Grumble, grumble.


    On and on went the noises in Leo’s empty stomach. It had been a day since they arrived in the Sanctuary. However, in this short while, the start of another Primordial war seemed imminent each time Calaren and Atlas locked horns. After the mirror had completely broken apart, all ways of exiting the underground metropolis of Ragonia were blocked. The Hearth-Bringers were trapped. And no one was unhappier about this than Atlas. Things had come to blows several times. Violent bloodshed was avoided only because June and Desdemona stepped in.


    Desdemona, or Des as she insisted on being called, was a completely different creature than her father. Even though resources were scarce she still brought them pillows, blankets, and water. The situation was dire. Food had run out and the water supply was dangerously low. People were eating insects for survival and were in no mood to entertain three extra mouths to feed. Des had suggested the Hearth-Bringers stay hidden in the temple to avoid other hostile occupants of Sanctuary.


    Meanwhile, Calaren’s head injury made him weak and feverish. June dressed the wound and tried to make him as comfortable as she could, but it didn’t help much. As hours passed his fever got worse, and there was nothing they could do. Now, he didn’t even have enough energy to argue with Atlas. They put all the blankets together to create thick bedding for him so the freezing floor wouldn’t bother him. He lay flat, with closed eyes and staggered breathing. Calaren’s pain was reflecting in June’s eyes. She kept looking up at Anorea’s statue but said nothing. Still, Leo felt like Anorea was listening to June’s silent prayers. The sheer fact that they were still here even after the unfriendly Elementals had every reason to get rid of them was proof of that. Mothers are so amazing. They don’t even need words to convey their emotions, thought Leo as he rocked himself to sleep on the cold, hard floor at the foot of Anorea’s altar.


    Darkness encased Leo. He moved his hands around to try to feel his surroundings. Nothing but air touched his fingertips. However, a few steps ahead was an illuminated spot in the dark, from where a chicken was watching him. Leo started walking towards the light until he was close enough to touch the bird. He went up to the chicken and grabbed it. Then, he bit it.


    “What? What are you doing? You stupid kid!” screamed the strange chicken.


    “Mr. chicken, I’m sorry that I’m trying to eat you while you are still alive. But I’m starving, and this is a dream after all. So, please at least let me eat you like food in here. Now, can you just die and come back as a roasted chicken on a platter? It’ll make you easier to eat,” said a hungry Leo.


    “Chicken! Did you just call me a chicken! Listen, moron, I’m a phoenix. I said, I’m a phoenix. You hear me? Also, I happen to be your ancestor as well. What kind of descendant tries to eat his ancestors? I didn’t know the Hearth-Bringers were cannibals!” said the ticked off phoenix.


    “We are not,” said another voice from within the darkness.


    Leo looked in the direction of the voice and saw a pair of glowing green eyes. Slowly the owner of the voice emerged from the shadows. A beautiful blue wolf entered the spotlight and approached Leo.


    “Let him go, Leon. You cannot eat your ancestors no matter how hungry you are,” said the wolf calmly.


    Leo ran his tongue over his lips and kept holding on to the phoenix chicken tightly. The look in Leo’s eyes made the phoenix chicken shudder. He peered at the wolf and said, “Kendall, call off your grandson this instance!”


    “Leon Hearth-Bringer! Dorian over there is the reason for the activation of your Pathfinder powers. He is the one who guided you subconsciously on the path to getting out of Solem. Even now he is here to grant you more powers. You should thank him instead of trying to eat him. So, put him down!” ordered the wolf called Kendall.


    “This is such a weird dream. Why are animals trying to act like my ancestors?” said Leo out loud.


    The wolf sighed and went up to Leo, raised his claws, and scratched his leg. “Ow!” said Leo in pain as red droplets of blood appeared on his leg, and he finally let the phoenix go. The phoenix took advantage of this and flew away to the farthest corner of the well-lit area. “So, this is real?” asked an astonished Leo.


    “Yes,” answered Kendall.


    “So, you guys are the reason I have these awesome powers! Thank you! Thank you so much!” said Leo gratefully.


    “That is only part true. While it’s true that Dorian has blessed and passed on part of his Pathfinder powers to you, I am not the one who activated your Hearth-Bringer powers. You awakened a part of your Heath-Bringer power on your own. Even if we left you unattended you would eventually become one of the most powerful Hearth-Bringers in history. Your healing powers are so strong that it overcame the curse and the power loss of the Pathfinders. It also allowed us to contact you. We only hastened the process to your full awakening by sharing more powers with you.” Said Kendall.


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    “So, you are saying my powers have not fully awakened yet?” Asked Leo.


    “No, they haven’t. Your Pathfinder powers specifically haven’t awakened at all and it is only because of Dorian that you can use any Pathfinder abilities.” Said Kendall while pointing at the chicken phoenix known as Dorian with his snout.


    “However, you are sharing your powers with me in an attempt to awaken them fully?” Asked Leo.


    “Yes.” Answered Kendall.


    “Does that mean I will be able to use all your powers if needed?” Leo asked.


    “With enough time and practice you will be able to do that However, for now you can only handle limited amounts.” Said Kendall.


    “That’s great! Thank you so much for sharing your powers with me!” Said Leo.


