It took L another moment to catch up with what she'd just seen. The man standing in front of them; with his blue and white, flawless skin, bald head and piercing black eyes, had just transformed from the menacingly large creature they'd faced moments before. He was on all accounts, beautiful, well built and tall. It all seemed a little too unnatural to L, but more frustratingly it didn't tell her what he was.
"What. The. Hell?" Robbie's voice interrupted L's thought process.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to discombobulate you all."
The man seemed to speak directly to Robbie, his accent had a lilt to it, L thought it sounded Swedish or Norwegian but it wasn't quite the same.
"He can hear me?" Robbie asked L, his voice wavering under sudden nerves.
"I can hear you, yes," the man answered Robbie himself, though it was still out loud. "I've met some Dragons in my time, not for many days now... or is it centuries? I can't keep track."
He looked pointedly at Sully, who frowned and seemed to be trying to hide a shake of his head in response. L and Bryce exchanged a glance, neither had any idea just what was going on.
"I think they're looking for an explanation." Sully informed the man when nobody spoke for several seconds.
"Ah, yes, our wager. I bet Sully here that you would fight back when I lied regarding knowing your parents. He bet you'd surrender before fighting my alternate form, he was wrong and he paid the price."
The man grinned at Sully, showing off blindingly white teeth.
"So you did know my parents? They did come here?" L recovered quickly, brushing over the fact that they bet on her, for the moment.
"I did, yes, wonderful entities, a little headstrong and impulsive but I suppose that must be a genetic trait." He looked pointedly at L, who was still holding the fireballs.
She let them die out, though she didn't let her guard down.
"Did you help them then? Do you know where they went?"
The man seemed to be busy examining the coin Sully had given him, but he glanced to L briefly and nodded.
"I did and I do, but let's adjourn somewhere to discuss this. The entrance is not the homeliest room in my abode."
The way he talked made L's tongue feel weird, as though he was mixing up speech patterns without realising. He beckoned them all to follow him and began walking deeper into the cavern with Sully. They were talking and laughing like old friends, going over the details of the journey to their current position.
"Can someone tell me what just happened?" L stared after the strange man and Sully, feeling completely baffled.
"I believe we were tricked," Bryce admitted, looking as confused as L felt.
"And they bet on what kind of person you are, not sure how that would sit with me." Robbie mused, snorting smoke from his nostrils to emphasise his point.
"But we do need answers he has, so I think we have to put up with their antics, for now" Bryce replied once L had told him what Robbie said.
L sighed heavily, "We better go after them then."
When they caught up to Sully and the stranger, they had entered a room inside one of the blocks of ice. It must have been magic because inside was a perfectly ordinary, incredibly large, decorated living room, albeit a medieval looking one. Two benches split the length of the room and a pit in the floor, between the two, showed where a fire might go. Tapestries of various battles hung on the walls and furry rugs lay on the floor.
"Those aren't real, are they?" Bryce inspected the rugs.
"No," the man answered firmly, walking to stand beside Bryce. "For two reasons, real animal fur would not have endured the time I have inhabited this place. And, it's not necessary to kill animals for warmth in this day and age, we have faux fur for that." He grinned again, gesturing for them to sit on the benches.
L peered up at Robbie, who just about fit into the room but definitely wouldn't have managed to sit on the benches. Robbie understood and transformed back to his human form, eyeing up the room on his way to sit down. L and Bryce sat on either side of him, while Sully sat opposite. The man didn't sit at first, choosing instead to bring something from a side table he already had set up. Four steaming cups of something were passed out, each one smelled of chocolate and a hint of something spicy.
"These beverages should keep you from contracting pneumonia while we converse." The man said, gesturing to their cups before sitting down next to Sully.
L, Robbie and Bryce eyed their cups with suspicion, it was good practice not to accept a drink from someone you don't know anything about.
"If I wanted to kill you, I could have done so a great many times over since your arrival. I could even resurrect you just to vanquish you again. It's hot chocolate, just drink it."
L found his blatant truth a little jarring, but in a way it was oddly comforting. It also helped that Sully was already drinking his. L stared down at her drink for a moment and took a sip, with Bryce and Robbie following her lead. The chocolate was delicious, the best L had ever had and she told the man so.
He laughed but L was sure she could see a tinge of pink in his blue cheeks. "I have one of the oldest hot chocolate recipes in the world, the trick is to add the tiniest bit of spice to it."
He sat up straighter, reveling in the attention his drink was getting and watched them expectantly; L got the feeling he was waiting for the questions she had been holding onto. She didn't keep him waiting, now was the time for her to get her answers.
"Okay so, who are you? Why did my parents come to you? Why can't I access any information on you and what just happened out there? And please, don't be cryptic."
The man didn't seem at all surprised by her list of questions, he seemed to know exactly what she would ask and had his answers ready.
