"What is happening?" I yelled into the silence of the stand-off.

"The parts of me that slumber through the seasons they do not rule seem to have been awakened by my destruction of the tree of hope." Dio answered while he kept his gaze firmly on the figures opposite of him.

The figure with the golden-haired hide and the heat radiating from him raised an accusing finger to the Dio of flesh and blood in front of me. "And should we not? You are the first to break a tree. Consequences arise we all will have to share."

"You would understand if you just had waited your turn!" Dio said.

"We split for exactly this reason. For if one of us loses his determination, three still stand against him." The cold one said.

"We broke the land once, we will not allow it to happen again." The youthful green stepped forward.

"All well and good." I said. "But what has that to do with me?"

All four pairs of eyes and eye sockets turned to me as one, staring at me. Finally, Winter chuckled coldly. "Nature knows no mercy. You have corrupted Autumn and broke his resolve, made him break a part of his own prison. We do not know how. But if you did it once, you could do it again. The Mad King must not be awakened."

"You knew I would come If you threatened this man." Dio raised his hands. "Well, here I am. Just hear me out and judge me later."

Summer shrugged, his voice dripping in contempt: "We have but one rule that cannot be broken. Your reasoning is meaningless."

"But the Dragon of Darkness is alive and threatens the Wyld!" I shouted, stepping into the circle of the seasons. "The time for slumber is over! Act now or perish with the rest of the Wyld! Dio made a brave choice to help those in need, to give meaning to your long watch. You must support him!"

I watched them carefully, each one in turn, to gauge their reactions. But aside the dead stares from the skulls I got nothing. But neither did they speak, act or interrupt me, so I just kept going.

"The dragon had been bound under the mountains of the west and just broke his chains. I do not know if he will walk the earth, but his creatures are hunting Wyldlings this very moment. And that is not all. An agent of darkness has found a way to corrupt the body of the Dragon of Life, using it to destroy and rule. You cannot stand by! You must let this matter rest!"

Dio put a hand on my shoulders. "They can't. They simply can't. I had forgotten, I had forgotten so much. We are one and were they the one to rule over the season, they very well could have made the same decision as I. After all, we are the same person."

"If we want to have that plan of yours succeed, it will have to be me walking away from this place. Or everything goes back to square one. Help me. Help me defeat them. Help me take their power and I will make it worthwhile to you.“

Now I was concerned. Was I used as a pawn in someone else's game?

"You have planned this, did you not? How much of our talks was a ruse to lure me to this moment?“ I spat at him.

"None of it. I had forgotten the inevitable consequences of my actions. This is it. But we can turn this into a win. The seasons of the Mad King united again, a force even the darkness would think twice about to face.“

"We were the first to split before we learned to lock parts of ourselves into the trees.“ Winter interjected. "We carry the heaviest burden. We tasted the raging madness that tore the earth asunder. To bear it, we quartered it. Unite us and the world will burn once more.“

"Noo!“ Dio shouted. "Don’t you see? We have grown so much since the days of old! We have locked the madness away. There is no need for us to share a burden that does not exist.“

"The seasons turn. You cannot stop them.“ Summer said.

"It is war then.“ Spring declared.

"You dare challenge me while I rule?“ The expression on Dio‘s face changed from one second to the other, from a kind and concerned old man to a snarling, spitting face of rage. "You are dead and sleeping, while the forest is mine. You dare throw my own dire wolves against me?“ He made a fist with his hand. "Watch them tear themselves apart.“

All around us the dire wolves moved. Howling, snarling, yipping. The barreled into each other, Falling over each other, biting and clawing for their lives. Instant madness erupted all around us.

Dio laughed in glee and satisfaction.

"You are next.“ He snarled pointing at the other three. "I cannot be defeated while autumn rules. It is my season. And if you win by chance? What then? It is the same outcome. You absorb me and madness will return.“

"We will lock you away until winter blows its frosty breath over the Wyld.“ Winter whispered. "And the cycle will continue.“

"Now, Hannibal. Do you see?“ Dio grinned at me, eager to begin the violence. "There is no choice. Free me or die. Free me or die with the knowledge to have doomed those that depend on you.“

"But...“ I was fumbling for words. This was so wrong. Everything screamed to stop what Dio was doing, to keep him sane. But It was my life on the line as well. They would weed me out. They had said as much.

I straightened my back and raised Kingsbane higher. I was not the guardian of every fate I happened to stumble across. The Mad King was a being as old as they would come. It was not my decision, not my concern. He could make his own fate. I had a plan and I had a responsibility. And if I had to go through these creatures to reach my goals, I would do it.

