I was looking back at the ElWiki for a bit of info when I saw that they'd gotten rid of the information about the Xin Empire where Ara and Ran come from. That info is lost to everyone else though cause I downloaded that page long ago!
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       "Add, are we going the right way?" Ara asked him. "Yeah, we're going the right way but we'll have to leave this Ice Hameling somewhere in the Senace kingdom. The poor thing wouldn't be able to survive the hot desert," Add said as he let the icey dragon rest a bit. He'd turned her on the right course after he'd considered them a good distance away from Hamel. Once they got to the desert, he'd easily be able to guide them all the way back home from there.

       It would be a perilous journey for them but as long as they stocked up on supplies they'd be fine. They had been traveling for a full day now, having made two stops so far so that they could eat. The small amount of nonperishable food in Ara's bag wouldn't last them much longer. It was still very cold since the winter season was nowhere near over but the Ice Hameling gave them the neat ability to be unaffected by it as long as they were near the icey dragon. Add's random thoughts were interrupted when he felt Ara's arms begin to slip from around his waist.

        He took hold of one of Ara's hands while still holding on to the reigns of the Ice Hameling. "Don't fall asleep. We're almost to a point where we can stop," Add said. Ara gave a sigh of protest. "But I'm tired. Can't we take a break now? We've been flying for hours," Ara whined. Since they'd technically left Hamel in the cover of the night, they'd gotten no sleep and it was already starting to become nighttime once again. Add was used to not getting sleep at times so it didn't bother him but he'd forgotten that Ara was on a strick routine back in the village. She got plenty of sleep all of the time but if she were to go to sleep now, she'd fall.

        "I guess we can take a break now," Add said as he began to guide the Ice Hameling down for a landing. He first checked to see if there was anyone in the surrounding area before landing and there wasn't so he considered it safe. The area was a little unfamiliar being that it was on the very outskirts of the Senace kingdom but Add found a decent spot among the edge of a thin forest. They were getting closer to the desert and Add could tell because the amount of plants were decreasing the further they got.

       Isshin was almost like an oasis though, with plenty of trees of varying types and lots of bamboo. Once they landed, Ara was the first to get off. "Ara, wait, you're supposed to still check to make sure no one is nearby," Add hissed in a whisper that he knew Ara could still hear. "Eun didn't sense anything so it's fine," Ara said with a wave of her hand as she looked around in the shrubs for a decent spot to lay. Add quickly got down from the Ice Hameling and followed after Ara as she went deeper into the thin forest. The Ice Hameling of course followed which Add didn't mind.

        "I at least need my dynamos," Add said once he'd caught up to Ara. She was still carry the bag on her back which she then took of and handed to Add with a slight laugh. When he'd first mentioned the name of his new weapon during their first stop, Ara had teased him for it, claiming that he really did like Dynamo. Add denied this although he knew it to be true and so Ara would laugh at him every time he said his weapon's name. Ara sat down nearby once she found what she considered a good spot. Add had retrieved his dynamos from the bag and had given the bag back to Ara so that she could take out the single blanket that Ryu Jin had so long ago packed in it.

         Ara had earlier offered that she should share the blanket with him but he'd denied her offer. "Don't stay up too long, okay. You still need to get some sleep or else I'll have to fly us and I'm sure you don't want that to happen," Ara said as she lay in the grass and threw the blanket over her. "Actually, I was thinking we'd walk from here. The Ice Hameling will be too close to the desert if we fly any further," Add said. "Then go ahead and release her. She'll want to fly off somehwere I'm sure," Ara said.

        "How do you know it's a she?" Add said as he went over to the Ice Hameling and removed the saddle and reigns. Ara laughed a little which caused Add to slightly smile. "Eun told me so. Eun was actually talking to Naui while we flew. She wants to go on an adventure and everything," Ara said, sitting back up to continue her conversation. "Naui? You mean that's what this Ice Hameling's name is? How is Eun able to even do that anyway?" Add inquired as he sat next to Ara with Naui following and curling around the front of them as she lay down.

        "Eun is a fox spirit. I can't even begin to comprehend all of the things she's able to do. She gives me advice and she helps me out a lot whenever I feel like I can't do something," Ara said. "You've only known Eun for about three days now, Ara," Add said, amused at how she claimed that Eun did so much for her. He found himself feeling a bit uplifted by Ara's words as she kept talking to him although she was so sleepy earlier. He was starting to get that same feeling again, the same one he had when he was comforting Ara back in Hamel, and it reminded him of his question.

        Should he ask her now before they got home, before anything else happened? Ara had stopped talking though and looked at him with worry. "Are you okay? You seem a bit sad all of a sudden," she said with a tilted of her head. "I..." Add answered. He didn't exactly know what to say or do now that Ara had put him in the spot. "If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I just want to make sure that I'm not bothering you or anything," Ara stated. "Do you remember when I told you that I wanted to tell you something if we made it out of Hamel?" Add asked. Ara thought for a bit before nodding, likely wondering what he would say next.

