Lahiffe~Descendant of the hero
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At first, it had seemed like a great idea. One of the few good ones he'd ever had, actually.
But now that he was here, sitting across from a very confused and more-than-slightly uncomfortable dragon miraculous holder, Nicholas was beginning to question the sheer brilliance of his plan after all.
Looking back on the moment now, Nicholas realized how easy it had been to track the second hero to the far part of the city. Perhaps, he pondered silently to himself, it had been a little too easy. Grimm hadn't put up much of a fight--any of a fight at all, really--when Nicholas had explained to him what had happened and he had seemed all in and willing to join him on whatever insane endeavor the teen had planned, which was an odd switch for someone who had claimed to want to start on his "world-altering plans" just hours before.
The chopper gave an uncomfortable rattle and both boys immediately reached for something to hold on to overhead. Nicholas gritted his teeth and clung tighter to his armrests. Grimm, however, gave no visible expression to the gusts, staring past them through the window blankly. On his left, Kila pushed her hair out of her eyes and frowned even more deeply at the two boys. To his right, Fu sat quietly with his hands folded neatly in his lap. Every so often Nicholas would see his eyes momentarily drift toward the two heroes before quickly averting them again with the smallest of smirks.
Nicholas had half a mind to ask what the man found so amusing, but he hardly had time to formulate the idea before the aircraft gave another shutter and he retreated to the fetal position, clinging to his armrests like there was no tomorrow, muttering words under his breath he was sure the other passengers would not be able to understand.
Grimm turned to look at him. "Not a fan of flying either then, I take it?"
"Not fond of anything that involves my feet being anywhere other than the floor on the solid ground," Nicholas answered without looking up. "And I suppose you don't have any problems with this altitude then?"
Grimm shrugged. "Dragon miraculous," he reminded them with a cocky grin. "Pretty sure the no-vertigo thing kicked in almost instantly upon bonding. Lucky for me and for this entire vessel, I guess. Not a pretty picture."
Nicholas wrinkled his nose disgustedly. "Haven't you ever heard of too much information?"
Grimm chuckled and leaned back with an easy sigh. "It's not like I've had a lot of experience with that sort of thing. People...don't usually hang around long enough to hear anything I have to say, so...I guess, to answer your question, no."
"Well, that is depressing," Nicholas retorted. "And honestly, that sounds a lot like something I would say."
"Yeah," Grimm admitted, "that's probably because you have said it. On more than one occasion, actually."
"What?"
But Grimm just shook his head with a smug smirk that sent Nicholas's skin crawling with uncertainty. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you?"
Nicholas frowned. "No...figured what out? Am I supposed to know who you are or something?" Was he? Was this all some kind of test that he was already failing somehow? He shot the older passengers a suspicious glance but they seemed distracted--or at least disinterested--in the conversation between the two boys. He doubted they had anything to do with this. He also suspected they didn't know the identity of his partner either.
Well, that makes two of us.
Three, Lorr threw in his two cents. Three of us, Master.
You don't know who he is either. Right. I forgot about that. Nicholas shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared intently at his hands as another gust of mountain air nearly took the craft down.
But he does seem to know a great deal about you, Lorr went on. Perhaps that is a sign that you may know him outside of the mask. Perhaps you were once acquaintances.
Nicholas snorted, drawing a confused blink from the other hero. I doubt it, man. I didn't really have any friends before you came along. Not even back in Morocco. I had a hard time fitting in there too. My family kind of kept to ourselves. I never understood why, but I get it now. He fingered mindlessly at his pendant. My father was a miraculous holder also, so perhaps there was a bigger reason that we came to Paris than what he told us. I mean, naturally, he couldn't say, "Hey, we're picking up our lives here and moving to an entirely different country because I have this super-powerful kwami that goes literally everywhere with me and I have to keep him safe, so I hope you like Paris" without raising some red flags. Saying it was for his job--which clearly, it wasn't--was probably much easier to explain.
Do you really believe your father would lie to you like that?
