Rex was flying low, making sure the X Mech running below could keep pace. How do we find your friends? Crick asked Nya 'The High Shaman was last with your team-mates, The Masters of Earth, Fire and Ice; I left them at the scene of the blast'

'To find me...' Nya said. She sat on the platform and let the Mech run on autopilot. The barren wasteland sped past as she looked up at Rex cruising above.

'Would you know where they would have gone?' Crick answered.

'Well that's easy' Ronin replied but Nya cut in.

'I think I can answer for myself Ronin! Crick, they've probably gone back to the Temple on the floating Island'

'Nope!' Ronin answered back 'I forgot to tell you. The Island was destroyed in the blast'

Suddenly Nya didn't feel like sniping at Ronin and all he heard was sudden intake of breath 'I... I'm sorry Nya I shouldn't have just blurted that out' and they stayed silent until Ronin broke the silence again 'But! I've a spectral reading for each of you so I know where you are at all times. So it'll be easy to find them'

'What?' Nya whispered

Ronin shrugged 'Needs must and sometimes only a certain group of Ninja will can tend to my needs. So...'

'So you've known where they are this whole time... and where I was?'

'Sure'

Nya was dumbfounded 'Sooo... you came to find me on purpose?'

'Sure'

'I don't know what to make of that'

'When the chips are down you find the ones you love'

'...Er, say that again. I think my comm's are faulty?'

'Don't get all worried sweetheart. The boys were together and I could see you'd split so probably needed company and here I am'

Nya was so surprised at Ronins confession she didn't know what to say and on Airship Rex, Crick looked at Ronin, who nervously folded his arms and leant back in his seat. Crick was new to the vague and conflicting emotions of humans but was aware that this was an important admission and though it seemed difficult for him, Crick watched him try to uncomfortably explain '...you are all my family... or, as close as I'll come to one'

'I... I had no idea, I thought you didn't need anyone?' Nya said with obvious confusion; Ronin was continually surprising her and he lapsed into silence. Perhaps he had said all he could. Whatever, Nya was grateful for his solidarity to them all and for watching out for her and had to say something 'Ronin...' she sighed trying to find the right words '...you are tied to us in so many ways, both good and lets face it, bad, but you are part of out lives... and you always pull through for us. After some of our encounters I never thought I would say this but, we're family and... I love you' Ronins silence was almost unbearable.

Shakily, Ronin began to reply 'Go on, get off Nya, I know I'm irresistible but really, that's a cheap trick'

'Ronin...' Nya rolled her eyes and whispered 'here it comes...'

'Girly, I am too much for you to handle, you're just gonna have to stick to yer ghostly boyfriend 'cause right now we've got more important things to pursue'

The intimate moment was too much for Ronin and Nya laughed quietly 'Oh Ronin, you never give a girl a break' and fell back in to their sarcastic banter. She sighed 'so where are they then?'

'Borg Tower. Your ex is with them, safe and well. But I'm not picking up as many bodies as I should. How many serpentine did you say there were Crick?'

'Nine, including me'

'Well I have five'

Crick clicked as he thought 'two other warriors were sent to search for Nya and The Master of Lightning. They may not have returned yet so that would leave six'

'One is missing' Ronin mulled.

'This could mean one is lost' said Crick 'or the Shaman has left to return to Ouroboros as was his intention'

'Ok, lets say the Shaman has left the group; we need to find possible routes the Shaman could have taken' Ronin highlighted the locations the group had travelled and the final destination of Ouroboros and the navigation device estimated the best possible route the Shaman may be taking 'Sending the updated route to you now Nya. If we follow the route hopefully we can find the Shaman on the way to Borg Tower'

'Thanks. Lets hope we find him'

Rex's scanners had picked up many figures.

The displaced citizens of a city in flux meant there were many people exactly were there shouldn't be any. Pockets of travelling communities had set up camp on the outskirts of the devastation so even the though the scanners had to work overtime it didn't take long to find individuals travelling alone. Ronin's scanners were so advanced he could fine-tuning the readings to glean if a figure was human or otherwise 'This one looks promising' Ronin said, tapping a solitary reading on the screen 'I'm certain its not human, lets take a look'

The landscape was softly rolling with sparsely forested pine trees that grew from the sandy soil bordering the rocky wasteland. Slowing their approach, they could see the figure through the canopy 'its definitely Serpentine' said Crick to the Scribe, who craned his thin neck forward to try and see.

'Yess, I would say it is him. I can see the green of his High Council robes. Please land'

As Rex descended, Nya slowed to a walk. The Shaman stopped on seeing their approach and held his staff in both hands, alert to the advance of the unknown craft. Rex landed a short distance away as Nya waited. Having learned his lesson from their brash approach to the Venomari Scribe, Ronin was keen not to seem like a threat. They powered down the airship and Mech and exited. Letting the Shaman see who they were, they waited for the Venomari to come forward before approaching.

The Shaman lowered his staff on seeing the Scribe and the Warrior 'Crick I see you have found the Master of Water, but I was not expecting a Scribe also'

The Master Scribe rushed forward to look up at the towering Anacondrai 'I have word from Ouroboros' and then bowed low, having forgotten his manners in the rush.

