The Lone Bandit

"His stint in my empire was brief, I definitely felt his presence as a former wielder of one of us." stated the Egyptian Mech. It was summoned to be questioned as Zhōng listened to what the other mechs thought of him. They surround and tower over him and whoever they call to question.

"Do you see him the same as the Ninja Mech?" asked the Indian Mech.

"I saw his guilt more than anything, he regrets what he had done." replied the Egyptian Mech.

"Spartan Mech, did you see this as well when he was your wielder's slave?" asked the Medieval Mech.

"Far too often, but I also saw his determination to keep all he hadn't broken." answered the Spartan Mech.

"Bring in the Vow Keeper, let's see if his guilt is connected to his vows." stated the Assassin Mech.

"I request this gathering, that the one on trial has made a vow to finish a duel he started with him if he ever saw him again." informed the Ninja Mech.

"How come you didn't mention this before?" asked the Medieval Mech.

"Because I see no need for him to come if I see Zhōng keeping the vows he cares about." answered the Ninja Mech, he looked at Zhōng who turned his head away.

"All vows must be looked at, we have standards that our wielders must keep." said the Assassin Mech.

"Vow Keeper, you are summoned!" shouted the Medieval Mech. Suddenly a curtain went over Zhōng, he couldn't see or hear but he felt a familiar presence near him.

"You called?" asked the Vow Keeper, he knelt before all the mechs and glanced out of the corner of his eyes at someone he knew.

"Have you trialed this man before?" asked the Viking Mech.

"Indeed," replied the Vow Keeper.

"What was his verdict?" asked the Medieval Mech.

"To not do it again," answered the Vow Keeper.

"That doesn't sound like you, you're supposed to charge them harsher than that." said the Spartan Sword.

"I was, but after thinking about it, the vow he broke was a vow that contradicted the first three." explained the Vow Keeper.

"If so, why does he still feel guilty?" asked the Egyptian Mech.

"We all have a lot of guilt in the past thousands of years, we had good and great wielders and bad and corrupt leaders. All the great ones tend to have guilt for something that makes them move forward. Zhōng is no exception, though he drew the Ninja Sword against me, he did it to protect someone he promised to long ago. Zhōng knew it was a mistake to have lords swear their loyalty to the old empire and to him." said the Vow Keeper.

"You're dismissed, thank you." began the Medieval Mech. The Vow Keeper nodded and disappeared into thin air along with the curtain that covered Zhōng. The seven mechs looked at each other as they came to a verdict. "Zhōng, son of Emperor Huo, know through your empire as the Dual Bladed Ninja, Fallen Prince, and Risen King, we have decided to give you a second chance." announced the Medieval Mech.

"What must I do to receive this second chance?" asked Zhōng looking at each of them.

"You'll do a trial to reclaim the Ninja Sword, but you must be first before your predecessor's first nominee gets it." said the Viking Mech.

"Where do I go for this trial?" asked Zhōng.

"Solve the riddle and you'll find the sword." replied the Indian Mech.

Zhōng woke up panting hard, his black eyes were wide as he recapped what he saw in his dream. But as he thought, he felt a throbbing pain on the back of his head. He looked around and saw he was in the hospital in the Spartan Empire as the full moon came through the pillars and the silhouette of the Iarnă Mountains was in view. His black eyes narrowed as he knew what he must do.

Wēi smacked her lips as she tasted the wine, it was too bitter for her but she didn't want to offend King Alexios who offered it. "Rest assured, your majesty, you can say you don't like it. I've learned that you Ninjas don't like it for the first time." chuckled King Alexios. Wēi grinned in acknowledgment, she was still recovering as she and Lord Tyron were enjoying a drink with the king of the Spartans.

"I assume my nephew and his companions weren't big fans as well as others we know." stated Lord Tyron as he took another sip. He had wine before and it surprised him that it went down so easily than others he tried.

"I've seen many trying wine for the first time, but I've never seen someone get used to it faster than Zhōng." replied King Alexios.

"Mother," cried Zhen as she and her friends approached them in the gardens. She hugged her mother before looking at her with a huge smile.

"Zhen, how was school?" asked Wēi, smiling back at her daughter.

"We finish early, there's no more knowledge for us to learn." replied Zhen. She turned and bowed at King Alexios and said, "Thank you for letting us finish our training."

