Before you say anything, yes, I am aware that I skipped Arc.

°Arc 2-The Dragon's Peak°

°Chapter 4-Rock Smashers°

Takka, surprisingly, didn't chew me out. That badly. It was just the usual Do you know how worries I've been? or What were you thinking? Overall, though, nothing I hadn't heard before. The only thing I could have gone without is having all three boys and Cid staring at me the whole time. I also could have done without Luneth's smile, but I would get him back for that later. Finally, he finished laying into me, and sighed deeply.

"All that matters," he said, "is you're safe. Now then, Cid. It's good to see you, and not through you, my friend! What can I do for you?"

"I thinks it's time I went back to Caanan, Mrs. Cid is waiting for me. Just saying my farewells."

"Um, sir? About that," Ingus said, "there seems to be a monstrous boulder blocking the mountain pass linking us to the outside world. The airship would not be able to function if we flew above it, and flying into it would be suicide."

"I may have an idea," I offered. "If we were to fit the airship with a mithril ram, we may be able to smash through it without sustaining to much damage."

"A mithril ram, eh?" Takka said, scratching his chin. He was silent for a few seconds before nodding and smiling. "That's plausible. Eh, Refia," he said, turning to me, "think you could lend me a hand or three?" He chuckled at his own joke before walking off, not waiting for an answer.

"Uh, wait, father!" I yelled after him. I turned to the others and shrugged hopelessly. "Sorry, guys, but I have to do this." And I ran off to help my father.

When the work was finished, Takka turned to look at me. "Refia, it's so great to have you back. I will never let you out of my sight again. Now come on, let's go tell your friends it's ready. If we're quick, I still may be able to fit in a lesson or two before dinner."

Looking at the expression on my face, he frowned. "Something wrong?"

"It's just, I'm no longer interested in becoming a smith."

He took a step back, before frowning. "What do you mean?"

"This last week has been the most fun I've ever had! Fighting monsters, meeting kings, using weapons, I love it. Being a blacksmith is great and all, but it's not something I'm willing to spend the rest of my life doing. Being a Warrior of the Light, though, I can finally have some excitement. I've finally found my purpose in this life, and I can't go back to just being a smith."

His eyes narrowed, just like they always did when he was about to start yelling. But he took a deep breath, and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Refia, understand what this means," he began. "If you leave now, you are throwing all that you have learned away. You are simply wasting fourteen years of careful study. If you leave now, you are putting your life in danger. If the legends of the Warriors of Light are true, you will be doing battle against darkness itself. Are you really sure this is what you want?"

I was silent, a bit surprised at all he knew about the legends. He did have a point, though. Several good points, in fact. Was I really cut out to be one of the four greatest warriors of all time? I sighed deeply before nodding.

"I have already been chosen. I am already a Warrior of the Light. The time to turn back was when I met those two on this very airship. The time to turn back was when I heard the Djinn was coming to kill us. But now, it's too late to stop what's already been started. I'm sorry, father, but nothing can stop me now."

Takka's features hardened, and then softened almost immediately. Only then did I understand what this meant to him. He was losing the only family he had. I grinned at him.

"You don't have to worry about me. I'm your daughter, remember? No way I'm dying easily."

He wiped his eyes and smiled back. "You come back safe, hear? If you don't, I'll follow you into the afterlife and give you a good talking to!"

We walked towards each other, and while most families would give a hug or a kiss, we simply shook hands. Anything else would have felt awkward. He stood up straight and smiled, one last time. "And remember this," he said, beginning the walk back home, "I don't care if you are some Warrior of the Light, you're still my daughter. Just don't let the pressure get to you!" And just like that, went over a sand dune, and was gone.

It took the others about an hour to get back to the airship, just as I was finishing the final touches on the ram. After finally seeing it, I was beginning to worry. If this thing could break the rock and still be in one piece afterwards, it would be a miracle for the ages. The others were surprised to see me, to say the least. Luneth's reaction was by far the best:

"What the, how the fu-, what are, why are, can someone tell me why she's still here?"

"I missed you to, numbnuts. And besides, there's no way in hell I'm giving up, after all we've been through. Now come on, let's go bust that rock!"

And, with Luneth shouting "Numbnuts?" in the background, we took off.

The flight to the rock was uneventful, other than Luneth trying to get revenge for the little comment I made, but when we reached the rock, all conversation stopped instantly. Arc was right; there was no way that was put there by nature. Something had placed it there on purpose, to try and stop us from getting out. The thing must have been the size of a small mountain, and it looked pretty hard, as well. I turned to the other four, and screamed at them to brace for impact. I gave the airship all it had, sending in flying directly towards the monstrous rock. When we were about a second away from hitting, I, like an idiot, let go of the wheel to shield may face, so when we hit, I got sent flying forwards, directly towards the rock. I smashed into it, hard, and blacked out instantly.

I'm not a fan of this ending, but I had to rush it a bit, so I swear, the next chapter will be much better.