Chapter Text
Ocean waves crashed against the shore. Thunder rumbled. The ground shook and trembled and groaned. Kai bolted upright with a gasp, instantly awaking. He’d learned the hard way that a slow response could cost him everything.
I really hope that’s just a freak bout of thunder… and not something… worse. I never know with this damn place.
“You may rest, Kai. You are safe. Daidan has not seen any of the beasts. Be at peace.”
Kai gulped as he gripped the cloth of his red gi and looked up at one of his new companions. He had not known Rusty for long; he didn’t understand him. He didn’t understand who—if anyone—lived within the mech. But Rusty and Daidan had saved his life. Without them, he would’ve been killed.
“No… I’m awake now. We can get moving. The faster we move, the faster I can get home… the faster I can see my family.”
“If you insist, young fire master.”
Kai wasn’t certain why Rusty so often referred to him in relation to his power; the mech had an odd interest in fire. But there was so much he didn’t understand as he looked up into the glowing, yellow-tinged visor where eyes and a person should be. Rusty reached his massive arm down with a groan and creak of metal. Without hesitation, Kai leaped with the grace of a tiger into the open palmed hand. He gripped Rusty’s thumb that was nearly as tall as he was as the mech moved to place him on his shoulder. Kai’s gloved hand gripped the metal collar of the mech as Rusty began to walk. Kai knew by now that this was faster than trying to walk on his own; funnily enough, it was difficult for a mere human to keep pace with the giant strides of a towering knight mech and a massive dragon. In silence, they approached where Daidan was keeping watch over them during the “night.” Not that night and day really existed in this place… just colorless, never-changing skies all day every day for however long Kai had been here. Days? Weeks? Months? He wasn’t certain.
As he did every day, Kai reached inside his gi to where he kept his most prized possession. His hands trembled slightly as he took the paper in his hands, so bright compared to the world around him. Kai stared and stared at the photograph, burning the faces and memory into his mind’s eye as if he’d forget it any moment now. He stared at the monastery, the home he’d come to know and love over the years since leaving Ignacia behind. He stared at the figures standing in front of it, close together as they could be, eyes weary but bright with mirth. Zane’s arm wrapped tightly around Pixal’s waist as the couple shared soft smiles. Cole’s big dopey grin still on his face after teasing Jay. Jay, practically yanked away from a project, still holding a greasy handkerchief in one hand and the hand of Nya in the other. Kai’s eyes softened as he stared at himself, one arm around the shoulder of his sister and the other reaching to mess with his little brother’s hair. Nya wore a smug smile from just beating Kai in a sparring match. Lloyd had been caught mid-laugh from Kai’s teasing and affectionate hair ruffle. Seated in front of the team was their mentor, Master Wu, a serene smile etched into his tired face.
Kai’s gaze lingered on Nya and Lloyd as the ache in his heart grew. What if they were in a place even more dangerous than his own? What if they needed him? What if they were scared and alone?
Don’t worry. I’ll find you soon. I swear it. I will make my way home to you.
“You’re missing them again?” Rusty rumbled as quietly as a mech with a booming voice could.
“I–I have to see them. They’re my everything. I don’t know how I got here, but I know I have to find a way out.”
Whoosh!
Kai clung tightly to the mech, stuffing his photograph away to keep it safe. Rusty’s massive hand reached up to shield him slightly from the wind. Kai dug his heels into the mech’s shoulder as best as he could, but still shot him a grateful look. Kai stared into the harsh, piercing eyes of the dragon as she landed in front of them.
“If you truly wanted to see them, you would not hesitate as much as you do,” she said harshly.
Kai sighed and muttered, “Morning to you too, Daidan.”
Kai gulped when her eyes flashed at him. A grimace revealed her razor sharp teeth, and Kai could’ve sworn he saw blood stains. His eyes narrowed at the bright flash of the circular icon that stood between horns several times the length of Kai’s body. He didn’t understand what that strange symbol meant, but getting on the fierce dragon’s bad side was the last thing he wanted to do. He already had done that enough.
