I was not aware at the time I received that device from my father, but my life was about to take a turn for the worse. I lay awake that night, thinking of things. For some reason it was hard to sleep. I thought about those pirates, the device I received, and Awan. The snow outside was frigid, and I could see the snow falling outside my window. Eventually I managed to fall asleep and had a nightmare. I saw my father die gruesomely and watched as my city was destroyed by the same ship that attacked before. In the nightmare, aid never arrived from the government, so we did not have the numbers for defense. "Ahh!" I screamed, as I got startled awake. It was light out by then, the ice on my window was still there from the previous night. And I sat there, sweat beating down my face. "I-It was just a dream... Just a dream."

"Emilia, are you alright?" My mother asked after opening the door. She walks over to me. "I heard you scream dearest." She says, sitting next to me on the bed.

"Um... Yeah." I say, taking a deep breath. "I'm fine mom. I just had a bit of a nightmare. But.. I'm fine." I say while smiling.

"Listen..." My mother says, "You know you can always speak to me about things that are bothering you, right?" She asks, hand on my shoulder.

"Yeah, I do mom." I say, hoping to reassure her. I smile, and she stands, walking over to the door.

"Food is ready when you get ready to come in here." She says as she closes the door behind herself. I uncover myself and stand, beginning to dress as I want to go see Awan. After finishing getting dressed, I begin to walk through the door, but I stop, looking back at the device my father had given me. I walk over to it and grab it, putting it in a bag that I then place on my side. I think, "Just in case I'll need it." I proceed to exit my room, walking over to the kitchen where mother had food laid out. I sit at the table and begin to eat.

"Mom, where's dad?" I ask.

"Down in the city again. Said that he was going to help with some of the reconstruction." my mother said, "I wish that he would learn to relax from time to time. Yesterday is when that attack happened, and it caused us all much stress. I know it did him too. But he always tries to just brush off things. That man's pride won't ever let him rest though..." She says, the concern for father showing on her face.

"I see." I say, as I eat.

"So, Emilia. I see that you're dressed in your outdoor clothing. Where are you planning on going?" Mother asks. "To see Awan?"

"Yeah." I responded, "I have some things to talk with him about." I speak. I eventually finished eating. "Thank you for the food mom." I say as I stand up. I then walk over to the door. "Goodbye mom! I'll see you later tonight!" I yell, stepping out of the door, closing it behind myself. I ran back down the road, making it to Awan's house. I knock, and his mother opens the door.

"Oh, Emilia! Awan said he was heading back down to the lake today. He seemed antsy to me." She speaks.

"Okay, thank you!" I say, running down the mountain like I had yesterday. Running by many people, I hear chatter, and the sounds of construction coming from the city. I reach the forest, and as I run through it, I can see in the distance, Awan. But with him is Aron. "Awan!" It angers me as I see him hit Awan, knocking him to the ground. As I approached, I ready my fist, and upon arrival, I hit him across the face, knocking him into the snow. "Where's your little goons, huh?!"

"You...!" Aron stands. "They had other things to do today. But I don't need them. Not to deal with this piss ant." He says, motioning at Awan.

"Argh! You don't talk about him like that!" As I yell this, I begin reaching in my bag to grab the device. As I begin to pull it out, I look to Awan, who shakes his head. Upon seeing this, I put the device back. "Sorry Awan. My anger nearly got the better of me." I say, "Let's settle it once for all like this." I say as I raise my fists. "If I win, you leave Awan alone for good!" I tell Aron.

"Okay then. But if I win, you stay out of it for good." Aron says, raising his fists. The two of us steadily approach one another, neither seeming to wish to take the first shot.

"What's wrong, scared Aron?" I taunt, as his brow furrows. This agitates him, leading him to be the one to throw the first punch. He swings his right fist, which I dodge. He is bigger than me, but due to my smaller size, I am more maneuverable. After dodging, I kick, hitting him directly in the ribs. This stuns him for a moment, but as I recover from my kick, he swings his left arm, hitting me in the face, knocking me to the ground. This causes my nose to bleed a tad, but I wipe my nose after standing. Aron had stayed back, likely to fully recover from my kick.

"That was a good kick, I'll give you that b****" he says with a smug grin.

"Hmph..." I prepared for another attack. I smile. "Funny." I say, "The only b**** I see here is you." This clearly gets to him, and he charges. I dodge a blow, hitting him in the side.

"Oof!" He recoils. I throw another one, hitting him across the face, causing him to lose balance as he grabs his face. He stands again after that hit, but slower. Clearly the hits had been wearing him down. "Maybe you're a better fight than I thought." He speaks.

