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Lord Iter's laugh finally faded and he looked back at the dragons.

"So," he said. "What exactly are you going to do now, I wonder?"

Rentor's face went through a slew of expressions before settling on anger.

"I don't know if you're telling the truth, but regardless, you are an enemy of Reality. Die!"

"Rentor, no!" Strike yelled, reaching out as his subordinate materialized a lightning spear and charged the Zenith Wolf.

Lord Iter chuckled. "A ferocious and just attitude just like Alcyrion's. In any other situation, I would have commended you. But here, it's just kind of funny."

He extended a hand and casually blocked the thrust with two fingers, sending the spear skidding into the ground. It ripped up a large chunk of rock, demonstrating just how powerful the attack had been.

Lord Iter blew a small bit of dust off his hand and snapped his fingers. "Let's see exactly how weak the dragons have become, shall we?"

Rentor roared and spun his spear around, swinging it in a flurry of slashes and thrusts. For each, Lord Iter simply moved to the side, seeming as difficult to hit as a breeze. The dragon finally opened his mouth and fired a beam of lightning before jumping back. The Void god just shook his head and made a circle with his fingers, instantly generating a shield that blocked the attack.

"I know that you're tired from earlier, but this is a bit ridiculous. The energy-draining spell's gone, so your natural regeneration should be kicking in. Or have you lost that as well as your speed and power?"

"Not really," Strike suddenly said, his voice filled with anger and vengeance. "Iter, stand and deliver!"

He blinked out of existence and reappeared almost instantly behind Lord Iter, already launching fist strikes. The god rolled his eyes and spun around, moving as fast as lightning to block each one.

"You think that you can match me in speed? The only one that's ever been faster than me was your Dragon-God. And what's more..." Iter's eyes darkened. "Never. Ever. Say those words to me again!"

He flashed forward, not even using magic to fight equally against Strike. His innate body was simply so strong that he could move as fast as a master Aetherling without even trying.

Rentor gathered his magic, hurling several lightning bolts, but Iter's form blurred before appearing to somehow launch multiple attacks, in different directions, at the same time. Fists and feet for Strike and basic palm strikes for the bolts, he blew away everything that tried to damage him before elbowing Strike in the chest.

The Dragon General was blasted back, impacting the ground and skidding several meters before sliding to a halt. Iter raised an eyebrow.

"That would have killed most people. Oh, what's this?" He narrowed his eyes before laughing. "What is that armor, something your Dragon-God left you before he died? How cute."

Iter blocked another attack from Rentor before sighing. "How pathetic. I only have access to around 15% of my power, and yet you can't even scratch me. Stars, I haven't even drawn Clayrbodias yet."

He grinned. "Although, I think we both know how that fight would go."

"You know, Iter," Strike said as he picked himself off the ground. "Even if I die here today, my siblings and the Primes will stop you. They're probably already on their way!"

"You're right about that. Facing down Eternius and the others right now would be impossible," Iter admitted as his hand crackled with white lightning. His eyes lit up. "I guess I'll have to actually start trying a bit."

"Look out!" Strike roared as Iter flicked a finger.

A bolt of pure power shot out at the dragons, tearing apart the air as it flew. Strike rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the beam. Instead of him, it hit one of the last remaining walls in the stadium and erased the entire thing from existence.

"Rentor, dodge only! DO NOT TRY TO BLOCK HIS SPELLS!" Strike ordered. "They'll go right through your defenses!"

Rentor's shield had been flickering with light, but at Strike's words, he cut his magic, wanting to avoid wasting energy.

Iter scoffed. "Dodge? Interesting concept. Dodge this."

He flexed a hand and thousands of white bolts materialized behind him and fired at the dragons. Strike's eyes widened and he flashed over to Rentor, sweeping him up.

"Hold on!" he roared. "Velocitus Electricae!"

The Dragon General disappeared in a blaze of lightning and magic, boosting himself to unimaginable speeds. He flickered in and out of existence, moving as fast as he could to dodge the attacks. Finally, the barrage ended and Strike released his spell, almost toppling to the ground as he reappeared and set Rentor down. The ground behind him was devastated, covered in holes and gaps were things should exist, but didn't anymore.

"You're not looking too good," Iter said as he watched with a bored expression. "Old age?"

"Damn you," Strike growled, panting heavily. He needed more time to recover his magic, but he didn't have any to spare. Incredible recovery abilities were not very useful when faced with a constant onslaught of overwhelming attacks.

