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Chapter Text

“Long before time had a name…”

A man stood in the center of a deserted clearing, wearing a blank kimono and straw hat. His gaze lingered on the darkness ahead of him, and he gripped his flaming sword with great force, raising it. Sparks danced around the fiery weapon, and the light stretched a few feet ahead of the man, unable to puncture the shadows any further.

“Ninjago was created by the first Spinjitzu Master by using the four weapons of Spinjitzu: the Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire, weapons so powerful, no one could handle all their power at once.”

There were rustling noises coming from the bushes nearby, and, with harsh growls, dark figures jumped out, closing in on the man. They wore heavy armor, layers of metal plates covering their chests, backs, shoulders, stomachs, and limbs. Huge helmets protected their heads, antler-shaped horns sticking out from the sides. The shadow warriors advanced with their swords held high, blazing, vile green eyes piercing the source of the light, which they very much detested.

However, the man was incomparably stronger than all of them combined. With an easy, yet steady, wave of his sword, the fire scorched them all. They retreated a few steps, hissing madly at the light which reflected off of their horrid, gaunt faces. Once again, that man thrashed his weapon around, his face alight with determination as the shadows recoiled yet again. His chest brightened gold, and with a final thrust, he struck the burning sword deep into the ground, and it glowed beneath the feet of the warriors. They screeched painfully as their bodies dissolved from head to toe, black wisps billowing away into the distance, their armor clanging loudly as they fell.

A great disturbing force briefly threw the man off guard as the ground cracked right in front of his feet. As the clearing shook violently, tendrils seeped their way out of the underground. The man glared at the unholy being towering over him, an enormous shadow cast upon his miniscule size. The beast was made from pure shades of night and had deep, violet eyes that stretched eerily, its gaping maw wide enough to swallow the realm whole. Roaring wildly, it wreaked havoc, thrashing its clawed hands around. Boulders hovered dangerously, shaking from the destruction of the divided land. Gripping his sword tightly with both hands, the man leaped forward, aiming one final blow that would surely deem peace…

“When he passed, his two sons swore to protect the four weapons. But the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess the weapons.”

On the peak of a mountain stood an elderly sensei who greatly resembled his father, wearing a white kimono with a symbol embroidered on the right side, which looked like petals patterned in a circle. He had the same straw hat, a long white beard reaching his waist. He watched, with remorse, as the Dark Lord faced him, his black skin parched and rough. Grey-blue eyes met crimson red, and the younger of the two held his staff, bracing himself… shoving away the lost memories of his brother, who had been devoured from the evil within his veins…

“A battle between brothers broke out, and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld. Peace returned, and the younger brother hid the weapons. But knowing his older brother’s relentless ambition for power, he placed a guardian to protect each of them. And for fear of his own demise, a map for an honest man to hide.”

Sensei Wu gently caressed the snout of the Fire Dragon, gazing absentmindedly at the Sword of Fire. With a light puff of smoke, the dragon awoke him from his thoughts. Sensei Wu gave the mythical creature specific orders to protect the Golden Weapon with its life at all times, and with that he walked away, ignoring the troublesome idea that his brother was beyond the edge in the Fire Temple, stuck in the Underworld…

Well. He knew who to find. And he knew the ones who would be Ninjago’s next hope.

Chapter Text

The afternoon breeze brought a distant chill as the villagers roamed their farms. Citizens of Ignacia walked past hills, often returning with buckets of water to feed their plants. It wasn’t a luxurious place with a high economy, with rich suits and outfits, but the people of the village were perfectly content with what they had. They found it rather comfortable to wear plain clothes and straw hats to prevent sunburns. It was what they lived with and what they would keep living with. Trees with auburn-colored leaves surrounded the area, and a stone path, not too far from the crops and hoed soil, lead to a relatively small blacksmith shop perched on top of a low hill, containing a symbol of two
weapons—a sword and a staff—clashing against each other, whilst a pair of nunchucks was below it, along with a shuriken right in the middle.

Walking towards the small village was an old man wearing a white kimono and a straw hat, like the rest of Ignacia’s residents. He supported himself with his father’s staff, soft clacks echoing against the still air with every step he took. The wise man observed his surroundings, eventually catching sight of the shop he recognized many years prior. He stopped in his tracks, noticing two young teens. An average-heighted girl stood at the front counter, whereas the boy, who was slightly older and taller, worked on crafting a perfect sword.

The girl had short, black hair that reached her shoulders. She wore a sleeveless red kimono, yellow symbols trailing down one side of her outfit. Her eyes were a shining blue, which was rather rare, and she bore a look of slight confidence. The boy she worked with wore an apron. He had spiky brown hair, deep, coffee-colored eyes with hints of amber visible in the irises, and a small chip on his left brow. He also looked like a rather confident young man, perhaps even a tiny bit complacent. They were both somewhat slim, yet they seemed healthy enough to keep working.

With loud clangs, the boy hammered the iron to get it into shape, beads of sweat trailing down his face from the heat of the sun.

“To forge the perfect weapon,” he murmured to himself, “you first need the right metal and plenty of heat. Cool it off, and… presto!” A cloud of smoke rose from the basin, and a disappointed look grew on the blacksmith’s face as the blade of his sword curled inwards, the complete opposite of what he was going for.

He groaned with dissatisfaction, really wanting to give up right then and there. His sister laughed. “You made it too quickly, Kai. Be patient! If father was still here, he’d say—”

“I know,” Kai interrupted, gazing back at her. “No matter how much fire you have, experience isn’t something you can learn overnight.” He turned back round. “That might work for you, Nya, but I’m gonna be a better blacksmith than Dad ever was.”

Sudden footsteps sounded behind them, and they turned to see a strange old man unlike any other they had seen. They watched him enter their shop and hum thoughtfully.

“Hm… your metal is loud and heavy,” he said at last, raising his head to look at them properly in the afternoon’s light, “useful to slow one down. Useless in the Art of Stealth. All tools for a samurai,” he added, whacking a pile of helmets placed next to the wall. “But nothing for a ninja?”

“A ninja?” Kai asked, letting out a small chuckle. “You’re a long way away from finding a ninja in these parts, old man.” He gestured to the sign at the front of their store. “And the shop is called ‘Four Weapons’, not ‘For Browsing’.” He approached the unwanted guest. “Either buy something or go pedal your insults somewhere else.”

Seconds passed with the two glaring at each other, then the elderly man scoffed. “That’s too bad. I thought I’d find something special here.”

Nya caught Kai’s eye, quickly ushering him to do something. The young teen picked up a samurai helmet.

“Well, if it’s something special you’re looking for, let me sh—”

He cut off, finding no sign of the newcomer. Kai looked around, confused. “What is it?” Nya asked him. Kai searched one last time around the shop. “He was just… forget it.”

There was definitely something up with that guy, and he didn’t like the looks of it.

Outside, dark clouds replaced the daylight, and the villagers, resuming their duties to plant weeds into the water, looked up, becoming frightened at what they were seeing. Shadows crept along the clearing, and everything turned extremely dark. At the top of the hill, motorbikes that looked a lot like skeletons stopped, and a massive truck parked in the middle. Enormous wheels took up most of the path, and a huge face of a skeleton was stuck to the front of the vehicle, evil eyes glowing red and sharp teeth gleaming.

“Oh, oh, let me go first! Please, oh please? I’m dying to go down there!” one of the warriors whined. An iron patch covered one of his eyes, and spikes trailed down his skull.

“You nitwit! You’re already dead!” the other shot back, sending a furious stare to his accomplice. His voice was about ten times deeper and choppier. He definitely needed something to help clear his throat. He was wearing a cap on his head, leather straps covering his ribs. “Try to control yourself in front of Master Samukai!” he ordered, gesturing to their leader controlling the wheel. He was much larger than the other two, deep scars etched into his skull. The shape of his face was rounder and wider, and that went along with the build of his body. He breathed, trying to calm himself from the foolishness of the idiots next to him.

“Ahem, but will all due respect, sir… last time, you did say I could go first.” With a soft hiss, Samukai replied, “Sorry, boys, but this one is mine.” His gaze penetrated the village ahead of them. “Just remember what we’re after and find that map.” He thrust his dagger in the air and yelled, “ATTACK!”

Engines roared and motorbikes raced straight to the center of the village. Their tires screeched against the pavement as black tracks marked the stone path. The villagers yelled, but it wasn’t one of fear—they were fighting for their home.

They raised their staffs, standing next to each other as if they were an impenetrable barrier. Samukai merely chuckled with pity as he stared at them all straight in the eye.

“Boo,” he snarled.

With retreating steps, the residents fled, abandoning everything as they screamed for their lives in spite of fear. They tumbled over, landing on the short grass as the group of skeletons drove past them, paying no mind, heading right towards Four Weapons. They circled the shop, surrounding it completely.

Kai grabbed a suit of samurai armor, holding onto a sword. He put on his helmet as Nya worriedly asked, “What are they?”

“I don’t know,” Kai replied. “Stay here.”

He approached the largest truck, and human-sized skeleton warriors jumped out. Kai leaped forward, swinging at one of them, but was blocked with a bone right before he could land a clean blow. He swung at another one, acting quick on his feet. Relentlessly he fought, letting out a frustrated remark when a skeleton’s head popped off and bounced on the spot, mocking him.

He focused on the other warrior, slashing and jabbing. I sudden pain shot through his foot. “Ow!” he yelled, looking down to see the head of the previous skeleton biting his foot hard. Kai shook it off. “Bite this!” he shouted. He kicked the skull as hard as it could, feeling slightly satisfied as he saw it fly over the roof.

Two other mutton-headed skeleton warriors clapped at the ‘show’, not noticing Nya creeping up behind them. She easily knocked them out with her staff, her expression clearly stating, And that’s why you don’t mess with me or my brother.

Kai looked baffled. “I thought I told you to stay back!” he said, fighting off skeleton warriors at the same time. Nya joined him, blocking off the others. “And what” she asked, slightly panting at the effort they were giving. “Let you have all the fun?”

As they were distracted, the two, higher-ranked skeletons crept into the blacksmith shop, looking back to make sure they went unnoticed. They entered the shop, looking around for the map Samukai had ordered them to find. One of them searched for any signs of a map, whereas the other put a helmet over his head, happily looking at his reflection through a golden shield.

“You’re not looking hard enough!” Kruncha said, throwing a samurai helmet at his dimwitted friend.

“Ow…” Nuckal wailed, rubbing his head. His expression turned angry. He threw the samurai helmet back, spinning Kruncha’s head. “You’re not looking hard enough!”

They slapped each other like small kids fighting over something at school. They kept at it, Kruncha finally having enough of it and striking Nuckal square in the chest. He fell back with a loud thud, knocking over a series of poles and pillars that supported part of the building. As he jumped back up, ready to really fight Kruncha, the Four Weapons sign fell, revealing a large piece of parchment stuck to the back of it.

“The map!” they said together, excited at their discovery.

Back on the battlefield, Kai was still fending off warriors, but Samukai caught his attention. The general laughed sinisterly, gazing at the blacksmith with glowing, red eyes. He pulled out four sharp daggers with four of his arms, and Kai’s eyes widened.

“Oops…” he muttered, knowing he was unmatched. Samukai charged at him, narrowly missing the boy as he rapidly jumped out the way. When he could, he caught Kai’s sword with his daggers, pulling it out of his grip, and it landed a few feet away from him. Samukai kicked him hard, and the boy toppled over, landing on his back. He grinned maliciously. Did this weak child really think he could be a match against him?

He spun the daggers, just about ready to strike, until a source of light disrupted him. A golden tornado headed straight for him, and he jumped out of the way.

“Ninja Go!”

