The terrain around them was completely dark. From the dirt under their feet to the night sky-which was being illuminated by a fading moon. In the distance, a tall medieval palace stood with light's on in every window. And between it and them…was a war.
"What in the -" Lloyd looked around. "Where are we?"
"The Land of Shadows, in the year of retribution, about eighteen years ago give or take." Soula said getting to her feet. "Why he brought us here, I just don't know." She brushed off her skirt. "Honestly, he may be a gentlemen but that dragon is so stubborn just like she is. If could just-"
"What are you talking about?!" Jay asked freaking out. "Why are we here?! And what dragon?! I don't see a dragon! Not even a-"
He was cut off by a roar not too far off.
"That answer your question?" She asked, squatting down beside Talynn. "Any idea why he's showing us this?"
Talynn sat up briefly before falling again. "No clue." She stated as she let herself be picked up by Cole. "My guess is he wants us to see something. Or rather," she looked around at them. "Have the rest of you see something."
"See what?" Kai asked curiously. "And why here? Why now?"
Neither girl would meet his eyes.
Zane figured it out first. "This is the land from which you three are from, isn't it?"
Soula met his for a moment, then looked away again.
"Did you know about this Sensei?" Lloyd asked as he helped put Kyna on Kai's back.
The old man nodded. "I knew. And believe me; I was wary of taking children that were born in such a dark place. But I saw a light in them. A light that was almost extinguished in Kyna today."
Wu stepped closer to the girl on Kai's back, moving her bangs away from her face like a father would his child. "Soula, you must guide us through the battlefield. I have a feeling that whatever Talynn's dragon wishes to show us, is on the other side."
"As you wish Sensei." She said bowing. "Everyone stick close. I don't wanna have to look for you in this maze of bodies."
"Why are they fighting anyway?" Nya asked as they made their way down the hill.
Soula sighed. "It's a long story."
"Well from the way I see it," Cole began as he moved Talynn to his back so he could climb down. "You owe us an explanation anyway."
"They're right Soula." Talynn said gripping onto Cole's shirt. "It started before our parents married. No one was sure if it would even be possible for a Dark One and a Light One to have kids. So they just ignored each other completely. That is…until our parents met."
"They all told us that for some reason they felt drawn to each other." Soula continued, jumping onto the ground below. "Like something was telling them that they belonged together. It was tolerated until news got out that we were gonna be born."
"What does three girls being born have to do with anything?" Kai asked, genuinely confused.
"Well legend says that if girls were born to beings of darkness and light under a certain eclipse, they'd have the ability to control dragons." Talynn said as Cole landed on the ground.
He looked at her curiously. "You can do that?"
"In a way we could, but not anymore." She looked away. "We lost the ability a long time ago."
Cole couldn't be mad at her. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't. He knew what it felt like to be treated different because of your background. The moment someone found out he didn't have a mom, they started to feel sorry and treat him in a way he didn't want.
She grew up without her birth parents and didn't want to be reminded of what she lost; didn't want the title she was born into. So why was whoever it was showing this?
"Is the moon above us the same eclipse you mentioned?" Zane asked looking up.
"Yes." Soula said standing beside him. "In our language, it's called the 'Mahate de la Luna Draco'. But in English, it translates to the 'Eclipse of Dragon Hearts.' It only happens every thousand years in each realm."
"Interesting." The nindroid said, looking at her. "And what does this have to do with Dragons?"
"Well…it's said that it's only during this eclipse that a Dragon's Blessed can be born."
"A Blessed huh?" Kai thought aloud. "That sounds familiar."
"What's a Blessed?" Jay asked.
"It's the one that keeps the dragon sane; sort of like a girlfriend." Talynn explained, letting herself off of Cole and sitting on the ground again. "The difference is…well, I'll let you figure that out when we get there."
"You know where we're going?" Nya asked.
Talynn nodded. "We're headed straight for the center of the battlefield, then to the palace."
"The palace I get." Jay said, looking at the dark towers in the distance. "But the center of the battlefield? That doesn't-"
Talynn snapped her fingers.
