No matter in what world people live, rain and thunderstrikes were the constant nuisance repeated everywhere. Sure, the rain in this world was not more extreme or had some foreign substance in it. Yet, somehow that monotony made it all the more annoying. Whenever it was raining, the sewers would get flooded and Splinter especially would get pretty grumpy. None of that was here now - there was no Splinter and they were not in a sewer, but in a castle of all things - but it was fair to say the rains were not their cup of tea.

The lightning woke Leo up from those thoughts, making him flinch. Slowly his eyes wandered towards his brothers, who did not even notice him. Geez, that's good.

"One, two, three, four, five..." As Donnie reached five, thunder roared outside. "Yup, it's a mile away."

"Huh?" Raph complained. "How the shell do you know that? You just guessed."

"No, Raph." Donnie rolled his eyes. "Damn it, how have you still not learned to trust me on these things? Sound travels a mile in roughly five seconds. So you count the seconds until the lightning hits, you divide that number by five and you get the distance. See!" Lightning struck again. Donnie counted to seven until it thundered again. "Yup. Almost a mile and a half a distance."

"Imagine a poor guy that is struck by lightning while he's walking there." Mikey said. "Dude, I really don't wanna be him."

"That rarely happens, Mikey. And most people actually survive."

Leo scoffed. "Survive? Well, it seems like these guys can actually control it."

"What?" Raph reached over the window.

"There's no one doing it, Raph. I am just assuming that."

Raph frowned, muttering curses at him. "Our Great Leader thinks aloud again. Perhaps you could tell what to do exactly?"

"We have to find these." He touched his hand, remembering the chains and the symbol of trees they possessed. "I know they are somewhere out there. I know they must be."

Donnie nodded. "I...Honestly, I just hope Stephen is okay. Yes, I know we must save ourselves alone, but I'm still..."

"Donnie, you saw what he is capable of. Wherever he is, he definitely can take care of himself." I hope.

"What will we do without magic, though?" Mikey said. "Maybe they will be willing to help us? Jahar seems like a nice guy."

"He might be." Raph said. "But everyone else I have seen here is so full of themselves it's painful. They all looked down at me. A few of maids and servants kept calling me a Trolloc, whatever that is."

"And these Aiel fellows..." Mikey shook his head. "They really don't like talking with any of the others either."

"Let's think of what we have." Leo said. "Jahar seems like we can trust him. If he is right, we can trust Nynaeve and her husband...what was his name?"

"Lan."

"Lan. Thanks, Donnie. But this...Dragon? There is something...weird about him."

"I've talked to Jahar a bit more." said Donnie. "It seems literally everyone believes this world is a wheel, without exception, at least here where we stand. And apparently, that means this Rand al'Thor is Lews Therin Telamon, their hero from thousands of years earlier - that he was literally reborn."

"Do you think that might be true?"

"If you asked me that a year ago Leo, I would have called you crazy. But now? I can't really dismiss that as an option."

Leo sighed. "But if that's true...damn, the fact we are here puts these people in more danger than we imagined. We have to get away from here." And if the Dark One is who I think he is... "But how..." He touched his head. "My head hurts. I don't even know what we will do!"

"Let's find some of them, what do you think?" Donnie said. "We could gain their trust and do something then."

"At least someone has a plan." Leo said. "Let's find this Nynaeve...what the shell was her last name?"

"al'Maera, I think."

"That! Let's find her first. I think we owe her an apology."

"We owe her? It's not like we forced her to something, Leo. She just lashed out."

"Raph, not everything is fixed by punching someone back. Just...can you please calm down for once. We cannot risk losing any help we can get."

He cussed. "Fine. But don't force me to apologize to her."

"That is impossible for you to do." Leo said as he opened the door and entered the corridor. "You are always incapable of saying: 'I'm sorry, I was wrong, forgive me...' because you are always right!"

Raph gritted his teeth. "And you point the finger at me? You're the one continuing it..."

"Because I simply can't take it anymore, Raph! You always just ruin everything with your punches and yelling! We can't take all of that anymore! So simply stop!"

"You actually never listen to yourself, do you? Do you have any idea how you are hard, Leo? How the shell are you being fair when you want me to stop but you, oh no, 'You', your great majesty, have the right to talk! Perhaps you should meet a variant of yourself - then you'd see how he, how you are prideful as hell!"

"Déjà vu." Donnie said. "That's probably the constant in the Multiverse."

"That and you always being a smartass." Mikey chuckled.

