When the Chinese junk docked in a large port in Greece after weeks of travel at sea, half of the civilian passengers were dead. When they were about halfway through their journey, an unknown disease spread among the passengers and the ship's crew. Quickly there were the first deaths and no one could say what they died of.

Lan Zhan examined all the sick and dead passengers. But even he had no idea what kind of disease it was. More and more people on board were dying. When there was the eighth death, Lan Zhan forbade Youn and Ali to leave their cabin. Wen Rouhan stayed in the cabin with them so they would not be so alone, while Lan Zhan and Wei Ying tried to find out more about the disease.

Together with a doctor from the western world, they went in search of the disease. In the end, they still had no idea what kind of disease it was. But the three of them, Lan Zhan, Wei Ying and the Western doctor Doctor Kramer, had a terrible suspicion. And it was Doctor Kramer who first voiced that suspicion aloud. "I think they were poisoned." He said.

"We suspect the same thing." Had Lan Zhan replied. "Wei Ying looked around the supply depot, searching for animals that might carry any diseases. In doing so, he found that supplies were running low. The supplies that were left wouldn't have been enough for everyone until we reached the port in Greece."

Wei Ying nodded and added, "Also, it's noticeable that it only hit the very poor passengers."

"Yes, I noticed that too." Said Doctor Kramer. Just a week later, passengers fell ill again. But this time, crew members as well. The captain then ordered a search of the entire ship for poisons. However, nothing was found.

The deaths among the passengers and crew members continued. And only a week before they were to reach the port, Wei Ying found out by chance what made all these people sick and killed them. He brought Lan Zhan, Doctor Kramer, the captain and the ship's cook down below deck and into one of the supply storage rooms.

"So? What do you want to show us here?" Asked the captain impatiently.

Wei Ying handed the cook a handful of small potatoes and placed a dead rat on top. "This is what I wanted to show you."

Disgusted, the cook dropped the potatoes and rat. "What are you doing?" He shouted angrily.

Lan Zhan understood immediately. And Doctor Kramer also knew what Wei Ying was getting at. "Solanine and rat poison!" Said Doctor Kramer in amazement.

"Huh what?" Asked the captain.

"The potatoes are sprouting. Do you see the sprouts? A few little sprouts aren't bad. But the potatoes are full of long sprouts. They have become poisonous as a result. The poison is called solanine. Well, and then the dead rat. It clearly ate rat poison. So rat poison and the solanine in the potatoes, made a lethal mixture." Explained Lan Zhan.

The cook looked at the potatoes and showed dismay. "I told my kitchen boy to sort out the sprouting potatoes and put them in an empty barrel. I was going to use them for a new sowing of potatoes. And there shouldn't be any rat poison in here at all! That's what we have the rat traps for! Here and by the turnips!"

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying believed the cook. Doctor Kramer also believed him that he knew nothing about it. The captain, however, severely blamed the cook, saying that it would have been up to him to check whether the kitchen boy had done what he was told to do. As punishment, the captain locked the cook and his kitchen boy in his cabin and said that he would take them both to court. New cook became the cook's assistant.

Once in port, Wen Rouhan got a carriage and horses. Youn and Ali got supplies for themselves. Lan Zhan and Wei Ying bought some more clothes for everyone and a map. Then the 5 of them set out and their journey continued. They wanted to reach the next village before nightfall and spend the night in an inn there.

They reached the village just in time. A stable boy brought their horses to the stable of the inn and took care of them, while the 5 rented rooms and had food and wine brought to them by the innkeeper's wife. They sat at a large table in the dark inn, lit only by torches, and talked quietly.

Although they had tried to appear low-key, four Asians and a large black Nubian simply attracted attention. Curiously, they were watched by the other guests. A boy, Lan Zhan estimated him to be 14 years old, sat down at the table with them. "I am André" he said in broken English.

"Hello André. This is Lan Zhan, Wen Rouhan, Youn and Ali. And I am Wei Ying." Replied Wei Ying with a smile.

"My lord. May I ask where you are going and if you need a capable servant? I can do almost anything! And I'm not expensive!" Said André.

"We don't need a servant boy." Said Lan Zhan roughly. Then he saw Wei Ying's look and softened. "But if you know your way around these lands, you can be useful to us as a guide." Wei Ying nodded and smiled to let Lan Zhan know he said the right thing.

"Of course sir. I know my way around here." Said André excitedly.

Suddenly Ali grabbed the boy's left hand. It was stuck in a glove. "Let me see." Said Ali. André immediately had tears in his eyes and shook his head. "Don't be afraid. You can show me." Said Ali softly in a low voice.

André slowly took off his glove. There was a brand on his hand. "What does that mean?" Lan Zhan asked, horrified.

"I um. It means thief. But I only stole so I wouldn't starve. I was very young and my parents had just died. I was starving." André explained, sobbing.

