"Breakfast is served, guys!" announced Noctis.

It was his turn to cook this time, and while he wasn't exactly a renowned chef, he prided himself in finding the berries they would eat. Looking for ingredients was normally a hassle, that's why he usually left it to Tasaru.

"Not bad, where did you get them?" asked Tasaru.

"At the edge of the forest, and I got water from there on the same occasion."

All four Princes chugged down on their cups, before three of them instantly spit.

"Blegh! What was in that water?!"

"Sulfur!" said Piron. "Noctis, I don't know what river you took this from, but it's full of sulfur! Wherever it was, must've been near Fire Mountain."

"But Agrom tasted that water, and he was fine with it! Right, Agrom?"

"Yeah, I was… wait, hold on, you used me to check if the water you got wasn't poisoned?!" exclaimed Agrom, getting up. "What the heck, Noctis?!"

"Agrom may not be the best person to ask for that kind of stuff, Noctis." said Piron. "You know he tends to be… different sometimes."

"What does that mean?"

"Well, it's no big deal, but you're more resistant than us in many things. You never flinch when you're attacked by Lava creatures, you can drink sulfur with no problems at all."

"You're even putting your foot in our campfire." said Tasaru, startling Agrom as he realized he did step into the flames without noticing.

"Well, that's the Lord of Earth for ya! You know Old Sage chose us all because we were exceptional."

"That's true." said Noctis. "But then how do the berries taste?"

"I loved them. I remember as a kid, I used to grab a lot of these and hide a stash in my room. My dad would always sneak in and try to have some…" Agrom frowned, looking down as he remembered the Princes' goal. "Anyway, we should hurry and pack it up while we can, I feel like we got a long day waiting for us."

Avoiding their stares, he turned around and went to grab his stuff. He hoped they didn't find his behavior suspicious, no one should ever have to know what he was hiding from them.

"No escape for you!" said Petrifus.

"Who are you?!" asked the scared soldier, almost making Kondo feel guilty. Almost.

"I'm Lord Kondo from the Earth Kingdom! Now listen here, you-"

"What are you doing here?" cut Nadar. "What's with the scrolls?"

"I'm just a messenger!" defended the frightened soldier. "I don't want any trouble! Have mercy on me!"

Nadar ignored him as he went to pick up the two fiery parchments, burning his hands in the process.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Smooth moves, Nadar. Tell us what's in the messages and we'll let you go, how's that?"

"Come on, do your job, messenger." said Petrifus, grabbing the poor thing.

"I'm forbidden to look at the messages! Magor said 'Just deliver-"

"Messages directly from Magor himself? Are they for us? For somebody else? Spit it out!"

"It's for Magor's brother and Magor's son! Please let me down! I'm just a messenger!" begged the soldier. "I'm not looking for a fight!"

The world stopped for Kondo. A message Magor made… for him? And for his uncle too, so what was in there?

Without missing a beat, he grabbed and undid the scrolls, reading the first message.

"So, Kondo, what's it say?" asked Nadar. "Kondo? Hey?"

The Earth Lord was focused, not listening to his friend as he opened the second message. His uncle would have to be told about this, and they'd have to make a decision soon.

"Gorm to Kondo, helloooo?" asked Petrifus. "Dude, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just… don't understand a thing this paper is saying. The letters are all burning and I've never seen these runes before. Guess we need Old Sage for this."

"I've said too much! Magor will extinguish me!" moaned the fire soldier in fear. "Please have mercy!"

"A Lava Gormiti begging for mercy?" mocked Nadar, summoning his weapon as the messenger was dropped down.

"Please, I beg of you!"

"What the heck do you think you're doing you blockhead?!" asked Nadar.

"He asked for mercy. Where I come from, we give our enemies a chance for a fair fight." He grabbed the messenger and sent him rolling on the ground. "Prepare to battle for your freedom, you little Lava blob! Don't worry, you only have to battle Nadar, that should make it a fair fight."

"Hey, watch it!"

"Well, you're the weakest one on the team. I mean, you're nothing but feathers and attitude!"

"Now listen… huh?!" said Nadar as he saw the soldier trying to flee.

"Let him go." said Kondo.

"What?!" said his friends, as they and the soldier in question turned to him.

"He's just doing his job, not trying to fight us, he hasn't done anything wrong." explained Kondo. "And hey, little guy, one advice for ya. You don't have to face Magor for your failure, he's got tons and tons of Lava soldiers that look just like you. If you want to go back home, we'll let you."

"Kondo, what are you doing?!"

"And if he tracks you down or asks you where the messages went, just tell them the Lords of Nature took it. We're too powerful for a simple messenger, Magor can't get mad at you. You're pretty good at running, so even if he does get mad, just hide under someone and let them take the burn for you."