"I've heard you all were great students, it was a privilege to have you attend." said King Alexios.

"Well done, my lady," said Hòuhuǐ to Xing. Since escaping, he was the primary guard for the former empress and Lord Tyron. He rarely left their sides in public as he stood at his station with the guilt of failing them.

Xing turned to look at Hòuhuǐ, he looked down as he believed he shouldn't make eye contact. She wanted to assure him it was okay but knew Zhen and her friends might not see it that way. He betrayed the New and Zhōng's wishes, he should be banished from them. "Thank you, perhaps we could spar later." she suggested, she saw Hòuhuǐ smile a little as he liked that idea.

"Perhaps you should spar with me, I might give you a better challenge." stated Tony as he, Jack, and John marched into the gardens.

"Poisoner, I assume you completed the investigation," guessed King Alexios.

"We have," began Tony.

"And we discover no traces of him," continued Jack.

"Both in the palace and out in town, it's as if he disappeared." finished John.

"Who disappeared?" asked Zhen as everyone turned to look at the king.

"Do you seriously not know who?" questioned King Alexios as he took a sip.

"Zhōng," realized Lord Tyron, he was the first.

"He's awake?" asked Pina.

"Must have woken up last night," theorized John.

"Did that mean he went back to the Ninja Empire on a boat?" asked Kotori.

"Or did he walk through the Iarnă Mountains?" asked Silica.

"There were no boats logged to leave and all that were moored at sundown are accounted for." said Tony.

"He should know the Iarnă Mountains are dangerous this time. The blizzards that hover over the ranges are violent this time of the year." said King Alexios. "Did he take any food?"

"According to the master chef, he's missing provisions that could last two weeks." said John.

"A two-week standard is a month for Zhōng, you all should know this." stated Lord Tyron.

"We almost did push it for a month and a half when we transit through the Iarnă Mountains." stated Jack.

But if he took food and went on a journey somewhere, where did he go?" asked Wēi.

"Perhaps you should ask what propelled him to leave." said King Alexios. He revealed the Spartan Sword and pulled it out of its sheath. They saw the black blade glow white-blue in flashes. "Last night, I was woken up by bright light illuminating my room. When my eyes adjusted I could see the light was coming from the Spartan Sword and the Ninja Sword as they rose from their sheaths. Suddenly, they collapsed and my room was dark again. When I was no longer blind, I noticed the Spartan Sword was flashing dimly and the Ninja Sword was gone." he recapped.

"What does that mean?" asked Zhen.

King Alexios looked at Lord Tyron, he wanted to see if the lord knew what it meant. "A steady glow means the call has been activated, a pulsing glow, like the Spartan Sword, means there's a trial and whoever comes on top can either activate the call or cancel it." explained Lord Tyron.

"So Zhōng is placed on trial?" questioned Hannah.

"Appear so, after I realized this, I rushed to find him to see if he was awakened. As I passed through the courtyard, I saw him bundled for the cold and carrying the food he had taken. He looked at me as he noticed me, with no words, I could see his black eyes telling me to stay away. He then took off heading west to the Iarnă Mountains." said King Alexios.

"We must go after him, Jack, John," stated Tony as he turned around and began to walk away.

"Oh now we're needed," said Jack sarcastically. He and John turned around as well to follow Tony.

"Hold it you three," said Lord Tyron, his words froze the three men as they turned to look over their shoulders at them. "There's a reason why Zhōng went alone."

"Why do you think there's a reason?" questioned Jack.

"He always leaves us if he believes we can't handle it. We want to prove him wrong and help our friend." stated John. His words pierced Zhen's heart as she felt the same way.

"My lord, if Zhōng is going after the Ninja Sword, then we should go as well. After all, this is too important to lose." reasoned Tony.

"You're right Tony, it's too important, but what if the reason he didn't ask for help is because he wasn't allowed to?" said Lord Tyron. Tony pondered the question, he couldn't argue with the lord as he could see no fault to the guess as he sighed. "The Ninja Sword is not some lost treasure that could be attained by working alone, this is a blade that could make empires shake to ash. If this trial is Zhōng's alone, then we must accept that he didn't want our aid. If you want to help, then I recommend you train to become stronger. " he said.

