(Location Maria' house)
Karma's eyes snapped open, his gaze piercing through the haze of his mother's teleportation spell. He stood up, his voice laced with venom, "Why haven't you killed me, Mother?"
Lydia offered him a cup of coffee, a saccharine smile plastered on her face. "I made your favorite, Keon."
Karma's eyes narrowed as he took the cup. "What is this, Mother? You know I'm allergic to coffee. How...thoughtful of you."
Lydia's smile faltered. "I'm sorry, Keon. I had forgotten."
Karma's expression twisted in disgust. "Forgotten? That's rich, Mother. You've forgotten so much, haven't you? Like the time you pushed me down the stairs and left me lying there, broken and bleeding. You showed me no love, no compassion. You only cared about yourself."
Lydia's eyes flashed with anger, but Karma continued, his voice rising. "And now, you're trying to manipulate me again. With your lies, your secrets... You're just using me for your own gain."
Lydia's expression turned sincere. "I did what was necessary, Keon. To protect you, to protect others."
Karma's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Protect me? You call this protection? I call it betrayal."
Lydia's voice took on a pleading tone. "Keon, I know I've made mistakes. But I want to make it right. There's someone I want you to meet. Someone who can help us...move forward."
Karma's eyes narrowed. "And who might that be?"
Lydia's smile returned, tinged with a hint of desperation. "Luna. She's alive, Keon."
Karma's world came crashing down around him. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut, his breath knocked out of him. "What...what did you just say?" he stammered.
Lydia's eyes pleaded for understanding. "Luna, Keon. She's alive. I know I told you she died, but-"
Karma's anger and hurt boiled over, his voice rising to a shout. "You told me she died! You told me I'd never see her again! And now you're telling me she's alive? How could you do this to me, Mother?". Karma's eyes blazed with fury as he took a step closer to his mother. "You're lying," he spat, his voice venomous. "Luna is dead. You told me she was dead."
Lydia's expression remained calm, but a hint of fear crept into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Keon. I had to tell you that to protect you."
Karma's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Protect me? You've never protected me. You've only hurt me, manipulated me, used me for your own gain."
With a snarl, Karma raised his hands, trying to summon his powers. But nothing happened. He tried again, his face contorted in effort, but still, nothing.
Lydia's voice was calm, but a hint of triumph crept into her tone. "You can't use your powers, Keon. I've blocked them."
Karma's eyes widened in shock, his face pale with rage. "You can't do that," he whispered. "I won't let you."
Lydia's smile returned, tinged with a hint of sadness. "I've already done it, Keon. And I'll keep doing it, until you learn to control your temper, your powers."
Karma's anger boiled over, his voice rising to a shout. "I'll never forgive you for this," he spat, his eyes blazing with fury. "I'll never forgive you for lying to me, for manipulating me, for taking away my powers."
Lydia's expression remained calm, but a hint of tears crept into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Keon. I did what I thought was best."
Karma's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Best for who? Best for you? You've never done what's best for me. You've only done what's best for yourself."
[Karma's Memories]
Keon's eyes sparkled as he chased Luna through the sun-drenched streets of their neighborhood. They were 13, and the world was their playground. Laughing and shouting, they played tag, their feet pounding the pavement in unison.
As they caught their breath beneath the shade of a towering oak, Keon turned to Luna with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Lu, when we're older, I'm gonna marry you!"
Luna's cheeks flushed, but she smiled, her eyes twinkling. "Yeah, right, Keon! You'll probably forget about me by then!"
But Keon was dead serious. He took Luna's hand, his heart racing with excitement. "I promise, Lu. I'll never forget you. We'll grow up, and I'll come back for you."
Years went by, and life took them down different paths. But Keon never forgot his promise.
Then, one fateful day, Keon's mother, Lydia, received a call from Maria, Luna's mother. Keon's heart skipped a beat as he watched his mother's face contort into a mixture of emotions.
"What is it, Mom?" Keon asked, sensing something was wrong.
Lydia's voice was laced with venom. "It's Luna. She's...gone. And her mother says you should never try to find her."
Keon's world shattered. He felt like he'd been punched in the gut. But Lydia's reaction was unexpected – a sly smile spread across her face.
"Why are you smiling, Mom?" Keon asked, confusion etched on his face.
Lydia's smile grew wider. "Because, Keon, I never wanted you to end up with that girl. And now you never will."
[End]
Luna pushed open the door and stepped into the room, her eyes scanning the space until they landed on Karma and Lydia. The air was thick with tension, and Luna could feel the weight of their argument hanging in the air. "Keon," she said, her voice soft and gentle.