Ignoring his greeting, Daidan’s voice echoed, “If you wish to see them, you would be willing to do what it takes.”
Kai bristled, putting his hands on his hips as he argued with a scowl, “Hey! Of course I want to see them! I just… there’s enough bloodshed in this world as it is. The last thing we need is more of it. Ninja fight for what’s right. They don’t quit or give up whenever it gets hard. I see no point in killing monsters senselessly. There’s more to them than beasts… I’m sure of it.”
“You fail to understand what they are capable of, Kai,” Daidan said coldly. “I have witnessed the torment they inflict firsthand. I lost everything to them. You cannot afford to be soft.”
Kai folded his arms over his chest. Daidan didn’t—couldn’t—understand. Besides, he wasn’t soft . He’d learned over the years the importance of kindness. His family had shown him that warmth and light.
I won’t let this place suck away my soul. What would the others think of me then? How would I be able to live with myself?
“Take it easy on him, Daidan,” Rusty’s voice grumbled. “He comes from a world much different than our own.”
Daidan’s eyes bored into Kai’s, making the young man shudder.
Before she could speak, Kai pleaded, “Please, Daidan. Not now. I just want to make it home. I—I don’t want senseless violence. That’s not who I am… not now. I know what it’s like to lash out and attack others. I’ve been there—” Kai winced as he thought of the man he’d become in the Slither Pit, but pressed on, “But my friends, my family… we’re heroes of our realm. Heroes don’t hurt others if they can avoid it. I can’t become that. I don’t want to be.”
There was a tinge of sorrow in Daidan’s eyes as she said softly, “Young one, life is full of cruelty. This is not your home. If you want to survive—if you want to see them again—heed my warnings.”
Kai hoped and waited for Rusty to refute her words, but when Kai glanced his way, there was only a groan of metal as he shook his head slightly.
“Let’s just get going,” Kai muttered.
I will not succumb. I will endure. I will see them again. And when I do, they’ll still know it’s me. I won’t let this place destroy me.
Kai breathed deeply and stared down at his red gi. It was smeared with mud and was torn in a few places, but at least he had been wearing it when he found himself in this place. Not having it with him would be even worse... it reminded him of who he was. He wasn’t sure how he got here—it had all happened so quickly. But how or why didn’t matter to Kai. There was no sense in worrying about such things. Kai didn’t care. All he cared about was making sure the others were safe. He could only hope they too hadn’t woken up in a place like this.
Maybe they’re all home safe. Wondering where I am. Not that I even know where I am. Because this certainly doesn’t feel like Ninjago anymore, and it’s nowhere I’ve heard of. Hmm… maybe I should’ve listened to Master Wu’s boring lessons more.
The trio were quiet as they travelled. For a while now, they’d been traveling near the coastlines, Rusty and Daidan having warned Kai it grew more dangerous the further inland you went. Many things could hide in the forests of the island. As much as water wasn’t Kai’s favorite thing, at least it reminded him of Nya… seeing the sea made her feel close and near, even if she wasn’t. And seeing the soothing (albeit muted) greens of the trees reminded him of his younger brother. It was almost like walking between them… it made Kai feel safer, however ridiculous he knew that was.
Daidan flew through the air, scanning for any potential threats. Kai kneeled on Rusty’s shoulder, his eyes alert despite the lack of sleep. He couldn’t afford any close calls. But he did feel better with his two companions at his side. They’d saved his life after all.
Kai grimaced, trying to banish that particular memory. But it flashed in his mind’s eye anyway. The sight of the hulking monster, with buggy, lolling eyes charging towards him. The way the ground shook beneath him, pushing him to the ground. The way he’d grasped and stumbled, falling each time he tried to get up again due to the earth’s constant shaking. The horrific roar of the beast as it grew closer. Suddenly feeling his back pressed against rock as he frantically moved backwards. A colossal hand reaching for him, blasts of fire doing nothing to scare or harm the beast...
