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side at me.
     
    “You can heal anyone,” Pelhan said. Landen curiously looked to him. “It’s an amazing gift, but you must be careful with it; when you take your energy and give it to another, you are depleting yourself, taking away your ability to shield yourself from others. I’m afraid that in your path you will find a need for both; therefore, a balance must be enforced.”
     
    “But you said you could get it back by joining,” Landen said as he tried to understand Pelhan’s warning.
     
    “Yes, but you would have to fully release yourself inside one another, losing touch with time and reality. During that time, your bodies are at their weakest point; joining inside any dimension beyond here and Chara is not advisable for the two of you.”
     
    Aora reached her hand for the same stem her hand was on before; blood was still dripping from the thorns. I closed my eyes and buried my head in Landen’s shoulder, not wanting to see the display again. I could feel how nervous and unsure Landen was, so I put my hand on his leg, imagined the emotion of victory, and gave it to him. A second later, I felt a warm hum rush through the both of us; the sensation was amazing. I opened my eyes to see Landen releasing Aora’s hand; he’d healed her completely. I could feel utter astonishment coming from Landen. Aora grasped the stem again and again, and each time Landen seemed to heal her faster. The white glow around us dimmed more and more as he healed her. Landen finally released Aora’s hand and said, “I feel weaker.”
     
    Pelhan nodded. “I feel that you have mastered this; we will leave you alone to join your energy,” he said, standing.
     
    “Wait - we don’t have time for this; August and Perodine are waiting for us,” I said, rising to my knees.
     
    “You can return in a few hours. We will get your family settled and wake you then; it is important that you are strong,” Pelhan said, helping Aora up.
     
    We watched them walk into the darkness, leaving us alone in the rose garden. I let myself fall back on my legs, then looked to my side at Landen, who was staring at the blood-stained thorns. “I don’t think I can be calm enough to meditate,” I said, trying to get his attention.
     
    His eyes moved to mine, then he reached his arms out for me to lean into him; I could feel a calm coming from his embrace. “I don’t want you to worry; I can feel your grief. We’ll come back for them and go home to Chara,” he whispered.
     
    “I can feel your grief,” I whispered back.
     
    He leaned his shoulder back so I’d have to look at him. “It’s a grief for a life we’ll never have, a life uninterrupted by anyone or anything in Esterious.”
     
    I reached up and let my lips rest on his neck, then thought, “ That day will come.”
     
    We drifted into calm. As we left or bodies, we merged our energy, taking in the tantalizing, addictive rush.
     

 
     
    Chapter Three
     
    It seemed like only moments before we felt Aora and Pelhan gently touch our bodies. We took in a deep breath; it’s almost painful to go from such bliss to the weight of a body. Once we focused, we stood and noticed that the beautiful white line that connected me and Landen was brighter and wider.
     
    “It is time to return to Delen” Pelhan said, extending his hand to guide us out of the garden.
     
    “We need to say goodbye,” Landen said, wrapping his arm around me.
     
    “Yes, they are waiting at the passage,” Pelhan said as he turned to lead us.
     
    We followed Pelhan out of the garden and down the street to the passage. In the distance, I could feel our family; overall, they were at peace. I began to focus on each of them as individuals, committing what I loved about their emotions to memory. Landen smiled down at me as he felt each one with me.
     
    Pelhan stopped when our family came into view. “We will send our good thoughts to each of you,” he said as he and Aora bowed their heads. I smiled slightly,