A few days passed, no particular incident. My mom had gotten to return home, and I kept what I'd found on the ship a secret, not wanting to worry anyone, and I hadn't acted on it either. However, I had been wondering if Awan would help. I decided I would tell him this day. We sat around and ate breakfast in the morning, and afterwards, Awan and I left the house to go help with the cleanup, as requests for volunteers were being given, and we wanted to help. It was also good for me because it would give time alone for me to tell him of the idea.

"Nnngh!" I lift up a large piece of rubble, dropping it as I'm not strong enough.

"Emilia, it's always okay to ask for help. If something is too big, don't try on your own. You could hurt yourself." Awan says after looking at me.

"I know... I just want to help." I say, looking towards the ground.

"Sigh... Emilia, you already have." Awan says, he then points at the crashed ship. "Look at that ship down at the dock. You did that. You fought Aron so that he'd leave me alone. You saved me from falling off of the cliff up by my house! You're a hero in my eyes. So, stop thinking that what you do isn't helping. You've done plenty."

"I... I know." I say, "Thank you. I know I've said that a lot, but I mean it." I look up at the sky, which is glowing an orangish hue. I think to myself. Is it time to spring my idea on him? "Hey, Awan?" He looks at me. "Do you want to take a break? I'm a bit tired. Hehehe."

"Sure." Awan says. The two of us then walk over to a bench, sitting.

"I haven't told anybody yet, but..." Awan listens, "I snuck down here the other night, and snooped around their ship. The pirates I mean." This clearly catches Awans attention.

"You what?! Why? Don't you know the ship was supposed to be off limits?" He asked me.

"Yeah, I do." I say, "I just decided to do it. I was curious."

"Okay..." Awan says awkwardly.

"I was thinking..." I say, looking down at the floor uncomfortably. "I found these papers..." I take the map and letter out of my bag, fidgeting a tad.

"W-What are these?" He asks me, concern showing on his face.

"The letter says that someone called 'R' told these pirates to attack us. And the map has two marks on it." I showed Awan the map. "This mark is our city..." I say, pointing at the map to the mark farther north. "So, this one..." I say pointing at the one farther south. "Might be where the pirates are based."

"No! We shouldn't mess with this stuff!" Awan yells, "Emilia, I know you're mad about all of this, but there's people who deal with this sort of thing! We shouldn't get involved in this! It's too dangerous!"

"I know you're not wanting to do this, but I can't help but feel like we could stop them. We could help save people." I say, "We could stop the pirates at their source."

"Or we could die! I'm your friend, and I know that friends should always look out for each other, but I just can't be behind you here." Awan says, "Please... Don't do this."

"I-Okay... I won't." I say, looking at Awan.

"Thank you... I know you think you can help like that, but I don't want anything to happen to you." He speaks.

"I understand. Sorry for worrying you." I speak. I look over at the dock, seeing the sun setting over the mountains. "It's getting dark out Awan."

"Yeah, we should go back to the house." Awan says as he stands.

"Yeah." I stand and two of us start walking towards the house. We arrive, opening the door. My mother is sitting at the table.

"Oh, hey! My little girl is back!" My mother says, hugging me when I walk over. Even though she wore a strong face, it was clear she wasn't fine. It was clear that her injury greatly affected her beyond the physical limitations. I knew even then that she was trying to stay strong for me.

"Hi, mom. I'm happy to see you." I say as we hug. Awan's mother walks in from the hallway.

"Awan, Emilia! You're home!" She says as she walks to the kitchen table. She begins setting the table.

"I wish I could help." My mother says, "You shouldn't have to do so much on your own." She says to Awans's mother.

"Don't worry about it." Awan's mother says, "You and I have known one another for how long? It's not your fault you can't help. It's okay. Besides, Emilia and Awan have been helping a lot. So it's okay."

"Okay." My mother says. Awan's mother finishes setting the table, and we all begin to eat.

"The food is good!" I told Awan's mother.

"Oh, thank you dear!" She says, smiling. "I'm glad you're enjoying it!" We continued to eat for some time, not speaking much. That is, until my mother pipes up.

"So, Emilia, did you two enjoy helping down in the city?" My mother asks.

