♪ Pa-pum ♪

Two dark mages are traveling through Xadia

trying to unleash an ancient and mysterious evil.

Great dragons, I beseech you, help us find them.

We have to go to the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea

to search for the Scrolls of the First Elves

and learn everything we can about Aaravos before he returns.

"And I'm coming with you."

And you are hereby banished,

never to return.

Please...

Show me that not all is lost.

You are our only hope, Prince Karim of Lux Aurea.

Lead us back to glory.

It's peaceful.

Super creepy, a bit spooky. Might even say "eerie."

But peaceful!

"The city is full of hidden danger."

"The corruption of the Sun Orb infected innocent creatures and changed them."

Of course!

That must have been what attacked us that night, a corrupted Banther.

Oh, it was horrible.

"Janai wanted so badly to cleanse Lux Aurea,

but we failed."

"The shadowmonsters are dangerous killers."

"But even worse, just a single scratch

would spread the corruption to elves, humans, horses."

"The infected became corrupted shadows within a matter of days."

"The shadowbeasts hide during the day to avoid the Sun."

"We have five hours before sundown...

five hours to complete our mission."

This is it.

The Great Bookery of Lux Aurea.

I have so many happy memories here from my time at university.

Would you like to see my favorite place in the Great Bookery?

Ta-da!

Is that a, uh, book drop?

Perhaps to your untrained eye, it is merely a book drop,

but to me it was an impenetrable reading fortress.

I figured out the secret to opening it by watching the librarians.

I would sometimes hide in there after the library closed

so I could read all night.

Looks cozy.

I did have a book dropped on my head from time to time,

but most of them were quite interesting.

"Enough reminiscing about your wild and crazy student years."

"We only have until sundown, so get to work."

Go away.

So, what is it exactly we're looking for?

Startouch elf cultural practices?

Perhaps one of the many Startouch prophecies?

What do we need to learn?

How to kill a Startouch elf.

Hmm, I don't think there's a dedicated section for that.

"Rayla, there's something I've been meaning to say to you."

"Back when I first met you at the Banther Lodge,

it wasn't right the way I treated you."

Oh, you mean by trying to kill me?

"I judged you because you were an elf."

"Now I know how very wrong I was about elves."

"I'm in love with one."

"Anyway...

I am truly sorry that I threatened you."

Eh, no bother. Apology accepted.

"That means a lot to me."

"Now that that's out of the way..."

"If you ever hurt my nephew Callum again...

I will kill you."

I am Prince Karim.

Corruption and treachery have infected Xadia.

It's a wound that has been festering for a thousand years.

Humans in their weakness allowed evil to flourish.

And though the land was divided, now humans have come back to Xadia.

The Sunfire Kingdom is lost in darkness.

They're waiting for the light to return.

They are waiting for you, the true King of the Dragons.

Hey, this is interesting. A poem.

Kazi... I like poems too, but we have to focus.

No, no, no, this poem is called "The Death of the Immortal."

You think I meant to hurt Callum?

That's the last thing I wanted.

"You abandoned him, you broke his heart."

I was trying to protect him.

I left without him

because I couldn't bear to put him in danger.

I knew I had to be strong alone.

"You know who you sound like?"

- Who? - "Me."

Oh...

Thanks, I think.

"When I was growing up,

my big sister Sarai was the smartest, strongest, bravest person I knew."

"When she died, I felt lost and weak without her."

"I hated feeling that way, so I learned to be strong alone."

"Stoic, strong...

and lonely."

That does sound like me sometimes.

"But the last two years have changed everything."

"Meeting Janai, falling in love,

I am stronger than I ever was...

because we are stronger together."

"And I realized that was the real truth of me and Sarai too."

"Love and trust grow a kind of strength

that is much bigger than we each possess."

"To have that kind of strength, it's not enough to love someone."

"You have to trust them to share the burdens you carry."

Thank you.

Would it be okay if I...?

Xadia needs you.

Sol Regem, the Sun King.

You can make them believe the Sun will shine again.

Then behold...

the once great Sun King.

Bask in the brilliant rays of light

that shine through the holes in my tattered wings.

Gaze upon the mighty face of my golden glory,

dripping with seared flesh,

melted by evil magic.

Bow down before the swollen oozing bedsores

of a magnificent archdragon,

lying motionless and depressed for decades.

I lost my hope long before I lost my sight.

The Sun will never rise again for me.

I've lived centuries in this eternal night.

Go...

away.

"...and though undying, took last breath,

immortal Laurelion was no more."

That's good, right?

I mean, when someone "was no more," that-that's dead, yeah?

It's a bit confusing, but that is the clearest implication.

Though, it is somewhat odd they call them undying and immortal.

Well, that doesn't sound so immortal?

- Laurelion "was no more." - Right.

- But how? How did they...? - Right here.

"White as the star's heart it pierced,

ivory draconic brought death's bite known ever forth as Novablade."

It's a sword.

A weapon that can end a Startouch Elf's mortal existence.

The weapon.

We did it.

We found the answer.

Research. It's fun and it saves the world sometimes.

Hey, Callum?

We need to talk.

Callum. There's a burden I'm carrying.

And I've kept it a secret,

and maybe that's part of what's making things weirder with us.

But I think I know that I trust you to help me carry this.

If you're okay with that?

Rayla, we've been through a lot.

And a lot has changed.

Ah, um, well, some things have changed, but not everything.

Uh...

I would do anything for you.

Runaan isn't dead. My parents aren't dead.

Lord Viren did something to them.

He captured their spirits in these cursed coins.

It hurts me to know they're trapped like this.

It's agonizing.

But I know our mission comes first.

The world is in danger, and you can trust me to stay focused.

We can help them. Rayla, we can undo this spell.

Not yet, Callum.

Believe me, I want to do something, but...

I saw something on one of the scrolls we were just reading. I'm sure of it.

A spell that can restore bodies to separated spirits.

"It's almost sundown."

"Time to get going."

Callum, we have to leave.

Two minutes, that's all I need.

Just give me one minute, two, uh...

I said... I mean, give me two minutes.

That was our chance.

And we failed.

No.

He may have closed the door...

but he gave us the key.

What key?

Blindness has made Sol Regem bitter.

We will find a way to heal the great archdragon's eyes.

"It's sundown."

"You need to get out of the city as fast as possible."

"I'll get Callum, and we'll catch up with you."

I found something.

Wait, I need that to save Rayla's parents.

Yes!

The spell is complex, and it uses star magic

so, to do it, I need these.

Quasar Diamonds.

There are only three in the entire world, and you'll never guess where they are.

- The Starscraper. - Never heard of it.

It happens to be the same place where they keep the Novablade.

That's great. What's a Novablade?

"There's a second exit. Follow me."

Ahh!

What now?

"We fight."

Remember, even one scratch, and you'll be corrupted.

Ahh!

Aspiro Frigis!

Shoot, Rayla!

Ventum angulus!

We did it. Barely.

We make a good team. Stronger together.

So safer to pick exit number one, or exit number two?

I think you spoke too soon.

There's too many this time.

Rayla, I was wrong.

I waited too long.

- I hope you know-- - I know.

All the action you can handle... at the library.

Come on, everybody, climb on.

Bait! We left Bait.

We're not leaving without you, Aunt Amaya.

Go!

It's been the greatest honor to serve under you.

The book drop. They made it.

They'll be safe.