         "I think I should tell you now before we get back home," Add continued. Ara's expression went completely serious as she gave him her full attention. "I've been reconsidering something and I thought I should tell you because you're the reason I reconsidered it. The thing is...I want try something out that I've told you about before. I know that I said I'd never let myself feel that way for anyone but I can't help it. I don't want to end up like my mother, really I don't, so I'm asking you now so I can go ahead and get over it. I don't know how to handle it since I've always tried to avoid it...Ara..." Add was saying but he stopped. He couldn't do it. His mind came to a sudden halt and he froze and pulled his knees to himself, allowing himself to shut down.

        "I think I understand what you mean," Ara said. Add looked over at her to see that she was staring at the ground with a look of uncertainty. "I've actually liked you like that for a while now but I never told you nor did I show you because I already knew where you stood. I knew that you wouldn't accept it because you'd explained to me why you hated love. You told me your reason for never wanting anything to do with it and I respected that, but now you're telling me that you want to reconsider. If I were to accept your change of heart and somehow end up breaking it, I would never be able to forgive myself," Ara said.

       She seemed sadned and conflicted. Add was a bit surprised to hear her words and he wondered how she had been able to go so long knowing, based on what she knew about him, that he would never return her feelings. How had she been able to appear so happy and still just be his friend all while feeling the pain that he knew love caused a person? "I didn't know," Add muttered. "It's okay. It's not that big of a deal," Ara laughed. Add knew what she was doing. She was trying to make it seem as if she was okay, as if she was still happy, but now that Add knew what she'd told him, he would be a fool to let her go along with that.

        "Don't try playing things off as fine. I want to know what you truly think. I need to know. Ara, will you accept my feelings?" Add said as Ara met his gaze but she had a look in her eyes that Add recognized all to easily. She wanted to run. "Ara...please, don't..." Add pleaded. Ara kept his gaze though and she said nothing as she stared at him until she smiled at him. "As long as you promise not to purposely break my heart, I will forever return and accept your feelings," she said. Add felt his entire body relaxing as she spoke and he was filled with bliss upon hearing her words. "I promise," he said with a nod.

         Ara hugged him afterwards which sent him into ecstasy. He stayed that way, letting himself fall into a peaceful sleep as Ara hugged him. Unlike the peace he fell asleep to, he was awoken into panic as he heard Ara's yelp, a cry for help, as she called out to him practically begging him to wake up. He jolted awake to find it morning and that Ara was nowhere near him. Naui was growling quite viciously at someone who was holding Ara by her hair with her hairpin in his other hand. Instinctively, Add activated his dynamos which cirlced him automatically before stopping in a fight stance.

        "I wouldn't do anything if I were you. You made the mistake of giving her your heart so you'd pay the price if you don't listen to what I have to say," the man said. He looked so familiar too and it scared Add. Ara struggled against the man's grip on her hair but she winced in pain when he jerked her head to the side to stop her. Add just stayed perfectly still and listened just as the man told him to. "Last time I dealt with you two, I thought you'd be out of my way but you caused a little problem and I'm going to make you fix it," the man said. Ara made an attempt to grab his own long flowing hair but hand passed right through it, leaving behind purple particles that regrouped to form his hair once more.

        This man's identity became clear once Add saw the resemblance in outfit that he shared with that child version of himself. "Mother is fine by the way. She's doing a lot better now that I've helped her recover her memory. The thing is, you changed something recently that messed with my progress. The downfall of Hamel was supposed to happen yesterday. The Senace kingdom was supoosed to be thrown into utter chaos yet you somehow stopped it. In fact, you reversed the kingdom's fate and thanks to you, the Senace kingdom prospers under the rule of a king with a strong sense of justice. Sounds good right? Well it isn't. Changing the fate of someone who was supposed to die yesterday messup up my control over this dimension and if you don't start changing some other things, it will entirely fall apart. I don't want that to happen," the man said.

        "Then fix it yourself. You seem to have the power to do so," Add grolwed. He couldn't help but be a bit defiant especially since Ara was being harmed. "Bold statement but you're wrong. I can only manipulate so much in this dimension. I can't simply change history with the wave of a hand. You managed to do it in only two days. That's not really a surprise since you're technically another me but that just means you're qualified for the job. I despise you with all of my existence but I need your help and you're going to help me if you'd prefer that this entire dimension doesn't collapse into ruin," the man said.

        "Let Ara go then. That's all you need to do and I'll do whatever it is that I need to," Add said as he looked over to Ara. "I've never been one to care about others like you do for her but I guess it makes sense. You can have Ara Haan back but I don't see what purpose she serves. I'll send you to where you need to go next but you're on your own from there. Don't fail, Add. Failure isn't a good feeling for us," the man said. He gave Ara back her hairpin, actually fixing her hair up a little before placing the hairpin in the center of it. His actions were confusing but he did let Ara go. She ran to his side and glared at the man. "Good luck with this one. I've heard that you had some troubles last time you were in Altera," the man said. Before Add could say anything else, the man waved his hand and Add could see that he too had dynamos. A portal, much like the one from their last encounter, appeared under them and they fell right through.
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I'm sure you guys will be looking forward to more chapters but I've been failing to attend to my other books that were here first. I need to do better guys, I really do. Until next time you incredible readers!