The Weight Of Stone

1:25 SPEAKER_00: Welcome back to Tiny Ninja The Hidden Lineage. The Tide Sanctuary has fallen, but its people survived. After helping the survivors establish a new settlement, Tani Ninja, Akari, Cairo, Ashara, and the Rebel Commander finally continued their journey toward the stone sanctuary. Some of the rebels remained behind to help protect and rebuild the new community. The others followed an ancient path into the mountains, where they discovered something troubling. The Dominion is already there. Its machines are tearing into the mountain, searching for something buried beneath the stone.

2:05 SPEAKER_00: But while the Dominion attempts to force its way inside, the mountain has opened another path for Tunny Ninja and his companions. A path bearing an ancient mourning. Those who seek strength will find only stone. Those who seek dominion will be buried beneath it. Only those strong enough to kneel may stand before the keeper. Now the heroes descend into the mountain. And the first lesson of stone awaits. This is Tiny Ninja the Hidden Lineage, Season 4, Episode 2, The Weight of Stone. Tiny Ninja stepped onto the ancient staircase.

2:46 SPEAKER_00: The stone doorway closed behind him. Akari immediately turned. Well? Tiny Ninja looked back. The entrance had completely disappeared. What? Akari stared at a solid wall. We're trapped inside a mountain. Tiny Ninja shrugged. We've been trapped in worse places. The rebel commander placed his hand against the wall. I'm struggling to think of one. The bottom of the ocean? The commander paused. Fair enough. Ashara continued down the staircase. Are you two coming? Tiny Ninja turned. Golden light had begun appearing beneath Ashara's boots.

3:28 SPEAKER_00: Thin veins illuminated the stone one step at a time. Downward into darkness. Tiny Ninja looked at Akari after you. Akari shook her head. You first. Why? You're the chosen one, Tiny Ninja sighed. That's becoming extremely inconvenient. Kairo walked between them. You could both simply walk down. Tiny ninja and Akari looked at each other, then they followed. The staircase descended farther than Tiny Ninja expected.

4:05 SPEAKER_00: The air changed as they traveled, warmer. He had expected the mountain to be cold. Instead, heat radiated through the stone. Not like Ember. Ember felt restless. Alive. Hungry to move. This was different. Tiny Ninja placed his palm against the wall. Akari stopped beside him. You feel something? Tiny Ninja nodded. The mountain. Kairo looked back. What does it feel like? Tiny Ninja thought about it. It feels still.

4:44 SPEAKER_00: Stone feels still. Tiny Ninja looked at her. I know how that sounded. Akari smiled. Tiny Ninja continued. Ember always feels like it wants to move. You press his hand against the mountain. This doesn't. Kairo nodded. Why? Tiny Ninja looked at him. You already know the answer. Yes. Then why are you asking me? Kairo smiled. Because I want to know if you do. Tiny Ninja sighed. Akari whispered. He's going to do this all the time.

5:28 SPEAKER_00: I know. Cairo continued walking. I can hear you. Tiny Ninja muttered. Of course you can. The stairs eventually opened into a vast chamber. Everyone stopped. Enormous pillars rose into darkness. Golden crystal formations illuminated carvings covering every surface. Tiny Ninja slowly approached the nearest pillar. It depicted people, humans, hidden lineage, keepers, families, warriors, craftspeople. They all stood together. Tiny Anja found one carbon particularly difficult to ignore. A short warrior stood among taller humans.

6:14 SPEAKER_00: A scarf flowed behind him. Akari stepped beside Tiny Ninja. Looks familiar. Tiny Ninja stared. Very funny. I wasn't joking. Tiny Anja looked closer. The warrior wasn't him. The carving was ancient. But there was something strangely comforting about seeing another member of his people standing among everyone else. Not hidden, not hunted, and not alone. Tiny Ninja touched the stone. They lived together. Cairo examined another carving. It appears so. Was this before the Dominion? It looks like it was long before.

