Morro's POV

     The Realm of Monsters.

     That definitely sounded bad. Mistake pulled out a dagger from the folds of her torn sweater sleeves, scanning the terrain around us with sharp eyes. How she could stand the heat of five sun disks in that, I had no idea. Since the disks were dropping in the sky, however, the air was getting colder and colder. I was shivering before I knew it.

     It felt amazing. I hated how intensely the temperature changed around here, but after spending so long in unbearable heat, this felt so nice. "W-where did y-you get th-that?" I stammered, pointing to the dagger.

     Mistake shrugged; she apparently wasn't bothered by the temperature change. "I happen to be a decent pickpocket."

     That's Harumi's dagger.

     The thought of her made me flinch with both worry and guilt.

     "This might come in handy if we face anything. Now—"

     "CAW! CAW!"

     Mistake grabbed my sleeve and pressed a finger to her lips. I looked around to see what was making the noise. I didn't spot anything, since it was getting to dark see far away. Since this realm had five suns, it would be natural to assume that it had five moons or more. I only saw one weak moon dripping over the horizon, its light too weak to properly make anything visible. Combined with the chill, the realm's atmosphere had suddenly changed from a hot desert to something you might see in a villain's lair. The cawing noise faded after a few nerve-wracking seconds.

     "We are not in the Departed Realm anymore," Mistake whispered quickly. "The monsters here can hear us, smell us, taste us, see us, and sense us. Keeping your emotions in check will not keep you alive here."

     "Can't w-we just b-bury ourselves in the s-sand?"

     Another caw rang in the dark.

     "Too late." Mistake said.

     The ground rumbled beneath our feet. Mistake, an Oni who could shapeshift into whatever she wished, looked afraid. I suddenly felt shaken too, but for different reasons. Harumi was still out there among the dunes. And she had no idea what was coming. We had to find her before this realm ripped her apart.

     "CAW! CAW!"

     "Duck!" Mistake screeched, throwing herself to knock me over. A large figure, so black it blocked out the faint stars above us, flew right over us.

     Heat rushed to my cheeks. Being saved by an old lady felt ridiculous. I had saved my own skin several times in the Departed Realm and suddenly I was too dense to get out of the way of a flying monster? It was humiliating. I got back to my feet, summoning any wind I could muster. The action exhausted me so much I nearly dropped to my knees as red spots entered my line of vision.

     "You are too weak to fight." Mistake growled. "Just like I am too weak to transform." Her violet eyes flashed. I could see her pale skin fading into Oni colors. She held out the dagger towards the sky. I saw the black flying thing circle around to face us again. Only then did I realize...

     "It's flying at us backward?"

     Mistake and I both jumped out of the way to avoid getting caught by it.

     "It is a spiderbird. They are fast, dangerous, and deadly poisonous."

     "CAW! CAW!" The creature flew towards us again. This time, it spit out a white substance. I jumped out of the way. Mistake screamed. It sounded human, but after a split second it began to turn into a monstrous cry. I turned to see her covered in the white substance. Horns broke through her grey hair, which was fading back into her head. She really was too weak to stay in another form.

     "Stupid bird!" She shouted at the spiderbird. "Aren't you supposed to be afraid of a full-blooded Oni?"

     The white substance hardened around her. While the spiderbird was circling, I rushed over to try and help Mistake free herself.

     "Hard as a rock," Mistake winced, trying to wiggle out of it. "Don't touch it," she warned, as my hand stopped a millimeter away from the substance.

     "It looks like silk," I whispered in awe. Never before had I seen spider silk this big.

     Mistake looked up, her eyes going wide. "MOVE!"

     It was too late. The silk hit me too, trapping me in a sticky coat right next to Mistake. Something about the silk was digestive because it felt like it was burning off my skin. "I guess they aren't afraid of Oni," I wheezed, trying to writhe out of the bonds.

