It had been a few months since they had left their portals, but two of the friends were hit with deviation when their hybrid friend didn't end up in the same place that they had ended up. They searched night and day for what felt like an eternity for their friend, but they had always come back empty handed. They could only hope that he was okay, wherever he was.
The ex-commander and the elf walked along in the old, over grown forest. It was dark, with the moonlight seeping through the leaves of the tall trees. Moths flew around, strange noises echoed from the forest. The only thing that was really relaxing about the place, were the fireflies giving off their warm light.

"I can't believe you got us kicked out of the inn." Mia said, glaring at her close friend.

Grayson shrugged, with a cookie jar in his arms. He took a bite of the chocolate chip cookie in his hands, then spoke while his mouth was still full.

"Well, the cookie jar was just sitting there, and no one else was eating from it."

Mia rolled her eyes. Typical Grayson. Her bright lime green eyes moved to look at him again. Her heart always raced when she looked up at him. Even if he was stupid at times, he was smart at other times. Mia wasn't exactly sure if that was a good combination, but she loved that about him. It just meant that he was full of surprises. The noises in the ominous Forest began to grow louder and louder. Her heart raced. She hadn't even realized that her hand had slowly wrapped around the ex-commanders.

  "What are you doing?" He asked, a blush spreading across his face.

The elf looked down, her face getting red in embarrassment. Mia pulled her hand away.

  "I-I'm so sorry! I did realize..!"

Grayson put his hands up. "Woah! M-Mia, it's okay! I don't m-mind at all!"

It became silent, as the stared at each other for what felt like forever. The tension was broken, when Grayson lifted up his hand, and wrapped his fingers on her hand. Her skin was smooth and soft in his grasp. His face still red, as well as hers.m

  "If you need me to comfort you...I'm here." He said, as he began to walk again, leading Mia by her hand.

The girl couldn't help but look away, trying to hide her blush. She didn't know if he felt romantic feelings like she did, but she was too embarrassed to say anything. She didn't want to ruin what they already had. Grayson looked down at the elf, smiling down at her softly. He could feel her hand shaking. He knew that she was scared of the unknown that lived in the ominous forest.

"Hey, Mia... There's a place I want to show you around here. It very relaxing. I think you will enjoy it!"

Grayson lead her by the hand, into the long, overgrown trees covered in vines. They pushed the vines away, some of them being let go too early, and hitting Mia in the face. She shook her head, spitting out the tiny leaves that got in her mouth.

  "Are we almost there yet?" She complained.

"Yeah, just be patient. Just a few more steps."

Mia looked up ahead, seeing a beautiful blue light shining up behind the plants. The sound of running water hit her ears, and the smell of fresh water.

Grayson spoke. "Don't drink the water."

Mia's body tensed up. "What do you mean?!"

Grayson said that it was nothing, as he pushed the last of the vegetation out of the way, revealing the gorgeous scenery. Fireflies flew in the air, their lights shining bright. A river ran through the ground, with a shining blue color coming from it, and mushrooms that glowed bright blue and green colors.

"Grayson... This is beautiful! It's so pretty!" Mia said, gently caressing the soft grass and smooth mushrooms. "How did you find this place?"

Grayson shrugged. He blushed, pulling at the collar of his shirt. "I, uh, I was chased by a few nightmares. I ran into the forest, and found this place. It's like it's filled with magic, or filled with something like toxic waste."

"Is that why the plants and water's glowing. Well, if it's magic, then that's amazing! If it's something toxic, then...that's just awful." She stepped back, now getting scared.

Grayson noticed her discomfort returning. He tried to assure her that it was fine. He sat down, looking at the water that flowed in the river.

"I don't really think that it's anything toxic. I do think that it's magic. You know just as well as I do that the magic from the library is messing with everything in the world, but maybe everything it's doing...isn't all bad."

Mia looked back up, remembering everything that she had witnessed. Trees turning into ice, islands appearing in the sea out of nowhere. The magic spreading was changing the world. She looked at the glowing river, and the plants around it. Her small panic attack fading away. Grayson looked up at her, smiling.

"Uh...s-sit down!" He stuttered, feeling nervous. "Sit next to me and take in the scenery."

She sat down, looking down at her reflection in the water. He adored how she looked in the blue and green light coming from the magic water and plant life. Her eyes glimmered like the water,  a mixture of blue and pink. His heart skipped a beat. He shook his head, looking away from her.

  I can't fall in love again. I can't betray my wife, even if  she's dead...

He shook his head again, looking up as he heard Mia's voice. She looked at with a look of concern in her eyes.

  "Grayson? Did you hear me?" She asked.

Grayson forced out a chuckle. "Oh. Sorry. Run it by me again."

"I said that you were right. This place is relaxing. Are you sure that no nightmares or anything will attack us?" She pulled her legs close to her chest, resting her chin on her knees.

He smiled at her. "Don't worry, Mia. I won't let anything hurt you. I'll protect you!" A blush appearing on his face.

She looked away from him, looking back down at the water as she felt her cheeks burn. She hoped that the light from the water and mushrooms didn't let him see the red in her face.

"Grayson, I..." She hesitated. The blonde man turned back to her, with a coo. She looked away again, and twirled a strand of her hair in her fingers.

Suddenly, Grayson lunged at her, grabbing her chin, and pressing his lips against her. They could feel the heat coming off of each other's bodies. Grayson quickly pulled himself away, putting his hands over his face as his face turned a deep red.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" His muffled voice said. "I couldn't hold back anymore! I'm so sorry!"

He stood up, and tried to run away, but stopped when something snagged his jacket. He turned around, his teary eyes resting on the elf. She looked up at him, her cheeks still red, but she didn't have any angry or discomfort in her eyes. In fact...she had a glimmer in her eyes that looked like that of joy and relief, despite that her facial expression was almost emotionless.

"Grayson..." She whispered, feeling at a loss of breath, not knowing what to say.

She stood up, still holding his jacket in her grip. She looked up at him, placing her other hand behind his head. His lips and hands quivered from the fear of the unknown. From fear of what she would do. She let go of his jacket, as she pulled him close, putting her lips on his, not pulling away. Grayson's tense body relaxed, welcoming the gentle kiss. He whimpered as Mia broke the kiss, placing her forehead on his chest. Her hands gripped his jacket tight, making her knuckles turn white.

  "Please don't leave me, Grayson. I liked the kiss. I liked it a lot."

Grayson sniffed, hugging her back. "I love you, Mia."

  "I love you too, Grayson." Mia said, her eyes tearing up. She hiccuped and sniffed, feeling herself becoming filled with joy.

Grayson chuckled. "I love me too."

Mia pushed him away, but she smiled despite the fact that Grayson had ruined the moment. "Grayson!"

Grayson laughed, taking her hands in his. He caressed her cheek, then kissed her again. As he broke the kiss, he looked down into her eyes.

  "You wanna eat some cookies?" He said, taking off his backpack and pulling out the glass jar of cookies. "I have a lot left over."

Mia laughed, opening the jar, and taking one. "Sure. Thank you."

He sat down, placing the jar next to him. Looking up at Mia, as he waited for her to sit next to him again. She sat down next to him, taking another cookie, and placing a piece of it in her mouth. Grayson leaned in, biting the rest of it. Mia swallowed it, then placed her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. Grayson smiled, resting his head on her's. They sat there together for what felt like hours, feeling at peace. Grayson finally opened his eyes, swearing that he could have seen his wife's glowing spirit smiling at him from across the river...