A/N: Hey! I just wanted to let you guys who follow this story, thanks! I really appreciate the support and it always help motivate me when I read a review. I hope you enjoy. And sorry in advance!

"Thanks?" Lyla asked when Sorren gave her a baked sweet. It had been like this everyday since he had discovered she hadn't eaten a cupcake. That had been several days ago...

"No problem. Just try it!" He urged.

This time she had received a thick disk of bread covered in a glaze. "Is… is this another doughnut?" He nodded rapidly in reply. Slowly, she took a bite. She didn't really trust the food he brought her, although, it wasn't Sorren's fault. "Mf! Iffs good!"

"Do you like the cream-filled doughnut?" He asked excitedly.

She quickly scarfed the rest of it before replying. "Holy shit! That was really good. I loved it!"

"Yessss!" He danced around happily. "I'm glad you liked it."

"What is all this about anyway?"

"I'm doing you, and myself, a favor. I like sweets, and introducing you to them gives me a reason to go to my favorite bakery!" He explained excitedly.

"You… are very innocent." Lyla shook her head in slight amazement. "How much did your brothers protect you? How did they protect you so well…" She began muttering to herself. "It's not fair to her…" she finally trailed off when Sorren patted her back.

"It's not that I was protected. I just really like doing this for my friends. And you're my friend now." He smiled brightly.

"You think of me as a friend?" Hope tinged her voice.

"Of course! We've sparred, eaten together, drank together and gotten patched up together. We are definitely friends!" He patted her on the head.

"Don't do that!" She poked him in the side playfully. A smile showed through her mask as her eyes danced happily.

"I'm older than you, so I can do it. And I'm taller!" He retorted, dodging her finger when she went to poke him again.

"Theoretically older! I could be older for all we know!" She poked him again. "Hah!"

"So? I'm still taller!" He tried to poke her side but missed. He tried again and right before his finger connected with her side, she turned into a shadow and moved behind him. "Eep!" He squealed when she started tickling him. "Stop!"

"No!" She continued to tickle him viciously. Sorren struggled against her, jabbing an elbow into her midriff.

"Oof!" Lyla exclaimed as her butt hit the floor. "I guess I fell for it."

Sorren laughed as he looked at her. "I'm floored you tried that."

"I hit that point a long time ago." They both were laughing loudly as she got up.

"I don't have anymore, sorry."

"It's fine, you wood never be able to keep up with me." Lyla knocked on an exposed plank of wood near her. Her friend chuckled at that.

"All right! Let's go help with the construction. I think our break is over." Sorren pointed at Mira, who was waving at them.

"I've got a job for the two of you! Master even said you could use your magic, Lyla!" The woman yelled to them in her usual sweet tone.

"All right!" Lyla hadn't been allowed to use her magic in the area because of her role in the counter's partial destruction.

"Aw! What about me?" Sorren whined as the walked over.

"The Master said no."

"Why…" He whined and drooped. He slowly trailed after the excited Lyla.

"What do you need us to do?"

"We need you two to move the stack of beams over there." The brunette glanced to where her friend was pointing. A massive stack of large wooden beams rested there. "They need to be moved over to the stairs." Which were on the opposite side of the room.

"Got it." The slim teenager dashed over, eager to use her magic. Her magic engulfed her hands as she began lifting a couple of beams with black tendrils.

"W-why can't I use my magic for something? I'm older." Sorren pouted.

"Lyla has proved her maturity and has helped a lot with her magic. You on the other hand have done nothing but drink and eat and set us back. Go help Lyla." Mirajane shooed him.

"Not until I get-" A shriek and a crash from the stack of wood cut him off.

"Lyla! Are you okay?"

"What's going on?"

"Someone get the Master!"

People clamored over each other to see what had happened. The only thing visible was a trail of black and purple smoke. Sorren ran over and shoved through the crowd as fast as he could.

"Move!" He used his magic to make his voice heard. Just a touch of it. He knelt beside Lyla when the crowd darted for him. "Lyla are you okay? What happened?"

