Hey everyone! The extra-long hiatus has come to an end, and I am back with Whisper! Happy Birthday, everyone. I'm sure this is what you wanted.

Huge shout-out to my fantabulous beta Astrid16! You probably wouldn't be reading this if it wasn't for her.

Rescue Me

Down, MTR

4:00 PM

"Wait, wait -!" Lloyd shook himself, alarmed. "Cole - you unlocked Shauto, too?"

"Yeah! Look, see?" Flushed, Cole held out his cupped palms. Lloyd peered at the Shauto stone cradled inside them, which glowed a passionate green in response to Cole's thrill.

"Wow," the Green Ninja breathed. He laughed. "That's awesome! Hey, now we can both go on a patrol! Uh - once we learn Rescue, right?" he added sheepishly, turning to London.

She nodded with a chuckle. "Now if you would all take a seat, I could teach it to you."

Lloyd and Cole both plopped down into their folding chairs, buzzing with enthusiasm, and Zane and Jay both took seats next to them. Sensei Wu, Garmadon, and Misako were all there, too, with folding chairs provided for them as well. The only Ninja missing was Kai, who was supposedly with December doing the dishes in the Cafeteria.

London regarded them all for a moment, standing in the center of the MTR, tapping her foot contemplatively on the floor.

"To start off," she said at last, "there's not a lot of theory behind Rescue."

Thank goodness, Lloyd thought. He liked Shauto, yeah, but the theory was always a bit much to wrap his head around - especially when he'd never needed it before.

"The idea behind the Rescue maneuver is to direct a large amount of Shauto at a Whisperer." London paused. "Yeah. That's what it is, in a nutshell. It is Shauto itself that destroys Whisperers, so Rescue harnesses a quantity of Shauto's energy and focuses it on the darkness."

Lloyd blinked. That was all there was to it? ... Lloyd could have shot a kamehameha at Whisperer, and it would have killed it?

"Seriously?" Garmadon said, obviously thinking along the same lines as Lloyd. "So, as long as you're using Shauto, Whisperers die? That seems really weird. Handy... but weird."

London laughed and nodded. "Isn't it? But there's an explanation for that: darkness and light. Those are two recurring themes throughout history, science, the universe... pretty much everything. As long as there is light, the darkness can never overcome it, but light can overcome darkness."

"So... you're saying that Shauto is light, and Hidoi is darkness," Misako said slowly.

"Eh - close. Shauto is light, and whatever Whisperers are is darkness."

Lloyd blinked. "Uh," he said, raising his hand, "aren't Whisperers Hidoi?"

London opened her mouth, but at the same time, her shoulders were shrugging with defeat. "I would assume they were," she said, "but they can use Elements. Hidoi can't - or at least, if it does, it definitely can't harness the full extent of those Elements, like how they're doing."

Cole leaned a little forward in his chair, his brow furrowing. "But mom," he began. "You keep saying that Shauto is what allows us, as Elemental Masters, to use our Elements."

"Ah - yes, and no. Your Element is a part of you. Once an Elemental Master unlocks their True Potential, they have a right to wield that Element."

"But we wield it through Shauto."

"Shauto creates the Elements that you wield, yeah." London gave a wry smile that suggested she knew exactly the point that Cole was making.

"Wouldn't that mean that Whisperers use Shauto, then? If they can wield Elements that Shauto creates, that would make them Shautei. And didn't you establish that Whisperers have souls? It's totally possible that they're drawing Elements from their own Potential, too."

A pause. Lloyd turned to Cole grinning despite himself. Cole's argument made a weird kind of sense; he watched London's reaction intently, waiting for her response.

"I've traced it there, too," London admitted. "And let's suppose it's true, for a moment. What if Whisperers were Shautei?" She nodded deliberately. "If that were true, then why would we be fighting Whisperers with Shauto? Why would Shauto kill Whisperers, if it was, in fact, what they used?"

"So they're not Shauto," Cole concluded, disbelief in his tone, "but they can still use Elements. They're not Hidoi, but Shauto kills them, like light illuminates the darkness. It looks like they share attributes from both Hidoi and Shauto. So what is that called, between Hidoi and Shauto?"

London fell silent. Her foot tapped the floor, but she didn't seem offended; she looked rather intrigued, actually.

