Tiber's dark blue eyes fluttered open. The pain had pretty much subsided. Struggling to sit up. When she looked down, her mouth dropped open in disbelief. She had survived the changing. She was a woman, and her body looked so different. The changes that took years for the average pubescent girl happened overnight for her, as it is for every Snow Tribe girl.

Tiber cried a little. If only her father had lived another day, he would have seen her fully become a woman. The sadness in her only deepened when she looked around for Mika. She must be okay anytime she had left on her own. But her absence only brought the harsh reality that she was all alone. She turned over and struggled to stand up, her body still aching from the changing and the newfound tightness of her clothes making any movement unwelcome. Tiber knew she was in the Jungle Tribe, but he was still close to the border. She had to move deeper into the lush jungle to have a chance to survive her tribe's wrath. With every step she took, Tiber yearned for Mika's quiet company. She came upon a stream cleverly hidden by the thick of the forest roots. Quickly she made for it, only to be knocked backward by a panther.

Once the cat looked at her, it released her and continued to the stream. Those eyes were unmistakable. "Mika?"

The panther stopped and turned to Tiber. She reached out her hand to touch the flank where Mika had been injured. The panther growled.

"Mika, it's me, Tiber. Mika? Don't you remember?"

The panther leaped and licked Tiber's face. It was Mika. She never knew that her pet would experience the changing too. Tiber remembered that her father wanted her to keep Mika. Did he know that this would happen?

She pushed those thoughts aside as she was thirsty and hungry. When she looked at her reflection, she was taken aback. She knew that her body had changed, but her face was fuller, and her eyes were more piercing against her chestnut complexion. Tiber stood up. The seams near her chest and hips were stressed by her new shape. She looked like a different person. No wonder Mika didn't recognize her.

Mika drank sloppily from the stream. Tiber looked up; it was midday. She smiled and quickly returned to where they had tried to recover. She grabbed her bag and small belongings and hurried back to Mika.

"Look at us, girl. No one would ever recognize us. What are the chances of this happening?" She retrieved a blade from her bag and pulled her hair into a bun. In one smooth motion, she cut the bun off her head and caught it before it touched the water. When she looked at her reflection again, her long locks of dark brown hair were now a short inverted bob.

"New look for me, new look for you, and now I just need a new name," she thought for a moment, "Talia, I will tell them my name is Talia. Let's go, Mika. We have a lot of work to do." She slowly mounted the cat. Tiber was thankful that Mika was strong enough to handle her weight, but she wasn't going to push Mika to run. She decided they needed to go to the Jungle Tribe, and she could sell her hair for a price and possibly find an ally.

Tiber was a little worried about the Jungle Tribe. They were staunch believers in the Universal Order. However, with everything that had transpired, she was left with no other choice. She couldn't risk being caught by the World Order, which would be a death sentence. She failed a critical mission, and with Nahal against her, she could never go back. Despite this, the moon showed her kindness and mercy. Maybe Aqila wasn't so crazy after all. She wasn't entirely sure that she was right, but Tiber had nothing else to go with.

After two hours of traveling, Tiber and Mika stopped for a rest. She felt a little relieved. Her tribe would never come looking for her here. If anything, that would alert Chiefess Marina and the Beach Tribe. But the Snow Tribe and the Jungle Tribe were not on good terms. Tiber's attention was captured by a juicy piece of fruit hanging from a tall tree with a thick trunk. She was famished. After kicking off her shoes, the Changing didn't make her much taller, so she struggled to make the climb. She stretched as far as she could to reach the fruit, it was almost within reach, but before her fingers could graze it, a selfish little monkey snatched it up. Tiber groaned and went to swat at the monkey. The animal responded by showing Tiber its teeth. This startled her, and she lost her grip on the trunk and banged her head on the jungle floor.

She opened her eyes, head spinning a bit. When she sat up, three spearheads were deathly close to her face.

"Who are you," a rather large man asked her. His face, hands, and arms were painted, so much so that Tiber couldn't tell what his complexion was. When she looked around, everyone had paint on their body.

A woman's voice called out, "Answer, or the panther dies!"

"No, Mika! Stop, please. I'm lost. I was just trying to eat. Please stop," Tiber fought back the tears. The woman was the master of a ferocious jaguar, whose massive paws were on Mika's neck, pinning her down. "Stop, my cat is hurt!" Her eyes found the river then her soul claimed it. As the painted people approached closer, Tiber pushed them all back with a massive wave of water. One of the men was knocked unconscious as his head connected with the tree trunk. She created a protective ring of water around her and Mika, seeing that the jaguar was pushed aside. One man and the woman remained, also using the river to fight Tiber back. As the battle became more heated, Tiber turned the river into ice. Her attackers could not continue to use it as a source once it was iced over. She then cocooned the last man into an ice cube. Now it was a one-on-one battle. The girl was a fierce opponent. Her combat skills were on par. Tiber could not fight like her, so she relied heavily on the use of water. The ground was drenched as a violent fight continued between the two. She called on her jaguar, Mika tried to protect Tiber from the jaguar, but the wild cat was too strong. Tiber turned the wet jungle floor into a sheet of ice, causing the woman to slip and clutch her ankle. The jaguar hurried beside ti's master before Tiber found herself tied by vines to the point she could not escape.

"What is going on here," a man with teal blue eyes asked.

"This girl is an intruder," the woman stated.

"Kano and Rio, bring her back. Rilian, tend to them," he said, pointing to the other two men, "then return to the tribe."

The girl named Rilian bowed her head, "Yes, Cove."

Tiber and Mika were dragged through the jungle tangled in vines by the men covered in paint. Tiber wasn't sure what would happen next, but she reassured herself with the thought that if they had wanted her dead, they would have killed her already. Unable to summon any water, she was trapped. She could only hope that things could not get any worse.