"I agree with Lord Tyron, perhaps you boys can help train a fellow brother-in-arms that was close to Zhōng as well." suggested Wēi. She looked up at Hòuhuǐ who bowed his head lower. He glanced up to see the three men's faces of frustration and annoyance. Even though he saved Zhōng, they were still skeptical to see if he was truly on their side.

Zhōng flew over the vast ranges of the Iarnă Mountains, he soon landed on the highest peak and scanned the tops of the ranges as he searched for what he came for. Feeling a presence behind him, he turned around and grabbed the pommel of his Valtryek sword. A black mech landed in front of him before deactivating and the pilot looked back at him. He wore thick clothes and carried no supplies as he put away his sword and stared at Zhōng with blue eyes. "Well, well, I see the rumors are true, you came back from the dead. Which is good because I would like to kill you with my hands." greeted the pilot.

"I assume you heard rumors of me, brother," guessed Zhōng, he backed down sensing he wasn't in any danger but his black eyes stared intensively at Emperor Zhēngfú.

"My, my, your black eyes are scary but I don't fear this new look like the others. If anything, I was afraid during your era as the Dual Bladed Ninja and the Fallen Prince more than this Risen King." said Emperor Zhēngfú. He could see Zhōng still had his guard up as he joined him to look beyond the ranges. "Must you seriously do this, if you let me have the sword, I will leave you be and you can live in peace wherever you like."

"The highest peak where hot and cold meet." stated Zhōng, ignoring his brother's offer. It was the clue told to them to find the Ninja Sword.

"Mount Monos is the tallest mountain in all seven empires, unless we're waiting to start a fire, the Ninja Sword is somewhere below us." said Emperor Zhēngfú.

"Shall we make this fair? The mountain ranges of the Iarnă Mountains are the tallest ones. With Mount Monos being the split, I'll search north while you search south." offered Zhōng.

"How would we know if the other finds it?" questioned Emperor Zhēngfú.

"You said you wanted to kill me with your hands, I know you'll come find me. As for me, if I find it, well I'm sure you'll hear about it." said Zhōng. He turned to look at his brother as his black eyes glared with demons ready to strike. 

Emperor Zhēngfú snorted and turned away, he felt his heart almost skip a beat, the Zhōng he faced at the fall of the capital was different than the dark one that stood in front of him. He looked over his shoulder to see Zhōng staring at him as his cowl came off and his hair showed briefly the blue tattoo. "Very well, but if I were you, I would have turned back and remained hidden far away from the Ninja Empire." he stated, he then activated his Samurai Sword and flew away heading south. Zhōng said nothing as he watched his brother leave, he then activated his Valtryek sword and took off north.

Wēi was finishing writing a letter when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in," she called and the door opened. She looked up and smiled as she saw her daughter enter her room.

"You wish to speak with me," said Zhen, she smiled back knowing her mother had good news.

"Yes, I'm letting you aware that I'm writing to Lord Zào, your betrothed, to come with his army to the Spartan Empire. King Alexios is allowing us to store our men that way they won't be killed while hiding. I'm hoping that he'll come with his armies and when Zhōng gets back, we begin our plans to retake the Ninja Empire." explained Wēi.

Zhen was shocked by her mother's statement, she could see her mother was waiting to hear about her opinion of the plan. "That's very nice for King Alexios to do," she began. She glanced at her mother who nodded and waited for more. It surprised Zhen because, in the past, her mother barely had time to even hear one of her opinions. "Do you think he'll come?" she asked.

"Of course, he's promised to you." assured Wēi.

"But what if he had to marry someone else?" questioned Zhen.

"I'm sure he didn't," said Wēi.

"Mother, I've seen how the people are treated in the capital. If Emperor Zhēngfú rules with an iron fist there, he's for sure ruling an iron fist in the fiefdoms that fought against him." said Zhen.

"He did kill all the lords and ladies that fought on our side, it was hard for me but even harder for Lord Tyron who knew them very well." agreed Wēi. "Their successors are their appointed heirs as long as they swore to serve him. However, Lord Zào promised a hand in marriage first so he should come here."

"A promise a hand as long as I become the empress, but that seems difficult since we are exiled." stated Zhen.