Lloyd glanced around at the others. Everyone seemed rather puzzled, even Cole, who seemed to be rethinking what he had just said.

Sensei Wu finally spoke. "Something between Hidoi and Shauto...?" he repeated. His tone was ponderous, and he stroked his beard quietly for a moment. "Wouldn't that be Ninjagians?"

London's mouth twitched.

"Between Hidoi and Shauto, free to use either, would be us. Wouldn't it?"

Garmadon was nodding, too. "Of course, Whisperers aren't Ninjagian, so it must be one or the other - Shauto or Hidoi. Mustn't it?"

"Whisperers are not Shautei," London said firmly.

"But they're apparently not Hidein, either," Cole pointed out, pensively amused. "And they're not in between Hidoi or Shauto, because they're not Ninjagian. But they have souls. Are they alien? Is a Whisperer some kind of deformed Ninjagian spirit?" He at last snorted. "FSM! How are we supposed to classify them?"

London laughed, too. "You have no idea how many times I've had this conversation with Gahiji. He is convinced that they are Hidein."

"Who's to say he's not right?"

Everyone turned around. Dr. Julien stood in the open doorway, and behind him, Kai, who looked healthier than Lloyd had seen him in days.

"Uh, may I join you?" Nikolai said after a moment, smiling awkwardly.

"Please," London said, gesturing for him to come in. Lloyd stood to let Nikolai take his chair, which he did, with a grateful smile in Lloyd's direction. Kai came in, too, settling against one side of the doorframe.

Lloyd caught his eye. Kai grinned and waved, and Lloyd felt his heart skip a beat. Kai looked so much better. He slouched casually against the doorway, and though his eyes were still shadowed, they were alert and interested. ... Was this the same Kai who had failed at Spinjitzu just hours before?

"Alright, alright - so you're of the opinion that Whisperers are Hidein, too?" London asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Nikolai shrugged. "I'd say they are, yes."

"But they can use Elements."

"I know. But what, other than Hidoi, withers under Shauto's touch?" Dr. Julien shifted on the chair. "There are more factors pointing to their being Hidein than their being Shautei."

Jay raised his hand awkwardly. London nodded to him.

"Sorry," he said. "But, uh, you've been using the terms 'Shautei' and 'Hidein', and I'm starting to get a little confused. Are they double-meaning words or something? Cuz I'm kind of getting the impression that you're saying Whisperers are Hidein. I mean - Hidein, like, the people, Hidein."

London gritted her teeth, but smiled. "Okay, yeah, sorry. When we say Hidein, we mean that they are 'of Hidoi', and when we say Shautei, we mean 'of Shauto'. We'll say that from now on."

Jay exhaled, relieved. "Thanks."

London shook herself. "I guess you would know, Nik. But I'm still not entirely convinced. For what reason could Whisperers possibly be able to use Elements?"

"I don't know," Nikolai admitted. "That's something - em, we should just ask Gahiji about it. If Whisperers truly are of Hidoi, he would know better than any of us."

"He's already said - well." London's gaze flickered to the ceiling. "Never mind. The point is, although they can wield Elements, most of us think that Whisperers are basically of Hidoi, which is why Shauto kills them."

Cole leaned back. "Yeah, let's go with that," he muttered, unsatisfied. Lloyd bit back a grin.

"So. Cole and Lloyd, you have both unlocked Shauto?" London said, moving on.

Both mentioned Ninja made noises of affirmation. Nikolai glanced at the two of them, impressed, but made no comment; Kai, too, raised his eyebrows and shot Cole a grin, sticking out his tongue. The Master of Earth, delighted, smiled back.

"Good. Alright." London reached her hand behind her back, pulling a notebook out of her belt and her pencil from behind her ear. "The point of the Rescue maneuver is to direct a large amount of Shauto at a Whisperer, which kills it. For reasons unknown." She glanced at Nikolai, who was yawning and didn't notice.

"At least it works," Garmadon pointed out.

"Yes, at least there is that. And actually - well, I haven't seen you use your powers in person, Lloyd," London said, sounding a bit distracted, "but can't you create kamehamehas? Spheres of pure energy?"

"Uh - yes."