Samukai got attacked on all sides, being shoved around by the tornado he was vaguely familiar with. The golden tornado stopped, revealing his old enemy.

“Sensei Wu,” he said, the words crisp in his mouth. “Your Spinjitzu looks rusty.”

“Nothing like bone to sharpen its edge, Samukai,” he responded. They braced themselves for a battle of their own, but Kai’s grunting stopped the skeleton general. He looked round, his eyes eventually lingering on the water tower. He threw the daggers, which narrowly missed Sensei Wu. The bamboo pillar collapsed, and the massive basin of water tipped.

“Oh, no…” Kai muttered.

“Ninja Go!” Sensei Wu cried, using Spinjitzu to save Kai just in time. They fell on the ground, not wasting a moment to look for Samukai. The skeleton general mounted the truck. “Lord Garmadon says take the girl!” he ordered. Sensei Wu froze.

“Lord… Garmadon?”

Kruncha pointed a grappling hook towards Nya, the skeleton hand outstretched as it latched onto her, pulling her away from the fight. She screamed.

“NYA!” Kai cried after her.

With Nya captured, and the map in the hands of the Skulkin, they drove away, Samukai’s loud cackling heard over the roaring engines.

Kai’s gaze followed them, helplessly rooted on the spot. “They took Nya…”

“See?” Sensei Wu started, walking up from behind and lightly thwacking Kai’s helmet with his staff. “Useless.”

Letting out a frustrated yell, Kai turned on him, brows furrowed, nostrils flared. “You could’ve done something! You could’ve used your… twist-itzu, or whatever it’s—”

“Spinjitzu!” Sensei Wu corrected.

“But you did nothing,” Kai finished, ignoring him. Anger seared within him, hot, bubbling rage slowly fighting its way through. Here this guy was, helping him fight skeletons and saving him, using whatever weird power that tornado thing was, yet he couldn’t even bother to put his effort into saving his sister? Kai used a huge amount of power to not lash out right then and there, but his patience and serenity was running out fast. He needed to get Nya back soon, or else far worse things would happen.

“I’m gonna get my sister back,” he said, walking off in the other direction.

“Where they go, a mortal cannot,” Sensei Wu told him, trying to reason. Kai stopped in his tracks. “That was Samukai,” he continued, “King of the Underworld. And if it’s true that he’s carrying orders from Lord Garmadon… then I fear things are far worse than I had ever thought.”

“Lord Garmadon?” Kai questioned. “Underworld? What’s going on? What do we have that’s so important to them, and why would they take my sister?”

“What’s so important,” Sensei Wu began, “how about everything in Ninjago itself?”

Kai listened as Sensei Wu recalled the ancient tale of Ninjago history. It all started off with the First Spinjitzu Master creating the realm using the four golden weapons, to his sons taking on the duty of protecting them once he had passed, to the eldest having been corrupted with evil, to the legendary fight between two brothers, resulting the banishment of Lord Garmadon into the Underworld.

Kai’s expression became intent as the elderly man explained how the younger brother assigned guardians to protect the weapons, and a map with each of their locations, how the map landed in the hands of an honest man.

“That honest man was your father,” Sensei Wu finished, standing straighter. Kai perked up, a sign of lost hope flickering in his eyes before the flame extinguished. “The older brother is Lord Garmadon, and I need to find those weapons before he does.”

“Y-you’re the younger brother?” Kai asked while realizing. “So you came here looking for the map?”

Sensei Wu paused his pacing. “No.” He looked at Kai. “I came for something greater—you.
“Since my brother cannot enter this realm, it’s obvious he has struck a deal with Samukai. If he were to collect all four weapons, even I would not be able to stop him again. But you—” he pointed his wooden staff at Kai, “—you have the fire inside. I will
train you to harness it. Use it. Become a Spinjitzu Master.”

Kai took a moment to take it all in. He pushed the tip of the staff away and sighed. “Look, I’m flattered you think I’m all that, but I gotta save my sister, not get involved with your sibling rivalry.”

He was knocked down by Sensei Wu, who towered over him with his staff pressed against his chest, holding him down. “Ha! Funny! You aren’t even ready to face my pinky toe,” he said, holding his foot close to Kai’s face to prove his point. Kai thrashed, trying to break free, but he was held firmly onto the ground.

“If you want to get your sister back, you must control the fire that burns inside!” Thunder rumbled from the clouds, and small droplets of rain began to fall. “Only when you become a Spinjitzu Master will you be able to face Lord Garmadon.”

“Okay,” Kai said with defeat, ruining the dramatic moment. He sounded really unenthusiastic about it, but did he really have much of a choice? “Then when do we start?”

. . .

The bright morning sun shone over the mountain peaks, and calm gusts of wind blew through Kai’s hair, tickling his face. He latched onto the stones on the side of the mountain and pulled with as much strength he had. He would’ve actually enjoyed the view if he wasn’t so exhausted. Meanwhile, Sensei Wu crawled beneath the edge like a spider, having no difficulty whatsoever. Heck, Kai was confused how the guy’s hat was still on his head.

He watched as Sensei Wu flipped his way up the wall, expertly climbing towards the top. Kai groaned at the height, but he kept going. There was a reason he signed up for this, after all.

Once he finally reached the top of the mountain, he was face to face with a huge wall, along with Sensei Wu peacefully sitting on a boulder, apparently waiting for him. “How long is this training gonna be?” Kai asked, panting heavily. “Aren’t we in a little bit of a rush since they have the map?”

Sensei Wu merely stood on one leg and stroked his beard, uttering one word as if it was the answer to the entire universe. “Patience.”

The great and ancient oak doors swung open, revealing a deserted area with a statue of a golden dragon right in the center. “You will be ready when you are ready, not a minute sooner,” Sensei Wu told him, walking towards the yard of the monastery. Kai observed the sight in front of him.

“A monastery?” he said. “You expect me to learn how to fight in a place of peace?”

“Not fight. Train,” Sensei Wu answered. “To become a true ninja, first you must be able to see what others do not.”

“But there’s nothing here!”

With a tap of his staff, Sensei Wu uncovered a secret button hidden inside a smaller version of the dragon statue, and he pressed it. Immediately, the front yard changed into a training ground. Training dummies rose from the ground, pairs positioned on each side of the monastery, clubs and maces hung from moving pillars, set in a line surrounding the yard were difficult obstacle courses, and in the middle were heavy punching bags.

Kai was impressed. “Woah….” He walked forward excitedly. “Is this going to teach me how to do that cool move?” Without waiting for an answer, he jumped onto a wooden column, pretending to balance on it like how a stereotypical ninja would do it in movies. The column slowly lowered, and Sensei Wu muttered, “Oh, dear.”

Kai was thrown several feet into the air, landing on his stomach. He groaned in pain. He raised his head to see Sensei Wu sitting down, preparing himself a drink. “Complete the training course before I finish my tea.” He held a cup in his lap. “Then we will see if you are ready.”

He poured himself a cup of tea, quickly drinking it on the spot. “Today you failed.” He jumped back to his feet.

“Tomorrow you will try again.”

“Failed?!” Kai said incredulously. “But I didn’t even start to—” He was interrupted by the tranquil voice.

“Patience.”

The next morning, Kai stood in front of the training arena, carefully watching every movement and opening. He ran forward, determined to make it through before his new ‘Sensei’ finished his tea for the day. He started off with the dummies, dodging each one and making good progress, but quickly getting knocked over. He watched as his Sensei placed a cloth on his lap.

“Failed.”

The next few days weren’t any different. He tackled each course, but he was knocked over every time, from swinging maces to rotating columns to attacking dummies. And each of them only led to one answer:

“Failed.”

“Failed again.”

“Oh, so failed.”

Sensei Wu sipped his tea once again. “Failed.”

One morning in particular did Kai have enough of it. His senses were alert, and he stared at the obstacles he was now very familiar with. With a running start, he was the one to knock the dummies over with his wooden sword. He landed next to the rotating columns, looking behind him to make sure his Sensei didn’t start drinking yet. Once he was in the clear, he rolled and leaped across the course, grinning at the thought of
actually making it, but he was hit by a punching bag last second. He latched onto it, but he his grip slackened. He landed on the stairs next to his teacher.

“Aaaand failed.”

Dawn broke as the sun seeped over the horizon, a new day for Kai to finally get past the course. He knew he could do it this time, but he focused on what was ahead of him. He wouldn’t let his guard down this time. Sensei Wu sat down like the usual, his tea and sugar cubes ready. Gripping the hilt of his wooden sword, Kai charged forward, successfully making it past the first few obstacles. Dodging the attacking dummies… flipping over the rotating columns… jumping from plinth to plinth…

Turning his body in the air, Kai threw his sword at his teacher, forcing him to drop the tea, spilling it all over him. With an extra nudge of time, Kai used it to his advantage and raced to the end, slipping past the axes.

Sensei Wu poured himself another drink, looking for Kai, but catching no sight of him.

“Is that one sugar, or two?” someone asked, and the Sensei was startled to see his student sitting next to him, holding a cup of his own.

“Huh!” Sensei Wu stood up and made his way inside.

“So, am I gonna learn that Spinjitzu move I’ve been hearing about?”

“You already have. Your final test comes tomorrow.” Kai grew confused. “For now, my advice is to get some sleep.” Before Kai could ask any more questions, the doors closed behind his teacher.

Chapter Text

Dusk fell upon the horizon, the last rays of light disappearing over the mountainside. Tiny white specks spread across the dark blanket of night over all of Ninjago, and not a peep was heard. Not a peep since ninja were very stealthy. Three shadows that actually appeared to be the night as they crept along the monastery, crawling on rooftops and finding a secret entrance into the quarters.

Sensei Wu’s snores filled the room as the three stealthy ninjas bounded from one plank to another, checking to make sure there were no signs of him waking up. They kept going to the next rooms, looking around for any precautions. They eventually came across a teen around their age, and they observed him from their positions, weapons out and ready.

Kai brushed his teeth begrudgingly in front of his mirror, clearly deep in thought. He was already dressed in his pajamas, just about ready to go to bed, but he was itching to know more about what Sensei Wu told him earlier, about learning Spinjitzu.

My advice is for you to get some sleep, Kai recounted, distinctly hearing his teacher’s frail voice.

“Oh yeah? Well, take this!” he said, slashing the air with his toothbrush at no one in particular. One of the ninjas silently descended from above, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“And this!” Kai exclaimed again, pretending to point a sword at an invisible enemy. He was making a fool of himself at this point, and the other ninja could see it, too. With a few last kicks and punches, he tried spinning, only to finally notice that he was completely surrounded. Surprised, he recoiled, now understanding the gravity of the situation.

“Oops…” he muttered.

The intruders pulled out their weapons, ready to attack him. Thinking fast, Kai shoved the toothbrush into one of their mouths, which they spat out, only for it to hit his comrade in the head. With them temporarily distracted, Kai escaped through the wooden slats stabilizing the roof, but he was intercepted.

He moved out of the way when one ninja aimed a flying kick at him, but they missed and fell, yelling as he did so. Kai laughed at his failed attempt, only to get smashed through the roof as his teammate hurdled into him.

He went flying, the monastery appearing to be upside-down for moments before tumbling onto the hard ground. He hit the secret switch inside the statue of the golden dragon that activated the training yard, and the intruders came face to face with swinging bags, attacking dummies, and spinning columns.

They didn’t realize fast enough, however, and they were knocked over rather quickly. When they stood up, Kai began wrestling them, and they landed blows on him, punches, kicks, jabs, but he was able to deflect or dodge some of their attacks.

Over the commotion they were making, they heard someone yell, “Stop!”

The three ninjas quickly stood up straight and bowed. “Yes, Sensei,” they replied politely in unison. Okay, now Kai was getting really confused. Then it clicked.

