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Chapter Eight

"So... what do you mean by that?" Lina asked Nino.

"Well, Matthew woke up, all right," she explained, "but... well... Serra was alive. So then he used his own sleep staff and put her to a deep sleep. And as of now, I have no clue what's happened."

"....I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you're 2000 years old," Priam mumbled.

"OK, Priam, big numbers," Lina smacked him on the head with an eye roll. "Woohoo. Alright, so now we've got you a story, so clean your ears out and listen."

Nino shrugged, hopped onto the small desk, and beckoned for Lina and Priam to narrate their journey.

So Priam and Lina started, all the way from when they got to the innkeeper's house, to when the crashed their boat onto the island. Lina always filled in parts Priam didn't make clear. Nino nodded along and made a few comments here and there.

"...and now we're here. Make sense?" He said to Nino, who nodded.

"So," Nino hopped down and taps her foot. "People across this continent- Ylisse- are falling asleep, and you think that the only person capable of doing that is Serra?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty much. But according to you, Ylisse's version is different than Elibe's, so... we kind of need your help."

"Okay."

"Wait, really?" Lina poked her head out of a box of tomes she was investigating. "You're just gonna agree like that?"

Nino shrugged. "Why not? According to me, I've been stuck here for 2 days, but if I'm going by what you're saying, I've been here for.... uh.... almost 1400 years. And I've been doing nothing, right? So I'm going to go with you."

"Legit," Lina hauls another twelve dark tomes with her. When Priam gave her a glare, she replied, "Well, that Second Seal did something to me! And this is good magic! It's unused, and really powerful...."

"You mages and your tomes," he mumbled under his breath, then started towards the exit. Lina and Nino followed along, chatting about different types of magic and probably gossiping...

~*~

"...You're kidding!" Nino exclaimed once they arrived on the shore.

"I am dead serious," Lina nodded. "He's even got himself a wife."

"That's- but- 3 days, Lina; 3 days." Nino shook her head.

"Speaking of three days," Priam started, looking around for a boat that was somewhat intact, "does this island change your perception of time?"

"Hmm," Nino taps her lip. "That might be why. I don't know extensive enough magic to actually prove that statement, but days do feel longer here. Wonder why."

"The manipulation. Nergal was pretty much immortal on this island, right? So... that means maybe the magical energy enforced a sort of... time gate. Like, a time filterer. Things are slower for you." Lina said. "I mean, it's a possible explanation."

"Huh." 

Priam sighed, and turned to the other two. "Well, no intact boats here."

"Oh!" Nino laughed slightly, and pulled out a purple shimmering crystal. "I just realized I had this."

"What's that?" Priam examined the object before asking. 

"It's a teleportation crystal," Nino explained. "Takes you anywhere you wanna be. But breaks after one use. So make sure you didn't leave anything."

After everyone had finished checking themselves, they took ahold of Nino's hands.

"Okey-doke!" Nino grinned. "Let's go!"

She crushed the crystal with her hands, and the three of them disappeared off the island.