"Yeah, we did." I say, "We're a bit tired though. Hehehe..." I say as I rub my hands through my hair.

"Good. I bet the people have enjoyed both of you helping." She says, "I know I've enjoyed you, helping me, Emilia." She smiles. She looks over at the window. "I can't wait for winter to end. Winter is too cold."

"Yeah..." Awan's mother says, "The past few days have really soured my feelings during winter. Awan, why do you look so glum?" She asks Awan, noticing he seems down.

"Hm?" Awan looks up. "E..." He looks at me. "I'm just a bit down with all that's happened. That's all."

"Dear..." Awan's mother says, "There's nothing wrong with feeling down. If you ever feel that way, just know that I'm here to talk to." She says, grabbing his hand.

"I know." He looks at her. "Thanks mom." His mother lets go of his hand, and as she does, he looks over at me for a brief moment and then back at his food, continuing to eat. I knew why he looked at me. Why he backtracked on what he was originally going to say eluded me. It was clear he was down due to what I said worrying him. He was originally going to tell them what I said, but why did he decide not to?

"Nnnngh!" I stretch in my seat after I finish eating. Awan and the rest were finishing up as well. Awan, his mother, and I all clean up the table and wash the dishes. After finishing, Awan and I get ready for bed. Awan lays down in his bed, and I lie down on the floor where I've been sleeping. "Awan, I'm wondering..." I say, looking over at him. "Why did you decide not to tell our moms about what I told you?"

"I..." He rolls over to face the ceiling. "I just didn't want you to get in trouble. And... We're already not feeling the best. I don't want your mom to worry."

"Thank you." I speak. I lie down, looking around. Eventually I hear Awan snoring. I couldn't shake my desire. The desire I had earlier hadn't disappeared. I stare, pondering about what I should do. I eventually made my decision. I raise up, looking over at Awan. "I'm sorry." I say quietly. I walk to where I placed my winter clothes, changing into them. Then I grab my bag, placing it on my side, making sure everything needed is in it. Map, Explosionationer, and the letter, all accounted for. I see a wrench lying on a box. "Maybe I'll need this." I put it in my bag. I look outside the room and hear my mother talking to Awan's mother. I close the door, realizing I can't go out through the front. I look over at the window, walking towards it. It creaks open, the cold air flying in. I climb up it, sitting on the windowsill. Suddenly, I hear Awan.

"Emilia...?" He rubs his eyes. Suddenly he processes what I'm doing and jolts up. "Emilia?! What are you?!"

"I'm sorry. I can't just sit here." I climb out of the window, feet hitting the snow.

"Emilia!" I hear Awan scream as I run through the snow. I run down the mountain as quickly as possible, reaching the city, and I run through the night down to the dock. I found a small boat on the dock. I grab it and begin dragging it to the water. It's very difficult though. "Emilia!" I look, seeing Awan running towards me. He makes it to me, needing to catch his breath. "Emilia... Why? You told me you wouldn't do this! So why?!"

"Because of what they've done! To the city, to my mom! I have a device that could stop them, and I have a map that can help me find them! I have the means to stop them! I can't just sit around and let them continue doing this! I can't!" I yell at the top of my lungs. "I know you don't think I should Awan, that it's too dangerous... But while we sit around, they could be hurting other people. If you don't want to help, fine. That's your choice. But this is mine." Awan looks taken aback.

"I... Sigh..." He walks over. "I can tell you're not going to stop. So..." He clearly struggles to say what he says next. "If you won't stop..." He looks up the mountain. "Then..." He looks back at me. "I'll help."

"Really?! I... Wasn't expecting you to say that." I say, looking towards him.

"I... I guess your little speech got through to me. Hahaha." Awan says, with a shy smile.

"Well, thank you." I say, "If you really do wish to help me, you can start by helping me push this boat into the water." Awan walks beside me, and we both grab the boat down the ramp steadily into the water. It makes a small splash upon entering and Awan and I climb into it. "Awan, you know how to drive a boat right?"

"Yeah." He says, "My dad was a fisherman, so yeah, I do." He walks over to the motor at the back, sitting down. "Sit down Emilia, so that you don't fall out."

"Okay." I sat down.