“Wait a minute!” he started, walking forwards. “They’re your students too?” His teacher blinked slowly, nodding his head.

“This was my final test, wasn’t it?” he realized, the dawn of understanding finally coming down on him. His thoughts were quickly interrupted, though.

“Woah, woah, woah!” one of his ‘students’ said, and Kai took note of his high-pitched voice. He chuckled uncertainly. “You never said anything about a fourth. It’s always three. Three blind mice, three musketeers, three—”

“Uh, what he’s trying to say, Sensei Wu, is that the three of us have trained together,” his comrade responded, his voice very low and steady. Kai grew irritated. What did it matter if he didn’t train with them or not?

“We’re solid!” he finished. Kai smirked. “Didn’t look so solid to me,” he said offensively, crossing his arms. He earned himself a rude glare from the ninja.

“Master,” the third spoke up, sounding calm amidst the confusion, “what is the meaning of this?” They teacher hobbled towards them, his staff clicking on the ground.

“Each of you have been chosen,” he explained. “Each in tune with elemental properties. But first—Ninja Go!” Sensei Wu used Spinjitzu to change the color of their suits. They all looked at each other, impressed and content. Kai was especially surprised.

“Huh, woah! How’d he do that?” he breathed, looking at his red ninja gi. In the middle was a golden crest that looked like the head of a fire dragon, horns the shape of raging flames. The ninja next to him was giddy with excitement.

“Ha! Look at what color I am!” he said eagerly, gesturing at his blue gi. He also had a golden crest. It kind of looked like a thundercloud with lightning-shaped patterns.

“Wait a minute, I’m still black,” his friend stated, and he did remain in a black ninja gi, but he wore a golden dragon crest with jagged and uneven ends, kind of like a boulder. Sensei Wu looked at each and every one of them.

“Kai, Master of Fire,” he announced, resting the end of his staff on his shoulder with due respect. “It burns bright in you.” With a brief glint in his eye, he turned away.

“Jay is blue. Master of Lightning,” he said, laying his staff on his shoulder. Jay seized the chance to talk.

“Heh, well, that’s not all I’m the master of. I do a little inventing, a dabble of model building, a touch of cooking, a little poetry,” he listed, and the black ninja sighed, shaking his head.

“More like mouth of Lightning,” he retorted. Jay ignored him. Sensei Wu continued.

“Black Ninja is Cole; solid as rock, Master of Earth.” Cole did some awesome poses with his scythe, looking intimidating as though facing real enemies. He pointed his weapon at
Kai.

“Nice to meet ya, kid. I got your back.” He removed his mask, revealing a well-built face and thick, shaggy black hair that slightly swept over his eyes. “And for the record, there ain’t nothing in this world that I’m afraid of.”

The calm member of the group spoke up. “Except for dragons,” he added.

“Dragons aren’t from this world, Zane. I said in this world?”

“And White Ninja is Zane,” Sensei Wu said, finally placing his staff on his shoulder.

Zane bowed at his teacher respectfully. “Master of Ice,” he continued, and Zane spun around, pulling out steel shurikens, “and seer with sixth sense,” he finished.

“I sense this one takes things a little too seriously,” Kai said, looking at Zane. The Master of Ice pulled his mask off, titanium-white hair sticking up, his eyebrows raised. “You, too, have the gift?” he asked. Jay laughed.

“He was just making a joke, Zane.” He revealed his face, smooth, light brown hair combed neatly against his head, a small nick on his right brow. “Remember what we talked about? Your sense of humor? Huh?” Jay looked at him with bright blue eyes, which kind of resembled Nya’s.

“Yes. It was a joke,” Zane said robotically. “Ha-ha!” Jay facepalmed, looking as if he was just about ready to give Zane a lesson on real sense of humor.

“Pay attention!” Sensei Wu snapped at them, jolting them awake in the real world. They stood straight, their expressions stern. “You four are the Chosen Ones who will protect the four weapons of Spinjitzu from Lord Garmadon.”

“But what about my sister?” Kai shot back, raising his metal sword. Jay gasped. “We’re saving a girl?” He couldn’t help but smile and elbowed the Master of Fire, quirking his eyebrow. “Is she hot?”

Kai glared at him with a look of utmost death on every crease of his face. “Jay…” Cole warned, clearly embarrassed. Jay raised his arms in defense.

“Hey, I-I just want to know what we’re getting ourselves into!” In a whisper he asked, “Does she like blue?”

“Back off,” Kai growled, fury threatening to claw its way out and murder the Lightning Ninja.

“When we find the weapons, we will find your sister,” Sensei Wu reasoned. “It is time. We must go to the first weapon.”

“Woah, hold on a minute,” Cole said. “You said you would teach us Spinjitzu.”

“Spinjitzu is inside each and every one of you,” he told them, indicating each of his students. “They will only be unlocked when the key is ready to be found.” A few seconds of silence were given for the ninja to contemplate this vague information.

“Come! My feet are tired,” Sensei Wu said, turning away and walking back inside. “We will take the horse carriage.”

“Great,” Cole muttered.

“Now we have to find a key?” Jay complained.

“Yeah… I’m feeling like he’s taking us for a ride.”

“Well, if it means finding my sister, then sign me up,” Kai said with determination, willing to push through anything to get Nya back safely.

The next morning arrived with the light scent of rain. Mist engulfed the rocky mountains and tall trees, and the ninja ran with a horse carriage on a single path leading to their destination. The pebbles crunched beneath their feet, and they huffed with the effort of running on it for hours.

“’Sign me up!’ Way to go, spark club!” Jay grumbled, having none of it that morning.

“I sense this is some strange form of… team building,” Zane queried. Cole, who was pulling from the front, physically being the strongest, looked back at him. “Just keep pulling; we have a long way to go.”

Kai decided to start up a conversation. “So, how did Sensei find you three?”

“Let’s just say if it wasn’t for Sensei Wu, we would’ve ever been seen together,” Cole responded, and he dove back into his memory of finding Sensei… well… Sensei finding
him.

On a steep wall of the mountain were various mountain-climbers, but Cole exceeded them all, practically jumping from one crevice to the other. He was testing his limits, which was pretty close since droplets of sweat had been dripping down his face. When he had finally made it to the top of the mountain, Sensei was already there waiting for him, pouring himself a cup of tea.

“I was testing my invention!” Jay piped up, recalling his own memory.

Large wings spread feet from where Jay was standing. He was on the edge of a tall building, ready to test his flight suit. Thin flaps were attached to wooden canes, and Jay had his arms hooked through the arm-hoops in the contraption. He clung onto handles attached to a rope, giving him the accessibility to flap the wings.

With a huge leap, he glided downward, letting out a successful whoop. Within seconds, however, he yelled as he crashed into an advertising board, only to see his invention in ruins and Sensei Wu sitting down next to him with a cup of tea.

“And I was testing myself,” Zane said. Many years prior, he had been meditating in a pool of ice-cold water. Local villagers stood around it, murmuring at each other about him and whether he could make it. Beautiful patterns reflected in the water, and Zane gazed absent-mindedly at the empty space, but the sight of Sensei Wu had shocked him out of his meditating state. He sputtered in the water, surprised to come face to face with him, growing all the more confused when he drank tea underwater.

The ninja came back to the present. “You’re right. If it weren’t for Sensei, none of us would—”

“Shh! Stop!” their teacher suddenly ordered, and the carriage came to a halt. They were near the entrance to a huge cave.

“The Caves of Despair.”

Sensei Wu and the ninja hid behind a large boulder, their eyes trained on the camps before them. “Samukai must be close to unearthing the Scythe of Quakes. Remember,” he said in a dangerous tone, “do not use the weapon or its power—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. It’s too much for us mortals,” Jay interrupted, looking very bored.

Sensei Wu gave him a look.

“Alright, guys, let’s chop-socky this lemonade stand! Cole, you got the plan?”

“Sure do,” he replied. “First, we lower ourselves down the ledge, and then—where’s Kai?” They searched the landscape, finding nothing but unstable towers supported by nothing but bones. They eventually came across a red blur stealthily bounding behind boulders, doing his best not to be seen.

“Let’s go!” Cole commanded, and they followed Kai, Sensei Wu staying behind to watch carefully.

Kai snuck past the camp huts, going unnoticed by the Skulkin guards. They wore steel plates over their chests and shoulders, spikes sticking out from the sides. Cole, Jay, and Zane went after Kai, moving fast. They kept a watchout for the guards just in case. When they were in the clear, they hid beneath a huge basket that could fit all three of them inside.

They quickly walked past various soldiers who were passing boulders to each other from the mines, most likely trying to clear it out to find the Scythe of Quakes. One of them was keeping watch, and they noticed Kai running by, but the rest of the ninja grabbed him and fought inside their disguise, muffling the cries of warning.

They left him there, his bones rearranged in all the wrong places. Kai hid behind mounds of rocks, and he saw Samukai in his hut on one of the towers, catching sight of the map in his hands. “The map!”

Nuckal and Kruncha were sorting out rocks, and Nuckal picked one, exclaiming like a child, “Oh, oh, oh, I found something!”

Kruncha groaned. “That’s another rock, you bonehead!”

“But it’s shaped like a donut!” Nuckal argued. “Mm, I wonder if it tastes like one!” He took a bite out of it, only to wince when waves of pain traveled through his teeth, one of them falling out. Kruncha shook his head at Nuckal’s remarkable stupidity, and they didn’t notice the ninja sneak past them.

Kai made a move and climbed the tower, whereas Cole, Jay, and Zane swung from the underside of the bridge, flipping over to where he was just standing. They ran over and started climbing too, finally catching up. There was a hole in the roof, and they peeked inside.

“What’s the matter with you?” Jay half-whispered, half-yelled to Kai, hitting him on the shoulder. “Shh!” he silenced him, and they peered over Samukai’s head. The Skulkin leader cackled maliciously as he eyes the map, then he set it down to observe the progress of finding the cave.

“It’s upside down!” Jay whispered. “They’re digging it on the wrong spot!”

“The Golden Weapon—”

“Is near” Zane finished, and he pulled out a shuriken. He tied a rope to it and caught the map, pulling it up. They looked through the markings, and Kai said, “There’s no time to waste.” With that, he zoomed off.

“What is with that guy?” Jay asked. “Always in a rush!”

Kai disguised himself as a pillar, sliding behind two Skulkin lookouts as he entered a large cavern. There were only bamboo sticks supporting the roof, and they didn’t look very strong. With as much strength as he could muster, Kai tried pushing aside a boulder by himself. Jay, Zane, and Cole approached him.

“Hey, before you race off again, you need to remember that we are a team,” Cole said. Kai turned away, brushing him off. “Yeah. Whatever.”

Altogether, they moved the boulder aside, revealing a round, dusty cavern with the Scythe of Quakes in the jaw of a beast, glowing marvelously. Carved statues of guardians surrounded them on all sides, as though looking over them.

“Woah!” Jay exclaimed, his voice’s echo resonating within the caves. “That is so cool!”

“Shh!” Cole warned, pulling out the Golden Weapon and covering it in a blanket. “Not so loud!”

“Ah, c’mon, don’t be paranoid. We’re totally on the opposite side of the caves.” Jay assured him.

“Zip it, okay?” he said, throwing the weapon to Kai. “Now that we’ve got the Scythe, let’s sneak out while those boneheads are still busy.” They were about to exit the cave, completely unaware of the slight twitch in the beast’s jaw. It opened slowly, revealing massive teeth that could crush boulders in a swift but strong bite.

“Alright, team. Everyone stick together, the way out is right around the corner.” Cole turned to look in front, only to find himself looking at the Skulkin leader’s blood-red eyes and unpleasant scars. He yelped in surprise. Behind Samukai was an army of Skulkin generals.

