Chapter 3

It was morning, Ilyana woke up, and she was concerned about her dream. What did it mean? Are my friends going to die? I'm I going to die? Is that dragon my inner strength? Am I going to summon that dragon in real life? So many questions that worry me… Ilyana felt her stomach growl, usually she is always hungry but she isn't this time.

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In breakfast she didn't eat which kind of worried Mia who was sitting next to her.

"Why aren't you eating Ilyana? You always eat all the time."

"I'm just not hungry this time…"

Not hungry! She is always hungry! Is she feeling sick? "Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I'm just not hungry this time."

These were the words Mia thought she would never hear from Ilyana. Yep she is definitely sick. We even consider her sickly because she doesn't get full from the meals we give her! "Aren't you going to take a bite from your food?"

"Mia I already said I'm not hungry." That dream changed my apatite…

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Mia was really concerned about Ilyana. She has a feeling that the mage is hiding something from her. "If there is something wrong she usually tells me."

Boyd walked by, he was going outside to practice with his axe. Mia saw him. Maybe Boyd knows if something is wrong with Ilyana! "Hey Boyd do you have a minute, I need to ask you something." Mia walked to him.

"What do you need Mia?"

"Something is very wrong with Ilyana."

"What is very wrong?"

"Well this morning at breakfast, she didn't eat anything and when I asked if something was wrong, and then she said I'm not hungry this time."

"…"

"Think about the "I'm not hungry this time"! Think about what she said in the past!"

"That is odd, usually she is very hungry."

"Yes, and this time she isn't. I'm worried about her! So do you know anything?"

"No…"

"Do have any ideas why she isn't hungry?"

"Maybe something very serious made her lose her apatite."

"I never thought of that…"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes…Any ways I'll go investigate. If you find out anything important about Ilyana tell me okay?" Mia started to walk outside.

"Wait, Mia! I do know something!"

Mia walked back to him. "What is it!"

"I heard that Ilyana had an accident yesterday at the forest. A tree on fire fell on her, Tormod was there too. Luckily Muarim and Mordecai came to help get the tree off."

"Why didn't you tell me this when I asked you if you knew anything!"

"I thought you already knew."

"Well I didn't. Still be on the look out for more information!" Mia ran outside.

"Hey, asking Tormod questions would be a good start, Mia!"

"ALRIGHT!" Mia yelled from a distance. Boyd went outside too to practice with his axe.

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"Maybe I should have told Ike about the necklace…" Tormod sighed and lies on his bed. "I feel like it was my fault that Ilyana got hurt…" Tormod placed his pillow on his face. Someone knocked on the door. "Come in!"

"Tormod mind if I ask you something?" It was Mia; she sat next to the red-haired mage.

"Sure go ahead."

"Do you know the cause of the accident that happened to Ilyana yesterday?"

Tormod's eyes widen. "Uh…Well, yes but…"

"But what?"

"Promise you won't tell anyone even Ilyana!"

"My lips are sealed but I made Boyd gather some information too."

"Alright Boyd can know about this too. Do you know that necklace around Ilyana's neck?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Well that necklace isn't an ordinary necklace. It has powering up energy in it, so Ilyana's magic is increased into a powerful attack. I asked Ilyana to show me the magic by turning rocks into small pieces and Mia it is really true. Then the necklace started to glow very brightly and transferred a lot of energy to the El Thunder book. After the tome made a thunderbolt strike a tree. You know the rest right?"

"Yeah… That necklace is sure is dangerous… We have to make Ilyana take off that necklace!"

"But how, she seemed really happy when she was blasting those huge rocks. It almost looked like she was happy that she was strong."

"Risking her life to be strong is crazy if you ask me!" Mia went to look for Ilyana.

"Sigh I guess I have to look for Ilyana too." Tormod went after Mia.

………………………………………………..

I wonder if something is really wrong with her…" Boyd was finished practicing and he was looking for information as well. He came across Ilyana's room, he stopped, and he quietly walked over to the edge of the door. He notices the door was opened a little; he took a little peek to see if Ilyana was inside. Great she is inside; maybe I could get a little information.

"I should have talked to Mia about my dream and told it was the thing that made me lose my apatite. Still I want my questions to be answered… Especially about that dragon that I summoned in my dream…" Ilyana got up and was heading towards the door. Boyd backed away from it and went against the wall to make sure that Ilyana won't notice him. Ilyana walked out and headed left. Boyd waited until she was gone and once she was he looked for Mia.

