“ Where are we going father? ” Akata asked as his little feet struggled to keep up. 
They did spend some seemingly peaceful years together but it seemed like their trouble had no end. 
Akata's powers grew with every passing day. What they never expected was that it could possibly one day threaten the Gods in the Celestial Realm. 
“ Father, please tell me where we are going? I have been walking for days. I am hungry and… and I miss my mother. “
It seemed like the poor lad was on the verge of breaking down. But Lin looked at him with a cruel glare. 
The affection that he once had for his first born was no longer there. 
“ You miss Mia? Oh! How sweet is that! Let me remind you if you forgot, the Gods took your mother because you could not help but show off your powers. “
He grabbed Akata's shoulders and gave it a violent shake.
“ We have to keep walking to get your mother and your sister back. Do you understand? “
Akata wiped his eyes quickly and shook his head. 
Mia and Lin had just received the good news about Mia's second pregnancy when they received the Command from The Celestial Realm. 
They were irked when they learnt about the curse being lifted from the mer-world. Mia had been on their target list, ever since. 
With her second pregnancy , they issued a Command that warned them against excessive and abnormal use of hybrid powers that might destabilize the equilibrium, causing disruption in the balance of existence. They mentioned that they might have to take ‘measures’ to normalize things if they detected ‘further’ abuse of Akata's powers. 
What they did not realize was that they were merely looking for an excuse to penalize the immortals and keep them in check. 
Power seemed like the eternal intoxicant that left no one alone, creeping in like poison and spreading its venomous fangs. 
Akata was still a child . He could never be blamed. But Lin was overflowing with too many emotions. Nobody dared to oppose when they made Mia ascend to the heavens. 
Lin was paranoid. His wife had been substantially weak since she conceived the second child. 
Lin was aware of the hold the Celestial Realm had over everyone. With one verdict they had almost driven the mer-population towards extinction. 
He knew nobody would dare to counter them. It was a losing battle to begin with. It was like oppressive dominance. There was no chance of a fair fight in this instance. 
“ You blame me like all of them. I see, father. I failed you.”
Akata murmured as they stepped on the rugged hills. 
The temperature on the hill kept rising as they ascended. They stopped when they reached the top most point. Below them was the mouth of a boiling lava, lashing its ferocious tongue towards them. 
Akata stood there, staring at the eternal inferno before his eyes. 
“ Grandfather would have believed me. It was not my fault. I swear. ”he murmured under his breath not looking up to see his father because he knew what was going to happen next. 
Lin was staring at the active volcano as well. 
He knew his son was innocent, he knew what he did was just reflex, but he had to do something. He could not just let Mia vanish from existence. 
He was being especially rude with him so he would not fall weak. He stood there thinking about all the hardships they had to go through to save this little one. They way he felt when he was born. His first touch and first words, flashed right before Lin's eyes. 
“ I know what I need to do, father. Don't worry.I understand. I don't blame you or anyone. Just make sure you bring, mother safely home. ”
Without giving Lin another moment to rethink his decision Akata jumped inside the blikong lava. 
“ Akuuuuuuu! ” Lin yelled with his outstretched arms. But that was exactly what he had brought the lad there for. 
In that Eternal Fire, an immortal soul would stay frozen. It was like being buried alive but still living through the ages. Lin could think of no other way to contain Akata's powers in his fit of rage. 
But when his boy had already taken the leap, he sat at the edge with his hand on his head, contemplating whether or not to jump after him because he had Mia at the back of his head. 
“ Lin, what are you doing here? Where is Aku?” If only Xie had arrived a few moments ago, things could have been much more different. 
Lin looked at him with bloodshot eyes. 
Without a single word he landed a punch on Xie's face, making him roll over the rocks. 
“ You ask what happened, you coward little fool. Don't you know that your sister was abducted by the Celestial Gods in front of your eyes? You stood still. Didn't move a muscle. Now you come looking for me? ”
Xie didn't say a word. He knew Lin was not in his right mind. 
“ You know I was in as vulnerable a state as you are right now. Merindale. They would be coming for her next and we are powerless against their dictate. Lin, look at me. Where is Aku? ”
Xie's voice was urgent because he could see the distress in Lin's face. 
Lin did not answer, he just stared at the furnace. 
*****
A long period of time had passed since that fateful day. 
Xie and Ruby stood in front of an enclosure, inside of it was Lin. 
He was heavily chained, his hair grown out of proportion, his body marked with scars from recent wounds. 
They watched as he growled at them , snapping in the air and threatening to break free. 
Ruby turned around and walked away with Xie following behind. 
“ I can't watch him like this, ” Ruby wiped her tears in her satin sleeve. 
“ Must we keep him like this? Is there no other way? ” she pleaded as her husband caught up to her. 
“ Do you think I would have left him like this, had I known of a better way? ” Xie said reminiscing. “ If I had not locked him up, he would have surely killed himself a thousand times by now. ”
“ We can't blame him, can we? With Mia gone, Aku gone, how was he to live? I thought our beef with the Celestial world was over when the curse on the mer-world was lifted. Never had I ever imagined, Mia and her family would have to pay such a heavy price for being our saviors. This is just not fair. ”
Ruby broke down his her husband’s arm as Xie wiped silent tears. But they both sat up when Merindale walked in. 
“ Mama? Baba? What's wrong? Are you upset about anything? Did anything happen? ”
Merindale was all grown up into a beautiful young lady. She had Ruby's beauty but her aunt, Roe's traits. 
“ No, nothing wrong. We were just reminded of our old days. Come here darling. Let me give you a hug. ”
Merindale jumped in between Ruby's extended arm. 
Merindale was selected for her maiden training and she was going outside of Wolf territory for a long period of time. She was going to the School that the foxes and wolves rebuilt between their territories, so the kids could keep learning from the best teachers, just like old times. 
“ I thought you would be seeing me off but here you are, crying because I am leaving. ”
Xie scuffled her hair. “It was not because of you. I can assure you that. Ahhhhh! What a good riddance it will be for a few months. I will finally have peace around my kingdom. ”
Xie loved watching her get angry as he pulled her leg. 
“ I hate you Baba… I'm not coming back. Ever. I will go live with aunt Jade and my brother under the water. ”
She strutted off as Xie and Ruby burst into a little laughter. 
“ Kids… ” Ruby sighed. 
“ If only we could find a way to get our Aku back. We know he is in there. We know he is alive. Yet we are so powerless, we cannot bring home a single child. I don't know how I am to face Mia when she is back. ” 
Everybody survives on hope, even false ones that help us carry on. 
“ I hope it is soon. I really hope so.” Ruby wrapped it up because standing up. 
“ I think Merindale is waiting. Shall we? We don't want to be late for her first day in school.”
Life had a strange way of maintaining normalcy. 
Even in the most dire situations, one needed to carry on. However, time stopped for the ones stuck at the hands of fate -
Mia with her second child in the Celestial World
Akata at the Eternal Fire
And Lin in his own mental shackles in the immortal world. 
Would life ever be the same for all of them? 
Would they find a place for normalcy in their existence?