Screech. Boom. Crackle. A brilliant yellow flash split the sky, striking the ground like lightning. There was a single, agonized cry, and as quickly as the light appeared it was gone, leaving a green, hazy firmament in its wake.

Rowen's gaze dropped to the withered patch of grass where the Warlord had been standing. The image of the Ogre's mask splitting played over again in his mind and his stomach churned uneasily. The armor was not occupied by mindless shadows or wielded by a demon. He was a man.

He shifted his gaze upward to the darkened sky, anticipating something. But nothing came: the clouds were void, undeterred, as if the man had not just vanished among them.

And there it was again. That single thought echoed back: Anubis is a man. As the words repeated themselves, his heart skipped a heavy beat. Had Ryo seen him? Did the others know?

A raucous sound interrupted the frantic, rapid thoughts firing through Rowen's mind, at first warbled and strangely alien. Finally he recognized it as yelling – familiar voices, cheering and calling to him, drawing his attention over the horizon. Armored hands waved high in the distance and a relieved laugh escaped him.

"Are you guys alright?" Sage's voice was overlapped with an ecstatic cry from Mia as they came into view, trailed by Kento, Cye, and a chuffing White Blaze toting Yuli on his back. Rowen raised his free hand to wave in acknowledgment.

There was a noisy clattering behind him that cut through his elation. Ryo. Rowen turned on his heels and scanned the field for his comrade, panicked as his search turned up empty. That clanging echoed again and he moved quickly toward it, securing his bow to his back.

"Ryo?" Rowen called, his voice quivering with dread. He was suddenly aware of his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, leaving behind a dull, hollow ringing that seemed to drown out all other sound. Finally, he heard a low grumbling groan, unmistakable, and he jogged in its direction until a familiar bolt of red came into his sight. "Ryo!"

He found the man crumpled against the ground, his armor scuffed, its plates shifting with each laborious breath. With heroic effort, blue eyes lifted to meet Rowen's gaze, and a small, pained smirk perked up on Ryo's lips.

"Hey," Ryo managed.

"You alright?" His comrade's relief was palpable.

"Of course I am. You know I don't go down that easy." He wheezed a bit as he shifted his weight to one elbow. Rowen's hand reached out to him and he stretched up to grasp it, carefully pulling up to his feet. It was in that moment he realized just how exhausted he truly was; his lungs burned, his head whirled, and his feet stumbled under trembling knees. Rowen drew his friend's arm up and over his shoulders, coiling his free arm firmly around Ryo's waist to support him.

Their companions had closed the distance between them now. Yuli dismounted from White Blaze, who approached his master with caution, nudging his leg before tenderly bunting his forehead against him. Ryo laughed, breathless, his palm stroking the tiger's ears reassuringly.

"You're both safe," Mia breathed, clasping her hands together in joy. "We did it."

"I wasn't sure we would ever see this day." Sage's eyes softened as he looked over Rowen's face.

"The Ronin Warriors are together again at last," Cye affirmed. Kento clapped his friend on the shoulder resolutely, a grin cracking across his face.

"Yeah, now we're unstoppable!" he declared. "Time to go crush Talpa and those brainless bucketheads for good!"

"Yes," Mia agreed, "with the five armors reunited, you have the power to defeat the Dynasty and save those Talpa has captured." Her gaze shifted to Yuli and she offered him a small, empathetic smile. "Toyama can finally be returned to normal."

"Your search is not yet over, Ronin Warriors."

The voice had an ethereal quality to it, haunting and yet soothing all at once. Somehow, it seemed to reverberate from all directions, surrounding the warriors in the empty field. A recognizable jingling followed the voice, and White Blaze raised his head to roar in greeting.

"Who is that?" Yuli pondered aloud, drawing nearer to Mia and surveying the landscape with vigilant grey eyes.

"The Ancient One," Sage declared.

"I am pleased with your success in reuniting." The man seemed to materialize out of nothing, emerging suddenly from the vacant horizon and approaching only close enough to be in their sight. He quietly nodded to Mia, his eyes obscured still by the shadow of his hat brim. "Young lady, I commend your bravery and willingness to guide these warriors on their journey. Your resilience gives them the determination to fight and grow stronger. I hope you and the boy have been spared from harm."

