Thankfully, the ocean was calm enough for us to cross, instead of traveling through the Nether to get to L'manberg.

I had no desire to enter the Nether after the incident.

Tommy and I were in one boat, with Techno in one to our right. Tommy had insisted on having all three of us in one boat, but Techno refused and climbed into his own vessel. He claimed that it would sink with all three of us.

I doubted that it would sink with my help. If I focused enough, my water powers could carry large weights, but I didn't push him.

My magic pushed us across the even water with ease, actually bringing some comfort to me.

The water magic pulsed in my veins, washing through me and flushing out the haze of last night. It refreshed and energized my mind, helping my heart beat easier.

When the water began to turn to a teal, clear color as we neared L'manberg, all three of us became observant and tense to our surroundings. A wanted criminal, an exiled teen, and someone who was being hunted was not the best group to travel as.

We quickly docked at the empty harbor, tying our boats to the posts. Autumn had fully swept in, brushing out the hot summer air and drawing in the cooler breezes. The leaves on most of the trees were turning bright reds and oranges.

A breeze pushed out onto the harbor, making Tommy and I tug our capes tighter around ourselves. I heard Tommy grumble under his breath about the cold, earning a small smile from me.

Before we climbed the hill into L'manberg, I hesitated. "Techno, could I go get the rest of my stuff from Puffy's while you get your weapons? I sort of wanted to talk to Puffy..."

I trailed off, glancing up at Techno. He was contemplating, looking around at our surroundings. He probably didn't want me off by myself after my encounters Dream.

"Yes, but you need to be careful. Drink an invisibility potion so nobody will see you till you get there," He said, handing over the potion.

I took it, already popping the cork off with my thumb. Before I drank it, Techno wanted to go check to see where everyone was. He was acting very cautious now that I was parting with the group for a bit.

That left Tommy and I alone, watching the ocean lazily lap against the dock under the clear sky.

"Y/n?" I pulled my gaze away from the sky when Tommy called me. He wasn't looking at me, instead, watching the sparkling water and fish.

He continued when he knew I was listening, "Do you- do you think Tubbo thinks I'm dead?"

My thoughts drifted to the tall tower that Tommy almost lost his life to in the stormy night. The memory was a bit hazy from the blood loss and pain, but I don't know if Tommy would be standing next to me if I hadn't shown up.

A bit of fire sparked in me at the thought of the demon inside of Dream's actions. In between the grief and trying to heal, I had shoved the man out of my head.

And I did the same now, turning slightly to Tommy. He was clutching the compass around his neck, underneath the new outfit Phil had made him. The outfit mostly matched my own, besides the compass and the green bandana around his wrist.

"He very well could, if he went to Logstedshire," I said, treading carefully. "But when you see him today, don't panic. Techno will be there and I'll see you soon after."

The teen nodded, the coral light reflecting in his eyes. I could see his mind and heart clashing with each other, fighting over what to say to Tubbo when he sees him.

We turned at the sound of footsteps, seeing Techno returning.

"I have a plan, Tommy," He said to his brother, turning to me before they left. "Meet at the top of the stairs when you're done with Puffy. And be safe."

I took a deep breath and nodded. This would be the first time I had to leave the comfort of Techno's protectiveness and threatening demeanor to anyone outside of me.

Usually, that wouldn't be hard for me.

The two watched as I drank the sour potion, and disappeared before their eyes in a poof of lilac particles. I crept alongside them until we reached the edge of L'manberg, where we parted ways.

A sense of normalcy washed over me as I focused on keeping my steps quiet and watching for people so I couldn't run into them. My instincts took over my emotions, giving my heart a much-needed break.

I followed the path mechanically, the route memorized in my feet after walking it for so many years. It was strange to have to hide in your own home from someone you used to love.

Relief flushed through me as the mushroom house came into view, along with Cottonball outside in a stable. This had been my home while I searched for Techno, and I had left Puffy so abruptly.

The potion began wearing off as I stepped into the house and climbed the stairs. A familiar scent of sea air and salt wrapped around me when I emerged from the stairs.

Instead of one figure being in the room like I expected, there were two. Both froze at the sight of me, their conversation coming to a quick stop.

Puffy stared at me wide-eyed. I could see the question of truth in her brown eyes, wondering if I was real.

