~Chapter 2- Peace on Platt Mountain~

Bonfires and torches were lit high atop the Platt Mountain range. Around the fire danced many of the Densius people, beings composed entirely of rock and earth, each of them with a vibrant color to their eyestones.

But there were several visitors among the Densius. Eight Ralosians.

A brown-haired woman named Diva sat around the large campfire with her husband, Vos. Occasionally, she would levitate centimeters off the ground, simply because she could.

Near her sat the black-haired brothers Razan and Lucar, old friends from her childhood. Razan had recently shaved his beard, but his brother maintained his. Diva glanced at the scar over Lucar's brow, she remembered he got that from getting a little too belligerent with his crow.

Across the fire was Razan's son Aero. The black haired sixteen-year-old sat beside his Chihuahua, a white and grey furred canine beast of great size. When standing, the dog was nearly twice the height of the boy. Diva tried to approach the dog earlier, but it growled lowly at her. It seemed to dislike everyone besides Aero and Razan.

"Hopper won't hurt anyone," Aero had assured her.

Despite the dog's aggressive demeanor, Jirro, Lucar's son, sat beside Aero. Hopper briefly growled at the blonde-haired boy before grumpily laying its head down.

Aero and Jirro were enthusiastically talking about... something. The two boys would occasionally glance about Diva and Vos before returning to their conversation. She didn't pay them much mind.

Near Diva was her son, Valr, who was levitating a short distance off the ground just as she was. Beside him was a red-haired fourteen-year-old girl named Corri. They sat very close, talking non-stop with one another. Occasionally Corri would giggle at something Valr said.

Diva smiled; she hoped the kids would end up together. They would be perfect! Corri seemed like such a nice girl. Besides her sat two golden gauntlets. It was those gauntlets that destroyed the barrier between the Lands of Ralosia and Ranuulo, finally freeing Diva and Vos from that cursed place.

Diva watched the peaceful proceedings on Platt Mountain, she was completely relaxed and off guard. An unfamiliar feeling for her. For over a decade she was trapped in the Lands of Ranuulo. There she and her husband were always vigilant to potential threats. If they hadn't, they would've certainly perished. The lack of stress was disorienting but appreciated.

Everyone was happy and relaxed. Diva noticed a large red sparrow perched on the mountain nearby, Corri's mount through the skies. Diva thought back to her old crow she used to fly around on. A question came to mind. Where was her old mentor Lunahreim?

She tapped Lucar on the shoulder and asked, "Where's Lunahreim? When's the last time you saw him?"

Lucar paused before answering, "We haven't seen him since we escaped the Lands of Ranuulo. No idea where he is."

Vos leaned over, "I'm sure he's alive."

"Of course. I wonder how he'd react if he knew the barrier to the Lands of Ranuulo was gone?"

"What about our crows?" Diva asked.

"Lunahreim took them. If they're alive, they're probably at the Crow's nest," Lucar answered.

Diva glanced at Razan. Typically, he'd be standing in front of a crowd telling stories at a get together like this. But he was uncharacteristically quiet tonight.

"Are you okay Razan?"

Razan shook himself out of the stupor he was in, "I'm fine."

Diva followed his eye-line. He'd been watching his daughter Corri, but her gaze never met his. It seemed like she was intentionally averting her eyes.

Razan stood, "I'll be right back."

He sauntered over to his daughter with a nervous step. He spoke quietly, but just loud enough to be heard, "Can we talk, sweetheart?"

Corri gave him a cold stare but nodded. She stood and walked away from the bonfire to talk to him, alone.

Diva didn't want to pry, but she kept the two in the periphery of her vision. The two were calm at first, but eventually Corri became tense. She appeared to be shouting at Razan. He even seemed to stagger back as she did. She stomped away, leaving her father alone. Valr stood and followed Corri towards the mountain trail.

Diva looked to Lucar, "What was that about?"

Lucar sighed, "Razan and his daughter haven't been getting a long lately."

"Why is that?"

"There's... a lot," Lucar began, "When the bounty was still active on our heads, we decided to separate from the kids so we could go into hiding. We didn't see them for a few years."

"Years!?" Diva gasped.

Lucar regretfully nodded, "Yeah, so there's that. Then there's Bonnie."

"Her mom? What about her?"

"Razan won't talk about her."

"Why?"

"No clue. Razan won't even tell me what happened to her. You know how he is."

Aero and Jirro watched Valr as he walked. They began to talk to each other frantically before hopping to their feet and following him through the mountains. Diva wondered what that was about.

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Valr flew through the air above Platt Mountain until she spotted Corri, sitting alone in the mountains. He floated down, "Are you okay?"

"My dad's an idiot," Corri said spitefully.

Valr sat beside her, "I won't argue with you on that."

Corri looked at the sky and sighed, "I think I might be leaving soon. For the Sky Lands."

"Why? Don't you want to stay around your family?"

"I'm mad at my dad for abandoning us, and at my brother and cousin for bailing them out. They shouldn't have been rewarded for being bad parents."

Valr paused before saying, "You'll never figure things out with them if you run away you know."

"I know..." Corri said. She glanced at Valr, "Would you want to come with me to the Sky Lands?"

Valr was thrown off by the question. Of course he'd like that, but he didn't want to come across as too enthusiastic, "You'd be okay with that?"

"Yeah, I like you. I mean- you're really nice to me," Corri began to blush.

Before Valr could think answer, they were interrupted by a hollering behind them. The two turned and saw Aero and Jirro bounding great distances to reach them. Their black and blonde hair swayed as they went.

Aero landed directly besides them and took a seat on a nearby boulder, "We were looking for you two! We have an idea!"

Corri shouted at her brother, "We were having a conversation Aero!"

"Oh, sorry. But this is important!" Aero turned to Jirro who stood with his arms folded.

Jirro looked at Valr and began, "I noticed that when our parents fought each other, yours were winning."

"Yeah, so?" Valr affirmed, recalling the earth-shaking battle their parents they shared in the desert.

"And when you and I first fought, you were way stronger than me too!" Aero pointed out.

"What's your point?"

"Are the people in the Lands of Ranuulo stronger than they are here?" Jirro asked.

"Significantly stronger. Life is difficult there, you have to be strong or die. It's not like life here at all."

Aero and Jirro looked at each other optimistically. Jirro began, "We've always grown in strength when we've had to struggle. We were thinking we should go to the Lands of Ranuulo to train, that could help us reach new heights that we couldn't here. You've lived there so we thought you might be able to tag along and help."

"That's a terrible idea guys. That place is dangerous," Valr warned.

A smile came across the two boys faces as Valr said 'dangerous'.

"We wouldn't have to stay for long, and wouldn't you want to visit your old home?" Aero asked.

Valr was about to dismiss them, but then he thought about his friends there. He hadn't seen Gweneva or Iggy in years. He missed them.

"I'm not obsessed about getting stronger like you two, but I would like to see my old friends again. Maybe... I could convince them to come live here, where it's safe," Valr said.

"So, are you in?" Jirro asked.

Valr nodded, "Yeah, I'm in. I don't think our parents would want to go."

"That's fine. I think we'll grow more if we're on our own anyways," Aero said, "Corri, did you want to come? Dad won't be there with us."

"I'd rather not. I should be going to the sky lands anyways," Corri said flatly, "Have fun.

Corri looked sad. Valr realized why she looked so glum, by choosing to go with Aero and Jirro, he had turned down her offer to travel together.