"You haven't unlocked your magic yet, so your spells won't be all that powerful at all." Ross was explaining the next day, crossing his arms. He and Harvey were standing in a clearing beside a creek, True only half watching from where he sat atop a fallen tree as he scribbled his scientific chicken scratch on some parchment which he had brought along. Deadlox's headphones, though they weren't connected to anything or playing any music, were around his shoulders. "The only reason why you can conjure anything at all is because of your wand. It strengthens your power."

Harvey nodded. "Okay... So can you teach me anything?"

"Of course I can, shut up, I'm monologuing." Ross waved a hand at him, making True laugh a little. "So, magic comes from inside you. It's in your soul, in your heart, in your mind. You have to focus, believe and try very hard to make magic happen, but anybody can do it. Even a human like you."

"I don't know why you're telling me this, I already know I can use magic."

Ross rolled his eyes. "You are just no fun. Alright, let's go." He waved a hand again, which he seemed to do a lot. "Take a... Take an attack position. Let's see you throw a basic attack at me, how about that?"

Harvey looked a little uncertain, but he nodded and did as he said. "Okay... Here I go. Ready?" Ross gave him a thumbs up. Harvey took a deep breath. He was holding his wand with two hands, which he didn't even normally do, but he was too nervous to think about why it felt strange. Slowly, he moved his wand back behind his head and then swung it forward like a fishing pole. The wand glowed some, but nothing was fully conjured.

Ross held out his arms incredulously. "What the hell was that?!"

"I tried my best...!" Harvey cried uncertainly.

"No you didn't! That is not your best, I saw you do way better than that yesterday!" Ross strode quickly over to him, grabbing onto his wrists. He pulled his left hand from the wand. "Now c'mon, stand up straight, wand hand raised, left at your side. Get it together, Harvey."

Harvey huffed, but he knew he had done very poorly. "I just - I can't figure out how to actually-"

He was abruptly cut off when Ross smacked him none too gently upside the head. "Stop thinking." He snapped. "You can't overthink magic. Don't think, just do."

"But-"

"Stop! Just do it! Make magic! Feel it in your heart, let your soul glow, and make magic!" Ross guided Harvey's wand arm into a raised position, pointing it at a rock maybe ten meters away. "There. Now concentrate - don't think. Just focus on that rock."

"What d'you want me to do with it...?"

"Hug it. What do you think, Harvey? Blow it up!"

Harvey's eyes widened some and he bit his lip nervously. He look at the boulder, and thought about the power he would have to muster to make such a combustion. "C'mon, you can do this Harvey, it's easy. Don't even think about it. Just visualize, and make it happen!"

Harvey didn't take a deep breath this time, because he knew that would distract him. He held up his wand, pointing it towards the boulder. He imagined the boulder flying apart in all different directions, spreading across the clearing as a whole bunch of different, smaller rocks, and his eyes narrowed some. Then, there was a flashing light in his hand between his thumb and forefinger, like a sliver of magic, before a spark of gold shot out from the tip of his wand. It would have been a good hit, if not for Harvey's less than acceptable aim. He managed to clip the top edge of the boulder so part of it broke apart, but the remaining eighty percent seemed hardly bothered. Still, Harvey's heart soared.

"I did it! I did it! Did you see that?!" He jumped about, losing the stance he had taken before.

Ross rolled his eyes. "You missed, but yes, you did conjure some magic." He crossed his arms. "That was an attack spell, Harvey." He said. "You use that in battle. Don't look at me like that - I know you don't like hurting people, but sometimes, you have to fight for your own survival. Sure, I guess, you don't have to use the spell if you don't want, but you may very well die in doing so. Be careful, Harvey."

Harvey sighed and nodded. He was still giddy from his small success, so he quickly moved on from the talk of death. "What else can you teach me?!"

Ross couldn't help but smirk at his excitement. "I'll teach you to block a spell. Now go on, use that attack on me. Don't be shy, you won't hurt me, trust me."

