Chapter Text
After time had a name, Ninjago was peaceful.
The people went about their lives, content to say everything from before time had a name was simply myth. Fairytales about Spinjitzu Masters, legends of people who could wield elements at their finger tips, wars against snakes and skeletons, realms beyond Ninjago, and a darkness hidden on a shadowed island. Bedtime stories parents told their children.
To ordinary people, that’s all these were. Stories to tell by a campfire. A world with dragons and heroes.
Until they weren’t.
He remembers the day so clearly. The hot sun beamed down on the quiet town of Ignatia. Rice fields and small houses. Kai slaved away at the anvil, making plows and hoes for the workers. The swords and armour his father once prided himself on hung on the walls. Back in his time, there was a need for such things. Now? Not so much.
Kai sometimes wished he was born at such a time. Crafting weapons for warriors sounded a lot more interesting than the tedious work he did now. He had tried his hand at making a few swords of his own, but they’d always be bent and mangled. In the other room, he heard his sister humming at the counter, counting the money in their register.
The idle mundanity was brutally interrupted by screams. The once sunny day was hit with an overcast. A primordial darkness swallowed the town as the stone warriors descended. When he came out to see what was happening, he saw Nya already barricading the entrance. People ran towards the nearest buildings, many running into the blacksmith.
Kai grit his teeth, taking the armour and a sword off of the walls. Some of the field workers took up arms with him.
“Kai!” He heard his sister call, fear in her eyes.
“We’ll buy you all some time. Someone has to defend this town.”
The time between him leaving the shop and being dragged by Nya was a blur. The might of the stone army was overwhelming. Kai was forced to watch as the armour his father built was shattered easily. Blood stained the grass and dirt, men cried out in agony when canons of dark sludge hit them. Him and the others watched in horror as those men had the life sucked out of them, turning into gray zombies and attacking those they were fighting alongside.
It wasn’t long until Kai was the last one standing. Surrounded, he tried to strike one of the warriors with his sword. It was the best sword his father had ever made. It hung on the wall as a reminder of what he could do, if he just kept pushing himself. A medal of pride for their family.
And it shattered into pieces against the stone warrior’s skin.
The force of the blow dealt by the warrior sent him flying back, tearing down the barricades his sister and the others had put up. He faded in and out of consciousness as all the remaining survivors piled into a wagon and left town as fast as they could.
Him and Nya would come to learn their village wasn’t the only one attacked. No, this was a full scale invasion of Ninjago. It reminded him of the stories his parents told of the serpentine wars and before time had a name. Except, this time, there were no elemental masters coming to save them.
That was months ago.
“How are we on rations, sis?”
The conical hat on her head shadowed her face, but he could still see Nya grimacing, looking into her bag.
“Not good. We have a bag of rice and a can of peaches.”
“There should be a town a few miles west in the mountains.” Kai nodded grimly, a map held tight in his hands like a lifeline. Nya looked over his shoulder to see the town he was talking about. She shook her head.
“I doubt there will be much to find there. Towns that small have usually already been ransacked.” Oh great, he knew where she was going with this. Her finger traced a little north of where Kai was looking, “If we go to Ninjago city…”
“No.” Kai rolled up the map.
“There should be tons of grocery stores and such there, maybe even other people.”
Kai kept walking, “It’s too risky.”
If every insignificant town got attacked, Ninjago city was probably a hub. Whoever or whatever was in charge of the stone warriors would’ve taken up space there. Besides, Kai wasn’t sure he trusted the big city. People were a mixed bag in their current predicament. Some were genuinely kind and helped the two along, even offering to let them stay at their bunkers. Others were not. They had encountered plenty of survivors who lied and cheated for slices of bread, desperate individuals who did anything just to get by, even if it meant hurting others in the process.
And some were just evil because there was no structure around to stop them.
Nya and Kai could never stay in one place too long. Eventually, infighting or the stone army would tear everything apart. No, it was better just the two of them. They could rely on each other just fine.
His sister grumbled something under her breath, but continued walking.
After hours of walking, they reached the edge of the western sea of sand. Entering the desert was a bad idea. Sure, there were a few towns and even an amusement park (that was likely abandoned now), but the dunes were harsh. Sweltering heat reigned down with very little cover. Kai knew he would probably die of exhaustion and heat stroke with the armour he carried. A heavy iron kabuto along with his tattered mino would cook him alive.
