So for now, I've decided it's best to be on a biweekly updating schedule. My apologies, but Hosts has it been busy this summer... I've hardly written anything at all these past couple weeks.

I did, however, finally finish chapter 3 of the Ties that Bind! So whenever Kira goes over that, I'll publish it. I'm sorry for how long it's been since I updated that story. I published it before I was ready to throw myself into it. But now I've got a better feel for the plot/characters that I'll be using, and things will be moving significantly faster.

The bright side of not updating TtB in forever is that I've only published a few thousand words, so it won't take very long for y'all to skim them again and understand everything that's happened so far... :)

So the Fanfiction app updated the other day! Super excited for that, because I now have the option to go back and edit any chapter, even if the doc has expired. I've taken the liberty of going over some of my old A/Ns and...eh, slimming them down. Only done a few of the most embarrassing ones so far, but boy do I feel like a great weight's been lifted from my chest! Some of the things I've written (especially during my *phase* a little over a year ago) were quite stupid... How have you all put up with me? I don't deserve any of you. I love all of you so much. *Hugs*

Breeze Winder: Aww, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I've cried a lot too while writing these last few chapters. :'( Yes, we're very close to done! It's hard to believe... Thanks for the review!

Redemption

Nephilim.

Nephilim cracked her eyelids and moaned. What little light there was hurt her eyes. She tried to roll over but found her muscles too sore to move much.

Truethorn, she thought, eyes taking in the stone ceiling above her. She felt the soft mattress beneath her. Was she in her room? What happened? she asked.

You collapsed, Truethorn explained. I know very little beyond that.

A hand rested on Nephilim's forehead, and her eyes darted to the side. Then she saw him and relaxed, closing her eyes. Her father's welcome voice filled her ears a moment later.

"A stone warrior found you in one of the groves," Overlord said. "Where have you been?"

Nephilim tried to speak, but her voice came out as a croak. Overlord offered her a cup of water, and she painfully lifted her head to accept it.

"Nephilim," Overlord said. "Tell me what happened."

Nephilim blinked at her father. He rarely called her by any name other than Neph. "I…" She swallowed, took another drink of the water. Why hadn't he healed her? Surely one of his Gems still had enough power to take this pain away. "I was captured," she said. "And I heard their plans. I escaped to warn you."

Overlord seemed less than concerned by this. "Sanguine," he said. "Did you kill him?"

Nephilim hesitated.

Overlord stood sharply. "I gave you one job," he said, seeming to tower over her despite his shortness. "And you failed. Twice!"

"Father, I did kill him," Nephilim said. "But…something happened. He came back."

Overlord turned from her, walking to the door. Then he paced back to her, countenance dark and pensive. "How are his injuries?"

"It's as if they aren't even there," Nephilim said. "Father…your slave, Besai."

"What of her?"

"You Implanted her."

Overlord paused. "Yes. I did."

"Why?"

"My reasons are my own, girl. Do not ask me such things."

"Well…I think Sanguine came back because of Besai," Nephilim ventured. "Because of her Implants."

"Implant," Overlord corrected her, his frown deepening. "There was only one. I never gave her a healing Gem. She has strength, like your Blade. That is all."

"So how did Sanguine come back, then?"

"I wouldn't know!" Overlord thundered. "You were there! Not me!" He ran a hand through his hair. Nephilim flinched at the sudden movement: she could never predict her father's behavior while he was in one of these moods.

"I should have gone myself," he grumbled. "I should have done the job properly."

"I know where they are," Nephilim assured him. "In a cave, in the cliffs to the east. By the river delta."

Overlord cast a contemptuous eye over her. "If you know where they are, then why did you come back to me before completing your mission?"

Nephilim looked away. "There were no weapons nearby," she said. "I only escaped because Hrymerv bound me too loosely tonight."

"And yet you managed to run the whole way here," Overlord said. "You had all of Truethorn's strength at your disposal, and you used it to run back to me instead of completing your task?"

She was losing him. Nephilim struggled to come up with a coherent thought; some argument to justify her actions. But she couldn't. She closed her eyes so he would not see her eyes watering. Or maybe because she could not bear to meet his cold gaze again.

Overlord sighed. "I am more than capable of countering any half-formed plans the Dark Knight throws my way. You know this, Nephilim. Sanguine, however…"

His hand struck her cheek so suddenly that she cried out. She wanted nothing more than to pull the blankets over her head and hide from him. But she didn't dare. Instead she pulled out her final defense and prayed that it would be enough to sate him.

"They know your weakness," she whispered. "They said they would use it against you tomorrow night."

This made Overlord pause. "It is morning, Nephilim. Do you mean tonight, or tomorrow night?"

"Oh." Nephilim hadn't realized how much time had passed. She only vaguely remembered her journey here. Perhaps the sun had been rising when she collapsed? "Um…tonight."

Overlord looked deeply troubled. "Stay in your room," he ordered, moving briskly for the door. "Do not move until I return."

"What?" Nephilim pushed herself to a sitting position with considerable difficulty. "Father, let me help you! Heal me and we can-"

Overlord turned back and slapped her again, eyes flashing white for an instant. Nephilim cried out, but did not touch her throbbing skin: she could not show how much it hurt her until he was gone.