"That energy wouldn't happen to be Shauto, would it?"

"It is," Lloyd and Nikolai said at the same time.

London smiled dryly. "Great! You don't really need to learn Rescue, then. I'm sure that propelling a kamehameha at a Whisperer would kill it, and perhaps even a group of Whisperers. A kamehameha and the Rescue maneuver are close to the same thing."

Called it, Lloyd thought.

"But everyone else does." London flipped to a blank page in her notebook and started drawing. "Like all other Shauto maneuvers, to perform them, you need the Purpose, the Connection Rivers, and the Amid ritual. Nikolai taught you the ritual for See, right? Does anyone remember it?"

"Uhh..." Lloyd and the others grimaced, but Zane responded only a beat after London asked the question.

"Pokazhite mnye potok," he said, then blinked, as if he hadn't registered deciding to say it.

"Good, good." London flipped the notebook around, showing her drawing. One large circle was surrounded on four angles by hooks. Inside the circle was a triangle, Punctuated on two sides to look like eyes.

"It looks like a duck," Jay remarked. Lloyd laughed.

"This is the Rescue symbol, or Rescue Purpose." London reached into her belt again, pulling out a stone. It looked a lot like the Shauto stones that Lloyd and the others had been using to train with, but the Purpose inscribed on its smooth surface matched the one in London's notebook. "On a patrol, you will use Shauto with a stone."

She waved the stone in the air. "Cole, catch," she said, and underhanded it to him. "Now, set it down - we don't want you accidentally performing Shauto before you're ready."

Cole set the stone on the floor. London opened her mouth to continue, but hesitated; then she groaned.

"Gahh, Nik, it's so much easier to teach Healing first," she said. "It's a lot less of a shock. Healing takes less focus than something as big as Rescue - Cole hasn't done any official Shauto maneuvers before."

Nikolai shrugged. He was doing a lot of that. "You're already teaching Rescue. You'll be fine."

"Alrighty." London straightened, clearing her throat. "The Amid ritual is Zlo ischeznet. Can you all say it with me? Zzlllo ischeeehzzznyeeht."

The Ninja and their companions repeated it to the best of their abilities. The words rolled off of Sensei Wu's tongue, and Misako already knew Amid, so she could say it without a problem, but Garmadon's interpretation wasn't exactly fluid. Lloyd didn't find too much of a problem with it, probably because he already had a loose grasp of the Amid accent from the See ritual.

"Yeah. Say that a couple times." While the others repeated the ritual, London dug around in her pouch again, pulling another rock out and tossing it into the air before catching it. With the rock, she also brought out a pair of Shauto gloves, which she began to pull on with practiced hands. It took Lloyd at least a minute to get his gloves on, but London shoved her fingers into both gloves in under ten seconds.

"Now," she said, "Cole, come up here, and bring the Rescue stone. Everyone, watch closely, so you're prepared for what will happen when you try Rescue."

The MTR grew quiet as Cole retrieved the stone from the floor and approached his mother, standing beside her. He shuffled his feet nervously as London held her own stone at arm's length.

London smiled at him. "I'll do it first. Then you, alright?"

The stone's engraved symbol faced up, pressed to the fabric of London's glove, hidden from view. London gestured to the back of her hand.

"There's a trick to holding the Shauto stones, especially when you're actually performing Shauto," she said. "As you may have noticed during your training, Ninja, the Shauto stone is an oval, even though the inscribed Purpose is perfectly round. You want to have the long ends of that oval -" London switched hands with the stone, but kept it facing the same direction "- straight up and down."

She showed the palm of her glove. "Look. I have two Periods in the center of my hand. These Periods should match up with the Punctuation on the Shauto stone, otherwise the connection won't be as true, and it will be harder for Shauto to truly flow."

London replaced her Shauto stone in her left hand. Lloyd found himself leaning forward, fists clenched in his shirt, as she intoned, "Zlo ischeznet."

Gradually, green trickled from the Connection Rivers on her arms into the stone; light from the Purpose pushed through the cracks in her fingers, coloring London's cool expression an intense emerald. Lloyd could feel Shauto tugging forcefully on his heart as it gathered in London's grip. Even though he wasn't performing it, he could feel it, a powerful, almost violent energy converging on the Rescue stone. A sphere of pure light - a kamehameha, Lloyd realized - was faintly outlined around London's hands.