     A second passed before she began to talk again. "Digestive enzymes will break down the skin layer, until all that is left is soft enough for them to eat." Mistake breathed, as if she had memorized some schoolbook article on it. "Don't worry, it is meant to take down skin and shells. Clothes won't dissolve." She closed her violet eyes. "The silk is too strong to cut, burn, or disintegrate. The best way to survive when meeting a spiderbird is to kill it first. Its weakest point is between the its eyes."

     "That's helpful," I gritted my teeth. The spiderbird circled us, cawing. I wondered why it hadn't eaten us yet, until I saw more black shapes in the distance.

     It has friends.

     I gulped. "How long do we have?" I glanced at Mistake, who was humming. She didn't answer. Her true Oni form shined through in the faint moonlight. The other spiderbirds drifted closer. I could tell they were flying forwards because I could see eight glowing gold eyes on their round heads. They cawed at their friend. Before I knew it, seven spiderbirds circled in the air above me. I winced at the burning in my skin.

     The biggest of them started screeching. Then, it dived toward us, ready to feast on its next meal. I yelped when something else knocked it out of the sky before it reached us.

     I could barely understand what could have saved our lives. Unless Harumi had magically found us and was currently saving our skins, we had no one who would intentionally help us.

     Only then did I see what had saved us, and it snuffed out any hope that Harumi might have come to our rescue. The creature in front of us roared as the spiderbird flew away. It had the appearance of an inky-black beast, with four legs and a long, whishing tail. The other spiderbirds continued to circle us, the sky now very noisy with their frantic caws.

     "Glimmerfear. It's hunting abilities are weak, so it takes the temporary shape of its prey's worst fear. Once the prey is scared off, it feasts on what its prey has caught." Mistake opened one eye to look at what had saved us.

     "So, we are still toast?" I asked, trying again to escape the burning silk. It held tight, refusing to budge.

     "Basically." Mistake adjusted herself.

     The glimmerfear's disguise dropped, revealing a stag-like, hairless creature. The spiderbirds cawed in surprise and launched themselves at it. I watched the bloody battle in horror. Halfway through the spiderbirds pecking the glimmerfear to death, a trio of minotaur looking things stepped into sight from over a dune and started to attack the spiderbirds.

    I tried again to see if wind could help us, but I felt like passing out even thinking about it. I jerked against the bonds again and again, trying with all my might to slip free. Mistake watched me struggle with a sour glance, her eyes narrowed at my own desperation and stupidity.

     "Now you see why nightfall is dangerous." Mistake said.

     The minotaurs were gaining the upper hand in the battle. One started to come towards us, its massive form dripping with dark, spiderbird blood. It looked like something out of a grotesque nightmare. I watched it get closer, my eyes bulging in silent fear. I didn't dare move or speak, lest I provoke it to attack.

     One of the remaining spiderbirds screeched and flew over in front of us, facing the minotaur with its head. I had just seen them fight backwards. I swallowed, not wanting this to be the end. The minotaur swiped at the spiderbird's head, who responded by spitting out venom.

     The minotaur leaped back in surprise as the sugary substance sprayed everywhere, only to immediately swipe at the spiderbird's head again. The venom/swiping attacks happened over and over, until the minotaur finally made contact with the spiderbird. Its fist crunched in the area between the eyes.

     Its weak spot.

     While the minotaur finished off the spiderbird, I suddenly felt my bonds loosen.

     "The vemon weakens the silk," Mistake whispered. "Spiderbirds can't eat their own silk, so they have to loosen the bonds once their prey is dead."

     In the midst of all the fighting, I must have gotten a bit of the spiderbird venom on my silk cocoon. As the minotaur dragged the dead spiderbird aside and went to help its friends, I continued to writhe inside my bonds. The venom did its job well, eating away at the hardness of the silk. I thrashed around, each time feeling my arms slip freer of the cocoon's grip. Before long, my arms popped free, and it didn't take me long to yank my legs out as well.

     I hit the sand hard, rubbing the grainy substance into the burns all around my skin. I hissed in pain, pulling myself to my feet.

