Harumi's POV

     I couldn't deny that the scenario I had just experienced had left me in a state of shock.

     It seemed like I had dreamed forever that one day maybe Lloyd could have been able to forgive me. What surprised me even more was that he hadn't only done that, but he'd also apologized for his own mistakes. He had stepped past his pride to try and make things better.

     He wanted to make things better.

     This time when my heart expanded, I didn't desperately try to suppress it. Perhaps these feelings were not going to ruin my life; perhaps they were just another step at being a good ally. Maybe they would lead to me finally becoming the good person Morro believed I could be.

     Despite the somewhat touching moment we had next to the sunrise, however, Lloyd and I were back at odds before we ate breakfast. The darkening circles under his eyes were obvious signs that he had been lying when he said he got enough sleep. He seemed so distressed for some random reason that I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to let him do anything other than rest and recharge. He tried to argue that he could make the journey across the ocean, but I dismissed his protests enough where he finally realized that I wasn't going to let him fly back to Ninjago. Lloyd frowned at me, then turned to go find a nice spot to rest.

     Allies had to look after each other... right?

     While Lloyd mumbled something about overbearing people, I went back to reading the history book the temple had picked out for me. The book encompassed many interesting topics, starting with the First Spinjitzu Master before he created Ninjago. It went through the first battle with the Overlord, to his fight with the Oni assassins, to the creation of the Elemental Masters, to the history of the Elemental Houses. I mostly skimmed over the parts that talked about how nomads slowly grouped together and became societies. The Elemental Masters started to practice a bit of dominion over other people, but since the Elemental Masters were allied, Ninjago became one big country. The end of the book was in sight, since it had not been updated to the current times.

     As much as my stubborn mind tried to dismiss what I'd read as a boring lecture, I found I was fascinated with the history of how Ninjago came to be. The history I learned in school talked of the Elemental Houses as powerful dictators who suppressed the people of Ninjago. Those books never mentioned the Houses being made of descendants from the first Elemental Masters. It always said they were stuffy noble families that wanted power for themselves. The move to the central Ninjago City was always described as the peasants showing they could rule fairly too. Now I saw that every society grew technologically as time passed, and that the Houses didn't rule everyone. As more people chose technology over tradition, the Houses lost their power and eventually faded away. It was amazing to see a different side to the story.

     Before I knew it, I had finished the very thick book. Outside, the afternoon was fading into the evening. I looked around the temple for Lloyd, only to see him fast asleep across the room. His blonde head was leaning against one of the massive pillars and he used one of his hands as a temporary pillow. He looked quite peaceful, devoid of the stress that seemed to constantly weigh down on his back. Even if it took some arguing to get him to rest, it was worth it. He would feel a lot better in the morning. I still wasn't exactly sure why I suddenly cared so much, so I simply dismissed it all as a survival instinct. If Lloyd couldn't make it across the ocean, then we'd likely drown.

     I picked up the history book and slid it back into its place on the bookshelf. In the morning, we could head back to the Bounty and update Wu, PIXAL, and the rest of the Ninja on our progress. I had seen nothing in the history book about a 'light' among the Oni or Dragons. And judging by what Lloyd had said about his vision, he couldn't be related to the prophecy. We would have to move on and ask the other ninja what they found. Hopefully one of them had an epiphany and was ready to beat the Overlord.

     I went and took a few crackers out of my knapsack to snack on, since that was all I had. I hadn't packed much for the trip because I didn't think we'd be away this long, and I was too prideful to ask Lloyd for some of his food. As a result, I was hungry and too stubborn to do anything about it.

     When I went back to sit at the desk, it was gone. The bookshelf was gone too. It was like they were never there in the first place. That's when I noticed the rest of the Temple of Light was the same way.

     All the strange things that had appeared when we came in had disappeared. It seemed like an abnormality, but slowly I had learned that this was no ordinary temple. How else could the pictures on the walls show, in perfect precision, things that had happened recently? When I spun to find proof, I found all the pictures had changed into scenes of when the Ninja were younger. I saw the portrait of the Ninja fighting the Great Devourer and flinched at the rush of memories that swarmed into my head.