The ninja readied themselves, pulling out their own weapons. They ran towards the Skulkin, knocking them aside one by one as they made their way to the exit.

“WHATCHA! HYAH!” Jay shouted, exaggerating his ninja calls when smashing their skulls with his nunchucks. “Two points!” Kai called back to him after bashing more skeleton warriors.

“Kai!” Zane yelled over the commotion. “Throw it here!”

Zane caught the Scythe of Quakes. “Going long!” Cole said, holding his arms up. It was a game of catch now. Zane passed it before the Skulkin could get it. Punching and shoving them aside, Cole managed to get it.

“There’s too many of them!” Kai said, slashing at them.

“Let me handle that,” Jay suggested. He aimed hard punches and kicks at them, and he kept going at it like an easily learned routine. Then he stopped.

“Hey! Guys! It’s like the training course!” he said, actually visualizing the punching bags and dummies in the monastery. He jumped over the Skulkin warriors. “Over the planks, dodge the swords, ka-ching!”

Spinning around, bright sparks of blue swirled around him, eventually taking form of a tornado. Light flashes sent sparks everywhere, lightning bolts zapping nearby enemies. Jay’s attacks were a lot stronger than before.

“Spinjitzu!” Kai breathed, utterly amazed. He dodged the warriors around him, flipping over them. “Over the planks, dodge the swords—” burning to life was flaming tornado, bright and dark shades of red and orange glowing fiercely, heating up his surroundings.

“Here comes the dummy!”

Kruncha wheezed with laughter, unable to contain it. He pointed at Nuckal. “He just called you a dummy!”

“No, he called you a dummy!” he shot back.

They both screamed when an approaching tornado chased them away, frost billowing in the air. “I sense that you do not stand a chance,” Zane evaluated.

Samukai looked fearfully at the Elemental Masters, backing away a few steps. “Retreat!” he bellowed, and they all ran away, screaming for their undead lives.

“Heh! Guess they didn’t want a second serving of these babies!” Cole said haughtily, flexing his muscles. Kai shook his head with embarrassment, and Jay facepalmed. “Good thing they didn’t check out the merchandise back—”

Cole stopped abruptly, freezing spears piercing every ounce of his skin. Dread clawed at his heart and drowned it in horror, and he was unable to move from the sight in front of him. He could distinctly hear the victorious cheers from his teammates, but his ears were hollow, and he stood rigid.

Looming over him was the beast from the cavern. It had huge, black flaps on the back of its head, a few spikes trailing on the top. It had a thick, round snout and a wide jaw, showing very dangerous teeth. Its beady, turquoise eyes were tiny in comparison, giving it an extremely menacing appearance. Its hide was hard and rough as rock, not even the sharpest point of a sword could pierce it. Humongous wings could almost reach the width of the cave, and the ends of it were torn away from years of guarding the Scythe of Quakes.

“U-uh… g-guys?” Cole whimpered, doubling over in pure terror.

Zane looked thoughtful. “Didn’t Sensei say there was a guardian protecting the Weapons?” he wondered aloud.

Slowly, they all turned around. Kai looked equally as terrified. “I-is that a… a…”

“That’s not what I think it is, is it?” Cole managed to say, hoping and praying to the First Spinjitzu Master that it wasn’t his worst fear of all time.

“You mean a dragon?” Jay let out in a tiny voice, clutching his nunchucks tightly.

The guardian stood up on its hind legs, picking up its huge paws, viciously sharp talons glinting in the dim sunlight seeping into the cave.

“Uh, that sure looks like a dragon!” Kai said, his voice rising.

“I sense we won’t be able to spin our way out of this one,” said Zane, keeping his eyes trained on the guardian. The Earth Dragon heaved forward, a thick gust of rubble and dust shooting out of its maw and nearly hitting the ninja as they jumped aside.

It shrieked as it let out another round of dirt and dust, mounds of rock rising from the ground, almost tripping them over. They were backed into a corner.

“I thought dragons weren’t from this world!” Cole yelled frantically, his voice shaking. He was literally on the verge of losing himself. The Earth Dragon ran forward, its footsteps rattling the cave as debris fell on them.

Quickly forming a plan, Kai unraveled the Scythe of Quakes. Jay understood was he was about to do and grabbed his shoulder. “No, no, Kai, bad idea! Sensei told us not to!”

“Then you’d better keep your mouth shut!” he said firmly, running towards the dragon.

He raised the weapon.

“Kai! Don’t!”

“HRAGH!” Kai cried, striking it at the feet of the guardian. It reared back, tilting its head in confusion. The ground split beneath it, the roof caving in. The Earth Dragon shrieked as it was crushed, but it removed the stones as easily as it had fell. The ninja ran around the cave, their priority clear as they escaped the dragon’s jaws yet again.

“We gotta escape!” Kai yelled, looking for a way out. He saw an opening on the ceiling of the cave as it opened from the cave-in, the sunlight pouring in.

“We’ll use Spinjitzu!” Cole told them. The Earth Dragon ran at full speed, lowering its head to barrel into them, but they used Spinjitzu to climb onto its back, escaping through the crack in the roof. They were finally out of that mess, at a safe distance from
that crazy dragon, and landed right in front of Sensei Wu.

“Ha, that was so awesome!”

“I know, right?”

“We did so good!”

Kai was especially proud. “We are unbelievable!” Sensei Wu glared at them with a furious look on his face, his lips pursed, brows furrowed.

“We are the best!” Zane agreed.

“Did you see that!?” Jay said excitedly, making punching motions with his hands. “I waslike, ‘Pow!’, and you were like, ‘Bam!’

“ENOUGH!”

Their celebration was interrupted by their teacher, and he did not look happy in the slightest. It kind of scared them.

“I told you not to USE THE SCYTHE!” he bellowed, growing angrier by the second.

“He did it,” Jay blamed and pointed at Kai, not even sparing a moment.

“What?” Kai said, shrugging his shoulders as if he did nothing wrong.

“I warned him, Sensei,” Cole added.

“Using it was my only option,” Kai explained.

“And what makes you think you’re more important than the team, huh? HUH?”

Kai wouldn’t go down without a fight. “They took my sister, remember?” he mentioned angrily, clenching his fists. They didn’t have time for this. Honestly.

“There are still three weapons left! Maybe next time you can do it right.” Leaving a singed mark on Kai’s pride, he walked away, the rest of his students following behind. Kai looked up into the sky.

Oh, he would do it right, alright. They would just have to wait and see.

. . .

Deep in the Underworld sat Samukai on a throne made up entirely of bones. It rested on a stone-cold platform with enormous spikes arching outward. It was very dark and gloomy, setting off a dreadful and unwelcoming atmosphere. Two torches sat on the throne’s armchairs, where Samukai did not dare place his arms. Instead, he held them close to his chest, his head hanging low. He grew horrified as the one they most feared approached him.

“Master… I have failed you,” Samukai said in a hoarse voice. “They have learned Spinjitzu, and they have the Scythe.” Sharp, uneven breaths echoed across the cavern, sending waves of pure terror to those already feared from the mortals above.

“Good.”

The low and menacing voice caused Samukai to look up, confused at the praise.

“Then my brother was there.” The Skulkin leader nodded vigorously. Sudden confidence coursed through him. “If I gather my army, we can easily ambush them and—”

“No.”

Samukai instantly grew quiet, recoiling at the word. He scrunched his body, cowering in distress.

“Let them think they’re winning.”

"Uh… but I… do not understand?” Samukai asked tentatively.

“Everything is going as planned…”

The shadow retreated into the deepest and darkest depths of his home, awaiting the moment everything would click right into place… the key to unlocking his banishment from the Realm…. It was only a matter of time.

Chapter Text

The ninjas rode on a large sailboat in the middle of a cracked glacier, sailing past the huge ice blocks and fighting against the massive force of the snowstorm. Large snowflakes caked the ship’s railings and sails like a thick layer of icing, and all of their fingers were freezing beneath their ninja gloves.

Their skin pricked uncomfortably as the cold bit into their warm flesh, the cloth of their gis pressing against their bodies. However, Jay distracted himself—and the others—by ignoring the cold and playing I Spy.

“I spy something… white,” he said, leaning on a wooden railing, clearly bored out of his mind. Tall walls of ice shot up into the sky, a mix of bright, skye blue and white slightly blinding their vision.

“Ugh, could you try to be quiet for once?” Cole asked lightly, trying to stay calm. “This ain’t easy.”

Jay remained quiet, but he grew irritated with having nothing to do. Suddenly, the ship shook, rocking ungraciously as it jerked forward, causing them to tumble a little. Cole quickly grabbed a hold of the steering wheel, his point proven.

“Oh! I spy something broken,” Jay continued, unimpressed. Kai sighed, standing with Zane.

“If Sensei knows the way to the next Golden Weapon,” he started, breathing unevenly, “then why isn’t he steering the ship?” Gesturing to his Master, they saw him perching on the front of the vessel, standing one-legged on a sculpted head of a dragon. He was perfectly balanced as he posed, completely calm throughout their journey.

“We’ve been drifting aimlessly for miles…” Kai trailed off, becoming upset with this problem.

“Sensei’s wisdom is beyond my own,” Zane informed him, partly interested to what his Master had to say about this.

“The most powerful move in Spinjitzu can only be accomplished when all four elements are combined,” Sensei Wu finally responded, turning around to look at them. He jumped off and landed on the planks.

“Earth. Ice. Fire. Lightning,” he listed, spinning as he did so, emphasizing each element in its own specialty.

“Uh, what happens when all of them are combined?” Jay asked.

“The Tornado of Creation,” his teacher answered, uttering the word with such delicacy as though it were an incredible source of power. “The power to create something,” he pulled out a teacup from absolutely nowhere, “out of nothing.”

Kai aimed a few kicks and punched into the air, striking whatever space he could reach
as practice. He was desperate to learn more about it, to prove he could do it.

“No, Kai! If done incorrectly, it will lead to disastrous consequences,” Sensei Wu warned him.

“’Disastrous consequences’? Heh, right.” Just then, the ship rocked even harder, throwing them all off their feet. The sails froze completely, turning into actual ice. Cole backed away from the steering wheel.

“Uh, wasn’t me,” he said with a shrug.

“Did I do that,” Kai wondered aloud, looking at his hands. Sensei Wu walked to the edge of the ship. “No,” he replied distractedly, looking far ahead.

“We are here.”

Huge columns of ice rose into each other, looking very much like an ice-version of a volcano. There was a frosty doorway leading inside the Ice Fortress, and sharp pillars stood near the entrance, threatening to destroy anything or anyone if they intruded the sacred grounds. It was brighter and snowier than anywhere else in the area, and they knew they were in the right place.

The ninjas and their sensei walked on the path to the entry, the snow at least three inches tall. They were on their way inside, observing their surroundings with wide and curious eyes. They stood on rigid ice as they slid past frozen bones of fallen warriors.

“Woah… looks like someone’s already been here!” Cole said, his voice ringing loudly inside the gigantic cave. They eventually came across an isolated room getting narrower at the top, where a dragon hung, maw ajar as below it hovered the Shurikens of Ice.

“The Shurikens!” Zane exclaimed. With the help of his friends, he reached for the Golden Weapon. Once he did, he froze on the spot, covered in ice. The cave began to crumble, and the Ice Dragon was able to move, inch by inch.

It had striking features. Its designs were a lot different from the Earth Dragon’s; it was slimmer and had more pointed structures on some aspects of its figure. Bright blue and white scales shielded its body, stretching to the tips of its wings, which had tiny spikes on the back. A triangular-shaped head with a light blue crown on the back of its head stared straight at them, sharp, yellow eyes glaring furiously at what the ninjas were doing. Its maw drew back in a snarl, revealing rows of humongous teeth.

