Her hands slide off her face. She sees the familiar ceiling that she sleeps under. She moves her head around to see the same desk crammed in the corner, with books piled high. This was Arena's office before she co-opted it as her temporary bedroom.

Lahar lies in a cold sweat. Pressure pushes down on her stomach. She lifts her head to find Pie asleep with his head on her and the rest of his massive body lying on the floor with a blanket over him.

Lahar's fingers graze her face to find any scratches, burn marks, or any sign of what happened. She can't find any. She reaches for a glass of water on a nightstand by her bed, careful not to wake Pie. She gulps the entire full glass of water all at once. Her eyes bounce around the room as she looks to see if anything is out of place. Everything is exactly as she left it. The curtains are drawn, but the window is securely closed.

The pale moon is out, and she sees the field and beach from where she is sitting. It is late into the night as the wind blows outside. For a moment, a shiver runs through her body. She ignores it and keeps looking.

A light shines under her door. Lahar knows it is the hallway light that Arena leaves on. The clock on the wall shows the late hour that he's normally in the greenhouse. He is always working on something, can never keep still. She carefully gets up from her bed, trying not to wake Pie. She fails. He sniffs as his eyes slowly open. He looks up at Lahar. She can tell he is worried and still half asleep.

"Don't worry. I'm just getting more water," she says, shaking the empty glass in her hand. She walks to the massive door. As she turns the handle, she can feel the nudge of Pie's head on her back. He is determined to follow her, even though he is barely awake. She smiles and gestures to him to follow. They step into the hallway and walk to the door that leads to the greenhouse.

The handle glows softly as she turns it. She opens the door to see the greenhouse on the other side. Arena sits at the table with a lamp on, leaving it up to the moon to illuminate the rest of the room. Lahar looks up through the glass to see a sky full of stars. She lets out a small sigh of relief.

Arena has stacks of books around him and papers scattered about. He turns around to see Lahar and Pie walking in. "What are you two doing up? You should be asleep," Arena says with a yawn.

"Like you should be saying that." Lahar pulls up the chair next to Arena and sits down.

"What brings you half-asleep zombies here this late?" Arena asks, turning back to his work.

He flips through a book, jotting down random segments in a sketchbook and scribbling the occasional symbol.

"I had a dream I feel like you need to know about." Her fingers run through her hair as she tries to wrap her mind around what she has just dreamed.

"Dreams hold significant value in both the psychological and magical communities. So let's hear it," he says, and he chews on the end of his pen and continues to stare at the book.

"Well, that's the thing. I don't think it was entirely a dream. I think part of it really happened," Lahar says, not believing her own words.

Arena turns to her with a curious expression on his face as Lahar continues to talk. She explains to him the dream she had, from when she was staring up at the tree to the freezing white flames engulfing her. She tells him the deal Void tried to make with her.

Arena sits there considering what she has said. Lahar sits there in silence. For a moment, she worries he won't believe her but finds that silly. After all, she is now in a world where anything is possible, even the outrageous. "The last time I checked the seal, it was still strong. He shouldn't be able to do what he did from there," Arena says as he scratches his head with his pen.

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"That's what I thought. He still acted confident, as if he had the upper hand. Even offering me a deal while he is trapped there himself," Lahar says in a confident tone.

"I would have taken the deal," Arena says.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, I'm not close to figuring out a way back to your home. I was capable of taking care of myself before you were here, and I believe I will be if you leave. No offense, though," he says. "He wasn't asking for anything in return. So I don't think there was any downside."

"So I should have taken it," Lahar says, vexed. "I should just walk up to his rock and tell him I'm game for what he said. That I am fine with leaving you all here with him?"

"Well, you haven't been here that long and don't really know us that well. I just assumed you had family and friends you needed to get back to—another life," Arena says, avoiding her stare.

Lahar's eyebrows twitch, his words aggravating her more. "And that gives me an excuse to leave? Let's ignore the fact that I would be leaving the only opportunity in my life to learn magic. I would be leaving you all here with those Beasts and that monster down below."

Lahar takes a deep breath to calm herself. Pie's ears perk as he senses the apparent danger coming from Lahar. Arena chooses to continue not looking her in the eyes.

"We made a deal when I first got here," Lahar says. "That we would find a way back together. I don't go back on my word. And I won't abandon my friends here. Either we find a way back together, or we're all stranded together," Lahar says in a serious tone. "Plus, we both know you were bored out of your mind before I came. I am basically your beacon of hope," she says, joking with him.

Arena smiles as he looks at her in the eye. "Whatever you need to tell yourself," he jokes back. "Sorry I suggested that. I just don't want to disappoint you. It may take weeks, months, even longer to figure a way back home for you. I just don't want you to squander an opportunity and miss your life, all on the bet that I will figure it out soon."

Lahar smiles softly at Arena as she pets Pie's head to assure him that she is calm. "School will be waiting for me when I get back. It's not like I was taking summer classes. As for my family and friends, they will just have to understand. This right now—this place is my life at the moment. You're stuck with me until you figure it out." She giggles.

The thought has crossed her mind a thousand times since she came here: How long will it take her parents to notice she's missing? It's not as if they were living in the same town anymore. How many times have they called or tried to visit? Her plans to go to the amusement park with her friends—do they think she bailed out, or are they worried?

She looks at Arena, at the books and notes on the table, and up at the night sky. For some reason, those worries are pushed back. They are still there, but he takes priority. She thinks it might be gratitude for the work he has put in, but that doesn't feel exactly right. All she knows is she won't abandon him, Pie, or the wisps here. She will do what she can to help them in any way and help figure out a path home.

"Well, at least there is a silver lining in all this," Arena says.

"Which is what? I'll get more work done since I won't sleep," Lahar says between yawns.

"Not exactly," he says as he raises one finger. "First, we now know there is a for-sure way back. I thought before he was just lying about how he could take you back. Now that he's made an offer to you, that means there is a way. I just need to look harder."

He raises two fingers. "Second, he sees you as a threat. He wouldn't want you here if you could stop what he is planning. So it's good that you want to stay here with me a bit," he says, laughing. "Now then, let's check something."

Arena holds both his hands out. "Now give me your hands," he says. Lahar is stunned for a moment but places her hands on top of his. "I am about to do a spell. Think of it as a medical scan. I'm just going to check for any anomalies in your body," he says happily. Arena closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Lahar can feel his energy surging through her body. It feels like static electricity running on her skin. His face changes from smiling to serious in a matter of seconds.

Before he speaks to her, Lahar can hear him let out a soft "Phenomenal." He opens his eyes, revealing them as red now. "I need you to remain calm as I speak, okay, Lahar?" he asks.

She becomes anxious, and her heart beats faster. "No one says that when they have good news," she says.

"That's true. Now I am going to ask you a question," Arena says. "In your dream, you said it was as if you two were having a real conversation. That the world felt real, as if you were really there. You could smell and feel things, correct?"

"Yeah. Everything was too real for me, especially him. There's no way I could have made up that conversation myself. I learned things about him I didn't know before," she says calmly.

"That would make sense." Arena looks at Lahar in the eyes as he speaks. "This is the part I need you to remain calm for the most," he says as he squeezes her hands. He takes a deep breath. "There is a piece of him, Void, inside your body right now."