Chapter VI

Dreams and Wishes

Aerrow, Piper, and Radarr headed towards one of the ancient buildings. They looked quite similar to the underground city they were in before, but the difference was that the normal buildings were very small, probably containing only one room, while the temple was huge. They walked for quite a while, studying the place.

"Do you think they were built by the same people?" - the Sky Knight asked.

"I don't know, but that's very likely." - the girl commented.

They reached the temple, and when they went inside, they had a surprise: several crystals of many different kinds simply laid around all over the place. They gasped, they couldn't believe their eyes! That was such a convenient stroke of luck! Piper kneeled near some of the crystals and grabbed a few of them in her hands.

"This is great! They're exactly what I needed! I can do so many things now!" - she said excitedly.

But not one second later, they all felt the ground shaking a little, and then the roof simply exploded. From the hole formed in the ceiling came several Cyclonian switchblades shooting everywhere. Aerrow pulled his blades out and readied himself for combat, but he was ultimately overwhelmed by several waves of blasts aimed at him.

He managed to avoid being directly hit, but the explosions near him sent him flying. He landed on his back, then tried to get up, but an awful pain on his torso prevented him from doing so. He had definitely broken a rib or two in that attack.

Piper gasped and ran to help him, but stopped in her tracks when she saw the talons flying closer. She hid behind a broken wall, so she'd not draw the fire towards the boy again. She looked around, searching for somewhere she could go to flank the enemy soldiers, but other than that broken wall, there was nowhere else to hide, the place was pretty much an open field. She then noticed Radarr beside her, staring worriedly at Aerrow, who was still lying on the ground, unable to move and in the view of the Cyclonians.

"Radarr, I need you to distract those talons for a minute while I gather some crystals." - she told him.

He nodded and ran out of that wall. He picked a small rock up and threw it at one of the soldiers. That drew the whole troop's attention and they all flew after the little animal. He ran as fast as he could, dodging shots aimed at him. Piper worked quickly, picking up several different crystals from the ground. When Radarr got eventually cornered and it seemed like that was the end for him, the girl was ready to step in the fight.

"Over here!" - she shouted.

All the talons stared at her and saw the crystals in her hands. They immediately charged at her. She smiled confidently. Now those guys would learn a lesson! She jumped in the air and started to float, thanks to a levitation crystal she had with her. She focused a little and released some energy of one of the crystals, creating a strange aura shield in front of her, which deflected all the shots coming in her direction. Now protected, she absorbed a lot more energy from the crystals, shooting a bolt that turned one of the switchblades into dust.

Aerrow watched that surprised. He wished he could get up and help her, but he simply wasn't able to. Piper smiled proudly, but her joy was turned into despair when the rest of the talons got a lot closer to her. She quickly flew away, the enemies chasing her. She turned around and shot a red beam of energy from her hands, exploding three skyrides at once.

There was only one left. The Cyclonian tried to outsmart her and shot at the ceiling right above her. The roof gave in and fell. The Sky Knight and his co-pilot gasped and blinked in horror as they saw the ceiling collapsing on top of Piper. Or so they thought. She suddenly reappeared right behind the talon. She had used one of the crystals to teleport herself away from the danger. Grinning triumphantly, she touched his skyride with her index finger and transformed it into a cloud of butterflies. The Cyclonian fell on the ground and was knocked out.

The boy and the little animal stared at her with wide eyes. Wow! Radarr chirped happily, cheering on her, which caused her to turn around and look at them. She smiled at the little guy, then she flit her eyes towards Aerrow and saw his perplexed expression, which made her shrug sheepishly. She flew towards them and landed right beside them, then she knelt on the ground, checking on the Sky Knight.

"How did you do all that?!" - he asked, clearly mesmerized.

"Uh… I've practiced a little when we were on the Condor 2.0." - she said.

"You were simply amazing… Ah!" - he tried to sit but he winced in pain, his hand holding his side tightly.

"Don't move!" - the girl said alarmed - "We need to get you patched up now." - she pulled out a small green crystal from her pocket and sighed - "I wish I had been able to save my backpack, I'd at least have the healing base for the nil crystal. Using it under normal conditions won't use all of its potential, so I think I won't be able to completely heal you in only one session."

"It's okay. I can recover normally later, don't worry." - he told her - "As long as I get to move a little, that should be enough."

"Okay then. Where does it hurt the most?" - she asked him.

"I think it's on the right side, near my waist. I figured I broke a rib or something." - he said - "And it's probably out of place because if I move I feel something pointy inside of my chest."