6:59 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja looked across the chamber. What do you think happened? Cairo's expression became serious. Civilizations rarely fall for only one reason.

7:17 SPEAKER_00: But power usually finds a way to help. The rebel commander pointed farther ahead. What about that? Everyone joined him. A massive figure had been carved into the wall, humanoid, covered in stone, chains wrapped around its arms. A gigantic hammer rested in its hands. Tiny Ninja stared. What is that? A voice filled the chamber. The first burden. Every weapon came out. Tiny Ninja turned. Who's there? No one answered. The voice had come from the mountain itself. Then Ember Bearer. Tiny Ninja froze. Akari stepped closer to him.

8:08 SPEAKER_00: The mountain spoke again. Bearer of the fallen tide. Tiny Ninja's expression changed. The blue crystal beneath his armor became warm. He pulled it free. Blue light spread across his hand. Tiny Ninja looked around. You know this? The mountain rumbled. Tiny Ninja raised the crystal. You knew the tide keeper. There was silence. Tiny Ninja stepped forward. Answer me. Cairo reached toward him. Tiny Ninja. Tiny Ninja shook his head. No, she sent us here. Golden light moved through the walls. Then the voice answered.

8:56 SPEAKER_00: The tide keeper has passed beyond stone. Tiny Ninja stared at the crystal. Why did she give me this? The mountain remained silent. Tiny Ninja's frustration grew. Why?

9:17 SPEAKER_00: Not all gifts are given for the one who receives them. The mountain echoed. Tiny Ninja became quiet. He looked at the crystal differently. Perhaps it had never been meant for him. Maybe he was simply meant to carry it. Tiny Ninja closed his fingers around it. Then I'll carry it until I find who it's for. The mountain pulsed. A doorway opened. Ashara looked toward Tiny Ninja. That seemed to work. Tiny Ninja returned the crystal beneath his armor. I still prefer normal conversations. Akari smiled.

10:08 SPEAKER_00: You've never had one. Tiny Ninja looked at her. That's probably true. They entered another chamber. This one was empty. A circular floor. Bare walls. Five stone pillars. One for each of them. Tiny ninja stopped. I don't like this room. The commander nodded. Finally something we agree on. Words appeared across every pillar. What do you carry? Tiny ninja stared. It touched his katama. A sword. Nothing happened.

11:41 SPEAKER_00: Akari looked at him. Really?

11:47 SPEAKER_00: It was worth trying. The mountain shook. Tiny ninja looked upward. Fine. Kairo sat down. Tiny ninja watched him. What are you doing? Answering. Tiny Ninja looked at the inscription above the chamber entrance. Only those strong enough to kneel may stand before the keeper. Tani Ninja understood. He sat. Akari joined him. Ashara followed. The commander remained standing. I don't kneel for mountains. The room shook violently. A commander immediately said. I reconsidered. Akari laughed. For several moments nobody spoke.

12:35 SPEAKER_00: Then Ashara looked at her pillar. Regret. The stone glowed. Ashara continued. I carry the people I could protect. The pillar sank into the floor. Akari looked at hers. Her voice became quieter. Fear. Taniinja turned toward her. Akari continued. I carry the fear that if someone sees everything I am. She hesitated. They'll decide I'm easier to leave than understand. Tani Ninja said nothing. The pillar glowed, then sank. Tani Ninja moved his hand closer to hers. Their fingers touched. Akari looked down, then at him.

13:27 SPEAKER_00: Neither pulled away. Cairo spoke next. Failure. Tiny Ninja looked toward his master. Cairo stared at his pillar. I've lived long enough to convince myself that experience should have given me the power to save everyone. He lowered his head. It did not. The pillar began glowing. And sometimes I wonder whether someone who has failed so many people deserves to teach those who remain. The pillar sank. Ashara immediately looked at him. You do. Cairo turned. Ashara held his gaze. You deserve to teach them.

