The four arrived near a beach - the grass was dry and crunchy underfoot, and there was plenty of sand mixed in as well. The gentle splashing of the waves filled the air. The four of them had teleported right near a cliff, with a ladder up to the top nearby - it formed a semicircle around the area near the beach. It seemed they had arrived in a cove.

Looking around, Tori said, “Hey, uh, the monkey said that we could only teleport to places we’ve been, right? I don’t think we’ve been here, how did you-”

Buzz Buzz hovered a short distance away, looking at the village that Tori had skimmed over. It was in ruins - the houses were no more than piles of wood now.

“Buzz Buzz…?”

“This…” Buzz Buzz murmured, “This was my home…”

Guilt struck the other three, but Tori especially.

“Ah geez… I should have figured you knew this place…”

Buzz Buzz inhaled before replying, “It’s fine.” He then buzzed into the ruins of the village. Tori, Gran and Leicra followed from a distance.

Buzz Buzz hovered beside the nearest fallen house on the left. No one had ever seen him look so upset before. He then buzzed over to the fallen house opposite, and hovered beside that one for a short time, too.

As Buzz Buzz made his way to the second fallen house on the left, Leicra asked, “This place looks like it would be far too big to suitably house any species of insect. Did you simply live among whoever lived here?”

Buzz Buzz bit his lip as he hovered by the fallen house. “...Gran, Leicra. I was a human. I grew up here with the other people of this village…” He paused before saying, “If it weren’t for Tori, I wouldn’t be here right now. My soul was simply… put inside a bug’s body.”

Buzz Buzz buzzed over to the opposite fallen house, and spent some time there. After a minute, he buzzed over to the third fallen house on the left. After another minute of silence, he looked over at the fallen house opposite the one he was near. More grief washed over his face. He slowly made his way to the fallen house, and landed delicately on its ruins.

He took a shaky breath in before croaking out, “Ma… I’m sorry…”

He slumped down on the log he had landed on, and laid there, eyes closed, for a couple of minutes. He eventually lifted himself up, and whispered, “I’m so, so, sorry. I was young, and I was foolish.”

He buzzed back up into the air and wiped the tears from his eyes.

Buzz Buzz visited the other fallen houses, spending time at what remained. An especially large pile of logs sat at the other end of the village, in between two smaller ones in comparison.

“Hey, what was that building over there?” Tori asked Buzz Buzz, pointing at the large pile of wood. “I mean, you don’t have to answer, of course. I understand if you don’t want to.”

“That? That was the village hall,” Buzz Buzz said. “We often ate our dinner there, and during the day, the adults would have meetings there.”

A sigh escaped him as a melancholy smile faintly appeared on his face. “I always wanted to know what went on in those meetings. The adults were always so secretive about it.”

He buzzed over to the ruins of the hall and stayed there for a minute.

As she looked out at the tree stumps in the distance, Gran asked, “Did you ever visit the forest while it was there?”

Buzz Buzz looked up and in the direction Gran was looking in, and the grief returned to his eyes. It lingered, but faded a little as he replied, “Yes. There were a lot of different bugs and birds in there. I’m glad I was turned off from eating the bugs now, now that I think about it.”

Buzz Buzz rose up a bit, and turned to look at the ocean. “But the beach was my favourite place to play at. I always liked the sea. Sometimes I would try to catch fish with my bare hands.” A light chuckle came from him. He smiled a little as he stared out at the beach.

After a brief silence, Leicra asked, “And what about that cave over there?”

The others looked over at the cave Leicra mentioned, which they were pointing at. Not too far from the fallen village hall was a cave in the cliff face.

“The cave? That was off limits,” Buzz Buzz said. “Only the adults ever went in there. They never told us why.”

For an instant, Buzz Buzz thought he saw a middle-aged woman walk inside the cave, gesturing for him to follow. There was a pause after she had vanished, then Buzz Buzz buzzed over to the cave and went inside. Tori, Gran and Leicra followed him in, though cautiously.

“You’re not the kind of person that would break rules when the rule-setters aren’t around anymore!” Tori said to Buzz Buzz as she entered the cave.

“This isn’t about breaking rules,” Buzz Buzz replied. “I feel like… I’m just supposed to right now.”