"No matter if it‘s a real king or a mad one, I have just the blade for the job." I raised my sword at the enemies, but I shot Dio an angry look. "You will keep your word, Dio, madness or not, or Kingsbane will take your head. You have tricked me into this mess. You owe me.“

Dio was still grinning in triumph and just nodded.

"No,“ I insisted, "say it. Say it out loud.“

"I owe you after this is done.“ He sounded as happy as if he was chewing glass. "Now then, Winter is the death of me. Take him and keep him away from me.“

And chaos broke out.

I sprinted towards Winter, Kingsbane in both of my hands trailing behind me, ready to strike. Winter raised both of his arms and the plants followed his command. All around me vines grabbed after me in a spurt of explosive growth, branches from the nearby tree swinging in my direction. I threw myself forward, jumping over the smaller plants on the ground that tried to trip me, cutting a branch that angled for my neck with a clean slice of Kingsbane. The momentum of the strike turned me halfway in mid-air so I decided to just roll with it and completed the twisting jump. I threw out my left foot, turning my momentum into a flying kick aimed at the skull.

The Skull opened up into a void of darkness, and a biting wind of frost, carrying ice and snow, slammed into me, throwing me back. Before I could hit the ground with all those grabbing plants, I activated [Airwalk] and pushed myself off to the side, to evade the stream of freezing winds that were cold enough to blacken my skin. I grabbed Zero and whipped him forward, Zero helping the maneuver by unrolling and lifting off from me. He whipped through the air and the air cracked with a metallic bang as Zero supported my whip with his Skill [Chain Lash], smacking sharply over the skull. I let Zero go before I hit the ground hard, shoulder first. But I was pushing myself up again quickly, while the impact barely registered through my [Improved Resilience].

Plants grabbed and scratched at me, and I spent a couple of seconds using Kingsbane as a scythe, cutting, and breaking the undergrowth trying to get at me. I heard the smack from metal and bones again, as Zero started whipping away on his own, distracting Winter from my precarious position. I wanted to jump again and lept over the smaller plants when a thick branch shot out from an angle I had not expected, smacked me in the belly, and started to wrap around me, while the air was driven out of my lungs.

The branch grew faster and faster around me, while I began awkwardly hacking away, chipping of splinters but nothing more.

Behind me, I saw Dio standing over the fallen Summer, a colorless stream of energy-sapping away the heat of the summer days, the fiery eyes of the creature sputtering out. At the same time, he was throwing a storm of multi-colored leaves over Spring, who dodged with quick and agile motions, answering the clouds of dead leaves with young and vital plants, who rapidly grew between them to intercept, just to shrivel and die as the storm swallowed them.

Zero was caught in the hands of Winter, icicles forming all over the frozen metal, as the temperature dropped to dangerous lows all around us.

"Noo!“ I screamed. Adrenalin washed over me as I desperately struggled for my freedom. I felt the wood around me groan and bend. I pushed harder, leaned into the pain I felt, pushed through it. [Improved Strength] broke the branch apart and I went down in a rain of splintered wood.

I raced over to Zero, but I was too late.

The chain exploded under the extreme temperatures in a thousand pieces, metal and ice piercing flesh, bones and whatever that creature had for a body.

"Noo!“ I screamed again, rage rising in me, as I threw myself forwards, into the explosion of ice and metal, under the protection of [Stonehide]. The temperature took my breath, took my momentum. It was as if I had run into a wall of cold. No, not like this. I had no air to scream, it froze in my lungs, so I just gripped Kingsbane tight and hurled it into the cloud of ice in front of me, as hard as I could. It whirled through the air, end over end, and hit something with a heavy thud, then spiraled away into the bushes.

The throw had been far from perfect, and I had not landed a perfect hit, but I had smacked Winter hard and the spell ended.

Sudden warmth flooded through my aching wounds. My limbs were numb from the frostbite. I was in pain all over. But I managed to fall on top of the fallen Winter, who had a big chunk missing from his shoulder, were Kingsbane had severed the darkness. I unslung the Ravenbeak, while the Skull screamed at me, ice carving through the protective layer of stone over my face, rocking me back. I struck true even without seeing my goal. Crushing skulls with a hammer was my specialty, after all.

[Winter Aspect of the Mad King defeated! Reward: 50 EP 10 Shards]

The fight ended with me writhing on the ice-covered ground, clutching my cold arms, and preparing for the painful end the frostbite would bring me, as the face of Dio appeared inches away from mine. He grinned.

