I blinked several times and looked at Shadow like she was crazy. The purple eyed girl might've been crazy actually, she was a little weird after all. Shadow nervously smiled at me as I placed my hands on her shoulders gripping them so she couldn't escape. "What do you mean he's gone?" I demanded as I started shaking the girl.

Martel came over worriedly and placed a hand on my shoulder to get me to stop shaking Shadow. "Hey hey, chill for a second okay?" he asked me, gently pulling me away from Shadow who was currently backing into Marquel's arms. "We don't know where your brother went but Kyle told us he isn't with the others of your group anymore. In fact no ones with anyone anymore, we're all scattered around everywhere." The look I gave him clearly showed that I was beyond confused so he explained further. "The ninja are out searching for M.A.D, Caden's team is looking for the other bases, and my elf is nowhere to be seen. Only me and the rest of the dragon ninja are defending the only place we have to call a base. Not even Rose is here and she's always with me and only Shira knows where the kids on your team are right now."

I didn't really care at all about any of that, all I wanted to know was where my brother had gone and why he wasn't with the others. What had happened after the Bounty exploded and I was knocked unconscious? Whatever happened currently separated me from my brother and left me searching for answers of why this happened. Whatever the reason was, I needed to clear my head and get away from the rest of them. I pushed past Violet and Dusty as they were blocking the door and headed out of the room and into an area I had never seen before. I started searching around to try and see how to get out of the building we were in. After a while of walking around I found the entrance to the building and walked out. Once outside I could see we were nowhere near any area I recognized. This clearly wasn't the school or Caleb's dojo so I was completely lost. Asking for directions wouldn't hurt but I didn't want to have to go back inside with the dragon ninja. Well I guess as long as I walk in a straight line I can't get lost since I'll just have to walk back the same distance. I took a right after checking to see what the base looked like and began walking through the city. If my team was gone why was my brother not with them? And if they're gone how am I still with the ninja anyway? Did they get taken when the Bounty was attacked and if so why hadn't anyone taken me? These questions continued to fill my head through my walk but unfortunately I didn't have an answer to any of them. Well I could always get answers after I came back, for now I needed to be alone.

My walk lasted for twenty minutes before I decided I should probably head back before the others get worried about me. I sighed and turned back around, heading back the way I had came. During the walk back I had a strange feeling that I was being watched. I looked around my surroundings but found no one looking at me. Everybody on the streets were simply going about their own business. The uneasy feeling didn't leave me but I chose to ignore it. I wasn't in any danger, I was worried about my brother that was all. I was letting it get to me. I continued to think that until a blade of grass clipped my cheek, blood dripping from the wound I had received. More grass blades were shot toward me and people began to scream as they flew through the air. I reached for my daggers and muttered a curse as I forgot I didn't have them anymore. I then pointed my palms toward the grass and unleashed a blast of sound, pushing the grass away from me. I couldn't see her but I knew Riley was the one attacking me as she was the only one with grass abilities. I tried to look for her but I was knocked off of my feet as something tripped me. I looked at my legs to see blood was on them but I wasn't hurt. That was...strange. Before I could blink I was surrounded by blades made of a red liquid, was that also blood? Swords made of grass began to surround me as well and I placed my hands up in surrender. I heard the fluttering of wings before Riley landed in front of me, her bird leaving her body. Takalyn appeared from an alleyway with her eyes glowing, the highlights in her hair also lighting up. Was she the one behind the blood? Since when could she do that? I got to my feet and kept my hands in the air, wondering what the two of them wanted with me. I don't regret taking the walk as I was finally able to clear my head, but this was quite a predicament I found myself in. I went to question the two girls but was cut off as something wrapped around my wrists and tied my hands together. I placed them in front of my face to see that I was trapped in a thin line of blood. Well there goes trying to negotiate with them. The blades disappeared and Riley began to walk over to me with that annoying grin on her face.

"Well well well, if it isn't stupid girl," she spoke in a mocking tone. She placed a hand on my cheek and smiled at me as her eyes flashed. "You still can resist my hypnosis huh? Oh well that doesn't matter. We have you now so that's all that matters."

I glared at her and struggled against my binds, but the blood was much harder to break out of than I thought. "What do you want with me?"

"Calm down, don't you wanna know where your brother is?" she asked. I blinked and noticed her smirk grow wider. How could she know where my brother was? Was M.A.D holding him captive or something. "That face tells me it's a yes. Well that's good because we're taking you to him, just don't be alarmed if he doesn't act the same as you remember."