Lord Iter raised his hand and Rentor stepped in front of his General, raising his shield to defend. However, a confused look flitted over the god's face and he turned to look off in the distance. Rentor didn't know what was happening but kept his guard up anyway.

"That energy signature... Oh, it's him," Iter said, appearing to be lost in thought. "Interesting that he's on this planet too, but honestly I shouldn't be surprised. There's no one else that has such a silver tongue."

A shape flew through the sky in a blaze of white energy, arriving above the stadium and circling it twice before coming to land. The light cleared to reveal a white wolf with two tails and purple etchings covering its body.

The wolf immediately sat, bowing its head down in respect. "Zenith Wolf. This one hails his lord."

Iter smiled. "Archon Salvor, you have no reason to bend your head. Rise; you did well."

Salvor stood, looking up at Lord Iter with a loyal gaze. "It was simple to orchestrate your release. Many of the pieces had been put in place long ago and I was only the one to trigger the trap."

"So you were the one who deceived Phanes!" Strike growled.

Salvor laughed. "Deceived implies that I actually had to try. It was pathetically easy to get that Griffon to believe that I was on his side, ready to tell him how to gain immortality. And then that other mage, the kid, handed me the sword I needed on a silver platter! It wasn't even hard!"

Strike snarled and thrust his hand forward, shooting a bolt of lightning out of his palm. Salvor howled, the sound wave dispersing the attack like it was nothing. The Dragon General fell back to the floor, panting.

The wolf looked up at Lord Iter. "Lord, as I am finished with my duty, I now await your orders."

Iter nodded. "Take the teleportation formation in the southern temple. Now that I am back, there will be many of my Archons waking up across Reality. Gather them in my name."

Salvor bowed. "Your will be done."

Energy covered his paws and he jumped into the air, but he turned back.

"Lord, what about you?"

Iter waved a hand. "Don't wait up for me," he said, turning to look at the dragons. "I have some things that I need to take care of."

"Then, we will wait for you."

Salvor turned into a ball of energy and raced into the sky, circling the stadium before zipping off into the distance. Iter sighed and smiled.

"Now, where were we?"

---

James was falling into a black void, air rushing past him as he plummeted to an unknown destination.

"Where am I?" he wondered, only seeing darkness. "What happened? The last thing I remember is getting knocked into a wall."

His eyes widened and he flailed around. "Phanes is going to open the Omega Rift. I have to stop him!"

He tried magic, but there were no elements around him to control. It was like he was in the depths of space, but even then there would still be something, anything. Here, there was nothing.

James shook his head, gaining control of himself as he worked to calm down. He was finally able to cage his panic and tried to get a sense of where he was going, but couldn't see a single thing.

"Is this some sort of spell? Something that Phanes cast?"

The falling sensation vanished and James suddenly found himself standing the small hallway of what looked to be an old home. There were many photos on the wall, most of them blurry and incomprehensible, and a red warm rug covered the floor. Looking in front and behind, the hall seemed to go on forever in both directions.

James walked slowly along, trying to figure out what was going on. Trailing his hand along the wall, it felt like wood, it looked like wood, and it even smelled like wood. But his magic told him nothing was there, that it didn't actually exist.

One other thing he noticed was that there were a number of doors on both sides of the hallway, but they were all locked. Finally, he found one that was cracked, yellow light spilling through. Hesitating for a moment, he pushed it fully open and stepped inside. James gasped.

The room was moderately large, like a living room or a study. Bookshelves lined the walls and there was a desk with a lamp sitting with notes and papers neatly organized. There was even a fireplace that crackled happily over to one side, happily filling the place with a cozy air. However, the thing that made James stop was the massive window filling the entire wall opposite the door. The glass was barely visible at all and it showed a beautiful expanse of space, with a nebula right in the center. Two large antique chairs also faced the window, their tall backs blocking a bit of the view.

James looked around in shock, still trying to sense something with his magic.

"Is this an illusion?" he asked aloud, trying to wrap his mind around what was going on.

"In a way, yes. However, I suppose that it's more... like a memory."

James jumped at the voice, realizing that someone was sitting in one of the chairs. He tensed up, but the person chuckled.

"Oh, relax. I know you've been through a lot recently, but don't worry, I won't bite."

James hesitantly walked over and then blinked. Sitting in the chair, sipping what looked like a coke, was a young man dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt.

"Take a seat," he said, gesturing to the other free seat.

James sat, still very confused. The man finished his drink and put the can down on a nearby coffee table. He sighed and looked out the window, obviously thinking about something.

