Chapter Text
Minutes have passed since Kai and Nya had watched Zane descend the staircase after Lloyd, the occasional loud banging of the monastery's door interrupting the silence between the two. Nya glanced down at her comms gripped tightly in one hand, worry present on her face as she paced back and forth, her boots clanking against the smooth flooring. She had tried to call them multiple times in 15 minute intervals with no answer, and at some point only heard static on her end, which only heightened the helplessness and impatience slowly building up inside of her.
“Ugh!! Anytime now Lloyd, Zane!!” Nya said in a sharper and louder tone than she intended, half to herself and half to the open air around them.
This caught the attention of Kai, who was watching the door with steady but narrowed eyes and his arms crossed. His gaze quickly shifted towards her. “Don’t worry so much sis, we’ve faced worse than this.”
Kai’s attempt at reassuring Nya only seemed to make things worse. She finally paused, making eye contact with her brother after several minutes of pacing.
“Kai, we’ve both tried to contact them and had no response at all. Don’t you think that’s a little unusual?”
“Of course I do Nya.” Kai scoffed, a hint of his old pride and sarcasm creeping in his voice.
“Meanwhile we’re both stuck with a bunch of dragons, a wild kid with a strange, awfully similar elemental power to mine, AND a bunch of indestructible Photac beasts just outside the front door. Yeah, peachy.”
“I’m right here you know, I can hear you two from a mile away!” Wyldfyre yawned lazily, stretching out her body on top of Heatwave’s back. “I’m getting bored, when will the green one and the robot come back?”
They both opened their mouths to answer her, but the two ninja nearly jumped at another loud BANG coming from the door, debris falling downwards from the ceiling.
“All we can do is wait now Wyldfyre, and worse case scenario?” Kai’s gaze landed back on the door, his warm red-orange eyes shining with determination. Then Nya notices a few sparks of fire discharge from his hands.
“We hold them off until they come back, no matter how long it takes.”
Suddenly, the two ninja heard a loud woosh of a familiar elemental sound come from the staircase, which Kai immediately turned around. He was quick enough to spot a trail of warm emerald green particles that lingered in the air for a few seconds before fading away.
Lloyd?! Is he… Was Kai’s immediate first thought. “Nya! Did you see that?” He asked her with widened eyes, his head turning to look over at his sister.
Nya just let out a gasp of surprise in response, and Kai soon followed her gaze upwards, his own jaw dropping in pure shock.
Because hovering there several feet in the air, surrounded by multiple wisps of his own elemental powers, was Lloyd. His entire body and eyes were glowing a bright emerald green, almost blinding if you stared too hard, and powerful blasts of energy that first appeared to be small tight balls opening into drafts of energy were emitting from his hands, also glowing the same colour as his eyes.
“Hey!! Wanna-be fire guy!!” Wyldfyre’s loud voice causes his gaze to drift back at her, his attention divided between the dragon girl and his younger brother.
“Could the green guy always do that?” She asked almost innocently, pointing up at Lloyd.
Kai rolled his eyes, clearly he wasn’t used to this “wild kid” Lloyd told him and Nya about earlier, but he’ll have to make do for now, deciding not to sugarcoat it for her as his eyes fully land on Wyldfyre.
“Well, not that I’m aware of, kid.”
“Pfft, did you just call me a kid?” A small chuckle left from Wyldfyre’s mouth, which quickly turned into a series of laughs for a few seconds. “PLU-LEASE, I was raised by dragons, I don’t even know what a ‘kid’ is supposed to mean as an insult.”
She smirked almost proudly. “Is it supposed to make me feel small though? Because it’s not working.”
“And besides…” Wyldfyre pushed herself up to a sitting position, raising her arms upwards in a big stretch. “I bet I can beat you in a fight if I wanted to.”
“Is that so? I bet that I’ll dominate you in a matter of seconds without breaking a sweat.” Kai crossed his arms again, unable to help the small, competitive smile tugging at his mouth despite everything going on around them.
Heatwave let out a low, rumbling snort, equal parts amused and protectively skeptical at the young girl. Some of the other dragons made the same sound in response, picking sides between the two flame elemental masters.
“Ha! You wish, fire guy.” Her hands glowed a very pale blue as they lit up briefly in pale red, orange and blue flames, like she was taunting Kai to act. “Say, why don’t we prove that right now?”
“Tempting, but I think we have more pressing matters on hand Wyldfyre.” Kai’s gaze shifted back towards Nya, his expression falling immediately after the banter.
Nya, still staring upward at the sight of Lloyd hovering in warm glowing green light, barely registered the exchange happening beside her, her attention entirely consumed by the strange, unfocused expression on her little brother’s face.
Something colder and more urgent was already settling in her chest as soon as she noticed the white hue nearly overtaking his warm green eyes, and that was when Nya saw something else. The green ninja’s gaze looked… distant, wandering almost aimlessly in every direction without a specific point.
It sort of reminded Nya of a memory from their childhood before their parents disappearance, the day she realized Kai’s interest in blacksmithing. She had a feeling her brother was going to ask them sooner or later, because everyday when her and Kai weren’t playing outside or goofing about in the workshop, she would see him watching their father especially forge weapons on the anvil with big, glistening eyes.
Back then, that was fascination I could see in Kai’s expression. But, this is different…. It’s almost like… when I…. Nya’s eyes glance down at her own hands for a brief moment, a thin layer of aquamarine light shining over them before dissipating. Then she looked back up to Lloyd.
“Lloyd?” She called out hesitantly, her eyes squinting through the bright green light surrounding him.
Lloyd’s eyes immediately became focused and aware at Nya’s voice, as if it briefly pulled him out from whatever deep unconscious state he was in.
Kai, now stepping closer to his sister, also tilted his head upwards, shielding his face partially with one arm. “…..Greenbean, are you with us?”
……who……
The green ninja’s warm green and white eyes finally landed on Kai and Nya, and through the overwhelming haze, a flicker of warmth caused his mouth to slightly start to shift upwards in a small smile.
……feels… familiar……