With everyone returned to the campsite, they all took a moment to confirm what had happened. "The Ancient Artifact is guarded by strong magic, and crafted that trial as a test." Atlas explained, looking forward. "It seems like we've passed."

Xavier followed their gaze, and stared at an expansive stone temple before them. The unnatural architecture of the temple was overrun with plant life, having become one with Marok.

A giant tree pierced the center of the temple, rising high into the sky. The group proceeded into the grounds, noting the similarities to where they were tested.

"Incredible, is the island doing this?" Xavier wondered.

Luna ran her hand across the wall of the temple. "The magic, I can feel it. It's almost... familiar. But I can't figure out why."

Moss and leaves decorated the floors of the temple, all but one wall in the back. The wall had similar drawings to the ones Xavier had seen on Heau and Muerend. "Atlas, come take a look at this."

The Guardian teleported next to the pirate, and gazed on the wall. "Incredible... I had no idea there was one on Marok as well. It seems to say that Marok holds key power that the Guardians will use to save the Archipelago."

"I'm just relieved there isn't a ninth Guardian," Jacob joked. "Seems like this confirms that there's one of these on every island."

Helena furrowed her brow. "I wonder if we could track down the other prophecies. Maybe they could help us figure out some of the Isles' mysteries."

"I've never even heard about these before," Maya added. "They must all be pretty hidden."

Atlas nodded. "Typically, they're near the Ancient Artifacts on each island. At least from what I've observed so far."

"Speaking of," Xavier's eyes fell on a curved fang resting on a podium below the prophecy. "Is that our artifact?"

Atlas walked up to the fang and touched it. "This is it." They pulled their hand away and then turned to Jacob. "The Dragon Fang repels all Guardian magic, as well as most other forms of magic due to the immense amount of magic it exudes."

The rebel whistled and put his hands on his hips. "Sounds pretty useful, so what's the plan?"

"Luna will hold on to it for now, its magic might help with awakening her deeper powers," Atlas explained. "Once we face down our next Guardian, we give it to you. With the Dragon Fang and Lumis, you'll be practically unstoppable."

"Hold on, a Dragon Fang?" Helena confirmed. "Didn't Dragons go extinct centuries ago?"

The legendary winged-beasts had been a staple on the Archipelago a long time ago, but had been hunted down to either be used for strengthen empires or to claim more territory.

Maya examined the fang. "Is that why it seems to have all of this power?"

"I'm not certain of its origins. Dragons had immense magical power, and presumably this Fang was what the Maker used to create them." Atlas responded. "Unfortunately, Dragons are gone... at least, as far as I know."

"We'll have to take good care of it, then." Jacob concluded, and gestured to Luna.

Luna walked up to the artifact. She grabbed a hold of the item, and it began to glow as it was lifted from the podium.

Luna closed her eyes for a moment, and then faced the group. "I don't really feel any different, not yet."

Maya took Luna's other hand and shrugged. "It'll be safe in your hands at least. Now where are we off to next?"

Xavier grinned. "Well, we've got two more Guardians left to finish off."

Helena cracked her knuckles. "Do you think they're going to start hiding from us? We've taken down three of them so far."

Atlas shook their head. "Not a chance. Astraeus is surely confident he can undo any damage we've done, and Oceanus would never hide."

"And you know where Oceanus is going to be next, right?" Jacob jumped in.

"Hard to say," Atlas replied with a shrug. "With Rhea down, plans might change. I think we should regroup at Caros, and see what information we can find."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Xavier agreed. "We've got a ways to go it we're getting out of here anytime soon, so let's move out!" The pirate and his crew turned around and walked out of the temple.

The act of leaving the island was a much simpler process, as the island made a much more forgiving path for the group. Now that they had succeeded, their trials and tribulations were over on Marok.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the town by the coast. Xavier checked to see if Arvirdi had returned, but he was seemingly still absent.

The pirate sighed, there wasn't enough time to worry about that. The group squeezed themselves on their ship, and sped out into the ocean.

They had seemingly spent the night in whatever strange place that the trial had been set in, and now it was approaching midday as they rocketed over the icy ocean.

Xavier looked up at the cloudy sky and sighed. It was difficult to navigate without any familiar landmarks in the sky. "Hey Captain," Maya's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Xavier glanced back at the girl. "Aye, what's happening lass?"

"I know things got heated earlier," Maya started. "And I wanted to say I'm sorry. Everything's been so complicated, and it's always been hard for me to help people with loss. Especially when I felt like I was losing Luna at the same time... if that makes any sense."

The pirate nodded. "Of course it does, and it's alright. I needed to hear it, all of it. The only way I'm able to think clearly now is because I finally stopped running away from how I was feeling. You and Luna dropped everything for a fight you had no involvement in, and it wasn't fair to leave you to fend for yourselves."

Maya smiled a bit. "Speaking of that, I was wondering... would it be alright if we joined your pirate crew? I know you offered us before, but I wasn't sure if it still stood. Once this was all over with, I mean!"

Xavier chuckled. "Of course, lass! I'd be happy to welcome both of you aboard, you already fight like bonafide pirates. With some training, you'll both make excellent members of the crew."

"Thank you so much!" Maya seemed to shoot sparks from her fingertips. "I'm real relieved, it's not like we have anywhere else to go, after all."

The girl's newfound optimism and willingness to plan a future with Luna was heartwarming to see. "If I can ask though, what is it about piracy that calls to you?"

"It's hard to pin it down," Maya admitted. "Before last week, I had never left Heau. I lived by the water my whole life, but never went beyond it. Running around with the gang was fine, but I always wanted more. Being out on the open sea, sticking it to Kingston and their allies, it just fires me up!"

