"Hey… Are you okay?" I heard a voice ask from behind as I sat alone. I sat upon a large rock that was largely covered by vegetation and brush that no one knew about except me. I came here when I needed to be alone. This time, it was because I had been shunned yet again by the others. I came here to cry, to snivel, to feel bad that I was unlike everyone else. When I heard that voice, I was scared and quickly wiped the tears from my eyes before replying.

"Y-yeah! Of course!" I as I turned around to face the person behind me. "Shouldn't you be with everyone else?" I questioned back.

Ben sat next to me and sighed. "They don't know I'm here. If they knew I was here comforting you, they would think we were doing gross stuff."

"Like holding hands?" I asked, shocked.

"Worse… Kissing," he whispered back. We both made disgusted noises. Kissing… That was the grossest thing in the world. How could anyone do that? "Look... I'm sorry," he started up again after a moment. "They shouldn't have kicked you out from playing. It's okay if you like to play tag with the boys. Girls don't play fun games, anyway. And… I'm sorry I didn't stand up for you when they pushed you around."

I looked up at him as he looked away from me. I could tell that he was embarrassed. He was never like this to me, he only wanted to act cool in front of his friends. I had known him forever, and he had always been like that. When his friends pushed me around, he would stand in the back and watch. Sure, he would always go and tell a teacher later, but he never stepped in and he certainly never told me he was sorry.

Suddenly, Ben looked straight at me.

"But I promise that you will never cry again if I have anything to say about it! Starting now, we have each other's backs. Even if we're on different teams in tag or across the room from each other in class, we'll always be there for each other. Does that sound good?"

I didn't know what to say. Someone having my back? My mom was the only one that was ever there for me it seemed like, but now I had someone else to help me, too? He didn't even know about my powers. Heck, I barely even knew about them. How could he help me if he didn't even know all about me? At the same time, though… I needed someone that could be there for me when mom wasn't.

"Yeah, I would like that! Thanks!" I smiled up at him.

For a while, we were as thick at thieves. No one could mess with me without hearing from Ben. Because of this, people began to see that I wasn't so bad. I didn't have cooties; I was just a girl that wanted to play with everyone else. Soon, I began to have more friends than just Ben. Granted, I didn't have a lot of friends, but I had enough to be happy. Even though I made more friends, Ben was still my go-to. With me having very little control of my abilities, it wasn't too long before I got comfortable enough around him to slip up. When this happened, of course I had to tell him the truth. Surprisingly, he took it well and promised not to tell. It was at this point that we became ten times closer than we had before. We finished each other's sentences, we laughed at jokes that only we knew… It was the perfect friendship.

It was at the end of the school year that everything changed.

Benjamin and I had been sent on an errand for our teacher. We got to go all the way to the school's library without a teacher to return some books, check out new ones, and go back to class. An easy trip, but one that very few kids got to do alone. We were told to "take our time," so obviously, we took that to the biggest extreme. We packed up our backpacks, books in tow, and set off. After the long trip through the hallways and a quick trip to the library's reception counter to turn in the old books, we took our time looking for books we thought the teacher and other kids would enjoy. I went straight to the astronomy, mythology, and magic while Ben gathered materials on time, science, and illusions. I always thought of him as an extremely smart kid, and the fact that he could wrap his head around all of that at such a young age was amazing to me.

When we finished gathering the books we thought were interesting, we sat in an old reading room that no one ever used. We had to double and triple check that the books that we were getting were not super boring, because let's be honest, we completely judged these books by their covers. As I was flipping through a book on Orion, I briefly glanced up and noticed Ben was flipping through a book that looked far too old for either one of us to read. The book itself was thick, the cover brown and rough. It reminded me of something a scholar would read. Not only this, but he kept looking from the book to his lap, almost as if he was occupied by other things.

"Whatcha reading, Ben?" I questioned in a singsong voice.