Harvey hesitated as he watched Ross take a defensive stance with his hands still at his sides, and then, when he was ready, he lifted his wand, pointing it in Ross's general direction. A part of him hoped he would miss. He couldn't stand even the thought of harming a friend (perhaps because he had so few?). Ross looked as calm and amused as eyes, one eyebrow cocked as he waited patiently and silently for Harvey to make the first move.

Harvey did the same thing as before; he visualized a spark of light flying from his wand, and this time he felt a warm shock in his chest before it happened. His aim was better; the magic shot straight towards Ross's chest. Harvey got ready to let out a cry of warning, but there was no reason. Still totally cool, Ross lifted a hand and moved it swiftly, smoothly through the air in front of him. Between him and the spark of light, a thin forcefield appeared. It was like a perfectly round sheet of red-colored glass, and when Harvey's attack hit, it dispersed as if it didn't have the power to send him flying. Ross swiped his hand through the air again, back the way he had come, and the magic shield went away.

"And that's how you block attack." Ross said, smirking confidently, and maybe just a little smugly.

"That was so cool...!" Harvey lowered his wand hand. "Can you show me that?!"

"Well, that's the goal. Now," Ross headed across the clearing to meet Harvey. "You'll do this with your left hand, so put your wand away, you won't need it."

Harvey nodded and tried to sheath his wand in the narrow gap of the leather holster Houlden had made him, but he missed and fumbled. It fell to the ground, and he clumsily picked it back up. Ross had long since been standing in front of him, waiting as he slowly slid it in place.

Harvey looked up, and blinked as he saw Ross there with his arms crossed. Then he flinched. "Sorry..."

Ross rolled his eyes and took his left wrist, raising his forearm up in front of him so Harvey's palm was facing his own face. "So you're going to move it like this..." Ross moved Harvey's wrist in a downward arc. "...and you have to visualize again, and muster your strength from your core. Do you know where that is?"

Harvey hesitated thoughtfully, before he moved his free arm - his right arm - and placed it over his heart.

But Ross shook his head. "Good guess, kid, but not quite." He took Harvey's hand and moved it to his upper stomach. "That's your core. That's where your magic lives. When you do this spell, you tap into that place and create your spell. Make your imagination real. Visualize, and then imagine your magic flowing from your gut, through your chest, down your arm, and out of your hand. Understand?"

Harvey nodded slowly and Ross guided his hand back into the starting position to conjure the shield. "Good. You can do this. It's a more complex spell, but I know you can manage it. Ready?"

Harvey nodded, and without waiting for further urge, he took a deep breath and began visualizing. He did everything Ross said, but when he moved his arm the way he said he should, nothing happened. His gaze saddened. "Oh..."

Ross shook his head. "No, no..." He took Harvey's left hand in one of his and his elbow in the other. "You move your forearm, not your elbow. You were moving your whole arm, that's why it didn't work out. External magic is an art form that requires some serious precision. You can't be sloppy. Now, try again. You had it, you just have to have a better stance. Go ahead, try it again."

Harvey huffed, and nodded. "Okay..." He tried again. He visualized the magic, channeled it from his invisible core, and attempted to make it physical. To his astonishment, it happened. A trail of golden, see-through light followed his arm in the semi-circle and filled the rest of the way into a circle. It was a slow motion - not nearly fast enough to stop an incoming spell, but that didn't even cross Harvey's mind then. He beamed, and cheered loudly, throwing up his arms, and in the process, making the magic disappear. "I DID IT! Did you see that?! I made the shield thing, I did that! I did what you did!"

Ross snorted in amusement at his reaction. "Yeah, you did!"

Harvey turned around quickly to face True, who was sitting on the stump last time he looked. "True! Did you see..." His voice trailed off, and his eyes widened. "...True?"

Ross looked over, and his smile faded. True was no longer sitting on the stump like before. In fact, he was nowhere in sight.

The next course was proving to be more difficult than the first. This was, of course, not only due to the addition of molten lava, but also because Deadlox was growing weaker with every jump he made. As Deadlox's strength increasingly got worse, Sky's worry exponentially grew. He was starting to wonder if they would be able to make it out of this at all.

