When Stell woke, her eyes were still burning from crying herself to sleep. She sat up to see the sun creeping through the blinds of the windows in her room of Wave's inn. A pleasant aroma filled her senses and her stomach growled to be satisfied.

Straightening herself up and trying to keep herself from looking like she woke up feeling dead, Stell took a deep breath and made her way downstairs where Wave was finishing setting up the table for breakfast. Unie was gobbling up her mother's food while Tak slumped over his food sleepily, as if he needed more sleep. Thorne and Alia were eating as they fed their Familiars as well, no Reuben in sight. Rapario wasn't seen anywhere in the room, but there was a plate that seemed to be reserved for him with a paper towel laid atop it. One head that was accounted for, however, was Kabuto sitting next to Tak, sipping a glass of water and ignoring Stell completely.

Stell made her way to sit in the empty seat as far from Kabuto as possible, which wasn't far as it was next to Unie. Wave set a plate of delicious looking food before Stell, making Stell's stomach grumble even more. She quickly began digging in, almost crying once again from the Heavenly feel of eating something that wasn't Mallor scrap or mush.

"I hope you all slept well last night." Wave smiled sweetly down on the people at her tenants.

Thorne mumbled her praises through her mouth-full of food while Alia nodded a bow to the older woman. Kabuto mumbled under his breath as Tak yawned and grumbled about sleeping under the same roof as a bunch of water nymphs. Stell thanked Wave and complimented about how comfortable her room was.

"I'm glad to hear it," Wave tilted her head as she smiled at everyone, "I hope Rapario returns before you all leave, he likes to get some work done early in the morning."

"He wouldn't happen to know anyone willing to give us a boat ride to Sefloria would he?" Kabuto asked, looking up from his breakfast to the water nymph.

"He does know a few merchants that travel from here to other places," Wave responded, "but I'm not sure if many will lend you a boat. Not a lot of people around here are as trusting as shadows anymore."

Stell looked from the corner of her eye to see Kabuto look down at his cup shamefully. A twinge of pity only took Stell for just a moment before she returned to eating her breakfast, not caring if Kabuto was against Alabaster or not. He was planning on blowing her cover and having her arrested before she could even touch the Grimorie. There had to be a reason why she was chosen and it had to be something to do with finally taking down Alabaster. Stell refused to let any shadow take that chance from her. Rebel or not.

Not long after Stell, Thorne, and Tak finished eating, Reuben finally made his appearance down to the others. His silver hair, once straight and groomed, now unkempt and almost all over the place.

"Good morning, everyone," Reuben yawned, "how was everyone's dreams?"

"I had a nightmare I made a pact with an overrated necromancer who flirts with anything that has a fine build." Alia mumbled as she lifted a piece of scrambled egg to her mouth.

"How'd it end, exactly?" asked Reuben, eying his assistant and daring her to answer rudely.

"It never will," Alia sighed, slumping in her seat.

Wave set Reuben's plate, but he barely touched his food as he discussed the importance of dreams with Thorne, using Stell's vision as an example. Upon bringing up Stell's vision of the Grimorie, Kabuto shot her a look. She ignored him, not wanting anything to do with him this early, especially with the children in the room. It wasn't Tak's fault Kabuto was a jerk.

Rapario soon walked in from the outside, greeting everyone as he stepped over to kiss Wave on the head.

"I have good news everyone!" the earth satyr beamed. "I am currently on vacation, so you are welcome to use my boat to sail to Sefloria."

Wave and Unie jolted at Rapario's proposal and shared a look. Wave gripped her husband's arm and dragged him over to the corner of the room, whispering hurriedly to him about the possibility that the boat won't be returned.

"You don't have to to this," Kabuto stood, "we can find another way to get to Sefloria."

"Yes, but do we have the time?" Reuben pointed out. "I would rather we get the Grimorie sooner than later so I can return to my research."

"And I'd rather not go to Sefloria," Kabuto shot back, "but if this thing has any way of telling me how to stop Alabaster, then I'll take a life time to find it if it means I don't have to mooch off innocent people."

"No one asked you to come." Stell mumbled under her breath.

Kabuto turned his emerald glare to the witch, Stell shooting one back. Tak immediately noticed the tension and shrunk in his seat shakingly while the necromancers shared a concerned look.

