Soon didn't come soon enough. Finally, several hours and three panic attacks later, the sandstorm had finally passed; and Raven could finally breathe fresh air again. Stretching while Jhon folded their heavy tarp, Raven looked around.

Their sandy world appeared terraformed; what was once a flat desert was now riddled with dunes. But-

"Where's Damyan?" Raven looked around desperately.

After exchanging looks, Raven and Jhon began calling Damyan's name.

"Here!" Jhon called out after several moments.

Raven sprinted to him.

The young man was on his hands and knees, digging around a human hand.

"No!" Raven gasped as she saw a branded S on the wrist. "Jhon, that's one of Slaede's men," she said.

Jhon looked around with a frown. "If Damyan's alive, we'll never find him in time," he stated.

Raven looked around desperately. If only she had her powers.

Wait! Jhon didn't have any iolite on his person, and the scraps of clothing barely covering her body didn't have a single speck on them.

Closing her eyes, Raven reached deep into her core for her powers. She was depleted due to her lack of meditation, but she had to try.

"Azarath. Metrion. Zinthos," she muttered. Her power sparked at her fingertips as the sand in the surrounding area dispersed, revealing several bodies, plants, and cacti.

"Wow," Raven heard Jhon mutter.

Before she could respond, the sound of coughing and sputtering caught both Jhon and Raven's attention.

"Damyan," Raven whispered as she and Jhon ran to the figure who was shakily attempting to stand on his feet.

"Woah," Jhon said, throwing an arm around Damyan's waist, supporting his friend's body weight. "I can't believe you're alive!" he exclaimed.

"Where's…Aelfred?" Damyan coughed.

"She's around here somewhere, Damyan," Jhon answered, "we'll find her."

"You killed them all?" Raven looked around at the lifeless bodies of Slaede's guard.

"Yeah," Damyan replied before his legs gave out.

"Woah!" Jhon exclaimed as he slowly lowered Damyan's body to the ground. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Damyan didn't answer as he was unconscious.

"What's wrong with him?" Jhon looked up at Raven.

Raven took a step closer to the comatose warrior, but a wave of nausea immediately hit her. Her eyes zoned in on the purple gem dangling on a string around Damyan's neck. She needed to be careful.

Lowering herself slowly to the ground a foot away from Damyan's body, her violet eyes slowly scanned his muscular arms and legs. Eventually, her eyes settled on his thigh.

"There," she pointed at a small wound oozing green and yellow puss. "Scorpion venom."

"What do we do?" Jhon asked, his eyes full of worry.

"I can heal him," Raven stated.

"You can?" Jhon looked at her with hope.

Raven nodded. "But I need you to remove the jewel from his neck. My powers won't work if that- "

"Got it," Jhon interrupted her, not giving it a second thought. He tore the necklace from Damyan's neck. "Just heal my friend."

"Okay," Raven whispered. With her powers almost depleted, this would have to be a close and personal healing.

Ignoring the watchful eyes of Jhon, Raven straddled Damyan. Closing her eyes, inhaling deeply, she reached even deeper for her powers. Once she felt them welling in her, she gently pried Damyan's jaw open. Then, with one hand on his chest, she willed the poison out of his body and into hers.

Jhon could only stare in awe as a vibrant green tendril emerged from Damyan's mouth before flowing into Raven's. She then placed her mouth over Damyan's. Jhon's eyes only grew wider as a bright light shone from where their lips connected. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't. Both were glowing.

Raven then sat straight up.

"Did it work?" Jhon asked desperately. Raven didn't answer. Instead, her body slid off Damyan's and hit the ground.

Jhon scurried to her. Placing a finger beneath her nostril, he sighed in relief when he felt air on his finger. He then turned to his friend and nearly cried tears of joy as he watched Damyan's chest rise with every breath he took.

"Oh, thank the gods," Jhon breathed. He then stared at both unconscious bodies. Now what was he supposed to do?

Damyan shot up.

"Woah!" a voice exclaimed.

Damyan looked around him. The last thing he remembered was snapping the neck of a soldier who had stabbed him in the upper thigh. Now it was night; there was a fire, and –

"I can't believe she did it!" a body flew into Damyan's.

"Ouch," Damyan groaned upon impact.

"Sorry," Jhon said as he helped Damyan sit back up.

"What happened?" Damyan asked as Jhon handed him a waterskin. Why was the sky dark? Did he fall asleep after killing Slaede's guards?

"You were dead," Jhon stated, "but Raven healed you. It was amazing. This green stuff came out of your mouth, and then she kissed you, and this bright light shone around your body. You should have seen it. Oh, here's your necklace," he handed Damyan his broken iolite necklace. "I had to remove it for her powers to work."

"Thank you," Damyan absently took the jewelry from Jhon as his brain slowly processed everything Jhon said. "Where is Raven?" he asked.

A soft moan on the other side of the campfire answered his question. "She collapsed right away," Jhon motioned to Raven, who was slowly regaining consciousness. "I placed her on a mat. I would have done the same with you, but you're too heavy."

Damyan watched as the sorceress slowly stirred. His eyes unwittingly traced her scantily clad body.

"Raven," he stumbled over to her on shaky legs, falling to his knees beside her.

"Damyan?" she called softly as her eyes fluttered open.

"Raven," he stared into round, violet eyes, "you saved me. Why?"

Raven exhaled before answering. "Well," she began softly, "you saved me first."

Damyan slowly brought a hand to her face, gently stroking the side of it, moving a few strands of hair as he did so.

"Thank you," he breathed out. Raven's breath quickened as she leaned into Damyan's touch.

"Where's Aelfred?" Raven asked.

"Right here," Jhon answered. "She returned a few hours after you passed out."

Damyan sat right next to Raven and handed her a waterskin. Her heart raced in her chest as he looked at her with those turquoise eyes, and she had to look away. "Thank you," she said gratefully. Damyan made a noise in the back of his throat in response. "What now?" Raven asked, glancing at the handsome assassin.

"Well," Damyan shifted slightly closer to her, "assuming we face no more obstacles, we should be there by tomorrow night."

"Where are we going?"

"Themyscira."

"Wait," Raven shook her head, taken aback by the answer, "Themyscira is still around!"