'Tell me' the Shaman said.

The Scribe stood straight 'It is not good word. Ouroboros has fallen to Pythors' skeleton horde' and lowered his head with regret 'The High Council was in session through the days and nights of the siege. We collapsed the tunnels and the Shaman looked into the flames. I escaped with the final and only discernable vision of Kiva' and held the scroll out to the Shaman.

'What does it say?' Said Nya, trying to look over the Shamans shoulder.

Fire

Ninja

Gold Armour will hold the power of one

Two makes the impossible possible

The confused heart will create order in chaos

The broken heart will mend the whole

The spark is the conduit

Black will become white...

'That's it? How is that a vision? It's more like a riddle' Nya exclaimed.

The Shaman glanced at her 'I would thank you to keep your opinions to yourself' and then addressed the Scribe 'How far has this been deciphered?'

'Not at all. The Shaman who orated it collapsed and died, just as the invaders burrowed into the chamber using our own machines. It was all I could do to escape with the words in their first form'

'But seriously, this is what you work with?' Said Nya incredulously

'Well, yes' replied the Shaman.

Nya was gripped by a sudden rage and vented at the Shaman and Scribe 'how is it possible to discern anything from this? How did you ever come to the conclusion that this kind of nonsense was anything but a load of garbage?'

Ronin approached behind Nya and held her arm 'Easy Nya, you don't know anything about this stuff, don't jump to conclusions'

She shook him off 'No, no way! This all started because of their visions and so called guidance. I mean,why? Why did you make me do it? It didn't stop anything, it's what made it happen'

'Yes. It is as we said, if you remember...'

Confused, Nya thought back to the words the Shaman spoke to her in the chamber of the High Council. She repeated 'It may not stop the destruction... but it will stop the Apocalypse. Only, it caused the destruction. If I didn't kiss Lloyd it may never have happened. You made me think I would be helping but...'

'You helped' The Shaman talked softly to her 'Had you not taken that action at that point, you would be dead...' The Shaman paused as Nya took in this information '...and The Green Ninja would now be The Golden Master, free to bring a lasting apocalypse on the world. I know you would rather die than to see that fate befall your friend and we would rather you both were alive'

'But Pythors' scheme. He tricked you into telling me to kiss Lloyd'

The Shaman smiled 'Pythor is an imbecile; a very dangerous imbecile and can see only what is in front of his own eyes. His visions benefit himself and he cannot see beyond. But we saw beyond... We saw the complexities around the kiss. Traumatic as the fallout was, it was the preferred route'

'The preferred route...' Nya whispered 'preferred over death. Well when you look at it like that...'

The Shaman smiled 'There is nothing a live person cannot overcome that a dead one can't!'

'You're all so flippin' wise!' Nya said exasperated 'All the same, Lloyd is barely alive; he's an apparition. How is that even possible?'

'He is living energy; it is his power, the one he was gifted by right of his lineage and his to evolve in his own individual way, as an elemental master'

'The other power, the one that split apart? Crick felt it was Serpentine. Was it the Great Devourer?'

'Yes my dear, it could be nothing else. A parasitic poison, passed from father to son, evolving to the point where it tried to take control of your friend'

'And the explosion split them apart...'

'Apparently so. The Green Ninja exists as pure energy now'

The information seeped in to the last vestiges of hope that remained within her, sparking her need to fight and win 'So Lloyd is definitely not the Golden Master?'

The shaman shook his head 'Well... he is and he isn't'

Nya sagged 'I... what? Is nothing straightforward? Y'know what? I don't want to know. He is Lloyd, the person I love and I am going to save him, so he can save the world' She looked at the Shaman with steely determination 'energy can be harnessed' and climbed into the Samurai Mech 'I've got a job to do. Ronin, you in?'

'Lucky for you I don't have much on sweetheart'

'...and Crick. You've done your job, will you stay with the Shaman?'

Crick looked at Nya and back to the Shaman 'Would you like to remain with the Ninja Crick?' the Shaman asked.

'I would'

'You are free to stay Crick. Whether you are with the Serpentine or the Ninja, our goals are the same. May the first creators guide you'

Nya smiled down at Crick, who beamed back at her. He pulled himself into Airship Rex and settled behind Ronin who turned from the controls to look at Crick 'well, looks like you're in for the long haul Crick, better get your scaly behind up front where you can be helpful' Ronin didn't need to ask twice, Crick slid into the co-pilot seat making a excited clicking sound from his throat 'just don't touch anything until I say, ok?' Crick nodded wildly, a look of glee on his face.

Nya pulled her coms round and secured the hearing piece to her ear 'Shaman. Ouroboros is fallen. Come with us. We can return together when we have the team'

'Thank you, Master of Water, but the Serpentine populace would hopefully have left the city to return underground and will need guidance. I would also like to work on this fragmented vision' he held the paper aloft.

Nya nodded 'Good luck with that Shaman. Pythors' time will come I'm sure. Ready to roll Ronin?'

'We're good sweetheart'

'Ok, move out'

The Mech moved off in great long strides and Rex lifted off from the ground 'Destination Borg Tower?' Ronin asked.

Nya took a deep breath 'lets get the team back together... all of them'