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Susila sat on his haunches as he read from the chamber's rear wall, Aaron keeping close to his student in case another trap went off. The Lords Grentail and Aniruddha were investigating the broken entryway, studying the crystalline structures revealed in the shattered walls.

Yet Photine felt out of place. Her honor told her that she should be at Lord Grentail's side, but her feelings kept drawing her back to Susila, much to her frustration. Luckily, Susila and the two Lords were too engrossed in their work to notice Photine repeatedly pacing between the two groups, and if Aaron noticed, he had the grace to leave the bird alone, at least for now.

Finding herself at Lord Grentail's side once more, a portion of the Lords' conversation trickled through her distraction. "...boosting the information transfer. But how could they have created such a sophisticated system?" The fact that it was Lord Grentail speaking barely registered in Photine's mind as her eyes once more wandered to Susila.

"I have no idea," Lord Aniruddha's response trickled through Photine's chaotic thoughts, "But if we could replicate it, the practical benefits alone would be priceless! Imagine the advances this could bring to..."

Photine once more began to move toward Susila, the act not entirely a conscious one, the Lords' conversation fading from her hearing and her mind. Soon enough, Photine found herself just behind Aaron, simply staring at Susila's engorged form. After Lord Grentail had recovered from the blow he had received from the golem, it was all Photine could do not to stare at Susila's sudden corpulence caused by absorbing the golem's energy.

Now that he was distracted, Photine could no longer resist drinking in the fullness of Susila's form, even if she could only view him from behind at the moment. Both hard and soft flesh bulged from the white dragon's once emaciated form, forming swells and folds in Susila's body that elicited a mix of emotions from the depths of Photine's heart and mind alike.

Shaking her head, Photine managed to tear her gaze from Susila, only to find herself eye to eye with Aaron. The spirit's kind and understanding eyes only served to worsen Photine's embarrassment, and she could feel the painfully deep blush cross her face as she locked gazes with two of Aaron's five eyes.

"We need to talk," Aaron mouthed, "Later, when the others are sleeping."

Photine's heart sank, though she managed to regain her composure, at least on the outside. "Fine," she mouthed back, knowing better than to argue with a spirit with a made up mind. Turning back to the two Lords, Photine could feel Aaron's gaze on her until she stood by Lord Grentail once more.

Aaron could only shake his head in frustration as he watched Photine bury her feelings once again, turning his gaze back to Susila. Hopefully his student would allow Aaron to help him. As Susila quietly read, Aaron could only marvel at the words and symbols that might be older than the eldest spirits. Certainly the hieroglyphs were beyond his knowledge.

Which brought Aaron back to the matter of contacting the Primal Elementals. Though he was incapable of feeling fear, the spirit imagined the emotion might be similar to what he felt at the thought of being anywhere near the god-like Primals, whose very thoughts were said to be beyond the ken of spirits and mortals alike. Aaron had no idea how he would even begin to contact such powerful beings, but he knew that if he wanted answers, he would have to find a way.

Pushing the issue aside for now, Aaron looked to the exposed crystal of the shattered entryway, marveling once more at the complexity of the dormant lattices within the ruin's walls. That the walls could be shattered like this was also impressive, reinforced as they were with a complex diamond network. His gaze falling on the track-like groove that ran into the chamber, Aaron noticed that the markings were chillingly familiar. Suddenly concerned for his companions' safety, Aaron appeared behind Lord Grentail's group, tapping the green dragon and Photine on their shoulders.

Turning to face the spirit, Photine and Lord Grentail both had quizzical looks on their face. "What is it, Aaron?" the dragon inquired, Lord Aniruddha turning to see who his colleague was speaking to, "Has Mister Flores found something?"

Shaking his head, Aaron nodded toward the groove that the two Lords were currently standing in. "Does that look familiar to you?" the spirit asked worriedly, hoping it was just his imagination.

Photine looked down as Lord Grentail backed up to see the track beneath his belly, they both considered for a moment. "Why, yes, it does look familiar," the dragon affirmed, "In fact, it almost looks like..."

Looking up to face the spirit, Aaron saw the color drain from his friends' faces. "What?" Lord Aniruddha whispered, concerned by the fear in his companions' expressions, "What is it?"