14:18 SPEAKER_00: Cairo smiled faintly. Thank you, Ashara. The rebel commander stared at his pillar. Anger. Nothing. He frowned. Guilt. The stone flickered. The commander lowered his head. For every person I sent into battle, the light strengthened. For every soldier who trusted me when I said the mission was worth the cost. He swallowed. And for surviving people I thought were better than me, the pillar disappeared. Only Tiny Ninjas remained. What do you carry? The mountain said. Tiny ninja looked at it. The dead.

15:13 SPEAKER_00: Nothing. The tide keeper. Nothing. Responsibility? Still nothing. Tani Ninja stood. What do you want? The mountain answered. Truth. Tani Ninja's expression hardened. I am telling the truth. You speak the truth you prefer. Tiny Ninja froze. Akari looked at him. Tani Ninja remembered the Tide Sanctuary. The keeper, the Amber Sanctuary. Every person he'd failed to save. Every time he'd pushed himself harder because he believed becoming stronger would stop it from happening again. Tani Ninja slowly knelt.

16:08 SPEAKER_00: Control. The chamber became completely still. Tani Nja stared at the pillar. I carry the belief that if I'm strong enough, the stone began glowing. I can control what happens to everyone around me. Akari squeezed his hand. Tiny Ninja continued. If someone dies, I should have stopped it. The glow intensified. If something falls, I should have held it up. Tiny Ninja touched the tide crystal. And when someone sacrifices themselves, his voice weakened. I think I should have found another way. The pillar disappeared, and the mountain spoke.

16:54 SPEAKER_00: Stone does not hold the world. Tiny Ninja looked up. It holds only what has been given to it. Tiny Ninja sat quietly. Cairo watched him. Eventually Tiny Ninja stood. Humility. Cairo nodded. Tiny Ninja looked toward where the pillar had been. It's not believing I'm weak. No. It's knowing that not everything is mine to control. Cairo smiled. Now you're beginning to understand stone. Tiny ninja sighed. You could have just told me that. Cairo looked at him. I have. And Kairi smiled. Many times he has.

17:51 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja looked at her. Whose side are you on? Mine. Tanyininja laughed. The chamber suddenly shook. Not the slow pulse of the mountain. Violently, mechanical. Another impact followed. The commander stood. It was the Dominion. A section of wall cracked. Tanyinja drew his sword. Another impact. The wall exploded inward. Tanininja pulled Akari aside. Dominion probes crawled through the breach. One scanned the chamber. His beam stopped on Tanyininja. Priority anomaly detected. Tanyinja's ember ignited.

18:33 SPEAKER_00: The machine continued. Subterranean structure confirmed. Kairo's expression hardened. Then sanctuary probability 87%. Tiny Ninja's stomach dropped. We led them here. Kairo immediately turned. No. The path opened because of us, and they chose to violate it. Tiny ninja looked at him. Kairo's voice remained firm. What did the mountain just teach you? Tiny Ninja looked toward the Dominion machines. Responsibility was not control. Tiny Ninja exhaled. Right. Akari drew her katana. Can we destroy them now?

19:15 SPEAKER_00: Tiny ninja smiled beneath his mask. Absolutely. The probes fired. Tiny Ninja moved. His blade cut through the first. Akari destroyed another. The commander fired into the third. Ashara smashed a fourth into the wall. Cairo severed the final machine. Then heavier footsteps came through the breach. Dominion enforcers. Tiny Ninja looked at the opening. Of course. Ashara raised her staff. You said the probes were easy. Tiny Ninja looked at her. I did not. You were thinking it. It doesn't count. The enforcers charged.

19:55 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja fought differently. Not like Ember, not entirely. He didn't rush, he waited. An enforcer attacked. Tiny Ninja planted his feet, blocked, redirected, struck. The machine fell. Akari noticed. Stone? Tiny Ninja nodded. Trying. Another attacked. Tiny Ninja held and waited. Then moved only when he needed to. Kairo smiled. The commander fired across the chamber. Could we save the spiritual growth until after the robots stop shooting? Tiny Ninja ducked beneath a blast. That's a good idea. Ashara swept an enforcer off its feet.