I don't know, dude. He was a holder and didn't tell anyone. Plus, he knew about you and never said anything. At this point, I don't know what to think.
Perhaps he was only trying to do what he thought was best, Lorr reasoned, to protect you. I am sure he must have had a good reason.
Yeah, well, I don't feel very protected right now, Nicholas huffed. I feel afraid and confused and hurt. I wish he were here right now to explain everything to me. I just wish everything made sense.
I sense that desire deep within you, Master. But life is often full of great mystery. You and I do not understand why destiny has chosen the path that it has, or why we were bonded together in a world of peace far from the grasp of evil and treachery. However, we must believe that something greater is going to come of this...of us, and of what has happened to your father.
I don't think destiny has anything to do with it, Lorr, but I appreciate you trying to cheer me up anyway.
Just wait, Master Nicholas. Soon, maybe, you will see just why you and I were brought together in the first place. I have faith. You should too. Everything will work itself out. Just believe that. And if you can't believe in that, believe in me. I know.
Nicholas exhaled and sat back further in his seat as the booming voice belonging to the pilot echoed through his headset, informing the passengers of their current location in airspace--somewhere over the northern portion of Tibet. According to something Fu had said earlier, they were about thirty minutes out from their destination. Nicholas shivered at a cold blast of mountain air as it whipped through the cargo hold and chilled the group to the bone. Another glance toward his fellow superhero told him that Grimm was nearly as miserable at this altitude as he was.
But yet, he had agreed to come, which, to Nicholas, meant he was willing to deal with whatever the Guild decided to throw at them, from insane introductions to ice-swept hills to wherever in the wide universe they were going now.
The desire-to-be-a-hero thing clearly went both ways.
"Yeah, okay, how much farther to this secret guardian temple whatsis anyway?" Grimm shouted over the element's howling rage, sharply drawing the attentions of the two guild members to him as he pulled his cape closer, using it as a blanket over his knees and shivering. "I can't feel my fingers anymore."
Kila only scoffed. "You're wearing a miraculous. There is no viable reason that you could be feeling--"
"No matter," Fu cut her off. "We are here."
"Wait...really?"
"Wow, that was fast."
"Why don't you both take a look?" Fu waved a hand toward the window and Nicholas and Grimm instantly moved to obey, shifting together to peer out through the swirling snow. Nicholas blinked, squinting up at the looming peaks. From there he could see dozens of mountains circling the helicopter on both sides. A valley covered to look like the north pole, dozens upon dozens of cliffs, and nearly as many circling vultures to match, but no matter which way he looked, he saw nothing that even remotely resembled a castle or a hidden temple.
"Uh...what precisely are we supposed to be seeing here?"
"Yeah, kind of my thoughts exactly."
Fu chuckled at their befuddled expressions and leaned back with a smile. "Do you not see it? Perhaps you are not simply looking hard enough. Why don't you look again?"
"Dude, what kind of answer is that?"
"Not a very good one, that's for sure," Nicholas commented with a groan as the blond shoved his shoulder out of the way to push into the window next to him. "There's no temple out there as far as I can tell. Just a lot of snow and ice and more snow and more ice."
"It's not very hospitable," Grimm added. "Not even a polar bear would want to live here."
"That is part of the point of being a secret headquarters hidden in the middle of nowhere," Kila grunted. "If it were in plain view where everyone could see it, then there wouldn't be much point of the guild being a secret, would there?"
"You keep reiterating the whole secret thing," Grimm groaned. "But yet, you're the ones who came to us. Doesn't seem so secret to me."
"You are still not looking at it from the right perspective," Fu said. "Sometimes, the things best hidden can be found in the most obvious of places."
"Well, you made that way more ominous than was necessary."
"I agree completely."
"Teenagers," Kila snorted. "It's like they all have a one-track mind. No imagination whatsoever."
"Hey!"
"Hey!"
"Never mind Kila," Fu interrupted, stepping between them and smiling up at the boys cheerfully. "Focus on your inner thoughts. Do not simply look with your eyes. The two of you are miraculous holders. See as your kwami sees."
