Zoe and Synan walk with Prisem down

a dark hallway. Prisem is sure it leads to the

volcano. After a short while, the pass a locked

wooden door.

“That door goes up to Skyber’s Fortress.”

Prisem says.

“What is a Skyber?” Zoe asks.

“A thunderbird.”

“Is the Thunder Barrier up there?” Synan

asks.

“Yes. Now let’s get moving.”

They walk on a little further and the dark

hallways light up red. Soon, they are in a room of

unbearable heat. In the center is a large rock

hanging by four powerful chains. On the rock are

monsters that look like combinations of Prisem and

Crystal.

“This must be Emerald’s Crater.” Zoe says.

“Yeah. It is, and those things out there are

Emeralds.”

In Emerald, Crystal is on top, held by

Prisem’s electricity. They walk along the pathway

around the side to a bridge that goes to the

rock. They slowly cross the bridge and talk to the

Emeralds. One Emerald decides to join Synan.

Now Synan has Monk, Crystal, and Emerald,

and Zoe has Clawz and Prisem.

A shadow covers the rock. Synan and

Zoe look up through the opening of the volcano.

A large floating island hovers slowly across the

top.

“Prisem. What is that?” Zoe asks.

“That’s called Sky Island. The Lightning

Palace is on it, where you will need the Thunder

Key.”

“Cool...” Zoe says looking at it.

In the dark shadow, James swoops

down from the sky. He lands in front of them.

“All right, kids. This time, you will NOT

win!”

“You and who’s army?” Zoe says.

“Ico is here with me.”

“Ico?” Synan asks.

“That’s the monster who warped us here.”

Zoe whispers.

Up in the sky, the monster that warped

Synan to The Land of No Return falls and lands

next to James. Ico is all blue. His head is a sideways

oval, divided down the horizontal middle. On the

bottom of the divide is a cyclops eye. On Ico’s

breastplates are black stars. Ico’s arms and legs

are blue, with gray diamond-shaped elbowpads

and kneepads. On its belly is a red W shape

stretched across the front and back. Ico’s shorts

a also gray.

“Synan. Wizeman sees how long you

and Zoe are lasting here. Much longer than

expected. So I was commanded to defeat

you.” Ico says.

“Not a chance!”

Synan’s Monk, Crystal, and Emerald

with Zoe’s Clawz and Prisem, and all the

Emeralds here team up to defeat James and

Ico. Ico gets nearly defeated and flies away.

James cowers out and follows.

Afterward, Synan and Zoe leave the rock

and go through a different tunnel away from the

crater. They soon get to an underground village.

There are lots of red cyclops monsters here.

There is a space around their eyeball

in the middle. They are shaped like an oval outline.

On the upper-left and right sides sprout wings. Its

feet are along the bottom. They have a horn at

the very center-top of their heads.

“Welcome to Mr. I Village!” Prisem says,

mocking a tour guide.

“So. I’m assuming these things are called

Mr. I.” Zoe says. In the roof of this underground

village is a small hole where the sky can be seen.

A Mr. I approaches them.

“So. I take it you two took the hard way

to get here. Take this key to get here more

easily next time.”

Mr. I gives Synan the Fire Key. Zoe

still has the Garden Key and Ice Key. The Fire

Key is red metal with a three-pointed flame

symbol on the end. Now that they notice, the

Ice Key is blue metal with a symbol at the

end too. Its symbol is a small circle with lines

extending from each end.

“Well, now we have two of the elemental

keys. Two to go!” Prisem says.