Time to Heal

Injured from yesterday's adventure, Mahad, Seto, and Joseph were given the day to recover. Their story about what happened really amazed their friends. The pharaoh wasn't pleased to hear about what happened to his young subjects, but he was happy to have them home safely. At the same time, he was satisfied to hear about their loyalty and teamwork and that they were finally getting along.

Mahad's wrist still hurt, but he could move his arm around. It just hurt to carry things. He was still feeling upset about what happened yesterday, however. He felt he was responsible alone and his friends didn't deserve to be in the same trouble he was in. But they risked their lives to help him. Joseph, a kind and loyal companion who would do anything for those he cared about. And Seto, putting his heart before his head and thinking about others for a change. Even they felt good about what happened. Better than that, they had finally gotten to know each other better and were getting along.

Mahad sat near one of the courtyard trees and began reading a spellbook. He didn't have lessons to attend to, so he decided to read for fun the same way Seto always did. This morning, he told Mana he wouldn't be able to play with her today because of his wrist, so asked her to settle down. Mana wasn't happy to hear that, but she still left and hoped for him to feel better soon. She actually found something better to do. When Kisara and Freya came over to visit, Kirara gave Mana a ride on her back.

Jirachi saw Mahad sitting by himself. He wanted to do something to make him feel better, so he went to Mystery's room to find his treasure. He teleported to the courtyard, placed the Stone behind his back, and approached Mahad. He clears his throat and tells him, "I brought you a present to help cheer you up." Then he takes the Dawn Stone and places it in Mahad's lap.

Mahad closes the book and looks at the Stone. "Thank you, Jirachi," he said gratefully. The magic of the Dawn Stone would make Kirlia evolve into Gallade. But this was a gift from Jirachi, and he wanted to treasure it.

"If you want to, you can use it to evolve Kirlia into Gallade, but that's up to you," Jirachi told him. "The Stone is yours and you can use it however you wish."

Mahad rubs Jirachi's head and thanks him once again. "This is kind of you, little friend. I truly appreciate it."

Jirachi laughs and decides to play with Kirara, Mana, and Sakuya. Freya and Kisara come towards him and decide to sit down with Mahad and talk to him. "We heard about what happened to your wrist," Kisara told him. "Are you all right?"

"I am," he answered. "A healing spell was used to ease the pain, but I still have to wear this around it. Until then, I won't be able to attend most of my lessons."

It pained the girls to hear him say that. But at least they could spend this time talking to Mahad. They always had been able to whenever they had time for each other. Besides, the cousins had spent a lot of time with Seto and Joseph. Speaking of which, Freya asked, "Are you, Seto, and Joseph all getting along? It didn't seem that way when you all met."

"We were just getting to know each other," he told her. "But we seem to understand each other better now."

"That's good to know," said Kisara. Every time she and her cousin visited, she would see Seto have petty arguments with Joseph and Mahad would put himself between them to stop them. He even felt responsible for setting things right between them and correcting their mistakes.

"Kisara, Freya," Mahad was asking, "are you girls happy here?"

They sincerely answer that they are. It's the happiest they felt in a long time. And they were glad to be friends with Mana, Mahad, Mystery, the prince, and the others. The girls would often play games with Mana and talk about their problems with Mystery and Atem.

Kisara sighs and tells Mahad, "You know, ever since I can remember, Freya and I had often been avoided or attacked because we were so…"

"Different?" asked Mahad.

She nods. "But you and the rest of our friends are the first to ever accept us for who we are, the way we are. We never got that kind of treatment from anyone else before. Now we feel like we actually belong somewhere, with someone."

Mahad places his hand over Kisara and tells her, "In the palace, we have no tolerance of hatred towards people for being different in color, race, or appearance. We are all Egyptian people. And I told you already, you girls are Children of Millennia, like us. That makes you girls our sisters."

Both Freya and Kisara appreciated being told that. It made them feel like they finally had a real family. Freya faces Mahad and asks him, "Mahad, can you keep a secret?"

"Of course," he tells her. "Is something wrong?"