"What does that even mean?" Grimm complained, pushing back past Nicholas and slumping back into his seat with a scowl. "I'm not big on riddles, sir."
Fu chuckled. "But this is not a riddle, young man. For the entrance of the temple to be found by those who seek it, one must be willing to put aside what they think they know and embrace what they cannot."
"Great. More riddles. Did I mention how much I dislike them yet?"
"No, actually, I think I understand," Nicholas corrected, fingering his pendant as he turned back to meet the gaze of the flabbergasted boy.
"You do?"
"It's just simple logic," the Moroccan went on quickly. "Right now, we are unable to see the temple because we are looking for something that I assume is not supposed to be found. At least, not yet. We are looking with our eyes when maybe what we need to be doing is searching for something that cannot be seen."
"Uh, come again?"
"It's invisible," Nicholas emphasized. "Somehow, the Guild is shielding itself from view so as to keep itself safe from the prying eyes of the world who would probably not use the miraculous in a peaceful way." He turned toward Fuu and Kila. "Am I close?"
Kila nodded curtly. "Leave it to the holder of the Wisdom to figure it out first."
"You are correct, Nicholas," Fu translated. The helicopter shifted at this moment, angling just right that Nicholas had a perfect view of a snowcapped mountain in the distance. Something bright glistened from near the summit and, a moment later, the world was enveloped in green.
Grimm cried out in alarm and Nicholas lurched back as the light washed over the craft and their eyes followed the trail as the copter kept going and everything once more faded to white. Fu's bracelet shimmered the same sickly green, Nicholas noticed, but before he could make a comment on what that could be attributed to, he was drawn once more to the window by a sharp inhale from his teammate.
"That's it!" Grimm exclaimed, nearly knocking Nicholas out of the way once again in his haste to press up against the glass. "We've made it! There's the temple down there! I can see it!"
Lorr? Nicholas questioned as he regained his footing once more and carefully peered over the eager blond's shoulder to the snow-covered mountains below. Above the billow of a low-bearing squall, a bright red rooftop could be seen, and a great wall surrounded the entire structure. Further on, an elongated body of water drew across the landscape as far as his eyes could see.
That is the Miraculous Temple, Lorr confirmed. Home of the Guild...and your father.
"Whoa..." Nicholas breathed aloud. "That is so cool."
"Wait until you see the inside," Kila informed him. "It's much bigger than it looks from out here."
"If everyone would please take their seats and refasten their seatbelts," spoke the pilot once more. "We will be making our decent here shortly."
All of the passengers moved to obey and Nicholas held his breath as the helicopter circled back around the mountain once before landing off to the side of the courtyard at a small landing strip. Kila opened the doors and the four of them piled out. Nicholas immediately grabbed for his hood to keep it from being blown back by the offshoots from the chopper's blades and Grimm shouted something above the roar of engines that no one heard.
"This way!" Fu called, once more reverting to using his cane as he started off behind the craft and Kila hastily went with him.
"Come on!" Grimm yelled again, taking Nicholas's arm and pulling him after the elders. "We need to keep up before they leave us behind!"
The holder of Trekk's miraculous is correct, Master, Lorr advised. Nicholas scowled at this but hastened to follow anyway, ducking under Grimm's billowing cloak as the wind off the mountains whipped at his face and hands.
I know. I just hate running.
Particularly when you are unaware of where you are running to?
The whole reading-my-mind thing has long lost its charm, man. Do you realize how creepy that is?
Says the boy who prefers to wear all dark attire, Lorr shot back, like some kind of vampire from the sixteenth century. No wonder you are unfortunate in the realm of mating.
Okay, first off, that just sounds super weird even in my head, and two; I don't need anyone. I'm perfectly fine working on my own.
Somehow, he felt as though Lorr's eyes were moving away from him and onto the group rushing on ahead without him. Oh, yes, so I see. Perfectly fine on your own.
They don't count, Lorr.
