My eyes slowly fluttered open and I immediately placed my hands on my head as I watched the room spin around me. I lowered my head and in the corner of my eye noticed a strand of blue hair. I turned my head and lightly smiled at Triston's sleeping face laying on the bed side next to me.

I lifted the sheets off of my body to see bandages wrapped around my leg and torso, "It wasn't necessary." I muttered, carefully sliding off the bed so I wouldn't wake the boy in slumber. I grabbed my bag from the table by the window checking the inside before strapping it onto my back.

I limped over to the window and pulled the curtains back. I glanced back at Triston once more before hopping over the window cill and onto the dirt ground outside. I winced at the small throbbing pain that began in my leg.

Ignoring the pain, I continued to limb down the back alley to the west where I last seen Thanh.

I walked slowly at first, but as the pain began to numb I felt my pace quicken. Looking up to the stars and the slight shift in their pattern I could tell I was out for about three days, "Thanh might not even be there anymore. Wouldn't surprised if she got impatient and left. Maybe figured I died." I let out a soft sigh, "She's going to be outraged if she's still there." I shrugged and continued to struggle up the slope of a hill.

One by one the stars seemed to vanish. Rays of light began to sprang up behind me, burning my back side. I continued to move forward without a break, afraid if I did the throbbing pains would return.

As the sun rose to the sky and quickly droop down in front of me, slowly beginning to be cut off by the horizon, I tasted the sea salt air and the soft sounds of waves crashing into the shore line. In excitement, a jot of energy surged through me and I began to jog through the sand, feeling the weight of my body shift from one foot to the other.

"Thanh!" I shouted, as I came closer to the foot of the mountain, "Than--"

"Aurora!" Thanh cried as she flew around the corner of the cave ramming her body into mine. Her winged arms wrapped tight around me, suffocating me in her embrace, "Aurora I was so worried!"

"I'm too little for you to be doing this, Thanh." I murmured under her wings.

She apologized then placed me gently back to the ground, "Oh look at you. You're all beat up."

"Most of it was from you just now." I laughed as Thanh growled, "Only kidding Thanh. I got the crystal. It wasn't hard to find, just a little difficult getting out."

"You ran into Acnologia then! What happened, did you fight it?" Thanh questioned, laying down to my level, "Aurora, I didn't plan for you to go on your own. It was just in the heat of the moment I yelled at you to go.

Acnologia is Zeref's - the strongest dark mage in history - dragon. Acnologia is the most powerful dragon known, it was sealed away a long time ago, but there is some places where worlds collide, the cave you entered was part of another world where Acnologia was. If you jumped down the side of the mountain, Acnologia wouldn't have been able to chase you."

I cocked my head to the side and pondered on Thanh's story, "You did good Aurora. But you're not done yet."

"What is it I have to do now?"

"The crystal was found in the cave where Acnologia is kept, a cave where it's supposed to subdue darkness. that crystal will keep you from slipping into the dark. Not only will it do that, it will also keep your hair from flowing into your eyes."

"A chunk of crystal is going to hold up my hair?"

Thanh laughed, "You must take it to town and forge it into a clip. Maybe you can put it into that design I find you doodling everywhere."

I lightly smiled, "Sure, we can head out tomorrow. But tonight, I'd like to rest if that's okay."

Thanh nodded, "You deserved it."