Deep in the forest of Lower Ember, it was late afternoon. Arrow stood on the border of Ember and Pyroc, gazing lovingly towards his homeland. He gently touched the ring necklace Calida had given him. His mind swirled with thoughts of her, her laugh, smile, the sound of her voice ringing throughout the room. His eyes watered a bit. His soul was still torn. It was hard work to lead the Flamethrowers, but it was even harder living in a world without Calida.

"Arrow?"

He shook himself free from his thoughts, "Yes, Yuuna?"

"Jai is back. The mission was successful," Yuuna spoke gently.

"Are the others back?"

"Not yet. However, I have the most updated report ready, whenever you have time to look at it."

"Any word from Cahya?"

"No, we still haven't heard anything from him. Now that Jai's back, you want me to send the messenger hawk to Aqila?"

"Yes, you can send the message. Also, update the rest of the team after I meet with Jai and Aqila."

"Are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, why'd you ask?"

"Because," she paused before averting her gaze, "if you weren't okay, you wouldn't tell anyone."

Arrow turned to face her, smiling, "Yeah, I guess you're right," he chuckled. "I'm getting better. Everything is still raw right now, but having this support system helps. I appreciate your concern," he patted her shoulder before walking away toward their new location.

The pair hurried to the new headquarters, where they went their separate ways. He saw Jai waiting for him.

"It's good to see you again, Arrow. How... how are you doing?"

"I'm doing fine, Jai. Thanks for asking. Now, how did things go with Arin and Alena?"

"Everything went well, at least according to plan. Alena and Arin were able to pin his frequent locations. Tonight, Alena should be able to make contact, so I should receive a report from Arin by tomorrow morning," Jai explained.

"How's your ability holding up?"

"It's getting harder to control now that I'm getting stronger, but I'm managing to keep up."

"I'm waiting to hear from Aqila within the next day. I heard she's been swamped now that she's a Seer and stuff."

Jai almost jumped at the word 'Seer', knowing Aqila's true identity. "Yeah, I bet she's... busy."

"What's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just a little tired, man, that's all."

"Okay, well, rest up. Suvan and Dysis should be back later as well. You know what to do. Just make yourself at home."

"Hey, have you heard from Cahya?"

"No, nothing," Arrow huffed.

"Well, it has only been two weeks. Give him time. He'll come back around."

"I guess... Jai, do you think Zay will join us?"

"I can't say for sure, but since he's defied Agnes, he has no income, and most of his contacts won't receive him. I can't say he'll like it, but he would be an incredible asset to the team. The real question is, will he be accepted here? He doesn't have an ability. Is it really okay for him to be a Flamethrower?"

"With everything that's happened, there's a first for everything. I will accommodate him as much as he allows me. Now, I'm going hunting." Arrow went to leave, and Yuuna met him at the door.

"Arrow, I have already hunted. We have enough food. I have also restocked the reserve, so we have plenty of dried food," Yuuna stopped him.

"Yeah, thanks. I just need a little fresh air. I'll be back," he brushed past her and continued to leave.

After he left, Jai looked at Yuuna, "Yeah, I don't think he's okay."

"He's getting better. You wouldn't have wanted to see him last week," Yuuna sighed and left Jai alone.

He took a deep breath. Much has happened in the past two weeks. Zay fled Tora's house shortly after he recovered. Alena went after him and has been staying on his trail. Cahya still has not made contact since Calida's death. Arrow had expressed interest in making Cahya his second in command. Still, until he returns, Yuuna has been diligently working in his place. Aqila went back home for the time being. She and Kavi tried juggling their respective duties while tracing Agnes' and Neptune's claims to power. After Zay left, Aqila suggested making him a part of the Flamethrowers, an offer that would benefit both sides. Zay would have a home and the necessities of living, and the Flamethrowers would gain valuable insight into Agnes' workings. Sheraga went home, saying that he had urgent matters to tend to.

Suvan was trying to recruit enough Flamethrowers to start a second base in Upper Ember. Dysis and Quiver were working on acquiring supplies for the new bases. The rest of the team was scattered about with their duties for the rebuilding phase. The new headquarters was quickly rebuilt by Arrow and Suvan about three miles from the old cabin. It had the exact same layout as the cabin. Jai headed to the back to unroll his blanket and rest. As he lay down, he thought about how much his powers had grown. A month ago, he could barely hold a flame. Now light and fire were second nature to him. The life source running through his veins was the passion for his Element and the drive to be a better Legend than his predecessor.

He was grateful to the Universe for his purpose and blessed to have the Flamethrowers and Aqila as his allies. He took special care to ensure that Aqila's secret did not come to light until she was ready. Late evening was quickly turning into night. He hoped that Arin and Alena were doing okay. He wasn't sure if anyone could be successful in converting Zay into a Flamethrower, but it wouldn't hurt to try. Jai was hopeful that he could reform himself into a better person.

There was another thing plaguing his mind: the other two Legends. Who could they be? If he was the sign of the rebirth of the four, who were the other two? There should be one from the Waterbearing Tribes and one from the Landkeepers. What if the Waterbearer was a supporter of this Neptune and his vision for the Worldly Order? What if the Landkeeper was involved in Theyra's civil war? Was it possible for him and Aqila to right the wrongs for their predecessors without the other half of the Legends present? Sometimes it takes years for all four Legends to meet. Would they meet the same fate? Could the world wait that long?

The squawk of a messenger hawk pulled Jai away from these frantic thoughts. As he approached the door, he realized that he was utterly alone. After retrieving the message, he sent the bird off. His heart began beating faster when he read the two words scribbled on the tiny piece of paper, 'Move in'. This was his cue, time to go back to the heart of Lower Ember.