"Good job.“ He said. "I knew you had it in you. And as luck would have it, I already took what Sping and Summer had to give.“

He stood up with a lot more spring in his body as I had expected and made a gesture towards me. "[Reinvigoration]. [Control Heat].“ Immediately the frost was swept away by the warm winds of summer, blood returning to my aching limbs. The snow and ice around and on me melted into little puddles. Then the [Reinvigoration] took hold and I could feel my body fighting the frostbite, pushing it out of me. Black ichor dripping out of my pores where frozen and dead flesh was replaced by the new.

I felt great. Instantly great. I jumped up, looking around frantically. "Zero!“ I yelled. "Oh, no. Don‘t do this to me buddy!“ I searched around the site of the explosion in desperate haste, as I saw movement in the dirt.

There he was, just 3 little rings chained together, awkwardly crawling over a small little root with clumsy and jerking movements, tumbling down on the other side of it. The relief that flooded through me was stronger than all the pain I had felt before. I took the small thing in my hands, cradling it. "You did a good job, buddy. I take care of you. I will fix this.“ He prodded around until he found what he was looking for, and finally let himself fall into one of the pockets of my cloak. "Rest, Zero. I take it from here.“

I searched the area, but I could not find another metal ring. The metal had been destroyed from the inside out. It was a miracle the three rings had survived when everything else had been turned into shrapnel and dust.

"Now, on to Winter.“ Dio whistled happily, bending over the broken form. He grabbed into the darkness that was the body and grabbed something, swallowing it. "Marvelous.“ He rubbed his belly, bliss on his face.

I had picked up my sword in the meantime, watching the man with no small amount of disgust. "You better keep your word.“ I warned him.

"Ah yes, the oaths of the immortals. I had missed this. So austere, so serious. What dire consequences will I have to endure if I, the Mad King, go back on my very own word?“ He gasped in mock wonder, holding a palm in front of his mouth. "Will the heavens come down on me like a hammer of justice, smiting me from the earth in just anger?“

I just grit my teeth. I had no words, so I tried to let my eyes do the talking.

"I do not care for your vengeance, Hannibal, and you did me a solid favor. Take this and begone. I noticed you lack...all around. But there in particular.“ He threw a book at me, smacking me on the breast, which I barely caught. The Skillbook for [Reinvigoration], pressed leaves between covers of bark. "Take it and begone.“

I stumbled out of the woods, still numb from the fight. I stopped with my jaw dropping, marveling at the sight in front of me. The earth dropped into a giant chasm, a steep cliff leading down until a hazy mist cut off my sight. Thousands of feet. But in that giant space rocks floated all over, rocks of every form and size, some as big as mountains, others as big as islands. Floating. But every stone and rock, every piece of earth was floating over nothing. I could see in the distance on the opposite side of the chasm the mists and the faint roar of a giant waterfall that fell down into the chasm as well. The Shattered Sea.

There were areas of air, where only a few isles floated around, but the bulk was a cloud of land clumped together in the middle, stacking as high and higher than the clouds, swaying in the wind and pulling on the roots and other plants, the highly-dense vegetation had spun over more than one floating rock, holding them together, connecting them.

I felt a sensation in I had not felt for a very long time. My Skill [Favorite Terrain: Mountains] activated. The very first Skill I had received, like every other child in the world, when I had turned 13. I had loved the mountains as a child and I never lost the admiration, even to this day. The Broken Lands had been a mountain range, and the systems still categorized it as such. I could feel the atmosphere changing, as my forgotten senses snapped back to action. Fear of the unknown, the knowledge of being out of place just ceased to be, replaced by a comfortable familiarity. [Favorite Terrain] was a peculiar skill. You just had a better sense of the terrain, it was easier to navigate and you could almost feel the things around you by instinct, notably dangers, animals, and hidden paths. But the comfort and confidence you got in familiar terrain was the true strength it provided. You were no longer a fish out of water, you were a shark in your domain.

It would make what had to come next so much easier. But what had to come next, overcoming the chasm and floating mountain, was a good couple of dozen feet of nothing away from me. I mean, I could have made it with Zero and an [Airwalk], but that plan would have me jumping into nothing, throwing Zero ahead, him gripping a plant I was not sure would hold and then climb up the chain. There had to be a better way to get over there.

The Wyldlings had come to the Mad King‘s forest, so they would have to have a way over the chasm.

It was high time for me to pick on someone my own size.