On Coutarine Island's beach, Makenna stirred and regained consciousness. "Oh man, what happened?" she groaned, slowly lifting her head. Opening her eyes, she checked her surroundings and tried to remember the storm. When she did, she gasped and quickly felt around her body for the Crusha Fruit. Makenna had it that time—yes! It was buried in the sand beside her, and she pulled it out. When she saw she still had it, Makenna sighed with relief and hugged it to her chest. Standing, she brushed herself down and felt her dress.
Makenna looked down, gasping when she saw her new attire. "Oh man! I forgot!" Her feet escorted her to a pool of clear water on the beach, and she used it as a mirror.
At the sight of her new transformation, Makenna's eyes brightened. "Oh, I love it! I look so cute! Just wait until Ash and Tracey see this!" Just mentioning her friends' names stripped her of her good mood, and it wasn't long until Makenna's face dropped. She reminded herself that if it wasn't for her, Tracey wouldn't have gone missing, and Ash wouldn't be sick.
Makenna's dreaded thoughts next went to Silvey. Where was she? As soon as Makenna asked herself that, she heard a small bark from further down the beach.
Silvey popped up from behind another log and plopped down on her front. Though she looked pooped, she didn't seem hurt.
When Makenna saw the fairy dog, she yelled, "Silvey!" and sprinted to the log. "Silvey, are you all right?" She kneeled and reached for her back.
Silvey soon opened her eyes and peered into Makenna's face.
"I'm here, Silvey," she softly spoke.
Silvey stared at her.
All Makenna could conclude was that she was astounded by her new transformation, or was she? Did she even recognize her? In case she didn't, Makenna explained to her, "Silvey, it's me. It's Makenna. I just got a bit of a makeover in the ocean. Look..." She reached behind her and drew the Crusha Fruit, holding it up to Silvey's face. "I've got the Crusha Fruit. Now Ash can get better."
Silvey blinked. She moved her nose toward the berry in Makenna's hand and sniffed it to confirm that yes, it was the Crusha Fruit and yes, the fairy holding it was Makenna. It took her a minute or two to conclude, but Silvey finally figured it out. When she did, she grinned and leaped into Makenna's arms.
Makenna fell onto her back and laughed.
Silvey hopped onto her tummy and licked her face, tail wagging.
"Oh, Silvey," Makenna chuckled. "What do you think? Why don't we deliver this Crusha Fruit to Ash together?"
Silvey licked her again.
In another five minutes, the fairy and her dog started their trek for Ash.
Silvey followed close on Makenna's heels and wrapped one of her feelers around her wrist. Momentarily, they stopped so her fairy instincts could pick up on Ash's location.
Makenna closed her eyes and felt for him. She stood frozen for a few moments, and then something came to her—the aura of another fairy. It started faintly, but as Makenna followed her instincts further down the beach, the aura grew, meaning she was getting closer to the other fairy.
"I feel him," Makenna told Silvey. "Ash isn't far. He should—He should be right down here!" She scooped up Silvey and leaped into the sky. Makenna took her to another entrance of the jungle, and their eyes landed on a small cave. The cave entrance faced the beach.
"I can't believe it," Makenna told herself. "My fairy instincts really did lead me to him." Ash's aura was powerful now.
Makenna landed beside the cave and set Silvey down. "But, what about my transformation?" She really didn't want to perform the Sunset Delay spell because she had grown quite attached to her new look. Makenna just decided to risk her true self to Alice and her family. She didn't want Silvey to get involved, though, so she gave her a mission.
Makenna kneeled to Silvey and asked, "Silvey, can you run an errand for me?"
Silvey nodded and listened carefully.
"Can you run to Merlin's camp and bring him here?" Makenna added. "Just tell him Makenna Delling sent you. Please, Silvey?"
Silvey nodded again.
"Oh, thank you, Silvey!" said Makenna. "I'm so lucky I've got a friend like you!" Grabbing Silvey, she hugged her. She then set her down again and repeated, "Go get Merlin."
Silvey tickled her nose with her feeler and smiled at her. Makenna watched as she turned on her heel and sprinted deep into the jungle.
Once she vanished, Makenna stood and rubbed herself down, taking a deep breath. "You can do this, Makenna." She dropped her seashell-shaped wings behind her and gripped the edge of the cave. Makenna peered inside and bobbed her head. She used her magic to create a blue cape, which she tied around her shoulders to hide her wings. Once the cape was secure, with one more deep breath, she stepped into the cave.