James was just about to speak when the man leaned back.

"Isn't it grand?" he asked.

The boy was thrown for a second. "What is?"

The man gestured to the window. "Everything. You, me, the fact that we live in such a beautiful universe."

He sighed. "It's a shame that most don't even see the forest for the trees. So many take it for granted."

The man paused for a moment before turning to look at James. "So, how is visiting a new world you never even knew was possible before this year?"

James was stunned. "You know that I'm not from... all this?" He waved his hand at the room, trying to find a way to sum up the Quintessium, Rioyda, the aliens, magic, but failing utterly.

The man chuckled. "Yes, all 'this'. How are you liking your experience?"

James frowned. "The fact that I keep almost dying is a bit off-putting. And the fact that my friends almost died. And the fact that I was betrayed by, well, not by a close friend, but by someone I still trusted."

The man nodded. "And if all of that is taken away? What then?"

James thought for a moment, remembering everything that had happened since he had first arrived at the Arcane Quintessium. His first words with Delta, finding out magic existed, meeting Algon and Lydia, the tournament, and everything else.

"Then I guess I'd say that it was absolutely fantastic. Like something out of a dream." His eyes snapped wide. "You aren't going to tell me this is all in my head, are you! Oh my god!"

This time the man laughed for real, the sound colorful and warm. "No no, don't worry. You're not back on Earth in a coma from the fall or anything, nothing like that."

"Ok, good." There was a short pause while James processed what he just heard and then he froze. "How... how did you know I was from Earth? Or fell off a cliff?"

"No matter how much you want to know, I'm not going to tell you right now," the man said with a slight smile. He held up a hand as James sputtered for words. "Not because it's not important, just because there are more pressing matters at hand and, if you don't die, you'll find out sooner or later."

"I don't plan on kicking the bucket."

"Good, as it should be," the man said. "Unfortunately, things back in the real world aren't looking too good and staying alive is kind of an impossible task right now. So, I have something to give you to make your life a bit easier."

"What?" James asked, sitting forward in his chair. "A weapon? A suit of armor?"

"I just said nothing in this place is real." the man said, laughing again. "I can't give you anything like that. However, what I can give you is... well, let's call it a bit of inspiration. In fact, I'm just helping you along; you would get it on your own even if I didn't do anything, but time's not exactly on our side."

"Inspiration?" James raised an eyebrow. "About what exactly."

The man gestured to the window and he grinned. "About the way that this all works."

"... I don't get it."

The man waved a hand. "You will one day, but knowledge takes time. For now, settle for the basics and go from there."

He settled back and put another coke to his lips, thinking once again. James wanted to ask more questions but decided to stay silent in the end, waiting to see what the man would say next.

"You know, I asked those questions earlier, before the freak-out, to see what you thought of your new reality." The man finally spoke, considering the stars shining brightly outside. "But now I'm wondering something. Originally, you wanted to go home, back to Earth."

"What do you mean?"

"If you could go home, right now, would you?"

James was stunned. "Are you telling me that I can go back? Eternius said that was impossible!"

The man shrugged. "Let's assume for a moment that it is very possible that Eternius does not know everything. If you could go back, would you?"

James shook his head. "There's still the problem of Phanes. Also, my friends are waiting for me. If I left now, they'd think I was dead!"

The man nodded. "And if there were no problems at all, nothing happening with the Reguli or with Phanes? If you were back at the Quintessium, completely out of danger and studying how to cast lightning bolt?"

"Then I'd... I'd..." James hesitated, coming up with a blank. "I don't know. I can't answer."

"Why not? Is it because of the magic?"

James shook his head. "The magic's cool, but it's not just that. I'd be leaving memories behind and I wouldn't know if I could ever come back. I know that Earth is where the rest of my family is and I know that they must miss me and I miss them but... it almost feels like I now have another home. Here, at the Quintessium and with my friends."

The man nodded. "I thought that was the case. I don't actually have the ability to send you back right now, though, so you won't have to make that choice today. Again, this is just a memory."

James relaxed before thinking of something. "That's the second time you've said that. What do you mean?"

"These rooms used to exist, in a time long forgotten. Now, they're gone, but the thought of them still remain. You could say we're inside of one of them right now, existing in an illusion, but one that seems much more real."

"But whose thought is it?"

The man sighed. "Someone who's lived in this world for far too long."

There was silence for a while as they both looked out of the window, gazing out at the nebula shifting and spiraling in front of their eyes. Finally, the man shook his head, turning back to James.

