I was surrounded by red ash and fire. The air was almost so hot it was burning my skin.

"Dianite", I whispered.

I didn't get an answer.

"Please talk to me"

A dark black cloak strolled over to me. I remembered the puffy, burned skin from my former dreams.

"You have betrayed me, Thomas". His voice ground in my mind.

"No I haven't-"

"Your stupid friend didn't kill Furia, he told me everything"

The air picked at my skin more. "I'm sorry. I'll never do it again"

"You've made that promise multiple times. Do you take me as a fool".

"No my lord. I just-"

"Just what? What is your excuse this time?"

I breathed in the dirty air. "I need them to trust me"

"What plan do you have set that you need them to trust you?"

I reached in my pocket and brought out the small sack. The heart pulsed through the fabric. "This"

He took the heart and held the sack by one finger. "Well, well. Good job". He opened the sack and glowing light came out of the top. "Then what does your little Ianite friend have then?"

"Furia's", I said, "I wasn't surprised how small it was".

Dianite laughed stickily. "Not that he was using it. Smart".

"Well then Dainute. I must wake up now. I have thing to do-"

Dianite held my shoulder as I started to turn. "One more thing"

I swallowed. "Yes?"

"They will not expect you when the heart doesn't work. They will expect that they made a mistake", A gruesome smile formed in his face, "the Ianites are too forgiving", he cleared his throat turning me around to him. "They'll go to her temple at a far away place and I'll be there to kill her. The older Ianite will be depressed and well", he stopped talking making me put the pieces together. "You can get the job done".

"Y-you want me to", I stopped talking.

"Your a Dianite, Thomas. Time to start acting like one".

"What about-?"

"The little girl. She'll be killed as well. I have a friend who would like to take care of her?"

"She's just eight", I screamed.

Dianite glared at me. "What about when she's 18? What about when she's 21? She will grow her own opinions and she will no longer see you as a hero. Your a villain, Thomas".

I lowered my voice.

"Please Dianite. The team, there strong, we don't need to kill them we could- we could convert them".

"To kill there opinion out is to kill there fighting spirit".

I sighed.

"I am sorry Thomas. This is the only way", Dianite walked away. The dream started to fade. "But let this be a lesson. Don't get so attached".

"Can't believe you broke your leg", I threw Sonja a pillow.

"I blame Hope's stupid cat. What animal decides that sleeping on the fourth step is smart." She crossed he arms.

"It was sunbathing, Sonj. Cats do that and I thought you liked Scarlett".

"I feel bad for it", she propped her foot on the pillow. "Poor thing has to have some reason to be so bloodthirsty".

I went to the shelf and grabbed my swords.

"I remember cats being evil, but not that evil", she continued on.

I turned to her before I was opened the door to leave.

"Tell me about Ianaria, please"

I nodded my head yes, shrugging on my coat. "Feel better Sonj".

She waved as I went out the door.

"Hope c'mon were leaving now!"

"I can't get my boots on!", she yelled back.

I threw my head back groaning. "You said that last time. What's wrong with your stupid shoes?!"

"Last night they kept untieing in the maze so I double knotted them, but I put the bunny under the tree to many times and now it's a super knot!"

I turned around to the lab. Hope threw her boot on the ground in frustration. Her first shoe was on, but the second was laying on the floor. The knot was the classic 'I pulled the wrong string and forgot I double knotted it' deal you would get after kindergarten gym class.

I grabbed the shoelace and picked at the middle of the knot until it came undone. "There"

Hop glared at me shoving the shoe on her foot. "You cheated"

"I didn't realize it was a competition", I handed her her pink backpack. "Let's go, Capsize is waiting for us".

Her eyes widened then she smirked. "Oh Capsize?"

"I'll leave you here"

"So did you get the ring yet?"

"I'm not going to marry her! I just met her!"

We walked out the front door. Hope started to skip.

"Jordan, your lucky you got a girl. Like a wise profit once said 'if you like it then you shoulda put a ring on it'".

I locked the door do Tom couldn't eat the fridge out again. "Who told you Beyonce was a profit?"

"Who?"

