Legends of Ardonia [Editor's Edition]

Chapter 4: Fragments of History

Zalmatos looked out towards the roaring sea, waves crashing against the bottom of the cliff he stood on. The rough seas had been a good deterrent for any ships that came close to the island, granting him his only peace of mind. He looked down at his Ardoni markings, which glowed orange, and he balled his hand into a fist. 

He turned and walked down the hill, passing by other Ardoni with similarly orange markings. Fish traps, fish nets, and buckets of fish were slung over their shoulders, and they gave him a curt nod as they passed. Zalmatos never liked the taste of fish, nor the smell, but while here with his kind, he had no other option. He kicked the rocky soil beneath him as he walked, wishing he could have a steak or even some greens. 

He arrived at an empty cave on the side of a stone hill, just in time for a warbling portal to open up. Sandrev stepped out, a dense oak forest behind him where he was coming from. Zalmatos caught sight of a large, dark, circular structure before the portal closed.

"Why were you at the portal, Sandrev? Have you...gotten word?"

Sandrev nodded. Zalmatos' brow furrowed.

"How long?"

Sandrev raised his fist up and did a lap around it with his other hand. He then put up three fingers.

"Three years?" Zalmatos paced around the cave. "Our people have already forgotten our purpose, and they want us to wait three more years?! Look around, Sandrev! We are Zuldoris! We're supposed to be ushering in a new Ardonia, yet this is how we live? Hidden in shadows, cast out from society...we need to act now!"

Sandrev shook his head and walked over to a map of Ardonia hung upon the wall. He pointed to Crown Peak, Hydraphel, the Ardoni clans; everyone who would stand against them.

"We can take them, Sandrev. Yumerlia just needs one more attempt on the queen, and everything will change. And once the Prime Songs are in our possession, we will not fail our mission."

Sandrev observed him for a moment, his gaze thoughtful, before he pointed to the home of the Nestoris clan.

"You're right. One step at a time. We leave for Nestoria at once."

Horses clopped through the worn paths leading out of Solkad, carrying the Ardonian team on their backs. They turned off the main road and headed north, towards Nestoria's spruce forests. Hylis had been reading quietly to pass the time, Morado riding beside her. Curious, Wendy brought her horse closer to Hylis and tried peering over her shoulder.

"Whatcha reading?"

Hylis jumped a bit as she was broken out of her headspace, startled by the Felina suddenly right next to her.

"Oh, uh, just a book on the Prime Songs and how the champions used them. I thought maybe I could figure out what the thieves were planning," Hylis replied.

"Hylis," Morado leaned in a whisper. "Perhaps you should not speak of champions in front of–"

"It's alright, Morado," Emmilia said, slowing her horse down to match Hylis' pace. "What have you come up with?"

"Well, uh, I'm just going off of a hunch at the moment, but the thieves can't be going after the Prime Songs solely for power, right? I mean, Ingressus Voltaris managed to get three of them and still required the help of the Nether to even rival the Overworld and the End. The champions used their combined might on the Voltaris and, as we all know, they still had trouble hunting down all of them. Pythus alone was capable of standing up to Ingressus with two Primes, not to mention his army that overwhelmed the Voltaris before his defeat and King Vulcannus."