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"Have you found her yet?" Mia was gasping for air and was sitting on the grass along with Tormod. They were running around the fort looking for Ilyana but to tell the truth if they look in a room she isn't there and then they look in some other room and she still isn't there but she is in the first room Mia and Tormod looked in. What a cycle…

"No I haven't found her yet…" Tormod wiped sweat on his fore head away.

"Mia!" Boyd was running to her.

"You found any information?" Mia stood up.

"Yes, the accident wasn't the thing that made her lose her apatite; it was some kind of dream."

"Some kind of dream, that is it!" Tormod jumped up with confusion.

"The dream has to be very serious to make somebody lose their apatite and ask a lot of questions." Boyd included.

"She asks questions?" Mia said.

"I heard her say she wants her questions to be answered."

"That is it! Come on let's go find her!" Mia started walking.

"Find who?" Soren was walking towards them.

"Ilyana, have you seen her, Soren?" Tormod asked.

"She is heading towards the forest. Why do you want to find her?"

"We need her help with something, right Boyd, right Tormod?" Mia walked back to them.

"Yeah we need her help!" Boyd encouraged Mia's reason.

"You need her with what?" Soren asked

"…" Mia had nothing to say. She nudged Boyd on the arm but he had nothing to say.

"There are 60 cookies in the kitchen that Ilyana likes and the rest don't like. We can't let food go to waste so we would have Ilyana eat them since she likes them." Tormod lied.

"Who baked the cookies even if they don't like?" Soren asked again. He raised his eyebrow to see if it is all a lie.

"Mia baked the cookies!" Tormod lied again.

"Now I believe you, if you said Oscar then it would be a lie since his baked goods are delicious and not nasty." Soren walked away since he is busy.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN!" Mia yelled.

"I don't know…" Tormod and Boyd mumbled at the same time. Mia glared at them.

"Oh brother it doesn't mean anything if that makes you feel better!" Boyd said.

"It does mean something…" Mia sobbed.

"It is just baked goods that we are talking about!" Boyd responded.

Mia kept on making sobbing noises.

"Boyd, think of something now before she starts crying!" Tormod whispered to the spiky green-haired fighter.

"Mia would you like me to tell my brother to give you baking lessons?" That was the only thing that came to his mind.

"Would you really ask him, Boyd?" Mia said.

"Yep…" Boyd responded

"Thank-you!"

"Can we go find Ilyana now!"

"Let's go find Ilyana before that necklace brings bad luck like yesterday!" Mia ran ahead, Tormod and Boyd followed her.

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"I can't find the woman who gave this to me… She might be able to answer my questions." Ilyana was sitting on a tree log in the forest. She was trying to look for the woman but she couldn't for a minute there she almost forgot that the woman will only appear when Ilyana has unlocked her true strength.

"Ilyana!" Mia, Tormod, and Boyd ran to her.

"Why are you guys here!" Ilyana asked. She got off the log.

"We know that something is wrong, and we want to help you!" Tormod said

"We know about everything, the necklace and the dream!" Boyd included.

"How did you find out about the dream I had!"

"Boyd was eves dropping on you." Mia explained.

"…" Ilyana said nothing.

"What is going on Ilyana why are you keeping this away from us?" Mia asked.

"Well I didn't want to be weak… I wanted to get stronger. Then when the woman who gave me this necklace, came to me she said my strength needs time to bloom and she gave me the necklace because she knows that you all would be upset if I died…"

"So she said you'll die without the necklace!" Tormod yelled.

"No that part was my fault I said I'd be dead by the time my strength will bloom. After that accident I had this dream, I was in an empty battle field and then a berserker came and said it was my fault that the Greil Mercenaries died and that I was too afraid I might kill myself by the necklace. Then the berserker was about kill me and I screamed El Thunder then the necklace brought a dragon that was formed by electricity the dragon told me to give it a command and when I told it to attack the berserker it did…"

"Whoa, that is some dream…" Tormod mumbled.

"Ilyana we'll never die in battle." Mia said. She walked to Ilyana and placed her hand on the purple-haired mage's shoulder.

"You, Boyd, Tormod, Ike and the rest are very strong." Ilyana mumbled

"Don't forget about yourself!" Boyd included.

"Boyd is right!" Tormod responded.

Ilyana gave a little smile.

"Now let's go back to the mercenary fort!" Mia and Ilyana walked ahead and Boyd and Tormod followed them.

Ilyana will have to summon that dragon in real life but the real question is will she able to control it! If she doesn't it could cost her life…

End of Chapter 3