What exactly did she mean by that? My question would remain unanswered for quite a long time before I would finally understand what she meant. Riley looked toward Takalyn and snapped her fingers. The archer rolled her eyes as more blood zipped towards me. Suddenly my legs were bound and I fell to the ground, groaning as I landed in my side. Riley giggled as she looked down at me and placed her hands on the ground. Grass sprouted all around me, now starting to go around my body and trap me. I was quickly ensnared in both grass and blood now, unable to escape either traps that restricted me. The sound of helicopter blades filled my ears and I strained my neck to see where it was coming from. While I tried to observe the helicopter I was quickly hauled up and tossed inside, landing right in front of a mercenary's feet. I fixed my gaze upwards and noticed the mercenary had a scar on his face. His hair was dark and so were his eyes, but the way his face was shaped made me know that this was indeed the one that Takalyn had called Scar when we first met. He glanced down at me with a snarl that made my heart skip a beat. Why did I feel like I had seen him somewhere before? My thoughts were interrupted as I was kicked in the side. I yelped and looked around to see that my attacker had been the irritating grass child. I swear I'm gonna kill her once this is all over, I just needed a pair of daggers. As Takalyn finally boarded the helicopter we began to take off. I couldn't see anything so I couldn't relay where we were back to the others once I found my brother and got out of here, but I'm sure it'll be fine for now. I don't know when but sometime during the flight I fell asleep and found myself waking up to a tapping at my face. I yawned as I opened my eyes to see Takalyn crouching down in front of me.

"Hey, you up kiddo?" she asked as she cut through the binds around my body with her powers. My wrists were still trapped within blood and grass so I guess she wasn't really trying to help me. She lifted me to my feet and patted my head. "Hope you're ready to see your brother because we're here. I'll be taking you there so just follow me."

I nodded and began following her off of the helicopter and into the base wheee I assumed M.A.D was hiding out. Well I had to say it was much bigger than the one he had destroyed himself and it seemed to house more weapons and men than the other. I suppose this was his actual base but I could always be wrong. While following Takalyn through the base I looked around at my surroundings and ignored the several smirks Riley was giving me. I hoped my memory would be good enough to remember where we had gone when I broke out of here. After passing by several doors we finally entered a room that was clearly made for combat. There was a martial arts ring in the middle of a stand for several people to stand in. Somewhere off to the side a rack held several weapons and there was even an area for an announcer to sit. The rope of grass and blood around my wrists fell apart and I rubbed at them, red marks having appeared all over my wrists. Takalyn saluted me as she left the room, leaving me with Riley. The grass child went over to the rack of weapons and tossed me a pair of daggers that nearly matched my own in appearance. I twirled them between my fingers as I caught them and wondered why she had given to me. I'd probably be restrained again if I tried to attack her with them so I went against it, even if it would've been easy. Moments later Takalyn returned with someone who I was thankful I wouldn't have to be looking for anymore. Echo was stunned as he saw me and turned to Takalyn with a glare. "I told you not to bring her here," he growled to which the blood princess simply shrugged.

"Calm down sound boy," she replied with a cheeky grin. "It was the boss's orders. I don't feel like getting my head evaporated today so you'll have to deal with it. Don't worry, I didn't hurt her, can't say the same for our grass friend though."

I blinked as Echo started to argue some more with her and decided to cut their conversation short before they forgot about me. I cleared my throat and walked between the two of them. "So they captured you too huh?" I asked as I turned to face my brother.

He looked away from me and focused on Takalyn instead. I frowned and poked him in the chest but he still didn't react, still keeping his gaze on Takalyn. "Why did you bring her here? M.A.D made me come with you here too so there's clearly something that he wants that involves the two of us. What is it?"

"Will you chill sound boy?" Takalyn asked in a playful tone. Echo glared at her and she simply chuckled. "He just wants to test your worth for now, just do as you're told and we won't hurt a hair on her little head."

Why were they talking about me like I wasn't here? And why was my brother continuing to ignore me? They continued to do just that and walked away from me and to the ring, their conversation still going on. I sighed as I followed them and tried not to feel miserable. I stood there for what felt like an eternity before my presence was finally considered, both my brother and enemy turning to look at me. I perked up a bit until I noticed Takalyn was smirking at me and Echo was giving an apologetic look. What had they been talking about previously? Takalyn motioned for me to come over. "Come here sound girl. Oh and take out your daggers, you'll need them."

"Why would I need my daggers?" I asked as I took them out again. I glanced at my brother but he once again wasn't looking at me. "What's going on?"

"You and your brother are gonna fight," Riley suddenly butted in. I looked up at her and where she sat to see that devilishly evil smile she had. "That's gonna be so much fun. I'm glad Master M.A.D decided to bring you here now. Come on Takalyn, come take a seat next to me so we can watch."

I looked at every one of them as horror began to mask my face. I had to fight my brother? Oh no that was not gonna happen, but from the looks on their faces it seemed we didn't have much of a choice. Echo sighed and, to my surprise, began to draw his blade. The soft hum of music could be heard as my brother ran a finger across the musical notes engraved in his blade and pointed the weapon at me. My heart skipped a beat as he gripped the sword tighter and nodded at the ring, motioning me to follow him there. Okay he was messing with me and this was all part of his plan, it had to be. I began walking closer to him to inform him I already knew about the ruse. "Echo, this is a good plan but please don't scare me li-" I didn't get to finish my sentence as he slashed at my hand, missing it by mere millimeters. I drew my hand back and looked at him in bewilderment. "D-Did you just try to attack me?"

"Aaralyn...." he started in a tone of voice I never heard him use before. It sounded cold and full of malice. He looked into my eyes and I could see that he was now glaring at me. "....Get in the damn ring so we can get this over with."

