Leo dreamed about thousands of lives - human lives.

Splinter was the first he saw. Every moment, both before and after he had adopted them, passed his mind. The death of Tang Shen, the exile from Japan, the duel with Oroku Saki when he finally became the Shredder. All the moments of training and bond between him, Leo and his brothers, both warm and cold. And the final slash through the heart.

Then, the others followed. Leo first heard a woman screaming. "He is born again. I feel him!"

"He will be our doom."

Two figures, one dressed in blue and another in white, attacked each other and wrestled for life.

"He is the only hope we have."

A man was standing on the ground, surrounded by corpses and screaming.

"It is not done between us! It will not be done until the end of time!"

Leo felt like a shattered glass. The force that pulled him deeper and deeper showed no mercy, with the pain that followed having the mind of its own, with the intent to torture him.

Barely turning - in a place in which he could not turn - he glimpsed three other green figures. He called out to them by names, but they screamed even louder than he. As the force grabbed him, it threw him into a different place, a place that could not be described.

Only a few words rang in his mind. "The Wheel of Time turns," they were, "and ages come and pass..."

Mikey woke up from the darkness only to see light exploding all around him. He covered his face to protect it from the blazing colors. He tried to ran, but slipped, falling over Raph.

"What the..." He blinked and helped Raph get up. "Stephen, what are you doing? Shell dude, what is going on!"

"Mikey!" Donnie ran towards him, holding Leo. "Is Raph..."

"Ah, let me go, Mikey!" Despite that response, Raph did not try to push him. "Strange, what are you doing!"

"Stephen, what the heck is going on!" Mikey's eyes wandered through the ruins of what was an old, forgotten city, with pillars and buildings destroyed centuries ago. "Stephen! What is going on?!"

"Mikey..." Donnie was barely able to whisper as he gasped, his hand trembling as he pointed at what stood behind them. Mikey hesitated, and as he turned that hesitation received a justification - the ruins around them were collapsing. Blue strikes of lightning fell from the sky, destroying everything. The three Turtles ran as quickly as they could, while everything was dying around them. Holding Leo, they ran faster and faster, concentrating on the holes and blocks in their way.

But Mikey took one glance at the sky and in it he saw a reflection. Passing in a moment shorter than a second, yet as clear as a mountain below the sun. A man dressed in red, standing in the middle of the sky. The light of his eyes was like the sea under the summer. His hair burned like fire and his face was like a cloud that stands above the earth. He wore a crown on his head, a crown that glittered with golden shadow. And the aura around him was like the light of the rising sun, banishing the darkness into the depths of the Void.

The image disappeared soon.

"Mikey!"

He looked down. Raph and Donnie had already found the shelter, having saved Leo. He turned once more behind and he saw two mists, one white and the other grey, chasing one another and spreading chaos wherever they went. Mikey jumped and joined the darkness below, and everything behind him exploded.

Donnie groaned, still keeping his face in the ground. The moment he felt the sharp pain in his body he decided that the darkness before his eyes was more endurable. He opened his eyes only once to glance at the sky, then look down again, almost blinded. Uh...If you're really up there, you sure as shell have something against me.

He heard footsteps, but barely. Feeling like a beaten dog, Donnie forced himself up, while feeling his bones crack.

"Donnie, wait..."

He heard a hit in the air and then saw dozens of colors as he fell to the ground again. The pain, as if his skull was hit by a huge piece of metal. That kind of pain was the worst, the sort that you feel when you accidentally hit the wall with your head while walking or when you stub your toe. It is not that it hurts that much - it does not even last that long. Rather, it is how irritating that feeling is. A cut or a wound hurt. Meanwhile, a slam or a hit against something are annoying and insufferable. "What's your problem?"

"Do that to my brother again, you bastard!" Raph yelled. "And I swear I'm gonna turn you into a pie!"

"Back away, creature!"

"What just happened?" Donnie cussed, still not able to open his eyes. "Can someone please help me get up? I can't see anything!"

