Rick sat tied to a pole in the Crimson Swords camp. His right arm was broken in several places, and both Rick's legs were broken so that he couldn't run. He knew they were keeping him around to sell off later. During the fight with Lord Crimson, or also known as the Burning hand, Rick had shown he had broke through the magic wall. 'So now my fate will be servitude and most likely a mind wipe.'

A slight breeze runs through the tent Rick had been put, for safekeeping. 'Oh good, someone must be here to torture me some more.' Rick thought, slowly cracking his eyes open. But what he saw instead was a blue-haired kid with glowing red eyes. With what the boy had called glasses on his face. This was not Rick's first meeting with the boy. "You?" Rick half coughed out.

"Yikes, you aren't in good shape, my friend." The kid had his hand on his head as if it hurt.

"So, Aaron, why are you here?" Rick used the name he had been calling him a while now.

"Rick, when we first talked, I said I would do three things for you if you helped Jetsford out while he was in this world. First, I would cure you of your aging disease. Second, I would help you break the magic wall. Do you remember the third thing I offered?" Aaron asked.

"You would help me when I needed it the most." Rick gasped out.

"And I'm here to deliver." Aaron tried to crack a smile but couldn't after seeing the state of Rick. Then the tent started to blow around as the wind outside picked up.

"You have power. You could have saved my nieces." A tear rolled down Rick's face.

The boy sighed and looked around. "Eleven of them."

Rick looked at Aaron, confused. "What?"

"That's how many of them I could take before I run out of magic. As for Lord Crimson, not sure. I'd say I could win unless the fight gets drawn out. I may be a powerhouse, but in an extended fight, I would lose." Aaron said casually, then walked over to Rick cutting him free. "It's time to go," he put his hand on Rick's shoulder, then all that was left behind was the cut ropes and an empty tent. Then there was an explosion that ripped through the tent.

Jetsford

Jet walked with his mother, holding her hand. It was snowing, with a few inches on the ground. They were walking to a restaurant where they had a reservation. His uncle Steve was with them. However, his Aunt Jean had gotten sick. So she had stayed home. Then the next scene he saw was the bodies of his family, and snow stained red with blood.

Jet woke up coughing and trying to breathe. It had been a long time since he dreamed about his parents. He tried to open his eyes, but they were too heavy. Someone grabbed his head and propped it up. Then poured water down his throat, and it was everything he could do to not cough the water back up.

"Come on, Jet, wake up."

He could tell it was Relo talking. But every time he tried to speak, only ragged breaths would come out. His body wouldn't even cooperate and move. Before Jet knew it, he had gone back to unconsciousness.

Jet found himself with his mother again. He had this dream several times when he was younger but never remembered what had actually happened that day. When Jet dreamed about that day, he would be walking holding hands with his mother. Then the next scene was the bodies of several people, with the snow stained red with blood.

This time when Jet woke up, he forced his eyes to open. They were in a cave. He assumed as he looked around. Nothing but rocks and fire, then Jet tried to lean up to see where Rachael and Relo were. However, his left arm wasn't working correctly and pain shot through his body, which was saying something since Jet's body was already hurting. When he hit the ground Jet cried out in pain.

Relo hurried over to Jet's side and put a stick in his mouth to bite. "I know you're in pain, but you need to stay quiet. The Crimson Swords are all over the mountainside looking for Rachael."

Jet nodded to her and tried to calm down. Looking at Relo, he could tell she was in bad shape. Her clothes were in tatters, and she looked cold and pale. Then he realized that she had used her clothes for bandages. "Rachael?" He asked with a weak voice.

Relo looked over across the cave and back at Jet. She didn't have to say a word. Her face told him everything. Jet started to lean up again to look at Rachael.

"Jet, calm down. There is nothing you can do."

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He ignored Relo and pushed through his pain, and sat up. Jet could see Rachael's face was as pale as a ghost. She had his cape put over her like a blanket.

"You need to stop moving. You're going to open up your wounds." Relo tried to reason with Jet.

He ignored her and dragged himself to Rachael and lifted his cape. Rachael had a deep cut from the top of her chest going down between her breasts, ending in the middle of her stomach. Her chest was barely even rising at all, and she was on the brink of death.

"How long have I been out," Jet asked and figured it couldn't have been long.

"Seven hours."

'I'm amazed she has lived this long. Why didn't I take Roan up on his offer and learn some high healing spells.' But then he looked closer and saw that her chest bones had been cut deeply.

"I've tried everything I can think of, but all I can do is heal scrapes and bruises," Relo said, tears falling down her face.

Jet turned to Relo and then used his magic sense. "You've used up your magic trying to heal her."

"I have to try." Relo clenched her fists.

