Leonard wasn't used to sleep in strange beds, so he didn't sleep too well that night. Luckily for him, nights in that world seemed longer, so he still had enough time to rest well.
One of the many times he woke up that night, he was frightened from some strange nightmare he had. He thought it was because of the strange situation he was in, and tried to get rid of the thought while thinking about what Ly said. His mid couldn't hold that for long, and soon he was only thinking about her, and that way he managed to sleep for yet another small while.
After some time, he couldn't get himself to sleep again, so he just decided to lay in bed, looking at the wooden ceiling, while waiting for the sky to show some sign of the next day.
When he was already starting to wonder how long nights were in that world, he heard a soft knocking from the door, and someone stepping into the room. Leo looked at the door and saw Ly wearing a blue nightdress.
- Good morning Leo... - said she with a voice from just waking up - It's still dark, but it's already time to go. Did you sleep well?
- Not really, I was used to my bed in the other world... but the night was long enough for me to get a good rest, so I should be fine.
- You will get used to it. There's still a few hours more left until dawn. We should go now, it's not far, and you'll like it, so get dressed.
Leo didn't have anything to do in bed, and the idea to stay alone in a foreign house didn't feel right, so he could just do what she said. When he was dressed, he went to the bathroom, cleaned his face and hands, and then he started to walk downstairs.
When Ly heard him, she went out of her room, holding something in her back.
- Hey, you done already? Can you help tie this? It's hard without help.
- S... Sure.
Leo walked to where Ly was, while she was turning around to show part of her back not yet hidden by the dress.
- Not too hard, I like to breath.
Ly said that in such a serious way that Leo couldn't hide a laugh. He then got the ends of the string, and started to tie the dress. A lot of thoughts popped in Leo's head in that time, while he was trying not to mess up with the knot.
- Is it okay like this?
- Yeah, that's fine. Let's go down... to the living room.
Leo and Ly walked downstairs, She opened a closet and took a pair of bags out, then she put some things she took from the "cold closet" into the bags, and gave one to Leo.
- Let's go
Leo thought Ly was happier that morning, and assumed it was because the teleportation left her tired the day before.
They walked in the opposite direction to where Leo woke up for the first time in that world. Leo wasn't sure if they walked a lot or not, because the time passed fast when he was near her.
They got near a cliff, and Ly guided Leo to a cave. The entrance was narrow so they had to crawl inside.
- I'll go before you. Don't look too much, ok?
- Sure... - he said, but what he was thinking was "it'll be dark in there anyway..." -
The narrow part of the cave finished, but it wasn't as dark as Leo expected. A million of small lights lit the cave, like the stars in the sky at night, at the reach of their hands.
Leo's face looked like he was gonna say something, but nothing could come out of his mouth.
- This is mana. Crystalized spirit energy. Pretty, isn't it?
- Yeah...
- It's scary though, there's so much energy concentrated in this place, if anyone was to try to use magic in here, the whole place could explode, and even if it didn't, the user would die. The spirit has a limit on the amount of energy it can take at once.
Leo was still admiring the beauty of that place, while Ly was looking around like searching for something.
- Hey, help me try to find some red mana... pink and orange would also work, if we can't find any, but not so well.
- There's a few up there... - said Leo after a bit of looking.
- Remember I can't use magic in here, and we don't have tools to climb... we can't reach those crystals.
Leo looked around, and saw one at a more reachable height.
- How about that one...? I could help you reach it.
Liien looked at the crystal then at Leo, and sighed.
- Red mana is getting more rare every day... That one will have to do.
Liien walked to where the crystal was, and waited for him. Leo followed her and moved his hands hear her waist, so he could raise her.
The moment they touched, all the crystals in the cave started to shine at once, and an intense pain filled their bodies, while their auras became visible to the spirit eye.
- No! -screamed Ly - Not now... not here! I can't... I can't stop it...
Liien fainted while saying that, but her aura didn't fade, and Leo was too scared to do anything.
- What's this? What's happening to us? Please... someone help... us...
Suddenly, a bright light surrounded them, and that's the last thing Leo could see before losing consciousness.