Chapter 8

A Trusting Friendship

Still thanking Hyness on the inside for everything, Zan turned the doorknob on her cottage door and gently pushed it open. "Mum, I'm home!" she called out.

Zan's aunt rushed to the door, her young twin daughters playing in the family room. "Where have you been, Zanny?" she cried, "I was so worried! Why, I was going to report you lost to Landia Dory!"

"Don't worry, Mum," Zan laughed, "I was a bit lost, that's all."

"Zanny!" cheered two voices from little children at the realization that Zan was home.

Thrilled to see her cousins once again, Zan pulled them into a tight hug as they quickly rushed over to her. These two, Francisca and Flamberge, were so dear to Zan…but a great fear of hers was to spill the secret that she wasn't really their sister, as they thought she was. Zan did anything to keep them from knowing, which meant that she now addressed her aunt as her mother in front of them, not wanting them to possibly distrust her for telling such a lie.

Later on, at the dinner table, the family ate in a long silence. That was until Orchid broke it:

"Zan, where were you since you left the house yesterday?"

Zan froze up for a moment- how could she answer this? She promised Hyness that she wouldn't tell anyone of his presence in the forbidden lands, but she didn't quite want to lie either. Then again, she was telling a major lie for years now. After quickly thinking it through, she felt that she should let out some of the truth but keep in the rest.

"Well, I initially went out to do some training on my own," Zan lied, "when a demonic critter came and attacked me. I tried to fight back but failed."

Her twin cousins stared up at her with mainly frightened expressions.

"It was then, I thought it was all over, when someone came and saved me."

"Saved you?" Aunt Orchid exclaimed, "Who was it?"

"I don't know who he was. He didn't tell me his name, but he aided me and led me back home. He seemed around my age, maybe a little older."

Orchid stood up slowly. "Zan," she spoke hesitantly, "Was this savior a Galaxy Mage?"

Zan paused a moment. "I'm not sure, Mum. Though I doubt he was any sort of…enemy."

"Well, I'm sure he wasn't!" Aunt Orchid replied, "He'd hurt you first chance he could."

Orchid gathered the empty dishes from the table and took them to the sink, leaving the girls to go play. This was when Zan got the idea to give her cousins some advice.

"Girls, do you mind coming with me for a moment?"

They immediately obeyed and Zan took them to her room. They settled down on her bed, and Zan took a nervous breath.

"Can you two please promise me something?"

"Yes, Zanny!" the two replied.

"Keep it down, girls!" she shushed them, "I just- if you two ever go out to fight the Galaxy Wizards, please don't go until you know you're ready."

"Ready?" the twins echoed, this time a bit quieter.

"It's really dangerous and scary out there…I'd be so upset if either of you got into trouble, I can't even tell you…" she proceeded to pull them into another hug, "You two mean everything to me…actually, can I tell you a secret?"

The last part slipped out unintentionally, and Zan quickly realized she made such a mistake. After all, she promised him…

"What kind of secret?" asked her blue-haired cousin.

Zan wished she could take it back now. "It's a…bit of a deep one, Franny…" she stuttered with regret.

"Is it a good one?" added her red-haired cousin.

She tried to fake it, "I…suppose, Berge, but- ugh, I probably shouldn't say it…"

"Please?" her young cousins begged, their large blue eyes gazing into Zan's.

One look at those innocent eyes of theirs, and Zan couldn't tell them no. "Well, alright," she sighed, "But I can only tell you two if you deeply promise to not tell Mama." She stuck a floating hand out to each young mage. "Promise?"

"We promise." Franny and Berge placed their tiny hands in each of hers.

I'm sorry, Hyness…

"Alright…" Zan began, "Remember that boy I mentioned who saved me?"

"Yes." Responded her cousins.

Zan swallowed hard. "He was really a wizard."

"Wizard?" gasped the twins.

"Shush!" said Zan, "I don't want Mama to hear!"

The two then stayed silent.

"At least, I'm pretty sure he was a wizard. His head was covered in cloth, so I couldn't really tell. Either way, he was very nice, but rather shy. He told me his name was Hyness."

There was a moment of silence.

"You see him more?" Franny questioned.

"You tell us him?" added Berge.

"Of course, but don't tell Mama, alright?" Zan reminded them.

