The Songdragons were acting strange. They kept surfacing during the day, flapping around the lake and singing, "He is here. He is here." I had no idea who they were talking about, but whoever 'he' was had to be important because this was nowhere near their normal songs. They liked to fly out of the lake during the night and sing about the coming of the seasons, or celebrate a baby being born beneath the waves. They never got excited about anything during the day since they were usually cautious about leaving the lake. Both towns feared them, and had weapons pointed to the sky whenever they surfaced. It wouldn't be long until the Grand Master put a bounty on the dragons' heads, but I tried not to think about that day.

     He is here. He is here. He is here.

     I paused my sweeping, a momentary shudder moving through me. What if 'he' was the son who was coming to sacrifice me? What if he was rallying the Songdragons to take over the village and take us all out? What if the Songdragons weren't really the harmless creatures I had always believed them to be and were actually rooting for my death?

     I loosened my tight grip on the broom. I was being illogical. The Songdragons were just dragons. They didn't ally with humans, nor did they root for the sacrifice of someone they didn't even know. I was letting my imagination run away too far.

     However, it didn't stop that tiny voice inside from wondering if indeed 'he' was actually the son meant to sacrifice me.

     I had imagined what it would be like to be sacrificed. If Mother was right and the message was a prophecy, then there was no avoiding it. Sometimes I would lay on the mat I slept on and wonder about what would happen to me. Would the son tie me to a burning pyre as strange monks offered me up to a deity with strange chants? Would I be the bait to some sort of heinous plan, where my throat was slit to send a message? Or would I be forced to jump in front of him to save him from the blow of a sword? These thoughts would freeze me with terror, but it wasn't the fear of dying a gruesome death that chilled me. The way I was sacrificed didn't matter. What mattered was that I was going to be sacrificed.

     The son was going to tear me away from my family and kill me.

     I would never be able to see them again.

     He is here. He is here. He is here.

     Prophecies couldn't be avoided. It was going to happen, and I needed to stop worrying about it. Whatever I thought about the situation didn't matter. I didn't have a choice.

     "Guess what day it is?" Liam sang, bursting through the loose back door and pulling off his fishing boots.

     "Buy day," Brianne babbled from the bed, smiling at her brother's words.

     It was market day, otherwise known as the day where the richer folk mingled with the Lower City's markets to try and find cheap deals. The men and women that impressed the nobles might have a chance to become their servants, thus getting out of the Lower City. It was a competition of who would impress who, because when it came to Shadow Bay, social status was everything. The closer you were to the Grand Master, the better chance you had at surviving.

     "Dad says you're coming," Liam was still singing as he grabbed his worn coat. He was acting all excited, but his body language translated to the usual dose of worry. It was the same nervousness I had felt when market day was introduced to my life. If I impressed the nobility, I would be taken away from my family, but I would also have a chance at a better life. It was supposed to be a good thing, yet simultaneously it didn't feel like it. Community was discouraged in this society, so our families were the only true companions we had. It felt like ripping off my own limbs just thinking about leaving them.

     I slipped on the same pair of flats I had worn since I was twelve and gently persuaded Brianne to put on her coat. Liam led me outside, his stance guarded. He was taking on my parents' view towards me, even if he didn't know why they thought I was someone to be protected.

     The hot summer sun intensified the stench of rotting heads as we made our way into the already bustling market. Brightly dressed nobles scurried around with their entourages, criticizing anything and everything they came upon. Liam guided us to the back roads where not as many people were, which was something I was incredibly grateful for. I hated large crowds of people; there was too much of a risk of bumping into someone or being boxed in by the moving bodies. We slipped into Mother and Father's market stand as they were in the middle of selling some fish.

     The only reason my presence was required for market day was because a lot of the Middle City nobles didn't speak our language. Mother and Father knew enough Ninjargon to make sales, but every now and then some nobles would start spouting new words they couldn't understand. I would have to act as a hidden translator to help them appear knowledgeable.

     While Liam helped our parents set up more produce, and Brianne played with a fishbone, I sat beneath the table, wishing the tablecloth weren't as thick or dark. The nobles weren't allowed to see me, lest they realize I was the clever translator and whisk me away.

     I wasn't exactly sure how much time passed until I heard the Songdragons' murmurs again.