With loud cries of fright, the ninjas booked it out of the cave, carrying Zane’s frozen body with them. The Ice Dragon was hot on their tails, growling and gnashing its teeth at them, eyes locked on the Shurikens of Ice. Its yellow talons scraped the ice, when the ninjas successfully ran through a crevice in the wall, the guardian clawed and scratched and snapped at them, trying to get through, but its attempts were futile. The Golden Weapon was gone.

Kai, Jay, and Cole hung on to Zane’s frozen figure, sliding down the path at an alarming rate. They steered without having much control in the first place, but they managed to narrowly miss some ice pillars. When they finally reached the bottom, they crashed, the ice shattering and the ninjas groaning in pain. In front of them stood Sensei Wu, holding up the map and pointing at the next Golden Weapon; the Nunchucks of Lightning.

They discovered the Nunchucks of Lightning in the Floating Ruins. It looked like it had once been a floating city, which was now in ruins. The sky swirled like a vortex, and everything—shrapnel, parts of buildings, metal pieces, wood planks and boards—was hovering in the air as if gravity had been flipped. Bolts of lightning flashed every second, but they weren’t very harmful. Well, not always.

Attached to a mountain was a thick chain. All the way at the top was a surface which held the Golden Weapon, and the ninjas knew by now that there was also a guardian protecting it.

The ninjas were at the base of the chain, ready to climb it, until Zane looked back and warned, “We’re being followed!” The Skulkin warriors managed to find them, and they were catching up to them fast.

“Let’s go!” Jay ordered, getting a head start and jumping up every few seconds. His friends followed behind. Jay had the advantage of being the Master of Lightning, or else he would’ve gone up a lot slower.

They climbed the cone at the very top, the Lightning Ninja letting out a cheer as he spotted the Nunchucks of Lightning right in front of him. They were made of pure gold, the ore shining brightly from the flashing lights around him. The ends were shaped like dragon heads, small azure jewels embedded on the sides, and a string of lightning connected them both instead of a regular chain.

“Ha! Alright!” he exclaimed. He grabbed a hold of it, and a sudden feeling of ecstasy coursed through his veins, a wave of numbness flowing through his fingertips and back. Jay felt as though he could run all over the world, unimaginable strength and energy boosting him where there were no limits or bounds—was this what it felt like possessing a Golden Weapon? He felt like he was on a roll!

He showed it to the others, signaling to them that he had a hold of it. His excitement subsided, however, when an explosion of light temporarily blinded him, only to regain his vision and stand face-to-face with the Lightning Dragon. It looked a lot like the Ice Dragon, only it had darker hues of blue on its scales and snout. There were small tears in its outstretched wings, and very long talons slashed the air. It stood menacingly over Jay, growling deeply at him, piercing blue eyes meeting his.

“U-uh… woah!” Jay said, letting out small whimpers at the terrifying sight before him. The dragon was preparing to fire, a stream of mist filling the air. Backing away, Jay jumped off the edge, crying for his life while also yelling with exhilaration, like he was skydiving, which it kind of was.

The others looked back at him, following suite. The fell with him, a strong gust of wind hitting their masks as it slightly burned their eyes. They passed Kruncha and Nuckal, who were really confused.

The ninjas activated their flight suits, similar to the winged model from Jay’s experiment. They unfurled, and the ninjas soared steadily back to safety, leaving the Skulkin warriors on the chain, ruining their efforts in getting the weapon.

At the base, Samukai laughed sinisterly, grinning malevolently. Everything was going as planned…

. . .

The soft whispers of waving trees and bracken were the only noises in the night. The stars glimmered as four shadows soared in the air, preparing to land on the clumps of grass. A few hours passed, and the ninjas were all settled comfortably in their campsite, Kai and Jay entertaining themselves by dancing while Cole played the drums that he apparently had with him. Zane stood on the side, watching them happily. Sensei Wu sat in between them all, his eyes closed. The flames lit his appearance, deep creases visible on his face. It was clear that there was something troubling him.

“Uh-huh! Haha!” Jay laughed, taking full advantage of their victory in finding three Golden Weapons. Kai went along with him, enjoying the fun. “C’mon, Sensei, join us!” he invited. This only worried their teacher.

“There is still one weapon left!” he said anxiously. “We must get our sleep!” With that, he closed his eyes again, determined to get some rest for the night. Jay scoffed.

“Argh, Sensei! You gotta admit, we’re kicking their bony butts!” he said excitedly, punching the air.

“Get up here! Show us some moves!” Kai encouraged, and Sensei Wu really had no choice at the moment.

“Hmm… I guess I could,” he replied in defeat, finally giving in. He stood up. “Now, this move is very special.”

“But if done incorrectly, will it lead to disastrous consequences?” Zane inquired.

Everyone burst into laughter. Wh-Zane! Was that a joke?” Kai asked through fits of mirth. “A sense of humor! You just found it!”

Cole resumed his performance on the drums, and Sensei Wu broke into unfamiliar moves. “Shake what your mama gave you!” he said, hopping on his feet. “Yeah! Look at this one now!” Jay could not believe his eyes. “Spin round, oh yeah, I put my feet—”

Kai and Jay howled with laughter, pointing at their Master. He continued to make those moves, and the endless calls of joy echoed into the night.

It was very dark as time went by, and everyone was on the ground, sound asleep. Soft chirps came from above, and a few crickets let out quiet chitters. The ninjas’ snored as they curled cozily on the lush grass. Kai dozed, resting his head on his arms until he heard something unusual yet familiar…

“Kai.”

The voice was soft and careful, like the lovely and perfect tune of a siren luring sailors into their filthy little traps.

“Kai,” the voice pressed, startling the Fire Ninja awake. He looked everywhere, his head still a bit fuzzy his short nap. The voice called his name again, and this time Kai was able to pinpoint the sound of her.

“Was that…?”

“I have to go,” she whispered, running off in the other direction. Kai bolted awake, scrabbling the ground to stand up properly.

“Nya!” he cried, not believing his eyes. “Wait up!” He chased after her, pushing past bushes and ducking low tree branches. “Slow down! Why’re you running so fast?” He briefly caught a hint of red with that gold symbol on her kimono, and he sprinted as hard as he could, but she was just out of his line of vision.

“Nya! Where are you?” he called, shoving bush leaves aside. He saw her enter a doorway to a massive volcano, a building standing at the front with blood-red highlights in every corner and ledge. It had various floors and large windows, and it looked a lot like a temple covered in ash and soot. There were numerous walls blocking the entrance, but Kai didn’t care.

He ran on the bridge, stopping midway when he heard her call him again, her voice very distant, very… unreal. Without further question, however, he dashed onward. Once he had reached the doorway, he pushed huge oak doors, surrounded by lava with hot steam rising into the air.

As he looked around, he noticed the end of the cave shaped like a horrifying skull with its face stretched and inhumane. Below it, he spotted something golden, and he realized it was the Sword of Fire. It was stuck into a rocky platform, and there he saw his sister, standing unusually still when she was clearly in a dangerous place.

“Nya!” he called, joyful to have finally caught up to her. He jogged up to her.

“Don’t worry,” she said, her voice dangerously calm. “I’m right here… brother.”

Kai froze. Something was really wrong here. Nya’s form expanded into a dark figure, rising higher until it came to be a sinister shadow with blazing, red eyes. It growled deeply, its voice scathed and hoarse. It began to cackle, sneering with a mix of scornful confidence and utter hatred.

“Garmadon,” Kai muttered, the name bitter and disgusting in his mouth. He instinctively reached for his sword, but he grabbed nothing. Lord Garmadon stared at the pathetic boy.

“Forgotten something?” he drawled, wanting to torture this mortal wretch of a being until every bone in his tiny body burned from the searing hot touch of the lava. He grew disdainful when Kai stared right back at him.

“You can’t hurt me here. You’re banished! Trapped in the Underworld!” he said, backing away from the Dark Lord.

“And that is why you are going to remove the Sword of Fire for me,” Lord Garmadon continued, raising a transparent hand in his direction.

“I don’t think so!” Kai objected, his fear ebbing away with every word. He could do this. He would fight Lord Garmadon even if his life depended on it.

“Are you sure about that…?” Lord Garmadon questioned, his voice snide. His shadow dove to the end of the cave, and a loud rattling noise came from the mouth of the skull. Hanging from chains was the real Nya, her life on the line as she hung over spewing lava, crying for her brother.

“NYA!” Kai screamed, extending an arm out to her, but Lord Garmadon interrupted their drastic reunion.

“If you don’t remove the sword,” he warned entertainingly, “how else will you cut the chains to save you precious. Little. Sister?”

Kai stared at her, stuck on what to do. He looked at her helplessly as he struggled against the chains. “You know it’s a trap!” she told him, grabbing the shackles tightly and pulling them. “I can… free… my…self! Argh!” she breathed, giving up already. “Okay, that’s tight.”

The chains lowered, and she screamed, her shrieks bouncing off the cave walls as the warm feeling on her skin grew hotter with every passing second.

“Nya!” Kai called one last time, finally coming to his senses and running forward to help.

“Tick tock… tick tock…” Lord Garmadon taunted. With one last glance at the rough cave walls, Kai jumped from rock to rock, flipping over the Sword of Fire and grabbing it by the hilt, which he yanked with ease.

“Ninja Go!” he exclaimed, using Spinjitzu to run on the walls and leap off, slicing the chains and saving Nya. They landed safely on the other side, but they had a new problem to deal with now that the Dark Lord was free.

He laughed madly, retreating into the shadows, preparing to strike at the right moment.

Kai bounded quietly, gripping the sword firmly. Its glow was stunning, having the ability to attract the eyes and greed of those wanting to bear it. Above the hilt was the head of a dragon, and curving along the blade was a forked tongue, sliding to the sharp end of the sword.

“Stay close,” Kai murmured to Nya, his eyes focused for any sudden movements.

“Trust me, I’m not going anywhere,” she replied, sounding terrified and out of breath. She’d probably want to know what kind of move Kai pulled in his mission to save her, but that was a story for later.

Yet again, a shadow approached them, larger and menacing than ever, but Kai held his ground, and he held the sword high.

“You can’t hurt us!” he repeated, gritting his teeth. “You’re only a shadow!”

Lord Garmadon watched them with his unblinking red eyes.

“Even shadows have their uses,” he seethed.

“Kai! Look out!” Nya shouted, pointing ahead. Kai whipped around to meet his own shadow, resembling Lord Garmadon except it belonged to him.

“Stay back, Nya,” he warned, ushering her behind a boulder. “Stay close, stay back; make up your mind!” she said, cowering and desperately hoping her brother would be able to get past this. The last thing she needed or wanted was for him to get into serious
trouble.

Kai grunted with every swing, slashing and stabbing his sinister shadow, but it didn’t work. The sword merely went through, as though nothing was there. His attempts were useless. He backed away, not knowing how to get out of this one.

His shadow landed hard blows and kicks to his stomach and appendix, leaving Kai to choke out a loud cry of pain. He was getting beaten up badly, and with a harsh swing, the shadow launched him several feet back, where he collided with the bumpy ground.

“That’s not fair!” Nya exclaimed angrily.

“Oh? Am I being too hard?” Lord Garmadon said in an uncharacteristically silky tone, Kai’s shadows duplicating behind one another. Kai huffed, clearly out of breath, but he hung on and pulled himself up. He really wasn’t going down without a real fight.