"We can get by without the boat for a while," Rapario spoke with a weak smile, probably noticing the fury between shadow and witch, "you won't be mooching off of us, I promise you."

"Well if they're taking our stuff, I'm going with them!" Unie exclaimed angrily. Wave began to protest, but Unie cut her off. "It's not fair that we let them stay here after that fire mage insulted our people, fed a shadow free food, and let a bunch of outsiders take our boat! I want them to be in our debt and remember their in our debt by going with them on our boat!"

"If I may?" Kabuto crossed his arms. "Is this just an excuse to join in on this little 'adventure' we're on?"

"No," Unie exclaimed, her face turning red, "I want to get my town's money back!" Kabuto looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "And to finally go on an adventure."

"Unie, it's much too dangerous out there for you!" Wave explained hastily as she gripped her daughter's shoulders. "What if the Mallor's shadows find you? What if you get hurt? You could be killed out there!"

"Ma'am," Kabuto spoke, "I know you're concerned for Unie's well-being, but every help counts. Tak has been with me since he was practically a baby and he's seen me in many battles. I can promise you, I wouldn't let anything horrible happen to him, just as I will promise you that Unie will be safe with us."

"She's only seven years old!" Trapario exclaimed, exasperated. "How can you even think we'd let her go with a bunch of strangers?"

Stell remained silent as Unie's family argued with Kabuto and Reuben, who had decided to join Kabuto's side in the matter, telling them of him taking Thorne under his wing despite being so young and inexperienced in her own magic as well. Stell looked down at Unie to see the young water nymph cross her arms and pout as the adults around her seemed to argue about what was best for her. Stell felt much sympathy for the child. She herself never got to truly experience the world until only recently. The only places she knew of were her home town in Sefloria and the Mallor castle of Kespain. If this was the only life Unie was exposed to, she'd end up just as bitter as Stell. No child had to see the world through Stell's eyes.

"I think it's best she join us as well," Stell spoke as she stood. Everyone went silent, looking to Stell in shock. "Trust me, Unie will be safe with us, I would never forgive myself if something would happen to her. Being cooped up in a town being controlled by the Mallors won't make her the happy child I know you want her to be. You've seen this world before Alabaster. She hasn't. If she stays here feeling powerless, she'll be forced to despise Kespain as much as I do. If you want her to love living here, you'll let her come and help save this town."

Wave and Rapario shared a look while Unie looked to them both, hope filling her blue eyes. The older nymph and satyr seemed to exchange words with their eyes and through the gestures they made to one another. They continued on like this for a moment before both took long sighs and ran their fingers through their hairs.

"Alright, fine," Wave sighed in defeat, "she can go."

Unie's face shone brightly with joy, everyone's cups shaking slightly as the liquids inside them stirred. Though she was just a child, the little nymph seemed to be filled with much power. Tak however immediately went downcast, slumping with a huff in his chair.

When Wave and Rapario gave their blessings directly to their daughter, Unie bolted off to gather her things, returning to the room in a flash, a big bag slumped over her shoulder.

Everyone else finished off their meals before gathering their own things and making their way out. They stood impatiently waiting outside the inn as Wave and Rapario showered Unie in hugs and kisses, telling her to be careful over a hundred times and to watch her health over a thousand times. Unie vowed to write whenever she could as she tried freeing herself from their grasps and following after everyone, only to end up leading the way to where Rapario's boat was.

At the docks, Unie led the group to the end of the line-up of ships that bobbed slightly on the surface of the ocean water. Stell gripped her locket, hoping she wouldn't get sea sick on her first trip out to sea. Unie then stopped at a smaller looking boat, however it still looked as durable as the giant ships they had passed.

"I'm not getting on that thing!" Tak cried out as Unie threw her stuff onto the boat. "It wouldn't be able to handle a puddle!"

"I'll have you know, a good carpenter friend of ours built this with his own hands!" Unie snapped at the fire mage.

"If he's anything like all water nymphs around here then he must suck." Tak rolled his eyes.

"That's enough Tak," Kabuto ordered as he threw his bag of supplies into the boat, "they were kind enough to give us a boat to sail to Sefloria, now show some humility and thank the nymph."

