Chapter 26: Those Eyes

Peter could feel a fresh ocean breeze when the whiteness faded.

As he opened his eyes, he saw that they were standing in a forest area overlooking the busy village of Berk.

“Wait . . . is this the same Berk?” Peter asked.

“Yes, but a long time ago,” Mr.Haddock replied solemnly. 

Peter looked out once more and he could see dragons and Vikings everywhere. 

“It’s  . . . amazing,”Peter whispered.

“I wish I could go down there and ride a dragon,” Allan said. 

As he was talking, he leaned on a tree filled with Terrible Terrors. Soon they swarmed the group and erupted loudly into the sky.

Allan screamed in shock but Peter covered his mouth quickly.

“We must get to the wormhole now before they . . .,” Mr.Haddock started but a screeching noise filled the air, frightening the entire group. Well, except Asia and Paul who were looking the sky feverishly. 

“Run!” Mr.Haddock whispered harshly. 

The group followed him into the woods that revealed a road to the peak. Before they could reach the hidden bikes, they were cut off by a plasma blast. That was when they scattered into the bushes. 

Peter could hear a loud thud right next to his bush. He looked over to see that Paul was with him but strangely calm in this situation. 

“I was sure someone was here,”said the sound of a uncertain boy. 

The voice was followed by a low grumble. 

Peter tentatively looked through the bush and saw the boy and the dragon from Asia’s book. 

Hiccup and Toothless, he thought. 

As much as he wanted to meet them, he couldn’t because they probably won’t let them get to the bridge without any suspicion. 

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Allan sat with Mr.Haddock and Asia, who were looking over the deathly pale Elysie.

“We can’t stay like this for much longer. Elysie is getting worse,”Mr.Haddock mumbled. 

Allan looked over at Elysie’s pack on her back and eyed it for a while. Then he went over and unzipped it.

“What are you . . .?” Mr.Haddock asked before Allan said, “A gun.”

Then Mr.Haddock grabbed his wrist and said,”No, you are not shooting him.”

“What? I am going to shoot a sedative dart at them.”

Mr.Haddock nodded in understanding and released his wrist. 

Allan finally found what he was looking for and loaded the fun. 

He crouched near a bush and aimed it at the dragon’s leg.

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Peter and Paul were sweating in desperation when Hiccup came close to their hiding spot. 

Then they heard a thud. 

Peter got out from the bush and saw the dragon unconscious at his feet. 

Then he looked up and saw Hiccup staring at him with green eyes that could look into your very soul.

“What? . . .  How? . . .  Who?” He started confusedly until a dart hit him in the shoulder. 

Hiccup groaned and starting falling to the ground but Peter caught him in time. 

How much lighter can this kid get? Peter thought. 

Paul quickly darted out of the bush and knelt next to Peter. 

“Is he dead?” Paul asks. 

Peter looked closely at Hiccup’s shoulder and saw a sedative dart.

“No, he’s going to okay,”Peter confirmed.

Soon enough, Allan, Asia, and Mr.Haddock emerged from the bushes. 

“Nice shots, Allan,”Peter said.

“Thanks. I really like shooting guns, a lot. Maybe I want to become a sniper and ditch the policeman job,”Allan said with a grin on his face. 

“Giving up your jelly donuts?” 

“Gross,”Asia commented.

“Hey, a donut is a policeman’s pride,”Allan defended.

“A fat policeman’s pride?” Paul teased.

“Shut up,”Allan said, pushing Paul aside.

“We leave now,” Mr.Haddock said, not looking phased by the whole ordeal. 

As they hopped on their bikes to take off, Peter stole a glance back at the boy.

Those eyes . . . I feel like this won’t be the last time I will have to confront them. 

Chapter 25: The Bridge

“Peter?! Elysie?!” Chelsie yelled again and again in her earpiece. 

It has been a hour since the escape group last had contact with the base. 

“Something’s wrong,” she concluded.

The group was huddled around a fire in a cave on Dragon Island . 

Paul and Asia have stayed quiet while their dad, Chelsie, and Allan bantered back and forth, flustered from the current miscommunication. 

“Do you think the Others have them?” Chelsie asked.

“It’s possible,” Mr.Haddock replied. 

“What do we do now?” Paul asked. 

“I  . . . don’t really know,”Chelsie replied. 