     The cold night air hit hard, somehow making the silk-burns feel even worse. I shivered in the cold night air as the minotaurs fought against the last standing spiderbird. It dived at its predators, shooting out its deadly silk. The minotaurs roared and flailed. The silk broke off them easily since it didn't have enough time to harden.

      My sense got the best of me. While the minotaurs were occupied, I ran over to the dead spiderbird who had defended us. Green venom leaked out of its beak. I had no way to gather it unless I wanted to touch it, but there was also no other way to help Mistake get out of the cocoon. She was the only one of us with an actual weapon. I clenched my jaw and slathered my hands in the venom, wincing as it burned even worse than the silk.

     The last spiderbird's caws were getting more frantic. I rushed over to Mistake and pulled at the top of her cocoon. The venom burning away the skin on my raw hands was enough to slightly bend the silk out, so much that Mistake was able to get her arms out. She was holding the dagger when she got caught, so she was finally able to bring that out into the world. She told me to grip the blade of the dagger, which got the rest of the venom off my hands. Mistake stabbed at her silk until she could pull her legs free. She fell on the sand, burns showing across her dark skin. I helped her to her feet as she passed Harumi's dagger to me.

     "How do I kill them?" I asked, pointing the dagger at the three minotaurs, who had knocked the final spiderbird out of the air.

     "They kill for fun," Mistake grimaced. "If you look dead to them, they will leave you alone."

     "Then what do they eat?" I was curious.

     "Plants," Mistake answered. Her violet eyes flicked about and landed on the dead spiderbird I had collected venom from. "Go over there," she ordered.

      I realized quickly she needed assistance. Both of us were extremely weak from the past few hours. Mistake had the benefit of being over a thousand years old, so she stumbled with each step she took. I strung her arm around my shoulders and we limped over to the dead creature. It was hideous up close, black and hairy, with feathers placed in patches around the wings. It was like a crow, a raven, and a tarantula had an oversized baby. Not to mention the compound golden eyes that had lost their creepy glow. They were still open, even though the creature was dead. Mistake grabbed the knife from my hand and knelt beside the creature.

     "Mistake, whatever you are planning to do needs to happen fast," I whispered, peering behind me to see the minotaurs looking in our direction.

     She dragged the dagger along the spiderbird's flank, cutting a large slit in it. Dark blood trickled onto the ground, still warm even though the creature was dead.

     "Help me," Mistake hissed as she began to cut away at the insides, throwing organs onto the ground behind her. The slimy black tubes and balls, like the blood, were still warm. I gagged at the smell but helped Mistake as she cleared more and more space inside of the creature. I heard the minotaurs stomping toward us. We sped up.

     "Get in," Mistake said, gesturing wildly once there was a large pile of internal organs beside us.

     I stared at her.

     She doesn't mean...

    Her glare put an end to my doubts. Despite every inch of self-dignity, despite every bit of my willingness to fight our oversized advesaries, despite every nerve in my body weirding out because of the situation, I climbed into the large spiderbird. Its slimy black insides rubbed against my head as I crawled in as far as I could. This had to be the grossest thing I had ever done.

     Mistake handed the knife to me, shoved some of the organs back in, and then crawled in herself. I could hear her gathering the remaining intestines, as if she was blocking the slit in with them. It smelled of rotten fish and dead cows inside the spiderbird, everything feeling way too slimy to keep me from shuddering. Bile rose in my throat.

     "Stay very still," Mistake coughed in the thin, rank air.

     I heard the minotaurs walk around us. I felt their snouts press up against the flank of the spiderbird. They examined what they thought was dead. When they finally decided there was nothing left to kill and their stomping faded, I released a long breath.

     "Don't get your hopes up," I heard Mistake's quiet voice. "If we leave, we're dead. I don't care how many of these monsters are afraid of Oni. They will eat you without second thought. Prepare for a stinky night."

     "What if something tries to eat the spiderbird?" I gagged as something sticky hit my leg.

