It was no surprise that white magic was in high demand. Though the warriors of Cosmos grit their teeth and carried on, bearing the bruises and cuts from their battles, there were some wounds that needed attention. Potions were a rare commodity and were used sparingly—if they weren't about to die, they didn't use them. The task of healing and caring for the menagerie of fighters fell heavily on Alisz's shoulders, and she knew just how important she was to their team.

Essentially confined to the Sanctuary, Alisz spent a lot of time with the Goddess, speaking with her and learning from her. Warriors would come and, more often than not, deny her the use of her magic, claiming they were fine and would heal naturally. That didn't stop her from, after they had fallen asleep, casting a simple cure spell, alleviating them of at least some of their pain. And every morning said warrior would either scold her, or thank her while trying to convince her they were fine in the first place.

It was starting to get on her nerves.

She was no princess; she didn't need to be kept safe. Of course she wasn't as strong as the others, but that didn't make her helpless. Her knives were kept in their sheaths on her legs at all times, just in case one of Chaos's warriors got brave and attempted to attack the Goddess. It wasn't fair that she was left behind when everyone else got to explore the new world they had ended up in. It just wasn't fair.

She knew her comrades well enough at this point, which meant she knew who would be most easily convinced to let her travel with them. When Cecil limped into the area, Alisz made her decision.

"I'm fine, Alisz. Save your strength. The manikins are becoming more violent with each passing day. It pains me to say it, but we are likely just days away from severe injury."

"It's alright, Cecil, I have the magic to spare. No one has come by in days and I feel as though I have extra." Laying a finger on his lips when he made to protest, she shook her head slightly. "Besides, you are at high risk, limping around like that."

He gently pushed her finger aside, and sat down around the small fire they had lit. "It will heal naturally in a few days. I can wait here, if you are so concerned."

"Of course I'm concerned. You're part of this team, this… Family. We only have each other here, and we cannot risk losing anyone. And as much as I would enjoy the company, if what you say is true, and the manikins are growing in strength, then you need to return to the field quickly." She knelt beside him, removing his pieces of armor and adjusting his underclothes so she could get a better look at his leg. A bloodstained piece of fabric was wrapped tightly his calf, causing her to shake her head. As she peeled the fabric away, she made a small, tsk noise at the wound. Cecil was right, it would heal. It wasn't deep enough to cause lasting damage, but it certainly had bled a lot.

"I told you, I'm fine. I just need rest."

"It won't hurt to speed up the process." Alisz stated, feeling her magic begin to warm her fingers. "Where are the others?" she asked, referring to Cecil's usual travelling companions: Cloud, Firion and Tidus.

"They sent me ahead, though I was not inclined to abandon them."

"So they will be here soon then?"

"They should be."

"Good. I could use the company." Deaf to Cecil's reply, she focused her magic and cast a weak cure spell on his leg, watching as the skin knit itself back together beneath her hands. Moments later, she stood and walked over to the small well that held a seemingly endless supply of clean water to withdraw a bucketful. Returning to the paladin, she grabbed a clean strip of cloth and, after dipping it in the water, began to slowly clear the blood off his leg. "See? That wasn't so bad. Would you please try it out for me so I can be sure there's nothing else wrong with it?"

Cecil stood and stretched out his leg. "Thank you, but it was unnecessary."

"If people keep telling me that, I'll begin to feel unnecessary."

"You are far from unneeded."

"I'm starting to question that..." Movement in the distance caught her eye, and she stared for a moment until she was certain it was three of their own. "Your comrades have arrived."

Cecil settled back down, and, for the first time since arriving, let himself relax. The pain no longer an issue, and the knowledge that his allies were safe finally let him unwind.

A quick check of the others showed that Cecil was by far the worst off, the others having nothing but the normal minor cuts and bruises they had developed over the many conflicts. Once again, being prevented from aiding any of her allies, Alisz watched at the four men moved into their tents for the night. She sat awake for an hour, watching the moon slowly make its way across the sky before deciding it was late enough. They all would be sleeping, trusting in the protection set up by Cosmos to keep them safe as the slept.

Tidus was the heaviest sleeper of the bunch, which made it easy for her to slip into his tent and heal him, closing the slice on his arm that, while he claimed didn't bother him, caused him to flinch slightly whenever he moved it. Firion was next, with nothing more than minor scrapes that didn't really require attention, but received it anyway. Approaching Cloud's tent, Alisz took a deep breath. She knew he was a light sleeper, often waking up just to be certain that everything was safe. Stepping in as quietly as possible, she stood frozen just inside his tent, watching his breathing. When it remained unchanged, she crept forward and mended his wounds. As she turned to leave, Alisz heard him shift and glanced back to see mako-bright eyes staring back at her.