It was like Shauto was breathing him in. He could not help but pitch ever farther forward, gaze intent on the sheer power in London's hands. Was it because he was the Shauto Master that he was drawn so strongly in by it? No - when he glanced at his friends, he saw each tilting towards the glow, the same as he was, completely transfixed, breathless with awe.

London dropped the stone and caught it in her other hand, and Shauto's pull faded. The Rescue stone dimmed, and Lloyd caught himself before he toppled forwards.

"Now, Cole," she said. Her voice seemed unnaturally loud, after such intense, rushing silence. "Did you see what just happened?"

Cole nodded, wordless, eyes wide. London chuckled, then replaced the Rescue stone in her pouch, stripping her gloves from her arms.

"When you perform Rescue, you have to remember that you really are gathering a huge amount of energy. It's going to be hard to control."

"So, can you control how much energy you gather?" Cole asked, rubbing his own Rescue stone anxiously in his hands.

"Yeah. Uh, it's hard to explain how - just drop the stone if you feel like it's too much, alright?"

"Got it."

Lloyd raised his hand. "Uh, can I say something? I mean, I've supposedly done this before, so..."

"By all means," London said with a grin. "Rescue comes more naturally to you, anyways. You'll be able to explain it better."

Lloyd turned to Cole. "It helps if you focus on how big you want it to get," he said. "For a small one, I think about maybe the size of a basketball. Shauto will kind of just follow your lead."

Lloyd never thought he'd be teaching his teammates how to use his powers.

"Okay." Cole looked nervous, but determined. He positioned the Rescue stone in his hand, double-checking to make sure it was lined up, and held it at arms' length, breathing slowly out through his lips.

He flashed a hint of a smile, then said, "Zlo ischeznet."

Rescue took a longer time for Cole than it did for London. At first Lloyd was nervous that it wasn't going to work, but he saw it - a steady buildup of Shauto in Cole's hands. Cole laughed breathlessly, but he cut himself off as Shauto continued to accumulate, getting harder and harder to control. Cole grappled with the power for a moment, the green light fluctuating and shivering as he tried to find a solid grip on it; but at last, it stiffened in his hold, no longer faltering, and Shauto murmured in his clothes, sending ripples across the fabric and through his hair.

The kamehameha's shadow formed above his hands, and Cole gave a shout of triumph, grinning from ear to ear. The MTR burst into applause, laughing at Cole's exhilaration, celebrating his success.

"There you are," London said, a proud purr in her voice, even as Cole's fingers loosened and he released Shauto. The MTR was now lit only by the lamps in the floor; it seemed so dark without Shauto's burning glow.

"Did it," Cole said, his breaths coming in short-winded gasps. London laughed, rubbing his back and simultaneously prying the Rescue stone from his hands.

"You did well for your first time," she said as Cole returned to his folding chair.

"I feel like Lloyd," Cole said hoarsely. Everyone laughed, and Lloyd cast him a grin from where he stood next to the doorframe.

"Awesome. Cole, Lloyd - you two ready to run a Singe?" London shoved her hands in her pockets and gave them both an expectant look. "You'll have a member of the Five with you to help run things, so you don't have to worry there."

Lloyd hesitated. He glanced to Cole, who glanced back, and they exchanged smiles.

"Absolutely," Cole said.

Dark Cell

Nya didn't wake up when the Hidein arrived with food for them. Eboni didn't wake her, either, so when Nya finally regained consciousness, it came as a surprise that there was a dish of three small biscuits and a glass of water next to where she had slept, curled in a ball.

She rubbed her eyes until she felt more awake. The lamp had been re-lit, but it looked like it had already been going for hours; it sputtered feebly and cast the cell in odd shadows.

Eboni appeared to be asleep, in the same position that Nya had left her - rigidly facing the opposite direction. She must have woke up at some point, though, because there was an empty glass and plate next to her, too.

Her stomach gave a sudden, painful croak. Nya and reached for her plate, picking up one of the little biscuits. This was imo-mochi, she realized. Little fried cakes that Kai would sometimes make for her, back when the both of them lived alone in the blacksmith shop, because they were easy and tasted pretty good with soy sauce.

