Location: Earth

"Hey." Vaskin said, trying to break the tension after the night before.

"Get away from me!" Manx snapped like a wounded animal caught in the steel jaws of a trap. She stormed down the halls of the school, trying to avoid all social interaction.

"Manx! Wait! I'm so sorry about last night! Please, just give me a chance!" Vaskin said forlornly, chasing after her.

"Are you really sorry? I don't think so. And I've already given you your chance. Now leave me alone." Manx replied.

"Please, just listen!" Vaskin pleaded. He looked so pitiful, and for a moment she was tempted to forget all that had happened the night before, seeing how low he was now. But she couldn't.

"I've already listened to you before. You think you can just keep crawling back, after everything. I thought you had changed. But you're still the same paraglisp boy who ran away with the Diamond lily, and then ran back only for protection from the trouble you caused. Just leave me alone." Manx coldly replied. She noticed how all eyes were on her, and she felt threatened and vulnerable.

"What are you all looking at?" Manx yelled, as a wave of fear passed over all the onlookers. She felt a twinge in her injured arm, and realized that somehow she was using some aspect of her powers she had never unlocked before. She saw Vaskin on his knees, cowering like a stray dog.

"What...what have I done?" Manx gasped in alarm, before turning to run down the halls to find somewhere less crowded. She finally came to an abandoned stairwell and sat down in relief of the solitude. Just as she thought she was safe, she heard a voice speaking beside her.

"It's called shadowfear." Khashmyr said. Manx jumped in surprise, before inching away from the cat.

"GAH! How far do I have to run before I can finally be alone!" Manx groaned at the cat who was in her true form this time.

"Pretty far, I'm afraid. But keep it down or you'll get us noticed." Khashmyr replied.

"W..what's shadowfear?" Manx asked quietly.

"It's another part of your silver helix ability of shadow. You know how many creatures fear the dark or that which lurks within it? Well, shadowfear temporarily causes all those around you to have a sudden unexplained fear as if everything in the darkness is creeping up on them at once. How it works is basically you're reflecting all your fear onto your attacker, or perceived attacker in this case. It'll wear off as soon as you leave." Khashmyr replied nonchalantly.

"D...did your cat just talk?!" Someone said in surprise. Manx cowered in the corner of the stairwell and Khashmyr made a choking sound.

"Hey, It's okay. I think I'm used to this kind of thing. You don't have to hide." The human girl said gently.

Khashmyr continued to hack and wheeze, and Manx gave the cat a sharp elbow in the side to say "cut it out."

"Is...Is your name Manx?" The other girl said.

Manx narrowed her eyes and replied, "How did you know?"

"You...you seem familiar. Everything around here feels so distant, but somehow I think I know you." the girl said with a look of confusion on her face. Manx looked into the girl's eyes with suspicion and noticed that her eyes were a vibrant shade of ice cold blue.

"Of course you know her!" Khashmyr piped up, her two tails twitching excitedly.

"Empress?" Manx said aloud, suddenly realizing who she was speaking to.

"Huh?" the girl said, as if she didn't know.

Khashmyr put a paw over Manx's mouth and said, "It's best we take this slowly. Overwhelming her with what has happened will not help anything."

Manx nodded and got to her feet, awkwardly looking at the dragon trapped in human form.

"What did you call me?" the girl said gently with a perplexed look on her face.

"I...I didn't...I mean...gah! How is this happening! Okay, sure, we came here looking for you, but to find you now...Ugh!" Manx stammered.

"Why would you have to look for me? I've been here all this time, at least, I think so. Everything's a little fuzzy since I fell out of...I honestly don't know." the girl replied.

"Do you know your name?" Khashmyr asked.

"It's Leif, duh! What else would I be called." she replied obstinately.

"Good. What else do you know? Where do you come from? What are you?" Khashmyr questioned.

