Chapter 1

"I'm doomed! Doomed! Ancestors, help me!" Jolt cried out in panic before scrambling away from pillars of ice that erupted from the ground. He slipped on some loose dirt, regained his footing, then fled in a wide circle away from Shimmer, who was hunting after him with a dissatisfied scowl.

"Jolt!" she said, slapping one of her paws on the ground. "Stop running away! Stand your ground!"

"I-I'm trying!" Jolt cried back.

From the other side of the yard-turned-battlefield, Kiran watched the scene unfold and pinched the bridge of his nose. He tried to recall if he had ever known anyone that held the same level of incompetence — no, that wasn't right. What was it then? Powerlessness? Inability? Fear? Ah, there it was. Kiran wasn't sure if anyone else in the world was as afraid of life as Jolt was, and it made him regret agreeing to teach him self-defense.

It wasn't that he didn't like Jolt, because he did, but he found himself fighting against ingrained notions that the cowardly deserved to be abandoned. Anyone hinting at, let alone displaying weakness, would have been left behind, forgotten, cast out or worse. In his world, there was only room for the strong to survive, and Kiran had fallen in line time and again in accordance with this belief. Now, however, as he watched his friend struggle, he knew he had to abandon this corrupt ideal. Failing to do so would risk losing all that he had gained, and that chilled him to his core.

I've already lost one friend. I can't lose another.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Kiran turned to the dark green earth dragon behind him. "Hey, Phyl, can you handle this by yourself for a few seconds?"

Phyl grunted in reply. The stone wall that he held cracked as dark flames licked violently around the edges. He strained his paws against it and sent a wave of green energy through the rock. After a moment, the cracks that had formed mended themselves back together, stabilizing the wall.

"Uh, maybe?" Phyl said as he fell back onto his rump with a groan. "Why, though!? I need your help!"

"Jolt," Kiran said with a sigh, "needs my help more than you do."

Phyl huffed but held back whatever he was going to say. Kiran could tell he was frustrated, but he would have to manage. Jolt was everyone's responsibility, and if they left him alone, it would only be a matter of time before Shimmer lost her cool and turned him into a popsicle. Phyl wouldn't want that any more than he did, right?

Of course not, Kiran reminded himself. He cares about him just as much, if not more than I do.

"Jolt will be fine," Phyl finally managed. "Shimmer won't hurt him, which means you can stay here and help me with Nova."

Kiran shook his head firmly and set a hand on Phyl's shoulder. Phyl's eye twitched, and he eyed Kiran's hand warily before nudging it off with his tail.

"Sorry," Kiran mumbled while withdrawing his hand.

Phyl rolled his eyes in a respectable but ultimately futile attempt to hide his irritation. Kiran attempted a smile to ease the ever-present tension between them, but it fell flat, much like their relationship had the past few weeks. Everything had changed when he had told him about Luna, and Phyl had taken it particularly hard. Kiran wanted to mend or fix things between them, but without changing the past, he wasn't sure what he could do.

"It's fine," Phyl huffed, cutting Kiran's thoughts short. "But seriously, can't you give me a helping claw?"

"I'd like to, believe me, but we're trying to teach Jolt just as much as each other. If he's not improving, then the point of having him here is moot."

Phyl buried his face in a paw and mumbled something under his breath. Then, with a softer look, he lifted his eyes enough to see through his claws. His eyes landed on Shimmer, watching her while she attempted to cheer Jolt on. She was closing the gap between herself and the tree Jolt was cowering behind, but anyone could see the frustration and disappointment building on her face.

"Shimmer isn't going to stay calm forever."

Another sad cry filled the air when an icicle went wide of Jolt. He threw a pale-yellow wing over his face and bolted, almost tripping over his own feet as he did so. The young dragon was visibly distraught, as he always seemed to be, but the sight of Jolt struggling seemed to make Phyl hesitate. Kiran, who was now drumming his fingers against his leg, felt his worry skyrocket. If they waited any longer, it would be too late.

