The metal dragon sought to reply with an angry retort, the comment far too biting than he thought possible of the humble wood dragoness. Metal and wood did not get along well though he had always been on a sort of mutual stand still with Sila. Turning to meet her hazel eyes, he gritted his teeth than opened his mouth seeking to bite back just as harshly, but in the end just closed his mouth back again dumbly. Anemoli wouldn't like him to argue. He would just stare back dully at anyone who dared to voice any distaste towards him. And somehow, the other party would end up silently raising the white flag and admitting defeat. Ferrum having been the only one to ever stand up against his brother's bull crap and his more than smug feeling towards the matter of who was better than whom. Ferrum always having been one to snap back. 

 Now though, he just turned away from Sila and softly, so slightly that only the dragoness saw, pulled back the magazine and let the elerium shards clink out onto the floor. Rolling away from him and far out of his reach or his gun's reach. He could take care of himself. He didn't need to hide behind his gun or his brother and everybody else damned well better know it. He was gonna find his brother and show him just how alright he was without him monitoring his every move and making sure he didn't mess up, but first, "Get off of me." He growled to Sila and to Terra, pushing them off of him. He dusted himself off and glared at the ground as he pulled out his more mundane steel bullets and busying himself with reloading his gun. 

 Slepnir obediently covered his ears, though he shared a look with his brother. Sending warm feelings his way and keeping their connection strong. Still, a lot of questions bounced around in his head and he could still hear just a little bit through his hands though Sanare kept him cradled against her chest. He still peeked a little though, not afraid of the frightful earth dragoness when he was held tightly by the equally motherly caring dragoness of water. She soothed him like Daddy did. Speaking of which, he child listened nervously I the conversation behind clasped ears, sending his panic towards Skylark to convey what he heard. What did the bulky hydra mean by not being able to see anything? Could he not see Daddy? They couldn't see Daddy either, what was that supposed to mean? Questions bubbled up in his head and he did all that he could before they erupted out of him and he leaned away from Sanare to shout, "I don't get it, where are Daddy and Father?"

 Before anyone could even react to Forte, let alone address Sleipnir's questions, the earth rumbled and Noire materialized shouting her warning. It was hardly cryptic and within seconds after, the whole castle shook. The centuries old building that had survived ever since the beginning of time, still standing strong after time was no longer measured, shook and rumbled. As if someone had just picked it up and shaken it like a toddler did to some sorry toy. Throwing it at the sun or something as the heat pierced through the obsidian reinforced walls.

 Sanare hugged a frightened confused Sleipnir to her chest and sought to move further away from the impending danger she felt. The instinctive foreboding sense that something big was coming. Something terrible and big. The silence of such impending doom was followed by a shriek as the earth rumbled, causing those still standing to stumble and fall. Sanare making sure to break her fall and keep the young dragon safe. 

 Giving them barely any time to even fully register the tremors as they washed over them, wave over wave. Followed by the bitter heat surging through the doors, literally burning up the air and turning the room into a steaming oven. Sleipnir clung tightly to Sanare as he was knocked around, the heat not affecting him as much as he pressed closer to the cool air that was rapidly burning up around the water dragon. It didn't help when another weight was added and Sanare exhaled as Noire unceremoniously knocked the wind out of her lungs. Luckily, the castle shook once more, knocking them away from each other and her into a near by wall where she felt someone new grasp her leg as he sought to keep safe the tiny frightened half hydra in her arms. 

 Leo was trying to do the same, arms tightly slung around the tiny back of the younger. Letting Forte drag him and Blizzard down, both hydras already starting to sweat as the heat wave rolled over them. The bouncing castle didn't exactly help either as he was tossed about, crashing against Forte's sword dug into the ground and having to risk cutting his hand in half to grasp onto it's blade and keep himself steady. Dark droplets of blood staining the blade and flying everywhere as he struggled to hold on. The pain becoming near numbing as he held onto Skylark with his other hand. Eventually he had to resort to wrapping his tail around the prideful dragon and clinging onto his armor, "Fuck, take him will you?" Leo growled at the hydra, handing over the frightened Skylark to someone who at least at the ability to keep him on the ground. 

 Ferrum lost hold of his gun, more focused on trying to keep himself steady while the heat worked it's way inbetween his scales, the feeling akin to being boiled alive on the inside. Hot melted steel poured down his throat. He kept his wings close to his body, minimizing the surface area to the heat, trying to remember or recreate any advice that his brother would give now. Unfortunately that meant that he minimized the contact he had with the life saving frost melting off from the ceiling. Bashed and thrown into other dragons, making him feel dizzy. Unable to tell which part of the room he was being flung to next as dragons and hydras alike were thrown around him. He felt like a snowman in a snowglobe. Hah, if only though. Eventually, the metal dragon got wind of what Sila was trying to do and reached out grasp the closest available body. That of which happened to be Noire who seemed to be sharing the same blistering pain. Now was not the time to ponder over old rivalries and traitorous wounds though and Ferrum found himself digging his claws into Noire's arm, desperate to stay on until he found his way to another clustering group of dragons and held onto them, forming a larger chain. 

 It continued to grow until Regnum found himself atop of the stranger dragon and by then the heat was near unbearable. Gritting his teeth, the fiery dragon left behind his smaller form. Lodging his claws to the corners of the room and stretching his wings out widely to tent over the others. Being careful to hold himself steady in place to avoid squashing anyone under him. He was practically built for this sort of heat. Volcanoes having been the old age method of training a fire dragon. This...well this was not a volcano and it was much worse than one, but the fire dragon's scales absorbed the heat well enough, providing a large cooling shadow for everyone to hide under. He didn't know how much he could take though. 

 And everyone prayed that he could withstand it. There was no longer any dragons, hydras, halves or strangers, they were all unwillingly thrown into it together. And just as Regnum felt himself losing strength, there was a final tremor that shook them all and a heat wave that ripped out a pained roar from the dragon before it all stopped. Everyone collapsing ontop of one another, Regnum having returned to his normal form. Crawling into a corner with the lay reserves of his strength, his scales glowing red hot like embers, a small flame rushing out of his mouth each time he exhaled. He kept to his own corner of the room.

 Ferrum couldn't bother to move away from the hydra not find his weapon not do anything. Content to lie atop whoever and regain all of the air that had escaped his lungs. Barely able to lift his head, he didn't notice Beezlebub, lying across the staircase that he had tumbled down, expression smoothed into a tired mask. Panting as well. The only one who seemed to have enough strength left to make any noise was Sleipnir who sobbed softly at the pain etched deep into his bones, hair clumped down to his hair and skin sticky with sweat. He rubbed his eyes and cried softly, stopping soon after when he ran out of energy. 

 Leo dragged himself over to Skylark and slumped a hand around him before completely collapsing as well. There they all laid in a collective pile of exhaustion and shared pains. Ferrum instinctively swiping his tail across December's arm when she screamed, making a few jump and finally fumble to separate themselves from the awkward mess. Blizzard angrily swatting at the cyan dragon's tail draped over her chest. Sanare lifted her head, looking wearily at December, "Us?..." She croaked softly, throat dry and limbs weak. Ferrum spoke for her, raising himself on trembling limbs, "I thought they were under your control!"