I'm sorry Ferne!" He cried out.

"JUST RUN!" Ferne shouted back. With no shield, the insects were quick to take advantage of the vulnerable siblings, and began to strike. They darted around the Vulpkin, bitting at their arms, tails and ears, leaving bloody cuts and gashes in their wake. Fortunately for Ferne and Darwyn, adrenaline was keeping them moving at a decent pace and allowed them to ignore the pain, only slightly. Running as fast as they could, they could now see the forest reaching up beyond a distant hill. Ferne prayed that the insects would give up after they entered the dense woods.

They continued to fly as fast as their legs would carry them. They had never run so far in their life before, their muscles were cramping and their lungs burned. Glancing back, Ferne could see a dense wall of insects giving chase. The wall was closing the distance between them and at this pace they would be caught and eaten alive. Ferne thought to herself, she had to do something, they weren't going to make it to the forest.

Ferne panicked, and out of sheer desperation, she stopped running, closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around herself and tried to concentrate. She could not think of the pain, the decimation of the farm, the death of her father, just the Augury.

"What are you doing Ferne!" She could just barely hear Darwyn cry out.

The sound of the buzzing insects was loud, and becoming worse, filling Ferne with dread. But she put that fear into the back of her skull. Her mind began to clear, she could truly focus on the Augury now. Opening her eyes, she could see now, the swarm was upon her, but in that same moment, her entire body was surrounded by her blue flames. Cloaked in fire, the insects were turned to ash as they attacked. Before the insects tried to escape, Ferne whipped her arms out wide, looking like a blue fiery demon, and the fire that enveloped her expanded. It burst outward and in a quick flash, all the insects that were chasing the Vulpkin siblings were ignited and fell to the ground as loose ash.

Darwyn looked at Ferne with wide eyes, "What was that?" he asked with astonishment.

Ferne looked over her shoulder back at the fields, there were still clouds of insects sweeping the landscape, and more coming her way. She shouted, "Never mind what I did, keep going!"

They ran, keeping their frantic pace. By now they reached the forest and kept running until they could no longer see the fields or hear the insects. The adrenaline was wearing off and the Vulpkin slowed to a walk, breathing hard. Rays of light from the late evening sun gleamed through the forest canopy lighting the dirt road they walked on. It would be hours and well passed dark until they finally saw Arvanis' stone tower in the distance. Their spirits were raised, but it did little to dull the immense pain their bodies were experiencing.

The Vulpkin reached the tower, it stood tall, watching over the forest landscape around it. Ferne opened the gate the only way the it could be opened, by using Augury to lift the heavy iron latch on the inside. They entered the tower, closed the door and collapsed on the floor.

They awoke late in the evening the next day, almost paralyzed, aching from head to toe. Their cuts had clotted, but left their fur messy and coarse with dry blood.

"I need to bathe." Ferne groaned.

"I could use something to eat." Darwyn said while his stomach gurgled loudly. The two siblings nodded to each other and went their separate ways within the tower to nourish their wounded bodies.

Arvanis' tower was tall and had many amenities across all the floors. All of the tower had plumbing, a luxury that not many could afford, allowing anyone access to fresh water throughout the building. There were baths on the third floor, but Arvanis also had this curious device that would pour hot water over the bather in a constant flow. Ferne shed her tattered and ripped clothing and was in heaven when she stood underneath the hot shower. The hot water and steam soothed the aches from her body and cleansed her of all the dirt and blood her fur had accumulated. Afterwards, she inspected herself in a mirror, noticing the several splinters still in her muzzle. With some strain, she managed to pluck them out and clean the gashes.

Covering herself with a thick cotton towel, Ferne climbed the spiral stairs to the guest's dormitory on the fourth floor. The dormitory was a hallway with several private rooms for guests, the door furthest to her left was her room. Ferne's room was a warm and welcoming space that always smelled of cinnamon. There she found a cabinet filled with extra clean clothes that Arvanis always kept for his two pupils. She wore tan shorts that reached below her knees and a loose fitting green blouse, nothing special but it was the most comfortable clothing she ever wore. Her attire made her look tomboyish, but she did not care what others thought, she enjoyed wearing simplistic clothing on her own terms. Now cleaned and wearing new clothes she felt reborn. However her stomach reminded her how hungry she was and decided to head down to the first floor to eat.

Ferne found her little brother fumbling in the kitchen with both a pot of boiling water and a pan of meat sizzling and spattering grease everywhere."What are you trying to make Darwyn?" Ferne asked with a smile. Darwyn looked back at her with a frustrated look. Ferne took notice of Darwyn's eyes, the left one was swollen completely shut, the right not far behind and both were a deep purple color. The rest of his body was like Ferne's before she bathed, dirty and covered with clotted wounds.

"Pasta... well, I'm trying to at least." he said with indignation.

"Go bathe little brother, I'll finish it by the time you get done." Ferne proposed.

Darwyn nodded and slouched out of the kitchen and up the stairs while Ferne turned her attention to the food. Arvanis taught the Vulpkin how to cook a variety of foods ever since he took them in as his pupils, and like Ferne with the Augury, she was a master at cooking. She got all the ingredients together, something Darwyn neglected to do, and went to work. The pasta noodles boiled while she made a thick meat sauce out of beef, tomatoes and spices. Everything was ready when Darwyn had come back down, now clean and in clothes like his older sister, but with black shorts and a more snug red shirt.

The meal was amazing, Ferne and Darwyn were delighted to finally have a decent meal that wasn't bland gruel. They ate in silence for the most part, but then Darwyn spoke up, "What do we do now Ferne?"