"So, where are we going?" Awan asks, "If I'm going to steer us, I'll need directions."

"Oh! Hold on..." I scramble through my bag, reaching for the map. I eventually find it, and I pull it out. "Um... Here." I handed the map to him.

"Okay... So... Alright. We'll need to travel south along the river, then make a left at this branching path." He hands it back to me. "Sit tight Emilia." He boots up the engine, and we begin to move, water splashing up. Awan turns us right down the river, heading south. I had never been on a boat before, so this was thrilling. I watched as we passed by trees and snow at rapid speed. The wind was chilling me to the bone, so I lifted my hood.

"Awan!" I yell because the wind and engine is too loud. "How long do you think it'll take us to get there?!"

"Don't know! But if I had to guess, a couple hours!" Awan says, and I just sit there.

"O-Okay!" I hadn't guessed it would take that long. But it's not as long as it could've been. I decided to endure it. I continue to watch as I see we pass more greenery, and even small homes here and there. I look at the moon, seeing its light shimmer off of the water. I had a feeling. A feeling of freedom. I loved my city, but I learned I loved traveling beyond it. My unsure feeling dissipated as this new one took hold. I found I was having fun.

"You look happy!" Awan says, "Why?!" He asked me.

"I just...! I just have this odd feeling, that's all!" I speak.

"What kind of feeling?! Happiness?!" He asked me.

"Freedom!" I say, "Freedom, that's what!" I look at the moon. "It's the best feeling I've ever had!" I look back at him, smiling.

"Heh, whatever you say!" He says, glancing at me for a split second.

"Ahaha!" I laugh. I then continue to simply look around. Several minutes pass, and eventually we come to the branch in the rivers, where we take a left. We continue down this branch, eventually seeing lights in the distance. As we come up on it, Awan slows us down.

"This town isn't as big as the city, but this should be the marked place." Awan says, pulling the boat in at the dock. The two of us stand, climbing out of the boat and tying it to a post to secure it.

"Woo!" I yell, "We're finally here! Feels like it took us ages."

"Yeah. But we're here." Awan looks over at me. "So, what do we do now?" He asks.

"Hehe... Um... About that... I... Didn't really think this far ahead." I say awkwardly.

"What?! You mean, you planned to do this, but didn't plan for when you got here?!" Awan yells, understandably so.

"Hehe... Maaaybe?" I say nervously.

"Sigh... You really need to think things through. Maybe we can ask around?" He asks. The sun begins to rise, and it starts brightening.

"You're right... I should've thought it through." I say, "Maybe we could ask around. I don't feel like this place would've been marked for no reason." Someone walks up to us.

"Excuse me." A woman says, "Who are you two children? You're new, and you've been making a lot of noise out here." The woman asked us.

"Oh, sorry." Awan says, "My friend here was being dumb. So, I kind of snapped. Apologies for the noise. I'm Awan."

"And I'm Emilia." I speak.

"Oh." The woman says, "Why have you come here?" She asks, curiosity on her face.

"Um... We're here looking for someone. Do you know anyone who goes by 'R' ma'am?" I ask.

"'R'? No, it doesn't sound familiar, unfortunately." She says, "But... I know who might."

"You do?" I ask her.

"Yes... There's a group who runs the town. They own a casino here. I bet you could find any information you need there. They know almost everything about the entire region." She says, "But be careful. And don't tell anyone what I told you." She quickly walked away. "Good luck."

"A casino?" Awan asks, "Really? How are we even going to get in? Kids aren't allowed inside casinos." Awan says, leaning against a post.

"Yeah..." I looked around the town a bit. "Come on." I say, grabbing Awan's arm. "We might as well try." The two of us walk through the streets, eventually finding the casino. We walk up to the front door, which is guarded. The guard blocks us.

"No children allowed inside." He speaks.

"We're just wanting to ask some questions!" I say.

"No. Children. Allowed. The rules are very clear. No children allowed inside, regardless of the reason." He speaks.

"Sigh... Fine." I speak. Awan and I turn and walk away from the entrance.

"So now what'll we do?" Awan asks.

"Hmmm..." I say, "I don't know... We'll have to find a way in."

"I feel like we're really in over our heads." Awan says.

