Dylan was determined to keep his sister safe then he would come back for these animals!
The mermen attempted to swim after him but he was too fast and they lost him. They swam back to the palace and they met an angry witch. "Argh!,you fools,we needed the little one and you let her slip away,Lord Gilliam will have your heads for it!",she yelled and floated away angrily,they followed her.
"Dylan,mom and dad are dead, aren't they?",the little girl said,still crying and holding onto her brother's back.She raised her head and I saw her face ,she was me!, when I was ten and I actually felt like I was remembering something but Dylan's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"No,they..."
"Don't lie, Dylan!,you said it's always good to tell the truth so tell me or I'll ask Tofu"
"..."
"Winter... they're dead but they'll always be with us,okay?.And they would have wished for us to escape so we're carrying out their wishes. I must keep you safe because you are the most powerful being in the ocean and my little sister so be a good girl and stop crying,okay?",he said and looked over his shoulder.
"Okay",she said and sniffed,she never really understood the 'most powerful being' part but she didn't care.
"It's okay",a little voice said and the necklace around Dylan's neck glowed.
"Thanks,Tofu",Dylan said.
Tofu was Dylan's Jewel Shadow.
★ A jewel shadow is like a bodyguard and friend who is connected to people in the ocean but they only serve as bodyguards to non-royals and protect them when they are in danger and except when they are in dangerous situations, non-royals never see their own jewel shadows.When they belong to royals,they are the closest friends of the royals and they protect them against any little form of threat which is why Cora needed to awaken Emma's own.
They materialize through the necklace and can only be heard and seen when the owner is with the necklace but Emma(Winter) had been separated from her own for six years and it was going to be really hard to connect it back to her ,extra hard! because Emma has never met her Jewel shadow.
After a long journey to Dylan's hideout, Winter got off his back and rubbed her eyes,she slept off on his back.
"We're here?",she asked.
"Yes,Lil sis."
"We'll be safe here till Wanda gets back from Mama Finney's place"
"Okay...Dylan,I miss mom and dad",she said and buried her face in his chest as he hugged her tightly.
"It's okay",Tofu said again,this time with a deep voice.
"Dad!",Winter said and raised up her head.
"We're fine...but we're not alive",her mom said.
"Mom?",Dylan said and smiled.
He was surprised,his parents were talking through Tofu! That meant they were not totally dead,that meant they could still find a way to bring them back to their bodies...if they found them!
"My babies...though we're not alive,we'll always be with you and thanks to Tofu's house we'll be safe...as safe as ghosts can be till we figure out how to get back in our bodies",their mom said.
"We love you so much",their mom and dad said.
"You can do this!,we believe in both of you",their mom added and their voices were no longer heard.
"Mommy and Daddy are not dead!, They're not dead!", little Winter exclaimed happily.
"But they...",Olly sighed and kept quiet.
He didn't want to make her sad and it was quite obvious that she didn't get what was happening around here so he just held his peace. She would get to know later...
"Come Winter, let's settle in the cave till Wanda arrives"
"Okay",she said,still smiling.
"Wow Dylan, your hideout is so cool,it has everyone's pictures and all these cool stuff. What is this?",she said and her face brightened at the sight of it.
"Don't touch that...",he said and removed it from the table swiftly.
"I wanna see",she said and floated higher but Dylan did the same and she finally gave up.
"I'll go play with something else..",she pouted sadly and floated towards the inner room.
"Well that is over!"
*Crash*
"Oh no",Dylan said and dashed towards the cave room.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Come on!...I was gonna make Tofu some jewel powder with that",he said and picked the
broken pieces of black stone that was now useless.
"Winter,come here",he said and grabbed her by the hand.
"Stay here and don't move unless I say so,okay?",Dylan said, looking serious but little Winter was fearless and even though she could be silly sometimes she was very brave.
She giggled and said,"Yes sir!".
Dylan turned and was about to float back into the room but she stopped him.
"Dylan was that Tofu's power booster?",she asked and looked guilty.
"Yes",he said.
"I'll make him snowflakes",she said.
"You know he can't eat that and you'll have to go on land to make them because they'll dissolve here so,No",he said and smiled.
"Oh",she said and pouted sadly again.
"Don't worry I can still make it ",he said hoping to make her feel less guilty.
"You can?",she said excitedly,as expected.
"Yes,I can. Wanna watch me make it?"
"Yes,yes please!",she said and clapped happily.
"On one condition..."
"What is it?"
"You'll not touch anything"
"I promise",she said and nodded affirmatively.
Dylan chuckled and floated towards the room but he turned back and there was no one behind him.
"Winter?",he said,already panicking.
"Yes",her little voice replied.
He floated back and saw her still in her former position, sitting.
"Aren't you coming?"
"You didn't ask me to stand up",she said.
Dylan rolled his eyes and said,"You can stand up now"
"Okay",she said and stood up immediately, floating in front of Dylan.
He smiled and followed her.