With the Guardian Dragon eliminated, Lagi could finally attempt to destroy Shelcoof itself. He encased Lundi in a sphere of protective energy and ascended into the flying Tower, leaving him behind.

Many strange visions and revelations washed over Lundi while he was in the energy bubble. It seemed that the dragon had some limited powers of prophecy, and it was able to give its rider a few brief glimpses of what would come to pass in later days.

The nature of the dragon was finally revealed to Lundi; he understood its desire to destroy the Towers, because the dragon also revealed to him what they truly were. He understood now why the Towers were created, saw that they were instruments of oppression made to subdue the peoples of the world. Lundi understood that their destruction was essential in order for humankind to be truly free.

When Lundi returned to consciousness he found himself sitting on the dusty land once more, with the immense form of Shelcoof looming wrecked and broken before his eyes. Lundi ventured into the ruined vessel, hoping to find Lagi still alive; the inside of the immense craft was a labyrinth of corridors and enormous, echoing chambers through which he walked on and on, listening to the absolute silence of the fallen Tower.

In time, Lundi found the dragon that had been his friend. Lagi’s body was cold and lifeless, exhausted from the effort of destroying the Tower: but Lundi knew that Lagi was not as dead as that still form implied.

In a vast chamber at Shelcoof’s heart, Lundi had already seen the truth. As he stood alone in the endless spaces between those walls, his gaze had been drawn to something: a massive engraving of a dragon that was mounted high on the ancient wall, an artefact known by some as a dragon crest. As Lundi watched, the throat of the carven dragon began to glow with the same beautiful green light that had once dwelled within Lagi’s throat.

Lundi knew that the spirit of his friend lived on, that it resided safely within that artefact. Lagi slumbered, peaceful and at rest: waiting for the far-off day when he would return to the sky.

Next Up: Part 3: Panzer Dragoon