The next instant, the shadows had teleported them to the center of the battlefield, where three dragons-red on the right, black in the center, silverish white on the left-stood taking the enemy head on.
"Ah!" Jay exclaimed, jumping back. "Those guys are bigger than ours when they grew up!"
"That's because yours were altered by your world's atmosphere." Soula said, looking directly at the white dragon. "These magnificent creatures were never touched by anything. The children of Dracco and true warriors in battle."
"Warriors?" Nya said questioningly. "Uh, not to be rude, but to be a warrior, don't you have to be able to wield a weapon?"
Talynn just gave a small smile. "Just sit down and watch Nya. You'll understand in a minute."
Nya looked at her brother, who just gave her a confused look and shrugged. He just slowly lowered himself and Kyna to the ground. The others sat in silence for a bit. All three dragons seemed to be holding their own well. Then a bigger shadow-one that seemed larger than the red dragon- was seeking up behind the black one. The white one barely caught it in time.
"Brother, behind you!" The creature called out in a gravelly voice close to Zane's. Said dragon began to glow silver and shrink down to a human size. This surprised the ninja, sensei, and samurai, while the two conscious kunoichi just gave each other a look. Then Soula sighed.
"Everyone, say hello to the dragon of Dark Ice, Zandor."
This made Zane's eyes widen as the dragon turned human landed a blow on the creature with a pair of ice shurikens. Said young man looked exactly like he did when his body wasn't fully titanium. From the pale blonde hair to his icy blue eyes-though they were more reptilian than human-to pretty much everything else. The only key differences besides his eyes were the silverish blue markings all over what he could see of his skin, the grey bandana tied around his head-covering the top of his hair, and the white and silver warrior gi with a moon and falcon crest on the back.
"They can talk?!" Jay exclaimed as the others were slack-jawed at the dragon.
"Only in our language-which you can only understand if Talynn's dragon wants you to." Soula said, pulling Jay back into a sitting position. "Now shush."
"Many thanks brother." The black dragon said, tossing another enemy off of him. "I'd rather not die tonight."
"And who would?" The red dragon asked, whipping his tail at another who tried to attack from behind. "How much longer is it until the height of the eclipse?"
"Not long." Zandor said, looking up at the moon, punching a guy in the face. "Roughly five-six minutes."
At these words, the other two dragons transformed into human forms.
"The red one is the dragon of the Dark Flame, Kashton." Soula said, looking at Kyna as she stirred a bit. "And the black one…"
Talynn put her chin on her knees. "The black one is the dragon of Shadow and Earth. The eldest son of the dragon king Draco; Colatos.
The red and black ninja looked between each other, then back at the battlefield.
The red dragon revealed himself to be a brunette with spikey hair; his bangs barely hiding a thin red fabric over his forehead. His amber eyes were brighter than Kai's, but held the same amount of passion. He wore a red version of what Zandor was wearing, except it had a sun and tiger crest. And the red markings on his arms were a bit thinner than Zandor's.
It was Colatos who really surprised them.
He was in every way there could be Cole. From the muscle mass, to the black hair, even his dark brown eyes-which were more human than the other two. The gi he wore was black with the sleeves torn off. And on the back was a wolf in mid-howl, with the outline of a broken heart around it. But the markings didn't just go to his arms and legs, they also extended to his face. Making him seem demonic in a sense.
"I suggest we take the king's route if we're going to make it on time." Zandor suggested, releasing the ice shurikens, causing them to disappear. "Talazon would be cross if we missed this occasion."
The other two nodded, and all at once, they disappeared.
"Okay," Lloyd said, getting up. "You two have explaining to do."
"Not until Talynn's dragon has shown all that needs to be shown." Soula said, getting to her feet as well. "And that usually doesn't happen until Talynn passes out."
"So you know where they're going?" Cole asked Talynn, helping her back up again.
"Vaguely." Talynn responded, her voice getting hoarse. "They're going to see mes parents de naissance; my mother and father."