"I just don't understand why we can't just fly there instead of taking a boat that's going to be surrounded by water." Tak grumbled as he climbed into the boat after Unie, who continued to glare at him insulted.

"Because you can't fly, the necromancers don't seem to know how, and the witch forgot her broom." Kabuto answered while Reuben helped Thorne into the boat, Harry on her shoulder and waited for Alia and Farkas to clamber in before he stepped in.

Stell felt her face turn slightly pink, glaring at the shadow for his remark. "I don't have a broom!" she snapped.

"Just get in the damn boat," Kabuto shot back, shooting Stell another death glare.

Stell clenched her fists before relaxing herself as best she could and climbed into the boat, sitting with a huff between Tak and Unie, who both pouted as well at the thought of traveling together. Kabuto began to push the boat deeper into the water with all his strength after he untied it from the docks. Once the hunk of wood was far out enough, Kabuto jumped in, his boots all the way up to his knees wet.

Stell's anger was soon replaced with an accelerating epiphany that made her run to the side of the boat and watch the land of Kespain get smaller and smaller as they drifted further away from it. She was finally leaving the dreaded shadow kingdom and going home. There was no sign of the Mallors or their men looking for her. There was no one in Sefloria that'd recognize her as the Mallors' witch. She was free. Finally free. No more forbidden spells, no more being harassed, no more Queen Xyla, no more Kespain. Nothing was ever going to be the same, but at least she was finally going home after three long, horrible years. She was going home.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Tak groaned as the boat gently swayed on the water's surface.

Stell hid her smile, knowing she'd cause Kabuto to become even more suspicious of her, as best she could. Even when land vanished behind them hours ago. She remained quiet and serious in the face as everyone else on the boat.

Reuben was on one side of the boat teaching Thorne a spell that made a small ball of light that when she touched it the lights split into strings that went to each of her fingers. Alia watched from the side and twindled her fingers, a silver and green light swirling around her arms. Farkas and Harry slept close to their masters, their bodies rising and falling in time with one another.

Meanwhile, Kabuto was with both Tak and Unie, inspecting Unie's "weapons". Most were sticks tied together with old stones carved into arrow head shapes and feathers weaved into the bottom of the sticks. She also had tiny beads in a small bag that she explained were used for tripping people when they ran at her or for throwing at their heads. Kabuto then pulled out a tangled mess of bear traps that made he and Tak look to Unie with strange looks.

"What?" Unie shrugged. "It's the sure fire way to keep bad people out of my town."

Kabuto just shook his head with a light chuckle and returned the traps to the bag. He then grabbed one of the arrows and stood, noting the sky as the sun was begging its descent into the horizon of the sea. He nodded to Tak and offered to teach him how to catch a fish without a fishing pole. The fire mage immediately accepted and followed Kabuto to the edge of the boat. Unie cringed before grabbing her bag and ruffling through it, probably checking her inventory to make sure Kabuto hadn't stolen anything she couldn't waste.

Curious on how to use a bow and arrow herself, Stell inched closer to Kabuto and Tak. The shadow positioned his friend's arms and body to have his arms point the arrow toward the water. He guided Tak's hands to grip the bow and the feather entwined bottom of the arrow, moving his index finger and thumb to hold up the stone arrow head up steady.

"Now you see that silver light just below the surface of the water?" Kabuto asked, pointing to the water. Stell looked to see the skinny, twinkle of silver light moving quickly. Tak nodded. "Those are fish, at sea that and a couple of birds are all you can eat if you don't bring food. The trick is not to aim at the prey you want to catch with an arrow. You have to aim where the prey is going to be." Kabuto had Tak point his arrow toward the fish and then slowly move it to where the fish was heading. "Keep it steady. Steady. Now..." he moved his hands carefully away from Tak's. "Release!"

Tak released his grasp of the bottom of the arrow and Stell watched in amazement as the arrow zipped into the water. It froze suddenly just above the water as it stuck a fish that ceased its swim. Tak cheered excitedly, his green eyes shining proudly.

"Great job, Tak!" Kabuto praised happily, slapping him gently on the back.

"That's was a perfect hit, Tak," Stell complimented, watching the arrow begin to slowly sink. "Question, how do you think he's going to bring it to the boat?" she asked, looking to Kabuto quizzically.

