How did you like the idea of incorporating the song "Quest for the Hammer of Glory" into the previous chapter? Pretty good idea, right? Welp, enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter 11: The Hunt for Hua

Eona

Everything is just a haze. I can see myself in my old room fit for the Mirror Dragoneye. Everything looks exactly the same, though. Everything feels real. Maybe Guardians were just a dream after all! I get up, bathe, dress up, and exit out my room.

"LADY EONA!"

It was Lord Kygo, Lady Dela, Vida, and even Ryko. How is he alive?

"We prepared you your meal for the morning," Dela says first. "Would you like to eat now?"

"Is that even a question? Yes!" I reply.

The meal was delicious; they had crab, oysters, and an assortment of meats along with a blueish-black dessert. Then, I realized that this meal wasn't normal. First off, the servants didn't seem quite right. They were humanoid, but not human. Second, the colors of the dessert were similar to the Taken. I decide not to eat it.

"I'm going to go back to my room. Thank you for the meal."

"What, you're gonna puke again?" Dela insults.

Everyone else except Lord Kygo laughs at her saying. I can't believe she just said that! I cry and run to my bed, sobbing even harder.

"Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?!" is all I can moan out.

My door opens.

"GO AWAY!"

I look at the figure, and it was Lord Kygo.

"Holy Shola, I apologize!"

"No," he replies, "it is I who should apologize to you." He sits right next to me. "Listen, you need to grasp with reality. This is all a dream; I am part of this dream; we all are. Those insults that just happened were all fake."

It wasn't real at all. But,

"How can I live without you? How do I live without the ones I love?"

"Even though I am gone, I will still be with you in your mind and heart. Wake up!"

Voices flood my head again saying to wake up.

"Eona? Eyes up, Eona."

I rise from my bed, facing Ghost.

"I've seen what you have just dreamed. I understand your struggles." He floats toward my side. "Just like what your emperor friends said, your friends will be with you, just not physically."

"I really miss them, though."

"Don't be. You still have memories of them; all you need to do is to recall them and move on."

I wipe the mucus from my nose.

"Alright. Something doesn't feel normal, however. What's going on?"

"Oh, you'll find out."

Mark

I got Guardians with me for a pretty good surprise. Even the other members of the Dimensioners are with us.

"Is she ready?" I ask my Ghost.

"She just finished taking a shower. She's coming out soon."

"Great. Rick, tell the others!"

"Got it!" he responds. This will be the best surprise ever!

Back to Eona

I put on my armor and grab my desired weapons. I reach for the knob of the door.

"Are you sure nothing will happen?" I ask my Ghost.

"Just open the door!"

I do so-

"BY THE GODS!"

Every single Guardian is standing in front of my room kneeling down.

"Good morning, Lady Eona," Mark says first.

"What in the world are you doing?!"

"This is a surprise," his friends reply. "We are pretending to praise you."

"ALL HAIL THE MIRROR DRAGONEYE!"

"Guardian Eona," the Speaker interrupts, "I know that this is an important mission to you and your comrades. We did this to give you memories related to your past. We wish you the best of luck. Defeat the Black Garden, and slay Oryx."

They did this for me. Me of all Guardians!

"Everyone here, thank you for treating me here. I have one last command as a Dragoneye: you may go."

They leave except for Mark and Lucy.

"We have to go now," Lucy suggests. "The fate of the Traveler rests on our shoulders!"

"Right. Ghosts, teleport us to my ship."

Our bodies disappear and reappear in my jumpship. I walk up to my navigation panel, select Europa, and select its second mission. We fly to the icy moon.

"We need to either destroy the String of Pearls or let Eona absorb its power. If she has a chance at obtaining it, we have to go for it."

The snowstorm isn't as powerful as the north. That is definitely going to be a good thing.

"The relic is located on top of a hill in between buildings. However, only Eona and Mark are powerful enough to withstand its powers within the area, which means that Lucy would have to guard the surrounding area. Good luck, and may the Light be with you."

We walked for about a quarter bell while encountering some Hive and Taken. Yes, I finally died. It was a dark feeling to have again. Luckily, Mark did revive me. The land form that Ghost described is just close. I can clearly see the building.

"I'll take the high ground," Mark declares. "There are Chaos Wizards nearby guarding the String of Pearls." He climbs up one of the small towers and shoots out an arc Rocket Launcher. I then bring up a Ward of Dawn with Blessing of Light as Lucy passes through it. She takes out her Shotgun and aims for their heads, killing each one in at least two shots. Mark and I use our Plan Cs and follow her lead. After a few minutes of combat, their master once again appears out of a portal.

"You believe you can stop our plan to burn this flawed universe?"

"We will stop at nothing to save it!" Lucy responds.

"Well then, come forth and destroy the String of Pearls." He points at the relic. "You don't know what you will be facing in the future."

He teleports away again.

"Ok. Eona," Mark alerts me, "claim the power so we can destroy the Black Garden and save the Traveler."

"Alright," I answer. I send a small prayer to the gods watching us. I wield the Hammer of Glory and put it and my other hand onto the string. I can feel a familiar energy rush through my veins. Hua is not only flowing through my body but is also attacking the hammer. I try to keep hold of the weapon for as long as I can. If I can't take in the powerful Hua, I'd have to destroy it.

"Eona! You can do it!"

"We believe that your powers will be regained!"

My friends do believe in me. I will not let them down. I travel deep into the heart of the String of Pearls. Hua will be mine again! Then, I sink to the bottom of the ocean of energy.

I wake up on top of clouds. This place seems familiar. I can see twelve dragons in a circle around me. I can see their energy flowing around them. DON'T TELL ME!-

"Welcome back, Dragoneye Eona," the red one greets.

The Mirror Dragon! I am in the Energy World!

Every dragon - the Ox Dragon, Dog Dragon, Ido's Rat Dragon, and so forth - walks towards me and bows.

"Am I dreaming? What happened?"

"You were successful in obtaining our Hua back. Because of that, we decided to invite you back to the Energy World."

I just remembered that the string looked slightly different from how it was 1,700 years before; the core pearl was missing.

"What happened to your egg, though?"

"You will not believe what happened: Oryx and Zargothrax stole it!"

"Holy Shola! What about my friends? What happened to Lord Kygo and Lady Dela and Chart."

"Chart lived a normal life, but the other two and others got Taken."

"No, it can't be."

"I'm sorry, but that's how it went."

"I need to get them back!"

"You can't. Once someone gets Taken, you can't bring them back. The only thing you can do is to destroy the Black Garden's heart. Let them go."

"Fine."

My soul returns to reality. I feel much stronger now with both Hua and Astral Charge at my disposal.

"You fine, Eona?" Mark asks me.

"*Sigh* Yes. Let's end this madness."

"Good. Ghost, send us to Mars!"