He jumped ahead and thrusted his sword into their invincible chests, striking them in their weakest spots, but he was quickly knocked off his feet. They smashed their fists against his jaw and kicked him to the ground. Nya watched in horror, covering her eyes at the sight. She hated having to stay behind and do nothing, but she was rooted to the spot. Her recent experiences being in the Underworld greatly unsettled her, and she couldn’t do anything. Literally. She was stuck between a rock and a crevice.

A loud clang echoed across the cavern as the Sword of Fire was knocked right out of Kai’s hands. One of his shadow clones grabbed it, raising it victoriously. Kai reached for it helplessly, his vision darkening. He had to get up… he had to…

Suddenly, Sensei Wu’s shadow interrupted them, barging into their little group. Standing on a smooth surface in the center of the hollow, he bashed them and swung with his staff, smacking them right off course.

A huge shadow of a hawk rose to the wall, scaring off the rest of Kai’s clones. It flapped its majestic wings as it nipped at some of them, Sensei Wu chuckling lightly at the little trick he used with his hands.

Barreling into one last clone, he lunged for the Sword of Fire, capturing it in the air before landing safely on the ground.

“Brother…”

Sensei Wu swiveled around, finally meeting the eyes of the one he himself banished long ago.

"I see you protect one, but what of the other three?”

“They are safe!” he said, his voice loud and clear. He harshly pointed the tip of the flaming blade at the Dark Lord. “Far from your grasp, Garmadon!”

“I wouldn’t be so confident,” he trailed. A saturated blur of light opened at Lord Garmadon’s enclosed fists, the orb glowing brighter and expanding into their line of vision, blinding everything temporarily…

In the forest, lying next to the fireplace while holding on to his drum was Cole, sound asleep and unaware of the shuffling feet around him. The crisp sound of crunching grass seeped into his ears, startling him awake. As he opened his eyes, he saw large, navy blue boots and bony legs. Looking up, his eyes met deep, red ones, the visage covered in nasty makeup, like a Jester who had been dressed as a clown, except it wore a deadly suit of armor.

Cole shot up, grabbing for his Scythe, but Kruncha stood in front, clutching it while sniggering at him. Cole turned his head to see Zane and Jay tightly bound together with a thick rope, and they struggled uselessly. The Skulkin warriors and generals watched with amusement, clearly enjoying having the upper hand of the situation.

Samukai stood nearby, holding three of the four Golden Weapons and smirking delightfully, which Cole found hugely disturbing.

“I believe these belong to Lord Garmadon now!” he said triumphantly. The Skulkin erupted into roars and cheers, raising their arms, and grinning widely while the ninjas were strapped.

Away from the campsite, Kai, Nya, and Sensei Wu were brought back to the Temple of Fire, their vision returning to normal after scrying the others. Sensei Wu looked deeply troubled.

“My brother must not unite the four Weapons. We must keep them apart!” he said, quickly running off in one direction. Kai and Nya followed. They jumped onto the platform where Kai had pulled the sword out, and Lord Garmadon shrieked,

“AWAKEN, GUARDIAN OF THE DEEP! THEY’RE STEALING THE SWORD!”

Sensei Wu swiftly leaped from one boulder to the other.

“You must not let them escape!”

He jumped on something red and orange with streaks of yellow scales trailing past malevolent, gold eyes. The thing breathed, puffs of smoke escaping its thin nostrils. Rising from the spewing lava was a third triplet resembling the Ice and Lightning dragon, only its scales glowed with vibrant shades of pyro, veins of molten lava traveling throughout its hide. Its underbelly was a bright orange, whereas its coarse skin was a maroon red. Extending its wings, it exposed golden wingtips melding into brown near the base of its talons. It lashed its flaming tail, snarling furiously and gnashing huge teeth.

Realizing what was happening, Sensei Wu jumped off, distinctly remembering the guardian of the Sword of Fire. The Fire Dragon reared its head, curling its long neck before sending an earsplitting roar their way. The cavern shook beneath its mighty presence, and Nya screamed, terrified for her life.

The Fire Dragon swung its blazing tail across hanging stalactites, and they cascaded down on the entrance, blocking their exit. It crouched into a pouncing position, growling intensely while letting out a plume of smoke, proving that there would be no way to get out alive.

“There’s no way out,” Kai muttered, racking his brain to think. “He’s taken away all our options!”

“All but one,” his teacher told him, still eyeing the beast. Sprinting the other way, Sensei Wu landed on another platform, raising the sword. Kai spun around wildly, his eyes widening.

“Sensei! What are you doing?!”

His Master cried out as he sliced the platform, and Lord Garmadon cursed loudly. “NO, YOU FOOL!” he screamed, yet he was powerless to do anything. Slowly, the rocky ledge drifted off, approaching the huge lavafall. He met Kai’s gaze, staring at him forebodingly.

“If he is to bring the other weapons here, then I will take the Sword of Fire to the Underworld.” He sat down, gently placing the Golden Weapon on his lap. Sweat dripped down his face from the intense heat, but he paid no mind. “It is my sacrifice to bear.”

Kai could only watch incredulously, taking a few steps forward as his teacher was about to face his doom.

“No,” he began, his voice quavering. “It’s mine! I shouldn’t have come on my own… you don’t have to do this!” He extended his arm, his fingers brushing the space, desperately reaching for his teacher. “There has to be another way!”

Sensei Wu simply pulled out his tea and cup, pouring the contents in it as he sat still, calm as a mountain. A wave of pain flourished through Kai’s heart as he remembered that day. Heck, it literally seemed like a day ago when he first met him. A sudden lump rose in his throat, choking his cries as Sensei Wu’s straw hat disappeared over the edge, not even a scream escaping his lips as Destiny decided his fate.

"NOOOOOOOO!” he screamed, suddenly feeling incredibly weak and lost, losing any feeling or thought he previously had. Nya crouched down next to him, unable to think straight. It all happened so fast…

Lord Garmadon whispered scornfully. “Then I will see you there, brother.” And with that, his shadow vanished into the crevices, disappearing down the falls leading to the Underworld.

Kai trembled, his clenched fists losing feeling. “It’s all my fault,” he blamed, shaking his head. “Sensei won’t be able to hold out for long.” Kai couldn’t hear the growls behind him, but Nya looked around, her expression troubled.

“Forget Sensei…” she said slowly, careful as to not disturb the rising creature. “What about us?” Kai returned to his senses, standing with his sister. The Fire Dragon let out a deafening roar, and Kai stood up straight to face it. They really were stuck now…

The cheers and shouts of the Skulkin warriors rang into the night, and one of them pulled a rope to let Jay, Cole, and Zane hang from a tree branch. They thrashed around, squirming to loosen the binds, but it was no use.

“To the Fire Temple!” Samukai bellowed, earning raised voices and shouts of glee. He raised the Golden Weapons in triumph. Suddenly, Lord Garmadon’s shadow appeared on the wheel of the truck. He relayed the information to the Skulkin leader.

“My brother has taken the Sword of Fire to the Underworld. Hurry! Return and unite the weapons before it’s too late!” he commanded, not wanting to lose another minute. The next moment, he vanished, leaving Samukai startled and confused.

“Um… change of plan,” he told his followers. “To the Underworld!”

The same chorus of cheers and screams echoed into the sky, and Nuckal raised his sword excitedly, only to realize that he was holding a stick instead.

“What happened to your weapon?” Kruncha questioned him, pointing at the branch. However, he walked off without waiting for an answer. Momentarily confused, Nuckal brushed it off, throwing it away and eagerly rushing to the truck to sit in the front seat.

Cole, hanging upside-down, huffed with annoyance. “Great. Now what?” he asked, not
in a good mood.

Luckily, Jay had an extra trick up his sleeve, and he pulled out Nuckal’s sword, which he had swapped with the stick. “Now we get outta here,” he said, grinning like he was up to no good. Cole’s eyes widened.

“Uh, Jay? Before you do that, you might wanna—”

Jay cut the rope and they all hit the ground hard. He safely landed on his friends, whereas Cole and Zane painfully hit their heads. They groaned in pain, rubbing their heads.

“Ugh… warn us,” Cole finished, glaring at the Lightning Ninja. Zane stood up quickly.

“Let’s go!” he said, running off to where the Skulkin warriors had just driven off.

On a dangerous and bumpy path, the Skulkin drove incredibly fast, their motors roaring loudly. Motorbikes and smaller trucks drove ahead, the large struck Samukai sat in was just behind.

“Faster!” he ordered, not satisfied with the speed they were traveling at. He looked at the dashboard, the arrow turning to the red side, indicating the danger of their speed. He didn’t care, though.

“We need to go faster to cross over to the Underworld,” he told the driver, who stomped on the acceleration pedal. The vehicle shook, but it seemed to be working. The motorbikes at the front disappeared in a flash of light. They were on their way underground.

The next truck drove ahead, and they vanished in a flash when they drove over a ramp on the road. There were only a few drivers left. It was only a matter of moments. The anticipation grew as the wind pushed against them, their bones rattling. The trees and bushes went by in a blur. They just had to go a bit faster, then they were set.

“There they are!” Cole, Jay, and Zane leaped from branch to branch, catching up to the Skulkin warriors. They swung past the trees, using great strength to skip a few and hold on to other ones.

Zane jumped from the top of a tree, spreading his limbs to land on another branch, whereas Jay caught up to the vehicles by running at full speed on the charred road. They were very close now, right behind them…

“More speed!” Samukai shouted, thrusting his daggers forward. He frowned. “We’ll never get home at this rate.” The driver switched the gear level and stepped on the acceleration pedal again, only for the dashboard to tell them that they were slowing down.

“Hm? What’s wrong?” he asked, very confused. He heard heavy scraping noises and turned around to see the Master of Earth pull on a chain, using most of his strength to pull the back. He dug his scythe into the ground to help slow them down. He was the perfect distraction.

Zane jumped on the truck, grabbing the attention of two warriors, and he ducked as a branch knocked them right off. Samukai saw him, and Zane simply sent him a friendly wave.

Jay, on the other hand, whipped his nunchucks at the passengers, sending them flying in different directions. Samukai scrunched his scarred face with rage.

“GET THEM!” he yelled. The Skulkin warriors tried to grab a hold of him, but Jay deflected them.

“Ninja Go!” he exclaimed, using Spinjitzu to send them hurtling into the air. He spun to the side of the truck, finding the Golden Weapons trapped in a cage with thick chains protecting them. He slammed his fist onto the lock. His nerves screamed, and a spasm of pain wafted through his hand.

“Augh…” he whined, waving his hand to let the agony subside. “Okay… that’s why they make keys.”

Kruncha and Nuckal were after Cole, but he used his scythe to hit them hard on their skulls. He swung the blade at them, not noticing Jay crawl up from behind.

“Hey, Cole—” Jay choked out a yelp of pain as the hilt of the scythe hit him right in the throat. He gagged and hacked as he couldn’t breathe properly for a few seconds. Cole kicked Kruncha and Nuckal off the truck, then crouched next to Jay.

“Jay! Sorry, I didn’t see you,” he apologized, wincing as head heard his friend’s repetitive coughs and wheezes.

Zane stood near the driver’s seat. “Greetings—” He was roughly pushed aside by Samukai, and he yelped as he nearly fell off the front, but he fortunately clung on to the head of a huge skeleton at the hood of the truck.

Samukai pushed the driver off and sat down, now in control of the wheel. He pushed the gear-changing lever forward, and they all drove even faster, riding off course and scraping the lush grass. The vehicle leaned back, doing a wheelie, until the ninjas couldn’t hang on much longer.

Their grasp loosened, fingers unlatched as they slammed hard into the ground, dust flying everywhere.

