Video: Love at War

Chapter VIII - A Glimpse of the Future

A little while had passed since Piper won the tournament. She thought about Aerrow and all the responsibility that had been passed onto him. He had to deal with a lot of things: plan the battle tactics, train the Sky Knights, lead a huge army and, on top of all that, mourn his father's death. It was way too much for a normal person to handle. But Aerrow wasn't a normal person. He was so strong and had so much willpower. He was definitely the most resilient person she had ever met.

However, even the strongest people in the world can suffer. He had a heart and he had feelings, just like anyone else. He was holding on pretty fine, but more support was never a bad thing. The girl sat by the edge of the Terra. She had her eyes closed as she concentrated. A blue aura enveloped her and some green crystals floated around her. She had figured out a new special ability. It could make her harness power from crystals and imbue them into a host. It was a secret technique from the depths of the most powerful skills of a Crystal Mage, called the Binding.

She attempted to master it, without any instructions, but she'd try. She wanted to help Aerrow at all costs, so she'd go out of her way to dominate her new ability and be useful to him. She focused a little more, trying to control the crystals and attune with them, but the harder she tried, it seemed like she was getting farther away from progressing. She got to the point her concentration broke, causing the crystals to fall beside her. She sighed. That was a lot more complicated than she had thought... But then she stared at the sky. Well, she had to keep trying. Aerrow was counting on her.

~~~

Later that day, Piper went to see Aerrow in the hangar of the original Condor, who was finishing loading a few things on a skimmer he had just claimed for himself so he would be ready for battle. He placed a crate on top of the seat from where he pulled out some tools he was using to tweak the skyride a little. He heard her steps and looked behind him.

"Hey, Piper. I didn't see you there." - he greeted her.

"Hi, Aerrow." - she said shyly.

"So, how's your Crystal Mastery training going?" - he asked as he used a wrench to tighten a screw on the side of the skimmer.

"It's going well. I just learned something new, but I still have to practice a little more." - she told him.

"Ah, that's great. I can't wait to see what you've learned." - he smiled.

"I, hm... I wanted to know if you're too busy right now." - she said - "I have to ask you something."

"I was just adjusting a few things on my skimmer." - he said to her as he tightened one more screw - "There. Finished. What do you need me for?" - he tossed the wrench back on the crate.

"I'm going to test my new abilities with you." - she explained - "They're a new power I've developed that can really help you in battle."

"Really? Sure. Let's do it." - he said as he followed her to the landing strip.

The two sat there, one in front of the other. The girl placed a few green crystals on the floor between them. She meditated a little, a green aura surrounding her.

"Titan's Might!" - she conjured the spell.

A green beam of light came from her towards Aerrow, enveloping him in the green aura as well. He felt a lot of energy running in his veins.

"Wow, what is this?" - he asked quite impressed and excited.

"This spell makes you physically stronger. Try it out." - she told him.

He walked towards the hangar where several heavy crates were piled up. He picked them all up easily.

"Woah! Hey, that's amazing!" - he commented as he placed the crated back on the floor - "What else have you got?"