Kai picked off pieces of wax from the floorboards, running his thumb along the smooth spots. Nya had left for work an hour ago, leaving him kneeling and alone in the blacksmith shop. Smoke swirled into the air from the dying candles, tickling his nose. If he wasn't part-demon, the smell of fire would have killed him by now. Thanks for that, mom. He sighed, picking up the lock of her ebony hair and gently placing it back into the designated silk pouch.

He stood up and winced, his knees aching from kneeling for what seemed like hours. A pang of guilt hit him as he wondered if Nya felt the same pain now, on top of working on her feet from 9-5. He often felt guilty, mainly because he was the older sibling and he still hadn't landed a proper job yet, most of the work falling to Nya.

It was no wonder she wanted to move out.

Nya, as Kai had observed, was a free-spirit, always inventing and cooking up new and fresh ideas. She could never stay in one spot, never satisfied with her work, or anything else. It was a wonder she remained in the repair shop for two years.

I'm a coward. Kai thought, biting his lip. Always stuck in the past. Why can't you move on? He gripped at the center of the candle he was holding, not realizing it was beginning to melt in his grasp until both ends fell to the floor. Watching his demonic hands morph back into their human appearance, he wiped the drying wax off of them.

Nya hated her other form, the form given to her by their mother. It was obvious that she desperately clung to her humanity, wanting to fit in. It didn't hurt Kai, but he couldn't help but feel that if she had known their mother a little later in her life, as he did, then she wouldn't hate her other form as much.

Then again, he didn't want to be possessive of her. Although he had been the one to primarily raise and protect her, he knew she was her own person. Eventually, she was going to leave, start her own business, become a world-renowned inventor, and perhaps even fall in love. She was sixteen and a half now, as she constantly reminded him. A couple more years, and she'd be free to run away to the city.

Kai stared at the circle, his chest aching. And only a couple more years left to try contacting them. It isn't like Nya's going to keep helping me, after all.

He shook his head, as if to physically clear his thoughts. "Come on, now." Kai instructed himself aloud. "You haven't gone outside in days, and you've been wearing the same sweats for a week. It's time for a change of scenery."

Changing into a crimson hoodie and dark jeans, he was about to head for the front door when it suddenly opened. Kai stopped in his tracks, stunned to hear Nya's voice.

"Kai? You home?" She called out. "There's someone I'd like you to meet!"

Kai opened the door all the way, blinking at his sister standing next to a kid around their age. "Nya? Why aren't you at work?"

"Same reason why I want you to meet Jay." Nya smiled briskly before stepping inside. The kid lingered at the door, rocking on his heels awkwardly. "Oh, Jay, you're welcome to come in." She waved him inside.

"Thanks." Jay mumbled with a smile, his face lowered to hide his mouth. Weird, overly-polite kid in my house. Kai thought dejectedly. Great.

Jay stepped inside after Nya, holding out his hand to Kai. "Hey, man. My name's Jay." This time, he revealed his mouth, pearly-white fangs poking out. Ah, okay.

"Um, hey, I'm Kai." Kai took Jay's hand and shook it, wincing at how cold it was. "You a demon?"

"No, uh..." Jay glanced to Nya, who gave him a little nod. "I'm a vampire. Or, at least, partially. That's what I'm trying to figure out about myself. Long story. Nya says you're a demon, though."

"Half-demon." Kai clarified. "And she's-"

Nya shook her head quickly behind Jay, drawing a line across her throat. Kai bit his tongue. Of course she doesn't want this guy to know she isn't human. Typical.

"She's human." Kai corrected himself. "She didn't get any of our mother's blood. Unfortunately for her." He narrowed his eyes at her as she mouthed a thank you.

"Oh, hey, nothing wrong with being a human." Jay grinned. "At least you're lucky, Kai; you get to disguise yourself as a human. I'm gradually becoming less human. It kinda blows."

"I'm sure being a vampire isn't all that bad." Nya smiled back at Jay, pivoting her foot in a little circle. Jeez, Nya, heart eyes much?

"Yeah, I guess so." He flashed his fangs at her. "Maybe I'll get more of the ladies."

Kai interrupted Nya's giggling, clearing his throat. "So... why is he here?"

"Oh, I really just wanted to show Jay that he isn't alone." Nya shrugged. "I thought it would be great for him to meet you... and good for you, too. You haven't exactly gone out of the house in a while."

Kai rolled his eyes. You couldn't have shown him that on your own? "Alright, but what else is there?"

"Well, uh, along the way here I was telling Nya about where I'm headed." Jay spoke up, fumbling through a paper bag and pulling out a bent piece of card stock, handing it to Kai. "Garmadon Industries, in the city. I have a strong feeling they'll help me unlock the secrets of my past and whatnot."

Kai stared at the company name over and over. "That's what they told you, huh?"

"I figured you'd be interested, Kai." Nya lowered her eyes. "We may not be able to obtain answers from rituals anymore. Maybe it lies within this place."

"Nya, I'm happy you haven't given up on our parents yet, but I have a bad feeling about this place." Kai stared harder at the card, trying to find any kind of clues in the fine print. "It could be a trap."

"You'll never know if you don't try, man." Jay piped up. "My parents don't have the answers I'm looking for. This is my only other option. I'm going, no matter what. I need to know who I am."

Kai sighed, knowing Jay was right. Still, the subject of protecting Nya always came up. "I suppose you wanna go too, Nya?"

Nya nodded. "I'm tired of the rituals, Kai." She spoke softly. "This could be our greatest chance to better our communications and find out what happened." She looked up at him, her dark eyes firm. "Besides, I've never been outside of Ignacia. I don't wanna be holed up here for the rest of my life."

Kai swallowed, closing his eyes. "I still don't know."

Nya and Jay were silent, until Nya suddenly spoke up again. "Kai, read it in your other form."

Kai rose a brow, but complied anyway, performing the incantation and painfully transforming. Jay's jaw dropped at the incredible transformation. "Holy crap, dude!"

Kai shrugged it off before reading the text on the card. The words appeared to dissolve into a blazing red light, rearranging into his mother's tongue. Squinting at it, he sounded out each word until he and Nya picked up the translation.

"For those that are less than human." They spoke at the same time. "Our mission is your protection."

Kai and Nya both remained silent. After a moment in the stillness, Kai looked to his sister and Jay. "You two are sure about this?"

Nya and Jay looked to one another, nodding. "You basically confirmed it." Jay shrugged.

"The tiniest bit of doubt I had is gone." Nya agreed.

"Okay then." Kai sighed, stretching out his wings. "Pack a bag, Nya. We're gonna check this place out and find our parents."