Several minutes—and countless teleportations—later, Sylph fell to her knees in exhaustion, panting as she stopped to catch her breath. Most people thought that space-jumping from one location to another was simple—it wasn't. It took focus and concentration and energy—and a lot of all of those the more times in a row she used her powers. If she pushed her power too hard, or used it too much, she could drain herself dry of energy and plunge herself into unconsciousness for hours on end. She had done just that the first few times she was testing her powers—and it was one mistake she would never make again if she could help it.
Closing her eyes, she sucked in a deep breath of cool night air, held it for five seconds, and then let it out again. A second time she breathed in, held it, then breathed out. She spent the next few minutes focusing on her breathing over and over again.
In, hold for five, out, hold for five more. In…hold…out…hold. In…hold…out…hold. In…hold…out…hold.
Within moments, she felt right as rain again, adrenaline slowly flowing back into her strained nerves and aching muscles. Sighing deeply, she then focused on mentally recharging in the best way she knew—listening to the nature all around her.
A soft breeze brushed past her bare arms with a warm, fuzzy tingle that made her jerk a bit and let out a small giggle. Leaves rustled in the currents of the wind. Crickets chirped merrily. Katydids hummed. Nightingales twittered. Frogs croaked and burbled. Whippoorwills twilled. Somewhere close by, an owl hooted.
And then she heard a sound that she had never expected to hear. It was a gentle surging, rushing, roaring noise that filled her ears and set a strange longing stirring in her core like a hidden music of secret yet wondrously mighty power. She slowly opened her eyes but kept her focus on finding the source of that sound. Maybe, just maybe, it would lead her to Morro.
She could only hope that the mysterious sound wouldn't steer her wrong.
Cautiously, she quietly hiked in the direction of the sound, taking note of her surroundings just in case she needed to backtrack. Above her, stars glistened merrily, their wondrous light intertwining with rays of crescent moon's silver light. Fireflies danced all around her, and close by she could see a young fawn gazing curiously at her, intently studying this odd two-legged creature who had so bravely and silently ventured into this clearing. There was a sudden skittering noise as two squirrels and a chipmunk scampered through the underbrush. Then a chilly gust of air whooshed violently past the young teleporter, and she couldn't help but shiver. She could feel a subtle, tingly wetness on her skin as the mysterious tones of that roaring sound grew gradually louder. Whatever was making that strange, strong hum was definitely kicking up a lot of mist. Another cold gust surged past her, and again she shivered, a phrase from a favorite song of hers instantly trickling into her mind, weirdly haunting and melancholy in its lyrics. Wind's in the east, mist coming in…
"Like something is brewing, about to begin." she sang to herself, her shy, quivering voice no louder than a whisper. Taking a deep breath, she found her tense nerves were beginning to jitter a little less, and a wave of coolness and calmness washed over her like a tranquil wave of the sapphire sea. Basking in the cool feeling of smooth river-stone underneath her feet, she kept on trudging forward, ducking underneath low-hanging limbs, squeezing through rocks and hopping up-and-over fallen trees, until she came to a dense clump of emerald-green ferns, lush and fragrant with the wondrous perfume of the midnight sky. The roaring sound that had drawn her there was its loudest and most piercing yet, and as she pushed her way through the ferns, she gasped in ethereal delight as she saw for the first time the source of the roar.
It was a vast, towering waterfall. Its currents shimmered with an otherworldly silver glow in the rays of the moonlight, and its streams tumbled down a series of oddly glistening boulders, branching off into small, peaceful pools filled with water lilies and golden lotus blossoms. Large slabs of stone forged myriad perches where small trees, water grasses, and flowering shrubs grew in a tangle of branches and vines. There was one perch in particular that drew Sylph's gaze right away. On it grew a large peach tree, blossoming wildly and wonderfully, giving off an airy scent that tickled Sylph's nostrils with glee. She couldn't help but let out a small laugh of wonder and delight as she took in the beautiful, magical sight.
All the while, she could feel within herself a strange pulsing and thrumming of sparkling, glowing connection—almost as if there were some powerful force captured in these waters, surging and ebbing and flowing in its ever-constant currents. Pushing back all her fright from before, she skipped and darted across the rocks until she was close enough to the waterfall to extend her hand into its waters and let the silver streams flow between her fingers.