It was chilly inside, but a perfect shelter from a tropical storm. It reminded Makenna of the cave on Merlin's Island, except this one was a lot smaller. A fire roared in its heart, and sitting around it were Alice's family members. However, there was no sign of Ash and Raeven.
Makenna gasped—"Oh no!"—and hurried to the family members. "Where are Ash and Raeven?"
The family members, shocked, turned toward her.
"They're right here," a voice soon said behind Makenna.
"Huh?" Makenna turned her head and sighed when she saw Alice and her parents hovering over Ash and Raeven.
Raeven's jaw dropped at the sight of Makenna's Merfairy transformation.
She zoomed over to him and Ash and knelt beside Ash, who was still unconscious.
Alice and her parents stepped back a few feet and stared at her.
Raeven forced a smile and yelled, "Makenna! You're all right! Thank goodness!"
Alice and her family members were even more shocked when they heard him speaking in English.
"Did you get the Crusha Fruit?" questioned Raeven.
Makenna snapped out of her temporary doze and said, "Oh." She reached behind her and drew the Crusha Fruit. "It's right here."
"Awesome," said Raeven. "Quick! Let's give it to Ash."
Alice's mother lifted her finger and pointed it at Raeven. She began to stutter. "The-The-The ba-bat! The-The bat is tal-talking!"
"Yes," Makenna grumbled, "he happens to have a huge mouth." She glared at Raeven, who zipped his lips. Makenna took Ash's hand and asked Alice's parents, "How is he?"
Alice's father cleared his throat and placed his hands behind him. "Well, he's talking in his sleep and speaking gibberish. He keeps saying, 'Nova! Nova!' and we have no idea what that means."
Alice shrugged and lifted her finger. "Maybe he's fascinated by stars?"
"Nova?" Makenna inquired. She noticed that Raeven had turned his head away from her and Ash and was whistling casually. Did he know something?
Before Makenna could ask him, Ash squirmed under her hand. Sure enough, he started to talk in his sleep. "Nova, has the feud ended?" Bending his knees, he pulled his hand over his head.
Alice's father gestured at him and told Makenna, "Now he's talking about a feud! What the heck is he talking about?"
"I-I don't know," Makenna answered. "To be honest, guys, I don't know much about him. We only met two days ago."
Ash let out another yawn, but he choked on his own saliva and coughed. He opened his eyes about halfway and turned his head toward Makenna.
She noticed that he had woken up a bit and tightly squeezed his hand. "Ash, don't worry. It's me. It's Makenna. What's all this talk about Nova and a feud?"
"A feud," Ash feebly answered. "A feud was why I left."
"Why you left Scotland?" Makenna questioned. "What's Nova, then?"
Ash didn't answer, though, because he slipped into unconsciousness again.
"No!" Makenna begged.
Raeven nudged her and whispered, "The Crusha Fruit, Makenna."
Alice hugged her parents, and all three of them watched as Makenna brought the fruit to Ash's lips.
"Please, Ash," she begged, "you need to eat this to get better. I'm begging you. I don't want you to go to the hospital."
The moment was tense. Makenna felt that Ash would refuse the berry. If he did, then that would guarantee a hospital visit. She held the Crusha Fruit up to his lips for five minutes straight, but he didn't take a bite. She kept encouraging him, but he didn't.
Guilt overtook Makenna. She accepted she was a terrible friend.
Just as Makenna was preparing to put the Crusha Fruit up, though, Ash took a bite! It was small, but it was still a bite.
Makenna gasped and yelped, "Raeven!" Tears of happiness welled in her eyes. "He took a bite!"
"He did?" Raeven hopped onto her shoulder, and they studied Ash.
Alice, her parents, and family members remained quiet.
To Makenna and Raeven's surprise, Ash bit into the Crusha Fruit again. He must've been hungry. It was a good sign, though.
Makenna's smile grew, and tears ran down her cheeks. "This is incredible. He's eating." She retook his hand and rubbed her thumb on the back of it. "You're going to get better now, Ash."