     I'm sorry I caused you so much pain.

     He wanted to make things better.

     I thought back to the Ancestea Lloyd had given me. It seemed like a strange gesture of kindness, but I refused to read anything into it. He probably thought it was of no use to him or his friends.

      If I drank the tea, I could meet my parents again, though the thought wasn't exactly welcome. I had longed for them before, but what would they say when they saw the person I had become as the Quiet One? Besides, I had learned to live with the fact I would never see them again.

     Logic clawed its way into my brain, for if I did speak to the dead, maybe they could help us with figuring out the prophecy. I hesitantly took the small packet of tea out of my pocket. I had nestled it there with my portion of Memortea. I still hadn't found the right person to give the Memortea to yet. The perfect opportunity had not yet arisen, so I had kept the tea out of sight.

     After scrounging around for a bottle of water, I dropped the Ancestea leaves into the liquid and waited for it to brew. Even though the water wasn't warm, the tea leaves still swirled around and eventually filled the bottle with a glowing golden hue.

     I glanced one more time at Lloyd, to make sure he was still passed out, and knocked back the bitter tea.

     Nothing happened. No visions came swirling in my mind; no apparitions walked into view. I wondered if my packet was defective or if Lloyd had pranked me for some cruel reason.

     Then, it came. It was barely a whisper in the back of my mind.

     Find the library.

     What library?

     No voices followed that one, and I was left in a stumped silence.

>(<>)<

Jay's POV

     The rocky beaches next to the Caves of Calling were cold. Nya and I were huddled together, sitting on the coarse sand as we waited for the blue moon to rise. A fierce wind whipped in the faces of the small crowd gathered at the entrance of the caves. Some mothers sobbed when their children pulled away to enter. Others straightened their friends' coats and gave them a vote of confidence. Slowly but surely, people trickled into the caves, hoping to find the ancestors they were looking for.

     Nya and I had spent the past few days searching Cliff's house and looking around Munja to find clues to what my special word might be. The Lightning Mansion was stripped of all its valuables, leaving only the stunning architecture to show us a glimpse of what it used to be. The only reason someone didn't live there was partially out of respect for its deceased masters and partially because the realtor wouldn't part with it for less than a million dollars.

     Several words could be the trick.

     House Lightning.

     Actor.

     Secret.

      I could go on and on thinking of words that could relate me to either my biological father or mother, yet none of them felt right.

      "Make sure you're wearing your tracker." Nya adjusted the orange scarf around my neck, but the wind just flapped it back to its original place. Nya scowled at the fabric. "And keep me updated through the commlink. If you're in trouble, hit the panic switch."

      She had about as much confidence as I did in the few possible phrases we'd strung together the past few days. The Caves of Calling's warning stated if you said the wrong phrase, you'd never find your way out. Nya was so determined for that not to be true that she had even had us go to her old Samurai X cave to pick up a rescue vehicle.

      Nya gave one of my hands a squeeze as we stood up. "You've got this."

      I stared at our entwined fingers, voicing a doubt I didn't like thinking about. "What if I don't make it out? How are you going to live with yourself?"

      "You will make it out." Nya insisted. "If you don't, then I'll run in there myself and scream angry words until the spirits take me to you."

      I laughed at her stubbornness that this was going to work.

      "Do you remember the words?"

     We stepped up the entrance as the blue moon rose higher into the sky. Gentle waves lapped at our feet, inviting us into their dark depths.

     "Lighting, Danger, and Shadow."

      Lighting was for both of my parent's origins. Danger was about me, and Shadow was referring to Thunder Shadow's blessing. We thought they'd fit the criteria of being special to my parents. Nya reached up to adjust my scarf again. "Good, just choose the one that feels right, and I'll see you soon."

      I gave her a weak smile. "I love you, Nya."

      "Oh, quit with the sappy stuff," Nya adjusted her own communication devices. "We will see each other again. There's no reason to pretend otherwise." She paused at my bashful glance, rolling her eyes as her cheeks warmed. "Fine, I love you too. But this isn't the last time we'll get to say that!"