I sighed, forgetting that she only got to read old books and magazines from the modern world. "I- please never say that again".

She shrugged that comment off going back to walking.

"Where is your girlfriend meeting us?", she asked trying to piss me off.

"She's not my girlfriend!"

The sarcastic aura was covering Hope. I could almost hear her rolling her eyes. "You adults and your over complicatedness. Hike up your skirt and ask her out".

"Why are you so hung up over this?"

"Well if I ever had a guy who liked me and I liked him back I would make it official as sone as possible. No vicious woman could steal him then", she turned around walking backwards beaming up a smile. "Take notes"

"You won't get a guy to like you if your so sarcastic"

She turned around walking the right way and shrugged. "Alright no husband then"

"I mean I'm okay with that. As long as your gone by 18"

"Why do you want to rid me so bad?", she held her chest as if her heart was braking. Of course she did that sarcastically as well. "What have I ever done?"

"Well", I looked up at the sky over acting my part as much as she was, "let me think. You eat more then Tom. You make me feel like an unwity loser-"

"Aw, but Jordan your my unwity loser"

"you also medal in my love life-which is none of your business by the way. If I wanted to ask her out I would have already. I just feel like she sees me as more of a hero then I actually am and I-"

"Who sees what now?"

I almost hit my head on a tree branch out of shock.

"Hi Capsize", Hope waved her hand sporadically at Capsize.

"Hello Hope"

She slid by my shoulder smirking at me. "Jordan".

"Hey- hel- uh- I uh".

Hope noticed I was a jumbled mess.

She mouthed the words hello.

I soon followed up, "Hello"

"Uhh yes", she gave me a strange look,"I need to ask you a question about the boat".

"The boat", I sighed out of relieve. "Okay what is it?"

"Well we're using through the portal. Well we're taking a portal to Ianaria because it's just so far ways to sail normally. It's actually a funny story us sailing here-"

I started to muffle her words out looking behind her shoulder at Hope.

She honestly looked like she was about to explode, holding her hands infront of her mouth trying to hold in laughter or crying, I couldn't tell which.

What is she doing?

She literally started jumping up and down.

"And that's how me and my brother learned about sirens!"

I shook my head. "Huh, sorry, what?"

"Oh", she hit her head. "I was rambling, but anyway the ship might get cracked going through the portal in all. Red wanted to hear your input on the beaming if it could take it or not".

"Yeah", I got my head back into the conversation, "that stuff is reinforced with steal. We will be fine"

She started walking down the path. "What about the one The Dianite put in"

I laughed to myself. "That one will be fine to"

"As much as I pick on him", she said, "I really would like to thank him for helping us. Even if he was kinda forced".

"Yeah. That might make him feel better"

"So what have you been up to lately", she asked.

I heard Hope following behind us.

"Oh you know, saving gods. The usual".

"well", she smiled, "that sounds awfully mundane".

We stopped at the dock. The ship was very obviously patched up. The ship didn't look safe, but it didn't look broken.

"This is a mess!", I heard Capsize's brother screech in the distance.

In that motion Capsize walked over to calm him down.

"Wow", Tucker said lugging Tom behind him, "great job guys".

I realized he was talking about the ship.

"I think we did a great job!", Hope yelled jumping up, seeming like she was trying to be more noticeable.

"We were on short notice", I stated, "and we're not a Home Depot. We had to improvise with the supplies"

Hope gave me a strange look. "A home what?-"

Tom through his duffle on the ground. "I got that one, barely".

I didn't look at Tucker, knowing that he would probably be mad at me for making a reference to -dare I say- home.

"Well I think we are ready", Capsize yelled over to us.

Tucker adjusted the backpack strap on his back and shouldered between Hope and I to the boat.

We both stood silently side by side watching him walk on the boat with Red right behind him smoldering out of rage.

Hope tipped her head trying to figure out what was wrong with Tucker as well.

"Okay then", I said slowly.

"Is it because I said Beyonce was a profit", Hope asked looking up at me. "He gets mad when people question his gods-" she paused looking for words to say "- godliness?"

"No hope", I sighed, "I don't know what's up with Tucker".