Lan Zhan gently touched the burn scar. "You know what? I think we can really use you with us." He said and took out two candies from a pocket of his coat. He gave the candies to the boy, who looked at him with big shining eyes.

"May, may I really have these?" André made sure.

"I insist that you taste them right away!" Said Wei Ying with a grin, waving his hand through the dirty boy's hair.

"Thank you my lords. Thank you very much." Andre was pleased and immediately popped one of the sweet candies into his mouth.

Youn ordered another portion of food for André from the innkeeper and asked the boy. "Where do you live?"

"Mhhh, sometimes here and sometimes there. Sometimes people let me sleep in their stables when the weather is bad." Explained André.

"And do strangers often come to your village?" Wei Ying asked.

"No, not really. It's just a village, after all. But a few months ago, there was an inquisitor with soldiers here in the village. They kind of scared me. The inquisitor wanted me to recite a prayer for him to see if I believed in God and knew his words. Luckily I knew a prayer that my mom had taught me. And when they left, another stranger came here. He looked like you. He wanted to know where the inquisitor and his soldiers were headed." Narrated André.

"My brother." Whispered Lan Zhan. Wei Ying nodded.

With a look of hatred, the innkeeper's wife came and brought a plate full of soup for André. She glared angrily at the boy and muttered something in Greek that the five did not understand but seemed to frighten the boy.

"What did she say?" Wei Ying asked.

"That I should eat and then better get out of here before her husband beats me out of here." Replied Andre.

"Youn and Ali? André will be staying with you in your room tonight. Take good care of him. Wash him and put clean clothes on him." Said Lan Zhan. Youn and Ali nodded. Turning to the innkeeper and his wife, Lan Zhan said in Greek, "André works for us now. Should you harm him, we will not hesitate to make you pay!" They both nodded in embarrassment.

After dinner, they retired to their rooms. Wen Rouhan, however, insisted on keeping guard outside the room of Youn, Ali and André. He did not trust the innkeeper and his wife and wanted to make sure that none of the three would be harmed.

In the morning, after a restless night, the now 6 of them set off on their journey immediately after breakfast, which consisted of a bitter coffee and a gray tasteless porridge. André, now clean and neatly dressed, looked and felt like an educated boy. He sat proudly on the carriage and kept stroking his new clothes.

Youn, who had been watching André all the time, knew exactly how the boy felt. For he felt the same way back when Lan Zhan rescued him. He will never forget what Lan Zhan did for him and how well Lan Zhan took care of him. "Lan Zhan?" Youn asked.

Lan Zhan, who was studying the map with Wei Ying, looked up and asked, "Yeah what?"

"I'm really glad you exist."

"Oh, what makes you think that now?"

"Because of our new friend here. He reminds me of the time you saved my life. I honestly think you saved his life, too."

"Who knows. However, I must ask you and Ali to take good care of the boy. Please take care of him."

"We will. I promise!"

"I know you will. You are good boys. Oh no, I mean, good men."

"Do you realize that you and I look almost the same age now? A few more years and I'll look older than you."

"I am aware of this every day Youn."

"I think even if I look old enough to be your father, I would always think of you as my father."

"And I would always think of you as my son. Even if you are old and gray."

André, who was sitting next to Wen Rouhan in the front of the carriage, came to the back and said, "There should be a village ahead. But it looks like it's burned down."

Lan Zhan and Wei Ying immediately rushed forward to see with their own eyes what André was talking about. "Damn it! This place looks just like my village did back in the day." Lan Zhan gasped in horror.

When they reached the low wall surrounding the village, Lan Zhan and Wei Ying jumped off the carriage and went ahead to look around the village. All the houses had burned down. Only one house was still standing. The village church! Lan Zhan took a large stone, threw it at the cross that was placed above the door of the church, and the cross fell crashing to the ground.

"Those bastards!" Wei Ying shouted, staring in horror at the small village square.

Lan Zhan looked in that direction and got down on his knees. He saw several crosses standing there with charred remains of people hanging from them. Two burned bodies were so small that they could only be of children.

When Youn and Ali caught up to them, the two screamed in shock. Ali ran to the crosses and knocked them over. Youn helped him. Together, they disentangled the two children from the crosses and held them in their arms, crying. "Who would do such a thing? They were children! Who does this to children?" Ali asked, crying.

Suddenly they heard the whimpering of a child. Lan Zhan was quickly on his feet and searched for the child. He found it in a well where it had been hiding but could not get out on its own. Wei Ying and Wen Rouhan took the child out of the well, who was clinging tightly to Wei Ying and crying loudly. "It's all right. It's all right now." Whispered Wei Ying and stroked her gently.

André squatted down next to Wei Ying and the girl. Startled, he said, "That's Lara! What happened to her..." He stopped when he saw the crosses with burnt bodies. "Who was that?"

Lara looked at him with puffy red eyes. "The inquisitor and the soldiers." She replied, coughing. "They killed all of them. My father saved me by throwing me into the well. He told me to be very quiet no matter what I heard."