"Phyl!" Kiran barked.

With a start, Phyl snapped back to attention. "Fine, fine!" he said, thrashing his tail back and forth. "Go help him, then come back for me. I can't handle Nova by myself for very long."

Before Kiran could answer, another voice cheekily joined in on their conversation.

"Shouldn't you two be keeping an eye on your opponent instead of arguing?"

Kiran and Phyl shared a brief look, then glanced downward. They both spotted a black paw with sharp claws reaching out from the shadows. It fastened itself tightly around Phyl's leg, ready to pull at a moment's notice.

"Well," Kiran said. "I suppose this makes things simple, doesn't it?"

Phyl sighed in resignation and glared at Kiran with his dark green eyes. "This is what I get for agreeing to help. I should have known better."

"My bad," Kiran said with an apologetic smile. "I'll be back to help soon?"

Phyl rolled his eyes, then remained stoically defiant as he was dragged unwillingly into the depths. Kiran, thankful that Nova had decided not to send him through the proverbial blender, left the false safety of the rock wall to help Jolt. Said dragon was currently using the lone tree in the yard as a buffer between himself and Shimmer, hoping somehow to stave off her icy assault, shaking horribly all the while. If he didn't do something soon, Shimmer would catch him or remove the tree altogether.

"Jolt!" Kiran shouted. Jolt winced and his head whipped around. "You have to stop running! Fight back!"

Jolt froze with indecision and his sudden stop caught Shimmer off guard. Several icicles that were supposed to lag behind Jolt gleamed menacingly in the sunlight and shot through the air toward him. Shimmer yelled "Look out!" in a panic, but there was no hope for Jolt to react in time. Jolt turned around, just in time to witness his own demise only a few feet away and his eyes widened with uncontrolled panic. With a fraction of a second left, he closed his eyes, braced himself and waited, but the sharp sting of icicles against his scales never came. His eyes peeled open, then flashed with realization as a gentle wind brushed against his claws before vanishing without a trace.

"That was too close," Kiran said while letting his hands fall to his sides. "You ok, Jolt?"

Kiran had been expecting something akin to a thanks for saving Jolt's sorry butt, but he was given a pained expression instead. Jolt's head fell to the point that a shadow veiled his face. Then he lifted a clenched claw to his chest and forced out a weak reply.

"I-I'm fine."

"Then are you ready to counterattack?" Kiran asked.

"No. I can't do it."

Kiran held back a deep sigh. Now he was upset, which only made his inability to fight worse. Reaching deep within himself to find patience, Kiran held a hand up, asking Shimmer to wait and stepped up to Jolt.

"Remember what we told you?" Kiran said, forcing a smile while pointing at Shimmer. "Use your lightning to stop her. If it helps, just pretend she's one of the bullies that picks on you at school."

"I-I don't want to hurt anyone…"

Kiran almost threw his face into his hands. "That's great, but that's not going to stop some jerk from pushing you around at school, is it? You came here to learn from us, and I expect you to do just that. Muster up that fire you had a few days ago and fight!"

Jolt swallowed hard. Visible fear crept back into scales, but it was met with an equal amount of understanding. That was the look Kiran was hoping for and prayed that something had gotten through to the stricken dragon. Maybe this was the breakthrough they were hoping for?

"You've got it, Jolt!" Shimmer cheered before grinning dangerously. "You'd better hurry though, because I'm about to kick Kiran's butt for almost getting you hurt!"

She crouched low, ready to fight, but Kiran subtly shook his head. She huffed but caught onto the message and let Kiran run up to her so the two could pretend to fight. They traded mock blows and strikes while moving in a way that allowed them to keep an eye on Jolt, who they hoped would finally act.