I went to question him but he pointed his hand at me and released a blast of sound. The shockwave propelled me through the air and I groaned in pain as I landed in the ring. I sat up and held my head as pain shot through it. I just remembered it was still bandaged and I was suffering from the side effects of the explosion. The sound blast hadn't helped with that and I had to take a second to let my vision clear. When it didn't clear I blinked and felt water roll down my cheek and hit the floor. Was I crying? I wiped at the wetness in my eyes so the others couldn't see and got to my feet. I held my daggers in shaky hands and watched as Echo entered the ring, taking a stance in front of me. What had these monsters done to my brother while I was knocked out? He never would lay a hand on me and he certainly never took a fighting stance when getting ready for combat. Takalyn finally sat down on the other side of the room, away from Riley, and snapped her fingers. Instantly Echo swung his sword, the blade cutting through the air. I put my hands in front of me but the force of the sound was too much and I was knocked off of my feet. I rolled a few feet from where I had previously been standing and heard sound fill the room again. Just as I was finally able to recover from the attack I found my brother flying towards me. I panicked and brought my daggers in front of my face, blocking a sword slash that my brother sent me. Sparks bounced off of our weapons as the blades collided with one another and I was once again thrown to the ground. I rolled as my brother's sword stabbed into the ground and hurried to my feet. Echo stabbed at my chest as I stood up and I hopped to the side to avoid the attack, spinning around him as I did. I finally tried to attack him and made a horizontal cut with my daggers across his back. He brought his sword over his shoulder and behind him to protect against this and quickly spun on his heel, swinging his sword quick and hard. I almost didn't react in time to maneuver away from the strike and placed my hand over my chest. He hadn't hit me but had gotten close enough to cut a fine line through my shirt. I seriously couldn't tell if he was trying to kill me or scare me.

"Echo stop it, you're gonna hurt me if you keep doing this," I scolded and was shocked when he took another stance.

"That's the point of a fight Aaralyn," he responded and spun his sword. Musical notes started floating around the blade and I tilted my head to side in confusion. Music came from his sword as he cut a diagonal line in the air.

The blade glowed a teal color before an almost invisible slash headed toward me. I sidestepped it, watching as it cut through the edge of my hair. Small strands of hair fell past my face and to the ground. Since when could he shoot elemental slashes from his sword? I didn't have time for an answer as Echo unleashed another slash at me. This one got closer to cutting me and the next produced a long slash on my arm. I kept from crying out in pain as blood began to leave the wound and began taking off my shirt. Seemed my brother still had some sanity left because he blushed and looked away. Thankfully I had on a tank top underneath but it didn't really help to protect my arms or stomach. I began wrapping my shirt around my arm to keep blood from leaving the wound and turned back to my brother. "When did you get so strong and focused?" I asked him. "You were never like this in any other fight we had."

Echo looked at me again and lowered the tip of his blade a little. Was he starting to have second thoughts about fighting me? I sure hoped so because I was in no shape to keep this up for long especially with how skilled he's become. "Well two months of training with M.A.D has taught me a few things. One thing I learned was that sound slash you got hit by. The second thing is how to fight and fight well. And the third is that.....are you listening?"

I had stopped listening after he had said two months. I had been unconscious for two months after the Bounty had been destroyed? No wonder he was acting weird, he had been staying here with these psychos for much longer than one person should have. Why hadn't the ninja told me about this and why had it taken them so long to find my team members? Two months was too long for them not to find a couple of kids or rescue my brother. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down before looking up at Echo, holding out my daggers to him. I dropped them on the ground and placed a hand in front of me to the shock of my brother and the two girls who had been watching our confrontation. My dragon manifested in front of me and everyone began to surround me. It didn't matter if they did, they wouldn't be fast enough to stop me from escaping. I didn't want to fight and I needed to get some answers immediately. I climbed on to my dragon and he roared a roar similar to the one Echo's dragon had produced. His dragon, Thunder, may have been powerful but my own, Sonic, was incredibly fast. He couldn't move as fast as Dash's dragon could but it would be enough to escape them. I flew through the ceiling of M.A.D's base just as Echo summoned his dragon and Riley summoned her bird. I took off to the skies and the two of them struggled to keep up with me. In a few seconds I had escaped their field of sight and began flying aimlessly through the air, not sure where I was or how I would get back to the others. A thought came to me and I landed on top of the rooftop of an apartment. My dragon dissolved and I took out the small blue orb that Shira had given my entire team the first time we had met her. Martel had said that Shira was nowhere to be seen and only she knew where my group was. If what I'm thinking is true then they must've used these orbs to get to her cave and she went to meet them. But if they had been at her cave she could've just teleported them to the rest of the ninja, which meant these didn't send us to her cave. Despite the risk I took a breath and uttered the words Shira had told us when she had given us these things. "Travia Homeia," I spoke softly and watched as the orb left my palm and began to float in the air. It glowed a bright blue light before a portal began to spark into existence. Once the portal had fully formed I stepped through it without a second thought.