"How old are you Lara?" Lan Zhan asked, wrapping her in a blanket.

"I'm 9 years old." She said.

Wei Ying immediately pulled Lara back to him and tightly into his arms as Lan Zhan wrapped her in the blanket. He gently caressed her face and kissed her forehead. She looked at him with sparkling eyes. With eyes as if she knew exactly who he was. Except she couldn't explain it. "Wei Ying? Do you know her?" Lan Zhan asked, frowning in his thoughts.

"She looks like my reincarnated sister. I think she is. No, I know she is. I feel it. She is my sister. She was born just two years before me. I spent most of my time with her because we were the youngest." Replied Wei Ying in his thoughts.

"So she is one of the sisters who died in the temple?"

"Yes. She is Yanara. The name was given to her by our mother."

"Yanara. Very nice. Do you think she remembers you too?"

"No. But she feels it. I can hear her thoughts. She feels that we know each other."

"We'll take her with us."

"Yes. I won't abandon her."

"Is she immortal, like you?"

"No. She's human."

"Okay." Replied Lan Zhan, ending the telepathic conversation with Wei Ying.

Wei Ying looked at Lara and said, "Lara, we will bury the dead and then move on..." He didn't get to finish his sentence.

"Please take me with you. Don't leave me behind. I belong to you. I can feel that very clearly. I don't know who you are. But I belong to you!" She said crying.

"Don't worry little Yanara, I mean Lara. I won't abandon you. I'll take care of you."

"Yanara." She whispered. Then again. "Yanara." She looked questioningly at Wei Ying. "My name is Yanara." She said.

Wei Ying nodded. "You were once Yanara. Now you are Lara." He explained to her.

Suddenly she collapsed in his arms, shaking as if having a seizure. Darkness fell around them, as if in the night. A very faint pink aura formed around Lara. Everyone except Wei Ying looked around in fright and alarm. "Don't worry. Father will come and help you." He whispered in her ear.

And then Wei Ying's father appeared out of nowhere. Youn and Ali jumped back a step, startled. Lan Zhan was immediately at Wei Ying's side. The God of the Underworld squatted in front of Wei Ying and Lara. He kissed Wei Ying on the forehead and said, "You have found your sister. Her human body is weak and sick. If I don't help her, she will die in two days at the latest."

"Please help her father. Give me back my sister. Can you do that? Can you bring Yanara back?" Wei Ying replied.

"I can." Said the god of the underworld. He took his sword and cut his hand with it. "Drink my daughter and wake up." He said. She drank of his blood and her weak aura grew stronger and stronger. So strong, until at some point she was completely enveloped in it and Wei Ying felt her growing larger and heavier.

As the aura slowly dissipated, Wei Ying held his sister Yanara in his arms. His adult, uniquely beautiful sister. She slowly opened her eyes and looked lovingly at Wei Ying. She sat up, touched his cheeks and kissed them. "My sweet little Teremun." She whispered and hugged him.

"What happened?" André asked, standing unafraid next to the God of the Underworld.

The God of the Underworld tapped André on the shoulder in amusement and asked him, "Aren't you afraid of me at all?"

André now looked at him more closely and shook his head. "No. The black wings look really great. Can you fly with them, too?"

"I can. Want me to show you?"

"Sure!" Cheered André. In the next moment, the god of the underworld grabbed him and rose into the air with him. André cheered with joy and visibly enjoyed the flight.

When the two landed again, Yanara bowed to the god. "Father, I thank you for awakening me and bringing me back."

The god knelt in front of her, wrapped her in his arms and said, "My daughter. I am glad that you are alive. Now be a good child and accompany your brother. He and his mate have a dangerous road ahead of them and will need your talents."

"What talents does she have?" Lan Zhan asked.

"She can manipulate thoughts." Replied Wei Ying.

Yanara nodded. "Hey in this form I like you more than when you were a Gargoyle. You look really hot." She said turning to Lan Zhan.

"Yeah you're right. And he's all MINE!" Made Wei Ying immediately clear.

"That's alright. I'm more into that rough looking man over there anyway." She said, pointing at Wen Rouhan, who awkwardly didn't even know where to look.

"My children and Lan Zhan. I have to go back. Be careful!" Said the god.

"Stop! I want to go where you are going too!" Insisted André.

"I'm going to the underworld."

"So what? Take me with you! Please! I want to serve you well!"

"Then ask Lan Zhan first. He saved you."

"So if he wants it so badly, I don't mind. And if he doesn't like it there, he can come back." Said Lan Zhan. Somehow he felt now that André belonged to the God of the Underworld. André was happy, said goodbye to everyone and disappeared together with the god. The dark clouds opened and it became bright again.

Together, now with Yanara, they set about burying the dead with dignity. Especially Yanara's human parents got a good burial. And then they went on their way again. Without André, but with Yanara, who snuggled up to Wen Rouhan and showed him the way.