The blue flame of the Bunsen burner burns the glass flask. Boiling inside is a green potion with pink flower petals floating inside. Sunlight shines through the glass ceiling on another beautiful day. Lahar's hands are steady as she cautiously starts to feed black ash into the flask, while Doc watches nervously from the other side of the table.

Lahar sits back while they both stare intently at the potion. They've dedicated days to perfecting this potion. Seconds passing feel like minutes. Lahar holds her breath as she sits there praying something will happen. The potion boils, and nothing happens. "Wouldn't it have turned purple by now?" Lahar asks. Doc's flame flickers. They both lower their heads in disappointment.

Lahar turns off the burner. "Back to step one," she says. She flips back two pages in the book. "Let's see what we did wrong." She picks up a bowl of flower petals. "Okay. First we have to bring the magic out of the ingredients one at a time." Her eyes shift from their natural hazel color to a bright silver. The petals give off a dim glow for a moment.

"There. Now the ingredients are ready for the potion. Next, the flask of water." Lahar looks out the greenhouse glass walls at the table in the middle of the garden, where Arena, Pie, King, and Crew sit. "He made it seem so easy." Lahar begins to mock Arena as she walks over to a sink by the wall and fills the flask with water. "Just follow the instructions, Lahar. Anyone can do it. Now I will leave you alone to do whatever I want." She sits back at the table. "That was days ago, Doc. If it wasn't for you, I would be lost."

Doc's flame flickers. "I know he said he left you in charge of the potion portion. You do seem more competent in this area; also, you explain things in a clearer fashion." Doc's flame turns pink at the statement. "Still, it's just irking to know I can't get this one potion down. I got the other ones down, but this just seems to be harder." Lahar slaps both her cheeks. "No point complaining. Let's keep moving."

Outside in the garden, Arena speaks to them about the strange object on the table in front of them. It's a cube, about four inches tall and wide. Arena's finger runs down the cube, feeling the smooth metal with the occasional notch from the strange mystical symbols Arena has engraved in it.

"I gathered you all here because things will be changing soon," Arena says. "I already told Doc all I am about to tell you before she started her lesson with Lahar today. As for Lahar, I will fill her in later."

Arena adjusts himself in the chair to make himself more comfortable. "I want to start this off by saying this is the best idea I can come up with, but it's definitely not my first choice. I won't bore you all with specifics, but this right here is Lahar's way back home."

The flames grow brighter in the wisps, and Pie lifts his head curiously.

"Well, not this, exactly. This will emit a signal that only people adept in magic can find. Hopefully, the person who hears the message can find where we are and help. I pretty much beefed up the signal so that it will be heard all the way up into space."

Arena begins to look nervous. The wisps can tell that what he is about to say brings him real terror. "I know you are all thinking that Void or those Beasts will hear the signal. Well, yes, but they already know where we are and cannot come in here. Though the person who finds it may be just as bad."

Arena looks at the wisps and Pie with a nervous smile. "Aubrey will come," he says. The Wisps and Pie look unaffected by his words. "Of course, you all will act like that. Just know those words carry a heavy weight," he says, disappointed in their reactions.

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"The point I am getting at is once Aubrey comes, don't get her angry. Don't fight her. Just stay away. Get me, and I will deal with it." Arena looks down at the cube. A bead of nervous sweat falls from his face. His finger hovers over a series of circles inside each other.

"Once I press this, there's no going back. Maybe we should reevaluate our other options and—"

King presses down on Arena's finger, activating the cube.

Arena looks up at King, shocked by his actions. "I can kill you right now," Arena says. He stares intensely at King for a moment and then relaxes. "Thank you. If you hadn't done that, I don't think I would have," Arena says as he lowers in his chair, his eyes now fixated on the cube. The cube starts to give off a faint blue glow. "When the colors change, that's when we know the signal has been received."

Lahar looks up at them.

"That's done. Still, that wasn't the only reason I brought you all here."

The wisps lean forward with interest.

"This island is an anomaly, even by my standards. I found a stream of energy flowing through the land here, stretching from the field to even under the beach. Well, after some research, I came to the conclusion that it may be coming from the tree in the field. Its roots may be spreading. There is no need to be worried; it's just something that has caught my attention."

Arena stands up. He looks over his shoulder to see a frustrated Lahar working in the greenhouse. "We will check this out tomorrow. Now I am going to check on my student, who doesn't look like she is doing so well." Arena turns around and heads inside the greenhouse.

Lahar carefully stirs the liquid in the flasks, and the petals swirl around. Doc is measuring the ash on a scale to grab the exact amount she needs. "You two making any progress?" Arena asks.

Lahar's stare pierces through him as she lets a soft yet angry no. Arena walks up to the table and stands next to her. "Well, it's because you've been filling up your plate lately. First there are my lessons and then Doc's potion lessons. You're still trying to figure out the bracelet I gave you. Then your shooting practice. There isn't any room to relax."

"I bet you were the same. This is a new world for me; I just want to know it all," she says, focusing her attention on the potion.

Arena picks up one of the books on the table. "How about you help me with something?" he says.

She looks up at him, baffled. Arena barely asks for help on anything he does. When he does, it's usually something minuscule. Arena continues to speak while looking through the book. "My garden is missing a plant that, I found, only grows on the beach. You've been cooped up here for too long, so how about we go explore a bit?"

Lahar looks back at the potion. "That does sound good. I've only been able to go inside the barrier at the house, which only leads to parts of the beach and the garden here. Let me just finish this."

Arena grabs Lahar's hand and pulls her as he walks to the door. "I was thinking of more like now."

They walk out, leaving Doc alone. She lowers her head, feeling left out. Then she notices a note on the table.

Inside the house, Arena leads Lahar to her room. "You go change, and I'll get some snacks for us." He shuts the door and heads to his room to pick up his backpack. He then heads to the kitchen.

He walks to the pantry and places his hand on the handle. He opens it to find the pantry empty. He closes it and thinks of gummies and granola bars. The handle glows, and he opens the pantry door to find a variety of gummies and granola bars.

He fills two water bottles with cold water and places them in his backpack. Lahar walks up wearing the cover-up skirt with Starry Night on it, a white tank top, and the sneakers she uses for the physical portions of her training.

"Good. You have the snacks. Then we should start heading out. The sooner we're done, the sooner I can get back to working on the potion," she says.

As they walk out the door, Arena says, "That's why we're doing this. You need to clear that head of yours. Let's enjoy the walk together."

A gentle breeze blows by, and the scent of the sea air fills them. The soft crunch of the grass becomes the crunch of the sand as they walk down the beach. Arena turns to find Lahar no longer beside him. He looks back to find her standing, still looking down. Arena looks down, noticing whats wrong.