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In the Wake of the Disappearance

It had been four days since then...

The baffling disappearance of a wyvern and a rider was still fresh in everyone's mind, especially those who were supposed to bear witness on it but was unable to recall what happened.

There seemed to be several eyewitnesses of this event, but their memories were jumbled at best, as if their memories had been wiped. While having one person's memories wiped was possible (though illegal), wiping the memories of a whole excavation camp would need a tremendous amount of magic to work.

The speculation that the pair was simply going somewhere temporarily was dashed when they saw the camp they set up for the night. The campfire burned all night, and all of their stuffs and supplies were still there. The wyvern's riding gear, taken off as per protocol or request, was kept neatly on the side. They would not try to ride without the gear, as it was very dangerous to do so and was only done during emergencies.

Then there was the matter of a suspicious mark around the camp. It looked like burn marks, roughly circular. This mysterious mark seared the sand around the camp and was somehow linked to their disappearance. There was nothing to go on from here. Their disappearance was one of many unsolved mysteries of the desert Central Region.

Everyone was affected, but none were more affected than Zardes, a hellhound dragon rider who felt responsible, and his partner, the female hell dragon Itresil, who blamed herself for not knowing what happened despite of being nearby when it happened. She refused to talk with the others, thinking that she was being blamed for it. No one really cared much since their memories were hazy and jumbled, but she argued that, as a dragon, she would be less affected by the magic. Unfortunately for her, magic was not the cause of it. In fact, she and many others would never know what happened that night.

Zardes kept believing that it was an elaborate prank, though he would not believe an offworlder like Arcturus and the serious yet friendly Atmell would do this. After four days, however, he drew on the conclusion that they were no longer on that world, partially because of Arcturus's claim that he was from another world. He wished them luck, and to support each other in an unknown territory. He had helped the young human all his life. This was the time of his own story.

He kept their memories strong, however, and refused to declare their deaths. But then, he had a pressing matter; the mystery of the Crossing Gate, and its past.

A Crossing Gate was a special form of gate that was used to link the Underworld to the surface world, as there was virtually no way to reach the Underworld unless there was an attempt of drilling through the Earth's crust. It might take a bit of time, so for the moment, the Crossing Gate was the fastest way to go to hell and back.

He tried not to be distracted and walked back to the excavation camp after taking a last look at the camp. The others tried their best to distract themselves from it, but it was clear that the event was forever seared in their mind.

"(Are you alright, Zardes)?" asked a familiar voice.

The black-furred hellhound turned to find his old friend and the leader of the project: Malkar Cummins. He was clearly a hellhound with red reptilian-like eyes and horns, but he was born on the surface. His father was Walther Cummins, a Ternorian Lycan-Hellhound half-breed, while his mother was Shara Minz, a pure hellhound. This made him a quarter Lycan, though it did not matter much unless he lost his invulnerability to normal fire.

Malkar's interest in archaeology dated back when he was but a cub, as his father was an archaeologist before him. Walther's specialization was hellhound history, and it was during one of the expeditions to the Outer Ring of Hell was where he met Shara, Malkar's mother. They fell in love, and the rest was history. Malkar went to hell many times and was fascinated by the history of the hellhounds and their culture, so much that he wanted to continue his father's works.

His father was still an archaeologist, though he was now a sponsor as he was old and of ill health. Malkar was interested with the history of the first attempted demonic invasion that was thwarted by Seraphor and Avila, who were still alive. He tried his best to get more off the history and ended up getting something even more fascinating: the discovery of an old Crossing Gate buried by the sands.

Zardes approached Malkar and sighed. "(Honestly, no. Those two were my responsibilities. Still...I do not believe that they are dead. I decided that trusting on their survival is enough. My only concern is how to report this to the Order. They are still listed as Order members)."

"(I'm sure you're able to give a believable explanation)," said Malkar, patting his back. "(I'll help)."

"(Thanks, Mal. Anyway, what's your progress?)"

"(Not good. Unless we get an Infernal to help translate these, we won't be able to learn much about the Ash Hounds and the Crossing Gate. There is no other choice but to summon one)."

"(I don't think that's a good idea. You know how feisty they can be. I don't trust those beyond the Limbo Gates)."

"(Sometimes, we need to take a risk for the advancement of knowledge)."

"(Not worth the risk, unless...)"

"(Got any ideas?)"

"(I remember something about Infernals, now that I think about it. There is someone in the Order who has connections with them, but I won't trust him to know much about it)."

"(Who? You mean, there is someone who can read these stuffs?)"

"(Ashten Schelkz)."

There was a silence between them, before Malkar seemed to realize something from hearing that name.