The pulse within her grew stronger, and she slowly extended one trembling hand, all the while wondering what would happen when she touched the water. And when her hand made direct contact with the waterfall, something…peculiar happened.
In an instant, the hairs on the back of her neck rose as her awareness was suddenly broadened. Her eyes grew wide with wonder and confusion all at once, and a strange tingling coursed through her extended palm. Bewildered, she started to pull her hand away, but then she heard strange, unfamiliar voices calling out in her mind. One voice was gentle and contemplative yet powerful and full of wisdom; the other was soft, shy, and feminine in its tones.
"Who's there?"
"I'm sorry—I'll just go away."
"Oh, forgive me, little one. You startled me…An unchanged spell? I heard it was possible, but I never thought I'd meet one."
"I never thought I'd be one. I've been wandering the realms for centuries, but you're the first person who could see me."
Frightened by what she was hearing, Sylph jerked her hand out of the water, and the voices suddenly ceased, vanishing away completely like a stream of smoke dissolving into the midnight breeze. For several moments, she just stood there, shaking a little as she struggled to comprehend what had just happened. At first, she didn't understand it—but then a flicker of recognition lit up in the back of her mind. And that's when she realized the truth.
These were memories she had heard. These voices had somehow come to her from the past.
But why?
Before her question could be answered, though, her ears pricked up at a familiar sound. A very familiar sound. Quick as a flash, she whirled around, letting her gaze wander for a few minutes until it landed on the source of the sound. It was Morro, still in his wolf form, curled up fast asleep on a nearby rocky ledge, energy all spent from his midnight run. His green-tufted wolfish ears were laid back against his head, and his head was half-buried in his great moonstone-white paws.
Sylph pulled herself back to reality instantly and raced as quiet as a mouse over to him—before getting to her knees and laying a gentle hand on his head. He stirred in his sleep before drowsily opening his eyes and gazing at her. At first, he seemed a little confused, but as he checked her over and sniffed her, there was a slight twinkling flicker of recognition in his emerald-green irises as he breathed, "Sylph?"
A brilliant flash of white light erupted, and Sylph suddenly turned away, thrusting her hands over her eyes as her twin shifted back into his human form. Then a loud "OOMPH!" exploded out of her as Morro suddenly collapsed, worn-out and half-asleep, onto her, his weight pushing her to the ground hard. Then he weakly rolled off of her, and she sat up painfully, the side of her head throbbing from the impact with the stony ground.
Holding one hand to her aching head, she gazed back at him again. At first, she thought he'd fallen back asleep, but a soft moan told her otherwise as Morro rolled back to face her and softly asked, "How did you get out here? More to the point," he added half to himself, "how did I get out here?"
"You were sleepwalking again." she murmured in reply. Then she added in a faint half-whisper, "How are you feeling?"
He started to shiver convulsively as he stammered, "C-c-cold. D-dizzy. S-sooooo tired." Indeed, Sylph could see his eyelids drooping sleepily again as he answered her question.
"Don't worry." she crooned tenderly. "Once we teleport back, you can head straight to your bed and—" Her voice broke off as she suddenly realized that his breathing was speeding up, becoming dangerously shallow. His eyes shot open—his pupils suddenly doubled in size, growing wide as grapefruits—and then, to her utter dismay, he began to shake even more violently as his mind spiraled unbidden into sheer, raw panic. A stream of hacking coughs wracked his body mercilessly as he bolted upright, clinging to Sylph's arm in a grip so fierce and sharp she hissed in pain.
"What's wrong, Morro?!" she wheezed in panic, her own eyes widening as she felt Morro's fingernails digging into her arm, her twin's shaking and trembling growing even more intense by the moment. He suddenly broke away from her and began scrabbling away backwards as quickly as he could, whimpering like a lost puppy as he mewled, "Mist…"
Sure enough, when Sylph turned around to see what he was looking at in such fright, she noticed an icy-white mist streaming silently into the small clearing. She still didn't understand why he was so scared and spooked out of his wits, but she did know one thing—she was the only one who could calm him down.
"Morro, stop! Calm down!" she cried out, as he slowly scrabbled to his feet, still backing away at a dangerous speed. "The mist isn't going to hurt you!"
But Morro's traumatized mind wasn't listening to his sister's pleas. His breathing suddenly became the shallowest yet, and his face began to pale dangerously. Sylph realized that if he didn't calm down soon, he was going to faint from paralyzing fright. And considering that he was currently at the edge of a waterfall, passing out from sheer, raw panic would only lead to a ghastly drop and a watery end.