Lord Grentail motioned for his fellow Lord to be quiet. "How fresh are these?" the green dragon asked.

Aaron shook his head. "It's impossible to say," the spirit stated, "But it stands to reason that if what made this was still here, we'd have heard it by now. Not to mention seen and felt it."

The trio visibly relaxed. "That's a great, relieving point," Lord Grentail agreed.

"Hello?" Lord Aniruddha called attention back to himself, "Does anyone want to fill me in? What is it that had you so worried?"

"Just a moment," Lord Grentail responded, "This is a rare find; I want Mister Flores to see it, as well."

The four looked to the giant dragon that was still reading the walls, knowing they'd have to wait for him to come out of his trance-like state on his own.

---

As Susila finished reading the hieroglyphs on the back wall, he noticed the four creatures looking at him with great interest as they sat around him, waiting for the dragon to finish reading. Blinking his dry eyes, Susila wondered how long he'd been reading this time as he stood up, the massive dragon stretching his cramped limbs.

"Anything interesting to report, Mister Flores?" Lord Grentail inquired.

Looking down at his Lord, Susila suddenly felt uneasy at how far away the floor was. Bracing himself against the wall as he lowered himself to all fours, Susila nodded. "It seems as though these people were looking into an alternative energy source to mana," the white dragon relayed, "One that didn't rely on drawing power from the Spiritual Plane."

Lord Grentail nodded. "That makes sense," the wizard conceded, "The greatest limitation to magic is the fact that mana wave particles fluctuate rapidly between the Spiritual and Material Planes. As a result, half of the energy expended in a spell is lost to the Spiritual Plane. An alternative energy source would effectively render magic twice as effective as it currently is."

Once again having the confusing feeling of learning something new and hearing something he already knew, Susila simply nodded.

Lord Aniruddha cleared his throat impatiently. "Didn't we have something else to discuss, Anaxagoras?" the tiger reminded the dragon.

"Oh, yes," Lord Grentail realized, turning to indicate the track that ran into the chamber, "Mister Flores, did you happen to notice this groove?"

The white dragon nodded. "I noticed that it seemed out of place with the rest of the pyramid's structure," Susila affirmed.

Moving to the groove and beckoning the group to follow, Lord Grentail knelt beside the track. "This furrow has patterns reminiscent of snake tracks," the green dragon observed as he pointed out the details of the channel, "And if you look farther down, there are also regularly occurring, large gouges along the sides of the track." Lord Grentail lead the group to the nearest of the gouges, a fair distance from the chamber's entrance. "What do these look like to you, Mister Flores?" the wizard inquired of his student.

Examining the gouges, Susila hardly noticed the dimmer light away from Lord Grentail's flames in the chamber. "These look like claw marks," Susila observed, placing his own claw over one set for comparison and suddenly feeling much smaller, "Whatever made these must have been massive."

"Actually, this is quite a small example of the species," Aaron stated, "Probably an infant."

Looking up to his familiar with surprise, Susila cocked an eyebrow. "You know what made these?" he asked, before Aaron's statement completely registered in his mind, "Wait, this is an infant?!"

Aaron, Photine, and Lord Grentail all nodded together. "Apparently," Lord Aniruddha said with a tone of mild irritation, "You and I are the only ones not in the know, Mister Flores."

Lord Grentail nodded. "These are the tracks of a creature that hasn't been seen on the surface in hundreds of years," the wizard informed his apprentice and fellow Lord, "You see, these are the telltale signs of an Orm."

Lord Aniruddha snorted, then laughed loudly. "An Orm?" the tiger demanded, still giggling, "Very good, Anaxagoras! You had us going there for awhile, with your serious..."

The tiger trailed off when he realized that his colleague wasn't joking. "You mean they're real?" Lord Aniruddha asked somberly.

As Lord Grentail nodded, Susila still felt like he was missing key information. "What's an Orm?" the white dragon inquired.

Aaron looked to Lord Grentail and Photine, who both gestured for the familiar to inform his student. "An Orm, Mantle Worm, or Ancestor Wyrm," Aaron began, "Is the most ancient of dragon species. Usually they live beneath Gaia's crust, in the mantle, where they subsist on the world's geothermal energy. However, a young Orm will sometimes blunder out of the molten mantle and into the cold crust. Without geothermal energy, the Orm quickly becomes ravenous, consuming anything and everything it sees, from dirt and stone to flesh and bone."