     He is here. He is here. He is here.

     Who was he?

     People outside started to panic, but quickly realized the dragons were too far away to consider eating them. Still, I heard the click of crossbows being loaded as the nobility's guards prepared to protect their masters.

     I eventually got tired of sweating under the table and clambered out to grab a quick drink of water. Liam had taken Brianne back to the house while the constant stream of nobility subsided for a little bit. A lot of the salespeople were trying to restock their items and attempting to eat lunch before the chaos started back up.

    I glanced out at the marketplace as I quickly sipped the water flask, hoping to find no one staring straight at me.

     It was then that I noticed something quite peculiar in the crowd.

     Five figures huddled together, all of them equipped with several weapons.

     Normally I wouldn't have paid any attention to this, since the nobles often had up to ten guards following them around.

     But this was different.

     All five of them, while matching the crowd around them in vibrant colored attire, looked hesitant.

     Unsure.

     No one was ever unsure during market day.

     Everyone knew their roles and how to act. There was no time for error when your whole life depended on your social image.

     They huddled together in their little group, hesitantly making their way through the main square. Their eyes were scanning the terrain, taking in every disgusting detail. To the normal eye, it would have just seemed like a bunch of noble guards trying to keep an eye on their clients.

     But I had the power to understand more than the normal person.

     These people weren't from the Middle City.

     In fact, I doubted that they came from Shadow Bay at all.

     And if they weren't from Shadow Bay, then the law stated they had to be killed on sight.

     "Father!" I hissed, not caring if someone saw me. "Father! Quickly!"

     He turned from his conversation with Mother, his eyes flashing in alarm. "What are you—"

     "Father, those people..." I couldn't finish. What if someone overheard me and alerted the guards? This was really, really bad. Everything about this situation could go wrong in an instant. So many people could die.

     "Calm down, calm down," Father held my shoulders, but it didn't stop me from shaking. "What's wrong? What people?"

     I covered my mouth and tilted my head towards the marketplace. Who knew how many nobles could see us? Who knew how many locals could turn us in for not killing the intruders on sight? The penalty for breaking the law was death.

     Father's face was completely baffled by my vague actions, until Mother let out a small gasp.

     "What?" he demanded, swiveling to her.

     "Carlos," Mother murmured softly, slurring her accent until I could barely understand her. "They aren't from here."

     She gingerly guided his gaze to the right people.

     Father went white.

     I had grown up hearing the rumors that Mother wasn't from Shadow Bay. She herself had told me of the life she led before, as the Eternal Song in Ominira. I knew, then, that my father must be compassionate enough not to kill innocents on sight. We had to get the foreigners out of the marketplace as soon as possible if they wanted to live.

     "Jordan, call them over here. They look interested in buying some fish," Father's words were tighter than his clenched jawline. Mother quickly nodded and attempted to wave them down. I self-consciously checked if my hair was properly covering my head as they started to approach.

     The group consisted of three adults and two tall teenagers. The blonde adult stood tall as the leader of the group, but it was the white-haired man who stepped forward first.

     "Would you like some fish? It's all freshly caught and washed," Mother asked in Ninjargon, hiding her anxiety behind a smile. She used to possess my power, so she knew how to cover up her nonverbal languages. To any other person, she was simply trying to make a sale.

     "We offer our deepest apologies, but we're actually searching for some information," the white-haired man said. His dialect was off, almost to the point where he was speaking something completely foreign. I whispered a quick translation to Father while pretending to be absorbed with something else.

     Father paled even more as he cautiously watched the scene. Mother tightly smiled; she hadn't understood everything the man just said, but she caught enough words to get the message.

     They were searching for information.

     This could end really badly.

     "We've heard legends of an Eternal Song. We were wondering if anyone from this place knew anything about her."

     This time Mother couldn't hide her emotions. She looked about ready to faint, but Father quickly interceded and denied ever hearing about such a thing.

     I was too shocked to even realize how hard I was shaking. These strangers were looking for an Eternal Song. They were looking for my mother—no—they were looking for me.

     A daughter born to the Eternal Song.

     He is here. He is here. He is here.

     I accidentally knocked over a pan of fish as I stumbled backwards. Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to me, so I stuttered an apology in the Lower City's native language and stooped down to clean it up.