Wēi looked at her daughter, she could see she had changed in the last year alone as her voice and body language demanded respect. Her red eyes flared with determination and anger, they were different from years ago when she was shy and terrified to talk to even her. "You've changed so much then when I found you in that cell years ago. I can see that you're not the naive girl who trusts anyone she meets, but you still care about your friends even the older ones. Perhaps I thank Zhōng when he returns, he's the reason why you've changed. But if I didn't know any better, I say you two have gotten very close in this year alone." she said.

Zhen turned around to hide her embarrassment, though she told her mother that they were forced to sleep together, she hadn't told her about the advancements she tried to make. However, when she turned back around, she realized her reaction spoke louder than words. "We didn't do anything, he knows where he and I places are. But it was frustrating because in our darkest time, I wish I could see a beacon of hope shine and when it was there, I realized what it could mean. I don't want to lose him, not again, and I don't want to fight against him anymore." she said.

Wēi stood up, though she was still recovering, she hobbled to her daughter and hugged her. "He may be valuable to you, but you need to bury those feelings. Zhōng I'm sure feels the same. This new one he is different than the old ones, I can see it when we boarded that he couldn't let you go. He wanted to come but couldn't until now." she said.

Zhen pondered on her mother's words as she watched the boys train against each other. She looked at Xing and Hannah as her friends joined her in watching, they were discussing the errors in the boys' training. Watching them talk reminded her of Zhōng, how he would watch her train and correct her mistakes. 

Tony was battling Hòuhuǐ while Jack and John faced each other. He could see the two friends were very close in skill. He turned his attention back to his opponent, while Hòuhuǐ was good, he was only as good as the best guard could be. He elusively evaded and watched Hòuhuǐ's blade fall down with nothing to make contact with. Tony then slid his blade up to Hòuhuǐ's throat and said, "Dead again." 

Hòuhuǐ panted hard and nodded his head to accept defeat. "You are way too good," he said.

"You're not bad, I faced worse guards than you." said Tony as he put his sword away. Jack and John joined them as their battle ended shortly after. Before any of them could say a word, Lord Tyron approached them since he watched their fights as well.

"John, you're thinking too much, trust your instincts and training more. Jack, you're taking too many risks when you fight, keep that in mind on the next battle. Tony, stop playing with your prey, give them the fight to expect. Hòuhuǐ, you're trusting your sequences to land your hits, you must think like your enemy." pointed out Lord Tyron.

"I am thinking like my enemy, my lord," protested Hòuhuǐ.

"Then how come it's been one-sided?" questioned Lord Tyron. Hòuhuǐ said nothing more and nodded his head.

"I mean no insult, but is this seriously necessary?" asked John. 

"He's right my lord, what's the point of training us?" agreed Jack.

Lord Tyron looked at the four boys, three of them were masters of combat, and two still carried anger of betrayal. "You all have been taught to fight by yourself, but what about fighting as a team?" he asked.

"You mean like my sister and her friends?" asked John.

"Precisely," answered Lord Tyron.

"I mean no respect, but we're doing well by ourselves." stated Tony.

"And are you doing it because Zhōng has for so long?" questioned Lord Tyron. Before any of the boys could answer, he put his hand up to silence them. "Zhōng walks a dark path that none of you have close to walk. I meant it when I said I was terrified of his new look. He's fallen too deep where no light can see him, the darkness swallows completely, and all he hears is his echoes of failure. This is why you will train to work together because if one falls, the others could pick him up."

"But Zhōng is like this, why shouldn't we follow him?" said Hòuhuǐ. Lord Tyron turned to look at him, he could see Hòuhuǐ wanted to redeem himself and would do anything to please Zhōng.

"Tony, let's have a duel," suggested Lord Tyron.

"If insist, my lord," said Tony. The two squared off and they drew their swords when the time came, but Tony also drew his crossbow. He fired at Lord Tyron who dodged and with three strikes, pushed Tony's sword away and his sword to Tony's throat.

"First form, Viper Strike," stated Lord Tyron before putting his sword down.

"That's the Old Royal Technique," realized Hòuhuǐ.

"Indeed, I learned it as well as my brother. But in order to properly be effective, you need to know your opponent." applauded Lord Tyron.

"You knew I was going to draw my crossbow, but what I didn't expect you to use a discipline technique to beat me." said Tony.

"Even though I'm a master of the technique with no name, I'm a master because I can scheme. Now that I brought up two topics, girls, come join us." said Lord Tyron. He turned to look at the girls and waved them to come. When they were closed, he continued, "For the rest of today's training, you boys must plan a way to beat the girls while working together."