The Crusha Fruit in Makenna's other hand began to glow. "What the—?" she said, dropping the berry. Makenna released Ash and backed away from him, but she ended up tripping on her cape and falling. Strings of magic escaped the Crusha Fruit and circled Ash. Makenna smacked her hands to her mouth, as did Alice and her parents.
The phenomenon was remarkable—it reminded Makenna she really was living a fairytale. She struggled to her feet and reached for the Crusha Fruit, but leaped back when she saw Ash squirm. The strings of light surrounding him were sucked back into the berry.
Makenna, Raeven, Alice, her parents, and her family members watched as Ash brought his hand to his head and shook it. He then stood and opened his eyes.
Makenna's jaw dropped, and she froze with shock. Did the Crusha Fruit seriously have that much power? It didn't heal Ash completely, but it certainly helped him in terms of slipping in and out of consciousness. Makenna gave him the Crusha Fruit right on time. She had saved one boy; it was now time for her to save the other.
Ash grabbed his tunic and smiled at Makenna. "Thank you, Makenna."
Seeing him fully awake again lit up Makenna's whole day, but the guilt of her hurting him remained.
Tears streamed down her cheeks like a fountain, and she whimpered, "Oh, Ash, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I'm such a rotten friend!"
Raeven hopped off her shoulder and nudged her forward.
Makenna couldn't help herself. She leaped into Ash's arms and hugged him.
He returned the hug and whispered, "Makenna, don't say things like that. You're not a rotten friend. You're the best kind of friend anyone could ask for."
Alice cuddled up to her parents and smiled.
The rest of her family members did, too.
Makenna and Ash hugged for a fairly long time.
When they finally let go, Ash examined Makenna up and down and whispered, "Ya look good in your Merfairy transformation, Makenn," so the humans wouldn't hear.
Behind Makenna's back, she heard Alice. "Wow! I can't believe it! That berry worked!" She and her parents started toward Makenna to get a better look at Ash, but he noticed them and immediately became protective again. He reached down and picked up his sword.
As soon as they saw that, Alice and her parents froze.
Ash's sword turned back into his magical bow and arrow, and he pointed one arrow at them.
"Ash, no!" Makenna yelled. She reached for his arm, but he pulled it away from her and sternly announced:
"Stand back, Makenna! These people have invaded Coutarine Island!"
Alice soon concluded and approached him and Makenna while her parents embraced behind her.
Glaring, Ash edged the arrow close to her chest.
Alice placed her hands on her hips and said, "Watch it with that thing," pushing Ash's arrow away. "Somebody could get seriously hurt. Is a sword and bow the only weapons you've got?"
"Oh no," Ash answered, smiling. "I can also change Crusader into a sword, a crossbow, and a staff." With each new object he shared, Crusader changed into it.
Makenna sighed and smacked both her palms to her face.
"Oh, I not only have Crusader, but also this!" Ash excitedly exclaimed. Alice watched as he reached into his pocket and drew his sister's slingshot. "A slingshot! Handmade, too! Here, let me show ya how to use it."
"Okay!" Alice lifted her fists and put them together.
Using his magic, Ash changed Crusader back into a sword and slipped it into his sword bag on his back. He then handed Alice his slingshot and led her to a part of the cave where they could practice.
Makenna peeped out from behind her hands and watched as he lifted his hand over his head and announced, "Together we can fly to Scotland and end the feud!"
Makenna, Raeven, Alice, and her parents observed Ash together. Wow, that Crusha Fruit was strong.
Ash reached back and grabbed Crusader's handle. Drawing it again, he lifted it and said, "Ash! Coutarine's Greatest Warrior!"
Makenna's eyes widened. "Coutarine's Greatest Warrior?"
Ash ordered for Crusader to transform, and it took on the form of his staff. He moved it to one hand and yelled, "Yeah!" Chuckling, he punched the air with his left fist and watched as the orb in his weapon shimmered.
Makenna was open-mouthed with astonishment. How did Ash do that?
Alice, her parents, and her family members were astonished as well.
Alice's mother and father stumbled to Makenna and folded their arms. "Well, look at that," said her mom. "The boy is a magical being after all."
Makenna nodded. "Yes, he is. Sorry about him. When he's not sick, he's really carefree and clumsy. Which reminds me..." She met Alice's parents' eyes and asked them, "Did you, by any chance, stumble upon that ninja-style, black-haired boy when you were searching for shelter?"