"Sorry for waking you. I was just-"

"You didn't need to."

"I know, but I just feel so useless around here." Taking a deep breath, she stared down at the soldier and looked him straight in the eye. "Let me come with you."

"No."

"I promise I won't be in the way, and with the four of you, I should be safe. Please Cloud, I'm going crazy here."

"We can't risk the chances." With that, he rolled onto his side, ending the conversation. Alisz quickly left his tent, choking back the tears that threatened to fall. She wasn't useless and she certainly wasn't stupid either. She could hear the voice in the back of her mind, telling her to leave and do what she wished, but she knew that it was an unnecessary risk. There was no way she could survive on her own. She didn't even know what their opponents looked like. From the start, she was whisked away to a safe place, left to sit back and clean up the aftermath. It wasn't like the extent of her magic was variations of Cure; she had strong Protect and Shell spells, and her Holy could be devastating, but she was still kept in the back. They weren't taking any chances.

She was a good listener though, paying close attention to her allies when they spoke of the manikins and their enemies, filing away the information for when it was needed. If it was needed. Even without seeing who they were meant to fight, Alisz was certain she could name each of them as she met them.

Sitting down outside of the range of the fire's weak glow, Alisz looked at the moon once more, wondering if it was the same moon she saw in her world. She let her scimitar take shape in her hand, running her fingers along the flat side of the blade lovingly. Pulling her blades from her leg sheathes, she stared at the shape, knowing the three-pronged sai was sturdier than it looked and would protect her from any sword. She sensed movement behind her, and the sudden increase of light nearby indicated Cosmos was approaching.

"What is troubling you?"

"You should be resting…" Alisz muttered, looking up at the sky as she tried to hide the emotions she knew were obvious on her face.

"It is no trouble to come speak with one of my warriors when they are in need of me."

"I'm fine, but thank you."

"Your tears tell a different story."

Alisz flinched, one hand moving to her cheek and feeling the lone wet streak on it. Her head fell forward and she buried her face in her knees, trying unsuccessfully to keep any more tears from falling. She felt a warm hand on her back, and her resolve not to tell broke. "I feel so useless here. I haven't left this area since I was summoned here, and no one lets me use my abilities. They treat me as though the slightest bit of exertion would put me out of commission for a week. I can fight, but no one will give me the chance!" Grabbing one of her knives, she stabbed it into the ground, taking out her frustration on it.

"I understand, my dear mage. Would you like me to speak to them on your behalf? I am certain I will be able to help them understand."

"No… No thank you... I feel like this is something I need to do myself, but I do feel better for telling you. Thank you." She felt Cosmos's presence leave the area and she sighed, pushing herself to her feet while returning her weapons to their rightful places. Wiping her cheeks dry, Alisz returned to the campsite and slipped into her own tent, thinking about ways she could convince her comrades to let her travel until sleep finally overcame her.

"She did it again!" Tidus exclaimed loudly, staring at his arm as he emerged from his tent. "Every single time!"

"That's just the way she is. No matter how much we protest, she always finds a way." Firion stated, glancing up from cleaning his lance.

"It gives her purpose." Cecil stated, "Alisz is becoming restless by being told to remain here, and our constant refusals of help are beginning to make her feel unneeded."

"She said that?!" Tidus asked, looking at the tent that Alisz had not yet emerged from. "Cloud, did she say anything to you?"

The SOLDIER tilted his head slightly in affirmation. "She asked to travel with us."

Cecil nodded, ignoring Tidus's surprised expression. "I was going to ask your opinions on such an undertaking. We would, of course, inform the others, but would it not be possible to have her accompany us?"

"No."

"Cloud never wants to try anything. I say yes!"

"While I am inclined to agree with Cloud, if it's what she truly wants, what would give us the right to stop her?"

"May I prove that I can hold my own?" The four men turned to stare at Alisz as she came out of her tent. Evidently, she had heard most, if not all, of their conversation. "Let me fight one of you. Let me show you that I don't need to be kept here like I would shatter if I stepped outside." They looked at her with varying levels of surprise on their faces, and she smiled slightly. "Please?"

Alisz stared at the man in front of her, forcing her nervousness from showing. She let her scimitar take shape in her hand while her opponent did the same with his weapon.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Firion asked, watching as Alisz and Cloud faced off against each other.