      She let go of my trembling hands and gave me a gentle shove towards the entrance. "You only have so much time before the moon is gone. Remember your words and don't you dare forget to use your commlinks."

      I smiled at her determination and stepped into the cave. Even though I was only in the entrance, I could feel the static sound of the commlink fading. Nya didn't seem bothered when I looked back at her, so I waved and continued into the maze-like caves. I was up to my ankles in water as I sloshed through tunnels. There was a low tide today, but I had a feeling it wouldn't last long. Perhaps this was how the caves captured their victims. They simply filled with water and waited for everyone to drown.

      The Caves of Calling sat at the base of an abandoned lake. Roughly half of them sat beneath the water, though that changed depending on the tide. Over time, people had set up signs telling others not to go in unless it was a blue moon, since that was when the water always seemed to be at its lowest. Vendors had set up shops outside selling blankets, snorkels, and other little knickknacks to keep tourists happy. Nya had snorted with disgust at the media that praised the next generation of people who were brave enough to face the caves. The Caves of Calling had become a tourist site for news stories. The true meaning had been lost.

      I was surprised the caves were lit up. Glowing fungus grew on the walls, illuminated even more by the blue moon's light coming in from holes in the roof. The ground underneath me was unsteady as I continued in, which did not help my situation at all. It was hard enough trying to walk around normally on crutches. Strangely enough, I had not seen any of the other people who had entered with me.

     Time stretched on. Every time I felt the need to try a word, a stronger urge not to say it blocked out the sensation. I felt like I was wandering through a maze for ages, without anything in sight. The water had risen to my shins, and I tried not to panic about what that meant.

     I was about to try and contact Nya, only to be hit with another groundbreaking question.

     If I spoke to her, then would those words count as my phrase?

     The fear of speaking the wrong phrase kept my fingers from trying to use the one hundred different methods of communication Nya had tucked into my gi. I just wanted to hear her voice again; she made me feel stronger. She didn't mind if I was kind of weird, or was an adult fan of Starfarer, or was scared of talking to my biological parents. She loved me for my faults and flaws, which made everything so much easier when she was around.

      When my path finally led me to a kind of illuminated bowl area, I suddenly knew this was where I had to stop. There was no water on the cave's floor in the bowl. The wall of rock stretched up around me like an egg, keeping the rising tide out. I looked through the only hole in the top. It was too tiny to try and escape through, though I could see the blue moon's light shining directly into the cave. I tried to say one of the words Nya and I thought up, but none of them felt right.

      Nothing felt right.

      The air around me thinned as minute, blue sparks flitted through the air. It took all my will to restrain myself from trying to hit the panic switch at that minute. The sparks swirled around me, forcing my mind to start brainstorming things to say. My whole existence seemed to know now was the time to speak. Now, I had to say something.

      What would link me to my parents, to my past? What was the special phrase that would connect me to the ancestors who had gone before me? There was so much I didn't know about them, so much I was afraid to know. The tugging continued at my throat as words swirled through my mind in an endless haze.

      Elemental Houses.

      Penelope Gordon.

     Thunder Shadow.

     A blessed marriage.

     Storm's disappearance.

     Death by childbirth.

     Hidden among the crowds.

     Watching from afar.

     Each phrase could connect me to my parent's troubled past. How was it possible to say the right thing? There were so many options. And if I dared say the wrong one, then I'd never see Nya again. Stress and turmoil piled in my mind until I shouted out the first thing that came to mind.

     "Fritz Donegan!"

     I clasped my hands over my mouth. At that moment, I had seen my dad's smile and thought of my favorite comic book series. How stupid could I have been? I was going to be stuck in here forever, and there wasn't even furniture to at least make my eternal banishment comfortable. Sure enough, when I finally pressed the button on the commlink, not even static greeted me. I groaned as I slid down into a sitting position. My stupid search for my past had lost me forever. I was going to die here.

     "Are you looking for someone?"

