Turney's red eyes glowed maliciously beneath the shining ball of energy in his palm as he strode towards Amadeus.

Amadeus held Rei's daughter close to his chest with one arm, and raised the Lighvel high in the air with his other. He had no idea how the Lighvel would react, but hoped that it would read his mind just as Enoch said it would. The Lighvel shone brightly in response, knowing exactly what needed to be done and shot out a bright bolt of lightning towards the sky.

Turney was just about to launch another attack towards them when he saw the lightning bolt shoot out from Amadeus' palm. He jumped backwards in surprise; his eyes wide open. He had never seen a commoner do anything like that before. It looked like a magical lightning-based attack, only much more powerful.

"What is... how did... but you are...this is... impossible!" mumbled Turney. He was at a loss for words.

Amadeus looked at Turney and one side of this mouth curled slightly upwards.

"Nothing is impossible."

Turney did not have any time to react or even respond to Amadeus. Within seconds, Amadeus and the two Exiles had vanished into the clear blue sky, leaving behind a very puzzled Turney.

Rei had never thought for a moment that he would have been launched up high into the sky. Questions flooded his mind. Was this boy a commoner or a Noble? Why could he perform magic?

He was so high up that he could see the entire valley and the land surrounding it. It was almost evening time, and the sun was just beginning to set. The view was breathtaking, and Rei had never seen anything like it in all his life. With his arms still firmly around Amadeus, he looked around him, taking in every amazing detail.

Amadeus on the other hand, had no time to enjoy the view. He remembered how he had crash landed the night before, and would need to act fast to avoid another crash landing. The Lighvel shone brightly and waves danced strongly across its surface. It was as though it was comforting Amadeus; telling him not to worry.

Despite having two Exiles clinging onto him, Amadeus felt weightless as the Lighvel carried them along. Amadeus aimed his palm towards the horizon, wanting to bring them further away from the danger.

The Lighvel shot out another bolt of lightning and all three of them flew across the length of the bolt seamlessly. The clouds flew past as they sped forward at an incredible speed, with the wind blowing in their faces. The setting sun painted the sky orange, and in the distance, the Lost Valley looked like a tiny green leaf surrounded by white glistening snow on all sides.

As they dropped closer towards the ground, Amadeus could make out a handful of dim lights flickering through the leafy roof of the lush forest tree tops covering the valley. Thinking that it could be the cooking fires of the Izenth tribe, Amadeus attempted to guide the Lighvel to bring them safely towards the lights. He emphasized the word 'safely' strongly in his mind, reminding the Lighvel of the rough landing they had the night before. After all, he had a vow to fulfill; he needed to get Rei and his daughter safely back to Ichi.

The Lighvel appeared to be weakening as it glowed softly once again and shot out another bolt of lightning towards the flickering lights. They moved across the stream of lightning, gliding quickly towards the valley before landing gently on the forest floor.

Amadeus stared at the Lighvel in the palm of his hand in disbelief; trying to figure out how they had managed to land on the ground so smoothly, as opposed to the bone crunching landing he had experienced the night before. Closing his eyes, he let out a sweet sigh of relief. It had been quite a long day, and he was exhausted.

Amadeus lay stretched out on the ground like an overgrown starfish, recouping his strength and just enjoying the moment. Meanwhile, Rei recovered almost immediately and sprang into action. Having been unconscious in his cell for most of the day, he was bursting with fresh energy and longed to stretch his legs. Without a word, he went off to survey their surroundings, probably to check for signs of danger.

After some time, Rei returned to the small clearing where they had landed, stretching his arms lazily. He smiled and nodded at Amadeus. No words were exchanged, and none were necessary; it was clear that the worst was over. They would be safe for the time being. Amadeus smiled silently in reply. He was breathing heavily and it would be a few more moments more before he would be able to speak. He had never experienced so much pain before in his life, and was still recovering from the shock. However, as he lay there on the ground, he felt a strong sense of fulfillment. He had reunited Rei and his daughter, fulfilling his vow.

Suddenly, Amadeus realized that he had forgotten about Rei's daughter. He glanced down at the ground next to him and found that she was still sleeping soundly, with a peaceful smile on her face. A gentle breeze blew, and a few strands of her snowy white hair fell onto her face.

The air as calm and serene, and Amadeus did not want it to end. A breeze blew gently against his face. He could hear the trees rustling - whispering to each other. The birds were chirping to each other as they returned to their nests for nightfall. Rei was oblivious to all this, fervently checking his daughter's vital signs.

"You're no ordinary commoner, are you?" Rei muttered after some time, breaking the silence.

Amadeus looked at Rei, unsure of how to respond. He shrugged. He opened up his injured hand to reveal the Lighvel, which was now glowing weakly, having almost no energy left in it. "It's this stone, it seems to respond to my thoughts. As for me, it is as I have told you earlier. I am indeed just a commoner from the city of White Harrow, on a journey to redeem myself."