    “I am not sharing my powers with you. I don’t even have healing powers to pass on. I just came here to stop you from trying to eat Dorian,” clarified Kendall as he watched Leo’s wound heal.


    “Really? Then who is sharing the healing powers?” asked Leo excitedly.


    “Prime ancestor Areon Hearth-Bringer. He’ll come to meet you when you are ready.” As Kendall spoke, a pair of purple eyes glowed brightly far away in the darkness.


    “So, you are here to pass on more powers to me now because you know I’ll use them to free our people, right?”


    Kendall twisted his wolf snout to something resembling a smile. “Dorian was here to do that, but maybe he changed his mind now.”


    “Nooooooo! I’m so sorry, ancestor! I didn’t mean to hurt you,” said Leo while running towards Dorian.


    A panicked Dorian flew away from Leo and landed on Kendall’s back before saying, “Stop! I’ve had enough of your antics. You’re lucky there are no better candidates to inherit my powers. Otherwise, I would’ve never shared my powers with someone as dumb as you.”


    “I said I was sorry,” Leo said in embarrassment.


    Kendall interjected, “What is done is done. We cannot change it. Just keep in mind to never do it again. Also, before Dorian passes his powers on, we need to discuss some things.”


    “Ok, tell me. I’m listening.”


    “The Anons are destroying all of creation with their Amassings. Nothing in nature operates alone. By destroying the Elementals and taking away the powers of Veiled Ones, they have made sure no new life can take birth. Today they are reduced to recycling the already created energy in the universe. Alas! They are doing a poor job at that too. The Amassings must be stopped if life is to survive in the universe. Before freeing our people, you need to put Areliam back into balance first.”


    “No problem. Just tell me what I need to do, and it’ll be done.”


    “This won’t be easy. You are far too young and weak to make a difference right now. Even if we give you more powers, you cannot use them properly,” said the chicken turned phoenix, Dorian.


    “You need to find Ivan Renegader. The most powerful Veiled One alive, and your great grandfather,” said Kendall.


    “My great grandfather? Why is he a Renegader and not a Hearth-Bringer? Also, he must be like a hundred and fifty. So, how will someone that ancient be of any help?” asked a confused Leo.


    “So, in addition to being a cannibal, you are an ageist too! That’s it, you need to be taught a lesson,” said Dorian as he flew over to Leo and started to peck at him hard.


    “You sure you are not a chicken? ’Cause you sure have its pecking skills.” Upon hearing this from Leo, Dorian accelerated his pecking with more force than before. “Stop! It hurts,” said Leo while trying to fend off Dorian.


    “Alright, both of you behave! Leon, I don’t have time to explain our family linage or inter-clan relationships of the Veiled Ones. Just ask Calaren later. He’ll be happy to explain everything to you. As for Ivan Renegader, even at a hundred and twenty-three, no living Veiled One can match his powers. You need him. But to get to him you need to teleport to the planet Kracten. So, without wasting time, Dorian, pass on your teleportation powers to Leon already,” Kendall said, irritated.


    “I don’t want to anymore,” said the grumpy Phoenix.


    “You don’t have a choice. Let me remind you, we Hearth-Bringers have many descendants to pass our powers on to. However, June and Leon are the only viable options for you. June’s connection to the ancestors is too weak to bring out her powers. So, either pass on your powers to Leon or watch the Pathfinder line completely die off,” warned Kendall.


    “Fine,” said Dorian.


    “Teleportation! Yayyyy! What an awesome power to have!”


    “Shut up, before I change my mind.”


    “Yes, ancestor.”


    “Listen very carefully.”


    “Ok.”


    “Dang it, kid. Keep quiet until I’m done explaining. Just nod your head up and down if you understand.” Dorian continued after he saw Leo nod. “Good. Now in a few moments, I’ll be transferring my teleportation powers to you. It has been a long-standing tradition amongst Veiled Ones to transfer powers to each other. However, I cannot give you too much because you can’t handle it. Using my powers constantly will help you awaken your own, until eventually you won’t need to use my powers at all. Any questions so far?”


    “Yes! How powerful is this teleportation power? How does it work? Is it at least cool looking? Can I go to places I’ve never been before? Can I take Ma and Pa with me too? Also, what are the side-effects?”


    “Oh, Goddess Anorea, please save me! You are definitely Calaren’s son. You’ll grow up to be more annoying than him for sure. For future reference, anytime anyone asks if you have any questions, they are secretly hoping you have none.”


    “Dorian…” Kendall Interjected.


    “Argh…alright then. The teleportation ability is extremely powerful because it can take you anywhere. Even to places you have never seen before. All you have to do is think about a destination, and a cool looking smoky portal will open to take you there. I suggest in the beginning you take no more than one other person with you. Taking more than that would be very taxing on your body. You can transport more people and things when you get familiar with this power and awaken your own. Lastly, your eye color will change to blue whenever you use Pathfinder powers. Now, let’s get this over with.” Dorian blew a stream of black fire on Leo.


    The flames consumed him. He felt excruciating pain as the black fire penetrated his skin and spread to his insides. Leo opened his eyes screaming, only to find himself and Desdemona falling through the skies.