Deadlox jumped ahead, while Sky watching him from behind like a hawk or a new parent, ready to reach out and steady him from the slightest slip or slid or tremor. Thankfully, however, they made it through without any major mishaps like the last time when they both nearly fell off a waterfall to their dooms. Deadlox hopped to the ending platform first, leaning over and holding his side weakly. Sky followed a half second later and instantly helped him walk the next few steps forward. "There, we did it, two down." He said, trying to comfort his friend. Deadlox seemed too tired to answer.

He wouldn't have had a chance anyway, because the same high voice came on again. "Congratulations... you've successfully made it to the first checkpoint." Deadlox and Sky looked at each other in something of relief, though they weren't sure what to expect. The voice continued, "as promised, a reward for your progress. Continue to the next room..."

Sky bit his lip, unsure, of whether the reward would actually help them or not, but they didn't have much choice but to proceed anyways, so he continued stepping forwards, but with some more caution. Deadlox was in no position to offer an alternative suggestion, so he just limped along beside him with his help.

When they turned to go through the doorway into the next room, both were surprised to see that the voice had actually been true to his word; what they saw was definitely a reward. It was an ordinary, somewhat small stony room, as though it were underground, but with two folded-up blankets on the ground, both grey and scratchy-looking, but at least they looked warm. On top of that, a small loaf of bread was rested atop each of the blankets, one for each of them it would seem, and finally, there was a roll of bandages set next to one blanket. Sky had never been so relieved to see the three simple things in his life.

It didn't take much persuasion to get Deadlox to cooperate. He was too exhausted to even speak. He chewed on his bread while Sky tended to him like a mother. He laid out his own blanket on the ground as a bed sheet, which Deadlox sat on, the end rolled up a little to be a pillow. He had his own blanket around his shoulders as well, but he had to take it off temporarily along with his shirt so Sky could use the bandages to wrap tightly around the wound on his stomach. Once he had stopped bleeding and had eaten something, Deadlox was already looking better.

Sky gently pushed him down into a lying position once he was finished, and the shorter, sleepy male didn't resist. He watched Sky, obviously thinking as Sky pulled his blanket up to his chin to help keep him warm.

"Sky..."

Though his voice was quiet and weak, it was still less shaky than before, which was a relief. "Yeah?" Sky asked, his voice only a little louder than his friend's.

"I-If I do die-"

Sky instantly shook his head roughly, cutting him off. "You're not gonna die here."

Deadlox huffed and persisted. "But if I do-!"

"You're not going to die!" Sky raised his voice, and this time, continued on harshly before Deadlox could protest. "I'm not losing another member of this team today, or ever again. We lost Seto, and we lost Mitch, but nobody else. We're gonna get out of here, we're gonna save Harvey's sorry ass, and then we're gonna go home and get him back to Earth! Is that clear?"

Deadlox sighed, too tired to argue with him. "Sky..." He said wearily.

"Rest now, get your strength back. I'll keep watch." Sky looked at him knowingly. "That's an order.

Deadlox rolled his eyes. "Bossy..." He mumbled, before his red eyes fell shut.

Sky smiled just a little at the familiar snark in his friend's tone. He was reminded of his strong he was, and he felt a little reassured. They were going to make it out of here. They had hope now. With Deadlox healing, they would be just fine. Sky stayed still till he was sure Deadlox had fallen asleep, when his breaths were deep and even and he no longer moved in the slightest.

Then, slowly, he stood. He had business to attend to. He had been meaning to address it since he got to this place, but he couldn't while Deadlox was awake. Sky looked around him, listening to the eerie silence of the little cave, and slowly, he took a deep breath. He exhaled, and prepared himself for what was to come...

"Bodil."

...The name felt strange on his lips. It had been a long time since he had spoken it, years in fact, and just mentioning him made his heart yearn for times past. Sky shook off the feeling, as he usually did.

"Bodil." Sky said, when he went unanswered for several minutes. "I know it's you, don't hide from me. I just want to talk. You know I'm unarmed."

For several seconds, there was no sound aside from Deadlox's quiet, slow breathing. Then Sky heard some footsteps behind him, and the same voice as the one that told them the rules of this place. "And how do you know my name?"