The Lava messenger stood aghast, unable to comprehend what he was told. Then immediately, he bowed down to him in gratitude.

"Thank you, my Lord, thank you!"

"You're welcome, but eh, don't mention it. Or Magor will seriously get mad."

Without another word, the messenger oozed himself into lava on the ground, disappearing.

"Unbelievable, did you just help out one of our enemies?!" said Nadar.

"No one deserves to have someone like Magor mistreating them for failing a task, no matter how simple it is or who they are." defended Kondo.

"Maybe, but that's a Lava Gormiti you just let go, you know they can't be trusted!" he said, making the Earth Lord frown. "Now Magor will know who took his scrolls!"

"He'd learn sooner or later anyway, it's not like we got nothing to do with that knowledge."

"What knowledge are you speaking of?" said an old voice.

The Lords saw a bright light as Old Sage appeared, blinding them for a few seconds. Kondo would have to deliver the news to him, and he wasn't sure he'd like his answer.

"We took a few messages destined to Magor's… family." said Kondo, handing him the fire scrolls.

Old Sage grabbed them and opened the papers, insensitive to the burning flames.

"So?"

"I already knew what was in the messages."

"Well, you could tell us! Like you could've told us about Magor having any family!" complained Nadar. "If we found Magor's brother and son, it could turn the tide in our battle with the Volcano Tribe!"

"I must forbid you from trying to locate Magor's family, and you are not allowed to confront them." warned Old Sage, reassuring the Earth Lord and upsetting the Air one.

"Why not?" asked Petrifus.

"I counsel you not to be so quick to fight, young Princes. At least, not this time. Magor's family is of no consequence to you, I make it my mission. And speaking of a mission, I have one for Lord Kondo. If you please…"

With a disappointed sigh, Kondo obliged, walking forward to the old man.

"Old Sage, not to insult you, but ignoring this would all be a deep mistake!" said Deron. "We can't simply let go of the fact Magor is trying to get in contact with his family!"

"Yeah! And why does Kondo get a solo mission?! What about us?"

"It's a secret mission only this young Prince can attend. You are free to spar while waiting, but you are not allowed to join him this time."

"Sorry, guys. My lips are sealed on this one." said Kondo, grumbling as he followed the Old Sage.

He wasn't the only one complaining, Nadar behind him was letting off steam as he stomped around like a child. This day might be the most humiliating one they've ever been through since they became Lords…

"So what are we going to do, uncle?" asked Agrom, still transformed. "Are we really going to meet Dad? Don't get me wrong, I have tons of things to tell him, but I don't think he'll like learning I'm the Earth Lord that's been fighting all his commanders all this time."

"I must attend this meeting, your father and I have a few things to discuss."

"Of course…" said Agrom, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe the one time he worries about me, it's for a meeting. Can't imagine what it'd be like if I left the normal way. You know, grow up, go on diplomatic gatherings and all that junk. Would I have to make an appointment for dinner?"

The old man chuckled. "Well, your father still cares about you, doesn't he? I'm sure he'd be worried to know you were in dangerous territory."

"Which territory are we talking about? All of Gorm is safe and I grew up in Fire Mountain. Literally the only danger there is is for everyone else, and that's why I can't go back home. And you know how Dad never let me out before, now he didn't even send anyone to look for me and bring me back home! He's just telling me to!"

"Agrom, you know that's not true. Certainly, your father is not the best when it comes to treating family, I would know. But as far as I've seen, he cares enough about you if he lets a soldier as talkative as the one you freed find you."

"He didn't find me, he found the Lords of Nature. And you were watching us this entire time?"

"You'd make a different king from your father, Agrom. You know about kindness, generosity and fairness. Not once have I seen him do you wrong before, have I?"

"Yeah well, lying to me about Gorm and what he was doing is doing me wrong." said Agrom. "If Dad cared enough, I would've known what kind of guy he really is way sooner. Don't know what I'd be doing, but at least I'd feel less like a fool he doesn't trust enough to tell the truth."

The Old Sage said nothing, leaving Agrom lost in thought. He knew Agrom was merely blinded by his anger at the moment, because even in his angriest moments, Magor didn't act like anything of the like with his only son.

Whenever he visited Fire Mountain, although his brother would order him to go away, he always saw him lighten up with Agrom around. He had never gotten to meet the child's mother, and you couldn't trust Magor to open up about it.

What he could know for sure was that the kindness Agrom received was wholly genuine. From what he'd heard from the soldiers gossipping about his nephew, Agrom had defused his father's anger many times whenever his army came back to the volcano empty-handed (something for which they were all grateful to the young prince).