"Useless child," he snarled. "I will handle this, and deal with you when I return." He stormed from the room and slammed the door shut.

Trembling, Nephilim lowered herself back onto her pillow, tears wetting her face. Her life- her relationship with her father- was falling away like a mudslide on a mountain slope.

I should have killed Sanguine, she said to Truethorn. I should have used your power and strangled him before I left the cave. Then Father would be happy.

Truethorn thrummed reassuringly inside her mind. You did what you thought was best, the Blade said. This is not your fault.

Wasn't it, though? It must be Nephilim's fault. Why else would Overlord be so cross with her?

I will be punished, Nephilim thought, horrified. She had disobeyed. It had been a long while since the last time she had been beaten. She'd hoped she had gained enough of her father's respect in recent months to not worry about it happening again. But now…

Where are you, Truethorn? she asked.

We already went over this, Neph. I haven't been able to figure that out since Besai rendered you unconscious the other night. I'm sorry. You will have to find me yourself.

Nephilim shivered. Her stomach rumbled- she hadn't eaten anything in days, but she knew she could not leave to find something to eat until Overlord came back.

What if he does not come back? Nephilim asked Truethorn as tears spilled from her sunken eyes. What if I die here?

I won't let that happen, Truethorn said firmly. I don't have much power left, but if I ration it, you can last for a while yet. Here. A bit of strength seeped into Nephilim's fatigued body. Her hunger became a little more manageable.

Try to rest, Neph. Save your strength.

The sun was low on the horizon as Josi ate her meal in brooding silence. Despite Varasach's best attempts, she'd hardly spoken a word since Zane had dismissed them from his study several hours prior.

"The food is good," Varasach said to a servant passing through the dining area. "Thank you."

The servant, long since accustomed to Varasach's frequent compliments, smiled and nodded. Then she coughed, hastily disappearing into the kitchen.

"I'm glad you like it, Vara," Driniah said in her subdued voice. She picked at her own meal wearily, the shadows under her eyes darker than usual. Even her paint did little to cover them. "This is certainly not the most magnificent meal our cooks have prepared. But…well, they do what they can with the resources we have. It's been a hard year, economically."

Varasach had no idea what economically meant, but she nodded anyway, smiling as she cut the skins off a steaming white tuber and dipped it in a creamy sauce in a separate cup. "I am very glad that you're sharing with us," she said.

Driniah smiled. "Think nothing of it," she said. "This house is far too large and lonely now. I'm grateful that you two are here to keep me company."

The dining room stayed quiet for a while after that, the only noise coming from their utensils against the plates, and the muffled clanging of dishes being moved around in the kitchen.

Footsteps approached their table, and Varasach straightened, preparing a greeting for the servant.

"Good evening," Zane said stiffly, and moved around the round table, sitting opposite Driniah. His eyes did not wander to Josi or Varasach even once.

With a soft sigh, Josi set her fork by her plate and sat back in her chair, one leg swung over the other. She crossed her arms and tipped her head back, hard yellow eyes glaring at the high ceiling. Thick wooden beams stretched from end to end, supporting the floor of the second level above them.

"Hi," Varasach said, managing something like a smile, even though Zane ignored her. It hurt her that Zane was being so terse. What had she done to upset him?

Driniah lowered her own fork and dabbed her mouth with a napkin. "Good evening, Zane," she said. "You're late. How did your meeting with Peran go?"

Zane let out a puff of air, shaking his head. "I guess maybe things could be worse," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Moons…the Queen's sudden arrival has the General and I on edge."

"I haven't spoken to her yet, since she's resting," Driniah said. "Why is she here?"

Zane shook his head slowly as a servant placed a platter of food before him. "It has something to do with Cyrus. That's all I know so far."

So she is with Cyrus? Varasach perked up. She had not met the Queen yet. I wonder if she knows the Way, since she knows Cyrus. The thought excited her. It would be nice to have someone other than Josi- and the occasional servant, though they were generally shy and didn't like to hold long conversations- to talk to about it.

Zane nodded his thanks to the servant. The young woman bowed, then coughed quietly into her sleeve as she turned to go.

Zane spun in his seat to examine her better, frowning. "Are you all right?"

The servant nodded, trying to suppress her coughs with little success. "I- Yes. Milord. I'm- sorry." Her face flushed with embarrassment as, after a long moment, her fit finally subsided. "I woke up this morning a little queasy, Milord. I'm sorry for troubling you."

Zane stood smoothly and touched her forehead. His frown deepened. "Go rest," he said.

"But-" the woman protested.

"Go," Zane said firmly. "Lock yourself in the spare bunkhouse. Don't touch anything along your way. I will send someone for you later."

Shock widened the woman's dark eyes. She blinked, blood leaving her face. "I… Hosts. Milord." She bowed deeply, and her hands began to tremble. "I'm sorry. If I had known…"

Varasach's fork slipped from her fingers. This servant had the plague.

"You did know," Zane began, face hard as stone, "that if you feel even the slightest sign of illness you go to the physician. You disobeyed. What if our Lady Driniah catches the plague because of you?"