"This going to be fun," groaned John.

"I wanted to face you so you can eat your words." smirked Cortana.

"But this is going to be four on seven, are you sure we can beat them?" questioned Jack.

"Well, what's their best fighter?" asked Lord Tyron.

"When Xing and Hannah are together, they are literally unstoppable. The princess isn't too far behind them and she's the best in mech form. Cortana and Kotori followed behind them, and Silica and Pina take the rear. No offense, I'm sure you all are strong." analyzed and apologized Tony.

"Rude, but we'll agree to that." stated Pina, she didn't like she was last.

"It's going to be four on seven, that means, three of us have to face two opponents." said John.

"Tony, can you handle Xing and Hannah?" asked Hòuhuǐ.

"It will be tough and I won't keep them back for long." replied Tony.

"Then you deal with them, I will handle Silica and Pina." said Hòuhuǐ.

"Are you sure?" asked Jack.

"We know Xing won't fight by herself as long as Hannah is still around. The princess is already too strong and if she has someone with her, it could make it difficult." explained Hòuhuǐ.

"I agree, John, you handle your sister and Kotori. Jack, you handle the princess as long as you can. But no pressure, Hòuhuǐ and John, you must handle your opponents quickly and not lose. Otherwise, we will crumble." strategized Tony.

"Great," groaned John as he looked at his sister.

"Well looks like I'll make you eat your words sooner than expected." said Cortana.

"Don't worry, I may be the weakest but I think I can handle them." said Hòuhuǐ confidently. He watched Pina's and Silca's faces become unsure if they could beat him.

Lord Tyron nodded then said, "Now girls, you heard their strategy, how would you counter that?"

"Are you sure we should tell them?" asked Xing.

"You heard the boys, it's only fair if they hear yours." replied Lord Tyron.

The girls looked at each other and pondered a plan. "Well, we can't let them split us and pick us off." stated Kotori.

"But that's what's going to happen." said Pina.

"Unless Xing and I aren't together," said Hannah.

"What do you mean?" asked Silica.

"If Xing and I aren't together, how would they face us? And if the princess had a partner, who would then face her?" pointed out Hannah.

"What you're suggesting is to have us spread our best three amongst the rest of us." concluded Xing.

"Exactly, we have numbers and strength to beat them. If we pushed them into a corner, they won't be able to beat us." explained Hannah.

"Have our best fighter pair with our worst, we'll be spread evenly but still strong to take them on." said Zhen.

"Then that means, Cortana, you'll be on your own." said Kotori.

"That's fine with me." acknowledged Cortana.

"Now boys, how would you counter their strategy?" asked Lord Tyron turning back to them.

"We can't have a two-on-one battle, they cover their weakest with their strongest." said Jack.

"The problem we're now faced with is like a wall, there will be no way to force their collapse." described John.

"Then why not do what they did?" suggested Hòuhuǐ.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Tony. He was curious about what their new friend was thinking.

"Lord Tyron said it himself, we're trained to fight on our own but what if we work together to beat them? We could form a defensive position and one of us could pick a gap to attack. If done correctly, we could eliminate two to three of them making it a manageable five on four or four on four." planned Hòuhuǐ.

"That could work," agreed John.

"But in order to succeed, we need our wall to be strong which means our weakest would have to pick the gaps." stated Jack. 

"Can you do it?" asked Tony as he, Jack, and John looked Hòuhuǐ.

Hòuhuǐ looked at the three men that are around his age, they all experienced fighting by themselves and fought alongside Zhōng. He knew he had to prove himself to them to trust him to fight with them. "I can probably be able to take out their weakest ones, maybe I'll get lucky and take one of their strongest before going down." he said.

"Don't try to if you can't, our odds are stronger with you alive." said Tony. He turned to Lord Tyron as he armed his sword with Jack, John, and Hòuhuǐ behind him. "When do we begin?" he asked.

"Perhaps tomorrow," replied Lord Tyron and he saw confused looks and the young warriors' faces. "I said for the rest of the training you will plan a way to beat the girls while working together. You came up with two plans to fight them, I wanted to see if the girls could think of a strategy if they went against a serious opponent. Furthermore, you weren't willing to sacrifice your own in order to defeat one of their best. You asked me if training is necessary, it is because it makes your chain links stronger. And that is something that even Zhōng, his brother, or anyone couldn't snap."

