Kai

For the first time in the whole strenuous process, there was silence in the room. He sat there flipping through my folder, seeming disappointed—not in me, but in himself, in the investigation. He wanted to know more—now, for his own selfish curiosity.

I looked up from the table. "You know… I was born on Atmosia… My m-mom died suddenly when I was two… No one ever told me why. I'll never know, now."

"Your father was a good man. He was a lot like you, you know… But in your line of work…"

"You know the only thing that's bad about Cyclonia? Lora would come home and we'd eat out of tiny bowls, whatever she could afford that day… She'd tell me how close she came to screwing up, and how close, every day, she came to having them take care of her for it…"

The man shot a caring smile my way. "I sympathize… I… lost my wife in a talon attack…"

ooo

I didn't even need to open my eyes to know I was laying on dirt. I didn't need to move to know I had hit the ground hard. But where I was, and figuring that out, would take a lot more than walking around. I slowly rose to my feet, my vision pulsing with each heartbeat. I groaned loudly, leaning over with my hands against my knees.

I wasn't surprised I survived such a fall—my body is full of surprising defense mechanisms. But how on Atmos I could've dropped from the Timepulse and landed on Terra Atmosia… and not the forest part… I fell halfway across Atmos.

I stumbled to where I remembered the little diner used to be. Nothing. Trying to catch my breath, I looked around. Nothing was where I remembered. Had I really been away from home that long? Had that much changed while I grew up?

"Dad! Daddy!" A child, not watching where he was going, ran into me. "S-sorry, lady."

"H-hey, I know you. Kid—hey, kid, come back here." This was absolutely impossible. There was no way…

"Sorry, miss, but my daddy's home. Dad!"

I stood up straight with a groan, fixing my goggles. "Dad…?" If I was really where I thought I was…

"Striker, how long are we going to be stuck here?"

"It's my son. Does it matter?"

I tried once again to catch my breath and wake up from my little fall, not getting very far. I had to be rational for the situation I was about to face. I was thrown back not just across the Atmos, but back in time… As the three grouped before me, I joined them.

"Little Aerrow," I said with a grin. "You must be Lightning Strike. I'm such a fan." I reached out to shake his hand.

"Nice to see someone young interested in what's going on outside of Atmosia…"

"Who's this dashing young man?" I asked with a grin. His face was unmistakable.

"This is Ace, he's the new Storm Hawk Recruit."

"Ah, nice to see a new face, then."

"And you are?" the leader asked.

For a moment, I paused; but only for a moment. "Seraphina. Seraphina Kaedo." I glanced toward Ace. The naïve young man, who was obviously more interested in the houses around us than saying hello, looked quite a bit different. Not to mention his uniform made him look a bit… off…

"Well, then it's very nice to meet you, Miss Sera. This big guy is my son." Lifting his son onto his shoulders, Aerrow giggled.

"Hello, lady!" he reached out both hands toward me.

Leaning forward, I attempted to reach out and shake his hand. However, Aerrow had a different plan. Grabbing my hand with both of his, he pulled me toward him, and evidently toward his father.

"Sorry," I apologized, shaking little Aerrow's hands before backing away from the Storm Hawk.

"Ace, would you mind giving us a moment? Illyra has some lunch prepared, I'm sure."

With an uninterested nod, he lifted Aerrow off Striker's shoulders and walked toward his house. In the back of my mind I could hear the disappointment, He won't remember me… "It's really nice to meet you, Lightning." I reached out to shake his hand.

Taking my hand, he pulled me into a hug. "I never told you my son's name."

I blinked.

Pretending to kiss my cheek, he whispered in my ear, "It's good to see you again, Kai. Come by the Condor sometime…"

I took a step back. "This is the first time I've ever met you…"

"You'll see, kiddo. I have to go. Tell Aerrow I love him." With a wave, he left me very confused and with little answers. I shook my head, wondering what to do next.

It appeared I was truly back in time… But how? Did the Timepulse really have that ability? Did that mean I had its powers? "Striker!" I shouted towards him. As he turned back, I shot him a grin. "We all miss you so much… You have no idea how different the world is without you."

"And Lora?"

"She still loves you very much."

He smiled, chuckling to himself. And without another word, he left. I wondered if I would ever see him again. It was truly an honor to be in his presence, no matter how short a time it was.

No matter how fun it was seeing my hero, nor how fun it seemed messing with little Aerrow and screwing with Ace's future, I had to leave or I could seriously ruin my future. This is all assuming I wasn't drugged up in some hospital or in a coma from the fall, imagining it all.

Assuming the best rather than the worst, I looked for a way out. Pulling my cloak out of my satchel, I tucked my braid beneath it and lifted my hood, searching around my hometown. I didn't remember much of Atmosia from when I was a child, but it sure was different from the last time I'd been there. How many of my favorite places didn't exist yet?

I sighed. "How much you wanna bet I'm at home? How old am I…?" The safest bet was to not answer that question and get out of there as fast as possible. I picked up my pace to a sprint, running to the docks. I could feel the Aurora Stone pulsing in its little lighthouse, safe from harm, safe from me… I pulled myself away from temptation and stepped foot onto the docks.

Free from ships, I had free reign to do whatever I wished. I took in a deep breath and began asking a very important question.

"How am I going to get home…?"

I looked down, watching the clouds as they licked at the dock supports. I smiled, remember how much fun I had living on Atmosia. It was odd—I lived so close to Aerrow, and yet I'd never once met him. I wondered how much of his life was spent in the Sky Knight Academy. How different would my life be if I'd met him before he was a Storm Hawk? Piper and Finn grew up with him… Maybe it would've been different?