     I turned my head so fast I'm surprised my neck didn't snap. A woman ducked under the narrow ledge into the cave I was currently sitting in. I scrambled to my feet, pressing every communication button I could find in my various pockets. She flashed me a small smile, illuminating the creases in her face. At first glance, she looked young; but now, I couldn't tell if she was thirty or sixty.

      "Y-yes," I said, finally mustering up enough courage to string together a façade of humor. "I was trying to contact my mother or father, but I'm pretty sure I said the wrong phrase. I was just thinking of how boring it would be to spend eternity here. There's not even a television for me to play some video games on."

      The woman stepped into the light, making more of her shrouded features apparent. Hair fell onto her shoulder, yet I couldn't tell whether it was blonde or gray. She was about my height, which made everything so much more confusing. When I looked at her face, it almost seemed... familiar.

     "Who was your mother?" When I gave her a confused look, she added, "I have known many people; maybe I could answer some of your questions."

     What a strange coincidence. I didn't see anyone in the Caves of Calling until now, and the one person I ran into showed up at just the right time. It was so perfect that I began to get suspicious. "My mother's name was Storm Lightning." I treaded carefully.

     The woman closed her eyes, "That was an older name of hers. I'm surprised you even know it."

     "Why wouldn't I? Her husband was famous."

     "I guess I just didn't think this was when we'd first meet. It feels all too bittersweet, seeing you here. I know you're here for ans—"

     "YOU MEAN I CHOSE THE RIGHT PHRASE?" I yelped in shock, trying to contact Nya once again. Still, only silence greeted me.

     The woman—my mother—smiled at me. She had the same dimples I had, which was both surprising and exciting. "Hello, Jaybird."

     So many words piled out of my mouth in an exuberant rush that I wasn't sure I was actually taking. When I was finally able to take a few breaths, I tilted my head and said, "You look different than I expected."

     The woman in my father's wedding photos had golden blonde hair, with striking eyes and a kind smile. The woman in front of me had an appearance that seemed to flicker between young and old, looking transparent but still seeming to shine with an otherworldly glow.

     "As do you." My mother reached forward to pat my curls. Her smile became wistful. "You look so much like your father."

     Your father.

     "Oh! That reminds me, I had a question for you." I said, fingering my ring.

     "You want to know about my mysterious disappearance and the danger that caused Cliff to hide you away." My mother—Storm? —looked away, suddenly saddened by the subject change. It felt strange referring to her as 'mother' in my head, since she seemed so foreign of a figure in my life. She hadn't raised me, yet I could tell through the way that she said my name (her version of my name) that she did truly love me.

     "How in Ninjago—"

     "The dead can see much in the minds of mortals." Her voice took on a different tone, one that sounded almost foreign. "I know why you came to find me, Jaybird. I have the answers you seek, but I'm afraid our time is limited."

     "Then, let's jump into it." I mustered up my best smile, hoping 'showing' me the truth would have nothing to do with swimming.

     Storm held out her hand, waving her other one around as sparks began to flicker in the air. I clasped her hands right as the world went white around me.

     The next thing I knew, I was hovering in some sort of 3-D space, watching a scene take place. Right in front of me, a blonde girl forced a smile as she greeted other fancily dressed people. Everyone was wearing a set of colors, and once they were greeted, they would break into groups of one color. I realized I was watching the Elemental Houses gather.

     "I never wanted the life I was born with." Storm's voice sounded from beside me, though I could no longer see her spirit form. "In the middle of my teenage years, I was given a power I didn't want, then was expected to marry a man I didn't love. The one person I did love was Cliff Gordon, who was merely a stable boy, and I knew my parents would never consent to such a match."

     The scene shifted to young Storm yelling at an auburn-haired boy as tears streamed down her cheeks. The boy looked deeply sorry but didn't apologize.

     "Right as I was conscripted to fight in the Serpentine War, Cliff announced he was going off with a set of gypsies to try to make a better life for himself. I was heartbroken, since I had pinned all of my hopes and dreams on him being there when I returned. I thought I'd never see him again."

