Reunion
And so they are reunited. Siblings connected so deeply with each other that they had grown weak from being apart. They demonstrate among each other their newfound shifting powers, and they share their thoughts like all worried siblings do. Each remembers the destruction of Chana like it was yesterday. Their environment seems peaceful, but there are humans here. None of them know exactly where they are at present, however, they do know that they are no longer on their planet of origin.
Chana, which they had sworn to protect, is nothing but a world of darkness now. Umbra's telepathy is the strongest of all, and she sends to her siblings a mentally collected picture of the world at the present time. Chana is drear and dull, its war-torn environment preserved over the years.
It has been six thousand years.
Lumen stifles an agonized cry. He remembers being defeated in the war, and he sees the planet exactly as it was in his last vision of it. He wonders.
Is it like this because we have left?
Umbra does not know, but she consoles her brother. Chana has nothing more to worry of, now that its inhabitants are long gone.
The humans here have done wonders in preserving nature, Terra observes with a smile. I cannot see one shred of war or pollution anywhere. Chana was corrupt - its sister Iolana shall prosper.
Yes, Lumen replies. But I cannot bear the fact that we lost the battle. Our planet is like this because we failed it.
No, Umbra tells her brother. We have won.
She delves into her memory and retrieves a vision which she projects into each of her siblings' minds.
The war-torn planet was anew. Many lay dead where they had stood when they had fought. The six were dejected and broken, and they stood in a circle amid the destruction.
Bright light shot from their gems. Star-like, blinding light. It burned like the fire of the sun, and each beam met suddenly with a deafening sound.
The explosion.
Aeris cries out as the shockwave of the explosion repeats itself, Umbra's mind having captured each detail of it. "We should have died," he whispers, quivering with fear.
"We did not, though," Lumen says to comfort him.
"We lived for a reason. Our efforts were not in vain."
Umbra's vision overtakes their minds again.
The guardians fall.
First Ignis, then Aqua, then Terra, then Aeris; their power drained from their souls.
Then Lumen falls.
Then Umbra, with an almost triumphant cry, releases a final blast of magic. She collapses heavily, her life spent.
In the sky, the thick presence of the Catastrophe shatters.
It is destroyed.
And as it is replaced by almost identical clouds, the six transform into humans, crumpled on the ground. They disappear into time.
And Chana is no more.
"You see," Umbra tells them, "we did not fight in vain."
"We were given a second chance!" Ignis realizes, eyes flashing.
"I think it is best if we stay on Iolana," Aeris adds somewhat randomly, catching the attention of his siblings.
"Why should we do that?" Ignis snaps at her brother, something she's always done.
"Iolana may need us someday," Terra says quickly to halt any upcoming argument. With this, she brushes her nose against the ground and six gorgeous flowers sprout and grow to her height.
"Chana is spent, and besides, we are still weakened. Our powers are not strong enough to allow us to return."
"So how are we going to get our powers back?" Ignis demands, her voice riddled with impatience.
"Oh, be quiet, Ignis," Terra tells her, with a grin.
Ignis opens her mouth to snap back, but she can't. She can't think of anything to say. Instead, she lazily ignites a flame from thin air and sets it on the tip of her nose.
"Show-off."
Lumen sees another argument about to be sparked like Ignis' flame, and he takes matters into his own hands. His eyes still cycle through the colours of the spectrum as he speaks.
"We must find some way to become stronger," he says. "Perhaps then we can restore Chana to what it has been."
"Minus the Catastrophe," Ignis interrupts, the flame darting on her hide.
Umbra shoot her sister a glare but Lumen halts her. "This planet," he continues, "is healthy. We can make our home here, and we can begin life anew."
Suddenly Umbra gasps. "Quiet," she commands. Stopping for a few moments, all is silent between the six as Umbra shuts her eyes and scans her mind.
Then she motions for them to follow. "Come," she announces. "Come in dragon form. We will need them."
Their sister leads them through the skies as they beat their wings in harmony with one another. Aeris is enjoying himself immensely, while Terra, not one for flying, is gazing at the picturesque forested mountains.
Far below, a civilization comes into view, surrounded by mountains and coniferous forest. Umbra begins descent, followed by her siblings, and they touch down on the ground to see an amazing scene unfold before them.
Dragons.
Hundreds of them, in all colours, from gold to green to purple to black, and they are in all sizes. They fly above, walk the earth, and watch the newcomers from every angle.
"We are visitors," Aqua says - he is speaking with a purple dragon who is a little shorter than him. Her human bond has an athletic and lithe form, like his own. "My name is Aqua, and my siblings are Ignis, Terra, Lumen, Aeris, and Umbra."
"Welcome, Aqua," says the human. "We have both been expecting you six."
This confuses each of them. Terra shudders, feeling as though she's been watched since she tasted the air of this planet. She hopes that these dragons are kindly, with all her heart.
"How... how could you have known we were here?" she asks her without first thinking.
The dragon replies this time with a telepathic voice. I am Mizilayt, and I was born with very accurate telepathy. When I grew to adulthood, my rider Silvri consulted the leader of the Searching Wing. I am a Searchdragon, capable of seeing potential candidates.
"Candidates," Ignis adds, apparently listening in. "Candidates for what?"
When most dragons hatch, they will take a bond. However, once eggs are laid, potential bonders must be found. These are called Candidates, and it is my job in part to find them.
"What is this all about?" Aeris inquires, his expression a bemused one.
Mizilayt sighs and beckons them. Come with me. I will explain it to you inside.