"Since you mentioned him, does Zhōng have someone to link to?" asked Zhen.

Lord Tyron looked at the boys who were still taking in and accepting Hòuhuǐ into their ranks. He could see for the first time since arriving they were not cautious of him and were suggesting to him some moves they learned from their experience. "Zhōng only linked up when he needed to, however, his new form won't allow him. He has walked a path of darkness that I wouldn't dream of. There might be someone who shared a similar experience to him that could help him see the light again." he said.

"Then I have not a minute to lose." said Zhen and turned to begin walking away.

"You're not the person I suggested, your majesty," shouted Lord Tyron. Zhen stopped and looked back at him confused. "You just started the journey he's been walking for years. I'm talking about someone who had to endure it as long as Zhōng did."

"Then what can we do to help him come back to the light?" asked Zhen.

"There's nothing we can do, he believes it's the whole world against him." replied Lord Tyron.

Zhen was walking through the halls of the Spartan palace later that day. After the training lesson, she decided to take a bath to calm her down though it made her only more frustrated. "Former Princess Zhen!" cried a slave, Zhen turned to see it was one of Queen Kassandra's slaves.

"What?" growled Zhen, she didn't mean it to the slave but to her master who used to own her.

"Her majesty, my master, request to speak with you alone in her room." replied the slave as she shook from Zhen's glare. Zhen sighed and stormed away, heading to the queen's room.

The door opened and Zhen marched into the room before stopping and staring at the queen who summoned her. "My, my, I hope you didn't kill the messenger." stated Queen Kassandra, she was lounging on her couch while drinking some wine when Zhen entered.

"I'll remind you I'm not yours to be called on nor your entertainment anymore." warned Zhen as her red eyes darkened as she glared at the queen.

"You've clearly have spent too much time with that boy." commented Queen Kassandra, taking another sip of her wine.

"He's no boy," growled Zhen.

"And he's no man," said Queen Kassandra, she set down her cup and stood up. "He's something that is not from this world. It won't surprise me if he's possessed by an entity from the dead."

"If you called me to watch me crumble from hearing you speak insults about him, then I'm going to leave." said Zhen and she turned around to open the door.

"You care about him," began Queen Kassandra, pausing Zhen from leaving. "You've cared about him for a long time. But I'll remind you, I was promised to him first."

"Then why didn't you wait for him?" questioned Zhen.

"Because I would marry someone who was losing, I didn't want my reign to be short or fearful of getting killed. And he looked weak in his portraits, I lost count of how many I have of him as he grew up." replied Queen Kassandra.

"Now I'm sure you don't see he's weak," stated Zhen.

"Indeed, but I see he cares deeply about you, I never had a slave go against me with his strength and fear before." agreed Queen Kassandra. She slowly approached behind Zhen and whispered, "Did he pop you while you were a slave?"

"He only cares about me because of a promise he made when we were little. Because of that promise, he wouldn't dare do it because he knows I'm promised to someone." said Zhen. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"But you wanted to, did I push you that far to find that sort of comfort?" whispered Queen Kassandra into Zhen's ear.

Zhen jumped away and grabbed her sword as she faced the queen. "You had all your slaves leave your service and watched me suffer trying to figure out what to do. You insulted my heritage, my empire, my family, and my friends. I lost them all but you didn't care because you enjoy my torment. He was my comfort through my slavery and he still is even now. I may hated him long ago, but I didn't know his side of the story and now I feel pain every time I think of watching him go." she said.

"Then why aren't you chasing him?" asked Queen Kassandra.

"Why do you want to know?" questioned Zhen.

"Because if he's your comfort, who's his comfort in the darkness? Who supports him when he feels lost?" asked Queen Kassandra.

"He's never lost in the darkness, he's the shadow that follows everyone." stated Zhen.

"But even shadows are lonely, their only comfort is the person they fall behind." said Queen Kassandra. Zhen looked at her confused and dropped her guard to the statement. "I believe that Zhōng is a shadow that lost his owner, the person he looked up to he ran away from. But now he's scared of being alone, all he knows is he is responsible for someone to shine in front of him. Without that person, he feels empty maybe that's the reason he flew to the Iarnă Mountains."

