I was so certain that I had died that day after the fight with Mazell. We had failed to protect Ancias. We had failed as guardians. Was death our punishment?

It was with great surprise and a heady rush that I opened my eyes. I was strangely comfortable, too; I was laying on a plump mattress packed with downy feathers under layers of warm, soft blankets. Almost unnaturally bright sunlight poured in from the windows, spilling across a lush, gold-coloured carpet.

"You're awake!" I saw my father standing over me, dressed in strange-looking clothes.

I blinked a couple of times, incredulously, and then pulled my blankets up, covering my bare chest. The events from before suddenly came back to me in a flood. "W...what happened? Where are we? How could we have--??!"

"Shh, Daniel, you need to save your energy. We have been saved by the people of the sky. We are high above the surface of our land!"

"The people of the sky??" I was so confused.

"Yes, Daniel... they used magic to fling us from the depths of the sea, before darkness seeped across the surface of the earth. If you go outside, you'll be able to see what I mean." He paused for a second, and then spoke again. "These are the people who guard the palace of time. They think that we are the world's only hope."

"Indeed, Sirs, we do." I looked over at the arched doorway to the room I was in and saw a grand sight: A tall, dark-complexioned man with flowing, gloriously golden hair stood with a golden staff, an enormous jewel sparkling at the end was standing with a small smile on his face. He wore something golden on his head that looked like a cross between a princess' tiara and a king's crown, and a lavish-looking yellow velvet robe. If that sight weren't great enough, he sported a pair of wings that made him look as if he was an angel from above. This angel-man genuflected to my father. "Sir Wooley, please step aside, so that I may greet our hero."

I was in absolute awe as this incredible figure stood before me. "Who are you?"

The man spoke in rich, almost singing tones. "I am Rubicor, ruler of Inverness castle, where you have slept for the past three days. I am honoured to meet you, Daniel." He knelt at my bedside. It seemed like quite the role-reversal; I had never had royalty grovel before me in my life!

Something bothered me greatly, though. I spoke up. "Why are you kneeling before us?? It's exactly because of us that all of the elemental guardians are gone. We failed to protect them. The world is lost now, isn't it??"

Rubicor gazed at me with strangely haunting, yet kind yellow eyes. "Daniel..." He breathed deeply and looked down before returning his gaze. "The world is not lost, but we do not have long. You have been duped into destroying the fiends by evil ones, but you only ever acted upon what you believe is right." Sensing that I was not satisfied by his words, he continued. "What would you do if you were given a choice: Let your mother die, or let your partner die? Clearly, you must choose one, yet it is impossible to make a decision that you can live with. This, Daniel, is the sort of position in which you and your friends were put, and you did what you truly believed was right. You fought to protect humankind, and that is a noble cause."

"But that doesn't change the fact that they are gone..." Something else suddenly occurred to me. "Wait, but Mazell must have been killed too, right?? Does that mean that everything is okay anyway?"

Rubicor closed his eyes and looked very grave. "No, it does not. Daniel, after you were defeated, the Son of Mazell absorbed all of the powers, including that of water. Within hours, he had covered the world with darkness; you can see it even from here, high up in the sky. It is only a matter of days before this Dark Lord travels to our Palace of Time and uses his powers to undo all of history. It is, in a word, crucial that he is stopped from doing this."

My eyes widened, but before I could speak again, the man arose and spoke firmly. "But, Daniel, that is something for you to worry about soon and not now. You have not eaten in many days, and you are weak. Please, go and meet your friends... they will be so happy to see you. I promise you that we shall meet, altogether, very soon. The Son of Mazell must be dealt with as soon as possible, or all will be lost." He turned and strode, almost floating, smoothly and calmly out of the room.

Dad also arose at that point, fingering his beard. "Well, that's that. Most everyone else is just outside, except for Scott... he is still... well, you'll see. Here, they put out some clothing for you- they're folded on the chair here. I'm so glad you're okay, Daniel."

Dad left, and I began to get dressed. I couldn't believe that the fight wasn't over yet...


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The strange door awaits...