The dashboard reached its limit, and the tires burned as they drove right into a bright portal, leaving a trail of fire behind. They were gone. The ninjas couldn’t stop them. Thunder rumbled above, shaking the earth beneath them. They stood up, still incredibly dizzy from the fight and ride.

Jay wheezed in response, unable to say anything clearly, but Cole didn’t need to understand. He already knew.

“You don’t need to say it,” he said. Jay and Zane looked at him helplessly. “I know.”

They looked at the empty space ahead of them, the wall of a mountain blocking their view. There was no portal in sight, and there was no way to get one to open.

“We lost.”

Chapter Text

Sensei Wu woke with a start. He was laying on his back, his body warm from the lava and steam. The legendary Sword of Fire was right next to him, and he instantly grabbed it, looking out for any signs of trouble. He was deep in the underground, stalagmites rising from the molten lava and long tunnels leading to other caves.

He stood up and crept forwards, his skin itching with unease. He managed to survive the fall, but where he was didn’t make much of a difference compared to the afterlife, if he were to be honest.

“Hm… the Underworld,” he mumbled to himself, spotting an opening between two stalagmites. He crept behind them, peeking into the open and seeing Skulkin warriors patrolling the area. Huge rocky platforms remained frozen in the air, chained together by long bridges. Torches lit up the wide cavern, and small huts perched on pillars with ribs sticking out on the edges.

Wu quickly hid behind a boulder when he heard some skeleton patrollers approaching. He watched carefully as they passed him, murmuring incoherently amongst themselves. Wu covered the Sword of Fire in a blanket and held it protectively against his chest.

Looking around, he made his way across the bridges, running past secret doorways and entrances. It was lucky of him to have survived that fall. Now he had to find his brother and Samukai quick, before it was too late.

Near the Fire Temple, Jay, Cole, and Zane ran up the steps and called for their friend.

“Kai!” Cole yelled, halting in front of the great, ancient doors. “Sensei!”

Zane quickly analyzed the scene, then said, “The Sword of Fire was here, as well our friends. But I only sense loss.” Cole and Jay’s spirits dropped. “We are too late. The Elemental Weapons have left this Realm and are now in the Underworld. The end is drawing near,” he added somberly.

“Ugh… great,” Cole said sarcastically, sitting down on a step in defeat, and Jay looked at him helplessly. “The one place no mortal can cross over.”

“We might not be able to cross over,” someone spoke.

The Earth Ninja swerved around, looking everywhere for the source of that familiar voice.

The sound of a loud creak reached the ends of the Forest of Tranquility as the Fire Temple slowly swung open. The building unlocked from the middle, and a wave of smoke infiltrated the space.

The trio jumped back, surprised and confused at what was happening. Their eyes grew wide with shock when they saw a flaming dragon, the protector of the Sword of Fire. It stared straight at them, spikes glowing gold and scales alight with blazes. Sitting on it was Kai with a girl younger than him, which the rest of them presumed to be his sister. Jay practically ogled at her, transfixed at how beautiful she was.

“But a dragon can!”

Kai stared proudly atop the Fire Dragon, hanging on to the reigns as if he was prepared to start flying already. The dragon extended its wings, screeching into the night with as much might it could bring. A bubbling feeling of pride and excitement coursed through their bodies, all except for Cole, who screamed, terrified as he jumped behind a wall.

“Our father used to tell us stories about the dragons,” Nya said, and Kai dismounted it.

“They are mystical creatures who belong to both worlds and varied between them.” The Fire Dragon blinked slowly, observing them closely and sniffing at them curiously.

Cole sputtered, struggling to find words. “Wh-ARE YOU INSANE?!” he cried, not even believing his eyes. Kai ignored him.

“When he realized we were trying to protect the Sword of Fire,” Kai chuckled, caressing the dragon on the leg, “he actually became quite a softy!” He laughed when the dragon nuzzled his against him, purring contentedly. “Knock it off!” he added playfully, rubbing his dragon’s snout.

Nya giggled, amused at the strong bond between them. She heard Jay choke out a few unclear words, and he wheezed when he tried too hard. Zane helped him translate.

“He cannot talk,” he informed, “but he wants to know if you like blue.” Jay nodded, eager to hear her response. Nya smiled.

“It’s my favorite color!” she said brightly. Jay still couldn’t speak properly, but he pumped his fist and managed to let out a weak, “Yes!”

She jumped down next to Kai. He turned to her. “Nya…”

“This is goodbye isn’t it?” she asked gravely, the mood changing in an instant. Kai nodded.

“Come back to me in one piece, okay? I don’t want to have to run the store on my own,” she added in a joking manner, the ends of her lips perking up.

“I promise I won’t be gone for long,” Kai said, mounting his dragon again with a swift leap.

“I’ll keep a candle lit outside our shop until you return,” she told him, and Jay and Zane joined him on his Fire Dragon. Cole didn’t move.

“Uh… you guys go on ahead. There’s not enough room for all of us on that... thing.”

Kai’s Fire Dragon glared at him, letting out a puff of smoke through its nostrils while growling deeply.

“You’re right, Cole,” said Kai, grinning as an idea popped into his head. “But I got a way to fix that.”

. . .

“E-easy…” Cole whimpered, clutching on to the saddle for dear life. A wide, comfy seat was strapped around the Earth Dragon’s thick neck, a long pole protruding from the back. They were high in the air, where they could see mountain peaks and fluffy clouds. The wind was much stronger high up in the sky, and they could see the expanse of the land below them in broad daylight, lush and beautiful. But despite the mesmerizing sight, this only made Cole hang even tighter onto the pole. His voice shook uncontrollably.

“N-n-not so fast!”

He heard Jay whoop with excitement. The Fire, Lightning, and Ice dragons rushed past him, their riders exclaiming happily on their backs. The flew in and out of the clouds, then dove under them, like dolphins re-surfacing to leap out of the water.

“This is awesome!” Jay shouted joyfully, leaning forward to prepare for another dive. His dragon roared happily, angling his snout towards the ground. They dove again, and Zane caught up to him.

“Yes! This is quite fun,” he said matter-of-factly, and his dragon remained calm, just like his rider. However, he gave the Lightning Dragon a quick look, which said, ‘You on for a race?’

They both raced, neck-to-neck as they thrust their great wings with as much power as they could use, swerving in another direction. Jay let out another whoop, swinging his arm around. Kai and Cole followed them.

“So how do the dragons cross over to the Underworld?” Cole asked over the harsh wind, still hanging on tight to the pole. He slightly opened his eyes but instantly regretted it. He suddenly felt his stomach roil as his dragon furled its wings.

“I think we’re about to find out—!” Kai yelled, but his voice died away when their dragons hurtled through the clouds at break-neck speed, piercing the air as they ripped through the sky.

They all screamed loudly, clutching onto their reigns so hard that their knuckles turned white. All of their dragons folded their wings and pressed them tightly against their sides, and they started spinning rapidly, torpedoes of fire, earth, ice, and lightning shooting right into the ground.

A bright portal opened up, and everything just went crazy. Upside-down wasn’t right- side up anymore; it was all a jumbling mess within a cramped tunnel that constantly rotated.

Cole, whose eyes were shut tight, asked, “Is it over?”

“Hardly,” Kai said. Elaborate purple crystals protruded from the tunnel, and huge rocks stuck out on all sides, nearly scraping the dragons’ hides. “I hope these dragons know what they’re doing!”

They swerved and dodged the obstacles in their way, but they still continued to fly at an alarming speed. Wings looped over stones and curled into their bodies as the dragons soared gracefully through the tunnels. Kai and Cole went one way while Jay and Zane went through the other.

Kai leaned sideways, trying to swerve out of the way of the stalactites, or maybe they were stalagmites. No one could tell which way was up or down. Small flame throwers shot out from all over the channel’s walls. Jay and Zane joined him and Cole, and together they escaped the danger of getting burned and singed.

Zane signaled at Cole by waving at him, and Jay flew upside-down, meeting Kai’s gaze. After a few moments of flying unevenly, they gradually began to fly quicker.

“They’re speeding up. Hold on!” Kai said, clutching onto his reigns.

What happened next was kind of weird. Their surroundings suddenly turned pitch- black, like an empty void with not even the slightest ounce of life. Kai’s ears twitched uncomfortably as the silence thickened. It was the loudest thing there, yet there was nothing, no source of noise. He had never experienced anything like this.

A very faint, blue light caught his attention. Kai squinted his eyes to see a something that looked like a small opening, but he couldn’t really tell. It was too far away. He felt his head squeeze in on itself, and his fingers went numb. It felt like his face was being pulled, yet his forehead was being pushed back. His muscles strained against the force of this void, but with one last stretch, they all reached the opening within a second’s notice.

Long talons scraped the ground, and the ninjas tumbled forward. They slammed into solid ground, rolling over and faceplanting right at the edge of a cliff. Their dragons tried to break their landing by stretching out their wings, but it didn’t do much good.

“Solid ground… we made it!” Cole exclaimed as he got up, his voice echoing loudly.

Looking around, they saw part of the Underworld. Levitating parts of land were connected with bridges, lit up with flaming torches. Sharp stalactites hung over them, dirty dewdrops of water dripping down them.

They noticed a huge underground temple made of stones and rocks, decorated with bones on the top and at the entrance. It had a few floors, held up by run-down pillars and unstable supports. There were a few portholes, but they looked more like cage than a comfortable window.

Skulkin warriors were grouped together at the front, keeping watch for any signs of unusual business. Parked around them were their motorbikes and trucks.

“Sensei’s inside,” Zane evaluated.

“They’re expecting us,” Kai said. He took a closer look and saw those two boneheads, Kruncha and Nuckal, standing off the path to check carriages and supplies.

“Hold up!” Kruncha stopped, raising a bony arm to one of the deliverers. “Nothing gets through without inspection.”

“Ninja search!” Nuckal piped, diving straight in and knocking barrels over. Loud thuds filled the cavern when he kept destroying the supplies, ‘searching’ for any signs of the ninja. Kruncha covered his eyes, flinching at the noises of boxes being flipped and
tossed.

“Okay, clear pass,” Nuckal finally acknowledged, allowing them to pass through. Barrels was scattered all over the place, and Kruncha sighed deeply.

Without being noticed, the ninjas were swinging from the stalactites, making their way to the temple. A piece fell off and landed right on a warrior’s head, knocking him out cold.

Jay grabbed onto one, but it was remarkably thin and slimy. He kept climbing it to get a good grip, but he looked up to find out that the stalactite was actually the leg of a massive spider.

Its face was very white with humongous, glowing red eyes popping right out. A pair of fangs stuck out at the front, where two other pairs grew from the sides, chipping at him dangerously. It was mostly black with a few white stripes on its body and thin legs and a skull symbol etched on its back.

Freaking out, Jay waved an arm, trying his hardest to yell out a warning, but the stupid clog in his throat wouldn’t go away. He could only let out raspy breaths, but Cole spoke over him, completely unaware of the situation.

“Can I be the first to say it’s been an absolute pleasure since Jay lost his voice?” he said, and Kai nodded. The legs they were hanging on to started to move, and they looked up to see the horrifying spiders.

“Ugh!” Kai said, disgusted. They all let go, screaming as they plummeted straight to the ground. Somehow, without breaking at least five bones, they managed to survive the fall, coughing and groaning in pain.

Nuckal spotted them, sporting a confused look before asking, “Uh… if there are more than one ninja, is it ninjas or just… ninja?”

“I think it’s just ninja,” Kruncha answered.

“Oh, okay! Then…” he turned to face the rest of the warriors and screeched, “NINJA!”

The Skulkin advanced towards them, and the ninja grouped together, pulling out their weapons.

“I count ten boneheads to every one of us,” said Cole, his eyes darting to count several warriors at a time. “I think I like these odds!”

