In the Dragon Rangers' HQ, the Dragonlord stood with Old Lady Kamikaze, Master Jin, Mistress Kira and Captain Hiru. A day had passed since Reia freed the captured rangers and the rangers were already aware of this new development thanks to Old Lady Kamikaze.
She had also informed them of the changes she had felt recently. Though unconfirmed, it appeared from her visions that there were countless people worldwide with Dragon Rings on their fingers though they did not at the present time belong to any guild. However, they still appeared separated and confused.
"What do we do Dragonlord?" Old Lady Kamikaze asked.
The Dragonlord seemed to think on it for a while.
"What do you think?" he asked the rangers.
"I think it would be wise we avoid making unnecessarily suspicious moves for now" Mistress Kira said.
"But at the same time, we cannot afford to be idle" Master Jin added.
"You have both spoken wisely. We do have to protect anyone who has potentially been chosen by a dragon without needlessly alerting our enemies to our moves. I suppose it's about time I sent them out" the Dragonlord said.
"Them?" Master Jin seemed curious.
The Dragonlord smiled.
"You mean…?!" Mistress Kira exclaimed in shock.
"Yes, the Dragon Knights. They are scattered around the world, each with their own convictions and their own way of living out the Rangers' code. They enforce the Light while suppressing the darkness. I am very sure by now they themselves have noticed the changes in the world" the Dragonlord said as he shut his eyes.
In various locations throughout the world, his message was instantly relayed to them. The Dragon Knights opened their eyes as though filled with new determination and then they began to move from wherever they currently were to where they felt they would be needed most.
Meanwhile, Shin found himself before a vast ocean. Behind him was a lush green and well-watered land. It felt like he was at the beach. All of a sudden, he noticed two lights, one silver and the other he recognized as the presence of Draco. They both approached him with tremendous speed and when they were close, they assumed the forms of dragons.
"Draco, who is this Dragon? I've never seen him before" Shin asked.
"He will speak for himself. He has something of great importance to tell you Shin" Draco said.
"Something of great importance?" Shin wondered.
"I am Epsilon, the Dragon Sovereign that governs time. If Alpha represents the beginning of everything and Omega, the end of everything, then I represent all that is between them" the Silver Dragon, Epsilon, spoke.
"What do you want from me? I never even knew that there were three Dragon Sovereigns. It's unheard of" Shin said.
"Yet you know that God is One and Three. We share a similar nature, my two brothers and I" Epsilon said. "And so do the three Dragonhaӓrts" he added with firm resolve.
"Remember that Shin. God, the Dragon Sovereigns and the Dragonhaӓrt share a similar nature. Though they seem separate, they are also one" Draco said.
"The Nameless Silver Truthful One. I feel the time is fast approaching when he must awaken and so must you Shin" Epsilon said.
"Why are all these strange things happening lately? Ever since Reis arrived in the guild, it's been one mystery after another" Shin said with genuine curiosity.
"Multiple strong presences are beginning to awaken, one after the other and I have sensed that to each of them a guardian force has been assigned. But that is not all. There will soon be a gathering and I sense it occurring with tremendous force. You too will have to remember" Epsilon said and as he uttered the final words, he departed slowly with Draco.
"Remember what Epsilon?!" Shin called out.
"I am what stands between the dark and the dawn. You too will have to remember that…like the other two…you are also a Dragonhaӓrt" Epsilon said and disappeared.
Shin opened his eyes. He was in his bedroom. Beads of sweat rolled down his brow. He got up quickly and took his bath. Then he hurried downstairs. When Kyla saw him, her mouth dropped open in shock.
"What's up Kyla? Why are you staring at me like that?" Shin asked with little concern.
Kyla grabbed him by the arm and took him to his room. She tapped on Reis to awaken him. When Reis was awake, he too stared at Shin in shock.
"Wh-What's going on? Is there something on my face?" he wondered.
"The vastness of the sky and ocean, the wisdom of the ages and the bond of the dragons. These are the virtues you represent" Shin heard Epsilon's voice over the breeze.
"Shin? What happened?" Reis asked.