      War raged around a large forest; a small band of elemental masters fought against a large mass of Anacondrai warriors. Each elemental was spirited and pushed the Anacondrai back with swirls of magical color. Just as the Anacondrai started to retreat, some of the elemental masters broke off from the group and started fighting against their comrades. Seeing the rebellion, the Anacondrai pushed back into battle, their morale higher than ever.

     "Chen's influence over the war caused much disruption. Those who were convinced to turn on their allied Houses were deemed traitors by the others, and once word reached the other House inhabitants, they pillaged the 'House Traitors' until barely anything remained. Even though the elemental masters ended up winning the war, the people they had left behind had scattered in a civil war."

      The scene switched to an older Storm talking to a man I assumed was her father. He looked aged beyond his years with stress and grief.

     "I came back to the end of this chaos. The man I was supposed to be engaged to—"

     "Thunder Shadow?"

     Storm let out a sound of satisfaction. "Yes, I am glad to see you really have done research. Thunder had given me his blessing to marry another. So, I returned to my father, only to find another strange man had asked for my hand in marriage."

     In the vision, Storm pushed open a door leading into a parlor. She hesitated, not wanting to see who was in there. An older and taller auburn man smiled when she walked in.

     "While I was away at war, Cliff had received recognition for his talent working among the gypsies. He had been given a leading acting role in a movie known as Starfarer. It was a small idea from a small film company. The comics the movies were based on were somewhat well-known, but no one expected the movie to hit big. When the movie did skyrocket in popularity, so did Cliff's acting career. By the time the war was over, Cliff had worked himself up a small fortune. He was now worthy to marry me in my father's eyes."

     There was a small wedding. Only a few people came to watch Storm and Cliff's union, most of whom I recognized. The Garmadons were there, as were Kai and Nya's parents. I thought I recognized Storm's father, and a wedding photographer sat in the back, snapping pictures every now and then. The number of people didn't seem to matter to my parents. Both of their faces were aglow with jubilee.

     "Cliff and I lived happily together for a while. Years passed. We did not give much thought to children since Cliff's career was still at its peak. If we had a child, then it would not receive the attention it deserved. After a while, events happened that would literally alter the future."

     Storm was studying in a library when an older woman approached her. The woman was far from pretty, with a long, sharp nose and beady eyes. Her stringy black hair fell over her face in greasy strands, and her clothes looked as if they had been waded up before she put them on. Yet, though I could tell she approached Storm with an accusative voice, she seemed really concerned with getting to know my mother.

     "Her name was Bora." Storm's voice echoed from beside me. "She spent her time studying the Cloud Kingdom's prophecies and knew the danger Ninjago would soon be in. She reached out to me, hoping to gain my help in the matter. I know she looks villainous, but Bora had a good heart. I decided to trust her, and we became companions."

     Storm and Bora approached a dilapidated shack in what looked like a very poor town. In the windows of the shack, a horrifying shadow rose up, causing Storm to step backwards in shock. Each of the girls was dressed in a heavy traveling cloak.

     "This is where your mystery comes in. Bora had found a prophecy stating that a son of darkness' heart would destroy Ninjago. Through lots of research she was able to pinpoint the only individual who would outlive every other person in the family trees. He was to be the son of a Garmadon."

     "Lloyd." I breathed, watching a cloaked figure come out of the shack to hand my mother a pot of tea.

     "Yes," Storm's voice twisted with sadness. "Bora saw what your friend would do and sought to prevent it. She told me that if the prophecy was allowed to complete its course, you would suffer, as you would most likely be a friend to Lloyd. But, like every deed, there would be consequences if I chose to change the prophecy. I would be in danger from the Cloud Kingdom's wrath."

     As the Cloud Kingdom spread out before me in its full glory, I felt dread pool in my stomach. "You said Lloyd would destroy Ninjago? That can't be possible."

     "There is nothing more powerful than a blow to the heart." Storm said gently, as realization suddenly clicked into place.

     Harumi broke Lloyd's heart.

