After making sure Kitana was settled in for the night, Liu made his way to the campfire, sitting next to the stoic figure of Delsah. She made no move to indicate she'd noticed his presence, and Liu decided to make himself known. He cleared his throat and her eyes opened, focusing on him.

"You wish to know of your journey," she said simply, and he nodded. "It will be long, and perilous, but together, I believe you can conquer anything. Heowen has shown his favor upon you thus far, but be prepared. To defeat the guardians of the temple, you must defeat your inner demons. In doing so, you can achieve peace with Heowen, and discover your Geni."

"What is a Geni?" Liu asked softly.

"It is a guardian spirit, sent to protect you while your soul is in this fragile existence. Once we transcend from this life, the Geni is no longer needed, and it joins with your soul."

"But what is it?"

"Peoples of earth called them ganatlai adanvdo, or animal spirits."

"I already have my animality," Liu said hurriedly.

"Ah, yes, a dragon. That is a power bestowed upon you by the gods. I am talking of an innate connection, a guardian connected with a soul. It is known as The Great Power of the Geni. It is not a power you wield, but a helper in life. Sometimes divining our Geni is easy, sometimes it is hard. But all is possible. In order to pass into Yowan, you must conquer your inner demons and achieve peace with your Geni." She stood, staff in hand. "Now, it is time for sleeping. We have a long journey ahead." She strode off and disappeared, leaving Liu alone by the fire.

"Ever notice how often she just repeats herself in another way?" said a voice from behind him. Liu turned to look at Jax, leaning up against and tree and supporting Sonya.

"Yes, but such is often the way wise men ingrain important lessons into our heads. Good night." Liu stood and made his way over to Kitana.

A rapping on his skull awoke him the next morning, and he opened his eyes to see Sonya nudging him with her foot.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to rise and shine." She walked away and Liu sat up. He could barely make out the light of the sun in the sky, making it pale and serene.

"What time is it?" he asked groggily. Jax shrugged his massive shoulders.

"Not a clue," he answered, "but that lady brought breakfast." He bit into a large chunk of meat before spooning what looked like sap into his mouth. Kitana looked less enthusiastic about her meal than the other two.

"What is this stuff?" she asked warily. Delsah strode from the forest.

"It is food, and you will need the nourishment it provides for you upcoming travels. So eat." Sonya took a drink of sap and shrugged at Liu.

"Hey, we've eaten worse," she said, gesturing to Jax. "You know, in SERE, we had to persist an entire week in the wilderness with nothing but a pocket knife and an empty canteen? That was great. Just like camping with Dad back in Texas." Liu stretched out his muscles and joined his friends by the fire. Delsah handed him a chunk of cold meat and a flask of sap, and he started in. He made sure to finish it all, for he didn't know the next time he might receive a meal at all. Jax seemed to hone in on the conversation and started reminiscing with Sonya.

"Do you remember old 'Maniac McCallister?'" The memory sent him into peals of laughter, and he was joined by a smile and chuckle from Sonya. Jax saw this as encouragement and continued with his story. "This guy was all talk! Throughout the class sessions, he was talking how his father was a Navy Seal, and his mother a SERE instructor. So when we were dropped into our zone, we stole his knife and canteen. Of course, the instructors didn't care; they called it 'part of the game of survival.' Well, old 'Maniac' became frantic. He ran straight into a tree, causing a hive of forest wasps to dislodge from its place and nailed him right on the head!" The group laughed heartily. "When we got back to the base, we found him in the Infirmary Ward, covered in bandages and scared of a fly!" Sonya collapsed onto him, her stomach aching with laughter. Jax's hearty laugh filled the canopy, and the others joined them.

Delsah stood, "It is time to venture forth. Come." She began walking, and Liu shoveled the meat down his throat, finishing off his sap. They walked along the forest path behind the woman, watching as the path diminished and they started trudging through thick foliage.

"Stay close; it's easy to get lost in here," she instructed, and the four drew closer together. Liu began to think, then voiced his thoughts.