"Zane," Driniah said, standing. The servant girl's whole body shook now. "Please. Leave her be."

Zane's eyes were cold as ice as he regarded the Southern Lady. "Stay back," he said. "She-"

"No!" Her biting tone caused even Josi to blink in shock. Driniah stepped around the table toward them, hand outstretched toward the woman. "Zane, thank you for your concern. Return to your meal."

"M-Milady!" the woman cried out as Driniah reached for her. She stepped back, then bowed again. "Please, stay away. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"Tavi," Driniah said gently, lifting the servant's chin. "You shouldn't have come to work without speaking to Doctor Channing first, yes. But you have no need to apologize. I am the one at fault. If I had been paying attention I would have noticed something was wrong much sooner."

"My lady," Zane said, alarmed. "Don't touch her."

"Peace, Zane," Driniah said, moving her hand to Tavi's shoulder. "She already handled my food, and my drink, and countless other items today. What difference does it make if I touch her now?"

Tears spilled down Tavi's cheeks. "I-"

"No, child," Driniah said, a warm, sad smile on her face. "I know you wouldn't have come near me if you had known you were infected. I forgive you." She gave Tavi a gentle nudge. "I'll walk you to the spare room."

Tavi cast a fearful eye back on Zane, but Driniah urged her forward. They walked together, silently, out of the dining hall. Neither Josi or Zane said a word.

Hesitantly, Varasach returned to her meal, hating the tense quiet.

"Don't touch your food!" Zane ordered. Varasach jumped at his tone, her fork clattering to the floor. Zane sighed and softened his expression. "I'm sorry. Here, Vara. I'll take your plate to the kitchen and get you something that isn't contaminated."

"But…Driniah said that damage was already done," Varasach said timidly.

"That doesn't mean you need to be a fool like her and-"

"A fool?" Josi shot to her feet, slamming her palms on the table. Varasach started again. "Zane, that servant might die alone because everyone will be afraid to catch her infection." Emotion- both rage and sadness- imbued her tone. "Driniah shouldn't be near Tavi, definitely. But don't call her a fool for being kind to the servant in what could very well be her last days."

"You-" Zane began, but clamped his mouth shut. He slowly sank into his chair, suddenly looking more tired than upset. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm not myself lately. All this stress is getting to my head. We-"

"My lord," a male servant interrupted him from across the room.

Zane looked up, face strained as he tried to keep his temper. "What is it now?" he asked.

The servant sensed something was off, and he shuffled back a step, saying nothing.

"Well?" Zane stood. "Out with it."

"I…" The servant collected himself and bowed. "My lord. There is someone outside who insists he speak to you immediately."

"Another unhappy Southern merchant," Zane sighed. "Why haven't you sent him away like the rest? I don't have time for this."

"Er…no, my lord," the servant said. "My apologies. He claims he is from Cyrus, and that he has a message for you. My lord."

"I can't even rest long enough to enjoy a meal," Zane murmured, but nodded to the servant. "Search him, and have him sent to my study."

As much as Cole had hoped he would, he saw no sign of Kai as they pushed through the storm. It wasn't as though he had the strength of mind to search very hard anyway: the rain had him shaking all over. The water seeped through his thin clothing, and he felt as though he were drowning.

"It cannot hurt you," Sage said to him. She held Chedva in a thick bundle of blankets to keep her dry: it could be hours until they reached Merv and Jay's old cave, where they would hide those who could not fight. The last thing they needed was to add baby hypothermia to their list of things to worry about.

"What, the water?" Cole asked. They walked at the front of the group. Behind them trudged Jay, Pixal, Merv, and Besai in a tight group. Ronin took the rear with Wu: the old man had agreed to travel with them to their new hiding place, since Nephilim knew about the cave and would likely lead every stone warrior on the island to it.

"Yes," Sage said. "You are a stone warrior. You do not need to fear the water anymore."

Cole drew his arms close and looked up. Though they were approaching midday, the sky remained dark. A bad omen.

"I could still drown," he said weakly. "It's only my skin that's changed. It…" His throat tightened at the thought. He gagged, becoming more frightened as rain water dripped into his open mouth. Big mistake, looking up like that. How could everyone else be so calm about the rain?

"Hey. Cole." Sage forced him to stop- which stopped the procession behind them, to Cole's embarrassment. "It'll be okay." She lifted the cowl of his hood a few inches and kissed him. A wet, cold, shivering kiss. But Cole felt better for it.

Cole smiled tenuously as they pulled apart. "You used a contraction," he said.

A bit of color pinked Sage's dark cheeks. "I did not!"

"You totally did," Cole argued, and they continued walking.

"Your friends are a bad influence," Sage muttered, blushing further. "Their speech is so…"

"Informal," Cole filled in. "Yeah. There's nothing wrong with that, you know."

"Yes," Sage admitted. "I just…do not like to use it."

"Well-" Cole began, but Pixal cut him off.

"Hide!" she hissed, thrusting a hand from beneath her cloak, motioning to the right. She grabbed Jay by the wrist and pulled him behind a thicket. The others followed quickly.

"What's going on?" Ronin asked. He wore no hood, relying instead on his wide-brimmed hat to keep the rain off his face.