Suddenly beset with a headache, Susila thought he heard shouting and the sounds of battle. The sound and feeling past quickly enough that the dragon simply attributed it to exhaustion from concentrating too long on reading the walls of the Diamond Chamber. "So, it's safe to assume that one of these creatures attacked whoever built this place near the time that they disappeared?" Susila asked.

Everyone nodded in agreement with Susila's assessment. "However," Aaron pointed out, "Did anyone else notice that there were tracks leading into the chamber, but none leading out?"

Lord Grentail blinked in surprise. "Really?" he asked, looking at the tracks again, "You're right, that is odd." The green dragon looked farther up the trail, a grin appearing on his face.

Aaron cocked his head. "What are you thinking, Anaxagoras?" the spirit asked, though it was apparent that he knew the answer.

Lord Grentail looked to the group, his grin widening. "I'm thinking that this is a rare find," the corpulent dragon stated, "Dhaval, would you mind if we left you to observe the ruins on your own for a while."

Susila looked to Lord Aniruddha, seeing a smile appear on his face as well, even as he shook his head. "As long as you don't steal the thunder of my find, I'll leave you to yours," the tiger said, turning to head back into the Diamond Chamber.

Looking to his Lord inquisitively, Susila cocked an eyebrow. "Are we going to follow these tracks, Lord Grentail?" the white dragon asked, "What if we find what made them?"

Lord Grentail nodded. "As Aaron said, there's no evidence of the Orm going back the way it came," the green dragon pointed out, "So there's no need to worry. Besides, as a dragon, I'm titillated at the prospect of learning more about our race's origins. Or rather, my race's origins," Lord Grentail corrected himself as he looked to Susila apologetically.

Susila nodded in relief, leaving his Lord's slip of the tongue alone. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Lord Grentail asked, "Let's see where this leads."

Lord Grentail took the lead, conjuring a floating ball of light with a mutter and a gesture as they left the light of the Diamond Chamber. As they followed the tracks, Susila noticed that several of the pyramid's walls were scraped bare of their writings from the creature's movements, a fact that distressed him greatly. Without the knowledge on the walls, how was he going to figure out a way to reverse his transformation?

Pushing the issue aside for now, Susila decided to cross that bridge when he came to it. After half an hour, they came to the point where the creature had broken into the ruins. Another wall had been smashed through, similarly to the Diamond Chamber's entryway, with bricks and strewn debris littering the floor of the ruins. The hole was wide enough that Susila could have lain completely outstretched and only barely be able to touch both sides with a claw and his tail.

Directing his light into the cavern, Lord Grentail made to take a step out of the ruins, when a swarm of flying creatures suddenly burst forth from the broken wall. The mortals yelling with surprise, Aaron shouted over the flapping of wings. "It's alright!" the spirit reassured the group that was momentarily blinded by the swarm, "Their just pygmy coatls!"

After a moment, the swarm of creatures passed, a few stragglers flapping by occasionally. Looking around, Susila saw several winged, feathered serpents slithering and flapping around him. "Are they venomous?" Susila asked, careful not to make any sudden moves.

"Oh, extremely," Aaron affirmed, "But before you panic, they're also docile. In fact, they make great pets."

"I'll take your word for it," Susila said flatly, noticing several coatls sniffing him curiously, flicking their tongues and tickling his rear claws, while his diamond foreclaws hardly felt their touch. Susila noticed that Photine was stroking several of the creatures near her reassuringly, smiling at her tenderness.

Lord Grentail laughed with relief. "Well, if that's the worst surprise we find down here, I'll be happy," the dragon stated, visibly full of energy, "Let's keep moving and see what else we find."

Without looking to see if anyone else was following, Lord Grentail continued into the cavern, forcing the rest of the group to move quickly to keep up with the surprisingly fast dragon. "Lord Grentail seems excited about these caves," Susila observed out loud.

"The three of us used to be explorers," Aaron informed his student as he slithered between Susila and Photine, "You could say that, besides magic, this is Anaxagoras' true passion."