Determination and fear surged through her veins as she scrambled to her feet, walking slowly towards him as fast as she dared. As she walked, she softly sang an old lullaby that the two of them had loved as children, sure that the old, familiar tune would bring his jangled nerves to rest and settle his frantic mind.
In the darkness of night,
When it seems there's no light,
Remember that love will keep you safe, will keep you strong.
Chase the wind, touch the sky.
Close your eyes, don't you cry.
I'll keep you safe, I'll keep you warm, my love is always there.
Slowly, Morro's panicked steps came to a gentle stop just six feet from the waterfall's edge. His head slumped forward wearily, as his breathing began to be less frantic and more even. Sylph kept on going, holding out her arms and embracing him tenderly as she softly crooned the next verse.
When the night-terrors fly,
And the light seems to die,
Remember that love will keep you safe, will keep you strong.
Morro's own strained tenor suddenly joined Sylph's own soft tween soprano as he returned her embrace, laying his head on her shoulder in exhaustion and lingering fright.
Chase the wind, touch the sky.
Close your eyes, don't you cry.
I'll keep you safe, I'll keep you warm, my love is always there.
Together they held each other close as their voices harmonized one last time.
My love is always there for you.
A soft sigh escaped Morro, and his arms wrapped slightly tighter around Sylph, though not enough to hurt her. His breaths were becoming deeper and calmer by the moment. Sylph breathed an almost inaudible sigh of relief. That had been almost too close. If she hadn't acted when she did—and then her hopes came crashing down as the wind suddenly turned against them.
A violent, swirling gust of biting cold and uncanny might whipped past them in a cataclysm of sheer power and brutal strength, a keening, nerve-jangling wail rising up from it as it howled and caterwauled like a wandering banshee or a vengeful specter. Morro's grip tightened so fiercely around Sylph that the young teleporter gasped in terror and fright. Her brother began shaking again, not just from the cold, but from fear.
He was panicking again—struggling to get himself, and inadvertently Sylph, as far away from the wind as possible. Sylph opened her mouth to cry out, to beg him desperately to calm himself. But before she could say a word, the worst of anything she could have imagined suddenly happened.
The frigid white mist closed in around them, and Morro's mind descended into horror once again as the silky fingers of the icy wetness brushed against his arms and face. Dampness clung to him like a drenched silken blanket, leaving his shaggy hair and raven-black eyelashes sprinkled with tiny droplets like those of morning dew. Panic spiking to its strongest intensity, his heartbeat sped up uncontrollably, galloping like a stampede of wild horses, pounding against Sylph's breast like the reverberations of a gong. His eyes grew wide with fear, and wailing whimpers tore themselves from his throat as he scrabbled and staggered backward, taking Sylph with him.
Fear surging into her own mind, Sylph cried out, "NO! NO, MORRO, DON'T!" But he didn't respond to her pleas. It was like his mind was trapped in a dark, sinister spell—one that kept his thoughts bound in invisible chains of raw fear and wildness. Like a skittish, spooked colt, he bolted sharply backwards, and before Sylph could stop him, he stumbled back into nothing but air.
Teetering dangerously on the edge of the falls, Sylph clutched in a death-grip to his chest, he scrambled to regain his footing—too late! Before he could scrabble to safety, he tumbled backwards into the falls, taking Sylph with him!
A scream erupted from both of their throats as they plummeted downward. Sylph managed to pry one of Morro's arms off from where it was clasped around her shoulders, keeping one hand on her brother in a desperate attempt to slow his fall. But gravity's pull was too strong for either her or Morro to fight against.
They were going to crash, and there was nothing she could do except hold on for her life.
And then—the absolute worst occurred. The wind suddenly ripped Morro from Sylph's frail, frantic grasp! He flailed his arms about wildly, his Wind Powers reacting violently to save their master. But it wasn't nearly enough. With a heavy heart, the two closed their eyes, Sylph's arms involuntarily wrapping around Morro once again as they braced themselves for the inevitable crash.
But it never came. Instead, Sylph could feel a strange tingling sensation awaken within her. Power of uncanny strength and might seemed to unfold within her core, ebbing out from her innermost being, whirling and surging all around her and Morro as their fall began to slow. When she dared to crack open her eyes, she could see streams of pink and blue and white Mighty Power circling and swirling all around her and her brother. And then, a wave of pure, warm, tender bliss enveloped the both of them—before a sudden jerk ripped them away from the waterfall, pulling them at lightning-fast speed in an unknown direction.