     "Do you know where we could find the leaders of this place? They might be able to help us more," The only woman of the group questioned, gesturing to the market behind her.

     We were going to die.

     I was having a mini panic attack, not exactly sure whether I should start wailing or try to play dead so that when the officials found us, I could survive a few more minutes. Father muttered some words to the strangers, guiding them inside the tent while Mother pretended to close the tent for lunch. It was an uncommon thing to do, but at least that would buy us a few more minutes.

     "Listen to me," Father whisper-hissed to the group as soon as they were inside. "You will die if you stay here. You need to get out now."

     They didn't understand the entire message, seeing as Father had switched a few words out with our native language. Mother attempted to help make the strangers understand, but she was failing as well. Neither of them would acknowledge me, because neither of them wanted to draw attention to the girl who could understand it all. These foreigners were looking for the Eternal Song. The prophecy stated the son of Oni and Light needed the daughter of the Eternal Song to be sacrificed for him.

     I was the daughter of the Eternal Song.

     One of these people was going to be my killer.

     Father eventually gave up trying to explain himself to the group and asked Mother to quietly lead them away to our house. Since our house was close to the lake, they would be able to make an inconspicuous escape once the night fell. It was our best shot at getting them out of Songdragon Bay alive.

     I held a bated breath as Mother explained through gestures she needed them to take their bright jackets off and use our stained tablecloths as cloaks. They eventually got the picture, though none of them wanted to do so without trying to ask questions. One by one Mother led them away to our house. There was only one boy left, one of the teenagers, when both Father and I heard a noble clicking her tongue at why our tent was closed.

     "You need to get him out of here," Father grabbed the tray of fish from my hands and headed to the front. While he opened up the curtains and explained to the noble that we were 'restocking', I had no choice but to interact with the teen. If the noble saw him, we would all surely die. Why couldn't she have waited a few more minutes for Mother to return?

     The teen tilted his head when I gestured for him to follow me down the back streets. "The woman is not back yet," he said plainly in Ninjargon. His point was logical, seeing as he was making a good conclusion from the patterns he'd witnessed, but I was too afraid for my life to comprehend logic.

     His voice was quiet, but I still wished he wasn't so loud.

     To this day I believe the paranoia and fear is why I finally opened my mouth and whisper-hissed, "If you want to live, I need you to follow me right now."

     His mouth dropped open at the sound of my voice. It was then I realized I had subconsciously switched to his accent, speaking the language with perfect precision. My cheeks heated up with embarrassment and anxiety as I resisted the urge to curl up in a ball and sob at my own stupidity.

     Then, he walked past me, through the back of the tent and into the streets behind it. "This is the right way, yes?" he half-smiled at me, his voice still soft, still quieter than his companions. I blinked as the sounds of Father conversing with the nobles grew louder in the front of the tent.

     We needed to get out of here now.

     I hurried in front of him, gently tugging at my dress to avoid getting even more dust all over the hem. I needed to focus on looking casual. If I looked suspicious, everyone would be able to figure it out. The boy behind me looked nothing like the rest of society. No one that young had white hair.

     He silently followed me closer than I would have liked. Quite a few of our neighbors were also taking the back roads to get to their tents, so I led the boy into a secluded area in between some houses to wait until the road was clear. City guards passed the alley, rounding up everyone they found to go back to the market. The boy and I stood as still as we could behind a trash bin, and luckily, the guards didn't see us.

     "Sorry, but I need to address this," the boy mumbled after a few seconds. The air around him was warm, but maybe that was my own fear and the hot summer sun making it seem that way. "You shouldn't be able to sound that native to Ninjago City."

     I shook my head violently, silently pleading for him to stop talking. I didn't dare open my mouth again, lest he catch my vocal mistakes a second time. And goodness forbid the guards overhear him. He studied my strange behavior with those deep blue-green eyes of his, stopping almost at once at my outburst.

     "I'm pretty sure we both know that wasn't a coincidence. Neither of your parents... masters... er, whoever they are in relation to you could speak fluent Ninjargon. No one we ran into could—"

     "You spoke to other people?" I buried my hands in my face, remembering at the last second to switch my accent to match my father's. There was literally no way this situation could get any worse.