"Oh, this? It's just something that the English teacher mentioned a while back. Every time I get to come to the library, I pick it up and read some. They won't let me check it out because they say it's too big for me. It's not that hard, though," he replied without skipping a beat. I slowly closed my own book, suddenly intrigued by his small act of rebellion.

"Can I see?" I asked again, sitting up straighter. He looked up at me and flashed a smile that made my small heart skip a beat. He closed the book up and began to shuffle through his backpack as I looked at the ancient cover. Julius Caesar. Come to think of it, I had heard of this book, too. In some of my mythology books, Caesar had been mentioned. Surely this was the same guy. I began to flip through as Ben paced around the table.

"Caesar was a cool guy. He fought a lot of battles and was one of the best generals ever. He even made an Empire all for himself. Isn't that cool?" he explained, stopping occasionally, to look around the room.

"Yeah, that's awesome!" I smiled. This book was written in such a strange way, I wondered how he could understand it all.

"Do you ever want to use your power to make your own place? To make all of those mean people feel like they're small?" Ben questioned. I looked up at him, shocked that he would bring up my powers in school.

"O-of course not, Ben… That's crazy. This was written a long time ago. People don't do stuff like this anymore," I whispered, suddenly feeling small myself. Ben stopped and smiled at me again.

"If I had power like you… I would make everyone that hurt me pay," he said flatly. I was starting to feel uncomfortable around him for the first time, but I couldn't just leave him here. We had to go back to class together.

"Ben… Has someone hurt your feelings?" I asked slowly. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Never. Everyone has always wanted to be my friend. But with you… People are only nice to you because I'm around. If I told one person about your powers and then left… That would be it for you," he explained. At this point, I felt my heart beating out of my chest. What was he talking about? What had gotten into him? It took all I had to keep my powers from coming forth out of fear.

"W-what..," I sputtered out. Ben walked back over to his spot at the table. He began to rustle through his backpack again, while at the same time shoving all the books he had into the floor. Before I could say anything, he revealed a bottle of grey and black powder, pouring it on top of the pile of paperbacks.

"Listen. I put a note in one of the books outlining your 'plan' for this visit. The librarians are flipping through the books we turned in now, so they'll find it soon. When they do, you will be exposed for what you can do. That is, unless you build your own empire," he casually explained. Ben reached into his pocket and pulled out a box of matches and something else. Something… Silver and round. He took out a match and began to strike it, getting a small flame to appear on the first try. I finally shot up out of my chair, looking around the room for an answer.

"Julius Caesar… He was a great man from what I read," Ben continued to talk, holding the lighted match and shoving more books into the floor.

I couldn't go out; the librarians would catch me for whatever "plan" Ben had made for me.

"But there was one problem… He didn't have any loyal followers."

There was the fire exit, but I was a good kid… Could I run away like that? Surely they would know I didn't do anything, right?

"… You don't either. You're going to get found out."

I looked over at Ben, tears in my eyes.

"Not… You, too, Ben..?" I begged.

He laughed harder than I had ever seen before. It almost made me sick.

"'Et tu, Brute?'" Ben said between laughter.

He dropped the match on the pile of books and powder. The fire started out small, but grew bigger and bigger at a rapid pace. I held out my hands and tried to will the fire to go away. No good.

"Yes. Me, too."

I fell to my knees, hands still outstretched and trying to stop the flames. I looked up at Ben through watery eyes and saw him take the silver item and open it up.

"My, would you look at the time? I really must get going," he stated in a casual manner. As soon as he said those words, his silver trinket began to glow, as did his body. I took one of my hands and reached out towards him. I couldn't let him go… Even if he did this, he was my friend.

The flames were getting higher and higher, almost as tall as Ben was. He looked at me and grinned a terrible grin.

"You're not the only one that can do something special," he spoke over the crackling flames.

And then, just like that, he was gone.

It was at that moment that I began to hear panicked voices from outside the room.

They knew.

Before they even made it to the room, I was long gone.