“Should we go back?” Allan suggested.

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Peter slowly opened his eyes as he felt himself coming back to consciousness. He groaned and gripped his head from the spinning nausea.

Ignore it. Got to get to Elysie, he thought.

He dragged himself to his feet and limped very slowly over to Elysie.

He collapsed next to her and felt for a pulse. There was one but her shallow breathing concerned him. He looked over at her neck, which was slightly discolored and bleeding. He grabbed his backpack and pulled out a gauze and wrapped it gently around her neck. 

How are we going to get out of here?, he thought.

Then he remembered the bridge. 

Maybe . .  if we can get to the bridge, we can transport ourselves back to America, Peter thought.

Then there be a rip in the space time continuum because you already exist in this time, Pan said.

Peter yelped in surprise when he heard Pan’s voice speak unexpectedly in his mind. 

“What do I do?”

Go to the bridge.

“But didn’t you say I can’t?”

You can’t go to this time, but the past.

“Why would I want to go back to the past?

Because Elysie is in pretty bad condition. Even if you take a jet, it probably be too late.

Peter thought this through.

Then he remembered the group. He limped over to the radio and turned it on.

“Chelsie, can you hear me?” Peter asked. 

There was a silence until a hopeful crackle sounded. 

“Peter! Are you okay?” Chelsie asked.

“Little beat up but Elysie needs help. Where are you guys?”

“On Dragon Island.”

“Can you ask Mr.Haddock if there is a nearby town with a hospital?”

There was distant chattering. 

“He said about an hour out by plane.”

“That’s too slow. We can’t risk her condition, who knows what the Skeleton did. Though Pan had a idea.”

“Pan? Wait, is he there?!”

“Not really . . . but I can hear him in my mind.”

“Woah, dude, that’s weird.”

“Anyway, can you meet me at the bridge?”
“Why the bridge?”

“Well, we can’t go to the present but we can go to the past. It will be quicker to get Elysie medical attention.”

“Um, where in the past?”

“I don’t know! Anywhere.”

“Okay, okay. Let me discuss this with the rest of the group.”

Peter played with his fingers nervously as the chattering went on for 3 minutes.

“What if I could heal her?”Peter asked to Pan. 

With starstuff?

“Yea.”

You can try . . . but, I don’t know if you have that power. 

“Just, let me try.”

Peter concentrated all the starstuff he could think of in his hands but nothing happened. 

“But . . . I could do it before!” Peter said, frustratedly.

You’re too weak. It won’t come.

Peter banged his head in his hands.

“Really?”

Then he heard Chelsie say,”Peter, we have a suggestion.”

“What is it?” he asked.

“Mr.Haddock said we can go to the past, then immediately go back to the future. Kinda like a slingshot from which Allan described.”

“Sounds great. I can try anything right now.”

“See you at the bridge.”

Then Peter removed the headset and picked up Elysie. He was getting really worried since she hasn’t stirred yet. He tried to ignore the dizziness in his vision as he made his way to the door. That was not a priority right now. 

As he got outside, he tried to pinpoint the biggest heat wave. He could feel it a little lower down the hill so he headed towards it. Soon enough, he just came face to face with a rock wall.
“Well, now what?” Peter said, tiredly.

“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you step aside?”Chelsie said from behind him. 

Peter jumped ten feet and said,”Chelsie! Thank God, you’re here!”

Then he saw the Haddock family and Allan trudging behind. 

Mr. Haddock took Elysie out of Peter’s weary arms and said,”Hold each other hands tight. This is not going to be the smoothest wormhole travel.”

Then he pulled out his locket and placed it in a slot in the rock. The slab of rock lifted and revealed darkness. 

“Step through this doorway together and soon enough, we will no longer be here,” Mr.Haddock directed. 

The group stepped through the doorway and all went white.

Chapter 24: Never

Peter flew as fast as he could, not caring of how drained he felt. He made it to the bottom of the mountain before he falls from the sky from exhaustion. 

Must keep going, he repeated to himself while he picked himself off the ground.

Hopping onto a snow bike with no hesitation, he sped up the peak. It wasn’t long until he felt something terribly wrong. 

The shadows had a dark presence but this presence felt a lot stronger. He barged into the base and came face to face with a lone yellow eye.

“Ah!” Peter screamed while he scrambled away.