Jolt settled himself in place and crouched low, following the steps that had been laid out for him before. Lightning started to build up in his maw, first appearing as small sparks of energy. As more magic was pressed into the attack, it built up into a small sphere of electrical energy that hummed ominously and crackled like branches in a fire. Jolt held onto the orb warily and stood up, looking somewhat surprised at his progress. He took a step forward, sucked in a deep breath and then—

The ground shook violently, as pillars of rock toppled down where Nova and Phyl had been fighting. Jolt faltered and lost his footing, sending the built-up lightning directly toward the wrong person. He shouted "NO!" as his snout hit the ground, startling everyone in the yard.

Kiran heard the shout, saw the arcing ball of electricity, and dove to the side to avoid being shocked. Jolt watched in horror as his arc of lightning passed by everyone before dissipating in the air.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Kiran shouted. Then, as he pushed himself back up, he grumbled to himself, "How did he mess that up?!"

Jolt didn't seem to handle the outburst well and slumped to the ground. Shimmer, who hadn't had to dodge the attack, took advantage of the chaos with a devious smile. Kiran saw the smile and let out a gasp.

"Shimmer, wait!"

He wasn't sure if she hadn't heard him or if she didn't care. She took a deep breath, reared her head back, then released a massive wave of ice that washed over the yard, freezing everything in its path. Kiran managed to push the ice around himself with a hastily formed wall of wind, but Jolt wasn't able to move in time. Fear froze him in place, so he did the only thing that he could think to do. He threw his paws over his face, ducked to the ground and let the cool wind wash over him. After a heart-pounding moment of silence, he opened his eyes, only to find his muzzle and forepaws frozen to the dirt. Jolt wriggled in vain to free himself, angrily flailing his wings and thrashed his body, but promptly gave up when Kiran stepped up to help him. Kiran could see shame and embarrassment flowing from the kid in waves, and it made his heart sink.

"Hey, you, uh, almost had it," Kiran said awkwardly.

Jolt's eyes swelled up with despair, and he averted his eyes. Kiran wasn't sure what to say and looked to Shimmer for help. She motioned for him to get Jolt up, and Kiran smacked his forehead harshly. Of course that's what I should do. Why didn't I do that in the first place!?

Kiran knelt down and chipped away the ice with precise strikes of a kunai. Why does teaching him have to be so hard? Maybe we should try something else, or Jolt may never figure out how to defend himself. He's just not fit for this type of thing.

With a final cut, Jolt was released from his icy prison, and in his eagerness to escape, his head snapped up, smashing into Kiran's chin.

He brought a hand to his chin, exclaiming, "Ow! Two moons, that—"

"I'm sorry!" Jolt wailed. The defeated expression on his face put an end to Kiran's complaint.

Hoping to salvage the situation, Kiran gave Jolt a reassuring pat while smothering the stinging pain and smoldering anger. "Next time, you'll piece everything together. You're… incredibly close."

Jolt nodded feebly, though Kiran didn't think his words had helped at all. Jolt turned and walked over to the edge of the yard, dragging his tail behind him, leaving a small trail in the dirt.

"Poor Jolt," Shimmer whispered. "I don't think I've ever seen him so upset."

Kiran couldn't help but agree. He did pin some of the blame on Shimmer, however. "Maybe a little less ice next time? Freezing him doesn't help."

In an uncharacteristic move, Shimmer snapped back. "I wasn't aiming for him. I meant that for you, but I put too much into the attack and he got caught up in it."

Too stunned to do anything but shrug, Kiran felt helpless. This was making everyone upset and putting them on edge with each other. Though not far gone, he missed the days of training and fun that ended with them all eating dinner and enjoying their time together. That had changed with his match against Nova, and his confession only soured the already fragmented group.

Hopefully things would fix themselves with time.

"He's having a rough time," Kiran said lamely. "Regardless, I guess we'll keep trying. Hopefully something sticks and he'll get through this rut."

"Maybe, but it looks like he needs some help right now." Shimmer lifted a paw to step toward him but stopped abruptly. Kiran wasn't sure, but it looked like Jolt had flinched at her movement and it made her rethink her course of action.

