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Her name was Nya, yet she did not know about her name’s true meaning- who she was named after, her namesake from long before time truly had a name. It wasn’t her fault, or Kai’s- no one told them. Their parents had been missing for over fifteen years, held hostage by the former time twin Krux, as punishment for stealing and sealing away his and his twin brother’s elemental powers of time within the Time Blades. Yet, even after their meeting and spending time with their parents after the Battle of Time, her namesake was never brought up. Why should it? Most people don’t walk up to their long-lost parents and say, “Hey mom who I’ve barely known and missed out on my entire life! Who am I named after?” Other conversations usually take priority over the history of names.
Yet, Nya never truly got to know her mother, Maya. Duties called to her; being a ninja, rescuing villagers who had been forced under a dictatorship, defeating a resurrected warlord and his insane “adopted” former-Princess daughter, stopping the Oni from turning all of Ninjago into stone and darkness, traveling to the Never Realm to rescue Zane, entering a video game and being cubed (very cramped, do not recommend), traveling to yet another distant place and unintentionally becoming queen of an underground race of Munces, finding a lost island with Keepers who are a little too excited to electrocute intruders, and now-
Wohira’s roar shook the building once more. Kalmaar’s screams of rage, swearing at Nya- swearing to destroy her and her family, to destroy Ninjago (which he was doing a rather unfortunately good job at doing currently), to destroy every last human in Ninjago thundered and bellowed through the city. Nya wasn’t worried. At least, not for her.
Jay. Oh, her beloved Jay. His hoarse wheezes and whines stabbed shards of ice into her heart. He was drowning by her very own element, water trapped in his lungs, and she couldn’t do anything. She tried. God, did she try. Yet, just like the ice in the Never Realm, her element refused to obey. Her element was killing her Yin. The city was flooded so there was no way they could even attempt to get Jay to the hospital, especially with Wohira and Kalmaar patrolling the rivers. Any sight of them would lead to immediate death, most likely by either execution by Kalmaar, a lightning strike that was beyond imagination, or a tidal wave that could decimate the remaining buildings.
The Sun was beginning to set across the horizon and Nya began to think about her namesake. Nyad, the first Master of Water, a Merlopian from the time of the First Spinjitzu Master’s arrival. The details of what she did were fuzzy. Nya turned to Benthomaar, the exiled Prince of the Merlopia Kingdom and adopted brother to Kalmaar, and quietly asked, “Bentho, how did Nyad defeat Wohira? In the story you told me.”
Benthomaar’s eyes glanced up from the office carpet, a sorrow gleamed in his eyes. “She became one with the sea.”
That wasn’t enough. Urging with desperation, “But how exactly?”
Benthomaar’s eyes searched for an answer, “She opened herself up to the full power of the ocean. She merged with it…”
A shiver ran down Nya’s back. She knew in her heart what that meant, that singular choice to give herself up to her element. Nyad saw no alternate choice; no one could do what she could, no one could stand up and end Wohira’s reign. Nyad, the first Master of Water, the beginning of the lineage of elemental masters connected to the Serpent Goddess of Destruction. Nyad, the first Merlopian to fall after Wohira’s slumber. Nyad, the first bearer of the Master of Water’s curse. Nya tried and tried to think of any alternatives, anyway she could stop Kalmaar and Wohira without losing more lives, to save Jay and Kai and her family-
Yet, there was nothing.
Wohira was too strong. Kalmaar was too fast and too powerful with Wohira under his control. The hospital was too far away and Jay could not be moved. The Destiny’s Bounty, their only transportation, was probably sitting below the waves at this point. Nya was trapped. There was only one option.
Benthomaar could see what she was thinking, pleading for her to change her mind- that there was something else they could do, there were other ways they could stop Kalmaar, but Nya knew there wasn’t enough time. There was never enough time. As she stared out across the water, she knew her time was running out, but there was just enough to spend a final night with her family.
Should she write down her thoughts? Everything she ever wanted to say, knowing she may never get the chance. There wasn’t enough time to say what she wanted, what she needed, to everyone she wanted to speak to. She wanted to tell Cole to stay grounded even when he felt alone. She wanted to tell Zane to stay human, to find joy in the harshest times. She wanted to tell Lloyd that he was always like a brother to her. She wanted to tell Pixal that she could have anything she wanted from her very own Samurai X cave, any blueprints or tools or even her old mechs, to keep up the legacy as the Samurai. She wanted to tell Benthomaar that he was their family now, that he would always have a home at the Monastery. She wanted to tell Wu thank you for training her as the Water Ninja. She wanted to tell Kai thank you for raising her, for being there for her, for giving up so much for her, for saving her as many times as she saved him. There was so much she wanted to tell him, yet as she looked at him from across the room deep in slumber, she knew she couldn’t wake him. Jay. Oh, her Jay. How they had gone on so many adventures side by side, how they had a secret that no one could know about, how they would be entwined as a Yin and Yang. How Nya knew she would never get married, she would never get to walk down the aisle with Kai handing her off, how she would never get to look at Jay and say ‘I do,’ or that she could get to grow old with him and their family. She had to do this for him. She had to do this for Kai. She had to do this for the citizens who had been harmed under Kalmaar’s attack, for her family, for her mother, for herself.