Without sauce, this imo-mochi was cold and plain. Nya didn't really care, as sat up and stuffed the golf-ball-sized cakes one by one into her mouth - it did little to sate her, washed down with lukewarm water.

She paused, turning the last cake over in her hands.

Zane had made imo-mochi once, too. When all the Ninja had come home from fighting a particularly tough bunch of Serpentine, and they were all too tired to put together a full-course meal, he prepared them with soy sauce and excessive amounts of butter. His had been soft, unlike Kai's, which were always a little overdone.

Nya bit into the cake.

Spinjitzu Master, she missed the guys.

Eboni stirred. Nya swallowed and watched Eboni from the corner of her eye; the woman shifted, supporting herself on one arm so she could turn.

Eboni saw Nya and stiffened. "... You're awake."

In the complete silence, her voice struck a match and invited a small, comforting flame into the cell. At least someone was here with Nya.

Nya looked back to her half-finished cake. "Yeah."

She pulled her shirt a little further down. Eboni was lucky that she had pants, and though she had no shirt, she was covered by the bandages - better off than Nya was, as far as clothes went. Speaking of, Nya thought, they should probably change Eboni's bandages.

She looked around. Last time, the Hidein had provided them with bandages. If they were any kind of humane, they would have provided some this time, too, but Nya couldn't see any by Eboni's empty dishes or her own.

"Were you awake when they brought the food?" Nya asked.

"Yeah."

"Did they bring a new roll of bandages?"

Eboni's expression darkened, but she grunted affirmation and held up a roll of white gauze. Nya shot her a sympathetic grimace.

"Here, let's change those," Nya said, reaching for them, but Eboni dropped them back to her side.

"I'll do it myself," she said.

Nya frowned. Looking at Eboni's wounds - mostly on her back - she seriously doubted that Eboni could do it by herself. But Eboni turned away and started unravelling her arms.

Nya looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. Her eyes met darkness. She remembered the Whisperers and tensed, but the fading light of the lamp seemed to be keeping them away.

"Eboni," Nya began, inching forward on her knees towards her cellmate, who was now at work on undoing her torso bandages. "Look. I know you might not like me, but we're stuck here together for who knows how long. Can't we at least try to get along?"

"Yeah," Eboni said. She huffed as she worked. "We can get along. But I'm gonna change my own bandages."

Nya glanced back at the lamp, which fluttered and choked in an effort to keep the cell lit. "The light's going to go out soon."

Eboni's hair fell over her wounds. She reached gingerly to move her hair across one shoulder, wincing.

"You're not going to be able to finish before it goes out - then you'll be working in the dark."

"And even if you help me," Eboni said, "it'll go out before you finish, and we'll have the same problem."

"But we'll have two people to finish in the dark, instead of just one."

Eboni hesitated. The bandages came completely unravelled; the labyrinth of red and brown tissue on Eboni's back looked to be healing, but it could easily inflame.

"There's no use being enemies in here," Nya said softly. "What would be the point?"

Eboni tossed the roll of gauze over her shoulder, which Nya caught and unwound a length of, allowing a small smile.

"Hey," she said, "I have a little water left, we can wash it."

Eboni glanced at her as Nya retrieved her water glass and one of the strips of Eboni's shirt. Nya wetted the cloth and crawled back to Eboni, instructing her to relax as she ran the cloth delicately across the marred skin.

The process was a painful one. Eboni stiffened and straightened with pain whenever Nya rubbed the cloth across her injuries, and when the Samurai pulled the bandages tight, she gave an annoyed squeak.

"Um, so as long as we're not enemies," Nya said quietly, tying the gauze around Eboni's back. "... Who did this to you?"

Eboni paused before answering. "I don't know. I didn't see their faces."

That didn't explain much.

"Was it the other Hidein?" Nya pressed.

"I think so. Some of father's secondary apprentices, probably."

"Your father... Hokori Wyche, right?"

Eboni nodded shortly. Nya almost asked more, but stopped herself just in time; a question like "So your father teaches Hidoi?" could be considered aggressive. Even on the same ground, making an inquiry like that probably wasn't a smart move.

"Why would they do this to you?"

