"Find anything?"

"No."

"No, sorry."

Nya sighed heavily. There was no luck with anybody finding another sapphire, and she's been tempted to reveal her secret, that the needed sapphire is in her very pocket.

But she couldn't tell them. Not yet.

"Guys, let's just take a break." Jay said. "I'm tired, and we've been digging forever."

"Fine." Zane agreed, dropping to the floor and wiping dust on his hands. "We'll have to go even lower to find one when we get up again."

The three all sat down, breathing and dreading and giving up. They all knew that they weren't going to find a sapphire, or die trying. This cave that Wu no doubt explored when he was a kid has been empty for several Nights. A sapphire was never going to magically appear.

Sighing, Nya stood up again. She grabbed a pickaxe that had been at the opening of the cave for Day miners, and she started breaking the rocks, looking for another sapphire.

She wasn't just going to find another one. She just refused to expose her secret.

The Turan stood above them, with his arm miraculously healed, and ready to kill them.

"No!" Cole yelled, arching his eyebrows in determination, and pulled Kai away from the creature. They continued to run for the woods, adrenaline pulsing through their entire body, with just one thing on their mind.

Running away.

Cole kept his head down, watching for protruding roots, as always, so they don't trip over them and slow them down.

Leaves and branches echoed above them loudly and wildly, and the two knew that the Turan wasn't far behind. "Let's go!" Cole called. "Run!"

"I'm trying!" Kai yelled back, still running. An instant later, Kai saw the beach in front of them.

And the cave.

"The cave! It's there! We have to get to it!" Kai told the boy and immediately picked Cole up under his arm and ran with a burst of speed. His feet hurt like crazy, like knives were stuck inside, and every step he took was just forcing it inside even more.

But Kai ignored the pain, even though it was excruciating and he felt blood escape from the soles of his feet, and continued running with Cole under his arm. Suddenly, the creature landed right in front of them, blocking their way out, and immediately punched Kai in the face. It was so hard and so forceful that he dropped Cole as his face flew to the right and he fell over.

Kai groaned holding his cheek, and realized that blood was seeping from the top of his head, flowing freely.

"You weaklings." the Turan growled joyously. "You can't destroy me. Now you will come with me to my master and he will kill you."

Kai knew that the Turan spoke of Overlord, the master from Wu's tale.

And Kai wasn't about to resort himself, and especially not Cole, to a horrible creature like him.

The Turan waited for the two to get up and surrender, and smiled devilishly when Kai slowly stood up, and he smiled wider when Kai put up his fists.

"Are you looking for another hit, man?" the Turan taunted. "Fine. What's one more?"

But Kai caught the creature off guard again when he nailed the same punch on the creature that he had nailed on Kai, and the creature's face swiveled around, but he regained his balance.

When the Turan faced Kai again, though, he was surprised with another hit to the face on the other side.

The first two punches exhilarated Kai, and now he couldn't stop. He continued punching and kicking the creature below him, cowering in a ball in the dirt, wallowing in his dark red blood.

Cole yelled at Kai to stop, and spare him, but Kai barely heard him. He was angry, and he wanted to protect Cole at all costs. Cole was apart of his team, and was worthy to kill for.

But then Cole screamed, and Kai stopped for a moment. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

Cole backed away, a terrified look in his face and in his eyes. Kai looked at the boy, concerned. "What is it?" he asked, and Cole pointed to his hands. Kai looked down on them, and stumbled in shock.

Sticking out of his knuckles were talons, long and sharp, the pointed tip shining in the Moonlight. And they were covered in blood; the Turan's blood. But even when in death, the Turan found laughter, and his laughs echoed through the forest. He knew what Kai was, and so did Cole, and Kai himself.

Kai was one of them.

A Turan, destined to use their talons and their inhuman strength, and their special powers to kill.

"No." Kai spoke, his voice shaking. "It can't be." He looked up at Cole, who had tears in his eyes. "Cole, no. I'm not going to hurt you"

Kai stepped toward Cole, but he backed away fearfully. He didn't want to be the next victim of Kai's talons, and perhaps face the same fate as the Turan.

"Cole!" Kai shouted, and reached out for the boy, but instead his talons reached all the way to him, and cut him across the ear. Cole gave a shout and clutched his ear, which was squirting blood and seeping into the little boy's hands.

Kai looked at what he had done in horror.

"You are one of us, now." the almost-dead Turan spoke, a disgusting smile on his face. "You are what I am, and nothing can ever change that. Not even you."

Welling up with tears, Kai turned and ran into the woods, feeling his feet begin to lose feeling.

He can never go back. He can't hurt another one of his friends.

He isn't even the same species as his sister.