The previous voice growled. "Light help me! You, the short one."

"Short one?!" Mikey protested.

"This thing is your...brother?"

"Sure as shell!"

"Help him get up."

Mikey did that instantly, though not without a remark or two. Pulling him by the arm, he took Donnie up and brought him to the others. Donnie sat down between them, touching their hands. "You okay, bro?"

"Does it look like I am?" He groaned again. "What's going on now? Let me guess: Stephen's refusing to save us with magic again, aren't you?"

No response, except a cough from Leo.

"At least you learned to shut your own crap up, Stephen. If you only..."

"Donnie..." Leo spoke, barely catching his breath. "He's not here."

"Huh?"

"Stephen is not here."

He dared to open his eyes. It hurt, but he looked around, at all of his brothers and at their captors. There was a group of many soldiers, bearing symbols of a long, serpentine figure resembling a Chinese dragon on their chests. All dressed in armor that resembled the early English or French Renaissance infantry, they held swords and spears up, staring wide-eyed at the four of them. The women were standing behind them, dressed in fine dresses of the similar period, adorned with much jewelry, either in colors of blue, green or yellow.

But Stephen was not there.

"Ah, bugger."

"Donnie. That's not all." Leo stretched out his hand and showed it to Donnie. Widening his eyes, he looked at Mikey and Raph as well, then at his own hands.

Their bracelets were gone.

"Hey, you!" Raph looked at the tall soldier who bore green colors around his armor. "You're in charge, are you?"

The man did not answer. The younger soldiers beside him cussed and swallowed. "They talk. Light, they talk!"

"Shut up!" The chief soldier rumbled. "Keep your mouth shut, or I will order them to kill you."

"You're supposing you will succeed, buddy."

The man narrowed his eyes, then touched the hilt of his sword. He did not take it out completely, but the steel he revealed was enough to reflect the sunlight at Raph's eyes.

"You son of a..."

"Keep your mouth shut, Shadowspawn." He returned the steel. "Or I will silence you forever."

"Nethan!"

A different man entered the camp and the other soldiers stepped away. He was holding a woman by his side and she kept close to him, looking exhausted. Compared to her, he was a giant - towering over everyone else, dressed in simple, yet practical armor. The long hair, that went all the way to his shoulder, had no little grey in it. As he looked at the Turtles, Raph could feel his cold stare, only strengthened by his ice blue eyes - those eyes showed little emotion. "What is this?"

"The creatures we have found, Lan." The man named Nethan said. "I don't know what they are, but we need to get rid of them immediately. I am certain that they are Shadowspawn."

"This would not be the first thing you a certain of, Nethan, yet are so wrong about it." He glanced back at them. That stare made Raph show his teeth. "Remove the swords."

Nethan raised his hands. "Lan!"

"I know the Shadowspawn when I see them, Nethan - they aren't them. Remove the weapons."

"Finally!" Leo said. "Thank gosh, somebody is reasonable here." He grinned at Nethan. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get this off of me..."

"The ties are staying." Lan said without even looking back at them, instead turning towards the others. "Why is everyone of you just standing? Go and help your Lord Dragon! And Nynaeve is exhausted..."

The woman chuckled softly in his arms. She patted him on the arm. "Thank you for your worry, but I am alright."

Lan shook his head. "Nynaeve, what the two of you did is incredible - you saved all of them!"

"Rand...had a greater part in it than me."

"I don't think he would agree."

She coughed. "Hah! Watch what Cadsuane will say the moment she arrives."

"I hear you, child." Another woman, dressed in green silk, with her grey hear put in a short bun, arrived. "And the rest of you - what are you staring at? As if you haven't seen stranger things than these?" She waved at the Turtles without much attention. "Get rid of them quickly - we haven't got time for them. I am surprised - I thought you weren't as stupid as the others, boy." She said that while looking at Lan, who was well into his fifties from what Leo could tell.