"Hey," Kiran said softly enough for Jolt not to hear. "We can check on him after this. I think he needs his space."

Shimmer hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Not really, but he doesn't seem to want company right now." Kiran sighed softly and ran a hand through his hair. "I know it sucks, but why don't you show me what you've been working on while we give him time to think?"

Shimmer nodded, but Kiran could tell that she wasn't as invested in what they were about to do. That was until she stopped, smacked her cheeks with her paws and let out a low growl that startled Kiran.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" she said with too much enthusiasm. "Just getting ready to impress and awe, instead of moping around and being a grump like someone I know. Check this out!"

With a forced smile, Shimmer let out an icy breath on herself and coated her tail, claws and wingtips with a thin layer of ice. She beamed at her accomplishment, and the razor-sharp ice glimmered like a sharpened blade. "Are you impressed? Pretty cool, right?"

Kiran was, but he wasn't about to say so. "I don't know if I'd call that impressive. Sure, it looks dangerous, but I'm not sure if you'll be able to deliver. You'll have to show me what you've got before I admit it's cool."

"Oh, it's on!" she shouted before charging forward recklessly. She was only a few steps into her dash when Kiran slipped a hand into a pouch, flicked it back up and threw two kunai at her. She ground to a halt, raised her wings and managed to intercept the weapons with a metallic clang. They fell to the ground with a dull thud, embedding themselves into the earth.

Growling, Shimmer peeked out from behind her wings. "Hey! Since when do you—" Kiran was already in front of her, swinging his sword and Shimmer squeaked in surprise.

His wooden training sword tapped her on the forehead, and he clicked his tongue twice. "Guard up! Don't lose focus!"

Shimmer huffed and pointed a wing at him. "Hey! Don't patronize me! Fight me for real or not at all!"

"Are you sure about that?"

Shimmer snarled and charged again. She swiped her claws, only for them to be deflected by Kiran's sword. She attacked again and again, but all she heard was the woosh of open air or the soft thud of wood against her talons and wings. With growing impatience, Shimmer whirled around, aiming her tail for Kiran's head.

Wait, when did she learn to do that? Kiran thought with surprise. He reacted before he could think by taking a quick step back and countered with a hefty swing. The training sword met the tip of her tail and shattered the thin layer of ice.

Shimmer yelped and shot a few feet into the air with frantic flaps of her wings. "Ow ow ow OW! You jerk!"

Kiran took advantage of her exposed state and tossed the sword at her. It smacked gently into Shimmer's stomach, then fell to the ground. "I may be a jerk," he said with a grin. "But you just died! Make your ice thicker next time so it doesn't break!"

Shimmer dropped to the ground, stomped and pouted. "But that makes it too heavy! I can barely move around when I do that."

"If it's that big of an issue, then you need to develop your physical strength," Kiran said. "Even with your reserves, there's always a chance that you can run out of chakra or have something strange happen. Be prepared in that case."

"Argh! I'll never reach that point if you don't give me a chance! Why can't you ease up a bit and allow me to actually learn for once?!"

"There's no shortcuts when it comes to close combat," Kiran said defensively. "If I ease up, you'll never get better."

Shimmer sighed dramatically, lashed her tail back and forth and stepped off to the side. She sat down next to Jolt, pouted, and blew a raspberry at Kiran. He rolled his eyes, then turned to check on Phyl. There, across the yard, Nova was sitting patiently next to Phyl, ignoring the fact that he was wrapped up in Shadow tendrils. Phyl stewed next to her, staring at Kiran with eyes that were accusing and annoyed. Kiran lifted a hand to the back of his neck and rubbed it sheepishly, not liking the looks he was getting.

Well… crap. Shimmer's mad at me, and I didn't get back to Phyl in time. That's three dragons that I've done a fantastic job communicating with today.