She was still looking at me, "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one".

"I- social conduct and science are two very different things", I stopped talking. "Sadly", I added on.

"Hurry up guys!"

I picked up Hope's bag. "Let's go kid"

"Okay, but Jordan I have one last question before we go".

I went by Hopes voice to make sure she was following me. I tried to hold on to all of the luggage I was carrying. My voice came out shaky. "Yes?"

"I heard there were parties for leaving on a boat. What are they and are we getting one?"

"Bon voyage parties". I grabbed Hopes backpack before it slipped out of my hands, "and that would be cool, but no".

"Oh, why bon voyage?"

"It's what they say when they leave. It's something like goodbye in French".

Hope jumped on the boat first. I handed everything to her, making my arms feel a lot better.

"I'm not sure what the exact wording and language is though"

Hope slung her backpack on her shoulder. "French is what they speak in France, right?"

"Yes Hope and France is-?"

"The place with the big metal statue that points up".

I rolled my eyes grabbing my bag. "That would be the Eiffel Tower, but okay".

Redford untied the boat from the dock.

Capsize through out orders here and there that I truly wasn't paying attention to.

The wind caught the sails. Capsize and Red looked pleased with there handy work.

The boat started to move throwing everyone except the Pirates a little off footing.

Hope was holding a banister not caring about anything else. She was staring in trees trying to find something.

I walked over, well at least tried. My legs were moving against the sway of the boat and the water.

She gasped finally catching eye of what she wanted to see all along.

She waved to a squirrel almost falling off of the boat. I caught her other arm, but she still didn't notice I was there.

"BON VOYAGE", she screamed waving at all the squirrels and scaring the birds away with the loud noise.

She turned around smiling at me. "He spoke French back".

What will they think when they figure out the heart isn't hers?

They'll think it was Furia's mistake or there's.

There is no way to tell for sure. No way to see that your right on your hopefulness.

Dianite promised, stop being paranoid.

Our gods a lier.

My eyes burned from facing the direction of the wind. I closed them. One of my habits when I felt guilty. My mind would wander and my body would do anything to mindlessly hurt itself.

It was saddening. Seeing Hope and Sparkles get excited over the heart that wasn't really there.

I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill him.

Even if I wanted to I couldn't. As much as I hated to admit it the Mianites wouldn't let me get any vicinity close to them or anyone allied to them if I had the proper weapons to make it through a battle. The Ianites were also smart. No one knew what type of items Hope was stalked up on. I still don't know what those wrist bands are.

Hope could kill me if she wanted to, and if she saw me as the bad guy I am she just might.

My only option would be to take out the Mianites and that's something I couldn't do either.

So I was at a standpoint. My young actions finally came rearing back. Ianite was right. My god was corrupt and the heart wouldn't fix it.

But the pull was to strong. I had forced my allegiance into Dianites hand and it was to late to escape.

"We're far out enough at sea to make the portal", Capsize yelled over her shoulder.

Capsize, that's right. Sparkles could honestly have her. I was busy with other things.

"Does anybody want to watch?"

I turned around loosely, leaning on the opposite side of the deck.

"Ah ah ah", Hope raised her hand having her hand hold her elbow. "Pick me!"

Capsize sighed, more tired then annoyed. "Yes Hope?"

Hope pointed towards the water."How you doing the portal thingy?"

"Well", she got a stone out of her pocket. It was blue and dark, vibrant green. What the sea floor is supposed to look like. "My father gave me this stone when I was first sailing in Ianites navy. It's a portal straight to home".

"How does that work?" Sparkles asked.

"I don't know where my father got it. I don't question his actions, but when it hits the ocean floor it should work".

Capsize turned around to look at her brother. "Ready", she asked.

He nodded yes.

She threw the stone. It skipped four times and stopped then started sinking to the ocean floor.

The water buzzed and shook. The air felt like it always done when some sort of magic is going through it. Alive and sizzling.

The water shot out of the ocean. It came up like a fountain.

Specks of water bounced off of each other hitting my skin. Then the water stream let down and turned into a whirlpool. The sky turned into a darker lavender and the clouds turned grey. The sea almost had a magenta tint from the sky.

