Under a tapestry of twinkling stars and a silver crescent moon, the air hummed with the smell of damp earth and the soft rustle of leaves. Shadows danced amidst trunks of ancient trees, their gnarled roots snaking across the forest floor, creating a labyrinth of obstacles. Though night had enveloped the jungle like a heavy cloak, Echo's internal sensors focused sharply on the heat signature that flitted ahead. It pulsed like a distant flame, teasingly elusive.

"Breathe… Focus…" the nindroid murmured to himself. The nindroid's vibrant eyes glowed an ethereal orange as he scanned the jungle around him. Vines, tall grasses, and low-hanging branches seemed to be actively working to block him, but he pushed past, eager to hone in on his target.nHe leapt over a fallen log, dodging and weaving around every obstacle. Suddenly, the heat signature grew slightly fainter, a sign that the thief was slipping further away. Instinct, combined with his programming, instilled within him a sense of urgency. He could not fail this mission; he could not allow the mystery to slip through his fingers like a wisp of smoke. Ghost or not- he had to know who this mystery creature was. As he rounded a massive banyan tree, the signature suddenly vanished. Echo came to a screeching halt as he frantically looked around, desperate to locate it again... but.. nothing.

"How is that possible?" He questioned; slight irritation present in his voice. "No living creature can just simply vanish!?.... unless. Maybe it really IS a ghost?" His mechanical mind whirred in confusion as it tried to run through the logical possibilities, but there were none. As far as Echo was concerned, ghosts aren't existent- at least, not there in Chima. If there was any realm with ghosts in it, it would be the Departed Realm or something. Slowly, he ventured towards the last seen location of the heat signature, but again, the ground betrayed him. Echo plummeted down a hill and slid to a stop right in front of a small cave. The entrance was mostly obscured by vines and other hanging foliage, but it was still a cave entrance nonetheless. Curiosity filled the little robot, and he pulled back the plant curtain, looking inside. His eyes grew wide as he took in the scene. The stolen books! They were all piled up in there! But.. why? Well, he still wasn't sure about the whole ghost part, but he could check Raven off the list. They typically really don't like caves. Something about them being underground, someplace so far away from the sky- AKA their escape route- usually horrifies them. So- alright then-

"Hello? Thief? Ghost? Um, whoever you are... I know you're in here. Though, I feel the need to inform you that I'm not going to hurt you. It's alright to show yourself."

.....

Nothing.

"I really do mean it. I have no intention of harming you. I simply desire to talk."

.....

"No." A quiet voice finally spoke from the darkness. "Go away..."

Echo's eyes grew wide. Oddly enough, he hadn't actually expected anyone to answer. Even more surprising though was how the voice sounded. It wasn't scary- It sounded quiet, almost confused, possibly a little scared...? Not what he expected a thieving ghost to supposedly sound like. Through the darkness of the cave, the nindroid could make out the faint heat signature sitting on the back left corner on the ceiling. It might have just been the dark, damp atmosphere of the cave, but the reading appeared to be cooler than it was before. Strange to say the least.

Echo smiled towards the general direction of the creature. " perhaps we got off on the wrong foot- my name is Echo, I am built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Like I stated earlier, I do not wish to harm you. I would just like to ask you why you still have all these things from Eris."

There was a moment of silence before the creature spoke up again. "Because I needed enough to keep me occupied for the rest of my life. And now that I have it, I'm never leaving this cave again, so you don't have to worry about me coming back."

Echo paused momentarily, almost like he was trying to process what had just been said. Solemnly, he questioned what he meant. To him, the concept of staying in a cave forever was ridiculous. Why would anyone want that? It would be like him choosing to stay at the lighthouse until he ceased to function... it sounded... sad. And so did the voice that replied.

"You won't understand.. so just get out like everyone else or I'll make you."

Echo stood tall. "..No. I originally came to this cave with the intent of chasing down a thief and bringing them to justice, and while I still request the stolen things to be given back, I'm beginning to think there is something more that I can be of assistance with. You appear to be distressed. I could help you if you tell me what's wrong."

Suddenly, the heat signature dropped from the back corner and started approaching. As it did, a bizarre thing happened- It's invisibility dissolved, finally showing the true face of the culprit. Like Eris had insisted, it wasn't a ghost. It was a small, brown spider, barely shorter than Echo. He looked to be no more than a kid, and he looked just as scared and confused as he'd sounded. He had two arms on his torso, but where his waist started was a spider abdomen and 6 other legs. He was almost like a little spider centaur. His green eyes glistened in the dim light while he desperately tried to look what Echo assumed to be intimidating.

"I- I don't need help. Now that you know what I am, go ahead and run away- just like everyone else that's seen me."

But this was different from the other times. Echo didn't look scared at all, if anything, he looked intrigued. The nindroid's face showed a mix of sorrow and understanding, even giving the spider a little smile. "Why would anyone run away from you?" He questioned innocently.

Okay- clearly this metallic creature had very little knowledge of Chima's history. Not knowing to fear a spider is unheard of otherwise.
'He must be a newcomer due to the Merge...' The spider thought. 'They probably have no idea what went down with the spiders and scorpions all that time ago... WAIT. This is perfect! That's exactly what I need!'

"Soo.. you're not scared of me?"

Echo shook his head. "Of course not! You might be much bigger and can actually talk, but I've made friends with spiders before at my old lighthouse... I think. My apologies- some of my memory banks are a bit corrupted." He chuckled.

The little spider's eyes lit up. "Oh- um- alright. I'm Sypher." He said a bit sheepishly. His body language showed his lack in confidence, even showing his fear a little. While noticing that, Echo's attention was quickly drawn to the fact that the poor thing looked uncomfortable. He really wasn't wearing anything but a few webs, he looked kinda thin, and he was definitely a little cold. The last one he already gathered from the heat signature. Yep. This little guy definitely needs some help. With that figured out, Echo happily held out his hand with the warmest smile he could muster.
"Nice to meet you Sypher! Like I stated earlier, I am Echo." After the two shook hands, the nindroid glanced over at the books. "So, you like history?"

Shyly, the arachnid backed up, fidgeting with his hands. "Well, I understand spiders aren't typically known for wanting to learn about the time before we came to be, but I figured it would be interesting to study. I find the history of Chima fascinating. At least- from what I've read already..."

Echo chuckled. "Sounds fun. But- you still stole these. You do realize it would be wrong to not return them to the observatory."

Sypher plopped down with a sigh. Yeah, he admitted to knowing his crimes, but he only did it because he was certain Eris wouldn't let him in to read them normally. So, he went invisible with the help of a rare plant he found that grew in the Falling Jungle, and snuck into the observatory to take the books. Though Echo was still confused as to why Sypher believed everyone was out to get him, he felt a little bad, plus, he had offered to help.

"How about this- I return the stolen property to Eris, and in return, I help you with anything you may need. I can even be your friend!"

The shy spider looked mystified at the proposal, agreeing to it with slight excitement.