Then, suddenly, Rusty had charged in, body slamming the monster to the ground. Before Kai had even processed all this, Daidan had swooped in, picking him up in her jaws as if he were her stray kitten.
A voice jolted Kai from his memory.
“Kai,” Daidan repeated, a twinge of annoyance creeping into her voice.
“Huh?”
Daidan scowled and said, her wings flapping near him on Rusty’s shoulder, “Your lack of alertness could cost you your life. Didn’t you say you were some great hero in your homeland? Surely a warrior with your experience knows better.”
The young man’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“Rusty, dude, help a guy out?”
Rusty chuckled and said, “Sorry, young one. She is correct. She usually is.”
Kai scowled, making Rusty’s groaning laughter echo louder.
Daidan hissed, “Careful. We don’t want to attract trouble.”
“Daidan, we both know you’re only talking to me instead of sulking in the skies because you haven’t seen anything. C’mon now. It’s fine.” Kai argued light-heartedly. “And because you care about me. You think I'm really cool, don’t you?”
Daidan snorted, a puff of smoke curling out of her nostrils as Kai shot her a lopsided grin.
“Do not think of yourself so highly.”
“Well, you did come save me. You could’ve let that monster kill me. But you didn’t,” Kai teased. “Unless that was entirely Rusty’s idea.”
Rusty interjected, “It was hers. Not mine.”
Kai was so startled by this that he nearly fell off the mech. Daidan beat her wings, a gust of wind pushing him in the right direction so he wouldn’t tumble to the ground. Rusty’s chuckle echoed again as Kai felt his face heat up once again.
Man, I am not doing myself any favors, am I?
“Foolish human,” Daidan muttered.
“A foolish human it was your idea to save,” Kai countered. “What’s all that about? For all your talk, you don’t seem all that good at closing your heart off, Daidan. C’mon! Admit it! You think I’m awesome. Have the tales of my friends and I really spread this far?”
Daidan answered icily, “Your arrogance is at best foolish and at worst dangerous. You are an elemental master. One of fire no less. We can help each other. Had I not seen you wield your flames, I would’ve left you to die.”
“Oh.”
An awkward silence then.
Kai tried, “Well, why does that matter? What’s so special about my fire?”
“You’ll see in time, young one,” Rusty answered, his voice more solemn than usual.
Kai frowned, not liking the sound of that one bit.
“You guys… you will help me get home, right?”
“We are not liars, Kai,” Rusty reassured. “Daidan and I do indeed intend to help you. It is why we travel with you at this very moment. Fear not.”
Daidan said harshly, “He should have more fear. He’ll get himself killed if he’s not careful. You’re too soft, Kai. You trusted us too easily. You’ve spared every beast we’ve fought. Your kindness may be strength where you come from, but I assure you that it is a weakness here.”
Kai flinched at the repeated insult. Daidan called him soft at least five times a day. FSM forbid him not wanting to kill monsters that he was certain were sentient… their eyes held a soul in them, he was sure of it. And Kai did not want to be the person he used to be again. His family had taught him the value of trust and warmth and kindness… Kai didn’t want to hurt anyone. Not anymore. He just wanted his family safe.
I’ve worked too hard to not destroy myself, to be kind again. I’m not giving that up. Not now. Not ever.
“You don’t get it, Daidan,” Kai snapped. “You don’t know how hard I’ve fought in the past. You have no clue what I’ve been through, how hard I’ve had to work to be kinder. I’m not letting that go just because you’re bitter.”
Daidan’s glowing emblem between her horns flashed again. Kai met her harsh gaze with a fierce scowl, his hands on his hips. Smoke blew out her nostrils, curling around the young man where he stood. Kai fought the urge to throw a fireball, but oh was she tempting him!
Rusty’s voice roared, “ENOUGH!”