As the two tumbled over and over in the mysterious wormhole-like passage, it was then, in a momentary flurry of panic, that Sylph realized what had happened. Her Teleportation Powers had flared up—without her even thinking to use them. The whole matter was mind-boggling—but then another jerk, this time quite painful, pulled them out of the lightbridge of power before the two of them materialized in midair above the Dojo courtyard, crashing to the cobblestones with a sickening thud.
The sliding door swished open a second later, revealing the brightly lit living room and six figures standing in the doorway. Sora, Arin, Lloyd, Kito, Skye, and Kelly all stood there, their mouths agape with shock and fright at the sudden, mind-shattering sound.
"What in the—" Sora exclaimed before Arin, Kito, and Skye all shrieked, "MORRO!"—followed close behind by Lloyd and Kelly crying in fright, "SYLPH!" The six teammates then rushed towards the two, clearly in a frightened tizzy over what had happened. A thousand questions seemed to spill out of their lips as they surrounded the two like a crowd of wolves gawking at some strange intruder. The din of incoherent inquiries buzzed in Sylph's ears like a swarm of bees, and she suddenly cried out, "Slow down! One at a time!"
An awkward silence fell, but before anyone could ask a single question, the still air was pierced by the heart-twisting sound of Morro, still curled up on the ground, softly sobbing in confusion and panic and sheer fright combined. Lloyd immediately bent down and laid a gentle hand on the wind-wielder's shoulder. When Morro looked up, his face was crimson with sorrow, streaked with smudges of mud, dirt, and tears. His breath came in strangled gasps as he stammered, "M-m-mist. M-mist. White, chilling, swirling mist."
And then his lip quivered before he flung himself into Lloyd's arms and cried. Lloyd's own jade-green eyes filled with tears, as he suddenly recalled the terrible night when he'd gotten a glimpse of the wind-child's deepest, darkest fears. But he couldn't bring himself to tell anyone else what he knew of the horrid, mind-numbing, memory-snatching lilac mist that haunted Morro so.
Skye, realizing the pain Morro was feeling, trotted over to him and pushed her head up into the crook of his arm before snuggling tenderly against his chest, hoping to offer comfort in the best way she knew how. Morro seemed a bit startled by the sudden gesture, but a moment later, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her even closer to his chest as his tears flowed even more freely. Almost unconsciously, he let his cheek fall on top of her head, taking comfort in nuzzling the soft fluffiness of the cockapoo's fur, as his breaths slowly grew less ragged and his tears began to cease. Lloyd's embrace extended to include both wind-child and wind-pup, and for the next several eternal-seeming moments, the three simply held each other close, seeking to offer each other comfort even as the tears continued to flow—before tapering off and disappearing into the night.
Sylph felt her stomach lurch. Her heart gave a wail of anguish at the sadness and fright her brother was feeling—the agony and misery that tormented his core and shook him to the bone. And as her face tilted upward in aching melancholy, tears glistening in her own eyes as one by one, the onlookers turned and went back inside, she found one single, solitary question echo in her mind over and over again.
What is wrong with my brother? Why is he so afraid, so broken in his spirit, so wounded deep within?
What am I not understanding here? How can I help him get through this when I don't know what to do?!
A sudden hand clamped down on her shoulder, and she flinched with a stifled yelp. She turned to face the figure now beside her and saw that it was Lloyd. Tears sprang uncontrollably to her eyes as her peripheral vision caught Sora gently leading a distressed, still-trembling Morro back to bed. And before she realized what she was doing, she thrust her own eleven-year-old body into Lloyd's extended arms. He let out a small oof from the impact, but he made no move to push her away. Instead, he just held her close, rubbing her back in soothing circular motions akin to those Morro used whenever Sylph was sad or afraid. She leaned into his chest, basking in the welcome warmth of his familiar presence. He was a good big brother to have—almost as good as Morro, blood-related or not.
"Can you…" Lloyd ventured hesitantly, voice throbbing with nervousness as he struggled to gather his wits about him. "Can you…tell me what happened?"
Sylph's throat seemed to constrict. She struggled to speak. And when she succeeded, her voice was small and tight with fear and anguish. "I saw him sleepwalking again."