"I saw a flash of light," Pixal explained, pointing ahead.

"Lightning?" Jay said. "There's been plenty of that so far today."

Another flash- orangish-yellow, like rays of sunlight- lit up the air directly behind them. Cole instinctively covered Sage's body with his own before turning his head to see what had caused the flash, though he already knew in his gut what it was.

A portal from Sunseeker. This flare of yellow light had carried with it at least a dozen stone warriors, about fifty paces off. If Pixal said that there had been another flash ahead of them…

"Jay," Pixal said, leaping to her feet, drawing her long knife. "Carry Wu. Take Sage, Besai, and Merv, run to your cave."

"Excuse me?" Jay sounded more confused than upset. "Pixal, I have a Blade. I need to stay here and fight! You can't do anything with that knife."

Pixal glared icily at the stone warriors, now less than thirty paces off and advancing quickly, then at her knife. "Your Blade, Besai," she said. "Give it to me."

"What?" Besai squeaked. She shivered, looking terribly small and pale beneath her large black cloak.

"Now, Besai! Here's my knife. Sorry. Run with the others. We'll catch up."

With shaky hands Besai gave Pixal her Blade. The Nindroid traded her the knife.

"Don't be afraid," Pixal said, words almost overlapping in her haste. "I'll have Suki watching you. Take care of Sage. Merv will guide you all to a safe place. Ronin will protect you."

"But-"

"Run!"

Besai ran, her cloak flapping in the screeching, whirling winds.

"Go," Cole said, pushing Sage to her feet.

"Cole-"

"No time! Just go!" He set a hasty hand on Sage's cheek, and another on the wrap of blankets protecting their daughter. Would he ever see them again? He hated sending them off. But their chances were probably better out there than here, sandwiched between two companies of stone warriors. And more could arrive at any moment.

The moment lasted half a heartbeat. Cole shoved Sage after Besai. She ran with Ronin. Merv and Wu were not far behind.

Cole drew his Blade. Only he, Jay, and Pixal remained.

"We've got this," Pixal said, though her eyes betrayed her uncertainty as she fell into stance with her borrowed Blade. "Jay, conserve your power. Use it only enough to compensate for your leg. We don't know how long we'll have to fight."

I've hardly ever used my Blade, Cole thought. It has to be at full power. Not that he wanted to use it. But if it came down to it…

The company of stone warriors descended on them in a furious surge of flying wet sand and guttural war cries. Pixal and Jay were forced to be cautious, constantly minding their surroundings to avoid getting tripped or surrounded. Cole, on the other hand, let out a shout of fury and dove straight into the mess, Raindancer growing into a broad but short double-edged sword.

He would have liked to have mercy on the stone warriors and deliberately cut where it wouldn't kill- they were hardly able to control their actions, being under Overlord's command- but he could hardly afford to be picky. What they fought here was only a small sampling of what was to come. Hundreds upon hundreds of soldiers. If Cole wanted to survive, he would have to fight Overlord with equal brutality.

Overlord is trying to weaken us with these small waves before he arrives, Cole thought, Blade flying through one body after another. If he really believes we know his weakness, I suppose this is the best strategy- Sunseeker sends small groups of Overlord's elite to wound us as the rest of the army travels on foot. And then the real fun begins…

So much for getting into the fortress while Overlord was distracted at the cave by the delta… I should have known that Overlord could have Sunseeker sense us. It probably didn't take much effort on his part to find us and send this first wave.

Moons! What if he sent stone warriors after Sage and the others? Or Kai?

He felt a dull prick behind his shoulder blade and knew that a stone warrior had attempted to stab him with a regular steel sword. After quickly decapitating his current adversary, Cole turned, grinning at the bewildered stone warrior. He raised his Blade, intending to cut this soldier's head from its shoulders, but the stone warrior raised its sword hastily to block.

It. Since when have I been calling stone warriors Its? Like we aren't even people. The thought made him hesitate, but not long enough to affect his assault. He pushed forward with a deep-throated yell, eagerly drinking the growing fear in the young warrior's blue eyes. He looked to be about Cole's age, brown hair pulled back from his face with a leather cord- typical of most stone warriors.

Cole leaped to the side suddenly, causing his opponent to stumble as their weapons disconnected. The soldier's arms pinwheeled as Cole walked behind it and thrust his Blade into its chest.

It. That's what they were. Cole embraced the term with a chilling grin, the scent of blood strong in his nostrils as Pixal and Jay slew other its around him.

Another group of stone warriors emerged from the trees- likely they were the ones from the initial flash of light Pixal had spotted- and joined the fray.

Good, Cole thought, running to meet them head-on. More blood. Only a tiny part of him resisted the pull of his Transformed instincts, and he ignored it: they were helping him to fight better and faster. And the sooner this was done, the sooner he could run to new prey-

Er…catch up with Sage. He needed to finish this quickly so he could find Sage and protect her.

But for now he allowed his bloodlust to guide him, slashing through one enemy after another, killing three, then four, then a half-dozen stone warriors. More and more fell at his feet until only two remained, and he ran toward them voraciously, licking spattered blood and water- which hardly bothered him now, why had it before?- from his lips. He could not see his own eyes, but he supposed they might be on fire.