While the others almost ran to obey her, Lan kept eye contact. "I know Shadowspawn better than you ever will, no matter how many years you live, Cadsuane Sedai."

"I will let that pass for now." She closed her eyes and turned away. "Come on now, get rid of them! We don't have all day!"

"Oh, you won't!" In a quick moment of instinct, Leo stretched out his hands, showing them untied. The soldiers around him tried to react, but he jumped over their heads, yanking his katannas out of their hands. His brothers followed him, grabbing their own weapons. The soldiers all raised up their spears and swords, but the Turtles flew about them like bats. The men and women without weapons did not move immediately, except the woman who still held onto Lan - she raised her hand and, at once, the flickers of a white light gathered and went to hit Leo. He felt a force pushing against him and attempting to bring him down, but he resisted it. Taking a battle stance right around them, the Turtles held their weapons up. The soldiers all backed away, except the few that stood with Lan and even they cautiously laid hands on the hilts of their weapons. On Lan's face, Leo glimpsed a quick impression with his and his brothers' skills. Lan nodded, his lips slightly smiling.

Leo was not in the mood for that however. "Okay, let's all reel it back in." I wanna cut these guys in half! "I am afraid we haven't had a proper introduction with each other." He placed a hand on his chest, keeping his tone as mannered as possible. "We are turtles, not Shadowspawn - whatever that is supposed to be. I am Leonardo. These are my brothers: the Hothead Raph, the Geeky Nerd Donnie and Annoying Mikey."

Raph sighed. "And this, boys and girls, is Lame-onardo!"

"How am I a Geeky Nerd? Those are synonyms, Leo.'

"Excuse me, I am annoying? Look at him...Oh! Right. He's not here."

"Now," Leo breathed in again. "would any of you good gentlemen and gentlewomen - don't, Donnie! - be so kind to tell us: what the shell is going on in here?! Who the flying dang are you and where in this gosh-forsaken Multiverse - or whatever! - are we? And please, make it quick!"

"And how do you guys speak English!" Mikey said. "To be fair, most people in the Multiverse seem to know English for some reason - even outside the Earth."

Donnie scoffed. "Yeah. Maybe because it's the easiest of all languages to learn?"

"Says the guy whose native is English."

"Native?"

"Not now!" Leo wheezed. "Damn it, hold yourselves guys!"

"You're the eldest brother?" Leo turned towards Lan, who kept the hand on his hilt, but nonetheless had no animosity in his gaze. "The leader?"

"I am."

That did not go without a few rumbles from Raph.

"Are you the Shadowspawn?" Lan asked directly. "Do you serve the Dark One or the Light?"

The Dark One... That sounded suspicious. "I and my brothers do whatever is right and honorable. Defend the weak, fight against their oppressors, save a cat and all that good stuff. I don't know how you guys call it, but that's what we are."

The people in the camp all stared at one another. Lan glared at Cadsuane, whose jaw was still tight, with a cold stare on Leo and his brothers. "They are not Shadowspawn, nor just beasts, Cadsuane Sedai."

"Yes, I see that for myself, boy." It looked as if she as trying to look through them, but they instead remained in place, to her dismay and frustration. Raph kept his smile small. Why do I already hate this woman?

"What are you?" Spoke the woman in Lan's hands, one they called Nynaeve.

Raph waved away. "Are you guys all blind? Hello, the shells!" He turned around. "The Turtles!"

"We even have a name, sis!" Mikey exclaimed. He picked up his nunchaku and stood in the pose. "We are Teenage Mutant..."

"Don't," Raph pulled him. "say that! It's a stupid-butt name, Mikey!"

"And we are well past adolescence, Mikey."

Mikey sighed, looking away. "As if you guys would have any better names."

"We will not have these things live!" One of the soldiers, dressed in heavy armor, stood before Lan and Nynaeve. "Not free! Chain them!"

Surprised flashed across Lan's eyes. "They are just standing there, Naman. They are not even..."