Kabuto began to answer, but quickly realized he didn't have one. He and Tak looked to the water as the last of the arrow vanished into the sea. Tak's shoulders lowered sadly while Kabuto ran his fingers through his shadow black hair, embarrassed.

Stell rolled her eyes until she spotted a pile of rope near the back of the boat. She ran to grab it and took another arrow from Unie's bag. She tied up the rope at the bottom of the arrow and handed to Tak.

"Try now," Stell nodded.

Tak set the bow and arrow once again and pointed back to the sea. Kabuto shot Stell a quick look before assisting Tak again as the young mage searched for more silver lights in the water.

"Release!" Kabuto called out and Tak released his now tied arrow into the water where it froze at the surface, stabbing something solid in the water.

Tak praised himself again before pulling the fish into the boat by the rope. It wasn't a big fish, not enough to fill everyone's stomachs, but it was food nonetheless.

Kabuto then took the fish off the arrow and went to sit in the middle of the boat, setting Tak's catch down in front of him. He crossed his legs and placed his hands on his knees as he glared at the fish, closing his eyes as if in deep concentrated. Stell felt dizzy as Kabuto's shadow slithered from below his body and up to the fish, where his darkness flowed off the wood of the boat and around the fish, until it's scales were no longer seen. Steam rose from the black fish-shaped shadow solid figure and Stell's nostrils were filled the smell of cooking fish.

When the steam began to darken slightly, Kabuto opened his eyes and his shadow slithered back beneath him, away from the fish. It body was completely skinned and cooked, the head gone as if it were chopped clean off.

"Time to eat," the shadow called out before taking out a dagger and cutting the cooked body of the fish into small pieces that would feed everyone.

Tak, Thorne, and Harry ran over immediately while Reuben, Alia, Farkas, and Stell followed after slowly. Unie remained where she stood with her bag, glaring disgustedly at the food Kabuto had made.

"Unie, aren't you going to eat?" Stell asked the nymph.

Unie gagged and rolled her eyes. "I don't eat fish," she huffed looking away, "fish are a water elemental's friend, we don't eat friends."

"Only fish faces can make friends with other fish faces," Tak commented as he began to devour his fish.

Kabuto lightly smacked the back of Tak's head, the mage exaggerating the blow with a jerk forward and loud yelp. "I'm sorry we killed one of your friends, Unie," the shadow looked to the young nymph sympathetically, "but we forgot to grab some food before leaving your town and we can't go without eating. I know what it's like to lose friends, but I'm sure, if they still traveled with me and they died while I was starving, they'd want me to eat them so I could live on in their name and they wouldn't have died in vain. You want this fish to die knowing he didn't feed you and save you from starving to death?"

Unie eyed the fish everyone else was digging into before getting up and joining them. She begrudgingly snatched up a piece of fish and shoved it in her mouth, chewing angrily at her food.

"Between you and me, I could always go for a double chocolate molten lava cake," Stell smiled kindly down at Unie. The nymph's blue eyes shined at the thought. "My mom used to make them for me for almost every occasion; Christmas, my birthday, my dad's birthday. It was one of my favorite things to do when I was your age. Maybe I can make you some before you have to go back to Kespain."

"I want some too!" Tak exclaimed excitedly. Kabuto eyed the mage before eyeing Stell. "Lava cake sounds friggin' awesome!"

Kabuto sighed. "Just hope her folks don't try burning us at the stake."

Stell held back a harsh remark of her own, only tearing off a piece of her fish as she glared at Kabuto. "That's going to be impossible seeing as how stakes aren't something we have in Sefloria and that my folks have been dead for three years."

Reuben's gulp from eating his fish seemed to echo at the sudden tense silence that came over the boat. Kabuto lowered his piece of fish, giving Stell an unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry," the shadow looked away, "I didn't know."

"It's not like any of us have really gotten to know each other," Stell shrugged, remaining strong as to keep Kabuto from finding a weakness, "don't want there to be any mistakes in who a person is."

"My parents are dead too," Kabuto ignored Stell's accusing words, "ten years."

A moment of tense silence fell over the boat. Even Reuben seemed uncomfortable by the hate mixed with understanding feeling between the shadow and witch. Stell felt bad for the one who brought down the mood. She was being selfish when she had no right to be.