The other person had the same expression as Puffy, although it was hard to tell behind the creeper mask. The only way I could tell was the way his mouth dropped slightly.

Tears quickly lined my eyes, and I choked on my emotions as I ran at the two.

Sam and Puffy took me into their arms, wrapping me in a tight hug that was enormously needed. I buried my head into their shoulders, embracing the love I felt pouring out of them.

Even if I had just lost my real parent, these two felt like how Noemi did.

Puffy abruptly pulled back, holding me at arm's length. Her eyes scanned my body for the injury that she was told had almost killed me.

"Did we hurt you? Techno told us that the wound was very bad, but he didn't say where," She said, worry filling her voice.

I sniffled and laughed, wiping my eyes. "No, I'm alright now. Techno put me on bed rest so I could heal faster."

Puffy quickly pulled me back into her arms, the worry disappearing from her eyes slightly. Her white hair brushed my forehead from where my face was pressed against her red pirate coat.

In the hug, I peered up at Sam, who was already watching me. He looked the exact same, besides the new heavy netherite sword that hung at his side.

"You scared us, kid," He said, the same concern Puffy had in his tone. "When you didn't come home and Ranboo showed up telling us you were almost fatally injured, it scared us."

I pulled back from Puffy a bit so I could look up at Sam's tall form. "I'm sorry, I was expecting to come home. But something happened ..." I trailed off, gesturing at my stomach where the scar ran.

Puffy pulled me down onto my old bed next to her, Sam sitting on the bed across from us. "Do you want to tell us what happened, y/n?" The latter asked.

I had expected this, and after hours of contemplating if I should expose Dream, I had come to an answer. Puffy and Sam were the only two parental figures I had in this world, and if I could, I would rely on them till my last breath.

So I opened up, everything spilling out like a dam being cracked. Telling Tommy what had happened did help, but it wasn't like this. Small weights lifted off my shoulders with each word.

My words wavered and paused when Noemi flashed in my mind. They knew I had connections with the gods, but did they know I had that close of a bond with one?

"Is there more?" Puffy asked gently, while Sam remained quiet.

Her question pulled at the part of me that wanted to tell them. But then there was that dark, stormy cloud that pushed for me to stay quiet.

Grief had its limits, and where it ended, bad thoughts continued. Ones that told me to separate myself from the ones that would help, and to shut them out in fear of losing them too.

As the cloud almost sealed my mouth shut, that foreign power surged from my tight hold. It pushed the cloud away, clearing my thoughts like it was wiping my mind clean of dirty dust.

Warmth and realization spread through me, allowing for the recollection of who Noemi was and her death to come out in words. Puffy wrapped an arm around my waist as I described the last moments I had with my mother.

"Y/n, I-" Puffy said when I finished, blinking several times to clear her own tears. "I'm so sorry."

I nodded my thanks, wiping my face of tears. Sam came over silently, sitting down on my other side.

He wrapped his own arm around my shoulders, his comforting demeanor was apparent. What he did next though, caught me totally off guard.

Dark grey eyes with flecks of gold took the place of the creeper mask as he pushed it up onto his head. Freckles covered his nose and cheeks, but they were dark green.

With his mask out of the way, I could fully see the saddened and worried expression on his face. His dark eyes were silver-lined with tears, close to spilling over onto his fair cheeks.

"I wish we could've been there for you the other night," He said, his eyes darting to Puffy for a second. "And what Dream did to you is awful. He's not how he used to be."

My gaze fell from him, despite the shock that still wanted to keep me looking. "Yeah, he really has changed."

The power overflowed into me again, once more shaking from my strong grip on it. It spread hope within me and lightened my thoughts.

Dream was still in there, fighting to get back.

That wasn't the real Dream that had killed my mother and almost myself.

This time, I let the power stay. It flourished and bloomed inside of me, quickly warming up to my other magic.

We were quiet for a second before I broke the silence with a stuffy laugh. Puffy and Sam both looked at me with confusion.

"Something good did come out of the other night," I said, a smile climbing onto my face.

They waited as I cupped my hands in my lap and closed my eyes.

Earlier this morning, I hadn't been ready. The storm cloud had blocked my senses and pushed the bright new magic away in fear.

