In the early hours of the morning, as Naell was still in a deep slumber, he was visited by a dream. While it often consisted of memories of his past on Earth, it was not uncommon for him to experience fragments of old Naell's memories in Mundo.
However, for Naell, those kinds of dreams were merely glimpses of imagination—such as what dreams entail. Much like that moment, though this time, while he was back on Earth, his perspective was not his; he was merely watching an older version of himself—not many years older but certainly aged with the passing of time.
Enzo—or rather, ''he'' was much more stable and healthy, albeit it seemed his personality had also hardened. Naell could only laugh dryly, as even though he became colder in his dreams, it seemed he was not alone. He was surrounded by people with whom he was laughing and bantering together.
And then the dream shifted into one back at Mundo. He then found himself in a hall, the air thick with tension. Just like in the first dream, he was merely watching who seemed to be the old Naell talking to someone he didn't know, but clearly, the old Naell knew.
"I will have an answer now, little king," the other person the old Naell was with proclaimed. He was smiling, but his fierce gaze betrayed him.
Naell could feel that something big was going to happen. Yet, much to his dismay, the conversation became inaudible. Not only that, but just as the tension reached its peak, he was jolted awake.
'Ah… it was getting to the good part,' he thought.
The early morning light was just beginning to break through the dark sky, casting an eerie glow over the ruins. Naell immediately prepared and woke up the sleeping birb, Owly.
''Breakfast, HOOT?''
''Meeting…''
''Ah right, HOOT.''
As they finished their preparations, they went to the hall where everyone was already gathered.
''Sorry we're late,'' said Naell.
While everyone just smiled and greeted him back, Lesjon actually smirked at him and replied, ''We expected that, cousin.''
As Naell was about to apologize, Lesjon chuckled and told him he was just a minute earlier than him. The trio then laughed, and soon, the meeting started.
The protagonist's, Utua's, demi-humans' parties and the duo, Naell and Owly, gathered. They were currently discussing their current plight and their plan to defeat the enemy once and for all.
"We need to strike soon; we will be in trouble if they discover us first," Utua said, her voice steady.
Rizaul nodded. "The remaining Guardians will soon come here."
Graham Cloud added, ''We, the demi-humans, will stand together with you all.''
Viola, still slightly shy but determined, spoke up. "The guild as well."
The group then decided to act that day. While the protagonist's party and the demi-humans led the way, the duo Naell and Owly and Utua's group followed closely.
''You seemed tense,'' uttered Lesjon.
''I am. The monsters' aura and mana here are way too different.''
With Naell's reply, Casper, who was also close by, said, ''Wait till you fight them. Thinking that the awakened monsters we've fought before have the same caliber as them will do you no good.''
''...''
The journey was arduous, taking them through treacherous terrain and hidden paths only a few knew, even among the demi-humans. Along the way, they encountered remnants of old battles—ruined fortresses, forgotten history, and signs of the thriving nation that this once was.
After hours of travel, they finally reached an old entrance to the main capital—a hidden enclave protected by some scrolls. They were still in luck as, while the power was weak, it held on and managed to hold out, concealing the entrance for them to use.
The demi-humans guided them, where they began to get extra vigilant as they were truly in the heart of the enemy's territory. While the capital had fewer monsters, everyone knew that the concentrated force here was purely enigmatic.
Everyone sweated under the tension, gulping in silence—all except Naell, whose coldness seemed not to wane under the threat, and his expression didn't even change—or so they thought.
In reality, Naell wouldn't even dare talk, afraid they'd be discovered. They then decided to continue hiding in the alleyway since they couldn't feel any mana or aura present.
On the other hand, the demi-humans, who were born with a keen sense of smell and better vision, had already gone ahead to scout the next area. After some time, the scout returned.
''We are close to entering the nobles' residence. But it's not what we were hoping for,'' said Cloud, who led the scouting.
From what the demi-humans observed, the nobles' residence—or the inner circle where the royal castle was also located—seemed to have suffered less ruin. This gave them conflicting feelings.
One could only count the beings still alive at that moment who had seen the beauty of Hatikala. For the demi-humans at that time, they had only heard stories about it passed from generation to generation. However, that didn't stop them from looking forward to seeing the beauty of their Kingdom.
Yet who would have thought that seeing it not destroyed at that moment would give them despair rather than joy.