"Cole! Hey!" a familiar voice shouted, distracting him. Something felt wrong as he looked at his two opponents, and he pulled up short, tripping over something in the sand- maybe a body- and fell on his face.

That woke him up completely, and he lifted his head from the ground with a grimace, spitting sand from his mouth.

Jay stared down at him with wide eyes, his Blade red with blood, its point inches from Cole's head.

"Agh…" he panted. "I didn't want to use this on you, but I was worried I'd need to. You were totally out of it."

Cole rose to his knees and found his Blade, red and sticky to the hilt, by his shaking right hand. His clothing was torn in too many places to be salvageable. And not a drop of the blood he saw belonged to him.

He felt sick.

What makes these stone warriors any different from the female slaves? he asked himself. They have no choice. I should be trying to protect them. Aren't I living proof that our Transformed instincts can be overridden?

Yeah, right. Overridden. Because he hadn't just given in and murdered two dozen of his kind not one minute earlier.

"Are you okay?" he croaked.

Pixal helped him to his feet. "We're both fine," she said. A long gash across her cheek exposed shining metal beneath. "A little banged up, but we're ready for round two. You?"

Cole shook his head. "No." No, I'm not hurt. But I'm not fine, either.

…Did they know that Cole held the power in his Blade to save their enemies?

"I'm glad I left Momo behind like you said, Pixal," Jay said. "He might not have survived this…"

Why Jay was thinking about that Host-cursed dog now, Cole did not know. Pixal grunted, not raising her eyes from her Blade, which she was cleaning with her sleeve and rainwater.

"What now?" Jay asked above the roar of the wind. Around them the sand was black with the blood of his fellow stone warriors. The heavy rain did nothing to help wash away the stench of it. If anything it made the smell more unbearable.

"We need to get away from here," Cole said, staring bleakly at the corpses. Some were not yet dead, and lay on the ground moaning, bleeding out.

"We need to help them," Jay said, voicing the thought that Cole had not been brave enough to suggest himself.

Pixal nodded. "Suki says Ronin and the others are still fine," she said. "We can take a minute and help these men. But then we have to catch up with the others."

Kai stumbled through the rain, gasping for breath, stifling a cry every time thunder pealed overhead. The landscape around him changed. It grew rockier, with short, leafy trees growing on shallow, rolling slopes.

He had only wanted to help. He had only wanted to keep Besai safe.

They don't understand. Kai grit his teeth as he tripped over a rock. Though he threw out his hands to brace his fall, he still got a face full of sand. They don't understand just how dangerous this is. How much is on the line.

Maybe they would understand, Moonsong said, if you had only taken the time to tell them.

"Tell them what?" Kai screamed at his clenched, sandy fists. "That we're all going to die? That our…our scrambling for safety, for happiness, for love is all worthless because we're all going to die in the end?"

Usually, Moonsong used its power to calm Kai's nerves before his fits could get this bad. But today Moonsong seemed inclined to let Kai's emotions run rampant. Look where that had gotten the both of them. Wandering alone in the dead center of the evilest place in the world.

Kai struggled to his feet, uncontrollable frustration and rage boiling his blood, and smashed his fist into a nearby tree with a vicious howl. It came away bloody, but he did not care. He beat the tree again and again, screaming like the witless animal that he believed he was- that he believed Overlord had caused him to become- until he could take the pain in his knuckles no longer. Then he let his arms fall limp and charged headlong into the poor tree, rattling his body as thunder rumbled in the sky above him. A few leaves came free of their branches and fluttered away on the wind.

Master! Moonsong exclaimed as Kai- shivering, weeping, bleeding- sank to the ground. Master, stop!

"Make me!" The bitter taste of blood filled Kai's mouth, and he stood, ramming his body into the tree again. He fell, head and heart pounding, every part of him cold and aching.

He remained prostrate until his well of rage filled to the brim once more. Then he got up, stepped back a few paces, and charged into the tree again.

"Make me stop!" Kai screamed, falling to his knees, beating his forehead against the tree. "Hosts consume you, worthless Blade! Make. Me. Stop!"

No! Moonsong shouted back, vibrating intensely in his pocket. No, Kai! I've been holding this back for you for days now- you need to get it out. But more sensibly than this, please! Stop!

"You're doing this on purpose?"

I'm not doing anything, Master! You're doing it! You need to stop!

"I can't stop! That god is the reason I'm here in the first place!" He gasped. "Help me!"

I can't! Another crash of thunder. Moonsong continued more gently. I've tried to help you, Kai. For weeks I have helped you suppress these emotions. I've helped you carry the rubble of your broken mind. And it needs to stop. It's hurting you. Let it go.

Kai could hardy speak through the sobs. Hot blood ran down his face; his head throbbed. "Let wh-what go?" he asked weakly.

Wordlessly, Moonsong pulled a picture of Kyle from the recesses of Kai's crumbling mind.

No…

Kai slumped to the ground, weeping so intensely that he forgot how to breathe.