"First of all, I have many names spanning many centuries. I am older than the Keepers themselves and some would say as old as the Earth itself. My name is not important to you because you will not remember it when you depart from here. I am a Jötnar, a giant of old, we like our privacy and as such don't allow even Keepers to retain memories of meeting us."
"Except Sully," Sully interjected, smirking over the rim of his cup.
The man tilted his head and smiled, "Yes, Sully would be a very rare exception. But, where was I? Hmm... oh yes, our introduction, what I first subjected you to was one of my many alternate forms. I'm guessing you didn't like it much."
He chuckled, as did Sully, but he continued his answers before anyone else could speak.
"As for your parents, they are a longer and more complicated story. I suppose I should start from where the story began when they recounted it to me, or perhaps you would like to see what transpired for yourself?"
L was about to ask what he meant when their surroundings suddenly disappeared. They were transported from the Jötnar's living room to the front door of an unfamiliar townhouse. It was daytime on what seemed to be a perfectly ordinary street, L couldn't tell where they were or why they'd appeared here. Had the Jötnar sent them somewhere? L turned to Bryce and Robbie, who were both staring around at their abrupt move in location.
Before L could speak however, the door to the townhouse in front of them opened and out walked L's parents. L felt her jaw drop, her eyes fixed on their faces, her brain stuck on how this was possible. They seemed to be in a rush and walked right by L, it was so real L felt like she could have reached out to touch them. She knew this couldn't have been happening right now, her shock was starting to fade and she remembered the Jötnar was showing them something. As if on cue, his voice sounded from somewhere, though L couldn't see him or Sully.
"This is where their tale to me began, enjoy this unique experience. Oh, you might want to keep up if you want to hear what they say."
L could hear the smile in his voice, this was some kind of vision but unlike anything L had ever seen before. The memories in her head from past Keepers didn't hold much about her parents short of facts. The vision she'd seen in the journal, and her interactions with her parents duplicates, were the only true representation of her parents she had. This vision however gave L the sense that she was living along with them; she could see, hear and feel most things, and she wasn't going to squander it. She ran after her parents quickly retreating forms.
L noted her own similarities in their faces once again, it was nice to know she hadn't imagined it. While she observed them, she also got to see new things she hadn't been able to before. The way they walked, their mannerisms, the way her dad held her mum, who was upset. They both looked grief stricken, it was deeply ingrained in their faces, it wasn't until her mum spoke that L knew why.
"We should go back for her, we can do this together. If we take her with us, we can find and fix it immediately, then we won't have to be separated." Her voice was cracking, she kept holding her flat stomach.
L felt her own stomach drop, this must have been very close after they'd left her. They were talking about going back for her. L knew they didn't but her heart still hoped she'd see them do just that.
"As much as we both want to, you know we can't. A baby on a journey like this, the dangers would be insurmountable." L's dad sniffled, L could hear his sadness but also the intelligence in his words.
She felt certain he could have been a teacher or professor, had things been different.
"I know, and I know we've been over this conversation a hundred times but I can't help wishing."
"I know, I feel the same... but we're doing this for her, so we can be a family. And when we succeed, we can come straight back for her, we'll be together and we can teach her everything ourselves."
Even through his words, L could tell neither of them believed they'd be able to do that. Whatever this mission was, they didn't come back from it. Leaving the journal for her, leaving instructions to find them meant they knew it was possible they'd never come back.
L's mum wiped at her eyes and exhaled sharply, "Alright, let's do this then. I want our daughter back."
The resolve they both suddenly displayed made L feel proud, despite their heartbreak they were determined to do what needed to be done, for themselves and for L.
They walked across the street and the scene began to change again, the next time it came into focus, her parents were holding duffel bags. They were dressed in Keeper clothing; dark baggy trousers, long sleeve blouse or shirt, and they were both fixing cloaks around their necks. They appeared to be inside a house, one which lacked any furniture or personal touches.
"Did everything go to the base?" L's mum asked, glancing around the room.
"It did, it's all in the vault and ready if, or when, she gets there." L's dad responded, finishing his preparations.
"And the spell?"
"All set, they won't remember us until we need them to. Everyone we care about will be safe, now we need to focus on our own mission." L's dad walked over and hugged her mum to him.
They stayed like that for a few moments and L had to look away, the love they shared, the reason for her existence, was painful to watch when she knew what was going to happen.
"L, are you alright?" L jumped at the sound of Bryce's voice.
She'd almost forgotten he and Robbie were with her, they seemed to be constantly outside of her line of sight, until Bryce spoke. She turned to him, his and Robbie's expressions were a mix of confusion and concern.
"I'm okay, it's just... hard, seeing them like this, knowing they won't come back and we won't get to be a family."
Their expressions turned to sympathy and Bryce moved over to put an arm around L's shoulders.
"And that's exactly what we're here to fix, once we know where they went we can go after them."
L glanced up at Bryce and sighed, "I know, it's just hard to watch them."
"But kinda awesome, too," Robbie chimed in, shuffling over to stand with them.