"(Oh, damn it, why am I so stupid? The Schelkz family is famous for being descended from an Infernal! You're right. Ashten Schelkz might still be able to read the texts. Where is he now?)"

"(Back in Qeveriyt. He's a mentor for cadets)."

"(What are you waiting for? Let's go back and get him!)"

Zardes nodded, agreeing with this plan. He knew the Schelkz family well, given that they were all descended from Ifrit Schelkz, one of the heroes of both the Underworld and the surface world for his contribution in preventing the end of the world. His exploits along with his friends were very well documented, though it was a shame that one of them was gone forever, taking his family's name with him. The last bearer of the name, Anarim Winsel, died of old age a couple of years after their adventures.

The Caropus family still followed their duty as a guardian, though now they became the guardians of the only known Crossing Gate on the surface world, at least until the current Gate was found. There were many other semi-permanent and temporary Gates that were closed to prevent problems, at least for a century or so. As the only Gate was the center of trade between the hellhounds and the surface dwellers, they did not bother to open another Gate. The current guardian was also named Anubis and was the second in the family to be given that name after his legendary grandfather and his ancestor, who was immortal and forever guard the Limbo Gate (it was a curse, but Zardes did not bother to ask in case it offended them).

It was also a well-known fact that the black-furred, golden-eyed jackal family was once cursed by a dangerous demon currently imprisoned deep within the bowels of hell as a Forever Damned. The curse was broken by the previous Anubis, who was blind. The curse stated that the family would be granted a prosperous kingdom (yes, they had a kingdom once) and perfect, healthy body. Unfortunately, they would all suffer an early death. Anubis (affectionately called 'Ani' by his closest friends) broke this curse and free his descendants from the curse forever by sealing the old demon's power once more. Sounded a lot like a fairy tale, but it did happen and chronicled.

The Three Kings, as they were called, saved both realms and becoming heroes. Ifrit Schelkz continued to be referred as an important hellhound when Wolfram Schelkz, his son, was born on Main Continent, becoming one of the first native hellhound on Main. This line continued until Ashten Schelkz and his brothers, sisters, cousins, and nieces. The Schelkz family, once only claimed by the brothers Nergora and Ifrit, now became an extensive family. One of them, an old mentor and former Hellfighter, was Zardes's personal friend. Like his relationship with Atmell, Ashten helped a young, inexperienced and frustrated Rider who had yet to find his partner find one. Unlike the human, however, he had a wealth of choice in the Underworld provided he was strong enough. That was how he found Itresil: impressing her enough to gain her respect, and later, friendship.

Ashten, as always, was training a couple of young cadets on proper weapon handling and care. These cadets needed to know how to use a weapon type before they could then continue on designing their own Rider Weapon, a specialized unique weapon catered to a person's skill and preference. Before that, however, they needed to know what kind of weapons they needed.

The hellhound had just finished the workout of the day when Zardes and Malkar approached him. Like his grandfather, Ashten had that characteristic black fur covering his whole body with red stripes in several parts of his body. His eyes were red with black sclera, which was common for hellhounds, while his horns were curved to the back like a dragon's. His prehensile tail was similarly covered with fur and ended with a tuft of fur, like a lion's.

He noticed the two younger hellhounds approaching him and, when his students had left for their next lesson, he turned his head towards them and said, "(Please, sit down)."

They did so.

"(So, Zardes boy)," said Ashten with a chuckle. "(What kind of trouble you're into this time?)"

"(Why do you always assume I'm a troublemaker?)"

"(Because you lost someone under your wing?)" When Ashten noticed his surprised expression, he said, "(Oh, don't be that surprised. We have this thing called 'telephone'. Simply said, you forgot to ask your crew's vow of silence)."

Malkar exchanged look towards Zardes, before they were interrupted by Ashten.

"(But, as you know, I may be old, but my duty as an Order member still holds. As such, I'm quite busy. I can only afford you a small time before I need to go to my next class)."

"(We need you to come with us, if you have time)," said Malkar.

"(You can't ask him that!)" snapped Zardes. "(He doesn't even know if he's capable of it)."

"(Capable of what, if I may so ask?)" asked Ashten.

"(Ash)," said Zardes. "(You are a Schelkz, aren't you? Do you still claim to be descended from an Infernal?)"

"(Of course, I am. That's why that name holds)."

"(We recently found a Crossing Gate in our current expedition. The Gate led to a community of Ash Hounds who happened to possess a couple of books that could only be handled by an Infernal)."

"(Then I'm afraid I can help you boys)," said Ashten. "(I may be descended from an Infernal, but that's it. My grandfather's half Infernal, then my dad's half Lycan and a quarter Infernal. He then married my mother, who was a hellhound, and got me and my sister Lyr. Simply said, that blood is already too thin for me to claim myself as an Infernal, and I am not sure if I can read those books or not)."