The foundations of your broken spirit need to be swept away before you can rebuild, Moonsong said. Stop holding on to the pieces of what you have lost. Let it go so He can build you a stronger, more beautiful heart.

I can't, Kai said, gulping a lungful of air, feeling like a fish struggling out of water. A man out of sanity. Hosts, Moonsong, I can't. I don't even know how.

You're a prisoner of your own mind, Moonsong pressed on. You hold the key. Just open the door. Let Him pull you out.

Kai shut out the Blade's voice. How dare Moonsong do this to him? After all these weeks of helping him shut out the pain, Moonsong had the gall to throw that door open and fling it all back into his face? Exactly what did the Blade hope to accomplish by doing this? Why now, of all times, when he needed to help the others? When he needed to protect Besai?

I can't even protect myself out here. How could I have protected her?

That aside, he'd hurt her this morning. Would she even want his protection?

When there were no more tears left to cry, Kai felt empty inside. But it wasn't a peaceful emptiness, as one might have during a dreamless sleep. No, this was a dead emptiness, like a graveyard, or a dank cavern.

And though it felt marginally better than his emotional tirade of a few moments ago, it still didn't feel right.

…Just let go.

Tentatively, Kai dared to rise to his knees, raising his chin toward the sky, rain beating his face. What a mess he was, caked in mud and blood, every inch of his body discolored with ugly, swelling bruises.

An image of a soiled pot entered his mind. A pot so filthy that it had to be thrown into the fire to be purged of its stains. The pot would endure searing-hot flames for a short time in order to be clean for better use in the future.

Was that the process Kai had endured these past few weeks? The process he was undergoing at this moment?

"This is what you wanted all along, isn't it?" he shouted raggedly, hurting his throat. "I'm a repulsive, miserable creature with a fragile, tainted heart- I've refused to give up my pride, refused to let you take away these stains, because I thought I could carry it myself. And then, even more absurdly, I thought I could somehow get rid of these flaws without your help! So…" He choked and swallowed; he felt parched. "So you left me to my absurdity, my stupidity, allowing me to wear myself down until nothing remained but rubble. And then I tried to blame you for what I did to myself!"

He splayed his hands in the sand and hung his head between his shoulders.

"I'm the harlot!" he cried. "And…I'm the child who, despite your many warnings, went too close to the cliff and fell. But…" He imagined Wu's kind eyes, his wrinkled hands, outstretched as if to catch the imaginary child as it fell. Kai continued quietly. "…But even if I've ignored you and violated myself all these years apart from you, you will always welcome me back. Because you love me. All you want is for me to be saved."

Moonsong had exited his mind completely. The blasted Blade was right: this was something Kai had to work through on his own. Kai tossed the Blade to the side and took a deep breath, lowering his voice.

"My heart is yours," he murmured. He repeated himself loudly, looking again heavenward. "My heart is yours! Take it! Take away this rubble, these…these worthless, shattered pieces that I've carried for so long. I don't want this anymore! Give…" He faltered. Breathed deeply. "Give me the gift that I've rejected for so long. I need your strength, your peace, your…forgiveness."

Another breath. Another peal of thunder.

"I am sorry," Kai whispered. "Please, please forgive me."

And that was it. He opened his eyes and found his vision gone, blurred by a steady stream of tears. His lips parted in a broad grin as the last of the heavy burden left his shoulders. Overwhelming peace spread through his trembling body. He felt as though he could fly, if he tried hard enough.

"Thank you," he managed shakily through relieved tears. "Thank you…" His heart overflowed with more gratefulness and exultation than he knew what to do with, and he continued to weep.

I'm free, he thought, the words completely foreign to him. I'm free!

He would have continued to weep, sobs interspersed with ecstatic bursts of laughter, until his eyes were dry, if Moonsong had not reentered his mind and spoken softly.

We need to get going, the Blade said.

Yes, Kai agreed, climbing unsteadily, but eagerly, to his feet, taking the Blade in his bleeding hand. We need to go back to the cave. I need to tell them about this! He turned to go, but Moonsong stopped him.

Do you really think they'd still be there? the Blade asked. No. They must have left already. Find out where they are, and head in that direction.

How am I supposed to do that?

Moonsong chuckled. You should really use me more often. Close your eyes.

Kai obeyed. His jubilation had been tempered by the gravity of the situation- he would likely now be going back into the belly of the beast to help the others with their plan to destroy Overlord's Blades- but he still felt that peace, to a degree, and with it came a dose of confidence that surprised him greatly. He heard Kyle's gentle voice, almost bringing tears back into his eyes.

Peace I leave with you… Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Moonsong tentatively pulled him back into the now. Reach out with my power, Master. Feel for the minds of anyone you wish- on this island, of course. My reach cannot extend all the way to Ninjago from here.

So…I'm basically just reading minds like I normally would do with your power? The idea did not appeal to him: he hated seeing the private thoughts of others, and rarely did so. But he made an exception this time, reaching out with Moonsong's powers to the minds of every living creature nearby. He felt the insects; a billion tiny dots buzzing around him. With a yelp he realized there was some sort of beetle on his foot, and he kicked it off. He also felt the minds of larger animals, such as birds, lizards, and even what he assumed was a dog- he hadn't even believed those existed until he'd seen Jay's pup- burrowed in a cave underground a mile off.