"At least I am smart at all." Donnie's eyes glanced over Mikey to the two women with red shawls - Aes Sedai as it seemed - talking in the corner. They looked at them for a little longer, as if waiting for him to do something. He looked away, hoping they will stop it, and it seemed he was right - just as he turned away, they went to separate direction, not looking back. Weird.

"Has he lost his mind?" Nynaeve hissed. "I would box his ears if I could, right now!"

"Nynaeve Sedai, most Asha'man agree with you." the tall man with stark blue eyes said, an inch or two shorter than Lan who was standing beside him, this man looked like him, just two decades younger. "But he insists on it. He wants to speak with the Seanchan Heiress. I think she is called the Daughter of the Nine Moons, if my memory serves me well."

"He has fought the Seanchan for months!" she shouted. "People dying for him, families destroyed...and now he wants to bargain with them! Logain, where is he?!"

Logain sighed. "Nynaeve Sedai, please. He does not want to talk with anyone..."

"He will with me!" she yelled.

Is this the right time? Leo wondered for a moment. Just a moment. "Nynaeve."

"Light burn you! What do you want now?" She crossed her arms. "I have my hands full already and I cannot keep answering your questions!"

He stepped back. Her frown was sharper than any knife. That kind of frown he only thought Raph was capable of, but compared to her, all of Raph's frustrations looked like smiles of a Spring Bunny. He looked at the others around her, including Logain, and saw even they looked disturbed. "I...didn't mean to ask a question..."

"Then what was it! Speak, even turtles have tongues!"

He blinked at that. Now I wonder if I should say it at all. "We...wanted to apologize."

"Whatever!" She almost passed by them, tugging her braid. "You can go for all I..." But then she stopped and looked back. "Huh?"

"We didn't mean to be a nuisance, really. But please understand us, we're lost and we just don't know what to do."

She looked at him for a bit longer. Shell, what did I do now? She's staring at me as if I had accused her of something, not apologized!

"I..." She cleared her throat. "Well, fine. But I need to go as well, now." As she made a few steps from them, she still turned back to look a bit perplexed, before she continued on her way.

"Geez. What's that about?"

"Do not hold it against her." Lan spoke so suddenly it made Leo flinch. "The Southlanders usually have such attitude. They don't have patience. Though..." a thinnest smile spread across his lips. "That is one of the reasons I love her so much."

Reverse psychology, isn't it Donnie? Leo thought. "So...Lan, was it?"

"al'Lan Mandragoran." He said. "For a long time I've not gone by that full name, but now that the time for the Last Battle is arriving, I do not have much reason not to."

The Last Battle... Everything was too smooth and seamless, but Donnie's own words remained as comfort. There are thousands of religions that believe in angels, devil and the End of the World, Leo. Thousands. This doesn't mean anything... But his instinct said otherwise. "I'm sorry if it sounds a bit impolite, but I think it's safe to say you're a bit...older, right?"

"That's correct. And don't be afraid, I take pride in it."

"I see why. You are a warrior?"

"Ah, I wonder how you realized that." He gave a thin smile again, touching the hilt of his sword. "You must be very perceptive, Leonardo."

"Listen, no jokes. I'm serious. You aren't a..." Shell, what was it! "...a channeler either, right?"

"No. Though, it could be said I know as much about channeling as possible, without being one - I have spent a long time around them."

"Then we need your help." Leo said, approaching Lan and staring up at him. Is this how you plan on doing it? A creature he had never met before will now ask him for help. You think he'll care? "We must leave this place - as soon as possible. And I don't mean this city or land but...this world."

Lan's smile, thinnest of them all, disappeared. "You follow your mission. That is something I respect, but I am afraid I myself cannot help you."

"Actually, you can." Donnie said. "We know next to nothing about your world."

"Do you? Narishma told you much if he was honest to me."

Only about the past. "But not everything. I think he was in a hurry, so we don't hold it against him. But we do not know anything about your land itself - cultures, people, customs, who to trust and who to distrust - we need that."

"And you choose to trust me."

"Our father taught us instinct is, more often than not, actually correct." Leo remembered all those lessons. Despite the life in the sewers, he would have never traded the past with Splinter. "And our instinct says you are not a dishonest type of person."

"Your father was right in that regard, but I wouldn't advise you to give your trust so easily."

"Dude, look at us." Mikey opened his arms in presentation. "I think you can see for yourself. Believe me, we don't give away our trust just like that."

"Your wife seems honest." said Leo. "Maybe she has a bit of an, as you said, attitude, but we do think she is honest."

"That is a lot of thinking and assuming when you have barely spent a week here with us."

