The sight perplexed Raiden and Noelle. What appeared to be a simple desert was exactly that—and yet it was only a stage. The dark aura they'd glimpsed wasn't near the surface as they'd believed, but buried far below.
What stood before them was beyond anything they had anticipated.
Towering arches of sand surrounded the top of the formation, each supporting a large crimson banner. The banners displayed sailing ships in black ink, each bearing a distinct crest: an hourglass, a sword, an arsenal, and most ominously, a menacing smile.
The banners, however, were the least of their concerns. A massive, partially ruined circular arena stretched beyond the stones, crowded with thousands of barbaric figures glowing with gray and black auras. Blue crest bearers watched from the mountains alongside their black dragons, while two red dragons dominated the sky above.