As Ben's crumpled figure lied upon the earth, everything we had been through together ran rampant in my mind. He was what began my endless struggle all those years ago. So many people would literally kill for a moment such as this to gain revenge. This one retched person threw me into a world of loneliness, struggle, and despair. He killed an innocent man that wanted nothing more than to help his people. But on the other hand… How weak and frightened would I have been if he had not done what he did? I wouldn't be skilled, a team of my own would be but a fantasy. I killed the one that started it all. His blood wrapped around my hands like a maroon silk.

"June..?" I heard a shaky voice question. I slowly looked over and watched as Eldrid landed hesitantly close by. Her eyes were wide, almost like a child whose innocence has been compromised. She made her body as small as possible, trying to hide herself from the scene. My eyes moved from her to my stained hands and back again.

"I-I… E-Eldrid..," I sputtered.

"Eldrid! Juniper!" I heard another voice call out. I turned toward it to find Vanya running towards us, a pleased look on her face. "Oh, good, you are both safe. The village has been evacuated. I met up with Callisto, and she is to clear everything with…" She trailed off as she took in the area around her. As soon as she saw Akio's lifeless body, tears glistened in her eyes. Her look of heartbreak was soon followed by shock and anger when she saw Ben's body at my feet. "He did this? How is he here? … Did you kill him?"

"I-I… Ben… He made the leaders… Killed Akio… I-I couldn't let him escape… H-he was going to tell..," I stuttered, my legs shaking. Numbness overtook my body, and my words ceased. This was the first time someone's death was on my hands, and the gravity of it took my breath away. Vanya looked at me with unwavering and motherly eyes. She walked carefully over to Akio and knelt over him. She clasped her hands together and mouthed an inaudible prayer. She did so in silence for a couple minutes before waving her hand over his body and picking him up with ease.

"I will explain this to Callisto and the tribe. I know how to deal with the death of a soldier. The criminal that you have slain deserves to burn, and I believe that you shall handle that yourself. Eldrid and I shall give you the space to do so. Come," Vanya instructed. Without so much as a peep, Eldrid flew alongside Vanya as she carried her burden.

Here I was, once again alone with Benjamin. Vanya was right, he did deserve to burn. Not just for me, but for what he did to so many others. He was mad; all he had ever wanted was to be on top. Before his death, I suppose he got his wish. I looked over his body, clad in such fine clothing that probably cost more money than I had ever seen. At the end of it all, though, my eyes rested upon the last item his hands held, the pocket watch. I slowly squatted down and looked at it closer. The blue orb was no longer lit, but it pulsated in a way that made it seem alive. I glanced over at Ben, placing a couple of fingers under his nose to make sure his breath really was halted. With hands still shaking, I picked up the trinket that lingered in his lifeless hand. I clenched the warm metal tightly and rose, putting it in my pocket.

"'The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interred with their bones'," I spoke to Benjamin's lifeless body. "I know that you had good inside you… But it dies with you. And for that, I am sorry."

With one snap, his existence went up in flames.

For a moment, I felt both free from his clutches and consumed with sadness. I continued to make the fire more and more intense, hoping that it would bring a more rapid end to it all, but the feeling still lingered when he was nothing but ash on earth. My head kept screaming, He killed an innocent man, let him burn!, but my heart cried out There was something else… He couldn't control himself.

After a short while, the three of us met back up. Vanya had cleared everything up with Callisto and the villagers, who were undergoing a range of emotions. Callisto had implored Vanya to take some type of reward in the form of money or transportation, but she denied. Honestly, I would have done the same, even though Eldrid seemed bummed out that we had nothing to show for what little good we did do. Callisto was not shocked over Akio's death, saying that Akio's dog began to whimper and howl a bit after we left. All at once, the animal stopped and walked away from Callisto; no matter how much she called out to him, he kept walking into the distance. She said she believed that he was going to join his owner in the stars. She assured Vanya that she would stay until the Village of the Stars was back to how it had been. Who knows, maybe she would stay for good this time.