Unfortunately, they had no other choice. It was either this or brave the mountains surrounding Jamanakai village. They were too far west to turn back now. With a deep sigh, he trudged forward, Nya cautiously following him. They needed to get to a village.
To his and Nya’s shock, they saw a giant walled off area. Going around it, they were met with an entrance under a massive sign.
‘Ed & Edna’s Scrap N Junk’
At least, that’s what it was supposed to say. Some of the letters had fallen off and the bulbs within the letters were in various states of disrepair.
Nya stepped towards the entrance, looking around before Kai could reach forward to stop her.
“Hello?” She called into the open air, “Is anyone here?”
“What are you doing?” He tried to whisper while also being loud enough for her to hear. She turned back to look at him.
“Maybe there’s people here.”
Kai grimaced, “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Despite his protests — or maybe just to spite him — she continued onward. Kai followed tentatively, keeping an eye out for booby traps or hiding stone warriors.
It was hauntingly quiet. Light wind brushed past the towers of junk, causing the metal to creak against each other in a ghostly song. Fairy lights were strung all around, gently swaying above the two. Deeper into the junkyard, they found a trailer.
This must be where Ed and Edna live. He thought.
On the door of the trailer was a hastily written note. Nya pulled it off, allowing both of them to read it.
Hey there! Sorry we can’t be here to chat or help out. We’re headed to Ninjago City to find our son. Please come back another time!
- Ed & Edna
Yeah, they were definitely not coming back anytime soon. Kai felt a bitter tug in his chest.
“Looks like we won’t need to worry about people—“
Kai put his hand to her mouth when he heard it. Getting closer to the junkyard was the sound of two— no, three people. They were talking, a deep voice and mid ranged voice trying to calm a panicking, higher pitched one. All male. Nya licked his hand, causing Kai to pull back with a sound of disgust.
“—Jay, they’re probably fine, maybe just a bit worried but that’s all.”
“How can you be sure? What if they’re missing or hurt or—“
“Take a deep breath, you’re going to make yourself lightheaded.”
Kai tried to drag his sister to hide, but she stood firm. When giving her a look, she frowned.
“Maybe they can help us.”
It was too late to turn back anyways.
The three guys stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Nya and Kai. Instinctively, Kai reached for the broken sword secured in the hilt at his waist.
The tension was broken when the higher pitched voice screamed.
“STONE WARRIORS!!”
To be honest, this was not what Cole had been expecting.
Well, he hadn’t been expecting a lot of what happened in the past few months to happen, but here he was.
He had just ran away from the Marty Oppenheimer School for Performing Arts, instead resorting to mountain climbing. He didn’t particularly love heights, but he did love a challenge. Overcoming his fears also allowed his mind to remain far away from thoughts of his dad, his recently deceased mom, how much weight and expectations had been placed on him, and how much of a failure he felt like when he was unable to fulfill them.
Climbing was easier. Physical stress overpowering mental stress.
That was until the invasion.
He was climbing a mountain he couldn’t remember the name of when the sky turned dark. It was like someone had dropped a blanket onto Ninjago. At first he thought it might be some kind of weird celestial phenomenon.
Then he heard the news.
Stone Warriors decked out in samurai armour invaded all of Ninjago. Every town, every city, every bit of Ninjago taken over by unstoppable forces. And they were unstoppable. Their skin and armour shattered the weapons and will of anyone who dared oppose them. When the people inevitably relented, they were all hit by some kind of dark matter that would turn them into zombies.
He stopped getting letters from his dad after that.
Even though he was frustrated with his dad, the thought that something might’ve happened to him terrified Cole. He was all he had left in this world. His dad wasn’t a fighter or a mountain climber, he was a performer. Cole doubted singing and dancing would stop those monsters from turning someone into a lifeless husk.
Cole still had to be sure though, so he immediately started making the long journey back to his home town. On the journey, he encountered two other wandering souls – Jay and Zane.
He met Zane after Jay. He was wandering alone in weird, all white clothes with a lab coat on his back and a falcon on his shoulder. He had no memories of who he was or where he came from, just his name, his falcon, and a lab coat with some kind of significance. They let him join their party just so the poor guy wouldn’t be all alone. It was a tough world out there, even more so without memories. Though, Cole could only guess.