     "Spiderbirds are poisonous," Mistake assured me, "no one in the right mind will feast on one. Even if it is dead."

     I hated the idea of being stuck in here for the rest of the night.

     "When morning comes," Mistake said, "we'll look for Harumi."

     Dread settled in my soul, momentarily distracting me from our current situation. "I hope she's okay," I whispered. "I hate that she has to face all of those monsters alone. She has no way to protect herself. I hate this. I told her I would stick by her, and then..." I groaned. "I messed everything up."

     Mistake sighed. "Harumi took over a whole city by her wits alone. She'll survive the night; I can pretty much guarantee that. Don't worry about her. Besides, she still probably wants to slap you, so you shouldn't want to get near her right now."

     "What is it with you and slapping?"

     She laughed in the dark.

     After a few minutes, Mistake seemed to dose off. I could hear her breathing slowly. It was a very disturbing noise, like someone breathing in spitballs. I closed my own eyes. Harumi was out there in the dark. With the monsters. Without her dagger. She had no way to defend herself. How could she survive such conditions? We barely survived, and that was because Mistake knew what we were up against.

    I worried for what seemed to be an eternity. I could hear other monsters roaming in the night. Often, there were screeches and roars close to our hiding place. I kept very still and silent each time, wondering if they would realize that there were two very alive pieces of prey inside of a dead poisonous bird. However, Mistake had good survival skills since nothing ever bothered us. After a while, I somehow managed to fall into a fitful slumber, Harumi's face, demons, and fire filling my dreams. It was uncomfortable and unsettling. But I was alive. I had to be grateful for that.

>(<>)<

Harumi's POV

     I swam in the depths of unconsciousness for a while. When my brain finally decided to turn on, all I could see was the red light that you see when something bright is shining in your eyes. My head hurt, my body ached, and I felt hot and dry. I opened cracked lips to breath a huge gulp of air. Surprisingly, it wasn't smoky.

     Where am I?

     I was afraid to open my eyes. I didn't want to see reality. I wanted to go back to the comfortable darkness, where there was no pain, no bright lights, no broken hearts and minds. My fingers tightened around a grainy substance, feeling swollen. I curled them into fists, feeling grain seep through my fingers. It reminded me of the time my mother had undercooked the rice for dinner, leaving the hard grains to eat. Father had said it had tasted like sand, but he still complemented the flavors. That had been back before things got chaotic. The time of mirth before life took everything away from me.

     Open your eyes, Rumi.

     I didn't want to. But hesitantly, I listened to the voice in my head. My eyelids lifted gingerly to see my surroundings. My whole being shook with the hope I wouldn't see the Departed City. Instead of gray skies and surrounding screams, gentle sunlight bathed the pinkish sky in glorious shades of gold. There were a few birdcalls far away, and other than that, silence. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the emotions that came with the thought of gold.

     Gold.

     Green.

     Lloyd.

     If I was alive, I could see him again. But he wouldn't want to see me.

     I glanced down at my hands, which were covered in sand. All I could see on the horizon was sand. Groaning at my sore muscles, I pulled myself to my feet. There were hundreds of dunes surrounding me, like an endless desert. I shook the sand off myself. I had apparently been buried in it, since my whole body had the tiny grains stuck to it. My face had miraculously not been covered with a lot of sand, so I could still breath while I was unconscious. I wiped a hand across my sweaty face as I tried to spit the sand out of my mouth.

     It looked like it was morning, wherever I was. The pink sky had a sun rising over the horizon. It was a weird sun; it looked like a black disk in the sky with an aureole surrounding it. I turned my head away, lest I lose my eyesight looking at it.

     My tongue felt fat in my mouth. I tried to salivate it, only to find out that I couldn't. I must be dehydrated. My knees felt wobbly, and my head hurt so much. I sat back down in the sand, blinking hard. My arms were a hateful red color, like the sun had been cooking me alive for hours. I felt swollen and weak. If this was life, then I might prefer the Departed Realm. At least I didn't need water to 'live' there.