Especially if she was Wyche's daughter. Beating her up and sticking her in a cell seemed like a bad idea when she was tethered to someone so influential.

Eboni looked away. "I don't know if it's a specific reason, but I've had this a long time in coming. I've... threatened a few people. Stepped out of line a few times. This is the repercussion."

"This is some serious repercussion for a few slip-ups." Nya moved Eboni's arm gently so she could wrap it.

"I think this is actually an easier trial than he meant to put me on." Eboni's features were austere and dim in the dying lamplight.

Nya patted her arm with the wet cloth, trying not to think about what that implied.

The light fizzed. Nya whirled, but the lamp kept flickering, even though its glow was lessening by the second. Nya tied the bandage tight around Eboni's arm and took her other.

Eboni jerked against her grip. "Sorry," Nya said, loosening her hold. She finished the wrap with a firm knot, and Eboni released her breath.

"So...can we escape?" Nya asked quietly.

Eboni glanced at her.

She then closed her eyes and shook her head. "I've guarded these cells before," she said. "I know the defenses that are put on this place. If we step a foot outside of this room before the Encryption disintegrates, we won't live to see ourselves out of the Compound."

Nya sat back against the wall with a groan. "So we're stuck here for as long as they keep us here."

"Pretty much." Eboni tilted her head towards Nya. "Don't quote me on this, but I'll bet that's less time than you're thinking."

"What do you mean?"

Eboni just gazed at her for a moment, her hazel eyes searching Nya's.

"The Samurai X has been whispered about in the upper ranks for months now," she said at last. "You're a skilled, smart warrior and a liability to the Ninja. I doubt we caught you to show you off in a display in the Underworld - and if that were the case, then sticking you in a dark cell at the bottom of the Compound is a great way to do that." This last was drier than dry.

Nya couldn't believe what she was hearing. "But - but what's so important about me?" she said. "Yeah, I can see why they'd want to hold me hostage, especially if they're trying to get at the Ninja through me, but -?"

Eboni shook her head. "Don't ask me. I couldn't tell you even if I did know. All I'm saying is that, if they caught you for a reason, you might be getting out of this cell pretty quick."

Nya stared at the lamp, which blinked miserably in the darkness. "But what about you?" she asked at last.

Eboni snorted. "Well, I am stuck here until they feel like dragging me back out. Probably in a month or two, when my wounds are a little more healed. If they wanted me to die in here they wouldn't have put me in a cell with an honorable Samurai."

Nya allowed a soft chuckle. "I guess not."

The lamp finally snuffed out.

Something prickled across Nya's scalp, and she jumped. Were the Whisperers already back? Or was that just air?

Eboni groaned. "Ah. Just our luck."

"What?"

"I think I know which cell we're in."

A shuffle of fabric as Eboni sat up beside Nya. "Got a pen?"

Nya's brow twitched. "I don't even have pants."

"Right, I knew that..." The shuffling continued. "Do I have a pen...?"

"What do you need a pen -?"

Nya cut herself off when something rustled in her ear. It wasn't Eboni - it was coming from her other side. She listened, and to her absolute dread, she heard a choked "Got a pen? Got a pen?" over Eboni's rummaging.

"Eboni," Nya whispered.

"Got a pen? Oh, just our - luck - l-llllluck."

Eboni's voice, in comparison to that of the Whisperers', was thundering - she sounded incredulous. "FSM... Nya, you're not Fading already, are you?"

"Eff. Ess. Emmmmmm."

Nya whimpered and put her hands over her ears. This was stupid. They were just voices. She couldn't even feel the Whisperers yet.

And Eboni was here. Nya would be just fine.

But they would be here soon - yes, yes they would, and they'd crawl all over her and sing and laugh and whisper.

Something touched her cheek. Nya yelped and flinched, but Eboni hushed her, continuing to stroke her jaw as Nya realized that was only her cellmate.

"You're Fading." Eboni moaned again. "The Whisperers got you. Overlord... I should have set up a Bar'yer before."

"Eboni - wh-what are you talking about?" Nya said, bringing her knees up to her chest. The Whisperers got me?

"I don't have a pen. Damn... the perks to the tattoos..." Eboni removed her hand from Nya's face.

