Lloyd's POV
A sharp slab of rock whizzed past in front of my face only less than an inch away from my nose. The force knocked me back a little, and another rock shot past behind me, a little lower than the previous one, ripping off a piece of my shirt. Great. Of course this room was booby trapped. I sucked in my stomach to make myself as thin as possible (not that it helped much since I was so skinny already) and observed the flying rocks. Each rock flew past at a different height, so I couldn't simply bend down and crawl across. There was a fleeting moment in between each time a rock flew past, and I could use that to move forward. I wanted to use an energy ball to shield myself, but at the speed the rocks were going, I'd probably be knocked off my feet. This felt like one of those street games that I was never good at (though the fact that other kids would trip me on purpose factored into it). Jay had always been better at them.
Still, if I could somehow prevent the rocks from attacking me, I would have a much less difficult time getting to the other side. I quickly threw several energy balls at the right side of the cave, which was where the rocks had been coming from. Boulders tumbled down and temporarily blocked some of the projectiles as I ran forward, making sure to keep at least one foot on the ground at all times. However, the impact caused rocks to start falling from the ceiling near the right side, and cracks began forming. At the same time, the fires began rising. I knew that at this rate, there was no way I'd be able to reach the other side in time, before I was either engulfed by the flames or crushed by the cave.
There was a small, wider area a few feet away and I threw energy balls at the incoming rocks as I raced towards it. From there, I should be safe for now, giving me some time to formulate a plan. Sure enough, nothing attacked me once I got there, the only sounds being the sizzling flames and the cracking and falling of the rocks on my right. I glanced up and saw that the fractures in the ceiling were starting to spread.
What did I know about this cavern? First, there were obstacles at every leg of the journey that would be triggered as soon as I stepped on the path, making its narrowness the least of my worries. Second, the flames could burn me within seconds. Third, if there wasn't some part of me that made contact with the path, an extremely strong wind would blow me to the left.
Maybe I could utilize it somehow.
An idea popped into my head. If I could propel myself high enough and use the wind to land on the left wall, the whole time staying above the blue fires, I'd be able to climb it horizontally until I reached the exit. All I'd have to do was make my fire strong enough so that the force of gravity wouldn't pull me down. I could do that.
Without hesitation, I shot fire from both of my hands and blasted myself upwards, bracing for the impact. In less than a second, I found myself slamming against the left wall. I clawed at the stone, feeling for any cracks or crevices that I could dig my nails into. My bare feet did the same and I secured myself, feeling like I could finally breathe again.
Thankfully, nothing had been triggered. Climbing this wall was easier than getting out of the Shadow Knight's lair, since there were plenty of holes from the flying obstacles that I could latch onto. The hardest part was that it was slightly inclined towards the center of the room, but I could deal with it. I was getting so close to the Blade; I couldn't give up now.
By this point my body was pretty much numb to physical labor, and I successfully made it to the exit just as the right side of the cave began collapsing and the fires had risen to almost the same level as the path. Grinning to myself, I strolled casually through the door and entered yet another underpass with another door at the end of it, probably leading to the next test. My hand reached up and smoothed out my hair the way Kai used to when demonstrating how he masterfully styled it. At the thought of him, my chest tightened once again. But I would help Rumi set things right.
I decided that I needed a break after the adrenaline rush, since my arms and legs were now beginning to tire from the strain of climbing the wall. It seemed the exhaustion had finally caught up to me, and I sat down and leaned against the tunnel walls. My hands had gotten even more blisters and calluses than before , and I couldn't even bend my cramped fingers. Gingerly, I sucked in a few breaths, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my feet.
Distant-sounding crashes continued to echo off the walls, surprisingly quiet for tumbling boulders only a room away. I took in several very loud and deep breaths through my mouth, glad that nobody could hear me. The tunnel was a bit too chilly for my liking even after everything that happened in the room, but the bottoms of my feet relished the coolness. I felt goosebumps rise up all over my arms but honestly I didn't mind.
After I regained most of my energy, I stood up and made my way towards what was hopefully the last test. Three time's the charm, right?