"So he went up there to find a new person to be a shadow of?" questioned Zhen.

"Perhaps to witness the birth of the person that his shadow could walk behind. But in order to do that, he'll need support from his friends." said Queen Kassandra and she led them out of the room.

"But your husband, the king, has forbidden us to intervene." stated Zhen as she followed her.

"He's forbidden you to be close, but what about watching away?" asked Queen Kassandra. She led Zhen to a room where a large slap was in the center. With a couple of touches of buttons, the slap illuminated and a blue dot blinked as it flew over ridges. "Some of our scientists believe that people far away can feel the other's presence if one is looking at the other. Do you know what that is?" she explained.

"That's Zhōng," realized Zhen. She watched as the blue formed circles before stopping, after a quick break it was flying again heading west. "How is this possible?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, my husband fears it but I see it as a tool to beat our enemies." replied Queen Kassandra. She turned to Zhen who had tears falling down her face as her eyes were locked on the blue dot. "I'll leave you be," she said and left the room.

Zhen stared at the dot for hours, from then on, she came to the room to watch the blue dot fly around over the Iarnă Mountains. Every day after she was done with training and wasn't with her mother, she would come to the room and watch with hope in her eyes. There were even days when she fell asleep while watching. After noticing this, Queen Kassandra brought a blanket and wrapped it around her, she was fond of Zhen and her commitment to follow Zhōng.

Zhōng meanwhile shivered in the Iarnă Mountains, it was a month and a half since he began searching for the Ninja Sword. His stomach growled and he was tired from flying to find it. He looked up in the clouds as if he heard Zhen's voice whispering his name but figured it was his imagination. He soon was thinking about his friends and his family, how they smiled and laughed through hard times. He hugged himself more wishing he could join them and let go of the Ninja Empire. He suddenly heard engines of mechs flying above and quickly sprinted away just as a bomb bargain struck where he sat. They had been harassing him for a month now and it was a reminder he had to save the Ninja Empire and get his friends home. Knowing sympathy wasn't going to comfort him, he activated his Valtyrek sword and took off again.

Zhen was training with her friends in the courtyard where Zhōng and Tony had their duel months ago. She was on her own as Jack, John, Tony, and Hòuhuǐ faced her to help her deal with multiple opponents. But her mind wasn't in training, it was more with Zhōng as his recent distance travel was declining rapidly. Suddenly, she felt the impact of a practice sword striking behind her knee. She turned around and saw that Hòuhuǐ was responsible for the strike.

"I did it," exclaimed Hòuhuǐ.

"Great job!" stated Jack as he shook Hòuhuǐ's hand.

"Our team training is improving greatly." said Tony as he and John joined them. 

"I couldn't do it without you guys." stated Hòuhuǐ, he was finally part of them. He turned to see Zhen was still rubbing the back of her knee where he hit her. "Apologies, your majesty, I didn't mean to hit you hard." he apologized.

"It's okay, it's nothing severe." stated Zhen. 

The girls soon joined them after watching the fight. "Are you okay, princess? You seem down." asked Xing.

"She's right, you seemed depressed lately." agreed Cortana.

"And you disappeared after we're done training, where do you go?" asked Silica.

Zhen looked at her friends they were worried for her as she could see their concerns. "I've… I've been watching Zhōng." she confessed.

"Really?!" shouted the girls, their faces brighten from hearing his name. 

"How?" asked Tony, when Zhen turned around, she saw the boys darken but were curious as well.

"Follow me, I'll show you." said Zhen and she led them to the room where she watched Zhōng. When they arrived, they heard voices inside.

"This is a dangerous tool, how could you let her use it?" enraged King Alexios.

"Oh please, this is our advantage, we could use this to be unstoppable. But you're too afraid to activate it." stated Queen Kassandra.

"It's cheating, I know there's some in a battle no matter what but I won't use it to win. Lord Tyron, surely you can agree with me." said King Alexios.

"I'm surprised you have this, but I shouldn't since Zhōng has something similar." said Lord Tyron.

"Has he ever used it?" asked Wēi.

"Not to my knowledge." said Lord Tyron. They looked up to see Zhen and her friends enter the room.

"Zhen," greeted Wēi.

"Zhōng used it once, I don't know how I know but I remember." stated Zhen.

