~Chapter 4- Gauntlets~

Corri flew atop Rojo northward, with Valr drifting alongside her through the sky. But the sun was beginning to set.

"I think we should stop. Rojo doesn't do well at night, and I think he's getting tired. This has been a long day for him," Corri said to Valr.

"What do you want to do?"

Corri glanced around and saw a small piece of land in the sky, covered in trees, "I think I'll camp out there for tonight. If you want, you can go to the sky town on your own."

Valr stopped in the air, "I wouldn't feel good about leaving you alone like that. I could camp with you - If you're okay with that?"

Corri looked at the green-eyed boy... and trusted him. "That'd be okay."

Corri landed on the island and began pulling away at a tree in preparation for a small campfire. Valr saw her struggle, and effortlessly created a spark that set a pyre of wood aflame.

Valr seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite remember from where. "Where are you from?" Corri asked.

Valr laughed as he stoked the fire, "It's nowhere you've been."

Corri raised an eyebrow at him and ran her hands through Rojo's feathers, "Want to bet? Rojo and I have been all over the world."

"Ever heard of the Lands of Ranuulo?"

Corri paused and laughed, "...Ok. You have me beat. Where's that?"

"It's... far. I've actually been trying to get back home to see my parents, but nothing I've done has worked."

Corri scrunched up her face as she laid against her bird, "You can't just travel there?"

Valr shook his head, "It's complicated."

"Tell me about it," Corri pressed him.

"Well... The only way you can access the Lands of Ranuulo is through a temple in the desert. But there's a barrier blocking the way."

Corri stopped and recalled when she and her friends were trapped in an underground temple in the desert together, with imagery of the Goddess adorning the walls. "Where exactly is this temple?"

"It's hard to find."

"Is part of it underground? Are there torches that light themselves when you pass them?"

Valr gave her a surprised look, "Yeah... Exactly like that!"

"My friends and I have been there! We saw that barrier. My brother tried to break through it, but it didn't budge."

Valr sighed, "I've been trying to break through for almost four years, but nothing I've done has worked."

"Four years!? You haven't seen your parents in all that time?"

Valr shook his head glumly, "I don't think it's possible to get through..."

She could relate. She remembered what it felt like when she was separated from her dad for three whole years. Corri stood tall, "Come on, there has to be some way to break through that barrier. You can't just give up!"

"Nothing has worked..." Valr looked up to her with desperate eyes. But there was a glint there as a thought seemed to come to mind, "Well... there is one thing I haven't tried..."

"What is it?" Corri asked eagerly.

"Ralosia's Gauntlets. According to legend, the Goddess herself is the one who created that barrier between the Lands of Ralosia and the Lands of Ranuulo. If anything could break through the barrier, it might be her gauntlets."

"There we go! It's worth trying. Where do we find them?"

"Apparently, they're held on the Goddess's Isle, the one floating directly above Challenger's lake. I've tried getting into her temple before, but it's sealed. You need the Sky Deity's permission to get inside."

Corri smiled a devious smile, "As luck would have it, I'm friends with the Sky Deity. I can see if he'll let us in."

Valr's eyes filled with hope, "You'd really do that?"

"I owe you for saving me and helping me with the phainopepla!" Corri replied with bravado. She supposed that Ool might allow her inside, but if not, she was sure that the two of them could figure out a way to sneak in.