"Maybe. But we're too far in now." I say, scanning the buildings. I notice on the side of the casino there's a vent. And next to the casino is a building with a door leading to its roof. "I'm thinking." I point and Awan sees what I'm looking at.

"You can't be serious." Awan says, "You're wanting to sneak in through the ventilation shaft?"

"Yep. And there's a way up to the roof of the building next to it." I say, "Its windows are boarded closed too. Must be abandoned."

"Convenient." Awan says, "But still! It's a crazy idea! I mean, the vent is bolted. We'll need something to take it off with. Not to mention, how will you even get in while avoiding being caught?" He asks.

"Well, I have this." I open my bag, pulling a wrench out. "This can unbolt it."

"That's from my mom's toolkit." Awan says.

"I didn't come unprepared." I say, "And on how I'll sneak in without being caught, I'll just move quietly."

"Easier said than done, Emilia." He says, "But, if you think you can do it... I won't stop you."

"Thanks." I smile. Awan and I walk over to the abandoned building. I look through the cracks between the boards on the window. "Looks clear." I speak. The light from the sun starts coming over the mountains, illuminating the tops of the buildings. I grabbed the doorknob, and the door creaked open. Awan and I steadily walk in, the floorboards squeaking under our footsteps. The building is cold, with ruined furniture scattered about the floor. There's a large table situated by the window. It becomes clear that this building was once a store that may've been run out of business by the casino. We continue and make it to a staircase. We walked up the stairs to the second floor. "This building has seen better days." I say.

"You're telling me." Awan says. The second floor is in just as much disrepair. But this floor appears to have been a home. Likely where the building's owners lived. We look around, searching multiple doors we see. One is a closet, and another is a bedroom. That left one door. We walk over to it. Upon opening it, we see a staircase leading to another door. We walk up, stairs creaking as we go. We open the door at the top, which leads to the roof. We step out on the roof.

"Welp, we made it up here Awan." I speak.

"Yeah, but it's the first step in a multistep process." Awan says, looking out towards the rising sun. "It is beautiful up here. I'll give it that."

"Yep. Well, if you'll excuse me." I walk over to the edge by the casino. The casino is so close it's in arms reach. I hold the wrench firmly, and I grab the vent cover. I steadily and slowly twist each bolt. And finally, the vent cover comes off, which I place on the roof beside me. "And we're in!" I say, smiling at him.

"Alright, let's go I guess." Awan says. We both then enter the vent. We crawl through the ventilation shaft, and we can hear chatter through the grates. Gamblers dealing below, and music blasting. It's loud. Eventually we come up on a grate, where we see a small room, and a person standing there, speaking to a man who's tied to a chair.

"I'm not telling you anything!" The man in the chair says. "You want to find it?! f*** you!"

"Mr. Espera, you can't afford to speak like that." The other man says, "Just tell me where it is, and all will be fine. Your family won't have to get hurt."

"Screw you! I made a promise to my parents that I wouldn't tell anyone! And I won't tell you! You're nothing but a coward with empty words!" Espera yells.

"Hm. You think this is a bluff? Fine. I'll let you sit here and think about it. By the time I come back, I hope you change your mind. For your family's sake." The man takes a piece of tape, placing it over Espera's mouth. He then exits the room, closing the door behind himself. Awan and I look at one another.

"We should help." I say quietly. I grab the wrench from my bag, loosening the vent cover, and it falls upon the floor. Awan and I climb out of the vent, landing on the floor. We see Espera looking at us. I approach him, removing the tape off his mouth.

"What on earth are two children doing here?! This place isn't safe." He speaks.

"I know." I say, "But I'm here searching for the people who attacked my city. And you seemed like you needed help."

"Kids these days. Sigh..." Espera says, "Fine! If you're going to help, there's a blade on that table over there." He says, "Use it to cut the ropes."

"Okay." I walk over to the table, grabbing the blade. I then walk back over to Espera, and I cut the rope. Espera stands.

"Thank you." He says, "you said that the both of you were here to find people that attacked your city? Why are you in this casino then?"

"Because we received information suggesting that we could find out who by coming here." Awan says. "Do you know anyone going by 'R' Espera?"

