Kokuuzou was first, he fought his way out and spread damp, midnight-purple wings. "We have bodies!" he cried, attempting to bellow in triumph but only managing an immature squeak. "But what's this? We are children! Baby dragons!" Snarling in frustration, Kokuuzou flapped his wings in an attempt to take flight, finding it was too much of a strain. Next came Fona, her hide the color of deep ocean water. "We are but children...even when we were born, we weren't children!" She too attempted to fly, only succeeding in tiring out her wings. Daichi burst from her egg with more force than she'd anticipated, and was sent rolling out of the nest with a bugle. All Kokuuzou and Fona could see was a pair of leaf-green feet over the rim. After her came Acerbu, slithering from a crack with hide the shade of deepest night.

"How is it that we are young, we cannot fight like this!" he demanded of Kokuuzou, who was still quite at a loss for words. Silvus came next, ramming his shell to shards with is head. "Look at it this way," he commented once upright, examining his tree-bark-brown hide, "We get the childhood we never had." "While that's all fine and dandy with you, we can't wait to grow up! Aether needs us now!! Ignis raged, his blood-red hide glowing with emotion. Akarui broke through at last, gasping for breath as she lay on her side, light-gold hide catching the sickly grey light and reflecting it almost ten times brighter.. Acerbu hurried to help her up. "Well my brother, it appears we do not look so much alike anymore." she commented, giving him and appraising glance. Kuuki shattered her shell next, rising to show opaline white hide that made the air seem lighter in the nest. She shook vigorously from muzzle to tail tip, ridding herself of clinging egg fluid.

"While I'm glad to see we're united on one thing, has anyone noticed that someone is missing?" Daichi asked once she had clambered back into the nest. Silvus blinked, scanned the eight dragonets around him and the one unhatched egg. "Mayoke." he said simply and hurried to the egg's side with the others. It had not so much as twitched while the rest hatched, sitting peacefully in a corner of the nest. "You don't think..." Kuuki murmured, reaching out to tap the eggshell with a rapidly hardening claw. "I'm not waiting to find out!" Ignis growled and begain to pummel the shell with his fists. Acerbu and Kokuuzou joined him and soon all eight hatchlings were battering the shell. At last it shattered, leaving a small silver dragonet motionless in the pieces. "Mayoke?" Kokuuzou said hesitantly, reaching out to touch the shimmering silver hide. Just as his claw made contact Mayoke stirred, opening sleepy silver eyes. "Oh, did I miss the hatching? I was asleep..." she whispered dreamily, yawing mightily and standing.

All of The Nine now had bodies with which to work their magic. "What now, Kokuuzou? We cannot fight like this...and Atrox dragons take many years to mature." Fona said almost sadly, looking down at her forefeet. Suddenly, Akarui went rigid, her eyes beginning to glow a pale gold. "In three days time you will grow to adulthood, but you shall still not have the power to defeat Atrox. You must each travel to distant places and bring back a weapon of great power, only when you return with the weapon shall you, eighteen united, be able to return Atrox to it's rightful place." and she fell limp to the ground. Acerbu lay next to her, crooning concernedly. "What!? Venia says we still don't have the strength to defeat Atrox? Even with bodies? I do not believe it! We did it once before with our old bodies, why not now?" Ignis demanded, reaching out to shake Akarui and receiving a warning snarl from Acerbu.

"Atrox is twice the strength of the old-times, we will need twice as well." Mayoke said gazing wide-eyed at the red Ignis. "She is right, Kokuuzou and Mayoke nearly were sucked into Atrox when they attempted to seal the breach, with the while Veil of Darkness gone..." Kuuki trailed off, her blue eyes focusing on the purple one of Void. "How do we get to these "distant places"?" Silvus asked calmly, flicking his tail from side to side. There was silence in the nest until Akarui opened her eyes and said, "Kokuuzou...you can send us through the void. Haven't you always said it was linked to many places?" She shrugged Acerbu off and stood shakily. Kokuuzou nodded, "I can, but I have to know where you're going or you'll be lost." It was Daichi's turn to speak up, "Mayoke has her premonitions, perhaps she can find out where we'll go."

There was a pause in which everyone looked at Mayoke. She stared dreamily back, as if she'd heard nothing of their conversations. "I have a spell that will restore original form to the transmuted." she said suddenly, her silver eyes focusing. "What do you mean?" asked Kuuki. "We now have bodies of dragons, I can restore to us the ability to switch to human form temporarily. It may help on our travels." she said airily. Ignis cheered loudly. "Freedom from beastly form!" he crowed. Each did look glad to resume semi-normal form, it would be difficult to do anything looking like a dragon. Who knew if these new places even had dragons, and what if they were considered evil or bad omens? Kokuuzou nodded. "Let's do it...how long will it take?" Mayoke was already drawing the marks in the air with her claws. "This will hurt..."