Wondering why his Lord would give up an adventuring career, Susila decided to wait until later to pursue the issue. After a few moments of continuous fast paced movement, something caught Susila's eye. "Lord Grentail!" the white dragon called out as he stopped, "There's writing here!"

Lord Grentail stopped quickly, backtracking to Susila's position, along with Photine and Aaron. On one of the walls of the cavern was a carved message, written in the same language as the hieroglyphs of the pyramid. "What's it say?" Lord Grentail asked excitedly.

Susila concentrated, and the words slowly began to make sense. "I am the Archmage's son," Susila read out loud, "I have lead the rest of the children into the caverns created by the great worm in hopes that the beast will not return to look for food. Our parents are gone, taken by the Light. A ward has appeared here, preventing us from leaving these caverns. If anyone finds this, please send help."

Lord Grentail's expression became thoughtful. "It sounds like the children survived the Orm's attack," the dragon observed, "Perhaps they found a way to survive down here. They might even have living descendants."

Susila perked up. "If there are surviving members of this culture, their magic might have survived, as well!" the white dragon said hopefully.

Photine nodded, happy for Susila's enthusiasm. "It's a definite possibility," she assured Susila.

"We might be able to find more writing further in," Lord Grentail suggested, "Let's keep an eye out."

The group moved through the cavern more slowly, looking for more clues as to the fate of the children. Yet after what seemed to Susila like several hours, the mortals were all hungry and tired, and not a single sign of the children was found.

Yawning disappointedly, Lord Grentail turned to the group. "I think that's enough for today," the green dragon relented, "We'll bring a team in tomorrow and keep looking."

Nodding tiredly, Susila made to follow his Lord out of the caverns.

"It's all my fault."

Jumping at the sound of a child's voice, the group looked to Susila. "Did you say something, Mister Flores?" Lord Grentail asked.

"No, I didn't," Susila denied, "But that voice seemed familiar."

Photine looked at Susila with concern. "That was the voice I heard from the Diamond," Photine reported.

"You have to save them."

"Your claws!" Aaron realized, "It's coming from your diamond claws!"

Sitting on his haunches, Susila raised his claws, seeing that they were starting to glow. "You mean it's still alive?" Susila demanded, the thought of sharing his body with another being deeply disturbing.

The glow suddenly intensified. "I didn't mean to hurt them," Susila's crystalline aspects pulsed with the voice that emanated from them.

Susila felt all of his suppressed emotions bubble up at the presence of the being that had invaded his body. "What did you do to me?" Susila demanded, "I want you out of my body!"

The glow dimmed at Susila's anger. "I can't!" the voice cried, "I don't want to be alone! Don't leave me alone!"

Photine placed a talon on Susila's hands. "Susila, calm down," the bird said, her sapphire eyes seeming to pierce into Susila's mind, "Your scaring it. Whatever it is, I think it's just a child."

Taking a deep breath, Susila looked back down at his dimly glowing claws. "I'm sorry," the white dragon apologized, "I'm just...I'm sorry."

The glow seemed to brighten slightly. "Please," the child-like voice begged, "You're so close now, you have to save them. I didn't mean to hurt them, honest. I was just scared."

Susila suddenly had a realization. "Are you talking about the children that got lost in this cavern?" he asked.

"I took their parents," the voice responded, "I didn't want to. But Master made me. I could only save the children."

Lord Grentail looked back and forth between Susila's face and claws, unsure how to address the being that inhabited his apprentice's body. "What do you mean by we're close?" the dragon asked, settling on looking at Susila's claws.

"Keep going," the voice insisted, the glow starting to fade, "Just a few more minutes. They're so close."

The voice faded, along with the glow. "No, wait!" Susila shouted, "How can I change back?" There was no response; the being was dormant again. Roaring in frustration, Susila reared back and slammed his fist into the wall of the cavern, his arm sinking into the stone up to his elbow as the entire cavern seemed to vibrate with the blow, stone spraying from the point of impact.

Pulling his arm out of the wall, Susila was suddenly dumbfounded by the damage he had caused. Looking to the group, he saw Photine and Lord Grentail looking at him with a mix of concern and awe.

Aaron shook his head. "I do hope you feel better," the spirit declared.

Susila saw that Photine and Lord Grentail were both flecked with pebbles. "Are you alright?" Susila asked, embarrassed at having lost his temper.