“We meet again, Peter,” said a raspy voice. 

Peter could only stare at the horrible face, trying to figure out who he is. Then he remembered the dream that had the exact thing. 

The Skeleton, he thought.

Then Peter got back up and looked at the Skeleton.

“I guess so,”Peter replied, trying to keep his nervousness concealed.

If a vacant hole can smile, Peter thought it did. 

“Where’s Elysie?” he asked.

The Skeleton stepped aside and Peter saw Elysie sprawled out on the floor. 

“Elysie!” Peter screamed and started running towards her.

The Skeleton cut Peter’s pursuit short as he brushed Peter’s neck. He collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain. 

“Before I let you go, I want to know something. How are you still here?” the Skeleton asked. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Peter spat back. 

This time, the Skeleton picked Peter up by the neck and dangled him off the ground. 

Peter could barely concentrate on anything when he felt like his entire body was going to explode from the pain. 

“Tell me!” the Skeleton roared.

“Never!” Peter yelled back.

Then the Skeleton threw him across the room and he crashed into the security control panel. Peter could feel himself slipping away from the pain and exhaustion but he felt something inside of him that was forcing to keep his eyes open. 

I need rest, Peter thought. 

No, not yet, said another voice in his mind. 

Then  Peter felt his arm move towards his jacket pocket where the tip was hidden. 

The Skeleton started walking over to Peter and said, “I will finish you off, right here, right now. I will avenge the King.”

Peter gained control of his mouth and struggled to say,”Please . . . stop . . .”

He inwardly whimpered because as much as this thing is evil, he doesn’t want to kill it. But the other person in his mind, Peter Pan, wants to see this thing gone forever. 

“Please. I have no control over him. I am just a ordinary kid. Please, don’t,”Peter pleaded.

“Too bad. It’s Pan’s fault for letting you die,”the Skeleton rasped. 

Then Peter heard someone roar in his mind and before he knew it, he drawn the tip and ran towards the Skeleton. The Skeleton stepped aside and brushed Peter’s neck. who crashed into the opposite wall. But he got back up to attack again until he saw the Skeleton holding Elysie by the neck, her face contorted in pain. 

“Get any closer and the girl will die,” the Skeleton rasped.

Peter halted and stared at the Skeleton with boiling fury.

He could feel heat gathering up in his hands. Then he shot a burst of light at the Skeleton, which connected with the lone yellow eye. The Skeleton roared and clenched at Elysie’s neck, who unconsciously screamed in pain. But Peter punched the Skeleton away and grabbed Elysie. She fell limply to the ground, her face turning a sickly pale.

“No . . .,” Peter said as he ran to Elysie’s side but the Skeleton blocked his path.

“You attacked first. You must finish your fight,” it rasped. 

Peter didn’t know what to do, even his other self was wavering. 

“You sure about that?” Peter asked.

Then the Skeleton charged at him and slammed Peter into the monitors. Peter could feel the tip fall out of his grip and slide across the room. 

I got to get the tip, he thought. 

Peter lit his hands with starstuff and slammed them on the Skeleton’s chest. It roared and backed away in pain. Peter took this opportunity and ran towards the tip until he felt himself being shoved to the ground, a few feet away from the tip. 

Despite the waves of blinding pain, Peter reached for the tip. 

“Give it up,” the Skeleton rasped in his ear.

“Never,” Peter whimpered. 

Then the pain became worse then before. Peter felt himself slipping away slightly, but he could feel the tip brushing his fingers right as blackness started entering his view. He used his last bit of strength and grabbed the it.

Before the Skeleton could react, Peter spun around and stabbed him in the heart. 

The Skeleton roared in pain and dissolved into nothing. 

Peter stared at him dissolve and felt the urge to vomit from the sight of it. 

But Peter felt himself say,”It’s all happened before, and it will all happen again.”

Then all went black. 

Chapter 23: Saving Haddocks

Peter walked outside and closed his eyes intently. He could feel the wave of heat from the ‘bridge’ but that is not what he is looking for. As he walked further into the North Forest, he started feeling small pings of heat. 

Starcatcher lockets, he thought. 

Then he dashed off, following the small heat source. After he dodged a few bushes, he ran into a clearing. In the middle of it was a hole, like a godzilla sized gopher hole. 