"Griffon!" Grimm shouted in his ear, jerking him roughly from his internal war with his kwami. "Let's go! They're leaving us behind!"
"I'm coming!" Nicholas yelled back, ducking even further as the copter's engines began to rev once more, signaling the pilot's intent to take off (and probably make it back to the city before any more surprise snow squalls could wander by).
And speaking of snow squalls...
"Everybody keep up!" Fu spoke, his tone quiet, yet monstrous on the face of the mountain. "There is a storm coming! It will be safer inside until it passes!"
I hate snow, Nicholas grumbled as he glanced northward beyond the temple's walls to a massive shelf of angry black clouds looming in their direction.
You hate a lot of things, Lorr remarked. You are a very hateful person.
No, I'm not, Nicholas argued as he broke into a sprint, overtaking Grimm and hurrying to trek side-by-side with Kila who shot him a momentarily dark look before focusing her attention on Fu as the older man was nearly blown over by a particularly gusty blast of wind. I'm just emotionally reserved.
Hmmm, Lorr hummed, not sounding very convinced.
A rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance as the group finally trudged up to the gates and Fu lifted his staff to insert it into some kind of weird mechanical device that almost seemed to eat the stick whole.
Grimm slogged up to his side, huffing and puffing. He made a face at Fu and then over at Nicholas. "What is he doing now?"
"I think...I think his staff is a key. I think he is unlocking the doors for us." Nicholas guessed, watching as the elder twisted the end of his stick and it moved the entire latch. A moment later, there was a resounding cling and the gate popped from its hinges.
"Quickly," Fu urged, shooing them past and through the archway. "Everyone into the courtyard. The storm is upon us."
Grimm and Nicholas wasted no time in obeying, practically shoving each other out of the way to get through. Grimm was ultimately the victor and he gasped as he took the first step inside. "I don't believe this!"
"What?" Nicholas inquired, rushing up beside him, fists clenched, ready to punch the first thing that moved. However, when he reached the teen's side, he found the clearing completely deserted. Heat whizzed over his body as he took a small step forward and his shoes were buried up to his ankles in warm sand.
Sand.
In the middle of an icy mountain range.
Now Nicholas understood what had shocked Grimm so much. This place...was like an entirely different ecosystem altogether.
He blinked, jaw dropping as he took in the sand-covered bleachers, basketball court, fencing field, along with about half-a-dozen small buildings surrounding the main temple which was located in the very heart of the clearing.
This...right here...what he was seeing...wasn't scientifically possible.
Ms. Mendeleiv would have a cow if she could see this.
"What?" he repeated, earning a grin from his companions.
Fu chuckled as he limped up behind and reached up to rest a hand on each of the boys' shoulders. "Welcome, my young friends, to the Temple of the Miraculous. Quite a sight, is it not?" Then, before they could answer, he released his hold and took a step away. "Come, let us get inside where it is warm. We will show you around and then Kila will show you to your rooms."
The look she gave them could have killed Godzilla instantly.
"All right," Nicholas said, still trying to process everything. "That sounds good. And then I can start searching for what happened to--" He started forward but Fu held out a hand to stop him.
"Before you enter the temple, there is one more thing you should know," the old man warned. "All those who step inside those walls are sworn members of the Guild. They have given their sacred honor and have vowed to defend the miraculous with their lives. To be permitted inside, you too must make such a promise. A promise to always defend and protect what is noble and true, to stand up for what is right, and to guard the miraculous and kwami who reside inside no matter what. Only then will you be permitted to enter. Do you solemnly swear to do this?"
"I do," Nicholas answered immediately.
"I do too," Grimm added a moment later.
"Very well," Fu went on, folding his arms neatly behind his back. "Then as a sign of your good faith and allegiance, we now ask you to drop your transformations."
"Say what?"
"Uh, no thanks."
Kila sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Do not be afraid, young ones," Fu encouraged. "Everyone here is a friend. Most already know who you are. Unless...you are afraid of one another finding out?" He gave Grimm a significant look and a faint trace of embarrassment flashed across the boy's face.