The spiders backed up the skeleton warriors, crawling forward on their long, spindly legs. They hissed as their pincers clicked together, ready to feast on delicious, warm flesh after a long nap in the dark.

“Uh, oh,” Kai said exasperatedly. “Anyone got any bright ideas?”

Deep in the caves, Wu ran down a spiraling staircase, still holding on to the Sword of Fire. He rushed to the center of the clearing once he reached the bottom. He saw the throne that had once belonged to Samukai, but it was empty. He walked over the bridges make of bone, the walls strapped with strong cages.

. . .

Wu heard a familiar, chilling laugh behind him, and he stopped in his tracks.

“Brother,” the voice spoke.

Wu’s eyes widened dreadfully for only a moment, and he swiveled around to meet that evil gaze. Lord Garmadon stood several feet away from him, standing tall and menacingly with that conspicuous sinister smile of his. His skin was rough, like a dragon’s hide, and it was a deep shade of black. He wore a samurai helmet with a large bone stuck to the top. His rib cage showed from his torso, and he wore a purple belt, tightly wound around his waist.

Grey, arched brows creased when Lord Garmadon finally took a good look at his younger brother, deep wrinkles engraved on his face as he grinned maliciously.

Wu pulled out the sword, holding it firmly with both hands. He stared furiously at who he had once called a brother and a friend.

“Brother…”

Slowly walking towards each other, Lord Garmadon hissed, “Seize the Sword!”

A small army of skeletons jumped down from absolutely nowhere in particular. They surrounded Wu completely, ready to snatch the Golden Weapon at any moment.

“Ninja Go!” A golden tornado sucked a few warriors in at a time, spitting them out across the room and easily knocking them over like bowling pins.

“You’ll have to take it from me,” Wu spat back, readying himself. Lord Garmadon fumed, closing his fist. Then he pointed him.

Wu turned around, seeing Samukai rise from behind the throne, holding the other three weapons. He snickered softly. “Oh, my pleasure.”

They circled each other, Samukai looking smug, knowing he had the upper hand. Wu slowly backed away, stepping at the edge. A piece of it chipped off and fell into the lava. Wu looked back, trying to regain his balance.

With him momentarily distracted, Samukai roared and pounced on him, raising his Golden Weapons. Coming back to his senses right on time, Wu clashed his sword against his armaments, flipping past him and striking every few steps.

They bashed their weapons together, keeping them there as they strained to push forward. Lord Garmadon sat on his throne, glaring at them both as he gritted his sharp teeth together.

“Teach him a lesson,” he seethed.

In a cavern far from the throne room, Kai, Jay, Zane, and Cole huddled together, fending off approaching enemies.

“Any ideas?” Kai asked. “I’m still all ears!” He swung his sword at two skeletons, and they backed away, growling at him. They were rooted on the spot, but Jay suddenly thought of something. He turned to them, still wheezing and mumbling unclearly.

“Huh?” Kai asked, confused. He arched his eyebrow. Cole tried translating for him.

“You feel a weird sensation?” he inquired. Jay shook his head, and could kind of say the word, 'No.'

“You ate an odd crustation?” Zane suggested unhelpfully. Jay repeated his sentence again, but it was still really hard for the others to understand him.

“I got it, I got it!” Kai said at last. “Two natives on vacation! Eh?”

Jay grumbled angrily, dragging out his sentence. “Tornado of CREATION!” he yelled at them, his voice ringing loud and clear across the cave.

The others finally realized what he meant, and they chuckled. “Welcome back,” Zane said, lightly tapping him on the back.

“But it could lead to disastrous consequences,” Cole said uncertainly.

“We’re about to have a disastrous consequence,” Kai reasoned, facing the Skulkin and venomous spiders.

“Let’s do this,” Cole said, all in for the crazy plan. He used Spinjitzu, calling out, “Earth!” The Skulkin backed away, looking scared.

“Fire!”

“Ice!”

“Lightning!”

“Ninja GO!”

Together they created a ridiculously large Tornado of Creation, all of their elements combined into one massive source of power. Blue lightning mixed with the rubble of earth, and blazing embers met with frosty ice. The cave shook, and the Skulkin and spiders tried retreating into the shadows, terrified at the unbelievable sight before them. They were blinded by the light, and one by one they were sucked into it, dragging in the vehicles as well. They cleared everything in their path, reaching the entrance to the temple. There, they finally split, their mini tornados dissipating.

They looked up to see a large Ferris Wheel made up, obviously, of bones. Kruncha and Nuckal were sitting together in one of the caged seats. Nuckal was happily chewing on cotton candy, but Kruncha smacked it out of his hands. Clearly upset now, Nuckal looked sadly at his treat, whining as he reached an arm for it.

“Come on! There’s no time to waste,” Kai said, racing off. The ninja descended the stone steps. They heard two voices, grunting with the effort of fighting. They saw their Master and Samukai battling each other, their weapons clashing, sending bright sparks flying.

Wu sent multiple attacks at once, jabbing and slashing at the former king of the Underworld. He swung the Sword of Fire, which barely missed Samukai’s neck. Jay, Cole, and Zane stepped forward, but Kai stopped them.

“No,” he said firmly. “This is Sensei’s fight.”

A bright wave of fire shot out from the tip of the sword, but Samukai dodged it at the last second. He threw the Shurikens of Ice, but Wu blocked them. However, his sword got stuck in the hard ground, and it completely froze with ice, trapping his hand.

Wu grew worried, trying to pull away. Samukai swung the Nunchucks of Lightning, charging it up for a strong blast. The ninja only stood on the side, anxious for their teacher. With a strong tug, Wu was able to crack the ice, rolling away from the strike of lightning.

Samukai screamed, digging the Scythe of Quakes into the ground. A huge line split the arena. The ninja watched keenly, and Jay was apparently enjoying the show, somehow eating cotton candy, which he had gotten out of nowhere. Kai elbowed him, annoyed.

Wu flipped aside, fending off another wave of attacks. He blocked the shurikens again, but a bolt of lightning struck him right in the chest.

The ninja looked away, shielding their eyes. They heard a loud clang, and they knew Sensei Wu had lost the battle.

Samukai lurked towards the last Golden Weapon. Finally, the collection would be complete. He had all the weapons in his grasp. Wu leaned on his elbows, shaking his head to clear it up from the harsh blow. He gasped, his heart plummeting. He stared dreadfully at the Sword of Fire, knowing he himself wouldn’t be able to do anything.

“Bring me the Four Weapons,” Lord Garmadon ordered, extending his arm. Samukai glanced at him, then at the sword. He picked it up, and the aroma of the room changed in an instant.

“No!” he said, turning to face the Dark Lord. “You will obey me now!”

Lord Garmadon simply chuckled at this, his laughter deep and unnerving. A sudden chill coursed through the room, and the Golden Weapons were moving under Samukai’s hold. His eyes broadened in fear.

Wu joined the students’ side, knowing exactly what was happening.

“No one can handle all their power at once,” he said. Samukai stood still and rigid, the weapons shaking uncontrollably.

“Selfish fool,” Lord Garmadon growled. “Did you think I wouldn’t plan on your betrayal?”

Samukai struggled to keep the Golden Weapons under control. They shook and thrashed around; their movements stiff as the Skulkin leader tried hard to stop them. “What—is—happening—to—me?!”

“You’ve fallen right into my master plan,” Lord Garmadon continued calmly, ignoring his struggles. “Not even I can handle all of their power!” The ninja watched and listened intently, chills traveling down their spines.

“But now that they are combined… it will create a vortex through space and time, allowing me to finally escape this ghastly place!” He emphasized those last two words with such a disgusted tone in his voice, the nerves of his neck bulging with anger.

Samukai mumbled, “Uh, oh,” before rising into the air and shrieking in pain. The power of all four weapons proved to be too powerful, and his screams filled the cave as he spun on the spot, disappearing in a thick cloud of mist.

The Four Golden Weapons hit the ground, and Lord Garmadon turned to face the opening to a large portal. The throne room lit up as the vortex blinded the ninjas, swirling colors of blue and white spiraling in a hypnotizing pattern.

“Father would not want you to do this, brother,” Wu pleaded in one last attempt.

“Father is no longer here,” Lord Garmadon spat, lashing his arms. The light brightened by a significant amount, and they shielded their eyes with their arms.

“Good and evil! There has always been a balance!” He dropped in voice to a malevolent whisper. “Where I go, the balance can be destroyed.” Wu peeked at his older brother, bits of his soul cracking with every word.

“Soon, I will be strong enough to possess the four weapons so I may recreate the world IN MY IMAGE!”

Glancing back, he shot a look of pure loathing at his brother.

“You… you were always his favorite!”

With that, he walked through the vortex, disappearing as the intensity of the light diminished. A faint ringing buzzed in the ninjas’ ears, then it all went away. All gone.

Wu and his students flipped over the gap in the ground, making their way to the Four Golden Weapons.

“He is gone, but he will return,” he said somberly. The ninjas picked up their destined Golden Weapons.

“Then we’ll be ready for him,” Kai said determinedly.

“And keep an eye out in case he has any more of his evil plans,” Cole added. Wu looked at them each in turn, acknowledging them with a light nod.

“Then I have done my part,” he said. “The balance has been restored.” He shot them a stern glare.

“For now.”

. . .

In the peaceful village of Ignacia, the dark clouds cleared from the sky, letting a dim ray of sunshine light the farms and townspeople. They gazed at the clear, beige sky, curious at the sudden change in temperature.

Inside the Four Weapons shop was Nya, staring sadly out the boarded window. Like she promised, a candle was lit on the porch, standing alone like she was, patiently waiting for her brother to return home.

In the distance, loud flaps were heard, catching Nya’s attention. A burst of hope flared within her heart, and she smiled wide when she recognized the Fire Dragon land on the front yard.

“Kai!” she exclaimed, running out to engulf him in a hug. The rest of the team landed next to him, the Ice, Lightning, and Earth dragon safely setting their riders down. Kai jumped off his dragon and latched on to Nya, tightly wrapping his arms around her. He leaned into her, giving all the affection he could, letting her know in a single hug how much he missed her.

Jay got off his dragon. “My turn!” he said, heading towards Kai’s sister. She let go of her brother and chuckled as she hugged Jay as well. Kai frowned, but he shoved his thoughts away. It had been a long day for all of them, so he would make an exception just this once. He smiled at the two.

The residents of Ignacia cheered for them, jumping in the air. The dragons posed behind them, staring proudly at their riders.

“I’m so happy you’re back,” Nya said gratefully.

“Heh, for now,” Kai murmured. “But it’s not over. Lord Garmadon will return.”

The villagers stopped cheering, their expressions growing wary.

“And we’ll be ready for him!” Cole said with a grin. They cheered again, clapping and raising their staffs at their protectors.

“Yeah!” the four said in unison, raising their Golden Weapons together, but it resulted in a massive explosion, sending them flying in opposite directions. The townspeople gasped in shock, not knowing what to do.

Kai coughed a few times, pushing himself back up. “Okay… we gotta remember not to do that again.”

“Ugh… good idea,” Cole groaned, standing up as well.

“Yeah, we’ll stick to high fives instead,” Jay piped in.

“Agreed,” Zane settled, and they all laughed together, enjoying this heartfelt moment.

Their dragons opened their wings, amused at the commotion. Zane stared at them blankly.

“Was that a… joke?” he questioned.

Recalling their adventure, hope flourished through the ninjas as they gazed into the distance. They stood together as a team, prepared to face any challenges that headed their way. They held on to their Golden Weapons, a sense of adventure and excitement lifting their spirits. If Lord Garmadon were to return, then so be it. They would be ready for him, and they would be ready to fight for Ninjago until the end.