"The deal is set, the trigger pulled. This curse will come to take its toll. Sometimes a crush can go by without witnesses, a secret crush could not be in whole the fittest. Passions can blaze fast and burn like wild, especially if it's a miss informed child. The best of worse intentions sometimes goes a miss, two souls immured together with a kiss."

Luminous' eyes opened. Master Mouses' words spinning in her head. Looking around she remembered that she was laying in the desert sand. She felt something light sitting on top of her, a blanket maybe?

"Two souls immured with a kiss?"

Luminous spotted someone in the corner of her eye and jolted up. Her shoulder-length blonde hair sticking up in strands around her head. Her face was so close to Vainglorious' that she saw the startled expression in his gray eyes. But before she could process it he jumped back flustered.

"Yew, you kept mumbling!" He said defensively.

Luminous looked down and saw that the "blanket" was his coat that draped around her loosely.

"You're stupid teeth kept chattering. I couldn't sleep!" He countered.

Luminous stared at the navy blue coat remembering how it cascaded around Vainglorious in the blizzard he cast. Maybe if I was stronger Luminous thought, then I could have done something about Widely myself.

"What? What's wrong?" Asked Vainglorious.

"Noughting..." Said Luminous her nose getting longer.

Vainglorious' eyes narrowed staring at her. Before she handed the trench coat back to him.

"Thank you. I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Whatever." He said curtly rubbing the back of his wavey white hair. "You can keep it until your warm, or whatever."

But she just ended up handing the trench coat back to him before walking forward.

"Not much longer till we get to the tower you said?" Asked Luminous looking from the big tower that seemed to be posted in the sky to the pocket watch hanging around her neck.

She remembered what Sly said before giving it to her.

"If you can get over to that big tower over there with this. Before the little hand of this clock meets the big hand up at the top, I'll tell you about the red prince and where he's being kept. If you lose, you have to give me your heart. Do we have ourselves a deal?"

The big hand was at the top and the little hand was inches away from meeting it. She frowned. The timer seemed to be getting faster and faster every time she turned the dial back.

The first time she turned back the dial was back in the village when she first rescued Vainglorious.

"See, you're out of time!" Vainglorious had scolded her. "I told you, you were foolish to come back here! You played right into Sly's hands coming back for me!"

"No, I can do this." Said Luminous her nose getting longer. "I can fix this."

"How? How are you going to fix this!"

"I can just..."

That's when Luminous shoved her fingers into the pocketwatch turning the time backward.

"No! Don't!" Screamed Vainglorious reaching for the pocket watch, but it was already too late. She had messed with it. "Luminous! Who knows what kind of magic is immured with that thing! You can't just shove your grimy little finger in it like it's nou-"

Ding dong!

The big clock tower in the distance chimed turning back its hands to match Luminous' pocket watch. Vainglorious stared at Luminous like a huge hawk was going to come and pick her up out of the sky. But noughting happened.

A whole bunch of corrupt fights, and what felt like a thousand miles later and still noughting had happened. She had even turned the hands on the clock back a few more times along the way to Vainglorious' disgruntlement. But noughting had happened.

So Luminous jammed her finger into the pocketwatch shoving the big and little hand all the way down. The clock tower in the distance turned to match the pocket watch.

Ding dong!

Closing the pocket watch Luminous began walking again. That was a close one, the hands had almost reached the top and if that happened...well, what would happen? Sly said he was going to take her heart but, would that mean he had a way to rover to her? Or would he just start hunting her down? Did he expect her to come to him?

"Luminous."

Luminous turned towards Vainglorious waiting for him to scold her.

"Your wounds. We need to check on them." He continued.

Luminous found that she screwed up more without the Dawn of Fate. Scrapes and scratches were gained with every corrupt she and Vainglorious encountered. Vainglorious has also been checking her past and recent wounds every now and then.

"Lean closer." Said Vainglorious riping the neon purple bandaid off her nose.

"Oww! Hey!" Squealed Luminous.

But before she could wine he pressed the already melting ice gently to the bridge of her nose. Washing away any dirt. It was cold but felt nice under the hot sun that seemed to melt everyone and everything underneath, and Luminous very much appreciated it.

"Ya, that's deftly a permanent scar." Vainglorious mumbled to himself. "Maybe I could try to..."