     I saw a few giant, black birds fly across the sky. I watched them, realizing they might be heading towards a water source. When I pulled myself to my feet again, I realized there were oases all around the desert's borders. I limped towards one, only to have the warning lights in my brain go off.

     Mirages.

     I heard the giant birds caw again, and I spun to see them fly into a heavily forested mountain. I didn't know whether I was dreaming or not. Was the mountain really there or was it a mirage like the oases? Whether it was or not, it was my best chance at survival. There were no other sources of water or shelter in sight, unless you counted hallucinations. I started towards the mountains, only to trip down a dune and land on my face.

     I've never been this clumsy.

     My head throbbed from the lack of water. I pulled myself to my feet again, for the third time today, with weak limbs and continued to stumble towards the mountain. I hadn't taken ten steps before I tripped over something again. This time, it was a bloody animal carcass.

     I moaned at the sight; feeling too weak to be disgusted. A mauled tiny brown creature lay dead in front of me. I scanned the area again, searching for the animal's killer, but there was nothing in sight. Only once I was back on my feet did I find several more of those brown things dead. They were scattered across the dunes. I hadn't seen them before because of their brown coats. Or maybe I was in too much of a shock.

     I clenched my teeth; I knew I was stronger than this. I trudged a few steps forward as sickening waves of nausea passed over me. Then... I heard voices. The desert ripped away like fragments on a page and were replaced with an endless stream of confusing words.

     Prophecy.

     Oni and Light.

     Chosen One.

     All I could hear were those cryptic words pounding in my ears. The weight of it all beat at my brain and I tore at my hair. I wanted it to stop. I whimpered, feeling my knees weaken again.

     "Someone, please," I whispered, even though no one was there. "Please! Make it stop."

     I wanted to cry out of frustration but there was no excess water for me to expel. For my efforts, the pounding in my head increased and I began to see places. The desert sand was replaced with images with each throb that rippled through my brain. I saw Ninjago rebuilt, I saw a city in the clouds, I saw darkness, I saw light, and I saw Morro... dead. He lay upon a blood-soaked ground, his eyes lifeless and open, a sword cut clean through his heart.

      I inhaled air sharply at the sight, falling backwards. This time, no sand or carcasses awaited me. Open, strong arms caught me and held me close. I could barely see; I couldn't tell who it was. But whoever it was, they were comforting despite the rank smell now filling the air.

     "Harumi." A familiar voice murmured above my head.

     "Morro?" I breathed, scarcely believing my luck. I didn't know whether to be relieved or to start shouting at him. I was too weak to care.

     "You're going to be okay," he said. His face sharpened into view, covered in splotches of a dried dark substance. He looked sideways. "She's going to be okay, right?"

     "I don't know," another voice shot back. "She's dehydrated. We aren't near any water. It's pure luck she actually survived the night in the condition she's in. If you are looking at me to tell you everything is going to be fine, then sorry. I'm under the impression we are all going to die of dehydration before nightfall hits."

      "Thanks," Morro drawled.

      "Mistake?" I whispered.

     He took my swollen hands in his, his hands feeling way too thin and wounded. "Yes, we're alive. You can slap me once you're feeling better."

     I leaned back in his embrace as Mistake laughed, relief for something I didn't know I'd been worried about flooding through me.

     Alive.

     We had made it out. We were free.

     "Stop right there," a raspy voice called out.

     I looked up to see an Oni. Darkness seemed to swirl off of it in thin wisps as it reached for a staff it had strapped on its back. Mistake immediately snarled.

     "Enmity."

     The Oni scanned her, surprise lighting up his eyes. "Mistake, it's been a while."

      "I wouldn't get any closer to them if I were you. I still have enough strength to take you out." Mistake stepped forward. She was no longer in the form of an old woman.

      "Last time you tried that, I recall you needed help to keep from being gutted. Too bad your little elemental friends aren't here now to save you." Enmity rose up to her challenge, looking every bit as fierce of an Oni as she was. They snarled at each other until I saw more Oni come up from behind Enmity.