"A lion also stands quiet while you look at him. But when you turn away, he will strike at your back!"

Raph showed his teeth. "I don't hit in the back, buddy. I punch right in the face."

"Raph!"

"They will be chained." The captain said. "Or we leave."

Nynaeve glared at him. "After what he has done for you? After releasing you from Sammael?"

"Whenever the Dragon needs us we will arrive. He will only need to call us."

"Call you?" Lan raised his voice only slightly. "He is your king!"

"Uh...maybe we should go while we've got the chance." Mikey leaned in closer.

"He's right." said Donnie. "Maybe Stephen is waiting somewhere..."

"Zip it about Stephen!" Raph said. "He's not here and we're on our own."

"Alright. Then where is he! What happened? Please tell me if you know Raph!"

"Shh!" Leo tilted his head towards the group of arguing humans - the ones in heavy armor continued their squabble with Lan and the others and, if Leo's judgement served him well, things were about to get pretty ugly. "Okay, we'll do this quickly." He glanced once back at them, then turning to his brothers. "Let's take it step by step..."

"What is happening here?"

Everyone went quiet. The soldiers made a formation, raising their spears and shields. The men without armor, the ones dressed in black coats, clasped their hands behind their backs, looking up and holding their faces like high ones, yet without a sense of pride. The women in shawls also held their faces up, though unlike the men, they were for some reason unnerved - Leo saw that they would not dare look away from what was right in front of them.

More men in black coats appeared, surrounding the two figures. The smaller one was a young woman, though dressed in what would be, in some time period, considered a man's clothing - dark brown coat and black breeches. She even had her hair cut short. But everyone's attention was on the other figure, the man she was helping walk.

He was not old, nor was he a cripple - this man was as tall as Lan, as strong and muscular. Everything else however, was in contrast to Lan - the skin was on a bit lighter side. The hair was dark red, with curls that hung to his neck and yet it seemed as if the shade of red could change depending on where he was standing. An he also wore red, a simple yet finely made red coat, adorned with lines of gold around his neck and down at the waist. Despite stumbling and holding onto the woman at his side, the Man walked with dignity and pride.

He gave a single glance to all the others around him, with blue eyes that made Lan's seem warm. Some kept their faces up, some bowed their heads. Others, like a darker man with braids who approached him, said clearly. "Lord Dragon."

The Man patted him slowly on the shoulder and something that resembled a smile spread across his lips. Then, his eyes slightly widened. He walked passed by the braided man and came to the Turtles. The woman held herself close to him, even frowning and rumbling. "You need to rest. Damn you, you will get yourself killed..."

"It's alright, Min." He caressed her hair, though he did not look at her, keeping his sight on Turtles. "It's alright. You can let me go." She hesitated, but gave in, letting her hand slip away from his. Leo made a small, barely noticeable move back - not even a step, since he did not dare raise his foot. Merely a move. And his brothers instinctively imitated him. What the... He lowered his swords. He did not know why - if he could decide, he would have done the complete opposite and swung the blade, but something pulled the swords down. Something else gnawed at him at told him: Put them down, you fool! Put them down! Do you not know in whose presence you are standing?

Of course, he did not know. The face did seem oddly familiar, but Leo did not recognize it. He was a handsome man, there was no debating that, but there was a touch of something inhuman, something that seemed too different to be described as either handsome or beautiful. Leo tried to look at his eyes, but found himself merely staring at them in wonder - those eyes seemed empty, like a dead man's. Shell... He felt a shiver go down it. Once again, he made a move back, not a step. Leo's heart started beating again when the Man turned his sight from him and looked at his brothers instead. From his perspective, the Man stared at his brothers for a mere second, but he was certain it was different for them.

"They come with us."

People started rumbling again, but there was only one that openly protested. "Boy!" Cadsuane walked up to him. "If you think you can get away with that, you are in a grave..."