     Lloyd would try to hide the pain, but it would remain, festering and growing. I knew Lloyd very well. He would much rather help people with their problems than talk out his own. His wounded heart would grow to be too much, until the agony tore him, and Ninjago, limb from limb. I could see his internal struggles when I looked back now. All of those words he suppressed; all of the anger he hid behind fake smiles or status updates. That pain in his chest that somehow seemed to come from the very spot where his heart was.

     Lloyd was broken, and it was probably too late to heal him now.

     "What happened next?" My words were barely a whisper.

      "I knew saving Ninjago's future would put me in a position where I could never see you or Cliff again. I would constantly have to be on the run, so that it would be harder to catch me. Despite this, I wanted you to be happy. I wanted to save you and your generation. Ninjago deserved happiness much more than I did. So, I agreed to go with Bora to alter Ninjago's future."

     The next scene showed Storm and Bora hunkered over a scroll, hastily adding onto what was written. They were dressed like citizens of the Cloud Kingdom, but the shouts outside signaled the people weren't fooled by appearances.

     "We knew we could not change Lloyd's destined future. Thus, we decided to bring back the one person who had a chance at healing him again. There was girl, you see, one who would break his heart and start the prophecy of destruction. If they could help this girl see the errors of her ways and bring her back to Lloyd, maybe she could undo the damage she had inflicted. Maybe she could help him let go of the sorrow that plagued him. Maybe she could stop the destruction to come.

     "I found this girl's destiny scroll, stole it, and altered her future by adding events. But I also knew that people don't just change. They need something... or someone to show them that they were wrong. That's when Bora found another villain's scroll. That villain would be the one to set the girl on the right path. He would help her save Lloyd."

     "You altered Harumi and Morro's scrolls." I said, watching the vision's Storm roll up the edited futures. "You sent them back to Ninjago. You sent them back to us."

     "When the Cloud Kingdom found out where we were hiding, they sent everyone they could after us. Bora had to sacrifice herself in order to help me escape back to Ninjago. Before I left, I burned the edited scrolls so that no more could be added to them. I was then forced to run through the fire in order to return to Ninjago, and right as I re-entered the realm, you decided it was time to come out into the world."

     Storm collapsed on the ground in the middle of a park, thrashing in sudden agony. Down the path, two figures saw her. One ran to her side; one immediately left to find help. I recognized them as Nya's parents.

     "I died in childbirth, since my injuries were too much for my body to take. I had to use my precious last words to make Cliff promise to hide you away, so that the Cloud Kingdom wouldn't take their revenge on you." Storm's voice was eerily calm, as if she were narrating some sort of weather report. "You see, while I was in the Cloud Kingdom, I forgot to do one important thing. I remembered to burn Cliff's and my own scrolls, but I forgot to burn yours."

     "Wouldn't the Cloud Kingdom just find my scroll anyway? Why did it matter where my father hid me?" I asked, seeing the obvious hole in the situation.

     "When your last name changed to Walker, your scroll was categorized under a different section of the library. Cliff didn't even let your adoptive parents know your real name, so that the name they gave you would be generic. You would be even harder to find among millions of other Jays. When he released you to be a normal boy, he was protecting you from the Cloud Kingdom's knowledge."

     I got stuck on 'real name'. "Wait... my name isn't Jay?"

     This conversation was definitely too weird for me. I was probably dying of hypothermia right now and hallucinating this whole event. Yet, right in front of me, I could see my father leaving the casket I was lying in outside of my adoptive parents' junk shop.

     "Your name is Jay because that is who you know yourself as. That is who you've grown to be. When we first wanted to name you, we wanted to give you a special name that meant something special to us. Something that made an enormous impact on our lives. The name we eventually came up with was the one role Cliff played that gave him the fortune that allowed him to be worthy in my father's eyes."

     "Fritz Donegan." The words felt like a circle. These were the words that brought my mother here; these were the words that meant everything.

     "You were to be our little Fritz Gordon." I could start to see the faint outlines of Storm's face beside me once again. In front of me, the caves started to reappear as the vision ended. I could feel the water splashing against my legs once again. "But don't be too concerned. Just because we wanted you to be a Fritz doesn't make you less of a Jay. You were given love and nourishment by a set of parents who weren't your biological ones. They were more parents than we could have ever been."