"You're Fading, you're Fading," the Whisperers repeated. "Fading... Fa-a-a-a-ading...!"

Nya reached for Eboni's hand again. "N-n," she said, searching desperately for Eboni's fingers. "Don't leave me alone with them!"

"Hey, Nya." Eboni grabbed both of Nya's hands in hers. In the darkness, neither could see the other, but suddenly Eboni's voice was near Nya's cheek. "You're under the Whisperer's spell. Just relax, alright?"

Nya breathed in and out, her heart rattling her violently with each beat as Eboni removed one of her hands from Nya's.

Eboni gave a hiss of pain.

"Are you? Are you? Fa-a-a-ading? - already, are you - Fading?"

Something wet and thin hit the floor.

A stream of blood.

There came an erratic, grimy thrrrrrsh, thrrrrrsh - Eboni spread her blood, pouring from a reopened wound, over the floor with one hand.

"What are you doing?" Nya demanded, but Eboni gripped her wrist harder.

"Relax. Don't speak."

The Whisperers kept talking. "Nya, you're not Fading already -? Nya -? Nya -? kch! What a pretty name."

Nya squeezed her eyes shut - like that made any difference, in the pitch black - and leaned forward until her forehead met Eboni's collar. What are you doing, Eboni? What are you doing...?

A rush of air - Nya's hair whipped away from her face, and through her eyelids burst a blast of violet light. She opened her eyes, shocked, at the same time as the Whisperers screamed.

An otherworldly, core-wrenching, soul-rending chorus of screams filled the air. The symbol glowing on the floor flooded the cell with violet light, reaching up to the darkness, where Nya could see thousands of Whisperer's eyes, white, swirling, trembling.

Eboni's lips twitched upwards. "Burn," she whispered.

And the screams extinguished like the symbol's light.

Nya breathed into Eboni's hair for a moment, heart still thudding.

"There," Eboni said. She caught Nya's neck, and Nya felt a familiar, prickling, soothing burn spread from her fingers into the rest of the Samurai. "Shh. Forget the Whisperers..."

Nya felt her fear ebbing. How did she get there, in the arms of the person who was so reluctant to even associate with her?

She let go of Eboni and backed up a few paces. "What did you just do?" she breathed. "Where are the Whisperers?"

"I ordered them away," Eboni said flatly. "They wouldn't be here in the first place, but we're in the cell right next to the Dyra - where we keep all the Whisperers."

"You keep -?" Nya cut herself off once again. Of course the Hidein kept Whisperers.

"Feel better?" Eboni said.

"Y-yeah. But how did you do that? If I was really under a spell, how did you lift it?"

"Easy. I Burned the spell away." Eboni scoffed. "Ah - I guess you wouldn't know. Hidoi controls Whisperers."

"Oh." Nya turned away from Eboni. It was completely dark again - but Nya wasn't nearly as frightened as she was before. Had that been part of the spell? "So... are they gonna come back?"

"... Normally, no, they wouldn't. They can move in and out of Encryptions at their own discretion, but as long as my Hidoi keeps them away, they can't come close to us." Eboni exhaled wearily. "But I can't hold them for long."

"Because you're too weak?"

"Of course not," Eboni snapped. "There's just so many Whisperers in the Dyra. I don't know exactly how many we keep, but I know it's in the hundreds... if they all wanted to get in here, I wouldn't be able to suppress them. The Encryption interferes with my ability to use Hidoi."

Nya was starting a database of questions she needed to ask. Luckily, she had all the time in the world to get them answered. "What's an Encryption?"

"It's a barrier," Eboni explained. "There are different kinds of Encryptions. The one placed on our cell is a Shiganye Encryption. It'll Stifles and Burns whatever's inside of it, perfect for holding people captive."

"Wait - so, Burning. That's a thing?"

"Yeah. Burning is how you use all of Hidoi."

"The Encryption is... Burning us?"

"Don't freak out. It just means we're trapped."

"Oh. What about - uh - Stifling, was it?"

"Yeah. That's just what's making us tired."

There was silence for a bit. Blessed silence.

No Whisperers.

"So... what are we gonna do, while we're stuck in here?" Nya asked at last.

"Die internally?" Eboni suggested sarcastically.

Nya didn't laugh.