Kai stared at the ground shamefully as Daidan growled and swooped higher into the air. But she soared not far above them, still clearly in earshot.
Rusty scolded, “The both of you must stop this. You're both relentless. It’s senseless. If we want the fire master to get home, we all must get along. We mustn’t be torn apart lest none of us find or receive what we seek. Daidan, don’t be so harsh on the man. He’s new to these lands. He’ll learn.”
Kai plopped down, sitting on Rusty’s shoulder as he muttered with a growl, “Sounds to me like you’re taking her side.”
“I am not taking sides,” Rusty answered in a calm tone. “There are things you don’t yet understand, Kai. You will one day, and for that, I’m sorry.”
“I—”
The ground began to shake and tremble. Kai yelped, leaping to his feet and gripping onto Rusty’s metal collar tightly. The young man’s eyes widened as a roar echoed above the crashing waves. Swiftly, Kai unsheathed his sword.
Not again…
Daidan spat something in a language Kai didn’t speak, but he was certain those words were not pleasant.
“We’ve made ourselves a target,” Daidan said with a snarl. “We were too loud.”
Kai watched as something began to rise from beneath the ocean waves. Writhing tentacles rose as a massive, hulking four-legged body rose out of the water. A long neck revealed itself and stretched higher to peer at the trio. Frills surrounding its narrow head flared as it began to roar. Kai paled as two more necks and heads appeared from the ocean waves. All three of the beats’s heads snapped to focus on Kai, zeroing in on him as if he were some particularly interesting bug.
A loud shriek pierced the air. Kai frantically clamped his hands over his ears.
“I don’t suppose it’ll let us just pass through!” Kai yelled over the noise.
Rusty gripped his spear as Kai began to run down the mech’s arm. His balance perfected from years of training, he sprinted the length of the arm with ease and climbed Rusty’s finger. From there: he leaped.
“DAIDAN!” Kai shouted as loud as he could as the dragon swooped through the skies gathering intel. “What’s our plan?”
Daidan flew closer and landed on the rocky beach beside Kai as the creature roared again. It was approaching the beach… its tentacles reaching forward…
“Can that thing walk on land?”
“Yes,” Daidan replied. “But that’s exactly where we need to get it. The saltwater will only heal its wounds faster and give it an advantage.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Kai asked, his eyes locked onto the approaching beast. “And why’s it staring at me?”
“It must sense you’re an elemental master,” Rusty answered solemnly.
“Why the fuck does that matter?”
Before Rusty or Daidan could respond, a tentacle breached the waves. Kai yelled as it lunged straight for him. He dove into a roll to the side. He yelped as he rammed his shoulder into a rock, gritting his teeth. Before any of the trio could react, something else emerged from the shadows.
“MOVE, MOVE, MOVE! NOW!”
Kai’s eyes widened as several figures leaped from the cover of the trees along the rocky beach.
The tallest figure, a young woman, shouted, “LURE IT ONTO THE LAND TO WOUND IT! DON’T LET IT HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF THE WATER!”
The other three figures replied, “YES, AYAME!”
Kai’s eyes widened as he stared at them… at what they were.
Humans. They’re human! I’m not the only one!
Daidan swooped to Kai’s side as the three figures and their leader began a flurry of attacks, dancing forward and back to tease the monster ashore.
“Kai, come. This is our chance. We can get away.”
Kai whirled to face her as the monster’s roars echoed, “Are you nuts? We have to help them! You’re a dragon , you stand a better chance than them! C’mon, Rusty, back me up!”
Rust rumbled in a low voice, “Daidan, surely we will not fail with how vastly we outnumber this beast.”
Daidan growled but relented, running and leaping into the air once more. She swooped behind the beast, beating her massive wings to create great wind gusts to push it forward.
The woman leading the charge, Ayame, yelled, “Looks like we have back up! Keep pushing!”
Kai sprinted forward to join the other humans. Their eyes all widened when they saw him.