"Why did he use that watch?" growled Lord Tyron, he was angry that he found out a secret about his nephew.

"There were these prophets that would do anything to uncover the truth of anyone." shivered Zhen, she didn't like that Lord Tyron, who was kind and gentle, was enraged and looked ready to be violent.

"Is that him?" asked Tony, he was looking at the monitor as if he was ignoring the lord's stare.

"It is," confirmed King Alexios as the blue dot flew across the monitor.

"Why is he weaving as if he is under attack?" asked Hòuhuǐ. They all looked at the monitor and noticed the pattern as well.

"He should be going straight if he's traveling or be more consistent in sweeps." agreed Jack. 

Lord Tyron nodded at King Alexios and they armed themselves to stop the boys. The girls were frozen watching the monitor as the boys faced the lord and king. While Lord Tyron dealt with Tony and Hòuhuǐ, King Alexios was dealing with Jack as John slipped between them and messed with the control panels. When he finished, the monitor slowly popped up with red dots as they tailed the blue dot.

"Is that?" began Pina in realization.

"Zhēngfú's forces," confirmed Lord Tyron.

Zhōng fired behind him at the enemy mechs chasing him. They were trying to shoot him down as he did the same. In the past, if he felt overwhelmed, he would use the Ninja Sword to deal with them quickly. He was exhausted and hungry and felt weak and his reaction was slow. Suddenly, a rocket found its mark and Zhōng crashed down into the snow that lay throughout the mountains. The mechs flew past him when he looked up, his eyes could barely stay up when he suddenly saw a glow. With everything left, he activated his mech and flew to the glow of light.

"Where's he going?" asked Jack, they watched the blue dot lay still for a while till it took off and stopped again.

"Perhaps he's taking shelter," suggested Lord Tyron.

"King Alexios, that's the Ningor Pass, is it not?" asked Tony, his hazel eyes went wide and his face went pale.

"It is," confirmed King Alexios.

"What's up there in Ningor Pass?" asked Kotori.

"Ningor Pass is the Lone Bandits territory." replied King Alexios. The girls watched Tony, Zhen, Lord Tyron, and Wēi freeze in fear. 

"He can't be that bad, no one can beat Zhōng." said Jack.

"He's even with Zhōng, at least the early years when he was known as the Dual Bladed Ninja." said Tony.

"So who is he?" asked Xing, she was now trembling as well. Suddenly, a black dot appeared and headed towards the blue dot.

"I guess there's no reason to hide this, but that's your father." replied Lord Tyron and the boys' and girls' faces turned pale as well.

Zhōng entered a cave where he saw the glow. The glow came from a well-lit fire as supplies of food, clothing, and blankets lay everywhere. "It's got to be here," he said and began digging to find the Ninja Sword. He searched desperately in pile after pile with every strength he had left. "It's got to be here," he muttered to himself. He suddenly stopped and spun around quickly and pointed his sword at the intruder behind him.

"Easy, traveler, I won't harm you." said the man on the other end of Zhōng's sword. He looked into Zhōng's tired black eyes and noticed his organization was messed with. "It's okay, take what you need and go." he assured.

"Who are you?" asked Zhōng as he lowered his Valtryek and began circling with the man around the fire.

"I'm sure we haven't met," dismissed the man.

"You're Ninja, from the Ninja Empire, I know you somewhere." growled Zhōng but he was too tired to make it fearful.

"If you insist, I was a man that had armies behind his back. A man the people fear for good and bad reasons. I am dead in the Ninja Empire, my children don't know I'm still alive. I'm still ashamed of leaving them alone to survive." stated the man. He looked down at his feet and muttered, "I'm sorry for leaving them, Yah."

Zhōng stopped and looked at the man puzzled as to why he said his mother's name. "You're Huo, emperor of Ninja Empire and wielder of the Ninja Sword." he spoke as he realized.

"Was emperor, not anymore." confirmed Huo. He looked up after hearing Zhōng's katana clink on the stone ground.

"Father," gasped Zhōng. 

Huo looked down at the Valtryek although it was different but it was so familiar. He looked up to see though the black eyes were different, the hair color was the same as his younger son. "Zhōng?" he said as he tried to recognize the boy in front of him.

"Father," groaned Zhōng before the world darkened and he collapsed.