The black furred Vulpkin thought on those words as she chewed. She hadn't thought about it until now, but what could they do at this point? Their farm was gone, Arvanis was gone and there was some danger growing in the world. A danger they had barely survived. "I... don't know Darwyn. Maybe Arvanis will try to contact us? See if we made it here safe?" She said, wondering if her mentor was alright.

The siblings finished their food, cleaned up and went to their rooms to sleep for the night. Ferne lay in her bed awash in silver moonlight. She was thinking to herself about the farm being destroyed and her father's death. A large part of her life was gone, taken away in one day, but she was not sad. Dwelling on it more, she felt a sense of relief. No longer would she have to tolerate Penn's abuse nor have to protect Darwyn from him either. There was no farm anymore, no more drudgery or back breaking labor. And though there was no certainty to her future, Ferne was starting to feel more and more optimistic, like she would accomplish great things in her life now. With those thoughts, she eventually closed her eyes and drifted to sleep with a small smile.

The same dream came back to her. Flying over the world with great speed, heading south over mountain ranges, a desert, the ocean and back to the giant conifers. Again, she heard an awesome roar in the distance, sending shivers down her spine. Then, she was in the room of white again. Looking around, she did not see Darwyn at first, but his form made it's appearance, first faded, then solid.

"Arvanis?" Ferne called out searching for the Giakin. He appeared the same way Darwyn had. This time, Arvanis did not have a painful expression on his face. In fact, Arvanis regarded his pupils with a warm smile.

"Ferne, Darwyn, did you make it to my tower safely?" Arvanis asked with a little concern in his voice.

Darwyn was the first to answer him solemnly, "Yeah but... something terrible happened." He turned his head away with his ears down low. The smile that Arvanis wore dissolved into a worried expression.

Ferne explained, "Our farm was attacked. These insects ate all the barley we sewed and our father Penn..." She paused, "He was killed by this huge monster insect. We were chased all the way from our home to your tower."

"No..." Arvanis groaned rubbing his brow, "It's all coming true."

Darwyn exploded at this, "Will you tell us what you know now!?!" he shouted. Ferne briefly glared at her brother.

"I will Darwyn, you and Ferne deserve answers. Especially now that I can talk with less interference." Arvanis waved his right hand out and two benches appeared behind the Giakin and Vulpkin. "Have a seat." He said as he took his own with a sigh. "No doubt you two noticed that I became somewhat obsessed with the notes and journals I brought back with me from my expedition." Sitting down, Ferne and Darwyn both nodded in response. "Well," Arvanis continued, "I was able to decipher the meaning behind the carvings in the ruins. At the time, I thought they were nothing, just a kind of old story, but now, I should have seen it as a warning."

Ferne and Darwyn were silent. The two listened to their mentor intently as they did with all his lectures. "They told of how there would be an era of great stillness. A lasting era where the dead would lie in waiting for the world to flourish once again. After time erased existence, the 'Old Ones' would be reborn with tragedy. The world would be wrought with disaster, the planet will quake, the beasts will devour, the seas will kill, the world will be engulfed in war and the power which gives us form will surge. There will be a great cataclysm to enlighten the created, to tell them that their creators had returned to this world."

"What does that mean Arvanis?" Darwyn asked curiously.

"It means the Adroital were bad news from the start." Arvanis answered shaking his head, "The more we discover in these ruins, the more apparent it is. The Adroital believed they will come back to life somehow and when that happens, Terrarexia will not be the same."

Arvanis looked off into the distance, stroking his chin. "I was skeptical at first and thought it was just nonsensical mythos, but the disasters are becoming true. During our journey to Reliloss, we were almost killed by landslides when crossing the Imatasus mountain ranges into the Kingdom of Javaad."

"The planet will quake..." Ferne said softly.

The Giakin nodded slightly, "When we reached the ports of Ji'quar, the beaches were littered with the corpses of countless sea creatures. The expedition also departed on 4 separate ships, the only one that made it was the ship that Juliantis and I were aboard."

"The seas will kill..." Darwyn echoed.

"It was only until we moved deeper into the Adroital ruins was it safe enough for me to contact you two via the Augury. We are constantly being hunted by Saurkin. Many of the members of our expedition that made it to Reliloess have been killed. I hoped against hope that the other disasters would not come true, but... after hearing what you have told me about these insects, it would seem my hopes were unfulfilled."

"The beasts will devour..." Darwyn looked scared as he said those words.

Arvanis' face tightened, the pained expression from long ago came back. "That only leaves the planet being engulfed in war and-" The Giakin let out a gasp of pain.

Ferne's vision was flashing two different images. She saw Darwyn sitting next to her in the white room and Arvanis reeling in pain. Next she saw a blur of Vulpkin and Omokin running in a panic. They all looked to be inside some great stone chamber with hieroglyphs carved into the walls. Ferne saw Juliantis staring intently at her and shouting. "Arvanis, wake up, they are coming!"

Arvanis yelled to the siblings in the vision of the white room, "I must leave now children, stay safe, I will come back!" And everything turned black.

Ferne woke up. She was back in her bed and the sun was beginning to rise in the east. The black furred Vulpkin was equally frightened and upset but she got up and put on her clothes. She left her room and entered Darwyn's, her brother was still asleep. With a quick shake, Darwyn was awake and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Get up Darwyn and get packed." Ferne said with a frustrated tone.

"What?" Darwyn said groggily.

"I'm not waiting around anymore. Arvanis needs help, our help. So get yourself ready Darwyn, we're going to Reliloess."