"What kinds of things will we be facing on our journey? You said there are things before the temple."

"Yes, there are many things in this forest, from wild animals to lost warriors. You are not the only ones who come here searching for their friends. You, however, possess one thing they do not."

"And that is?" Sonya asked.

"My guidance. While they must find the temple on their own, I am taking you straight there." Sonya nodded her acceptance, falling silent next to Jax. Her ear caught the sound of something in the trees, but ignored it. Only when a heavy weight fell on her, knocking her to the ground, did she cry out. It flew off into the forest, but she caught a glimpse of something that made her heart leap into her throat...sunglasses.

"Johnny?" she asked, taking Jax's proffered hand.

"What? What happened?" he asked.

"That thing! It jumped me!" The group looked around.

"What thing? You tripped, Sonya," Liu said.

"No! It jumped down on me! It looked like..." she shook her head free as Delsah interrupted her thoughts.

"It is the forest, trying to dissuade you from your trek. You must not let it overpower you, or it will win, and you will be doomed to wander these forests for eternity." Jax rolled his eyes.

"Something else that could have been brought to our attention before we started out!"

"Quiet!" Delsah bellowed. "That is enough. If you wish to make it through this forest alive, I suggest you close your mouths and open your ears. Be wary, for this forest is treacherous, in more ways than one." Sonya tried to focus on the words, but her mind raced back to the figure, trying to get a clearer image in her mind. But the only thing she could picture were the sunglasses; Johnny's sunglasses.

Just the forest, trying to mess with my mind. We're going to get him back soon, she told herself. Only when the group stopped to rest a few hours later did she realize how far they had walked, and how much her feet ached.

"Take a moment while I commune with Heowen. I must ask permission to travel through this part of the forest. It is his sacred land." She disappeared into the trees while the warriors rested in the small clearing. Liu took a drink of sap, then began a kata. Kitana stretched, readying herself. Jax began sparring with a trunk of a massive tree while Sonya tried to clear her mind. Images swirled, mixing with each other. She took several breaths, trying to calm down. It wouldn't do for her to be stressed and confused going into a fight.

After a few minutes, she stood and moved off to the side. She ran through a breathing form, then moved to a fast-paced tournament form. She had won Grand Champion at the TKO in Arlington, TX with this form, and she was proud of it. By the end, the others were watching her in awe, admiring each strike, each precise movement. She finished and bowed in respect, signaling the end. Liu clapped her on the shoulder.

"That was great! What was it?"

"Basai Dai," she replied, breathing deeply to calm her heart. "Won Grand Champion with that back before I joined the Army." A rustling drew their attention, and Delsah emerged from the undergrowth.

"I have been given permission to escort you. Come, we should reach the temple by nightfall." Sonya was getting tired of following this woman blindly. She was about to say something to Jax when her own inner voice stopped her.

She will lead you there, and soon you'll have Johnny again. Don't let this realm get to you.

She could have sworn her inner voice sounded a lot like a certain Elder God, but she dismissed it. Jax fell back to talk with her quietly, away from the others.

"Hey Sons," he greeted, trying to start light. "I don't think I've ever seen you do forms. You've always seemed like the fighting type to me." Sonya smiled a little.

"When I was younger, my dojo was a part of the Traditional Karate Organization in Texas. We used to do five tournaments a year, and the dojo with the most points at the end of the year won the annual award. They had a whole presentation for fighter of the year, and division champions, stuff like that. Then there was the AAU, which was national." Jax eyed her amusedly; he'd never seen her this talkative.

"What happened? I don't hear of you in many tournaments anymore."

"Believe me, I thought I was done with them. When I joined the Army, my focus was on serving my country. Of course, we see where that landed me." Jax chuckled.

"Another tournament," he commented.

"Yeah, only this time the stakes were a little higher." She took a breath, "So was the cost," she added softly. Jax moved to lay a hand on her shoulder, but didn't. She didn't need to be consoled. And he would make sure of it; even if he had to die to bring this Johnny guy back.