Peter slowly looked around, making sure there were no shadows. Then he jumped into the hole. 

He landed on a somewhat curved ground. The walls looked uneven and jagged, like someone chewed this tunnel through. 

Peter concentrated some more and felt the ping of heat once again. He went towards the right caverns and soon enough, he found the cells and the Haddocks. The only problems is that it was flocking with shadows. 

“Elysie, where are Chelsie and Allan’s location?” Peter whispered.

“Not far,” she replied. 

“Direct them to me. I found them.”

Then he slowly backed away and climbed up the hole. 

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After a few minutes, Peter could see Chelsie and Allan slowly walking towards his hiding spot in the rocks. 

“Over here,” he intercoms. 

He looked again and saw them walking towards him. 

“What did you find?” Allan asked.

“A cell area and the Haddocks.”

“How do we get them out?” Chelsie asked. 

“A distraction. I draw the shadows away from here so you guys can come and rescue the Haddocks,” Peter directed. 

They nodded their heads and Chelsie reviewed it to Elysie. 

Before Peter could move, Chelsie grabbed his arm. 

“Be careful. They want you too,” she warned. 

“I know,” Peter replied, his voice shaking with nervousness.

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Peter got out quickly and made his way towards the hole. Then he let out the loudest rooster crow that anyone heard by far. 

If I am going to play Peter Pan, I might as well act like him, he thought. 

“Come and get me, you shadowy scum!” Peter yelled, whipping his arms wide open.

Soon enough, a wave of shadowy figures streamed out of the hole and went straight towards Peter. Then Peter ran as fast as he could, away from the hole. A large cloud of shadows followed closely behind him.

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 Paul perked up when he heard a rooster crow.

A rooster? There are no roosters here, he thought confused. 

Then his dad said, “He’s here. He is really here.”

“Who’s here, daddy?” Asia asked. 

Mr.Haddock looked at them intently in the eyes. 

“Peter Pan.”

They both gasped. 

Then they heard the sound of footsteps, a boy and a girl dressed in some military uniform ran in. Paul instantly recognized the boy.

“Allan! What are you doing here?” Paul asked. 

“Saving your life. What else?” Allan replied. 

The girl easily unlocked the cell with some sort of device.

“Follow closely behind us until he reach our destination. Try to make as little noise as possible,” she whispered. 

“Where are we going?”Asia asked. 

“According to your dad’s notes, Dragon Island is the evacuation protocol. Is that right?”

“Yes, it is. I have a jet that can get us there in no time,” Mr.Haddock said. 

“Is it far?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. Keep up, we are heading out.”

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Peter sadly found himself at a cliff edge. It seemed to be a big drop with a jagged rock shore at the bottom. 

Should have made a bucket list, I’m about to die, he thought.

He turned around and saw the shadows making a half circle formation around him. 

“If you want a fight, I give you a fight.”

Peter pulled out his gun and shot at them. Unfortunately, the bullets passed right through.

You can’t shoot a shadow, a voice said inside his head. 

Then he felt something warm in his jacket pocket. He reached in and pulled out the tip of Curtana. 

“Well, last resort,” he muttered.

He charged at the shadows and started swiping them with the tip. The shadows crumbled into nothing and every time he used the tip, he could feel a course of energy going through him.

When he thought all were gone, he was wrong. 

A bigger mass of shadows surrounded him. He backed up until he couldn’t back up no more.

What to do . . . what to do . . . , he thought nervously. 

Then he looked down.

What if I could fly, he thought.

He looked back up and saw the shadows approaching. 

“Better than nothing.”

Then Peter dove off the cliff. 

The water was getting closer and closer. He almost doubted his ability to fly.

Then he automatically lifted his gaze to the horizon and swooped upward, barely brushing the water. The entire mass of shadows plummeted into the ocean waters. 

Peter let out a breathe of relief as he flew farther away from the cliff. As he started to head towards shore, he lost a lot of altitude. He barely made it to land before he crashed into the waves.

He resurfaced shortly and dragged himself to shore. Completely drained and worn out, he closed his eyes and laid still, enjoying the peace. Until a ear-piercing scream rang out from his ear piece.

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I looked at the monitors, satisfied that the Haddocks arrived safely on Dragon Island. I was amazed at how Peter just flew on the spot. 

