Boomerang groaned and slowly opened his eyes. His vision was hazy and his stomach and back were killing him. Once his eyes got adjusted to the lights of the room, the demon looked at his surroundings and realized that he was in his given room at Adlehyde castle. He looked down at himself to see that he was lying in his bed, the sheets pulled up to his shoulders.

Boomerang gently felt his stomach in the spot where the Glumzamber had gone through him. Just by touching it caused sharp stabs of pain to trail through him, so he immediately withdrew his hand. He looked to his right and smiled.

Noble Knight was asleep in a chair next to his bed, her feet propped up on the chair and her head resting on her knees. Boomerang started to say something, but he was cut off by a coughing fit. Noble Knight instantly snapped awake and asked him, "Are you alright?"

Boomerang answered, "Yeah...I'm fine. How long have I been out?"

Noble Knight answered with a smile, "Two or three days. If weren't for Cecilia's magic, you would have bled to death."

"I've gotta remember to thank her," Boomerang laughed, trying his best to ignore the pain in his stomach.

Noble Knight's smile faded away and she asked, "Why do you keep doing that?"

"What? Getting myself in way over my head?"

"No...almost killing yourself to protect me. Why do you keep doing that?"

Boomerang sat up, looked at her, and replied, "I...don't know...All I do know is that something's changing inside me...and it's making it so that I can stand to see you get hurt..." His vision was still hazy and clouded over, but he could just barely make out Noble Knight's form.

Deciding to shift the subject, Noble Knight asked, "A few days ago, you said that you were changing all over again. What did you mean by that?"

Boomerang answered, "Long, looong before the demons came to Filgaia, we were at war with our own arch enemies. The war itself lasted over a year, but in the end we won. Before the war, there were originally eight demons. After the war, there were only five. When the war ended, the five remaining demons, including me, were all changed, each in different ways."

Noble Knight muttered, "Yeah...wars do change people. I know it changed me and my friends." And you... her mind added. "Anyway!" she spoke, standing up, "I'll be you're hungry. Let's go raid the kitchen!"

Boomerang climbed out of the bed and looked down at himself. Bandages covered his stomach where the Glumzamber had gone through him. He felt the wound again, amazed that he did not have a hole through himself. Noble Knight laughed, "Yeah. Cecilia's healing magic is a whole lot more powerful than mine, so she was able to close up the hole. Now it looks like a regular wound."

Boomerang started to walk to the door, but he stumbled from weakness. Noble Knight helped him balance and asked, "Still woozy, huh?"

He replied, looking at her, "Well...I'm seeing five of ‘ya..." Noble Knight laughed and helped him out of the room.

Just a split second after they left, Zed entered the room and looked around, having not seen them leave. He said to himself, "What the? Boomer? Aw man...don't tell me one of ‘em survived and kidnaped him!!"

Right then, Boomerang and Noble Knight stuck their heads back in the doorway. Boomerang asked, "Hey, Runt! Noble Knight and her four sisters are comin' with me to the kitchen! You wanna come?" Zed slapped his forehead and followed them.

He growled as they walked, "Don't call me that....."

Cecilia yawned and looked back down at her book. It was already two more days after Boomerang had awakened, a total of five days since the death of Zeikfried. Cecilia was amazed at how fast Boomerang could recover. He was already running all over the castle without the need of help to keep his balance. However, Cecilia was worried about something.

Zeikfried's body had never been found. Elmina had given the suggestion that Zeikfried might have been disintegrated by the beam of light, but the other Dream Chasers were still skeptical. To further add to Cecilia's confusion and worry, the life rune, Odoryuk's rune, was missing. The Dream Chasers had looked all over the castle and the ruined village of Adlehyde over the past five days, but the rune had never been recovered.

Laughter and shrieks broke into Cecilia's thoughts. She walked over to the window in her room and laughed when she saw where the noises were coming from.

Below her were Jane, Rudy, Lucied, Boomerang, Noble Knight, Zed, Seph, and Jack. Jane, Rudy, Zed, Boomerang, and Jack were fleeing away from Noble Knight who had several balloons in her hands. However, as far as Cecilia could make out, the balloons were not filled with air. They were filled with water!

Noble Knight threw one of the balloons at Zed. It hit him right in the face, water spewing outwards and soaking him, Rudy, and Jack. Noble Knight burst into a fit of maniacal laughter and ran after Boomerang and Jane.

It was very hot that day, which made the Dream Chasers who were running away from Noble Knight actually welcome the water inside the balloons. It was obvious that summer was not far off.

Cecilia just laughed and turned away from the window, looking back at her book. She then looked at a small backpack across the room. It was the backpack that she kept all of the runes in. At least, she had kept all of the runes in it, but not anymore since Odoryuk was gone.

Cecilia muttered, "Where could that thing have gone?"

He stumbled out of the Mountain Pass, his armor soaked with his blood. His left leg was dragging along behind him, useless, and his right arm was wrapped around an enormous wound on his chest.

He pushed onwards, a new plan burning in his evil mind. He had somehow managed to steal one of the two tools that was vital to his plan before he had "disappeared", for he already had the second part of the plan: an ebony black sword which was strapped to his back. In his left hand he held the first part of his plan. The one thing that would keep him alive and bring someone back to life.

The life rune.