"I said they are coming with us, Cadsuane." He did not look back at her. "And they are." He walked towards the Turtles again, and raised his hand. Leo paused - thousands of possible disasters passed through his head, but it all came to a halt when the Man merely shook his hand. "I have heard your names already." He said. His voice was...tall and powerful. Proud. "I am Rand al'Thor."

"My...pleasure."

"Have we met before. Do you and your brothers remember?"

That sentence struck them all. "Pardon?"

"So you don't?" He waved away. "Never mind. But you will have to stay with me if you hope to survive. As you see, the others think you evil creatures." He turned towards the soldiers. "Move! We are leaving now! Prepare the gateway, Narishma."

"Yes, Lord Dragon!" The darker man joined the other men in black coats and a pale light could be seen behind him.

"Lord Dragon..." Leo repeated that. "They call you...Dragon?"

When Rand al'Thor looked at him again, Leo could not read his expression. Was it...frustration? Boredom? Or simply apathy? "You are really not from around here? Yes, I am the Dragon Reborn."

"But what does that mean?"

"What does it mean?" He said, yet did not look at Leo. Instead, he looked towards the others in his camp. First at Min, then at the soldiers. "If only I knew. If only I knew..." And he walked away, leaving them alone.

"What are you?" Lan and Nynaeve approached them, Nynaeve staying still in Lan's arms, though even he was holding a good distance. Lan wore a headband over his head, while Nynaeve had a red dot on her forehead. "What in the Light are you?"

Donnie sighed. "Mrs, I think we've said it three times already: we're Turtles!"

"Heck, Donnie, since when are you simplifying things!" He looked at the two. "It's...complicated. You could say we're humans and turtles. No! Not in the way you think."

"Then in what way?" Lan said.

"We...we'll explain. But we don't get where we are either, so we need explanations as well."

Lan and Nynaeve looked at each other, and after a careful consideration, she nodded. "We will tell you. But only after we arrive at the Stone of Tear and get some rest."

"And..." Mikey coughed, pointing at himself and his brothers. "What about the..."

"As long as you're with us, nothing will happen." Lan said. "And I'd advise you do stay with us. I am Lan, and this is my wife."

"Nynaeve." She bit her tongue. "I'm...glad we met."

"We too. And sorry if we're being hasty, but how long exactly will this trip last?"

"A couple of minutes."

"How?"

The light illuminated the entire terrain as white gateways that were made up of a thousand colors opened behind them. "Oh." Mikey wiped his forehead. "Dude! Just a portal. I was afraid it would be something worse. It's safe, right?"

"As long as you are not Shadowspawn."

"I guess we're not." said Leo. Everyone else passed through the gateway, with only some soldiers staying behind. Lan and Nynaeve walked behind Rand al'Thor and Cadsuane Sedai, while the Turtles walked behind them.

After having gotten so used to portals, Leo felt this one was actually less stomach turning than the others. And while they walked through it, he was thinking of only one thing. Looking down at his arms, the realization that they had lost their chains with which they could summon the Portal hit him yet again. How will we get out of here? What do we do?

Oh, Stephen, where the heck are you?

A slight additional information - I wrote a 'Wheel of Time'/TMNT Crossover One-Shot around three years ago, which is technically a part of this story, but not necessary for understanding anything: it was just a small adventure about Turtles getting lost in this world for an hour or two and then being pulled from it. If you are interested, you might find it under the title 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: A Crown of Swords' but I stress that it is NOT necessary for this story.

Anyways, along with the 'Stormlight Archive' crossover, this is also the one that I've been waiting to write since the beginning of the series. Now, the 'Wheel of Time' is big. A very big book series. But I promise to all of you who are new to it that in this story I will explain everything about the world that you need to know - Turtles will learn about it together with you (and me, for a second time:) Of course, I do hope some of you decide to give the books (NOT the show) a chance, but that will in no way be mandatory to understand the story.

The next chapter coming soon and thank you for being here with me. Oh, and where do you think Stephen is?:)