Magor was capable of kind emotions, but ironically the only person who ever received so much of those was the one denying it. Perhaps in other circumstances, Agrom could've stopped all of this before it even started…

For the time being, Old Sage mostly had a young angry teenager following him.

"Are we doing this or not?!" complained Noctis.

"We are, but I'm starting to wonder if we really can do this without Agrom." said Piron. "What's with what Old Sage and Glass Empress are telling us, it feels like we're running straight into the lion's den."

"Don't tell me you're scared." joked Tasaru. "Agrom will just be a bit mad he missed out on some of the fun, he'll be jealous we beat up a bunch of Lava Gormitis without him."

"Yeah well, once we tell them that, he could tell us about this secret mission Old Sage sent him on." said Noctis. "You know, this may seem kind of random, but am I the only one who can never get Agrom?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, the guy just seems all cryptic sometimes. A bit like Old Sage. He never told us where he came from, he rarely ever talks about what his home was like, and when we even hear the slightest bit about what his life before he became a Lord, he immediately changes the subject."

"Hmm, I get what you mean. It seems Agrom may be ashamed of something, perhaps there's something he did back at the Earth Kingdom he doesn't want us to know."

"Then why did none of the Earth Gormitis there say anything?" asked Tasaru.

"Maybe that's why he's so obsessed with the secret identities thing. We already blew up our covers while his is still intact. Still, Agrom doesn't seem like the kind of guy to do something like that. People told me Earthers are usually blunt, so even if Agrom seems a bit different from those from the Earth Kingdom, I doubt he could be ashamed of something to the point of lying about it."

"You knew him before the rest of us did, what was he like when you first met him?" asked Tasaru.

"Still the same as ever. Hardheaded, hot-tempered, unable to have the slightest ounce of delicacy, a goofball who loves playing leader and with the most unusual methods of handling things I've ever seen. At least he knew his manners when he spoke to my father."

"I wonder if Agrom is a Prince like we are." said Piron. "My brother and I competed to become the king of our kingdom, Noctis is the sole heir of his, Tasaru is a born fighter representing his entire kingdom, but yeah. Agrom really is the one we know the least about."

"If he was a Prince, maybe he's just really really scared for his kingdom and family, or maybe he has an old beef with Magor." suggested Tasaru. "If I made that guy mad and if he knew every secret I had, I'd be scared too."

"What secret? Like how many times Sebi did his cute little swirly thing at dinner last night?"

"Shhh! Trees have ears, you know. And I lost the count."

"If he trusted us, maybe he'd open up a little. We trust him for his secret mission, he could at least tell us. Unless..."

The Air Prince pondered on what to do, before shrugging it off.

"Eh, I got nothing. Maybe we could just ask for his help as backup."

They were nearing the volcano, about the time Agrom has had enough.

"That's it! I'm not going in."

"Nothing stops you from leaving, Prince Agrom."

"You seriously led me here to tell me I didn't need to come?!"

"You've always had a choice whether or not to return home, I have no role in enforcing it. I was called to this meeting just as you were, but I've made the choice to attend."

"Ugh, fine, I get it." grumbled Agrom, not the least surprised with his uncle's tricks. "But if Dad ever asks you if I ever got the message, tell him I did and that I'm not going back home until he stops his world domination plans."

A smirk appeared on the old man's face as he bid his nephew goodbye before heading towards his destination.

This 'mission' was just his way of letting Agrom let off some steam and talk, seeing he couldn't tell any of his fellow Princes about being a Lava king's son. This kind of attitude made him wish he visited more often in the past, back when Agrom's only friends were commanders and soldiers who humored him by playing with him.

He was starting to wonder if they weren't doing it to avoid trouble. At least he got to meet Kondo and the other princes, and he was putting his new powers to good use. He didn't want to imagine what would've happened if his dad gulped down the first Gorm Stone, who knows what he'd do with two down?

With a sigh, he summoned his Quatenus Visor and created his board. He wondered what he could tell the others about his 'secret mission', maybe make up a story about a Gerz nest in danger or something. He'd have to come up with a good excuse soon, or leave it another mystery for them to figure out.

Though he didn't expect a message today, he expected to hear Piron's voice coming from the visor even less, startling him.

"Hey, Kondo! Don't know if you can hear us like this but it's Deron. We're about to enter Fire Mountain."

"What?!"

"I wanted to wait until you came back, but you know Noctis and Tasaru, always up for a fight. We're looking for Magor's family and Old Sage just got in there. If he's in danger, we have to be there as his backup. Mind coming along?"