"Whoa, now hold on! This is a bit much for me! Um...well, I know I followed Manx because she looked distressed and I recognized her...somehow. I don't know where I came from. And I'm human! What else would I be, a fire breathing dragon? I mean, c'mon!" Leif ranted.

Manx and Khashmyr gave her a funny look and Leif tilted her head and said, "Oh, so you're about to tell me that I am a fire breathing dragon from another world. Pshhht! Yeah right!"

"She remembers!" Khashmyr said enthusiastically.

"Remembers what?" Leif said, furrowing her brow.

"The details can be fleshed out later. With everything that has happened, it's obvious that having it all come back at once would be a bit much for you. For now, how about I give you my address and we can discuss everything in detail." Khashmyr said, pulling a small piece of paper out of thin air.

Leif reached out a hand and cautiously took the piece of paper from Khashmyr's paw and replied, "Um...sure. I'll stop by and talk. I find your funny little lies quite amusing, cat."

"Look, do you have any idea how far we came to get you out of here? And I left everything behind, my home, my family, my friends. I even got this..." Manx said, pulling up her sleeve and showing Leif the wound before finishing, "...for your sake! And it wasn't by choice either. The least you can do is thank us!"

"Um...sure. Thanks, I guess." Leif replied, playing along.

Khashmyr noticed Manx's raised fist, and she said, "Don't."

Manx looked at her hand in alarm and felt the side of her neck pulsing, right where the scorpion had stung her. A tear trickled down Manx's cheek and she bit her lip and turned away. "I...I didn't mean..." Manx started, before a hand was gently placed on her shoulder.

"It's alright. I get riled up pretty bad to when there's something I find worth fighting for. If I can help in any way, I'll be there at the address your cat friend gave me." Leif said kindly.

Manx turned to look into Leif's eyes and she said, "I...I'm sorry, Empress. I'm afraid."

"You're braver than you know to admit that, my friend." Leif replied, and in that moment Manx could almost see the dragon that Leif really was standing right beside her.

"Manx! Wait up! There you are!" Vaskin said as he turned the corner.

"Now we're all here!" Khashmyr said happily.

Vaskin gave them a perplexed look and said, "What did I miss?"

"Vaskin! As keen as ever I see." Leif said happily, instantly recognizing him.

"Leif! Er...Empress! We've found you!" Vaskin said, before saying, "Well this is awkward."

"The feeling is mutual." Leif said smugly.

Manx stepped back, trying to put more distance between herself and Vaskin.

"What happened between you two?" Leif asked with curiosity.

"He tried to kiss me!" Manx snapped.

"Did not! It's called mouth to mouth resuscitation!" Vaskin said in his defense.

Leif grinned widely and let out a little laugh. "Wow, Vaskin! What brought that on?"

"She stopped breathing and..." Vaskin began.

"Five seconds does not count as 'stopped breathing', Vaskin! You know what you did was totally reckless and uncalled for!" Manx retorted.

"How about you two just refrain from contact for a bit or else someone's gonna get hurt." Leif said.

"Yes, Empress." Vaskin and Manx said at the same time.

"Hey! Whoa! It was merely a suggestion! You don't have to treat me like I lord over you or anything." Leif replied.

"How about we take this to my place." Khashmyr said, looking around the halls.

"But it's the middle of the school day!" Leif stated.

"That never stopped you before." Khashmyr said knowingly.

"But those times I was going after...I...I was...I don't remember." Leif said, putting a hand to her head.

"My place. Now." Khashmyr said, running off into the hallway.

"Cat, wait! No animals allowed! You can't be seen like this!" Leif stated.

"Easy to fix." Khashmyr said, turning to her human form.

"If we're skipping school, do you have to be so conspicuous?" Leif asked.

"You think the bow and leather jacket are a bit much? Well, It's called style. I can't go parading around in ordinary human get up, now can I? In fact, using a human form is a bit pushing it I think. Now off we go!" Khashmyr replied confidently.

"Well, she does make a statement." Leif mumbled under her breath as she and Vaskin and Manx followed Khashmyr out the doors of the school and onto the next leg of their adventure.