Time had run out too fast. The sun had started to rise to the East, filling the room with its warm rays, bathing the sleeping Ninjas with its glow; Nya’s time had run out. She turned to Jay and smiled through her tears, trailing her hand across his cheek. With a quiet murmur, “I wish we had more time, but we never seem to get a break.” Resting her forehead against Jay’s just for a brief moment, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and reluctantly stood; carefully making her way through the maze of sleeping family members, worried that her footsteps would alert Pixal or Zane, yet she managed to slip out of the room without anyone noticing. Ascending through the fire escape, each step tightening her stomach into a tangled knot before her hand pressed against the door handle. A deep click and the door pushed open. Nya was bathed in the warmth of the sunrise, she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath- part of her always loved the smell of the ocean, the gentle splashing of the waves on the sand, yet the threat of hurricanes and typhoons constantly lurked beneath the turquoise waves. Step. Step. Step. Step up. Step up. Pause. The waves crashed against the skyscraper walls, seemingly reaching towards Nya, calling to her, begging her to join with the water.
Just like Nyad.
But this was her choice.
This was Nya’s choice.
Her own voice echoed in her mind as she stared at the churning water below. A memory from a forgotten time, a time that no longer existed except between two people; a time of Djinns and marriages and poisons burning into a heart. “What voice do I have in all this? All my life, my identity has been defined by someone else. First I was Kai’s sister, then I was your horrible girlfriend. Even when I tried to be Samurai X, Sensei told me no, I had to be the Water Ninja.” She closed her eyes. “But just having the power to choose for myself is enough.” It was enough. It was finally her choice. Nya could finally choose her own destiny, her own path in life, even if it meant her life would no longer be the same.
There is no going back.
This was who she would remain to be.
Was she ready?
Should she turn back?
Nya looked back at the door. The others would be waking up soon. Jay… Jay would be gone soon. Kai would stop her. It was now or never.
Tears trailed down her cheeks, yet a smile grew on her face; one last confession to the wind, three simple words that only she would hear. With her heart set, she faced the water once more and dove into the icy sea. Open yourself to the sea, let the water know every secret about you; you can hide nothing if you wish to join the sea, a voice seemed to whisper in her ear. Swallowing her fear, Nya opened her eyes and started to spin creating her own waterspout around her. Her body started to glow, tendrils of water coiling and curling around her as a strange unnatural force began to explore her mind. Memories flooded her vision: days of working in Four Weapons with Kai, tending to his burns from the forge, eyeing the burning blaze with the desire to create weapons for herself; endless nights in the hull of the Destiny’s Bounty creating the Samurai X Mech, alit only by the glow of a lantern and the blowtorch; dinners with the entire team; battles against seemingly endless villains that refused to yield; passing on the legacy of Samurai X to Pixal, feeling pride at seeing how much she had grown into her own warrior; her final goodbye to her mother.
I never had a chance to choose, the voice crooned in her mind. You still do. You can turn back and be with your family. Though your name carries my legacy, your destiny can still be yours.
I have made up my mind, Nya responded. If I turn back now, everyone I love will die; this is my choice, this is what I want. I am ready.
Take in a deep breath, Master of Water. Allow the sea to become one with you. Do not be afraid, Nya. I am here with you. You are not alone.
Forcing away any sense of self-preservation, the desire to swim to the surface, Nya opened her mouth and inhaled. There was no sensation of drowning, no panic, no suffocation, it was as if she was taking in a breath of fresh air. Yet, she started to lose sensations across her body, the warmth she had become accustomed to started to fade, even the pounding of her heart seemed to change and shift into that of waves pounding against the sand. She started to lose herself, feeling the overwhelming pressure of the ocean overtaking her mind.
Stay focused, Nya, Nyad urged. Remember why you are doing this. The ocean is strong, but you are stronger.
Kai. She was doing this for Kai. Jay, she was doing this to save Jay. For Cole, for Zane, for Pixal, Lloyd, Wu, her Mother and Father, for all of the citizens of Ninjago being punished for Kalmaar’s tyranny. She was doing this for herself.
Release yourself, Nya. You are safe within the ocean. You understand the water and its powers. You are safe with me.
A cold wave rushed over her as her tornado broke. She felt… powerful. She felt… free. She looked at her hands, gasping gently at the now cerulean color across her body; miniature waves trailed up and down her arms and legs, she felt… amazing. A bubble of laughter escaped her lips, feeling the rush of elation warm her chest until someone caught her eye. She turned and saw Jay pressed against the window, a gaze of love and awe across his face. Swimming towards him, yet divided by the glass, she pressed her hand against the window across from Jay’s and felt a wave of relief rippled across her form. Jay was safe. He was going to be okay. A wave of energy roared through the ocean, causing her to shudder and look away from Jay
Wohira was still running rampant.
Kalmaar still needed to be stopped.
With a smile, she soared through the water towards her destiny.
Her name was Nya, one with Nyad and the ocean, and she had a battle to win.