"Wait a sec." Kai said, getting to his feet slowly. "If this is your world, and that eclipse only happens every thousand years, and this was eighteen years ago…" His eyes widened. "This was the night you three were born isn't it?"
Soula nodded. Then with a snap of her fingers, they were in the castle.
"Since when do you control the story?" Jay asked getting up.
"Since Talynn doesn't like coming back here a lot more than I do." Soula said, grabbing her friend's hand. Her skin was starting to turn chalky; she couldn't take much more of this. "Look."
All turned to see three males in a hallway. Their faces may have been shrouded by shadow, but the glowing red eyes were a dead giveaway at who they were; the girls' fathers.
A scream came from the door leading to the other room.
"I can't take it anymore!" The male on the right said, jumping to his feet. "Torah should've delivered that baby by now."
"Calm down Kyostu." The man on the left said, calmly getting to his feet, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Your anger isn't going to make this any easier on your wife."
"And you would know that how you uncaring, emotionless-"
The man still sitting banged down his staff, startling the unseen guests.
Both men turned to him.
Talynn just gave a small smile. "Daddy."
"That's your dad?" Jay asked, backing away slowly, only to be caught by Wu.
"Don't be alarmed. He can't hurt you." Wu said, watching the man as he rose slowly. "We are but a mist here. And either way, King Talazon cannot attack, unless he, his loved ones, or his people are attacked."
"And I'm guessing the guy who shot up first is Kyna's father?" Kai inquired.
"Good guess." The old man replied. "Now shush. The king is up to something."
The king himself rose from the shadows. His form wasn't one that could be naturally called human; but in held some human aspects. Behind his seat, was a mural; a man made of shadow, and a woman made of light, surrounding them were seven gemstones.
Nya looked at it curiously. "What's that about?"
Talynn lost her smile. "It symbolizes my parents; the last battle they fought against an even greater darkness than my father."
"It took them two lifetimes," Soula said, watching the king get closer to the door that held his queen. "But they accomplished much more than anyone ever dreamed."
Before anyone could make a comment, the dragons entered in a rush.
"Did we miss it?" Kashton asked, catching his breath a bit.
"Not yet." Soul said. "The eclipse shall hit any second now."
"How are things on the battlefield?" Kyostu asked, picking up the red, silver, and black masks beside him.
"It is over for now, my lord." Zandor replied, pulling on the silver mask. "Tonight is won; but the battles ahead remain undecided."
As the others conversed, the two leaders met side by side at the door. Colatos was silent for a time, then began to speak.
"How are you holding up my lord?"
The older man chuckled a bit before replying in a calm voice. "In all honesty young prince, I've never felt more worried in this life; let alone my other." He put his hand on the door. "Mirah was my world then, she is my world now, and until the day that my very consciousness fades, she always will be."
Colatos gave him a confused look, then turned back to the door, tying on his mask. "She must mean a lot to you then, if you're willing to risk everything."
"Just you wait young earth dragon," the older said, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder. "just you wait. One day you're thinking battle strategies, the next you're thinking what to do to her next."
The dragon gave him a disgusted look.
"Was your dad really like that?" Lloyd asked Talynn, who was mid-doze.
The tannette shook herself awake. "No, dad's just messing with him. Kinda like how you guys mess with Jay and Nya; give 'em a little grief, and they stop talking about their love-life."
Both samurai and lightning ninja blushed a bit at that one.
"You have some twisted thoughts your highness." Colatos said, brushing the king's shoulder off. "And I can assure you, that won't happen to me until she's old enough to understand."
"You can assure me all you want." Talazon said as Colatos went to sit down on a bench. "But I'm telling you, the moment you lay eyes on her you'll be challenging me for the right."
"'The right?'" Zane gave Soula a confused look.
"It's basically how males ask for the father's blessing. From what I understand, it's a battle to near death. All types of weapons allowed, any tricks. Basically, it's a human version of a slither pit."
"We'll take your word on it Tal." Kashton said, slinging his arm around his brother, pulling down his mask. "Countdown Zan?"
"Ten seconds." The ice dragon replied. "Watch the moon."