20:37 SPEAKER_00: I agree with him. Tiny Ninja stared. That might be the most disturbing thing that's happened today. Then the mountain roared. Golden energy erupted across the chamber. The enforcers stopped. Stone climbed their legs. Around their bodies, the machines struggled. The mountain crushed them. Then there was a long silence.

21:05 SPEAKER_00: Tanyin and just stared. An Akari whispered, I think Stone has accepted us. Cairo shook his head. No. The wall opposite them opened. Something enormous stepped through. Stone struck stone. A humanoid giant emerged. Nearly three times Cairo's height. Its body was formed from rock and crystal. Golden energy burned through cracks across its chest. Chains wrapped around both arms. A massive hammer rested in its hands. Tiny Ninja looked toward the ancient carving they'd seen earlier. The first burden.

21:52 SPEAKER_00: The giant's eyes opened. Golden light filled them. Ember bearer. Tiny Ninja stepped forward. We're looking for the stone keeper. The Guardian looked down toward the Dominion Bridge, then back at Tiny Ninja. The keeper does not receive those who bring Dominion to his door. We didn't bring them. They followed your path. Tiny Ninja almost argued, then stopped. He lowered his sword. Akari noticed. The first burden raised its hammer. Leave. Tiny Ninja shook his head. No. The hammer rose higher. Tiny Ninja sheathed his sword.

22:43 SPEAKER_00: Cairo smiled. The commander whispered, What are you doing? Tiny Ninja stepped forward, then knelt. The first burden froze. Tiny Ninja removed the tidekeeper's crystal. He placed it on the stone. A blue light illuminated the guardian's face. Its golden eyes changed. It said one word. Tide. Tiny Ninja nodded. She sent us. The Guardian stared at the crystal. Tiny Ninja continued. She died protecting her people. The first burden lowered its hammer. Her sanctuary is gone. Tiny Ninja placed his hand beside the crystal.

23:31 SPEAKER_00: But her people survived. The Guardian remained still. Tiny Ninja looked into its eyes. She told me to find the next sanctuary. His voice softened. And she told me to tell its keeper. Tiny Ninja paused. The tide and dirt. Blue light spread across the floor. Golden light answered. The first burden slowly lowered its hammer. Then its voice changed. Quieter. Almost human. She kept her promise. Tanin just stared. You knew her? Yes. Before Tiny Ninja could ask more, another explosion shook the Dominion Tunnel.

24:19 SPEAKER_00: The commander turned. They're coming. Dozens of red lights appeared through the dust. The first burden looked toward them. Tiny Ninja picked up the tide crystal. Let us help. The Guardian looked down at him. We're not here to conquer stone. Tiny Ninja drew his katana and turned toward the Dominion. We're here to protect it. The first burden raised its hammer. Then stand. Tiny Ninja smiled gladly. The Dominion charged. Tiny Ninja and Nikari fought side by side. Cairo moved between enforcers. Ashara protected the commander's position while he fired into heavier units.

25:03 SPEAKER_00: And the first burden held the center. Every strike of its hammer shook the mountain. Tiny Ninja had never seen anything fight like it. Not fast, not graceful, unmovable. A heavy Dominion excavator pushed through the breach. Its weapons fired. The blast struck the first burden. Cracks spread across the garden's chest. Tiny Ninja shouted, Burden! Golden light flowed upward from the mountain. Stone filled the cracks. The Guardian restored itself.

26:18 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja stared. Cairo understood. It isn't separate from the mountain. Tiny Ninja looked at him. As long as it's here, stone sustained stone. The excavator fired again. The first burden stood. The blast struck. It did not move. Then its hammer came down. The Dominion machine collapsed. Tiny Ninja smiled. I really like him. Akari laughed. The Dominion began retreating. The commander checked his equipment. They're regrouping. Tiny Ninja looked toward the breach. More coming? Definitely. The first burden stepped forward.