"So...This is your place?" Leif asked as Khashmyr pulled up to her house.

"Yep." Khashmyr replied.

"Isn't it a little...conspicuous?" Leif replied cautiously, before continuing, "If I came from another world and wanted to hide this is the last house I would stay in."

"And that's why it works." Khashmyr stated.

Location: The Valdt

"Your Excellency! Your Excellency! You would never guess what I've found!" Saladorian exclaimed excitedly in his gravelly voice.

"What is it?" Lyrica said with disinterest.

"I have found it! I have found it!" Saladorian replied excitedly, his stony tail wagging happily.

"Oh for Naegori's sake, could you please just tell me what you've found?" Lyrica growled to her gargoyle minion.

"The...the rift, mistress! I have found the rift they left through to get to Earth after the Empress!" Saladorian said.

Lyrica instantly perked up and said, "Well, then, where is it?"

"In a forest not far from here! Hurry!" Saladorian screeched.

A wide smile spread across Lyrica's face as she followed the gargoyle out of the cave and into the daylight. Soon he had led her directly to the rift, shimmering in the light of the sun. She cautiously retracted a claw and swiped at the air around the rift, uttered a small word, and the rift snapped shut.

"They won't be coming back any time soon, and when they do it will be too late!" Lyrica mused, extremely satisfied with herself.

Location: Earth

"So, you're saying I'm a dragon from another world trapped here in human form by my evil nemesis Lyrica?" Leif asked suspiciously.

"Yep. And we have the evidence to prove it." Khashmyr stated.

Leif gave her a funny look and said, "Either you're right, or you're crazy." to Khashmyr.

"I think she's a little bit of both." Vaskin said, and Manx put her hand over her mouth to hide the tiny smile beginning to spread across her face.

"Okay then. Prove it." Leif replied with a smirk.

"Easy. All I have to do is open this world's end of the dimensional rift and take you through." Khashmyr stated, getting up from the table. Khashmyr whispered something under her breath, closed her eyes, and waited. Suddenly, she flew backwards as if by some unseen force. She got to her feet, whispered and closed her eyes again, and the same thing happened.

"Rat pellets." Khashmyr said, trying the process again. And again it happened, knocking her flat on her back.

"W...What do you mean rat pellets?" Manx said nervously.

"We're stuck here." Khashmyr groaned.

"Either that was real or you're just making a big fool of yourself. And you don't seem to me like the kind of person to like being laughed at, so I guess I believe you know. But if that was the only way back to this other world, then your mission is technically a failure." Leif said.

"Oh no it isn't. There are other ways..." Khashmyr said, looking over at Manx.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Manx asked nervously.
"Because..." Khashmyr began, "...You're going to get us home."

"WHAT?" Manx snapped with wide eyes, looking for an escape route.

"You can do it, can't you?" Khashmyr asked. Manx rolled up her left sleeve and glared at Khashmyr.

"Oh...Right. Well then, in that case,..." Khashmyr said glumly.

"So we're really stuck here?" Vaskin asked.

"Sadly, yes. Unless we figure out a way to bypass the elemental wound, it is next to impossible to get back. The best she could do is send a message in this state." Khashmyr replied.

"Wait, if it's an elemental wound, then can't someone channel their energy into her to help make the connection?" Leif stated.

"How did you...?" Khashmyr asked.

"I haven't lost all my memories yet. Some just come up here and there." Leif replied.

"Actually, that is ingenious! Why didn't I think of it before!" Khashmyr shouted excitedly, looking over at Manx.

"It wouldn't be enough." Manx said sadly.

"Oh, right. Hmm...We may have to wait until nightfall to attempt anything." Khashmyr started. "Unless...We could send a message during the day to Miraj to be ready for us at the infirmary and let the others know, and we could even have Kaeoryn help bridge the gap when the time comes. We would have to come up with a signal of sorts to let them know it's time."