     He didn't reply, the air around us somehow getting even stuffier.

     "Let me guess," he said, tugging the dirty tablecloth around his shoulders, "you're supposed to kill people from the other side on sight and you're afraid of the Songdragons."

     There was a hint of sadness in his voice, especially when he subconsciously leaned closer and I scooted away.

     If his group had attempted to interact with other citizens, it wouldn't be long before word got back to the authorities. No one wanted to disobey the Grand Master's rules. It wouldn't be long until the whole city was on a lockdown as every house was searched. People would die if the group didn't leave soon. We had to get them out now.

     I didn't hear any guards or people, so I stood up to exit the alleyway.

     "My name is Morro, by the way. At least someone will know it if I die soon," he attempted to laugh but ended up sounding rejected. When I turned to face him, his nonverbal cues were telling an entire story. He lived in the shadow of someone probably, from the way he self-consciously moved. He must have been insecure since he wouldn't meet my eyes as he rubbed his arms.

     And his face.

     He looked almost as unsure as I was, which came as a surprise to me. Everyone else in his group seemed entirely confident. This boy wasn't broken, but he certainly had issues in his life.

     It almost made me pity him.

     In the distance, the Songdragons started singing again, reminding me again of my own looming future.

     "Don't tell me your name," I whispered, keeping my tone as plain as possible. He probably already knew the truth anyway, so I wasn't sure why I was even trying to hide it. "Because if they catch you, I'll be the one dying next."

     The gravity of our situation sunk into him, and he was silent the whole way home.

"Take that!" I yelled at the large boulder in front of me, hitting it with my hundredth blast of wind in the past hour.

     The boulder didn't budge.

     The ground around it looked normal; one couldn't even tell how much wind had been blowing through the area. The only thing out of place was the twigs that had broken off the surrounding trees. They lay scattered all over the ground, loose remnants of my efforts.

     My entire chest throbbed with the pain of endless practicing. I was not used to controlling the wind like this for this long. It was one thing to hold a bubble. It was an entire different rodeo trying to summon enough power to break through solid rock. My whole body was sore, and my arms stung with each movement. Already the various lines caused by the Vermillions' swords were starting to scar up, leaving my bare arms covered in little pink lines.

     "You know, sometimes breaks are healthy for people," a voice sounded from beside me.

     Acronix leaned against a nearby tree, fiddling with his long dagger.

     "What do you want?" I growled.

     "Just because you have to break a rock doesn't mean you have to spend every second of every day just trying to do that," he responded, still not looking my way. "You don't have work yourself to death just because Mr. Bossylord said so."

     If there was one thing I had learned about Acronix during my stay at his camp, it was that he did not at all respect the Overlord. He lounged around, dismissing every order given to us like it didn't matter and scoffing at everyone who did do as they were told. I wondered why he even bothered to stick around, but rumor had it the only reason he still was still here was because he didn't want to leave his brother behind.

     The Overlord had the good of the world in mind. So, if Acronix wanted to disregard the Overlord's orders and watch the realm destroy itself out of imbalance, then he didn't deserve to be listened to.

     "You pretend to ignore me, but we both know you're not as tough as you try to be."

     I swiveled towards him, narrowing my eyes. "In case you didn't hear me the first time, what do you want?"

     "Goodness," Acronix rolled his eyes. "I just would like for you to show a bit of self-dignity. Sometimes a bit of rest and food actually help one get stronger. No one is going to throw you into a pit of lava if you decide to call it quits for the day."

     "Yeah, well the whole world is going to blame me if I don't get strong enough to beat my brothers," I shot back. I called more wind to my hands, preparing to strike at the boulder again.

     "Quit pretending like you have family issues. You're only acting this way to justify actions you know are wrong."

     "Why the Overlord hasn't killed you for such traitorous talk is beyond me," I muttered under my breath.

     He laughed, apparently having heard me, and tucked the dagger back into the folds of his cloak. "It's too late for me to make a change now. You, on the other hand, still have time to make things right. Remember that. Oh—and that reminds me: I killed some venison today." He tossed a small sack of what I assumed was food at my feet. "You're welcome to have some if you'd like."

     He walked off before I could even consider what punishment would befall me if I blasted him in the back of the head.