"Wish I could say the same for you." I say in a mocking manner. I had realized that his own pride would be his defeat, as whenever I hit him verbally, it clearly hurts his ego. I had found his weakness. And after I said this, yet again, he charged recklessly. I blocked a punch, which due to the weight behind it, it pushed me back. But I didn't fall, and my stance didn't break. He threw another, and this one I dodged. I moved to the left, and kicked him in the side of his leg, causing him to buckle. I decided it was time to finish it. After his knee hit the ground and he buckled, I threw a punch, hitting him in the face, which knocked him down to the ground. "Do you give up?" I asked him, as he spat out blood.

"I..." I can see him mulling it over. "I do. Happy?" He says as he stands. "You win. I'll leave piss a- I mean, Awan, alone." After this, he walks away back towards the city. I look over at Awan and smile.

"So, what do you think about that?" I ask Awan as I reach my hand out to help him up.

"I- Thank you." He says, grabbing my hand so I help him up. "I'm glad you didn't use the device."

"Yeah, I looked over and saw you, and it snapped me out of it. So, guess I owe you for that." I say as I nudge him. "The reason I came out here though is to speak with you."

"Oh? What about?" He asks.

"I had a nightmare of that ship returning and destroying the city. And killing my dad." I say, "I know it was just a dream, but it was scary. So it's hard to shake."

"I get how you feel. Had I had a nightmare like that, I would've been terrified honestly." He says, "But it was just a dream. So, I don't think you should think about it too much."

"You're right. I just can't help but worry, y'know?" I say, fidgeting a bit. "There was also another thing though."

"Yeah? What is it?" He asks.

"We should give the device my dad gave us a proper name." I say, "Don't you think?"

"Yeah. It's kind of annoying always calling it 'the device'. So yeah, I think that's a good idea." Awan says, chuckling a bit.

"So, I've been thinking on it, and what do you think about the 'Explosionationer?'" I ask, and Awan just has an unimpressed look on his face. "Aw, come on! I think it sounds cool!"

"I'm glad you do." He speaks. "But I don't unfortunately. How about the 'Magic Gauntlet?' I think that sounds good."

"Well, I don't. Hmph! I'm still going to call it the Explosionationer..." I say as I turn away in a huff.

"Alright, do whatever you want." He says while laughing a tad. "You know... I really needed this."

"Huh? What do you mean?" I ask, turning back towards him.

"With what was happening with Aron, and the attack yesterday, I've been pretty miserable. Haha... But... You've helped cheer me up." Awan says, "So... Thank you. Genuinely." He looks at me. "And I know I said I didn't want you to fight Aron, especially on my behalf... But thank you for that too." He smiles. I don't quite know how to react, so I walk over to Awan and hug him.

"Thank you too. For... reassuring me as well." I say as I let him go, smiling.

"Guess it's mutual then?" He speaks.

"You want to go back to the city?" I ask, "Maybe we can see how reconstruction is going."

"Okay." He says, as we begin our walk back to the city. Upon arrival, we see a ship floating in the air. I initially freak out a bit, until I notice that they're unloading cargo. "Looks like they're unloading supplies." Awan says.

"Yeah." I say, "The government has answered our request for aid! But..." My excitement stops. "They've just brought us supplies. Not aid for defense. I don't see a single soldier."

"Yeah... Guess we'll need to make do with an impromptu militia of... Untrained citizens." Awan says, "But we'll hopefully make it."

"I... Guess we'll see." I say, feeling a tad anxious thinking about the possibilities. "Hey, do you want to see what my dad is up to at work?"

"Sure. It'll at least help kill time." Awan says. We go to my father's work and enter. Upon entering, we see that compared to yesterday, everything is organized, being placed back where it should be. No longer strewn about the floor. We walk down the corridor again, opening the door at the end of it that leads to my father's area of work. Upon opening, it becomes evident that my father isn't there.

"He's not here?" I question, as a woman walks up behind us.

"Oh, are you two looking for Jon?" She asks, Jon being my father's name.

"Yeah." I say, "He's, my dad. We came to talk with him, but he's not here. Do you know where he is?" I ask her.

"Oh, yeah." She says, "He supposedly was told by the king's men delivering supplies that the king wanted to see him. You could probably catch him before they take off towards the capital."

"Ah! Thank you!" I say, grabbing Awan's hand as we begin running to catch him before his departure. We ran back out the building's door and ran down the street to get to the ship. Upon arrival, we see loads of people carrying supplies off the ship, and it's difficult to see my father amongst the crowd. "Where is he?" I say as I look around anxiously scan for him.

"Maybe he's inside the ship?" Awan says.

"Maybe..." I continue to look around. "Let's go." I say, pulling Awan along by his hand. We walk towards the ship and begin to step on the walkway. However, we're stopped by a man.

"Whoa whoa whoa." He speaks. "Children aren't allowed on board. What are you two looking for?"

"My dad." I say, "He's supposed to go to the king on the ship. I have to talk with him."

"Oh, Mr Jonathan?" He says, "He's not here at the moment. Said he needed to do something first."