Sky turned, and his breath caught in his throat. He looked just like he had before... before. He even wore the same exact damn clothes as that day. His black hair was pushed back from his face, his orange eyes shining bright, brighter than he had seen. He wore the same white colored shirt as before with the sleeves pulled up and the top two buttons undone; there was just a hole in the top left of the shirt, about where his heart had been. The sight made Sky cringe inwardly, but he managed to hide his emotions. The only major difference about him was how pale he was, like a sheet; that and his expression. He seemed amused, but... not in the right way. One eyebrow was raised, a small smirk on his face. He didn't seem at all like the happy-go-lucky man he once knew.

"...It is you..." Sky heard himself whisper, too caught off guard to filter himself.

For a moment, the man's expression cleared to something not of contempt, but of confusion. "Sorry, what?" He asked. "Have we met?"

Sky's eyes widened slightly, and his heart ached with guilt as he realized. Bodil remembered nothing. "...No, I... I-I must have mistaken you..."

Bodil looked at him with happiness shining in his eyes and for the first time in a long time, Sky felt his heart swell. The dolphins racing along the starboard edge of the ship hopped out of the water now and then and Bodil watched them closely, but Sky just smiled at his younger friend before looking up at the blue sky, watching a flock of birds pass by. He would protect that smile; he swore it to himself right then. He wouldn't fail again.

"Well, if that's all you wanted..." Bodil raised a hand, as if to make some gesture, or snap his fingers.

"Wait, wait..." Sky held out his hands and cleared his throat, getting a hold of himself. "I have questions..."

Bodil sighed, rolling his eyes. "They always do." He said, as if annoyed. "You get three."

Sky blinked and hesitated, thinking over what he wanted to know as well as his next words carefully. He cleared his throat again. "...How did you build all of this?"

Bodil shrugged. "Simple magic and determination." He raised a hand in the air and it glowed. Sky's uneaten piece of bread levitated as if by a string. Sky's eyes widened. He had never been able to do that before... Bodil set the bread down and looked at Sky. "Two left."

"Why build it and why lock me and my friend here?"

"Basic question, but I suppose you have a right to the answer." Bodil hesitated. "...I built it out of curiosity. People fascinate me. I dislike them, but the way they react to certain stimuli is very interesting... So, I built this place to observe them as they fight for survival. As for why I took you and your companion, well, certain bandits nearby have a price on your head. I captured you in the forest, showed them your bodies and said I would dispose of you. They paid me, and I lock you in here instead of killing you. Everybody wins."

Sky huffed. "Except us."

Bodil shrugged. "If you survive the course, you win. It's all up to you. Anyway," He waved a hand. "Last question. Choose wisely."

Sky chewed his lower lip, thinking. There was still so much he wanted to know, but only so little Bodil could actually tell him... But perhaps...

"...How much do you remember?"

Bodil blinked, before his eyes narrowed and his nose wrinkled. "What sort of question is that?!"

"Please, just answer it." Sky replied. "You said I had three questions, that's my last one!"

Bodil sighed heavily. "You are such a pain... But interesting... I don't have a past like you. I don't have a mother or a father or a hometown. I woke up at the bottom of the ocean. I swam up, though it wasn't hard for me to breath, and got to shore. I traveled some, and eventually lost interest in finding my way in the world and got to work building this place instead. That's all fine, but... I wonder... How could you know that there was anything different about my memory from yours?"

Sky said nothing, staring at him, almost longing in a sense.

Bodil squinted slightly, before he shook his head and turned away. "No matter. You'll probably die soon anyway. Now, if there will be nothing else..." Bodil lifted a hand, fingers poised to snap, before he hesitated. He looked back at Sky, eyes narrowed slightly, his eyes suddenly cold. "Whoever you think I may be, forget him." He said, his voice lower and darker than Sky had ever heard. "That man is gone."

Then he snapped his fingers, and in a flash, he was gone.

Sky stared at the place he had been for several seconds, before he bowed his head in remorse.

"...I know..."

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