Nicholas shrugged. "Well, I have no problem with it since it seems you all already know who I am anyway. Lorr, Talons Down." The uniform melted away, leaving the teen standing there in his tattered shoes and ripped jeans. Not exactly the most professional attire he could have selected, but the others did not appear to be troubled by this.
"I'm...not really sure this is such a great idea," Grimm mumbled, taking a step away now and tugging anxiously at his miraculous. "I'm...I'm not so good with people really seeing me."
"You have nothing to fear from us," Fu promised. "Kila and I will not judge you for your other life or who you were before you found your miraculous. And I am sure Mr. Lahiffe here would agree."
Grimm bit his lower lip worriedly. "Okay. I guess you were going to find out who I was sooner or later. Maybe it would be better for you to know now before you agree to anything else." He took a long breath and closed his eyes. "Trekk, Ashes Fall."
The red lights encompassed him instantly and as his cloak and mask fell, Nicholascaught a glimpse of genuine fear in the boy's eyes. It was gone almost as quickly, however, as the white shirt and designer jeans and shoes took the place of thick armor and spiked Thanos gloves. The uncertain blue glisten emerged from the dark hazel and the mop of blond fell back in a more natural--more familiar--way and the teen was revealed for the first time.
"Hello, Nicholas," Milo spoke. "Long time no see. It's...uh...I'm Grimm and I really hope you're not too disappointed."
Disappointed? Disappointed. No, Nicholas was in far too much shock to be disappointed. Of course, now it all made sense. Why the teen had wanted to talk to him at school, how he always seemed to be around at just the right moment. It had felt a bit stalkerish before, but this made so much more sense.
"Milo...?" He was aware of how uncertain his pitch came out but he decided it would be better to overlook it for now. "Wait a minute, you're Grimm? You're the one who gave me Lorr?"
"And then promptly showed up at your school the next morning pretending to be on a world tour just so I could see how you were settling in as a new miraculous holder? Yeah, that about sums it up." Milo rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "So, yeah, hi officially."
"I...don't get it," Nicholas confessed. "Why would you--"
"Perhaps we should continue this conversation inside," Kila interjected, stepping between them abruptly and pushing them away from a growing number of curious eyes. "Where we cannot be bothered, yes?"
"Let us step into the temple where we can speak more privately," Fu suggested. "There will be much time for the others to meet you later. But for now, you both must have questions."
Grimm--Milo--nodded slowly, his gaze darting from Nicholas to the Guildmembers and back again and a nervous blush dusted his cheeks. He wasn't at all prepared for Nicholas's reaction and he squeaked loudly as the dark-skinned boy threw his arm around his shoulders and side hugged him reassuringly.
"You're...you're not mad about this, are you?"
"Mad?" Nicholas echoed. "Man, what would I have to be mad about? You're a superhero! You trusted me enough outside of the costume to let me into your life, both as a civilian and not! No one has ever trusted me with anything that rad! Of course I'm not mad! I'm honored!"
"Really?"
"Yeah, really," Nicholas laughed, grinning as the shorter boy's shoulders loosened and the terror melted away from his expression. "I mean, it was a little overdramatic you swooping in to save me at the last possible moment, like, couldn't you have shown up five minutes sooner?"
"I tried," Milo laughed, "but I kept getting stopped by all of these kids wondering why I was dressed up like Daredevil in September. And...and I'm sorry that I couldn't do more...when I'd heard about...your dad...I'm...I'm really sorry."
"It's not your fault," Nicholas told him, determined not to let Milo feel guilty for something he had had absolutely no control over. "You didn't kill him. It was an accident. Accidents happen."
But, then again, accidents don't typically happen just days after someone finds a miraculous and learns that someone else is after them to take that miraculous back.
Milo smiled weakly and together, the two boys trailed the two elders up to two wide oak doors surrounded by a number of armed guards who watched them suspiciously as they approached. Nicholas swallowed hard and fought the urge to hold his pendant tighter as they passed.