"Well, I think that it's time you went back. You're still alive, just currently buried under some rubble and I'll take care of your injuries for you so you won't have to worry about that."

"But I thought that you said this was just a memory and that you couldn't actually do anything in the real world?"

The man shrugged. "Eh, specifics. One thing you'll learn is that for every time magic makes sense, there are two more where it turns your brain to mush."

"Uh, ok," James muttered as he stood up, not really sure what else to say.

The man set the second coke down next to the first. "When you get back, you'll notice that a lot of things are different. And it will seem impossible at first."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

The man stood up, stretching briefly before walking over to the window. "See down there?" he said pointing to the nebula. "All that is is a bunch of gas, hydrogen, helium and a multitude of other elements. One day, it will condense into a protostar and bring light and warmth to quintillions of beings."

"I'm not seeing your point."

The man smiled. "The challenges you will face will determine whether you become that star."

"So you're saying that I could fail."

"Everyone can fail and in fact, everyone will fail at some point during their life," the man said with a shrug. "The important thing is what happens after that. Keep that in mind as you go forward from here."

He winked before pointing across the room. The doorway to the hall was filled with light. "Head through there to return to the real world. You'll get my gift when you get back too, and then I'll look forward to watching your progress."

James nodded, still a bit thrown by the whole affair. "Thank you. I'll keep what you said in mind."

"I'm sure you will."

James headed for the doorway and was about to step through when the man called out, stopping him in his tracks.

"Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you. Try creating swords when you get back; it should work this time."

"Thanks, I'll try it out!"

He disappeared through the light and the man sighed, the smile falling away to reveal a complicated expression.

"You have no idea what's coming for you," he said, almost sorrowfully. "It'll be tough, but I know you can get through it. You won't let me down."

He stood silently in front of the window, another drink in his hand, looking at the nebula and the stars forming in it. After a moment, the fireplace dimmed, the room turning cold and dark. The cozy feeling largely vanished and the man sighed.

"Well, it looks like I have more work to do. Can't I ever get some time to rest?"

The man shook his head and stepped through the window out into space, enjoying the feeling of the solar wind and light on his face. Then, with a smile, he spread massive dragon wings before soaring away, the rooms vanishing behind him as though they had never existed in the first place.

"Burn bright, James. Burn bright and light up the universe."

---

"You dragons really are pathetic," Lord Iter said as he watched Strike tumble to the ground, sliding to a stop on one knee. "It makes me wonder how I ever lost to you last time."

"You got cocky," the General growled, his eyes sparking. "And you aren't as powerful as you think!"

He rushed forward again, engaging with Iter for a few seconds in a barrage of fists before getting thrown back. Rentor took his place, but Iter knocked his spear away and began to pummel his shield, cracking the magic reinforcing it.

"Not as powerful? Cocky? No and no," he said, eventually getting bored and kicking Rentor away. "I thought that I was far above you all and my reasoning still stands. What happened back then? You got lucky, the Dragon-God coming out of nowhere to save your futile attempts to stop me. All you did was persist, hang on for dear life before sacrificing someone else to get rid of the problem!"

Iter snorted and waved a hand, sending another rain of Void lightning crashing down onto the dragons. "And look at what that persistence got you. A few billion years of thinking you had won. Doesn't seem like the best trade."

This time, Strike didn't have enough magic left to dodge, so he slammed his hands together instead.

"Lord's Domain!"

A field of lightning sprang up, blocking the attacks and creating a small zone of safety. That feeling soon disappeared, though, as the lightning faltered and shattered directly above Rentor's head.

"Look out!" Strike roared and forced himself up, shoving his dragon out of the way.

A bolt of Void lightning his Strike's leg, blasting apart his Flash Armor before destroying his scales and muscle. The Dragon General clenched his teeth in pain before concentrating his magic to try and heal the wound.

Iter watched idly, waiting to see what the dragons would do before something else caught his attention. The Void lightning abruptly ended, causing Rentor and Strike to both look around cautiously before noticing the same thing. A vortex was beginning to form at one side of their battlefield, space twisting and folding onto itself.

Rentor's eyes lit up. "That's Eternius' magic! He's about to teleport directly here!"

Iter frowned. "It looks like he's mastered a few more things than I thought. You're mistaken if you think that'll change anything, though."