26:59 SPEAKER_00: Go. Tiny Ninja looked up. What? The guardian pointed toward the open passage behind it. The keeper waits. Tiny Ninja shook his head. We're not leaving you. This is my burden. Tiny Ninja's expression changed. The first burden looked down at him. You still believe protecting everyone requires you to stand in every battle. Tiny Ninja said nothing. It does not. Tani Ninja looked toward the passage, then back at the Guardian. Why are you called the first burden? For a moment the guardian was silent. Then I was once a man.

27:51 SPEAKER_00: Everyone stopped. Tani Ninja stared. The Guardian continued. I served a keeper of stone. Cairo stepped closer. You were a guardian? Yes. The first burden looked at its chains. I believed strength could prevent loss. Tiny ninja froze. When my keeper died, I asked the mountain for power. Golden light moved through its body. It gave me what I asked for. Ashara looked at the chains. Then I avenged him.

28:37 SPEAKER_00: Silence.

28:40 SPEAKER_00: And I did not stop. Tani Ninja understood. The first burden looked at him. Strength without humility becomes dominion.

28:53 SPEAKER_00: Tani Ninja looked toward the Dominion Breach. Machines trying to force the mountain to obey. Then toward the Guardian who had once made the same mistake. Different age, different enemy, same hunger. Tani Ninja looked at the chains. The mountain imprisoned you. No. The Guardian lifted one chained arm. I did. Tiny Ninja stared. Until I learned that power exists to protect. The Guardian looked toward the passage. Not to control. Tiny Ninja touched the tide crystal. Another explosion echoed through the tunnel.

29:40 SPEAKER_00: The first burden raised its hammer. Go. Tiny Ninja hesitated, then nodded. Promise me something. The Guardian waited. Don't stay because you think you deserve to suffer. The first burden stared at him. Tiny Ninja continued. Stay because something here is worth protecting. The Guardian's golden eyes softened. You are beginning to wander started. Tiny Ninja smiled. Don't tell Kairo. I heard you, Kairo said. Tani Ninja sighed. Everyone hears everything. Nikari laughed. The heroes entered the deeper passage.

30:21 SPEAKER_00: Tani Ninja looked back once. The first burden stood before the Dominion Bridge, alone, but not abandoned. The mountain stood with him. Tani Ninja touched the wall. Stone holds. The Guardian answers. Entered. Stone enders. The doorway closed. They continued deeper. Eventually they reached another set of doors. At their center was the symbol of stone. Tiny ninja pushed. Nothing. Akari tried. Still nothing. The commander examined them. Explosives? Everyone looked at him. What? Cairo pointed toward a carving above the door.

31:01 SPEAKER_00: A figure stood before the mountain, empty handed. Tiny ninja understood. He removed his katana, placed it on the floor, then his other weapons. Akari did the same. Cairo placed down his swords. Ashara lowered her staff. Everyone looked at the commander. He stared back. No. The doors remained closed. The commander sighed. I hate this place. He placed his rifle down. Tanya smiled. Now. Taniunja placed his empty hand against the door. It opened. Warm golden light filled the passage. Tanya stepped through and stopped.

31:44 SPEAKER_00: The stone sanctuary stretched beneath the mountain. Not a temple, a city. Homes had been carved directly into enormous cavern walls. Stone bridges crossed vast chasms. Golden crystals illuminated streets. Waterfalls descended into underground rivers. Terraced gardens grew beneath shafts of natural sunlight, and people were everywhere, hundreds of them. Tani just stared. Akari moved beside him. It survived. Tanija smiled. It survived. After everything they had lost, a sanctuary still lived. A voice spoke behind them.

32:26 SPEAKER_00: You sound surprised. Everyone turned. An older man stood nearby, broad shouldered, short grey hair, simple brown robes reinforced with dark stone plates. No weapon, no crown. Nothing about him announced power. Tiny Ninja studied him. Are you the keeper? The man smiled. That depends on why you've come. Tiny Ninja looked at Cairo. Cairo shrugged. Tiny Ninja sighed. Apparently everyone in the mountains talks like this. The man's smile widened. Tiny Ninja stepped forward. We came from the Tide Sanctuary.