"I don't see anybody," Kai said helplessly.

You're not sending out the right…eh, signal, as they said in the old days. You have to look for a specific person.

Besai. Kai reached out with his mind to her, feeling for her presence.

There! He opened his eyes. "I see her!" he exclaimed. Moonsong's reddish-orange gem pulsed. "Or…I feel her. Faintly."

Good! Now, what does she see?

The first thing Kai noticed as he probed further was not what Besai saw, but rather what she felt.

Fear.

Kai instinctively unsheathed his Blade and turned around, expecting to see a legion of stone warriors behind him. "What was that?" he asked, heart pounding.

That was Besai, Moonsong explained urgently. You saw stone warriors behind her?

"Far away, but yeah. They're following her."

Not good. We're out of time, Master. What else did you see?

I…I saw the river. They were running west along its bank.

Well then, get going! Moonsong bellowed, causing Kai to flinch. Go! The river's just ahead. Follow it until you reach her!

Kai ran.

It wasn't long before Besai's group had a company of stone warriors on their tail. The howling, screaming, clanking sword-and-armor din pursuing them heightened her already acute fear.

Pixal had hoped that the stone warriors would leave them alone as they fled, but it wasn't meant to be.

There was nothing to do but run. Run, and hope that Pixal's group would catch up to them before these stone warriors did.

There was a flash of light to the right. Besai saw another company of stone warriors coming at them from that direction a moment later.

"Keep moving!" Ronin shouted raggedly above the wind, moving slightly left, face red from exertion. He carried Wu in his arms: the old man was unable to keep up with their pace.

Whatever exhaustion Ronin showed manifested twofold in Sage's pinched features as she stumbled between Besai and Merv. She was such a weak-bodied woman. Besai feared for her. And the baby.

"Where is this cave?" Ronin asked.

"I…am not completely sure," Merv admitted, panting as she moved closer to him. "But it's on the other side of this river. We will have to cross somewhere shallow."

"Okay. But do you know how many more miles?"

"No," Merv said. "Um…it was about an hour's walk from our… Overlord's compound."

Ronin's face darkened. To their left, on the other side of the river, was another yellow light flash.

Besai's countenance fell as well. They had been walking briskly for several hours before the first wave of stone warriors split them up. Even so, it was half a day's journey across the island to where Overlord was no doubt orchestrating this attack from the comfort of a chair in his fortress. Likely with a goblet of wine in hand, smiling self-assuredly to himself.

They might have to run for hours more before reaching Merv's hiding place. And Overlord seemed to know where they were no matter what- a fact made evident by the increasing number of stone warriors boxing them in from all sides but the front. Herding them toward whatever troubles lay ahead.

Sage stumbled and fell with a sharp cry. Besai skidded to a stop and pulled her upright. Then Merv was there, too, taking the baby from Sage's trembling arms and dashing to catch up with Ronin, who had slowed a little, the stress of extreme urgency widening his eye and pinching his brows.

"Go!" Besai shouted at him, and pulled Sage along behind her.

Where is Kai? she found herself thinking. He has a Blade. He could be here protecting us!

But, by shying away from Kai's apologetic touch, she had inadvertently shunned him. He had a right to flee. She had a right to be punished for what she had so thoughtlessly done to him.

But her unborn child deserved a chance to live. Sage and her dear sister Merv deserved to live, too. Ronin had to get back to his family. None of that would happen if she didn't keep moving.

But where was Kai?

If Overlord knew where they were, he certainly knew where Kai was, too. And Kai was alone, with no one to protect him if ten, twenty, thirty, or a hundred stone warriors were sent after him. Even from the beginning it seemed that he had always been Overlord's main target.

Kai could already be dead.

"Besai!" Merv cried.

Besai's head snapped up from her running feet. She realized that she had slowed ever-so-slightly. Just enough for the fastest stone warriors to nearly catch up to her and Sage. She gasped and ran faster. It was all Sage could do to stay on her feet as she was tugged along.

There was no way they could get away from this. They were-

Behind them, Besai heard a scream. She spared a glance over her shoulder and saw the stone warriors had parted, stumbling in an effort to get away from whatever was pushing itself through their midst.

Suki.

The huge bird let out an enraged cry. Green lasers shot from its eyes, singing the ground at the solders' feet as they scattered, unwillingly allowing their prey to get ahead.

"Come on, Besai," Ronin gasped as they stumbled down a slope. "This is our chance. Look ahead. That rocky hill? We can hide on the other side of that and catch our…our breath. You… You're doing great, Sage. Keep it up."

Sage didn't seem to notice that he'd spoken to her. She looked terrible; they'd all been pushed too hard with this run, but she was faring the worst by far. Besai gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. They were almost to safety.

Safety was too kind a word, but Besai allowed herself to use it, if only to motivate herself.

Directly ahead, another blinding flash of light had them skidding to a halt. They were now surrounded.

Besai turned in a circle, still clutching Sage's hand, trying to find a way out. Stone warriors behind, ahead, to their right, and across the river to their left. Overlord had them penned in by at least a hundred men. Suki did what she could, but after the initial startle, none of the stone warriors paid her heed: they'd finally figured out that the bird could not hurt them.

