"We need to get out of here," Amari said, looking around the dark prison cell. "But how?"
Daniel stared at the cuffs around his wrists.
"These cuffs are way stronger than Jacob's rock cuffs."
Amari nodded.
"Yeah… they are."
He looked at Daniel.
"You think you can break yours with strength alone?"
Daniel flexed his hands a little and pulled against the chains.
"Maybe. These are tough… but I'll try."
Amari nodded.
"Okay. If you break yours, come break me out, then we plan our escape."
"Got it."
Daniel planted his feet against the ground and started pulling with everything he had. The chains rattled violently. His muscles tightened. Veins popped out across his arms.
"RAHHHH!"
CRACK!
One of the cuffs shattered.
Daniel breathed heavily.
"I did it…"
He quickly broke the other cuff, then rushed over and busted Amari out of his cell too.
Amari rubbed his wrists and smirked.
"Good job."
He looked around carefully.
"Looks like we're in a basement or something…"
Then suddenly Amari froze.
"Wait. Hide. Somebody's coming."
The two quickly ducked behind a stack of old crates.
Amari whispered,
"He's going to see we're not in our cells anymore. Then he'll alert the other guards. We need to knock him out before he can warn anyone."
The footsteps got louder.
A guard walked downstairs holding a lantern.
"What the—? They're not down here anymore!"
Right as he turned around to go warn the others—
Amari and Daniel rushed him.
CHOP!
Both brothers struck the guard in the neck, knocking him unconscious instantly.
Daniel looked down at him.
"Now he's out the way."
Amari nodded.
"Good. Let's move."
Then Amari suddenly stopped.
"Wait… our earpieces."
He pointed toward a nearby stand.
"They're right there."
"Oh yeah," Daniel said.
The boys quickly grabbed them and put them in.
Static crackled for a moment.
Then Sam's voice blasted through the earpieces.
"AMARI? DANIEL? ARE YOU TWO OKAY?!"
"I've been trying to contact you guys for hours!"
Amari answered fast while they moved carefully through the basement.
"In our fight with Jacob, we got knocked out. When we woke up, we were locked inside some kind of prison cell. We're underground somewhere… maybe a bunker or basement."
Sam sounded relieved.
"I'm just glad you're alive."
Amari's voice lowered.
"But that's not all."
Daniel looked over at him.
Amari continued.
"In the beginning of the fight with Jacob, when I first got knocked out… I met the Green Dragon."
Sam went silent.
"The move I created… Green Dragon… I put so much essence into it that it became an actual being inside me."
Daniel still looked shocked hearing it again.
"At first it was weird," Amari continued, "but the more he explained, the more I understood. Long story short… he can lend me his power for thirty seconds."
Sam spoke quietly.
"Only thirty?"
"Yeah," Amari said. "Because if he lends me too much power, he could take over my body. And honestly… I don't know what would happen after that."
Silence filled the earpiece for a moment.
Then Sam finally spoke.
"In all the history records I know… I've only heard of that happening one other time."
Amari and Daniel both stopped walking.
"What?" Daniel asked.
Sam continued.
"Over a thousand years ago, there was a warrior named Ruki. One of the fiercest fighters this planet has ever seen."
Amari listened closely.
"He had powers similar to yours, Amari. Except his element was mud. He could harden it into armor and weapons. One of his strongest techniques was called Mud Wolf."
Daniel's eyes widened.
Sam kept talking.
"He trained that move for years. He poured so much essence, focus, and emotion into it… that eventually the Mud Wolf became a living being inside his essence."
Amari's eyes lit up.
"So basically… like a summoning?"
"In a way," Sam answered. "Later in life, Ruki was even able to create a giant Mud Wolf."
Amari looked down at his hands.
"Do you think I could do that one day?"
Sam answered immediately.
"You can do anything you truly believe you can do."
Daniel then looked at Amari.
"Wait… if you created the Green Dragon, why can't he let you use more than thirty seconds of power?"
Amari sighed.
"I don't know. But I think we should trust him. If I lose control… I don't know what'll happen."
Daniel nodded slowly.
"Yeah… you're right."
Amari straightened up.
"Come on. Let's keep moving."
The boys carefully walked up the stairs.
As soon as they reached the top, they froze.
Five guards.
One in every corner.
And one standing directly in front of the exit door.
Amari whispered,
"How are we supposed to get past this?"
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know."
Then Daniel tapped his earpiece.
"Sam, any ideas?"
Sam answered quickly.
"You need some kind of distraction to pull them away from the door."
Amari looked around.
"But how?"
Sam spoke again.
"Look to your right."
Amari turned his head and spotted a plate sitting nearby.
"Now look left."
There was an open window.
Sam continued.
"Throw the plate through the window."
Amari shook his head immediately.
"I'm terrible at throwing stuff. Daniel, you do it."
Daniel smirked a little.
"Alright."
He grabbed the plate carefully.
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One."
WHOOSH!
The plate flew across the room and shattered through the open window.
CRASH!
The guards instantly turned.
"What was that?!"
Another guard shouted,
"Come on! Let's go check it out!"
All five soldiers rushed away from the door.
Amari grinned.
"Good job. Move!"
Daniel nodded.
"Right!"
The two sprinted through the exit and finally escaped outside.
Fresh air hit their faces.
Freedom.
But right as they were about to leave—
A familiar voice echoed behind them.
"You didn't think it would be that easy… did you?"
Amari and Daniel froze.
Jacob stepped out from the shadows.
Then he clapped his hands twice.
CLAP.
CLAP.
The five soldiers suddenly appeared around them again.
Daniel looked around slowly.
What Now we're surrounded."