"There he is," Sipore pointed. Heat entering the Kangaroo Kingdom. "You see, patience is important," he said.
"Don't act all wise with me, Sipore!" Lightnight barked. "He's going to pay for being late!"
They were standing outside the castle, near the main entrance. Lightnight was fed up. Heat being late made her furious. It took an entire day for him to arrive at the kingdom.
Even though Heat had his own reasons for being late, he was delayed by his earlier meeting with him.
The snake who absorbed Heat's brothers. The same snake that drew out the darkness dwelling inside of Heat's power.
The earlier meeting pushed time so fast that the day turned dark. The hot wind died down. The arid desert around the kingdom became cool.
Heat spotted Sipore and Lightnight. He landed on the ground and said his greetings. "Hey, Sipore. How's it been?"
"Don't you dare act all casual with us, buddy!" The words came out from Lightnight's lips.
"You sure took your sweet time getting here. We've been waiting for hours, and our leader is kidnapped, you jerk!"
"I don't know your name, but whatever," he replied.
His face was emotionless. "You are really good at welcoming xtros to your home."
"What did you just say to me?" Lightnight tightened her fists. Lightning particles charged around her arms. She was ready to pound him to death for his careless response.
"Remember what King Gorame ordered," Sipore advised, trying to calm her down. She withdrew her power and folded her hands. "Fine," she gave a stubborn tone.
"Time is of the essence. We have to rescue your Breamo leaders and stop the Nogazu duo," Heat advised.
After saying that, they left the Kangaroo Kingdom, leaving behind the arid desert.
Heat felt trouble. Hearing Yugitiwa's words repeated loudly in his head. "I don't know what to do. Is he playing with me, or is Ehita's power worth unleashing?"
The question echoed in his thoughts. This only made him more sad. "I wish... my brothers were here with me." He felt his heart pounding harder.
The cool breeze of the sky turned cold. His heart was craving for the warm words of Blue. Psyckit's constant shouting and embarrassing tone. Steelio's calm presence. All those moments he spent with his brothers felt like memories worth keeping.
Heat didn't notice the smile cracking from his beak. The calm breath that came out of his chest. The bright moon gave light to his dark mood. But the pleasure shifted instantly after remembering his battle against his brothers.
The pain stabbed his heart. The memory of Blue, Psyckit, and Steelio being absorbed by Yugitiwa flashed with power, pursuing him more than his own shadow. "I'm sorry, brothers. I failed to protect you," his mind whispered.
"The darkness... dwelling within me isn't the only thing I am scared of. I'm afraid of failure," Heat thought. His breathing went flat, not realizing that he actually stopped breathing.
"I don't want to fail my quest. This prophecy changed me somehow. Failing to show you my best... is aching my soul. I wanted new sibling allies upon my quest, but me failing to make you proud is quite tragic."
He then was cut off by it. The vision that he saw at the end of the Waterfall of the Ape. As the picture played in his memory, flashing brighter than the night's torch. He noticed that his breathing had stopped. He took a deep breath.
His wings were flapping in the night sky, but his mind teleported to another world. A world where memories clicked, just like that. The vision showed him a brave eagle, who changed the future of their world, leading a team of xtros to greatness.
"That's what I thought," he whispered.
Sipore and Lightnight barely heard him. With their feet on the ground and Heat soaring in the sky, the whispers didn't reach their ears. He continued talking softly.
"Is it me or what? How can a prophecy talk about me when I have Ehita in my being?"
He remembered all the pain he caused when Ehita possessed him. Darkness was hidden within his power, colder than ice and darker than shadow. His actions scared everyone in the Cakiswa Forest.
It broke down Marisha's confidence and pride, making him look like an invulnerable xtro of chaos. He almost killed an xtro, not with the sense of justice. That was the cold truth given to him. And yet Yugitiwa managed to defeat him in his dark transformed self.
And told him to embrace every power that he feared. The terrifying thought is not accepting power. It's accepting a huge evil that he promised to overcome.
"If you have a goal, achieve it. If you see a path, take it. But be aware, there's no such thing as an easy life."
These words were given to him. King Gorame told him about a path. But Heat could see two paths laid in front of him. Yugitiwa's advice of evil versus the prophecy that made him start an adventure.
Two choices were given to him. One choice meant accepting darkness in order to avenge his brothers. The other choice meant changing the world just like the prophecy mentioned.