All looked up to see the moon become covered in what seemed to be thousands of dragons. Some were flying, some were crawling. But all were avoiding the center. Then, they began to circle in.
Five…
Black, silver, red, and green ribbons began to surround it.
Four…
They started taking shape.
Three…
Four animals began to form.
Two…
A black wolf, a silver snow falcon, a red tiger, and a green panther stared back at them.
One…
A baby's cry came from the other room.
(Zane's P.O.V.)
It was at that moment that Talynn passed out. The image began to fade, and we returned to the girl's room on the bounty. Soula would not meet my eyes, but could not understand why.
"That's it?" Kai asked, looking down at the passed out Talynn. "That's what he wanted to show us?"
"Colatos is a mysterious dragon." Soula said, walking towards the door. "He's revealed all he can through her."
"Soula…" Nya walked towards her. "Are you-?"
"I need to be alone." The white haired beauty said, running out the door.
"Soulika!" Sensei called after her. "Soulika come back here!"
"Stop…" A quiet voice said from back in the room.
All turned to see Kyna semiconscious as Kai helped her sit up.
"You…must…stop…her…" the redhead said weakly. "The…the hunters…they…will…catch her…if she's…left alone."
"Kyna, you have to tell us." Kai said, holding her head up to meet his eyes. "Who are the Shadow Hunters? And what do they want with you three?"
"The hunters…are the ones…who started the fire…what they want…is absolute power…" She shook her head a bit to get some clarity. "They want…the darkness to have…absolute control of…the realms. To do that…they need all…of Draco's sons…Blessed. To have the Blessed…is to have…the dragons. They…they already have…one of us."
"You mean there's another one?" Lloyd asked.
Kyna nodded. "Sensei knew her. We…lost her…a day before we came… here. Something…pulled us here…we went along…with it." She pulled up her right sleeve, revealing a red dragon tattoo. And it was glowing. "This…has lead me to believe…that we are here…for a reason." She meets Kai's eyes. "And what you did…this afternoon confirms it."
"Confirms what?" Jay asks.
"That Kai, Cole, and Zane have been having the dreams." Talynn said, sitting up from the floor. "We couldn't tell you what we suspected because you would think we're looney."
"Wait…" Cole said, glaring at her. "You knew?"
"I'd made a guess." Talynn said, pulling off her long-sleeved shirt, revealing a black kami underneath, along with a black dragon whose tail seemed to be wrapping itself around her neck. In its claw, was a purple rose. "The rose showed up last night after our talk; when I told you about my best friend." Her hands went to the dragon's face. "The sister we lost." Her head rose up. "I'm not about to let them get another of us."
"Tallianna, it's time to stop beating around the bush." Sensei said, giving her a stern look. "Tell them what the dreams mean."
She gave him a defying look, but gave in.
"The dreams mean that within the three of you…are what's left of our dragons." Talynn said, looking away. "They're the reason Cole can't stay mad at me, Kai's being extremely careful with Kyna, and Zane…" She looked directly at me. "You want to go after her."
I didn't realize it, but she was right. Something was pulling me towards Soulika. I even knew where she was.
She was sitting at the base of the statue the others left when I'd died before.
"Why would you keep this from us?" Cole asked, getting angrier by the second.
"How could I tell you that you were his reincarnation without sounding like a lunatic? That I'd known you since I was born? That you look, sound, and act like him? Tell me, would you've believed me?"
The black ninja just stared at her in shock.
"I thought not." Talynn said running out the door. "Don't even think of following me!"
"Tal!" Cole said, chasing after her.
"Didn't she just say don't follow her?" Jay asked, watching the two black ninja head upstairs.
Wu sighed. "I'd thought Talynn had outgrown these tendencies."
Kyna gave a small laugh. "Come on Wu…You know us…better than that." She tried to stand and failed. "Tal's…got her mother's…rebellious spirit. Soula's…got her mother's determination…and denial is the…only way they…deal with things."
From what I could see, it was hurting Kai to see her like this. Drained, tired. She could break at any moment.
Break…why did that sound so familiar?