"No, that name is unfamiliar. However, if we make it out of here, I'll help you. But we have a problem. This casino is run by the local crime group, the Runevein." He says, "The 'R' may refer to the Runevein. And if that's the case, we may be able to help one another."

"Good! We'll help you too then!" I speak. As we shake hands to seal the deal, we hear a sound.

"Hide!" Espera says. We ran over to the table, hiding under it. Espera however, hides behind the door. A man with a gun and sword on his side enters.

"What?!" He notices Espera isn't in his chair. We watch as Espera creeps up behind him and grabs him around the neck. The man struggles, but eventually passes out. He falls on the floor, and Espera grabs his gun and sword. He motions us to come out of hiding as he closes the door.

"Nice!" I speak.

"Here." Espera says, handing me the sword. I look over at Awan.

"I already have a weapon." I say, "Here Awan, you can have this sword."

"Um, thanks." Awan says, placing the sheath around his waist with the sword placed inside.

"You said you had a weapon already?" Espera asked me.

"Yeah." I take the Explosionationer out of my bag, slipping it onto my hand. "This."

"What does it do?" He asks.

"You'll see." I told him.

"Okay..." He speaks. He opens the door, peeking out into the main casino area. "Come on." The three of us exit, hiding behind a small wall. The noise is almost deafening.

"What do we do?" I ask.

"We'll try to sneak until we're spotted. Then we fight." Espera says.

"Okay. We'll follow your lead." I say, entrusting it to him.

"Let's go then." Espera says. The three of us walk ever so carefully along the wall, until we come to a gap. On the other side is a door. We moved as quickly as possible past the gap and through the door. It led to a room that had a window facing the slot machines. We stay crouched down and make it to a door on the other side of the room. Espera peeks outside of it. "Okay, we may need to fight. We'll have to turn around a highly exposed corner."

"Don't worry. We're both ready for that." I say, readying the Explosionationer.

"I hope you are... Sigh... Let's go." We go out of the door and try to sneak around the corner. But just as Espera thought, we got spotted.

"Hey!" A guard yells, running towards us. We stand up, running towards the exit. I turn, firing ice at our pursuer, covering the ground in ice, which he slips on. A guard runs out in front of us, and Espera unholsters his gun, firing it, hitting the guard in the leg.

"Argh!" The guard yells as we run by. As we reach the door a guard jumps out, grabbing me by my hair. Awan stops running, unsheathing his sword, he stabs the guard in the hip, making him let me go.

"Thanks!" I say, as we keep running. The guard at the front blocks the door, unholstering his gun. He shoots, barely missing Espera. Espera aims and fires, hitting him in the chest. We make it outside. We run down the road as guards are in pursuit. I turn around and push the left button. The ensuing explosion fires at the guards, frightening all of them, and severely injuring one. This frightens Espera too.

"What in the h*** was that?!" He says as we run.

"The thing on my wrist!" I speak.

"These kids are no joke..." He says under his breath. We eventually come up to an alley, and we go into it, slowing to a walk.

"What are we doing here?" Awan asks.

"To hide." Espera says. He walks over to a wooden palette against a wall, moving it, which reveals an opening in the wall. We all three climbs through, leading to an abandoned warehouse.

"Whoa, there's so much space. Is this where you stay?" I ask as he puts the palette back.

"My hideout I guess you could call it. My home is outside the city." He speaks.

"Why do you have a hideout?" Awan asks.

"I've been fighting the Runevein. There were more of us. But they're mostly gone now." He says, "We all got captured in an operation. And I've yet to find any of them."

"Oh. So, you're in a resistance group?" I ask him.

"Heh, yeah. I was." He says, "But as I said, all that's left might be me. So, the group is dead."

"We'll join!" I told him.

"Eh?" He seems confused.

"Well, you said you'd help us, so I want to help you!" I speak.

"I don't think you understand. The Runevein control the whole region. They're basically a small army." He says, "It's dangerous."

"You're not the first person who's told me it's dangerous." I look at Awan. "But I want to help!"

"Hm..." He says, "I see you've got a fire. And that thing on your wrist is devastating. So, fine." He extends his hand, and we shake hands.

"It's a deal!" I say as I smile.

To be continued...