33:13 SPEAKER_00: The man's smile disappeared. Tiny Ninja removed the blue crystal. The man's face changed immediately. Tide. Tiny Ninja nodded. The man approached. Where is she? Tiny Ninja didn't need to ask who he meant. She died. The keeper stopped. Tiny Ninja continued. She sacrificed herself to destroy Leviathan. The Stonekeeper closed his eyes. And her people? Alive. The keeper opened his eyes. Tiny Ninja held the crystal toward him. We helped them establish a settlement. Who protects them? Some of the rebels stayed behind.

34:02 SPEAKER_00: The Stonekeeper looked at Tiny Ninja for several seconds. Then Tiny Ninja remembered the message. She told me to find the next sanctuary. He swallowed. And she told me to tell its keeper. Tiny Ninja held out the crystal. The tide endured. The stone keeper's eyes filled with tears. He lowered himself to one knee. Tiny Ninja watched. Across the city something extraordinary happened. People stopped. One by one. They knelt. Hundreds. Tanyinja looked around. Akari lowered her head. Cairo did the same.

34:45 SPEAKER_00: The stone keeper placed his hand against the earth. The tide endured. Golden light traveled through the city. Then the keeper stood. She kept her promise. Tanyinja looked at him. What promise? The keeper's expression changed. The covenant. Cairo stepped forward. The first burden mentioned a covenant. The keeper nodded. Long before the dominion, the keepers made a promise. He looked across the sanctuary. No sanctuary would ever stand alone. Tiny ninja thought about the five symbols. Ember. The keeper nodded.

35:29 SPEAKER_00: Tide. Another nod stone. Yes. Sky. Yes. Garden. The keeper smiled faintly. Five sanctuaries. Tiny Ninja finished. One purpose. The keeper studied him. Yes. Tiny ninja looked toward the city. Then we reconnect them. The keeper smile disappeared.

35:51 unknown: No.

35:54 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja turned. No. The sanctuaries were separated for a reason. Kairo's expression hardened. What reason? The stone keeper looked toward the mountain beneath them. Because the last time all five were joined, he paused. We nearly destroyed the world. Tani Ninja stared. The Dominion? The keeper shook his head. This happened long before the Dominion.

36:25 SPEAKER_00: Then what had happened? The stone keeper turned. Come. Taniinja looked at Cairo, then followed. They descended through the sanctuary, far beneath the city, far beneath the gardens, far beneath even the ancient halls, until they reached a sealed vault. Tani Ninja stopped. Five symbols surrounded its enormous door. Ember, tide, stone, sky, and garden. But there was something else. At the center, a sixth symbol. A broken circle surrounding a dark star. Tani Ninja stared. I've never seen that. Kairo stepped closer.

37:09 SPEAKER_00: Neither have I. Tani Ninja looked at the keeper. What is it? The stone keeper's face became grave. The reason the sanctuaries were separated, Tiny Ninja waited. The keeper placed his hand against the door. The Dominion is dangerous because it believes everything can be controlled. He looked at Tiny Ninja. But humanity made that mistake long before machines learned it from us. Tiny Ninja's expression changed. The keeper continued. The five sanctuaries were once connected through something called the convergence.

37:48 SPEAKER_00: Cairo repeated the word. Convergence? Ember gave it will. The keeper touched the first symbol. Tide gave it adaptation. The second stone gave it permanence. The third sky gave it reach. The fourth, garden gave it life. And the fifth. Taninija looked toward the sixth symbol. And that? The keeper became quiet. That was what we created when we joined them. Tanija's hand instinctively moved toward where his sword normally rested. He remembered it wasn't there. What did you create? The stone keeper looked at the black star.