Black and purple sparks played across her body and floated around the smoke streaming from her. Her hands were pressed over her right eye as she knelt and tried to curl in on herself. A moan of pain slipped from her clenched teeth.

"My m-magic. I lost control." She gasped. "The wood hit me." He gently hugged her to his chest.

Makarov rested a hand on Sorren's back and told him, "Take her to Porlyusica. She'll know what to do."

"But…" Sorren's skin had paled to match the teenager he was hugging. "Can you stand?" He asked his smaller friend.

"Yes," she gritted out. She began to stand, still holding her right hand over her eye. With her left hand, she held tightly to Sorren.

Right before her legs gave out, Sorren picked her up in a princess carry. "It'll be fine." He said, more for himself.

"No…" she whispered, before going limp. Black covered her vision.

"Lyla, we… Hah…" Sorren panted. "We're almost there."

He looked down to check on her. Her visible eye was glazed over, half closed. Lyla's magic danced around her in the form of sparks; shadow magic created an ill aura around her. It scared him.

The man continued to run as fast as he could to reach the healer. The greenery rushed past them and he had to dodge several times. He crashed through a bush, carefully protecting his friend, and into a clearing. Porlyusica's house at last.

He dashed the last couple of feet to pound on the door with one of his dark boots.

"Porlyusica! I need help." He had been a regular visitor so he knew the old lady quite well. Better than he wanted to.

"What? What do you want, brat?" Porlyusica snapped as she yanked the door open and away from his foot.

"My friend needs help! She got hit by a wooden beam and her magic started acting up!" He said between gasps. The run from the guild to the cottage in the middle of the woods was not easy. "She passed out soon after."

"Bring her inside and put her on the sickbed." She commanded. The young man obeyed quickly and stood back as the woman began checking his friend. "What in the world?"

"What's wrong?" Sorren asked worriedly.

"Go! Get out!" Porlyusica screamed over her shoulder. After a moment, her demeanor softened and she told him, "I'll call you back in a little bit."

"Ok…" he acquiesced and fled the cottage. The clearing around the cottage was peaceful as he sat on one of the giant tree roots. The old lady's cottage was built into a giant tree. The near silence however, was not comforting. He knew his mad dash to get here must have scared the wildlife off. The only sound to be heard was the wind, sighing through the treetops.

"Lyla is super careful…" he mused aloud to himself. "What could have happened to cause such a dreadful accident?" He continued to go through scenarios that could have caused it for the next hour.

"Boy. Come back inside. Your friend wants to talk to you." Porlyusica's harsh voice startled him.

"Coming," he sighed in reply. He leapt to his feet and strode to the door. Lyla was sitting on the bed, leaning against the wall as if nothing had happened. "What on Earthland happened?" he demanded of his friend immediately.

"Sorren. Chill. I'm fine." She bit out.

"You don't sound fine!" he snapped waspishly.

"I need to talk to you! Calm down and sit so I can be done with this." She growled. "This is important."

He sat and said, "This better be."

Lyla took a deep breath and began to spew her story. "So… I have too much magic power for my body, and if I don't use it enough, I can lose control and it pours out of me. It generally only happens when I get hurt. The wood hitting me was what triggered this." She explained as quickly and efficiently - and vaguely - as she could.

"But then why were you clutching your eye? The wood hit your side. And what's with the huge scar?" He asked after a moment of processing.

"When my magic goes crazy, it hurts my eye. I got the scar as a child and it's the reason my eye is magically sensitive."

"Now scram! She's staying here overnight. You can come back tomorrow and take her home. She'll be fine then." Porlyusica butted in.

"Good night!" Lyla called after the fleeing man. The door slammed drowning out his response.

"Now that the nuisance is gone, tell me more about your eye." Porlyusica demanded.

Lyla heaved a sigh. The old lady was just like that man had said… "I basically see a third dimension in living things. Magic. Like an inner fire kinda. Then on top of that, I see the Shadows of your heart."