Leo had to have a different try. "I suppose you do not know what ninjas are?"

"You, I suppose? A type of warrior?"

"Special type." Leo looked at Lan, up and down. "One a soldier like you might consider...insidious."

Lan raised his eyebrow. His face seemed less of a stone the more they talked with him.

"The ninjas are warriors meant to fight in the shadows. We use stealth and endurance, rather than raw strength. It is as much about skill and mind, rather than just fighting - though it includes that as well." Leo could have summarized it all into one word - assassins, which was the original purpose of the ninjas. But Splinter simply taught them those skills and called them ninjas, because of a long held belief in the Hamato clan and an attempt to give ninjas a code of honor, rather than leave them as cold-blooded killers. Protect the innocent, he once said. The first rule of being a ninja is "do no harm". Unless you mean to do harm - then do lots of it! He almost chuckled at that.

"I think 'sneaking snakes' is the description you are looking for, is it not?"

Leo flinched at this remark. He glanced once at Raph, but his brother only narrowed his eyes in confusion as well. "If...that's the term you are looking for. But snakes are smart animals, aren't they?" And our cousins, shell.

"If you want to say that, be my guest. But instinct is what you were talking about, were you not?"

"Yes. We like to think we have developed a good one over the years."

"I will help if you answer one question." His face was cold stone again. "What you said about the Multiverse - was it true?"

"Yes." Leo said, without any hesitation.

Lan looked over to the soldiers that were practicing swordfight themselves. "Nynaeve believes you. Rand al'Thor believes you. Min believes you." He looked back at them. "It sounds like nonsense - greater than any I have ever heard." He nodded slowly. "But I see no other explanation." The "For now." that he left out could still be noticed in his voice. "Keep together, that's the first advice I would give you. And try not enter the conversations with the Aiel, if you don't have to."

"Or?"

A loud clunk was heard almost immediately, catching their attention. A group of men with spears and veils raised the former at the regular soldiers in armor. "Light, not again!" Lan strode towards them just as the two tallest soldiers attacked each other. The one in armor held a long lance, while the veiled man held a spear that was less aesthetical, but more practical.

"Stop now!" Lan shouted at them, separating the two from one another. Their respective mobs tried to force him out, but just as he raised his sword every stepped back. "What happened now? Someone speak!"

"Your soldiers happened, Lan Mandragoran." One of the veiled men approached him, revealing his face. "He just lied to us, Mandragoran, lied! He has toh towards us."

The men in armors started cursing. "Lied? You bloody son of a goat, I cheated in a bloody game!"

The Aiel scoffed. "Not surprised - only a wetlander would have so little shame to not care about lying."

The knight's face became red with anger. "I am sick of this! Of every single one of you! You come here and expect us to respect your customs, but the Creator forbid you respect any ours."

"Remas, there is a custom that I know exists in every army in the world." Lan glanced at him. "When a soldier is undisciplined and makes trouble, especially when he threatens to kill others, he is punished - sometimes instantly executed." He put back his sword into the sheath. "Remember to respect that custom, because I am very certain it is universal."

Raph noticed that a few of the Aiel men had smug smiles and himself felt a need to punch them. But Lan noticed it before him. "That goes for you as well. I do not know how many times I have to repeat this to you, Camar, but you are not in the Waste. Believe it or not, not everyone knows Aiel customs, so you better accept that as soon as possible. As I mentioned - you hold the same custom we wetlanders do towards undisciplined soldiers, I can guarantee." He yelled towards the men in black coats. "Narishma! Take care here until they cause trouble again."

Jahar just passed by them as he strode towards the Aiel and the soldiers of Tear. "Fifth time this week!" He whispered while passing. "Fifth time and not even one of them can resist the urge to cut each other's throats. Why are we even trying to help them?"

Lan went his own way as the frustration seemed to have overtaken him, so Leo decided they go with Jahar instead. Staring at the Aiel, he approached one of them, out of simple curiosity. "Wait! Please." The Aiel gave him one quick look, though long enough to hear him. "Why did you try to kill him? How did he lie to you?"

"It doesn't matter how he lied." The man with grey hair that Lan called Camar said. "He lied - that means he has a debt to return to me - a toh. One he refused to pay."

"I thought mentioning someone has toh is also shameful!" one of the Tear men yelled.

Camar gritted his teeth. "Don't teach me about our honor, wetlander!"

"You are willing to fight someone," Donnie said. "over something so little?"

