Dream Key ~Caleb and Zeria only~

Struggling back to his feet, he hugged her with his one hand, and kissed her lips. Just three days together, and they had already been through a lot of shit. His shoulder and paralyzed arm was all more the reminder of this. Leaning against a tree, his body cradled itself in the soft grass.

"That was the first time since the werewolf I can say my life was in that much danger. Demons really are strong, huh? I'd better step up my game."

He sounded disappointed. He had saved her, but for how much longer could he keep this up? He stared at the stars. He only wished he could fly away into them. The sky. He always felt like the ground was just there to keep him from touching the clouds. Reaching up with his right arm, he clenched his hand, as though to take hold of the moon.

"Once my arm heals, I'm going to find a way to learn how to use my abilities. Something tells me I can be a lot stronger than this."

Kesh'e frowned, her worry for him increasing. She didn't want him to get disheartened by things.

"Tyrannus was an extremely strong demon, trained by the same demon who taught me how to use my magic. Don't think all of us are like that. Most demons are actually quite weak on their own.

She set up her bedroll, then got a fire going, gently lifting Kale so he was on the bedroll. It'd be more comfortable than the cold heart ground at least. She laid down next to him, letting her body temperature rise slightly so she was like a heat source to him. She couldn't afford to have him get sick while they were on the run from Barron and the Magistrate's minions.

"Get some rest. We'll move again in the morning and find a healer in Luminaris..."

Wrapping his arm around her, he nodded, and cradled his face into her breasts. Drifting to sleep, he awoke in the dream world. His clouds, however, were replaced by a variance of her bleeding bed. She wasn't there, however. He looked at the wall, and saw his sword hanging below hers. His left arm worked.

"Well then," he was surprised that this place suddenly held a more valid place in his heart than his skies. He walked over to the swords, and grabbed his. Walking out into the world, he could see the ghosts of many of the cruel hearts that wandered these paths from the city. Brandishing his blade, he began to train on the mindless apparitions.

Kesh'e watched as Kale drifted asleep, nestled to her breasts. She smiled, then put her head down and closed her eyes, letting the sound of the crackling fire lull her to sleep. She awoke in the bleeding bed of roses, sitting up and looking around. Kale was gone, but she could hear him fighting. She rose from the bed, wandering out of the room. Her gaze landed on Kale, who was at work destroying dream creatures. She sighed.

"He's going to wear himself out like this..."

Yet she stayed back, merely watching. She didn't want to interrupt his training. So she opened up a path through the wall opposite to his, walking through her memories, letting the feelings of anger and resent wash through her. Flames soon rose off her skin, giving her a dark aura.

"I will have my revenge...I swear it..."

Kale caught the feeling of dread in the air as he turned around, seeing Kesh'e in a literally steaming mess. Sighing, he dropped the blade, watching it vanish. He walked over to her, and sat down.

"Ya know, there is a limit to how hot a girl can be. You shouldn't overdo it," he bluntly exclaimed. The ethereal sand beneath his feet seemed to cradle his toes. He felt really warm though. No surprise, he was sleeping right next to her. Looking up at the oddly colored clouds, he smiled.

"Ya know, I think the people chasing you might be a good thing."

He paused, just to see her reaction, then continued.

"You said demons can cause a lot of that negative energy, right? What would happen if we were able to gather our pursuers in a single place? If we can keep moving, and training like this, we'll eventually be able to take them. We can lure them into a single spot, have a showdown, and use their energy to open a portal. What do ya think? Or is that too risky?"

Kesh'e frowned and turned to face Kale. Though his idea would likely work, there was a huge flaw in it.

"There's a problem with your idea, Kale. There is a massive amount of beings hunting me. Getting them all in one place would be suicide. We'd never survive more than a minute..."

She sighed, letting the flames on her skin disappear.

"If the magistrate finds me, I'm as good as dead. If the lord finds me..."

She shuddered, not wanting to think about what he would do to her for her disobedience. He could force her to do anything he commanded all because of their bond still being in effect.

"It's dangerous...our best bet is to just continue searching for a place that I can make a portal, while we both get stronger...the lord and his magistrate are not weak. They are extremely powerful. As we are now, we don't stand a chance..."

"I see. But if we are this weak in comparison, why are we wanting to go into Hell? Wouldn't that end up in that exact same situation?"

He sighed, and looked around.

"I think it's going to be a long road. Whatever my father discovered about us, I'm beginning to unravel piece by piece. I can apparently grow wings, and switch out fantasy for reality. It's quite sudden."