"Yes. Please don't go easy on me." Alisz heard Tidus barely suppress his laughter at the request, but ignored him. She stared at Cloud, watching for any sign of movement, and when he did move, he moved fast, nearly flying across the ground towards her and swung at her midsection. Alisz leapt backward out of his range before slashing out with her own weapon. Cloud easily deflected the attack and retaliated, giving Alisz only seconds to duck beneath the blade. Backing up from her opponent, Alisz quickly cast a weak Holy spell in order to gain time to figure out a plan of attack. Noticing that Cloud had evaded the attack and was moving to attack again, she pulled out a knife and deflected his strike, wincing at the strength behind the blow. He really isn't holding back! His strength is… Terrifying. I won't be able to take any more hits like that.

Another Holy spell was cast, forcing Cloud to dodge to avoid being hit in the face. Alisz took advantage of his distraction, swinging her scimitar downwards as quickly as she could. Cloud pulled back enough to avoid any severe damage, but a thin line appeared on his chest, from shoulder to navel. Ignoring the cut, he quickly moved forward on the offensive, causing Alisz to back up and focus entirely on dodging and blocking his strikes. The impact of his sword against hers knocked it from her hands and she felt the force all the way up her arms. A quickly cast Protect spell bought her a few seconds to recover, but the force of his sword against her invisible shield knocked her to the ground and she felt the magic shatter. Scrambling backwards, she narrowly dodged a downward strike that cut deep into the ground, grazing her thigh in the process. She continued in the same direction, staying seconds ahead of his attacks, but was stopped when she hit the steps of Cosmos's altar. Cloud quickly closed the gap, holding his sword before him with its tip to her chest. Alisz let her head drop, fighting back tears of frustration as she dropped her knife in defeat.

His sword vanished before her, and Alisz took a moment before composing herself enough to check the slice on Cloud's chest. It wasn't deep; it was essentially nothing more than an oversized paper cut. Before he could protest, Cure was cast and the skin closed itself. Refusing to meet anyone's eyes, she focused on dusting off her clothes and keeping her emotions from her face.

"Well done."

Alisz visibly started, looking up to stare at Cecil in shock. "W-what?"

"You fought well."

"But… I lost."

Tidus draped an arm over her shoulders, grinning. "No one expected you to win."

Alisz pulled away, offended. "Then why would you-"

"Relax, he's a good fighter. I have problems against him. Anyway, the manikins are way weaker, so there's nothing to worry about."

A small smile tugged at her own lips as Tidus beamed at her. She turned to look at Cloud, and he nodded his agreement which caused her grin to widen. "Then may I…?"

It was Firion who looked to see that all were in agreement before nodding. "We will let you travel with us for the time being."

Later, Alisz would kick herself and vehemently deny the happy squeal that escaped as she leapt on Firion.

"And it is her choice?" Warrior of Light stood before Cosmos, his face a blank mask that hid his true feelings of surprise.

"Yes. She fought hard for the privilege."

"And you are alright with this?"

"I enjoy her companionship, but she truly wants to partake in this journey."

"How will we find her if one of our allies is wounded?"

"I shall be sure to guide her feet if such an occasion arises."

Light nodded and Cosmos faded from view. As he returned to his tent, he could not stop the worried thoughts that something terrible might happen to their mage.

The group had agreed to wait at the shrine until all of their allies had passed through so they could spread the word. Warrior of Light had been the first, and had immediately gone to speak with Cosmos. Terra and Onion Knight appeared the same day Light had left. Terra supported Alisz, and the two girls had stepped away from the group as Terra tried to give Alisz any tips she could think of about dealing with manikins. Onion Knight had protested, his protective streak flaring up, and it took much convincing from Cecil before he even had considered accepting it. Two days passed after the pair had left before Bartz and Zidane showed up, claiming Squall would be along shortly. Both happily accepted Alisz's new role, and wanted to hear about her battle with Cloud.

However, when Squall failed to show up the next day, every warrior who was present knew something was wrong. Though Squall claimed he was travelling separately, he would always show up in Bartz and Zidane's wake. Every time.

It was past noon when the warriors agreed to set out and search. They split into pairs, Cloud going alone, and spread out to explore the large area that Squall could be in.

Alisz trailed behind Firion, silently taking all her surroundings from the orbs in the sky to the pebbles on the ground. She was surprised that he ended up with her; she had seen him and Tidus develop a close friendship during their travels. Shrugging it off, she looked ahead. Their destination was on the horizon, a battleground of pillars where manikins often lurked. She was clearly on edge, though she tried to hide it. Firion gave her a soft smile as they walked along, his hand on his lance and his protective instincts working overtime. They walked in silence to the battleground, and, to Firion's surprise, were met with more silence, though now it was eerie and filled him with dread.