“Tell me how I can help here on the ground,” Kai said quickly, brandishing his katana.
Ayame met his eyes and nodded.
“Pair up with Hiroto. You two, move closer, attack its tentacles. Lure it in.”
The smallest of the figures shouted with a slight whine, “Are you kidding me? Why do I have to work with the new guy?”
Kai rolled his eyes just as Rusty charged forward, spear in hand, making the earth tremble. Hiroto nearly toppled to the ground, and Kai swiftly grabbed his thin arm.
He’s so young, Kai realized as he met the fierce, angry gaze of a boy no older than sixteen.
But Kai hadn’t time to think of that. The three-headed beast roared, rearing its heads as it locked in on Kai once more.
“You want me? Come and get me!!” Kai taunted, setting his katana ablaze.
He slashed as a tentacle reached forward. It screamed in pain as the sword slashed its slimy skin. It quickly retracted itself back into the ocean waves.
Hiroto’s eyes grew so big they nearly popped out of his head as he asked incredulously, “You’re an elemental master?!”
“Yep. And I may not know your crew’s tactics, but believe me, Kid, this isn’t my first fight.”
Hiroto sprinted forward, and Kai chased him as the boy shouted back, “Not a kid!”
“Focus on the task at hand, everyone!” Ayame ordered, her voice cutting above the creature’s roars.
Daidan flapped her wings harder, and Rusty swerved and rolled to the side of the monster. His great spear shoved it forward, pushing it further on land.
“Humans! Push harder! They’re getting her ashore!”
“RIGHT!” Ayame’s crew shouted, and Kai swiftly followed Hiroto’s lead and strategy.
Side by side, they fought, slashing each tentacle that lunged for them. The beast screeched in pain, but Daidan and Rusty kept pushing it forward, not letting it soothe its wounds in the water. Eyes on all three heads grew crazed as it was forced to dry land. The humans grew more and more aggressive. Kai didn’t see anything but the squirming black and blue tentacles and frantic, fiery slashing of his katana. He swallowed thickly as sapphire blood began to pool around them. He was relentless, slashing and attacking, leaping and lunging to avoid being caught.
Suddenly, in the corner of his eye, Kai spotted something. He slowed as he glimpsed the form appearing from beneath the ocean waves, letting out faint cries and roars.
Another beast. Smaller. With three little heads. Crying and screeching frantically. And Kai could’ve sworn he saw grief on those faces.
He hesitated. His sword slowed. Beads of sweat dripped down his face. He stared into the eyes of the center head of the small creature, and it seemed to stare back, peering into his soul.
Suddenly, something wrapped around his waist. Kai cried out as the tentacle of the larger beast yanked him into the air. He writhed in pain as the tiny barbs he hadn’t seen before dug into his skin, tore his gi. He gasped as he felt blood begin to ooze.
He was held up in front of the three heads, all of their frills flaring. Three jaws gnashed their teeth. The beast began to squeeze. Kai kicked desperately, panting and yelping. He groaned in pain as the slimy barbs sunk deeper, as the monster squeezed harder, forcing those barbs further and further into his skin...
The beast growled, but Kai felt no fear. It sort of sounded like singing… like a lullaby… Maybe he didn’t need to fight so hard. His desperate writhing and kicking slowed. And his eyes were growing heavy… so heavy. He was terribly tired after all. And it felt like his body was being hugged tightly, as if his family were there hugging him after a long battle… and now he could rest. He could finally rest… There was no need to stay awake, right? And he could hear lullabies and ocean waves… his mother singing sweetly, he was certain now. His mother sounded like the ocean… yeah, he must be home visiting his mother. Kai closed his eyes, and there they all were. His mom. His dad. Nya. Lloyd. Cole. Zane. Jay. Master Wu. He could see them all, welcoming him with open arms… He prepared to embrace them.
When the beast suddenly dropped him with a roar of pain and agony, Kai felt and saw nothing. Not even when his body hit the rocky ground.