     She trailed off into silence, her strangely dual expression returning. I could understand what I saw now. When I looked at her face, I could see the older Storm who was willing to risk everything to save Ninjago, but I could also see the teenager who was unsatisfied with her life. Her face was a mixture of the two ages, leaving behind an unrealistic look.

     We stood there, neither of us knowing what to say next. She looked unsure of how I would react, and I felt both the need to scream 'what just happened' and gloat that my instincts towards Harumi and Morro had been right. Then, I saw Storm's expression and realized that neither of those options were the correct ones.

     She had loved me enough to give me up.

     She had loved the world enough to give her entire life to save Ninjago.

     Just because she was never in my life didn't mean she wasn't worth being called 'Mother'.

     I finally forced out the words, "For what it's worth... I think you made the right choice."

     "I know." My mother stepped closer, a small smile appearing on her face. "Jaybird, I'm very proud of who you've become. You have done many good things, and you have married a wonderful woman. I have been watching you from the Departed Realm for years, and I cannot express enough joy for seeing you grow into the warrior you are now."

     She wrung her hands. "Harumi and Morro silently curse me for messing with their lives, but I had to. I couldn't watch Ninjago fall. I couldn't let you be betrayed by your best friend."

     I nodded once. "I think I understand. It's all been foggy for the past few months, but I'm pretty sure I get it now. While it is fun to watch everyone get super puzzled by everything, I know this will clear up a lot of our confusion. I only have one question."

     My mother gestured for me to go on.

     "My identity must be obvious to the Cloud Kingdom now. Why haven't they punished me yet?"

     "We have allies where we least expect them." Those were her only words, then she turned away again. I noticed the blue moon passing over the cave, letting the darkness slowly sink back in. That's when I noticed my mother was fading, and that the water had reached my knees. It was rising faster than I expected. Her transparent form was shaking, from what, I wasn't sure.

     "Mother?" It was strange on my tongue to say the words, yet I could tell it gave her joy from the way her head immediately raised with a partial smile. When Storm turned back to me, I asked, "Who are the Oni and Light?"

     She wrote the future; she would know.

     Her smile was sad. "You will find out soon enough." She looked down at her hands, which had practically disappeared. "I will always be proud of you, Jay. Your father is very proud as well. We—"

     I reached out to her, stopping her shaking voice. "I'm glad I finally got to meet you."

     She pulled me into an embrace as she disappeared completely. I could still hear her last words echo through the caves. "I love you, my son."

     I stood in the middle of the egg-shaped cell as the faint starlight illuminated the way out. It was still cold, yet I didn't feel the chill.

     "I'll keep making you proud." I promised to the thin air, hoping she could somehow hear my words.

     As I wobbled out of the small enclosure, my feet suddenly knew the way to go. A foreign sense of peace had gone through me, erasing any of my frantic ideas to call Nya for help. The waters continued to rise, making their way all the way up to my shoulders as I continued down the winding paths. My instincts guided me through twists and turns until I realized the light in front of me was not the Departed Realm calling to claim my soul.

     It was the entrance to the cave.

     Nya dove into the water the minute she saw my head appear, helping me to shore with as much strength as she was able to give. I had dropped my crutches somewhere back in the caves, knowing that swimming without them was much faster than trying to bring them along. We crawled onto the ever-shrinking shore, collapsing as soon as we had enough room to breathe.

     Nya held onto my hand with enough force to strangle someone. I could tell she wanted to rant about why I hadn't contacted her once, but eventually she just said, "I told you that you'd come out."

     I laughed, though there was some hysteria leaking into the tone. I had worried so much that I was never going to see her again. Yet here she was, right in front of me. I was extremely lucky compared to the parents beginning to sob around the beach as the Caves of Calling sunk beneath the waves.

     I could feel the aching in my leg begin the fade as the cool waters lapped at it with a gentle touch. We had answers now, and the mysteries of the past were becoming clearer. I knew the future was only going to get more difficult, but, together with Nya and the team, maybe it wouldn't be so hard to face.