But now, I called out to it. It came running to me, and the feeling of distant happiness and laughter filled me. The most cheerful yellow exploded in my mind, sending magic and light into my veins.

Puffy gasped and Sam just chuckled behind my closed eyes when a warmth seeped into my palms and around my forehead.

I opened my eyes with a smile, seeing a ball of golden, shimmering sunlight in my hands. It shone like the sun but blossomed like a lotus flower.

Sure it was small, but at the moment, I didn't care. What mattered was that I felt the call of hope and joy through my bloodline's power.

And when I glanced across the room at a mirror, I saw my crown of flame and lightning return. But this time, sunlight was woven in, showing my new title.

Goddess of Light and Magic.

I smiled, and let the crown disappear. I looked back down at the sunlight in my cupped hands, gold glimmering in my eyes.

As we watched the sunlight, I realized something and smiled more. "I can save Dream now."

Maybe shooting stars did work.

-

After explaining to Puffy and Sam how I could use my now combined magic to save Dream, I piled some of my belongings that I had left behind into a spare saddlebag.

My navy hoodie was the last item to go in the bag, atop other clothing and items.

The two made me promise to be safe with Techno, which I agreed to without hesitance. Our time together had been short, but I felt lighter.

I also said I would return as soon as I could, not just to see them, but to bring Patches back home with me. The feline was being well taken care of with Puffy, but clearly missed me and Ghost.

Patches happily purred as I scratched the top of her head and placed a kiss on her fur before leaving. Her green eyes tracked me from the window when I walked back onto the path outside.

I didn't bother with more of the invisibility potion when I could see Techno and Tommy in the distance, waiting for me at the top of the stairs. Even if I hadn't seen them, I felt safer with my new hope and magic.

Someone emerged from a house on my side as I walked past, drawing my attention. My magic actually pulled to him in a strange way.

He was easily one of the tallest people I had ever seen, almost matching Ranboo. His tan and yellow face looked like it was sculpted from stone, which may have been based on his green jewel-like eyes.

Blue and gold lined around his striking eyes, and gold earrings hung from his pointed ears that poked out from a shark hood. The hood fell onto his back, layering with a pale outfit.

There was a strange air to him, making me even more interested.

I peered at him curiously, and he stared back at me with shock as if he knew me.

My hand waved in an awkward way. "Uh, hey. I'm y/n."

Even more shock rippled in his all-green eyes. "You're y/n?"

My cheeks warmed faintly and I gave him an embarrassed smile. "Yup that's me. And you are...?"

He snapped out of his stare and smiled at me. Friendly nature poured out of his stance and tone. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Foolish."

"Did you just move here?" I asked politely.

"Yeah, a few days ago actually. I live a bit away from here."

I nodded at him, preparing to walk away. There was something about the way he looked at me that reminded me of the gods and goddesses.

In a way, he looked familiar.

"Well, nice meeting you," I said, seeing him wave goodbye as I turned. As I moved towards Techno and Tommy, Foolish's stare burned into my back.

It seemed like Techno and Tommy were successful at getting weapons back. The infamous crossbow once again hung at Techno's side, with his sword at his other hip.

Although, when I looked at Tommy, he seemed a bit shaken. I followed his gaze out into L'manberg, seeing Tubbo standing with Ranboo by the old camarvan.

Ah, so that's why he was agitated.

The two turned to me upon hearing my approach. Techno raised an eyebrow. "No trouble I presume?"

"Nope, all good. Didn't even sense a threat in the area," I said lightly, adjusting to the ease at which I spoke again.

Techno must've noticed my incline in emotions because his face softened into a hint of a smile. "Puffy and Sam glad to see you?"

This made me smile. "Yeah, it was good to see them." I patted the bag slung across my body. "And I got some of my stuff."

He nodded approvingly, turning so he could look between Tommy and me. There was a glimmer of amusement and cheer in his dark eyes.

"Now that we're all here, I can take you to the surprise."

~~~~

oop foolish has finally been introduced :) there's still one more like Foolish I have to write in >:)

anywaysss TAKE YOUR HAPPY CHAPTER BESTIES

i made an Instagram, if you want to follow it lol. It's fine if you don't want to, I just have it to interact more with you guys :) username in bio

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