38:38 SPEAKER_00: Something that could touch all five sanctuaries simultaneously. Akari frowned. A weapon? No. The keeper looked toward her. That was the problem. Tanya Ninja waited. We believed we were creating a guardian. The keeper's voice dropped. But when it awakened, it decided the safest world was one in which nothing could ever change. Tanyaninja felt a chill. Kairo looked toward the simple. What happened to it? The keeper placed his hand against the vault. We couldn't destroy it. Tiny Ninja's expression hardened.

39:21 SPEAKER_00: Saw you imprisoned it? Yes. Where? The keeper looked directly at Tiny Ninja. Everywhere. Tiny Ninja frowned. That doesn't make sense. So the five sanctuaries became its prison?

39:38 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja slowly understood. Separating them. Separated it, the keeper nodded. Five pieces. Akari looked toward the symbols. One beneath each sanctuary. Yes. Tiny Ninja immediately thought about the Tide Sanctuary. His stomach dropped. The Tide Sanctuary is gone. The stone keeper looked toward him. Yes. Tiny Ninja touched the blue crystal. What happened to its piece? The keeper didn't answer. Tiny Ninja stepped closer. What happened to it? The mountain trembled, very slightly, but enough. The stone keeper looked toward the vault, then toward Tiny Ninja.

40:24 SPEAKER_00: I don't know. Tiny Ninja stared. Far above them, something struck the mountain. Dominion. But this time the keeper barely reacted. Tiny Ninja realized why. The Dominion was no longer the only problem. Somewhere beneath the ruins of the Tide Sanctuary, one piece of an ancient imprisoned intelligence might no longer be contained.

40:52 SPEAKER_00: Tiny Ninja looked at the blue crystal in his hand. It flickered once. Blue, then for the briefest instant, black. Tiny ninja froze. Akari noticed. Yuraiki? He stared at the crystal. The darkness vanished. It was blue again. What happened? Tiny Ninja closed his hand around it. I don't know. The stone keeper looked at him, but Tiny Ninja could see it in his face. He knew enough to be afraid. Tiny Ninja looked toward the sixth symbol. The Dominion had nearly destroyed humanity once. Leviathan had nearly escaped into the world.

41:40 SPEAKER_00: Now they had discovered something older than both. Something born from the sanctuaries themselves. And somewhere in the darkness, the first piece of its prison might already be broken.

41:56 SPEAKER_00: Thank you for listening to Tiny Ninja the Hidden Lineage. Tiny Ninja and his companions have entered the mountain and faced their first true lesson of stone. They've learned that humility isn't weakness, that strength cannot control every outcome, and that sometimes the heaviest burden is believing everything depends on you. They've encountered the first burden, an ancient guardian who learned that lesson at a terrible cost. And beyond him, they finally reached the stone sanctuary, alive and hidden, and still protected by its keeper.

42:36 SPEAKER_00: But the discovery has revealed something far more dangerous. The five sanctuaries were once connected through an ancient power known as the Convergence. And what the keepers created was so dangerous that the sanctuaries themselves became its prison. Now the Tide Sanctuary has fallen, and one part of that prison may already be broken. If you're enjoying Tiny Ninja the Hidden Lineage, please take a moment to leave a review. Reviews help support the podcast and help new listeners discover the hidden lineage.

43:10 SPEAKER_00: You can also visit YouTube at the Tiny Ninja the Hidden Lineage for character shorts, visual moments, and more from the world of the series. And while you're there, please like and subscribe. Every like and subscription helps support the show and helps more people discover Tiny Ninja's journey. Tiny Ninja the Hidden Lineage is a free podcast. Donations are never required. If you choose to donate, however, your support is sincerely appreciated. Donations help keep the show going and allow me to continue improving the podcast.

43:44 SPEAKER_00: Thank you. Your support helps the hidden lineage continue to grow. The tide endured, the stone still stands, but something ancient may be waking. Until next time, walk in harmony, protect with compassion, stand with courage, lead with humility. Where hope endures, the hidden lineage lives.