~Chapter 7- Save your world~

Aero watched as Edi and his remaining militia fled the Link Temple. He knew they could defeat them, but actually seeing the aftermath was satisfying. If not for Jirro, the others might not have had the courage to go for it.

He certainly saw his cousin as an equal and rival, but in other respects, he saw him like an older brother. Someone he could look up to and rely on in tough situations. He wondered if Jirro saw him the same way.

Aero looked at the entrance of the Link Temple; passing through there would lead them back to the Lands of Ralosia. Back home. It had been months since he was there, and he was looking forward to seeing everyone again.

"Hey, Aero," Jirro beckoned, "Come look at this!"

Aero walked to his side and saw Valr, Gweneva, Nega, and Iggy talking amongst each other. It sounded like they were trying to keep their voices low, "What are they talking about?"

"No idea, let's go see."

Aero and Jirro met with them. They all looked as if they had something to say. Jirro asked, "Are you all ready to go?"

Valr stepped forward, "Well, we were thinking... We're going to stay here."

Aero and Jirro looked at them incredulously, "Why?"

Gweneva spoke up, "I want to go after Zantii too, but my people come first. I need to make sure they're okay."

"Same here," Iggy added, "And just because we drove away Edi's forces doesn't mean he won't return. We have to be here to stop him."

Jirro stammered for a moment, "But- But we still need to find two people to use the merging orb!"

The collective group of them chuckled. Valr answered, "That's obvious. You and Aero can merge. We saw you fight Edi together; you were in perfect balance with one another."

Aero placed a hand on Jirro's shoulder, "That's funny, I was thinking we'd be the best to merge too."

The merging orb was tied into a satchel at the end of a string of rope around Nega's neck. He removed it and set it on the ground next to Aero, "If the legends about those orbs are true, you won't need us."

Aero picked the orb off the ground and put it around his own neck.

"You need to save your world, and we need to save ours," Valr declared, "We'll see each other after this is all over."

Aero took a wistful look at the four of them. He'd grown fond of them, and hoped that they would get to see each other again. He didn't know how long that would be and didn't want to have any regrets. He went with his arms outstretched and hugged all of them at once.

"Easy there, Aero!" Valr said as he tried to squirm out of the way. Gweneva and Iggy openly hugged him back. Nega awkwardly kept his hands at his sides, as if he had never been hugged before.

"Stay safe all of you," Aero muttered to them.

"You too," They all replied.

Jirro shook hands with each of them before bidding farewell. The two cousins took one last look at them before heading into the Link Temple.

The first half of the temple was dark, worn and covered in vines. Once they passed through the gate at the center of the temple, they found it to be well lit by torches and well maintained. The walls were etched with the iconography of their homeland.

They passed through the temple before coming out to a vast desert at night time. They were on the opposite side of the world, their Lands of Ralosia.

"Good to be home," Jirro uttered.

Aero looked to the distance and could see the path Zantii and his army left. The earth was trampled over, and in the distance he could see a desert town in tatters. He could only guess how much damage they'd done already.

Aero did a quick stretch and looked into the distance, "No time to waste! I bet I can get to Zantii before you can."

Jirro smirked, "You're on."

The two sixteen-year-olds took running stances in the sand beside each other and broke into a sprint, leaving a trail of dust and sand in their wake as they rocketed through the desert.