Karma's eyes snapped towards her, his face twisted in a mix of anger and pain. But as he looked at Luna, he felt a surge of skepticism. He thought his mother was trying to trick him again, creating an illusion of Luna to manipulate him.
"Stay away," Karma growled, his eyes narrowing. "You're just another one of my mother's tricks."
Luna's face faltered, but she took a step closer to Karma. "Keon, it's me, Luna. I'm real."
Karma's laughter was cold and mirthless. "I don't believe you," he spat. "My mother can create illusions that are indistinguishable from reality. You're just another lie."
But as Luna took another step closer, Karma saw the sincerity in her eyes, the concern etched on her face. And he began to doubt his initial reaction.
"Keon, please," Luna whispered, her voice full of compassion. "I'm here for you. I care about you."
Karma's face crumpled as he stared at Luna, his tears spilling over. He couldn't believe she was really here, that she cared about him.
And as he looked at Luna, he knew that he had been wrong. She wasn't an illusion. She was real. Karma's eyes welled up with tears as he stared at Luna, his emotions raw and exposed. But then, his face hardened, and he pushed her away.
"Why did you leave?" he demanded, his voice shaking with anger and hurt. "Why did you just disappear without a word?"
Luna's face faltered, and she took a step back, her eyes filling with tears. "Keon, I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I had to leave, I had to protect you."
Karma's laughter was cold and mirthless. "Protect me? You call leaving me without a word protection? I thought we had something real, Luna. I thought we had a connection."
Luna's voice was barely audible. "We did, Keon. We still do. But I had to leave to keep you safe."
Karma's eyes narrowed. "Safe from what? Safe from who?"
Luna hesitated, her eyes darting towards Lydia, who was watching the scene unfold with a mixture of sadness and guilt.
"Tell me, Luna," Karma demanded, his voice rising. "What were you protecting me from?"
But Luna just shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry, Keon. I'm so sorry." Karma's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with possibilities. "What were you protecting me from, Luna?" he demanded again.
Luna took a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper. "I was protecting you from my father, Keon. From the Sea Lord, Morvane."
Karma's eyes widened in shock. "The Sea Lord? Why would I need protection from him?"
Luna's eyes dropped, her voice filled with shame. "Because I'm his daughter, Keon. And I'm not just his daughter... I'm a half-mermaid."
Karma's mind reeled as he stared at Luna. He had never suspected that she was a mermaid, let alone the daughter of the powerful Sea Lord.
"Why did you keep this a secret?" Karma asked, his voice shaking with emotion.
Luna's eyes welled up with tears. "I was afraid, Keon. I was afraid of what my father would do if he found out about us. He doesn't approve of humans, and he would never allow me to be with one."
Karma's face hardened. "So you left me to protect me from your father? Without even telling me the truth?"
Luna nodded, her tears spilling over. "I'm so sorry, Keon. I didn't know what else to do."
Karma turned away, his heart heavy with emotion. He couldn't believe that Luna had kept such a huge secret from him.
But as he looked at Luna, he saw the pain and fear in her eyes, and his heart softened. He knew that she had done what she thought was best, even if it had hurt him.
"Luna," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Why did you come back now?"
Luna's eyes locked onto his, her voice filled with determination. "I came back because I couldn't stay away, Keon. I love you, and I want to be with you, no matter what my father says."
(Location Doom Prison and Shannon's house)
Shannon's face was etched with concern as he turned to the team. "I'm sorry, guys. I've lost Karma's signal. His powers are blocked, and I can't sense him anymore."
Frost's eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean? We have to find him!"
Shannon shook his head. "I know, but whatever is blocking his powers is too strong. I've never felt anything like this before."
Sky frowned. "Could it be Lydia's doing? She's a powerful Mage."
Shannon nodded. "It's possible. Whatever it is, I think we should head back to the House and regroup. We can figure out our next move there."
Dikstra nodded in agreement. "Yeah, let's get back to the House. We can't do anything out here if we can't even sense Karma's powers."
The team reluctantly agreed and began making their way back to the House. As they walked, Frost couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. They were no closer to rescuing Karma, and now his powers were blocked.
Once they arrived at the House, Shannon began pacing back and forth, trying to think of a new plan. "We need to figure out what's blocking Karma's powers. If we can't sense him, we'll never find him."
Sky spoke up, "I think I can help with that. My eagle can scout out the area and see if it can detect anything unusual."
Frost nodded. "Do it. We need all the help we can get right now."