The twins looked at each other and giggled. With this, Zan was assured that the secret was safe.

"Then it's settled, darlings." she patted their heads. "Now, shall we get ready for bed?"

Two weeks later, shortly after climbing into bed, Zan peeked out from under the covers to make sure the coast was clear. After several minutes, it certainly seemed that way, and Zan was ready to find her way out. Carefully slipping out from under the bed covers, she navigated her way to the front door in silence, thanks to practicing during the nights before, opened it and left the cottage as silently as possible. Checking around for enemy wizards or demons, she went into the yard and grabbed her spear, just in case of the worst. She then proceeded to make her way back to Hyness' little hideaway, remembering the route Amber took when guiding her back home.

It didn't take long for her to find this place, and thankfully there were no demonic creatures around to put her into danger. And as she expected, Hyness was there, wrapped up in a blanket in one of the caverns, reading a book with a violet binding.

Zan set down her spear against the rocks to not make it look like she was there to cause harm. "Hyness?" she spoke quietly, pretending she didn't know he'd be there.

Hyness' eyes darted from his book to her. "Zanne?" he spoke in surprise.

"Sorry to startle you, but…I kind of missed you." Zan admitted, "I know it's only been two weeks but…"

"It's funny, because I felt the same." Hyness confessed, "I've missed you since you left that day."

"Is that why you're here?"

"No…my parents were fighting, and I have exams at school next week, so I thought I'd find some quiet time here."

"You don't mind if I stay here, do you?"

"…I suppose I could use some company. I think I've done enough studying for one day, anyway."

With that, Hyness set down his book, threw the blanket off and approached Zan. He then gazed up at the sky, with Zan following his gaze. Never had Zan seen such a beautiful night dotted with so many glittering stars, painted with swirled cosmos. She found it astounding. Without even asking each other, the two of them lay on the ground on their backs, continuing to watch the sky's artwork.

"Does the night always appear this way, Hyness?" asked Zan, filled with wonder.

"Mostly on clear nights, but I don't recall seeing one quite like this." Hyness responded. "Perhaps it's a special night."

"Yes, I'd certainly call it special." Zan stated, closing her eyes, but reopening them at a question from Hyness.

"Zanne, I wanted to ask you a bit of a favor…would you come here more often?"

Zan turned her head to look him in the eye, only to find him still staring at the sky.

"Sometimes I feel a bit lonely with no one else around, and for a long time now, I didn't feel that I could trust anyone to keep this place a secret." He then turned his covered head to make eye contact with Zan. "That was until I met you. I've never had someone so nice to me besides my family…it makes me feel such joy I can't even describe!"

Zan felt her cheeks warm up intensely. "Of course, Hyness. I never thought I could make friends with an opponent until you saved me, and now, I must be a different person than the determined child I knew two weeks ago."

Hyness blushed deeply beneath his hood, smiling inside. He and Zan then proceeded to stargaze once again. After a long period of silence where time seemed to stop, Zan turned to Hyness once more and shifted her hand to his sleeve, pressing her thumb to the side of his covered hand. He subconsciously sensed the hand and squeezed it tightly, marking a trusting friendship, frozen in time.

Luckily, Zan was able to get home the next morning before her family awoke. That was anything but the last time she visited Hyness, too. At least once a week, she managed to carve out time to spend with Hyness in his private little land and enjoyed just about every moment of it. She rarely wasted this time, either, as she often found something of interest to do, from reading legends with him to learning some new skills in being a warrior. Sometimes, Amber the Doomer showed up as well, also making the most out of spending time with these two. But there was something Zan couldn't quit wondering about: why Hyness always had that hood over his face. She once asked him why, but he only answered with "You wouldn't like it." She never wanted to ask out loud again, but she silently demanded an answer. In her mind, perhaps he'd tell her why if he was more comfortable being around her, but that seemed a bit unlikely. But in either case, she'd get an answer someday.

Zan never said another word about Hyness, Amber or the forbidden lands, only telling lies that she was secretly training. Her young cousins, possibly having forgotten what their "sister" told them, never brought up what slipped out that night, either. While her aunt appeared rather suspicious about what Zan was actually up to, she seemed to keep it to herself. Zan was also more cautious about what she told her family as well, careful to guard her secret. And she somehow got away with all of this for the next several years.