     I turned back to the boulder, feeling an old resentment grow.

     Power, the wind whispered in my ears.

     If you let yourself listen to its every command, it will envelop you and change you into a machine to do its bidding.

     The wind only listens to power. Once you remind it of who is in control, it will obey you.

     The wind wanted to destroy. I wanted to destroy. In order for me to gain the power to break through solid rock, I need to let the wind take control. The spirit's warning was lost to me now. The wind called me to power, and I felt its strength pulse through me as I accepted it.

     My feet gently lifted from the ground as the strands of air swirled tighter around me. I wasn't weak. Acronix's words weren't true. My purpose wasn't wrong; it was for the good of the universe.

     Sometimes sacrifices had to be made if things were going to turn out for the better.

     Power.

     I blasted a gust of wind at the boulder again.

     This time, wind ripped through the area, uplifting plants and causing the trees to sway violently. Bits of dirt and grime splattered all around the nearby area, torn free from their roots in the steady earth.

     But the boulder hadn't moved.

     I hissed in pain, the use of power suddenly zapping me of my energy. I fell to my knees, trying to catch my breath. I had done so much better there, but better wasn't good enough. I needed to keep trying. I needed to stop failing.

     A whimper sounded out, drawing my attention to a tree not far from the boulder. I inched as close as I could (trying to move while in pain wasn't exactly easy), only to see a glowing pair of yellow eyes glaring back at me. The mother fox growled as I approached her lair, shielding several babies behind her with a thick, bushy tail. The hole had been massively widened by my blast, leaving her family unprotected from the outside world.

     A twinge of guilt pressed against my chest, and I turned away.

     I had already torn one family apart. It wasn't my place to tear up another one.

     I grabbed the sack of food and headed back towards the camp. I would have to find another area to practice breaking rocks.

>(<>)<

When I finally was finished stashing away the sack of meat in my tent, I heard a loud horn blow off key. That type of noise signaled there was going to be a gathering in the camp. A few days previous, General Boisterous had left to patrol the mountain and see if the Ninja had arrived yet. General Ire must be gathering everyone to tell us the results.

     "General Boisterousss hasss found the Ninja'sss ship sssitting outssside the mountain," Ire said, all of his troops lined up perfectly before him. Krux sat in his chair across the clearing, sipping at a flask of water while Acronix yawned beside him. "It did not move for the time they remained in the area, but there were Ninja aboard the ship. They mussst be preparing to travel the mountain."

     "Then it's simple," Krux crabbed. "Ambush them like we planned and take the key."

     Ire paused, "If they are ssstill in the ship, then they mussst not have traveled through the mountain yet. The whole reason they were going to Sssongdragon Lake wasss to find the key. Therefore, they cannot have the key yet. Ambushing would be pointlesss."

     "Then take the ship," I said, drawing everyone's attention to me. Acronix scoffed at the idea, Krux looked on the verge of laughter, and both Ire and Boisterous frowned.

     "It's simple. The ship is where all their supplies are. You could ambush them to draw them out of it, and I could go in with a small squadron and take it over. They might be trained ninjas, but they aren't a bunch of trained survivalists. Once they don't have a steady source of food and shelter, they are bound to weaken until we can easily prevent them from gathering any of the three things."

     Everyone was still staring at me like I had two heads.

     Your plan has merit, little Chosen One. Your strength will soon outweigh theirs, the Overlord's voice filled my head. I could almost hear the grin behind it.

     Instantly, both Ire and Boisterous's eyes flickered with a control that was not of their own minds.

     Boisterous waved his hand and his soldiers divided into two groups. "My solidersss will follow thisss plan."

     Ire mimicked him, and about five soldiers gathered behind me. Both Krux and Acronix looked surprised, but neither of them would question the Overlord's word.

     "It took my sssquadron about a day to arrive at the ship," Boisterous warned. "When do you want the groupsss to leave?"

     "We will leave at sunset," I ordered. I may not be able to break rocks yet, but I knew how my family worked. I could use their weaknesses against them.

     Make sure to hide your face. You may be ready to show them your true colors, but that will render a shock advantage too big to waste on an occasion like this. If they put up a fight, then we'll use it to crush them.

     "I understand."

     Then go, Master of Wind, and destroy them.