Shimmer took note of the state of the mock battlefield with a growl and looked between Kiran and Nova. "Well, no surprise here," she said hotly. "As always, you two are the last ones standing while we have to sit on the sidelines. Why don't we mix things up and do something other than sparring?"

Kiran crossed his arms defensively. Why would they do that? Sparring was the most efficient method to achieve their current goals, even if it was lopsided, and he didn't see any reason to change that. Besides, he was certain that everyone aside from Jolt had managed to gain something from their training, which only proved its effectiveness.

"I've never said that we couldn't, but I do think that this is one of the best ways to improve."

"Maybe for you," Shimmer said sarcastically, "but it's a little different for the rest of us. In case you haven't noticed, there's a bit of a skill gap."

Kiran opened his mouth to argue but stopped and glanced over at a dejected Jolt and irritated Phyl. He then noticed how uncomfortable Nova seemed now that negative attention was being directed toward her, and a wedge of guilt pressed into his mind.

Maybe… maybe Shimmer has a point. If everyone is this miserable, then should we stick with what I think is most efficient? Kiran sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. No, no I don't think we can. I need to be thinking about more than just the ends. I can't justify them if I'm making everyone upset.

Kiran placed his hands in his pockets and sighed heavily. He didn't want to say that he was wrong, but being a friend warranted that type of action, didn't it?

"You're right, Shimmer," Kiran said reluctantly and with a great deal of effort. "You're right that I haven't wanted to change what I'm comfortable with. I'm sorry."

Shimmer paused, blinked rapidly while attempting to clear her ears and shook her head. "There's no way I just heard that. Did you just…?" Shimmer beamed like snow on a sunny day and all her anger seemed to melt away. "Of course I'm right! I always am! I'm surprised to hear you say it, but I'm glad you're listening. I guess having a near death experience finally knocked that peg off your…"

Shimmer bit her tongue and winced, realizing she had broken an unwritten rule. No one had talked about the events of the arena fight since the day after it happened; it had become taboo to bring it up. Nova certainly wasn't going to, and Kiran felt that things would be better if no one else did either. The fact that everyone stood on edge, unsure of how to continue, was proof of that. Why bring up something that was done and over with?

Nova tapped Kiran's shoulder. She was avoiding looking at everyone else and fidgeted under the scrutiny. "Hey," she said, her voice low. "Could we finish up? I think it's almost lunch time."

Kiran picked up on her discomfort. He would have missed it a few weeks ago, but after she was put on house arrest, they had spent almost every day together. Neither of them had much to do without the arena and enjoyed each other's company. Because of this, Kiran had started to pick up on some of Nova's body language and knew that the way her tail twitched haphazardly was a sign that she was worried about what everyone was thinking of her.

He couldn't understand why that mattered. However, he didn't like to see her distressed and knew there was some lingering tension between her and everyone else. If that was the case, maybe showing everyone how much he trusted her would put some of this to bed?

"Yeah, of course," he said with a nod. "Before we do though, why don't we show everyone how much control you have over Fear now? No sparring required, just a quick exercise to demonstrate."

"Right now?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably. "Here? With everyone watching?"

"Why not? It's safe and you have permission from your mom to practice with Fear now that you have a better handle on it."

Nova's eyes flicked over to Shimmer, Jolt, and Phyl. They were quiet but watching intently, and she shuddered in the spotlight. Kiran knew this was difficult for her but felt that showing everyone that she could control herself would be an important step in making things better.

"Nova," he whispered, hoping to inspire her. "Don't let their opinions control what you do. Getting this right is important, and I know you can do it."

Nova took a deep breath, glancing once more at their friends. She nodded more to herself than to Kiran and agreed, though not without giving him a small nudge with her wing.

"You're right. Let's do it."

Kiran smiled and nudged her back. He then took several long strides back until he stood across from her. "Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Ready?" Shimmer asked, tilting her head. "Ready for what?"