"Okay." Awan and I stepped back off the walkway. "Where could he be?"

"I don't know. You want to go, and see? Or do you wanna stay here to ensure that we won't miss him?" Awan asks.

"Maybe stay here? I don't know...!" I say as I place both hands on my head. Awan and I went to sit down. We sat there in silence for some time, watching as people walked by. This silence lasted a while, until Awan noticed something.

"Emilia! There he is!" He yelled, pointing at my father who had just appeared around the corner. We both jump up and run to him.

"Dad!" I yell as we reach him.

"Oh, Emilia. Haha! What's got you in such a rush?" My father asked.

"They say you got called to the capital by the king." I speak. "Why?"

"Oh. That. Honestly, your guess is as good as mine. All I know is that the king has requested to speak with me. Maybe it's because I was the one that sent the request for aid? I don't know." He says, looking up at the ship. "But whatever it is for, it's an honor."

"Well, what'll we do while you're gone?" I ask, "The government didn't send soldiers for defense. If they attack again, we can't fight back."

"I understand your worry. But if I were here, I wouldn't be of much use." He says, "However, you have that device. It can protect you. And we're forming that militia. So you'll be fine. I promise." He smiles. "Besides, I'll only be gone for a few days."

"Okay dad." I say, smiling at him. "We'll wait for you!" Just then, a man yells.

"Anyone who is getting on board, we're almost ready to take off!" The man says.

"Well..." My father says, "Suppose I need to go."

"Okay," I say, "Be safe." My father then stands, smiling, and walks over to the ship. Waving one last time, he boards the ship. A few minutes pass until finally the last bit of cargo is unloaded, the walkway withdraws, and it begins to prepare for takeoff. I watch as It exits the harbor, flying off into the distance. This makes me well up a bit. This catches Awan's attention.

"Hey, you alright?" He asks, "Why are you teary eyed?"

"It's just..." I say as I look at him. "This is the first time my dad will go so far from home."

"I-I see..." He says as he grabs my hand. "It'll be alright." His consoling cheers me up a bit, and I smile at him.

"I know. Thanks!" I say, wiping my eyes.

"Thanks for what?" He asks, rubbing the back of his head.

"You kind of cheered me up, so thanks!" I say as I smile.

"Umm... You're welcome..." He says, looking away embarrassed. "Uh, it's getting fairly late." He speaks.

"Yeah, it is. What do you want to do while it's still light out?" I ask.

"I don't really know, honestly." Awan says, looking back at me, face still a tad red.

"Maybe we can go to the lake and skate on the ice for a while?" I ask Awan.

"No, I don't really feel like it today." He speaks.

"Okay. Well, anything you want to do?" I ask him.

"Let's go to the mountain peak. Haven't been up there in a while." He speaks. "You up for it?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I'm up to that! I've honestly been missing that view, hahaha!" I say as I laugh. "Let's go!"

"Alright." He says, as we both begin to walk. We walk back down the same street, hearing hammers pounding as reconstruction continues. We then began walking up the mountain after reaching the end of the street, with clouds high above us, and snow beginning to fall. We continue up the mountain path. I look over at Awan as we pass his house.

"You know you're my best friend, right?" I ask him, smirking.

"Um... Yeah. What kind of a question is that? You're my best friend too." Awan says.

"I was just wondering. Honestly, I just wanted to see your response. Haha!" I laugh.

"Haha, very funny." Awan says.

"The winter is so cold here up high like we're going." I say, changing the subject. "Are you ready for that?" I ask.

"Yeah. I feel prepared for the cold." He speaks. "If it isn't night when we're still there probably." We continue our trek and pass by my house.

"Hold on." I say, running to my house and opening the door. I see my mom. "I just wanted to tell you that Awan and I are going to the mountain peak. I'll be home before it gets dark out though!"

"Just be careful." My mother says.

"Okay, we will! Love you mom!" I say as I close the door and run back to Awan. "Let's go." I say to Awan while I smile. We keep ascending the mountain, and eventually we reach the peak. We both go to the edge of a big drop and look out over what seemed to be an endless distance. The curvature of the earth is in full view, as no other mountain in this valley is as tall. We've been up here before, but it never gets any less astounding. We can even see other cities and towns from here. We stay there in silence for some time, just taking in the beautiful view. We sat down. "Awan..." I say, "Do you think things will always be like this? You know, the two of us together, getting to enjoy things like this?"

"Yeah. Of course." He says, "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that... I love this. How things are. And I don't want to lose this. What we have here. Living in this compact city, cramped in between two mountains." I say, "The two of us together. I really don't want to lose this."

"I don't want to lose this either." Awan says, "But if things change, we'll make it. Together." Awan places his hand on mine, the chill from the cold dissipating on my hand due to his warmth. We look out as the sun begins to disappear over the horizon. We decided to savor this moment. The calm before the storm.

To be Continued...