I gently pressed my hand against the door, which had a faint blue outline like the previous one. As I expected, the rocks crumbled away at my touch, and I was immediately blinded by the bright white light that it revealed. I shielded my eyes with my arm, squinting, but when I still couldn't see anything, I closed them. Despite the fact that every brain cell I had was screaming warnings at me, I walked forward.
Harumi's POV
I hugged my knees and stared off into the distance while my hair whipped my face, a result of my facing backwards as our raft soared across the waves. We were going much faster than before with the help of the merpeople, and they told us we should reach the shore in maybe only three hours or so. The leader disappeared under the waters along with most of the others, leaving about a dozen or so of their soldiers to escort us. They seemed much nicer and more relaxed without their ruler keeping an eye on them and chatted merrily with the Ninja. Some of them, as well as the Ninja themselves, had attempted conversation with me but I really didn't feel like it. I could only think about what might happen in the future. Surely the Shadow Knight would attack again. What if―
"Harumi? You alright?" Morro asked, interrupting my thoughts.
I looked up into his dark green eyes, which were full of concern. Immediately I wanted to shove him away for being worried about me when I should be the person everyone was least worried about. Then I hated myself even more for even considering taking my anger out of him when I deserved to be shoved into the water.
"Yeah, I guess," I mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, only to have it blown back into my face less than a second later.
"Look―" he began, only to get cut off by Cole.
"Morro," he said exasperatedly as we both turned, "I thought you were supposed to be on the other side of the raft. I'll talk to Rumi." Several heads turned and the Earth Ninja gave me a nervous smile that I didn't return. Groaning, I realized I was being difficult again. I shouldn't be.
Morro brushed his long black hair out of his eyes and sighed as he moved a few inches away from me. He was still on my side of the raft, though. I forced a grin. "Aw, guys, don't worry about me, I'm totally fine."
"Oh really?" Nya said, in a tone that suggested she knew I was lying through my teeth. "Look, Rumi, it's our duty to protect you, and yours to defeat the Shadow Knight. We came here willing to risk it all. Giving you the pearl wasn't even a choice." Her voice was steady and didn't crack, making my heart break even more.
"But what if something happens?!" I shouted, and was met with surprised faces. Sighing, I took a deep breath to collect myself. "Sorry. I just... You guys have sacrificed so much for me already, I just don't think it's right."
"Look on the bright side," Jay piped up, "After we kick the Shadow Knight's butt, we'll get massive bragging rights! And just imagine how cool everyone will think we are knowing we got to hang out with you and your sister!"
I felt my lips curl upwards slightly, but only for a quick second. "We're not coming out of this mess unscathed. You guys know that, right?"
"Of course," Zane replied, "We are prepared for whatever comes our way."
"So what if something happens?" I said, my voice raising again. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the merpeople watching me with curiosity, but that didn't matter right now. "What about your parents?"
"They'll understand," Cole said, but there was still a slight waver in his voice. "But I mean, if we do end up sacrificing ourselves, it could prevent so many other broken families." Broken families. Those words rang in my head. That meant he basically admitted that their families would be broken, or at least Kai and Nya's already was. I felt as if some iron fist were clutching my heart, tightening their grip with every second.
"Whatever happens, it will be worth it," Zane said. No. No it would not.
"In the end, you just have to beat the Shadow Knight," Nya gave me an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, and besides, my parents could always adopt another kid," Jay added with a tiny laugh at the end.
I hated myself. Why did I have to go through this conversation? Why was I the one being comforted? I didn't deserve the Ninja as my friends. They were too good for me.
"Can I talk to Harumi alone?" Morro asked after a long pause. Immediately met with annoyed looks from the others, he continued, "Like on my dragon. I really need to talk to her."
"Well, ah, if you remember the last time that happened..." Cole said, "I don't think that's a good idea... Also what's so important that you can't say in front of everyone?"
Morro didn't answer.
"If something happens, I'll jump off," I offered, wondering what he wanted to talk to me about. It didn't help that my heart began pounding harder in my chest.
"Is there something that we don't know about?" Nya asked.
Morro opened his mouth to say something, but Jay interrupted, "Yeah, and by the way, we don't want you doing anything."