Kiran pulled two shuriken out of a pouch on his leg, then threw them. With a flash of his hands, he completed a duplication jutsu, turning the two shuriken into a swarm of one hundred that cut through the air with a distinct whistle. The shuriken arced out and then in toward Nova, who crouched low in anticipation. She built up the Fear element in her maw, then let out a shrieking cry that sent out small red waves of energy. The shuriken were stopped as if they had struck metal, then flung chaotically away back towards Kiran. He dropped to the ground as they whizzed over his head, then surveyed the scene that lay before him. Nova was untouched and his shuriken lay scattered everywhere, until the jutsu ended and all but two vanished in a puff of smoke.

Kiran stood up and threw a fist into the air in celebration. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

Nova grinned proudly, and Kiran moved to give her a fist bump. He walked up with his fist raised, but let it fall when Nova's smile disappeared. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Nova shook her head and shrank back under her own wings. Kiran tilted his head, not understanding why she seemed so upset, but a flicker of her eyes toward everyone else answered his question. Off to the side, Phyl was sitting back with a sour expression and had his tail curled around Shimmer. Shimmer looked uncomfortable and shifted back and forth on her legs while pressing close to Phyl. Jolt looked worse than both of them. He was pale, and his fear-filled eyes were locked onto Nova. He trembled, and Kiran could tell that he was about to bolt.

Kiran's mouth almost fell open with surprise. What's going on? Why is everyone so upset?

He had no idea what to do, and the air that was settling between everyone only grew heavier. Kiran sought an answer, but before he could come up with anything, Shimmer shook herself off and nervously stepped forward, much to Phyl's discomfort. "Woah, that was… cool! How'd you do that Nova?"

Nova looked over with surprise and smiled softly. "You thought it was… cool?"

"Uhm, yeah!" she said forcefully. "Super cool!"

Nova looked at the ground and shrugged. "I mean, my mom has been giving me some pointers lately and guiding me on how much energy I put into…" Her voice trailed off at the sight of Jolt cowering behind Shimmer. Nova clamped her mouth closed, much to Shimmer's bewilderment.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked.

Nova's muzzle twisted with sadness. "Nothing, I just—"

A voice called out from inside. "Lunch is ready! Come inside if you'd like to eat!"

Nova used the interruption as a chance to avoid the question, along with everyone else, and dashed toward the kitchen, motioning the others to follow. "Coming, Mom!"

Shimmer took off after Nova with alarm, unhappy with the sudden interruption. "Hey, wait up!"

Phyl, not wanting to be left behind, hurried after her and the three of them disappeared into Spyro's house. Jolt, now alone, stumbled as his support left, and he whimpered to himself while regaining his footing.

Kiran didn't understand what went wrong. Shouldn't a display like that inspire confidence instead of fear? Was there something there that I'm missing? He was at a loss. The steps he was taking to either help or reassure his friends were backfiring, and he didn't know what to do. Irritated and dejected, he stepped up to Jolt, watching him carefully. Kiran placed a hand on Jolt's shoulder, which made him flinch.

"Hey," he said, ignoring his own discomfort. "Doing alright?"

Jolt turned his head away, and Kiran was certain he wasn't going to say anything. To his surprise, Jolt choked up and rubbed his snout as tears and snot began to flow freely. "…No."

"What's wrong?"

Jolt seemed to debate on whether he would answer. Much to Kiran's surprise, he did.

"Nova is still so terrifying!" he wailed. "I know I shouldn't be scared, but that sound, it reminds of—" Jolt pressed his paws against his snout as a shudder overtook him.

Is he thinking about our match? Kiran had to pause and think over why anyone would think back to that. After his talk with Nova, he had considered the matter finished. If Jolt was still thinking about it though, did the others feel the same way? Why? Couldn't they move on like he had? What was holding them back? Was he not making it clear things were fine? Was there something that hadn't been said? Perhaps—

Jolt's subdued voice was so quiet, Kiran almost missed it. "That's not the only reason that I'm upset though."

