Chapter 4

Once a full week had passed since Landia found Magolor, he was in better shape. He had continued his recovery without a hitch, and kept himself in better spirits with motivating things to think about. Occasionally, he would be shuddered by memories of wearing the crown, but he would quickly shoo those thoughts out of his head. In the latter half of the week, Landia would also force him to get up from time to time, making him float around the house and lift things with his hands to get him some exercise. When Landia was satisfied with his state of health, its next visit with Magolor got straight to business.

As usual, the four dragons stood at the side of the bed, and addressed its patient once he'd woken up.

"Magolor."

"Yes?" came his simple response, watching the group carefully.

"You're well enough to leave now, so Landia will not be taking care of you anymore. It's time to discuss what you can do to make up for what you've done to Landia and Halcandra."

Magolor nodded, pushing the blankets off himself fully. Among other things, he did wonder what it was that Landia would have him do. Three of the dragons exited the room while one stayed to continue speaking.

"Follow."

Again, Magolor nodded, and hovered himself off the bed, drifting behind the fourth dragon. He was lead outside of the house, back into the dusty heat of the village's daytime. Stopping for a moment, Magolor looked up at the smoggy sky, and sniffed the rusty air. It was good to be outside again, even if in these conditions. He then noticed the dragons, all four of them, had their heads and fierce blue eyes pointed in the same direction. Magolor turned to see what they were looking at, and into view came the glistening sheen of the Lor Starcutter. For the whole week it had sat there, not so much as a speck of dust dared to touch its cool metals.

All Magolor could do was float there and stare at it, feeling his heart thumping harder in his little chest from the sight of that glorious ship. After allowing Magolor to have some moments to himself, Landia broke the silence with a restrained voice.

"What you can do to make up for what you've done, is take good care of the Lor Starcutter."

Magolor swiveled to face Landia, his yellow eyes shocked wide. Landia returned the gaze with eight glaring eyes.

"Is that a problem?"

Speechless, Magolor's eyes dimmed out of their glow, gaining a glossy look as tears started to show themselves. He quivered, shuddered, and then flew back into the house, his cape fanned out fully from the force. Landia returned inside, to the little room, finding Magolor with his head buried in the withered blankets, his throat being throttled by choking sobs.

"Why are you crying?" Landia asked with a vague hint of sympathy in those eight eyes.

Magolor pounded a fist against the mattress a few times. After several minutes of getting the blankets damp with tears, he regained enough composure to speak amid his crying, though still keeping his head buried, muffling his voice.

"How—how can you ask me to—after everything—" he sniveled. "You saw what happened—what I did to it—how can you think I should—have it back?"

Landia paused before responding, the four heads shaking for a moment before the eyes regained their firmed stares.

"You should have it back, so you can make up for the way you treated it. You forced it to fight Landia, twice, and you forced it to fight the people who helped you. Your foolishness made it suffer. You can redeem yourself to the Lor Starcutter by being the best pilot it could ever have."

Magolor turned away from the bed and blankets to look back at Landia with his watery eyes.

"This is..really..what you want me to do?" he sniffled.

"You brought the Lor Starcutter out, and you activated it. You impressed yourself on it, and it has become attached to you. You need to take care of what you committed yourself to." Landia stated with a bit of a sharper glare. "Use it. Go where you want with it, but Landia will not welcome your presence."

Magolor rubbed a gloved hand against the tears on his face. He thought about being able to use the Lor to go anywhere he wanted to. But then another thought occurred to him.

"The ship..the legends said that it could have a mind of its own. If you know that it's become attached to me..then..do you know about this?"

The four dragons made a snorting noise. "If you are true to the ship, you will find out in time. Landia will not be the one to tell you."

With another few sniffles, Magolor rubbed away the rest of the tears, his eyes lighting back up with renewed vigor. He floated out of the room, the dragons parting to get out of his way as he went. Where the Lor Starcutter waited, looking as good as new, Magolor soon rushed out. Like welcoming a cherished friend, he went straight up to where the hull met with the dirt, pressing his hands and the side of his face to it, as wide of a hug as he was able to give. Though the metals looked cold, it felt warm with energy.

"I'll make myself the best pilot ever for you, Lor! I promise!"

With closed, smiling eyes, Magolor gripped a little harder on the hull, trying to get as much emotion into the gesture as possible, hoping the ship would be able to feel his genuineness. After some quiet moments of hugging, he overheard the sound of wings flapping. He looked up in time to notice, past the ship, up in the muggy sky, the four dragons were flying back to their volcano. Magolor waved a hand goodbye to them, although they never looked back to see it. He silently hoped that Landia knew he was grateful for what it had done for him, as he certainly felt he didn't deserve such generosity.

Letting go of the Lor Starcutter, he hovered himself up, higher and higher, until he reached the deck. He stopped at the rims of the emblem, and for a minute or two, took in the beautiful view of the sunlight shimmering over the ship's metals, pulsing with the glow of violet energy, smelling of winds and star dust.

Magolor couldn't help feeling greatly comforted to have the ship as his own now.

Now in a rush, cape spanned out as he moved, he hurried inside the main deck. The familiar giant screen was there, black all across with nothing showing, and the candy-colored illuminated console before it hummed, everything looking as neat and clean as it had the first time he repaired it. Magolor swiftly pressed down on one of the large, star-shaped buttons, bringing the screen to life. The first image to appear in its digital light was Planet Popstar, showing as a destination course. His glowing eyes blinked at this, confused, as he was quite certain that wasn't the last thing he had left on the screen before leaving the ship to get the Master Crown.

Magolor silently wondered to himself if, perhaps, the Lor wanted him to go to Popstar. He dipped his head down, eyes pointed at the console, but looking straight through it as his thoughts tumbled around. Kirby and his friends wouldn't want him back, he was sure of this. But if the Lor wanted him to go there..maybe there was a good reason to. He did enjoy the world very much for the duration he was there, and if on better terms, he would be enamored with the idea of hanging around. A brief chill ran through Magolor as he recalled his battle against Kirby. The pink puff tried so hard to stop the abomination he became. And stop him he did.

Magolor's hands lifted off the console for a moment as he looked back up at the screen, an epiphany hitting him like a slap to the face. Kirby saved him. After all the lies and trouble he put him through, Kirby was the one that ended his nightmare. If anyone was in dire need of apologies, it was Kirby. Now Magolor knew, he had to go back to Popstar, so that he could do something to make it all up to him. Something more than simply saying he's sorry. He would do much more than that!

A gloved hand slammed down with renewed hope on the console. The destination confirmed, the Lor Starcutter lifted up out of the mound, clumps of dirt flaking off the underside of the lustrous hull as it pulled up into the sky. A new star-shaped portal opened before the ship, and through it, it zoomed, blasting off in a grand flash of light.

From its volcanic perch, the four dragons of Landia watched as the ship vanished, and the portal closed behind it. They nodded knowingly, thoughtfully.

The Lor Starcutter wouldn't get attached to just anyone. It had been crafted specifically for one person. It was meant to be piloted by that one person. Maybe someday, if you take good care of it, the Lor Starcutter will tell you who you really are, Magolor...