Well, now we can go home and get this business behind us.

I was far from right. 

I heard a raspy voice whisper into my ear, “You missed something.”

Then I felt something brush my shoulder and a horrible pain swept through me. I screamed in pain before I lost consciousness.

Chapter 22: The Search

“Go to 12 o’clock,”I directed over a headphone to Melana. 

If you don’t know what’s going on, today is the day that we save the Haddocks. 

Chelsie and Allan were sent out into the north woods to search for them. Thankfully, the computers at the base can sense Other activity. There is a lot of activity in the central areas of the north woods. 

Peter and I are in charge of giving orders at the base, 

“Do you think they are still alive?” Peter asked.

“Positive. The Skeleton doesn’t usually kill his hostages in a short amount of time,”I replied. 

“Doesn’t the family seem kinda . . . strange?”

“Define strange.”

“Like, their heritage. We are long off from any Viking era . . . so why do they have the same last name?”

“I don’t know. Lots of sons.”

“Those are a lot of sons.”

There was a silence when we watched the cams, following Chelsie and Allan. 

“But, where do they get yak milk?” Peter asked.

I looked at him questionably. 

“Well, there are no farm animals at all on this island. Where do they get their food?” Peter inquired. 

“Are you saying . . . ,”I started.

“I am saying that they all weren’t born in this generation.”

There was another silence.

“There is another bridge,”I mumbled.

“What?” Peter asked, confused. 

“A bridge! Mr.Haddock probably knows where the bridge is but doesn’t want the Starcatchers to know.”

“A bridge . . . as in a bridge to a wormhole?’

I nodded. 

“Probably that’s why the Others are here. They know that there is a bridge and want to use it to get back to Neverland,”I concluded.

Peter just nodded uneasily, not sure what to think about the whole Neverland deal.

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Allan followed closely behind Chelsie as Elysie was directing her through the forest. 

“Couldn’t we use the snow bikes?” Allan complained. 

“Yea, and get stuck in all these bushes,” Chelsie spat back. 

Soon enough, they were at their destination. 

It was a cliff. 

“A cliff? You led us to a cliff?” Chelsie said to Elysie.

“Go down. It looks like you are on top,”Elysie said through her earpiece. 

Allan looked down and was the first to know. Luckily, it was just a small sand bank that had veru little ocean water running through. He looked around and saw a big tunnel that has multiple caverns. Before he could say something, Chelsie tackled him into a nearby crevice. 

“What are you doing standing there like a idiot? This place is crawling with Others,”Chelsie said. 

“Sorry, but did you see that cave?” Allan said. 

“Yea,”Chelsie mumbled and then connected to Elysie,”They seem to be in a network of caves under Berk. What should we do?”

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“Caves? You know, they can’t just walk into them and say, ‘Hello, I am just here to free your hostages’. It can be crawling with shadows,”Peter said. Once he said ‘shadows’ he looked shocked. 

“Wait, how did you know there were shadows?” I asked. 

“I  . . . don’t really know.”

Then I remembered that the Peter Pan I knew could trace starstuff. 

“I remember the kids having starstuff lockets . . . do you think you can locate a small starstuff signature?” I asked.

“How do I know?” Peter asked, looking deeply confused. 

“Heat.”

Then I saw realization come to Peter’s face as he remembered the early incident with heat.

“Okay,” Peter said, grabbing his coat and pack. 

“Stay safe and make sure no one sees you. If they find out that you are Peter Pan, it will not end well for you,”I warned. 

Peter nodded and said, “Be back soon.”

Then he connected his earpiece and walked out.

Chapter 21: The Truth

Think of circle time at preschool, that was exactly how we did it. Well, minus the comfortable pillows. 

“So, Peter, tell me. How much do you know about starstuff?”I asked.

Peter visibly flinched. There was a silence while we watched Peter fidgeting and looking around uneasily. 

“I feel like I know it, the starstuff I mean. I have been having so many dreams that don’t seem to be dreams at all. Actually, they don’t even seem to be my own dreams. My first dream, I was talking to a girl named Molly. Then a porpoise taught me how to fly and some man clarified to me that I will be a flying boy forever,”Peter explained, then his gaze darkened,”When I held a plank in my hand that read “Neverland”, I knew that I am not what I think I am anymore.”