"Little?" Another Aiel almost spat. "Of course you would say that." The Aiel then turned and left that place, leaving Leo confused. Splinter often talked about cultural differences and how one should be wary talking and interacting with people who were different. But seeing such extreme difference always caught him off guard. How? How can you, in right mind, want to kill someone over a petty lie?

"Damn them." Jahar cussed again and again. "Light burn them - all the people in here."

"Dude, isn't that...going a bit too far?"

"You haven't spent here nearly as much time as I have. Hey! Don't you even think of following them, soldier! I will know if you did! Remember your place!"

"My place?" The soldier almost spat at Jahar's boots. "No Borderland scum will order me, you hear me! Much less a male channeler!"

The Aes Sedai women all started laughing in spite before Jahar gave any answer. Cadsuane stood in front of them. "And this, my children, is what all men think about!" One of them said. "Clashing, hitting, killing, remember this lesson - every single man is just a boy with hair on his chest! No better than dogs. Sure, they can be sweet and obedient from time to time, but only if you properly teach them and make them follow the rules. That is why they need to be tamed."

Mikey gasped with chuckles while she was saying this. "Uh, now that will set everything on fire! Let's just see how it will go on." But, despite Mikey's excitement, to this insult no one responded. Some of the men frowned, others muttered something, but no one spoke loudly or did anything. Half a minute passed without any reaction. "Uh...what?"

"And you...creature!" She looked right through Raph. "Get out of my sight. I have more important things to do."

He gritted his teeth. "I am not your pet, you..."

"Go away, now. Immediately."

Leo's eyes widened. He and his brothers all looked around, wondering if anyone would react, but men did not even try to complain about her words. So Leo decided to do it himself. "I don't know where you got that idea from, but you will not talk to my brothers like that! I swear to you!"

Cadsuane paused, then looked back at him with a stern face. "You dare actually speak? I believe I said I would prefer you to leave, creature. Be a good animal and..."

Leo showed his teeth too, fighting the impulse to grab his swords. "I am not a pet. I do not come here and there when you whistle up! I am..."

As Leo made a step closer, he felt a burning pain in his leg, as if he had stepped into hot water or stepped over burnt wood. He fell to the grass, grabbing his foot. Even though he hissed in pain, it did not hurt as much - it simply surprised him. His brothers ran to him. "Leo!" Raph grabbed him by the shoulder.

"That should be able to teach you some manners." Cadsuane said - and though she did not, many of the Aes Sedai chuckled. "Now obey and leave."

Leo could not believe what he had heard. The Turtles stared at her, and Raph's face twisted in anger. "You...you did that!

"Yes, indeed. I seriously dislike repeating myself, so you should consider yourself lucky for passing so easily."

"Passing easily?!" Raph took out his sai. "Touch him again and I'll slice you into pieces!"

Some people gasped, but Cadsuane merely waved dismissively. "Stupid beasts. I told the boy to get rid of them..."

Raph ran toward her, as running to her back. He resisted the urge to stab her or slash her and instead made a single push, so weak he was not sure if he had even touched her, but it was enough to make an impact. Cadsuane waved with her hand and he flew away, falling next to Leo. However, nothing except his pride suffered any injuries. And the pride of the Aes Sedai.

"How dare you?" One of them said.

Cadsuane's eyes were widened as she stared at all the Turtles. "Shut up child."

"This is insolence!" The woman in question wore a red shawl. "These creatures should he gutted like..."

"I told you to shut up, child!" Smoothing her sleeves, Cadsuane did not break eye contact with the Turtles. Leo wanted to curse her in the faces, but he did notice that those eyes, besides surprise, did not show emotion. Only thing he noticed was that she was looking at them eye-to-eye now, not looking down on them.

"What happened?" Jahar and a few other Asha'man came in, with tired and perplexed expressions. "What in the Light did you do now?"

Now, Cadsuane's face started getting harder again. Donnie sighed at seeing that and pulled both of his elder brothers gently. "We should leave."

Jahar glanced at Cadsuane, then back at them. "Donnie, what is wrong? Please, you can..."

"Boy, you heard the turtle. Nothing happened. Go back to your tasks."

She still went on. Jahar frowned at that order, though he was careful to avoid her sight before doing so. Everyone else continued staring at the Turtles. Donnie convinced his brothers to move faster, back to their resting rooms, while looking back once at the crowd. Out of the frying pan, he thought, right into the fire.

Leo shared the similar, but still different sentiment. Looking at these people and seeing the shadows behind their eyes, he realized none of this was normal. Something is wrong, he thought. Something is so, so terribly wrong.