The god concentrated, drawing energy from the Omega rift overhead as well as Clayrbodias floating behind him. Slamming his hands together, both dragons felt a wave of energy wash over the stadium, spreading to cover the destroyed school as well as the rest of Dorian-5. The spatial rift faltered and everyone present heard a faint cry of anger before it shattered altogether.

Iter dusted off his hands with a cold smile. "You forget that this was once my territory and you'd be mistaken if you think I'd let some fake god move freely."

Rentor was stunned. "How... how?"

"What, never considered the fact that your gods are not infallible?"

"This is nothing compared to what he did in the Origin war," Strike said, shaking his head. He raised his voice. "Although, he knows that no one except for you has the ability to seal off space like that. Now, he'll be coming with a lot more than just a couple of guards."

Iter nodded. "You'd be correct. In fact, I'd say that I have about 5 to 10 minutes remaining. Unfortunately for you both, that'll be plenty."

The god's eyes shined and he smiled. Strike's expression froze.

"Get out of here! Go!" he yelled at Rentor, frantically trying and failing to stand due to his leg. "You still can have a chance to live!"

Rentor shook his head and planted his shield down, taking a fully defensive stance. "You are my General and besides, you're almost healed. I'm not leaving without you."

"Such loyalty," Iter said. "However... I am me. So you die."

Iter's foot turned slightly and he vanished, covering the distance between them fast than the eye could see. Pulling his fist back, he grinned, showing wolfish fangs. Rentor was suddenly hit with overwhelming might, making him unable to move.

"NO!!!" Strike roared as he watched on, unable to do anything as Lord Iter threw a simple punch, not using magic or a weapon, just basic strength. His fist hit Rentor's shield and, in an instant, turned the weapon, magic protecting it, and the dragon holding it to dust. Strike's expression filled with horror, and then rage, as he saw one of his students, one of his own, disappear without a trace.

Strike screamed, completely forgetting about his injury. "I'LL BLAST YOU TO SHREDS, YOU BASTARD!"

Lightning formed around his body as he climbed to his feet. Disregarding all regulations and common knowledge, Strike overcharged his own magical reserves, drawing on his own life force for power. His wound healed and he roared, the sound cracking the ground.

"DIE!!!"

The General dashed across the battlefield, aiming to unleash a storm of deadly attacks his enemy. Lord Iter narrowed his eyes and his form blurred, one-hand opening and reaching up. In a single motion, he caught Strike around the throat, lifting him into the air. The dragon flailed as a choked noise escaped his mouth. Iter regarded him with a cold glare, a massive difference from earlier.

"Why so angry?" he asked, tightening his grip. "Don't you know what it's like to lose everything, to have people who you care about die?"

Strike gagged, claws scrabbling at Iter's hand. The god snarled and slammed the General into the ground, causing him to cough up bright red blood.

"No, you really don't, do you?!"

He slammed Strike down again before lifting him back up. The dragon struggled, trying to free Iter's grip around his neck, but it was useless. The Zenith Wolf was immovable, unstoppable, and absolute.

Iter shook his head. "I can't do anything to the Primes, but at least I have you here."

White light coated his hand and he punched Strike's chest, shattering another plate of the Flash Armor. Strike coughed again and groaned in pain.

"Do you know how much pain I was in when I was sealed away? Do you know what it feels like to have your essence ripped to shreds and spread across all of Reality? No? How interesting."

He slammed his fist into Strike again, this time cracking his ribs. The Dragon General gurgled, unable to make any more sounds.

"Eternius will be here in 5 minutes," Iter said coldly. "In that time, let's see how much I can make you scream."

He pulled his fist back, but a blast of fire shot out of nowhere and made him stumble, dropping Strike to the ground. The god turned to see a kid pushing aside a piece of rumble, stepping out onto the devastated battlefield.

Strike raised a trembling hand. "No... James... Run...."

He collapsed, now fully unconscious. Iter sneered and kicked the dragon away, sending him tumbling in a heap to smack against a pillar and crumple to the floor.

"So, James was it?" the god said, turning back to the kid with a bemused look. "There's no point in fighting you. Go, run away in terror."

James said nothing, instead flicking his hands to summon balls of fire and lightning. Iter's expression turned dark.

"How odd, your magic feels... familiar." His eyes widened and he snarled. "You're the exact same as Alcyrion, controlling elements and... and..."

Iter's eyes flashed. "And I think I've just found something a bit more cathartic than torturing a Dragon General. Sorry, kid, but you're in the wrong place at the wrong time! If you're so eager to fight, then come on! Show me how you measure up to your Dragon-God!"