"Then we have to act quickly. Your rib could pierce your lungs and you'd bleed out." - she said worriedly.

She was about to touch him when she felt a strange tingling sensation on her fingers and she backed her hand away, almost blushing. She had just realized she'd need to pull his shirt, which would reveal his torso. And she wasn't sure of how to take it from there. Was she shy! Aerrow noticed her hesitant attitude and looked at her with a concerned expression.

"What's wrong?" - he asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. I just…" - she blushed a little - "I might need to… Pull your shirt a little. So I can apply the healing directly through your skin."

"Sure, go ahead. Do your stuff, you're the expert here." - he smiled casually.

Piper reached out and pulled his shirt up until right under his arm. His chest was exposed, but he didn't seem to mind, at least, he didn't let anything show up. She concentrated a little, her hand started to glow with a green aura. She touched his torso right where his rib cage was. He felt her skin against his chest. It was so soft. For some reason, he wished he didn't wear gloves all the time so he could have been able to touch her skin more often.

A few healing energy waves came out from her hand, penetrating Aerrow's skin, muscles and reaching his bones. He winced a little bit in pain since he could feel his rib being dragged back to its place. The crystal healed most of the damage, but he'd still need another session or two to be sure his bone was firmly attached.

"Well, I guess this should do for now." - she said as she flashed him a warm smile.

He began to sit up. She was about to pull her hand away when he grabbed her wrist and held it. She blushed at that and looked at him with a slightly confused expression. He just stared at her for a moment, carefully observing every single detail in her face. His grip moved from her wrist to her hand, his fingers intertwining with hers as he rested his palm on the back of her hand.

She felt her heart beating faster and her cheeks growing warm. She had no clue of what was going on in his head at that moment. Did she wish she could read minds! An anxiety was building up inside her. What was he thinking about?! Why did he grab her hand?! Why did he go so quiet out of nowhere?! And why was he looking at her so… So… She melted under his gaze. His eyes were so caring and tender… She felt completely lost in the emerald green.

And little did she know he was experiencing nearly the same things she was. He couldn't release her hand from his. He couldn't take his eyes off her face. He wanted her warmth near him. He wanted to lock his stare with hers. He wanted time to stop so he could look at those sunrise eyes, hold her hand and feel numb for as long as his heart wished. He wanted… Her…

Their moment of connection was interrupted, though, as they heard some steps and saw a bunch of people staring at them. They seemed to be… From there.

"Who are you and why are you here?" - a man spoke - "Outsiders are forbidden."

"I'm sorry. We didn't come here on purpose. Our ship crashed and we barely survived." - Piper explained.

"What are you running away from?" - he asked, guessing from the surroundings that they had been trying to run from something.

"The Cyclonian Empire. And we're not running away." - Aerrow told him - "We need to get to the Sky Knight army as soon as possible. They're waiting for us."

"So you're not one of them." - the man said, then he studied both of them, and his eyes widened for a brief moment in realization - "Very well. We shall assist you in any way we can for you are the ones."

"We are?" - Aerrow and Piper asked in unison, to which the man just nodded.

"You're bound to turn the tides of the war and bring a different future to the Atmos." - he said - "But be careful, for the darkness lurks everywhere, you can't allow yourself to fall."

The boy and the girl exchanged glances. Was that supposed to be some kind of prophecy? And why only two people would be able to make such a huge difference? What could they do that someone else couldn't? They knew they had their special traits, alright, but… Were they really all that? The man gestured towards the other side of the Terra.

"We have a way of getting you to your destination." - he told them - "Come with me."

They followed him, two of the natives helping Aerrow up since he was injured and walking with some difficulty. They all headed to what seemed to be a special kind of dock. There was a really ancient ship in there. It didn't even look remotely similar to any ship they had ever seen before.

"Here. This transportation shall take you to your army right away." - the man bowed as he gestured towards the ship.

Aerrow stared at it unsure. That piece of junk? Was it even reliable? It was rusty, covered in moss and had a few holes on the hull. While the boy seemed not to trust them, Piper had a different opinion. That was an ancient ship and if they claimed it could still fly, that ship was actually amazing! It'd be a relic and a really resilient carrier ship.

"I don't really think we should…" - he began.

"Let's give them a chance. I'm sure they're actually serious about this." - she put a hand on his shoulder and smiled optimistically.

He blinked surprised but ended up accepting the offer, only because she had some good feeling about that. They entered the ship and sat on a row of two seats. The Sky Knight couldn't shake the odd feeling of being on a ship that was nearly falling apart. His thoughts were interrupted when an old man appeared in front of them.

