𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄 ❀ 𝐂. 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐎𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍𝐄 ➀

X. 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗶𝗺𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴

𝐕𝐈𝐀

We waited at the pier until an hour past sunset. There were no dragons in the sky, which meant no Ninja were coming. Cole and I sent each other disappointed stares, knowing that we were now alone on whatever journey was coming.

"So what is this lighthouse we're going to?" I asked as we soared above the sea. I stared at the waves, which were a dark navy blue and glittered under the starry night sky. It was beautiful-- the way the moon reflected and turned into a ripple of itself against the horizon.

We were sitting in the position that had become a normality-- Cole at the front of the saddle, and me holding onto him in the back. It gave me a perfect excuse to get lost in the layers of his mind whenever I wanted to, with no explanation needed. Cole's dragon wasn't flying at top speed, now. We both assumed the Passerine didn't have efficient ways to travel over water, so we decided to cut ourselves some slack and fly a little slower.

I was very grateful for that.

It was peaceful out here, in the middle of the ocean, with no light pollution to disrupt the perfect image of the stars. I stared up at them as Cole answered my question, "It was the prison of Zane's father, for a while. A bit of a grim past, sure, but it's one of the most secure buildings we've come across over the years. We've used it on a couple occasions as a safehouse."

"Years?"

Cole let out an airy laugh, "Oh yeah. I've been a ninja since I was twelve. I was maybe sixteen when our team became official. I'm almost twenty now." I hummed. I wasn't completely surprised by the fact that the team had been such for so many years, but I was startled to know Cole started training when he was twelve.

"How did you find the lighthouse?"

Cole hesitated, "You know, it's sort of a crazy story."

"My life is a crazy story."

"Fair point," Cole admitted, "We were sailing across the Endless Sea to find the Dark Island so Lloyd could defeat his father in the Final Battle and save humanity," I let the information register in my mind, "I think... I think a big storm washed us up to it. Honestly, I can't remember."

"That's okay."

"I promise, as long as the Passerine doesn't know where we went, we'll be safe there."
I smiled against his back, pressing my face closer into the fabric of his gi, "Thank you."

I felt his emotions battle with each other-- hesitation, dread, fear, worry... but also excitement, giddiness, and the nostalgic feeling someone feels when they experience something they haven't in a long time. Under all of that, though, was uncertainty.

I made a split second decision, but I knew it was one that I had made several hours ago. "Cole?" he hummed in acknowledgement, "I want to tell you about my power." I felt his interest peak, "Not too much, but... but enough that you can understand why people are looking for me. Or, maybe you'll be able to understand. I have some sort of an idea, anyway."