"Sleepwalking?" Lloyd interjected. "Has this happened before?"
The teleporter swallowed hard, searching for an answer. She'd never exactly told Lloyd or anyone else for that matter about her brother's nightly habits. After mentally shooting down a dozen flimsy excuses, she sucked in a shaky breath and admitted, "Yes. Lots of times. But I've always been able to find him and bring him back before anyone noticed. I didn't want to cause a stir, you see."
(She had always had the annoying predisposition to ramble when she was nervous—and it had returned to bite her in the back more than once before.)
"How often are we talking?" the Green Ninja continued, his voice gentle yet strained with great worry.
"Not that often. Only when he's stressed out."
Lloyd nodded in understanding, face growing visibly calmer as he breathed a small sigh of relief—thankful that this clearly wasn't a nightly occurrence. His own eyelids drooped with exhaustion, and there were dark circles underneath his eyes. And as he let out an uncontrollable yawn, it dawned on Sylph that Lloyd hadn't slept well in quite some time. But she wasn't one to pry, and so proceeded to tamp down the bazillion questions threatening to explode out of her.
Lloyd's voice was soft and sleepy as he murmured, "So, what happened next?"
"I went after him," Sylph spoke in a whisper, not wanting to disturb anyone still sleeping, "and I tracked him down to the edge of a waterfall. I was going to wake him up and teleport him back, like I normally do. But there was something…different about how he responded to me. He seemed…haunted somehow, like there's a great big invisible dragon of fear curled up inside his core—you know, his inner self—waiting to lash out at any moment. But all I've been able to gather is that it has something to do with mist."
Lloyd's mouth twitched with concern, but he said nothing. Sylph took that as an invitation to continue her story. "Anyway, when he saw that frigid white mist he was talking about, he just outright spooked—bolting backwards uncontrollably like a skittish colt. I tried to calm him down. I almost succeeded. But then, something about him changed. It was like he was struggling against some sort of curse or nightmare—at least it seemed like that to me. He scrabbled backwards and then tumbled over the edge of the falls with me in tow. If my powers hadn't acted of their own accord, I don't want to even think of what could have been."
Lloyd's eyes shot wide open. His cheeks flushed crimson with fright. His breathing began to speed up, and he started shaking uncontrollably. Sylph whimpered slightly, not understanding why he was so frightened all of a sudden. Knowing she had to do something, she desperately looked up into his face, trying with all her might to calm him down as she whispered, "Settle down, Lloyd. It's okay. We're safe—we're all safe now. We're all in this together—we're going to be all right."
Her voice was melodious and gentle as she ran one tender hand through the back of his hair, fingers feeling the normally unnoticeable knubs of tiny, pointy horns hidden underneath his shaggy blond mop—yet another mark of being descended from both the Oni and the Dragon. She made no sign that she felt the knubs, but he didn't need one. He clearly had known about them for a long time—he simply chose not to talk about them to any of the others.
As she held him close, offering whatever childish comfort she could, she felt his heartbeat begin to slow back down to a healthy pulse, and his knotted-up muscles and bunched-up nerves relaxed in her gentle grip as his breathing slowly deepened. He let out a small sigh, eyelids drooping half-shut. The panic and mysterious fright that had taken him like a storm at sea was beginning to drift away now, trickling away from his spirit like a whisper in a dream. She suddenly realized that he was indeed very tired, and she whispered once more, "Come on, Lloyd. Let's go to bed. It's been a long night for both of us."
The Green Ninja silently nodded, lethargically rising to his feet as Sylph grasped his arm gently—more for emotional support than anything else. He then turned away from her, breathing a soft "thank you" before heading back inside. And then Sylph was alone once more.
Her mind raced with a million questions and thoughts all at once as she mused back over what she'd seen, what she'd heard, what she'd witnessed. An uneasy feeling of fluttering confusion and dismay settled in her stomach, but she clasped her arms tightly around herself, as she whispered the words she had just used to reassure Lloyd. "We're all in this together—we're going to be all right."
In that moment, she could only hope that she wasn't deceiving herself or anyone else. For deep down inside her own core, a lump of pain and fear was just beginning to form.
She didn't know what would happen next, but if there was one thing she did know, it was that she had to find out why her brother had been so very, very frightened of the mist. It was a mystery all right—a mystery she only hoped could be solved before it was too late.