"(That's quick)," said Malkar.

"(So, we've reached a dead-end, then)," said Zardes, disappointed. "(Well, at least we can catalogue the lives of the Ash Hounds for now)."

"(Why can't you just bring the book here so I can try)?"

"(We can't. The books will disintegrate if mishandled)."

"(Hmm...that's a very good reasoning. Even if those Ash Hounds, as you said it, are lying, you cannot risk it. That kind of information is very important not to miss, huh?)"

"(Lying?)"

"(First rule in business. You don't play all your cards. Never go all-in until you're perfectly sure the coast's clear. Simply put, they are not ready to trust you yet. They may have determined that you're not hostile, but what if they're the ones that are hostile? They may be a different kind of hellhound, but they are still demons)."

Zardes and Malkar exchanged looks, disappointed that it would happen. Ashten was their only bet, and it seemed that they needed to summon an Infernal to let them read the books. There was a problem, however. Unlike the Outer Ring Region where the demons were less demonic and more humane in many ways, those inside the Ring were true demons, with good reasons. It was a different plane of existence altogether, and it was also a place where damned spirits (unfortunate souls who made a bargain with demons and were unable to meet their demands) were tortured for eternity. Ever since Ifrit Schelkz, there was an agreement that the Limbo Gates would be sealed for the living after the fiasco that caused instability and threatened the whole world.

Some hellish races, like Cait Siths, chose to relocate to the Outer Ring when it was clear that their Ring (Lust) was 'dull' (for them). Others preferred to stay. This was also the reason why these demonic cat people could have relationships with surface dwellers.

"(But, if you really trust these Ash Hounds to be as harmless as you might think, I might be able to help you find a way to talk to an Infernal)."

"(Summon an Infernal? Here? Now?)"

"(Oh, no. The Academy does not consent demonic summons. I don't even recommend it, even if you're a hellhound. An Infernal is hard to be negotiated with, and they might refuse altogether. You may take the short route of summoning them at your discretion, but I might tell you an alternate way of doing this. So? Interested?)"

"(What do you have in mind?)"

"(Just visit my ancestral home, and you'll get whatever help you need)."

"(That means...)"

"(You need to go to Ternor)."

Going to Ternor. It was easy to say that since it was one of their possible choices. But, going to Ternor also meant leaving an unfinished work behind, despite of knowing that it was not just a mere archaeology expedition. Malkar hated to be away from his workspace, though he knew this was an inevitable outcome for a better learning. It wasn't that bad, either. He could return and meet his parents, saying hello when he needed to.

"(Guess we have no choice)," said Zardes. "(We'll prepare for the trip)."

"(Good. Do what you have to do, then be off)."

The two young hellhounds nodded towards Ashten, before leaving the old hellhound to do his job. They walked out of the Academy to meet with Itresil, who was talking with a familiar silver red dragon. He was accompanied with a silver-scaled female dragon that they assumed to be his offspring.

"Guess you've got company, Tresi," said the dragon calmly. "Tell me about it when it's over."

"Yeah," replied Itresil. "And Sera..."

"I know. He's gone now," he said with a sad expression. "It's a hard time for all of us, but we'll manage. Thank you, Tresi."

The silver dragon turned around, took a glance towards the two hellhounds, then walked off without any more word. Zardes quickly recognized the small dragon. He wanted to follow him, but Itresil grabbed his shirt and said, "(You know what happened. Don't make it even harder for him)."

"(It's so sad, to tell you the truth)," said Zardes. "(He does not deserve it)."

"(Even so, what's done is done. Seraphor the silver red may have been a legend among dragons, but it's time for him to rest. Good thing his loving mate is still with him, even if it's for a moment longer. I'm afraid his time will be over soon when she leaves him)."

"(Huh?)"

"(You don't need to know much about it. It's dragon business. Anyway, what's the plan?)"

"(We go to Ternor as soon as we can)," said Malkar.

"(Ternor, eh? It has been such a long time)."

"(It is. Malkar, prepare yourself tonight. We'll leave tomorrow. Tresi'll take you back to the site to pack up. I'll request a long travel gear for Tresi, then I'll pack my own stuffs. Tresi, take my stuffs back from the site while you're there)."

"(Alright. Let's go, Malkar)."

Zardes turned as Itresil opened her wings and took flight, with Malkar holding tight. The hellhound never thought that it was time to go back to Ternor again, where his life as a dragon rider started.

He just hoped it was a normal journey, though he doubted it. Even so, he needed some action, so if anything turned sour...why not? A little fight now and then would not hurt. He needed to stretch anyway.

So long as no one's killed, he's fine with it.