It only took him a moment to realize that the guards weren't paying any attention to him.
Their gazes were fixated firmly on Fu and there wasn't even the slightest trace of respect in them. However, Fu seemed less than bothered by this as he pushed past and handed Kila his cane as he heaved open the doors and disappeared inside.
"What's up with them?" Milo whispered.
"No idea," Nicholas hissed back. "But I think Fu knows."
The inside of the temple was darker. Darker and colder. Nicholas shivered, pulling his coat further around his neck as he tiptoed across the uneven paved floor. Tiles lined the walls and ceilings and he had to crane his neck to see all of them up above his head. Pictures were depicted on each; some of beauty and grace displayed through nature, and some of wars and fighting and terror side by side with a ring of gems portrayed in every color of the rainbow. Above the murals, chiseled out of a solid arch of rock, a series of words aligned themselves before Nicholas's eyes.
Enter ye who wish to find, the secret of a power divine. Come with not toil nor with strife, but with hope and gift of life.
"What're those?" he inquired, pointing them out to his companions. "Is that...what language is that? It looks like...Chinese?"
"You mean the words on that arch?" Milo butted in. "I don't know where you're getting Chinese, dude. That's English."
"No, it's not!" Nicholas protested adamantly. He knew the English alphabet (at least part of it) and he was sure what he was looking at was not English. "That's an Asian language! I have the kwami that can understand every language. Trust me on this."
"Eh, it still looks like English to me," Milo shrugged.
"Well, in a way, you are both right," Fu commented, wandering back to see what had caught their attention. "These ruins are from ancient times, from a time long before miraculous were used alongside humans. Though their origins are not known, they have the distinct ability to translate into any language that they see fit. For you, Nicholas, they chose Chinese, perhaps to represent the wisdom flowing through you. And for you, Milo, you see your native language, just as you are supposed to."
"I think my brain hurts now," Milo complained.
"I still see Chinese," Nicholas insisted.
Fu merely turned away from their bickering and sighed. Kila frowned at the two boys and the kwami hovering calmly at their sides. "Obnoxiously loud rude adolescents," the girl muttered, just loud enough for the teens to hear.
"Hey!" they both protested together, spinning on their heels to face the elders.
"And yet, somehow, you find the audacity to bring them both here."
A booming voice rang out from somewhere above them, echoing off of the walls and causing Nicholas to flinch back, sending Lorr diving for cover inside his coat. Milo started, reaching for his gloves and already beginning to pull them further over his hands, when a blur of red rushed by them from behind and Fu and Kila spun to face their newest opponent.
"Wang Fu," the man spoke, deep malice etched across his face. He stood a good head shorter than Nicholas, but still, the boy cringed at the anger in his tone and wished there was somewhere, anywhere, where he could hide from the untamed wrath. "You have a great deal of courage to come back here after all this time. After what you did."
"I did not come here to fight, Su-Han," Fu said firmly, stepping onto Nicholas's left and holding the man's glare evenly. "I only came back because these miraculouses needed protection."
Su-Han snorted. "And since when do you care about the miraculouses or anything besides yourself for that matter? Or did you come back to make excuses for yourself?"
"This isn't about me," Fu snapped, signaling for Kila to stand down as the girl made a move to speak on his behalf. "It's about them." He pointed back to the kids and Su-Han's eyes narrowed. "They found the miraculouses of Wisdom and Vengeance, a feat that has been impossible for nearly three hundred years. And now they are in danger and this is the safest place for them to be right now."
"You expect me to believe that children harnessed such destructive powers unsupervised?"
"No," Fu admitted. "Not at first. After all, you never did approve of me becoming a Guardian at such a young age. But I am here to tell you that these two have proven themselves worthy of the title on more than one occasion. And if my word still means nothing to you, Celestial Guardian, allow me to set your mind at ease. Ali chose them. He wanted them to carry on his legacy in the event that something were to happen to him one day. Well, that day has come and these boys are more than capable of accepting the training to take his place."
