This is the second part of a two-part story. The first part was only an introduction, now here's the actual story. This time, with Dove and team! And an incredibly unexpected visitor…

Sheera is Azarathean for Survivor, since Azarathean seems to be derived from Hebrew…

And I'll mention Raven taking Dove to Azarath. That's in another story called "Nothing Good Lasts Forever."

Read and review,

Raven's secret-keeper

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Srentha!!

Chapter 1: Return and Reunite

It had been six years since the boy and the bird had returned - to an entirely new reality, not the same place as they had left. Ruins, not glorious golden streets and marble columns; dark skies, not golden lit by two suns. Physically, they survived by the boy's unique abilities in magic, and he created the necessary supplies so they could at least survive. But mentally, they nearly ceased to exist. The boy, at least. The dove, though charmed, didn't quite have emotions.

The boy wasn't a boy, either. He was now a man, a bit older than 20 years old. And he had barely changed, save gaining a bit of height. And, of course, his daily routine had changed.

But in those six years, his mind wasn't filled with enjoyment. Instead, he thought of his past, and each day the pain seemed harder. Azarath, his family, his friend… And now, it seemed unbearable. He sighed, knowing the only way to ease the suffering at least a bit.

"I have to find her," he told the bird on his shoulder, not even knowing if the dove knew specifically what he meant. "Without her, I feel… I just feel empty."

He cleared away some of the ashes at his feet, and began making his way over the remains of his home. It was incredibly painful, both to his mind and his body, but he managed to reach where the Dimensional Doorway once stood. He ran his hand through his hair nervously. He had never attempted dimensional travel on his own before. On his first visit to Earth, it was the forbidden door, not him. And he was still in training with Coman when he chased Dove. He sat down and pulled a corked bottle of something like white sand from the folds in his robes and poured it in a circle around himself. He muttered a few phrases, and tried to ignore the fleeting anticipation as sparks seemed to fly up from the circle, and he yelled the last few words. A portal had opened, and took him into it.

He was amazed; it was actually working!

With a flash of a brilliant white light, he realized they had pierced the dimensional barrier.

He looked on his shoulder. The dove was okay, though looking shaken and excited. "Hey, Sheera… It's alright."

He straightened himself out and looked around, realizing they landed in an alley similar to the one they encountered the first time, but not exactly the same.

He had his actions planned for almost a week; he would use some of his knowledge of magic to locate her. He sat down with his eyes closed and a clear image of her in his mind. He felt the familiar tug of grief, but pushed it away; he had to keep his mind on her image. Then he chanted, "Alerium rethna-thranel zinthoriumus mextronium alors," and a sudden urge to head forward told him that the spell had worked.

He stood up and followed the feeling in a straight line for nearly an hour before he felt the feeling vanish instantly, a sign that she was very near. The dove on his shoulder cocked his head, and the man looked everywhere…

Then he looked up and saw a blaze of white flash over the buildings. A small smile grew on his face, and he muttered, "Could it be you?"

He followed the direction of the blaze and stopped when the ground became pale and grainy, and a body of running water entered his path.

He saw her white clothes, cape, hood, and the rest of her (along with a few other people he didn't recognize) go into another building on land in the middle of the water.

Using a simpler spell than the one he used to locate her, he flew across the river and landed onto the land in the middle. He looked at the building in front of him and marveled at its size.

After a few moments, the bird flew off his shoulder, hovered in front of a window, fanned his tail and flashed the purple tips, then turned and flew in a small circle with the dove-like symbol on his back visible, and flew back to Srentha's shoulder, alert and tense. He gave a few loud coos in Srentha's ear, and Srentha turned his ears away, wondering what was going on with the silly bird.

After a short wait, the reason for his behavior became clear. The door opened and another (but female) dove flew out of the opened door, purple tips visible on the tail.

The door opened all the way. She was standing in the threshold. Her eyes lit up and she gasped through her smile. "SRENTHA!!" She rushed over and threw her arms around his body.

"Dove, it's you!" He hugged her right back, equally as tightly.

"Why didn't you… stay behind and join Azar with the rest of Azarath?" She looked him in the eye.

"I followed you when you left, but went back after a day of searching for you, and I stayed in Azarath until just a bit ago."