"It's not?"

"No!" Jolt yelled, scaring himself. "I-I'm not coordinated or brave like everyone else. I want to learn how to be strong, but I'm too scared or too clumsy to do anything right." Jolt gripped the dirt with his claws and rose up with a mournful yell. "Why can't I be brave?! Or capable?! I don't want to be scared anymore! I want to be like Shimmer, or you, or Phyl, or—!"

Jolt slumped down and pressed his paws into the ground. Hot tears mixed with the dirt and Kiran felt at a loss. Jolt hadn't expressed his thoughts this clearly before, and he didn't want to say the wrong thing. In fact, Shimmer was a much better candidate for this, considering her ability to encourage, but she was gone. This left him to pick up the pieces of a dragon that was clearly falling apart, but he didn't have any encouraging words to say. If anything, intrusive thoughts from a previous mindset were screaming at him to abandon such an emotional and useless dragon, testing his patience both inside and out.

Scrambling for something, Kiran managed to cobble together a few words, taking a note from his own experience. "I think you've got the wrong idea. It's ok to be afraid."

Jolt looked up at him through strained eyes with a mixture of shock and confusion. "What?"

"That's right." Kiran sat down next to Jolt. "There's never been a fight I've been in where I wasn't at least somewhat scared."

"….Really?" Jolt looked skeptical through his puffy eyes. "I don't think I've ever seen you scared before."

Kiran shrugged. If only you knew how often I was. "I'm only trying to look calm. Inside, I'm often afraid or unsure."

Jolt's eyes shifted back and forth in thought. "I don't understand. You're scared, but… you still manage to be brave?"

Kiran nodded.

"How?" Jolt asked. "I get so scared that I can't do anything. What am I doing wrong?"

Kiran hesitated, not knowing what to say. "I can't say exactly what you're doing wrong, but I can tell you what helps me to focus. If I don't have something to drive me, I find it hard to do anything."

Kiran suddenly had rapt attention from the younger dragon, and he felt the pressure of the moment weigh on his shoulders. He was desperately hoping that he didn't ruin Jolt permanently by saying something stupid. "I'm afraid but have courage to act because I'm not fighting for myself. I fight to protect other people. If I stop, or fail, it puts others in danger, and that drives me to act in spite of my fear. If it wasn't for that, I don't know what my purpose would be, or if I could face something dangerous."

Kiran watched the gears in Jolt's mind churn as he processed that information. Satisfied that his answer was not going to leave Jolt in a state of distress, Kiran patted Jolt's head, smiled, and gave him a gentle push toward the house. "C'mon, let's eat. I'm sure Shimmer is wondering where we are."

Jolt shook himself from his thoughts, wiped his face several times to make it presentable, gave Kiran a quick nod, then ran to the house. Kiran followed, feeling terribly relieved, and hurried to catch up.

A/N: Hey everyone! Wow, it's been a lot longer than I intended between updates thanks to a mountain of overtime, but here is chapter 1! I hope you all enjoy, and I want to extend a huge, massive shout out to my beta reader Author-san 9001 for giving me advice, feedback and a good ol' proofreading. Thank you!

SoniXL - Yep! I wanted to give everyone something to chew on as we get started. I'm excited for what is in store in Part 2!

UltraNova1225 - Thank you for the review! It does seem like darkness lies ahead, but we'll see how everything pans out. Only time will tell.

Dr. Kocktor - You can thank my sisters for the artwork. They're very talented and gave that to me as a gift for my birthday. :) Thank you for the review, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we dive in.

Guest - Thank you so much for your kind words. One of my goals has always been self improvement, both for myself and for the readers, so to hear that there has been an impact means a lot!

As a note, I'm taking a lot of time to plan this out, unlike Part 1. I have been taking a lot of notes to ensure that everything flows and fits together, and am excited for what's to come. :D