There was a silence while Peter was deeply breathing. I could only watch him in empathy. 

So it is true . . . 

“Then I had another dream. This time I was facing the Skeleton and Ombra, whoever they are, in a train and I held a sword in my hand. Then I broke a chest lock with the sword . . . when I woke up . . . the tip of that exact sword was under my bed,”Peter said, voice trembling as he pulled out a sword tip from his jacket.

Everyone gasped. I was speechless without any words. Tears threatened to fall out of my eyes. I knew what was coming, but to see the tip of the Sword of Mercy takes it to a whole different level.

Peter stared intently at me and asked,”Elysie . . . am I, Peter Pan?”

The name seemed to linger in the air for a while.

I closed my eyes, trying to gather all my racing emotions. But all I could do is think of Peter, Peter Pan to be specific. 

“Will I ever see you again?”I asked.

He just looked at me sadly.

“I don’t know. Maybe . . . but you probably won’t recognize me for a while.”

“I believe so,” I stuttered out, “All the dreams you have are true.”

“But, how am I Peter Pan?”

“Maybe, he is possessing you. You may not be him, but you have his thoughts and powers.”

“Like flying,” Allan said, recalling back to the time they went flying with Paul and Asia. 

“Yea. Maybe the more memories triggered, the more Peter Pan wakes up,”I mumbled. 

Peter just sat bewildered, feeling very overwhelmed by everything spoken to him. 

“What if he fully possesses me? What will happen to my soul?” he asked,

I looked down glumly,” . . . I don’t know. But we will take it step by step.”

There was another silence.

“Woah, Peter, can you believe how amazing it will be to be Peter Pan?” Allan encouraged, trying to lighten the mood. 

“Haha, yea . . . great,”Peter stuttered nervously. 

“Do you think you can handle it? There are a lot of strings attached,”I clarified. 

Peter just looked me in the eyes. 

“I’ll manage. You know, I did actually listen at the youth group. If this is some sort of calling from God, that big guy, I’ll do it. Maybe I was meant to be Peter Pan’s keeper all along,”Peter said. 

“Well said brother,”Allan teased in a southern baptist accent. 

After we shared a time of stories and laughs, I decided to cut it there.

“Well, let’s get ready. It’s time for action.”

Chapter 20: Captives in Shadows

The only thing Paul could see was darkness. 

He could feel a grainy rocky floor under him, but that is as much as he knows of his surroundings. He could feel Asia’s feebly arms wrap around his and his father’s calming breathes nearby.

He could see a dimly lit lantern, slowly lighting up the tunnel. The keeper of the lantern, he dreaded to see for the air got very cold. As the lantern got close, he could see that they were in an ancient jail cell.

“Hope you enjoyed your stay,”the keeper rasped.

“Using the executing cell. Pretty cliche don’t you think?”his dad spat back sarcastically.

Then a horrible molten hand . . . no claw, reached out and brushed his father’s shoulder. He slowly fell to the ground, immense pain shown on his face.

Asia screamed and gripped Paul’s arm tighter. 

What just happened? Paul thought, frozen in fear. 

“I prefer you to keep your mouth quiet,” the keeper rasped.

Then Paul and Asia could see the figure turn towards their direction, though they couldn’t see his face since the hood of its cloak shadowed its eyes. 

“I could do the same for your children,” he continued.

“Who are you?” Mr.Haddock panted.

The man lifted the lantern towards his face. Paul wished that he didn’t do that at all. It looked like the man’s skin was melted and then cooled liked used wax. He had only one lone yellow eye and a void socket. There was no mouth but another void hole on his face that would give anyone the creeps. 

“I am the Skeleton,” he rasped. 

Mr.Haddock looked shocked. 

Then, the Skeleton let out a laugh, well, as close as he could get to a laugh. 

“I never died. Demons never die. They can be killed though.”

“What do you want?”

“What I alway wanted. Starstuff.” then he knelt close to Mr.Haddock’s face, “Where is it?”

Mr.Haddock looked at him straight in the eyes, well, eye.

“I don’t know.”

The Skeleton growled and swiped his hand across Mr.Haddock’s arm, leaving him crying in pain.

“You will tell me soon enough. Or every single one of your children will die, just like your wife. Though what a tragedy of how she died, pity,” he rasped in Mr.Haddock’s ears.