On the other hand, Jay had been in Ninjago City when the invasion happened, right at the centre. He had miraculously managed to escape before he could be turned, now he was trying to get back home to make sure his parents were ok. They lived in a junkyard in the western sea of sand, so Cole figured he’d help the other kid get there since it was on the same path to Cole’s hometown.
Jay was a blabber mouth and a ball of anxiety that would come out in rants of passion. Cole also found himself liking to tease him in the lighter moments of their journey. He was so easy to ragebait, it was almost unfair. However, when it mattered (like right now), Cole and Zane helped keep a steady head on his shoulders.
Except, Jay’s rambles might’ve been onto something. In the middle of Jay’s parents’ junkyard were two people. Not the titular Ed and Edna Walker, but instead two teenagers. A girl with a dark haori and conical hat covering up a bright cheongsam and red pants. Next to her was a boy, reaching for a sword on his belt. He wore a samurai’s kabuto and a torn up cloak over what looked like blacksmithing attire. Cole could understand Jay’s confusion.
The stone army soldiers had red conical hats, and from what Cole had heard, the generals wore kabuto. However, aside from their choices in headwear, everything else about their attire pointed to them being regular civilians. Still, Cole entered a defensive stance. The guy had a weapon and he looked like he wasn’t afraid to use it.
The girl quickly stepped forward trying to ease the tension, “We’re not stone warriors! I promise.”
To ease his suspicions more, she took off her hat. Underneath was a black bob cut and a face that was utterly human. Cole glanced over to see Jay absolutely stunned. Was he… blushing? Also noticing the change in expression, the guy stepped forward protectively in front of the girl and growled.
“Don’t get any funny ideas.”
“Woah woah, let’s all just calm down.” Cole tried to deescalate the situation before things got worse, “How about some introductions.”
“Agreed.” Zane nodded, his sudden addition to the conversation causing Jay, the guy, and the girl to flinch as if they forgot he was there, or maybe didn’t realize how close he was. The girl looked in awe at his falcon.
“Woah, you have a bird?”
Zane smiled, “Yes. Would you like to pet it?”
“No no no. No one is touching some random bird on a weird guy’s shoulder.” The guy vehemently shook his head, he grumbled the next part, “How did he move so quietly?”
Cole cleared his throat, trying to get everyone back on track, “Introductions. My name is Cole, this is Jay and Zane.”
“H–Hi.” Jay breathed, still staring at the girl like an idiot. Luckily for him, she seemed to find this charming rather than awkward. The guy next to her relaxed slightly, though still stared daggers at the three.
“I’m Nya, and this is my older brother Kai.” She explained. Ah, overprotective brother. That made sense, “We were forced to leave our home in Ignatia after the Stone Warriors attacked.”
“Nya!” The boy – Kai – gasped, grabbing his sister’s arm. Nya rolled her eyes, pulling away from him.
“Shut up, Kai.” She gave an exasperated sigh, “Sorry about my brother.”
Cole shook his head with a smirk, “No worries–”
“I was in Ninjago City when everything happened.” Jay cleared his throat, interrupting Cole with a shove. He puffed his chest, full of pride, “I was testing my newest flying machine when those Stone Warriors came out of nowhere and attacked. Though, I was able to get away with my amazing invention.”
Cole recovered from the shove, snickering at Jay. Zane spoke up before he could, “That’s not how you described it before–”
Jay hurriedly tried to shush him. Kai looked unimpressed, crossing his arms.
“Ok, big shot. If this flying machine is so amazing, where is it?”
“Well–”
“Maybe because his flying machine failed spectacularly and sent him flying out of the city.” Cole bullied him.
“Shut up!”
Jay’s torment made a small crack of a smile form on Kai’s face before vanishing in an instant. Maybe the guy wasn’t as stone faced as he made himself out to be. Still, best to be at least a little cautious. Jay’s weak defenses stopped when he heard Nya giggle, the teen almost swooning into Cole. Oh, he was down bad.
“I don’t remember a time before the invasion,” Zane explained, unintentionally dampening the mood, “I woke up in a frozen forest. I only heard about the stone warriors from Cole and Jay.”
Zane was an odd duck. He didn’t grasp things like sarcasm, humour, or any social cues for that matter. It was like he was in his own world. Despite that, he was still well meaning and his quick thinking had gotten the group out of many sticky situations. Cole had hoped Zane’s memories might come back the more they traveled together. Alas, no luck so far.