Maybe I wouldn't have grown up to be so selfish if only I had been allowed out of the house. If only my dad wasn't such a selfish bastard. He raised me that way, and died lying alone in the bed he made for himself.

Shaking myself from my musings, I found myself sitting on the edge next to a little girl, one who had taken a liking to watching me as I sat there. "Hey," I whispered, shooting a kind smile.

She waved, kicking her feet through the air. "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

I laughed. "I'm trying to get home…"

Leaning back, she started running her fingers through her orange hair. "I like it here. You should stay!"

"Nah… I've lived here long enough, been here long enough… It's time for me to go home."

She shrugged, humming. "It's aweful nice here. So many Knights! You know, I heard Lightning Strike's kid lives here somewhere. Never seen'm though."

I laughed. "You sound just like me when I was a kid." As a carrier flew past the docks, a gust of wind blew my hood off. I could see the child a little more clearly, and she could see me as well. Her face never changed from the naïve, blissful expression she'd kept from the beginning.

"What's your name?" she asked, brushing her hair from her eyes.

I contemplating telling her my real name. What difference would it make? She was just a child. "Sera…"

"Why don't you live here anymore, Sera?"

"Too many memories…"

"Did someone die here?"

"My mom did… when I was younger."

"Mine, too," she said with a nod, looking down at her bare feet.

"I miss my mom…"

"I don't remember mine. I was too young to remember, Daddy says." She was so innocent. I would give anything to go back to those days. She reached out, setting her hand on mine. But the moment she did, she pulled back, beginning to scramble back towards land. "What's going on?"

I looked at the little girl, seeing her rub her hand against her pants—or lack of a hand, at least.

I rushed to my feet and stumbled to her side, holding her on the ground. I knew this little girl better than I should have. "Kai, you have to go home. You have to go home and you have to forget this ever happened…"

"Where's my hand?" she screamed through her tears.

Realizing I may have ruined everything, tears fell from my own eyes as well. "You have to go home… you have to forget!" Through her kicking and squirming, I was still able to hold her down. I leaned over, squeezing the tears from my eyes as I closed them. I kissed her forehead and begged her to stop. Suddenly, she lay limp on the ground, breathing quietly. Afraid I had done permanent damage, I froze.

I began to shake uncontrollably, no longer able to stop the tears. "Kai… Kai, wake up! Please, you have to wake up…" I leaned down again, resting my forehead against hers in an attempt to regain my grip on reality.

As I sat there, hovering over her, my hood fell back over my head. Looking up past the brim of my hood, I could see people were beginning to watch, beginning to gather around the little scene I'd created for myself. I had to become scarce. Quickly.

I sat up on my knees and gently picked the little girl up, carrying her out of the scene in a rush. Instinctively, I carried her home, knowing it would be the only place that would really accept her… the only place that really accepted me. With a bit of trick and balance, I knocked on the door before readjusting my grip on her. Hopefully Dad was home…

I flicked my head downward in an attempt to fully conceal myself from the man I once called dad. The moment he opened the door, however, I wanted to fling myself into his arms and beg him to make everything better—even knowing full-well he would tell me to stop complaining and walk away.

"Take care of her," I demanded quietly. "I don't want her to end up like me." From beneath the darkness of my hood, I could see from the reflection of his glasses my skin was crawling with energy. The man grew both concerned and fearful. He took his daughter from my arms and began to question who I was.

"You're all she's got, Louie."

"Wh-who are you?"

As I walked off, I muttered to myself a bit too loudly, "I love you, Dad…"

"I… love you too… Kai…"

ooo

With tears streaming down my face, I rushed back to the docks. Without stopping, I saw the edge of the wooden walkway nearing. I'd come to a rather bitter conclusion. What had my life become? I resented my father; he was only doing what he knew to do. He knew no better and neither did I. I took Aerrow for granted—the only person who ever truly loved me. I abandoned Ben for a higher power and never once told him I loved him before leaving him high and dry without word one about how I was. He was my second chance and I was selfish.

Selfish as always. A child. As always.

I would rather die than put anyone else in pain… But as I flung myself off the dock, diving through the clouds, I realized—suicide was another selfish act.

I should've let them decide if they wanted to endure the pain…

I pulled my limbs inward, curling myself into a ball as I flew through the air. I closed my eyes as tightly as they would go, wishing I hadn't made my life such a hell, wishing I had changed from the first time I knew something was wrong.

I would've given anything to figure out how to get home—I would give anything for a second chance to make things right with Ben, Aerrow, Lora… all of them.

And as I let go, I grew at peace with my decision. I let my limbs go, flying through the endless clouds. And for a moment, I was happy. But suddenly, the wind changed, and I grew fearful. I began screaming and my eyes shot open. A hand quickly gripped my wrist and I was caught mid-air. As I hung there, the wind whipped at my sides, punishing anything in its grasp.

"I got you!" the man shouted as I swung from the momentum of the fall. "You all right?" he asked.

"Yeap!" I lied with a smile, looking at his face. I was home… I was back in my present time… "I'm all good! Take me home, Ace!"

With a grin, he flew onward, turning his SwitchBlade into a barrel roll to help me back onto his bike. Once in place, I made myself comfortable, holding him tightly. I wondered if there was any way to control the Timepulse's power. If I was able to harness the power of time…

"You came out of nowhere!"

"I could say the same about you."

ooo

Thrown into the darkness of Cyclonis' quarters, I sat with my hands bound behind my backs, my knees burning from dropped so carelessly. My eyes burned with the light, each crystal shining a blinding light in the darkness.

"So you've come… just like everyone else… on their knees, begging for mercy."

"I'll do whatever you want; all I ask is to remain neutral… and for the cure…"

She chuckled, not moving from her machine. "Take her to the holding cells…"