      One of them met my eyes immediately started whispering to his companion. They tapped on Enmity's shoulder, whispering their message to him as well. Enmity turned to me, his eyes narrowing as he took in my form. When our eyes met, his own widened in disbelief.

      "So, the rumors are true." He murmured as Mistake bristled.

      "I don't care what you've been hearing. Get away from them. Your quarrel is with me!"

      Enmity held up an arm to keep Mistake from advancing any further. He leaned down to examine me again. Morro's arms tightened as he started to back away from the scrutinizing Oni.

      "My apologizes, princess." Enmity immediately bowed, clasping a fist to his chest. The few Oni behind him copied his movement, genuflecting on the ground. "I didn't realize who I was dealing with."

      "Huh?" I could barely grasp his words.

      Enmity turned to Mistake, getting to his feet. "We need to get the princess to safety."

      "How does he know I'm the Jade Princess?" I whispered to Morro.

     "I don't know," he replied softly.

     "We?" Mistake bared her teeth. "It doesn't matter who you bring with you, you're not taking her."

     "I don't answer to traitors." Enmity's voice was so cold it could have frozen water. Mistake's nostrils flared in anger. "You made your choice, and I made mine. Don't try to go back on it now."

     "How do you know each other?" Morro cut in.

     "That is a story for another time," Mistake hissed through clenched teeth.

     "We can help the princess. She needs to come with us." Enmity turned to Morro, obviously done dealing with Mistake.

     "What if we say no?" Morro challenged.

     Enmity laughed, gesturing to the wilderness around him. "Look around. If you don't die of dehydration, then you will definitely die when the monsters come out to hunt."

     "If we do come with you?" I forced the words out. My head hurt so much I could barely process anything besides every single pound that felt like a knife stabbing my brain.

     "That is what I hope for, princess. We will make sure you survive. Besides, the queen will be anxious to meet you."

     I could barely process what he said. My eyelids fluttered as the darkness beckoned to me once more. Why was it so hard to think?

     "She will be okay if we come with you?" Morro's voice rang out, suddenly sounding desperate.

     "Morro." Mistake's voice had a warning to it. "They are Oni. They are capable of doing horrible things."

     "Harumi will die if we don't go with them!" Morro's words were pleading.

     The world was getting blurry.

     Mistake let out a very long, low breath. "I'll be in the mountains if you need me."

     "But—"

     "No buts. I would not go with these fools even if I had a sword to my throat." She touched Morro's shoulder. "I can fend for myself. If you need me, I'll be in the mountains."

     Morro slowly nodded. I heard a large cry and then a large figure flew over our heads.

     "Don't even think about following her." Morro said to the Oni. I felt his wind stir.

     "Our concern is the princess." All of them said in unison.

     Morro was very gentle lifting me to my feet. I heard him hiss with exertion, but he continued to help me. He quickly realized I had to be carried. One of the Oni stepped forward. "Give me the princess."

      Morro's jaw clenched. After a split second, he handed me over to the Oni. "Take care of her," Morro ordered, his fingers gingerly going over the various burns I realized he had across his arms.

     "You sound like you aren't coming with us," Enmity said, holding out his staff.

     Morro looked sideways. He was unsure.

     "But, my little friend, you are."

     The Oni used their staffs to push Morro forward. He yelped and then was silent, giving them all murderous glares.

     I don't know how long the walk was, but it seemed short. The world was getting too blurry to see, so I had to rely on my hearing to tell when was going on. I heard a great noise, like something breaking out of the ground. Guessing from Morro's gasp, I could tell I was right. Seconds later, I felt the air cool as the suns' harsh light was blocked off by the ground's capsule. Then, I was going down, down, down. To where I don't know. The disastrous effects of dehydration settled in, full force. I barely remembered what happened after that.

     We were among Oni. We might be in serious danger. I had escaped one deathly experience only to find myself in another. But we were alive. That was what counted.