Kai pulled out a map from his belt, examining it closely, “You must’ve come from the birchwood forest then.”
“Wait, you have a map? Where are you going?” Jay cooed, trying to get a closer look. Kai snatched it away from him.
“None of your business.”
Jay crossed his arms, “Uhh, I think it is my business since you’re in my front yard.”
Nya held up a paper that Cole only just noticed, holding it out to Jay.
“You must be Ed and Edna’s son then.”
Jay took the letter, reading it. His face immediately dropped from confusion to terror. Judging from that and Nya’s sympathetic expression, it wasn’t good news. Wordlessly, Jay started running towards the entrance. Cole managed to catch his arm and stop him, realizing that he was hyperventilating.
“Woah, Jay, buddy, what’s wrong?”
He turned to Cole, trying to yank away from his hold, “My parents went to Ninjago City to find me, I have to go rescue them!”
“No point, they’re probably already turned into dark zombies by now.”
Jay’s sneer immediately shot towards Kai. He yelled out and if it wasn’t for Cole’s firm grip he would’ve jumped him. Nya gasped, turning to her brother.
“What is wrong with you?!”
Kai seemed taken aback by all the sudden pushback, “Look, I know it sounds harsh but it’s true. Stressball over there is already lucky to have gotten out of Ninjago City alive.”
“Let me go, Cole!” Jay growled, “Let me at ‘em—!”
“Perhaps you two should go inside.” Zane nodded to Cole, “I’ll stay out here and set up camp.”
“Thanks buddy.” Cole dragged a still rabid Jay into his parents’ trailer, though not before giving Kai a glare. Cole had thought the same thing, but saying it like THAT when Jay was clearly in distress only made the situation worse.
The inside of the trailer was homey and spacious. At one end was a loft with a curtain to block it off from the rest of the living area. It must’ve been Jay’s considering how messy the blankets were and the stuffed animal resting against the pillow. Blackmail material for the future.
Below the loft was a full sized bed. The blankets were neatly tucked in. It must’ve been his parents’ bed. At the opposite end was a booth style dining table, a small kitchen area, and a door that presumably led to a bathroom. There was clutter all around in a way that said it was lived in. Though, the illusion was shattered by the veneer of dust and sand particles coating every surface.
Cole blocked the door. Seeing there was no way out, Jay groaned and flopped onto his parents’ bed. He reached over and screamed into the pillow, his frustrated cries eventually turning into sobs.
Now sure that he wasn’t going to run away, Cole sat next to him, the bed sagging under his added weight. Despite being the rock of the group, Cole didn’t know how to comfort him. He didn’t know if he should keep his distance or reach over and hug Jay.
“Fuck.” Jay cursed, “I should’ve been here. If I wasn’t in Ninjago city, they’d still be here.”
Cole couldn’t stop himself from flinching at Jay’s curse. He was always the one saying that swearing was a sign of weak verbal skills. Though, Cole didn’t make a comment about it. That language was definitely warranted at the moment.
“It’s not your fault, Jay.”
“But it is—“
“No it isn’t.” Cole argued, raising his voice. The shift in tone shut both of them up. Cole opened his arms, letting Jay initiate a hug.
They didn’t know each other very well. If it weren’t for all of this, they would’ve never been friends. Cole didn’t know all the right words, he couldn’t make false promises. He gave himself cold comfort with the thought that, if Jay’s parents were fine, his dad was too. But, Kai was right, they probably were already turned. Basically a death sentence in their current world.
“I…” Cole spoke slowly, trying to stop his voice from breaking, “I’m sorry about your parents.”
Jay sniffled. He continued.
“And I know it doesn’t really mean much, but you’re not alone. You’ve got me and Zane, and maybe those other two.” Cole grinned, “I mean, I saw you making goo goo eyes at the girl.”
Jay quickly pulled back. Tears were still in his eyes but now he looked offended on a surface level, his face beet red. He sputtered, “I– No! What are you talking about! I don’t know what you’re talking about, haha!”
“You should see your face.” Cole laughed, nudging Jay playfully. Jay shoved him back, but how he carried himself was noticeably lighter. A hug, comforting words, and some teasing wouldn’t fix everything. It wouldn’t bring his parents back. But, for now, it seemed to do the trick.