Kesh'e shook her head again.

"If we go directly to hell, no one will be looking for us. They all believe me to be on the mortal plane. They wouldn't think twice if they saw a cloaked being enter the lord's palace"

She let the images surrounding her fade, leaving her standing there as she normally was, looking somewhat forlorn.

"I just hope the next place will open a portal...I'm beginning to lose hope of ever reobtaining my body...

"I see. Well then... on to the next town, I suppose. How do you know so much about the land, though?" now that he thought about it, she knew a very large deal about the villages nearby.

"You know things I never knew, and I've lived within range of these places my whole life."

Kesh'e closed her eyes, as if in deep thought for several moments.

"I frequenly wander in the dream world to scout out the surrounding areas before I travel to them in the real world...I've found it best to know all I can about an area before I travel to it"

She opened her eyes, seeming quite relaxed, despite being the troubled soul she was.

"Luminaris is reknowned for its peaceful atmosphere and kind people...we won't have to worry about anything while we're there...hopefully..."

"I see," he let out a breath of relief. It would be much better than what happened to them recently, though. They'd have to move a bit faster than they had been doing recently, though. It was quite a shock, having that beast appear before them. Would there be more of them? It was all he could think about.

Oh... crap," his mind began to go black, "It seems I've worn my mind out. Have a good night, Kesh-"

He vanished. He overworked himself, and his mind forced a shutdown for the night. Leaving, he left Kesh'e there by her lonesome.

Kesh'e watched Kale disappear with a saddened look on her face. So it seemed he was too warn out to remain with her. She sighed and walked over to the bed of bleeding roses, laying down and casting an arm over her eyes.

"Am I destined to always be this way?"

She yearned for her true body back, and she would do anything to get it back...anything except be with Barron again...that she couldn't do. She'd sooner die, than give up her freedom.

"I suppose I should rest..."

So she closed her eyes, and let the dream world fade away as her body recovered...

-Next Morning-

Kesh'e awoke to the feeling of raindrops hitting her cheek and a low rumble of thunder. That...wasn't good. She didn't do well during rainstorms. So she shook Kale, trying to rouse him as quickly as possible.

"Kale! Wake up! We have to get moving!"

"WHO WHAT WHEN!?" a raindrop blooped on his nose, and he got the feeling he knew what she meant when she said to hurry. Fire and water don't mix. Struggling to get up, he quickly packed everything. Looks like they'd have to skip breakfast. Slapping his cheeks to wake himself up, he did a few stretches, then put on his backpack. His left arm hung there, limp. There was a small bit of muscle control, but for now it was just a nuisance.

"I'm ready," he nodded as he made sure she was ready as well. Once she was, he'd trek back towards the trail, out of the woods. But, stopping just shy of the trail itself, he looked up at the sky. The clouds overtook the blue, leaving a miserable grey. Sad.

"What exactly, will the rain do to you?"

Kesh'e packed her bedroll away into her haversack, then moved to Kale's side as rapidly as she could. The rain was starting out as a simple drizzle for now, but Kesh'e could feel that it could get very bad if they didn't get to town soon.

"I grow tired much more quickly in the rain and my healing rate is slowed down. Plus, if I get too chilled, I risk fainting"

She seemed extremely worried. With Kale being injured and her weakened, they were at high risk for an attack unless they made it to Luminaris, and quickly. She grabbed hold of his good arm, pulling him along at a rapid pace as the rain started to fall a little harder.

"We have to hurry..."

He dashed at her side as best he could, the rain growing heavier. It didn't bother him much, but she was right. He was really weak right now. And if she fainted, he'd be stuck carrying her over his shoulder, with no way to defend himself. His left arm tucked away in a pocket, his feet trampled the dirt as it became mud. The water began coming down at full force. He pulled the girl under the treetops immediately, a small safe spot from the rain, and took out the blanket.

"Don't complain," he draped it over her head, and took hold of her hand again after fastening his backpack again.

"I'm pretty sure you can dry it later, we'll be sleeping in an inn tonight anyway."

Kesh'e shook her head and slid the blanket off of her for a moment, hanging it on a branch, and reaching into her haversack. She pulled out a full cloak, fastening it and pulling the hood over her head, then putting the blanket away in her pack.

"My cloak will keep me dryer than your blanket...let's go..."

She hurried him along, her steps quick. She thought about carrying him, but it would be difficult, considering her cloak, so she shrugged the idea aside. Instead, she just kept running at his side.

"We should be able to make it in an hour if we keep this pace..."