Shin felt terror at these words. He ran to the bathroom to look in the mirror. He was so deep in thought about his dream that he hadn't noticed his reflection earlier but now he did. His eyes were blue and his hair was silver like Reis'. Out of impulse, he pulled his sleeve back and noticed a dragon shaped scar. He walked quietly past Kyla and Reis into the room, picked up a cap and wore it. Then he walked past them a second time and descended the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Kyla asked worriedly.
"To the barber's. I'm going to dye my hair back to its original colour. I don't want to be a Reis look alike no offence Reis" Shin said.
"None taken" Reis said.
Kyla rushed to him and held him in a tight lockhold.
"Like hell you are! We still need to know how this happened!" she declared.
When Shin sat down with the other two, he told them everything about his dream and what he had seen, everything he had heard.
"Epsilon, the Dragon Sovereign of Time. He is quite a mystery but it is said that amongst the Three Sovereigns, he is the one closest to humanity for humans dwell within time" Reis said.
"Sometimes I wonder how you know all that you do Reis" Shin said.
"Heh, if what Epsilon said is true, then you'd better start getting used to the fact that in time…a very short time, you will know all that I know" Reis teased.
"Hey, that doesn't sound like a joke. It sounds like a threat" Shin said with genuine concern.
Then Reis told them everything Alpha had told him concerning his father. He even mentioned the song.
"What song? And you have a sister?" Shin asked seriously.
"Yes, I do but Alpha says the time for our paths to cross is still in the distant future. It won't happen now. He thinks it's best if we stay separate for now. There is also this thing about a song. A song called 'The Heart That Destroys Darkness' and it goes like this;
'What is a heart or rather Who is the Heart?
So fragile that it can be rended apart
One part strong, one part weak
Broken He appears but wholeness He seeks
Origins and Endings, two contradictory ideals
But brothers they are and as one they feel
Strong and weak
Broken and whole,
Add one more element, when these two become One
They beckon to Him, the Heart
For when Human meets Divine, He will be born,
The Heart that Destroys Armageddon
And His name is…Benedict!'
Reis sang 'The Heart That Destroys Darkness' to Kyla and Shin.
"You must tell the Dragonlord about this" Kyla suggested.
"Somehow I think he already knows" Shin said in a way that showed he thought the Dragonlord capable of almost anything.
Almost immediately, Shin, Kyla and Reis heard Old Lady Kamikaze's voice. It was being broadcasted throughout the entire Guild.
"All Dragon Rangers the rank of Dragon Student and above are to assemble at the Rangers' HQ immediately. The Dragonlord has something to say" she said and then her voice faded off.
"See? What did I tell you? That man can speak to all the dragons as though he were talking with friends. Anything that happened to us could not be kept secret. It would be like trying to conceal an obvious fact from gossips" Shin said.
"Sheesh, when will you ever learn?!" Kyla said as she slapped him on the head.
"My words to you!" Shin yelled back angrily.
"The Dragonlord is planning something. Something big…I can almost sense it" Reis said seriously.
"Reis?" the other two stared at him seriously.
"It is obvious that a great change is occurring worldwide. The Auroran Lights were a big enough sign and the Dragonlord has Kamikaze who practically speaks straight from the Dragons' mouth. There are two ways this could end. We see all this and do nothing or we see it and act. So which is it Dragonlord?" Reis wondered.
Reis walked out with everyone. The streets were full of people flocking to Rangers' HQ. Reis never actually thought of it till the battle waged against Galigaos but the Guild was a formidable force with numerous people who had dedicated their lives to protecting the Dragons. And this was one of the rare occasions where the unity of the guild was obvious.
Soon enough, they stood before the Rangers' HQ in a large circle. Dragon Masters and multiple Dragon Knights who had been notified beforehand were inside the HQ which was also a Temple. The multitude of these Dragon Knights were currently unreachable. Dragon Knights were a class of Ranger whose dedication to the dragons was so severe that they began to embody the virtues. The Dragonlord no longer needed to tell them what to do at this point because every moment of their lives was an affront to the darkness and an enforcement of Light. It was believed that their hearts were always in the right place so they were given freedom to act in whatever way they felt their hearts were guiding them. The word of Arӓlpheisl echoed their conviction, 'The will of the Heart is the Key to Destiny'.