Agrom parked the board before hastily answering. "Deron, listen, this is crazy! You guys have to-"

"We're going in, seems like things are moving. Talk to you later!"

"What? No, no! Deron! Deron? Come on, pick up!" panicked Agrom.

This was bad, this was terrible, this was the worst thing that could happen on this crazy day! If word came out in front of the Lords and Magor, they'd figure him out too, and his friends' capture was a definite possible outcome.

He had to go there, hope they didn't crash into the meeting and that everyone would be alright and that they'd never have to hear a word about him. Ever. 'Please, let them be alright, please let everyone be fine…'

"Still haven't figured it out? The resemblance is uncanny." smirked the fire demon.

"That can't be!" exclaimed Nadar.

"I don't believe it!" exclaimed Petrifus, stepping backwards.

"Old Sage… is it true that…"

"One day, all will be revealed." grimly announced Old Sage. "Remember, perception is everything. Have faith in yourselves and never give up."

"What about Magor's son then?"

The Lava king laughed before looking around. Only three Gorm Lords, and his son still hadn't appeared.

"Where's the Earth Lord?"

"Kondo's our last chance, and with that door trapped, he won't fall for your trap!" declared Nadar.

"So that is the name he goes by…" chuckled Magor. "This place holds many secret passages, I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"Pfft! Please, as if he could ever-"

Instantly, a wall opened inside the room, letting Kondo, holding his hammer out, walk into the battle.

"Just my luck! Release him before anyone gets hurt, Magor!"

"If that is who you see me as now, I have nothing else to say than to tell you you've been deeply misled, my son."

Kondo stuttered in his walk, stepping back at the last few words.

"Don't mess with me unless you want to get my rock fists into your burning face!"

"Come on, you know me better than that. I may have let the soldiers hit you before, but I knew anyone like the two of us could handle themselves against our army better than those fools you've surrounded yourself with."

"Those fools are my friends, now step off and leave Old Sage alone!"

Magor smirked before brutally sending Old Sage flying, letting a cracking sound as the old man's body collided with the walls.

"Old Sage!" shouted Kondo. "Can't believe you're that shallow and vengeful, don't you know anything about family?! He's your brother!"

"I know he should've never meddled with my plans to begin with! If it was up to me, you'd never have to fight against me and reject everything I've done for you these last few years."

"Kondo, what is he blabbering about?!"

"No way… how could you possibly-"

"There are many things one could hide from me, one could disguise, one could invent to fool everyone into believing something else. But regardless of what you could try, there's many things a father will always recognize. Wouldn't you know so… Agrom?"

The Earth Lord gasped as his friends stared, wary of Magor's words. To make matters worse, the Lava soldiers had heard him too.

"Agrom…?"

"Prince Agrom?"

"That's him?!"

Much to his dismay, the Lava Gormitis all surrounding him that were about to strike just a second ago were now bowing down in respect, right in his direction. There could be no misunderstanding nor any way to cover this up, he had just played in Magor's trap.

For so long, he thought he had a chance to just hide everything about himself away, he thought his father would never know, that no one should ever know… and now…

"What is he talking about?!" shouted Petrifus.

"I… I don't… no, I…" he looked down in shame. "Guys… I'm sorry…"

He pressed on the stone on his arm, and in a flash of light, the Earth Lord that they've known for so long had returned to the prince he always was. The prince he pretended not to be.

"How…" groaned Agrom. "How did you know?"

"I've always known it was you from the beginning. That Gorm Stone we've found was no replica, otherwise I would've never smelled the raw power coming from it when Firespitter brought it. And as soon as it was gone, so were you…"

"Agrom, what is he saying? Don't tell me he…" said Deron.

Magor laughed, before moving behind Agrom and putting a clawed burning arm on the boy's shoulder, boy who did not falter, move in pain or do anything aside from looking sadly at his friends.

"My, my, your friends aren't the brightest choice, are they? I understand why your uncle picked them, their dimness was perfect to hide your identity from them." mocked Magor. "Don't you children get it? Agrom is my son, he's been the prince of the Lava kingdom ever since he was born, and you never knew!"

"No way! I don't believe it!" retorted Nadar. "Agrom would never do that, he's one of us, he's-"

"Noctis, he's right." said Agrom. "I… I was born into this volcano, I knew all sorts of passageways into this place. This is where Magor always… this is where Dad…"

"No…"

Magor watched in delight as the Lords of Nature were stepping back in horror. He knew they could never accept Agrom for who he was, the only way they'd accept his help was if he deceived them.