"No worries. I can keep up like this for two hours easy. You forget, I have a sturdy body myself. My arm's the only thing out of commission here."

He didn't like being looked down on, but it was a sign she cared about him. She could have just blasted forth to get there he was sure, but she held back for him. He didn't want to feel like a burden though, so he immediately quickened his pace.

"Let's aim for half an hour!"

Kesh'e was surprised when Kale picked up the pace, but shrugged, and began to move faster as well. She knew she'd start to tire soon, but wanted to get to Luminaris as quickly as possible.

"We can only try, Kale. I doubt we'll make it in only 30 minutes though..."

She stumbled over a root a bit, but managed to pick up the pace again, keeping at Kale's side.

"Are you sure you want to keep this pace up? We'll run out of stamina quickly..."

"I see. You have a point," he settled down, and went back to their original, non-tiring pace.

"I just felt like a burden for a bit, I guess. Well, while we're just walking, might as well make the most of it. How will we know if there are any demons lurking about? You hardly sensed the last one until it was too late. I can imagine even attempting to make those portals wears you down."

He used his sturdy right arm to help her keep her balance. He smiled a bit.

"I'm not a cripple. Just don't mind me so much, okay?"

Kesh'e was glad when he finally slowed down. She was starting to feel the effects of the rain, and it bothered her. They still had a bit to go yet.

"I'll be alright and so will you. I didn't sense him because he was hidden in a human form. I recognized him the moment he took on his demonic form though..."

She gave Kale a reassuring smile.

"Nothing will happen. In order to do damage, they have to take on their demonic forms, which I will sense immediately..."

"Good to know. I'm already able to move my arm... slightly. Another two days and I should be able to move it regularly again, if I can do this after a few hours at night. Here's hoping we don't run into too much trouble before then."

He was drenched from head to toe. Each footstep felt a splash of water enter his shoes. The town wasn't too far away, but it felt like it was an endless distance away. The rain had never felt so limiting before. He had never attempted walking this far in it. He could only imagine how horrid it was for the fire demon beside him.

Kesh'e kept moving at the rapid pace, keeping as close to Kale without bumping into him as she could. Her body temperature, however, began to drop...so she lit flames across her skin.

"Damn this accursed rain!"

Steam rose off her skin as they went on. From their current position, they could now see the town coming into view, and Kesh'e began pushing herself harder, looking extremely worn out.

"Got to...keep moving..."

"Draping her arm over his shoulder, he led her down the hill leading to the town. Rain really was crippling for her, it seems. Holding onto her intently, they made their way into the small town. Many of the people were inside avoiding the rain. He quickly took eye of the inn, and opened the door, sitting her on a chair inside.

The innkeeper looked genuinely worried. Kale raised his hand, and smiled.

"She seems to have caught quite the cold, and the rain isn't helping. How much will it cost us to spend the night?"

"My word!" the old man smiled warmly, and pointed up to the second floor, where the rooms were, "Free. I won't impose such things on a sick woman trying to escape the rain."

Kale nodded, and took her hand, leading her to the staircase.

"I'll be up there in a bit," he said, walking over to the innkeeper. He gave him three gold coins. Three times as much as one would normally spend. "Generosity is to be rewarded. Thank you kind sir."

Kale made his way up to meet her.

Kesh'e was more than thankful the moment they found the inn and Kale set her on a chair. Already she was receiving stares from the folk hiding out from the rain because of how she looked. She was grateful when Kale led her to the stairs, and she began to climb. She moved slowly, like a person who was truly ill.

"I never liked...stairs..."

When she got to their room and went inside, she let her body collapse onto the bed, uncaring about everything. She untied her cloak from her neck and let the wet object fall to the floor. Using her remaining strength, she peeled off her clothes until she was completely nude, and crawled under the covers, trying to get her fire warm again...

Kale followed suit, locking the door and stripping. His body was absolutely drenched. His hair, which normally had nice shape, was plastered to his skull, making him look almost like a shaggy dog. He shook his head, the hair flinging water like said referenced canine. The now slightly dried hair hanging there, he smiled a bit, glad to be under a roof, and began drying himself off.

Slipping into bed with her, he pressed himself against her warming body, giving very little room between the two. He wanted to help her, giving his own body heat to her. It must be hard in a sense, being defeated by just a few hours in the rain. He almost felt like comparing her to a vampire, and how they can't go near running water.

"I hope I can help. Seeing you like this isn't fun."

Already, he was at least able to move his arm enough to change its' location easily, even though it lacked the strength to lift anything.