A little way into the cave, torches placed on both walls flared to life, lighting the way for a short distance. As Buzz Buzz, Tori, Gran and Leicra went further into the cave, more torches lit up by themselves and lit the way for them. It was a long walk, but eventually the came across a boulder blocking another portion of the cave. Tori and Leicra pushed it to the side for Buzz Buzz.

Behind the boulder was a small room, with a lit torch on each wall. In the middle of the room sat a robed figure. The robe was black with golden accents that twinkled, and the hood was drawn over their face. Even so, the end of a beak could be seen poking out from under the hood. The robed figure looked up to see Buzz Buzz, with Tori, Gran and Leicra standing behind him.

The figure was silent for a moment before they quietly said, “You came, Buzz.”

Buzz Buzz blinked, then asked, “You know who I am? Even after-?”

The robed figure lowered their head a little. “Yes. I was told of what happened, and what would happen.”

The robed figure patted the ground in front of them, and said, “Sit.”

Buzz Buzz warily buzzed over to the spot the robed figure had patted and sat down on the rocky ground.

The robed figure studied Buzz Buzz for a moment before telling him, “Even though physically you are much smaller, I can tell you’ve grown.” The figure looked up at Tori, Gran and Leicra and continued, “You even made some new friends. You three can come sit down, too. Just be careful not to squish Buzz.”

The other three sat down behind Buzz Buzz.

“I believe I am overdue for an introduction.” The robed figure put a hand to their chest and said, “I am Apoen. I have lived here for centuries in this cave, and have shared wisdom of the future to the adults of Metis Cove.”

Apoen paused before continuing, “I am one of the Agents of the Apple. The Apple of Enlightenment shares its wisdom of many futures to me. I decide which is the most plausible, and tell the adults that future. But they were to keep my existence a secret to the children, at least until the time came for them to enter the cave, too.” Apoen smiled. “I remember, your mother told me you were quite keen to grow up and see the cave for yourself, Buzz.”

The smile on Apoen’s face faded as they thought again. After a few moments, they continued, “But even someone like me can make mistakes. And my mistakes… were fatal. The Apple of Enlightenment told me of the two futures it saw back 10 years ago. One of those was Giygas’ attack on the village. I didn’t believe that future could come to pass. And yet… it did. Those horrible starships covered the sky, and told you of Giygas’ plan on that fateful day. And you, Buzz…”

“...I know.”

Apoen sighed. “The rest of the villagers were killed, and their houses were destroyed. I was safe in here, but powerless to stop it. I have lived with this knowledge since that day.”

A heavy silence hung in the air. Nobody moved for a few moments. It was like time had stood still. Buzz Buzz eventually hopped up onto Apoen’s right knee and looked up at them.

“...Are you sure you couldn’t have done anything?” he asked.

Apoen shook their head. “I’m afraid not.”

Apoen looked down at Buzz Buzz and told him, “But you can. You, and your friends; you all have the power to stop this. You’re all so strong… and you will only get stronger.” Apoen sniffled. “I’m proud of you for making it this far, Buzz. And I’m sure your mother is too.

Buzz Buzz quivered as he grabbed a portion of Apoen’s robe and hugged it. He didn’t let go for a long time.

Minutes had passed when Buzz Buzz finally let go. He twitched his wings twice, then buzzed back over to Tori, Gran and Leicra.

“You okay?” Tori softly asked.

“Yeah,” Buzz Buzz replied with a nod.

“You four have found and are now charging the Sound Stone, correct?” Apoen asked.

Tori nodded.

“I know of the last two Sanctuaries you seek. They are close to one another, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.” Apoen held out a hand and said, “Please, hand the Sound Stone to me for just a moment. I promise to return it.”

Tori hesitated, but got the Sound Stone out of her pocket and handed it to Apoen. Apoen clasped his hands together, and they glowed golden for a couple of seconds. Once the glow had died down, Apoen gave the Sound Stone back to Tori.

“There. I made sure that once it is full, the Sound Stone will take you to where you need to go next,” Apoen told the four. “For now, I will take you to where you must go next.”

Apoen held out both of their hands and said, “Place a hand on one of mine.”

The four did so, and another golden glow emanated from Apoen’s hands.

“I wish you all the best,” they smiled.

The golden glow filled the room, and in an instant, the four had been whisked away.