"Aye, I feel the same way," Xavier affirmed. "That's why we ended up sailing out into uncharted waters for years on end, adventure never ceases to amaze me. And of course, fighting Kingston is my number one mission." The pirate gestured to his Centrixian pendant that hung around his neck.

"I think it's safe to say that once everything with the Guardians is said and done," Jacob jumped into the conversation. "Our next goal ought to be bringing down Kingston, once and for all."

The ever-ambitious rebel was always planning his next move. "That's an Archipelago worth fighting to bring to fruition." Xavier responded.

Jacob gazed out into the open sea. "There's nothing I want more than for every nation to be free, like Caros. And if we were able to free Caros, against all odds, I think we can do it again."

"It wouldn't be easy," Helena acknowledged. "But I think we could more than manage. Especially with the blessing of two Guardians."

Atlas rolled their eyes. "Leave me out of the island politics. I'd prefer to only be involved when the fate of the Archipelago is at stake."

Luna chuckled. "Well, I'm certainly in. I spent too many years on Heau to not want for the downfall of Kingston."

Xavier raised an eyebrow at Atlas. "Speaking of, Atlas you've seen their destruction firsthand with Heau. Wouldn't Kingston in its current state be considered an Archipelago-wide threat."

"Now hold on," Atlas put up their hands to defend themselves and everyone began to laugh.

The ship continued to sail until it eventually approached Caros. Jacob was giddy as the island came into view, trying his best to see what had changed about his homeland while they neared it.

The boat pulled into port, and the group disembarked. Jacob marveled at the reconstructed docks and stared at the city above in disbelief. "Incredible. They've rebuilt so much already, I'm so glad to be home."

A guard approached the docked ship and Xavier gave his name and stated their business, also gesturing to Jacob. The guard was surprised to hear this, but couldn't deny what was in front of him.

The group climbed up the stairs and made their way back to the CIF building. The city was exploding with commerce, people hurried all about and the shopping district was overflowing with bodies. Xavier only caught a slight glance into the crowded street but noticed so many different people drifting about.

Two men, one with blue hair and dressed in a flamboyant outfit, dragged large satchels full of gemstones behind them. Another man had a water hamster by his side, and seemed to be selling "Extra Flammable Spears."

Xavier shook his head and continued onward to the CIF building, and went inside. As soon as they stepped indoors, several people immediately look at Jacob. Their faces let up, and they began to cheer. "It's Jacob! He's back! Jacob's back!"

The rebel couldn't keep himself from smiling as he was swarmed by the members in the building. Everyone else took a step back and allowed Jacob to reunite with his fellow CIF members.

Jacob eventually managed to calm everyone down, and briefly caught them up on where he had been. "There's a lot I need to get caught up on from you all as well, and a lot we need to discuss." Jacob said as he finished his recap.

"How about we all find an inn, and then we can reconvene tomorrow?" Helena suggested. "We can check out the new Alport, while you can have time to catch up."

That plan sounded good to everyone, so the group took their leave and spent the rest of the day exploring the city of Alport. Xavier hadn't been able to tour the city without having to duck between alleyways before, and it was a great feeling.

They wandered out of the commercial district and up the hilly roads into the residential areas. Children ran around in the streets, laughing and playing. Many Caros flags were flying high in the air, alongside flags from Kingston and Clamerates. Xavier was most surprised to even see a Centrixia flag flying in the air.

"Incredible," Xavier awed. "Seems like there are people from just about everywhere."

Helena nodded. "Caros has always been a melting pot, now people are actually able to express it."

"Imagine what could happen to Heau if it was freed," Maya wondered. "I hardly even know what it's like to be Heauan."

"Assuming it were to happen," Atlas jumped in. "I could help. I remember a lot about Heau, as the island and its people were close allies with Solanja. I even remember when the nation was fully independent before it came under the rule of Marok."

"How long have you been around for?" Luna asked. "At least, that you can remember?"

Atlas pondered the question for a moment. "It's hard to say, time doesn't exactly hold the same weight in my mind. It's been thousands of years, that I can say for sure. But the Maker created me alongside the archipelago, so likely however old these isles are."

Luna took some time to process the answer. "Interesting," She eventually said. "It's hard to fathom, and it's hard to fathom me existing for that long as well. I can't remember anything past my childhood."

Atlas nodded. "It's complicated, that's for certain. I know it doesn't feel like we've made any progress on understanding it all, but we'll figure it out." Luna smiled faintly, and the group continued exploring.

They didn't dare to brave the shopping district in the condition it was in, and eventually the group decided to return to the inn and turn in for the night. Atlas vanished to go explore Caros on their own while everyone else slept.

Xavier went to his room and crashed into his bed, embracing the lull of sleep after spending so many nights at sea.

The next day rolled around, and Xavier met up with the rest of his crew at the downstairs of the inn. "Ah, I've missed getting to sleep in an actual bed!" The pirate commented.

Helena nodded. "Aye, that small ship doesn't leave much room."

"I'm definitely glad I don't need to sleep," Atlas commented. "It sounds exhausting."

Maya chuckled. "Well, it was definitely some of the nicest sleeping conditions I've experienced."

"Same for me," Luna agreed. "But that's not saying much."

As they were having the conversation, Jacob burst into the inn. His face was twisted into a pained expression, and the boy hurried over to them. "Everyone, I just... we just received news from the Clamerates military base on the strait that they did a reconnaissance operation and found that Tradon is planning to invade Caros with the full force of its army."

Xavier's eyes widened and he did a double-take. "They're going to come here? Why would they do that?"

Jacob shrugged. "I have no idea, but we only have a few days before they launch their attack. We need to prepare to end this."