In the wilderness.

A large group of minotaurs flanked the cage containing Leiza, Zaz, Seip and the two giant animals. A few meters away from them, it seemed to be their leader, since he was the one giving instructions to the other warriors that listened to him attentively. He was also the strongest of the group, with muscles much more bulky than the rest of the minotaurs. His name was Tenyto, and despite his intimidating appearance, he was a calm and thoughtful being. Leiza and the others could realize this as they listened to part of his conversation with his fellows.

-I hope that with this woman's delivery we can finally end this war. I am tired of losing the lives of my comrades in useless battles. 

-But, Tenyto, how can you take the word of this guy? What if he turns out to be worse than the one hunting us?

-We have no choice, we have ceased to be one of the dominant species a long time ago. We can't settle everything with punches, we must resort to negotiation. You have just seen what that human with red arms on his back could do to many of our warriors. Imagine what a whole army of people like him would be capable of doing to us. We must be realistic and recognize our limitations. Only our ally is capable of dealing with them... because he is one of their own.

-I wouldn't trust a human. That' s insane, Tenyto.

-The only reason we were not banished earlier was because we had the protection of that man and his red-armored friend. There is only one of them left alive now and we owe him gratitude. We will rely on his word.

Seip deduced that Rioya had to be the human who protected the minotaurs before his death. That reddish armor always resulted in an unmistakable feature on him. Which meant that his alive partner had to be the person closest to him before the foundation of the rebel group: Prince Dorba.  The two were once inseparable colleagues on quests and objectives. They recognized each other as valuable people who sought to help those in need. Although their relationship failed to be perfect; at the conclusion of the Great Revolution, their differences distanced them. However, their ideological disagreements never provoked animosity between the two. In Rioya's eyes, his friend Dorba was always an impeccable man. -Rioya never heard about the rumors of the Prince's personality change, he died before they arose, so his reaction to such claims could never be known.

Seip was not sure which person they were going to meet, whether the generous fellow fighter of the Great Revolution, or the vile being that was rumored to be his current version. Therefore he was confused, he did not know if it was a stroke of luck to be on the way to him or if he should be worried after finding out about their upcoming reunion. Preferring to reduce the risk, he opted to try to negotiate with his captors. 

-Listen, I know you spent time with Rioya. I was a close friend of him, we shared many causes in common and I can help you. Release us and we will find a way to contribute to you.

-You say you knew Rioya well? How odd, we never saw you by his side, human. 

- You probably interacted with him in his younger days, when he was dedicated to taking care of the forest and the beings that inhabited it. I met Rioya some time later, we were fellow combatants in the Great Revolution, and afterwards I joined his rebel group.

-Mmm, I can't take your word for it. Rioya is no longer here to intercede and validate your version. On the contrary, I think it's a bad thing to know that you were his battle partner in the past. The terrible King Moal was also one of them, Rioya always admitted to be regretful for having fought alongside some despicable people in that period of his life. Maybe you are one of those persons and are trying to deceive us. Moal is desperate and feels menaced by our ally, that is why he has made unthinkable alliances with other species. The snake men sold themselves to the highest bidder to ensure their survival. At this moment we can't trust anyone, the decisive moment may be coming in a short time... And it seems that it will arrive from the hand of your partner in that cage.

Leiza heard Tenyto's statement and was immediately angered. She showed an aggressiveness that Luespo and Mity had never seen before in all those years by her side.

- Release me right now, you stupid minotaurs! I'm no bargaining chip or collectible item! If you don't want me to annihilate you all, get me out of here at this instant. -Then she turned her anger towards her own allies- . How is it possible that you allowed yourselves to be trapped? What kind of protection do you offer if anyone will be able to defeat us? Mity and Luespo, what is the point of being giants if you can't control your strength? Seip, you are a legendary hero, but at the first adversity you give up and surrender... what a cowardly hero came to our aid.

Leiza's behavior showed an abnormal and excessive hostility. Her pets did not recognize her and Seip was surprised to see such a sudden change in the small woman. By contrast, Zaz was not so astonished, it knew perfectly well what was happening, because it was a transformation it had seen happen before in someone else. It reached out to try to appease Leiza, attempting to stop her anger escalating uncontrollably. 

Tenyto commented to Seip as he continued on his way:

- And you intend that with those kind of allies we should trust in what you tell to us? Shut up the girl or we will do it. We won't be listening to her screams all along the way.

Between Seip and Zaz did their best to silence Leiza's shouts. Eventually she took a deep breath and preferred to remain silent. Minutes later, the blue aura stopped emanating from her body.

-You have to control your emotions -Seip advised her-. You are no longer the same woman you used to be, that power inside you represents a great danger both for you and for everyone else. We did the best we could do to protect you, now we can only wait to see if we are able to convince their ally to free us. Maybe I can make an old acquaintance reason with us.

For the rest of the journey, the five stayed quiet inside the cage. During this time, the minotaurs managed to get out of the wilderness to enter a forest that began to generate a great uneasiness in Zaz. Its green eye twitched shakily from side to side as it scanned the environment around them. It feared they were about to arrive at their destination, because if so, that would be very bad news. Before long, the lush trees in the landscape were gone and a wall protecting the entrance to a kingdom came into view. The soldiers watching the access saw the minotaurs from a distance and ordered the gates to be opened to let them in. One of the guards urgently approached the group to warn them that it was not the best time to pay a visit.