Photine nodded. "Don't worry, I'm fine," Photine answered, brushing off the pebbles.

Lord Grentail shook his head. "You need to learn to control your strength, Mister Flores," the dragon stated, "But for now, we should see what the...the Diamond was talking about."

Susila nodded, too embarrassed and concerned to speak. As they moved forward Susila noticed that the air was getting colder. In fact, after a few minutes, the walls of the cavern were beginning to show signs of frost. "Is it natural for caves to be this cold?" Susila asked, hoping to take his thoughts off of recent events once more.

"No, it is not," Lord Grentail answered, "Not this far south, anyway. What do you think, Aaron?"

The spirit nodded. "This is definitely magic," Aaron agreed, "We must be close."

As they came to and rounded a corner, the group gasped in unison. In front of them, sealed in perfectly clear ice, was a group of reptilian children. Most of them were of species that not even Aaron recognized. And at the center was a pale white, adolescent anthropomorphic snake, holding the children in a close embrace in both his arms and his coils, his expression one of deep sadness.

Aaron indicated one of the walls. "There is more writing here," the spirit reported.

Concentrating, Susila read the script out loud. "We are out of food and water. It has been weeks since the great worm attacked and we are starving. I don't know if anyone will find us, but in what little hope we have and with the last of my energy, I shall seal us in Cold Sleep. May the Anre watch over us, and if it be their will, may we one day awaken."

Susila looked back to the frozen children. "Are they still alive?" he asked.

After a while, Aaron answered, "Yes, but they are in stasis. Who knows how long they've been here?"

Susila nodded. "Or how we'll get them out," he thought aloud.

Lord Grentail and Aaron looked to Photine. "I think it might be time to let Mister Flores in on your secret, Miss Emberplume," Lord Grentail stated.

Photine tensed, and then sighed. "You're right, Lord Grentail," the bird relented, "I usually wait a few years, but Mister Flores needs to know now."

Susila looked at Photine curiously. "I need to know what?" he asked.

Aaron pulled Susila back from the ice as Photine moved towards it, stripping down to her feathers as she moved and giving her clothes to her Lord. "Just watch, Susila," the spirit said cryptically.

Watching with great interest, yet mildly embarrassed by the bird's pseudo-nudity, Susila saw Photine take a deep breath. "Brace yourselves," the bird called over her shoulder, "It's going to get hot."

"Proceed when ready, Miss Emberplume," Lord Grentail instructed.

Taking another deep breath, Photine felt the fire within her, struggling to be released. And after a moment, she obliged, lifting her wings a fraction of an inch. The temperature of the caverns suddenly began climbing, the ice along the walls beginning to thaw. Opening her wings wider, Photine saw the flames begin to lick out from under them. With a final deep breath, Photine spread her wings wide, bursting into golden flame.

Susila nearly had a heart attack, until he saw Lord Grentail's grin, and Aaron's calm expression. The fire roared loudly, yet Photine's voice was louder still as she began to sing wordlessly. As an otherworldly melody played through the caves, Susila remembered the legend of an immortal creature; the Phoenix, Child of Fire.

Everything that had seemed odd and out of place about Photine suddenly made sense as the Phoenix's fire heated the cavern, quickly melting the ice. Dozens of questions would have been running through his mind, if Susila hadn't been transfixed by Photine's dangerous beauty. As she sang, the Phoenix's flames changed from golden, to emerald, and finally to sapphire. Aaron responded by changing into a wall between Photine and the two mortals, momentarily blocking their view until he became transparent. A moment later, sapphire flames erupted from the Phoenix, and if it hadn't been for Aaron, Susila was sure that he and Lord Grentail would have been incinerated.

With effort, Photine slowly folded her wings, the flames fading reluctantly as she closed them completely. Looking back to the group, Photine nodded, leaning against a wall tiredly. As Aaron changed back into his usual serpentine form, Susila moved quickly forward to Photine's side. Before he could ask if she was alright, there was a groan from the group of children.

Looking to the children, Susila saw that most of them had fallen to the floor of the cavern. However, the white snake was holding himself up off the ground, looking around blearily. His gaze met Susila's for a moment, and seeing the salvation he had waited so long for, he smiled, and collapsed.