"It's not like that! We're not—" I shouted, and everyone, including Morro, stared at me. My face began to burn.
"That reaction was unnecessary," Zane commented.
"He's just saying that the last time you two were alone, he literally attacked you," Cole said, "Of course we know you and Morro aren't a couple or anything. Besides, you're still with Lloyd. Chill."
"I just wanted to discuss plans for our next move," Morro said with a frown.
"You mean after we get the Crystal Blade?" I asked after a short pause, and hopefully my cheeks were no longer red.
"Yeah, basically."
"Uh, I guess wait until the Shadow Knight ambushes us and then I stab him?" I suggested stupidly, and instantly realized how flawed the plan was. It wasn't even a plan. I did not think anything through.
Morro sighed. "Okay, now we really need to actually formulate one. Start brainstorming and then we'll talk once we get to the shore." He turned to the merpeople, "And I promise this isn't because I don't trust you guys, it's that the Shadow Knight might hurt you if you happen to have any information on us."
The merpeople nodded. I couldn't help but think it was sweet of him to explain.
"You know what, if you two wanna talk alone, go ahead," Cole said with a yawn. "Personally, I'm too sleep deprived to think. But speaking of sleep, you should really get some, Rumi. Anyway, just tell us the plan later."
"Don't worry about me," I said, "I promise I'll jump if Morro loses control again."
"Just keep up with us so that we can catch you," Nya said with an encouraging smile. I smiled back. They were so sweet.
I nodded, and we watched as Morro formed his dragon. He held out a hand then pulled me up with him, and together, we flew off.
Lloyd's POV
I opened my eyes and found myself sitting down in a room, one that looked more like a safe than an actual cave. The walls and floor were smooth, and everything was now bathed in a soft white light instead of the blue I had grown accustomed to in this cave. On the other side was a door, and in the center, hovering in a beam of light, was a sword. It was the same sword I had seen earlier in the first test, with its shiny black hilt and thin blue blade.
That didn't make sense, there was no way I suffered enough. Of course, I did in my own eyes, but the previous tests were definitely not sufficient enough for one to prove themselves worthy of the Crystal Blade. All they had required was a little thinking outside the box. Was this a trap?
I approached the Blade cautiously, keeping constant vigilance of my surroundings in case I triggered any booby traps. Careful to make as little sound as possible, I slowed my breathing and spent several seconds on each step. To be safe, I formed an elemental shield around me with my left hand, then slowly reached for the sword with the other. I sucked in a breath and shut my eyes. This was the moment of truth.
My fingers reached into the light and in less than a second, I grabbed the hilt and pulled the Crystal Blade into the shield. I immediately stuck it in between my legs so that my right hand could help with the shield and braced for the impact.
After a few seconds of waiting, nothing happened. The only sounds were that of my rapid breathing. I slowly lowered my shield. Everything was still.
It took a few more seconds for my brain to register what had just occurred. I pulled the Blade out from between my legs and held it up to the light. At a closer look, it really wasn't what I had expected. Sure, I'd seen a glimpse of it earlier but I'd dismissed it as a trick of the light or something. I thought it would be clear or something, not this. It was still an artistic masterpiece, with intricate carvings all over the blade and detailed designs on the handle. Something about it just had that ancient look, and it was beautiful. The blade was a pure shade of blue, the exact shade of the crystals lighting up this cave. I could imagine Rumi swinging it around on the battlefield. If I was being totally honest, however, the sword she'd been holding when Morro and I found her suited her better. But that was just my opinion and it had been dark, so maybe I was seeing things. Though Morro had seen it too. Whatever.
I took a deep breath and made my way towards the door. It crumbled away at my touch just like the others. Beyond it, I could see the rolling hills situated between the mountains, the long blades of grass gently rustling with the breeze. The chirping of the birds was like my welcome ceremony for returning to the surface, and the fragrant smell of flowers greeted me, a sharp contrast to the chill of the interior of the cave.
My face broke into a grin so wide my cheeks hurt. I ran out and threw myself on the ground, sword still in hand. Though I had no idea how long I'd been inside the mountain, it suddenly felt like I had been trapped in there for eternity. I sprawled onto the grass and stared up at the clouds, my toes digging into the dirt, the individual blades tickling the bottoms of my feet. Rumi was going to be so proud of me. I was so proud of me.