-You have to get out of here, minotaurs. We are about to be attacked by the enemy. The Prince is busy with all the preparations in the fort that was built in the mountain. He cannot attend you now.  

-Tell him he will have to make an exception. I believe we have brought what he has been looking for so long in order to defeat his enemy. He must come urgently to verify that this is the case.

While one soldier rode off on horseback to deliver the news, the other guards insisted they should leave the kingdom, as they did not think the Prince could spare the time with such a dangerous and pressing situation just before the battle. The minotaurs were doubting whether the best thing to do was to retreat, since the last thing they wanted was to be caught in the middle of the fire in someone else's war. As they were about to do so, Tenyto was able to see in the distance a griffin flying towards them with great speed. The creature landed on the ground and Prince Dorba descended from it, addressing the leader of the minotaurs.

-I was told you have something very important, Tenyto. I have to see for myself.

The Prince wasted no time in long greetings, he ran straight to the metal cage and took out of his coat a pocket watch which he held in front of the captured ones. He recognized Seip among them and in astonishment spoke to him.

-Seip, don't tell me it was you all this time! It would indeed be a surprise I would never have foreseen.

He brought the watch close to Seip's face, and the crystal glowed a reddish color.

-No, this is simple common red Goan. -He looked at the rest of the group in search of another candidate- Another great surprise would be finding something in these two giant animals.

The Prince repeated the procedure by pointing the watch in the direction of Luespo and Mity, obtaining again a reddish color in the crystal when he brought it closer to the cat and then a violet color from the dog.

-Purple?! -He began to smile cheerfully, as if he had just understood something-. This was the being I would never have suspected of.... A dog! There's blue Goan inside it!

As all this was going on, Zaz was crouched on the floor, doing its best to avoid being noticed. Its posture made it impossible to witness the intense trembling that its thin limbs were undergoing. Extremely traumatic experiences were running through its head, coming back to haunt it with full force. Everyone else was so focused on the Prince's actions that no one noticed it. Tenyto interrupted Dorba to tell him that he was wrong.

-It's not the dog, it's the curly-haired girl.

Dorba was impressed, it was not possible for two beings to possess blue Goan, so he pointed his pocket watch at Leiza's forehead. The crystal turned in a strong blue color that left the Prince's mouth speechless for a few seconds.

-This...this is...unbelievable. The blue Goan in this woman is pure and abundant. It is much better than what I had been expecting. With this, the end of Moal's empire is near. 

Seip tried to dialogue with his old ally, looking to find some way to collaborate amicably between the two groups.

-Dorba, let us out. We can help you face King Moal.

-Don't worry, Seip. I won't need any more help than what you've already provided me. -Smiling- Now I can't spare any time with you, an enemy is on his way. But I will ask my men to put you in a safe place until this is over.

The Prince ordered that the prisoners be taken into an improvised fortification on a hill, thanking the minotaurs for having brought them to him.

-This is what I've been looking for so long, Tenyto. You can be sure that once I can make use of this power, your people will never have to escape from King Moal again. In fact, his soldiers are on their way to attack me. Do you want to stay and face them at my side?

-You know your war is none of our business, we have fulfilled our part of the deal. I'm not going to risk the lives of my comrades. All we want is to be able to live in peace; we will only fight if war is the only way to achieve that long-desired goal.

-I understand, Tenyto. You don't have to worry, I have everything under control. Get out of here fast and carefully, this place is about to become very violent in a short time. 

The minotaurs agreed to leave the region immediately. The Prince instructed his men to lock up Leiza and the others, demanding that the cell surveillance be strengthened to the maximum. With battle about to break out, it was impossible for him to concentrate his energies on extracting the power of the newly arrived blue Goan wielder, who constituted the fundamental element he had been seeking for so long. Seip, Zaz, Leiza, Mity and Luespo were taken in chains to a room inside a fort that looked precariously erected among what once were worn-out old houses. There they were locked in a cell guarded from the outside by seven Goan-possessed soldiers.

-Well, your plan didn't work, Seip. It's time to fight. Let me use my Goan. -Leiza commented resignedly.

-I'm afraid so, we are in a critical situation. But you still don't control your power well, Leiza. You would not be capable of maintaining a frontal combat against all those soldiers. Your blue Goan would be detrimental under these circumstances, causing more damage to you than to them. And even if we were to succeed, a full army of Moal guards awaits us on the outside. Trying to do anything now would be a suicidal move, but we have no alternative. Everybody recover your energies, I need you at your best before we have to commit this madness. The battle between Dorba and Moal's soldiers will be over in a few hours, whoever wins will be our enemy coming for us, by then we must be ready.

With the hopelessness that was beginning to permeate the revolutionary hero's head, a strange message communicating directly with him entered his mind.

-Seip, I need you to trust me right now. There is a way to get out of here safely. I know all about the Prince and this place. I plan to tell you about it if you promise to never reveal it. Dorba is vastly more powerful than the man you met before, but if there's anyone who knows how to deal with him, it's me.

Seip was surprised to receive that message. He couldn't even answer when again a comment came to his mind.

-You must keep this secret forever. To understand the present, you have to know what happened a long time ago.