Kisara faces her cousin and shakes her head, but Freya decides to ask anyway. "If you knew something dangerous about me and Kisara, would you still think of us as your friends?"

"What do you mean, 'dangerous?'"

She sighs and explains, "Kisara and I each hold a great power within our souls. They're dangerous and we can't always control them. But our powers are only released when we feel scared or threatened."

"What kinds of powers?"

"No, stop," Kisara suddenly says. "We've said too much."

"Kisara, wait," Freya tells her. She places her hand over her cousin's and tells her, "He's our friend. It's all right to tell him the truth."

Kisara keeps silent for a moment. But before she can speak, Mahad smiles and tells her, "No, it's all right." He turns his attention to Freya and says, "Thank you, Freya, but you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Freya sighed in understanding and turned to face her cousin. Kisara knew Freya was right and they would have to tell their friends the truth about themselves sooner or later. But they didn't want to do anything to destroy their friendship or hurt any of their friends.

Kisara smiles and thanks Mahad. "Sorry for interrupting like that. I guess I'm just not ready to share everything about myself right away."

"That's all right, Kisara," Mahad said, understanding. "I would feel the same way if I was in your place."

"But, Mahad," Kisara was saying, "You're so confident, understanding, reliable, and mature."

He appreciated the complements he was given, but he admitted he had flaws. "Thank you, but really, I can be a coward and lose my nerve. I listen well, but sometimes fail to understand, but when I do understand, it's because I care."

"We care also," said Freya. "Every night, I pray for everyone's safety and well-being. I also pray for the Great Goddess to watch over all of us. I also stay with everyone to remind them never to give up." That was true. Freya was very faithful and loyal. Hope was like a personal strength to her. When it always used to just be her and Kisara, Freya would pray for her cousin to never give up hope because her protection and guidance gave her strength. Believing in Kisara gave her the strength to go on when she was weak.

Mahad smiled. "I like that about you, Freya. Your heart is full of hope. As for you, Kisara," she faces him and gives him her attention. "You are always so cautious. It's a good sign that shows how much you care. You know, when I first met you, I saw a small spark inside a shy young girl. Look at you now; surrounded by friends and feeling comfortable around them. It is like the light of your soul has gotten stronger and brighter."

Kisara's eyes widen. "The light of my soul?" He said that as if he knew her secret all along and was talking about it. Then it occurred to her. Her power inside her, it didn't just appear when she felt threatened or scared, but whenever she needed to protect her loved ones. The light inside of her was for everybody. Then she asks, "Mahad, what do you do when you feel upset or scared?"

He thought for a moment. Then he took his flute and held it in his hand. "I play music on my flute. Would you girls like to listen?" They nod and quiet down. He places the flute in both hands, takes a deep breath, and places his fingertips over the holes to catch the right tune as he plays. The serene sound of the flute had always made Mahad feel tranquil and at peace.

Hearing the sound of the flute, Seto and Joseph approach Mahad and the girls. He stops to listen what they have to say. "Mahad, I didn't know you could play," said Joseph. "That's a lovely sound."

Seto smiles and says, "You know, if you wore a crown of flowers on your head, you would look like one of the forest fairies that play music." He and Joseph both laugh at the joke he made.

Mahad wasn't offended by the joke. He knew he was being made fun of, but he didn't care. He instead just smiled and laughed with the boys because they were having fun.

Seto stops laughing and wipes his eyes. "But seriously, you play beautifully. I like music and play also. I have a guitar in my room. I could bring it down and play with you."

"And I've got a drum," added Joseph. "If you want, I could play music with you too."

Hearing her friends talk about music, Mana joins in and says, "I want to make music too. I've got a harp and can play really good."

"All right, all right," Mahad chuckles. "Everyone go get your instruments." Mana, Seto, and Joseph run inside the palace and hurry to get them. When they all come back, they start playing together and Kisara and Freya start dancing to the music. Listening to what's going on, Mystery and Atem join in. Everyone was having so much fun and didn't want to stop. They played different tunes and sang many different songs. Even the monsters started prancing around. It was as if all the bad feelings inside of them were fading away and their spirits were filled with joy and fun.