"I'm sorry to say. Relo, all you did was postponed the inevitable." Jet looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"Don't say that."

Jet laid his cape back down over Rachael. Then slowly got to his feet. Then slowly made his way to Relo, barely staying up. "I'm so sorry, Relo."

Relo looked up at Jet and got up too. "It's easy for you to say that. You don't know Rachael as I do. I grew up with both of them. Their sisters to me, so I can't give up. Not after what happened too... too." Relo started crying into Jet's chest, hitting him.

Jet, in the meantime, was trying to hold back from falling. Each punch wasn't that strong. However, pain was still shooting through his body. So he grabbed her and embraced her so that it would stop. He stood there for several minutes, letting her cry. After a while, he realized Relo had fallen asleep, and he brought her over to Rachael. He gently laid Relo down next to Rachael.

He grabbed some firewood from next to the fire and fed the fire. Jet just sat there, pain ravaging through his body. He moved a little where he was leaning on the wall, and even more, pain shot through his left arm.

"Careful Jet, there is an arrowhead stuck near your left shoulder blade. Your spell broke it off even with your skin. I couldn't get the arrowhead out." Relo whispered towards him, half asleep.

That had explained why his arm wasn't working right. Jet turned and tried to find a comfortable spot. After a while looking, he fell asleep.

Jet woke up abruptly, hearing something. The fire was still going and hadn't died much, so he couldn't have slept long. He sat still, listening for any voices.

"Go deeper." A soft voice said as if it was just a passing breeze.

He took a few minutes to get up and started to walk towards the cave entrance. 'If someone is out there, maybe I can lead them away from here.' Jet thought as he staggered towards the entrance.

"Go back and deeper." Said the same soft voice.

Quickly turning around, Jet realized the breeze was coming from deeper in the cave. "Who's there?" He coughed out.

"Deeper." The voice repeated.

Looking around, Jet realized the cave they were in was quite large. It had to be at least twenty feet wide and fifteen feet tall.

"Hurry." Jet felt another slight breeze go by him.

Jet staggered to the fire and grabbed a burning stick. Then using his magic to make the tip light up like a torch and used some magic to strengthen his body. It made the pain worse, but he could walk a little faster. 'I don't want to see the state of my body right now.' He thought that as he looked down to see blood dripping down his leg and onto the ground.

Before Jet left the room, he looked down at the girls. Rachael was still breathing, and he saw Relo holding her hand. Relo was still trying to heal Rachael, even asleep. 'I can't afford to lose more blood.' He used the stick he was holding and cauterized the arrow hole.

After cauterizing his wound, he took off, staggering deeper into the cave. He walked for about a hundred feet to find the cave split.

"Left." The voice almost sounded strained.

Jet turned towards the left and staggered onwards. Something started glittering on the wall as Jet walked. He walked towards the wall to find small gem veins. 'How has no one found this place.' When Jet walked another fifty feet, he fell flat on his face, and the world went black.

"Wake up."

Jet's eyes cracked open slowly. 'I must've passed out.' He thought, then started to get back up to his feet. Then realized he hadn't picked up the stick he had been using as a torch. 'I am not leaning down to find a stick.' He had an idea remembering what he did in the competition. His hair started to flutter around and caught on fire.

After a few more minutes, the cave broke off in three directions. 'How big is this cave?' Jet wondered.

"Straight."

He felt the air pass by him and started towards the middle tunnel. 'What am I doing? I am following a strange voice in the wind.' Jet's mind kept wandering as he walked. His eyes kept closing longer between blinks.

Jet kept walking and lost track of time. There was no way he would be able to find his way back. The tunnel system in this cave was complex. However, Jet was starting to see a pattern in his dazed state. When he got to the next split in the tunnels, Jet headed to the biggest opening.

As Jet passed through the tunnel, he could hear heavy breathing. He looked around, realizing that he had walked into a giant room. He then tripped and passed out again.

Jet woke up coughing, pain shooting through his whole body. He tried to stop coughing but with no luck.

"Turn your head up." The voice said slowly in between shallow breaths.

He complied and rolled over. Then something that looked like a giant snake tail pointed straight at his face. Jet didn't have the energy to be scared. Then cool water droplets started falling off the point into his mouth. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Jet got to his feet slowly then looked at the creature. It had a cat-like body with a long snake-like tail. Glowing blue eyes, with six horns on its head. What he had assumed was fur was fine-looking feathers. However, what got most of his attention was the gaping hole on the side of the creature. Blackened blood droplets were falling to the ground.

Jet's eyes widened as a realization dawned on him. "You're the creature, Zenobia."

Zenobia stared into Jet's eyes. "It has been a long time since I have heard that title."