A fraction of a second later a scream is torn from Miko as he snaps awake as well.

James looks around with eyes wide. When he realizes he’s back in the camp with the others he visibly relaxes. Next to him Miko holds his arms around his chest and groans in pain.

Brother Willim arcs an eyebrow questioningly at James and he says, “Better check him out. I’m fine.” The pain which was so excruciating while in the dream with Miko is now quickly beginning to fade.

Nodding, Brother Willim moves closer to Miko and says, “Let me have a look.”

Miko removes his arms from his chest and Brother Willim pulls up his shirt. Beneath the shirt his chest is a mass of burns, boils have formed and some are oozing pus. “Get the Star,” he says to Jiron.

As Jiron removes the Star from Miko’s pouch, Scar asks, “What happened?”

Once the Star is in Jiron’s hand he gives it to Miko. No sooner does the Star rest in his palm than a glow envelopes him. They watch in awe as his chest begins to return to normal. The boils recede and the burns turn brown, eventually flaking off to reveal the new skin that has formed underneath.

When the glow from the Star vanishes, Miko is breathing much better.

“Now, what happened?” Jiron asks.

James begins to relate to them his experiences within Miko’s dream. When he’s done Miko has little to add, the memory of the dream has already begun to grow cloudy. “All I can remember is that I needed to get into that room, but was unable to,” he finally says.

“What was the room like?” Shorty asks. “Why did you need to get inside?”

Miko shakes his head. “I can’t remember,” he admits.

“I caught a quick glance within before the door slammed shut,” announces James. “The room was of average size and a pedestal stood in its center.”