Manx perked up a bit and replied, "I think I could do that if I had a little help."

"Manx, you need to know that this could be extremely painful and even dangerous. Even if it works I am unsure whether or not you will be able to survive crossing between worlds and holding the gap open enough for us to go through. If sending the message saps too much of your energy we will need to wait awhile before we try to go all the way through. Do you understand?' Khashmyr said.

Manx nodded and replied, "I know. But it's worth it if I get to speak to my parents one last time."

"What can I do to help?" Vaskin asked nervously.

"Be there to support her." was all that Khashmyr said to him, before turning to her true form and looking up at Manx, concern in her eyes.

"I'm ready." Manx said, closing her eyes. Khashmyr put her paw in Manx's hand and channelled her energy into Manx's thin frame as black rings appeared and encircled them. Manx's arm burned like fire, but Khashmyr's added strength helped her ignore the pain.

Location: The Valdt

Sorrelle spun around, thinking she had heard a familiar voice.
"Manx?" She said softly, before muttering to herself, "It can't be!"

"Mom!" Manx yelped, wishing that she could go farther than just projecting a figment of herself through the shadows.

"How...How did you get here?" Sorrelle said, shocked at seeing her daughter there.

"I don't have much time. I have to give you and everyone an important message." Manx replied

"What is it then?" Sorrelle asked.

Manx reached out her hand, before saying, "Somehow the rift is sealed. We found the Empress, but we can't get back here. It's taking most of my strength and Khashmyr's to send you this message. I am going to give you a signal when we are going to come back. Khashmyr said to tell Miraj to have the infirmary ready for us."

"Alright then. I will pass that on, but why the infirmary?" Sorrelle questioned.

"Last time I tried this...I...I got wounded somehow. It's nothing. Really. I'm fine. Where is Dad? I have to tell him. I have to tell the others. Please, can you find them?"  Manx said, her voice becoming a bit more strained.

Sorrelle nodded and called for Kaeoryn, who rushed into the room as fast as he could. When he saw Manx standing there, he didn't look the least bit surprised.
"What is it?" Kaeoryn asked

"The rift has been sealed. The only way we can get back is through me. I'm...I'm going to need your help...dad." Manx said.

Kaeoryn nodded and replied, "Why are you only sending a message?"

"I can't do much more." Manx snapped, clenching her arm in pain. Her father saw the light poking out from the wound under her hand and he asked, "How did that happen?"

"I don't know. Last time I did this..." Manx said.

"And you let it happen?" He said angrily.

"I didn't see it coming! I was confused and scared and I didn't know what I was doing. It just happened!..." Manx said in her defense.

"Who did this to you?" Kaeoryn growled

"I don't know! I was talking to Xolt and another kitsune...one I've never seen before..." Manx yelped.

"So you don't know whether it was Xolt or the other one?" Kaeoryn asked.

"So much happened that night. I was mad, and I somehow found myself here, and then I was back on Earth, and..." Manx ranted.

"And?" Kaeoryn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Vaskin tried to kiss me." Manx confessed. Sorrelle put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile, but Kaeoryn's hands began swirling with shadows.

"That's it! I'm getting my axe!" Kaeoryn roared in fury, before saying, "Don't you dare let that boy touch you, you hear me?"

"I..." Manx whimpered, before lowering her gaze.

"Never again! That boy is going to keep his hands off of MY daughter, or he is not going to keep his hands at all!" Kaeoryn bellowed back.
"Kaeoryn, calm down! It was probably just an innocent mistake!" Sorrelle said in alarm, trying to calm him down.

"MISTAKE?! I'll show you a mistake when I'm through with that boy, you hear me!" Kaeoryn retorted.

"I have to go soon! I don't know how much longer I can stay like this!" Manx piped up.

"We will be ready when you return." Sorrelle said, before stating, "Please be careful when you do return."

"I'll try." Manx replied. But she could no longer hold the connection, and she was blasted back to Earth in a split second.