He made hand motions to summon ice magic. But a little splash of water came out before he began shaking and biting his lip. Holding back immense pain.

"Vainglorious?" Luminous panicked.

Vainglorious shook his head. Sweat dripping from white locks, his skin looking paler than it usually did.

"Are you okay?"

This has been happening for a while after she had gotten him back. But what was happening to him? Was she using too much of his powers? His ice powers were convenient, she has been using him to cool down or to have a drink, or for washing up purposes. Was it too much for him? She turned away rubbing her forearm.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He got up shakily. "Here." He said putting the light collared bandaid on the bridge of her nose. "Are you?"

"Yes."

Vainglorious frowned when he saw Luminous' nose get longer.

They walked for a few more miles until they ran into a corrupt coyote. It snarled at them staring them down.

"The usual?" Asked Luminous.

"Yup." Responded Vainglorious.

He didn't give his usual sass. In fact, he was the most docile she had ever seen him. His cheeks were tinged pink like a drunk, and he was drenched with sweat. Luminous stared at him mesmerized.

"Luminous!" He yelled out.

She turned from him to see the coyote charging at her. Luminous quickly pressed her armor button. It bit down on her arm guard. Luminous bent down sweeping the dirt and blowing it in the coyote's face. Like the others, he howled and let go.

She then ran around the sand, her meatal boots picking up a burst of speed. She zigged and zagged like she usually did when dealing with these corrupt.

"Ready Vainglorious?" She shouted.

"Y...yes..."

Luminous zagged out of the way of the corrupt jaws. Leading it right towards Vainglorious. She jumped over Vainglorious. The corrupt still charging in her direction. The young wizard shakily held his birch wand out to make a direct attack.

"Bittersweet is the feeling of... the feeling of fear..."

Ice fragments came out of the wand before the magic died out completely. Vainglorious' gray eyes grew weary before he dropped to the golden sand, passing out completely. The corrupt opened its mouth wide to chomp down on his little head.

"Vainglorious!"

Luminous kicked the corrupt right in its sharp tooth face with her metal boot. It staggered back a few paces. But being stunned didn't last long. It lunged at her. If she weren't wearing her armor breastplate it would have slashed her heart out.

Relentless it scratched and bit. Luminous kept backing out not able to find an opening. It officially knocked her down to the sandy ground. The huge corrupt opened its mouth, rows of teeth went to bite down on her.

"Bittersweet is the feeling of an Icicle spear, When you get a feeling of death but without any fear!"

An ice spear shot out hitting the corrupt straight into its mouth. It burst into black dust and disappeared into the golden sand below.

Vainglorious sat up, wand clutched in his shaking white hands before collapsing again.

"Vainglorious!"

Luminous's armor went back into her heart-shaped button. She kneeled next to Vainglorious sweat dripped across his pink cheeks, panting profusely. Luminous riped the buttons from his white button shirt to check for any injury that might be causing this. He didn't move or say anything.

When she saw the red snake tattoo on his collar bone. Wait, red? Wasn't this thing black? Luminous jumped when she felt a hand grab her black shorts.

"I know. I know that I'm a monster." Vainglorious croaked out. "I know that's why the magic counsel keeps this thing on me so I can't use my magic. But magic is all I am. If what I am makes me a monster then..."

"You're not a monster Vainglorious. Your just, misguided, I think...I mean, I know you can be good."

Vainglorious stared at Luminous' long nose for a couple of minutes. When it went back to its normal small button self, he chuckled.

"I guess that you and Serene are just wrong about me huh..." He trailed off before closing his eyes.

"Vainglorious?" Luminous shook the boy on her lap. "Vainglorious!"

"Little wizard boy is around for now. But his body might turn cold if you catch Janus' meaning."

Luminous turned from Vainglorious to see the green garden snake right next to her.

"What's wrong with him? What do we do?" Cried Luminous.

"We? I, Janus do not know what to do...but Sly does. Sly has requested an audience with the little duckling he has. Sly will help the little wizard friend if the duckling comes willingly. Might even give sassy back talking sword back too."

Luminous' teary blue eyes widen.

"You know where the Dawn of Fate is!?"

But Janus didn't respond, he just slithered upwards. His snake-like body seemed to glide into the sky as if supported by an invisible beam beneath him. Luminous just stared at this for a moment her mouth gaped. Janus turned back to her and said.

"Coming?"