Not a single one of them is the same, they are all of different strengths and ages. That gives me all sorts of options to study, so I sit down and get to it. I start with the weakest first and work my way up to the strongest.

  They were all made by different people, but they also seem to have been made for different purposes. I even find one that I am pretty sure is just connected to a garden and used to make it flourish. That one I plan to copy for the castle, not that I really need anything that we are growing, but I just like the idea.

  Some of the connections seem to have a similar purpose, although for different targets. One of them feels like it directly connects to some fields, so probably to help crops grow. My original idea may not be right, some of these connections are not built with divine power.

  The fact that some are made using mana actually makes it easier for me to figure them out. The connections are really similar to a gate, just much smaller and only made to let energy through. They are also one way, but that is easy enough to copy if I need to.

  I notice that the connections are formed from the outside of the plane, meaning the creators didn't need to come here. They probably just used coordinates to make them, like I did with the gates. I still can't see the other side of most of them, but I can get some impressions from them.

  Even the strongest one doesn't allow my senses to pass through to the other side. Maybe if I knew how to cast normal scrying spells, but that is more of a Lin thing. Having learned all I can here, just as I am thinking of moving to another plane, I hear Albion scream.

  In an instant I am on my feet and charging towards Albion at top speed. Whatever caused him to scream like that is going to die, nothing is allowed to hurt my kids. Unbeknownst to me, as I charge my anger causes lightning to start flaring around me.

  When I reach the clearing, I see Albion down on the ground with five figures around him. Four of them are close to him and are securing him with chains. The fifth is standing a bit away from him and seems like the leader of the group.

  They look like humans except that the leader has a third eye in the middle of his forehead. I am not trying to be sneaky, so when I come crashing into the clearing they all stop and look at me. Seeing Albion being put in chains causes my anger to go through the roof and I channel all of it into the roar I release at them.

  *DING*

  Skill Evolution Triggered!

  Dragon's Roar Evolves into Lightning Dragon's Roar!

  Lightning Dragon’s Roar

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Level 1

  Damage 200 Range 150 Feet

  Taunts enemies within range. 40% chance to stun!

  My roar staggers the four around Albion and I pounce past them at the leader. He manages to create an energy barrier around himself, but it shatters when my claws hit it. However, that allows him to stagger back and avoid a direct hit, but his third eye starts bleeding.

  As I advance after him I knock the other four away from Albion with a sweep of my tail. I don't want to take the chance that they are smart enough to use Albion as a hostage. The leader tries to create an energy barrier again, but this time it doesn't even slow my claw down.

  There is a look of horror frozen on his face as his body falls to the ground in multiple pieces. Without pausing, I turn and charge at the other four, who turn and try to run. However, I am not about to show mercy to people who hurt Albion and I catch and kill all of them.

  5 Humans defeated! 17,950 Exp gained!

  I guess that despite the third eye, they were human after all, not that it matters. Once the last of them is dead I return to Albion and shatter all of the chains on him. Whatever wounds he had are already healed, either due to my aura or his own healing abilities.

  "Are you alright?"

  Albion says "Yes, father. Thank you for rescuing me and I am sorry."

  "Sorry for what?"

  Albion says "Despite your warning, they still caught me by surprise."

  "It's alright, but you were really lucky. I was just about to leave when I heard your scream. I don't even want to think about what could have happened if I had left a minute earlier."

  Albion says "I don't want to think about it either. I don't think I want to stay here any longer, at least not alone."

  "Yeah, I don't think it is a good idea for any of you to be alone in the elemental planes. I didn't think things through properly."

  Albion says "Kechara and Asuna should be the only other ones that are alone and they are much stronger than me."

  "It doesn't matter. Those who can roam the planes won't be weak and the ones visiting the planes they are on will have similar powers. So Kechara and Asuna won't have an elemental advantage and will probably be outnumbered. It isn't worth taking the risk."

  Albion says "You are probably right."

  Grabbing my remote, I create a spell to target only people holding a similar remote. Then I release the spell with a message for them to return immediately. As soon as the spell is released, I use the remote to summon a gate and take Albion back with me.

  Kechara and Asuna return shortly after we get back, but Mulan, Mushu, and Nala take a few more minutes. Once everyone is back, I explain what happened to Albion and why I ordered them back. There is no sign of Ekard and Haku, but my spell probably couldn't reach the shadow plane.

  Kechara says "I saw a group of humans, but when they spotted me they went away."

  "They probably thought you were too strong for them, but that doesn't mean you are safe. They could easily come back with more people."

  Asuna says "Does that mean we can't go back to the elemental planes?"

  Mulan says "There are three of us who can go to the plane of fire. We should be fine, right?"

  "It is safer with three of you, but you should still be careful. I think I have found a way to bring the energy of the planes into the castle. I should be able to make training areas for all of you that are safe."

  Kechara says "I hope so. I feel like I was getting a lot of benefit from the plane of air. I really don't want to give that up."

  "I don't want you to have to. Just give me a bit of time to see if I can make training areas that will have the same benefits."

  Asuna says "What if you can't?"