Ronin set Wu on his feet and drew his sword. "I'll…make a break in the line," he said, chest heaving. "You guys follow close behind."

"Ronin, you don't know if that will work against so many men," Wu said. "And weren't there only four stone warriors on that day you lost your eye?"

"What choice do we have?" Ronin snapped. He set his jaw, eye narrowed at the wall of stone warriors. The nearer they moved, the more condensed the wall became. Besai caught a flicker of uncertainty in his expression.

Beside her, Sage began to cry.

Besai's chest tightened with emotion and fatigue. She drew the long knife Pixal had given her from her pocket and examined its length. It was shorter than her Blade, but not by much. Maybe…with the strength that she'd somehow used to defeat Nephilim…

Besai released Sage's hand and charged the stone warriors.

"What are you doing?" Ronin leaped to grab her arm. He jerked her back. "Besai, my Gem can't bring back dead people. Don't do that."

"What choice do we have?" Besai retorted. "We-"

She cut herself off at the sound of another cry from a stone warrior. Looking back, she saw a commotion among their ranks as they were distracted by something Besai could not see. Suki let out a cry and flew to join the fray, diving down and getting in the stone warriors' faces to agitate them further.

Is it Kai? Besai wondered hopefully as the stone warriors abandoned their circle to focus on whatever that disturbance was.

"Go!" Ronin shouted, pushing Wu forward. He shoved Besai and Merv as well, but gave Sage a gentle nudge. "To those rocks, while they're distracted! Go!"

Besai took Sage by the arm and sprinted onward.

Though it felt like an eternity, it only took a minute to climb to a tight rock formation on the other side of the hill. Most of the boulders were small, reaching only to Besai's waist. There were a few, however, that offered enough shelter to sit between, comfortably protected from the eyes of their pursuers, at the right angles. Besai made sure the others were situated inside their own hard, wet, slippery nooks before securing her own spot next to Merv between two shorter but wider boulders. The four of them struggled to catch their breath, struggled to convince themselves that they were safe, at least for a moment. At least until the stone warriors realized that the only place that they could have gone was to this irregular rock formation. Clearly Overlord knew how to find them, too- he had so deliberately penned them in with stone warriors using Sunseeker's powers. And they were completely defenseless.

What was Ronin doing down there? Why hadn't he joined them in hiding?

In Merv's arms Chedva began to whimper. Her blankets looked terribly wet. With shaking arms Sage reached out and took the child, still crying, and held her close.

The sight almost drove Besai to tears. What a terrible place for a mother and child to be. At any moment they could be discovered, and her child could be taken and…

Besai did not allow the thought to come to fruition. Instead, she dared to climb the rise and peek over the crest of the hill, peering through the thick sheets of rain to discern just what was going on below them.

It was not Kai.

Pixal, Ronin, Cole, and Jay stood in the center of a ring of stone warriors. There was a wide gap between them and their opponents: the stone warriors seemed smart enough to realize that coming close would be their final mistake. Still, they were trapped, and when the stone warriors overcame their fear, it would be all over for Pixal and her companions.

What is Ronin doing down there? she wondered. He only has a regular sword. What can he hope to do?

A familiar flash of light just down the hill from Besai sent her blood pounding hot under her skin. She ducked down again, but knew it would do her no good. More stone warriors were heading directly for their rocks.

Overlord had spotted them.

*CHARACTER DEVELOPS LOUDLY*

Wow, Kai! I can't believe we finally made it! 0_0; It's been a loooong journey. That scene was tough to write, and Kira had a lot of notes to tweak it (thank you Kira!). The results were satisfactory, yes? Let's all cheer that marshmallow on! GO KAI GO! Save Besai!

And of course, let's not forget Moonsong. Kai would probably be about as insane as his ancestor Lei without that dear Blade's help. A round of applause for that wonderful companion.

I haven't gone into Sage's character as much as I should have... Ugh, she seems like a really shallow character. That's something I'll have to work on in the rewrite. But darnit, isn't she cute? Such a quiet character, but boy would Cole be a different man without her and their squishy kid.

This is completely random, but you know those Don't Hug me I'm Scared videos? Yeah. I'd first heard of them a while ago, but didn't actually explore any of them until yesterday. I watched it under the assumption that it would be a clip of a little kid show or something. AAHHH! NO! I only made it through the first one. They're creepy. Let's all agree that whoever made those should never be creative again. ;)

Oh, yes! I keep forgetting to mention that I have that poll on my profile where you can vote for your favorite canon characters in TG! Some of you already voted, which is awesome, but I know that some of you have not yet done so...

Okay then! I'll see you all in two weeks for the next update! Thank you all for following this rambling tale, and for each and every review! Bye! :)

Edit: So I don't know what's going on, but it look like the formatting got wonky. There's some kind of glitch that makes paragraphs with two or more lines break up weird (you'll know what I'm talking about if you see it too). It's doing it on both Safari and Google Chrome, but the doc itself looks totally fine... So if you're seeing it too, know that to the best of my knowledge it's a FF glitch, not poor editing on my part.