The woman flashed a sheepish smile and humbly nodded. "The world depends on them," she replied, "we'll do whatever it takes to help them take down the Dynasty."

His attention turned to the young men before him. "You have all learned to harness the power of your armors, and your teamwork and concern for one another will be of great importance in the battles to come. But you are not yet ready to face Talpa and his Dynasty."

"What?" Kento's shoulders tensed. "Why not?"

"There is another."

"Another Ronin Warrior?" Ryo's brow furrowed and his gaze shifted to Mia, whose own expression was of bewilderment and uncertainty.

"A tenth armor," the Ancient corrected.

"Tenth?"

The man had expected this question. But as he prepared to speak again, he noticed an expression he had not anticipated: disquiet. Rowen watched him with an intense gaze, visibly unsettled by his words.

"You have already figured it out, haven't you, Rowen of the Strata?"

His companions' eyes moved toward him. Suddenly it was as if the weight of the world had come to rest atop his shoulders, so much heavier than Ryo's armored arm and bearing down on him in a way he was unable to escape. That uneasy quiver churned his stomach again, and his chest felt as though it had filled with lead butterflies.

"Anubis is human." The words were as heavy as his heart as they trembled from his lips. "He's a man like us."

"That's impossible," Kento asserted.

"No, I saw him. His face. I split his helmet with an arrow."

"It has to be some kind of Dynasty trick! There's no way that guy is human!"

"Their armors are the same as ours, aren't they?" Rowen turned his attention from his friend, who grunted and growled in disbelief. His eyes zeroed in on the Ancient with unwavering fierceness. When he spoke next, there was no longer doubt or questioning in his words. "All of the Warlords are human, with armor just like us."

"Yes, Rowen. The Dark Warlords wear the same armor as your own."

There was a spark of commotion as the other four gasped and protested. Patiently, calmly, the Ancient waited.

"How can that be?" Sage demanded.

"What does that mean for us?" Cye interjected, his tone soft and troubled.

"Your armors have the capacity for evil, just as the Warlords' armors have the capacity for good. But I have no doubt in the strength of your spirits. So long as your hearts flow with goodness, Talpa cannot control you." His head lowered. "Your greatest obstacle, however, is still to come."

"Another armor," Ryo said thoughtfully. "But there are only four Warlords."

"This armor is not worn by a Warlord. It has been hidden from Talpa for over four-hundred years, and it is quite possibly the most dangerous of them all, with the power to devastate much of the planet. You must understand that your armors, and the armors of the Warlords, each possess a virtue. Trust, wisdom, justice, life force, righteousness, loyalty, serenity, peity, obedience." His tone softened, his words tinged with severity. "But this armor could not be imbued with a virtue. By its nature, it seeks nothingness, and at its core is the very essence of the Dynasty's evil."

The warriors contemplated his words, quietly exchanging glances before he continued. "Talpa knows that together, you hold immense power, but you are only capable of defeating him if he does not have this armor in his possession. His search for it will undoubtedly deepen now that he knows you have been reunited. Should he reclaim it, the mortal world as we know it will end. You must find it before he does."

"So who wields this armor?" Sage queried.

"I am afraid I cannot offer you much help in this endeavor," came the Ancient's cryptic reply. "I can only give you the information you need to find it. Remember these words."

Buried within a forest of bones,

Swathed in a shroud of unparalleled shadow.

Focused on the verse, Mia was pulled back to reality by something brushing against her palm. Yuli had quietly slipped his small hand into the curl of her fingers and inched closer until he was safely against her. Though he was trying mightily to appear brave, his face betrayed the fear the Ancient's words had struck him with. She gave his fingers a tender squeeze.

"Be careful, Ronin Warriors. Trust in your armor and each other, and you will find the fortitude necessary to succeed."

Just as mysteriously as he had appeared, the man retreated from the company and vanished from the skyline, leaving them to stand in silence in his wake. There was a heaviness looming now, something dark and intangible but somehow unescapable.

"We should really take you home," Mia said, her words intended for Ryo but directed at the crew in its entirety, "you need to rest." Her voice was soft and kind as always, but underneath was a clear, grim tone of realization.