Mr.Haddock’s eyes widened as he remembered that vivid memory. A memory that wasn’t that long ago. So vivid, it felt like yesterday.

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“Kie!”Dreki yelled, in the swarm of Vikings. 

There was another raid from the Traitorous, but this one was more war then raid.

Dreki lost his wife and children in the sea of fighting Vikings. 

Soon enough, he found his two of his children, Paul and Asia. He grabbed then and ran for cover in one of the nearby houses. He clutched them tightly for a moment.

“Never leave my sight again,”he scolded. 

He left his children in the safe haven, going back out to find his wife and their youngest children, Ender and Estelle. 

He looked around feverishly, knocking down anyone trying to attack him. 

“Aim . . .,”he heard a familiar voice say. Then he turned and saw his father and his troop aiming fire catapults towards a big Traitorous ship. Then he remembered where his wife went. She was held captive on the Traitorous ship. 

“No! Dad!” he screamed, running towards his father.

His father seemed oblivious to his cry,”FIRE!”

Then Dreki could see the glimpse of his wife and his children as they stumbled out of the doors in the ship. But it was too late.

As if in slow motion, he saw the ship bomb and sink very rapidly, engulfed in flames. 

He couldn’t think or speak. Just feel his hot tears streaming down his blood stained face. 

In anger, he walked up to his father and yelled,”HOW COULD YOU?”

“How could I what?”he answered coldly. 

“How could . . . how could,”Dreki said, trying to get his words in other,”take out that ship and knoxw that my wife and children were on that ship?!’”

There was no reply. 

“You see, Dreki, there is a choice of a chief between his tribe and his family. If you want your tribe to survive, you have to risk your family.,”he replied.

Then he pointed to the retreating Traitorous tribe.

“Besides, you have enough kids. Paul seems to be a good heir, what was the use of the others?”he continued.

Dreki couldn’t believe it. How could his father be so cold? So cold at heart? 

“Why? Why don’t you care about family anymore? Is it because we lost mom?Or is it because you lost Toothless? What is it? Why make me suffer? Why? TELL ME WHY?” Dreki ranted.

When his father just stared down at him, no emotion at all, Dreki couldn’t help but blurt out the words in his heart,”You are no better then the Traitorous. You are a traitor.” He tried his best to bite back the tears,”I’m leaving. I never want to see you or think of you again.”

“Dreki . . .,”he started, sounding like his voice was  . . . breaking?

“Don’t you dare call me that. For now on, my name is Calvin. I am no longer your son and my children are no longer associated with you.”

Then Calvin walked away. 

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Calvin and his children walked up the peak. 

He knew that there was a bridge to a different time. A time far from this time. 

He held up the locket that was given to his family by the people of the future. A locket he stole from his father so many years ago, when the dragons disappeared from the face of the Earth. 

Soon they were in the cave with a special device. 

He gripped his children’s hands tightly. 

Then he looked back at Berk.

“Goodbye,”he whispered.

Then he flicked the locket open and all went white.

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Tears came to his eyes as he was forced to relive the memory that he tried so hard to erase from his memory. So hard to forget because every time he looked at his children, it kept reminding him.

“Your father wasn’t all what he seemed to be. Gave into the coldness that slowly creeped into his heart. What was him name again?” the Skeleton rasped.

“Please . . . no . . .,”Calvin pleaded.

“Oh, yes. Hiccup, wasn’t it? Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, the greatest chief in the archipelago, until his dragon disappeared. Probably that’s what he was trying to teach you. Teaching you to not hold your love ones so dear because you will fail. Fail because of them,”he continued and knelt down to Mr.Haddock,”So he killed your wife and kids.”

“STOP! PLEASE STOP!” Mr.Haddock screamed, wanting the Skeleton to stop replaying it in his mind all over again. 

The Skeleton backed off, clearly pleased on how much he broke Mr.Haddock.

“Stop hiding. There is nowhere to hide anymore. It’s the end of the line.”

Mr.Haddock just stared at the ground, tears in his eyes.

He looked towards his kids who were also brimming with tears. In shock that their dad never told them before. In shock that they didn’t belong in this time. In shock that their admired hero was their mom’s murderer.

“You know where it is. You used it. I will give you time to think,”the Skeleton said.

At that, he blew out the lantern and the darkness returned.