For that, he was proud of the astuteness his child had shown. Bait one of his commanders, steal the crystal, run off and gather all the other Gorm Lords to form a small army. If only Agrom had shown off these talents sooner, he knew his son would've made quite the tactician on the battlefield.

Though he at least had expected him to come along the old fool, bringing along the other Lords was playing right into his plans as well, all stones in one area.

"Now, Agrom, why don't you take a rest and give me your Gorm Stone? After all, you-"

"Don't even think about it, Dad!" Agrom slapped the burning hand away from his shoulder. "I'm not like you, I'm not going to let the Volcano Tribe take over Gorm!"

"I know you're angry, but trust me, this is for your own good. Once we have the island between our hands, you'll have infinite power between your hands!"

"I don't want any of that! I already got all the power I need and I'm going to use it for good!" said Agrom, before pressing on his Gorm Stone. "Unleash the power of Earth!"

As Magor approached him again, Agrom formed rock fists on his hands, wary of the fire man's moves.

"Your armies are down, your generals aren't here and my team is ready to take you down any time, Dad! So don't try anything funny!"

"Really? I was under the impression your friends here would destroy any Lava Gormiti they find, no matter how honorable or how innocent they may be."

"I don't believe it, right guys?" said Agrom, only to be distressed at the distraught expressions his teammates had. "Guys, no…"

"Don't you see? The Lava has always been better on its own, without needing something as bothersome as other Lords to aid it. You're a child of the Lava even as an Earth Lord, this volcano is the only place you could ever fit in, but I can change that."

"You're just lying to gain some time! I can deal with you even on my own! Your promises won't be enough to fix what you've done or convince me to help you hurt other people!"

"Perhaps not, but they may find a better purpose once I become their master. I'm a man of my word, Agrom. If you do not want to hand me over your Gorm Stone, then I guess I'll have to wait until you finally come around."

He finally stepped away from Agrom and instead grabbed onto Old Sage's inert body, before the fire rose from his own body and consumed them both, disappearing once the flames faded out.

Magor was gone, and so was Old Sage. Disappeared, just like the masquerade that has now been going on ever since the Lords of Gorm started forming.

The Lava soldiers didn't give them any trouble. Once they passed the word that the Earth Lord they've been fighting was none other than their kind, friendly and generous prince Agrom, they immediately let everyone go.

What wouldn't help him is the silence that settled on their campsite. The fire was burning far behind him, his back turned to it and everyone else as he sat far from the other princes.

"Agrom…" started Piron.

"Don't. I don't know what you're trying to say, but I know it's not gonna do anything."

"Okay then, how about this?!" snapped Noctis. "You never told us you were Magor's son, how's that?! Huh? We've known you for a while now, and you hid that away from us?!"

Agrom didn't answer, and they couldn't see if he had reacted to Noctis' words. He followed.

"This entire time, all this stupid fake name stuff, this paranoid attitude of yours, that way of just telling us what to do, was that all because you were scared of facing us?! And Old Sage was in on it too! You were tricking us this whole time!"

"If I had told any of you, how would you have reacted to it?!" retorted Agrom, turning back angrily. "All the Lava Gormitis we fought before were terrible, and even that guy we faced this morning was about to get crushed if I didn't do anything! How could I tell you who I am when your first reaction is to kick down any Lava Gormiti you can find?"

His pupils glowed red while hot tears dropped down. Clenching his fists, he walked away.

"Agrom, wait!"

"We're your friends!" said Tasaru. "Even if you're a fire guy, we wouldn't judge you for anything!"

"Just because you got a huge skeleton in the closet doesn't make you evil or anything! Come on!" said Noctis.

"I know that!" snapped Agrom back, angry. "I just… I just can't stomach knowing everything that happened today, I'm… I'm sorry, I need some time."

"Where are you going?!"

Agrom didn't answer. He wouldn't take long to come back, but that wouldn't solve all his problems in a snap of a finger. How could he ever face them now?

He lied to them just as well. He wasn't all that worried before, but it just sunk in now that he was deceiving them for his own gain, not to protect them. He really wasn't being any better than Magor at keeping secrets.

Would they forgive him? Could they forgive him? Would they even listen to him now? How could they leave a Lava Gormiti as their leader? What could he even do to prove he was worthy of being a leader?

Could a trustworthy leader ever do what he did? Was he even worthy of that role to begin with? He had mostly told everyone what to do because he made it his personal mission, but what did he do aside from bringing bystanders into his own family feud?

He just tangled his friends into his own problems rather than protect everyone. Why was he even chosen to be an Earth Lord? Was it because of his father being a Lord himself? Was it because he wasn't like his father? Was it because he and Old Sage knew each other?

What did he do aside from running away and causing trouble to everyone around him?