Chapter Text
The storm rumbled, its bright flashes illuminating the dark, gray sky. The rain fell in heavy drops, creating immense puddles and dampening the air, making visibility poor. Nature seemed to unleash itself with unprecedented violence; a faint sigh could be heard, accompanied by the heavy, wet sound of footsteps.
A figure emerged through the heavy rain, walking with difficulty, breathless, and groaning in pain. Seemingly disoriented, the figure moved from left to right. The storm rumbled again, and a flash lit up the sky, revealing who was walking: Awen.
The yellow ninja, elemental master of Light, continued forward, her outfit completely soaked, her face pale, her eyes filled with pain, their determined gleam rapidly fading.
She exhaled again, gritting her teeth, her left hand resting on her right side, concealing a wound: blood. But it wasn't red; no, the blood of the Light ninja was a strange golden color. She didn't know why, too stunned and disoriented by what had happened. She examined the necklace she wore: a gold chain with a red crystal pendant at the end, which usually shone with a magical glow: nothing.
Awen felt her body tremble; the rain and her wound weren't helping. Her strength waned with each step, her vision blurred. "I must... move forward... I must find them...!" she forced herself to think in order to continue on her way.
She had lost them, separated from them. Her family. Her friends. The one she loved.
A new pain shot through her side, forcing a plaintive cry from her lips. Her right knee trembled, almost causing her to fall, but Awen caught herself just in time, placing her hands on the wet ground. Kneeling on the ground, the pain from her wound pierced her again, and golden blood stained her clothes.
“No… I can’t stop… I have to find them…! Come on, Awen…! A ninja never gives up…!” she told herself through gritted teeth.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to stand upright on her weak, trembling legs, letting out a cry of effort mixed with pain. The rain continued to fall heavily. Awen resumed walking, clutching her wound once more, her vision blurring and her eyes struggling to stay open.
What had happened ? She still couldn’t quite grasp it. The sky had changed color and cracked open, revealing other worlds. The inhabitants of Ninjago were screaming. Ninjas were rushing to save them.
She had done the same thing.
Awen had rushed to save a small family: a grandfather and his two grandchildren, twins. Kai had come to help her, and… There had been that tremor, the scream, that strange dragon, and that voice calling to her, and the column of lightning that had crashed down upon her. She had heard Kai's cry calling out to her, and the cries of the two frightened children. Awen had fallen in shock, her power surging forth on its own as she heard that ancient voice in her head and the roar of a dragon.
…Heir to my Light…
You must take up her destiny.
I have been waiting for you since the First.
You are descended from the First's daughter.
Like her… You must save the kingdoms…
Guardian of the Light.
It is you I have chosen.
The storm brought another flash of lightning. Awen jumped at the powerful roar, snapping back to reality. Pain coursing through her again, she nearly collapsed. Then cries rang out from further away: the children.
“No…!”
Not again. No, she wouldn't let them die. Not them. Awen mustered her strength and began to run, limping and gritting her teeth, forcing her body forward toward a cave whose entrance was hidden by the thick vegetation.
Despite her blurred vision, Awen glimpsed a large figure entering the cave, once again erupting in the screams of terror from the two children who had landed in this unfamiliar place with her. Her body ached, and her wound burned from the physical exertion. Every step she ran, every breath she took made her want to scream in pain. But she couldn't give up now.
She had to run. She had to reach the children. She had promised him before he died.
She had to protect them, no matter the cost.
She entered the cave with a grunt of effort, before illuminating her right fist with a flickering light, revealing the golden markings on her face and her eyes shining with the same faint glow.
Before her stood the large silhouette of a dragon, facing two frightened children: one blond with lighter tips, the other with black hair tipped with a frosty hue. They both stood trembling, tears welling in their eyes, before the legendary creature with its dark scales. Awen's light caught the beast's gaze, and it turned its blue eyes and the rest of its maw toward her.
The ninja and the dragon's eyes met. Awen growled, ready to attack the dragon: it seemed young, and strangely… it didn't seem aggressive or ready to attack like she did.
“DON'T TOUCH THEM !” the ninja shouted.
Her power shone brighter, threatening the creature, which backed away, lowering its head defensively. The two children watched Awen, begging her to come to them. Then Awen's light flickered, as did the glow in her eyes and the marks on her face. Her wound burned, drawing a cry that echoed through the cave. Her knees hit the ground hard with a plaintive groan. Awen felt her head spin and her vision blur as she looked up at the dragon.
“AWEN !” one of the children shouted.
The yellow ninja heard the cry, which seemed distant. She tried to get up to reach the children, but the elemental masterof light collapsed heavily onto the cold, damp cave floor. Awen's vision blurred; she saw the dragon move and the two children running toward her, calling her name.
"Don't... don't hurt them..." she whispered. "Don't touch Ebris and Solas...Please...Don't..."
Her eyes slowly closed, her body went numb, and she breathed out one last time, her thoughts drifting one last time to her family, her friends, and... Kai.