"But, much like this fish, they gave their lives for mine," Kabuto signed, breaking the silence, "so there's no point in living in the past. I have to stop Alabaster for them."

"You can do that on your own, master!" Tak scoffed. "You don't need parents to be awesome! Like me, I never had 'em, never gonna need 'em!"

"Guessing by your face, they're hiding." Unie shot.

"Oh, like you're so awesome with your lousy weapons!" Tak shot back. "No parents means being able to do and go wherever you want without being babied to death!"

"They do that because parents are supposed to love their kids," Unie pointed out, "clearly these two don't love you like parents are supposed to." she accused, looking to Kabuto and Stell.

"They're not my parents!" Tak replied. "He's a shadow, she's a witch, I'm a fire mage!"

"And?" Unie turned to Tak. "My mom's a water nymph and Rapario's an earth satyr. Yet they both love and take care of me together."

"Wait, wait," Kabuto interrupted the argument with a wave of his hand, "you call your father by his name?"

"Rapario?" Unie looked to Kabuto with a raised eyebrow. "Rapario's not my father. He's really serious with my mom, but he's not the one who the ocean chose to be my biological father."

"Well, what happened to your biological father?" Stell asked gently.

"Don't know," Unie shrugged, "my mom doesn't talk about him much and when she does she refers to him as... Um... A piece of lousy dirt bag trash."

Reuben surpressed a chuckle, causing Alia to hit him in the arm for being insensitive. Unie, however, didn't seem to be fazed by her words at all. She was practically numb saying the spiteful words of her mother about her father.

"I never really cared to know my dad," Unie finished her fish, "from how my mom talks, or lack there of, about him he sounds like a bully. Rapario's the only man who my mom ever really liked."

"Trust me, sweetie," Stell chuckled, "I like Tak, but I'm not a fan of... Shadows... Even if they're good guys."

"Does that mean I can have lava cake?" Tak asked hungrily, ignoring the glare Kabuto gave Stell at her insult.

"Of course," Stell smiled.

"I'm with Tak," Alia finished her fish, "my parents are still alive and they keep in touch, but ever since I was twelve I never needed them. Being on my own is what got me in the Nether War."

"My parents are dead beats," Thorne waved a hand, "they refuse to use their magic for anything and it was stunting my growth greatly! That's why I let Reuben talk me into making a lifelong deal with him to be his novice and make me the greatest necromancer ever!"

"See, parents are useless when you wanna be cool!" Tak laughed.

Stell noticed Kabuto shake his head in disagreement. Stell couldn't help but agree with the shadow. She was lost without her parents.

"What about you, Reuben?" Thorne asked, looking up at her mentor. "What were your parents like? Did you like them?"

"Oh, hell no," Reuben laughed, putting his arm around Thorne's shoulders, "I was born from pure, unadulterated hate and agony."

"What?" Thorne asked.

Just then, a loud banging sound was heard and Stell jumped back as a hole opened up right in front of her, a long, stiff rope coming from inside the hole made into the boat. The sound of water beginning to flow in at the bottom of the boat could be heard.

Everyone turned to see a giant ship looming over them, the sails black with skulls with fangs flowing on them. Figures appeared at the edge of the top of the boat, swords and daggers in their hands.

"Pirates!" Kabuto jumped to his feet.

The figures jumped down from the ship to reveal different creatures from Unnatural half-human, half-animal beats to cyborgs. Some carried naturally made weapons and others carried weapons from their own appendages. A ladder fell over the side behind the band of pirates and the boat Rapario lent everyone slowly began to sink. Stell wrapped her arms around both Tak and Unie, Thorne standing behind her with Harry in her arms. Kabuto, Reuben, Alia, and Farkas stood between the pirates and Stell with the children, weapons and spells ready to fight if needed.

The sound of boots hitting the wood behind her made Stell spin to see a young girl with a long sword in her hand. Her long black hair flowed in the breeze of the sea and her sharp golden-brown eyes pierced Stell like a blade. She pointed the sword at Stell with a wicked smile on her face.

"Get on the ship and no one gets hurt!" the girl ordered. "You're coming with us, under the law of the Mallor family!"

I promised myself I'd finish this chapter today as a Christmas present to me!! I did it!! Thanks for reading! Merry Christmas!!!