EPISODE 4; TEMPUS FINIS (THE END OF TIME) PART TWO; THE TASK AT HAND

Gaiden utilized his Fire Rocket Jutsu to land smoothly on the Space the Eternal Brothers were standing on.

"I can't believe this! You actually caused an aberration in the Timeline where Tristran reigns supreme by kicking the Head Of The Second Dragon!" Master Hiroshi exclaimed in shock.

"Is it really that shocking?" Gaiden asked.

"When Ryuujinn first created the World, the Timeline resembled the one depicted by the First Dragon. After Tristran's Rebellion however, the Timeline switched to resemble that of the Second Dragon however the Flow Of Time during both eras was predominantly linear allowing only one timeline to exist at any point in time. After Ryuujinn defeated Tristran Twenty Six Years ago, the timeline reverted to resemble that depicted in the First Dragon however there was a split pointing to Two Ultimate Fates. These Fates will to a large extent be determined by your role in history Gaiden" Master Hiroshi explained.

"You did not give me a chance to explain what your journey will entail. There are Three Main Stages to your Journey. The First Stage involves assembling the Human Saints Of The Elements. Including yourself, there are Four Human Saints in the Present Age. You will need to seek out Three Human Saints from different eras in History as well. The Second Stage is to master the Twelve Gates also known as the Twelve Signs Of The Firmament and the Final Stage Of your Journey is to seek out the Domains Of The Nine Dragon Saints" Master Hiruko explained.

"Nine Dragon Saints? I thought there were Eight Dragon Saints" Gaiden asked.

"You will be travelling to Tristran's Domain as well, he was supposed to be the Ninth Saint but after his rebellion that position has been left vacant. Why you must do this though is still unclear however I must warn you, once you begin to step into the Portals Of History, coming face to face with Tristran will become an almost Natural Phenomenon" Master Hiruko warned.

"So what do you want me to do first?" Gaiden asked.

"You must first enlist the help of the Human Saints Of Earth, Light and Wind from your realm. The Human Saints of this era are a bit…how to put it…special. They are people you know very well" Master Hiruko said.

"For now, we will transport you back to your era. Once you complete the Task at hand, you will be summoned once more" Master Hiroshi said.

In a flash, Gaiden found himself back in the Castle Courtyard.

"Gaiden! Gaiden!" he heard his father Ryu's voice call him.

"Dad! I'm in the Courtyard!" Gaiden called.

Ryu walked to his side.

"Oh, there you are" he said.

"I had a weird dream today Dad. I dreamt that you were the Ruler Of The Celestial Hosts" Gaiden said flatly.

"Really? What else did you dream?" Ryu asked.

"A Dragon was devouring its own Tail" Gaiden said.

"You know what you should have done? A whack on the head ought to have brought it back to its senses" Ryu said with a laugh.

Gaiden laughed.

"Then these Two Statues in the Courtyard transformed into men and transported me to another realm. Now I have to complete a set of tasks to prevent Tristran's revival" Gaiden said.

"Then you need a good luck charm. Here you go Son, Happy Birthday" Ryu said with a laugh and handed Gaiden a ring with the engraving of a Dragon on it and Ancient Symbols.

"Dad, it's not my Birthday" Gaiden said with a slight chuckle.

"It's not? Then perhaps…" Ryu was saying when Gaiden snatched the ring.

"…but I appreciate the sentiment. I'm not one for jewellery though but an heirloom's pretty cool. I've never seen you part with that Ring. Mom has a matching one but it's engraved with Crystals instead of Flame like yours. Come to think of it, Terra, Neriah and Sahara's parents also have matching rings…." Gaiden noted.

"Uh-um! I'd best be taking my leave now" Ryu said as he walked away hurriedly.

When he was out of Gaiden's hearing range, he paused in his tracks.

""Molten…take care of my boy for now. His Fate…is yours to share as well" Ryu muttered and walked away.

Gaiden gradually assumed a serious gaze.

"I must gather Four Human Saints from this era including myself. The other three should be people I know very well. Master Hiroshi referred to them as The New Human Saints so they can't be the same ones that defeated Tristran Twenty Six Years ago. Maybe their Children? I know Uncle Michael and Aunt Nadia are two of them. I could try asking my cousin Neriah…but she's always looking to pick a fight. Sahara is all the way in the Wind Ryu and Terra…he never stays at one place for too long but he's my best bet for now" Gaiden thought to himself.

"Alright! I've just got to get this over and done with!" Gaiden attempted to psyche himself up.