"Greetings. I'll be your carrier pilot today." - he said - "And I'm humbly honored to serve such righteous people like you." - he bowed.

"Uh… Thanks. We... Appreciate your… Help." - Aerrow responded.

The man left and started the ship's engine. They heard a loud noise and felt the ship shaking a lot. The boy stared around apprehensively. Oh, that was going to be a rough take off… He held himself tight on his seat. He could feel his insides becoming tense. He just hoped his injury wouldn't get worse with that.

The ship ran across the dock and soared to the sky, shaking so much it seemed like it was being pulled by some storm. He saw it lose altitude and that made him worried. Oh… My… God… Soon the ship stabilized, though, and he could sit normally as it flew just fine among the clouds.

"For a second I thought we were done for." - he sighed in relief, but then he noticed the ship was moving way too slowly for his liking - "Oh, c'mon, are you kidding me? This is the fastest this ship can fly? I'd rather have taken my chances on my glider."

"Aerrow, calm down. You still need to recover so a little bit extra time will be great for you." - Piper told him.

"What?" - he said urgently - "We need to get to the army quick! We can't afford to let them wait. I should have been there by now!" - he gestured to the skies.

"And what good would you do injured like this?" - she asked him, which made him frown, understanding her point - "Relax, everything will be fine." - she placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a peck on the cheek to reassure him.

He blinked surprised, his eyes widened. Then he blinked more three times, smiling dumbfounded in realization as he looked away to nowhere specifically: she had… Kissed him… His heart sighed in joy. He then stared tenderly at her from the corner of his eyes, a soft grin forming on his face. He had enjoyed that a little bit too much, but he didn't care. He just wanted to relive that one single moment over and over in his mind.

The ship flew calmly through the skies. It flowed along with the wind, which made the ride a lot more comfortable and soothing. They passed by a group of birds that was flying nearby and watched those beautiful animals surround the ship. They kept going, the sun began to set and the sky turned orange. The two observed the sundown, a really breathtaking view since they were so close to it and no clouds blocked the sunshine.

Aerrow looked at Piper and smiled. She seemed so happy and at peace. He wanted to see her that way always. She was his light, she kept him strong. And at that moment he swore: he'd bring an end to that war, even if it'd cost his life just so she could live happily again. There was nothing more important to him in the world anymore.

The sky started to darken and some stars appeared. The boy and the girl studied a map of the area where the war was currently taking place. They were discussing some battle strategies.

"I think this is a great spot for some flanking maneuvers." - she pointed to a blind spot where the enemy armies were located.

"You're right and we could also bring some extra firepower from above." - he said - "Drawing the troops from there and freeing that area so we can strike the Cyclonian tower directly."

"That sounds like a good plan." - she commented, then she looked at a clock on the wall - "I think we should call it a day. It's pretty late already."

"Wait, wait. I completely forgot about the cannons guarding the tower. We can't just go there." - he said in thought - "Maybe we could… No, no, that wouldn't work."

Piper tiredly looked at him and smiled warmly. He was working hard. He was really going to do his best. She was really proud of him. But he had to rest too, he needed to get his strength back.

"Aerrow, you should get some sleep. You'll need it." - she told him.

"Don't worry, I'm going to sleep soon." - he replied - "You can go ahead first, I'm just tweaking this strategy a little, then I'll rest as well."

"Okay, then. Don't stay up for too long." - she said as she made herself comfy.

She closed her eyes and proceeded to sleep. She somehow sensed Aerrow was way too focused on that one tactic and he'd definitely spend all night trying to figure one single detail out, so she worked on a way to get him to sleep. She rested her head on his shoulder, which made him nearly jump, caught off guard.

"Piper, ah…" - he began.

"Good night, Aerrow." - she said softly, giving him a caring look, then closed her eyes again and no longer moved.

He blinked as he felt her hair tickling his face. He tried to keep his cool and go back to studying the map, but he soon stared at her and sighed, smiling tenderly. He carefully moved his arm so he could place it around her, then pulled her closer, nearly hugging her.

"Good night, Piper." - he whispered as he rested his head on top of hers.

Yeah, guess sleeping wouldn't be a bad idea after all. The ship flew across the starry night sky, several stars shining for them. Radarr came closer to them and lied near their feet, curling up around himself. Ah… He was glad about those two. He hoped things would always be like that. He saw a shooting star and thought of a wish right away: he wished that he and his friends would soon live peacefully, along with the rest of the world.

He closed his eyes, a pleasant smile appeared on his face as he drifted to his sleep, in which he'd dream about some wonderful times that were in store for them.