We left as soon as we possibly could, and it was when we left the town on foot and Eldrid soared above us that I told Vanya mine and Ben's story. She had encountered him a time or two and knew he was bad news, but she had no clue how far back we went. Vanya was silent through the whole thing, nodding at certain points. She was not shocked by the story's ending, but I did hear her give a large exhale. A long silence between us followed, the somber air contrasted by Eldrid's singing.

"You did not have to tell this story to me," Vanya finally spoke. I was taken aback by her words, spoken in a firm yet sincere tone.

"I-I know I didn't…"

"Then why did you?" she interrupted. I had to take a moment to think. Why did I tell her everything? I didn't owe her an explanation. I could have just carried on like nothing had happened. Why didn't I?

"I don't want you to lose faith in me, Vanya," I began, my voice low. "What kind of person would I be if I just killed someone and then went about my day? I don't even remember killing him, Vanya… I just remember being terrified that he would get away, and…"

"You were scared for us," she interrupted again. "He was once your companion. If your life was the only one in danger, you would have let him go just as you did back then. People rarely change unless their situation changes. Even with your lack of control when you were young, you would have had the capacity to stop Benjamin from escaping. You cared for him too much to put him in danger, too. You now have a group of people that rely on you, Juniper. As such, you had to do that task."

I didn't know what to say. To be completely honest, I thought she would have the complete opposite reaction. I thought that she would bring up Akio's death and say how irresponsible I had been. Maybe she knew that I was already devastated over his loss of life and didn't feel the need to rub it in. Regardless, I was grateful. Even though breathing still wasn't easy, her words eased me some.

"Now, let me inform you of our final job of this journey," Vanya continued, pulling a flyer from her pack. "This one should be significantly easier than the other two. I chose it more for the location. We must get on a boat at the first port town, but I believe that it will be worthwhile."

"Oh… Why do you say that?" I questioned. Vanya flashed me a smile and handed me the flyer. As soon as I saw where it came from, I couldn't help but stop. "Clan of the Flames. Wow, Vanya, it seems like you're trying to give me more of a vacation than anything. I don't know if I can accept this, especially after what just happened."

"They are already expecting us. More specifically, they are expecting you."

"Vanya…"

"Now, Juniper, do not be upset. No matter how that last job went, we are to continue on. Ultimately, we saved that village from tyranny. They were not mad at you, at our team, or our guild. They were relieved, Juniper. Benjamin's spell was broken, so stand tall and move forward mentally and physically. Akio, a man that lived valiantly and died a warrior, would want that. Now, the more we travel, the faster we arrive. I did not read it extensively, but I believe they have some issue with a mountain?"

I looked up at Vanya, almost feeling as though I had been both scolded and picked up, and nodded. I began to walk a quicker pace than I had before, in hopes that would assist me in escaping my sadness. Occasionally I glanced down at the paper to read aloud the mission itself.

"'Mystery surrounding Clan of the Flames. About a year ago, the area around which our descendants were buried began to be mined. Through this mining, the dead became restless. The mountain around whose base they lay was full of precious gems, and the miners did not harm their graves. One day, the miners fled from the mines, saying they heard voices in a different tongue. All visitors from other lands have also ceased their travel. We have since had our bravest of soldiers go forth to investigate, but no one can make it to the top without being pushed down by an unseen force. Those that made it the farthest up the mountain spoke of beautiful, eerie music and two shadowy figures. Seeking wizards who may put restless souls to peace. -O'. Sounds like some pretty deep stuff, Vanya. You sure this will be easy?"

"Ah, but there are a few details that are not mentioned in the job request," she smirked back at me. "I asked around before we left the guild. Apparently, they are referred to as 'Clan of the Flames' because the mountain that they refer to is no mere mountain. It is a volcano."

I had to think hard to keep myself from stopping out of shock. A volcano? I hadn't seen one of those since I was young. In fact, it was around a volcano that I had found my first companion, Cody. Not only that, but I had learned how to use my powers by manipulating magma. It was more tangible and easier to manipulate than fire, and I remembered the comfort and contentment that had given me. I'm sure I had mentioned that to Vanya in passing, but how could she remember it?