"Oh, Srentha! I can't believe it! Oh, wait – You came back… for me?"

He nodded. Tears began to glisten in her eyes. The birds on their shoulders shot off together, overjoyed to see another bird of the exact same subspecies.

Another familiar girl exited the tower and asked Dove what was wrong before she turned her head to him. "You look…. familiar…"

"As do you, Raven." He grinned.

"You're… the high-magistrate's son – no, grandson… aren't you…?"

"Srentha. And you're the one only all of Azarath knows, Raven."

"How... Why...? Azarath was destroyed a long time ago. When -?"

"Just now."

"But… You…"

"Well, actually, I followed Dove out of Azarath the day she left, and came back a day later to ashes, survived by created food with magic, and just a while ago I came back here to find her."

"You created food-?"

"With Azar's magic."

Raven looked at him intently. "You can perform Azar's magic?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." He beamed (proudly and honestly, not vainly.) He had always been proud of his ability to use the magics the great goddess Azar herself created.

Raven gave him a skeptical look.

"He can," Dove said.

Raven made a small noise of disbelief.

"So, uh, are we just going to stand here?" Srentha asked.

"I… guess you should come in," Dove replied. "We still have a couple of rooms."

Srentha shrugged. "Works for me." He let Dove out of his embrace.

Raven led the way into the tower, Dove and Srentha side-by-side behind her.

As they walked, Srentha observed everything around him. The walls, the metal doors, the carpet – "I… I've never seen a place like this," he said.

Dove giggled. "Well, it's one of a kind! Even for Earth." She sighed contentedly. "I thought you were gone all these years," she told him as she leaned her head on his arm and closed her eyes.

He smiled back at her and put his arm around her shoulders. They had always had a special relationship that had yet to become love, not unlike the bond that Raven and Dove share. Srentha had been Dove's only childhood friend, and Dove was the only person outside the council Srentha regularly saw.

After walking through the mazelike halls for some time, they finally reached a door and turned to it. Raven let the door open and said, "You can stay in here."

Srentha and Dove entered the room. Srentha cocked his head as he looked around. "I can… sort of sense that another Azarathean was here a long time ago…"

"Yeah, it's where I used to stay." Dove looked up at him. "I didn't know you could sense things from the past," she told him.

"Well, I sort of acquired the ability over the six years I was in Azarath. It seems that the more I use Azar's magic, the more abilities I gain."

"Really? You never told me that…"

"I never got the chance…" He sighed. "We have a lot of catching up to do." He looked carefully at Dove. She had a more slender build and her hair had grown longer. She looked happier than she did in Azarath, too. "I'll tell you what I missed if you tell me," he said with a smile.

Dove laughed and threw her arms around him. "Of course!"

He smiled. They used to exchange stories all the time as children. "Well, I don't have much to tell…"

Dove let him go. "I still want to know."

"Ok, well, I saw you in the – "

"Wait, Srentha, I know an easier way," Dove told him with a smile on her face. "I've gotten a lot better at using my powers, and I can just read your memories."

"Dove, that's excellent!"

"I'll leave you two alone," Raven announced and left.

Dove and Srentha sat down on the bed.

"Is… Is there a reason you two are here?"

"Definitely. But before I tell you my story, let me read your memories."

Dove looked into his eyes and focused before opening a mental bridge between their souls and let his memories enter hers.

He was right. There wasn't much to see except him leaving, walking around the city, sleeping, nearly being attacked by a dog, and leaving for Azarath before staying there for a monotonous six years, hardly doing anything besides practicing magic and creating food. Not much at all for six years.

Srentha was glad to have finally found her, and she was amazingly relieved that he hadn't been incinerated and he was as friendly and pleasant as always. Though the memories of the past six years of each other had only pained them, their company was now bringing more joy and relief than any thoughts and memories, or even their presence when they were together as children.

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-Raven's secret-keeper

Author's Note IMPORTANT: I'm so, so sorry for this, but this story is on hold for a little while, and it will probably be a long time before I pick up again. The upcoming events in the next chapters are too revealing for my other stories, and I'd really hate to give anything away, especially for the Toes Trilogy.