Dragon Masters on the other hand had reached a level of maturity that allowed them to be entrusted with the tutelage of Dragon Students and Drakes. Each was entrusted with at least three Drakes and they were not only to guide them through the teaching of Guild virtues but they were to guard them from antagonistic forces and people.
Dragon Students and Drakes on the other hand stood outside the Temple. It wasn't so much a case of who was allowed where as it was the simple fact that there was not enough room for everyone. The order was formed thus out of a mutual respect of the classes and experience and age of the Rangers.
It took almost an hour for everyone to gather. The Rangers generally did not ride their dragons in the Guild and the Guild was like a compact town so they could walk wherever they went. The delay was hence due to distance. When everyone had gathered, Old Lady Kamikaze motioned to them via telepathy to be silent.
Then the Dragonlord began to speak.
"I am sure you have all been wanting to know about all these strange signs that have been occurring since the Dragon-shaped lights descended to the earth. You may have seen certain things in visions and dreams. The long and short of it is this. The world is changing. It is being transformed and this transformation is going to occur through people. Throughout history, the Dragons have always and only ever bonded with members of this guild once they completed certain trials. However, starting from the day Arӓlpheisl revealed himself to us and the Dragon-shaped lights descended to the earth, the Dragons out of their own will have chosen to bond with people outside of this guild regardless of nationality or affiliation. But these people will start out confused. They will share a bond with the dragons they will not understand. They will have glimpses of the supernatural that they will not understand. That is where we come in. Together we will seek out these distant brothers of ours and bring them back with us to the Guild. Hence from this moment, I declare an all-out effort to expand the guild. We are going to have to pull on more weight than we usually do. Here is the plan I have devised. To find them, we will first need a way to identify them. They will be wearing Dragon rings which leak a unique energy reminiscent of the Dragons'.
Leaving that aside, there is the issue of accommodation. Fortunately we live in a forest so we need our architects and builders working on construction and finally, there is the issue of the mission itself…we cannot afford to be beaten once…to lose once. These are missions that need to be carried out with the knowledge and essence of finality. We cannot lose even a single one of them. Aside from our elemental affinities with the dragons, we need to use all our unique raw ability as humans to make this a home for them. That is all for now" the Dragonlord declared.
There was deep silence for a while as each ranger thought deeply on the Dragonlord's words and then they began to cheer loudly.
From that moment on, as though a spark had been set ablaze in the heart of every ranger, they began to work with unity of purpose. The Dragonlord's role as head of the guild was visibly seen as he coordinated the efforts to build. Shops in the guild began expansion projects. The builders built multiple houses and didn't stop building till sunset. The Drakes also did their part with developing all sorts of talented artwork for the guild. The artisans would teach them to construct musical instruments.
The Dragonlord prioritized their food supply so barns were erected to accommodate harvests and hunts and irrigation projects were also put in place. Many Dragon Masters graduated to Dragon Knights including Mistress Kira, Master Jin, Captain Hiru and Mistress Suzuna. They chose however to stick to their old duties until such a time they saw it necessary to do anything else.
While all of this was going on, the Dragon Knights journeyed the world gathering those the Dragons had chosen and leading them back to the guild. Entire families were gathered. And when they arrived, each had a huge celebration just for them. They were made so welcome they adjusted easily and then as they began to learn how the guild operated they desired to help more with guild work offering their unique talents. No one outside the guild was aware of the happenings within it and no one knew how rapidly it was growing. Dragon High was expanded to accommodate new Dragon Students.
Due to the new arrivals, the Rangers were so shorthanded that Reis' entire class was promoted to the class of Dragon Master and made to aid with the teaching of the Drakes. Those were quiet happy days.
At certain times however, the Rangers felt like they had bitten off more than they could chew. Instead of a guild, they now had a town on their hands and it was rapidly becoming a city. Little did they know that this was merely a sign of things to come.