"There is more, Juniper," she said, continuing to make her sly grin. "There is not just one, but seven volcanoes on this island. This group of people, though they are much like the tribes we have been to so far, are much more advanced. They are a welding tribe that has access to some of the toughest of metals. Thanks to that, they are able to live soundly even when the volcanoes erupt. They quite literally live amongst the flames. Quite remarkable."

My head started to spin with emotion. I was still devastated over the complete failure of the previous job, but at the same time I was overcome with excitement. This place seemed to be much like the one I had spent so much time learning about myself. The sensation I felt among the lava always set my mind at ease. Maybe that's what I needed now.

"Do we know how far away the next port town is?" I asked Vanya. She looked at me with a spark in her eyes. She knew she was getting me excited for this new venture.

"By tomorrow afternoon, we shall approach a town with a railroad system. From there, a train will be taken to the nearest port town. Total time will be about two days, give or take. We could fly there, but I am afraid that your armor is in no condition to make a journey of great length. Eldrid and I could switch out carrying you, but…"

"I need a little time," I stopped Vanya. She nodded, keeping her eyes on the forest ahead.

As the day wore on, Vanya, Eldrid, and I kept up conversation the best we could. We tried to steer away from what had happened earlier that day in attempts to keep things light, but a heaviness still hung in the air. Especially with Elle, who rarely flew down low enough for us to speak to her. Vanya explained to me that the phoenix knew what I did was justified, but that she was dealing with it all in her own way. I understood and did not question the explanation any further. I remembered the first time I had witnessed the death of a living thing. Even though it was not human, I remembered being so confused for weeks. That had been only a creature, though; those I could slay without a second thought now. The death of a human… That was something I had only witnessed once before, and still it haunted me.

We did not stop until the dark was so extreme that we could not see each other. It was then that we set up camp with the help of bright, floating flames. After all, there was no need to grab firewood and scorch the ground if I had power left to give. Vanya volunteered to go off and hunt for the evening, leaving Eldrid and I to exchange few words. She was trying her best to exude happiness, but she just did not have the will to do so. Thankfully, it was not long before Vanya returned with a bounty of rabbit, which we happily cooked and ate. Vanya ended up eating the lion's share; Elle and I just picked around and ate the bare minimum.

Finally, it was time for rest. Once again, I volunteered to take first watch. Vanya attempted to argue with me for a long time, but she ultimately knew that I wouldn't back down. After all, sleep without Yolric was nothing but one long, restless nightmare. There was the rare occasion that I could rest alone, but that seemed few and far between. So while my companions slept, I did what I felt like I could to atone for what I had done. For the first time since I had arrived to this world, I prayed. I was so faithful back home, but I had lost my way months ago, when all this worry began. I couldn't let myself cry, even if no one was watching. I didn't deserve to do so. Instead I would grab fistfuls of dirt and bite my tongue until it bled. I hated how sweet my golden blood tasted, how the wound I left healed up in a few seconds. I wanted to feel a little pain; I thought that would help me forgive myself ever so slightly.

Then I remembered the pocket watch. It was stuffed down into my pocket, but I felt its slight pressure on my leg. I took it out and rubbed my thumb over the intricate design that danced over the metal. Even without opening it, I felt the blue orb pulsate from inside the metal casing. So, this thing allowed Ben to travel, not just to another place, but in between our worlds. He was so close to confirming our whereabouts to Oberon; just the thought of it made me sick. Part of me wondered if Oberon could track Ben through this one little device. I should have burnt it with Ben's body. But at the same time, Ben was too loyal to Oberon and confident in his own skills to allow a tracking device. I felt as though there was something more to it, though. The orb and the gears that surrounded it couldn't be manipulated by my magic, and that alone was worth my inquiry.

Who knows, maybe I just didn't want to let the past go.