"How do you mean?" L asked, glancing between Robbie, Bryce and her parents.
"Think about it, you get to watch and experience this with them. You can spend time with them, it might not be real but it's as close as you can get for now, and better than what you had. The vision you got from the journal was short and the duplicates weren't really them, plus you didn't know who they were when they were around."
Robbie shrugged, peering over at L's parents, who had begun moving papers around on the kitchen table.
"I dunno, it just seems like a great opportunity to get back some of what you missed out on."
"He's right, you know?" Came the voice of the Jötnar. "You won't receive first grade visions like these anywhere else. A favour from me, to you. But you better concentrate or you'll lose it."
L raised her brow, turning back to the scene just in time to catch the change in conversation.
"... with every species we're about to visit, we're bound to find someone who can help us." L's dad ventured, pointing down to what L could now see was an unusual map of the world, similar to the one she'd seen in the Keeper's cavern.
"My concern isn't finding out who started the prophecy, they could be long gone for all we know. My biggest worry is what we're going to do to fix it. It's just like Edra said, even if we were to defeat Frallica, there will just be another Demon or evil entity after her and the knowledge she possesses. The idea is out there now, Simon, our little girl will never be safe unless we find a way to stop it. To stop them all from coming after her."
L's mum sounded stressed, she rubbed at her face but didn't look up from the table. L's dad, on the other hand, looked almost triumphant.
"I've been thinking about that... perhaps these species can do more than tell us the prophecy's origins. We could ask them for more than just information. We know there are those out there who grant favours, a wish or miracle would be nice but let's not exaggerate their abilities."
L's mum seemed to be pondering his suggestion momentarily. She sighed and raised her hands in a half hearted shrug.
"It could work, we've got nothing to lose by asking while we're there... To Asia then?"
L's dad leaned in and pecked her mum gently on the cheek. "We can do this, we will do this, for her."
"For her."
L wiped away the tears seeping from the corners of her eyes, she didn't have time to dwell on how much they loved her, or the hopeless words they uttered, before the scene changed again. They were now standing in a crowded airport, L's parents were standing in a queue ready to board a plane.
"And you spoke to Kaf, he knows to be discreet when he picks us up?" L's mum asked.
"Yes, and he has spoken with the Jinn, they've agreed to an audience, but they need our assistance in return." L's dad pushed his glasses up his nose, he seemed to be surveying their surroundings.
"Of course they do," L's mum rolled her eyes in obvious annoyance.
"Now where have I seen that look before?" Bryce commented with a smile, his arm still around L.
L narrowed her eyes at him, and Robbie chuckled, "The likeness between you and your mum is uncanny, L."
"In behaviour and appearance, except the eyes of course," Bryce noted with what sounded like appreciation.
L couldn't help feeling proud at their assessments, she liked the idea that she was like her mum. It meant there was a connection, something that went deeper than just being her daughter by birth.
L's attention returned to her parents when a loud, nasal voice sounded from the speakers nearby.
"Flight 333 to Saudi Arabia is now boarding, all passengers please make your way to Gate 11."
L watched as her parents moved forward with the other passengers. There was no apparent reason to be suspicious and yet her parents looked like they were expecting an attack. L wondered if that was the life for all Keepers, or did it have more to do with the fact that they were some of the last? L didn't know how many Keepers were left at this point, they were being hunted down and at some point she would become the last.
A thought occurred to L then, something she had to ask before she forgot.
"How does anyone know that I was the last Keeper to be born?" L didn't know who she was asking, she didn't know if any of them would have an answer.
It was something she probably should have asked long ago, but she'd just taken everyone's word for it.
"Because you are the last, it's something the other members of the Supernatural community can sense. We feel the loss of your kind so strongly, the emptiness echoes across the land."
L was shocked to hear Sully's voice respond, she still couldn't see him but the sadness in his tone made her chest constrict. She glanced up at Bryce, whose face had fallen and L had to turn him to look at her. She could see the truth in his eyes before he said a word.
"I always knew you needed that sense of possibility, that some of your kind might still be out there... besides your parents. I hoped you'd never ask, but it's true, you and your parents are the last."
L turned to watch her parents boarding the plane, her heart felt like it was gripped in a vice. Her mission to find her parents had always been one of hope, and worry, of not knowing for sure they were alive. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if they weren't, she'd been ignoring the doubts in the back of her mind and the worry deep in her gut. Hearing a blunt confirmation of her species' bleak circumstances was enough to make L want to run and hide in a quiet corner of the world.
But that wasn't her, she wasn't about to abandon everything in favour of cowering away. She was done running from life, her parents needed her to follow this through. No matter what their fate might have been, they did everything they could to save her and she wouldn't repay that by throwing away the life they gave her.
"L? Are you okay?" Came Robbie's concerned voice.
L turned to him when the scene in front of them changed, "No, but I will be."
Neither he, nor Bryce, pushed her further and L was grateful. She returned her focus to the vision, she needed to know everything if she was to find them.