"A commoner who can fly and wield lightning; now I've seen it all," Rei chuckled to himself. He leaned in closer to his daughter, checking for surface injuries and broken bones.

Amadeus shrugged. "I did what I had to. After all, I did have a vow to keep."

"Don't worry, I will hold up my end of the bargain as well. Once we have rested, I will join you on your quest. I have to ask though, who was that weird Noble you were fighting with? Why did he keep calling himself 'The Drake'?"

Amadeus groaned. "The Nobble who got stabbed by an icicle? That's Waldo Drake. He keeps calling himself 'The Drake' because he loves his family name."

"What's a family name?"

"Well, there are so few people living in this day and age, it's very uncommon to find two people with the same name. So, we only need one name to identify ourselves by. It's the same among the Exiles yes?"

Rei nodded in agreement.

"Well, there was an exception to that. Only the most powerful of Noble lineages have last names. Waldo's family has a very high standing and reputation among other Nobles, so their family has the last name - Drake."

"I see," Rei muttered. "So he keeps referring himself as 'The Drake' because he is proud of his family's high standing. What an oddball." He spent a few more moments checking his daughter before carefully picking her up in his arms. He stood up and looked into the distance.

"One of the hidden entrances to Ichi is only a stone's throw from this clearing. Are you well enough to walk?"

Amadeus gritted his teeth and tried to lift himself onto his feet. Before he was an inch off the ground, he winched and collapsed. After a few more tries, he shook his head in defeat, realizing that he was too badly injured to move.

"Looks like you won't be walking anywhere anytime soon. You look like you've had a pretty rough day," Rei remarked.

"You should have seen the other two," Amadeus replied with a grin.

"Wait a minute..." Amadeus reached into the remnants of his shredded tunic and pulled out a handful of shining white gems. "Take a look at these - I'd say we're even, wouldn't you? I managed to help myself to these diamonds from their treasure room on the way out."

They looked at each other, then at the diamonds, and then back at each other again. A moment passed before both of them broke out in animated laughter.

Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes, Amadeus put the diamonds back into his tunic pocket. "Seriously, go on without me, I'll catch up later. I just need some time to recover."

Rei considered what to do given the situation. Suddenly, he felt movement in his arms.

"Father, why are you carrying me?"

Rei's eyes widened. He looked down at his daughter, and found that she was looking inquisitively back at him with blinking blue eyes. His face brightened up immediately.

"Izzy, you're awake!" he exclaimed with joy.

"Yes, now please put me down. I can stand by myself. The other scouts can't see me like this, don't embarrass me!"

Rei lowered his daughter down slowly onto her feet. She stood up and stretched like a cat that had just taken a long nap. With a grateful smile, she embraced him.

"Thanks for saving me, father. I thought I'd never get out of that cage alive."

Rei was too elated to reply and just beamed. His daughter was safe and alive - everything was right in the world again. Slowly, she pulled away from him.

"Father,"

"Yes, my child."

"I don't' mean to spoil the moment or anything, but why is that dirty looking boy staring at us?"

They both turned to look at Amadeus. Rei managed to stifle a laugh and snickered instead. He held his daughter's hand and led her towards Amadeus, who was still sitting helplessly on the ground.

Rei patted Amadeus on the back. "This is my friend - Amadeus. He helped me rescue you."

Amadeus rolled his eyes. Helped? That's an understatement.

"And this is my daughter, Izumi." He beamed proudly as he introduced his daughter.

"Pleasure to meet you," said Amadeus with a weak smile as his cheeks flushed red.

Izumi looked at Amadeus for a moment, bewildered at the condition he was in. He was dirty and looked like he had been dragged through the wilderness by wild animals. How could this puny looking boy have helped to save her? In all probability, it would have been Rei who had saved him. What's more, he smelled like he had rolled in dung. Much to Amadeus' dismay, her face twisted into a look which was a combination of both disbelief and revulsion. So much for first impressions, thought Amadeus.

"Why do you smell like that?" was all she could utter as she brought her hand to shield her nose from the stench.

Amadeus struggled to find the words to reply, and there was an awkward silence before Rei interjected.

"Well, I wish we could stand here all day with this lovely banter, but we better get back to Ichi before those Nobles come looking for us. I'll carry you Amadeus." Both Izumi and Amadeus nodded in agreement, eager to end the awkward moment.

As Rei knelt down to pick Amadeus up, Izumi held him by the shoulder.

"Father, I'll carry him. You've been through enough today, and I've had enough rest."

"Are you sure?" Rei asked.

Izumi nodded. Rei stepped out of the way, letting Izumi step in. Taking in a deep breath, she turned her face away in disgust as she swiftly picked Amadeus up in her arms.

Amadeus was drained and had no strength to argue. He resigned to his cruel and humiliating fate as both father and daughter leapt onto the tree tops with ease and sped off towards their home. The irony of it all was not lost on him.