"Wait...what's this about training?" Milo demanded. "I don't have to lift weights, right?"
They ignored him.
"They are only infants," Su-Han scoffed. "They cannot be trained to take on such an important role so soon. Give them twenty or thirty years, then maybe we will see if they have potential."
"Twenty or thirty years?" Nicholas erupted, pushing past Fu before the old man could say anything else. "I can't wait that long! My father was killed for these things and he wanted me to protect them! Whoever killed him was after this place and I need answers. You're supposed to have them so why won't you tell us?"
Su-Han arched an eyebrow. "Ali's son, I presume? I recognize that miraculous and I sense your father's boldness within you. He never knew when to quit either. It's probably that recklessness that you share that got him killed in the first place."
"Take that back!"
The man smirked, folding his arms and lying his staff on the ground beside him. "And why should I? It's the truth. Ali was a wise Guardian and he was a noble warrior, but he never knew how to pick and choose his fights and I very much doubt you are any better than he was."
Anger seeped through his veins and Nicholas clenched his hands into fists, hearing but ignoring the chirps of concern from Lorr as he shouldered his way past Milo and Fu to stand face to face with the older man.
"You don't know anything about me or my father."
"On the contrary," Su-Han countered. "I know more about you than you think, Nicholas Lahiffe. This is why I know you are not ready to become a Guardian. You are too young, too undisciplined, and there is too much untapped rage inside of you. There is nothing I could teach you now. You are not ready. Not so long as you keep so much bottled up inside."
"I think you can," Nicholas argued. "I need to know about my father. I need to learn. I came all this way! You have to show me!"
"Do I?"
"Nicholas," Milo hissed, pulling the boy back with a nervous glance at the Guardian. "What are you doing? We're not warriors. At least, I'm not. How do you plan on making him tell you anything?"
"The only way I know how," Nicholas replied, pulling away from the blond and glaring up at the red-garbed man who continued to stand there, looking...almost bored. "If he's not going to tell me what I need to know, I am going to make him."
"What?!"
"What?" Fu and Kila said together.
"You can't be serious," Su-Han sneered. "You, a simple child, wish to challenge me? The most powerful Guardian of the entire Guild? You must be nieve."
"If that is what it takes to prove that I can earn my place as my father's second," Nicholas replied, dropping back into a back stance and forcing the others to step out of his way as he opened the side of his coat to release his kwami and Su-Han collected his staff, twirling it tauntingly before him. "Then I will do whatever it takes. Even if it means defeating you."
Su-Han laughed. "You won't defeat me. No one ever has. But, if you prove yourself to be a worthy adversary and you show me that you deserve to wear that pendant, perhaps I will tell you what you want to know."
"I accept your challenge," Nicholas agreed. "Lorr, showtime! Wings Unfurl!"
The light blinded him for only a moment as the mask melted over his eyes, but that was all the time it took for Su-Han to make his move and ram his staff into the pit of his stomach and send him reeling back with a cough of surprise. He reacted immediately, lunging for the staff and twisting it sharply over his back, spinning to yank it away from Su-Han's grasp. He let go as well and the staff went skittering away across the floor.
Their eyes met.
"Clever boy," the Guardian growled. "But not even your miraculous can prove your worth to me. For that, you will need more than just a new outfit and fancy dance moves. If you really want to know what happened to your father, prove to me you deserve it."
Lorr squeaked out a cry of certainty that matched his holder's and Nicholas felt determination building upon that sensation, pulling up his hood to shield his eyes and watching as the last of the golden power swelled across his shoes and then vanished into his soles. This was the moment he had been waiting for. He needed the answers to his questions and this was the only way to get them.
He was ready to do whatever it took.
It was almost a silent command, the way he felt the blade's hilt form in his hands like Lorr had sensed, even before he had spoken, what he'd had in mind. They were in sync and there was no way they were going to be defeated.
He spun the sword once just to get the feel for it, before fixing his focus on the man patiently waiting for him to make the first move.
"Okay, Celestial Guardian Whatever-Your-Name-Is, let's go."