"Good job, Lloyd," I said, my face already aching from my grin. This was the best kind of ache. I picked up the sword and held it up in front of my face, examining it more carefully now that everything was bathed in natural sunlight. Sunlight. I never thought I'd miss it so much, not even back in the prison.
Ah, the wonders of being alive.
"It wasn't even that hard, was it?" I cooed, as if the sword was a person, "Was it?" Ugh, baby talk. Thankfully no one would ever know.
The euphoria didn't last long, however, and soon I heard footsteps. I immediately pushed myself up into a sitting position, only to come face to face with a band of Shadow Riders. Their cloaks looked slightly different from what I was used to seeing, but that didn't matter at the moment. Heart racing, I jumped up and held out the Crystal Blade to defend myself.
"What do you want?" I snapped, feeling my heart leap into my throat.
"Shall we?" one of the Riders with a thick accent that I didn't recognize said. The others simply nodded silently. Truthfully, I'd expected someone to yell something like "There's the escaped prisoner!" but I mean, what did I know?
"Never," I hissed, and blasted a mix of fire and energy in a circle at the heads of the Shadow Riders that surrounded me. There was a shout of pain and surprise as some jumped out of the way while others were right in the line of fire.
Luckily there didn't seem to be too many, only a dozen or so. And from what I saw, they didn't have backup. Bad choice on their part. I leaped up and started to run, but someone grabbed my ankle and sent me smashing to the ground. Gritting my teeth, I jabbed at their hand with the tip of the sword and yanked my foot free. I might've drawn blood, and in my head I started apologizing at once, but at the thought of what they did to Rumi and Cole, I clenched my teeth and stood back up without giving them a second glance. Other Shadow Riders pounced, but I blasted them away with an energy ball. My fingers tightened around the hilt of the sword but at the same time, the sweat on my hands was making the Crystal Blade harder to keep hold of.
I whipped my flames at the cloaked figures, watching as their hoods caught fire. Many rushed to stamp it out, and I took that as an opportunity to blast them with energy again. The sword was making things slightly inconvenient, but I could deal with that. All I had to focus on was getting it back to the others. And hopefully the Shadow Riders wouldn't summon more of their allies to catch me before I did.
My gut instincts kicked in and I decided to circle the mountain I'd just exited until I reached the entrance so that I could find the path that Ruby had left me. I threw a giant energy ball with swirls of fire mixed in in that direction and as I had planned, the Shadow Riders jumped out of the way and I ran.
As I raced past my attackers, I continued to turn around to throw fire and energy balls at any Shadow Rider who was even half sitting up. I felt guilty for destroying nature like this, so I made a promise to myself to come back and plant some flowers or something once this was all over. After a while, the Shadow Riders didn't seem like they were getting up anytime soon, so I turned and ran off as fast as I could.
I grinned to myself, thinking I was finally home free. And yet, before my very eyes, everything, from the mountains to the clouds to the shouts of the Shadow Riders behind me, began to fade. The scenery paled until all was white and silent and numb.
A/N: Hey everyone!
I think I'm getting into the final stretches to TJC, like last five chapters (wow I can't believe I've gotten this far. I couldn't have done it without your support!). Then when I finish, I'll begin editing and revising chapters 30-50 (I think I'll have about 50 chapters though that might change because sometimes the characters go out of control lol), and then I'll start writing this new fanfic I'm calling Escape (you might've seen the snippet I posted on my conversations board a while back). (Why am I talking about Escape when I've barely posted half of TJC)
I'm also planning to write TJC oneshots for Jaya and Pixane (and of course, finishing the Kailor and Coliel ones. Since the story might end in a totally different way from how I planned, I haven't written the last part for either of them lol).
Anyway, I think I'd say I like chapters 30-50 more than the first 30, sooo yeah
Okay, I'm done rambling.
Thoughts/predictions? I absolutely love reading everyone's theories, though right now it's prob too early to guess the ending lol (but feel free to :D)
Hope you guys liked this chapter and thanks for reading/voting/commenting as always! Have a great day!