The wind started to get even stronger then it had before. I mix between when Ianite came and when those shadows attacked. Something strong, but it doesn't burn my skin.

It was almost like the ship stayed in place, but the whirlpool came closer.

I started to get dizzy. Everyone looked like they were dizzy. Then my body got tired, like it was trying to force my mind to shut down. I still stayed strong. Everyone was quite or I couldn't hear anything but the water thrashing and crashing.

And my eyelids got heavy and my heft become relaxed even though this isn't a relaxing moment. Everything started to darken and I collapsed.

I was knocked out. Not in the normal way where I felt sick, but something smoother like I was falling asleep.

I leaned up. The sun was bright in my eyes. No clouds could be seen anywhere. The ship was docked.

"What happened", I asked rubbing my head.

Hope threw a bucket of water on Tom's head trying to wake him up.

"I guess since you aren't a follower of Ianite you got knocked out". I heard sparkles voice from behind me.

He helped me up.

"Well I was about to call your god a bitch", I starred at Hope throwing another bucket of sea water on Tom. "But that was kinda nice".

Tom still wasn't waking up.

"I think he got a double dose", Sparkles said. "Being a Dainite".

Hope kicked Tom's side screaming, "Cmon!"

"He could just stay like that", I suggested, "you know it would be quite"

"We were thinking about", Sparkles retorted. I don't think he was joking,"But, he would wake up sooner or later and it's better to have him with us".

Hope picked up the bucket and threw it by toms face. It landed on the deck with a clang. Tom's eyes flew open.

"I'm up Mom! Wait for me!", he screeched gripping onto his pants.

Hope looked a little horrified picking up the bucket. "Okay then".

Tom's hair and shirt was wet. He looked like he took a swim after a hangover. His eyes lit up looking more life like. "Where. I-", he stammered, "what?"

"Your fine", I tried to sound soothing. It didn't work. "We're in Ianaria".

"Why did I get knocked out?" He seemed more nervous then he normally is.

"Because you weren't an Ianite. I got knocked out too".

"That's it", he question, slowly standing up.

"Yeah Tom", Sparkles said. "Are you sure your okay?"

"I'm fine", he didn't seem to be fine. "I'm just groggy. I guess".

Sparkles wasn't buying it.

"Red tie up the boat", Capsize walked over to the deck barking out orders, putting her hair up into a knot. "Get you land legs back on", she glanced sideways at Tom as she paced. "Place your bets who Ianite will get upset at".

Even though Tom looked sick he put on one of his annoying grins. "Why you always expect it's me?"

Red smiled as her tied up the boat. Capsize turned to Tom, sticking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

Capsize took a deep breath, not particularly wanting to say anything back, "Place", she slowly said, "Your bets".

Everyone grew silent waiting for Red to tie up the ship.

Ianaria was a old town with white brick houses with slender, royal purple roofs that looked like they where through a war. The grey and brown stone paths were ripped up to shreds. Clay mud scattered across the chafed streaks. Purple banners where thrown down off of there perches on the roofs.

"Okay", he said standing back up. "We're ready to go if everyone is done fighting".

Hope jumped off of the boat , probably feeling alittle cooped up, running across the dock to mainland faster then Sparkles could raise his voice to scream at her.

And they call me the picky one.

We slowly followed. I grabbed Sparkles sword because he had chased after Hope to make sure she hadn't got into any trouble already.

Tom seemed to wake up more. I stood beside him and noticed him stare at his daggers wearily.

"Tom".

He jumped when is said his name.

I put my hand on his shoulder, "I thought you didn't remember your mom?"

"I- I", he stammered throwing his glance back down to his weapon. "I don't".

I didn't have anything to say in return.

"What is it?", he asked.

I shook my head. "Just asking".

"Hey hey", I grabbed Hope quiver dragging her from her feet. She slowed her sprint to a walk which was fruitless. She wouldn't leave anywhere without her arrows.

"What?!"

"What's your problem", I tried not to raise my voice, as difficult as it was. "you've been behaving worse then normal".